Coffee and chocolate

miggy

Today has been mostly housework (okay, and Facebook), so no spending by me. Dh got dinner for us! I cooked for the children but used things we already had.

Laundry, laundry, laundry! I haven't managed as much as usual over the last few days (usually in excess of a load a day) and there's a backlog of winter jumpers... even after all this the hamper is still full but a lot of things are back in circulation. It doesn't look as though I've done much but Progress Has Been Made.

Mum's cheque still not paid in - will probably ask DH to do it if I can't organise myself tomorrow. I've still to sort out the Clubcard points too. It will only take about ten minutes, I just have to remember.

Oh, and I cleaned out the goldfish the other day, in case anyone was thinking of reporting me to the RSPCA.

Other than that - nothing to report. Except I watched Secret Millionnaire which was interesting. The undercover rich man went to volunteer in a Young Offenders' Institute - something like 60% of the inmates have very low literacy skills which contributes to the likelihood of their reoffending, and one of the things he got involved with was a literacy programme. I used to teach adult literacy long ago so I knew a little bit about it but actually seeing the struggle the young men had made you aware that they would have great difficulty earning a living and one of the useful things prison can do is remove that hinderance by helping them learn to read and write. It also happens that I know someone who taught literacy in the prison near here, and who had already told me how low literacy is among young offenders.

Anyway, enough for now. I need some sleep.

ani_26

Secret Millionaire is one of the few programmes i've watched sinced it started, ( i watch very little tv, in the scheme of things ), as i tend to watch documentaries, wildlife programmes, and a bit of reality tv, for a complete switch off!

Its a shame the people you see living their very ordinary lives, which are highlighted through this programme, would otherwise go through life, unnoticed. All the selflessness they donate to people and causes. There are thousands of people like this, who don't want anything from life, other than to help people. Have nothing themselves and give everything, to others. Very thought provoking.



The only thing about the programme, now, i feel, is, its been aired for several years, now, and i think the element of surpirise has been taken out of the programme, i.e. the lady last week knew the indian heiress was ' telling a story ' and knew of the programme, so if someone arrives with a film crew saying they are filming a documentary about jobs, you might think, hmmmm

miggy

ani_26 wrote: »

if someone arrives with a film crew saying they are filming a documentary about jobs, you might think, hmmmm

Yes, they are becoming slightly more inventive with their stories but inevitably it's lost the element of total surprise. It's immensely heartening, though, that those ordinary/extraordinary people exist, giving out and helping others, and knowing they can do so much given the money.

Did you see the woman who teaches adult lit. in last night's programme? I was so glad she got a cheque, and then she let one of her students hold it, as I guess he's never had his hands on anything like it before!

miggy

Mum's Power of Attorney is finally through!

Mind you it will take a while for me to read the small print, and I don't know how long it will take the Bank to sort out allowing me to operate her account, but it's a major step in the right direction.

miggy

ani_26 wrote: »

When i'm in the pawn shop, its a fiddle :rotfl:

Do you know, it's taken me till now to realise what you said!

:T:T:T:rotfl::rotfl::rotfl::beer:

ani_26

If i could find a smilie thing, i'd take a bow, errrr scuse pun


Thanks for making me smile

ani_26

Could be a triple entendre, that ........:rotfl:

miggy

ani_26 wrote: »

If i could find a smilie thing, i'd take a bow, errrr scuse pun


Thanks for making me smile

Use : followed by )

If i could find a groan face, I'd send one right back!

miggy

Don't normally shop on Sundays but I went in to pick up mum's paper and some fruit for her and spotted the Gardeners' World magazine. There is a special offer in the May issue of 2 for 1 entry into an assortment of gardens. A couple of weeks ago I bought a copy and even rang a friend who also 'does' gardens in case they wanted to avail themselves of the same offer. It lasts a year and as long as it's used at least once, more than covers the cost of the magazine. (I don't normally buy magazines either).
Long story short: in case said friend doesn't get a copy, I got a second one so if they come to stay as I'm hoping, or anyone else has a day out with us, DH and I can have a card each and get our friends in free - or even take the children, ha ha. (Cynical laugh as going round gardens with parents comes second only to going round stately homes with them when you're 15+).

miggy

I have made a start on the huge heap of things to do for mum!

Actually it may not be so huge, it's more an unquantified heap that looks big because I don't really know what's in it. There's no point trying to find the perfect place to start or it'll never get done, so I've sorted out the Clubcard points and credited them to her - one thing done! I also have a list of stuff to do for her which I know is missing a few items but it can be added to. The missing items include a couple of books she's asked me to get: I've put the note of them somewhere so they will get added when I find it.

Some of the other things on her list are easy wins such as posting a letter to Australia, though Monday isn't good for that as Post Office queues are longer. Anyway it helps to have it down in black and white, and it helps too that I've now sorted and disposed of one of the bags of papers that have been making the dining room messy for ages. A few have been thrown out, others are in piles on the table awaiting action/filing, but at least I know what they are.

Keep plodding, as Beanie would say.

Oh, and... my first Approved Food parcel for months is due today! I've been resisting as we didn't have storage space and there's no point just having the food, it was bought to be eaten, it's just taken longer to get through a backlog of bread mixes since the bread maker went caput! There are still some to get through but less than there were, and there are NO bread mixes in the present order, it's mostly cous cous which will go down steadily.