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

Hardup_Hester

My Grandma always kept a sturdy oilcloth bag in her coat pocket 'for her roses' & when we went to stay with her sister who lived in Cliftonville, we used to all carry bags & follow the donkeys from their field to the beach. I was too young to be embarrased then.
Hester

GreyQueen

I'm totally ticked that I don't have anything other than an old pushbike and that I live in the city. There are places 15-20 miles out where I know I can get manure for the effort of shovelling and bagging it alone but I can't get there! Lottie neighbours are finding it hard to get manure trailered in for cash by farmers as the cost of the fuel is so high that it makes it uneconomic. If only we could teleport stuff. On a brighter note, a pal of a pal keeps horses and says she'll help me and my friend bring a horsetrailer of bagged stuff into the lottie site but we have to find the time to get 3 busy women and 2 shovels in one place at one time and we haven't managed it so far this year. Think I'll be pestering the travellers' ponies again as every little helps.....

calleyw

saveabobortwo wrote: »

:)WOKE UP FROZE BOILER WAS FLASHING UP A FUNNY NUMBER

Mine did that Xmas eve and had no heating or hot water until the 4th of January:eek:

Turned out to be a circuit board nearly £300 later:eek:

And now the belt on the washing has broken another £20 for me to get one and then I get the joy of fitting it :j:mad:

It can only get better. Oh it did I got a whole 18p a hour pay rise :rotfl:

Yours

Calley

GreyQueen

calleyw wrote: »

Mine did that Xmas eve and had no heating or hot water until the 4th of January:eek:

Turned out to be a circuit board nearly £300 later:eek:

And now the belt on the washing has broken another £20 for me to get one and then I get the joy of fitting it :j:mad:

It can only get better. Oh it did I got a whole 18p a hour pay rise :rotfl:

Yours

Calley

Bloomin' heck, girl, that's a lot of the brown stuff to land all at once. As those wartime posters which seem to be springing up in repro form everywhere have it; KEEP CALM AND CARRY ON.

I mean, you could take your 18p to Sainsbugs and buy a whole can of Basics Cream of Tomato Soup and have 1p over.

I found a whole 20p piece yesterday and as I've had no pay rise at all, I went off and got some soup.......(cue mournful violins).;)

kitschy

Have been without hot water for a week. Then the Landlady's husband came round to have a look this morning and blew my power. Now an electrician has turned up and it transpires that not only did the plumber who came out not fix the hot water, he also damaged the switches and left a live cable hanging out in the airing cupboard. Good job the cats didn't get in there - they usually try because it's warm :eek:

Still, it has proved that I can manage - my shower heats as it goes, so that's been a blessing (I usually have a bath), and I've kept washing up to a minimum, although that means that no baking has happened and I need sweet things! Very pleased that the freezing weather hasn't worked it's way back down here yet.

[Deleted User]

I have bought sugar from costco, It worked out at 62p a kg, so I am def stockpiling now to use this summer and also bought a couple of rolls of weed fabric. We had 2 rolls last year and quality is excellent, we have made paths as well as covered allotment areas with it. Those 2 rolls will last for ages and it is very good value

I made preserved lemons yesterday, you only need salt and a few spices as well as a couple of jars. That was a gamble but the jars look nice and ds was raving about preserved lemons after he visited portugal

kitschy

I now have hot water and power :j

And my landlady arrived to pay the electrician, and bought me an orchid and a bottle of wine. And told me she was reducing my rent by £50 a month as I had been such a good tenant.

After having the week from hell at work, this has really cheered me up, and reminded me that there really are some lovely people around.

GreyQueen

Well, it's that time of the year again, off to Godfreys later to get my seed potatoes. Favourites are Kestrels, stonking great bruisers of spuds, really do well on my lottie soil which is silt over sand (ancient riverbed, apparently). Will have to drag my aching carcase up to the plot to continue clearing the ground. I'd grown 3 nets of spuds last year, and was going to go down to 2 this year but have changed my mind. Think I can finesse 3 around the plot and still preserve the rotation and with money being tight, anything above what I can eat myself can help out the folks.

Once back, there'll be Domestic Engineering to tackle and dragging out the dye pot to colour an old blouse, remodelled this week, into its new incarnation. Plus I could re-organise my underbed storage to make room for more tinned goods. I was thinking of branching out from tomatoes and into baked beans also, but I am a bit odd....

Have retrieved a portion of curry from the freezer which was surplus to requirements when I had mates for supper a week ago (I left it in the pot, btw, didn't scrape leftovers from people's plates but had to resist the urge to tick off one bloke for leaving some rice on his plate, gotta remember that although he has been my pal for nearly 20 years I AM NOT HIS MOTHER). But lawd, it was hard.

ChocClare

Love the way it's a POTION of curry. Hopefully it has enough magical properties to enable you to dig the ground for your spuds! :rotfl:

I know what you mean about wasting food, though. I find myself glaring at the kids and saying "what was wrong with that?" if they leave the smallest thing, like half a potato or a few strands of pasta. However, nothing is wasted in our house as the dog is a complete omnivore... at least you're not like I was when the kids were little, catching myself just in time before I cut up the meat on the plate of the man I was sitting next to at a dinner party while I talked to him :eek:

Primrose

kitschy wrote: »

I now have hot water and power :j

And my landlady arrived to pay the electrician, and bought me an orchid and a bottle of wine. And told me she was reducing my rent by £50 a month as I had been such a good tenant.

After hearing some dire tales on here about uncaring landlords, this really does restore one's faith in human nature. And making such a financial gesture in reducing your rent must be pretty exceptional. No wonder your little smiley is bouncing happily up and down. It's nice to know that your consideration as a tenant has been appreciated in a very practical way.