make do and mend for tougher times

prepareathome

Gulp I just looked at what they are paying the nannies these days for residential which ours was - then if they lived in they were paid far less as they had they had everything the same as the family, you would need a really, really big salary to afford them nowadays.......even for us we never went on fancy foreign holidays as having a proper nanny was more important to me - and I most certainly didn't buy even then expensive beauty products, ponds cold cream was usually my moisturiser and body lotion of choice.......

Do you know apart from scattering some slug pellets I have done zilch all day I am so lacking in energy. Oh sorry did take brisket out of sc, boiled up some tinned potatoes, mashed them and served it will green beans ( frozen) and gravy made from the meal juices. Now trying to decide what to with rest of brisket, cook it into something or freeze it sliced. Any ideas welcome............must go and put in in fridge now it will be cool enough.

hugs, love and healing to all

grandma247

Fuddle this is a good list and another one

Hardup_Hester

My DD trained at Norland when it was still based in Hungerford & she was part of the last group that wore the beige dress, brown hat, camel coat & white gloves.
Hester

fuddle

It might sound daft pah but I'm thinking about my older age too. Can I realistically expect to be able to teach 11-16 year olds in my 60's - 70's.

I'm also thinking about my mental health, the panic disorder, anxiety and that bit of depression. Will I be able to cope with pressures of parents coming in giving me what for? Kids fighting physically in my classroom?

The drive is there to teach but not the love. I can't explain it. I'm brilliant with younger ones and have so much experience. I wanted to progress when I left my career and the obvious progression route was teaching. Now I'm living amongst all this uncertainty and frugality that to be seen to have a better job just because you should, ot because others expect you to climb higher up the career ladder is maybe wrong.

I'm going to have a good think about it yes. I have the old NNEB childcare qualification and a lot of experience working with children who have special needs. Seems so daft to totally walk away from that.

Going to talk to DH about it. I would like to be a SAHM while my youngest is in Infant school so that's 3 years. I'll keep learning though, it's better to have something on my CV other than just mum.

DId you know about OU openlearn? They are free short courses on any and every subject that you do in your own time http://openlearn.open.ac.uk/

grandma thank you for the link. I'd like to try spring cabbage. Going to look into it, thank you

mardatha

Well I looked forward so much to today, as they said it would be nice. And it wasn't cloudy again tomorrow and 13c
Honestly can't remember the last time I was out anywhere in the sun walking, feels like I've been stuck in here for years.

fuddle

I know mar we're surrounded by fields here too. We can't get on them because they're just quagmires. The only positive I have from all this is it's not cold enough for the heating!

Just bought pack of spring cabbage seeds off ebay for 99p inc delivery. Hope they're ok, good feedback anyway. I have the perfect spot for them but will only get 6 I think. Still, better than nothing and i'll learn along the way slowly.

Did you see on turn back time: families, the other night? They had produce growing in old tin baths etc. I'm going to hunt out old plastic shopping bags and the recycle bags we don't use now. I don't know why I'm enthusiastic about it, what with all your disaster stories and my failed parsely, basil and eaten mint.

I guess it's that fighting spirit... we just have to try.

bonnie_bumpkins

mardatha wrote: »

Well I looked forward so much to today, as they said it would be nice. And it wasn't cloudy again tomorrow and 13c
Honestly can't remember the last time I was out anywhere in the sun walking, feels like I've been stuck in here for years.

It's the best I can do Mardy-doodah but here he is again

fuddle wrote: »

Did you see on turn back time: families, the other night? They had produce growing in old tin baths etc.

I remember the squirrel in the paper bag _pale_

Popperwell

mardatha wrote: »

Well I looked forward so much to today, as they said it would be nice. And it wasn't cloudy again tomorrow and 13c
Honestly can't remember the last time I was out anywhere in the sun walking, feels like I've been stuck in here for years.

I don't get bored...I used to say that I could sit in a chair for hours and I was strong enough to not suffer from boredom but around 5.30pm I had to get out. Where was there but the supermarket again...

Well I purched my bi weekly computer mag(the only one I buy)hope I can always buy it!

As said elewhere I was going to buy some batteries for an old torch and wondered if I could find something better. I found wind up one for less than £5 with LED lights so I bought that instead. Ten minutes light for one minute of winding up and no batteries to buy in the future. If it isn't used at least batteries are not draining and being wasted.

I suppose in time it will pay for itself...

As I was nearly home a neighbour was walking his dogs and I said how nice it was to have no rain and some sunshine...he told me we are to get more bad weather tomorrow and over the weekend.

Popperwell

u

bonnie_bumpkins wrote: »

It's the best I can do Mardy-doodah but here he is again





I remember the squirrel in the paper bag _pale_

I watched that in the early hours...I don't know why when I see/hear documentaries about such times I find myself thinking about Mum...I cannot explain why...but I like those kind of programmes. I watch very little TV and nearly all that I do is now those kind of documentaries. I'm mainly a radio person...usually the BBC. I mainly now watch any tv laid in bed with a laptop propped up on my knees...

nuatha

fuddle wrote: »

Been out to harvest my fruit. 5 little strawberries and half a cup of split black currents. :cool:

I've mixed it with some fruit on the turn and managed to get half a jar of jam... hardly worth the electric.

What kind of produce can you sow in July? Is it advisable to sow anything in this rain. A stupid time to be learning huh?

Actually its a good time to be learning, if we'd had one of those years where everything grew and yields were decent you wouldn't learn half as much.
As it is, you are trying and learning in a year where experienced gardeners are having problems - and posting about them.

As for managing to get a half jar of mixed fruit made, you turned fruit you once would have thrown out into something your family will enjoy and used fruit you'd grown into the bargain, to me that's an achievement. We all start somewhere and while its easy to think we should have done more/better, the reality is you are achieving things and persevering when it would be easy to give up and decide that those split currants and fruit were only fit for the bin.