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

ceridwen

maryb wrote: »

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/business/comment/sean-ogrady-egypts-troubles-look-likely-to-give-us-all-a-new-oil-shock-2198993.html

Interesting article in the Indy about the potential oil shock. He says that 2% of the world's oil goes through the canal but 8% of the world's traded goods. So if the Canal is closed again then container ships would have to detour round the Cape of Godd Hope. The extra fuel cost for the longer journer would cause price rises.

Add to that the potential food crisis
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/comment/ambroseevans_pritchard/8291470/Egypt-and-Tunisia-usher-in-the-new-era-of-global-food-revolutions.html

And it is beginning to look a bit like interesting times are on the way.

That second link you gave is very insightful and the writer sums up a lot in a nutshell. I DO fear for the fact too that I think some further middle Eastern countries could end up spending the next few decades as Islamic countries - because people look for certainties in hard times (look at Nazi Germany in the 1930s...:eek:).

*Maya*

*Maya* wrote: »

Hearing about the petrol hikes I am glad I have a diesel. :eek: Still shocking though and I will be looking at ways to use the car less. Am thinking of suggesting a car share scheme at work. Does anyone have any experience of the pros and cons of these?

ETA. OOps. posted the petrol comment on the wrong thread. I read the comments about price hikes on the really OS thread....

Anyone have any experiences to share?

maryb

Ambrose Evans Pritchard really 'gets it'. I think he is very good

ChocClare

Primrose wrote: »

We're just going to have to get more savy and more ingenuous about managing our diets and the way we use our energy - which will be pretty difficult for those of us who are already trying to live frugally. The people I feel particularly sorry for are those in rural areas or who have long commutes to work and who must be spending a fortune in petrol or diesel. I'm sure car sharing pools will soon be coming more popular again. For anybody in this state it's worth checking with your local council whether they're sponsoring something like this, although often it's just not convenient to share with somebody else for all kinds of domestic reasons.

I am on the car share pool website for the Bournemouth and Christchurch area, and they do email me every so often to ask if I still make that journey. I would happily give someone a lift if there was anyone making the same journey but apparently nobody is

Funnily enough, our "next door neighbour"'s little girl attends a school which I PASS on my way to take DD to her school every day. I offered to give her a lift or do a car share with my neighbour. However, she is entitled to free school transport and therefore a taxi drives the five miles out to her house and the other five miles on to her school every day. Not that I'm knocking her entitlement, but I can remember having to walk a mile into the village to get the school bus when I were a lass - and there are plenty of kids who go to her school from the next village (which is about a mile and a half away). You'd think there'd be some savvy councilly person who would do the maths and work out that it might be worth rerouting the bus (which is only a minibus) to go a short distance out of its way to pick her up rather than paying for a taxi from the town centre just for her.

As I've said before though, a reduction in the number of cars would actually be fairly liberating for us - if the roads weren't so busy, I'd be happy for DD to cycle to school, at least in summer. Probably many other parents would feel the same, which would mean still fewer cars on the road, which would mean more people cycling etc. etc. DS cycled when he was in the Sixth Form, but he used to go on the pavement most of the way until challenged by a policeman - at which point, being a mouthy so-and-so he pointed out that there was NO ONE on the pavement (we are out in the sticks) and lorries belting at 50 down the narrow country lanes made the roads dangerous for a cyclist. He didn't luckily ask the chap if he should be out catching criminals, for which I am profoundly thankful, but it did put him off cycling, which was a shame. I used to cycle to the same school from a further distance when I was in the Sixth Form - but at the end of the seventies you could still go a fairly traffic-free way.

Mind you, having cycled in pouring rain and howling gales, I am very glad of my car in the winter - which seems to last from July to about April at the moment...

zarazara

I'm watching a prog on channel 4 on demand about the 3 day week. I can envisage something something similar happening. we already spend over £2,000 a year on diesel. its frightening.

[Deleted User]

RAS wrote: »

greyqueen

Another little thought

Kickspace drawers belwo the kitchen units.

Since most of the "shirting" is only fixed lightly, undo and then:

1. Use the space behind for large flat objects like baking trays
2. Find a box/cut down a box that you can slide in and out
3. Ikea used to sell kickspace drawer, fixed to the skirting, on rollers.

Mine take the large flat kitchen kit, lamps, spare packs of Jcloths and scouring pads, etc. Another hides a tomato box full of empty jars for bottling (depending on the time of year).

The vanity strip under the cooker flaps up and the space below takes the dustpan and brush, floor cloths etc. It would be big enough to take a wash bowl.

BRILLIANT!!! ooh thanks RAS. I was wondering how on earth I was going to stash all my jam jars and bottle. I could kiss you :T

ceridwen

zarazara wrote: »

I'm watching a prog on channel 4 on demand about the 3 day week. I can envisage something something similar happening. we already spend over £2,000 a year on diesel. its frightening.

a link to that would be good purlease...:D

Penelope_Penguin

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[Deleted User]

Is the cape of good hope anywhere near the range for somali pirates?

edit and added: re the above post I will go back to the os theme ie if our supplies are in danger because of pirates etc then I have changed my mind and will develop a seige mentality. Just a normal store cupboard will no longer be a good enough

ceridwen

POLITE QUERY:

Exactly which posts HAVENT been on a "Times are tough" theme please?