Relaxing

Thankful to have all day to relax & fill with hobbies.  

For sorting out my projects, & finding the pattern I've been looking for.  

For some interesting conversations with friends.

For husband bringing me a snack when he went shopping, & that I was watching when he wandered off in the wrong direction so I could intercept him.  

That I got the book finished so I can move onto the next one.

That I have the car so we can travel to shops & bring shopping home easily. 

That the bunny is still dry & seems happy to be moved in the carrier rather than carried directly.

That husband found a stiff broom (rather than the scrubbing brush) so I can clean the patio.

Thankful I got a "thanks for letting us know, we'll update our details" reply about an email I sent about a resource on the platform.

Social

Thankful that some established group members turned up, & that I took a book to read.  That I was there first & the others were all shown to the table ok.  That I managed to get a space in my favourite carpark & that Sunday parking is free.

That it was a nice day & we went for a walk to the park afterwards & found somewhere pleasant to sit & relax.

That I got everything I needed from the shop, & not having husband meant I got to spend ages in the craft section.  That I checked the recycling point (& it's clothes only) & then on the way back from the park we checked a different point & it takes glass.

That I got some lovely feedback from yesterday's volunteering session.

That I thought to put the bunny carrier in the run so when she hid in it while husband did noisy work she was easy to bring inside.  That he's put wind proofing on it & now she seems happier outside in it.  That the shop I was at this morning has a pet section so I know I can buy more hay when I need it.

Walkies

Thankful people were still out & friendly when I wandered over.

That I got encouraging feedback from yesterday's volunteering.

That I found a photo of the completed dragon, & have found a fun blogger to chat with & to follow.  

That I got new experiences in volunteering today, & that the shifts are only 2 hours long.

That husband came for a walk with me & the weather stayed dry.   & he found us something new to watch.  That the bunny is dry again.

Volunteering

Thankful that I looked at my watch & got husband up in time for his first meeting.  That I was awake & enjoyed reading for a bit after he got up.

That husband helped me move the run under shelter & that the bunny eventually went in & seemed to settle.  That she tolerated me washing her down this morning, & didn't seem wet this afternoon.  Fingers crossed.  That husband buys her treats automatically when he's shopping now.  That I'm enjoying the juice he bought me, & that I remembered to tell him that.  That he gives me decoy carrots when he's cooking.

That I enjoyed my first volunteering shift.  That I learnt how to use the platform better & that I figured out how to get emoji in chat.  That even though I panicked first, I soon calm down and breathe & get things under control.  Pleased that I am still expanding my comfort zone.  That the calendar is open for Sept & I got the shifts I wanted for the next couple of weeks.

That I've organised another meetup & have a couple of people coming. 

That I remembered to check the washer had finished & everything fit on the drier.  That I took the opportunity to take a break in the volunteering and am more confident doing that in future.

That I remembered to do my planks & I can tell I'm getting stronger at them.  That being able to do a good side plank means I can do them in Pilates instead of the mermaid which I dislike.  That I'm getting good use out of the Pilates mat husband bought me, & out of the weights, definitely was worth getting them.  That the second set of weights are still appropriate.

That I got my suguru finished, that I brought tipex with me & it's coming in useful.

Time flies

Thankful we still have access to the training & other graduates have told us which activities to revisit.  That ill friend made it home to bed.

That I've got Chinese leftovers for dinner - yummy :)  & husband waited for me to be available before ordering his dinner.
For friend who does us free Pilates lessons, & that they're twice a week now & I can feel myself getting stronger.  That I have enough room to do the exercises, & decent internet to keep the video going.

That I found a little colouring book that'll be perfect for my volunteering sessions.  That it's been cooler today, & that bunny is still dry.

That I'm being assigned proper training when I start work, & will gain useful skills & experience.

Fresh starts

Thankful for the chance to walk into a fresh new start, leaving the clutter & chaos behind.  Thankful for a clean emptyish house to keep in order, that all the laminate & tile is easier to clean than carpet.  That husband has decided to keep hoovering the stairs.  That he's removed the polystyrene out of the bin so we can put more rubbish in.

That I did a bit of cleaning, & it makes a difference, & I feel better for doing it.  For the previous tenants leaving us some basic cleaning supplies (sprays) & for our first food parcel containing cleaning cloths, thing we wouldn't've thought to get ourselves.  That it stayed dry while the washing was out & that dried.

That the weather is pleasant & I've enjoyed sitting reading & colouring in.  That husband took me for a walk & it stayed dry.  

That we managed to put the fence panel back in place.

That the boss is looking forward to me starting & has already booked me onto some training courses.

Volunteer

Thankful I have husband to support me, that we made it over here for a fresh start, that I have a new job to look forward to.

That my police check came back ok & I got to explore the platform before going live.  That I'm officially a crisis volunteer now.

For a contact who gave me a practice EFT session.  For getting a reading assigned to me today, & for a reply about the broken website. 

That I have all day to do whatever I please, that the shopping arrived after husband's call.  That I finally settled into reading my next book.

That my book & crystal tray both arrived today.  That I phoned up & paid the bins so they'll be collected again from next week.

That the bunny hutch survived the bad weather, & her back end's dry.  That the fence panel that blew down missed the car.

Lazy days

Thankful bunny is still ok, & she is getting bolder hopping around the garden. Thankful we have a plan for making the run more suitable, & hopefully she'll be ok in it then.  That she seems content enough in her enclosure & we can connect the run to it, give her more room to hop around.

Thankful for husband's help & being able to get sorted with revenue dept. 
For having a job & income. 
That husband made lunch for me, enjoyed it, & we have steak for dinner.  

Thankful both the items I ordered are arriving this week when we'll definitely be home to receive them.

For friends & that it seems to be looking up for them at work.  For the internet & being able to keep in touch with people.  For the friend & her zoom Pilates class.

For getting up on target today, & it being good weather when I was out with bunny.  For enjoying reading & having access to books & plenty of time to read.

That it's dry so I can hang the washing out.  

For buying myself a puzzle book the other month, & for having graph paper & square paper so I can recreate the ones I've made a mess of.  For the exposure to new types of puzzles that I enjoy.

That there's room in my room for me to do Pilates in there, & it's a cooler room.

Bunny hops

Thankful it was dry so I could sit out with the bunny, that she'd had a little hop around & will get in & out of the enclosure, & the run.  That she mooched around & didn't try to run away.  That I've experienced how windy it is & that might be her issue with it.

That one of my old colleagues has got in touch & is ok, that they have a diagnosis for him.

That I'm enjoying reading & taking it easy.  That I am calmer & happier than I was, & can continue this way.  All is well, life is good.

Thankful we have lots of space, & live in a nice neighbourhood, that it's quiet & safe.  For the supermarkets that do home delivery & that we can easily get a soon slot.  That we have the bathroom & ensuite, & a working shower.  

That husband is supportive of my hobbies, & tends to get me gifts along those lines.

For the fresh start we've been given, new house, new jobs, new country, new life.  A chance to reinvent ourselves if we want.  That there's no rush for me unpack, or clean, or sort out our old house.

For online communities, ways to keep in touch with friends, & to meet new people with similar interests.  The opportunity to meet new friends.  For all the schemes that allow people to pass on unwanted items, to declutter without things going to landfill.

Home

Thankful that bunny is still ok, & dry.  That she put herself into the enclosure & seems happy enough there.  That she likes the cabbage husband got her.

That husband took me out for a walk, & there's a shortcut through an estate so it's not all main road.  That it stayed dry while we out, & while I mowed the lawn.  That we're allowed out of the house for exercise, & it's better than it was our first 2 weeks.

That we have clean running water, & a house, heating, shelter, food in the cupboards.  That we can still get shopping home delivery easily.

That I remembered grats before bedtime.

That I have enjoyed sitting around reading.

That I remembered to do friend's reading & she is happy with it.  That I have got my clipto working again & can add items.

Happy Life

Thankful for husband and having a happy life, a calm, well-resourced life.

That bunny's back end was dry this morning, & that the weather was dry enough to put her out for a bit & her back end was still dry when I put her away.

That we brought a hoover with us, & husband got the attachments so I can hoover the table.  That he cooked yummy dinner & only put the things I like into mine.  That he left out peeled carrots for me.  That he likes the night-light :)   That we played our new game again.

For being able to order things on Amazon & hopefully they'll arrive while we're home next week. 

That we can rearrange the house to accommodate 2 new working areas, one each.  That I had time to enjoy lying in bed with him, reading.  That I brought my Harry Potter books back.  Am glad I got the series, & that I kept them all.  That I enjoy reading, that I know how to read.  That I enjoy blogging & writing, & that I encounter some interesting ideas in other people's blogs.  For book suggestions that otherwise I'd never have heard of.

That I finally cleared away the jigsaw, & I have plenty of things to keep my mood up while I'm volunteering.

Enjoyment

Thankful I remembered grats before I shutdown the pc, that I've remembered a few days in a row.

Thankful for friends, all around the world, & especially for one who took bunny to the vets for me.  That there's walk-in session at the vets, that bunny seems fine.  That I had cash to give friend & that there was no charge at the vets & that they've recommended a specialist.  That I have a lovely rose quartz palm stone to keep the bunny calm, & hopefully it's just stress & it'll sort itself out.  That the storm calmed for a little while & bunny got to go out in the run.  That's she's tolerating being handled more while I look at her sore patches.

For husband cooking delish dinner, for there being food in the cupboard & conveniences like a dishwasher & washing machine, & fridge & freezer & oven.  

That I had plenty of time to enjoy my books, & I love reading.  That I finished another one.

That my reading was well received, & useful to the querent. 

That I brought my dressing gown & can be cosy in the cooler weather.  That we found a new show to watch that I find interesting & husband will tolerate.

Gardens

Thankful friend has chopped back garden, & taken some stuff from the house, & that he did it without injuring himself.  That he enjoyed it!  That there are more keyholders nearby & one let him back into the house.

That I can still have a nice lie-in when I want one, & read / colour / browse through the day.

That I have official confirmation I've passed the crisis training, & am well underway with the paperwork for the new job.  Medical is arranged without me having to go to Dublin.

A desk is in progress & we have some scope to shift furniture around to create work spaces for us both.

That I managed to remove the broken plug prong from the socket & now we have an additional socket in the bedroom.  That I found the fitbit charger before the battery ran out.

That the bunny let me examine her, & clean her a little, & I chopped some of her fur off.  Now that I've noticed & Googled it I can do something about it.

Taking things forgranted

Thankful I have a job offer,  that I have people who'll be referees for me.  For the agency I'm dealing with and phones and computers and the internet that make it possible to deal with people remotely.  That we managed to get a printer (and paper and ink) & that it scans.

For being able to have a lie-in, that it stopped raining and husband hung his washing out.  

For having a garden for the bunny to go in, & husband building her hutch & run.  That she seems to have settled.  

That I figured out to update the webpage I'm looking after.

For husband cooking for me, & for having entertainment, tv shows, books, colouring.

That I remembered Pilates in time to join in.

For having a house, & furniture & food.  For safe drinking water, & heating.  For living in a nice area.  That no-one's signed up for my online lunch tomorrow so I've cancelled it.

For having friends.

Bunny

Thankful the bunny is settled & eating well.
That it's been relatively cool today.

That I found my story cubes & have organised the meetup that I intended.  That I enjoy being creative and making up the stories, & for the blog so I can write any time (& showcase my work),

For a long lie-in & snuggle with husband, & for finishing the book I was enjoying, & for the books that I brought with me.  For enjoying reading & some indoor hobbies.  That I've got a good way into the first book & am happy.  That I kept the books because I knew I'd be re-reading them.  For "keep"ing my packing records and the books being easy to find, as well as a few other things I wanted to bring back.

That I've managed to set the scale up on the wifi here.

That I remembered to finish leaving feedback for someone.  & that I finished my training!  & that I've made progress on an admin task I took on.

Travel & arrival

 So many reasons to be thankful on the journey:

• friend helping me pack the car
• everything fitting in the car
• the weather being cool
• the bunny being ok on the trip
• the ease of driving & traffic conditions
• the route was clearly signposted
• when I turned across the dual carriageway there was nothing coming
• another turn I made was onto an empty road
• that when I pulled off the drive there was nothing coming (restricted visibility cos of the number of vans parked up)
• that none of them were blocking my drive
• I got to the ferry terminal in good time
• loo break!
• remembered the car deck number & my car was in full view from the door
• booking the recliner was the way to go, & I got to nap in the quiet
• that the bunny settled down straight away in the hutch & started eating
• it was so good to see husband!  & he had the window open so the bedroom was cool

Today I am thankful for the house & everything we have to make our lockdown lives enjoyable,

that the bunny has been out enjoying her run, that we have take-aways nearby.  That I resisted chocolate.  That I got my police check submitted & have started taking care of some admin.  That Facebook reminded me of someone's birthday & I remembered to send him a message & we had a nice little catch up.

That husband got milk in for me so there's plenty for breakfast.

Cars and plans

Thankful I got up & got to the garage for opening, & they checked it on the spot.

That even though I dithered over my plans (again), I made the right choice, & I am reasonably calm.  & i have plenty of time to get ready in the morning. 

That husband sent me sweet little bitmoji when i told him i needed a hug. 

That I've had a laugh with friends

That husband has the hutch & run ready for bunny's arrival.  That I found the computer part he was after.  

That friends called round & now I've seen everyone.   

Space & friends

Thankful my amazon delivery arrived early enough for me to get to the charity scheme before the earliest time I thought it closed, that the guy came out to help me unload the car & I asked him about the wardrobe & drawers.  That going back with the wardrobe took me to the 100 miles the garage recommended getting the nuts checked after.  That it was open late enough for me to get back there.

That I got home in time to clear a path for friend to safely carry tv out.  That there was an ice-cream van at the overflow carpark & a handy free bench for us to sit on, & we had a good chat. I'm glad he's happy & life is good for him.  

That he took the drawers as well, & we're now connected on whatsapp as his favourite communication beyond steam.  That carrying the drawers out helped me realise I needed tp do more work before the bed could be removed & I had that done just before friend arrive. That I remembered the mattress came in by being flipped over the banister & we did that again.  That I drove the mattress over to save us waiting in for them make a second trip, & it was early enough to head to the new cafe again.  thankful we got in & got our drinks, & that i turned down the offer of food - I had a big lunch.  Thankful I ate after dropping off the wardrobe & it was substantial enough to see me through.  Also glad there weren't any brownies out so I couldn't be tempted.

Now that lot's gone there is loads of space to pack into & I really feel like I've made some progress.  There's probably more progress than I think, it's jusst hard to see it.  I also made a trip to the tip this time.  Even without more packing I have cleared plenty of space.  

Thankful there was space in the carparks we went to, that friend drove to the final beach because my car wouldn't've turned round in the tiny space hers did.

Context

Thankful for technology.  For moving my interview zone slightly so I wasn't banging against the door.  That it was quiet outside.  That I read up on interview questions & did some prep.  

That I got more of husband's favourite nuts & got myself some snacks to see me through til I get back.  That he rang to debrief after the interview. 

That I feel ready to go back now.  That staying the extra week was the right thing to do and that now it's time to go.  

That Friend has offered to help me pack, & another friend is helping with the garden.  

That the people in the corner shop remember me & we had a good chat.  That I remembered hay while I was in there.  All the staff are well & the chatty one is pleased to be back chatting with everyone - glad she's out of lockdown, that she survived it.  

Thankful for everyone who's been helping people through.  For friends I've been speaking to, & meeting.

For catching up with everyone I wanted to see, & a bonus call with an ex workmate.  For finally remembering to.post brother his parcel, that there was no queue for the post office when I got there, & that it was open

For being able to go to the beach.  For asking whether the side people were part of the queue, some Were & some weren't.  It wasn't the queue zone so I'm counting letting the people were thought They were in the queue (but weren't) into the actual queue in  front of me.  Glad the bin was one where o could put my rubbish in without actually touching the bin.

Happy with some of my interview answers.  Thankful that I am a happy smiley person & that came across.

Thankful for friends offering to help with the house.  & for being able to give stuff away.  Thankful there's no pressure for me to work.  

Beach

Thankful for meeting friends.  That there was no queue at the cafe when we were there, nor for the toilet.  That she remembered the cards to show me.  

That I had good catch up with friends.

That interview notification came through & i have downloaded the software ready.  That neighbour printed out the job description for me so I have it for easy reference.  For the internet & being able to do research, that I've found previous interview prep so i have a head start.  For being able to decline an invite so I can concentrate on interview prep.  That I've already met that friend.  Thankful for boundaries.  

That the weather was good for our beach trip.  & that there were menus for the ice-cream.   That I remembered my mask so I.could go in.

That there parking, & two friends got parked really close.to each other.  For being able to be supportive & encouraging.  That I am now longer in that work situation.

That we got to sit & enjoy the waves rolling up the beach.  That we are friends outside of work.  Really thankful I made the effort to spend time with her so we developed a friendship.

 

Friends

Thankful I have the freedom to stay longer & it's allowed me to see more friends.   For being able to get out & meet them, that pubs & cafes are open again.  That Friend got me a mini pud & it was Nik-sized & yummy.  That i resisted hot chocolate which meant I managed the pud. 

Thankful we have jobs and are reasonably secure.  That my friends & family are safe & well. 

That I've found homes for some of the stuff we're getting rid of.  & that I remembered to send the measurements. 

That I got to the garage for opening time and collected my car ok.  That it was cheaper than expected and I have money for the work.

That I can set a timer & do focussed stints of packing.  That alternating between the rooms provides a bit of variety.  

That a new friend will is speaking to me later to help with interview prep. 

Beach

Thankful for being motivated to get up when I was awake early.  For being able to take photos of husband's stuff & have him tell me to box or bring stuff.

For being able to trouble shoot internet issues, a reminder that I have that skill. And for husband being able to order me a new part, & then I found the spare.  Thankful for the internet.  And for messenger.  

For snacking before friend arrived & for her packing snacks.  That we found a lovely beach up the coast 

& had a nice walk.  That I had enough signal to phone the garage & arrange to collect the car tomorrow.

For spotting a decent beer garden pub doing food & sharing snacks.  & for the next beach.  For most people being considerate & distancing.  

For the washer & dryer & modern appliances.  For having a house, & transport & friends.  For being able to see progress in the packing.   For friend having got everything on husband's shopping list & me remembering to bring it home.  For neighbour being a key holder - for getting on with neighbours.  For friend holding spare car key & remembering that & returning it.

That extending my stay allows me to catch up with a few additional people.  Thankful for the effort friends make to meet me.  For the ones that have driven me around & treated me to days out.  

For remembering to do my grats before bed.  That this is a habit now.

House

Thankful that we moved, that husband is so calm & reassuring.  That we have plenty of time to sort out the house.  For friends to break the tedium of packing.  That when I dropped a glass it didn't break.  

That husband had the sense to take a hoover & that there's one here easy to reach & use.

day out

Thankful car can be left in garage & they'll do the work tomorrow.

That I had a pre-lunch snack & we found somewhere to eat as I was getting hungry, & that I resisted hot chocolate.  Thankful to friend for driving & she says she'll write me an endorsement for linkedin.

That there was some lovely stuff in the shops, & they're open again. For having pocket money & being able to treat myself.
That she'll take the double bed, & see if anyone wants the other furniture.

That I've got an interview next week!

Nuts

Thankful I went to the tip when I did, short queue.  That I have cleared some stuff out of the house & husband is parting with some stuff.    That I could carry the electricals. 

That I was home when friend arrived, & beach was a good suggestion.  We had a good chat.  Glad he's well & seems happy.  

That I met friends for lunch & we had a good chat & there's a chance to see them next week. 

That changing the ferry was easy.  That Friend is collecting me tomorrow & we're going out for lunch.  That I remembered husband's nuts & got to the shop before closing & no queue to get in.  That they had his favourite nuts & his favourite pop & i managed to get the bag to the car.  That he's just messaged me about more of his stuff so I don't have to ask.  

That bunny is ok, & seems happy.  When I was driving to beach & back the gaps in the traffic were big enough for friend to pull ou5 behind me & keep me in view.  That I found 2 spaces near each other at the beach.

That staying longer allows me to see another friend & we're having Sunday lunch.

Beach

Thankful friend is happy with the hot chocolate.  That I managed to declutter some stuff.  That he likes the Dragon.

That we got to meet & it stopped raining for our walk.  That there were spaces in the car park.  & that he joined me for a cuppa.  That I got a long watch of the waves breaking.  I love watching that.  That the path was relatively empty & that we discovered that cafe yesterday & now he has somewhere new to take clients.  

That i caught up with neighbour & she's taken the mirrors.   That brother is going to accept some stuff.  That my unit was glued & it's now stacked with the others.  That I've cleared the backlog of washing. 

That bunny seems settled & is still happy being handled.   That she ate the grass in the hutch so she's definitely eating.  That I got a flexi ticket so it's easy to extend my stay.  That there is plenty of space on the ferry I was looking to change to.  The change is straight forward, & husband is supportive of me staying. 

That I've sorted out the car booking that suits me better.  Am pleased I'm thinking again.  

That i've found most of what I've been looking for to take to Ireland.  & husband has made decisions about some of his stuff.  That neighbour has offered to put the bin out for me.  

Friends

Thankful I got my medication.  & that I got the pharmacy changed. 

That it stopped raining for our walk.  That I showed friend the beach & exercise machines & that there was a new cafe.  

Thankful we had the cafes to ourselves & some really good chats.  Enjoy talking with friend.  Thankful he drove &  gifted me his afternoon.  & that I remembered to give him his pressure, & that he  likes it. 

Thankful I got home just as evening friend messaged & that it was dry as we walked.  That we found some nice stones on the beach & for the crystal she gave me.  Glad I wore my blue necklace to give her.

Thankful to get car booked into garage & that I remembered to message other friend about the chippie.

Thankful we still have the internet here & i have udemy course videos to watch on place in place of the tv.

Arrived

Thankful the car passed it's mot & service.  That I got out of the garage ok, & there was a gap for me to turn right.  For having a good car.  That me & bunny arrived ok.  She is nibbling on stuff & seems ok.

That I've got in touch with most of my friends & made arrangements.  

That there were a couple of snack pots ing be fridge so I had some tea.  & I'd left myself plenty of tea bags.  & one emergency chocolate!

That the house is ok.  That I remembered keys.  That I found the thing husband wants me to bring back, that the bed is ready to climb into. 

Dinner

Thankful I got up with my parents, & that it was nice weather when we walked the dog. That I found what I was looking for in the boxes.

That I was ok with a glass of wine & that i'm managing on single dose at the moment.

That my dad'll take the car down tomorrow with me so I can have a lift back. 

For the crystal I found that mum says was mine & i can have back.

Travel

Thankful got up as intended, arrived safely & on time to ferry.  That traffic was light & terminal was easy to find.

That there was hot chocolate & plenty of water on free vend, & that i got juice with breakfast.   That the onward journey was straightforward too. & the final leg had far less traffic than expected.  

That plans to meet friends are going well.  That bunny is ok & doesn't mind me.

That I enjoy reading & stitching & napped on the ferry.  That the crossing was calm.