make do and mend for tougher times

Byatt

mardatha wrote: »

All these people facing redundancy and losing jobs - are you you're not telling fibs?
I mean, our trusty govt said just yesterday that unemployment is falling! Numbers on the dole are dropping - so you must all be fibbing because the govt would not lie to us !
Ooooh I do like a good laugh to start the day off with

I was listening to an "expert" on the radio yesterday talking about this exact same thing. He couldn't answer why unemployment figures were falling, but (possibly) put it down to people getting jobs for the Olympics...it is baffling the experts and they are trying to establish why...

IMVHO, official figures are down because a year has passed or whatever the statutory limit is for various benefits, and people can no longer claim, so either fall through the net, claim other benefits or...I don't know, do what I do and try to be self employed. In September my year is up, so another statistic will be born.

short_bird

Hedgehogs.
http://www.hedgehogstreet.org/

VJsmum

I have to whisper as i am invigilating an exam <<shhh>>

I also have tonsilitis and feel as rough as a badgers - ermmm - arriss! However I couldn't get a dr appointment till this afternoon so thought I'd come in to do my invigilation slot. Thankfully there is only one "special needs" student. Awful term - poor chap is dyslexic and needs extra time. Hopefully I will finish my remaining marking while I am here.

Wow, my DD knows how to celebrate her birthday. I was dashing round in shockingly horrendous rain collecting various friends and OH and I took them to Star CIty in Birmingham where they feasted on a pizza buffet, shot each other with lasers, climbed some rock type walls and played mini golf. just when we thought we were safe they all piled back to ours for hours. QUite proud that we managed to feed me, OH and DS on left over and whoopsied curries from the freezer and 6 teenagers with combinations of toasties, pasta and homemade tomato sauce and beans. DD said she couldn't believe how we'd rustled up so much food so quickly. She still has much to learn!!

Talking of knitting - did anyone see the woman who had knitted her wedding dress! It was truly beautiful and so unique

HOpe the linky works

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-2175455/Bride-KNITS-dress-hunts-crockery-charity-shops-5-000-recession-wedding.html

Tho I wouldn't call £5000 a recessionary wedding. Mine was about £2000, tho it was 20 years ago.

Mrs_Veg_Plot

Pops if the eggs float in water they have gone off, it's something to do with air entering through the shell (that is as sciency as I get).

That knitted wedding dress was wonderful. I started learning how to knit earlier on this year but since I have been on meds to prevent migraines they knock me out and my evenings are very short so have not done any for months. I need to get going on it again as it is a special project. One of my friends died late last year and her husband knew I was learning how to knit so gave me the wool and pattern she bought just before she died, it is a lovely cape type affair in autum colours. It will be great to wear in the house when I am snuggled up on the sofa with a blanket on my knee.

I have applied to do an evening course at the local college in september, basic sewing machine use ( if I can stay awake). Dad bought me a lovely machine months ago and I have not used it yet. It is years since I used a sewing machine and that was only a few basic projects at school. DD2 has sorted out quite a lot of old clothes that I would normally send to the charity shop but I am now wondering if I should be keeping them to use fir some quilting projects although a lot of them were cheap t shirts from Primark so not sure if they are they right sort of fabric?

Have started day 2 of my mini break from work by cleaning the oven, it is gleaming. Plan to get the rest of the house work done today so that we do not have to bother at the weekend. DD2 returns from her second outward bound course on Friday afternoon. No doubt ther will be lot of wet muddy washing to do. OH and I are off to a family wedding on Saturday which will leave sunday as a famiy day and a couple of hours on the lottie.

Off to check the bottom of the fridge to see what needs using up that can be made into tea tonight.

Enjoy your day.

Mrs VP

katieowl_2

Byatt wrote: »

I was listening to an "expert" on the radio yesterday talking about this exact same thing. He couldn't answer why unemployment figures were falling, but (possibly) put it down to people getting jobs for the Olympics...it is baffling the experts and they are trying to establish why...

IMVHO, official figures are down because a year has passed or whatever the statutory limit is for various benefits, and people can no longer claim, so either fall through the net, claim other benefits or...I don't know, do what I do and try to be self employed. In September my year is up, so another statistic will be born.

Well they've always 'massaged' the figures haven't they...

I think this time there are an awful LOT of people who aren't claiming any benefit anymore, who also do not have a job, who have simply stopped signing on because of the hoops they want you to jump through. When DS was on JS they were sending him to a stoopid training course, where they wanted to establish if you knew how to answer a phone, could write, and if you could read (hmmmm - that sounds pricey) all they freaking had to do was look at his GCSE (all 11 of them a-b grades) and I figure even the bluntest pencil in the pack could work out that the answer was going to be yes he can read and write, and therefore could probably manage to answer a phone. It took them several weeks to establish he could read and write - not doubt at great expense to the tax payer. He was filled with RAGE every time he came home. Fortunately he decided to go to college, as if he'd been forced to go again I think he would have exploded!

DD's BF was sent to the same place...he's a C&G qualified plumber. He is one of the unemployed that I know for a fact is not signing on any more. The grief the 'course' caused, and the unreasonable expectation to apply for jobs that
a) you were not in anyway qualified/suited to - like care home assistants for a young bloke
b) had not a hope in hell of getting to (like cleaning an hours drive away, when you don't drive, and they want you to arrive an hour before the busses start running)

Seriously I can totally understand why he and countless others have just dropped off the statistics. Being unemployed is soul destroying enough without some jumped up numpty twerp deciding you are the one to be punished to meet the quota that week for 'not trying hard enough' to find a job!!! The myth that jobs are out there for those who want them continues to be pedalled despite the fact that any attempt actually look for work, shows quite plainly there is burger all about.

OOOh Errrr Misses.... you've got me up on my soap box out, and the sun's not even hit the yard arm!

Kate

Sunshine4

Morning everyone,
Totally fed-up today, shoulder is so painful and the tablets are not working. Also trying to redo the budget as I have no job now. What a nightmare and no use looking as I cant use my arm very well and would need a week off in August when I am having treatment on it.:(

Not sure where they are getting they numbers either, my cousin husband rang her this morning where he works there was 24 men who been told they finish tomorrow. He said some of them were in tears, also the others were told some more will go next week.

Possession

Thinking about it I had a very OS wedding - £50 registry office, wore a dress (non-wedding) I already had, ILs bought DH a suit, had reception for 16 at my parent's house, they provided food and cake, ILs provided booze. It was just what we wanted.

jamanda

I'm very sorry for those losing/have lost jobs. I went through this a couple of years ago and it isn't nice. It's not just the practical aspects of having no money coming in, it is the psychological effect that gets you.

Luckily, I found another job which I never expected to at my age, but I'm very aware that either DH or my job could just go up in a puff of smoke.

Scarey times.

VJsmum

katieowl wrote: »

Seriously I can totally understand why he and countless others have just dropped off the statistics. Being unemployed is soul destroying enough without some jumped up numpty twerp deciding you are the one to be punished to meet the quota that week for 'not trying hard enough' to find a job!!! The myth that jobs are out there for those who want them continues to be pedalled despite the fact that any attempt actually look for work, shows quite plainly there is burger all about.

OOOh Errrr Misses.... you've got me up on my soap box out, and the sun's not even hit the yard arm!

Kate

The only time I have been unemployed I went down the "social" to claim Unemployment Benefit, I knew I wouldn't be entitled to Income support due to my husband's salary. My UB didn't come through so i went to check on it and they said it had been stopped because I hadn't claimed IS. So I told them I knew I wouldn't get it so couldn't be doing with filling in the forms and why was I being penalised for not claiming something I wasn't entitled to. She had no answer but the UB came through shortly after! :mad:

A friend was told that "it served him right not being able to pay his mortgage as he shouldn't have bought such an expensive house"

prepareathome

Yippee my dehydrators have arrived - small but not to small so going to clean them up and hopefully make a start using them tomorrow.

The free gifts with them are not bad - a fairly strong rose pruner and the swiss army knife type thing is very strong, not a bad piece of kit at all, all metal no plastic with 10 different things almost on par with my actual one for quality.