As The Workhouse Approaches....How To Do Everything To Avoid It, the Old Style Way

mardatha

I sort of wish Scotland was too !

redlady_1

At least you would still have tomatoes if it was instead of tomato puree all over your path!

claudiac_2

I love this thread - For all the serious issues that come up ( drink drivers, no power, high prices etc) everyone seems to keep a good sense of humour.

[Deleted User]

I have just had an approved food order and have to say that they have really improved re packing and delivery. I am pretty well sorted for any `if push comes to shove` times ie 3 kg of chick peas for £2.19 and 3kg of pearl barley for £1.99, so it is beans and barley and home grown veg. All away and stored safely in original bags in lock and locks and in a cool place and the boxes inside the big box will be very suitable for composting. Got 10% off and the second box was free delivery so an absolute bargain this weekend

r.a.i.n.b.o.w

I might not be able to get a water meter

Because I live in a council-owned tower block, the council have to give me permission for me to have a meter - if they say no, that's it, end-of.

I'm crossing everything that my request lands on the desk of someone who's not having a bad day...

starsandmoon

r.a.i.n.b.o.w wrote: »

I might not be able to get a water meter

Because I live in a council-owned tower block, the council have to give me permission for me to have a meter - if they say no, that's it, end-of.

I'm crossing everything that my request lands on the desk of someone who's not having a bad day...

After my experience of having a meter installed god help you if you do get permission. I came home to a 6 foot hole and no water and a load of other problems. I have had to go to Water Watch Dog with my complaint. I think its to punish people who are trying to save money. My water bill will halve with a meter. Looks like it halves because there isnt any water to use! You have to laugh dont you or go insane. Oh Iam insane, oh well nothing down for me :rotfl:

GreyQueen

r.a.i.n.b.o.w wrote: »

I might not be able to get a water meter

Because I live in a council-owned tower block, the council have to give me permission for me to have a meter - if they say no, that's it, end-of.

I'm crossing everything that my request lands on the desk of someone who's not having a bad day...

Hun, my council has given a blanket pre-premission for all tnts to have a water meter installed and it may be the same where you live. Fire off an email (cheaper than phoning, we are OS and must watch the pennies) to your council's tenancy services dept or whatever they call them there. We still get tnts being told by numpties at our water company that they have to ask the council when the pre-permission has been in place for many many years.

Good luck!

maryb

Been away for a long weekend and came back to umpteen pages - It's taken all day to catch up.

Sympathy for those with power and water problems. We have a joke in our family that every time DH has to go way for work we have a major plumbing/heating problem that I am left to cope with. Well, he went away on Tuesday (he was staying over for the weekend and I was joining him). Later that morning I was taking something upsatirs when I felt a drip on my nose. I thought Huh? looked up and thought oh SH one T as I saw a big brown stain on the ceiling. So there's me grovelling around in the drive trying to turn off the water - my arm's aren't quite long eneough to do it easily, must get a special spanner. Then I filled the bath in order to drain the tank.

I have a lovely general builder/handyman, who couldn't really spare the time to come round but he came anyway, bless him. Leak in the plastic water tank. Realised that the whole tank needed replacing and that it was a two man job. So he had to turn off the water to the tank until he could get back at the weekend. Fortunately my sister was coming to stay with DD2 so she was able to let him in so I didn't have to cancel my weekend away.

So we had mains water in the kitchen and the dishwasher worked and the downstairs loo also fills off the main so that was OK. But no hot water and the washing machine didn't work even though it's cold fill only. It could have been worse. I just went to the gym for a shower and DD2 invited herself round to friends' houses after school to use their showers.

But it was extraordinary how it always happens whenever he goes away!! Well beyond coincidence.

Re domestic science skills, I have taught myself almost everything I know from books - certainly not from my mother. She was a girl in the 1930s and went to a grammar school which assumed that domesticity was not for academic girls. Then she was a newly married woman at the start of the war when her husband joined up so she just took her baby and moved back with her mother and still didn't have to do anything. My grandmother was a skilled dressmaker but my mother wasn't interested in learning how to sew. Rationing lasted for a long time so even after the war she couldn't learn the hard way how to cook - she couldn't replace any ingredients if things went wrong so she had a very few, very basic dishes. Food was not an enjoyable experience in our house. She died when I was 16 (my father died when I was 8) so I became a boarder at the school I had been going to as a day girl, because my elder sister was still at university (she couldn't cook either BTW!!).

I had to stay at school during half term along with a handful of other girls whose parents lived too far away (mostly Army families whose parents were posted overseas to places where they couldn't take their families) and there wasn't much to do but the nuns were more indulgent than they were during term time and I remember one of them letting us make a Victoria sponge cake ( and turning a blind eye while we took turns to lick the bowl - the actual cake was a good bit thinner than it should have been). And Sister Pauline taught me to how to make a dress over the course of a weekend. It was a very simple Twiggy style shift dress (we're talking 1968) in small polka dot cotton and to her credit she didn't even blink at the length I wanted it - I always smile when my DD thinks she shocks me with how short her skirts are. After that I got the bug for sewing and bought a sewing machine and over the years taught myself from books to sew quite well. And I taught myself to cook as well.

It helped that years ago there were some good basic "how to" programmes on television, and they lasted long enough to actually show you what to do - the original Delia Smith's cookery course was very good. There's a need for something like that again but TV producers clearly think that people have the attention span of a gnat and that programmes have to have a gimmick to attract viewers. On the other hand, you can get good "how to" DVDs which you couldn't when I were a lass and the books are full of photos which make the techniques really clear

Memory_Girl

Maryb - just popped over to say thanks again for the lampshades, they are now in situ.

The carpet got laid (£30 fitted) today and everything moved back in - my guest room looks gorgeous and ready for my MSE visitors next week - even got charity shop picture to finish it off.

Piccies to follow when I get the curtain rails and curtains up tomorrow - still Making Do and Mending

Ta Muchly

MG

suzid

All my best wishes to all of you in Scotland being battered by the winds and no power. We've had grotty weather too and I've had to cut a buddleia right back today as it had gone over in the wind. I looked like a drowned rat yesterday when I got home after doing some errands and taking mad mut on the beach. I'm always have great respect for the power of the wind since having a pram with DS3 in blown over when going to collect my two eldest boys from school. I had to get 2yr old DD to sit on the pavement up against a wall while I tried to right the pram and check baby was ok. He slept through it all to my amazement. Very frightening.

The neighbour who died suddenly last week was in Inverness visiting his son. He was from that area himself and so the family have decided to hold the funeral there. His daughter has planned to fly to Aberdeen so she can come home with her mother in the car so she won't have to drive home on her own. Poor girl has enough to cope with having lost her Dad never mind extreme weather conditions and volcanic ash.

ChocClare I'm old enough to be DH's mother so carry on drooling - I will

DD asked me to go with her to A*da yesterday and I was amazed that I had to point out deals to her on several of her purchases. That girl needs some serious OS tuition though in fairness she is pretty savy with the household budgeting. While I was there I snaffled a large number of whoopsied bakery items which will come in very useful. :T

Could easily carry on waffling to you all but had better get tea started. Take care everyone .