make do and mend for tougher times

Pooky

Magnesium is one of those things that's very easy to become deficient in and the normal blood tests don't show it. DHs pain Dr advised him to take it to help with muscle cramps. its widely prescribed abroad from what he was saying as a 12 week course can do wonders for a whole myriad of ailments.

Monnagran - perhaps a call to your local radio station asking for foster(freezer) homes for your bread would work. I'd gladly free up a freezer drawer to help out if I was more local, I'm sure plenty of others would too and it would increase awareness of your drop in centre. Most local radio stations are happy to help with local concerns.

Ollycob

Wow you're a chatty bunch! Briefly popping in to catch up but will have to do it after Pilates

Can't remember who said it now but it is nice to know there are other people in the same boat as you when you're struggling Because I have a horse (which is a huge luxury I know - but he keeps me sane!) I see people who are very well off and I just wish I could go and buy whatever I want. Ho hum, when I'm back in work I can, shouldn't be so difficult now I can sort my pills out properly

born_blonde

Well done ginnyknit. I think some don't care but some have no idea. I have a friend who I met 6 years ago when my son was in reception. She has 4 children. At the time they were disruptive and not sleeping. Do you know what - she had no idea that coke contained caffeine and was letting them drink that all evening so they didn't get dehydrated!

fuddle

That's why I have stopped doing my degree, or rather, not bothered about not being able to finish it. The thought of me working till 68, possibly and probably longer, in the classrooms with 11-16 year olds worries me. Yes now, when I know I have so much to give but when I'm older and more frail, well I just know I couldn't cope in the environment (sorry to call you all in your 60's frail - I mean frail in mind too, tired in body etc) I'll stay as an assistant with the little ones I think. Keep myself sane!

Possession

Very sad isn't it that we don't seem to have moved on at all - my dad used to feed some of his students when he started teaching in the 60s because he knew otherwise there were days they wouldn't have anything to eat.

fuddle

Even just 10 years ago P. I had a group of the more vulnerable children in school to help them with their sound work. We would go in at 8.10 and do some extra work before school. All totally voluntary on the children's part. I would take in croissants to gobble as we worked. You could tell many of them came to school without breakfast.

I also see many an Infant school child eating a pasty or a sausage roll from the bakers on the way to school of a morning. I just can't help think that a big bag of basics cornflakes cost 40p and much more value for money, not to mention better for the children's diets.

At least when it gets very tight, I understand about nutrition enough to look for cheaper ways to get nutrients into my family - the veg cost is very worrying. You know how there's panic buying.. is there such a thing as panic growing!

2tonsils

Just went to the store cupboard to see what we have in and what we are missing and ended up cleaning it all out and making some popped corn to try it ( with icing sugar and cinnamon...lush). Made a sugar free jelly while I was in the kitchen and put some chickpeas to soak so made the most of the half an hour I was in there.

Rain (heavy with thunder) likely in the next few days so will not risk going to the gym on my scooter...last time my hubby advised me the black cloud was not as bad as I thought...we both got soaked to the skin and looked like drowned rats!

Have just about caught up with reading the thread now , I enjoyed the marathon session of speed reading and you have given me some great ideas. I really feel envious if anyone mentions the cheap food they get discounted to just pennies a tin or something....we just don't get them here in Greece. The most I can hope for is the odd buy one get one free on shower gel or 30 percent off Lidl's stuff that is close to sell by date.

GreyQueen

Flying visit, going out in a minute to a pal's home. Fuddle, I use Cotton Tree handcream, £1 for a huge tube which lasts ages. Brilliant stuff and very good value. I find it in various discount stores. It contains petroleum jelly but doesn't leave your hands in a greasy state, IYKWIM.:)

Laters, GQ xx

[Deleted User]

my very first lesson after returning to teaching (physics/science) was a class of bolshy low set 15 year olds and by golly I worked hard from that first minute to get them nicely under control. My head of dept (funny haha male) walked in, wound them up and left. Was extremely hard to keep discipline but somehow I managed. It helped me being a short female liverpudlian. The good classes were a dream but little by little the head of department creamed off all the top sets and gave me the low sets because I was `so good` with them. Every day became a constant battle and I couldn`t let my guard slip for a moment.

Staff would walk on other people`s backs to get promotion, take prepared work, take the best classes so results looked good for them. Dsil left the army as a captain and trained to be a science teacher, he had good discipline and was fast tracked for promotion in his first school. He had to leave as his wife, our dd, is the main earner and got a job out of travel distance. He got another job and hated it so now he has left and become a stah dad, while dd is released from mental torture of ball juggling. The whole family is now content, if poorer

[Deleted User]

MONNAGRAN - with the baguettes you could slice them and bake them in the oven to make rusks. When they are cold blitz them in a food processor and they will make a very useful extender ingredient for things that are savoury. They will also reduce in volume when blitzed and can be stored in large jars. You can use them as breadcrumb coatings, in stuffings, to thicken soups, to bulk out sausagemeat etc. I think it would use up some of your surplus and make it available to you as an ingredient for a while to come. Hope this helps Cheers Lyn. If that doesn't appeal as an idea you could always take note of Thor Heyerdalls boating ideas and save yourself a Red Funnell ferry fare and float across to the mainland!!!!!!!!! Sorry!!! Just thought - you can call her Kontoasti!!!