Frump to Fab - Sizzling Summer Solstice to Awesome Autumn Equinox

WelshWoofer

lizzie157 wrote: »

WW Well done! Where do you run? Have been trying the couch to 5k (as you know) but have been running when walking dogs which is over the fields and so not very even. I'm wondering if I dare run on the street. I do see people running over the fields but am finding it hard going -just didn't want anyone to see me really.:o

I run either in the park or around the streets - I do wear a baseball cap, no make up and my hair in a pony tail so may be quite unrecognisable;) I actually find it easier on the streets as it seems like I'm going somewhere.

Savvy_sewing

yes it was a great boost to the ego! I am beginning to feel more like the Mooloo of the past. before illness and stress etc hit. I am handling things better after reading "feel the Fear and do it anyway" and the follow up book, Feel the fear and beyond. Still reading that one. Work book really, so working my way through it slowly. Its finding the personal time to do it in.
Been on the laptop all day surfing hear and there and have just gone and ordered some more fabric on the internet. My downfall. Put it on my credit card! oops. I really am obsessed with fabrics and clothes at the moment. Got to lock away my card now for the next couple of months. My house is overflowing with fabrics and I keep seeing more that i want. Oh no!. I want to spend money on my fabing not my sewing!!!!

podperson

Morning all,

Feeling a bit frazzled today. OH has been constantly stressed the last few days and is starting to wear me down. He was meant to be getting the dvds done for tonight and has had nothing but probs and is now stressing that the programme won't work and we'll have to give everyone their money back - which I don't know how he expects to do when he's spent it all! Also he's meant to be doing a presentation this afternoon for his uni resit and he's having panic attacks about it - his main problems centre around anxiety and things like this are the worse thing for him really. We tried asking for an alternative on medical grounds but they weren't having it. I just hope he goes (especially after I've spent half my weekend helping him with it!) but if I try and push him into it it just makes things worse.

On the plus side did manage to make a fairly healthy tea of pasta and veggies last night - with leftovers for lunch today -and braved the scales this morning! Was actually a few pounds under what I was expecting but definately not a good figure so need to get organised with the eating and exercise. Have done a meal plan for the week - it's just being bothered to do the exercise I'm struggling with at the moment

faithless

Hello all! I lurked for a bit then got behind and never actually caught up. I decided just to read the last couple of posts and join in again rather than worry, so apologies if I've missed anything.

Well I went to my OH's brother's wedding last week, and hadn't lost any weight. Put a few pounds on in the few days we were there I think, due to the copious amounts of food and drink! A bit disappointing I hadn't got in shape before, but I had a well-fitting dress on, and had been fabbing my legs with daily tan so looked nice.

30 days before the wedding I had started to do Shred, but it was hurting my back too much after a few days so had to stop. Have finished the NHS physio now, utterly useless, despite me doing every single exercise religiously.
Have privately started seeing a sports massage guy now though, who seems quite good so here's hoping.

The physio was left open for me to decide what to do - she can refer me to back clinic or pain clinic, which I don't have much hopes for as she described them respectively as 'for people with back pain who are too frightened to move and do the physio exercises' and 'pain management, eg we can rent you a tens machine'. Or she can refer me back to my GP, but when I asked what would happen then, she said she didst know. *sigh*

Hope everyone is well and the weather's not getting everyone too down.

lessonlearned

Hello Everyone

Well done Mooloo - great ego boost there.

WW if I want a low cal drink I often have slimline tonic with ice and lemon - not too bad - no-one knows you haven't got any gin in it:rotfl: I don't think it has caffeine in it.

If I'm not driving then a glass of dry white wine spritzer is nice and refreshing - it's quite a long drink too. You could either have low cal lemonade if you have a sweet tooth or I just plump for the soda water.

I noticed the Hairy Biker's programme - will give it a whirl.

Welcome back Faithless. If you google exercises for Core Muscles you'll find plenty of exercises there designed to help with back pain. You can chose your own level you are comfortable with.

Your physio's advice seems a bit out of kilter with modern medical practice. Even with back pain you need to move, obviously within your own pain parameters. Restrictng movement just seems to lock the muscles even more and make things worse. Some gentle yoga type stretching is a good place to start.

pp - you do sound under pressure at the moment. Hope things ease off a little soon. Try and take it a bit easier. Perhaps your OH will feel a bit better once the presentation is over.

What all these presentations and essays have to do with anything is a bit questionable isn't it. Why oh why to they insist on "academicalising" everything - sorry I know that's not a real word, but surely it is his practical skills that matter most.

My joiner who is in his 60's and who has just done my kitchen suffers from severe dyslexia. He can hardly write his name. He is one skilled carpenter and a real craftsman. He can fit a cheap £2000 kitchen and make it look like a £20,000 one. He can work out all manner of technical calculations in his head.

He tells me if he had to retrain again and do the kind of course that he would need to pass today he would fail miserably - because he couldn't write an essay if his life depended on it. He's not stupid - he can quote Shakespeare with the best of them.

Same with my plumber/heating engineer, aged 49. His maths are perfect - they have to be to do all the necessary computations but again he cannot read or write very well. Again he says the modern courses are not up to scratch - too much emphasis on the academic written word. As he points out the problem solving involved with plumbing/heating/wiring/carpentry comes with practice and experience, working as an apprentice alongside a time served expert.

Well I have had a busy few days. Kitchen coming along nicely, and I'm steadily working my way through the cupboards - having a good old declutter. Had to buy a new washing machine today :eek: mine finally died.

Went to the ATOS meeting. As expected it was just a box ticking exercise. The nurse was extremely kind and sympathetic and she admitted that given the fact that my pension is due shortly she said she felt the whole exercise was rather pointless.

I asked if, assuming my ESA is going to stop, bearing in mind my age and the fact that I'm so close to receiving my pension, would I become eligible for JSA.

She said not to worry the powers that be would take all that into account when they make their decisions.

I couldn't help it - I said to her that given the time scales it hardly justified the admin costs, having all these assessments and meetings etc. was surely going to cost the DWP quite a bit of money.

She just chuckled and agreed and then repeated her "Not to worry" mantra, you'll be ok. What a way to run a country. :rotfl: No wonder Britain is in such a mess.

If private industry operated like this (yes I know ATOS are private but it is the DWP who picks up the tab) then we'd really be in queer street.

How can the DWP justify squandering money in this way - it's beyond me.:o I discussed it with OH this morning. We came to the conclusion it was just a way of massaging the figures to show They are doing something. What larks.

maman

:wave: LL, I watched a programme last night where CH4 had sent a doctor under cover to do ATOS training. They definitely seemed to have a 'cut benefits' agenda although they were trying to say otherwise. It seems that ATOS is being paid handsomely and are in line for another large contract. I did wonder whether having their fingers burned by G4S the govenrnment might reconsider. Following immediately after that was an 'Undercover Boss' programme from a company that took over some homes when Southern Cross went bust. She wanted to find out why they couldn't keep staff and maybe existing staff cut some corners. She found some great people who were giving 110% but they were paying them peanuts especially the qualified nurses.

IMO we have to sort out the thinking behind a country that thinks it's OK for certain people to have huge profit, wealth or privilege (or all three) while others are expected to scrape by on next to nothing. The gap is massive and it's widening. I quite like the John Lewis principle where, OK they recognise different scales of employment based on experience, responsibility etc but they have multipliers for the salaries. So the CEO's salary is based on x times the lowliest grade. And if the CEO gets a pay rise or a bonus then so does everyone else and vice versa.

On the need for qualifications, this was recognised by the introduction of NVQs. Instead of passing exams, people are expected to demonstrate competencies in the workplace. So, your joiner and plumber could do that if they didn't have the academic ability to pass exams. The trouble is that those who can pass technical exams e.g.BTEC are qualifying to become technicians and engineers not your average craftsmen. Then when employers advertise for semi-skilled workers they complain that school leavers have poor literacy and numeracy skills. What they are missing is that the type of candidate who might have gone for an apprenticeship or similar years ago is now going to university and the next level down is going for apprenticeships and training courses. The students they are seeing (who struggle with learning) have always existed but in the past they had unskilled jobs like sweeping the workshop, carrying the tools etc. These no longer exist.

Jumps off soapbox and runs off....:o

WelshWoofer

Quite right Maman. As a teacher I see children that are just not academic being pushed into academic courses as they are told they will just not get a job otherwise. Even the BTEC is under threat and has already introduced an examined element to the course.
As an example, I teach a boy in yr 8 that has severe dyslexia and has problems reading and writing. He wants to be a farrier (has grown up with horses) and has great practical skills - his parents did not know how to further his ambition so asked me to investigate, when I did I was shocked - he needs GCSEs (including maths and english) and has to do an academically based course in addition to a hands on apprenticeship - he just won't be able to acheive this. He has a promise of an apprenticeship with the family farrier but in order to become qualified needs the academic qualification too - poor lad won't even get to the entrance point even though he knows horses like the back of his hand, is ambitious and good with his hands. I'm sure, in years gone by farriers didn't have to go through all of this rigmarole:mad:

Its still pouring down here and the walk is looking less and less appealing but I'll make myself go. The swim was ok but a bit of a test of patience with a billion kids in the pool - my fault for going in the afternoon instead of the morning. I've also had an "eat everything in sight" day - don't think I ate enough yesterday and being tired doesn't help. I've eaten good stuff but lots of it - need to go on the walk to stay within the cal allowance for the day.:o
Lets hope the rain peters out.......

fedupandskint

Shred day 9 completed on L2 - one more day to go and level 2 is completed. Not much else to report apart from Olympics time!

floss2

maman wrote: »

...IMO we have to sort out the thinking behind a country that thinks it's OK for certain people to have huge profit, wealth or privilege (or all three) while others are expected to scrape by on next to nothing. The gap is massive and it's widening. I quite like the John Lewis principle where, OK they recognise different scales of employment based on experience, responsibility etc but they have multipliers for the salaries. So the CEO's salary is based on x times the lowliest grade. And if the CEO gets a pay rise or a bonus then so does everyone else and vice versa.

On the need for qualifications, this was recognised by the introduction of NVQs. Instead of passing exams, people are expected to demonstrate competencies in the workplace. So, your joiner and plumber could do that if they didn't have the academic ability to pass exams. The trouble is that those who can pass technical exams e.g.BTEC are qualifying to become technicians and engineers not your average craftsmen. Then when employers advertise for semi-skilled workers they complain that school leavers have poor literacy and numeracy skills. What they are missing is that the type of candidate who might have gone for an apprenticeship or similar years ago is now going to university and the next level down is going for apprenticeships and training courses. The students they are seeing (who struggle with learning) have always existed but in the past they had unskilled jobs like sweeping the workshop, carrying the tools etc. These no longer exist.

Jumps off soapbox and runs off....:o

I totally agree Maman, and would add that with NVQ's, or any work based qualification nowdays, one has to have "valid" maths & english qualifications...so the girl in our office doing her AAT accountancy technician exams has to do key skills in maths, despite only being 26!

lessonlearned

floss2 wrote: »

I totally agree Maman, and would add that with NVQ's, or any work based qualification nowdays, one has to have "valid" maths & english qualifications...so the girl in our office doing her AAT accountancy technician exams has to do key skills in maths, despite only being 26!

Sorry if I'm being a bit thick here - as you know I'm no maths whizz:o In fact I'm always very much in awe of those who do have a facility with maths - it's totally beyond my ken.

Are you saying that despite being only 26 her original maths qualifications - I'm assuming at least GCSE - are no longer valid and she has had to do another qualification. Seems a bit unfair.

Maman - I have always been very impressed with the way John Lewis treat their staff. Apparently they keep them for years, their staff retention rate is phenomenal. Is it perhaps because they treat them fairly. I think the key is that word Partnership in their title. They view their staff as partners not just underlings.

Having worked for so long in construction I am often dismayed how people sometimes view "The Trades".

A plumber/heating engineer is a highly skilled profession, a good joiner/carpenter is a craftsman in every sense of the word. As you know my DS2 is now retraining as an Electrical Engineer - the stuff he is doing is mind boggling.

These trades people are not thick or stupid, their earning potential is phenomenal and yet society views these jobs as being of little worth because they are seen as not being "Academic" in some way. These guys need to know their maths and science. Imagine a "humble bricklayer" trying to build four walls to make a house without a basic grasp of geometry.:rotfl:

As for roofers - they are awesome. The perform a highly skilled job at height :eek: scampering around like mountain goats.

As a little aside I was always amused at the way the roofers always used to sing when they were working. Every site I have ever worked on the roofing contractors always sang. I wonder if they had to pass a singing audition at their job interview.:rotfl:

Maman - soapbox or not - I do so agree at your comments about the unfairness and unjustness of it all and yes the wealth divide does seem to be widening. So much for ladders of opportunity.

WW your story of your year 8 pupil who is so good with horses and who will never get his chance to fulfil his ambitions is just so sad. As his teacher it must be so frustrating for you to have to stand by and watch his dreams and spirit be crushed.

I listen to some of you younger ladies on here and how you struggle to get started in your chosen careers, how many job applications you have to make and how often you all get knocked back and I really feel so sorry for you all.

I watch my sons struggle and battle for their chance and I feel so frustrated for them.

Lets hope things pick up a little soon.

What is worrying is that assuming things do pick up in say 5 years or so - will the newer graduates reap all the benefits of a healthier economy to the detriment of the current twenty somethings who haven't really managed to get started.

Will a whole generation find their hopes and dreams dashed and their lives blighted.

Oh dear - sorry my musings have taken such a depressing turn. It must be the rain and grey skies.

Just going to tidy my nails before having an early night.