Preparedness for when

Si_Clist

VJsmum wrote: »

Where I grew up we never thought of ourselves as poor

There's a bit in one of George Orwell's books (Road To Wigan Pier?) where he asks somebody how long they've been poor and they reply along the lines of "Since you told us we were".

Anyways ...

Our local Council has got a bee in its bonnet about us allotment tenants having public liability insurance in respect of our plots lest someone injure themselves on them whilst stealing our crops or some objectionable child wanders onto them, eats a worm and dies or whatever.

Alas, the tenants who "run" the site show no sign of organising such insurance as one policy for the site and splitting the cost, so I've been mooching around on the interwebs and found this lot which may be of interest to any of you good folks who find themselves in a similar situation.

PS Ref Kent - any of you ladies members of Loose Womens Institute?

paidinchickens

Si_Clist wrote: »

Anyways ...

Our local Council has got a bee in its bonnet about us allotment tenants having public liability insurance in respect of our plots lest someone injure themselves on them whilst stealing our crops or some objectionable child wanders onto them, eats a worm and dies or whatever.

And once one Council start they all will follow. Ridiculous, what will they come up with next.

There was a homeless man who lived in our shed before we took over the allotment. Apparently everyone used to chip in and feed him and there was a Calor gas stove in the shed to keep him warm.

Then one day he set fire to the shed as he "fell asleep with a fag on" then he was never seen again.

Its ridiculous, on the same lines as suing people for clearing snow off the paths in Winter.

Can't wait to see their faces when I tell them this down the lottie today :rotfl:

PiC x

GreyQueen

VJsMum, I can clearly recall the humiliation I felt when going through supermarket checkouts as a child with Mum and there wouldn't be enough money when it came to pay. So something, or several somethings, would have to be subtracted and left behind.

We weren't destitute, just working class with my Dad in a factory job and Mum in another factory (part-time). I attribute my near-obsession to having plenty of cash in my wallet to that time.

Poverty is relative. The poorest of the poor in the UK is liable to be 'wealthy' by the standards of much of the world, and even by the standards of their own great-grandparents. Trouble is, prices are set to the median, so if your income places you in the bottom decile, or the next one up, you will struggle to fund the basics and feel relatively poor.

I don't personally consider myself to be poor, although my part-time income at an hourly rate above NMW equates to no more than a full time one at NMW and the vast majority of it is spoken-for in rent and council tax before I can do anything else. But I'm a good little manager and am blessed that most of the stuff I enjoy doing involves little or no expenditure.

Well, The Wiz texted me at 9.35 pm yestereve and we've agreed that it was too late to start disembowelling this pooter so we will aim to get together early next week when he's back in town. He is a freelance IT contractor and works all over the place.

Oh, a small tip (tipette?) for those buying tinned new potatoes for their Armageddon Cupboards. I am eating some of mine, along with pasta and rice, as the h.g. spuds are now finished and I won't have any more h.g until July-ish. So, I'm naturally re-stocking as I go.

Tosspots Everyday Value spuds Net weight 567g, drainend weight 345g
Freshona (Liddly) potaotes net weight 545g drained weight 360g.

Both cost 15p, the cans are the same size but one gets you 15g more potato than the other. And there's less water so lighter to carry home.

Tuck 4 of these cans in your bag and you know all about it.

thriftwizard

Small SHTF situation going on here: my very own Kentish Maid mother was rushed to hospital yesterday, having collapsed. She's not too bad; looks like an infection has set up shop somewhere, but they're going to keep her in for a few days whilst they sort it out. However, my stepfather, terminally ill and fairly confused, can't be left alone... so I shall be taking up residence down there for a couple of days, to be followed on by a well-organised succession of sibs & step-sibs. The freezer's full, we're in no danger of running out of loo roll etc. & the offspring & (even) OH are well capable of sorting things out at this end.

BUT, and this is one I hadn't anticipated, she was on her own in A&E for 4 hours before anyone managed to get hold of me... the flaming' landline is broken, and our mobile signal is very dodgy here. We had no inkling; how do you know people are trying to ring you if the thing doesn't ring at all? 1571 was completely filled up with people saying "Oh dear, she's still on the phone..." which I wasn't, and it wasn't off the hook. This isn't the first time we've had lots of messages left when people have been in the house & said it hasn't rung.

So off I go this morning to buy a new phone! It's almost worth checking weekly that yours is still working, if people may need to get hold of you in a hurry.

GreyQueen

((((((thriftwizard))))))))))) all the best for you and your Mum.

Heading out the door right now to work but just wanted to wish you well. GQ xx

Karmacat

Thriftwizard, from me too, for you and your mum and family.

Good tip about the phone as well - mine has just conked out, I knew it was on the outs, I've replaced it temporarily with the old corded one, now to fire up the replacement I'd already bought...

D&DD

Just popping in to wish Thriftwizard a safe journey,hope all is well when you get there hun. Nasty things infections they often strike when you're run down.Sending my best wishes for her speedy recovery XXX

Possession

Best wishes for your mum Thriftwizard. We've only just connected the corded phone we've had for ages and it's a revelation to have a working phone upstairs again!

ALIBOBSY

Best wishes to TW and Mum.

Just caught up with the thread as had a parental situation myself.

My parents are mid seventies and late sixties and although have some health issues it always seemed like just normal getting older stuff really.

But this week finally had to face up to possibly losing my Dad. He had a funny turn when bent over in the garden, which left him with numbness over half his face and tongue as well as fingers on one hand. But they dismissed it as a trapped nerve or simular. Luckily he was having a blood test at the hospital that day and when they mentioned it to the nurse she insisted he see a Dr. He was refferred straight to the stroke clinic the next morning and after various MRI scans and tests they said its some kind of small stroke or TIA. They changed him from asprin to a stronger drug and told him to potter around but rest and no stress, and not to drive for 4 weeks when he would go back to the clinic.

I went to see him and I was a bit shocked, he says he is ok, but his speech has been effected. Not slurred, but he is lisping, but more what he is saying, he keeps losing words or saying things wrong and repeating the same story several times. For the first time it feels like he is slipping away and I might lose him. Silly really as I knew his age anyway, but I suppose him starting to get confused has brought things home to me.

I am worried about Mum as well, I always thought she was the stronger of the two and she is always moaning about Dad, but she was very upset at weekend and grabbed my hand and asked if it was ok to call me if "something happened" at night. She was very worried and stressed out and I am afraid she might fall apart if something does happen to Dad.

She has had issues with mental health. To most people she knows she is a normal, chatty pensioner, but I grew up with her OCD, panic attacks and periods of agriphobia-at one point she was put on valium so wonder if she had depression possibly. She worries and stresses about everything which we all used to laugh off, but I am now wondering if this will be too much for her to cope with.

Meanwhile little sis is in the midst of wedding preps for Aug and we are trying to help her with that. Life can be so stressful sometimes lol.

Prep on guys

Ali x

Butterfly_Brain

((((((Hugs)))))) thriftwizard x