It has arrived! The tracking said it was between 2 and 4 pm so arrived nearly 2 hours late. I am just relieved that it got here.

I'm glad to hear that, Dawn. Are you pleased with the horses?

* hugs Lindsay*

Watched a bit of you tube but no proper programmes.

Spent the afternoon with my partner's parents, I have been helping them with some family history research. Now chilling then dinner the video calling my parents. It's a parent kind of day.

Yes it was worth the wait in the end.

I have returned!
Work was boring.

You're probably all in bed now!
So goodnight! And also technically good morning XD

Morning!

I have been in bed since 11:30 pm trying to sleep and getting nowhere. Just popped on here in frustration.

Sad that work was boring. At least you earned money that you may be able to use on future fun things.

Hiya jen!

Hopefully you managed to drift off to sleep!

Exactly!

Morning anyone.

Morning!
How are you?

I'm ok thanks. Got my Vogue in the post :) how are you?

Morning all. I am meeting my friend for coffee later.

That's good tamo! Hope you enjoy reading it!

I'm ok thanks :)
I've been to asda and dyed my hair. Going to the cinema with L later.

Hope you enjoy it dawn

What colour are you going for?

I went for mahogany. It turned out pretty well! Dark brown with a slight red tinge!

Sounds nice!

Hi everyone, I hope you're all having a good day.

Hope you managed to get some sleep, Jen. I too was awake then but just lying in bed desperately trying to sleep.

What are you going to see at the cinema, Beckie? Is it your choice this time? Hope you enjoy it. How's your pain now?

I hope you enjoy reading your magazine, Tamo.

Have a nice time with your friend, Dawn.

I missed the gym group today. I'm so worried about my later get up times. I wasn't sleeping well before but still managed to get up a bit earlier.

Unfortunately a change in meds can mess with sleep.

Yeah. I think it might be due to my most recent antidepressant increase. Hope I can sort myself out. How is your day going?

I am back from my coffee. My throat feels dry though. It's raining here and the bus driver missed my stop so I had to walk from the next village. So am damp now.

Oh dear, do you have warm, dry clothes to change into?

I was having difficult thoughts and temptations so I used my therapy skills and decided to take PRN. I think it's helping.

I eventually slept sometime around 5am.

Been pretty wrecked today. Technically woke up at 12:30pm but been very groggy and dozed a bit before getting out of bed at 2pm. Popped outside and tried out my new hammock but had to come in as I had to pee and stayed in as I was feeling dodgy. Hammock is very good although hangs a little too low so we may have to adjust where we put the stand. Going to try and nap now as a bit dizzy/ woozy.

Best not to push yourself on low sleep Lindsay. Hope you can do something nice for yourself today.

Well done for using therapy skills and PRN and generally looking after yourself Tamo.

I have yet to change but my socks are dry now. Just the bottoms of my trousers that are damp now. I am waiting for amazon.

I dreamt that I was wearing jeans and they got wet in the rain, I had to take them off. Thing is, i never wear jeans...

JEN!
You did road stuff as a job right?
What is the point in smart motorways? They just seem super dangerous.

We went to see insidious: the red door
Wasn't bad!

That's annoying, Dawn. How long did you have to walk? Hope you're dry now and your Amazon delivery arrives safely.

Well done for everything that you're doing, Tamo. I hope you get some relief. Dreams can be very weird.

Take care of yourself, Jen. Hope you get to have lots of hammock time soon.

How many Insidious are there? I think I might have seen the first one but don't know. Did you have any jump scares? I don't even know what a smart motorway is.

Think there are quite a few insidious films. I've only seen the first one.
There were quite a few jump scares! But wasn't scary. Just jumpy.

A smart motorway is a motorway with no hard shoulder.

Fortunately I only had to walk an extra 5 minutes Lindsay. It was pouring it down so that didnt help. I got overwhelmed on the bus and I had forgotten my earbuds which wasn't good.

I just made a scary and confusing phone call. I have my parents coming later so other than cooking my tea and tidying up my flat I have nothing else to do today.

Got glow beatz tonight.
Tired though!

They have actually been deemed unsafe enough they are not building anymore. They would work if they were properly monitored so there were fast updates to what lanes were avaliable etc. But generally I am not a fan.

That's good!
I just can't comprehend why ANYONE thought they were a good idea??
Let alone a whole team of people!
I just assumed i was uneducated on these matters.

Basically they were a way to increase road capacity with minimal works and no additional land purchase. So that's what sold people on them. Being relatively cheap.

In theory emergency bays should be fit for most people breaking down to limp to. And the ability with over head gantries to change hard shoulder from a lane to inaccessible / only emergency traffic meant if someone did break down or there was an accident they were safe because they reverted to old school motorway. And if they were fully monitored by CCTV operators with updates to gantries made quickly to close lanes that would likely be the case but in practise control rooms ar under staffed and so don't report incidents and change gantries quickly enough.

The people who cut control room staff said it would be fine because they could rely on public reporting vehicles broken down in hard shoulder lane etc. and then the CCTV operators could check reports. Alas the public often thinks someone else will do it!

And that is leaving out the if an accident stops traffic then there is little ability to merge hard shoulder lane into main traffic lanes and allow emergency access.

One of those if it worked like it did in ideal design space it would be safe but it doesn't so it isn't great. A smart motorway expert like one of my colleagues might have a different view but that's mine.

I have lots of opinions on smart motorways and have to take M4 any time we visit my parents...

I hate jumpy films! Are you planning on going to Glow Beatz? Smart motorways sound not very smart.

I hope you're ok, Dawn. Do you like when your parents visit?

*waves at Lindsay* pretty dumb motorways really!

*waves back at Jen* How are you doing?

Better than earlier but not great. It's a bad FND day. Achy, exhausted and a bit dizzy/ disorientated.

We have ordered dinner I am having fried chicken sandwich, Mach and cheese and a few chips. Didn't really eat lunch due to sleeping lots

Sorry you're having a tough fnd day lr.

I've texted a friend to ask if we can pray together but he's probably too busy.

Sorry to hear that, Jen. I hope you enjoy your food at least.

Can you contact anyone else, Tamo? I hope someone is there for you.

Now i understand more about them, i still think they're a terrible idea!

Yep will be going to glow beatz! Will regret it if i don't. And I've already paid for it. Not wasting that ?7!!!

Sorry you're having a bit of a crap day jen!
Your dinner sounds tasty though!

I hope your friend responds tamo!

Yes I am ok thanks Lindsay. I quite like my parents visiting as I get awful mh if I don't talk to someone for a few days. I have made sure my earbuds are in my handbag now. I am also relieved that the scary phone call is out of the way and the next time I have to deal with them it will be face to face.

Thank you for the sympathy everyone. FND sucks but I am fairly chillabout it today just taking it easy propped up inbed as that's about my speed. Spent most of today in bed except for when I went and tried my new hammock i.e. the outside bed XD

Luckily I have a very interesting audiobook about Colditz and all the escape attempts that I have been enjoying listening to.

Dinner was very tasty I am rather full though. And I had a like and soda to drink. I used to get them all the time and had a craving so bought a bottle of soda water and some like cordial to make my own in this week's shop.

I agre they are a terrible idea Beckie! Luckily I mostly worked on A roads and B roads as well as some private access roads and junctions.

I guess when you have an illness like that, you just kind of learn to get on with it!
When i was having frequent seizures, people always used to say 'you're so brave for carryinf on with life' and it's like..??? I'd never leave the house if i was worrying about every consequence! Plus i still needed to adult. Like shopping and stuff.

That reminds me of the old film with steve mcqueen! The great escape. Excellent film!

Glad you enjoyed dinner!

Roads are genuinely so interesting! Something the average person doesn't really consider! They're just...there!
Apart from when people complain about potholes. Then everyone's an expert!

Some days I get more frustrated with it than others. Depends where I am at mentally. I am more accepting of the bad days in general now but that's probably helped by there being less of them.

Brilliant film the great escape. Always on tv around Christmas for some strange reason.

Nice to see someone else appreciate Roads XD
In general the whole learning how to make the things that to most people are just there is part of why I became a civil engineer. I like knowing how things work/are made and it's also nice when something you helped design gets built and you can drive passed it or on it and go I helped make that thing.

I did actually once do a survey of a private road and the different potholes and other marks of wear before it was used as an access for construction works The residents who were responsible for maintenance wanted the contractors to be responsible for any additional maintenance costs.

That's fair

I have it on amazon. I bought it ages ago!

I really wish i was clever enough to do something like that
I also like to understand things!

Sounds about right!

Morning everyone!

Morning :) my phone has changed overnight and now I can't work half the things :( but my friend phoned me back this morning and I told him about yesterday and he prayed with me. He said he would phone me tomorrow to see how today was.

How are you?

That's nice of your friend
I'm sure you'll get used to the phone changes!

I'm ok thanks. Just waiting for a call from my GP for a follow up appointment for some reason. I don't know what she's following up XD

Morning all. I am waiting for a parcel to arrive. It's cat litter so nothing interesting.

Ok

Dr still hasn't called
It will be not morning in 49 mins!

Morning all!

How is everyone?

I hope they call you soon Cacoethes.

What are you doing while you wait insig?

Hi Ahimsa, how are you?

Dad suggested restarting my phone so i did and that has helped with most things.

Hellloo!
I've missed you!

Still waiting on dr so I'm annoyed. Lol

How are you?

That's good tamo!