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

westcoastscot

Hi Mardatha - suspect we have the same heating system here and we're the same - it's £17 a bag and we need at least a bag a week.
WCS

Annie56

Morning everyone

Its been a bit of a frightful few days here, I lost the baby due to complications and it feels like an atom bomb has gone off in this household..as an ex midwife I am now aware of the horrible raw pain some of my former patients experienced, its not until you have the reality of it hitting your own life can you fully empathise with how they felt., hopefully this will make me a more empathic person.
Montys devastated, as I am but we were lucky to have been hopeful for a few months..but like most things time will heal and we are fully aware of the gifts we have in our lives right now, this has been a real learning curve of how life happens whilst your planning other things...thing is to now take stock and revise our lives...least I have Montys young daughter in my life and for that Im most truley grateful.

The blokey that employs Monty on his estate has just announced that he is selling up but has given us the opportunity of buying this cottage and a good parcel of land to go with it, so this has focussed Montys mind on something other than what has happened, ever practical financially we could both just do it, place is really beautiful so were on the verge of emptying the bank accounts and purchasing this piece of our shared dream of self sufficiency and OStyle living..one door closes another opens into a different future that we had kinda planned on ..

Welshcamper so sorry to hear of your loss, my warmest hugs and thoughts to all that need them.. my local LETS group have been wonderful coming in and helping with the housework and cooking and looking after the youngster and just bieng my friend and comfort blanket to us both..I tulry couldnt wish for more lovley folk in my life..
In this journey of Moneysaving Ive come to appreciate the simple and most smallest of gestures, forget grand ones, a nice cuppa and a homemade biscuit and a friendly ear beats everything hands down.

Im away to fill our car with petrol, its top whack round here, locals have been moaning at my dad for closing down the petrol sales side of the garage, but it just wasnt financially viable anymore on the plus side they have one of the cheapest car repair/MOT places in the county, will they support it? no, they go off and get hammered elsewhere then come back for us to rectify the expensive repairs that have not been done properly ah well, least they know where we are after that lol...

This morning Im going to do a stock take of the freezer, list its contents and get meal planning and then get some concrete plans made as to how to paint the outside of this place on a tenner...luckily the local LETS are doing a paint swop session next week, have lots of half cans here and there and so has my dad so hopefully someone has a job lot of
white gloss hiding under there stairs,,,,

Love to you all...warm wishes to those that are having ups and downs at the moment,

Annie56 Monty and Lucy xxxx

lucielle

I'm so very very sorry to hear of your loss. I know the pain and it will ease. Please be kind to your selves.
L

VJsmum

Annie, I am so sorry to hear of your loss. I lost a baby many years ago (although in early stages) and know some of your pain. It does get better, though you never forget. I also know that you probably don't want to hear that now.

Best of luck in your new future

GreyQueen

((((((Annie56)))))) So sorry to hear that you lost your baby. Words are cheap but sending you best wishes. Your kindness in thinking of other people at a time of such personal suffering impressed me deeply.

I'm feeling a little blue due to having had an appalling night with Idiot Boy (upstairs-neighbour-from-hell, for those who haven't been following my sorry excuse for a life ). Not had more than 1 hour consecutive sleep therefore haven't had REM sleep at all and feel awful. The skies are grey after a week of glorious sunshine and it has got chilly again. I shall wait until after lunch now before going up to the lottie to till and tend my little piece of heaven.

And I have toothache. Please, somebody kick me up the backside to stop me feeling pathetic. Think I may cheer myself up with a browse down Shabby Street and into Scruffy Centre, the run-down area nearby with all the charity shops. Don't necessarily have to buy anything but will enjoy an hour's poking about. There's been rumours that Scruffy Centre, an unlovely 1960s development, is going to be demolished and done up. A lot of us poorer peeps aren't too happy about it as it's inhabited by discount retailers and charity shops who will be forced out if it goes "posh". The demographic of that part of Provincial City is particularly harsh; they cleared slums to build Shabby Centre 40 years ago, but the areas around it are filled with houses packed like sardines by slum landlords, several who have been prosecuted for safety violations in recent years. Welcome to the 21st century in a modern western country.

Well, I have done some maths and I spend £360 a year as a rent charge which connects me to the communal heat plant for heating and hot water. It went up in January this year and will probably go up again in October, depending on wholesale gas prices. In addition, I have to pay for gas for my cooker (under £1 a week) and electricity (under £3 a week). I'm very fortunate as have always lived in places where there was either no heating at all or that I could barely afford to have on. Actually had hypothermia one winter in Bedsitland in Scotland and I was only 20 years old! Shoebox Towers has very small flats and although the sound insulation is non-existant (the Environmental Health officer who recorded IB's noise from inside my flat was horrified) the thermal insulation is superb. In my previous flat I needed some heating for 7 months of most years.

charlies-aunt Commiserations to a fellow toothy sufferer. I'm at the dentist on 30th, when to you go?

New Venetian Blind Idiot Boy, having lived nearly 10 months in his flat with a peice of sheet (looks like) tacked up as a living room curtain, has just put up a snazzy Venetian blind yesterday. Seems bizarre behaviour for someone who is due in court 12/04 as the Council are seeking possession of the flat. Makes me worry that he knows something I don't......:(

Urgghhh, need more TEA. Have a good day, y'all.

lora

Annie56 wrote: »

Morning everyone

Its been a bit of a frightful few days here, I lost the baby due to complications and it feels like an atom bomb has gone off in this household..as an ex midwife I am now aware of the horrible raw pain some of my former patients experienced, its not until you have the reality of it hitting your own life can you fully empathise with how they felt., hopefully this will make me a more empathic person.
Montys devastated, as I am but we were lucky to have been hopeful for a few months..but like most things time will heal and we are fully aware of the gifts we have in our lives right now, this has been a real learning curve of how life happens whilst your planning other things...thing is to now take stock and revise our lives...least I have Montys young daughter in my life and for that Im most truley grateful.

The blokey that employs Monty on his estate has just announced that he is selling up but has given us the opportunity of buying this cottage and a good parcel of land to go with it, so this has focussed Montys mind on something other than what has happened, ever practical financially we could both just do it, place is really beautiful so were on the verge of emptying the bank accounts and purchasing this piece of our shared dream of self sufficiency and OStyle living..one door closes another opens into a different future that we had kinda planned on ..

Welshcamper so sorry to hear of your loss, my warmest hugs and thoughts to all that need them.. my local LETS group have been wonderful coming in and helping with the housework and cooking and looking after the youngster and just bieng my friend and comfort blanket to us both..I tulry couldnt wish for more lovley folk in my life..
In this journey of Moneysaving Ive come to appreciate the simple and most smallest of gestures, forget grand ones, a nice cuppa and a homemade biscuit and a friendly ear beats everything hands down.

Im away to fill our car with petrol, its top whack round here, locals have been moaning at my dad for closing down the petrol sales side of the garage, but it just wasnt financially viable anymore on the plus side they have one of the cheapest car repair/MOT places in the county, will they support it? no, they go off and get hammered elsewhere then come back for us to rectify the expensive repairs that have not been done properly ah well, least they know where we are after that lol...

This morning Im going to do a stock take of the freezer, list its contents and get meal planning and then get some concrete plans made as to how to paint the outside of this place on a tenner...luckily the local LETS are doing a paint swop session next week, have lots of half cans here and there and so has my dad so hopefully someone has a job lot of
white gloss hiding under there stairs,,,,

Love to you all...warm wishes to those that are having ups and downs at the moment,

Annie56 Monty and Lucy xxxx

I am so sorry for your loss. I am so devestated for you that I can not bear to read more than the first line. So very very sorry.

ceridwen

Annie56 wrote: »

Morning everyone

Its been a bit of a frightful few days here, I lost the baby due to complications and it feels like an atom bomb has gone off in this household..as an ex midwife I am now aware of the horrible raw pain some of my former patients experienced, its not until you have the reality of it hitting your own life can you fully empathise with how they felt., hopefully this will make me a more empathic person.
Montys devastated, as I am but we were lucky to have been hopeful for a few months..but like most things time will heal and we are fully aware of the gifts we have in our lives right now, this has been a real learning curve of how life happens whilst your planning other things...thing is to now take stock and revise our lives...least I have Montys young daughter in my life and for that Im most truley grateful.

The blokey that employs Monty on his estate has just announced that he is selling up but has given us the opportunity of buying this cottage and a good parcel of land to go with it, so this has focussed Montys mind on something other than what has happened, ever practical financially we could both just do it, place is really beautiful so were on the verge of emptying the bank accounts and purchasing this piece of our shared dream of self sufficiency and OStyle living..one door closes another opens into a different future that we had kinda planned on ..

Welshcamper so sorry to hear of your loss, my warmest hugs and thoughts to all that need them.. my local LETS group have been wonderful coming in and helping with the housework and cooking and looking after the youngster and just bieng my friend and comfort blanket to us both..I tulry couldnt wish for more lovley folk in my life..
In this journey of Moneysaving Ive come to appreciate the simple and most smallest of gestures, forget grand ones, a nice cuppa and a homemade biscuit and a friendly ear beats everything hands down.

Sorry to hear your bad news ((()))

Pleased to hear your good news - re the chance of buying that house and land. I would imagine you are being offered it at a good price:) - so, if you can manage it, then don't look a gift horse like that in the mouth:)

Good to hear that local LETS peeps have been helping out with various household tasks to help you along at this time. Lets groups ARE a good source of impromptu help in household emergencies - I've both given "emergency" help when someone needed it on the one hand and been glad of some myself when I needed it on the other hand (as was temporarily too ill to do my housework - so someone came in and did some for me).

I think a lot of people havent realised that Lets Schemes arent just about "what skills have I got to offer?" (which is the instant question everyone asks when they are thinking about joining one) - they are also about people doing "everyday favours" for each other at time of need (ie taking over shopping, housework, offering lifts, etc) if we ourselves cant "handle our everyday business" at times. Its perfectly acceptable to join a LETS group and just put a "holding" type "skill" on the list, eg "housework" and then just be available for "emergency purposes" like this and have membership in order to "sell" carboot sale type things, surplus garden produce, homebaking, etc.

Annie56

LORA thank you for your kind words, but do read ALL of my post I hope it is full of positives, whilst Im sad at what happened, Im also so very very grateful that I have so many other things in my life to help me ge through this...I m sure in days to come it will hit home more, but in context to the whole wider picture, tsunami Japan, and other folks health issues Im one damn lucky person to have what I have., whilst I want to scream why me, I wont, I have been lucky, the hospital said it could have gone another way and Im grateful to take each breathe, my whole way of thinking has been turned around.....small pleasures I appreciate and take for granted are now magnified by a hundred...smile for me, dont be unhappy and thank you for your kind concern

Warm hugs
Annie

ceridwen

GreyQueen wrote: »

And I have toothache....

New Venetian Blind Idiot Boy, having lived nearly 10 months in his flat with a peice of sheet (looks like) tacked up as a living room curtain, has just put up a snazzy Venetian blind yesterday. Seems bizarre behaviour for someone who is due in court 12/04 as the Council are seeking possession of the flat. Makes me worry that he knows something I don't......:(

Urgghhh, need more TEA. Have a good day, y'all.

GreyQueen - we're all allowed "off days" - even you and me my lass:). Some of us have been brought up to "feel guilty" if we don't go in for Japanese-style stoicism and "just bl**dy get ON with it..." - and I imagine you can resonate with that....:(:) (as in - its a very mixed blessing...in that you DO, by and large, just get ON with it....but you dont cut yourself much slack for having any feelings much about it and that aint necessarily a good thing.....very mixed blessing, as I said). So - I'm glad of this outlook by and large and wouldnt change it because I think its the most practical way to be - but there are downsides to it...

Maybe the venetian blind is "just one of those things" - rather than a BAD SIGN...?? Maybe even Idiot Boy has a Mum who sees nowt/hears nowt/but just loves her boy and acts like a Mum regardless of him being "a little toerag" and she's just come in and stuck up the blind in oblivion of the fact he's "scheduled to move??". Could be that girlfriend as well - ditto - ie oblivious of the fact hes "on his way??". Thats a feminine touch there - and not HIS doing directly iyswim...Cherchez la femme in that case...

Hope all will go well next month and he DOES indeed move out as per plan.

Annie56

Thank you Ceridwen

You have summed up many local LETS schemes in your post and description, they are wonderful folk and long may the scheme flourish..

We are grabbing this opportunity to buy the cottage and hopefully the new estate owner is a MSE minded type, this is a wonderful opportunity and we are going to be financially skint but will be so worth it.

Montys out pottering in the greenhouse with his seedlings, and Lucys raking over the bit by the back door for her "plants":rotfl: aka dandelions and other weeds, dont want to shatter her enthusiasm for dirty fingernails and mucky footprints just yet ..

LETS schemes are the forerunner of many things to come, I have dreamy thoughts of neighbours actually bieng neighbours and families bieng families but know society has a long way to go yet...so I can start with my little household and expand from there by example

Keep well all
Annie x