Tuesday 4 September 2018

Like a beached whale

Do you ever have those days when you feel like a beached whale? I am not sure if that is an Aussie expression so my Northern Hemisphere readers might be wondering what on earth I am talking about. LOL! Well it means having days when you just don't FEEL like doing anything even though you KNOW you have heaps to do like going through all the kitchen cupboards and sorting through what really needs to be kept after forty years of living in the same house.


Part of the problem is lack of sleep I am sure and while I don't want to get accustomed to taking something to help me sleep I am finding that the bottle of Melatonin is becoming my best friend. I don't take it very often but it is good to know it is there when I become desperate. It doesn't make me feel groggy when I wake up so that is a plus. If all the residents hree would just go to bed at a normal hour and stay there until a decent hour in the morning I am sure I would sleep much better.





Another reason for the blahs is that the restumping is being done on this old house and I am not used to having workmen around. I am used to my routine and am realising more and more as I get older that I just don't like change! Just the thought of the kitchen and bathroom renovations being done is almost becoming overwhelming. Once I hear from the builders about a definite date that they will be starting I will make plans to exit the premises until much of the work is done. The CEO has birds to look after so will be here to supervise. I have decided that 70 is not the age when one starts doing the first renovations of one's life!


 


 However, after looking at some of the wooden stumps that have been removed....




...I am surprised that the house hasn't fallen off the stumps by now. LOL!





 I have been making regular trips to the garden to get away from the mess and the noise while the work is being done and was thrilled to see the cream cliveas that a friend gave me are now flowering.





 I bought myself some pretty pansies which I put in a pot on an outside table so I could have somewhere to go and sit in the sun and look at their beautiful faces.




 I noticed the very old mulberry tree which was supposed to be cut down a number of years ago is absolutely covered in mulberries this year which is surprising as we have had hardly any rain. Last year there weren't many and those that did develop were eaten by flying foxes.





The freesias always remind me that spring has arrived even though the last few days have felt like winter once again. Rain was forecast but we didn't get a drop unfortunately. However it was probably for the best around here as there is so much dirt and dust around with the restumping being done that I don't think I could cope with mud as well. I must say the tradies doing the job are extremely hard workers and it is not an easy job. Wooden stumps have been replaced by metal which is not something I was aware of before the job began. You are never too old to learn something new. 

Now I must go and do something constructive as I have just eaten a packet of Quinitos all by myself which is extremely naughty. Just as well I don't get the blahs too often or I would be like the side of a house :-) Hmmm, where is my pedometer???






18 comments:

  1. I don't like renovations either, Chel. But sometimes it's necessary. Hopefully it will be done quickly and you will have your home back to normal.

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    1. Nil, hopefully the restumping will be done by the end of the week. Then time to recharge the batteries :-)

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  2. I hope those blahs! pass soon, Chel. I just bought a dwarf mulberry on Saturday so I'm hoping that I'll be able to pick some fresh mulberries one day too. They are just the best! Currently, the bloke down the road shares some of his with me. Those stumps look like they have done their job and then some ... time for some new ones! Meg:)

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    1. Meg, we do have a dwarf mulberry in a pot which was supposed to replace the old tree but it has been in the pot for about three years now ;-)

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  3. Those stumps have done a good job over the years and hopefully the next lot will see you out till you're 110. :-)

    Freesia's - love them! They are popping up and flowering all though our so-called-lawn - so I have not mowed as I love the Freesia in preference to mowing. I can remember them in the lawn as a kid too

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    1. Yes Phil, the metal stumps should last a long time and will definitely see me out. The stumps didn't look too bad above the ground so I was surprised at how shocking they really are. The freesias are really beautiful.

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  4. Oh Chel, those stumps would have some stories to tell..lol. I must get some melatonin for B who sometimes has trouble sleeping. I'm a light sleeper, and fortunately our home is away from other people, but when on holidays I often wear earplugs. They take a bit of getting used to, but I'd be a tired cranky mess without them. I agree, I too feel very unsettled when trades people are about the place, but they are a necessary evil. XX

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    1. Sally, I found out about the Melatonin from Rhonda as her doctor recommended it. It works well and if you have to get up at night it is easy to go right back to sleep once again.

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  5. Ooh, those stumps were a mess! What lies beneath, hey?

    I love cream clivias, such a change from the orange. I remember a mulberry tree outside our house in Canberra when I was a child. I don't think that city is blessed with much rainfall so maybe they fruit better when it's dry?

    You are very brave doing major renovations now. It will be over soon enough. Make sure you remember your "before" photos - when the pain is over you will quickly forget what was there before!

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    1. Pipistrello, you might be right about the rainfall and the mulberries. Yes, I must take some 'before' photos although I don't think I will forget the current kitchen as I have been looking at it for over 40 years. LOL!

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  6. Chel, I can only imagine the ruckus and disruption around and in your piece of paradise right now. Truly, as one who genuinely suffers from OCD with regards to visual order, I'd need a very calm and tidy corner of the garden to escape the chaos. ((hugs))
    I take melatonin most nights. It's not a sleeping draught, it only eases you off to sleep. From there your own body kicks in with it's own melatonin. Very safe. Not sure how I'd be managing lately without it.
    I'm imagining the beauty and delight you have in store once the renos are done...and girl, so GLAD those stumps have been replaced! xx

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  7. Yes Jenny, having something pretty to look at helps I must say. A family member has OCD so I can understand how difficult the mess must be for you when moving. I took some Melatonin last night and feel almost normal today. LOL!

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  8. Chel, Hope you are feeling a lot better today. We are so lucky to have beautiful gardens to retreat to, to pick us up. I love the cliveas and freesias that you can grow, and my husband still remembers the Toowoomba mulberry tree where he grew up.I have heard that story so many times LOL. Just think your house will look fantastic when it is finished despite being overwhelming now. Must check out the Melatonin, that's a good tip. Take care, Pauline

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    1. Yes Pauline, give the Melatonin a try. I don't take it every night but when I do it works really well.

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  9. Hope you get some space to rest your way through the 'blahs' until you feel like 'doing' again. I would love to have a full mulberry tree one day - I currently have a dwarf shatoot one - tasty but not the same as the ones I remember from childhood.
    Freesias are such a beautiful flower.
    Hope the renos go reasonably smoothly. Good excuse for a little trip away by the sounds of it too.
    Take care Chel :)

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    1. Thanks Laura. The builder is coming this morning for a discussion. I will have to get myself motivated soon and start going through all the old Tupperware containers etc.to cull some of them. I did take some of the larger Tupperware ones to the Op Shop. They did cost a fortune at the time I bought them but I don't use them anymore.

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  10. My goodness, im tacking in on the end of a long list of comments. When i saw the the title i thought you must have been talking about me coming out of the sea after a swim (not that i've done that lately). I keep thinking that if i do a crowd will turn up and keep trying to roll me back in and a TV crew will turn up to film it. Arghhh the horror of it all.

    Im doing lots of renovations as the moment on both the house and my special project. I spend Sunday nights getting the paint and glue off my hands so i dont scare people on Monday morning. Mind you im a spring chicken in my 50's and im exhausted.

    Cheers.

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    1. Ha ha, Lynda. Your coming about coming out of the sea reminds me of Annette Sym from Symply Too Good To Be True as a friend of hers took a photo of her in her togs and that was the start of her weight loss program. It is good to hear from you after so long. I didn't realise you were doing renos too.

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