Any diagnosed germophobes or hoarders on this forum?

Hi @Dimity , sorry you were feeling glum yesterday...hoping you feel a bit brighter today.

I had forgotten about inter-library loans! Thanks for reminding me - I'll see if that book is available.

You have 8 roses, wow! I'm jealous 😄 And yellow irises!

It makes me mad that someone could remove someone else's pretty flowers - or even any pretty flowers - and leave bare ground. It boggles the mind.

I feel OK to go to work today luckily. The preparation yesterday helped (shower, laundry etc).

Hope you enjoy your haircut today - I cut my own hair so a professional haircut feels like pampering to me, and I really enjoy the feel of my hair and scalp being touched. Hope it gives you a lift. 🙂

I'm glad you felt well enough for work today @NatureLover . I hope you enjoyed it.

I got to my haircut today, so I'm tidy again for another couple of months. I felt a bit shabby but it's an unpretentious salon and my hairdresser is very nice.Tomorrow I'll try my luck with a new optometrist.

Fingers crossed the library can help with the thriller.

Hi @Dimity , I like thinking of you with a haircut and hope that it gave you a lift.

How did the new optometrist go yesterday?

I did enjoy work on Monday thanks - just getting out of the house and talking to people and feeling useful again was good.

I asked at the library but my particular library no longer does inter-library loans. However they suggested that I do actually put in a request for the library to buy the thriller book, even though it's older than 12 months. They said it can't hurt to try. They also suggested I look on eBay for second-hand copies. It's #12 in the series so I am heavily invested 😄

Today I am home all day so there's no excuse for slacking on the housework. It's also going to be sunny - a rare full sun icon on the weather forecast! So I'm hanging washing out.

I hope you feel OK when you wake up and that it's a good and useful day for you (unless you're having a rest-and-refresh day of course)... 🤞

Haha, @Dimity - I just googled the thriller book on eBay, and there's a used copy in the U.K that I can have - for $228!!! 😮

Hmm I've never used eBay for books @NatureLover but can recommend Biblioz, AbeBooks and Brotherhood Books. Years ago I also used Amazon for second hand books but I've had too many scam calls and unauthorised transactions from people purporting to be Amazon Prime to trust them. It would be lovely if the library could find a copy still in print.

The optometrist thinks my new glasses should help.

I pegged out a couple of loads of washing today. It's been hard facing the day lately. Feeling I'd had a good and useful day would be a nice change. Or even enjoying myself and feeling refreshed. Either would be good, and maybe they're not mutually exclusive. Tomorrow I'll aim to wake earlier and accomplish something from my to do list.

Hope you have a nice day - there should be some sun.

Thanks @Dimity , I had forgotten about AbeBooks - and I will try the other 2 you recommended too. 🙂

It sounds like your optometrist appt went well 👍

I loved the full day of sunshine yesterday, and hung out the washing like you. I also did 3 hours of tidying - but still failed to tackle the kitchen! The small kitchen bench and stove are still functional, but the large kitchen bench and floor aren't.

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@Dimity wrote:

It's been hard facing the day lately. Feeling I'd had a good and useful day would be a nice change. Or even enjoying myself and feeling refreshed. Either would be good, and maybe they're not mutually exclusive.

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I think if you're not a morning person, it would make it harder to face the day, quite apart from any depression or hard jobs to tackle. I'm really hoping you do get a good and useful day soon 💚🤞

I'm looking forward to work today. Good luck with whatever you decide to do today...

Well done on the tidying @NatureLover and keeping the kitchen usable. The big bench and floor sound challenging.

I'm really quite depressed atm, and badly triggered. In an effort to feel mildly good or useful I picked up another bag of litter. A week or two ago the psychologist got in touch to postpone my appointment - it would have been delayed more than a month but she squeezed in a phone consult instead - so only a week to go.

I admire your 3 hour stints, you must be getting through quite a lot. Have you started on the boxes?

Hi @Dimity , am so sorry to hear you're so depressed. I really feel for you - depression is the worst of all. It removes any hope or motivation for anything. 😢🫂

Also sad that you've been badly triggered 😢 Is there any way to avoid whatever triggered you?

Well done on picking up the litter. That's more than 99% of people do. Especially when depressed.

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@Dimity wrote:

Have you started on the boxes?

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Oh gosh, no - I'm very far from attempting those!

I don't feel my 3 hour stints are achieving much. I guess they're keeping the bedroom, bathroom and lounge-room maintained. I also tidied my desk which makes my mind feel more in order.

AbeBooks has the thriller! But it's in America and I'm not sure I want to pay postage. I might wait and see whether the library decides to buy it - I've put in a request.

Are you OK with a phone consult instead of seeing your new psych face-to-face?

I'm sending lots of wishes for your depression to ease very soon...and much 💚

Hi @NatureLover maintaining order and cleanliness is the best we can hope for... seriously. So well done. I mooched through some tidying today and made an effort with dinner. It was a better day. Sometimes my current woes seem to jostle up against past trauma and what's happening in the world at large. I've had many telehealth (phone) consultations and had hoped to see someone in person. It might be possible in future, but not this time without a long wait.

I've found postage from the US is often more than the book itself, but may still be cheaper in total than buying locally. Biblioz and AbeBooks are international but Brotherhood Books is local. It would be great if the library is successful, it sounds like a popular series that others would also enjoy.

I really must get back to better sleep patterns. Today I got back to a to-do list so I guess I'll have stuff to aim for over the weekend, even if it's mostly cleaning. And the weather should be pleasant enough for the garden.

Best wishes...

Hi @Dimity

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@Dimity wrote:

Hi @NatureLover maintaining order and cleanliness is the best we can hope for... seriously.

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I totally agree. Anything beyond maintenance is a Big Deal and hard to achieve.

I'm so glad you had a better day 🙂 Well done on the tidying and the good dinner.

Sometimes I avoid the news (responding to your comment on the troubles in the world at large). Sometimes the news is too overwhelming.

I feel very anxious this morning and it's hard to relax and try to figure out a plan for the day. My mind's flitting about from one thing to another and I'm not sure what to do. Am tempted to go back to bed and read to calm myself down, but on the other hand so much needs to be done on the house. I might start by putting on a laundry wash and letting that do the work for me. That way I feel a bit productive and it might kick-start me on some tidying.

Biblioz and Brotherhood Books don't have the thriller in question, and the library usually takes months to approve requests, but am reluctant to pay for books usually. But I've made a note of those 3 companies for future use, thanks. 🙂

I hope that once you've had the Telehealth appt you can start seeing the new psychologist in person. What day next week is your Telehealth appt?

I think today would be OK for gardening, but tomorrow doesn't look very good weather...I hope you can get done what you need to in the garden. Our communal roses are out here and smell beautiful. Good luck with whatever you decide to do today...