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

bogwobbit

Hello again everyone

Miserable weather here too, but at least the rain's off now. Youngest dd and her friend are up to mischief - it's her turn to bring the class 'bring home bear' (although it looks like a dog to me) home and I think, from the shrieks and giggling that are going on, that they are writing 'rude things' in his diary :D

Penny-Pincher - :eek::eek: about your car! £3000 when you've only just bought it. The thing about the CV joint brings back a 'funny' memory to me. Years ago, before dh and I were married, I had a very old Vauxhall Cavalier and it started to make strange knocking noises, which I eventually found out were the CV joint but before we realised this, dh decided to take the wheel off to investigate himself. Unfortunately he put the wheel nuts on the wrong way round (you could do this in a really old car) when he put the wheel back on. I knew there was something wrong when I drove but because all the unthreading was happening under the hub cap, it all looked fine until the next day when I was driving to work.......and the wheel came off :eek: He assures me it was an accident!

Greyqueen and other solo travellers, I have a question. When you stayed in backpackers hostels, did you stay in a single room or in a dorm? I think I'd probably prefer a single room but obv it's much dearer than a dorm?
When I go to Aus / NZ later this year, I think I will be terrified. I went on holiday on my own once, when I was 17 (a Youth Hostel Association ski-ing holiday) and had a brilliant time but I've never been anywhere alone since.

ginnyknit

Thats amazing GQ, seeing your own handiwork thats obviously loved so much by pennypincher that she want's to wash it so carefully

Feeling a bit rough today so not got much done except crochetting a cushion cover that I am addicted to. Went for a walk round a couple of CS's earlier and was underwhelmed by the stock, as an ex CS manager I know what they need to make targets and they didnt have a cat in hells chance, so glad I retired.

Went to see Gp yesterday with OH and confirmed his hospital appointments should be 6 weeks apart not 6 months :eek::eek: got home swore a bit then phoned hospital - amazingly we have an appointment for tomorrow!

Hugs to all in need. x

GreyQueen

bogwobbit wrote: »

Greyqueen and other solo travellers, I have a question. When you stayed in backpackers hostels, did you stay in a single room or in a dorm? I think I'd probably prefer a single room but obv it's much dearer than a dorm?
When I go to Aus / NZ later this year, I think I will be terrified. I went on holiday on my own once, when I was 17 (a Youth Hostel Association ski-ing holiday) and had a brilliant time but I've never been anywhere alone since.

You don't need to worry about a thing, hun, those YHA backpacker hostels in NZ are superb. I can't advise on Oz as I have never been, but I have stayed in most of the YHA ones in NZ. Sadly, the one in Christchurch was affected by the earthquake last year.

I stayed in dorms and they were anything from 4-8 beds, single-sex. Usually pairs of bunkbeds, the bottom ones get blagged first. Very clean, simply furnished, all bedding provided. The hostels have laundry facilities, which is great as you don't end up dragging every item of clothing you own for a multi-week trip, plus kitchens, internet, bookswop shelves, communal kitchens with..... WAITFORIT.... constant boiling water for teas and coffees in those machines like you get if offices.:) You'll meet people from all walks of life and all ages from students to octogenarians and have a lovely time. At the time I went, the £ equivalent was about £7-8 a night but that's a while ago and the exchange rate was more favourable. Most hostels won't have an option of a single room although some do have multi-bed family rooms which can be booked out exclusively for a family's personal use.

If you want to ask specific info about places you're going to, but would rather not have your destination on the public forum, I would be very happy to dispense tips, answer queries via PM so feel free to send one.

One thing I will say is that if you're going to Auckland, NZ DO NOT go to the City YHA hostel, go to the International YHA. They're both on the same block and I've stayed in both and the City one is far far inferior. Try this site https://www.yha.co.nz/

OK, gonna go and look at "my" longlost blanket's photie. Still cannot get over the co-incidence.:p:)

Gardenia101 no April fooling; http://greentyre.co.uk/ I just wondered if anyone had tried these and if they made a bike ride very lumpy?

Byatt

Gardenia, what are the Wa!trose £10 offers? Do they have them all the time? I have some vouchers and as DD and I are off to Cornwall next week it would be nice to get some luxuries, but cheaply!

GQ, that is amazing, what a small world. I hope PP can give us the back story to the much loved blanket.

Bogwobbit, when I travelled on my own I stayed with "pen pals"...I do hope to do hostels in the future and probably would prefer a single room as I need alone time.

Dee, glad the OT had some good ideas, they do surprise you don't they!

It's so cold here, and still raining.

meanmarie

Bogwobbit....can vouch for the hostels in Oz....from Melbourne to Cairns, have stayed in 4 bed, twin and double rooms en suite...cant remember if they offered single rooms but facilities were excellent, much as GQ says about NZ..sometimes breakfast was free. If you plan on driving when in Oz would say that camping sites often offer cabins on a nightly basis for very reasonable cost.

HTH

Marie

meme30

Well the car sailed through it's MOT. Strangely, PAH we were told our brakes will be good for another 6000 miles, then get them done! Hope you enjoy your trip to Glasgow.:)
Pennypincher:- Thats really bad, It's not like you can produce that sort of money out of thin air!:(

Greyqueen:- The MSE Blanket Mystery! Just like an Agatha Christie novel. I have now cast you as cycling village type Miss Marple investigating disappearance and return of Long Lost Family Heirloom. You just know it's going to be the Vicar that did it!:eek: :rotfl: Do you both live in the same area?

Pictures on Facebook yesterday afternoon of our caravan site showed water up the wheels of the caravans! Not ours thank goodness, ours is on the higher bit of the field.
Some of the awnings have collapsed too. We are in a valley next to the river Wear. A small beck runs around two sides of the field and it burst it's banks at the 'right angle' bit. It looks like debris has collected on the hanging sheep gate and everything pooled from that. Farmer said last night the levels were dropping and the caravans are out of water now. Scary! but the news has just said it's the wrong water! What the bl**dy hell does that mean?

mardatha

It means it's not wet. It's dry water. Do pay attention!

GreyQueen

meme30 wrote: »

Well the car sailed through it's MOT. Strangely, PAH we were told our brakes will be good for another 6000 miles, then get them done! Hope you enjoy your trip to Glasgow.:)
Pennypincher:- Thats really bad, It's not like you can produce that sort of money out of thin air!:(

Greyqueen:- The MSE Blanket Mystery! Just like an Agatha Christie novel. I have now cast you as cycling village type Miss Marple investigating disappearance and return of Long Lost Family Heirloom. You just know it's going to be the Vicar that did it!:eek: :rotfl: Do you both live in the same area?

Pictures on Facebook yesterday afternoon of our caravan site showed water up the wheels of the caravans! Not ours thank goodness, ours is on the higher bit of the field.
Some of the awnings have collapsed too. We are in a valley next to the river Wear. A small beck runs around two sides of the field and it burst it's banks at the 'right angle' bit. It looks like debris has collected on the hanging sheep gate and everything pooled from that. Farmer said last night the levels were dropping and the caravans are out of water now. Scary! but the news has just said it's the wrong water! What the bl**dy hell does that mean?

No, we don't, that's one of the reasons this is soooo funny. That blanket has done some serious travelling since I donated it!

Glad to hear that your caravan was dry. I should imagine most caravans wouldn't recovery very well from a soaking.

I was listening to a guy being interviewed on the radio about how even if it rains like this all summer (heaven forfend, I'm already developing rust in my personal c.v. joints aka knees) it wouldn't resolve the drought as summer rain is apparently almost useless in terms of recharging ground water. We've had 17 inches when we should have had 47 inches in the past 2 winters. It's the lack of winter rains which have caused the problems.

I'm on the dry side of the UK and regularly see irrigators going in the heat of the day for hour after hour to grow veggies. When you think that most of that precious water is being lost to evaporation, it's shocking. It always galled me to see lottie neighbours watering with hoses when it was 25 degrees and at midday. Not only is it not doing much good for the veggies, it's wasting water off the standtap which is the same as the water supply to the houses; expensively pumped, purified and potable water...............grrrr!

However, the people doing it are people I like and get along with well, so I've never had the nerve to discuss it with them. At least this year I won't have to look at that and bite my lip. I don't own a hose and selectively water certain things with a can; seedlings and anything which is looking in dire need. I never water the spuds at all, because they would need so much that it wouldn't be feasible.

Strangely, although all the gardening books assure me that plentiful water is critical for a good crop, I grow some monstrously huge tatties. Typically get 9kg back for every 1kg seed spuds and have had some individual spuds which would feed a family of 4 and weigh nearly a kilo. The estate where my lottie is situated is notorious and very rough-and-ready and a typical passers-by comment when I'm doing the harvesting is; "Look at the size of those f*****g things!" I could do without the language but the awe is sincere.

The only reason I can think that the non-watering works is that I have put tonnes of organic material into the soil in the past 4 years. The site has been used as lotties since before WW2 and was farmland before that and the soil is exhausted when you take it on. We're obviously back onto Early-Neo soil levels as I keep finding their stuff in the top few inches of soil. The guys at the museum aren't surprised as they know the oldtimers were farming and living up there. I bet they'd've loved to have steel tools to use like my mattock, spade and digging fork.

All righty, time for some more tea. Nurrrrrrrrrrrssssssssseeee!!!!

Penny-Pincher!!

GreyQueen wrote: »

OMG, this is going to sound completely insane but I can barely believe my own eyes but I'm almost 100% certain that the blanket Penny-Pincher has pictured was knitted by me for Oxfam several years ago!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I KNOW that sounds insane and improbable but I recognise the blessed thing. Tell me PP, are the strips oversewn, back stitched on themselves so they form "xxx" where one length of joining thread stops and another starts? I often used to use a thin browny-gold synthetic to sew them up.

OMG, I have to go back and look at that picture again.............:eek:

ETA; that blanket was knitted by me. No doubt now. I can tell you that I very much doubt that there is any "wool" in there as it was made from pulled out acrylic jumpers and the oddments of leftover bits from decades worth of Mum's knitting projects. I've just rung Mum and they're loading the forum at hers so she can see it too. OMG I just don't freaking believe this!

ETa I've just come off the phone with Mum and we're gobsmacked and killing ourselves laughing. I'd emailed her that blanket pix and it's deffo mine, knitted at her house from her cast-off yarn. I've even got some of the garments whose leftover odd-and-sods went into that. It was 8 foot long when newly-made but I guess the weight might have stretched it out. I'd LOVE to know where/ when you got it. I haven't made one for several years now as when I took the last one to Oxfam the guy in the shop accepted it very grudgingly, said that they didn't take them any more but that he'd take that one as a favour. Fine, I thought, won't burden you with any more then! I made about 24-25 of them over the years and about 30 cute stripy jumpers for the Oxfam charity appeals...........I still don't believe my eyes!!!!!!!!

Hi GQ

My mum bought it from Cornwall for me at a Bootsale a few months back. She took a picture and sent to me as she knew I wanted one as I feel the cold a lot and loved it! She paid £15 for it, but TBH, I would have paid more if needed as its so well made, heavy and warm.

Thank you for making it! Its my favourite blanket ever and I take it into hospital with me when I have to have treatment and even on long car journeys.

PP
xx

Rosetta92

mardatha wrote: »

It means it's not wet. It's dry water. Do pay attention!

:rotfl::rotfl::rotfl:

So could we have some dry water up here, I'm fed up with the wet stuff. And when, oh when can I start planting outside?