make do and mend for tougher times

kidcat

Forgot to say Ald! had heated throws in today - no price on them in our store but worth looking into I would have thought.

Byatt

Thanks, I'm trying WD40, it has a handle but I don't think it's a turning one, more a lift and pull the door type of thing. It's stuck solid.

SpikyHedgehog

ginnyknit wrote: »

Just popped on to say PAH says Hi and she is keeping her eye on us all but having a break for a little while, Im sure she will be back soon.


Good news about Pips Mum, glad all is well.

My DD went to a college reunion tonight and half an hour later put a plea out on faceb**k - a college friend of hers found out yesterday that she is 8 months pregnant :eek: the girl really isnt dim from what I remember but havent found out much till I talk to Dd tomorrow. Apparently my house is now collection centre for Baby stuff as Im in all day everyday She has already got the girl a baby bath, bath seat for 6 months on and numerous bags of baby clothes. I think it may be like Piccadilly station here for the next few days. Hope she remembers to have a good night out as well. :rotfl: Good job I look on FB or I would be baffled when stuff arrives .

Thank you Ginny, give PAH our love when you speak to her - or she can read it here! Hope the girl and baby are ok, how kind of DD and how well you've brought her up.

fuddle wrote: »

Thank you, i'll have a look

Wooohooo pah pleased you're keeping an eye on us and thank you for letting us know pah is ok ginny.

Well, I have decided (amongst the feelings of can't be A) that I must swap clothes and pantry today. I'm a bit stumped at what to decorate that little bedroom like. I fancied a hotel room feel but have no idea how to recreate it on a budget other than I think I've seen wallpaper in The Range. It's that or a real pinky/white shabby chic feel but DH in't too keen on that suggestion :rotfl:

What I like to do is get paint charts from the shops and look at ideas to borrow from there. Or buy magazines, but I try to avoid that...! The library may have magazines like World of Interiors for ideas?

What accessories/bedding/furniture have you got that you'd want to use in it as it is? We got our bed without an footboard and with a plain oak headboard to go with my crocheted bedspread that one of my great, great aunts made. (That I don't use because then we got the cat and she sleeps on our beds...) DS1 wanted light blue walls so we have got blue duvet sets since then. DS2's style has been set by my being given space curtains and a duvet cover for him, so I got a blue bin and glow in the dark stickers for him.

mardatha wrote: »

AWH bloody landlords!!
I'm looking for ideas on how to dye or whiten Ikea nets. We have them in the bedroom because I never close my curtains here, and from outside they look greyish. What could I use to whiten them or change the colour?

I wash mine with a splosh of bleach in the washing machine instead of washing liquid/powder or gloop, and they come up ok - worth a try?

I went to T3scos last week and spent lots of money (I did a month's big shop, got some Xmas bits and clothing) but have to take 3 things back - a jar of jam that wasn't sealed, pjs for DS1 (£15!) that they didn't take the security tag off, and a pack of 100 CDRoms that don't work. So I phoned them up to see if I could take them round the the T3scos3xpress round the corner instead of spending another £4 to get up there to get the stuff sorted. I could get the refunds there, but not the tag taken out, but she said tell Customer Services when I get there & they'll 'sort it out'. Refund my bus ticket, I hope.

Still rather annoyed. I got the pjs as he can only wear cotton and finding pjs big enough that are all cotton and long legged and long sleeved is being a bit of a pain! I say big enough as these are his first men's pjs - if he was still in boys' sizes, all cotton ones with long sleeves & legs would be fine. And last time I looked, Pr1mark didn't have his size.

And I want the CDRoms as the desktop is still playing up so I want to be taking everything off it (all the photos, recipes, ebooks, etc...) to see if that will keep it going for a while. Not going to replace it, we'll use my laptop (and DS1 has convinced Errant Husband to give him his laptop for combined birthday/Xmas, so he'll be fine :cool: ). We have got memory sticks but I wanted CDRoms to be easily labelled.

Oh well, we're wearing pink tomorrow at work and I've spent nothing on that - will be wearing my bright pink base layers with black shorts over the top and a pink knitted top or a jumper depending on the weather... And a pink scarf, made by trimming the edge off a fleece which is about 6 inches too wide for my curtains, unpicking the blanket stitching which was only down one side (because it's an offcut) and fringing the short ends. So I can happily donate money for breast cancer without thinking 'But I paid X for my outfit!'.

fuddle

is it the handle that is stuck? Monkey wrench, spanner? Oh no drat Byatt!

There's the bed and chest of drawers in there and my make up desk with my old bathroom mirror. I go take a pic, it's er not good lol

Byatt

Fuddle, my tenancy agreement is the same, I think it's pretty standard for private renting. I'm not supposed to have any supplementary heating but I do have a convector heater which is brill, and an oil filled radiator but didn't use that at all last year, just the convector and the storage heater in the kitchen. I have a DimpleX which has a thermostat and timer, got it for £15 at a boot sale.

edit, I'm going to haul the oil filled rad up the stairs later to use if the winter is bad, although if I have the log burner up and running, shouldn't need it. But don't want to use the storage heater as it's useless and expensive. Going to call the sweep tomorrow.

shegar

Byatt wrote: »

I can't open the door on my log burner!

I've never opened it since I've been here, I recall I tried once but it wouldn't move then but I thought I was just being a weakling, but as I've never used it, didn't try again.

It won't budge. What do I do now?

Well apart from telling the landlord.

edit, Would WD40 help?

Give it another squirt WD40, gently try the handle, then do the same again half hour later, and it will open, needs to get the oil right in to the hinge, if youve no WD40 try some 3 in 1 oil cos thats much thicker oil.........

It will give but may take quite a few gentle trys , have you tried a pair of mole grips, gently turning?.I say gentle cos you dont want to snap the handle off............

Byatt

Thanks Shegar, I have WD40 and just squirted it, will give it another go in half an hour. I don't know what a mole grip is. But I don't think I can do it, I don't seem to have the upper body strength I used to have.

fuddle

Style that! :rotfl: It's bright green and yellow with complimentary jungle curtains. Told you it was cosy

And this is what I've been doing all day. It was brilliant as a pantry but needs must. I drilled the broom handle to the top shelf brackets to make a hanging rail. I just hope it hold! :eek:

VJsmum

fuddle wrote: »

Many livin properties allow pets but it maybe be an issue were you to move. Did you know about the mutual lets scheme too? You can swap properties with others in your area eg family wanting a bigger property could swap with those who want a smaller property. The decision to swap or not is completely up to you. Could well be worth you signing up for because there's a couple of one and two bed swap in the place you live on the front page.

We - as in mum and dad - did that many moons ago. We swapped our 3 bedroom with 4 bedroom. COuncil house.

Popperwell

D&DD wrote: »

WCS good to see you

Pops I was going to suggest maybe a pet for company but just saw your post and also thinking about it, it'd cost you for kennels/petsitters if you have to go into hospital etc what a shame

Its a pity...:(When I had a rabbit I had a grandma or an Uncle who took it on, those were the days. I don't think the council minded pets or if they did nothing was said and we never thought about it.

Now it's all being turned over to Housing Associations/Private Landlord's often more stricter in their rules...I can understand that in some ways but there should be a little bit of slack...and they can become more strict if the tenant is a social nuisance.