The Tougher Thread continues.....

Draagonfly

GreyQueen wrote: »

:j:j:j:j:j

Keep warm and keep well; you may imagine me clutching my new toy in my hot little hands (I rarely have new anythings) and doing a Gollum impersonation. My Precioussssssssssss! :D

I can imagine it...i was the same when I got my SC :o:D

kidcat

Softstuff wrote: »

I've just pm'd you Kidcat.

Edit: ok, scratch that, your inbox is full!

Have emptied it now, no idea it was full, looks like its been full for ages too. Oops!! Thanks softstuff.

Kimsmum

mardatha wrote: »

Have phoned the HA and grassed on the plumber and dont even feel guilty cos its gales and sleet here and I'M BL**DY COLD!
I don't like xmas either, once your kids are up its not the same - plus it's so commercialised now it makes me sick. But I think I'd like to go back to how it was - the Victorian Christmas seems to have been all about rest and food. I'm all for that ! So even folk on really low incomes can pull some stops out in the food dept eh ?:D:D:D

I feel the same about xmas its for the kids, would love a Victorian Christmas. It is pelting down and blowing a gale here today.
Hope you get your heating soon.

katieowl_2

xx_Jo_xx wrote: »

:hello:

The heating in the new house runs on oil, which Ive never had before, so Im feeling a bit daunted as to the potential costs involved in heating the house, but then thats just fear of the unknown... I suppose.


xx

Good luck with your move and all your new ventures.

Regarding oil it's worth finding out straight away whether you can go on a monthly payment plan with your local supplier. Ours here have a monthly payment scheme, which means that I don't have to find the cost of a tank up front. Although it means another £80 on the bills each month, I'd rather do that than have to find all money when it's freezing cold.

We've only got an old very inefficient Rayburn running off it - hopefully your central heating will be more cost effective.

Also try to get into the habit of checking the level regularly, then you will know when you need to order more, get in early for Xmas too...the lead time for a delivery was about 7 days last year at that time, and a bit of forward planning on my part would have been most useful!

Kate

GreyQueen

:eek: Aarrggg, there I was half-behind the cooker and jammed up against the sink when a voice spoke my name just above me (the kitchen window being open) and I almost concussed myself. It was SuperGran outside, wanting a quick word.

Bearing in mind that the whole kitchen is 6 foot square, and that the cooker was away from the wall, and you can imagine what a tiny space I had myself shoehorned into.

Gave SG a good telling off for frightening another hour off my life expectancy............:rotfl:

That grisly job is done but I can't possibly put the cooker back until the floor and wall behind it has fully-dried in the breeze......at at least that's my excuse and I'm sticking to it.

xx_Jo_xx

mardatha wrote: »

I don't like xmas either, once your kids are up its not the same - plus it's so commercialised now it makes me sick. But I think I'd like to go back to how it was - the Victorian Christmas seems to have been all about rest and food. I'm all for that ! So even folk on really low incomes can pull some stops out in the food dept eh ?:D:D:D

I love Christmas - but then my little one is 9 and its still magical...

But I love the staying home and playing with him from before the sun comes up, until long after its gone down again... I love the sharing of fab food and his excitement at the fact he finds the rubbish jokes in his cracker soooooo funny...

Its the 'free' things that make christmas special for families. Dont get me wrong, I buy him presents, of course I do - but I dont spend a fortune.

Which reminds me something I forgot to say before.... Cleggie - re the xmas tree.... Look out on your local freecycle or Netmums... Some people in the run up to xmas will decide to get a new tree, so will look to freecycle the old one. Decorations often come up around that time too. I was going to suggest the popcorn, and baking your own, which Ive done too... but you still need a tree to put them on, so hopefully you can find one there, as cheap as chips, or less

Anyway, I agree, Im all about the food and family time rather than the gifts, but I wouldnt expect him not to want presents, he is a little boy and knows Santa visits every child... I dont have many years of that left.... His presents this year will consist of second hand items and things picked up in the sale.

Due to the way my perspective has changed over the years however, I have noticed, that I used to spend a fortune on everything... and the cost of gifts usually would be greater that what I spent on the food.

Now however, my food bill is no where what it used to be and the gift budget is even less than that...

ETA - Oh, thank you for that katieowl - I will bear that in mind and check out what the situation is with the supplier when I get there. Thank you x

cat_smith

GreyQueen wrote: »

:j:j:j:j:j

Keep warm and keep well; you may imagine me clutching my new toy in my hot little hands (I rarely have new anythings) and doing a Gollum impersonation. My Precioussssssssssss! :D

Yes GQ. I can imagine it. I did the same when I got mine and its a 6.5litre for only 2 people. I batch cook for Scotland.

ETA: Glad to hear you made it out from behind the cooker. Tee hee re. Super Gran attack.

katieowl_2

Must be a good day to tackle tasks you've been putting off.

I got the paint brush out and tackled the beams in the living room. Some daft bu&&er painted them all with black paint at some point in the past. The whole house was the same, and it makes the ceiling really dark. I tackled the kitchen first, and it made such a huge difference painting them white, that I've now done the hall and the diningroom...the living room was last on the list to be tackled. I've done about half, but will stop now as I know from before my neck doesn't take kindly to being cricked backwards for very long.

When I started painting in the kitchen the OH presented me with a tin of cheap DIY superstore type white matt emulsion out of the shed, and about three or four coats later I was saying to him words to the effect of this is NOT happening...the paint is NOT covering the black, and he says it'll take a few coats? I'm thinking life is too short to do this five six seven god knows how many times, so I say to him...shall I go to the eco shop and get a clay based paint? Ooooohhh it'll be everso expensive he says! :eek: Just keep painting....

I went anyway...One coat of clay paint and a little touch up in a few places later - job done. So I bought another tin for the living room. Because I'm flaming well worth it!!!!! :rotfl:

He installed a new double glazed window at the back of the room yesterday, and he still needs to finish off inside, so I thought while chaos ruled, I may as well get on with it. Be nice for Xmas then.

Dinner tonight will be some kind of vegetable cheese, as I've loads of milk to use up. I think I'll do some sewing now...I need to make sure the dogs go out today, and to try and tackle the washing mountain!

Kate

Mint1955

Thank you for the welcomes and I am chuffed to have managed to not only find you all again but to keep up this morning with the chat. This is my 2nd week of not working full time and I have spent the morning nattering to an old friend over tea :-) Car MOT this afternoon so meeting another friend in Morrisons cafe and another catch up as I havnt seen her for absoloutely ages. MUST iron a couple of work shirts for DH and throw a cloth around the 3 bathrooms and sort something for dinner and thats it today. So want to get more organised and get a plan together as even though I have got to 55 I still don't know what I want to do when I grow up!!!

4Chickens

Hi All

I am starting to get my knickers in a twist about heating our house this winter.
So far this weekend I have put the curtain back up at the front door and intalled a new doggy door in the back door, prior to this it was a gaping hole because the dog went through it at Mach 3 and took it with him. At least now we don't have a gale force 9 wind blowing through the house.
Anyway a bit about my house:
4 Bedroom Detached - only two of the bedrooms are actually used as bedrooms, one is converted into an office and is rarely used, the other one has a spare bed and my two clothes horses. All our bedrooms have either lined curtains or a Roman blind.
3 Toilets - One downstairs, one in the main bathroom and one in our En-Suite bedroom.
Sitting/Dining Room - Quite large with a good size front window and French Doors to the back, has a radiator under front window and gas fire. I have lined, full length curtains at the french doors and a Roman blind at the front window
Dining Room/Kitchen/Utilitly Room - this is a massive space to heat with only one full size radiator and one little one. Curtains at the dining room window are lined and come just below the ledge but above the radiator. Kitchen winow has a roller blind and the utility room has nothing as the window is obscure glass
Hallway - this is the size of your average bedroom with only one small radiator that is right next to the front door.

I am not adverse to putting the heating on when needed but would like to have it a the lowest possible setting whilst retaining as much heat for as long as possible. Any ideas would be most gratefully welcome.
PS When I have gotten over the trauma of moving into this house (May 2009), I shall get a smaller house, with less doors.