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

fuddle

Having been a LSA working with children with SEN I can appreciate how carefully children need to be watched. I remember being 6 months pregnant and having to run fast to try to keep the child I was working with safe. I also was involved in a search to find another child who had ran out of school. They are very frightening times and being a mum now, I really do appreciate the need to know that your child is safe when away from you. Kitcat I'm really feeling you right now.

Embarrassing statement coming up. I'm about to put onions, carrots and chicken in the slow cooker for a casserole for tea but I on't actually know how to make the casserole bit. I need to go look at a recipe. How can you get to the age of 32 and not know how to make a casserole? Using pre made for too long, that's how

GreyQueen

Fuddle, I was 34 before I ever roasted a chicken. Pls don't tell anyone, OK? I thought it was difficult and was kicking myself when I realised there was nowt to it.

Re casserole, in case any more competant cooks don't wander along, crumble up a couple of OXO cubes or spoon in some stock granules, add salt and pepper and mixed herbs, coupla bay leaves if any on premises, 2 tablespoons lentils, any stray pulses like pearl barley which you have.

Casseroles are very forgiving. Just make sure there's plenty of moisture if using lentils as they soak up a lot in the cooking process.

Give it all a wind, bung on the lid and leave it. About half way along the cooking time, I like to turn mine over with a wooden spoon to stop the bits on the top drying out. HTH.

ETA re your post below, I left BT for PlusNet for both landline and internet. Loving it. You can go onto the main site and check out the best deals.

fuddle

I'm really cross. I have looked on my banking and found that BT have taken £38 out instead of £24, my agreed price. I've looked at my online account with them and found that I have been charged 3 x £5 for going over my internet usage these past few months. I understand I used it and I understand that I need to pay it but I feel they should have told me they were going to do it.

I am out of my contract with BT next month so will be looking for a cheaper deal. Direct debit is such a handy way of dealing with bills etc but I'm seriously thinking about using paper bills and paying things myself. I need to feel I have control of my finances and that £15 is out of the blue and could have easily incurred extra charges on our account. I just need to know these things thats all.

fuddle

I never would have thought that of you :eek: Am shocked

Brilliant GQ, thank you. I love pearl barley but think lentils this time. Will go add it now. I used a chicken stock cube and some tarragon. Will go add a bit of salt and pepper too. It's smelling nice actually. Looking forward to it and a bit of mash. Simples

GreyQueen

fuddle wrote: »

I never would have thought that of you :eek: Am shocked

Brilliant GQ, thank you. I love pearl barley but think lentils this time. Will go add it now. I used a chicken stock cube and some tarragon. Will go add a bit of salt and pepper too. It's smelling nice actually. Looking forward to it and a bit of mash. Simples

LMAO, I'm the idiot in the kitchen. I don't particularly enjoy cooking but I do like eating, so I operate on the least-I-need-to-know basis to get me fed. I'd make it 2 or even 3 stock cubes and be very generous with the seasoning as it will need to go a long way. Dried always has less ooomph than fresh herbs, anyway.

mcculloch29

Wow, some great posts. My heart goes out to those of you struggling with AS & similar issues with kids. I was a registered childminder who cared for several kids with extremely challenging behaviour, A.S., autism, and just plain not used to boundaries.

Luckily for me, a posse of kids is brilliant for helping to keep errant ones under control. Hopefully those kids as adults are now far more understanding of learning diffs and disabilities.

I'm with Orange for phone and net, have been with them for the net since 2000 in their various incarnations.
They are truly excellent imo, they supplied a super router free (I think I paid £175 for the BT router, the weird green Alcatel one that resembled a sea creature) and I have very, very rarely lost service.
I've certainly had far fewer problems than my sis has with BT, and never paid a penny extra for a sizeable usage (my son, the Download King, was the main user of gigabytes of download, not me).

kidcat

Thank you for all your words of wisdom.

Fuddle - I also like to throw a little wine into a casserole too (then again I like the throw wine into most things!!) I also find celery adds alot of flavour.

I have spent the night worrying so have little energy today so have really sat and done nothing much. Its so tempting to sit outside school but if I do that today I will want to do it every day.

Spiky - one of the questions that the LEA have asked is whether his current troubles are due to his autism having got worse - thankfully he has spent the last two days disproving that theory, behaving well, engaged and enjoying himself with the old teaching staff. They have also had him sit and learn which he hasnt done in weeks.
The message is pretty clear when he is handled properly he can access learning and enjoy, but take away the management and you are faced with disaster.

As you all know things have been incredibly hard with OH off work for so long and although he has returned to work it will be next week before proper pay hits us. However, OH has just announced that for the first time ever - work have overpaid him!! Its hilarious, in all his time there he has been regularly underpaid, some weeks they just forgot in the early days.
That means tomorrow alot more than should be will hit my account, I would like to pay it back straight away, cash, BACS or even cheque but they have refused and are insisting they will even it up next week, but the way they are so inefficient I fear this could take weeks to organise and will cause way more bother.

Internet we use o2 as its reduced if you have a mobile with them - have to say they have been ok.

Rainy-Days

fuddle wrote: »

I'm really cross. I have looked on my banking and found that BT have taken £38 out instead of £24, my agreed price. I've looked at my online account with them and found that I have been charged 3 x £5 for going over my internet usage these past few months. I understand I used it and I understand that I need to pay it but I feel they should have told me they were going to do it.

I am out of my contract with BT next month so will be looking for a cheaper deal. Direct debit is such a handy way of dealing with bills etc but I'm seriously thinking about using paper bills and paying things myself. I need to feel I have control of my finances and that £15 is out of the blue and could have easily incurred extra charges on our account. I just need to know these things thats all.

We are with sky for phone, TV and Broadband and as far as I know, they do not cap us for internet usage at all. BT wonder why people are leaving them in droves when they just cannot get basics right!


On a slightly other note, Anthea Turner is today bemoaning that things are so tight for her she is having to shop in Lidl. Well some of us have done it for years and you never know it might be the making of her. She still lives in a £4 million house in Surrey which not many of us could afford in a lifetime. It's called cutting your cloth and if you had looked after the pounds years ago you wouldn't be having to watch the pennies now Anthea. I liked you allot before you married that Bovey bloke then it all went to hell in a handcart after that!

Popperwell

I use Plusnet for the phone and the internet. If you pay the line rental in advance you save £3.50 each month. If you don't do a lot of downloading and watching of tv etc...you can have monthly broadband for approx £7(10gb)free phone calls weeknights(7pm-7am)all the weekends or as you have saved by paying the rental if you pay that £3.50 you can call anytime.

If you want more allowance(60gb)I think they charge £11.50 approx.

But you can use the internet between midnight and 8am and have unlimited use and it does not affect your allowance. So in theory you could have much more access to the internet. Even if you took the 10gb package.

And you can switch between packages without penalty.

I am struggling to use all that I am entitled to and with 4 days to go I have only used approx 15gb. Last month I used more because I downloaded some podcasts. But still was nowhere near my limit.

Now I am streaming radio and watching some tv just to use it up.

Popperwell

Rainy-Days wrote: »

We are with sky for phone, TV and Broadband and as far as I know, they do not cap us for internet usage at all. BT wonder why people are leaving them in droves when they just cannot get basics right!


On a slightly other note, Anthea Turner is today bemoaning that things are so tight for her she is having to shop in Lidl. Well some of us have done it for years and you never know it might be the making of her. She still lives in a £4 million house in Surrey which not many of us could afford in a lifetime. It's called cutting your cloth and if you had looked after the pounds years ago you wouldn't be having to watch the pennies now Anthea. I liked you allot before you married that Bovey bloke then it all went to hell in a handcart after that!

Rainy Days, I think that you are correct about Sky and their package. One day I may be able to consider returning to them but that may difficult as things get tighter budget wise and I never did not take the movies or sports packages when I had Sky. A lot of their output eventually gets onto the other stations. And there is a lot of repeats...

I watch less tv these ddays so I may not bother.

But internet and phonewise the package seems pretty good.

At present you can watch tv on the internet without a tv license if you watch delayed tv and not live broadcasts but they'll close that loophole eventually(they are trying to do that now in France)

If AT says she is shopping at Lidl and doesn't make sound like it's a complaint people would not mind but if you say it as though you are complaining and coming across as though it's wrong that you are having to shop there that will get everyone's back up.

So I wonder how it was meant. I suspect now and in the near future many people from all social classes(I hate that term)will be struggling and tightening their belts and will see their incomes reduce.

But as they are starting at a higher income what they see as hardship will not be as bad as those of us who are already on welfare or on a low income.

Many will have to rub shoulders with people they perhaps did not think that they would, so perhaps trips to Waitrose will be fewer. I'll always be watching the pennies from now on not sure how much further I can cut my cloth.

I will survive but will have to be careful and not be able to treat myself that often.