(no subject)

[turps]

Thank you so much bettina for the card ♥

On Monday the builder was supposed to come and install my shelves and do a few tidy up jobs. I emptied the cupboards again -- and man, a person does not need as many carrier bags and bags for life that I had stuffed in the freezer cupboard, seriously, there were hundreds of them -- and then he sent a text saying they weren't coming and would phone at some point yesterday. That was not helpful, builder! I left everything out of the cupboards that night because the thought of putting everything back to just get it out again was too much. Then he did phone and isn't coming until Sunday, so I've had to put everything back.

Other than that, Monday got another negative tick because Kayleigh got in touch to say her dad had been emergency admitted to hospital the night before. He needed to have a pacemaker fitted and the op went a bit wrong and he needed to be resuscitated and he was in a bit of a mess. My relationship with him is a little complicated. Mam left dad for him, and then got pregnant with Kayleigh, and it was just a period of my life that sucked with the divorce and changes and the fact both mam and Kay's dad had alcohol issues which led to horrendous arguments and domestic violence. We had to live with him for a while and sometimes I loved him and sometimes I hated him but over the years that has changed to just feeling sorry for him. He and mam split up a long time ago and he's stayed in the same house, until recently not even a tv, same bedding for 30 years, just existing and not living. I do think he and mam loved one another, but their relationship was toxic for both. In the last year or so mam got in contact via text, and they seemed happy with that. But I haven't seen him for a very long time. Despite that rough day he was discharged home yesterday, so that was good. Because, he's Kayleigh's dad, and Kayleigh's my sister and I love her to bits, so anything that affects her affects me, and she's pretty broken at this point.

Had an okay day yesterday, the highlight being a free order at Costa when their card payment system went down. It's one of our regular haunts and we always have a chat to the manager, so when she realised we couldn't pay by card she just told us everything was free. I know, it doesn't take much to make me happy.

Today we had plans for an early shopping trip. My niece wants LoL dolls and man, it's proving hard to find the specific one she wants. All the looking is giving me flashbacks to Corey's toddlerhood and looking everywhere for Teletubbies. Those shopping plans aren't happening just yet as James had a bad sleep so is still sacked out on the couch. But he's got a physio appointment in a few hours so I'll have to wake him up soon. Maybe hide the window spray snow before that. He was watching Kirstie's Christmas programme where she helped decorate windows with snowy scenes using spray snow, and hers looked lovely, and to be fair, the one James has done looks nice too, but that stuff gets everywhere.

It's lovely to see so many people posting here again, though I am sorry you've lost your tumblr homes. Obviously, I'm still here, still posting if not as frequently as before. Fannish wise I'm still hanging onto bandom, and read in Musketeers and MCU, specifically Winterhawk which is my obsession atm. I still mostly post about my day to day life. I've seen a few old faces post so if you're interested, Corey is now 22 and in his final year at university, James is doing okay and I had a gastric bypass back in 2016 and have lost a lot of weight and am now healthier than I've been in a very long time. Though the latest rl thing is mam died in the summer so I'm just trying to get through this first Christmas as best as I can.

Comments

[shadowhive]

Yay cards!

I think bags tend to multiply when they’re not being watched. Ugh I’m sorry the builders were faily like that

I’m sorry you had to deal with that, it sounds like a complicated relationship which these sorts of things sometimes are. I’m glad he made it through though

Ohh that was nice, free stuff is always good

It makes me glad I don’t have kids when I hear about the new thing that kids want. They seem to want such strange things, or ones that are hard to come by. (I don’t get the sudden fixation with slime some have lately). Oh we watched Kristie p’s thing on the 4 player Saturday and yeah, I can imagine 5he snow gets everywhere

It’s a shame tumblr has screwed up, but hopefully it’ll build up the fandoms here again. I really hope it’ll lead to more bandom people coming since I’m craving fic still.

Yay MCU! I loved the musketeers, though for some reason missed the last series of it

[pensnest]

Depending on exactly how many carrier bags you have, it may well be worth sorting out the newest, strongest ones to keep and taking the rest to shove in the supermarket's recycling bin. Plastic bags degrade after a while, and disintegrate into shards. I keep a 'bag sausage', a tube of material with elasticated ends, which holds all the 'active' carrier bags, though I actually have some proper fabric ones now which are definitely going to last.

I pulled at least a thousand carrier bags out of one of the cupboards at FIL's house when we were helping him get ready to move to Oz. They mostly disintegrated.

*

Your family as a whole is really going through tough times. I'm so sorry.

[sylvaine]

Oof, plastic bags! They really do multiple when you aren't looking, don't they.

*hugs* sorry Monday was hard for you. I hope the rest of the week improves!

[bettina]

You're welcome! :)

[frausorge]

That sounds like a tough history and a tough current situation with Kayleigh's dad. But what you said about your concern for and through her shows a lot of compassion. Sending well wishes.

And good luck with the shopping!

[sperrywink]

Good luck to Kayleigh's dad.

AHahha, I bought a LOL doll too! For the great-niece. It's in a ball, so I don't know how you figure out which one it is.

Winterhawk is the best.

[wenchpixie]

I had the same issue with bags-for-life and other decent carriers and I took them down to the local hospice shop and they were DELIGHTED with them so that might be an option for you? bloody builders though.

I'm glad the universe saw fit to gift you with a bit of free costas, you need some nice things right now <3

[turlough]

Arrgghhh! How incredibly frustrating! Also, how come things taken out of a cupboard/shelf/etc always take up twice as much space outside then they do when inside whateveritis?!

Lots of good thoughts to Kayleigh's dad!

Free orders are a good thing no matter how small they are!

I'd no idea what a LoL doll was so I'd to look them up. I will blame you if I get nightmares of the ugly things :-D

I still refuse to believe Corey is 22. It's just not possible it's been 12 years since I first met you!

[glitteryv]

Ugh, sometimes contractors can be such a pia. Here's hoping they get to fix your cupboards sometime soon.

I'm sorry to hear about Kayleigh's father's situation. It's a tough one and I can't imagine how you or her are feeling right now. *give you both all the hugs ever*

Hunting down for that specific gift each holiday season is something that has become so stressful for me that I've opted to go the gift card route with everyone. I mean, at least I'll know that the person will enjoy their present? LOL. I do know it's different with children because, well, they do play with their toys and all that. Good luck with finding the LOL doll thingie.

Fake/spray snow is the WORST.

HOW IS IT THAT COREY IS 22? SINCE WHEN? WHY? WHAT IS TIME?

[ephemera]

*hugs* - that sounds like tough stuff going on.

I've managed to wrangle the bags down to (one bunch that live in the boot of the car) and (smaller selection that lives in the house) which makes it slightly likely that we'll have bags with us when we need them, and less likely to buy yet more bags for life. I also have a cotton tote bag that lives in my handbag, for small things.