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

paidinchickens

Morning ladies

Big news this morning............I MANAGED TO GET MY OWN PANTS ON :j:j It was a cross between hook a duck and hoopla and would probably earn my a fortune on youtube should I have been recorded, but I managed it and in under 5 minutes as well

Other news this morning is we are suffering a severe drought in our local area :eek:

I would like to point out this has not been caused by me as we let it mellow

Seriously I am glad I bought some of those big 5 gallon water cannisters from a jumble the other week, 50p the lot. Will sterilise and have ready for a tough summer. I have two Very large water butts in the garden but will be having a chat with DH tonight on water crisis measures.

I know I sound batty but all the snow prep we have done and nothing much really happened so I am hoping if we are all set for the worst nothing will happen with the water shortage.

It does make me slightly miffed to see all the blinkin leaks that take ages to fix but I am not going to be moaning this fine day as I did enough yesterday

Gawd the house is quiet this morning now everyone is back at work/school.

Off to pootle

PIC x

[Deleted User]

Morning toughies, I have just been for the lovliest walk with the houndicus - it's a perfect morning out there today, we had a frost last night so it was crisp, the most beautiful blue sky and no breeze at all so in the sun it was lovely and warm. There are clumps of snowdrops everywhere in the gardens and some wild primroses and celandines down the lanes, we saw Roe Deer in the wilderness field and heard woodpeckers in the wood. Hundreds of little birds being very busy nest building and arguing with each other and it smells of SPRING! It's a good day just to be! Have a good day folks Cheers Lyn.

ivyleaf

katieowl wrote: »

They messed him about something awful, saying they'd not recieved any appeal from him etc, and then he finally got CAB on the case and they faxed paperwork through, and sorted it out. It was re-instated, but it took ages. In the meantime, the house he was renting proved to have a defective chimney, and he had a too close for comfort, near miss with Carbon Monoxide leaking :eek: but the upshot of that was that one of the local housing associations is going to re-home him in a nice brand new eco-heated build nearby, that has this amazing thing called central heating! I'm very relieved for him, as if you have any sort of disability being cold just makes it worse. There's no problem with him taking the dog, and he has a parking spot right outside :T

It's his experience, and those that have been talked about on here, that made me tell needy friend she needed help with the appeal...seems they have the bar set too high for us mere mortals!!! I'd love to know how many people have actually died over this, either as a side effect of the weather and not having the heating on, or hot food, or from self harming in despair. These are grim times :mad:

Kate

Thank you - I'm so glad he is finally getting a happy ending, just so :mad: at what he's had to go through first!

scrabbles_2

meme30 wrote: »

Have been horrified by the posts about the workfare programme. I have long felt that this government has no idea how the ordinary people of this country think/live/exist!

Well that's the problem isn't it? A whole 'class' of career politicians who have never lived in the real world. Straight from public shool bubble to top university bubble to Westminster bubble. I studied pol-soc at university, and had the opportunity to observe this breed at close quarters (inc. several who are now in Westminster and several now at tabloid newspapers) and they really don't ever really experience the real world. I recall one particularly heated debate where the course's token prole (um, that would've been me) took on the rest of the class regarding social exclusion. It ended with our professor begging us all to get of the bus a few stops early and visit the 'real world' - the estate nearest to the privileged, rarified air of our university, that is also one of the most deprived in Europe. I doubt many of them took him up on his suggestion. I did point out rather tartly that I had no need to visit - it was (and still is) home.

debtfreenow wrote: »

I disagree with some of the ideas now being put forward by the Government. Certainly I have distinct reservations about Workfare (though these centre mainly round not wishing to see paid workers displaced and I think possibly there may be some call for it from the pov of the people themselves, as there are a few people who have chosen to be unemployed rather than having it forced onto them, ie because they cant get a job).

Working Tax Credit was introduced in order to supplement the wages of those on low pay and wasn't designed to enable people to choose to work shorter hours than they otherwise would do. Most of us would like to work shorter hours, but accept that it's not fair to expect to deliberately cut our own hours and ask the State (ie the rest of us) to make up the difference. These young women concerned would have been wise to leave their hours as they were and regard any WTC they got as "extra" money. MSE Martin himself has said that people should never base their budget on any "extra" money they receive.

There are very few people who choose to be unemployed on JSA. And a majority of people on part-time hours would prefer full-time hours, but can't get them. Many companies prefer to take part-time staff over full-time ones and tax credits makes it easier for them to do so. So you can't exactly say that every part-timer now losing out has only themself to blame. And why on earth should people treat a benefit as a bonus? If people are not to budget on 'extra' money then why bother having tax credits, winter fuel payments, cold weather payments or even child benefit?

I found your post to be a little sanctimonious to be honest.

ivyleaf

GreyQueen wrote: »

PS it's definately down-hill after 40 but the advantage is that what you lose in bendiness you make up for in cunning.......:rotfl:

:rotfl::rotfl::rotfl::rotfl::rotfl::rotfl::rotfl::rotfl:

Just told my unbendy DH that one, it has definitely brightened up our day!

ETA Thank you GQ and Byatt (and others, I think - brain not working well today) for your kind wishes:)

Byatt

Morning All,

I'm off to the dentist...I have a phobia about dentists but this appointment I can't cancel as they will throw me off their books if I do! I can lurk arounnd the charity shops though which is a bonus. Don't travel far in the car now, so all journeys have to be combined.

beautiful day here albeit cold and icy. Mrs Lurcherwalker, hope Doc enjoyed his walk as much as you did. It sounds stunning.

PIC, well done on getting your pants on on your own!! Yayyy for ingenuity.

katieowl_2

Scrabbles, we should also point out that Working Families Tax Credits (I think that what what the first incarnation was called - back in the 80's) was intended to replace the Married Man's (Persons) tax allowance (or was it the tax break you got for having dependant kids?) which they did away with! Whichever it was it was supposed to recognise that it cost extra to bring up a family.

I also agree that if you are entitled to claim it you should, and that the vast majority of people would work more hours if they were better off, I know one young man who has been working for 20 hours a week for 4 years, as that is simply all his employer is prepared to offer. There is only very occassional overtime (and he's too young to claim any benefit to top it up) so it's not an easy life.

That having been said, if the person who is choosing to work less hours, SO THEY CAN BE A PARENT TO THEIR KIDS, which does include making sure they are getting all they are entitled to, as well as giving them time, I really don't have to much of a problem with that to be honest?

Kate

*Chattie*

debtfreenow wrote: »

GreyQueen

Guessing you've all learnt how to do THE Look when facing occupants of Benefit World then? That is the Look that can be read in 10 seconds flat as "I see straight through you and I'll take no nonsense, so Shut Up and Go".

I think people in the sort of job you are in need quick wits to work out who is Genuinely Unemployed and show appropriate care/concern on the one hand and who deserves THE Look on the other hand.:cool:

I think the shopkeeper in a small shop I'm a regular customer at was thoroughly amused when he was having trouble (again) with a Nuisance Customer when I walked in the other door. Nuisance Customer had been summed up and given THE Look by me in that 10 seconds flat and was on his way out the door:rotfl:. So there are some aspects of a worklife that can come in handy personally outahours;)

what a shocking post and I would really, really hope that anyone looking for help no matter what sort of help from buying a book to having to apply for benefit help, ever come up against you in a face to face job

pity help you if you end up in the JC and someone gives you The Look !

[Deleted User]

Hello Auntie Byatt - fank you veri much I did enjoys my waklie vis mornin - its fulla veri good sniffs out vere wen its cold an I meeted my pal Mollie ver Collie an hada nice chase about wiv her it was funn! Mumi sez she lets me inta her hed too much vese days as shes havin trubble goin past catsiz an keeps wantin ter chasa squizzles wen vey run uppa tree - I fink Mumi is a honoroury Lurcher but is ver rong shape fer runnin! I hopes vat ver visit to ver Toofie Person today is OK an as gud as Brunos visit to ver Vetty Person was - luv frum Docky xx

prepareathome

Signed the petition and posted it on my facebook page and so hoping others will do so as well......