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

Living_proof

Hello one and all. I haven't been on the thread for a couple of days, and goodness, what a lot of worrying events and so glad all is getting back to normal for Kidkat and co.

I actually have some good news about my car. I thought the engine was damaged due to contaminated fuel but it turns out to be a faulty oxygen sensor (something on the exhaust apparently) and it has been replaced under warranty. Phew! Makes the £160 bill for the service seem like an absolute snip! I can at last go shopping and I'm just beginning to run out of a few basic items. It's bitterly cold up here but I took my meter readings today and I'm almost £300 in credit which is a great place to be at this time of year. I wish such good news for you all.

Mrs_Chip

Evening Everone.

Kidcat and Kate - glad both DDs are much improved, must be a great relief.

Gardenia - don't envy you your trip one bit - could you contact London Underground to arrange help (they can be quite good when they try), not sure if this is something you would like to do, but the tube is hellish a the best of times.

Pojo (posting mojo) still a bit awol, but had to smile at all the mankini speculation I can confim that Mr Chip will absolutely not be sporting a mankini whilst serving customers, or in fact any time soon, or ever if I have anything to do with it. The very thought makes me _pale_:eek:_pale_. Several tougher threads back Smiley and I got our wrists slappped and nearly got the thread closed when we indulged in a little mankini fun, worth a look for the curious :rotfl:.

Today really has been horrible - howling gales and driving rain through the night and day. My little plastic garden shed, which I had tucked into the what I thought would be the least windy place was blown over and the door smashed. The little plant houses, out and exposed, were fine! The manufacturers (Keter)do supply spare bits, and a quick phone call and a replacement part is on it's way - free-of-charge, which I think is very good service.

I have the odd times when I know things are going to happen - I knew months before that we would sell the house in London to our neighbour, but mainly it is silly things like knowing something I want will not be in stock, or 'if I do this, that will happen' type things. Usually it is just a vague thought that flits through my mind for no reason. OH is always saying the thing I have just thought, so not sure if that is me putting words into his head - perhaps I should do a little experiment along the lines of ' I must buy Mrs Chip a nice big box of choccies' (never been known for no reason :rotfl:). But I am most interested in reading everyone's experiences, I would love to have evidence that things are not black and white!

Still no date for us to start trading, my confidence is at a bit of a low so not being very proactive - very much a case of 'baby steps'. We will have a test fry on Friday for neighbours, and if I can get Mr Chip to do a bit of PR with the local caravan park we might start with a night a week up there. I think you can tell, we are not cut-throat business people!

Hope everyone is snuggly and warm, and hugs etc for those who need them.

ginnyknit

Kidcat so pleased your Dd is on the mend - can I borrow your GP for a few weeks, we seriously need one with some brain cells!

GQ I think your broadband was sabotaged by someone who is jealous of your tinned toms and pies :rotfl:

Shergar, I do hope you manage a rest soon, wish I had a magic wand that worked on the NHS to get you the help you need. OH was up all night due to some worry or other and then slept on and off all afternoon. Am thinking of sewing a coathanger in my clothes so I can just hang on the back of the bedroom door and be ready to help all the time but at least he can do some things for himself so I am lucky. My head gives me a warning 'lie down now ginny cos we have taken away your ability to think, knit or even watch carp on the tv until you sleep' sadly always at the wrong time.

Smileyt I knew you were either busy or wrangling some problem or other as I had not heard from you. Its easy to get meds mixed up, hope they get themselves in order in your body and work through xx hugs xx

GreyQueen

ginnyknit wrote: »

GQ I think your broadband was sabotaged by someone who is jealous of your tinned toms and pies :rotfl:

LMAO! They'll all be beating a path to my door, come the revolution.

Had a shocking start to the day with a phonecall before 6 am; jolted into the living room in horror that someone had died; mercifully not. It was Mum telling me that she's had a very bad night (stinking cold has laid her low) and they won't be coming into the city tomorrow and thus taking me to theirs for Easter and can I get the bus? She knew she'd have to tell me before I go to work as I have to run from the office to the bus station and it's always a bit fraught at the best of times.

No biggie, but it's a blinking National Express and they get into a snit if you haven't pre-bought the ticket.........and one place I can buy it before the bus station is near my office but doesn't open until the time I'm normally logging onto my work PC.........I shall be carrying out an interesting impression of a blue-assed fly circa 9 am this morning. Can GQ translocate? Watch this space.

Mum being poorly means no baking-for-Easter today. Which means I shall probably bake tomorrow. Which will mean Bad Cakes. Not too bad a hand with pastry but lawdy, cakes. :eek: I have a patented design for Victoria Sandwich Frisbees which has to be seen to be believed. Plus there will be the Monster 1970s Kenwood Mixer to contend with. Like Mardatha, I'm just a teensy bit nervous of noisy spinny things.

I'm a bit rubbish at some OS; can garden and sew and knit but the cooking is a bit hit-and-miss. And yet people tell me Vicky Sarnie cakes are easy? Never understood that myself...........:rotfl:And it is entirely possible to manufacture fruit cakes of heavy-enough caliber to double as offensive weapons, if you have the knack. I have wondered if I inadvertantly inspired a certain Mr T Pratchett, who has some amusing asides on the use of baked goods in warfare by the Dwarves............

Right, need my second pint of tea; have made The List and now need to find a suitable receptacle. Because of certain larcenous neighbours, I always make sure that it doesn't look like I'm going away because I don't want the beggars to loot the Shoebox. Not that I think this 12 y.o desktop PC would be on anyone's wishlist, nor the 14 y.o ghetto-blaster, nor the 35 mm camera which appears to have fallen out of a Christmas cracker nor my extensive collection of c.s. clothing............

I've had a thought! I'll leave the door open and be done with it..............:rotfl:Oh beggar it, that would void my insurance policy. Would it be very bad to leave a note on the door saying something along the lines of; Please burgle me as I need new carp?

NURRRRRRRRRRRSSSSSSSSSSSSSEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!! More tea, pleeeeeeeeeeessssssssssssssssseeee!!!

Have a good day, everyone, and I wish I could send infusions of energy to all the tired and poorly peeps. Have a virtual Dodgy Hug instead: :grouphug::grouphug::grouphug: Or even three.

meme30

I am so looking forward to the weekend. After this last few days I really need to sit and take stock and make lots of lists. DH is at work so the next three days will give me some 'catch up' time. We are going to the caravan for a few days next week, some of the days with the Grandchildren. Our week ends with a family wedding.
The freezer looks like the Gobi Desert :eek: so one of the lists is going to be a lot of batch food so I can produce meals out of thin air!
The rest will be lists of housework / List of umpteen stuff kids will need/ food that is easy so I don't feel chained to the oven!/ things to keep my sanity levels off the climbing trees level.....that will be wine and chocolate then!:rotfl: Ok, I can see these three days are not going to be restful but i will be able to just get on and sort it. A bit of space can work wonders!

Today I am taking DD2 and the twins4 to pick up my Mam 73 for her first test of her legs since surgery. We are then picking up my Gran 91 and walking to the supermarket. This will test Mams legs, get Gran's shopping and we will easy feed the lot of us in the cafe! I will thoroughly enjoy it but I know by tonight I am going to be kn*ckered! The 'olds' always wear me out more than the young!
It's lovely to still be able to do this, my Gran is amazing. She lives independently with a bit of help from the family in cleaning/washing help. She still has all her buttons sewn on and does not miss a thing! She is all about fun and my Mam tries to dampen her down a bit, she has always been more repressive than Gran. The twinkle in my Gran's eye hints at a life well lived, and she shows little sign of her great age. I would not mind living to her age as long as I could be like her. It makes me laugh, when we go for a pub lunch, Mam and I have orange juice, (she wont drink and I am driving) my Gran has a half of Old Speckled Hen!:D

meme30

GQ:- I can't make sponge cake either! Yes flat as a f**t! I can do fruit cake though! :rotfl:

thriftwizard

GQ, just passing by, probably too late but worth mentioning for future reference - you can buy National Express tickets online & print them out on your computer - quick & easy! With a houseful of students & other young people, it's a lifesaver for me and a welcome respite from parental chauffeuring "duties".

GreyQueen

meme30 wrote: »

GQ:- I can't make sponge cake either! Yes flat as a f**t! I can do fruit cake though! :rotfl:

I'm glad it's not just me! There are some demon bakers in my family and they give me The Look when I say I really CAN'T do a cake for the fete and can I contribute a bottle of something boozy to the tombola instead?

My Nan used to be the Queen of the Church Tombola and she and another equally old church lady once shocked the stuffing out of me by admitting that the deliberately didn't put the ticket(s) which corresponded with the booze into the draw until late in the day, to keep the punters coming.

I was :eek: as both those church ladies were otherwise as honest as the day is long. If you can't count on a village church fete, what can you count on in this vale of tears?!

Loved hearing about your Gran, meme30. My Nan is 89 this year and has all her marbles but isn't too good on her pins. She loves watching Formula 1 and has been known partake of a small sweet sherry from time to time............I'm taking notes for my old age. Gonna be the Pensioner from Hell; already drawing up plans..............:rotfl:

ETA thriftwizard, just saw your post and tried their website and for my city it offers two choices; journeys starting in one suburb and from the park & Ride. Bloody useless site; I need a departure from the city centre bus station where the coach starts its run. Probably a way around that but haven't time to fight with a balky website this morning. Thanks for the tip, tho.

mardatha

I'm a total and firm 1000% believer in the spirit world , have had many experiences and am training to be a medium. But for me, a forum like this isnt the place to go into it - too many people have different views and it can get heated. So I don't liek to get into it here. But I will say that its all about love, that demons and possessions are pure Hollywood, and that there is nothing at all to be scared of. A wee bit of commonsense and attitude is all you need
Bit fedup of cold after that heatwave...so miffed!! The hens water is a solid block of ice every morning and the garden is under frozen snow and ITS NOT GOOD ENOUGH - I want to play in the garden!!!
On the happy side- I sold my first eggs to the ladies in the library yesterday, so now the hens are officially contributing the household income. I told the RV his days are numbered :rotfl:

ginnyknit

I don't seem to be very successful at pinching the pennies of late. I am trying but nowt's happening :mad: Presume its just the cost of food is so high that everything is wiping out my budget. The freezers are empty really and I have used up all those ready meals I had prepared. Am hoping the veggies I have planted in the greenhouse will make a difference eventually to the budget.

Mardatha so pleased you have found a market for the eggs, it does seem to help as many on here who sell theirs have said. They used to call it 'pin money' wonder where that phrase came from?