Chit-chat September

So after looking up further info on riding a moped and looking where the nearest test centre would be, should I find I wanted to take riding a moped further, I have now removed the idea off my experiences list, which was in this post: “More experiences.”
There is no way I am traveling that distance to a test centre.

I cannot believe that there is no test centre for motorcycles in the Sutton-in-Ashfield, or Mansfield area and instead I have to travel to Colwick in Nottingham! Why?

I know that wearing a helmet, I would need to remove my hearing aids for comfort and so to lipread the person I do not know, who would give instructions to me in lessons and then later a different person on my test, as listening through a radio would be a no option for me, would be very tiring and not 100% manageable for me. Not counting also the journey to the test centre. So yes, I have removed it off my experiences list. Mum will be relieved though.

Moving on from this… What else have I been doing?

Finally got round to getting back into my studies.

For those new to my blog, my course is, “Dog Walking and Pet Home Sitting Course.” When I have completed this course and passed, I will receive a Level 4 certificate, from ABC. You will find out more about my course, in this post.
I have not long received results on assignment 3 and now working on assignment 4, as this goes to air. All my assignments I have done so far, I have done well on.

I read this book, over a weekend; “Whispering Hope,” The True Story of the Magdalene Women,” by Nancy Costello, Kathleen Legg, Diane Croghan, Marie Slattery and Marina Gambold, with Steven O’ Riordan.

Now I have heard about the Magdalene Women, but what shocked me was how long the way these women were awfully treated, went on for. It was bad enough and totally wrong what they experienced to start with, but to discover this was going on until 1996, when the last place closed it’s doors in that year, is even more shocking.

19th February 2013 the Irish Taoiseach Enda Kenny apologised to the women incarcerated in Ireland’s Magdalene laundries.

I also read, “The Cat Whisperer,” by Claire Bessant.

A book I bought second-hand from somewhere and I have had on my book shelf for some time. This book will stay on my shelf, for future reference.
It was nice reading this book, bringing back memories I remember my previous cat did, as well as cats I have owned prior to her, while learning new things from it.

And these books I have read too, from the library:

• “Sisu, The Finnish Art of Courage,” by Joanna Nylund.
• “New Selected Poems,” by Carol Ann Duffy. (I have been meaning to read more of her poems for sone time, so finally got round to it.)
• “Guinea Pig,” by Peter Gurney. (I have now bought this book from Amazon, second-hand after finding this a good book.

Also reading, “Forest Therapy,” by Sarah Ivens, which I ordered some months back. (Pre-ordered from Wordery.) I am enjoying this book and I will talk about it more later, when I have written up a blog post.

My plants

My Spider Plant is half its glory, from receiving too much love. (The plant suffered from a bit too much watering.) In the end, I had to re-pot with fresh compost and it is now showing signs of improvements.

The spiderettes, from this plant are doing great.

And this is my Forget-me-not.

My Parlour Palm, (not pictured) is still looking good, as in last photo I shared, in an earlier post.

I have tried a different tea, this one being Asda Rhubarb and Custard. It smells lovely and tastes great.

I found I could drink​ this tea hot, or cold, but it felt comforting and soothing, hot.

Chit-chat July

Since “Just a chit-chat,” I have got rid of my microwave that I no longer wanted, as I started to feel even more not wanting it in my kitchen.
Although I commented in that post how I would get a toaster, I have not done this and don’t plan to do so anytime soon. This is because I have managed so far without one and although I have missed having one a little bit, I wonder do I really need one. So I will see how I feel about this for a bit.

Anxiety

Since my ‘Anxiety‘ post in June, I have the following words from Letitgocoach, on my computer screen: “Inhale peace and exhale all your anxiousness. Imagine it flowing out of you on every exhale.”

Those words really helped to calm my anxiety in the end and by having these words at my computer screen, serve as a daily reminder.

Plants

My Parlour Palm I have moved to a new place, in case here will be better for it, due to it receiving more natural light. No direct sun comes through my window, so no chance of it being caught.
This would have gone on a small folding table, which it was the folding table I had returned back that day I posted the ‘Anxiety’ post, I mentioned above.
I should have never took the folding table with me, because it was obvious it had been used prior to me and I could see the two out of four plastic feet were missing. I took it in the end, because I thought I would get the parts from the company when emailing, but it turned out I was wrong. I could no be bothered to make another reservation for another, to collect when taking this one back, over the two missing plastic feet that I needed, to make sure I protected my laminate floor. So I asked for a refund.
I now have my plant on a plastic storage box, that I don’t often go in and I think it looks fine on that. I have no intentions of looking for another table, as I am happy with this, so I have saved some money.

My Spider Plant has been re-potted and has had some babies, for some time. (Spiderettes.) These spiderettes will have already been re potted, by the time this post airs. 🙂

You will see in this post; “Bringing some greenery into my life,” when I first shown you these two plants.

Loving my ‘2cellos’ cd

The album, ‘Score,’ by ‘2Cellos,’ I am really enjoying listening to and it’s relaxing as well. I shall be looking at their other albums, to see if any take my fancy later. If there are, when I next buy one, this could be at least 2 months down the line, otherwise I will treat myself nearer to Christmas.

Rent or buy

Since this post “Should I look into buying, instead of renting?” I have decided for now, to carry on renting.
I did not enquire with a mortgage advisor to see if it was possible now, to get a mortgage, or not, as I have decided that should I buy, I would like to put down a much bigger deposit, to reduce the amount I would owe.
After looking at my breakdown sheet, that I created some months ago,for my savings, I realise that this will take some more years. Longer than anticipated.
I will move first into another rented property, so I can downsize and save more and to be in the area that I want to be in. It would be just lovely, if I was in a council place. This is more likely to happen than the chance of buying I feel. I may choose not to buy, if it worked out alright and I was happy there. I know renting in a council property would feel more like home, than private renting.
If I choose not to buy later down the line, or for what ever reason, then I have savings to enjoy and go on holidays. I know as it is just me and no one else, that the house would not have nowhere to go, when I am gone, (I’d do a will, where proceeds of house sale would go to Cats Protection League, in Mansfield) and after reading up elsewhere of someones views on why she decided not to buy, I may in the end do the same. But whatever I do, even after reading her views and as I write this, my heart is strongly saying buy a home, unless off course I get a council place. That would feel like home too.
So while I think about this more, I will just save for what ever may come, or for that much bigger deposit I prefer to put down. 🙂

My mum

Mum seen the doctor that her own doctor referred her to. This doctor has changed her meds slightly. She has to take a little less what she is currently on and take the new ones prescribed at a dose she has been told.
A nurse had been arranged to see her at home. (I don’t know if this is a regular thing, or not.) But the nurse would like to see her again and this appointment will be before she sees the doctor again.
Mum said after all this one was done, she asked the doctor should she still have her counselling? The doctor apparently said no. I don’t know if this is true or not, or she read into the reply wrong, but stern words were said by me, to my mum, in regards of, don’t you cancel again. You do need it and you know you need it. Remember how I was before and after my counselling, to see how mine helped, so make sure you go and see it through. She said she will. I said her tablets are not a fix all, but they help. Make better use of what they can do and have the counselling.
I still continue to see mum fortnightly, with exception of the odd extra day now and again, when I call to her home. I keep in touch with texts between visits.

I have also managed to get my mum not to sit in court and watch the proceedings, after having another chat with her.
I mentioned to her that if there was anything she needed to know, to ask me and I could tell her without her having to listen to stuff that won’t be nice to hear.
Mum did not realise that the person first on scene would possibly have to give evidence and I said yes, there may be that and possibly more. It would’nt be a fair trial if everyone did not have the chance to tell their side on things. I said we might know things are bad, but I said to her, you have not heard already what I have partly heard and it’s not nice to hear. Even more so, for this medical professional who is more likely going to have to talk about it, being first on scene, it makes more the real and hard to hear it from them. Mum then realised with that and other proceedings she wasn’t aware of, that maybe it wasn’t best for her.
I explained to mum the reasons why I was going, which I know mum would have wanted to be there for same, or similar reasons. But mum can get those from me, without hearing the unpleasantly stuff.

As I continue to see mum fortnightly, on Tuesday’s, my volunteering role I do, when it doesn’t land on the day I meet my mum, I stay the extra hour longer, if help is required. Which mostly it is.

A note from me:

Due to me attending court, to see justice served for the death of my cousin and her husband, there may be a delay in your posts showing and me responding to them.

Bringing some greenery into my life

As I mentioned in this post; “Chit-chat extra,” I wanted to get a couple of plants for my home with not owning a cat now and nothing definite set in stone for years to come. (As there are plants that can be harmful.)
Last weekend, I went to B&Q, to go plant shopping and I came back with two plants, as planned. Although I had two plants in mind, I still browsed at the other indoor plants, avoiding ferns, as I have known to have a reaction to fern when in contact with my skin.

I bought a Spider Plant and a Parlour Palm.

I love both plants, but my Parlour Palm plant I really love. Someone has one of these at my workplace and I was fascinated with it, so I knew I had to buy one.

I would have loved to have bought another of these Parlour Palm’s, but these two plants are what I shall have to settle with for the time being. I don’t plan to buy anymore until I am in a council flat one day, then I know where my future plants can go.

As flowers can affect me really bad, because of hay fever, I only have a bunch of flowers in a vase on rare moments. So to add some colour and cheer especially, I bought more of these.

I have one of these already in a green bottle in my bedroom, next to my mirror and they really cheer me up. Yellow always make my days seem brighter on dull days and so I bought two of these for downstairs; one for in the living room and one for the dining room. I have washed out an empty sesame oil bottle and waiting for it to dry out and one set will go in this. The other I am to find, or recycle a vase/bottle for, so I have just got them elsewhere in my front room for the time being.