Nice people thread part 3- Nice as pie

PasturesNew

John_Pierpoint wrote: »

Have the "old folks" got to the stage where they would qualify for an attendance allowance?

Or have I misunderstood your current housing arrangements?

[My late uncle was given the higher level (24hr) allowance when he had not even asked for it - he had rigged up all sorts of ideas to enable himself to function in his house alone after his wife died - including something called "A bath knight"

http://www.bath-knight.co.uk/products/bath_knight/deluxe/deluxe.html?gclid=COP07NyQwqkCFQEd4QodQx0AEQ

Trying to work that one out. Posted on the benefits board as a nurse asked about one's carer (assuming they must have one). AA is for care needs though... so not sure that's appropriate. Nurse is sending some forms. I've been advised to speak to the Pensions Dept, who will send somebody out.

Today's not too good.... bathroom off limits (we only have one as well) because the patient is exceedingly ill and moaning/groaning in great pain and hobbling to the loo constantly.

Rigging up ... lol... yeah. The thing is, you adapt your life around what you can't do... I've got one who has osteoporosis, so can't ever lift anything that's dangerous, e.g. kettle/saucepan. So that one's limited to nuking stuff and toast. I just make sure there's plenty of finger food, nukable food and fresh bread available.

There's a whole raft of disabilities, infirmities and lunacy going on in this house - and everybody just muddles through. As it's not my house I am 'not allowed' to fiddle/interfere with things (aka cleaning)... and one's got an OCD of keeping things/never throwing anything out. So we've piles of tat just piled up gathering dust and being in the way. You're not allowed a clean/clear surface - everywhere has to be covered in things. Things that aren't used either. Drives me nuts. So I am mostly a hermit 23 hours/day.

I've not let them become dependent upon me, as I need to leave. I just make sure things are bobbing along. There's food, it's safe/fresh. Floors are cleaned when I can get an hour of them not being around. I do all the washing up. And generally titfer about here and there, unnoticed.

One swims and showers there; the other just washes with hot water in a sink with a flannel.

John_Pierpoint

The Attendance Allowance is to enable the recipient to purchase the support they need to remain in their home (it is nothing like enough unless you could smuggle in a third world nurse/carer). By keeping the "disabled" in their own home the rest of us save a fortune.
It is based on need of help with "bodily functions" (so putting down that help is needed with cleaning out the budgerigar cage, won't score any brownie points). The functions can include sight smell and hearing - as burning down the house is not a clever move.

The money can be spent as the recipient sees fit - perhaps installing a "Bath Knight" is a better solution than having some sort of district nurse soap down the elderly person - and I expect the elderly would want to retain their "dignity" & remain independent.

AA is a bit Catch 22 as there may only be a small window of opportunity between the claimant realising they need outside help and their becoming too batty to know how to claim it - hence my remark about the budgerigar/cat/dog.

John_Pierpoint

"..........what do you mean I had nothing on - I had the radio on".

Memorabilia must be worth something but has our "OK" and "Hullo" society completely lost its marbles:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marilyn_Monroe

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2005514/The-4-6m-Marilyn-Monroe-moment-Hollywood-stars-legendary-billowing-dress-revelation-auction.html?ito=feeds-newsxml

lostinrates

all that agonising about food for the weekend and last night we ended up ..thanks to dogdog having fishcakes from the freezer. Tonight I'm doing the pork thing: I have no idea how ''authentic'' it is, and I very rarely cook Oriental food so feels a bit brave. The pork has been slow cooked with: root ginger, five spice, soy sauce, cinnamon, star anise, rice wine, honey and some water. I chucked in some cashew nuts too. smells good. I really wish I had a rice cooker, and because dog dog is insisting on me sitting with her I didn't get to make potstickers.

DH brought a mango home and I'm trying to think of something more interesting than just slicing it messily. with melon I use stem ginger syrup or rose or range flower water. a goo mango plain is pretty unbeatable though. If its a good one!

PasturesNew

lostinrates wrote: »

all that agonising about food for the weekend and last night we ended up ..thanks to dogdog having fishcakes from the freezer. Tonight I'm doing the pork thing: I have no idea how ''authentic'' it is, and I very rarely cook Oriental food so feels a bit brave. The pork has been slow cooked with: root ginger, five spice, soy sauce, cinnamon, star anise, rice wine, honey and some water. I chucked in some cashew nuts too. smells good. I really wish I had a rice cooker, and because dog dog is insisting on me sitting with her I didn't get to make potstickers.

DH brought a mango home and I'm trying to think of something more interesting than just slicing it messily. with melon I use stem ginger syrup or rose or range flower water. a goo mango plain is pretty unbeatable though. If its a good one!

Last night I picked up a 99p "Cheese & Pepper Flatbread" thing from Morrisons' bakery.

Tonight I chucked that in the mini oven for 10 minutes, slapped it on a plate, sliced it into 3 and ate it with my bare hands

Lunch today was 2 slices of chilli pizza I'd also picked up/cooked last night.

neverdespairgirl

John_Pierpoint wrote: »

When I was a pupil, the idea of a 6th form college, was much more attractive than "6th form" with the same teachers.

[Our Kids? Mrs P & I managed to get our two into a "comp" with a uniform and a 6th form. The only down side - until they learn to drive the family car or (worse) want a motorbike - is that you become a taxi driver for their social life and mid week activities (Football, School play.........) becomes difficult or expensive.]

I wanted to stay at school for 6th form - I liked the school, the teachers, the activities after school, etc. And my school only had uniform up to aged 16, as the headmistress thought 17 / 18 year olds looked dodgy in it (-:

I greatly enjoyed it - did the European Youth Parliament, England Schools Debating Team, ran a chess club for the juniors, and had a whale of a time.

PasturesNew

You had to pay for after school stuff at my school, so as soon as the bell rang we were off like a shot and off the premises, to dawdle home, maybe stop off at the rec and see if any "bigger boys" would come along on their mopeds.

lostinrates

neverdespairgirl wrote: »

I wanted to stay at school for 6th form - I liked the school, the teachers, the activities after school, etc. And my school only had uniform up to aged 16, as the headmistress thought 17 / 18 year olds looked dodgy in it (-:

I greatly enjoyed it - did the European Youth Parliament, England Schools Debating Team, ran a chess club for the juniors, and had a whale of a time.

I didn't want to stay, was convinced to and new I'd made a mistake the first day back. I left. I had other options that were short term, though I didn't realise then just how short term!

I took a gap year at this stage at home, during which I was able to work and earn well while having a teenage rebellion in an independent manner. I then did a levels in a year at a tech. For me the tech, (and the year out of education), was definitely the right decision, perhaps other decisions made a the time, I can now admit, were less so.

edit:

just spoken to dog-dog's surgeon. I feel all wobbly. She's going in tomorrow morning (very good) but surgeon kept referring to her as a he. Now, dog-dog doesn't mind you lot calling her ''him'' but you'd hope a vet would know! Still, its not her sex thats being operated on so...(dh is very upset he can't stay here to be here when she comes home sometimes working from away does suck.)

silvercar

I didn't want to stay, was convinced to and new I'd made a mistake the first day back. I left. I had other options that were short term, though I didn't realise then just how short term!

Elder son wanted to move for sixth form, so we looked around st state school 6 forms in 3 areas (we are very near boundaries), private school 6th form, his school 6th form, a state 6th form college and a private tutorial 6th form. He then decided to stay put. He was happy, but I'm sure part of that was that we had looked, seen and then chosen to stay rather than just being told to stay put.

Younger one decided to stay put from the start. Only one school he may have considered and I had rules it out 5 yrs previously.

These days I think it is harder to change as lower 6th is a serious year with AS levels at the end, the results of which go straight onto UCAS forms. In my day lower 6th was relatively relaxed.

Doozergirl

It's bizarre that you're talking about education paths. I went to a school with the same class structure as NDG. In fact, I nearly went to NDGs school we discovered (would have been a year apart!). My mum got very ill though and everything went wrong. School didn't know how to handle me, I dropped out, missed an entire year and joined the local comprehensive for the 5th year. Did absolutely fine in my exams (thank heavens for the previous school in some respects) but there was no 6th form (would have loved to have stayed there) and I drifted to work. It didn't do me any harm, I was earning well and progressing until we moved away and started out alone.

Yesterday I went to an Open Day at university, had a nice chat with the tutors and today I've started cobbling together a personal statement for my UCAS application.

I'm absolutely bricking it. I'd qualify when I'm 40 but I think I need to set me and the kids something to aim for.