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

SDG31000

We have had our first vet visit ever this morning. Unfortunately it didn't have a happy ending. Buckbeak, my DS2's crested gecko, was having trouble shedding her skin and it looks like she dislocated her jaw. Cue frantic calling around to find a vet that was open and knew about reptiles. We managed to find one and she didn't know what had caused it, but that all she could try was sedating her and putting it back. That probably would have killed Buckbeak anyway and there was no way of knowing if it would happen again, so we decided to have her put to sleep instead.
As it takes a while to make sure that reptiles are actually deceased I have to pick her up tomorrow. DS2 seems fine about it right now and it seems to be my job to be a sobbing mess.
The bill was £65.85, which included a £50 emergency call fee, £10 for the vet's time and £6.85 for the injection. We were expecting it to be more, but would have been willing to pay whatever it cost if there was a chance of Buckbeak getting better.
All in all it has been one of those weeks I want to start over and do again.
((((((((((((((((((((((((((((hugs to everyone that needs them))))))))))))))))))))))))))))

suzid

Long time no post as life has been very hectic of late, though I have been lurking to keep up to date.

Big ((((hugs)))) for all in need due to medical, family and pet problems.

Katieowl you are a star and I would love you for ever if you were so generous to me if my dogs were going hungry. :T:T

Ceridwen the celery bake you suggested turned out brilliently and I was so pleased when fussy DH turned his nose up at it as it meant I could have it the next day too .

Lionel B please keep posting as I enjoy reading everyone's take on the world and finance. I watched John Major on the Andrew Marr show this morning and although things are obviously a mess at present, came away feeling quite positive. Worth watching on iplayer if you didn't see it.

DH and I took DS4 his food to uni last weekend and apart from having caught 'freshers flu' has settled well and is enjoying it. There had been an inspection of their flat the first week and DS was told to get rid of his freezer as they're not allowed to have them. Thank goodness I had no faith in any messages getting from one Dept to another and left him with a copy of the email saying it was authorised. Typical :mad:!!

I was fine after the visit, but DH had leaking eyes a couple of times. It had dawned on him that his son is no longer a little boy but a man, and could be heard muttering 'how did that happen' and 'where did the time go' :rotfl:. (((hugs))) to all parents missing their chicks.

Thank you for your comments deb68 on one of my posts. Having re read it I did sound down didn't I. Hopefully the low ebb is behind us and we can look forward. Just finishing a course of antibiotics and I'm sure all the stress of the past year or so have had an impact on our health. DH now on a mission to loose weight and get fitter, and I'm on a mission to do likewise and also make every penny squeak. Managed to only spend £20 on food for two weeks which wouldn't have been possible without all the reading on here and stocking up during the summer.

Take care all and keep posting :T.

SDG31000 I'm the same as you, can't help myself sobbing over the loss of a little life. Big (((hugs)))

smileyt_2

Morning everyone! :

Katieowl:j You are a lovely person.
Mrs Veg Plot, Glitzer, I hope you get the treatment you need soon and then hopefully you can start feeling better and put your health problems behind you.

ETA Deleted rest of post as it may be considered off-topic.

smileyt_2

SDG31000, hugs. RIP Buckbeak (fabulous name).

SDG31000

Thank you suzid and smileyt. Her full name was Sir Buckbeak of Tatooine, until we discovered he was a she and then it changed to Lady BuckBeak of Tatooine.

Can you tell I married a geek and am raising at least one more of them? DS2 seems ok and DH is a bit upset. DH never had pets growing up and this is the first time he has had an animal in the house and in his life for any length of time. We might get another reptile in time, but definitely not this year. (DH is allergic to fur and feathers so that restricts what pets we can have).

Mrs_Chip

Sorry to hear about Buckbeak, geckos are lovely critters.

CA - I buy 2 x 100 tab pots for Master Chip's thyroid problem, he has 10 tabs a week. If I were to buy from vet they would charge me £15 for 30. Online I am able to buy 100 for £16.66, and buying two pots together, free postage. The vet charges me £10 for a prescription for 200 tablets - so what costs me £43.32 online would cost £110 from the vet :eek::eek::eek:.

The prescription thing is a rip-off in itself, it takes them 10 seconds to print off and sign, they only do it because they have to by law and it's another way to make money.

I love liver too, and used to make a thoroughly unhealthy but delicious liver, bacon and sausage casserole that stuck to your ribs and made the most delicious gravy. Not made it for years, but if we are going to get the predicted winter (more weather doom and gloom in papers lalalalalalala), I might have to ressurect it.

ginnyknit

Hmm Mrs chip, liver sausage and bacon casserole sounds good:) do you add anything to flavour it or is it straight forward?

Mind you I am so tired after not sleeping more than 2 hours last night I couldnt assemble a bacon butty :rotfl: something simple for tea tonight, but always looking for something like your casserole to use up those few sausages and bits of cooking bacon - all I need is a small pack of liver!

Miserable weather here and I have given in and put one storage heater on in the living room on low :mad:

JIL

On the topic of liver, Tesco butcher counter sells it loose. Pigs liver is £2 per kilo. I bought some the other week to freeze as the OH loves it. The poor assistant serving me was not happy as he put it into the bag, his young face was a picture.
It stretches the more expensive protein though, I learned that trick from my mother a small pork chop was served with a sausage or a small piece of liver or kidney. I seem to have carried on with it many years later.

Pink.

ceridwen wrote: »

Thats one of my theories as well.

The other one is to check out (discreetly of course) whether their father is the type that has continuous affairs (as they might decide thats "obviously" acceptable behaviour and copy him). Thinks - thats another advantage to living in one's own "home area" (ie your mother has probably heard about his father - and will tell you summat along lines of "What his mother has had to put up with....").

While I agree with the looking at how a man treats his mother will give you an idea of what kind of man he is (I'm a very lucky mum of a 17 almost 18 year old son who still voluntarily gives both myself and his Dad, a warm kiss and hug every night before bed - it's lovely, and long may it last!).

However, I don't believe you can judge someone on the virtues or mistakes of their parents. If a parent has mistreated/cheated on their spouse I think it is very wrong and judgemental to assume that any son/daughter will follow in the parent's footsteps. Each and every one of us deserves the right to be accepted as an individual and not blamed for how our parents may have behaved.

Re tough times......I am so exhausted! For the past couple of months I've been working twelve days on and two days off. If I didn't have to go out to do the night calls this evening I think I'd just crawl into bed right now. On the up side I have booked a day off tomorrow. The plan is a long lay in, but I probably won't because I am now in the waken up at 6am mode and I have lots of batch cooking to try to get myself ahead for the week.

Mr Pink is making roast pork for dinner tonight and it smells gorgeous! When I first started working weekends he had never cooked a meal in his life. Very kindly he said that he would try to cook the meals just as I do when he is working during the week, and now he makes a mean roast. He just can't seem to master gravy, so that's all that I'll have to do. Thankfully as the children have grown older and they have more understanding of the pressures we are under, so all three of them muck in with the clearing table and dishwashing on a Sunday evening.

katieowl, well done you for managing to be so helpful yet tactful at the same time.
smileyt, You shouldn't have deleted your post as I don't think anything is really considered off topic on this thread.
kidkat, I hope things will improve for you and the rest of your family.

There were others I wanted to mention individually but I've gone blank. I'm sorry! I do want you to know that I am thinking of you all in these difficult times. x

Pink

Mrs_Chip

Ginny - No recipe, but method is to take some sliced liver (I used lambs but I guess pigs would work too), some rashers of bacon, some pork sausages and a couple of onions slice into rings. Dip everything into seasoned flour and layer into a lidded oven dish, starting with onions, then liver, then bacon and chuck 2 or 3 snags on top. Do another layer. Sprinkle over a couple of crumbled beef cubes and pour in boiling water to just cover. Put on the lid and put in the oven and cook at about 170 for and hour and half or so, or cook for longer at a lower temp.

The gravy thickens in the dish, and everything cooks to melting softness. The snags do come out looking a bit rude, but they taste very nice:rotfl:. Lovely with mash and peas.

I told you it was not a healthy one!