The Garden Fence - help and support in tough times

silvasava · 17 October 2016 at 1:09PM

Good for you Softstuff. A good tradesman is worth his weight in gold

My DS2 trained as a boatbuilder but his business now is as a tiler. He never advertises and has never been short of work. That's down to his ethos of 'right first time' & he now employs a couple of lads that he's trained/training. I know he has very high standards. He showed me a photo last week of a bathroom with curved walls with beige & gold mosaic. It looked stunning but even he admitted it was a pig to do but he was pleased with it & the customer was delighted.
Only touble is - he's always too busy to do anythiong for me...............:)

Floss · 17 October 2016 at 2:02PM

silvasava wrote: »

...My DS2 trained as a boatbuilder but his business now is as a tiler....
Only touble is - he's always too busy to do anythiong for me...............:)

Cobbler's kids!

mardatha · 17 October 2016 at 4:40PM

Getting quite cold here last couple of days, need to add the second downie to the bed. I seem to be seeing xmas everywhere I look. Have got most of my knitting done, and the soap order came this morning - I'm going to make a few batches just to keep my hand in. Goatsmilk Lavender is my first one lined up, and after that maybe some Lavender & Lime. I had the idea to wrap each pair of socks or shawl in a colour-matched soap. Orange socks in a peach coloured soap/purple socks in a purple soap/ turquoise socks in a turq soap. Will beef up the parcel a wee bit and make them smell gorgeous too.
I used to always be a last minute xmas eve shopper too - god knows where I got the energy! Now I need it all done and sorted in plenty of time so I can stay calm

Hard_Up_Hester · 17 October 2016 at 5:26PM

Creeps in quietly, I bain't dead, just been very busy/knackered and in a very bad mood for the last few days.
I hope Monna and Nurse Maggie have good holidays.
I have half term coming up and have stupidly agreed to dogsit, I'm too tired really but needs must.
I bought 2 pairs of boots, to keep me warm at work as the heating doesn't go on until 1st November.
I've also had to throw away a couple of dresses as they were falling apart and I need to look at least moderately tidy for work, so I need to replace them, the dog sitting will help to pay for these.
I've started wearing my 2 winter jackets as they are warmer than cardigans. one jacket came from Edinburgh wools 15 years ago, the other one I've had for 25/30 years.

westcoastscot · 17 October 2016 at 5:30PM

sounds lovely Mar, if you have any goatsmilk/lavender left over to sell let me know eh? Really cold here too, and wet and windy.
I'm about half way through my chrimbo makes - crochet stuff, redwork &hopefully a wee lap quilt or two.
I watched the Victorian Slum last night and have been reflecting on it, and on how much harder in a different way we as a society have made it for poorer people to flourish - between the technological advances which have taken away a lot of manual work, the materialistic lifestyle we've adopted from the states and our individual sense of entitlement life for many is not a whole lot better really. Food for thought!

moneyistooshorttomention · 17 October 2016 at 5:43PM

What I would be interested to see a TV programme on (now I wouldnt be sitting there peeping at it through my fingers personally) is how the future of work is projected to be even just over the next 10 year period.

There've been articles in the press about just how many jobs AI robots are likely to be able to take over and rough guesstimate is that it's not that long before they can do about 50% of existing jobs. Which leaves me wondering what the 50% of employees currently doing those jobs are supposed to do to make a living? Mainly the articles to date seem to be somewhat optimistic/look at all this extra time we'll have when the robots can do the jobs etc etc.

But somehow I don't think that's how it will be and I wonder just how many people that can currently expect to earn somewhere between a passable and a decent income (and even some in careers on good income) might find their income takes a massive hit one way or another thanks to this - and be impoverished despite taking all reasonable precautions/good money management/etc not to be.

I do wonder for the future for those with more than a few years to go till the safety of retirement.

pollyanna_26 · 17 October 2016 at 7:22PM

Good to see Hester , I hope things pick up soon for you . Drunk or not Monnas guardian angel needs to make those numbers happen .
Mar I can almost smell those soaps , the gifts sound so cuddly and cosy . I've just been laughing , I had trouble getting back to the site kept getting an error code and also noticed my link on the laptop had disappeared I had a few bookmarks of recipes etc so clicked one and came on that way . Do you recall the heartfelt red cross porridge appeal ? Dec 2011- I suspect that was the winter the coal box was buried . Had a wander down memory lane , I wonder what ever became of Byatt in her little cottage and her lovely cat . So many names and so many memories .
WCS I love redwork , it took me away from cross stitch and needlepoint . I think the colours are so apt in the winter . I was lucky to be given a copy of snow happy which is a blue and white version . Obviously the choice was always there to use any colour but this has some useful gifts and projects . It is described as whimsical and some designs are a bit too whimsical for me , but who can resist the snowman with cold twigs , warm heart .
I'm looking forward to watching part 2 tonight, just need to keep the eyes open . You're so right about the thoughts it provokes , I feel we are winding back and although a different world now so much that was hard won is now being eroded .
Take care all
polly

Hard_Up_Hester · 17 October 2016 at 7:37PM

On the subject of work/tradesmen, I worry about my L&M, he doesn't get his state pension until he is 68, he still does a lot of hard physical labour, though not as hard as when he was roofing. But I can't see his health holding up doing the sort of work for another 7 years. His feet are in a terrible state he has already had some toenails removed, his joint are painful, and like me he is going deaf and blind.

westcoastscot · 17 October 2016 at 7:59PM

Hester I honestly don't know how some folks are meant to carry on with hard physical labour - you and I are both struggling with our workload, and we both work indoors - it must be ten times worse!! Youngest has a fishing boat, and one of his deck crew is almost 50 - it's brutal work for him but all he can get

Softstuff · 17 October 2016 at 8:39PM

Next door has a new lodger, elderly chap short on money who's working for his son as an aerial installer. I think those who raise retirement ages have never raised a hammer, lifted anything heavier than a china cup or stood on their fett for more than an hour at a time.

Over here some ageing tradies go working at the DIY store. Limited opportunities, but a chance to put their experience to use ( anx great for customers too).

I wish I knew what the future held for employment. I was only thinking the other day that I wished there was a factory I could go work at. One possibility is that the economy in Asia improves to the extent that wages go up and we do end up bringing manufacturing back home. But I don't know. Doesn't matter how many machines they build, someone has to build them, fix them, program them and watch over them.

The soaps sound lovely Mardatha. Hester, I never understood arbitrary heating schedules, hope you manage to stay warm.

I'd better be off before the tiler finds me in pjs

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The Garden Fence - help and support in tough times

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