Watcha' Doing - 2023

[Kristie, Moderator]

It was down last night and earlier today here too. So frustrating when we have things to do on here! lol

[Anna KR]

GR drove me crazy yesterday! I really hope this is not the beginning of more errors to come.

[Fiona]

GR drove me crazy as well yesterday! Now finally it works again.

[Saar The Book owl]

Yesterday and today also errors and maintenance. Funny how we all seem to be a bit panicing, but that shows how we enjoy being a part of a community 😊

[Anna KR]

I certainly prefer GR for the group aspect. I have tried other platforms like Storygraph but TBH I find it more clunky than GR!

[Rusalka, Moderator]

Oh good, I sometimes think it is just me.

Just wanted to keep you all in the loop. I know it is scarily close to July.

And I am not sure if I agree, Sandra :P

[Sandra, Moderator]

Rusalka wrote: "And I am not sure if I agree, Sandra :P"

Well, let's say "inevitable". :)

[Janice, Moderator]

That happened to me last night.

[Christine]

HAPPY JULY EVERYONE!

[Christine]

HAPPY 4TH OF JULY!

[Kristie, Moderator]

Happy 4th of July, Christine! And to all our US members. :)

[Sandra, Moderator]

Happy fourth! We had a great day which included a hike, picnic and fireworks.

[Sarah]

Hello there, I know it's been a while since I was last on here. Think about you all regularly though. I think the last time I was in here I was talking about starting a part time degree. Well, I signed up to it and I'm not far off being finished with the first module. I'm really enjoying it, doing well in the essays. Not keen on it taking 6 years, I'm rather impatient, and thinking next year, I might do it full time to speed things up. I've had a tough day today at work. I'm struggling generally with it at the moment. It's pretty full on with a lot of patients with serious mental health issues and no emotional support for us working with them plus I'm getting quite a few patients who have experienced some of the same things I have over the past few years which keeps triggering stuff. So, I've decided to hand in my notice and go back to doing hypno. It might be a bit tricky to begin with and might have to dip into my savings but if it saves my sanity, it's worth it. I recently started the process of buying a flat, I had an offer accepted and then the survey came back with £40k of work needing doing to it so I pulled out. And then the mortgage rates went crazy so I've shelved the idea. The uni course has got me back into reading again, mostly focusing on course material but I have found myself being able to read other stuff too. I have a couple things on the go at the moment and it feels good to be back doing it again, although it is nowhere near what I used to. I haven't read the millions of posts that were unread in here, I hope you are all doing well :-)

[Cherie]

Hi Sarah. Nice to hear from you. Sounds like you have a lot going on.

I have been AWOL for a while and just finished catching up with the unread posts here.

I am back to working in the office three times a week and two days at WFH. It is my third day on site today.

I was on a three week vacation with my sisters and arrived back home on Saturday, July 8th. I flew to Memphis, TN with my youngest sister and we stayed at my middle sister's house for a week and then we rented a car and did a road trip from Tennessee to California and up to Oregon.
We saw The Alamo in Texas and visited Carlsbad Caverns in New Mexico. We did some sightseeing in San Diego and visited my mother, who was 90 yo on May 24th. We stopped for a day to visit my middle daughter and her family, drove across the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco, and then up to Grants Pass, Oregon. We had a great time!

Not reading much, just listening to a lot of audiobooks and working in the yard when I can.

[Sandra, Moderator]

It is nice to hear from you both, Sarah and Cherie. You are missed when you are not around. :)

[Janice, Moderator]

Great to hear from you, Sarah. You have a lot on your plate to work through.

I was wondering why Cherie was so quiet lately, now I know. Carlsbad Caverns are amazing!

[Sarah]

Sounds like a great trip away Cherie!

[Jayme, Moderator]

Good to hear from you Sarah.

I was also wondering where Cherie was hiding. Road trips are so much fun!

[Roz]

Glad to see you back, Sarah. I'm glad to hear you're enjoying your coursework.
Nice to see you back too, Cherie. I haven't been to San Diego or San Francisco. Maybe one of these days.....

[Kristie, Moderator]

Nice to hear from you, Sarah.

That sounds like a wonderful trip, Cherie! My husband and I are on vacation now with my daughter and grandson. We've been having a lovely time at the beach, but we all have to head home tomorrow.

[Jenn]

Well, so much for this holiday being good for getting caught up on my reading 🤦‍♀️ and I got the call two days ago that Thursday I will be getting my new hip, so not sure exactly what my immediate future looks like 🤦‍♀️

[Sarah]

A holiday near a beach sounds wonderful Kristie! I hope your last day is good. We have rain storms here this weekend but is incredibly humid so have been out and about trying to dodge showers. Went to Frome yesterday, a little town in Somerset full of independent cafes, shops and charity shops. It was nice having a wander around.

Shame about the reading Jenn but good news your hip will be done soon.

[Sandra, Moderator]

Jenn, I'm glad to hear your hip is going to be done soon! I hope during the recovery you get some reading time to compensate.

[Rusalka, Moderator]

So good to hear from you, Sarah! Glad you're enjoying your study, and grats on that hard call for doing what you need and going back to private prac.

Great to hear you've had a wonderful road trip, Cherie. Was also wondering where you had gotten to.

Yay on the new hip Jenn, but understand how that may have up ended things. Fingers and toes crossed all goes well :)

[Janice, Moderator]

Good luck with your hip replacement, Jenn. I hope everything goes well. Maybe you'll be able to get some reading done while you're recovering.

[Kristie, Moderator]

Thanks, Sarah. :) We had a great time. We were supposed to get a lot of thunderstorms passing through, but they all missed us.

I am home now and my daughter and G are on their way home too. I have had no reading time really for the past few days. I am looking forward to a little quiet time here. Maybe I should give the hubby a task to complete? ;)

[Fiona]

Awesome to hear from you, Sarah!

Cherie, that sounds like a wonderful trip. Makes me very jealous, I really want to travel as well.

Jenn, good to see that you'll be getting a new hip. I hope everything goes well.

Kristie, I hope you enjoyed your time at the beach!

[Saar The Book owl]

@Sarah: it can be sometimes scary to leave the path you are following, but if you've got a good feeling about it, then it was worth doing it.

@Cherie: it seems you've had a great holiday.

@Jenn: I hope your hip surgery will go well. You can see the recovery time as extra time to read ;)

[Kristie, Moderator]

Thanks, Fiona! We had a wonderful time.

Jenn, good luck with your hip replacement. Hope it all goes well. You may have some decent reading time during recovery.

[Margo]

Just dropping in to say "hi". I haven't been around for a while cos my Mum has been quite ill. She's home from hospital now but it's just a matter of time. Her Parkinsons disease is in it's final stages. It's great that that we now have all the community supports we need so she can remain in her own home in relative comfort.

I'm not getting much reading done these days - there is a constant stream of carers and nurses and visitors to deal with but, if The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches wins the poll this month I'll try to read it and see what everyone thinks of it.

[Sandra, Moderator]

Sorry to hear about your mum, Margo. Sending you all the love and support. We are always here for you.

[Margo]

Sandra wrote: "Sorry to hear about your mum, Margo. Sending you all the love and support. We are always here for you."

Thanks Sandra. That's what I love about this group, it's such a supportive place.

[Kristie, Moderator]

Margo - So sorry to hear about your mom and all you're dealing with at the moment. It's good that you're able to spend a lot of time with her.

[Janice, Moderator]

It's good to hear from you Margo. I was concerned. Your news is sad, but know we send hugs from afar.

[Peggy]

I'm sorry to hear about your mom Margo. Big hug!

[Saar The Book owl]

I'm sorry to hear about your mom, Margo. Sending you big hugs and comfort. It must be less stressful that your mom can stay at her own home. It's a comforting thought.

[Jayme, Moderator]

So sorry to hear about your mom, Margo. Sending your warm hugs and calming thoughts.

[Rusalka, Moderator]

Good to see you, Margo. Sorry to hear that your Ma isn't going well though, and you've had so much to deal with. I'm glad she's out of hospital though and back home.

Thinking of you, your family, and your Mum during this. Make sure you look after yourself as well, and know we are here whenever you need us.

[Christine]

I’m sorry I haven’t talked to everyone and it’s because I’ve been so busy this summer and I’m going on vacation on August 12th through August 19th with my whole family

[Kristie, Moderator]

Thats ok, Christine! We understand real life getting busy. Have a wonderful vacation with your family.

[Sandra, Moderator]

Enjoy your vacation, Christine!

[Janice, Moderator]

Have a fun vacation, Christine.

[Fiona]

Just seeing this now. I'm sorry to hear about your mom Margo! Big hugs for you.

Have a nice vacation, Christine.

[Christine]

Aww your so sweet Kristie and thanks Kristie and thanks Kristie and thanks girls

[Esther]

sorry about your mom, Margo.

I can't get up lately. Not really bad or good, just life throwin g a lot of balls my way. I am not that good a juggler.
:)

[Sandra, Moderator]

I hope life gives you a break soon, Esther. For some reason balls never come one at a time, they just come all together and from all fronts. Hang in there. And remember we are always here for a light chat and strong support. :)

[Rusalka, Moderator]

I'm sorry to hear Esther, and as someone who was in this place a few months ago, I completely sympathise. You got this! But it does feel like a lot while you're in it.

May all your balls be plastic, instead of glass. Plastic balls are fine to drop while you deal with the glass ones.

[Janice, Moderator]

Plush balls would be best. My cat plays with plush balls and would likely share one or two with you Esther.

[Jenn]

Margo and Esther, I am sorry to hear of the speed bumps life is throwing at you both. I hope things settle soon. 🥰

[Sharon]

Unfortunately I am on hour three in the ED as I have rebroken the ankle I broke last year. We are waiting on results from the radiologist from the X-rays and CatScan and REALLY hoping surgery isn’t called for. I am ready to go home. It’s freezing in here. I know it doesn’t sound like it but I am trying not to complain. 😢