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[Desley (Cat fosterer)]

Evening, another lovely day, weather stayed dry again. Brother took me to Jersey Pearl, i was going to get a ring with my birthday money, and he paid instead! Afternoon tea was lovely, I had a cosmopolitan with mine, slightly unusual vegi sandwich of avocado and tomato. Couldn't finish everything so we have a box of goodies for later. Will post pics next week

[Alicia]

Glad you had a good time.

[M.T.]

Yay Desley, glad you had a good birthday. Re the magnesium, I use mine just before bed usually. I bung it on my knees and sometimes my feet. I think it does make a difference, although I’ve been working quite hard on my sleep hygiene recently so it may be a contributory factor rather than the actual full thing.

Jim, Mum had lit her fire when I went down on Wednesday.

We live on a corner plot and our drive exits onto a tiny little lane. This week they dug it up so we’ve had to get the car out, drive over holes and I still have to remove the road closed sign when I drive out and then put it back behind me again! 🤣🤣

[Desley (Cat fosterer)]

Had a nice shopping trip, met bro for a cuppa, and ended with a trip to my favourite coffee shop, reading and people watching. Thai takeaway and cocktails tonight, i had anticipated an alcohol free day, but hey ho!

Thanks MT. Must be hard remembering to put the sign back after!

[M.T.]

Desley (Cat fosterer) wrote: "Had a nice shopping trip, met bro for a cuppa, and ended with a trip to my favourite coffee shop, reading and people watching. Thai takeaway and cocktails tonight, i had anticipated an alcohol free..."

I’m hoping they’ve taken the stuff away now, although they’re going to be closing the other road next week and then on and off for 30 days! Yeek!

[Desley (Cat fosterer)]

Evening, typing this from my own front room! Slightly eventful journey, just as they announced descent, someone took ill and the cabin crew had to rush down with an oxygen cylinder and mask! We were delayed being able to leave the plane, so I got on my train with 1 min to spare, a few had been cancelled this pm. Landed to rain, obviously, but not heavy. Decided to be naughty and get chippy for tea. Lucy has been all over me, Coco has hissed at me, Chanel has sat close to me and played with me, slightly confused by how much cat food is left, but decided to just thank my friend!

[Jim]

Nothing ever seems to be straightforward for you Desley.
At least you got your train.
I wouldn't worry about the cat food. Just thanking your friend is wise. It'll give them confidence for next time :-)

[Alicia]

Glad you're safely home - after adventures.

[Desley (Cat fosterer)]

No. it really doesn't Jim!! I hope friend is OK to do it again next time, I might need to do some slightly better instructions! I've opened my presents now, there is the usual mix of alcohol, toiletries and candles, with the odd unusual item such as a doorstop. Also got some Amazon vouchers to spend. Need to unpack today, don't have much housework except washing up, friend said she'd do it, but I came back to the bowls soaking in cold water. Rather than my usual Sunday pamper session, I think I might have a bath instead, haven't even read one book while I've been away!

[Jim]

After the drought of reading, I think you need the bath and a good book :-)

[M.T.]

What Jim said. Excellent plan.

[Desley (Cat fosterer)]

Evening, went in the office today to find more presents! My team had got me a gift voucher for the candle shop, so get to go and spend that one day this week, and one of the friends who has let me down got me some wax melts, a soap sponge and some Lindt chocolates. Did end up with a 2 hour slightly frustrating meeting this pm about our 12 month plan. Did some food shopping on the way home and realised that my gutter has a leak, so need to find someone to fix that soon. One thing I did realise by being away is that my neighbour was right with her 'it's called living' comments, but it's just that my idea isn't the same idea as hers, I am going to try and go sitting in cafes more reading and people watching.

I did manage to finish my book last night, think part of the problem is that it wasn't good as the first in the series

[Alicia]

Have fun reading and people watching!

[Jim]

coffee, reading and people watching sounds fun :-)

[Desley (Cat fosterer)]

Evening, another fun day in the office, I got given food today, a mince pie was forced on me, and one of the directors normally brings in pumpkin pie and roasted pumpkin seeds, he remembered to give me the tub of seeds today, so looking forward to those.

[Jim]

How do you cook pumpkin seeds?

[Desley (Cat fosterer)]

I tried making my own the other year by putting them in the oven but it didn't work very well

[Rosemary (grooving with the Picts)]

Jim wrote: "How do you cook pumpkin seeds?"

Batter 'em and deep fry 'em. Obvs.

I've toasted them in a dry frying pan but it's tricky as there is an infinitely small period of time between 'just right' and 'rather more charred than I'd really like'.

Another nice day here. Leaf blowers are being deployed in force. determined to spoil the ambience.

[Rosemary (grooving with the Picts)]

Or if you want to spoil a perfectly nice fruit cake you can put them in that.

[Rosemary (grooving with the Picts)]

I mean pumpkin seeds, not leaf blowers. Although they would probably spoil a fruit cake too.

[Desley (Cat fosterer)]

Evening, I'd ordered a couple of things from Amazon with birthday money, I asked for them to come tomorrow, they arrived today! Luckily 10 mins after my meeting finished. Some headphones that look like a headband and another candle!

Love it R!

[M.T.]

Bit of an adventure today. There was an accident on the way to Mum's. I was five back and half the road was clear with no emergency services around so I parked on the verge and then I strolled up to the front to see if I could get through and go on to Mum's without it being wrong and naff. It would have been.

The victim was still in the car, rigid and plastic looking, like a crash test dummy. At first I was scared she'd died at the wheel and crashed because of that. Then a very pale and shaken lorry driver who'd side swiped her turned up. I went over to see if she was OK and she was in deep shock, petrified and crying. I asked her name and if I could help her and she asked if I could ring her work for her, so I did and asked them to ring her husband. Then I helped the bloke on the phone to the emergency services with the what three words location and ended up holding her hand and chatting to her as she drifted in and out of consciousness until the ambulance arrived. I'm pretty sure that barring the possibility of whiplash she will be OK. At the end, I leaned through the gap twixt open window and car (the paramedics were in the actual doorway) explained that the traffic was about to move and that I'd be off now. I told her I was leaving her with the paramedics and that she was going to be alright and to try not to be scared. She mouthed the words, 'thank you' at me through the windscreen and gave me a big smile. It was lovely because the colour was coming back to her cheeks and after that I felt she was through the worst and probably going to be OK.

Back at the car a chap sauntered up and asked me if I thought the traffic was about to start moving. I said yes in about five minutes. Turned out he was captain of the afternoon flight to Riyadh out of LHR - probably fairly critical that he got there. He said he'd got the sub lined up but was waiting because he just had time to make it if the traffic moved within 15 minutes.

Interesting day but it took it out of me emotionally.

[Alicia]

Glad you were there for her - bet she was, too.

[Desley (Cat fosterer)]

Wow, MT, glad you went and checked rather than just sat in your car and was able to comfort her and deal with stuff

[Jim]

I bet it did MT
Good on you

[Rosemary (grooving with the Picts)]

Kindness is worth so much more than gold. I hope the day didn't wring you out too much Mary.

[Desley (Cat fosterer)]

Evening, went to the candle shop today to spend my £10 voucher, I had a choice between 5 for £9 or 6 for £10.50, so I obviously went for the latter! Got mint choc chip, white cocoa cookie, parma violet, watermelon sorbet, fizzy berry and tropical pop (she kindly went in the back to get the tropical pop for me, as she'd put the summer ones away). Then after work, the avon lady came, I forgot I'd ordered some berry wax melts from there! And a pamper kit, unfortunately don't like the gingerbread stuff but at least got my favourite hand cream and body lotion, and I used birthday money for it. Just 2 books left to arrive now. New headphones worked well when I went to the candle shop, the sound even coped walking past playtime at the local school.

[Alicia]

You have the right idea about birthday money: spend it as quickly as possible on the things you want for your birthday!

Enjoy your new fragrances.

[Desley (Cat fosterer)]

It's not like me normally! Mind you, I'd have normally had neighbour grumbling at me buying more wax melts and books based on the fact I have enough, she refused to buy me an amazon voucher earlier in the year because she thought I had too many books. It has literally just dawned on me that I was that busy worrying about getting to a certain age without doing what society expects (and partly made worse by thinking I was going to be lonely without neighbour to do things with) that I forgot what I have achieved with my life, and not just the house and job, but I've fostered 252 cats and helped countless others with fundraising, raising awareness of some of the small charities I volunteered for etc, and making a difference to so many cats is something to be proud of.

[Alicia]

That's really sweet - a huge good job. Wow!

Something to warm the cockles of your heart.

[M.T.]

Thanks everyone. It did take it out of me a bit I’ve bounced back!

Bloody hell Desley! That’s a huge number of little furry peps who will be forever grateful. Awesome job.

Had a smashing day yesterday meeting my writer friends from the town where I used to live. It’s only the third time we’ve seen each other since before covid so we’re all still a bit giddy with in person meetings!

Also had McMini’s parents evening by zoom. I was really intrigued, McMini and I are like peas in a pod and he has always seemed to have a very similar intelligence and sense of humour to mine. As a kid, I was really good at science, until I hit senior school, got behind in Maths and never passed a maths test again. McMini loves science, as I did, and I worried that he might turn out to be the same as me. I needn’t have done. McMini is, apparently, really good at science and maths, and is old enough by now for them to know. Top set good … so clearly he takes after his Dad.

Naturally, I am stoked by this because science is so much simpler and more straightforward than arts. You do it, you extrapolate stuff from the facts you have etc … arts, I’m thinking history particularly … half the time, scholars can’t even agree on what the facts are. I kind of like the grey but I love the way science is well … you know … a bit less full of imponderables or at least, the imponderables are a great deal more likely to become solvable.

Maybe I’m just a scientist trapped in an artists body! Mwahahaharhg!

[Desley (Cat fosterer)]

Evening, thank you, I suspect the majority of those hundreds of cats will be glad of the life I chose and that I ignored my neighbour when she told me not to foster, and instead to get a second job and go on lots of holidays. Had a rubbish day at work, forgot about my 9am meeting, was showing colleague what I'd got with my voucher so had to sit through an hour and a half meeting without a drink! And then I just felt behind all day, so I don't think I've caught up from my week off, but colleague only has a week left before maternity leave, so need to pick her brains as much as possible. Picked up Lucy's meds after work and popped in the garden centre, still don't have what I wanted.

Glad parents evening went well MT

[Alicia]

M.T. wrote: "science is so much simpler and more straightforward than arts...."

I've done both, and they're equally tough at the top levels.

But it's a shame so many people who would have been fine at maths get derailed somewhere - there is a lot of art and pleasure in mathematics.

Just keep up a life-long interest in the beautiful parts, and the amazing stuff coming from the science side will be a source of wonder and not confusion.

[M.T.]

Thanks Desley, yeh, it was pretty ace. Hope you are relaxing and enjoying your weekend now.

Alicia, yeh, that's pretty much my approach. Only 1% of dyscalculia cases are ever diagnosed, even now so it was never going to happen. I read about science and I admire from the sidelines! A friend who worked in banking told me that if you are looking at a statement with transposed numbers you can spot them because it will be the column where they add up to 9. This is the kind of stuff I love about numbers. Weird left field things. Or just counting in different bases, which still blows my mind! So cool.

[Alicia]

Folding - origami-based. Self-folding and unfolding robots.

Mandelbrot sets.

Fibonacci sequences in the spirals of the seeds on the sunflower head.

Surface tension and capillarity.

The light spectrum of colour. The Northern Lights.

The world is full of the most marvelous stuff - and people have made so many visible with videos and computer programs which do the massive computations.

[M.T.]

Alicia wrote: "Folding - origami-based. Self-folding and unfolding robots.

Mandelbrot sets.

Fibonacci sequences in the spirals of the seeds on the sunflower head.

Surface tension and capillarity.

The light sp..."

Totally. All of it amazing.

[Desley (Cat fosterer)]

Evening, Lucy woke me up at 4am being sick, got back to sleep about 6am and she woke me again at 7.45 demanding breakfast! I went for a walk trying out my new headphones, quite enjoyed the podcast. Had another afternoon tea this pm, it was very nice, non traditional, first one I think I've ever had with no scones, did mean we ate most of it though. Not sure I'm keen on candyfloss prosecco though. Also got given another birthday present, and then did some free retail shopping after, got some more tights and some day PJ's with my primark voucher and then remembered I had some birthday money from work left that I was going to buy a new blanket, went to a big B & M and came back with a blanket and cushion. Then nipped into the Morrisons next to it and got some stuff I don't often get. Rather tired now, and glad it is bed change tomorrow, can't wait to test my new blanket and cushion.

[Alicia]

So great your birthday has been properly celebrated - you've had such fun using your gift money for things you really want.

I think I will try your approach next time.

[Jim]

I think you are right to live your life, not a life that other people want you to live.
Looking at what you've achieved you're certainly making a better job of your life than your neighbour has made of hers

[Desley (Cat fosterer)]

Morning, friend who looked after the cats has just rang, asking if I am up for a walk and lunch, there is somewhere she wanted to take me for my birthday, just as I thought all the celebrations were over! I haven't seen her since I got back, so can give her some of the thank you's for looking after the cat (and gauge how much she would be willing to do it again!)

[Desley (Cat fosterer)]

I completely forgot to respond to Alicia and Jim earlier, too excited at the thought of another birthday meal!! I have had fun buying things Alicia, it may sound ungrateful, but I would rather be given money/vouchers (or in the case of couple, I picked them!), I can be fussy and certain people buy what they think I should use, not necessarily what I would use. Thanks Jim, although as my neighbour also fostered cats for 10 years and while I call them lodgers, it is supported living, and the past few years she's mainly had adults with learning disabilities, so she has done a lot of positive things.

Had a lovely meal, then we went for a walk before 'dessert', which ended up a hot drink! It is called an Ice Cream Parlour, but did some nice food, there are also 2 playgrounds, so am going to take my sis and the kids when the weather is nicer. Despite neighbour and walking friend not speaking to me (although walking friend has reached out today, as one of her cats has been in hospital), and some other friends letting me down, it has been my best birthday and I have felt very loved. Now need to diet, and get through all the alcohol I've been bought, at least I will have a nice smelling house to sit in while drinking, and I have plenty of entertainment to get me through the rubbish weather.

[Jim]

sounds like a plan Desley :-)

[Desley (Cat fosterer)]

Evening, forgot to post yesterday, went for a walk with friend at lunch, she showed me some places I didn't know about! We saw a very friendly robin, who not only let us get close enough for a pic, but posed as well! Had a productive lunch today, booked car in for it's MOT and then rang the mortgage company, I've rounded my payments up by £83, which has halved my mortgage period, and all being well, I could be mortgage free in 3 years and 1 month! So another thing to make my recent wobble of what have I done with my life disappear!

[M.T.]

That's brilliant Desley. 3 years well go dead fast. It seems like you are doing way more now you are not seeing your neighbour as much. Glad you had a good day.

[Jim]

Getting your mortgage paid off is an achievement as well

I never forget the happy day when we finally paid off our business overdraft and could tell the bank exactly what we thought of them :-)

[Jason]

Jim wrote: "Getting your mortgage paid off is an achievement as well

I never forget the happy day when we finally paid off our business overdraft and could tell the bank exactly what we thought of them :-)"

bet the words weren't too pleasant

[Alicia]

Jim wrote: "...could tell the bank exactly what we thought of them :-)"

Unfortunately, one has to keep at least civil relationships with banks - they may be needed in the future.

[Desley (Cat fosterer)]

Evening, fun day in the office and finally feel like I'm catching up, just as colleague is going on maternity leave and I'll have more work to do!

Thanks - well MT, this time of year is always busy between birthday and festivities, will be interesting if that will still be the case come January when the weather is pants and no one has any money, but I will make an effort to go for a walk, even if it's at a random time when it's dry, and I have plenty of entertainment, food and drink. I do think though, that that is the real reason for neighbour falling out with me, she realised I was getting my confidence back and relying on her less, whether it would have been as easy if I hadn't got back friends with other friend, who does want to do similar things unlike neighbour, who knows.

[Jason]

Alicia wrote: "Jim wrote: "...could tell the bank exactly what we thought of them :-)"

Unfortunately, one has to keep at least civil relationships with banks - they may be needed in the future."

chances are the same clerks won't be working there anymore when you go back for future business. Not in the UK anyway

[Alicia]

They document everything. Things never look nuanced in black and white.