make do and mend for tougher times

Popperwell

Fuddle,
Even if we are all usually positive and ready to face whatever life throws at us, it is acceptable to have a time where it is not possible to "Put on a happy face!"

I am sure that no one is able to remain happy and feel down at some point in their lives and often it is the smaller things that hit us that often we would say others will think infinitesimal but seem large to us.

Hobsons_Choice

Brrr...cold and damp here, but at least it's stopped raining.
I have a problem that I'm sure you can answer for me: DH bought some faggots from the butcher yesterday and fancies them for tea tomorrow with onion gravy and mash. Problem is I've NEVER cooked faggots, what's the best way to do them please?

VJsmum

jackel wrote: »

Hello All

Greyqueen isn't it funny how just a few little words can make a person happy ? I too can knit (again just the ordinary jumper or something simmilar) but I have never come accross another needle looser. I knit in exactly the way you describe and all these years have thought it was just me ! Many times I have been laughed at, but, I just cant do it properly. You have made me feel normal - ta.

Fuddle - Glad you are taking the sensible none confrontatinal route with LL. It's his house so he calls the shots - hope you feel better now - don't let it get you down.

jacxx

hi. i knit like that too!! MIL keeps trying to teach me the proper way but i just CANT do it!!

mardatha

I think a home is where you and your family are living, no matter who owns it. If you're in it then you make it nice to be in.
My MIL once got put into a council flat she hated - she lived in there for 18 years without lightshades because she kept saying "I'm not staying" - and my husband couldn't understand why that cracked me up :rotfl::rotfl:

fuddle

I'm happy I've been catching up on Lucy from Attic24's blog and oh, her photo's of Provence and the French markets made me just want to go even more. One day

Sometimes it feels like everything just gets too much, then you calm down and everything is normal and perfectly acceptable. I must stop bothering you with my frantic moments.

Edit:

We've hit 10 000 posts again and I've had a PM wondering if we should start a new one. The lovely poster suggested November 1st and maybe 'make do and mend as things get an awful lot tougher'. Anyone got any more ideas on what they would like to call it?

Board Guides. Is this ok?

smileyt_2

Hi everyone, been MIA for a couple of days because I've had guests, but they've gone home now. We had a lovely time, lots of laughs and it was nice to have someone to make me a cup of tea (although I did my fair share of tea making too).

So many pages to catch up on .... Can remember Possession's OH getting a job (congratulations!) and Kidcat's bizarre car window and icecream man scenario (the mind boggles ....).

Fuddle, I think you've made a good decision not to rock the boat, even though it is galling. You catch more flies with honey than with vinegar. My parents also had to pull their fitted wardrobes out of their bedroom because of a damp problem so it's not uncommon.

Can't remember who was having huge condensation problems and having to wipe the windows several times a day ... would those 'dehumidifier tubs' you can get from the pound shop help?
Made a huge lentil dahl thingy in the slow cooker yesterday - 8 portions! So guess what's for tea tonight!

RANT ALERT!
I am getting two weeks' respite from tomorrow, thank goodness. The trouble is, Lodger Boy hasn't yet cleaned the cooker or the oven (even though I've asked him - nicely - three times over the last fortnight) or the microwave (even though I've asked him five times over the last six weeks). I am so p*ssed off. He went out last night and stayed out. I sent him a text earlier asking when he would be home. No reply. So I have sent him another text asking him to come back and clean the kitchen, and that it is very disrespectful to live in someone else's house and not clean your mess up. I wanted to use the oven to batch cook over this next fortnight but if he doesn't clean it I can't as it's covered in chicken fat and grease. He's 22 so he is not some bit of a kid. I am so angry that I just know I'm going to explode if he does come back tonight.

In fact, if he doesn't clean the oven, I'm going to talk to the social worker about him not coming back at all because I've had enough. That's after I have put the dirty oven shelves on his bed for him to find when he comes back in two weeks' time.

Hey ho. I shall endeavour to calm myself ..... I have a DVD to watch and then will go and do some ironing, oh the joys!

Have a good evening xx.

GreyQueen

jackel wrote: »

Hello All

Greyqueen isn't it funny how just a few little words can make a person happy ? I too can knit (again just the ordinary jumper or something simmilar) but I have never come accross another needle looser. I knit in exactly the way you describe and all these years have thought it was just me ! Many times I have been laughed at, but, I just cant do it properly. You have made me feel normal - ta.

Fuddle - Glad you are taking the sensible none confrontatinal route with LL. It's his house so he calls the shots - hope you feel better now - don't let it get you down.

jacxx

:T Yesss!!!!!!!

VJsmum wrote: »

hi. i knit like that too!! MIL keeps trying to teach me the proper way but i just CANT do it!!

:T And more yesss!!!!!!!!!

Boy, but am I looking forward to telling Mum that there are other people knitting in just the same way. The amount of times she's marvelled at how I can knit like that and keep the tension perfectly. But whenever I try to do it "properly" which involves sliding your right (or dominant) hand up the needle, all that happens is that about 10 stitches get shoved right off the end (and I ain't brilliant at picking 'em up either ). I've never managed to knit properly but it all comes out fine, so long as I keep it nice and simple.

I did a double-take the other week when a 19 y.o. relative went to Mum for a knitting lesson. She'd gone to her great-gran (my Nan) as her own Mum doesn't knit and couldn't teach her, and Nan told her she really ought to go to my Mum. So she did, spending most of the day and really came on.

I was gobsmacked that there are cool and groovy teen women out there taking up knitting. And who are prepared to drive 30 miles for the privilege.

About 40 years ago, Mum mentioned in the hearing of one of her young nephews that she was thinking about getting a knitting machine. He declared You don't need a knitting machine Auntie

---

, you ARE a knitting machine!

She started a sweater last night for a friend of Nan's. I expect it to take 8-10 days at the most. Be very surprised if it took 2 weeks. This woman once took a restbreak halfway up Scafell Pike and got out her (sock) knitting.:rotfl:

My Second Breakfast was lush; homemade waffles with warmed cherries and a grating of dark chocolate. Mmmmmmm, heavenly. And although it was drizzling, pal and I went to her allotment and spent almost an hour, just to give the lottie officer something to look at next time.

Smileyt, I once majorly lost my rag with a young lad from Bearsden (snooty district of Glasgow) who was growing FURRY MOULD CULTURES IN MY SAUCEPANS in our shared flat.

:mad: I'd been in college for 10 hours, I was tired, I was hungry and couldn't cook until I'd sorted out his carp and prolly very scary (he ran away crying). Would you like me to come over to Manc and put the fear of Glod into your young person?A little bit of terror can be a useful housetraining tool if they get past 20 and still seem to have been dragged up by wolves.

Rightly, want to see if my leftover whoopsied pork chop is thoroughly reheated in the oven and then will tuck in.

Have a good evening, GQ xx

nuatha

Hobsons_Choice wrote: »

Brrr...cold and damp here, but at least it's stopped raining.
I have a problem that I'm sure you can answer for me: DH bought some faggots from the butcher yesterday and fancies them for tea tomorrow with onion gravy and mash. Problem is I've NEVER cooked faggots, what's the best way to do them please?

I'd brown them in a frying pan then place in a casserole dish, use the same pan to brown onions and make an onion gravy, add the gravy to the casserole and bake for 45-50 mins at 180 Fan. I'd turn the faggots after 25 minutes.
Enjoy.

kidcat

Smiley - I would have lost it well before now and hit him with the oven door and then stuffed him inside it for an hour.

Fuddle - well done, you have taken a bad situation and got on with it.

Am exhausted, DD6 party went on for 3 hours:eek: invite said it was 90mins. It was very OTT and some of the party characters were slightly risque and certainly way above the kids. Open bar again and full hot buffet for parents and children, all very expensive.

I returned to a not happy DD18 who had been left sitting DS8, if I had even thought the party would go on that long I would have dropped DD off and gone back for her, but I kept thinking it will finish in a minute.

Have emptied the ironing basket whilst cooking the roast dinner so at least that is out of the way and uniforms are all done for the week. Its lovely to have a nice empty ironing basket at least.

Have an issue with one of the cats (its the one we took back from friend), she appears terrified of fireworks, we have never had a cat who was scared, as we have always been very careful to keep them in and not make a fuss etc. Even the dog isnt bothered (He likes to sit at the window and watch) - but she is terrified, my guess is that the dog she lived with obviously barked and got upset by them which in turn has taught her to be afraid, but I have no idea what to do for her.

GreyQueen

Kidkat, my family have taken on a variety of cats and all bar one of them have HATED fireworks.

One stray girl we took on as a 9 y.o. was as soft as butter and very social but hated fireworks and hid under the bed. Others, inc one had from kittenhood, were jumpy but not quite to the extent of hiding.

A 3 y.o. male cat we took on had been with us only a few weeks when bonfire night came around. He was asleep on my lap when a rocket came screaming overheard. He shot upright, tense as a bowstring. We didn't react; just kept on chatting quietly and he looked at the people in the room and you could almost see him thinking; They're not worried. So I won't be worried.

He curled up and went back to sleep and never batted an eyelid when fireworks went off in future.

Maybe if your cat sees that your household doesn't react to loud noises she'll feel safe and be calmer?