It isn`t tough for us. We are OS and we COPE

GreyQueen

ceridwen wrote: »

I keep meaning to listen to Radio 4 programmes - but am never quite sure what else I could do whilst sitting listening. I never sit and listen to the radio as such - it's just something that's on whilst I'm doing housework and cooking - so I listen to the local radio station at that time (I think I've got the local accent off pretty pat by now - and can speak like a local if I want to now......errrr...<cough> I AM a local...but I didnt know/dont speak with the accent:rotfl::rotfl:). Ahem....anyway...so what DO people do if they just sit and listen to the radio then? I dont knit, sew or crochet - and know just how useless I've been when I tried to learn:(. So - any other suggestions?

On a different topic - GREYQUEEN - cant recall if its this thread or "our other half" of the thread (ie where we are "having a drink down the Arms") that you raised the comment about your kitchen only being 6' x 6' and generally having to live in Shoebox Towers. I wondered whether you might be able to derive a bit of inspiration as to how to cope with living in such a small space from:

http://www.tumbleweedhouses.com/

Theres a bit of an American thing about tiny tiny little houses - in revulsion to the McMansions ('scuse me a moment whilst I have a quick weep at how much better a house I could have for my money in America:(:( - wipes eyes....right I'm back now...). So the tumbleweed site is about that. I think some of the peeps living in these places "outsource" some of their living needs (eg entertaining guests is done elsewhere, washing is done elsewhere, etc) - but then I understand some British people are having to do outsourcing of some of their living requirements anyway (ie its quite a trend to have to store some of ones possessions that arent in everyday use in rented storage space nearby). Fortunately my house isnt quite that small - small enough that I've had to "go miniature" on some of the household goods I've bought and others are really crammed in. Hence the reason I was on that website - hoping to pick up ideas.

Also see:

http://walkslowlylivewildly.com/category/alternative-housing

Wow, Ceridwen, thanks for those links. I've just had a fast shufti at the tumbleweed one, it's fascinating. Will have to study on them harder later; will have to get ready for work soon. The Shoebox is 240 sq foot as close as I can work out. I managed to put 2 coats of emulsion on all the walls inc the hall using two-thirds of a 2.5 litre can. Cheap as chips to run but you do have to consider every available inch. I'm seriously contemplating unscrewing the bath panel as there's a few square feet under there not being used. Would have to be for stuff which I didn't need to access too frequently and which wouldn't spoil in the event of a leak, but still.........

ceridwen

ChocClare wrote: »

I listen to Radio 4 on iplayer - a whole week of a book at bedtime, the plays, the shows I've missed. I do usually knit to it or sew, but I also have been known to have it on the radio while I'm painting a room, or on iplayer if I'm doing something less messy (like decluttering my sewing room, which is a Forth Bridge sort of a job).

There are utter gems on Radio 4, many of which are on while I'm at work, so iplayer is the greatest invention ever for that (unlike for tv programmes, where the fact that I'm in the middle of nowhere means I have to watch programmes on iplayer in 15-second bursts :mad:).

Radio 4 was my lifeline to the UK when I lived in Paris, as I had no telly and it was pre-internet days. I remember vividly listening to The Archers (never listened to it since, LOL), Front Row, Woman's Hour, all the plays, all the books at bedtime and all the funny little odd programmes they have on. I even heard my mum singing on the radio while I was in Paris - her singing group was featured on some programme and I recognised her voice (which she was very cross about as she said I shouldn't be able to pick out her voice from the rest of the group :rotfl:) which made me even more homesick!

Most importantly, without Radio 4, I would never have heard of Bleak Expectations, nor snorted my tea out of my nose (and other unladylike reactions) at the wonderful doings of Messrs Pip Bin, Harry Biscuit and Gently Benevolent. If you've never heard of it either, I challenge you to listen to it and not cry laughing. Wonderful stuff.

Ah-ha...now that could be a way forward. I hadnt thought of Iplayer for this - I'll have to study that. I would be restricted to the room the computer is in - but it might be a way to persuade myself into doing a "major" type of task.

Justamum

jimjams_mommy wrote: »

One thing I have noticed that has gone up is nappies:mad: and the packs have gotten smaller!!!!! mr t own brands used to have 44 when my eldest used them then it went to 42, then 40 now 38 and its not just the biggest sizes. Am i the only one to notice lol oh and hoow many wipes you got in its own brand pack!

These supermarkets are very sneaky. I used to buy the Tesco Value chocolate digestive bars. There were 20 in a packet, then there were suddenly 18 - for the same price! I noticed the other day with their value golden syrup too - it used to be 750g for 77p, now it's 680g for the same price, which is nearly a 10% price rise :eek:

ceridwen

GreyQueen wrote: »

Ooohh, ChocClare, thank you for that (files it away in the Devious Depths Department of the queenly brain). My bathroom is right beside the front door and normally I'd've stood up in the tub, stuck my head up under the curtain and opened the window to have a quick word such as; "Awright mate, what's in it for me, I don't put out for anything less than a Love2Shop voucher." Sadly, my mouth was offline due to the facepack, plus I didn't want to scare the poor bloke into a coronary. He came back 3 times in 5 minutes, it was quite spoiling my Sunday post-allotment/ pre-friends-for-supper bath ritual. I mean, I'd scored a 99p facepack for 10p at the charity shop and all was well with the world......

:rotfl::rotfl::rotfl: <wipes eyes> :rotfl:. So - I'm not the only one with a distinctly "offbeat" sense of humour then...;)

ceridwen

GreyQueen wrote: »

Wow, Ceridwen, thanks for those links. I've just had a fast shufti at the tumbleweed one, it's fascinating. Will have to study on them harder later; will have to get ready for work soon. The Shoebox is 240 sq foot as close as I can work out. I managed to put 2 coats of emulsion on all the walls inc the hall using two-thirds of a 2.5 litre can. Cheap as chips to run but you do have to consider every available inch. I'm seriously contemplating unscrewing the bath panel as there's a few square feet under there not being used. Would have to be for stuff which I didn't need to access too frequently and which wouldn't spoil in the event of a leak, but still.........

I've always cast an assessing eye on bathpanels wondering....I've seen it done in home magazines and I seem to recall they'd made a neat little opening door in the side of the bathpanel. Its a good place to put bathroom cleaning materials and spare loorolls. I've often wondered just WHERE they put the cleaning materials in those piccies in Homes and Gardens type magazines - as they're not having to lurk by the side of the loo ruining the look (as they have to chez ceridwen...).

Other possible "how to cram a quart into a pint pot" thoughts are:
- maybe you could put up shelves running over the top of doors or windows (I keep looking meaningfully at the stretch of wall over the top of my kitchen window - but will wait and see how pushed for space I am after I've gutted and re-designed the kitchen at some point - as it will function a bit better after that anyway).

In the kitchen I have been known to just remove all dirty dishes from the worksurface and place in the washing-up bowl/on trays on the floor or elsewhere to give me room for the rest of the cooking of the meal concerned. I've up-ended the washing-up bowl in the sink to provide a bit more worksurface too. In that tiny a kitchen - maybe you could have two identical washing-up bowls and keep them "stacked" inside each other in the sink whilst you are using it - but the second bowl would be available for "stashing stuff" or up-ending as extra work surface if placed on top of the cooker? I sometimes place one of my large chopping boards on top of the cooker (when its safely off of course..) to have some extra worksurface.

I would imagine you (like me) expect to have a lot of shelf space for books? One idea I have seen there is of having very narrow sets of bookshelfing both sides of a door and a shelf in between them running over the top of the door.

Don't suppose there's any alcoves of any description? They are a place one can put in a built-in box storage unit at the bottom (with seating on top). Unlikely I guess that you will have any bay windows? A friend had just bought a house with baywindows and was complaining about the amount of wasted floorspace there - until I pointed out she could build in a storage unit right across that baywindow concerned and with seating on top (which she duly did).

mardatha

I dont like small houses, they make me claustrophobic as hell. I'd like one of these huge ex-manses you get dotted all over Scotland that probly are as hard to heat as Siberia - or a Georgian farmhouse if one wins the lottery ...
I don't even like lots of furniture or drawn curtains. Family always say I'd be happier living in the back field

maryb

Had to laugh at the description of decluttering the sewing room as a Forth Bridge project!

I don't think my sewing room ever gets as far as looking half decluttered. Any space appears and it soon gets turned into where the rest of the family dump stuff they CBA to find anywhere else for. Well they used to - I got a bit psychotic over it and they are a bit warier now.

I do tend to hoard bits and pieces that could come in useful and I've often been very glad to have them. But it is hard to organise and it's a very small room to start with. But it does mean I can mend stuff very easily as I usually have oddments of the right colour etc. That's a sort of stocking up I suppose. Trouble is, I'm a bit like Ceridwen and I have lots of books that I can refer to and I'm running out of room. I tend to buy new fiction as ebooks these days so as not to have too much to find shelf space for but how to books have to be hard copy, I find

imataloss

I really love this thread - thank you everyone.
I`m know by my DH to be a bit of a hoarder. I have so much stuff in cupboards, wardrobes and drawers that I don`t really know what`s in there. These thing often come in useful though. However must do a major decluttering job on this stuff.
Foodwise I always try to have a storecupboard. It`s a habit I`ve had for years must take after my Mom for that.
I now buy extra tins/teabags/sugar etc when they are on offer.
Cleaning product, washing powder, DW tablets are always bought in bulk when I see a good offer. Same with toilet rolls and toiletries.
It`s a good thing that I have some of these things stored because I can`t believe how much the prices have risen in the past few weeks.
I also give some of my stocks to my DD to help her out. My parents used to do the same for us when we first moved into our house.

GreyQueen

ceridwen wrote: »

:rotfl::rotfl::rotfl: <wipes eyes> :rotfl:. So - I'm not the only one with a distinctly "offbeat" sense of humour then...;)

Nice to be appreciated. I'm slightly cracked but hey, it helps let in the light. To get the true "visual", the bathroom window is shallow and wide, so popping up from behind the curtain is a bit like a Punch and Judy booth. Gotta go, break's over and stuff needs to be done. Have to earn those peanuts........

[Deleted User]

Does anyone know what is in vim? I bought some from the carbolic soap site and was just remembering back to the old days when all there was were vim and ajax and big blocks of household soap Then flash came out and the cleaning products started snowballing. That vim is good on the porcelain sinks and I love both the carbolic household soap and the carbolic one for washing us, such a nice clean smell. I have been in and out of a bag of farmyard manure this weekend so was glad to get the gloves clean with carbolic soap