'supporting each other through really tough times'

monnagran

savingqueen: I think that if your hwb is spewing bits of rubber it's probably on its last legs. it will go on for a while but one day you will wake up with your feet in a cold puddle. If you are very unlucky the leak will start earlier and your feet could be badly scalded. Not a good idea.

Love the Haslet recipe. Definitely one to be tried. The Rev and I organised a forties night at church and I typed out lots of wartime recipes and everyone who was coming took a recipe, made it and brought the food on the night. That was the food part of the evening. In no time they were all swapping their recipes and at the end of the evening there wasn't a crumb left. Several people have told me that they still make the recipes they picked up that night.

Fuddle: Good news about the energy bill. It pays to question these things. DS has just had an enormous bill which he couldn't understand. They pay £80 a month for the gas and electricity together and were £100 in credit so didn't know why they were suddenly faced with this huge bill and their DD was being increased from £80 to £300+. After DS had a nervous breadown on the phone they were told that the company took an average of the houses in their area and that's what it was. Has anyone else heard of this? DS lives in a very modest house in the midst of huge £1,000,000 houses and big hotels. Eventually it was all re-assessed and the huge bill was scrapped and their DD was increased by £1. Phew!

Can't remember who suddenly had their DLA stopped but it's going on everywhere. One of our regulars at Open Arms has just been told that his has been stopped and he will have to go on to JSA. He is schizophrenic among other things. Another has had his stopped even though he is due to go into hospital any day for a pretty major operation. Because he appealed he will not get any money at all until the end of January. What world are these assessors living in?

kidcat: Coo! it makes the hairs on the back of your neck stand up when that sort of thing happens. Good Luck to your OH with the job. Will he expect you to do the interview for him?

WOW. Look at the time. (or Timothy, if you happen to be fuddle.)

x

mcculloch29

Fuddle: I've made "custard" with cornflour, yellow food colouring (added to the milk) and vanilla essence (ditto) when I ran out of custard powder. Nobody noticed anything in taste apart from remarking on the slightly different colour, which I put down to using less powder than I did for my usual very thick custard....

Glucosamine does nothing for me, but I notice if I forget to take fish oils for a few days. I have osteoarthritis.

Popperwell

Thank you for that...mcculloch29. I'm trying Glucosamine so far I can't say if it is making a difference.

But Mum always believed in fish oils as did my auntie who reached the age of 103 so perhaps I should look at that again...then again Aldi's have some reasonably priced mackerel which is rather nice and I have some tins of sardines and markerel in the house that need using up and I'll replace it. I can always make some salads or sandwiches...

I try to eat a healthy varied diet but still have a suppliment here and there.

Hope to see you tonight. He may not be here this week but there could be a new recruit for the club :T

Popperwell

monnagran wrote: »

savingqueen: I think that if your hwb is spewing bits of rubber it's probably on its last legs.

Totally agree...

monnagran wrote: »

Love the Haslet recipe. Definitely one to be tried. The Rev and I organised a forties night at church and I typed out lots of wartime recipes and everyone who was coming took a recipe, made it and brought the food on the night.

Like that idea, my meals are basic and more comfort based these days though they always were I guess. Whether it is a stew/casserole type meal, salad or the mixture of perhaps egg and chips etc...

May look at the websites with these recipes, I keep hoping that such a book will turn up in a charity shop. But they are probably highly prized and people hang onto them...

monnagran wrote: »

Can't remember who suddenly had their DLA stopped but it's going on everywhere. One of our regulars at Open Arms has just been told that his has been stopped and he will have to go on to JSA. What world are these assessors living in?

Always a worry and I am awaiting a decision on benefits and know at some point it will be the same for many.

People who are being migrated to ESA from other benefits too...but come October when Universal Benefit starts, you may still be given the equivelent of JSA so in theory it still exists but JSA as a name won't be around...i

CRANKY40

Kidcat Anzac biscuits are another Australian thing. There were a lot of them about at the same time that I started reading about Twink's hobnobs. That's how I know.

Uniscots97

Fuddle, I've used this recipe before for home made custard.


Ingredients

• 290ml/10fl oz milk
• 1 tsp vanilla essence
• 2 eggs yolks only
• 1 tbsp sugar

Preparation method

1. Heat the milk with the vanilla and allow to just come to the boil. In a large bowl, beat the eggs with the sugar.
2. Pour the hot milk over the egg yolks whisking vigorously. When completely mixed in, return to the pan.
3. Stir over a low heat until the mixture thickens sufficiently to coat the back of a spoon. This will take 5-6 minutes.
4. Drain into a bowl and serve.

kezlou

Morning all!

How, is everyone?
The boys went back to school yesterday, we hate early mornings especially when it s dark. is it me or had it gone colder?

Pops know how you feel we spent £33 and hardly got anything. So the, grocery situation its not good. Financially our money has dropped dramatically. I paid, for some things for people on my credit card. Unfortunately they let me down so now I'm short by so large amount. Its, ok we've got bits and things in the cupboards so it will be fun figuring out what, to do, with them.

my friend, its coming over today so will be chatting over a cuppa. ds 1 is on a voluntary curse with the school which should be good.
The 40's night sounds like you all had a good time:)

Uniscots97

Sorry I didn't say Morning All in my previous post. OH and I had a big row last night, or rather he moaned, got angry and got me upset. Why was he moaning? Because he's sleeping all the time and smoking loads and apparently he pays for everything! In reality up until I finished my job it was me that paid all the bills (except the broadband, he pays for that), I paid for his lunches, never took any petrol money off him and when it came to christmas it was me that bought presents for SIL, BIL and all the nieces, nephews and bought all of SS's stuff except his one big present (his mobile). He told me he's bored and fed up. I'm no fun apparently anymore (no fun because I speak up at him ordering a takeaway at 11pm when he's had dinner and puts it on his credit card!!!! :mad:), and he said he couldn't be held responsible if either of us strayed (Nice huh?). Now, he doesn't go on nights out etc so I know he's not up to anything. He had (since I've got an iphone now) asked me to download an app called find my friends, which once I downloaded meant we could see exactly where location wise each other was. Told him i found it creepy, he either trusts me or he doesn't. I deleted the app this morning as when I drove him to work his phone buzzed and an alert from the app told him I'd left the UK! So not exactly accurate. I'm drained from always having to be the strong one and i told him that this morning. He's supposed to be giving me some money to help cover bills for the end of the month and has now told me he can't do that. I can get £150 a week off him from feb. So as usual everything's up to me. I cried last night and I know he heard me. He apologised this morning profusely but he knows when I'm quiet I've had enough (the last time I was quiet was basically I'd decided SD was getting no more chances and never getting back in my home to steal/abuse me or generally take the p***). Told him what he said last night really hurt and dismissing how I'm feeling or telling me "you'll always be ok for work" when in reality it took me months to get work last time and the time before isn't helping. I told him I'm at breaking point. I'm glad I have never had to rely on him for the bills (its my house you see) as I feel he always lets me down.

I know he'll be on tenterhooks (is that the right spelling?) around me for the next few days but I think he knows anymore outbursts from him I'm either going to snap or kick him and SS out. Came home and SS was hogging the living room (he knew I was coming back, I think he's still in the huff that he's not taking his Dad to work so he can't extort money out of him for fuel as he tells his Dad he uses way more than he does for a 1.0L). Now SS has a tv, playstation etc in his room. I didn't give him a choice, told him to shift, clean up his mess in the kitchen and then stay out of my way.

I knew when I met OH it wasn't going to be easy (due to SD), but now she's not in our lives I thought it would get better. Yet OH is still reacting to the slightest little thing and its always how he feels not how anyone else feels. I don't have many close friends and yet he keeps bringing up how all my friends have 'abandoned' me. Told him I never had those sort of friendships where I saw friends every few days and the only one I did have a friendship like that with was DIY friend (I've mentioned her in my diaries) and as we got older I realised the only time she ever wanted to see me was when she wanted something so was that really a friendship? The only other close friend I had (who had a complicated relationship but I chose to keep that out of our friendship as it wasn't my business), he did ruin by opening his big mouth. He did try and mend things but its not the same.


Sorry for venting first thing in the morning. Off to make a cuppa and pull myself together. Then phone agencies back about job spec's they've sent me and get some tarot done. Realising the only one I can count on is me.

Softstuff

kidcat wrote: »

In the meantime I am a bad mummy, DD6 homework was for me to help her look at Australia and I forgot, she now has to take authentic Australian recipes into school this week - I did suggest BBQ sausages but she didnt seem impressed, so Softstuff can I impose dreadfully and ask you for the names of some genuine Australian dishes please.

Shame you didn't know sooner, I could have mailed you some interesting stuff.

The BBQ is very traditionally Australian. And you were very accurate with sausages. As a joke song they sing this to the tune of the Australian national anthem "Australians all eat sausages, for breakfast, lunch and tea".

It's Australia Day here soon, so they're gearing up:
http://www.taste.com.au/recipes/collections/australia+day

Anzac biccies are traditional (like twinks, but with coconut in), damper is very traditional (old campfire bread), sausage rolls are considered pretty Australian (not sure why), as are "meat pies". We have rather a lot of pie shops here and it's unheard of for a bakery not to have a good selection, I asked my husband what he considered the ultimate Australian food and he said "Pie". An Australian burger always has beetroot on it (which is odd, but you get used to it).

Rissoles are pretty "old-style" Australian. They eat prawns fresh, but you don't often "throw em on the barbie".

I hadn't seen a "Moreton Bay Bug" until I moved here, let alone eaten one - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thenus They taste better than they look.

Christmas dessert is pavlova, main course generally is ham and salad.

That's all of my random musings on the subject!

Softstuff

7_week_wonder wrote: »

Well done softstuff with making it to week 2 with the running: keep up the good work!

I thank you. Given the way I feel after the first go of ramping it up to week 2, I'll be lucky if I survive the week!

fuddle wrote: »

How do you make custard *whispers* without custard powder?

*whispers back* if you value your sanity, you don't! Otherwise, Unixgirls recipe is the go. If anything scrambles a bit or you get lumps, don't panic, just sieve it.

kidcat wrote: »

Softstuff - I am so close to finishing my shredding, eight bin bags and possibly another to go.

Well done you!