A new 'tougher' thread... and so it continues

mardatha

Catbells the rad up in the loft must be in the wrong place, too far from the pipes. We went down to -19 last winter and minus 18 the year before, and we have never had frozen pipes. We have a wee old convector heater (from gumtree) up in the loft and we switched it on at low for a couple of hours at night time and in the morning. It's right beside the pipes.

D&DD

Just sat here watching BBC news and they've got two knitters on there

lillibet_dripping

MrsLurcherwalker wrote: »

SMILEY - the Lurcher has asked me to send Bruno an E Bikkit, a lurcher slurp and a message 'Bruno, when you is havin a wriggly backy scritch when your Mumi is kippin onna bed do't do it so hard - wake Mumi up wivva slurp an ask her to do it for you - Good Luck atta Vetty Persons Place - frum Doc xxx

This has made my day:rotfl:

meme30

Bl00dy freezing here! Am throwing together a beef casserole and a Potato and onion bake. contemplating making pudding too ..cold weather makes me eat more!!
I have to nip out to get a sympathy card for my Auntie, my uncle died yesterday. not close to them but he was only 64 so it was a shock! Just realised he was only 11 years older than me! Crikey! am older than I realised! :eek:

Am not too worried yet about heating bill. I am not sure that I use it frugally enough tho! We have one of those timers with little pegs that you can click to make heating go on and off, I tend to have it set to put heating on for 1/4 of an hour then off for 3/4 of an hour. This covers 7am to 10 pm and heating is only on for 4 - 5 hours in total. It runs at 50 degrees so radiators get really hot and take a long time to cool down. I do put it on more when Grandchildren are here and when DH's under active thyroid is feeling the cold. This is a big house with a lot of big windows, so we lose heat through them during the day. We have heavy curtains drawn at night. I pay £50 a month DD and that does cover the year OK. It means I don't worry so much in the winter cos we do catch up in the summer. Mind you, I am finding as I get older/less mobile I do feel the cold a lot more. Blimey! I'm starting to sound like my Mam! :rotfl:

gardenia101

Morning All

Not been around for a few days as I've been feeling a litte sorry for myself, & am continuing to struggle a bit (but also feeling that I need a good kick up the behind for being so pathetic).

Yesterday was my birthday (43) & very few people remembered . My ex OH always gets me a small gift "from" our 2 children, which is lovely, & he can't forget as its also his b'day which doesn't help. While I don't want him to have a miserable b'day & am glad he had something nice planned, it also reminds me that his life is "fun" (can't think of a better word) wheras mine isn't a lot of the time.

My mother remembered this year (& she has forgotten in previous years :huh:). This time she has sent me a pair of minute earrings & last year she sent me a magazine subscription - while these might sound lovely, she "forgets" that I'm partially sighted so I can't read the darn mags & I've already lost an earring :rotfl:. And no, she isn't senile as she can remember every single unpleasant word that anyone has ever said to her & spends her time telling me how this person did this or that to her & how she thinks its awful. I wont elaborate - suffice to say I feel she just interested enough in me to even remember my sight problems, or ever ask how I am.

I have 2 good friends, both of whom have busy families, so I'm sure they have just forgotten & will feel quite bad if they realise how hurt I feel.

Other than that (& a email from MSE thanks :money:) the day passed without any other contact from anyone. I had thought about going for a nice coffee & cake, but we had some snow & I didn't want to risk not being able to get back for the school run if the weather & buses worsened. So I stayed at home & pottered. Coffee would have been nice, but I am a little fed up of always doing it on my own.

Anyway, enough of me mithering as I know some of you are having a much worse time of it than me, so hugs to all of you. I think I'd like to move my birthday, as its too near to Valentines Day for me - I'm already feeling a little low & usually have a wobble on V Day as its another reminder that I'm another year older & still on my own.

Sorry for the rant....

smileyt_2

MrsLurcherwalker wrote: »

SMILEY - the Lurcher has asked me to send Bruno an E Bikkit, a lurcher slurp and a message 'Bruno, when you is havin a wriggly backy scritch when your Mumi is kippin onna bed do't do it so hard - wake Mumi up wivva slurp an ask her to do it for you - Good Luck atta Vetty Persons Place - frum Doc xxx

LOL Bruno says thank you to Doc. The vet stapled his wound together and because I was feeding him treats (Bruno that is, not the vet) he didn't even notice. I have to take him back at the end of the week.

Gardenia happy belated birthday, even if you did have a rotten day. I hope today is better for you xx

Well, better get off my backside and do something useful. I think I will have to go shopping as I have a distinct lack of crackers (I can't eat bread) and we are about to run out of porridge oats, which is a crisis in this house!

kidcat

gardenia - ((hugs)) - I hate my birthday with a passion - it always reminds me how little people in RL really know me. I find it brings how how different people are, most I know have fabulous birthday weekends where parents mind kids and they have a stress free lovely time, whereas real life still goes on for me.
I have decided that this year I will plan at least an hour that I will organise just for me doing something I really want to do no matter what - maybe you can think about something similar?

Pitlanepiglet

Happy Birthday Gardenia - sorry you feel a bit abandoned, I remind everyone in advance that it's my birthday! That way I'm rarely disappointed :rotfl:

In all seriousness, I have a family (me included) who are prone to forget things so I flag stuff that matters in advance. I do it with hubby as well, we both run google calendars and I make sure that he has anniversary details etc and I put in reminders - that way, we're all happy!

[Deleted User]

BRUNO - you is a very brave doggie an I hope you didn't have to smile atta Vetty Person an show him all those nice white teefs to make him behave. I is glad you is stapled togever again an all in one piece! Doc xx - Tell your Mumi that them persons I have as my pets is Crackers too!!!!!!! Tee he he vats a doggie humour fing!

scrabbles_2

mardatha wrote: »

Goint back on topic, I wonder how many folk are struggling with heating costs and I read yesterday that the big 6 energy companies increased their profits by something like 700% last year. Seriously a return to the times of Charles Dickens and I hope it is stopped. In real cold weather keeping the heating off is not an option .

I feel truly lucky that I can afford to keep warm. I live in a tiny, well insulated bungalow with a year-old boiler so my gas bill is quite low, but even if the worst came to the worst we'd be able to find extra money. I really worry what we are coming to in the country - it feels like we're taking step after step back. Sick and elderly people having to desperately scrabble for fuel money, families living off food bank donations, media witch-hunts about the undeserving poor... it's like in the last fifteen years we've regressed to the 1900s. Frankly it wouldn't surprise me if they brought back the workhouse sooner or later.

hornetgirl wrote: »

I'd just like to echo what Jackel said. I don't post that much but I do read every day. I'm not knowledgeable about the ways of social services etc so can't offer practical advice the way some can, but I'm truly humbled when I read of the problems some of you have to deal with, and I do think about you all every day. Hugs to everyone, needed or not.

I don't think it's a problem if people want to keep up with the thread without posting Sometimes it can be more of a comfort not to. I read this thread for months before I got up the courage to come and join in. Now I can't leave. And once in a while I might even post something useful! :rotfl:

Huge hugs to all of the occasional posters and lurkers as well as all the regulars (((hug)))

gardenia101 wrote: »

Yesterday was my birthday (43) & very few people remembered . My ex OH always gets me a small gift "from" our 2 children, which is lovely, & he can't forget as its also his b'day which doesn't help. While I don't want him to have a miserable b'day & am glad he had something nice planned, it also reminds me that his life is "fun" (can't think of a better word) wheras mine isn't a lot of the time.

Oh hun (((hug)))

:bdaycake:
Happy Birthday to You
Happy Birthday to You
Happy Birthday Darling Gardenia
Happy Birthday Toooooo Yeeeeeeeeew!!!!
:bdaycake:

:beer: :T :j :kisses3: _party_ :grouphug: :beer:

Birthdays are fraught for a lot of us, I think. My family are lovely but frequently forget my birthday. They live away from me so don't really celebrate with me. Friends stopped celebrating with me right about the time my illness stopped me from being 'fun' anymore, they can't see any way to celebrate than by getting drunk, having a restaurant or takeaway meal, or going dancing, none of which I can do. My OH is a wonderful man in many ways but he just doesn't get birthdays. He doesn't understand why I'd want to celebrate it, or the point of sending a card, or anything like that. He never buys a gift - he says if I want something I can just go and buy it, birthday or not, and we'll figure out a way to pay for it. Very sweet of him, but it's just not the point. So even if you are surrounded by friends and family a birthday can be a lonely time.

But don't forget you've got your big extended MSE family here We all love you and will celebrate with you!