fred_mouse

yesterday I made a honey and banana smoothie, using up some frozen bananas and a tiny bit of icecream that wasn't enough for a serve. It was tasty, but it was also four serves for three people. The rest went into the icypole makers, and I've just eaten mine. The honey is more prominent, the banana is more creamy, and it was overall a very tasty experience.
last ice skating lesson of the year - on the hockey rink, because there were two school groups on the public rink. So I get to add another rink to my list of 'places I have skated'.
it being Tuesday, floors were cleared to allow vacuuming. Middlest and I have mostly returned the music room to rights, the lounge was clear until I started a project (and then had to abandon because LibraryThing stopped loading while I was in the middle; now that I've done a few other things maybe it will be fine), and the bedroom floor is clear (there is still stuff on the bed, so maybe that will be sorted before bed time)

In order to see if it is the 'do habitica tasks' that is part of the problem with bed time, I've put myself in the Tavern. Yesterday it was about 11:30pm when I started going to bed, I'm not sure what time it was when I got there. Tonight I am seriously attempting 10:30pm, which means tablets at 10:00. But before I do that I have to try and get the pile of books off the lounge room floor. To LibraryThing, and hope the damn thing will load!

Of the first set of tasks set, I think I did quite well -- all the dry washing was taken off the lines and sorted, although at least some of mine hasn't actually made it all the way away. Most of the clothes around the house have been sorted and either taken to the laundry or put closer to away (if not all the way). And not one but two loads of wash happened!

I didn't get back to the computer and set another set of. three smallish tasks, mostly because I was busy working on things, and so wasn't too fussed about the idea of setting tasks. I've sorted things that came home from the con, I've done a bit of cataloguing, I've ironed handkerchiefs.

Of the larger goals:

The washing is not yet under control. However, it is well on the way. If the two loads done today are dry and brought in, then there should be enough line space for the rest. There is a third load in the machine, but its start was delayed by the fact that we had somehow run out of laundry soap, even though I was sure that there was another bottle.

Getting the kitchen functional - well. The entire island counter was cleared and cleaned, but the spaces beside the stove and the sink and surrounds were not. Said island counter is now my staging place for items coming in from outside, and thus is half covered again.

getting the patio cleaned and sorted -- initially, this was just the back patio. However, I got Eldest to sweep the side patio (under the wash line) while there wasn't any wash out, so that one is much better than it was. The back patio is a work in progress. Eldest has cleared the top of the BBQ of Stuff!, most of which needed significant washing. I've thrown some things out as too damaged (which is why they were out there in the first place). Some of the rest I've found homes for, and some I've no sodding idea what to do with at all.

As for tomorrow - I'm sticking with the three goals. Washing under control, functional kitchen, patio cleared to the point that we can actually take the pergola down so that it can be replaced. Possible, but not probable that all three will be done. Highly likely that one will happen (probably the washing), and I'm optimistic that with both Eldest and Middlest working on the patio tomorrow that we might get a long way through that.

In one of the boxes that was sorted through today, a small bag of snippets out of magazines was found. Each snippet contains a single piece of advice that at some point in my life I thought worth remembering. Before I throw them out, I'm going to semi-immortalise them here. Note that at best these are 20 years old; most will have been cut out at least a decade before, and the magazines then would have been second hand....

An ordinary ballpoint makes a good marking pen for clothes and linen. Write on the article, allow ink to dry, then press with an iron as hot as the fabric can stand. The marking will be permanent.
Take a cut lunch if taking a small child with you while you do your Christmas shopping. Put in stroller; it saves stopping
Decorating a large number of cakes is much quicker when you use a clean, plastic squeeze bottle to dispense the icing or cream. Use only bottles which once contained food products, such as sauce. So much cleaner and easier than using a piping bag.
An old skirt with a towel underneath makes a good cape when you cut someone's hair
When painting downpipes, place a piece of cardboard between the pipe and the wall to prevent paint getting on the wall. You'll do the job much faster.
deodorise jars and bottles by pouring in a solution of water and dry mustard and allow to stand for several hours
line the pockets of children's hand-knitted cardigans and sweaters with cotton fabric of the same colour as the garment. The fabric will save the pockets from stretching and from general wear and tear
Use your microwave for preparation of vegetables before freezing. Blanch in the microwave for one minutes, cool, then seal in freezer bags before storing
When measuring golden syrup, heat the measuring cup or spoon with hot water first. The syrup will slide easily off the heated surface giving accurate measurement with little waste
help children to avoid pulling out drawers too far and spilling the contents over the floor. Glue a bright warning spot on the upper side edges of each drawer. The warning spots should indicate how far each drawer can safely be pulled out
When washing dusting cloths, add a third of a cup of turpentine to warm soapy water and don't rinse. The turpentine softens the cloth and allows it to pick up dust easily
clean a badly burned saucepan with olive oil. Cover the burned areas well with the oil and gently heat for a few minutes. Turn off the heat and allow to stand for a few hours, pour off the oil and clean in the usual way. It makes the job much easier.
For some relief on a hot night, fill a hot water bottle with iced water

Looking at those, there are some that I can see as more generally useful, and some that I don't think I'm ever going to think on again!

(I also found several other interesting bits and bobs, most of which I'm deciding aren't worth keeping. Including someone's hotmail email address...)

I declared that the house is really getting to me, and for my own peace of mind, I need to have a weekend where I just work on things that aren't finished or aren't up to scratch, or are untidy, or just generally messy.

So, this morning, after failing to sleep until ridiculous hour of the morn and then sleeping 'til just past nine, I thought carefully about what I thought was reasonable, and picked three rooms to focus on, with the goal that they would all be clean and tidy. The rooms -- the bedroom, the ensuite, and the spare room. I really really hadn't allowed for a) tired mouse and b) how long it is since I've actually done a proper clean of the bedroom. There was a lot of dust, and I really wanted that to have all been wiped up, in the hope that that will help with grumpy lungs (it would appear that January and my lungs don't mix -- it was this time last year that I complained to my GP about chest pain, which then led on to multiple medication changes). I also really wanted the piles of books that have been drifting around out of the bedroom (not necessarily dealt with, although I have hopes, but Not Here).

What I achieved in the bedroom: the floor has been vacuumed (three times, not all by me -- because I kept moving dusty things on to it to sort); the bookshelf has had everything moved off it, dusted (or washed) and put away sensibly; the piles of books have been sorted, some shelved, some identified to go, some moved in to 'still need something done' piles; the top of the bureau has been dusted; the various jewellery boxes have been poked through/dusted; the basket of tech accessories has been sorted, and only the ones that belong in the bedroom kept. I've also rearranged the bookshelf, so that the charger rack is now convenient on top, and the books-in-progress are on top. I have hopes that the top shelf will be clear by the end of the year (actual goal/new year's resolution!), so I can put trinkets on it again. A number of other 'want to read' and 'read before deciding to keep' books have been added, and I've moved my italian language novels up a shelf, so that they are in reach when I want to read something challenging. There is a bit of space, so I can move new-to-me books there if I want to have them at the top of the want to read pile (and as I get through the piles, I can actively move things I want to read in here!). I've also moved more of the jewellery to the jewellery board.

What I haven't achieved: I got too tired, so lots of the little things that appeared from everywhere have been gathered in to four small tubs for sorting later. There are still some books on the floor in the sorting stage. The bed isn't yet made.

Things that went wrong: 1. vacuum cleaner wasn't sucking. Eventually managed to sufficiently disassemble and remove the blockage from the pipe, but it wasn't easy (fortunately we have star screwdrivers, even though I'd forgotten their existence). 2. part of the hanging assembly for the jewellery board failed. Fortunately, while I was pinning something on it, so I caught it half way down, and no jewellery was smashed. Did have to yell for help though. 3. Falling jewellery board knocked the wall latch for the ensuite door half out, so the door doesn't latch.

What I achieved on the bathroom: almost nothing -- vacuumed hair from round the corners, and the dust that came out of the vacuum cleaner pipe while I was disassembling it. Fortunately, artisanat came to the rescue, and cleaned much of it (I don't think the floor got mopped, but that is the only thing that I might have done that I didn't notice happening). I might have attempted to clean out the cupboard, but I did that a little while back, so it shouldn't be too manky/out of order at the moment.

What I achieved in the spare room: the things I moved in to it so that I could vacuum the bedroom floor have (almost?) all been moved back to the bedroom.

Other wins -- two of the light bulbs I bought the other day have replaced dead ones. Youngest made poppy seed cupcakes. Washing happened (our sheets, for this week and last; ??towels or something were the second load). Youngest sorted the lost sock bucket. Middlest went shopping. Middlest and artisanat had haircuts. Kids made tasty tasty dinner (pasta, dukkah. Eldest now has another simplified recipe in their repertoire). I stayed on task. Yes, I took lots of breaks. I read a lot of internet. I faffed around. But I kept going, even when I found it incredibly emotionally challenging, and I kept going for most of the 1/2 hour sessions (we were doing 30 on 5 off scheduling). I stuck to the rule that I didn't have to do everything now, I didn't have to know how I was going to deal with everything, I just had to deal with one thing. Because one thing and one thing makes two, and eventually, one thing and one thing etc makes many.

Physically -- I should hurt a lot. But I don't hurt more than I have been recently. My wrists are bugging me, and have been much of the week (I haven't been playing piano, which might be causative). My butt still hurts from riding to work (in the persistent rain) on Wednesday -- just a bit tender. And my legs ache, but they've been doing that a while (despite the calcium etc tablets, which usually help when I bring the dosage back up to what it 'should' be).

And right now, the family are watching the Doctor Who xmas special, but I actually can't deal with the idea of that much focus, that must noise, so I'm hiding out on the unmade bed and not paying any attention. And having rambled at length, I'm off to read random web pages I have open.

This morning I woke grumpy, headachy, and generally sore. Given that I already felt foul, and today is scheduled to be Quite Cool (forecast, 20°C, which is pretty gob-smackingly weird for February), I figured it was time to get started on the minor disaster that the front verandah had become.

I'm trying really hard to not over do things, but given the sheer amount of work that *could* be done, I'm not worried about the fact that I'm doing a stack of things beyond basic sweeping and getting rid of cobwebs. So far I have:

repaired the trolley I acquired in a bulk rubbish a while back (remove one wheel, fiddle with it some to sort out the issue that was preventing the tyre from being pumped up, pumped it up, reassembled. Also pumped up the other tyre. Max 5 minutes. Waiting to see whether either of them go flat)
dusted/washed everything free standing on the southern (wide) end of the verandah
moved all of the above to either 'bin', 'away', or 'waiting to be dealt with further' (some of this was sitting in the sun to dry
swept the area thoroughly
swept many of the cobwebs off the inside of the (bull-nose) roof
swept the outside of the garage and lounge room windows
washed most of the panes of said windows
and dried/half-arsedly polished said windows
applied WD-40/furniture oil to two tools that had required washing
made a collection of empty fancy pots (and maybe some plans about what I might be putting in each of them).
coated the unpainted sections of the table, benches (x2), and side table with Tung oil -- not quite making it through the last item because I was running out of oil. This *should* receive a second coat no fewer than 16 hours after the first one, but given that I expect to be wiped tomorrow, I did a lazy persons second coat -- did this in the full sun on a windy day, and basically looked for/added more oil to dull areas after I'd got to the end of each piece of furniture.

There are a number of things I've shrugged and decided against. The two benches have dilapidated white/cream paint on the underneaths that I keep meaning to strip (Many moons ago, I did the top areas, because they were so badly damaged that stripping and oiling was much preferable to any approach re: repainting). The front door screens haven't been cleaned (I did wipe a wet cloth over some sections. I think I'm going to regret that). The flyscreen on the lounge window hasn't been cleaned, and really, it needs fixing (I also didn't take it off so that I could clean the windows behind it). And I haven't touched the north (narrow) half, which has a bunch of things that I might just move, sweep and weed under/around, and put back, just because it is easier.

Things I'm definitely going to do before I'm done for the day (and oh, am I ready to be done for the day. I've lost full communication with feet and hands).

put everything back/away
put away the items that I've put in the front hall.

and actually, that will be it. As long as everything is tidy, I think I'm going to declare this done. I might get eldest to give me a hand with the other half, so that everything has at least been swept, which will mean that the task of 'tidy the front verandah' will count as finished.

S	M	T	W	T	F	S
			1	2	3	4
5	6	7	8	9	10	11
12	13	14	15	16	17	18
19	20	21	22	23	24	25
26	27	28	29	30

Life lived in dot points

Chaos taming - a qualified yes

Advice tidbits

Best laid plans of mice

Front verandah at, say, 70%

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April 2026

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