make do and mend for tougher times

GreyQueen

There's a fair few in the same position as your Dad.

I can remember a friend talking about her recently-deceased father. He had been thrifty and his reward for a lifetime of self-reliance was to end his days surrounded by his peers in Sheltered Housing who's been spendthrifts (he'd known some of them for decades) and in their autumn years were gadding about in taxis, taking hols and having a high old time.

There's been a lot of it about but it may be different in times to come, and I certainly wouldn't want to bet the farm on being helped out in my old age courtesy of the State.

My parents own their very modest home free and clear, but we all know that if they need care, it'll have to be sold and I completely accept that I and my brother don't have a "right" to inherit anything.

I will, of course, do for my folks' to the limit of my ability but am in poor health in middle age, and by the time they're in their mid eighties, I shall be past sixty, so may not be able to do what is necessary.

Still, no point in dwelling on ifs and buts. I have a simple philosophy: I get up in the morning and I do my best.

Some days my best is smokin' hot, some days it's so-so, some days frankly poor. But I'm trying............:rotfl:

Going to have a light luncheonette and head lottie wards to incinerate something.........and to kill any passing slugs and snails. Another allotmenteer suggested you could throw them onto a bonfire...........eww!

Cheapskate

Think the same will happen to my mum if she ends up in care, long beyond the point at which sis and I could cope, I hope, all dad's hard-earned will go that way, a bit galling, he'll be haunting us if we let "them" get their hands on it! :rotfl: Up to a point we don't mind if there's nothing left for us, but we do object paying for something that he expected that he'd paid for in advance through NI/tax, etc, and some years he paid a fortune into the system.

Slugs - DS found one, about 6" long, under the freezer and told me he'd thrown it away. I thought he meant outside until I emptied the kitchen bin, only to find it crawling around the inside rim of the bin....felt really sick! _pale_ GQ, can I hire your mercenary services for next year?

A xo

elona

GQ

While banging on the window of the antisocial "person" would be seen as provocation, a nice loud rendition of Beethoven to soothe your nerves might relieve your feelings.;)

Did you see the newspaper article a while back where they dispersed groups of youngsters by playing classical music?

DH is going to get tyres checked and offered to drop me in Tesco for an hour :j - think I need to get out more.

Still no news of dd 's diagnosis or angiogram but gritting teeth and getting on with things.

Hugs to alll

GreyQueen

Cheapskate wrote: »

Think the same will happen to my mum if she ends up in care, long beyond the point at which sis and I could cope, I hope, all dad's hard-earned will go that way, a bit galling, he'll be haunting us if we let "them" get their hands on it! :rotfl: Up to a point we don't mind if there's nothing left for us, but we do object paying for something that he expected that he'd paid for in advance through NI/tax, etc, and some years he paid a fortune into the system.

Slugs - DS found one, about 6" long, under the freezer and told me he'd thrown it away. I thought he meant outside until I emptied the kitchen bin, only to find it crawling around the inside rim of the bin....felt really sick! _pale_ GQ, can I hire your mercenary services for next year?

A xo

:rotfl:LMAO, it slightly-worries me that I am turning into a psycho-slug-hunter and probably best not to make it official. But they eat twice their own bodyweight every 24 hours and some of them are up to 6 inches long and thicker than my thumb....the amount of biomass they're getthing thru is shocking.

Your DS needs to be introduced to the correct technique; COLD STEEL or They Don't Like it Up 'Em. I favour chopping them in half with something steely like the spade, the shears or if they're not at hand, the trowel. Once in two pieces, I figure they're good and dead.

And then other slugs will come out and feed on their corpses.:( They are truly beyond vileness and if I found one in my kitchen there would be hell to pay.

Crazy thing is, I go to very elaborate lengths to prevent injury to worms, beetles, spiders indoors and out (and I am arachnophobic) plus misc critters of the non-cuteski spectrum but slugs and snails are on my deathlist until their population stabilises to a more normal (i.e. non-Plague-proportion) level.

Happy Hunting!

ETA elona haven't got Beethoven but I do have Carmina Burana by Carl Orff. That sounds great at full blast. Trouble is, in these high-density flats, you'd cause suffering to innocent bystanders. And I wouldn't bang on the mare's bedroom window or her door. Too well-behaved, that's me.

emalou88

Shegar - I'm sorry for your loss. Your very right, it's the first of everything thats always the worst - birthdays, xmas, anniversaries etc.
I lost my Darling Gran to a brain tumour 3 years ago, my Dad looked after her the whole time she was ill and that first Christmas was awful.

I will also be glad to see the back of this year it's been awful. My best friend also lost her Dad early in the year, he had a heartache a died, he was'nt even ill.

Speaking about thrifty parents, My parents were both thrifty - Dad's passions were his motorbike, his caravan and the dog and Mum loves knitting and crafts. When Dad passed he's left Mum quite well off through various pensions and general savings, but she's only 50 so could live another 30 - 40 years so she's got to try to invest it somehow. Obviously she would have Dad back a million times over rather than any money. The solicitor has also said she's looking to get a mega pay out and so is my brother as he might not be able to finish his apprenticeship, and it was'nt there fault.

But they've both saved for years and been so careful with what money they had leftover. Dad got made redundant when I was 1 year old and they lost the house and everything and since that day he promised himself that he would save every penny he could and not be in that position again. They are very fortunate that it's never happened again.

[Deleted User]

GQ - what if they've been nattering to the earthworms and can regenerate from both ends, could that be the cause of the slug explosion? Is it a dastardly plot for slugs to take over the world? Oh er lummy Missis I 'ope not!!!!!! - Mind you the December 22nd Mayan prediction might be something to do with slugs might it not? SORRY!!! Cheers Lyn xxx. I'm BAD BAD BAD!!!!!

GreyQueen

MrsLurcherwalker wrote: »

GQ - what if they've been nattering to the earthworms and can regenerate from both ends, could that be the cause of the slug explosion? Is it a dastardly plot for slugs to take over the world? Oh er lummy Missis I 'ope not!!!!!! - Mind you the December 22nd Mayan prediction might be something to do with slugs might it not? SORRY!!! Cheers Lyn xxx. I'm BAD BAD BAD!!!!!

'Ere, missus, have you been on the gin again?! For shame, and it's not even Gin O'Clock!:rotfl:

OK, have finished my cuppa and am outta here for a few hours. Catch ya later with the noos from da lottie inc kill tally if possible. Bye for now, GQ xx

mardatha

Could some kind long suffering soul please tell me what to do with bacon, cheese, and broccoli. I know you can cook something but have forgotten, and I've got tons of each.

born_blonde

Well you could always make cauliflower cheese except with broccoli and top with crispy bacon. Or make a flan with aforementioned ingredients.
Or, as it's you, why not make a tasty cheese and bacon toasted sandwich and feed the broccoli to the rabbits!

Mrs_Chip

Mar

I would chop the bacon up and fry it off until crisped a bit. Steam the brocolli in florettes till not quite done. Make a white sauce with cornflour and milk, stir in a goodly quantity of grated cheese. Put the broccoli in a greased dish, sprinkle over the bacon and top with the sauce. Bake or grill until lovely and bubbly.