It was getting tough in 2006 and the workhouse still threatens us in 2011

mardatha

Wind getting a bit of a roar about it up here too now. O happy days!

bluebag

Vampiric_Addiction wrote: »

That sounds like a brilliant deal Gigervamp!

I'm in a rubbish mood. Well, it's not really a mood, more a worry. The Mr's work are being horrid, so we're getting about a quarter less than normal on the next pay packet, so we'll only just cover rent with that - lets hope my student loan comes in on time or we really are !!!!!!ed. They're also threatening him with a cut in hours - he's already told them he'll be leaving if that happens, as we can barely get by on what he gets already.

Applied for a job today but not sure if they're going to be willing to take on part timers... but hey, god loves a tryer.

Now i'd very much like to go and hide.

Sounds like lady luck needs to pay you a visit pronto, I'll give her a nudge.

shegar

mardatha wrote: »

Two coal bunkers full, not using any cos we waiting to get a new stove & back boiler.
Got two years calor gas stored for the cooker.
Signed up with Co-op Energy cos I had enough of Scottish Power!
And knitting socks as fast as poss. LOL!

Well done you, thats good planning....:Dwinds have eased here, lovely and sunny too.:D

Margaret54

Hi GreyQueen So lovely to see you back again. I always enjoy your posts. Hope you enjoyed your break away too. Very very windy here today, but on the plus side as it has been dry I have managed to get all the washing dried on the line. Towels bedding and small stuff too. Have it over the clothes horse to air and have also baked banana bread and cherry and almond cake. Dh is off today so is cooking the tea later while i sit and relax with my knitting(a winter scarf for someone we know who is elderly) Came across some lovely soft black wool and a nice pattern so nothing expensive. take care everyone, xx

Becky_2

Becky_2 wrote: »

Hardup Hester, if you wrap your cucumber in aluminium foil it will stay firm for weeks. A few weeks ago we were given a cucumber in foil from OH's parents greenhouse. I decided to leave it in the fridge to see how long it would stay firm and after 3 weeks it is still looking good.

Hardup Hester, following on from my post yesterday. I just wanted to let you know that I have today also wrapped 3 peppers in aluminium foil to see if they stay fresh for longer. We had planned to do red pepper soup last week but it wont be done now until this weekend. Hopefully it will do the trick.

kidcat

Oh my, this thread is moving quickly, am so busy at the moment, trying to get kids schooling sorted I am not fully on top of my reading. Am keeping everyone in my prayers in this windy weather though.

I have one orange tomato on my plants which I am thrilled about - although its probably gonna blow away. There are hundreds of green tomatoes left so am hopeful some will survive. My mum handed me a carrier bag of green tomatoes yesterday as she has decided they will never ripen - now given that we dont eat chutney is there any way of ripening them??

I have had some positive news today - school have agreed to allow my son to sit some GCSEs still no English or History but its a start.

RAS

redlady_1 wrote: »

Well, I had some disturbing news late last night. My ex husband has been asking questions about me such as where do I live, who am I with, what do I do...Now, this is the man who left me with very little indeed and it has taken quite a bit to get on my feet again. Needless to say I am VERY twitchy about it and frightened he may want to take it all away again. I moved away from where we used to live and where I am now he has no connections there. I started all over fresh and have kept it quiet what I have been up to.

He still has an uncanny ability to mess with my head - the git!!!!!!!!! He is shacked up with a woman so why the hell would he care what I was up to???

Paranoid? Me? Never!!!!:D

Try running your name through google and www.pipl.com. Then try and delete and records that you can? if you are on facebook check your friends and your security settings.

I found all the stuff relevant to me was posted by either work or a charity which I helped for a while. Great!

redlady_1

Ladies, I need to make a Thai chicken curry. I have the chicken, the paste, the coconut milk but not sure what else I need - if anything. And apart from rice, what would you put with it please?

ceridwen

Vampiric_Addiction wrote: »

I'm in a rubbish mood. Well, it's not really a mood, more a worry. The Mr's work are being horrid, so we're getting about a quarter less than normal on the next pay packet, so we'll only just cover rent with that - lets hope my student loan comes in on time or we really are !!!!!!ed. They're also threatening him with a cut in hours - he's already told them he'll be leaving if that happens, as we can barely get by on what he gets already.

Applied for a job today but not sure if they're going to be willing to take on part timers... but hey, god loves a tryer.

Now i'd very much like to go and hide.

Hope things work out for you and OH.

Sorry to hear re OH's job problems - and had to nip in quick to say "Tell him - under NO circumstances - to resign from the job if they pull a cut in hours stunt on him". What he needs to do if it becomes clear that they intend to go ahead anyway - regardless of his obvious (and well understandable!) opposition to this is to find a way to get them to sack him (eg what constitutes sackable misconduct for instance). He MUST NOT resign - because if he does then the DWP will sanction him and there will be no benefit payable to him for up to 6 months:eek:. Hence the need to find a suitable way to ensure THEY sack HIM if it comes to it.

My suggestion is to put this up as a specific query on the Employment Board on MSE as to:
- whether the employer can legally cut his hours
- whether the DWP can sanction his benefit he would need if he gets sacked.

I am certainly thinking along the lines of IF the employer tells him they will definitely cut his hours - then he will need to get in a letter pronto (copy kept) saying that he does not agree to this and it would be "under protest". That would probably have the effect of either:
- stopping them in their tracks
OR
- they would then sack him - but he could readily prove to the DWP that he hadnt done anything wrong and therefore they should not sanction due benefit AT ALL.

Take care ((( )))

I can certainly sympathise - as I recall an era where employers didnt seem to be out trying to "set up" their employees for loss of some of their money/the whole job at regular intervals and it wasnt necessary to walk into work with a whole "battery of methods" available to hand to deal with any problems in this respect. Those were the days and it seems to be a while now since it was possible to just go into work/do a fair days work for a fair days pay/no need to be aware of any possible reason for "defending oneself"/end of <sigh>......

RAS

Mrs_Chip wrote: »

We need to do a serious down-shift. Lots of clothes and books have gone to the charity shop, but there is so much left and I hate throwing away anything that has life left in it. In Wales there is a very healthy charity donation scheme, but in London it seems the shops are very picky and wont take a lot of good stuff.

Why not try e-bay amazon and car boot sales to earn a bit of extra cash?

Anything that fails to go can find freegle or freecycle?