Strumpet's Diary - Welcome to Planet Strumpet!!!

strumpet

MrsPorridge wrote: »

Hi Strumpet,

Your firework bonanza sounds fantastic. What are black beans and vinegar, potato pie and suet crust? They sound interesting.:D Seriously, I'm liking the sound of the potato pie (I love potatoes).

Enjoy your pamper session. My Avon order arrived yesterday so I might join you "virtually" :rotfl:

Hi Mrs P

It's black PEAS actually. They are just a type of pea. You soak them overnight in water with bicarbonate if soda and then cook them until they're tender. Then serve them with a little vinegar and some salt if you want it. They are a very northern thing especially around Rochdale area.

And they give you wind!

Potato pie is basically a stew with a herby suet topping, sort of like dumplings but spread out across the top of the pie. Stew uses beef and cubed potato. Very warming a filling. Served with pickled red cabbage and beetroot.

Excellent!!!

strumpet

Monday 10th November 2008 (8 days to exams!!!:eek: )

Morning.

What a weekend! Spent all of yesterday in college doing exam question practice under exam conditions. I did rather well and this has made me calm down a bit and stop worrying quite so much. Of the 140 marks available, I scored 94 which is 67% and you only need get 50% to pass the paper so this is good!:T

Bonfire was excellent although it was very wet to start with. We weren't daunted though - we spunky oop north - we totter on!! Bit of rain wasn't going to stand in the way of a good time! We did need a towel doused in petrol on a long pole to get the bonfire going though as the wood had been out in the rain for two days. I hate to think what our carbon fotprint was like though.

Moneywise, Bonfire cost £5.50 for supper. Also spent a bit on lunch at college. Couldn't take my own as fridge is bare! Must go for groceries tonight.
OH is staying over and we both have taken the dayoff tomorrow to sort the bedroom once and for all and also for me to do a bit of study on Paper 8 (the financial one) which needs a bit of work before the exam next Tuesday!

November is starting to be a bit expensive - might need to put measures in place to curb the spending!

Alos - bad news - We have decided at work that the cost of living increase on pay due 01/01/2009 is to be deferred until 01/07/2009. However, if trade picks up and the Company can afford it, the raise will be backdated to 01/01/2009 so technically it's not lost yet. I'm being upbeat about this and thinking of it as a Savings Scheme!!!

Strumpet
xxx

frazzmunch

strumpet wrote: »

Monday 10th November 2008 (8 days to exams!!!:eek: )

Morning.

What a weekend! Spent all of yesterday in college doing exam question practice under exam conditions. I did rather well and this has made me calm down a bit and stop worrying quite so much. Of the 140 marks available, I scored 94 which is 67% and you only need get 50% to pass the paper so this is good!:T

Woohoo!!!:j :j :j well done strumpet...what an excellent result!!:T :T you should be really proud of yourself...all that hard work is obviously paying off.....

glad to hear you enjoyed the bonfire....getting hungry now at the thought of all that food...!!!

Horace

Sorry I haven't been able to check in lately - my OH arrived on Friday and commandeered my laptop - it was relinquished today and for about 5 mins yesterday:rolleyes: He's gone back to London now - he bought me lunch today and took me shopping - I didnt spend any of my own money but don't know if I can class this as an NSD He gave me £20 today to go and buy some stuff in various shops so that he can take them to work (its fun being an investigator) - he told me to keep the change so I pocketed £6.56 - £4 of which was £2 coins so these have been put in the appropriate jar (I have £22 now).

Well done on the mock exam Strumps and with the bonfire - last night was hellish, as I was the only one who bothered to get dressed all day, I was the one that had to venture to the local shop for fags which reminds me that's some more free money that I can add to my total (I was told to take what was in the pocket so I pulled out £11 and bought said fags for £4 something leaving the rest for me:D

Mind you, I have enjoyed the free firework displays that have been going on here me for the last week.

Hope y'all have a good day,

MrsPorridge

Horace wrote: »

(I was told to take what was in the pocket so I pulled out £11 and bought said fags for £4 something leaving the rest for me:D

,

I love reading your posts Horace you always make me laugh!:rotfl:

MrsPorridge

Strumpet,

thanks for posting the recipe - the pie/stew sounds lovely. I think I'll pass on the black beans though

Glad to hear your revision is paying off.

It is bad news about the cost of living increase, but as I say "if you don't have it you can't spend it". As you have suggested use it as a savings scheme and perhaps pay a debt when you do get the back pay or treat yourself to something nice.:D

strumpet

Thursday 13th November 2008 (5 days to exams!!!)

Good morning all!

Sorry I've not been around much recently but I'm up to my neck in it! Things will calm down at 17:00 next Thursday afternoon when the last exam finishes!

Went grocery shopping last night and spent £26.58 which was a little over the £25 budget, however, this included fabric conditioner, bleach & stardrops which last for ages but all became urgent at the same time! I also bought 2 jars of Alta Rica coffee as it was price slashed from £3.36/jar to £2/jar which was too good to miss, especially as OH has been whining about my previous choice of coffee from Tesco which was £1 (yes it does taste like cr*p). So now he has 2 jars to go at and so I expect him to stop whining!

We spent all last night finishing off the painting in the back bedroom. It looks great. We've decided to get a decorator in to do the wallpapering as there's no time. This should not be too expensive. Then we need to get the carpet laid, the electrics sorted (new light fitting and socket housings) and then we can set to on the soft furnishings side of things. We have taken the cupboard doors off the cupboard which lis over the stairwell as when they opened into the room they took up too much space, and we are goingt o replace them with a nice curtain. This will make more space but also soften that corner of the room which is very harsh. It will make the room look and feel warmer. We went to Northallerton and bought an antique chair for his desk which is lovely - the room is going to be the best in the house by far! I'll see if I can upload a picture when it's done.

Peal tonight (potential £4 - think Horace is going to thrash me in the NSD challenge as I haven't even got one yet!)

Then Friday night, all day Saturday and Sunday, and a day's holiday on Monday (while the decorator does his thing) should see me at the top of my game for Tuesday morning's exam.

Forgive me if I don't pop in too much for the next 7 days or so.

Free Gala Bingo today!

Strumpet
xxx

The_Dragon

If you aren't around for a few days then best of luck with the exams! (Not that I think you need it mind - I'm sure you will be fine )

Horace

Best of luck with the exams. As for NSDs - I have only managed 1 this month:rolleyes:

I had a meeting with my mentor at the Chamber today - who seemed pleased with my progress because I officially started test trading on 27 Oct:eek: - no customers yet mind but I do have loads of contacts - even a swanky yacht club in Majorca. I am concentrating on the pink pound - I just get on extremely well with gay men - anyway there won't be a pink rolls royce in sight unless you want one:D

He decided to be a helpful chappy today and said that in 6 months time I will need to do a tax return:eek: I can remember the last one I did and it wasn't pleasant (I hate forms and hate working out money although funnily enough I always know what I have or haven't got). He even suggested that at the end of test trading to come off the dole (I will have to either do that or fold the business) and get working tax credits which will make me better off. Its all too technical for me. I get a grant from the jobcentre to test trade which is £15.38 a week so this money is considered to be trade income and has gone into my business account which now has a balance of £30.76 instead of a big fat zero:D

The spare room sounds fab Strumpet - can't wait to see the pictures. As for OH and his coffee - he should be grateful he is getting any - there is an alternative he can buy it himself (god, I can be mean).

Good luck with your exams - missing you already.

Love
Horace
xx

strumpet

Friday 14th november 2008 (4 days to exams:eek: )

Well the peal last night was successful so that cost £4 which was OK - I enjoy my ringing so much and it's cheaper than getting wasted in a pub!!!

Thinking of going out tomight for a drink and Karaoke as I'm destined to be in all weekend studying so I'll need a bit of me time!!!

Horace - go for the pink pound - it's definitely a large market. And as for OH's coffee - I can't begrudge him the posh stuff as so far on my back bedroom, he has spent:

£400 plastering
£350 new carpet and fitting
£325 new bureau / desk
£100 new chair for his desk
£150 bedding and curtains
£100 coving, paint & wallpaper
£125 shelving
£100 electrician to fit lights and sockets in whole house

So can I really begrudge him £4 for coffee? I think not!

And to think that there are STILL members of my family that tell me he's just stringing me along and is not interested in moving in!

Strumpet