How to Get Through The Tough Times The Old Style Way.

laineyc_2

It is chilly outside but lovely and sunny. Just me and the boys this weekend. Dh is in Dublin for the rugby. I am off to get some compost and aubergine seeds this morning. I am hoping to get 2 photo boxes from Lidl that I thought would be good for storing my seeds.

There is a the social/meeting of the transition grow group tonight. I have to bake a cake. I have some apples that the boys won't eat so I think I will make an apple and banana loaf. I can't wait to see what they cook with their foraged food.

I ordered 2 vegetarian cookbooks. I am determined to cut down the meat intake in the house. I hope that the books help me turn out delicious vegetarian meals the menfolk can't resist.

jumblejack

What a gorgeous day!!!!!!

I have been to lidls for my bargains already! They are also doing 5 aeros for a quid! Got loads for our sun holiday when it arrives (kids love their treats then as it is a case of 'Go on, please, we ARE on holiday!'). Aren't I terrible!

Just bought a reduced large chicken from there as I have been itching to try that 'lemon in the cavity' idea that some cleverclogs thought of.

Enjoy the sun everyone!

redlady_1

laineyc, which veggie ones did you order please?

GreyQueen

Good morning campers, how is everyone today? I have had most of a night's sleep, the sun is shining over Provincial City and I went out last night to look as that big fat beautiful moon and it was gorgeous.......and I deposited the recycling in the on-street banks whilst I was out there.

Yesterday started with toothy trauma so after work I went on a shopping spree to make up for it.........before there is a muttering at the back, my spree was some groceries, a lovely hardcover novel for 50p, a super c.s. blouse for £3.70 but what is really making me smile is my 49p bunch of whoopsied daffodils from Mr T.

They were reduced because they were half opened (and are nearly full out this morning) and are lifting my spirits. My fave colour is yellow and all the flat bar the kitchen is painted a soft warm yellow. 49p for such pleasure...love it.

Nothing horrendous has happened all night and the tooth still has it's temp filling, just a wee bit tender but I shall baby it until I can get it sorted. If it gets too bad there's always the liquidiser...:rotfl:I will practise positive thinking and believe that my dentist (who's fantastic) can redeem this tooth. It's a major part of the chewing apparatus and I shan't let it go without a fight!

On the subject of coping, when something first happens I have a bit of a "moment" which might last seconds, minutes, hours or even a day or two at worst, then give myself a shake, mentally say "RIIIIGGHHHTTT!" then get on with it. My friend and neighbour SuperGran has had many trials in her life and her favourite phrase if she thinks people are being silly and wimpy is that they need to "grow a backbone". That always makes me grin. Like a lot of people who've had a close squeak with the grim reaper, I have a slightly morbid sense of humour, but it helps get me through the day with a bounce in my step. I'm feeling good and bouncy today. Like a Weeble, I can wobble but I won't fall down.

joeck68 I'm sorry to hear that your family's income is just keeping you above the level where you get help. It's a tough place to be in, just over the threshold of a means-test, as you often end up paying for things which make you worse off than the poorer people who qualify for help. Good to hear you have a strong constitution......Whatever the NHS dentists do in April won't impact on me because my dentist is 100% private. His charges seem very reasonable compared to what some people are telling me they pay for NHS stuff (check up is £20 f'instance) so in most years I spend only 2 x £20. Private dentistry is my "luxury item" as I got so tired of bodged NHS work. I figure I don't run a TV, a car or go out much and dress from c.s and jumble sales so I can have one "luxury"......

The cunning plan for today is to slowly bring my bod up to operational temperature (and let the chill go off the day) before heading up the lottie for a few hours in the sun and fresh air.

Bacl to the homestead and clean up then over to a friend's where the gang are gathering for a cheap night in scarfing cookies and watching a fillum.

I have cranberry juice freezing at the moment and will be scouring the whoopsies hoping to get some reduced blueberries so will make a granita in pretty colours (I'm easily amused).

Hope that everyone has some sunshine today and gets what they want from this Saturday. ((Hugs))

PS. The best earplugs for me were the silicone ones from Boots. I can't keep the foam cylinders type ones in.

ceridwen

GreyQueen wrote: »

On the subject of coping, when something first happens I have a bit of a "moment" which might last seconds, minutes, hours or even a day or two at worst, then give myself a shake, mentally say "RIIIIGGHHHTTT!" then get on with it. My friend and neighbour SuperGran has had many trials in her life and her favourite phrase if she thinks people are being silly and wimpy is that they need to "grow a backbone". That always makes me grin. Like a lot of people who've had a close squeak with the grim reaper, I have a slightly morbid sense of humour, but it helps get me through the day with a bounce in my step. I'm feeling good and bouncy today. Like a Weeble, I can wobble but I won't fall down.

joeck68 I'm sorry to hear that your family's income is just keeping you above the level where you get help. It's a tough place to be in, just over the threshold of a means-test, as you often end up paying for things which make you worse off than the poorer people who qualify for help. Good to hear you have a strong constitution......Whatever the NHS dentists do in April won't impact on me because my dentist is 100% private. His charges seem very reasonable compared to what some people are telling me they pay for NHS stuff (check up is £20 f'instance) so in most years I spend only 2 x £20. Private dentistry is my "luxury item" as I got so tired of bodged NHS work. I figure I don't run a TV, a car or go out much and dress from c.s and jumble sales so I can have one "luxury"......

I guess thats the reason some of us have a "black sense of humour" GreyQueen - ie too many "close encounters" with the Grim Reaper (either of ourselves or of peeps close to us) or similar - hence we develop that "black S.O.H." as a way to deal with it. Other longlasting "major evil" events in the vicinity also tend to lead to that. The "You gotta laugh or you'd cry" syndrome.....

Everyone is allowed a "pause for breath - AND tears" moment when Life "takes a major swipe" I figure before going "RRRIIIIGHHHHTTT" and starting to make out Plan B (or - more likely - after a few Major Swipes from Life - is getting on with implementing the Plan B that was already "stashed in the emergency box in case of need").

With you on the private dentistry. I too have (one of the cheaper) private dentists - because I got so fed-up with the low standard of care I was getting and knowing that appointments would ALWAYS run late. I think I pay a similar amount to you for mine - so I reckoned it probably wouldnt cost me any more in the long-term to swop to my cheap private dentist than to stay with the NHS and re-visit and re-visit and complain about standards and wa...a..i...t, etc. I'd rather be a bit of a "tatty 'erb" in the way I dress and have normal, decent-looking teeth anyway than dress a bit more "smartly" and have teeth I was ashamed of. I figure I can instantly discard "tatty 'erb" clothes and "brush up well" if occasion demands - but a mouthful of teeth I was ashamed of couldnt be dealt with half so easily...

EDIT: Are you really REALLY sure you're not an AE of me? We DO think so alike in some ways.......LOL...

hornetgirl

Goodness, miss a day or two and there's loads to catch up on yet again.

A few pages back people were talking about putting their seed potatoes in. My Irish father in law has always maintained that Paddy's Day is the correct day to do it. Ours are nicely chitted and will go in this weekend.
The washing machine has just beeped to say the first load is done, so that will go out on the line shortly (when I'm dressed!) and should dry quicky as it's a lovely fresh, sunny morning.
Despite the lovely day I'm not happy this morning - I've given up chocolate, sweets, crisps, biscuits and wine for Lent, and weigh 2lb more this morning :eek: Clearly all these items normally act as weight suppressants :rotfl:

starsandmoon

Marvelous OS moment - my stepdad works for a company that makes lots of branded foods and cleaning products. On Thursday he came in with a big box of laundry products that he paid £5 for for rednose day. They were a bit squashed but fine. There was about £30 worth of stuff. So happy, love laundry stuff and hanging out washing.:j

Today will be an OS day too. Local library and charity shops for me and DD.

On the subject of dealing with lifes knocks, Ive had plenty and after the intial falling to bits I always rally. I was homeless 3 years ago (was staying with family but it was iffy). Managed to rent somewhere that had full white goods, carpets, curtains, light fittings so moved in and had a blow up bed, kettle, portable TV and clothes. Fast forward a couple of years and Im buying a house and have lots of furniture etc. All the stress meant I was a size 10, now Im a 14 so I must be chilled out:rotfl:I discovered how much inner strength I had in these hard years. Feel like I can cope with anything now.

ceridwen

starsandmoon wrote: »

On the subject of dealing with lifes knocks, Ive had plenty and after the intial falling to bits I always rally. I was homeless 3 years ago (was staying with family but it was iffy). Managed to rent somewhere that had full white goods, carpets, curtains, light fittings so moved in and had a blow up bed, kettle, portable TV and clothes. Fast forward a couple of years and Im buying a house and have lots of furniture etc. All the stress meant I was a size 10, now Im a 14 so I must be chilled out:rotfl:I discovered how much inner strength I had in these hard years. Feel like I can cope with anything now.

You've been going some to make that amount of progress from homeless to buying a house in 3 years:T. Good for you. I'm sure we'd be glad if you have any specific tips you can share with us as to how you've achieved that much..

GreyQueen

:rotfl:Ceridwen, if you're my AE we're all in trouble.....:rotfl:From your posts, you seem to be a decade older and probably on the opposite side of the country but you can be my Honorary Big Sister if you like. I'm the Older Sister to a Kid Brother and have all the bossy characteristics expected from that birth order but I always envied gals who had a Big Sis.

If accused of anything my management, the first quip out of my big mouth is "it wasn't me and I didn't do it" and if there are witnesses, it was always my evil twin.

Actually, I did used to have a doppelganger in Provincial City but no one has reported seeing her for over a decade. She appeared in a group crew picture for a theatre production which I worked on but I'd been rushed into hosptial so missed the 3 night run and being in that photo. She was called Bridget and was so like me that if I hadn't known that a) I wasn't there that night b) I wouldn't have worn a black mini-skirt with bare legs and c) that I'd never owned the gold bangle she had on her left wrist I'D'VE thought it was me, too.

Spooky. One of my best friends spotted her in WH Smith one lunchtime from the back, accosted her with my name and only realised his mistake when she turned around. He said she was wearing full makeup and he's known me for 20+ years and I never wear any......weird moment for him.

I was quite taken aback because not many people look like me. I don't mean that in a vain way (can't think why anyone would want to look like me ) just to say that my height and colouring are very non-average and my features could most charitably be described as "interesting".......

Ah well, probably for the best. I have a vague recollection that in the original doppelganger myth if you meet yours one of you has to die (Watch out Bridget, wherever you might be....:rotfl:)

laineyc_2

redlady_1 wrote: »

laineyc, which veggie ones did you order please?

Here are links to the books, Redlady.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Gate-Easy-Vegetarian-Cookbook/dp/1845332598/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1300528688&sr=8-1

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Ottolenghi-Cookbook-Sami-Tamimi/dp/0091922348/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1300528831&sr=1-1

We have eaten at the Gate restaurant and my DH really enjoyed the food which is a miracle since a meal is not a meal to him without meat & fish. A friend recommended the Ottolenghi book.

Just realised the photo boxes won't be in Lidl until Monday. Well, will see what else they have on offer. I need some trugs which I am hoping to get in Wilkinons.