Its tough, it will get better and guess what its freezing brrrrr!

Fruball

awwwww KidCat - I once gave my DS some freeze yourself lollies (those plastic wrapped things full of colours) OMG he turned into the child from hell. It was awful. I nearly rang my Dad to come and help as I couldn't control him at all. I put a stairgate on his bedroom door and left him in there... he turned over a chest of drawers and wrecked everything else in his room He was only just 3.

Thank goodness I knew what it was and to this day (he is 18) he has never had those dreadful things.

Hugs to you xx xx

Gigervamp

Hi everyone. been offline for a while due to problems with my netbook, so have had to retrieve my laptop from DS2's room and discovered that some of the keys don't work so please excuse typos. (it's taken me a few mins to just write this!)

Good news tho is that said son has just got a job. It's call centre stuff for a well known company so I suggested that he reads the praise and vent section here to give him an idea of the sorts of problems that really pee people off when they ring call centres. Of course, being a know-it-all 18yr old, I doubt that he will take my advice!

Still, it's a job and he enjoyed his 1st day today and he's eager to get on and get his own place unlike his 27 yr old brother.

I don't tink I'll be posting much as it's very hard work on tis keyboard (what on earth did he do to it to make it wavy?!)

mambury

Frugal wrote: »

I am developing an unhealthy obsession with WOODBURNER websites since I found out my new boiler will be situated upstairs thereby freeing up my fireplace and chimney

What can I burn in it? (when i get it that is!) And I do know I can burn wood But what else? Can i make newspaper pulped 'logs'? If so, how?

Also, can you use the top of any stove to cook on?

Patience is not a virtue I possess so its gonna be tough waiting (and saving) but I sooooooooo hope it will be worth it To know that next winter (doubt it will be this one) I will have a fully working woodburner is filling me with warmth and excitement

We only burn wood... sometimes coal. I think what you burn depends on the riddler bars (the bit the fire sits on, above the ash pan) as some are softer material than others and will only take a certain temperature. I might be wrong (please feel free to correct me ) but I do remember someone telling me this!!

Best bet is to ask someone who sells/fits them for a living and see what they say!!

As far as cooking - the top of mine isn't really big enough but I do sometimes defrost soup and other bits on it (not meat though.... just to be on the safe side!!)

HTH

Mambury

Gigervamp

I'd go for a multi-fuel burner rather than a wood burner as the 1st one will burn coal as well as wood, whereas te 2nd will only burn wood.

kidcat

Frugal - its been a problem since he was two, when my parents would mind him one night a week so I could run my youth group, they used to give him a bottle of blue pop which sent him wild just after I got him back, would take him till early hours to calm down (pulled a full wardrobe and large TV on top of himself once) but then would him a low, only let them do it three times before I put my foot down and told them they would have to keep him overnight if they gave him it again. Since then odd things will set it off, but nothing for years - I have learnt to avoid stuff almost by instinct - last night I took my eye off the ball though. Also as I have changed our way of life - more cooking from scratch, etc it has definitely helped manage it better. Think it shocked his dad though as he was always at work before and never saw how bad it was.


Gigervamp - if the keys are missing, they usually will clip back on - assuming he hasnt lost the keys that is!! Other option is to plug a keyboard into it and use it that way, when DD breaks her lappy I quite often end up connecting a monitor, keyboard and mouse so she can access her files before I have it repaired.

Fruball

kidcat wrote: »

Frugal - its been a problem since he was two, when my parents would mind him one night a week so I could run my youth group, they used to give him a bottle of blue pop which sent him wild just after I got him back, would take him till early hours to calm down (pulled a full wardrobe and large TV on top of himself once) but then would him a low, only let them do it three times before I put my foot down and told them they would have to keep him overnight if they gave him it again. Since then odd things will set it off, but nothing for years - I have learnt to avoid stuff almost by instinct - last night I took my eye off the ball though. Also as I have changed our way of life - more cooking from scratch, etc it has definitely helped manage it better. Think it shocked his dad though as he was always at work before and never saw how bad it was.

Yep, its just a case of avoiding what you know will cause it. DS never had another 'attack' thank goodness. It was scary at the time as my (ex) brother (i have nothing to do with him now) had 'food allergies' as well as a nasty temperment and I really felt my DS was turning into my evil brother :eek: I was genuinely terrified but he has been fine

Gigervamp

kidcat wrote: »

Gigervamp - if the keys are missing, they usually will clip back on - assuming he hasnt lost the keys that is!! Other option is to plug a keyboard into it and use it that way, when DD breaks her lappy I quite often end up connecting a monitor, keyboard and mouse so she can access her files before I have it repaired.

Thanks. The keys are all here but kb is wavy
Will have to take it apart to see if it can be fixed. Hubby does this sort of thing for a living but i only got the laptop back today so he hasn't had time to look at it. we've got loads o kbs but it will be so awkward having a kb on my lap either in ront or on top o the laptop!

muffin_man_7

kidkat i went through that with 3 of my sons youngest was diagnoised adhd and later on odd and cd the meds he was given we called it magic lasted 4 hours most days as he also has a food phobia it was fairly easy to work out what he couldn't have and it wasn't just sweets crisps certain ones set him off and the distruction he was like a mini hulk but when he'd calmed down and i tried to talk to him he didn't believe he had done the things he had he just couldn't understand he's now 18 and still has bad days he always says sorry when he calms down and recently after a really bad day he said he loves me and would never hurt me and i could see tears rolling down his cheeks it was the one thing that made me so proud of him

Rosanna79

Katholicos
Yes I chuckled when I read your reply. The 'Quire' I sing and play with actually play West Gallery Music which is church music from 1700- 1850. The spelling of 'Quire' is found in the 1662 Book of Common Prayer I believe. Most of us have a number of other musical interests as well, & a fair few are 'folkies.' Some Quires dress up in Costume and there is a good mixture of believers, atheists and mad vicars in their number!

In the old days they used play for both village dances and the church services .. when the vicars were preaching for a very long time they would get very cold up in the gallery & refresh themselves with alcohol to keep warm. They were not always sober by the last hymn...!

Not sure if this is OS as such but in the run up to Christmas the music is a big part of the whole thing of getting away from the overcommercialisation of the season.

We say we play REAL carols not the 'Supermarket' variety...! all in glorious four part harmony.

I'm making as many gifts as possible - This probably ought to be on that other thread. Apart from jars and jars of chutneys I'm using the skills I acquired on a short course last term for making bags out of jeans of all things.

It's amazing what beautiful things can be made from recyled items. I'm working on a lined tote bag at present for a family member ... a great source of materials is our local hospice shop.

Having had to lose weight for my arthritic knees these last 18 months I'm down three stone so far . Trouble is every pair of too large trousers or denim skirts is now a potential bag/ craft item! This is causing a bit of a problem with storage with all my materials.. does anyone else have this dilemma?

Reading Gailey & Sammy-Kaye's accounts of their daily activity/ house work with their children I feel quite tired! Amazing how much they get done. Here's one former H/V who never had a house as tidy as the mums.....! I always stepped over the toys and stuff. More interested in the people I've gone to see I guess..

Patchwork_Quilt

Frugal just check to see if yours is a smokeless area before you buy a woodburner. If it is, you will have to have a really efficient stove or get one that can burn smokeless fuel. Also, keep in mind that many places have a waiting list for stoves. When we were looking for ours, it was 13 weeks on average.

Having said that, we really enjoy our (multifuel) stove. I've made rice pudding on it, heated stones to go in the bed to warm it up and made cups of tea, never mind just sitting in front of it and enjoying the heat.