The jobless are no shirking scroungers – you try living on £65.45 a week

silvercar

carolt wrote: »

And the following post, about the lad at Aldi...welcome to my world.

I do spend far, far longer than people with cars getting to places. Not a problem - it's sociable, environmentally friendly and good for me - I walk far more than people who drive. Long journeys to work are handy - I do lots of marking/preparation on the bus, which I couldn't do if I was driving (obviously), even if I did get there quicker.

Sometimes they don't turn up - it's a !!!!!!, but being philosophical about it helps.

When you first posted that you lived in your village, I wrongly assumed you must be a two car family, probably with one gas guzzling 4x4. It was in the winter, in my mind I thought you could justify the 4x4 because your village is probably cut off in really bad weather. To actually live where you do and rely on public transport is impressive; I would have assumed the public transport links are too poor to be reliable. Just shows how wrong I was. I then assumed that your children must be at the more central school in your village if you don't drive, because how would you get to and from the other school? Wrong assumption again! Clearly public transport is very doable if you put your mind to it. (and note to self not to make any more assumptions;))

PhylPho

Lotus-eater wrote: »

I can take you into any bramble patch, in any location and find things of interest.
Admittedly in some of them it would be condoms and needles, but still worthy of some sort of interest.

I remember that kind of thing from when I was young: you'd discover a place in the woods where a couple had been having it off in between bouts of knitting.

How times have changed.

PasturesNew

silvercar wrote: »

Certainly don't need expensive gear, pair of trainers and a shower proof jacket.

The budget I lived on for the past 10 years, a pair of trainers and a shower proof jacket WAS expensive. OK, now I could afford them (if I wanted to), but it's still expense. And whatever you get people will tell you it's wrong, that you need something else as that footwear's harmful or whatever.

Actually, I was lucky with my footwear. I've got some fell walking shoes, bought in a knock down sale about 8 years ago for about £8, down from about £42. Bargain. But no shower proof jacket, just a thin packaway kagoul.

PasturesNew

PhylPho wrote: »

I remember that kind of thing from when I was young: you'd discover a place in the woods where a couple had been having it off in between bouts of knitting.

How times have changed.

Do you mean that they now have a car and go dogging?

PasturesNew

silvercar wrote: »

To actually live where you do and rely on public transport is impressive;

Do you know where it is? I don't. I've always thought carolt was "just outside London".

Lotus-eater

PasturesNew wrote: »

Do you mean that they now have a car and go dogging?

This convo has now gone beyond my understanding. I admire your depth and breadth of knowledge though Pastures.
Could you give us an up to date guide to the faux pas of modern dogging?

PhylPho

PasturesNew wrote: »

Do you mean that they now have a car and go dogging?

Well I'm not sure if back in my days people were out knitting, bonking and dog-walking all at the same time. But perhaps, with the exception of knitting, that's what they do now. And drive there, too.

Incidentally, I did ask a younger friend what 'dogging' meant and she said it's derived from 'dogged', as in "the UK economy was dogged with bad luck the moment Gordon Brown became Chancellor".

I did pass on this information to a Labour Party doorstep canvasser the other night by way of explaining why I believe Mr Brown is the biggest dogger in the country.

PhylPho

Lotus-eater wrote: »

This convo has now gone beyond my understanding. I admire your depth and breadth of knowledge though Pastures.
Could you give us an up to date guide to the faux pas of modern dogging?

I agree. Pastures needs to explain, otherwise the next time my wife and I take a walk in the woods and encounter an ugly man with a noticeable election, we won't know what's happening.

moggylover

Lotus-eater wrote: »

Well to be totally un PC, here the social classes make up a huge difference. In the upper levels I don't know anyone that is unfit. In the lower levels it's split between some who do nothing, drink and smoke too much and some who work very hard all the time and are as fit as a racehorse.
Middle classes are generally something between the two.

Not sure what "upper levels" you are referring to, but I know several people with a lot more money than class who drink vast quantities and could make absolutely no claim to fitness, and several with more class than money who are the same and about the same percentage in the "class and money" category:D. In all groups there are several people who are beyond "slightly overweight" and still several that smoke:D

I also know several people who are not "working" as such but who run around doing far more for the community and everyone elses kids who are probably a darn sight more fit than the majority of workers and I know of at least two highly paid professionals who make the words "clinically obese" something of an understatement:eek:

Most of the "rest of us" are somewhere in between:D

But then, around here "social classes" are harder to differentiate as that chap in the scruffy coat and wellies is likely to have a very much larger bank balance than the guy in the designer suit he bought on tick;)

Those I consider the most "fit" in this area are those still employed in manual labour, in the fresh air: i.e. farming/forestry and many of them will be very poorly paid indeed:D

lostinrates

PasturesNew wrote: »

I don't walk because it's pretty pointless alone. And as for it being 'free', it sort of is.... if you have good footwear and a good overcoat and protective clothes. I don't. You can't just go down a charity shop and magically buy that stuff cheap either, if you're living in a poor area and are of a petite stature. I'd end up looking like a Michelin-man bag lady if I did that.... thus removing any enjoyment from it at all.

Walking's pretty dull.... you walk, you get there, you come back. Kind of loses its appeal by the end of the road.

I have wellies, but usually wear muckers (about £15). Not brilliantly supportive I grant you. I wear either jeans or whatever I have on. Have been known to be seen doing horses in evening wear if thats what I have on. Nuts? I like to phrase it ''eccentric''. My blue shorts with gold footless tights of I feel a certain amount of disapproval, but it makes me happy.

TBH I look like a bag lady much of the time I'm walking,....personally I couldn't really care less ATM....just nice to get out.