🦞Lockdown friends still together🦞

Grammaretto painting as requested.

That's so nice Doodle well done.

I should be clear. He wasn't dismissive about all the mahogany furniture. He can sell it but it was the scruffy benches which could make £500 each which surprised me.

I like your pictures Doodle, especially the left hand one. Definitely worth framing.

Grammaretto, I tried to sell a good quality modern (ish) walnut bureau at our local auctions, but they refused to take it as I would be lucky to get a bid. They'd had a Victorian bureau in really nice condition the previous week which had only made £5. The antique shop took a small chest and some 1900s silverware for £85 but not a half moon hall stand with a leather top. Dark wood isn't selling at all. Hang on to it they said, until the fashion for light oak passes. It has to be light oak. Let him take the benches quickly before the fashion changes again!

Doodle, I wonder if you lack iron? I do know that stress can deplete the way he body uses iron.

I've been feeling exactly like you and as I no longer eat meat (not that I ate much anyway) and have to reall feel like eating leafy green veg (seldom), f I dug out the neglected bottle of iron tablets, just as an experiment.
I think I feel a bit livelier but its early days yet.

Kaimoana I may lack iron I suppose but the tablets upset my stomach a lot so I stopped taking them
Grammaretto ah now I understand. Those benches were obviously a good thing to keep then.
Nfk the left hand one is a photograph, the right hand one is my quite unsuccessful attempt to copy it 🤣🤣 I am no artist

I guess that all us of a certain age Nfk are downsizing at the same time so the big mahogany furniture is flooding the market

I wish my wardrobe would fit in another house. It's so spacious with places for hats, pull out shelves and even secret drawers

Iron is tricky to digest isn't it. Doodle.
I take multi vitamins and turmeric but swig iron and vit B tonic occasionally

Ofcourse spinach is excellent like Popeye 😂😅

Your 'benches' aren't, by any chance, pews, are they, Grammaretto?

Just asking for a friend 💰

Lots of pews seemed to become available in the 1070s I think.

Maybe that was when chapels and churches were beginning to take on a different role in the community - I know of some who had toddler groups etc and wanted more flexibility. One rather lovely church near me got rid of about a third of them replacing them with stackable chairs.

My parents lovely bow fronted Georgian dark oak and mahogany corner cupboards were of NO interest to local auction houses last year
I had them sitting in the dining room for ages waiting for ne to decide what could be done with them.

Even thirty years ago I struggled to find a home for some oak barley-twist dining furniture my parents bought as newly-weds - eventually a dear friend took them and scrubbed them paler for her kitchen where they still look pretty good!

Regarding feeling very tired it might be a lack of vitamin D. I think some massive proportion of people are deficient in that. Also B vitamins are sometimes lacking. Vitamin D is a good one to start with I think.
Regarding iron, I haven't looked into this recently but I do remember that there are several different versions of iron supplements and some are much easier to tolerate than others.
If you have the energy and "brainwidth" Doodle could you raise it with your GP and ask fir a blood test to check? - if it is a vitamin issue at least you can work to improve that.

Dried apricots are high in iron by the way. Much higher than spinach where most of the iron is hard to "get at"... I think they are four or five times richer.
Also, having citrus fruits and tomatoes/melon etc helps us take up more iron from our diet.

..it is SO miserable feeling weary.

... and simply "keeping yourself busy" must be exhausting in and of itself

thinking of you Doodle.

They are pews, ixion but Quaker pews even more uncomfortable which we rescued from skips about 40 years ago when our meeting house in Edinburgh was sold

*I have offered them to the Quakers in Britain but no-one seemed to want
them which was what so surprised me when this frightfully smart young architect turned valuation man thinks designers love them, especially if they have a patina*

Oops! Doodle. That's what happens when you try to look at something on a phone screen! I thought you'd said you'd only just started painting so thought you must be a natural genius, hiding your talent under a bushel! I like your interpretation though. My DD2 bought me a set of Japanese paints and brushes for Christmas. She does wonderful things with them but I've yet to pluck up the courage to take them out of their packaging.

I didn't know dried apricots contained that much iron. I think I may prefer them to spinach and broccoli. A blood test does sound like the way to go Doodle. You've been feeling tired for quite a while now, it could be so many things and a visit to the doctor (or more likely practice nurse if you surgery works the same as ours!) could get to the bottom of it quicker.

Nfk not to worry it made me laugh. No I’m hopeless at art but I enjoy the company and the distraction so that’s fine.
Grammaretto it’s so sad such beautiful hand crafted furniture has no value now. I’ve never had anything old. Nothing inherited. Nothing built to last. I suppose big furniture goes in big houses and they don’t build many of those any more
Ive been to Bracknell shopping today and despite the awful weather and constant rain I’ve had a good day. Suddenly on my way home a wave of sadness washed over me and I can’t seem to shift it. I now know it will pass and I will be ok again till the next time but doe you ever stop feeling so sad?
Notspaghetti I suppose I could go and get a blood test to see if I’m low in something. I suppose I thought the tiredness was just another aspect of grief, I do keep very busy. It helps me but makes me tired at the same time,
I do have some dried apricots so might have some of those and see if it helps.
*Kaimoana have you heard any more news from your son or Gubbins.?
Ixion and Cherry I hope you’re both doing ok.

Dear Doodle, I'm sure you're both emotionally exhausted and physically exhausted from constantly keeping busy... but if you can bear to get a blood test I think it would at least rule out (or in) the "easier" stuff.

If it IS an iron issue, be honest with them and say that you need something easy on the stomach as otherwise you can't take it.
🙏

"Lots of pews seemed to become available in the 1070s I think."

Damn that William the Conqueror.

NotS

It was a cold winter as I recall, Kaimoana, and firewood was scarce ..

1070s! yes I saw that and chuckled.

Do you ever stop being sad?

I don't think you do and you will never get over it. But life moves on and you change
so you will laugh and
find joy again.
There will be sad times
but happy times too
Sending love ❤️ 😍

Kaimoana2

"Lots of pews seemed to become available in the 1070s I think."

Damn that William the Conqueror.

NotS

It would have to be me!!
🤷‍♀️

Yes a difficult year all round ixion
Were they from Peterborough maybe Grammaretto?

I too have been told Doodle, that the sadness will never go away, but you will absorb it, and get used to it being there and accept it. And I am slowly getting used to it and even embrace it. I don't think I want to ever feel that I'm not sad anymore. Sometimes the bereftness is strong. But then I laugh with friends, proper laugh, and move on. I've even had that euphoric feeling of being alive when watching a wonderful sunset from a Scottish mountain - without feeling sad that he's not physically with me. It's now part of us, who we are. We are strong.

Peterborough? I am a bear of little brain NotSpaghetti
You may need to explain.

You have a way with words Nfk. Such a comfort to all of us who grieve.

Thank you Grammaretto. I'm not a patch on Kaimoana, but I try!

I just Googled "William the Conqueror and Peterborough". NotSpagetti, you clever so-and-so person. I'd never heard of the Peterborough Chronicles. I'm now off to study them!

Grammaretto and Nfk thank you both for your lovely posts. I think the sadness will stay but I can live round it. I’ve had a lovely day today with friends and meal out tonight with family.
I’m so tired I can hardly keep my eyes open so heading off to bed and catch up with you all tomorrow. Sleep well

I had a bit of an adventure today. I was walking with my new poles along the river . I stopped to watch the ducks and put down my poles carefully while I took photos. One of the poles slipped into the water and I tried to retrieve it. I ended up lying down and fishing for my pole! I managed to retrieve it but by then a young couple came past, thought I had fallen and tried to get me to my feet. It was a bit embarrassing but I survived and thanked the young couple.

My photos were not very good but here are 3 ducks!