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

Softstuff

After all the luck of last weekend, things started to go a bit pear shaped this week! The celebratory visit to a restaurant turned out to be a Fawlty Towers experience, a routine trip to the dentist reveals I need a wisdom tooth out - saving that happiness for November, but the last thing to go wrong is a real blinder.

Yesterday afternoon I got a phonecall from my mother-in-law in a panic. For my Grandfather-in-laws 80th birthday she's booked for a few of them to go and play a round of golf Saturday (which is now today for me), followed by all of us having lunch there. She'd been trying to reach them to confirm, but no-one was answering the phone (and she had 3 numbers - the office, the restaurant and the shop). So she'd called another local golf course, and they told her that the one she had booked had closed! I called the editor of the local paper, and he confirmed it for me (a handy tip, if you're ever curious if something has happened call the newspaper, because if they don't know about it they'll find out for a news story). So at this stage we have nowhere to go, but I am about to be featured is next weeks paper as an "annoyed and dissapointed customer" .

So, I suggested they all come here. For a buffet. I'm on here for brief respite, and will get back to the kitchen in a mo. Since there are 10 coming for lunch. :eek: I've gone all out decorating and with the food because I didn't want him to feel like this is a last minute make-do party. Wish me luck!

EstherH

Well done, Softstuff, I'm sure your Grandfather-in-law will have a lovely day. It's good that you were willing to pick up the pieces.

charlies-aunt

Softstuff - I'm sure that they will have at fab party at yours! Good on you for stepping up to the plate at the last minute - but what a rotten trick from the golf
club

Mrs_Veg_Plot

Woo Hoo real rain at last :j. The veggies in the garden will love it and the water butt should start to fill up and save me some money when watering :T.

kidcat

Softstuff - good luck, I am sure he will appreciate it.

Its thunder and lightning here and very heavy showers and gales, is it wrong I am worried about my babies outside (OH thought I had gone mad - but those little plants are like my babies I have spent such time and effort watching them grow!!)

Had MSE trip out - OH and I went to local Mcdonalds for a coffee (and to escape house for a bit - Ikea were closed) and had some vouchers from the monopoly game so managed to get a free coffee each, sm fries and an apple pie! So trip cost us nothing and may have helped my sanity - DD5 is off school with yet another stomach bug. So lack of sleep, being confined to house and having all the house moving nightmare means I am on the edge of insanity.

Softstuff

Thanks all, I think I'm on top of it:
we have egg mayo sandwiches, tuna mayo sandwiches, sausage rolls, asian chicken rolls, turkey skewers, mini quiche, chicken dippers, cheese and poppyseed pinwheels, coleslaw, potato salad and 6 different kinds of sushi. All homemade. So I'm really looking forward to a nice glass of sparkly wine. I just need to rest a little, then change clothes and do something so I look a little less like I haven't slept. MIL brought a nice salad and a cake, dropped those of this morning, and I suspect all other rellies will bring booze by the bucketload.

Kidcat, I like Mcdonalds in any case, it's my vice now and again, but *FREE* Mcdonalds sounds even better. Sure as hell beats the service in a posh restaurant here.... And it's not wrong to mother your plants, you can even talk to them, it's only wrong if you think they answer back.

GreyQueen

Wow, the rain hasn't reached my part of the forest yet but it was flawlessly blue and sunny when I last saw the sky before dark and is now grey and overcast. Maybe, just maybe, it's RAIN.

I can't actually believe I'm so excited to see the wet stuff but things a desperate on the lottie and the river near me is very low, so low you can see some of the trash on the riverbed. A good rain with proper soft water will do far more good than any amount of watering from the standtap. I'm planning on being on the lottie this morning as the typical pattern in my part is that rain, if incoming, arrives about midday-2 pm, so may be able to get some work done ahead of time. I will scour the shed for any containers which can stand outside to catch a few extra drops which can then be poured into my poor, depleted water butts.

The folks have been busy during the week turning half a shed wombled by Mum and me in her street on Boxing Day into a cold frame. It could've been brought to mine on Sunday but it's looking like rain will stop play. All out of re-used materials, I'm proud to say.

Softstuff, good on ya for rising to the challenge of the last minute birthday bash, I'm sure it has already happened (time difference?)and gone well, let us know, eh?

kidkat ((hugs)) for keeping it together at a difficult time. jedi, look after yourself and let the garden go hang for this year, it's more important to get your rest both before and after baby's born.

I've been feeling a bit of a moody so-and-so, combination of too much to do, too little sleep and PMT so went off to my bed in a sulk about 9 pm the past 2 nights, glad to live alone when I'm like that as I don't have to inflict my attitude on others. I shall feel a lot better after a little while in the fresh air.

Ceridwen, I read the earlier posts as meaning the leaves of the elder tree are unloved by moles, which I'm willing to try but not ground elder, it;s terrible stuff to get rid off and I have enough fun with the horsetails.

Have a good day, one and all, and may whoopsies, coupons and bogoffs fall your way, and may your water butts overfloweth.

ceridwen

EstherH wrote: »

Well done, Softstuff, I'm sure your Grandfather-in-law will have a lovely day. It's good that you were willing to pick up the pieces.

Hope all goes well Softstuff.

On the subject of things closing - had a very quick glance yesterday on MSE and spotted that MSE has caught up with Focus DIY going down the swanee and is warning peeps not to have any money with them if they can help it for prepayment of goods (ie because they are likely to lose it...:eek:).

So - if anyone was planning on laying out money for a new kitchen there because they've just bought one of those £1 million + houses that are now not infrequent any more LOL.....Whoops..forgot...if one buys a house that expensive its bespoke kitchens all the way .....

Must admit to being shocked when I noticed that there are now more than a handful of £1million touch houses in my neighbourhood....where are these "moneyed circles" I obviously dont mix in? LOL

Was only a very quick glance - as I thought "I'm not doing anything DIY on my house for once - so no problem..".

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

...and I was enjoying the rain too yesterday...hanging out the window just listening to it. Have worked out how to make sure none of those precious drops get wasted from the leak in the bottom of my waterbutt too. I found that if I prop one of my trugs underneath it at an angle the leaked water runs down into that and gets saved from heading for the drain and managed to catch out the slugs and snails that have been lurking in my garden this morning (as they were still sheltering hiding from the rain - so just had a smashing time...I do get frustrated at seeing anything has nibbled my "greens" - as I only have a matchbox size garden - so need to make sure that I am the one that gets every leaf going.....). A professional forager was telling a group I was in something about nettles being able to be used to stop up leaks in waterbutts - but as there was so much info. flying round and it was such a big group I wasnt able to get any how-to details. So - if anyone knows how nettles can be used to deal with that leak in waterbutt please tell me.

For those on diets - he mentioned that he had accidentally discovered it was possible to go on fasts (ie for his health) without feeling hunger pangs (by using nettle tea). Has anyone tried that? If so - did it work? Was it palatable?

redlady_1

Cheers Cerwiden. I am surprised they are going under on the basis that they have had over a years worth of wages from me alone! :rotfl:That will be a real shame in this town as it is the only DIY store we have.

sammy_kaye18

Morning all

Saga over and Ive finally managed to book my tickets - woohoo! thank god for that! So have somethign to look forward to in Decemebr now with my girlfriends. Although they have already hinted at Michael McIntyre next year as well and thats £40 a ticket so Im going to ask for vouchers for my christmas I think to pay for them. Wanted to start seeing a few more shows this year and now have one the end of this month and one in december now so thats two for this year - Oh and I should have seen the Britains got talent auditions but no one could come with me so I gave them away. x

For some reason or another Im not being spoken to - Ive no idea why although could be that he read my facebook status where I refereed to him as 'grumpy' but in fairness he shouldnt of been reading my facebook!

Have a day of blitzing today - if ben decides to be helpful and either a)be quiet whilst holly naps so I can get it done or b) goes and helps by tidying his bedroom!

Also was told last night that Josh is coming today and going home early Monday morning. So my plans to clean today and then do touch up clean tomorrow night after work before the health visitor comes on Monday afternoon have now gone down the swanee as Owen lets the boys run riot when Im not here so it will be like a sh*t tip by the time I get in at 10pm tomorrow night. A strong coffee.........or 3 may be in order.:eek::eek::eek:

Also house bidding closed yesterday so will keep our fingers crossed and light a candle. Hopefully some gaurdian :A are watching over us and will put in a good word so we can finally get a house!

No idea what we are going to have food wise today.

Need to plan for Bens birthday at the end of the month.

Hoping my new credit card comes today as desperate for a food shop now. (should add since I'm debt free I have nothing to help me build credit - no debt, no catalogues etc so I have gotten myself a low limit credit building credit card - with the intention that I'm not using it unless I have money to hand within 5 days of using it so I can pay it straight off and it has a £200 limit and is very much an emergencies credit card only - as in when I don't need it I will be giving it to my father in law to safegaurd).

SOFTSTUFF - hope your party went well and Im sure he loved it.

right minnie is napping so im off to clean.