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

prepareathome

Phew sounds like my school uniform was plain in comparison to some - navy skirt, white shirt, navy cardigan, white socks - long not ankle and navy tights allowed from 5th year when you were 16 ( I grew up in Scotland where you go to high school for 6 years starting at 12 and do 7 years in primary) , navy knickers ( but in 3rd year black shorts were brought in for PE instead of just doing it in your navy knickers), swimming costume was actually a lovely turquoise shade. In winter a navy duffle coat was allowed with school scarf and hat - a navy berry with badge on it, and in summer we had could only use a nylon raincoat to keep rain off uniform ( the thin type that you could fold up in you bag. Tie was a mixed bunch of navy, red and gold as was badge and gold braid round blazer and cuffs if you were a prefect ( captain had double braid on cuffs). Flat black buckle shoes only and black gym pumps for PE. For hockey we had tiny navy skirts and navy polo shirt and for tennis white shorts and white polo, everything else was done in the navy knickers/black short and a gold polo shirt. Teachers always wore their gowns so always seemed to be like ships in full sail as they strutted down the corridors. All had to dress smartly, men in suits and woman in skirts and blouses never trousers. Dress code was as strict for the teachers as pupils. I actually still have my primary and secondary school badges in my sewing box, cannot tell you why and somewhere my old secondary school tie. For first 3 years you had to use a leather satchel for you books and afterwards you could opt for a soft leather briefcase anything else used and you were in trouble - the strap being the punishment of choice, they didn't cane in Scotland. One of our Maths teachers did not like strapping girls so he would give us large multiplications to do and we had to show all the working out - eg 87658 x 9845, depending on the severity we would have anything from 5 to 20 of these to do for the next day, personally I would rather have had the strap.

We had the basket with a cover for DS and I still have it ( store batteries in it now, at least we always know where spare batteries are) but don't know what happened to the cover, they were awkward to carry on the bus. Dropped it a couple of times and once broke my flask which had onion soup in it, mum wasn't to happy as she was looking forward to the onion soup as she loved it, I didn't and still don't. My grandma paid for my uniform, which could only be bought from a shop not far from the school.

Got the all clear letter from the mamogram today so thats it for another 3 years I hope. On Monday we went out shopping in charity shops first for me as we have a posh do to go to at weekend and was very pleased as I found not one but two perfect dresses. Both were brand new - still had labels and prices on them, both from USA - Dressbarn Woman,with a price tag of $150 and I got it for £12 its a lace top with nude colour lining underneath with skirt that goes down to calves at back but to knees at front, and made to seem as if a wrap-over, with a gathering under bust that hides a plenty. The other is a Laura Ashley red velvet dress, long with thin straps and slight cowl neck, it had a price of $350 on it and I got that for £8 - from the SA face when she wrapped it up I think they missed the fact it was a Laura Ashley when they put it out.

https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10150689144177780.460120.548612779&type=3 that is a link to the dresses as I never seem to be able to post photos on here, the black dressbarn one doesn't really look that good in the photo, its the type of dress looks better worn. I had something similar once in grey silk, looked like a rag on the hanger but once on was fantastic

Memory_Girl

PIC - Here's a good one for your "ahem" problem. Its a cut n paste job from my blog (this one is not published yet) but I don't think making you wait until March is very fair.

Oats, seeds, banana and dried fruit - but the secret is the linseeds (they kind of sook up loads of water and help everything ................... progress:rotfl:)

BTW - lots of tea and liquid with these, but they are seriously tasty, really banana flavour and sweet n chewy rather than a dry flapjacky thing. Work a treat for my DS1;)

BANANA BREAKFAST BARS

220g rolled oats
60g mixed seeds (sunflower, pumpkin, sesame)
25g ground almonds
2 tbsp linseeds
50g dried fruit (dates, prunes and apricots are nice)
100g butter
3 tbsp honey
2 very ripe bananas (blitzed until smooth)

Place all of the dry ingredients in a large bowl. Finely chop the fruit and add to the bowl.

Melt the butter and the honey in a pan until warm and smooth.

Stir the liquid ingredients (honey mixture and banana mixture) into the dry ingredients and make sure all of the grains are coated well.

Press the mixture very firmly into a lined tray(mine is about 18cm by 30 cm) Use the back of a spoon and really press it down well into the corners.

Bake at 180 for about 30 minutes until the top if golden brown and it smells "toasty". Leave to cool in the tin for 5 minutes before marking into bars. When it is cold you can cut into pieces with a sharp knife.

MG

katieowl_2

I make something very similar to that Memory Girl, they are very tasty indeed, and I can attest that one has to remember NOT TO EAT too many of them, or the consequences can be erm... substantial :rotfl:

My recipe has sunflower oil, and no added sweetening.

Kate

Memory_Girl

I was trying to find the right way to phrase that - but you summed it up wonderfully katieowl - moreish they may be, but more is not always better LOL

MG

EstherH

PREPAREDATHOME: What fantastic bargains you got. And the American prices will be a lot less than you would have paid for the equivalent over here in the first place. So you can probably put pounds for dollars as the original price. I haven't been able to see the photos but I'm sure they look lovely. We don't have good charity shops around here as the area is quite poor so the quality of the clothes isn't good to start off with. Glad your mammogram went ok.

Esther x

Bobbykins

PAH - wow, that was a canny bit of shopping. I never have that much luck in the CS's round here. They very rarely have anything in larger sizes - I guess it's all the "Cheshire Set" slim ladies who must donate, not the cuddly grandmas like me.:o

I too was a grammer school girl - what memories you have all brought back! Velour hats in winter and straw boater in summer, regulation outdoor shoes, regulation indoor shoes and woe betide you if you were caught outside in your indoor shoes or vice versa! Oh Lord, deportment classes, elocution etc. How on earth they squared that with their academic aims I have no idea - we were all going to university and going to have brilliant careers after all. Anyway, I must have been a great disappointment but who cares, I'm happy as I am and very rarely need the Latin I slaved over for so many hours .

I have been a very, very naughty Bobby today. OS-ers forgive me for I have sinned. I bought myself a lovely wool winter coat in John Lewis In my defense, the last winter coat I bought lasted me 10 years so hope to get the same out of this.....AND I only paid half price for it, so maybe there is hope for me yet.

As atonement, I had a very frugal tea this evening - vegetable lasagne from the last of the bottom of the fridge veg and a fruit salad from the remains in the fruit bowl. OH went to the match early and then had fish and chips on the way home (insert jealous smiley here).

Hope you all enjoy the rest of your evening. I am off for a long soak in the bath with a very small glass of damson gin to keep me company.

Take care all.

xx

gardenia101

Byatt wrote: »

Gardenia, sorry you have been low too. It's horrible isn't it. One of the signs for me is that I no longer want to listen to music. When I feel OK, I love music.

), I was given ESA and I'm in the work group (bit of a joke, because all it means is you end up going on courses which are voluntary ahem, mandatory, and they really don't help)... I'm waiting to hear what happens after the 12 months as the govt want ESA to stop after that time if contribution based.

I'm still feeling a bit "yuk" & have another pointless Work Focused Interview tomorrow, which isn't likely to improve my mood! No doubt I'll be kept waiting for at least 30 minutes while my "advisor" fannies about chatting to the "advisor" next to her or chatting on her mobile. Then she'll call me, not apologise for keeping me waiting & we'll go through the whole why-are-you-here-again cycle after which she'll shrug & agree there really is nothing she can do to help me get a job but she does have her own job to do & that is ticking boxes. I can hardly wait....

I know this thread has got a bit political lately, & I've not yet fully caught up with all the posts - but if anyone would like to acompany me tomorrow & witness "the system" from my POV then they are most welcome.

Winchelsea wrote: »

Have been to a Quaker event on Sustainability today - very interesting - met a lot of people who would make good MSE-ers!
Lots of ideas on saving energy. One I like is for people who live alone to have shared meals. Take turns to entertain and cook - would save gas or leccy in actual cooking, also no heat being used in your own home while you're eating out! There were a few of us from Bath there, so a possibility this may happen.

That sounds interesting - is that at the meeting house just down from Bog Island?

SDG31000 wrote: »

I think it might be down to the fact that I've been watching what I eat, have stopped eating 99% of the rubbish/snacks I was before Christmas and am exercising much more.......the effect so far......nothing...zilch.......zero. Oh well, at least I'm trying.

Sorry to hear you aren't feeling too grand either - & I can agree with you about how unfair it is when you know you've changed your eating habits, yet you aren't seeing any results. I've been really good this year (had the odd bad day, but literally only 2 or 3) with far less snacking, less wine & far more exercise - yet 2 days ago I had to go & by jeans in the next size up as my other trews had all got too tight :mad:. I'm gutted & don't understand, but at least the jeans were M&S & only £3.75 from a CS :T (Oh, & they are comfortable).

I'm going to try & carry on being "good" but it is jolly hard when you can't see/feel any reward for it.

Hugs to all. An old friend of mine from years back had a sudden heart attack last week - he was the same age as me & AFAIK hadn't any history apart from being a bit overweight for years. Scary.

prepareathome

http://photobucket.com/prepareathome

I have put the photos on my photobucket account that might be easier to see, I have tried and tried to upload photos here but no luck, yet have done it in the past, but for a few months just not been able to at all.

I know I was very lucky as just before Christmas they had beautiful dresses in but boy did they charge for them - started at around £30 for the worst and went up from there, but this time of year I guess they feel not many people are likely to buy them - last week before Valentines day I guess they would have been expensive.....so ok might have done charity out of a few pounds but at moment keeping money in my pocket is my first concern. They were from Marie Curie and they these days have a habit of charging even more for things like tee-shirts than you can buy new, they see to have once price no matter the make. We had an Elthel Austin in the village up till a few months ago and you could buy their own brand new tee-shirts for less than they were selling them in the two charity shops in the village. ( Marie Curie and Barnardos).

So have nice black shoes and will just buy fine black tights as plan to wear the black dress at the weekend - the red was just a dress I have always wanted but could never afford and I adore, and amazing in my size although the black I actually can get on without undoing the zip so it makes it sit nicely on me, but not so big it looks daft and makes me look a tad slimmer. I always thought american sizes were smaller - an 18 a 16 and I am a UK 18, maybe I have lost some weight, well a girl can dream, can pull all my 18 trousers up and down without undoing buttons or zips but they are no so loose they fall down, maybe its time to dig out my 16s and see if any fit.

hugs to all

EstherH

Wow PAH, they are both lovely.

GARDENIA You have my sympathy. I have a friend who has described her experiences exactly the same.

Esther x

smileyt_2

PAH, I love Sophie the Meerdog :rotfl:.

I went to an all-girls' Catholic school. It was a comp but very strict. I was useless at Domestic Science. I would do things like crack an egg and miss the jug. Once I tipped my board up, the dough I was kneading went on the floor, and I turned round and trod in it. It got so that when the class laughed, the teacher would look up and say, "What has 'smileyt' done now?" I came first or second in the class in every subject I took except domestic science (where I came 12th, but only because I came first in the theory paper) and needlework, where I came last. I was so nervous in needlework I used to get sent to the back of the classroom for laughing. Luckily I was able to drop those subjects later on as I was a brainbox. The teachers would never believe it if they could see me now, teaching MSE OS cooking to the young people who come and stay with me.

We also had a nun who would tell us off for wearing patent leather shoes, as boys would be able to look up our skirts and see our knickers! :rotfl::rotfl: She was our French teacher and had this big desk and chair thing on wheels. We would push ourselves up and down the science labs on it (they were directly opposite our classroom). I was usually the one posted on watch duty and would hiss a message up the stairs when I saw her coming. It was then my job (because I was a 'good' girl) to stall her whilst the other girls wheeled the desk back into the classroom. I used to ask her innocent questions about the mysteries of the Rosary or the catechism ....... such a holy child I was :rotfl:.... I'm sure she thought I was a young nun in the making .... oh but she was a vicious old bat and thought nothing of walloping any girl who annoyed her (this was in the 1980's).

I really hated that school. Ironically when I left, I won the trophy for outstanding school spirit. I should have won an Oscar!! :rotfl:

Big hugs to those of you who are poorly and/or feeling low. xx