🦞 The Lockdown Gang still chatting 🦞

It's good to hear that Kaimoana is in contact with you Doodle. I hope she moves to somewhere better than she feared and preferably really good!

The day was full on but in a good way. My friends who are helping me with books, records, CDs and taking heavy loads to the tip, came today and were heroic.

They had printed the floor plan of my new house, enlarged it and we tried to work out where to place furniture in each room. Fun really but sad to realise there's not much I can take which will fit.

A charming auctioneer came and told me he could take some things but I wouldn't get much for them.

Every little helps.

My computer man came as well and has closed away DH's various laptops so that they can be thrown away but what was on them, saved.

This morning my garden helper has mown the grass and it's all looking tidy.

I haven't heard from my lodgers but they left before I woke and haven't returned so hopefully they got away without holdups.

Ha ha.
Scary!

Bill hook seller?😉

bilookseller❓️

Wow Grammarettto you have been busy and successful by the sound of it. I hope the auctioneers are keen, really big furniture can be difficult to move. We burnt our enormous wardrobe and just kept the large, heavy, full length mirror which had been on the centre panel. It's still leaning against the wall looking artistic. DH was going to build a frame and support for it, but never got around to it. Wardrobes never wear out so are too easy to come by. I also found a lady who buys old furniture to strip down and wax and paint in Farrow and Ball colours. A table went to her. It did look rather good. Someone like that may be an option.

I've spent today on the boat at the museum and it rained. Very wet rain too. Being a museum its high on the list of places to go on a wet day when on holiday, so plenty of passengers sitting looking out at a very atmospheric, drippy river and broad. They seem to have enjoyed their trips though, and that's the main thing.

I'm so pleased Doodle that you're managing to chat to Kaimoana. And that she's still chuckling. Miss her. xx

Yes. Good news about the books.
We had a very close friend who was an antiquarian bilookseller. Sadly no longer with us.

Grammaretto how busy you are at the moment. Glad the books are sorted. Hopefully the auction house will com up with some offers, I didn’t realise your tenants were from Nepal., Hope they don’t have any family where the floods were.

Yes I’ve been in touch with Kaimoana on Messanger, we leave each other messages thanks to ixions help.
Our dear friend has a lovely voice and hearty chuckle. Waiting to hear where she might be moved to.
Got rampaging tinnitus again tonight so will have an early night.

Shelter have agreed to come next week to take away books. Hooray!

A local auction house has got back to me and is sending someone tomorrow to look around. So things don't look so bleak.

I'm not allowed back to the new house to measure up until the missives are signed but that could be fairly soon.

My friends are coming back tomorrow to help pack books into manageable boxes.

And tonight I will cook a meal for my lovely tenants who leave at dawn to fly home to Nepal.

The trouble with easy ways to sell books is they need you to scan a barcode.
Many of ours don't have one .

No bar code means typing everything in.

Thanks ixion I looked into that a year ago. Those were the days when I thought my books were worth more than they were being priced at 😂

Now I think I'll have to pay to have them taken away.

I may try again.

I've asked music man if he can organise uplift of 2 pianos and a harmonium. No reply yet.

My friend couldn't make it last night but another friend who had come to take down the stained glass her DD makes, came instead. She was so appreciative of my cooking I think I will repeat it tonight.

If there's time I want to pick brambles. It's such a bright windy autumn day.

Has anyone heard from Kaimoana?

Have you considered this method of selling some of your books, Grammaretto?
(I haven't, but have bought too many from them.
Looks like you scan bar code (are your books all vintage?🤔), a price is given there and then) and you get a free pre-paid label- and home collection to boot.

sell.worldofbooks.com/en-gb/how-it-works?utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=21891283356&utm_content=174482978081&gad_source=1&gad_campaignid=21891283356&gbraid=0AAAAADsPV2UlC6SWXIxTGi6Dc-l_Z7JyW&gclid=Cj0KCQjw5P7UBhDaARIsAOSlS1NUgGqAVrGL558eIreAsWDnzdhI4eoLN6T9i219UcW08-EVKiV8iCEaAqLIEALw_wcB

Grammaretto i expect the prospect of getting rid of so many of your possessions is quite daunting. Good idea about the red dot system. .
Are there any local charities who might want some of the items.
Do you have a date for your move yet? Can you put some things in storage if you don’t have time to sort it all before you move?
Hope you had a nice evening with your friend.
NFK have a nice walk with Kira. Are you close to the beach?
Car passed its MoT hurrah.

I have such a lot of BIG furniture none of which will fit into a normal sized house.

I have tried and failed to get a charity to collect books. I've just posted a few chairs on Gumtree.
Who needs 3 log baskets?

DD was giving me advice yesterday telling me what to do

It's so all consuming. I must be the most boring person on the planet.

Your day out with Mr & Mrs Jan sounds such fun Nfk. How rude of Kira to reject prawns!

I have invited a friend to supper but don't feel like cooking. I could make an omelette but that sounds a bit mean. Maybe I will get us a carry-oot. Not the chippie though. I was always told to avoid fish on a Monday as the boats don't go out on Sundays.
Traditions must be kept! 😅

I hope life becomes easier for you NN . It sounds as though it has been really hard for you

Doodle I am glad you had a good visit from your in laws

Oh my goodness NN you really have been "challenged". I think you were more than entitled to say the magic words (b***er it - a friend told me them), and go walkabout to find yourself. I've been known to walk around the house chanting "big girls knickers" on many occasions. (I do find I talk to myself rather too much of the time.) But what you went through sounds awful and a bit of a relapse periodically when something unexpected rears its head is only to be expected. It will pass but don't hide it. Let those you care for care for you for a while. You may well find they actually like doing it.

It was a really lovely day meeting Jan and Mr Jan and thank you so much for treating me - and Kira. I can't believe how picky this spaniel is though - fancy not liking prawns! Next time it'll be on me. I'd forgotten how much I liked sitting at Ranworth. It's a shame though that they now have people ashore helping the boats moor up. It was much more fun before!!

And, Grammaretto, you've done it! Well done! When we downsized we went around the house sticking big red dots on all the things we wanted to keep. Not the other way around as it would have meant too much temptation to hang on to Stuff. Then, with a plan of the new place, I arranged the furniture and where to store the stuff we wanted. It meant pruning a lot of red dots! Then everything else got sorted and sent to the local auction house. Not a profitable way to get rid of stuff as they take a good cut but certainly the easiest. Probably things went which we should have kept but I can't say we actually missed any of it. How exciting it all is!

I'm now off to walk Kira, she's padding round on the wood (effect) floor very noisily, letting me know that it's a nice day and she wants to go OUT! It's one of the reasons I wanted her so I can't complain. but I'm dressed in old tatty clothes resume battle with the oxalis. It's got in the grass now. I wonder where I can go where I won't meet anyone!

Oh NN what a brave lady you are to write down exactly how you feel, You’ve been coping with so much so long.
Can you identify what you’re so worried about. Is it having your Dh round the house all day? The thought of giving up work yourself? Doing new things or spending too much time together. Missing your work colleagues?
Are you able to carry on work part time. Spend some time together but keep working for a while? Hope you can sort it out ok,
You’ve had a busy day Grammaretto lots of visitors. Hope you made some good sales.
I’ve been for lunch with my BIL and his wife, nice of them to come and visit me.

Oh goodness Naughtyneine : it's definitely time to stop feeling guilty. You have had plenty enough to put up with.

❤️

I've been just keeping head above water.
I was really tired today but got through.
The various sales went well and I was telling every caller in turn, about my house move.

My cousin came quite late yesterday so we talked family history for an hour or two after dinner. Today was Quaker Meeting followed by DD and family arriving to clear some furniture from her old room.

They left about an hour ago. Cousin left me a bottle of wine and chocolate. I've begun both.

Also,you have been doing a LOT of "getting a grip"
No wonder you are so wrung out!

Love to you Naughtyneine ❤️
You are doing the best you can and Naughtytide will know this.
X
Sending gentle hugs.

If I'd read all of the above on another GN site I'd have thought...you need to get a grip girl....

Well here I am trying again. I did write a screed some weeks back but I can't find it so it's probably still somewhere in the ether bit like my head. I've been having a few wobbles hence the unauthorised absence for far too long. I am so envious of Jan and NFK meeting up as I know if I'd been able to meet up with you all I'd have been sorted out in no time. Way back when I was negotiating the end of a long marriage, a full time job and foreign students arriving and leaving every few days ( that required breakfast ,pack lunch, dinner and drop off and pick up) I reached a point where I couldn't stop crying....and eventually had no choice but to go to see my GP in the hope it was some hormonal deficiency...his words still echo round my head...Mrs E ( as I was then) I've been waiting for this to happen , you have been coming in here for years with Mr E and all his problems ( a lot caused by alcohol) and now your mind and your body can take no more. He suggested medication but I didn't want to go down that route and in the end it took me a year to' get better'. At the time I couldn't accept it a a sort of breakdown ( I'm far too sensible and practical for that thought I) but it was and in the end it was only driving myself round huge swathes of Oz and NZ that finally got me back on track. I deliberately stayed in Airbnb so I'd have to talk to people unlike here where I'd only see people I really had to ...and my girls who totally understood and wanted their strong Mumma back. My twin Grandsons and their little brother put a smile on my face and I never lost being able to have them for sleepovers. On all other levels I merely functioned and set my one task a day and if I achieved it fine...if I did more then great and if I didn't then that was also fine too. This for a person who was used to juggling all the balls in the air ( Ex was not a practical person and sadly not a hands on Father either , his Father was 50 when he was born so he'd not had that experience growing up and his Mother was a very strong person physically and mentally and as he was the only son out of 5 was very shall we say ...spoilt and I sort of at 20 tried and mostly succeeded to take over her role of managing everything that needed doing, swapping spoiling for caring but only so far ...when after a week of marriage he asked if I could wash his hair as his Mother used to do it, my immediate response was...Why ? Have you hurt your hands? and unless you have broken both arms then No.) was a really tough time but I did get back to 'normal' again and life went on and 5 years later I met DH and life changed for ever in the most wonderful way. So what brought me to the edge again a couple of months ago who knows but I found myself teetering once more and I hated it am hating it. Yes I know there have been some very rocky roads to negotiate over the past 7 years but we 'locked on and drove' through them all....the sadness of not seeing my 'girls' and 11 GC is immense but I try not to dwell on it but pray daily for their happiness and wellbeing. Looking back I realise I wasn't ready for the very sudden decision that DH made about retiring...a working man on Friday and retired on Monday. I think I felt that it was something that was going to happen in a few years time and would be a gradual working towards thing and anticipated and my working life would gradually come to a natural end too. Stupidly I still want to feel that I'm in the late summer of my life ( in reality age wise I'm probably in the Autumn) but the suddenness of his retirement in my eyes put me in the Winter and that scared me and instead of my mind letting me grab the wonderful opportunity...it's paralysed me. I am still doing my supporting of the little family and others and but doing my swan act...calm and serene on the surface but paddling like mad underneath it all. There....you have it all... I've bared my soul to you....I know none of it makes any sense and my guilt know no bounds just now...My DH deserves better.

My DM wasn't glamorous but wished she was. She was little and a bit plump . She longed to be tall and willowy a favourite word of hers

She spent money on nice shoes. When she died my DSis and I had to give away her beautiful shoes as we were like Cinderella's sisters 😅🤣😂 she took a size 4

Grammaretto your mother sounds very glamourous. Men used to look so nice going out in their finery.
ixion those gloves sound lovely. I do hope you kept one pair for yourself,
Jan and NFK so pleased you met up again. How lovely. And you got to meet Keira too. An added bonus. So glad you managed it.
Been to lunch today and ate too much. Nice meal though and good chat. I think the restaurant was glad when we finally left. We were sitting chatting for ages.

Oh, that's lovely to read, Jan! Pleased you both had a great time.

How's your sorting going, Grammaretto?
Lots of support on the Decluttering thread. We Grans are never short of a tip or too - or solace when needed!

Did your buyers want to keep any of your furniture? If so, I hope it was helpful and not too sad for you.

Hello from the Norfolk Broads! To all the Lobstars desperate to know if Nfk Dumpling and Jan I can tell you we very definitely did!! We did have my DH with us as well but couldn’t find anything else to do!!! Think he was a bit bored listening to two ladies chattering away!
Anyway we met at one of our favourite places- Ranworth which has food and drink on tap at 1030 and reluctantly split up at 1430!! The lovely Keira came too and was sooo good but she did say “Remember Mum I dont like prawns!”🦐 we left with promises to meet up next year. A very good afternoon!! Have a good weekend all!

I inherited, by default, several pairs of long evening gloves, each in their own dedicated long box with original tissue paper. They were my great grandma's, so around the turn of the century, but worn by my grandma and my mum for her wedding. Elbow length white kid, others a sort of mink/buff colour, with pearl buttons along the palm and wrist.
In a nod to Cinderella, try as I might I couldn't get them buttoned up at all. One pair went to a local costume museum, the rest to a thriving AmDram society which has a keen children's and teens' section, where I guess there are slimmer
paws than mine!

A favourite as a child was my mother's full circular underskirt made from parachute silk. A dream for dressing up, bridal wear.

I was never allowed not jeans but trousers with a fly front. 🤷‍♀️
University and independence soon out an end to that😆