Normal service is resumed

 Well, the calm period has come to an end, husband is back to his normal argumentative, contrary and grumpy self, and moaned like mad about the one job I asked him to do (which incidentally has always been his job anyway, only now he rarely does it without me asking).  I just thought to myself huh I've done 7 or 8 jobs already, think yourself lucky mate.  I knew it couldn't last.  He's just taken himself off out for a short walk, hopefully he'll find his better self on the way....although I think he'd have to be walking for a few miles before that happened.

He's decided he's going to try the gym again from tomorrow, having been hardly at all for the past few months.  That might get him in a better frame of mind.  I did tell him he's been sat in front of the TV far too much recently - all day near enough - which won't be doing him any good.  I had to smile to myself very ironically yesterday when we were at the car boot sale, he got talking to some newish neighbours and was extolling the virtues of the indoor bowling club held in the village hall just 5 minutes walk away - he hasn't been there for probably a year!  He should take his own advice and start going again!

The only thing I bought at the boot sale was a plant, an evergreen fuchsia with tiny dark pink flowers, it's to go in a pot at the front to replace a small conifer which has died.  The boot sale wasn't the 'massive' one advertised, it didn't even cover a third of the field, and far too many of the booters were selling kids toys.  So other than the plant, there was nothing that took my interest, or husband's.  Never mind, I didn't really want to spend too much anyway, I'm saving my money for when we're away and go to Clarks Village (a discount retail outlet of  'posh' shops).  There's a cookware shop there that I like, Pro Cook, I want to get a new set of saucepans, they generally have them at a good price.  I'd also like to buy a new lightweight showerproof jacket.  While I think of it, I could do with a new pair of winter boots too.

Right, I'm going to make a coffee and sit down to do some crocheting, I've done all my jobs for today and the dinner (green veg risotto with Parmesan, husband will have some chicken with his) is all prepped ready for cooking later.

Slow news days

 So it's bank holiday today - not that it means much when you're retired, the days sort of blend into one another.  Today though it's the annual big car boot sale on over at the recreation ground, so we'll pop over there.  Must wear suitable footwear and not my usual flipflops, it's rained quite a bit overnight so the grass will be very wet.  The rain stopped about an hour ago and the sun is trying to come out.  Oh and it's the last day of August.....wow, this year is racing by, I'm glad the blisteringly hot sun has gone for this year.

We've been watching the awful scenes from Nepal, how terrible, each time I think to myself just how fortunate we are to live in a country that doesn't have terrible natural disasters like that.  Our country isn't perfect, there's a lot of knife crime and criminal gangs but that's mainly in the big towns.  Down here we're relatively crime free by comparison and I'm so happy to live where we do.  

Washing is on the final spin, it'll be going out on the line before we go over to the boot sale.  I need to go and get a bit of fruit and dairy stuff this afternoon, but there's nothing else that needs doing today.  

We're going out for lunch one day this week, husband wants to go on the free shoppers bus to Bridgwater on Thursday and I've got my physio appointment at the hospital on Friday - allegedly for a cortisone injection but I'm doubtful that they'll actually give it to me.  I have an adverse reaction to anti-inflammatory meds and apparently the cortisone jab is a kind of anti-inflammatory....I've never actually had one before so don't know if it will affect me, I expect the senior physio I'm seeing will decide.  Other than that we've got nothing much on this week.  I'm starting to get stuff ready for our holiday, I've got a bag for toiletries and another for coffee/tea, tins of salmon and tuna etc.

It's that time of year again, we've noticed several 8-legged things appearing specifically to terrify me 😂😱.  Husband is so slow nowadays he often misses them.....I hate it when they disappear, I know they're in hiding and just waiting to jump out and scare me to death.

Can you tell it's a slow news day again?  😉

Skew-whiff

 I've finished the back of my latest crochet jumper and am starting on the front today.  I'm so enjoying crocheting again....in fact I've just ordered another yarn pack (I use Stylecraft yarns from Wool Warehouse, have done for years) which I'm intending to take with me on holiday, to make another jumper.

A couple of days ago, husband bought me a notice board to go on the kitchen wall, it's part cork board and part white write on/wipe off, it comes with a felt pen, an eraser, pins and magnets, plus double sided sticky pads to put it up on the wall.  Husband asked where I wanted it and which way round, I told him.  He came in my room just now to tell me he'd put it up, so I went to have a look......he's put it the wrong way round on the wall and it's at an angle, all skew-whiff.....so that's going to irritate me forevermore 😂😒  Just as well I can laugh about it (whilst internally sighing and biting my tongue).  I'm sure whatever I say to husband goes in one ear and gets totally jumbled up in his brain and comes out as the complete opposite of what I said 😖

We had a fair bit of rain in the early hours of this morning, apparently it's going to continue on and off throughout today, and again tomorrow.  Should be fine again on Monday though, which will be nice as it's our village's annual big car boot sale Monday morning, we'll be going for a look round.  All the front lawns here are beginning to show bits of green which is lovely, the 'grass' has been short brown straw for ages.  My next door neighbour gave me a potful of daffodil bulbs, she'd dug them out of her borders as she said there were far too many now, so I must plant them in the next few months.  I also need to buy another perennial shrub to go in one of the pots at the front, the small conifer in it was killed off by the heat.

We haven't been out much lately, we've got nothing on next week other than my physio appointment next Friday and the weather looks good, so hopefully we'll have a couple of drives out, including lunch and/or coffee and cake stops.  

Beginning to feel autumnal

 It's really noticeable how the nights are drawing in now, isn't it - we're putting the lights on and drawing the curtains around 8.30 pm.  It makes me a bit sad to think that we're on the downward stretch to winter, which is my least favourite time of year, but at least we've had a good summer this year, albeit a bit too hot for my taste.  There's talk of this super el-Nino in the media, which may bring a very stormy and wet late autumn/early winter, and then bitterly cold through the latter part of winter.  I don't really mind it being very cold, our heating is very efficient and we can always put another jumper on or snuggle under another throw - I have plenty of them, both homemade crocheted ones and bought fleece ones.  I'm not so keen on the idea of very stormy and wet weather though, it gets quite depressing when we're more or less imprisoned indoors, even Betty doesn't want to go out in rain and wind (can't say I blame her!).  Still, at least we know that it will be Spring again eventually.

We had some rain during the night and early this morning, it's been dry for most of the day, alternating between clouds and brief bits of sunshine, very muggy again though, quite uncomfortable.  We've got showers forecast for the next few days, so the grass out the front should hopefully start greening up again.  Our tomatoes, cucumbers and courgettes are coming to the end now, probably just one or two more pickings and that will be it.  Still got plenty of carrots to pull, and one grow bag of potatoes left to harvest.  I've got several bags of French beans, tomatoes and courgettes in the freezer, so we'll be eating home grown produce for quite a while.

Our calm home life continues (and continues to surprise me!).  I've been pondering it and think one of the reasons is possibly that I'm not reacting so much to husband's....little (or big) annoyances, shall we call them.  And I think the reason for that is that I've been doing so much crocheting lately, nearly every afternoon actually, I do find it very relaxing.  In fact I've been so eager to get on with it that I've nearly finished the back of the jumper I'm now making.  Although I've finished crocheting the cardigan, I haven't yet woven the ends in, hence why I've not yet photo'd it - I was itching to start on the sweater.  I'm doing it in granny stitch, in chunky yarn with a big hook, so it's quite airy and holey - I wanted a sweater to wear over a cotton vest or t-shirt.  It's predominantly purple with a lilac stripe, it'll look great with blue or black jeggings (which is what I wear most often).  

Husband has suggested we go out for lunch again one day next week - another surprise, up till recently it's always been me who has to suggest lunches or trips out.

That's that done

 The clothes culling yesterday went pretty much as I expected.  It took me half an hour to do my wardrobe and chest of drawers, then another hour to help husband with his....honestly, he's so indecisive and cannot seem to work out what to keep and what to throw out.  The things I suggested he chuck included a shirt and smart pair of trousers that he'd last worn to his daughter's wedding - about 18 years ago.  He's put on a fair bit of weight since then, so there's no way they'd still fit him.  He also still had some uniform from his last job - he retired 7 or 8 years ago!  How those things managed to make it here when we moved house 2 1/2 years ago I don't know, I can only assume that when I asked him to pack only the clothes he wore and discard any others, he didn't hear me or just couldn't be bothered.  Anyway, it's done now, between us we've filled 3 1/2 bin bags for the charity shop.  

I've just realised neither of us went through our shoe collection, so that's a job for another day.  I also need to go through the bedding and towels......we certainly have too many towels, I'm sure the dog charity shop will be glad of them.

So this morning we'll be taking the bin bags of clothes to one of the charity shops (whichever one we can park outside), and I also want to look through a couple of them....not for more clothes(!!) but for DVDs for husband to watch on holiday.

Husband's sister messaged me yesterday to say she's awaiting an appointment with oncology to discuss having chemotherapy, I'm sure her husband and daughter will be relieved that she's now considering it.  Although she's still saying she's not made up her mind for definite yet, which is fair enough.

Still good....but today might not be

 It's now been 2 whole weeks of calm - well, as calm as it gets in our household! - with no arguments or aggravations, although I do feel like the rug is going to be pulled out from under my feet at any time.  Today, though, is going to be a bit fraught....more on that later.

Whilst it has been a good couple of weeks, there are one or two things that husband does which do irritate me, although I've been making a big effort not to let it get to me.  No. 1 - when I've asked husband to do something like emptying the kitchen bin (a job which he has always done, although now I have to actually ask him to do it), if the neighbours are out in their car port husband will heave a big sigh and with an air of martyrdom say "Just doing my chores".  Chores plural - as if it's not just the one job I've asked him to do, but he's got a great big long (imaginary) list of jobs!  The other thing is to do with meals.....now, as long as I've known husband he's always had a very good appetite and has happily eaten literally anything I've put in front of him, he's never been a fussy eater and will eat pretty much anything.  Except now he doesn't.  Whilst I know tastes change over time - hence why I now almost never eat meat - husband will now say he doesn't like something he's always eaten before and that we normally eat regularly, like the frittata we had a couple of days ago.  He has taken to making complaints about the meal nearly every day.....it's too spicy, or not spicy enough!, he'd rather have had potatoes than pasta, he wanted gravy not a sauce, he doesn't like sweetcorn (having previously enjoyed it for years).  The list of complaints goes on and on.  Now, considering I cook almost everything from scratch and try to ensure he gets something meaty or with meat on the side (whereas I eat mostly vegetarian), I now find myself thinking what's the point of me cooking for him if he's just going to complain all the time?  Why don't I just let him buy and cook his own food?  He'd soon get fed up with that!  Besides, whenever he cooks steak or chops, which he likes the most and I let him cook them as I really dislike the smell of meat cooking nowadays, he always wants to fry them at a blisteringly high heat which means that fat gets splashed liberally everywhere.  And of course he doesn't clean it up.  

Some months ago, we did try buying a load of ready meals for him, I let him choose his own.  Well, that didn't work out - he either didn't like the taste of them or they weren't big enough portions.  I'm not in favour of buying ready meals anyway, too many UPFs and unknown ingredients.  So he'll just have to do what he's always done, and be happy to eat what I cook for him.  Or cook his own. 

As for why today is going to be a trying one......I've said that we are both sorting out our wardrobes today, we both have acquired too many clothes.  Husband isn't keen, he's already complaining about it and says he wears everything.....erm no he doesn't, not by a long way.  In fact he only wears the same few items over and over again, as they're the first things he grabs in the morning, being the last (and nearest) things that were put (thrown) back into his wardrobe/shelves after being washed and dried.  I've told him it should be easy - anything he hasn't worn in a year or more, or he doesn't like, or doesn't fit him anymore (he's put on nearly a stone over the past few months through inactivity) he can put in the charity shop bag.  But I know he'll be moaning like mad and calling me in every 5 minutes to ask if he should keep something!

One huge good thing today - the garage have just rung to say the car has actually passed the MOT!!  Hallelujah!  There are a couple of minor things (not MOT failures) that will need sorting within the next few months, so husband told them to go ahead and do them whilst they've got the car.  Wonderful.  Whilst I really don't know how much longer husband will be driving, as the psychologist who did his initial cognitive tests a few weeks ago (it was May I think) said in her opinion husband is OK to carry on driving at the moment, I'm satisfied with that, so it makes sense to get the work done on the car.  I must say though, it's one thing to make a judgement of being a safe driver based on asking a few questions in an office, it's not the same as being sat beside him in the car!  Whilst I do have some concerns about his driving, I wouldn't allow him to carry on if I thought he was a danger to himself or others.

Right, I've prevaricated long enough - on with the clothes culling!

Sshhh, don't say it

 Life is jogging along quite nicely right now.  I'm almost loath to say it, as our daily life seems to be like a house of cards that can, and often does, topple over at any minute.  So fingers crossed!  Betty's back to her normal self, and husband is noticeably less unsteady on his feet - he's hardly lost his balance or stumbled at all this past week, so it looks like the locum GP lowering one of his BP tablets has worked.  His BP is more or less back up to normal - well, not quite normal as such, it's still a bit on the low side, but is normal for him, whereas when we went to the doctor's it was really very low indeed.  He hasn't had any angina pain - well, he says he hasn't but he's not always entirely truthful about that - nor has he shown any other worrying signs, which is good.  His short term memory remains atrocious but I don't think that's going to change.  He does seem to be less inclined to do things nowadays, I've noticed he's not showing much interest in doing anything in the garden, nor has he started any of his madcap DIY projects outside.  He also agreed straight away when I said I don't want us growing so much produce next year.  He's been spending more time just watching TV - well, dozing in his recliner chair in front of the TV which is playing away merrily to itself.  But then he is 75, so it's not really surprising.  And, the best thing of all as far as I'm concerned, he's been a lot less argumentative and confrontational lately.  I hope it lasts.

I've more or less finished my cardigan, other than sewing in the yarn ends and threading some shirring elastic through the cuffs, which have come out a bit bigger than I was expecting.  Once I've done that I'll put a photo on here.

I need to go through my yarn stash tomorrow to see if I have enough of one colour/weight to make the jumper I want to do next.  I also need to do a wardrobe and chest of drawers cull, they're bursting at the seams.  The box of bedding under my bed is too full as well.  I need to adopt the 'one new item in, one old one out' practice!