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

Mrs_Chip

PW - We are on a trunk road:eek: and I think the only one in the UK with a 20mph limit (well we were at one time). The road narrows next door to be only allow one car at a time in any direction :eek:, in the summer the road can become gridlocked (not helped by the huge lorries coming our way that cannot get around a very sharp bend a bit further along the road:eek:, plenty of signs but its a much shorter route to go our way). The 20 zone only lasts for a short stretch, but it is not policed, no cameras or anything. There has been a promise of a by-pass for years but it has yet to be approved and funded (our road even has a mention in Hansard!).

All this does make for fun standing on the doorstep watching the mayhem, but really it is not a joke. We cannot complain, we knew all this when we bought it, it's one of the reasons we could afford the house. Now we are going to be there all the time I might make a video record of all the problems and send it to the roads people, but I doubt it will help, it has been done before.

mardatha

Horrible day yesterday and horrible night last night. Am grumpy.:D Was reading on BBC about the generation that lived longest of any of us - those born between 1925 and 1935. They are trying to work out how this one slice of the population lived longest. Saying they were born in the great depression and grew up during rationing, so probably had healthy food and not too much of it. But one thing is they say they were happiest - with the war on while they were kids and the community blitz spirit etc.
If we were of our grannys generation we wouldn't have the forum, but we would be saying the same things to each other only over the garden fence or in a queue for sausages
But I don't think being young today is much fun at all, all the new stuff coming out now is just fripperies that involves lots of money. FB and online sites are a great weapon for bullies, and having the latest phone or gadget is a weapon for snobs. In the generation born between 1925-35 they didnt have anything at all and maybe that's why they were happier.
And poverty is a lot less grim if nobody in the village/street has anything and you're all in it together. It's turned on its head now - like everybody has to have the house/the car /the iphone/ the this/the that. Then everybody just wanted stuff, and shared dreams of someday getting it. Now everybody has it & cant pay for it, or wants more!

katieowl_2

Charis wrote: »

You'd have to be extremely careful about leaving the house, you step straight from the hall into the road :eek: Not a good place if you've got littl'uns.

Oh no it's fine honestly...there won't be more than the very occassional car, it's up a side road and uphill to boot IIRC. The death rate is very low!

I've only got a very small 'front garden' about 3' and a tiny wall to the road outside here, and I'm on a national speed limit road, I must admit to being worried about the dogs, but they are on leads before we go out anyway, it's not an issue.


Kate

katieowl_2

Mrs_Chip wrote: »

PW - We are on a trunk road:eek: and I think the only one in the UK with a 20mph limit (well we were at one time). The road narrows next door to be only allow one car at a time in any direction :eek:, in the summer the road can become gridlocked (not helped by the huge lorries coming our way that cannot get around a very sharp bend a bit further along the road:eek:, plenty of signs but its a much shorter route to go our way). The 20 zone only lasts for a short stretch, but it is not policed, no cameras or anything. There has been a promise of a by-pass for years but it has yet to be approved and funded (our road even has a mention in Hansard!).

All this does make for fun standing on the doorstep watching the mayhem, but really it is not a joke. We cannot complain, we knew all this when we bought it, it's one of the reasons we could afford the house. Now we are going to be there all the time I might make a video record of all the problems and send it to the roads people, but I doubt it will help, it has been done before.

Oh I know that bit....yes great fun to drive (NOT) especially if you are trying go up the hill!

We have the joy of people who only drive their caravans twice a year, trying to get past the tractors that take up the full width of the road, that can be quite entertaining, unless they take the edge of our wall off (twice this year) fortunately it's a low dry stone wall, so we can rebuild it ourselves.

Kate

Cheapskate

Morning all

Keep reading this thread, but hardly ever get chance to post!

Although I worry about money etc (could get an Olympic medal in worrying, I could!), I grew up without much and DH and I have mostly had very little, so what we've not had we don't miss, IYSWIM. We still don't have much, but can just about keep our heads above water. Our older two kids live in their own places and are really struggling - I'd hate to be starting again - but don't always listen to the voice of reason (aka ME!) regarding spending habits.

I'm trying to not listen to too much bad news re. the economy - I KNOW how bad it is, can't do anything about the global scale of it, just concentrating on our state of affairs and getting my home sorted for winter! :eek::rotfl:

A x

ceridwen

Mardatha

I would tend to think that the generation you speak of (1925-1935) have quite a heavy emphasis on "Dont talk about feelings...whats the point of talking about feelings...just GET ON WITH IT".

Its taken a lot of doing to get my parents (who are in that generation) to ever mention feelings about anything and they still rarely do so - as they simply dont seem to see the point.

If they are anything to go by - the motto is very much "Just GET ON WITH IT/stop moaning/dont expect much". They did notice that others had more than them - they have both made comments about it. My mother has certainly commented on having to wear secondhand clothes frequently. My father has certainly commented on how lucky those children were that came from smaller families - "Oh x was an only child - so he had proper footwear, whilst we had to wear boots. He ate better than we did etc etc".

They certainly were pretty aware of how little they had in comparison with others. I think - to that generation - they dont accept us comparing ourselves with others in OUR generation (ie because they think we all have so much more than they did at our age).

Kimsmum

mardatha wrote: »

Horrible day yesterday and horrible night last night. Am grumpy.:D Was reading on BBC about the generation that lived longest of any of us - those born between 1925 and 1935. They are trying to work out how this one slice of the population lived longest. Saying they were born in the great depression and grew up during rationing, so probably had healthy food and not too much of it. But one thing is they say they were happiest - with the war on while they were kids and the community blitz spirit etc.
If we were of our grannys generation we wouldn't have the forum, but we would be saying the same things to each other only over the garden fence or in a queue for sausages
But I don't think being young today is much fun at all, all the new stuff coming out now is just fripperies that involves lots of money. FB and online sites are a great weapon for bullies, and having the latest phone or gadget is a weapon for snobs. In the generation born between 1925-35 they didnt have anything at all and maybe that's why they were happier.
And poverty is a lot less grim if nobody in the village/street has anything and you're all in it together. It's turned on its head now - like everybody has to have the house/the car /the iphone/ the this/the that. Then everybody just wanted stuff, and shared dreams of someday getting it. Now everybody has it & cant pay for it, or wants more!

Mardatha I have an aunt who is 93 and she says she is glad she was born when she was, as looking back she had a good childhood even though they didnt have much everyone was in the same boat.
She said one year for christmas the five of them got an orange each and they though they were great. So they decided to have one between them each day for five days to make it last longer and she said for those five days they though they were very rich.
She cant believe the money some people spend on their homes and kids.

mardatha

That sounds liek my dad Kimsmum, there were 10 of them and they got an orange too! They lived on a farm and sometimes one would have to stay off school because there werent enough boots. But he was a very happy contented person who would be the first to say "never mind what other folk have got, get on with what you've got" etc. I'm very like him.

ceridwen

Crikey - an everyday fruit as a Christmas present:eek:

But I can just hear my father now speaking in my ear going "Christmas was just another day to us" - so I'm guessing there was literally nothing different at all - not even token presents like that.

My father would believe in people "bettering themselves" - and I dont recall him saying anything about "being content with what you've got" ever. I DO recall him often commenting on believing that people should get the best education they can manage and then strive for a career (ie rather than a job). Yep - I know I'm a bit of a disappointment to him there....as he didnt expect/hope for any less from me because I'm a woman. "You are capable - so why havent you?" would about sum it up...

Gigervamp

But an orange wasn't an everyday fruit in those days, hence why it was so special.