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

mardatha

Am watching the Edwardian Farm. Hopefully however tough it gets, we won't go back to spending 100s of hours making lace to earn a penny !

NualaBuala

Am watching it too. Was shocked they threw away their pasty crusts!

rosieben

I hate the short winter days too; the old midwinter festival brightened up the long stretch of dark days and once that's over we'll soon start to see the days lengthen; not long to go now, shortest day is december 20th/21st? hang in there!

ginnyknit

The Edwardian farmers seem poorer than the Victorians as all they produce seems to have to be sold??? Theres a lot of things on there we are lucky we don't have to do Mardatha isn't there? going to the stream for water! some of my relatives lived in an old stone cottage in the 60's and had a stand pipe out the back, they had a tough time and we had to take them food every week.

Rosanna79

Gailey
Thx so much for your kind thoughts. Went up the high st on another shopping expedition with the rucksack and two walking poles today. Met some helpful ladies on the checkouts and others of my acquaintance en route back which was pleasant.

When I said everything is closed or cancelled it really has been that bad - the local daycentre where my creative writing group is held has been closed as well and although one of the lads suggested meeting at the coffee bar in the high st it was yesterday when it was OH's birthday so I really didn't feel it was fair to leave him. We normally go out for a bite to eat locally- very good value pub but even that wasn't possible. So I decided to try getting a bit more proactive and started on clearing up my craft stuff this morning., As you say even putting out of sight for the time helps a bit. I felt much better for getting out for an hour and a half today and starting on the clear up.

I do hope you don't let these others at your daughter's school put you off making costumes and the like. You're one of the most active mums I've ever come into contact with and the others are right to say give yourself some 'headspace' gailey. I'm not a mum but have had the privilege and pleasure of working with mums for years as a health visitor.

I can't help feeling that one of the most significant things we ever do is to bring children into the world and do a good job of it. We used to have a poster in the 1980s which started 'children learn what they live' Yours are certainly learning well from your example.

Nuala
Sure it's tough for all of us these days. However I think in Ireland it's all been particularly hard from what my sister-in law has told me in recent years. One of my relatives seemed to think the Irish people were being very sensible compared with how the British would be in the same situation. I think that you've actually summed it up in the sense of defeat you mention and that's so sad.

My late brother shared my love of Ireland and we knew it before the days of the 'Celtic tiger' 40 years ago. He emigrated there with my SIL the bigger part of 30 years ago. A blind man and classically trained musician he chose to earn his living playing traditional Irish music. He was always frugal in his lifestyle and was able to live the kind of life that he would only dream of in England. The warmth and friendship of the people he and SIL knew still maintains my SIL in her continuing to live there years after his death. There's a sense of community, warmth and friendship even I can tap into the minute I go back to Ireland. It's something to cherish about your currently defeated country Nuala and a quality you seem as a nation to take with you when you leave Ireland behind. You're a resilient people and will get through this.

In my neck of the woods we say' Git yerself behind yerself and give yerself a kick!' I keep trying and whatever else is going on remind myself that this time last year i could only walk in the house with two sticks so going out kitted out like an Arctic explorer with two poles etc I'm still improved 100% since then.

Here's hoping all who are struggling will have a better day of it tomorrow.

ceridwen

NualaBuala wrote: »

I have just been reading that our savings may not be safe over here after all. I don't have much and it's hard to know what to do for the best. It is all very scary really. One of our main banks internet banking went down and people were really panicking about it and saying they don't believe it's an IT glitch (as was claimed). One thing I would love to see come out of this is a LETS type scheme. To hell with the banks, bring back good old bartering! Actually next time I have enough energy and my brain is in gear I am going to investigate that.

Well I had some lovely simple pleasures today - doing a bit of jigsaw, pottering in the garden, then watching the birds devouring the seed I'd put out for them. Plus coming on here and reading how everyone else is getting on. I think I'll always be able to find something to be glad about ... Pollyanna eat your heart out!:D

Gotta love that positive philosophy.

Ironic that some of the thinking behind the LETS Scheme was of the pessimistic variety - ie "in case the System crashes at some point in the future - there will be an alternative currency ready to roll to take over for however long necessary...":rotfl:. You might like to google about Ithaca dollars and Timebank as well (similar sorta ideas that came out after LETS was released).

Anyway...keep up the positive thinking lass. There is balance between warrior goddess doomer thinking and your positive take on things - and we'll work it out yet...

Sorry to hear there are water hassles going on. Dont know how much difference it will make for it being cut off between 7pm and 7am. I instantly calculated "Wouldnt affect me much at all - daily shower is in the morning after 7am/use the washing machine at that sort of time too when needed/etc.." - so if it IS the case that its being done because of those taps being left running then I guess its to cater for those people who decided to run the taps for a while and then forgot to switch them off again until the next morning/werent going to switch them off again anyway.....DUH!

Keeping savings safe is a big problem anyway - the only further idea I have as to how to keep savings safe is to put them up on the roof (ie solar roof panels) as thats an effective way of getting about 8%/9% pa return on ones money. I cant do that though till I have £12,000 worth of my own money/any grant money (of which there isnt any...:() combined and dont know how to protect my savings meanwhile (with interest rates STILL at lower than the rate needed to protect against inflation).

My mind is turning to whether there are any laws that could be used to force banks/etc to pay a rate that at least equates to inflation...Just because no-one is using a law like that to force them to do so doesnt mean there might not be some obscure law somewhere from a previous century that one COULD use to make them do so....
(goes off about to get head in a twist for the day wondering what sorta overall effect on Society there would be if someone manages to find one - tells self I'd get my knickers in FAR too much of a twist if I were the one to find it - so I'd better not go looking for one...).

Dont know how Iceland is faring now - their economy is effectively bankrupt - but they seem to have used some sorta "financial trickery" to avoid paying back the money people have paid to get Government Bonds? I'm no financial expert - so dont know the ins and outs of that. I'm guessing Ireland might try the same...I'm guessing they might all try the same....I have very mixed feelings on that - in that I'm sorry for the ordinary person in the street in countries in difficulties on the one hand but thinking that there will be a lot of other ordinary people in the street in OTHER countries that own some of these bonds and will effectively have some of their savings stolen off them. I'm learning more by the day about the details of just how Governments function - courtesy of Cablegate - but we havent got onto the financial stuff being released yet (ie I read that stuff about the Bank of America is being released in the New Year..).

Oh my head hurts for this early in the morning - better go and make my porridge...

Pitlanepiglet

NualaBuala wrote: »

Am watching it too. Was shocked they threw away their pasty crusts![l/QUOTE]

The crust was effectively a handle to hold it by. It would have been filthyby the time the miner had finished with it with his grubby hands.

Thriftkitten

NualaBuala wrote: »

Am watching it too. Was shocked they threw away their pasty crusts!

This is just shocking... being Cornish, it's considered criminal almost, my kids love the pasty crust the best Mmmmmmmm:T

Hippeechiq

Morning Girls

I wonder if someone could point me in the right direction please.

I have a Hotpoint EW74 Electric Cooker, and during the past week the LED Clock Display flickers constantly when I'm using either the top or bottom oven. Neither oven has been cooking at the correct temperature for about a month now - temperature inside oven is around 20ºc less than whatever temperature I set it too.

I'm worried (and am pretty sure this is the case) that if the LED display fails, my cooker will no longer function.

I've scanned the boards, but I can't really see anywhere appropriate to ask for advice.

I went under the Electricity section of the Utilities forum, but there didn't seem to be any questions relating to appliance problems, just the cost of the utility itself.

Any ideas?

BB1984

Hello everyone, haven't had a chance to get on here for a while, apart from the odd glance through earlier in the week.

Sounds like a lot of us are suffering from SAD or similar, I know I am. Rosanna, I must say that your post above was lovely, and I'm sorry that you're having a hard time at the moment. :grouphug:

Sorting through your craft stuff etc sounds like a good plan - I love the feeling of achievement and "ahhhh!" that I get when I have a good sort out. I wonder if people who are feeling a bit stir-crazy and in need of distraction could come up with a list of things to do that on a normal day to day basis, they just don't have time to do?

I'm super-busy at the moment with my (study) work, so don't have any spare time, but when I'm really busy I always think of things that I will do when I have more time! For example - go through all the boxes of !!!! that are stuffed under the spare bed; take up my bedroom curtains properly (as opposed to the safety pins that are there at the moment!); sort through my wardrobe and cull all the clothes that I haven't worn for ages; clean the oven properly; go through all my paperwork and file in an ordered fashion!

That sort of thing. I just know from my own experience that when you're feeling a bit low, it's easy to slip into a lethargic state where you don't feel like doing much, and it's a self-perpetuating situation that is hard to get out of. Although I'm busy at the mo, I've been finding myself sitting on the sofa under a blanket in the evening, "too tired" to do any work, "can't be bothered" to write my christmas cards, "too achey" to tidy up, etc etc. In fact, if I forced myself to get up and do stuff, I'd probably feel a lot brighter!

Anyhoo, it's a lovely day here, bright and sunny, although still cold of course. I'm at home today so trying to keep warm but difficult when I'm sat in front of the computer. Have put the oil-filled radiator on as I don't like to heat the whole house just for me. The cats are fighting over the nearest chair!

Going out for dinner tonight for my friend's birthday, we are going somewhere with a 2 for 1 voucher (not sure where yet, maybe zizzi's). The town centre has all it's lights up and a german market, so we're going to go and have a glass of gluwein (sp?), yum :beer:

Saw another friend and her husband last night, and the way they were talking it sounds as though they've bought me and my husband a really generous xmas pressie. Her and I have always got each other something, but always a small token, not costing much. Now they're married, they seem to want to buy joint presents for both of us, so that's obviously more money. I was just going to buy them something costing no more than £20 jointly, but I'll feel embarrassed if they get us something that is clearly much more expensive I don't normally worry too much about this sort of thing, but it's not like they earn more than us (actually less, and they're saving for a house deposit!) so I don't know why they're spending lots. Grrrrr :mad:
Plus I don't actually know what to get them anyway!

Anyway, I really need to stop procrastinating and get on with my work (that I've been complaining I have no time for! :rotfl:)

Have a good day everyone, try to keep warm and upbeat :j (do starjumps?!)

BB