make do and mend for tougher times

jem132

Hi all been busy this morning sorting dh van out he had a big old horrible van but he had to swap it for a brand new one its so nice so had to have all his blinking machines in my kitchen while I took him to get his new one had to drop old one off at his mates for him to use then go down to Lester for the new one just got back put all the crap in his new van and he's off back to work I am sure he only appeared for me to take him there any way he's off to Newcastle now so I don't think he will be home any time today asit seems pretty dire up there keep safe

2tonsils

I send sympathy and hugs to all those with troubles and woes, illnesses and other things happening to them. We have a fair number here in Greece of course but at least we've got the sunshine to cheer us up a bit. We are on our umpteenth heat wave this year and it feels like it will never be autumn or winter.

It's forecast to last to the start of November, with the odd storm thrown in. The weather is so strange world wide. Having a day at home today as the world of Corfu is taking part in the nationwide strike against the austerity measures. We have not heard about the next ones yet as the government is scared to announce them to the people, but I saw on the internet that they will need to add another 20 billions worth of cuts on top of these!!!! There are only 9.5 million people in Greece now so how can we find that level of cuts when people are living on 300 euros a month and having to pay in full for doctors and medicines even though we have health systems we pay for?

At least the heat wave has bought us some time to save up to stock up on olive wood for the fire (the heating oil is way out of our reach at 1.65 a litre this year)...and it means we can keep on riding our scooters, which saves us 45 euros a week on petrol for the car.

The whole village smells of fermenting wine and the gypsy wagons are out selling fruit....apples, melons, nectarines, grapes and for some reason tomatoes...well, I suppose they are a fruit after all.

Have just used up last nights hm sauce from the turkey meatballs with some small baked potatoes but the gluten free pasta that was left over went into the freezer for use another time..it freezes very well cooked.

If potatoes keep going up like they have been doing I will be cooking rice or veggies to use instead of them. Charging 85 cents a kilo for the same spuds that were 45 a few weeks ago is taking the Micky!!! Hope they will do the same as last year and allow the farmers to sell them direct as it brought them down to 35 cents a kilo last year and they were lovely organic potatoes from Northern Greece. Have instructed my OH to look out for them when he is out and about and to bring me some.

Got a lot done today, replaced the filter in the hoover (my OH is going to be in BIG trouble if he ever blocks it again with fine ash from the fireplace!).....hoovered the house. Cleaned and insect proofed the hardwood floors upstairs, changed the bed, washed and put it out to dry. Made lunch, froze the pasta, sorted the kitchen and now at last have time for a coffee and an hour on the internet.

Helping at the gym tomorrow for four hours, I do it in return for both our memberships for the year so its a good deal for me. Will be taking a packed lunch with me for both of us and they provide the coffee and tea etc while I am there. Might even go swimming as the pool is free and close by...outdoors of course but due to the good weather they are keeping it open for as long as people are using it.

Might just have a walk and pick some quinces I saw on an abandoned patch of land just down the road for me. Lovely.

Mrs_Chip

Another great site with lots of useful info - followed from the previous one!

I'm deffo going to make a manly shirt :rotfl:, just got to find myself a manly man

VJsmum

2tonsils - I know times are tough for you in greece but, my, you do make it sound lovely.

Another DD crisis today - she upped and walked out of school :eek: said she had a panic attack, freaked out and just left. School didn't know she'd gone as there was no-one on reception when she walked through. She was on the train into town when she texted me - so I left work and met her and took her for a coffee and a chat. She said she doesn't know what happened - just panicked over nothing and left. She had thrown up beforehand so I think that may have had something to do with it. At least she said she doesn't want to leave and will go back tomorrow, we just need to find some coping strategies. I am wondering about a herbal "kalm" type thing but am unsure about the "pills for ills" thing. I take Rhodiola Rosea for anxiety from H&B. I will see how she gets on and may give her a course of those for a while. So difficult.:(

So I am working from home - allegedly. Dinner is made and in the slow cooker, a load of washing is on and I've spent an hour on here. So it isn't all bad!

still trying to run down a freezer for defrosting. I have 2 lots of stewing steak and a pack of bacon in the SC for a bourguigonne type of thing. Last night was fish pie. Freezer stocks don't seem to go down though. Might clean a bathroom later - the great house clean and tidy is nearly complete. Until recently I employed a cleaner - but the selfish mare left us for a better paid job (joke - I am really happy for her, she deserved a break). So we have been doing without - but every time I finish a clean, I pay myself what I would have paid her and it is going into a holiday account. I always wish I had done that when I stopped paying a childminder - I would have saved up a fortune by now.

Ah well, I guess I should be somewhat productive. Might watch a TV prog with DD and start knitting my chunky pink cardi. Well, that's productive - isn't it?

kidcat

VJSmum - poor DD, does the school have any sort of mentor/counsellor type person, they may at least be someone she can go to if she feels anxious again

shegar

JKJ welcome to the forum, yea its a bit doom and gloom , but promise you we also have "good times" on here.:D..........

Spikey H H.... I went in to Primark and did buy some pj s with long sleeves, but they only had one pair so I bought some "lounge bottoms", there fleecy and feel super warm, I got some long sleeved thin white cotton tee shirt type thinga mes, to go with the bottoms, so in all he now as 3 new pairs, so thats just whats needed......

Good job you told me where to get them cos when I went upstairs the mens jumpers were right in front and then the pj dept was like you say further to the left, would have been easy to not have found them..............

I dont know if any of you have looked in Primark, but they now have in a cushion made in fleece, with a water bottled in a zip compartment , and places where your feet go in with elasticated ankles , so your tooties keep very snuggly when your sitting down,@ £8.
I did buy one for hubby, ive never seen anything like that before and its a darn good idea, I did think was it worth £8 , but id say yes, cos if you bought a cushion you would pay £4, then a water bottle £3, then youve got your stuffing , plus your feet cant fall out cos of the elasticated ankle bits.........:D...:j

I also bought myself a lovely fleece pair of pj s, cant wait for a shower and get into them............They also have adult sizes sleep suits with feet in , they look lovely, trouble is im too short and spec id be forever pulling them up:mad:........
It did rain very heavy but its now turned out sunny .............I didnt go into Peacocks cos Primark had everything I wanted...........

Right handy id say when your watching tv or on the pooter........

Tonight for tea we are having a big jacket tater, with cheese, and some thick cut smoked bacon and peas, uhmmmmm sounds ok to me.....Quite hungry just thinking about that.............:)

bupster

Fuddle - do get in touch with your local council, as another poster mentioned. Your council should have a team whose job it is to ensure that rental properties are fit to rent! If you're planning to leave anyway, you might get it fixed up for you instead, and if not, it'll have to be sorted before your LL gets anyone else in. And best of luck - my family for years lived with five of us in two bedrooms. It wasn't perfect, and we liked it when we moved to a bigger house, but for younger kids it's fine.

katieowl_2

Mrs_Chip wrote: »

Another great site with lots of useful info - followed from the previous one!

I'm deffo going to make a manly shirt :rotfl:, just got to find myself a manly man

:rotfl: If you come across a spare one pass him my way....

Downsizer is a place I lurk now and then All a bit bonkers, mostly in the nicest ways, but not as friendly as here for those who are struggling IMHO...

Kate

kezlou

Hello everyone,

How are you all? Haven't been able to get on here so only skimmed a few pages.

Mar- hope your okay, bet your as ratty as RV.

Well i'm sick of the rain, bottom of the street was flooding, luckily were up a hill so its not too bad,

But on the plus side the builders have been here since Monday. OH ripped out the bathroom upstairs so thats being done now. The new toilet is in upstairs:j.

Basically my landlady is doing work in the house, after 8 years of living in a damp ridden house which is slowly fallen apart. The downstairs bathroom pipes exploded and flooded everywhere. Which meant getting quotes and being quite abrasive with her. so now its getting done.

So fingers crossed within two weeks we'll have two working bathrooms to use. The guttering is fixed for now so fingers crossed the mould will go. Just hoping the rent doesn't rise too much.

Right better go and retrieve ds2 and i'll come back, catch on here and chill with a cuppa.

GreyQueen

fuddle wrote: »

Can you eat grey squirrels when SHTF? I know that my dog is very in tune with the squirrel population as he's just pulled me over, flat on my face, in the mud trying to catch one. :rotfl: Just as well I have a sense of humour. It cheered me up anyway.

I'm sure I saw a media splash in the past year or two about a butcher somewhere who was selling grey squirrels prepped for the pot at £2.50 each. The meat is supposed to be like chicken. People were shooting them for him with air rifles. If I came across some I'd give it a go out of curiousity.

I love watching the squirrels take the p out of the pooches. A pal had a terrier, very fast, only thing that could outrun it in the open was a greyhound, but the squirrels used to see him coming and shoot up the trees and seem to taunt him. Drove the poor mutt ballistic with rage.:rotfl:


Well, this isn't getting the baby a bonnet so must go and sort out some grubstakes. Laters, GQ xx