Today I've mostly bin...

[MBH]

We had about a dozen groups of visitors last night - normally we go totally over the top (with our 6'4" mate dressed as a zombie and me in my Dr Death outfit complete with machette) but difficult getting sorted this year. Just a couple of streamers and an old purple ghost, but the local kids remembered this was a place to visit.

I was cooking sausages at the time, and one knock came just as I needed to take them out. I signalled out the window I would be there in a minute, and when I did get to the door I informed them I'd just taken the last batch of kids out of the oven and I needed some new supplies

[Bunnylump]

Did any of them believe you? I've been out shopping for lots of different glass paints. My girl has now decided she wants everyone who comes to the wedding to leave with a gift of home made fudge in a hand decorated jar. Now I do like glass painting, but about 100 jars decorated with bunting is a bit of an ask!! Fortunately she wants to make the fudge herself...

[Wulfruna]

Rather an odd day today, which resulted in us being off-line for most of the day.....
A few weeks ago we discovered that we had a leak to our mains water pipe (an old lead one) - which was unfortunately within our own boundary so that we are responsible for repairing it. (Though with credit due to the Water Company, they do make a small (!) grant towards the repair). Anyway, the workmen turned up today and have actually done a brilliant job in sorting it out with the minimum of disruption - we had anticipated them having to dig up a massive trench in the driveway and into the house, which didn't happen (GOOD NEWS!). The BAD NEWS was that they had to lay the replacement pipe in via the house and create a new stop cock - which involved turning off the electrics including the broadband connection..... It was however, fascinating to watch real craftsmen at work who were really concerned about the disruption involved. He kept saying "oh this is a problem - but there is nothing that can't be managed if we try hard enough". Quite an old-fashioned attitude from a young man!

[Bunnylump]

My husband is one of those old fashioned types. He goes out of his way to do a really good job and to make sure that he clears up carefully afterwards. He always keeps appointments and turns up when he says he is going to. He also takes meticulous notes about everything he ever does so that if anything crops up in the future he always has measurements, suppliers, dates etc. I think that's why he doesn't have to go out looking for work (and never advertises) - that kind of attitude pays for itself in returning customers and recommendations.

[gill216]

.... feeling rather proud of myself! Today is the first day I have managed to be cigarette free in more years than I care to remember.

I think I have finally found the answer. A vaporizer. Daughter bought one 3 weeks ago in Spain and hasn't wanted or touched a cig since. My friend bought one 2 weeks ago and hasn't either. Please let me be third recommendation lucky.

If I cna do one day I can do 2.

[Bunnylump]

Keep it up Gill!! Well done.

[LAT]

Well done Gill! Keep it up!
And spend lots of time with friends who don't smoke - I'm sure that would help.

[Laura]

That's great Gill! Keep going!!!!

[giraffe]

Well done Gill. My hairdresser started having a small cup of tea every time she wanted a cigarette. It worked for her.

[MBH]

Keep it up Gill!! Well done.

What she said ^^^ If you've found an answer that works for you then keep going with it, and if there are any 'wobbles', then just like on a bike - keep peddling.

[Wulfruna]

Great stuff Gill - keep up the good work.....
And don't worry too much if you have the odd lapse - Rome wasn't built in a day

[gill216]

Two gays 7 hours now.

[Laura]

Such as shame that glorious typo wasn't at the top of a page!!!!!

[Bunnylump]

That was quite funny.

[eirian]

... enjoying the peace and quiet - just dropped Thomas off at school and it's Sigur's first day in his new job! Couldn't resist booking it as leave - first day I've had on my own for 5 years (since he lost his job when I was pregnant).
It's been a tough few years, but hopefully, once we've got used to the new routine, this should make life easier..

[gill216]

Good news Eirian. I hope all goes well.

[Bunnylump]

Excellent news, Eirian! So pleased he's managed to get something. That will DEFINITELY help! And I don't blame you at all, it's fabulous getting the house ALL to yourself, isn't it? Please send my best wishes to Sigur, tell him I hope the job goes well. It'll probably be a nice change for him, too!

[gill216]

Still not smoking. Still don't want to smoke cigarettes. That's one whole week at 5.30pm tomorrow.

Do you know anyone who has struggled to give up ? I thought this thing was too good to be true so I've been and visited the "stop smoking nurse" to check this out safety wise. I was beginning to think it was a bit like the Whiskas cat food myth that Whiskas contains some kind of sinister addictive substance that makes cats refuse anything else once they've been fed it!
Apparently not so. Perfectly safe and this system has a 90% plus success rate. It's 100% amongst my crowd and it ranges from 4 years to my measly one week. The nurse told me that she's going to be out of a job soon because its taken off, its cheap, and it works. Even non smokers are joining in with zero nicotine in their chosen flavour !

If anyone wants more info just ask. Its huge in Yorkshire now but not sure about anywhere else.

[Bunnylump]

I'm so pleased to hear this, Gill. Keep it up - just think how groggy you were when you had that awful chest infection. If you keep this up you will hopefully be able to avoid going back to that ever again!!

[gill216]

Chest infection? Which one was that? I had 2 within 4 months ( Oct. ish 12 and Feb 13) There was one really bad one before that but I cant be precise as to that date. Three times I've had the cocktail of inhalors, anti-biotics and steroids now.Each time I was really ill for around 2 weeks. Every time was when I got the common cold. I've just had the common cold. This time I wasn't smoking. This time it lasted 3 days.

I really want to scare the chocolate out of the smokers wizz ways ( Thanks Whoopi Goldberg for that wonderful line in Jumping Jack Flash)

I got the fright of my life when I got called for the flu jab in October because of COPD. I got the pneumonia jab too. No=one had actually said I had COPD, just that my lung function was borderline normal but if I stopped smoking my lung function would improve. If I didn't stop it would only get worse. Pretty normal news to a smoker. Oh S**t.

That doesn't leave much choice does it? However, I can honestly say that if I hadn't found this miracle cure totally by chance I'd still be smoking cigarettes. An addict is an addict. Thank whoever you like that I discovered this now and not when it was too late. Like my daughters ex "father in law" even though he never made that status. He died last week.