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

lizzyb1812

Softstuff - sending you and your dad a four mint favour - health, wealth, happiness and longevity - especially number one. Glad your OH understands but hoping that it won't come to you needing a flight. All the best from me and all on OS

Lizzyb

[Deleted User]

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mardatha

It doesn't half bring it home to you how precarious life is/was when people had to depend on what they could grow themselves. Look how hard it is to grow things successfully - between the weather and the bugs it's not easy. At least we can nip out to the shops and buy something.

ceridwen

mardatha wrote: »

If I'd had a life plan and stuck to it then I would've gone mad with boredom before I hit 20 LOL

There ya' go Mardatha - you ran off with your "knight on a white charger" - aka Ratty Virgo on his motorbike.:rotfl::rotfl:

In many ways I have been thrown back "onto my own resources" in some ways throughout my life and so, given the choice, between a "bit of excitement" or intermittent boredom....I personally take the view that "If boredom at times is the worst I have to complain about - then I havent got owt to complain about". I'd a sight rather make sure I'm sorted out for The Basics as I see them and have less on the "excitement" front if thats how the cookie crumbles.

Wouldnt suit everyone - but works for me when I recite my own personal Litany of Blessings to myself. I'm near enough to :eek: level financially that I have some knowledge of how it could be/have had some experience of how it has been - but have planned and fought enough that I sit there and go: Thank goodness I own a house, Thank goodness I will be retiring on time, Thank goodness there shouldnt be any question about getting any medical treatment I need ever, Thank goodness I can afford a healthy diet - but I take none of that for granted, because of the amount of fighting (and sheer bl**dy boring waiting) I had to do to get to that position and certainly am not at all complacent. But there are still peeps who get jealous of someone in even such a modest position - nowt at all special or luxurious about it...so thats one of the down sides of having even just a little bit more than "living literally on the streets"..

I do believe strongly that it is incumbent on even those of us with a very modest/ordinary life - and poor salary (darn it....) to be aware that there are those with even less and help where we can (even if its only with practical how-to advice).

SOFTSTUFF

Sorry to hear about your father - so positive vibes coming in your direction on that. Your list of Blessings obviously gets topped by your hubbie - he sounds like a Diamond - so at least you have him by your side. You chose well when you chose him.

KITTIE

You're a bigger optimist than me - but then most people are LOL - when you thought we'd be getting through this by 2012. Errr....I just think personally that we are on a downhill trajectory full stop I'm afraid. Like the image of the hedgehog rolling into a ball - prickles on "Full Guard Duty Alert" and as long as we don't use those "prickles" against each other - so maybe, in our communal position, its more a case of "Get those wagons around in a circle and guard the perimeter". The camp fire is in the middle of that circle and we've set Mardatha on kale cooking duties - LOL.

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HariboJunkie

SoftStuff I am so sorry you have had bad news. I too wish better health for your Dad. xx

Jackie. Have a great day. :j

ChocClare. I agree completely.

WestCoastScot, please post more often :A. There is room for everyone on this thread and I have missed your posts. That goes for all the lurkers who don't post.

Please don't anyone get into a panic about the FTSE. I know it's scary but it does fluctuate all the time and some of the markets are at their lowest for only 2 or 3 years and the world didn't come crashing down round our ears then. Anyone who has prepared for things getting tougher, either by stockpiling if that's your thing) or (just living a little more frugally, if you're like me) has done all they can do. None of us are going to change the outcome of this and all we can do is continue to be grateful for what we have and offer support on here and elsewhere. As long as we don't start adopting an "I'm all right Jack" attitude there is hope for us all. Worry never solved anything anyway and has such a negative effect on health.

Goodness me. Such depth of an early morning. :rotfl::rotfl:

Looking forward to heading off for my girlie day out today. :jIt may be a long way to travel but I will be blessed with some of the most beautiful scenery in the world on the way so can't be bad.
Will probably spend money today but will make sure that anything I buy is either useful or beautiful or preferably both.

lucielle

I do love reading this thread, but feel I've nothing to contribute. However I feel that I must share with you yesterdays billy bob bargains. I managed to get some very ripe bananas to make banana bread for ....free and 12 packs of Anchor butter also for free. Very pleased with my treasure, now just got to get baking.
L

suzid

Beautifully put HariboJunkie. My life has revolved around my loved ones and I have no regrets. I have often felt 'looked down on' because I've only been able to take low paid, part time work because of family commitments, but maybe that's just my own lack of confidence. Having never had a clue what I wanted to do when I grew up, and still haven't , I've found life to be a constant learning curve. You never know what it's going to throw at you and you have to adapt or go completely bonkers.

So make the most of everyday. Enjoy the sun or rain on your face. Tell a loved one you love them. Don't take anything for granted. especially health and try and have a positive effect on those around you. That's all any of us can do.

Best wishes to you and your family softstuff, thinking loving thoughts for you Dad.

GreyQueen

Good morning, all, sunshine and sleep (not to mention golden syrup cake on a bog-off ) have turned me back into my normal bouncy self. My default setting is "Tigger" so when I'm feeling well, I'm quite unbearable to have around as tend to bounce off the walls with ideas. Good job the M.E. slows me down a bit to compensate LOL.

Shegar, lovely to see you back posting. What a blessing it is to have your own fruit trees, and thanks for the heads-up about the crumble mix, I shall be sure to get some in. That may have to wait for a visit to a Big Mr T over the Bank Holiday weekend as my Little Mr T is very light on the Basics ranges or, indeed, a lot of low-value stuff suitable for OS ways. I'm planning to take advantage of the voucher swop and am debating stocking up on handcream which I'll need to see my thru the winter months to get twice as much bang for my buck, as it were, or putting the value into storecupboard foods, subject to the prices being agreeable.

I'd be interested to know what other OS-ers are planning to do if they have vouchers.

Just put the 8 am news on Radio 4 and it's scary stuff indeed. I studied economics at O Level (age giveaway there) and was always absolutely horrified at what a house-of-cards the whole system is. I used to grin at a friend's habit, years ago, of socking away excess cash into gold (krugerands) but she's the one laughing now.

Re life plans, well, I had them and they got derailed by illness before I'd even finished my education, so I've always had the concept that you can plan what you like and life will just happen, anyway.

I think all any of us can do is to focus on the areas of influence which we, personally, have; our families and friends, our neighbours, any organisations with which we help our communities or wider humanity. I vote, but I don't kid myself that it achieves overmuch.

And I very much agree that you need to have fun in the present, as well as make long-term plans. One of my father's workmates who worked every hour there was, saving for his retirement, had a fatal heart attack 5.5 weeks into his pensionerhood.

So, I shall be spending a wee tranche of my savings next month on a course which I have wanted to do for years, and camping out to keep the costs down a bit. It'll be something to sock into my "memory bank" for when I'm too decrepit to do such things (pull up a chair and wait, ladies, it won't be long now.....:rotfl:).

Today's cunning plan involves earning my living for a few hours, going to the lottie to attend to the important and pleasurable business of feeding myself, and talking to my pals.

Hope everyone has a share of the yellow ball, that the gardens/ lotties/ pots and windowboxes are bearing well and that the slugs aren't too savage.


(((hugs)))) Softstuff

ubamother

My life plan is simple: to strive and to accept.

To strive to be the best me I can be; to accept the life happenings that change what I'm striving for.

A few years ago I was striving to climb Yeavering Bell (Cheviots), and to master T-rescues in my canoe, now I strive to convince my children that mum-rolling (down a slope, in my wheelchair) is not a potential Olympic event, and I strive to dissuade my OH from making car-racing squealing noises when he turns me round a corner (and shouting 'penny for the guy' in a public street). I accept that these two strivings will be to no avail!

p.s. I never mastered T-rescue technique, but as I didn't actually drown, I can live with that failure!