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

ceridwen

ChocClare wrote: »

On a slightly more worrying note, I did research in the nineties which was how banks needed to target women in their fifties in comfortable middle to upper-middle class homes whose children had left home. These were the ladies who decided the time had come to ditch their husbands, and they had generally salted away quite considerable sums of money to enable them to continue in the style to which they had become accustomed - even without a major divorce settlement

Now women like that are a whole different "ball game".:cool:

Sits back remembering one VERY uncomfortable evening I spent one time for some reason as a guest in a house of one of these women who had just divorced her hubbie and the other women in the room were in like circumstances. Was "shivering" visibly I expect by the end of that particular evening I should think - as they all sat there comparing notes on things like having followed diplomat (ex) hubbies and the like round the world for their careers and then ditched them and grabbed for all the money they could from them:eek:. I felt VERY uncomfortable at the amount of sheer venom in the atmosphere that was running to and fro between them all - whilst I sat there astonished listening to all this...

***************************

But back to the subject of keeping a little bit of "rainy day money" to one side for the sake of BOTH parties involved in a marriage that is "on track" - then...yes...it makes perfect sense if the other person concerned works on a "See it = spend it" basis.

EDIT: larumbelle - just highlighted and read...ah...see what you mean...

Still hope things can work out for you in this job - but...hmmm...wonders whether indeed a shop job might be an option in this case. I can quite see why you are standing up in this case. Hmm.....wondering if there is a way that "padding" could be applied to you, rather than to a seat - sorta reversing round just WHERE the "padding" is? I'm sorta visualising summat like a bustle (as per worn by Edwardian? ladies)...dunno (topped off with a long flowing type skirt)? Its a bit of an "embarrassing" type ailment to have (well...I would feel that way I know personally).

HOpefully someone else on here will have some sort of experience of how to deal with this specific problem.

mama67

redlady_1 wrote: »

Happy Birthday Jedi xxx

My best job was a weekend job waitressing at the Packing Shed (remember that Mama67?!) and they were just the best bosses ever..

Oh yes!! although I used to frequent the more salubrious haunts in town like The Bass house, The Punch Bowl, The Courtyard, even The Hole in the Wall and The Saxon King and The GC's.

Butterfly_Brain

Larumbelle wrote: »

Thanks so much all of you for the hugs (and jugs, and mugs ), you have actually cheered me up a lot.

7WW, yes, I am in a union, thank goodness! We aren't a unionised workplace but I have personal membership. My union rep is great, but the main problem is that work have refused to have him at any of my contact meetings. So I have put in a grievance, which they have to let him attend, but there's nothing to stop them taking their time with it. He said it's as clear-cut as they come and they have a solicitor ready and waiting if needs be. But that's really not the point!



Ceridwen... if only you knew how close you were with 'bummer'!!!!! It's a bit icky, so I'm putting the gory details in white text. If you want to read, you can highlight the text. If not, you don't have to read it!

---> I have a bowel disorder, which is not only painful but gives me permanent 'tummy upsets'. Going to the loo so often takes its toll after a while, and I was bleeding so much it caused further illness, so I had to have some damaged tissue removed from round my bottom. I've had repeated infections and my body produced too much scar tissue, but I still have open wounds. So I have a deformed bottom which it's very, very painful to sit on for long. <---

My doctor and occupational health have both recommended a sero cushion to allow me to sit down longer, I have one at home and it means I can sit around 30 mins as opposed to about 5 without. (This cost all of £25 by the way... I offered to supply my own, along with something to stand the PC on, if it would help!!!) . But they do both say I have to stand in between, especially because there is a bigger infection risk the longer I am sat down. What annoys me most is that their own occupational health agreed with my doctor and told them all of this! On the plus side, if there is one, I think HR are incompetent rather than malicious. Unfortunately I can't say the same of my manager, who I think is being deliberately difficult.

I am quite prone to depression, as some of you know. Situations like this one don't help. All we can do is keep on fighting I guess. I am looking for other jobs, I have applied to a couple of shops and banks where I know the staff stand at the counter. I think I just need to keep coming back here and trying to keep my chin up!

Smileyt, stuff 'em! It's a shame though, I bet most kids would prefer to stay in a cosy comfy home than a show house.

It just goes to show that if you have health issues some workplaces are not suitable and the managers have no sympathy for your plight.

I speak from experience of years of trying to find work as a disabled person :mad:

charlies-aunt

smileyt wrote: »

. My home is a home, not a show house, and everyone who has stayed here with me has felt very welcome and I have stayed in touch with most of them, including the foreign students I have hosted before. In fact they have all been back to visit since they left - from Spain, Hong Kong and the USA.

Your home sounds lovely and normal! - only people in sit coms on the telly live in 'show'houses and a few poor deluded souls who are deep in hock trying to keep up with the Jones! As others have said - sadly, its their loss.

Had an intruder at the allotment this morning - found a tiny rabbit skipping around happily - managed to get through a gap in the wire :mad: no wonder the peas have come to nothing but nibbled stumps. However pulled a further 4lb of strawberries, 3lbs raspberries and 3lb of blackcurrants unfortunately rain started at lunch and so gardenng was abandoned!

Had a trip to Waitrose this afternoon - they are selling frozen cranberries - reduced from 1.99 to 10p - seemed such a bargain that I bought three packs even though I don't know what the heck I'm doing to do with them :rotfl:

maryb

have a look on the websites for Delicious magazine and BBC Good Food magazine. If you put cranberries into the search box it will come up with lots of recipes

flikkerty

I cooked a corned beef hotpot yesterday, it made a change from hash. I got it off the good food website by james martin, it is basically layered corned beef, onions then potato, repeat process then pur chicken stock on it. it was good, i noticed poundland had an advert in the window for ye old oak corned beef. i hope this helps someone

ceridwen

LARUMBELLE

Further on my bustle thoughts for a bit of padding - I've just found:

www.cutoutandkeep.net/projects/burlesque_bustle_skirt

http://steamingenious.blogspot.comk/2011/04/how-to-make-bustle-pad-and-why-you.html

(link didnt come through - so google "Steam Ingenious" and "how to make a bustle pad")

Hmmm.....'tis part of this here thing called Steam Punk apparently these days...:rotfl::rotfl:. Cor - well I'm a bit "behind the times" on trends these days...but I have summat tapping at my memory that we have someone here on O.S. somewhere who is into this Steam Punk....racks brain for name...

I actually thought that skirt featured in the first link looks rather good and funky:)

Now - if I were a bit younger than I am and still a bit fashion-conscious - then I might well be looking for someone who could make a longer/hippy-ier version of that for me:). Sorta knee length at the front and longer at the back and I think it would look RATHER good:)

Don't know what your sorta personal "style" is re clothes? Is it anything that would fit in with this?

Must admit I've often thought the way to go if summat is put in one's way re appearance is to "try and make a thing of it" - eg disappearing hair = lots of really elegant or funky scarves for the head and good selection of "gypsy" earrings and gypsy skirts and make it look like it was meant iyswim.

oldtractor

(((((((((((((HUGS))))))))))))))) to everyone who needs a hug tonight.

JIL

claudiac wrote: »

I remember my dad loved those Vesta curries - thought he was so exotic eating curry! I thought they were disgusting, especially the bits of 'meat' YUK!
Does anyone have an idiot proof recipe for scones please? As the weather is so bad, and I have a two year old to entertain, I have decided to attempt making home made butter with him and I thought some nice fruit scones would be a good idea, but my previous attempt was not very successful.
Thank you

and do you remember the tinned curries that you pierced and boiled, there was rice in one half of the can and meat in the other yuk

Scones i am sure there are better cooks than me on here but my scones are not bad. its 8oz of sr flour or plain and baking powder. rub in 1oz of butter or stork. stir in 1oz of sugar and a couple of dessert spoons of dried fruit. then bring it all together with a egg beaten with a dessert spoon of milk. (add gradually you may not need it all)
Flatten the dough out and roll to about nearly the height of the pastry cutter. cook on a greased oven tray about 15 to 20 mins. You can glaze the tops with any left over egg and milk mix, but dont do the sides as it stops them rising apparently. Get them into the oven quickly as the raising action starts as soon as it gets wet.
if you want cheese scones leave out the sugar and fruit and add grated cheese and mustard powder. also put a little grated cheese on the scone tops before they go into the oven.
Enjoy with lots of butter, the cheese ones are really nice with the ready made cheese and onion sandwich mix!!!!

shelley_crow

smileyt wrote: »

Larumbel I hope you get it sorted at work. Don't let it go - you have done nothing wrong, and standing at a desk is nothing - it's not as if you are asking to swing from the light fittings!!

Ginnyknit, sending a hug your way too.

Well, I have been shamed and insulted I applied to host foreign students over the summer (adult students who are here on English courses). A guy from the organisation came and looked at my house. He was very friendly and enthusiastic. Anyway, a letter came this morning saying that my house was not up to standard. I know my house is a bit scruffy and a bit cluttered (old carpet, old furniture, old decor) but the amenities are clean! Clean bathroom, fridge, dishes, bedlinen etc! I do have two dogs, and Tessy is moulting, but their literature didn't say anything about pets. None of my furniture matches because most of it is second-hand or older. I did say in my application that the house looked shabby but it was clean. I have a gas safety certificate and an up-to-date CRB certificate. If they wanted Ideal Homes with matching furniture and middle-class incomes they should have said so in their blurb. I wasn't just doing it for the money, either. In my head I had already planned to bake lots of cakes and scones, bread, home-made jam, a welcome card on their bed, places I could take them if they were interested etc, helping them with their homework and their spoken English and grammar. I feel really ashamed. My home is a home, not a show house, and everyone who has stayed here with me has felt very welcome and I have stayed in touch with most of them, including the foreign students I have hosted before. In fact they have all been back to visit since they left - from Spain, Hong Kong and the USA.

Oh well. It is only a tiny thing in the grand scheme of things. Only, some poor student is now going to miss out on the life lesson of how to clean using bicarb and vinegar!! :rotfl:

I'd take a home like yours (and mine) over a perfect show home anyway. A few of my friends grew up in perfect show homes and were not allowed to make any mess, I was petrified of spilling/dropping/otherwise dirtying anything up to the point that i'd really rather not go around.

It sounds like it's that one particular man being an !!!!!hole, don't take it to heart.