5 OS Pleasures in your Day Today part 2

Olliebeak

Morning all - can definitely feel the mornings warming up now - I didn't even think to 'fast forward' the c/h timer when I came downstairs.

ABerrisford - bad luck about the flatmate/broadband situation and thank goodness for work-time internet access :j. Our company only 'unleash' internet access between 12 and 2 for lunchtime access only - doesn't matter to me though, as I work from home and have my own comp on all day . wd on joining us on the 'using up all your toiletries challenge' :T - just such a shame that Asda currently have a 4 for £3 on all their £1 toiletry items :mad:l wd on your salad growing.
Caterina - wd on finally taking that leap of faith in handing in your notice - it was so obvious that your job was NOT making you happy any longer. I really hope that something special/positive comes out of this time for you.
RAS - very succintly put :T!
bunny too - you're very welcome - don't know what I'd do without Google now - that, along with mse OS board, are my 2 home-pages and come up automatically when I click into Internet.
zarazara - what a lovely day - could do with planning/sowing my salad stuff really.
CCP - what a great opportunity to just sit for a half hour and appreciate all around you - even if you did finish up having to use the car - at least it wasn't raining while you were there . wd on your £5 shop this week :j.
ACEY - Great evening with your boys - it's good that you, at least, can keep their lives balanced and trouble-free when their father causes so much chaos around them. Best of luck for today and hope everything goes well for you all.
GirlySquare - wd on your dental check-up and best of luck with the filling.
nuttybabe - lol at the 'picking up fairy' remaining at OH's mum's house :rotfl:. wd on your ds getting himself ready for school without prompting :T.
bella - wtg on getting your patio set - all good things come - with a discount - to she who waits :j:j. wd to your OH on having a go at making the raised beds for you :T.
Tealady - wd on all the plans for the wedding and what a great dad you've got !
Carolynita - where I work, lots of the tenants have one of these fitted somewhere inconspicuous for holding a spare key - saves having to give EVERY member of the family a spare as well as good for being locked out - but at least it was an excuse for a very pleasant drive in the middle of the day .
Ladyhawk - good luck for your meeting on wednesday over your working hours - were 12hr shifts part of your original working arrangements in your Contract of Employment?
Kittikins - great idea to 'shunt' some of your money into your other account :T - hope DD has a great birthday today .
sparrer - I think you and I must have been at infant school around the same time - many of the things that you post ring memory bells with me too. Apart from the horrendous housing situation, I think the first 10 post-war years were a wonderful time - at least they were from MY own experience; though maybe as a child, I was just oblivious to - or protected from - the nastier stuff of life. Sorry to hear about your dd having a rough time with her lupus (my dsil has it so I know how debilitating it can be) and your poor ds having to move at such short notice. Though I'm not surprised that you were so upset - phone calls never go amiss when visits aren't possible.
ACEY - hope all is ok with your car this morning - what a rotten night for you all - especially when you could have done with a good night's sleep before your court case today :mad:. Hope all goes well for you and that ex-OH gets his 'comeuppence' this time.
house elf - wd to your group on getting some college/work experience - must give you a great sense of pride when they 'fly the coop' so to speak, and to realise that you've helped them to achieve that next step in life that is so much bigger for them than most others their age - wd you :T. Is the term 'Fire Bobby' a scouse one - I've only ever heard it round here .
savingforoz - I'm sure that you ARE cut out for a relationship, you just haven't met the right person yet - could be that you're looking in all the wrong places - you'll never find a lovely cauli if you only ever look in the cake shop window (was going to put butcher's window - but you being veggie, that wasn't quite appropriate :rotfl:). Given that you're going away for so long later in the year, maybe NOW isn't the time to be concentrating on finding anybody at all. Just think, there are going to be all manner of people on your travels, getting into 'something' before leaving would be closing the door on all those 'possibles' while you're away.
Kittikins - I'm sure there's somebody out there for you too, but for now you've got your gorgeous dd. I wish my DD had held back from her ex when she first separated from dgd1's dad - dgs1's/dgd2's dad was the one who led her into all manner of financial stupidity and debt resulting in the problems she's experiencing right now - she's still paying for his 2008 christmas present, which he gave away to a g/f not long after they split up :mad: - his christmas present to her were tickets for a Take That concert at Manchester, which he had delivered to his new address and sold at a profit :mad::mad:.
Megs mum - what a lovely list of nature's pleasures - loving the 'sunshine on the hen's feathers' and the weasel running across the road.


Mine for yesterday:

1. Visit from DS1 in the morning for our morning chat and cuppa.

2. Visiting some of my tenants for a chat.

3. PAYDAY!!!

4. Visit to Mr A in the evening and managing a whoopsie hunt. Really annoyed when I saw a LARGE whole salmon for £7 - I can't stand fish, but it was SUCH a bargain that even I was tempted for a moment. Got myself a new GEORGE fleece jacket for my hols for £3 reduced from £6 :j. Whoopsies - sliced ham half price; picnic eggs half price; meatloaf for £1.90 (from £3.50) - now halved and frozen; ExSp Oatmeal Loaf 80p (from £1.34); 2 bunches of fresh coriander 8p each (from 68p each) - now trimmed, bagged and loose frozen; Baby new potatoes 10p (from £1); trimmed leeks 68p (from £1.87). Also treated myself to earrings - they should NOT allow these to be on display where a girl can be tempted

5. Back home to a tea of Pork and Sweet Chilli Sausages with southern wedges and spicy couscous - very delicious :drool:.

Oh well, let's see what today brings . I'll try to pop in again later in the day - love to all - Ollie xxx

CCP

Morning all!

ACEY - good luck for today - I've got my fingers crossed for you. :eek::eek: at fire number 2 of the week - there's always something "exciting" round your way at the moment, isn't there? It's really not the sort of excitement you want though, is it?

sparrer - I'm so glad you heard from DS and DD - you sound much cheerfuller today. LOL at the idea of stubborn daffodils - maybe they're just a later flowering variety and you'll get your flowers a bit later in the year?

Megs mum - ooh, a weasel - how lovely! I've never seen one, so I'm slightly envious. I'm glad it's not just me who struggled with the Samuel L Jackson article - it really reminded me how much American English is a different language (obvious, I know, but I tend to forget sometimes).

Have a nice, sunny day, all.

Olliebeak

More pleasures for yesterday - I've just double-checked my till receipt from last night's shopping spree and found some that I hadn't noticed earlier:

My butternut squash that should have been 97p/kg weighed in at 0.020kg and I was charged 2p for it :j:j - I'll go back through that particular till again .

4 Fairtrade Lemons (HUGE ones) were 97p (had been £1.67).

Rollbacks
2 Impulse body sprays - 2 for £2 (saved £1.44)
3btls conc fruit squash - 3 for £3 (saved £1.38)
Primula Deli Soft Cheese - marked 67p each tilled at 32p each!
2 Dairylea Dunkers - £1 each (saved £2.74)
Garnier Nutrisse (Light Mahogany Chestnut) - £2.47 (instead of £4.94) because of packaging changes!

on the other hand, my 4 x £1 items for £3 was a flop because I miscounted and only got 3 of them :mad::mad::mad:.

It's a beautiful day - the sun is shinging and it's actually WARM in the sunshine instead of bitter cold.

Hope everybody is having a great day and thinking about ACEY at the court and Tealady getting her boiler sorted. love Ollie xxx

Tealady_2

Just a quick one. I know in the great scheme of things its not that major but my boiler is now fixed and we now have heating and hot water:j:j:j:j I'm off to have a hot shower and hair wash.

Acey - Hope all goes well today and thank goodness you are all ok after the fire last night. Oh for a boring life!

Reverbe

sparrer wrote: »

Carolyntia it looks like that at the mo but it's just that they're all coming in at once. If want to see the real Queen you should read Reverbes posts, she gets free meals and allsorts .

S x

Thanks for the compliment but I admit I'm a little baffled. The only free meal I have had is a coupla years ago when they opened Westfield Wagamama - thats if you dont count the dinner for beer we have once a year at a mate of my flatmate and the free fish I got from the chippy the other week lol

IMO the freebie and pleasure queen seems to all intents and purposes to be Caterina who has the most glamorous lifestyle I have ever come across... breakfasts in bed from Hubby, education classes, posh food, lunches out, spa and beauty treatments:eek::eek::eek:

sparrer

Sorry Reverbe I meant the food samples you get which go toward the meals you make, not sit-down dinners. I know there's no such thing as a free lunch!

Caterina

Reverbe wrote: »

IMO the freebie and pleasure queen seems to all intents and purposes to be Caterina who has the most glamorous lifestyle I have ever come across... breakfasts in bed from Hubby, education classes, posh food, lunches out, spa and beauty treatments:eek::eek::eek:

LOL Reverbe, I can't believe that you think I am the glam queen (but truly feel flattered by the compliment). :THappy to share the crown with you, if you want, though! Re. the glam stuff:

Brekky in bed courtesy of DH - this is just sheer luck for having a lovely man in the house. Having said that, I work at it and he is not necessarily perfect (some people here will remember my runaway time in Ireland!). I feel lucky to have him, warts and all, truly.

Education classes: I get discounted classes as a resident, Greenwich is cheaper than many other adult ed around London and it works out much cheaper to go there and make my own clothes/ornaments etc (not to mention the learning process and the entertainment value). For example, saved nearly £500 by making my roman blinds. Saved probably a good £50 by making a professional-looking (if I say so myself LOL) patchwork cushion. Saved a bomb (not sure how much but quite a lot) making myself a tweed skirt, with lining, nearly finished as I write (only the tweed in itself would have cost me at least £15 per metre, and I used nearly 2 metres - found in the fabric basket of the college for free!).

Posh food: I invest in good food for the family, feeling very fortunate I can do this, it is a family priority. They do not get other stuff. e.g. fashion clothes - never did, even when they were teenagers.

Lunches out: These are going out of the window from now on as they are my treats from my personal income, which is going out of the window with my job, which I have just left - but I am sure DH will not begrudge me the odd small portion of fish and chips at his expense.

Spa and beauty treatments: as per Lunches out, a treat to myself out of personal income, going out of the window for the most part, but as a good OSer I am always on red alert for freebies and incredible bargains to be had all over the place in London if you know how to grasp the opportunities that are out there. Also, now exploring college trainees for beauty, spa and hairdressing, truly dirt cheap compared to regular treats, even special offers. Free hairdressing is available very often as a model.

I am very aware of the fortunate position I am in, but overall I know, by seeing how other people in more or less our financial level struggle with debts, that because of the choices we make in spending, the priorities we have and how I administer the family finances, we have a much higher standard of living (In our own terms) than average.

Long post, will go to the next for my pleasures now!

Caterina

Edited to say first: Acey, sorry to hear about fire, glad all is well with your car and home. I am looking forward to reading (hopefully) good news about your court case today.

Thank you very much everybody for the kind words of encouragement about leaving my job. I am so lucky I have been surrounded by love and kindness from all sides, family, friends and even the few colleagues who know already (official announcement not out yet).

Here are my pleasures and blessings for the last couple of days:

Monday:

1 - Hard that it was, the decision I made to leave my job was really good and liberating.

2 - Still on the job front, the conversation I had with my boss was amazingly liberating, she was great and really validated me and my feelings, and for the first time in the history of my work I was able to speak openly. Great for the spirit.

3 - A wonderful OS friend saw my post about leaving my job and she called me, we agreed to meet and she treated me to tea and cake in a cafe.

4 - Same wonderful friend also gave me a bunch of flowers. (THANK YOU FOR EVERYTHING! You know who you are!).

5 - Home, I felt very worn out and worried that if the woman calls (no baby yet!) I needed some rest, so I went to bed straight away and DS brought me dinner in bed!

Today:

1 - My lovely friend/colleague invited me out for breakfast and we had a magnificent morning putting the (work) world to rights in front of toast, egg and tea.

2 - At the craft class, half of which I missed because of point no. 1 above, I nearly finished the skirt - needs a few hand stitches and it will be ready to wait for next winter, as it is too heavy to wear in spring (unless of course the weather turns again - please God, no!).

3 - Coming back home and finding all your lovely messages of support and encouragement here.

4 - DS and a friend called me to ask what I wanted from the supermarket as they are cooking tonight.

5 - The lovely sunny day.

6 - It is nearly 6pm and it is still light out there!

7 - Reverbe's post deserves a mention in itself, much as I do not see my life as so glam, it is a good reminder that I have, indeed, a very good life and it helps me stay grateful for what I have.

Have a great evening, all!

CCP

Evening all - hope everyone's well.

Tealady - :j:j:j for your boiler! I'm guessing that's one of the nicer showers you've had.

Ollie - sounds like you got some real bargains in your shopping. :T

Caterina - you probably know (or guess) that I'm in total agreement with you on the 'posh' food front. I know I'm lucky to be able to afford to eat the way I do, but, compared to most of my friends, I spend very little on things like technology, clothes and entertainment - for me nice food is more important than any of those things (which is probably why I'm the shape I am ).

My five for today:

1) It's been a beautiful, warm, sunny day in Portsmouth - spring has most definitely sprung on the south coast.

2) Watching the sparrows in my garden while getting ready for work this morning. I'm taking part in the Hampshire Sparrow Survey so I now have a good reason to watch them, rather than just because their antics amuse me (they're currently playing "how many sparrows can you fit on a bird feeder?" - the record is 7, with a lot of flapping! :rotfl:)

3) NSD.

4) Took my car into the garage for a minor repair, and they spotted that the brakes are about to fail, which will cost about £150 to repair. Of course £150 isn't a pleasure, but a) it could have been considerably more, and b) at least they spotted the problem before I found it by suffering brake failure and crashing into a solid object. :eek:

5) I've still got some wine left from the weekend so I can have a glass to celebrate / drown my sorrows over the cost of repairs to my car (they'll do it on Friday, which definitely won't be a NSD).

I'll leave you with a proverb, courtesy of one of the survey sites of which I'm a member: Man who live in glass house should change his clothes in the basement.

(Well, it made me :rotfl:.)

bellaquidsin

Acey - hope you're OK after your gruelling day - and night.

Caterina hope you will enjoy your new status as lady of leisure, beware though, it can be very tiring. I think it's all the pulling and tugging to make ends meet. You'll soon get used to picnics in the car, instead of lunch out.;)

Today's pleasures:-

1. Coffee, lunch and afternoon tea all taken in the summer house. Lovely, lovely weather.

2. Lots of gardening done, i.e. pruning and tidying.

3. Seeds sown to keep a succession of salads going. We're already producing enough for a salad a day.

4. Saw a butterfly.

5. Backache. A pleasure? No, but it was a very satisfying day.

Bella.