South Downs National Park Sunday

[Kittykatt]

Triple Dog Dare!

Pick 3 things
Do them
Post your TaDas!

»»—-Cheers! WTG! Ygg!—-««

Don't think about it. Just do it!
~~ I Triple Dog Dare ya! ~~
Good Morning!
»»————　✼　————««

[Kittykatt]

The South Downs National Park is England's newest national park, designated on 31 March 2010. The park, covering an area of 1,627 square kilometres (628 sq mi) in southern England, stretches for 140 kilometres (87 mi) from Winchester in the west to Eastbourne in the east, through the counties of Hampshire, West Sussex and East Sussex.

The national park covers the chalk hills of the South Downs (which on the English Channel coast form the white cliffs of the Seven Sisters and Beachy Head) and a substantial part of a separate physiographic region, the western Weald, with its heavily wooded sandstone and clay hills and vales. The South Downs Way spans the entire length of the park and is the only National Trail that lies wholly within a national park.

Apart from a number of boundary revisions, the park incorporates two areas previously designated as Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty, the East Hampshire AONB and Sussex Downs AONB. The park also includes the Queen Elizabeth Country Park near Petersfield.
The park contains 86 national Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSIs) and 13 international Special Areas of Conservation. A comprehensive review of tick populations in the park was reported in 2024, on data gathered in 2015 and 2016.

The South Downs National Park's chalk downland sets it apart from other national parks in Britain. However, almost a quarter (23%) of the national park consists of a quite different and strongly contrasting physiographic region, the western Weald, whose densely wooded hills and vales are based on an older Wealden geology of resistant sandstones and softer clays. The highest point in the national park, Blackdown, at 280 m (919 ft) above sea level, is within the Weald, on the Greensand Ridge, whereas the highest point on the chalk escarpment of the South Downs, Butser Hill, has an elevation of 271 m (889 ft) above sea level.

Within the national park there are two chalk hill figures, the Litlington White Horse and the Long Man of Wilmington.

[Kittykatt]

Happy Sunday, everyone!

[Kittykatt]

Still to do when I get back from church:

Decluttering/deep cleaning in sitting room:
Put "pretties" back inside china cabinet
Put cushion covers back on scatter cushions
Put chair backs and arm covers back on my chair
Brush the rug I washed yesterday
Rehang curtains over staircase

Other tasks:
Change sheets on bed including mattress and pillow protectors
Fold laundry and PA
Run DW
Unload DW
Quick clean / tidy in kitchen

[trissie]

Have you been to the South Downs Park, kittykatt?
L.Ann, now you make me crave cinnamon buns!

Sunday here. Very slow and relaxing morning, with a nice sleep-in. We did Chernobyl part 4 last night with the kids, and they are still into it, even though the girls were unenthusiastic when we discussed it at dinner. DBD is still running fever, so I will have to stay home tomorrow Fall with kids, what can you say? At least I don't have any meetings, and I kinda had a hunch because as I was saying goodbye to my colleague on Thursday, I was kinda like "yeah, I may come in Monday or maybe not". Plan for the day - garden, master bedroom, school preps and laundry!

TaDas
- breakfast and coffee
- dressed to shoes
- internet time

ToDos
- morning routine
- 1 batch of dried apples
- 15 on laundry

Braindump
routines
- midday routine
- afternoon routine
- evening routine
food
- lunch
- dinner
- bake something sweet
- process apples
organization
- homework and backpacks
- DBD's speech therapy
- 15 on filing
cleaning
- strip and remake master bedroom bed
- spiff up twins' room
- spiff up DBD's room
- spiff up DS13's room
- spiff up master bedroom
- spiff up master bathroom
- spiff up kitchen
- spiff up living room
- spiff up downstairs bathroom and hallways
- spiff up office
laundry
- load of linens
- load of cleaning rags
- ironing
- folding
- mending
- laundry put away
me time
- 15 of exercise
- Bible study
- reading
House&Holidays
- week 1 deep cleaning - office
- week 2 deep cleaning - master bedroom
- week 3 deep cleaning - DBD's room
- week 5 deep cleaning - DS14's room
- week 6 deep cleaning - twins' room
- week 1 Christmas tasks
- week 2 Christmas tasks
- week 3 Christmas tasks
- week 4 Christmas tasks
- week 5 Christmas tasks
- week 6 Christmas tasks
garden
- start spading veggie garden
- deadheading
- weeding in front garden
- oil patio furniture
- tree and bushes pruning
- general pick up in garage
- general pick up around the house

[FrenchFlybebe]

◕‿◕ * * * Good Morning! * * * ◕‿◕

Kittykatt, thanks for the start. you had me googling both chalk figures - very interesting info about the white horse, carved in one February night in a full moon by three guys who had to get back to their farms to milk the cows around 5 am... Right now MrNG is looking into more information about it with DS7, they are kind of fascinated by the feat.

trissie, sorry for your DBD. We have colds here, DS7 and me, but fortunately no fever. WTG planning Christmas tasks among your weekly tasks !

Sunny morning, no plans but I think we should go out to enjoy this weather while we can, it's a rare thing in October. There were a few strawberries yesterday, some more might still come, it's incredible to have strawberries in OCtober.
MrNG will be home this week so I need to make a few payroll meals for me, but not for him.
Today's plans : finish the cleaning plan ChatGPT made for me yesterday from my list of tasks, some of the items were longer than planned and I got tired - also DS7 kept interrupting my motivation...
And we watched the Goonies yesterday for family movie night.

TADAs
up late, slow breakfast with MrNG and DS7
tried to make plans for today and for our day in Paris on OCt 31st (failed)
quick cuop, searched the White Horse of Litlington
DS9 is now eating breakfast, at 11am

TODOs
last third of the cleaning plan ChatGPT made for me
maybe go outside for some sunlight
prep easy lunch, maybe cook ahead for payroll meals.

[trissie]

Frenchie, I was wondering how the AI-planned cleaning went! Could you post the list and estimates it made for you? I am listening to a (Czech) audiobook - a thriller about misuse of AI (or so I think, I am about 2/3 into it), so I am a bit distrustful of AI, but certainly it can't do too wrong about cleaning? I mean, outside of telling you to mix "homemade cleaning solution" that creates toxic fumes

DH's gone to the cottage to do one thing or another. DS is hopefully working on his homework - he didn't save his work so lost about 2 hours worth of it. I mean, we've all lost work due to forgetting to save, so it's a lesson that needed to be learned!

TaDas
- morning routine
- 1 batch of dried apples
- 15 on laundry

ToDos
- lunch
- midday routine
- 15 on laundry

Braindump
routines
- afternoon routine
- evening routine
food
- dinner
- bake something sweet
- process apples
organization
- homework and backpacks
- DBD's speech therapy
- 15 on filing
cleaning
- strip and remake master bedroom bed
- spiff up twins' room
- spiff up DBD's room
- spiff up DS13's room
- spiff up master bedroom
- spiff up master bathroom
- spiff up kitchen
- spiff up living room
- spiff up downstairs bathroom and hallways
- spiff up office
laundry
- load of linens
- load of cleaning rags
- ironing
- folding
- mending
- laundry put away
me time
- 15 of exercise
- Bible study
- reading
House&Holidays
- week 1 deep cleaning - office
- week 2 deep cleaning - master bedroom
- week 3 deep cleaning - DBD's room
- week 5 deep cleaning - DS14's room
- week 6 deep cleaning - twins' room
- week 1 Christmas tasks
- week 2 Christmas tasks
- week 3 Christmas tasks
- week 4 Christmas tasks
- week 5 Christmas tasks
- week 6 Christmas tasks
garden
- start spading veggie garden
- deadheading
- weeding in front garden
- oil patio furniture
- tree and bushes pruning
- general pick up in garage
- general pick up around the house

[FrenchFlybebe]

trissie first I sent him (in my mind ChatGPT is a male thing) the list of tasks with the time I intended to spend on them, mostly 5-mns slots. So he made little batches of tasks, I set the starting time and he made the whole plan. I stopped at two thirds because I had to spend more time and energy on some items - yes, not doing WHB or any zone works for days ends up with really dirty and gross stuff in some places... This morning I asked him to review the estimated time and set hiw own duration for the remaining items, and it's almost double what I intended.

I'm really trying to find a way to make housecleaning doable without being overwhelmed. During weekdays I rarely have any energy left.
I have asked chaptgpt already to figure out ways to spend 10 mns daily for the basic tasks, like a weekly house blessing with reduced time, but 10 mns isn't enough, unless I spend part of my Saturday doing the remaining items, so I thought, well, I can't stick with FLyLady's motto "Saturday is family fun day" : I have to catch up during weekends.
With MrNG away those past 2 weeks it was really clear that I had to do more - MrNG is really a Nice Guy ♥ , he does not clean the FlyLady way but he will spend 45 minutes cleaning a room now and then, or clean around the sink once a week, and vacuum every other week on average... Now that he's back to busy week mode, this has to happen on weekends... OR I need to go to bed later on weeknights.
This, plus perimenopause hormonal changes not really solved so far, I'm frequently snapping at my kids when trying to catch up or even yelling because things fall apart quickly and I picture myself as the martyr who has to get all done before she can rest or have time for a chapter of a book at bedtime... Difficulty balancing housework with rest.
Hence my September habit that had to do with a sense of discipline. It works a bit, but not when I'm too exhausted. I will keep experimenting.

TADAs
more of the cleaning plan made by ChatGPT
went on the patio for awhile
lunch made, with leftover crumble "dough" used for dessert
and some veggies on the oven tray for payroll meals

TODOs
serve lunch, enjoy it
decide on some outdoors adventure like last week's cliff walk near the ocean
check Ds9's homework
make list for next week
MrNG will do dinner
relax, rest, renew my spirit, restore my peace of mind... not sure how

[Kittykatt]

Hello, Trissie and FFB!

Trissie, I know the western part of the South Downs - around Winchester and into Hampshire -- every well. Much of it was within easy reach for a day trip when I was growing up. The eastern part I'm not so familiar with, although I had an aunt and uncle who lived in Sussex, so we did stay with them on occasion.

FFB, I can see how AI could be useful for helping organise household tasks, even if some of its estimations are way out, but I have *huge* reservations about consulting it for anything that's *really* important and essential that the answer given is correct! I was researching something (admittedly specialised) regarding Matilda a while ago, and in its summary and even in the more detailed information, it gave completely incorrect information. ( Fortunately, I had enough existing knowledge to realise the information was completely wrong, and also knew to visit a reputable veterinary site to double check, but if I had been coming there completely ignorant, it would have been very distressing reading.) I've also been chatting Dneighbour S, who is an economics professor, who has the problem where some students get Chat GPT to write their essays for them amd just hand it in (mistakes and all!) without bothering to rewrite, or put their own perspective on it!

Regarding the housework - could you at least get the boys to put their toys and other "stuff"" away and tidy their rooms at least a bit? That would save on the actual cleaning time. Maybe it could be a race against the timer - how much can they do in 10 minutes? I haven't worked at a full time office job for over 30 years, but I do remember I designated Wednesday evening as "cleaning night" (pizza for supper) and DH and I would tackle to house between us and give the whole house a "once over". However, DH really disliked doing that, so when he got a promotion, I was able to drop my hours and take back the vast majority of the housework. (He does the bins and emptied and scrubs the cat trays, and we share the cooking). Of course, I'm not suggesting you do anything like this,. but there must be something works for you and Mr MG, it's probably going to be trial and error until you find the right method. Also, if the boys can tidy up, that will drastically reduce the time needed. Ive got one of those long handled fluffy sisters, and I can give a room a quick dust (admittedly not a detailed dust!) in 5-10 minutes, because most of my surfaces dont have "stuff" on them (nothing on windowsills at all, as the cats would just knock everything off! ) Of course, a detailed dusting takes longer, but you shouldn't need to do that every time. Dont be frightened to take short cuts - doing something is always better than doing nothing! Everyone is different, and I think it's just perseverance and finding what works for you and your family.

Back from church. The sermon today was given by one of the readers, and was, shall we say "different". But I had a good opportunity to chat to people afterwards as I wasn't going to see DF E today (she's tired after a busy week and wanted to rest) .

Now I have 4 hours before DH will be home, so I need to plan my time and get those "little jobs" finished.

[Kittykatt]

Still to do when I get back from church:

Decluttering/deep cleaning in sitting room:
Put "pretties" back inside china cabinet
Put cushion covers back on scatter cushions
Put chair backs and arm covers back on my chair
Brush the rug I washed yesterday
Rehang curtains over staircase

Other tasks:
Change sheets on bed including mattress and pillow protectors
Fold laundry and PA
Run DW
Unload DW
Quick clean / tidy in kitchen
Sort out Fred's food
Weigh out the Girls' dried food for the week
Group email re parish lunch
Check for email from CK
Put the Christmas.goodies I've bought so far away safely
Buttercream on top of cake I made yesterday
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