Food and Drink #53

[MurielSnark]

Spoiler: Huge merail

I don't know if it's just me but I am sooooooooo utterly fed up with this election and this shit-for-brains political class. This latest betting scandal is so stupid but it's really made me furious. I mean, do these people really want to take every last opportunity to squeeze personal profit out of their role in government so much that they're taking out bets now? What are they stealing in broad daylight while we all obsess about £100 wagers down the bookies?

My threshold for bullshit has been well and truly trampled into the dirt. I am fucked off by the war-mongering, the blithe inattention to climate fucking collapse, the money-money-money-power-money axis, the endless commissions into unbelievable scandals (Grenfell, Covid, Post Office on and on and on) that do not seem to deliver justice ever.

There are so many excellent people in this country that I encounter all over the place. In the true public services (health care, education, libraries, public transport etc), there is real integrity, passion for the work and care. All those volunteers stitching together a safety net for refugees and the poor and disabled. People running small businesses with heart and dedication. Why is there such a disconnect between the honest, hardworking, community-minded ordinary people who actually hold everything together and the larger elected political class? It drives me mad.

I know I'm generalising wildly and there are good politicians out there and crooks in every other sector of the population too. But...

I'm not a violent person but I am so angry sometimes that I don't know how to contain it. I'm becoming a Brenda from Bristol and I hate it in myself.

Cannot wait to boot the current lot out of office and see as many as possible out of Westminster. But don't have a huge amount of hope for the incoming lot either.

 

[Falkor]

Hang in there, T-SideyB, there's a whole canal of ninnies rooting for you.

I don't know WTF the Scottish weather thinks it's doing at the moment, but I got hailed on yesterday. The horses are going through massive amounts of hay and I seem to spend any time I'm not at work stuffing nets. However, I did finally get my hands on a couple of hay pillows yesterday, which are much easier to fill and hold a bit more than the nets, so I will be gradually changing over to them. They're made out of the same material as turnout rugs, so protects the hay from getting too damp when you're feeding from the ground. Junior Horse approves!

 

[MaineCoonMama]

It's funny, most people say the elbow is an almost unbearable area to have tattooed but I had no problem with mine. It just was a sort of grindy tickle. My calf on the other hand, I hated every second of the 3 sessions I had getting it done. 'Twas worth it though.

It's proper wintery today, pissing down and only going for a high of 12 degrees. I have to go out later as I've run out of anti nausea tablets but for now I have Thor keeping my legs warm.

 

[kachoochoo]

he's here!

he's moaning, so he's clearly better! the food has apparently not been too bad. he's kinda annoyed he's missing the venison stew he'd ordered for tonight

he's had chicken hotpot, jacket and korma, bbq pork. sounds ok to me! lol

 

[Nonah]

Ninnies does anyone have any advice on coping with pain? I’m currently holding a cup of coffee to the side of my face, have been taking painkillers for a week, am struggling to sleep and starting to feel anxious and fucking fed up.
I’m usually a pretty positive person but this is really starting to deplete me. I know it’s not forever and am incredibly grateful for that but I am feeling extremely sorry for myself.
As thanks in advance here is a picture of girl cat the first time she saw me wearing a headband with cat ears on it.

 

[Hollaaa]

Last week I caught myself thinking I would rather scrub my whole house top to bottom with cotton buds than spend another minute in the presence of someone in my circle who is vile to me. So after setting soft boundaries (let's hang out but only if this person is already busy) and having these ignored, I have now gone to firm boundaries (moving on with my life). I currently have Nicole Kidman glorious freedom vibes, which I didn't expect. It definitely feels like the right decision.

 

[MaineCoonMama]

Can’t send any headache remedies across the world. I can send a baby tunnel dog.
View attachment 2979339


A member’s at work device measures bp. I have no idea how that works accurately because I thought it had to be tight on the upper arm. They get all stressed when it’s high which then sets off a cycle of shit. I binned sold my coros on Vinted because it became my crutch and was telling me I wasn’t sleeping. Totes.

Tesco was eventful. There were students filming each other. One had brought his tea (pasta) and was eating it on a china plate in the yoghurt aisle. This was the big Tesco btw. Honestly. It felt like black mirror.

Students are so weird.
Thank you for the Baby T-Dog. I still feel horrible but laughed when Thor fell off the couch a minute ago.
Here's an old one of Pooh being a sweetheart.

 

[ForgettyBetty]

Thanks again for the kind support and sane advice the other day which really helped

Spoiler: Follow up

I had still been feeling a bit guilty and concerned about leaving her to it, and we've been friendly for many years. After my vent here, I found 2 of her nighties at mine hiding in a blanket so washed & dried those, dropped them off in her porch early Friday morning so she'd have them for the weekend at least.(especially as we all know socserv aren't exactly greyhounds after a rabbit) Emailed and phoned SS who tried to pass me back and forth but I made it clear what was needed and asap.
Anyway, I rang her this afternoon and it went a bit like this:
Me: I managed to wash you a couple to last the weekend
Her: Yes, I saw
(I think you mean "thank you"?)
Me: Shall I come in the morning and sort through the laundry bags and find all the others, I can get them done and back by the afternoon.
Her: [best long-suffering Mr Toad voice] No, I shan't bother.
(what do you mean you shan't bother?)
Me: Ok then.

So basically a QED moment, and I no longer feel any obligation or tbh much sympathy though it is a shame to end a friendship this way.

I realised I do have form for letting people take the mick quite badly, and this has been a useful lesson in boundaries I think.

 

[Hollaaa]

@lilykestrel If you need the time to recover, have them for max sick pay while you look for something else. Honestly never thought I'd become that person but I was saving them money over what they would have paid a lawyer to defend them in court for constructive dismissal. I'm 6 years out and in some ways will never recover but in other ways, life is so much better now.

 

[MaineCoonMama]

I hope everyone feels better soon, seems like F&D is going through a rough patch. I include Chooey's man because he's part of the scene as well. I don't blame him for taking off his oxygen mask, that's constant blast is annoying and gave me a migraine.

One of the funnier pics of Pooh, he was watching the Simpsons with me on my laptop.

 

[lilykestrel]

Having one of those days where I've transcended the "I am so stressed I am non functional" and moved into the "I really do not give a shit, if you want me to do stuff above my pay grade then pay me more, until that is reflected in my payslip fuck off x" phase and it is quite liberating.

(Sorry not sorry to all the people who have been unreasonable and/or tried to project histrionics onto me and/or are fobbing their busy work onto me even though they've been told not to, and it's not even midday)

 

[ForgettyBetty]

Caturday Raven (Bettycat4) killing my sock

 

[kachoochoo]

don't wanna sound like a dickhead, but given I tell you all my troubles, here's something good

just got the payment from StubHub for the Taylor tix I couldn't use!

i genuinely thought I'd not got genuine tickets cos, yknow its stubhub and I'd been a bit shady selling them on

anyhoo...

£704 back!

 

[kachoochoo]

thanks everyone. I know he'll be grateful for the good ninny wishes too

I've heard from him and they're keeping him in overnight. Looks like it's AF

oh, and I told him to take his mum and his brother will probably be there too so he's not alone

 

[griftalo]

I left my phone on the bed earlier and came back to this. I’m not sure what my cat has been doing. It sounds important to him

 

[Readingismyhobby]

My worst ever dog experience was when my lab rolled around on a rotting fox carcass

 

[lilykestrel]

Whichever 'strategy bod' came up with the 'let's foist responsibility for organisational dysfunction onto the employee and mask it as wellbeing and mental health' was a genius to be fair.

I do think some of it can be useful, especially given how generally emotionally maladapted a lot of (British) people can be, but all the staff wellbeing sessions I found most beneficial pre-COVID were in-person ones, and that was generally because during group work you'd just have a whinge about work with someone you didn't know previously from another department, and it was the peer support aspect that was actually beneficial.

I steer well clear now, and if anybody dares try to get me to one in the coming months, I'll tell them my highly-qualified therapist has advised me against participating in work-based mental health support because she thinks its just an arm of unhealthy work cultures that seek to extract more labour out of their workers, SO THERE.

 

[lilykestrel]

Kestrelcat's outdoor adventures continue. I don't think he's much of a wanderer (watch me say this and he goes off on safari for two days tomorrow). He's popped off over the fence a few times but reappears within fifteen minutes. He mostly seems to enjoy a) lying on his back on the patio rolling around or b) resting his chin on the open patio sliding door frame with his nose just outside snoozing c) following us around and looking intently at what we're up to or d) chasing flies.

This morning he clearly wandered into someone's territory as a slap fight broke out on top of the neighbour's shed and the other tom chased him back into the house. He's fine, but he (wisely) hasn't gone that way since.

@chizontiz Kestrel- and Chizcat could be tuxy socky cousins with their matching multicoloured toe beans. Kestrelcat has a similar expression when he plays with his kicking fish. (A fish for kicking, not one that kicks) Hope he feels better soon!!!

 

[Lurkeryaar]

My tattoo is done and boy did it sting! I've blurred the ones around it as they are pretty identifiable, but it's right slap bang across my knee. Not recommended for anyone with a low pain tolerance

 

[kachoochoo]

thank you everyone! 🫶

well, ive had a lovely lie in and I'm just about to put on my new pretty dress ive treated myself to, even though we're not going anywhere

then I'm going to have a nice brunch of smoked salmon and cream cheese bagel and bucks fizz!