It's STILL tough and not getting better - so how are we coping?

jackieglasgow

Jackie your posts about your family always bring a tear to my eye. But tut tut! for reading Jack's diary! But I did especially love his P.S. what a wee darling.:D

jackieglasgow

sorry katholicos we cross posted. What a terribly sad story. Have a {{{hug}}} from me if you would like it. X

KittyBoo_2

EstherH wrote: »

Even though my dd has left home, we still go out for walks around lakes, along canal, parks etc., take a picnic and flask and have a good time. i think that when children are brought up doing this sort of thing, they will still enjoy it and your relationship will stay strong when they grow up. If all you do is throw money at them and they have to be expensively entertained all the time they can grow up not knowing the value of money. Ofcourse this is just a generalisation and there are no guarantees. You can bring them up OS and they go complete opposite or vice versa.

I still go for a walk in the Peak District with my 75 year old Mum every Sunday (weather permitting).
I used to walk all over the moorlands when my sons were small and they both still have a love of the countryside.
We have been to Jamaica, America and the Greek Islands but whe I asked them what their favourite holiday was, they both agreed it was in our caravan at Filey with me and their Gran.
They loved having bacon butties cooked on the little cooker and hot tomato soup at night.
Simple things in life really are the most treasured memories for us.
Blackberry picking, paddling in the river, home made kites to fly.
Sounds very Enid Blyton but these are the kind of things that I loved as a girl and my sons did when they were young.

taplady

jackieO - what a lovely post - very moving and what a lovely lad he sounds:)

Grumpycupple and Kathlicos (((hugs)))

EstherH

Kathalicos, I have tears in my eyes. No one should be treated like that. I'm so sorry you had to bear that.

katholicos

Thanks all. The hugs are and kind words are much appreciated. It was the 18th anniversary of his death on the 21st July so this is a 'tender time' for me.

Anyways, on a brighter note...i harvested courgettes and mangetout from the garden today and i managed not to spend any money, my freezers are full and my pantry is heaving. Life is good.

v8monkeyboy

Katholicos - ((Hugs)) .

After my rant the other day, the OH is still in a grump with me, as he says I worry too much and am becoming like his parents were when he was younger. It's a sore point with him as he spent his childhood being told 'no, it's too expensive' and sharing his birthday and christmas pressents (his birthday is in August!). I haven't spoken to him since yesterday, and won't until Friday now (he's living in a ditch with the army for a bit...)

He did however have some good news, as he's managed to claim back £300 in expenses, and my friend's husband does have some work for him which he can do whenever, and is cash money. Still, he managed to spend £150 over 5 days :eek: which I think is just extreme.

On a brighter note, my friend of 26 years (known her since I was 7) came up to visit unexpectedly on Sunday, brought an Indian takeaway, and beer :beer:. We had a wicked day yesterday and today, berry picking and then I taught her how to make cordial and jam .

Finally, my car was making a noise like someone was trapped underneath it, wailing. Rather than take it to a garage, I called on OH's friend Gorgeous Jim , who took bits off it today, fiddled with things, found the problem and put it all back together. All for the price of..... 4 beers!


T xx

Hardup_Hester

Lol, Thriller, no relation I'm afraid.
Every meal we eat at the moment comes with french beans & new pots, as that's what I'm picking from the garden.
I'm another one who keeps track of her kids via facebook, though they do phone & visit too.
I need to finish sorting out the spare room so I can start sewing & ironing in earnest, I should finish today, I'm nearly there now.
I made scotch eggs yesterday, they are delicious, I've put one in hubbys packup, I baked them rather than deep fried, I don't have a deep fryer & thought they'd be a little healthier that way.
Hester

ceridwen

Just reading this morning's papers online and I saw the article that states that people in Council accommodation that is deemed too big for them will have to swap to smaller accommodation if they are in receipt of housing benefit (ie if they are or become unemployed).

There is a long lead-in time - April 2013 it says this will take effect and it won't be applied to pensioners (cue sigh of relief from those who are due to become pensioners before that date).

So I take it that if your home is rented from the Council then its only safe if you are/will become a pensioner by April 2013 or arent in a position to claim housing benefit anyway (ie not unemployed) - if your home is deemed too big for you. Obviously you are safe if your home is deemed the correct size for you.

(Today's "Daily Mail" if anyone wants to check the article out).

Living with the job uncertainty that many of us are and being beneath pension age - I'm sitting there heaving yet another sigh of relief that my home is my own - as I know it would be considered too big for me if it was a Council house.

I see both sides of that - clearly there are other people who are suffering overcrowding in their homes on the one hand BUT it may be that their home only became overcrowded more than 9 months subsequent to them moving into it IYSWIM (ie someone else "moving in" - ie a baby - subsequent to them taking up residence there). Others would have been overcrowded at the time they moved in...and do need to move on into a bigger place due to no choice of their own.

But - on the other hand - it will be very hard on a single person/couple left in, say, a 3 bedroom house after the children have grown up and moved out and knowing that their house is in one of the "better" areas and that the only one bedroom flats likely to be available to swop to are in a worse area. I can see a lot of people scrimping madly on food/bills to cover the difference in housing benefit rather than move out of their home to a worse area...


Is there anyone likely to be in this position on here?

northwest1965

Hardup_Hester wrote: »

I made scotch eggs yesterday, they are delicious, I've put one in hubbys packup, I baked them rather than deep fried, I don't have a deep fryer & thought they'd be a little healthier that way.
Hester

How long do you bake them for and at what temp? I love scotch eggs but hate the way it messes up the oil in the fryer.

Did you see this in Martins email
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Newspaper-based offer

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