The OS Doorstep - a helpful and supportive thread in these tough times

Possession

Kidcat I switched tariffs a couple of months ago so there isn't much usage to go on but it's quite a bit more than we were paying with Scottish Power our last supplier. I have asked online to lower the payment but it says it takes a couple of weeks to do so your direct debit payment will still go through. What annoys me is nobody told me my dd had changed, I just properly checked my bill and found it there. When they have paperless billing I bet lots of people don't even check their bills properly and might not have noticed their dd would be changing from £89 to £170. That could be the difference between buying food and not for some people.

mardatha

Do they not send you an email Possession?

Possession

mardatha wrote: »

Do they not send you an email Possession?

Nope. :mad::mad::mad:

savingqueen

How are you today Princess? Wanted to congratulate you on then non-smoking especially with the stress you have been under lately.

Also I understand your frustration and anger about your dad getting checked out. My dad had bowel cancer and left it and left it until eventually going to the docs. He did have treatmet to shrink the tumour and then an op and changed his lifestyle for the better BUT he refused the chemo they wanted to give him after the op to mop up any rogue cells and didn't go to any of the regular checkups after recovery that should have gone to. I really wanted him to do the after op stuff but I didn't try to talk him out of it and had to respect his choice - his body, his life. This was a few years ago and he is still doing ok for a man of his age.

Serious illness is very tough on both the person and people they are close to isn't it? We are all here for you whatever happens and whatever your dad does, you can still support him which is the single best thing you can do for him. Just be there - hopefully he will appreciate your love and support. Also be very kind to yourself, take life gently. You will get through this and we will help you.

sq x

fuddle

Your meadow sounds divine

Possession direct debit is a system I try to avoid as I too have been burned and I agree, when a budget it is tight every penny is accounted for. When I moved down here the water company tried it on too. I know how much water I use and that wasn't going to change just because I moved south!

Kids and I have been into town for fruit, veg and mushy peas (waitrose here doesn't sell mushy peas!) for the first time in about 18 months we had the trolley out. Not happy that I didn't get a free coffee as machine was out of order.

Tell you though we walked past elderflower in a garden... It's out! Smelt lovely. Will need to find a source

Just whizzed up old fruit that was on the turn for a smoothy. Also bought corn kernels for popcorn tomorrow pack lunches - honey flavouring I think with a little melted butter.

One of my ladies this afternoon was telling me all about the healing properties of honey on a wound. I knew it was good for medicinal purposes but not skin healing. Apparently her dressings contain honey!

Fish and chip night in this house but this week we are being a bit tight - fish cake and chips

savingqueen

I have come upstairs to escape the kids. They are seriously testing my patience. I have already had an indigestion attack and now a throbbing headache - I know its stress. I am trying hard to be the calm one. they have been bickering on and off all day. DS9 has been winding DS7 up with little things for days and today DE7 exploded with temper. He got into a state and it took me ages to calm him down.

Not an easy week - DH has handed in his application for his own job which I proofread and he has an exam next week on DS9's birthday - great timing huh? I have to try and keep the kids away from him all weekend plus Bank Hol Mon so he can revise whilst preparing for birthday arrangments including making the cake. Actually I have been doing this for last few weekends and several more to go. DH's re-sit exam is while we are away on holiday but we have managed to change the booking with the cottage owner - big phew there. With the contact from my side this week and seeing the outlaws next week, I am just about ready to throw a tantrum... am I allowed a middle-aged one?

Plan A has not worked today... probably on at least plan D and just going to concentrate on the basics now - dinner, baths, remake beds with clean bedding and school prep for tomorrow. The rest can hang. Think DS can take his homemade cakes in after half term now.

a frazzled sq x

Pooky

Afternoon all


For some reason I've had it in my head that it's Monday - so it's quite nice to find it's Friday tomorrow!


Had an almighty headache again last night and managed to sleep through the alarm this morning so feel I've been playing catch up all day. Did manage to go vote and go pick up the bits for DD2's birthday cake (she's had the same cake every year since she was 4 - swiss roll ice cream cake!) I'm ringing the changes with mint ice cream instead of chocolate this year though - what a rebel.


SQ - it sounds like life is very hectic for you at the moment - it will all calm down I promise, chin up x


Possession - have the estimated your usage or used proper readings? I know some companies do the "well an average house uses x so we will charge you for x unless you tell us not to". I'd not be happy bunny. Our supplier wanted to put ours up a while back, I argued that I was in credit, we were going into spring/summer (we have solar panels) and I wasn't having any of it - they said "oh but similar houses to yours in your area are using x" I pointed out that in my road there are 4 houses (us being one) and around 50 bungalows - all 4 houses have solar panels and all the bungalows are 1/2 bedrooms so they can't do any sort of comparison based on my area....they let me keep the DD the same


Princess - Congrats on the non smoking!!! Hugs for the other news x


DD2's last official day at school tomorrow - just 9 more exams to attend for....she's so pleased to be leaving as she's really outgrown a lot of her friends who are still at the "OMG" stage where as, in her words, "I'm far too mature for all that now"....:) She's off out with a group of the nicer ones for a meal in the evening which will be a nice end to it all.

Nargleblast

Re electricity and gas bills.....I input the meter readings online a month or so ago and with the acknowledgement came the message that my direct debit would increase by over 50%....and this at a time when our usage was reducing as Spring progressed, and it would soon be summer when we hardly use any gas at all! I phoned them to inform them of the illogicality (if there's such a word) of their decision and that I was in no position to be able to afford such a huge increase. A day or two later I got a call to say they had reviewed my account and my payments would stay the same.
As was said earlier, I think the utility companies do try it on at this time of year, so the lesson of the day is, if you have an online account, to take regular readings and input them online and to question any decision to increase your payments.

You know what they say...if you don't ask, you don't get!

kidcat

Possession - this sounds like an automatic process rather than a thought out plan, I have had similar issues in the past as well, calling them is probably the only way to sort it out quickly.

SQ - ((hugs)) when things get like that here I find concentrating on getting just the absolute must dos helps.

Pooky - our local schools have abolished the leaving before all exams finished system here, so we have some very disgruntled kids who will attend exams and still have to attend school until the end of June. Hard on the ones who have elder siblings and were waiting their "turn" of the extended summer.

Had to collect DD8 from school today, as she was unwell, she is insisting she is much better now though as she has a trip tomorrow - I cannot decide whether to send her or not. Weather forecast is rain, they will be outdoors most of the day and wearing tudor costumes!
DS10 is still poorly and is not well enough to return tomorrow, and Ds16 tutor has announced she is going away tomorrow so he has no afternoon session.
Half term is starting early for most of my lot certainly - have to say as exhausted and yucky feeling as I am, I have appreciated less school runs this week.

VJsmum

Morning all

I am delurking to add a quick update

A couple of months ago i posted here asking for advice, I'd had one of those "blinding flash" realisations that my 17 year old DD was probably autistic / aspergers. OH thought she was just a drama queen (which she is, also ). Anyhow, after advice from here and other places we agreed to wait till after her A levels but then i was going to talk to her.

Well, last night she and i went to one of those National Theatre live things at our local cinema - at her instigation. It was "the curious incident of the dog in the nighttime", a story through the eyes of an autistic boy. As we were watching, I wondered if she would recognise herself in any of his actions and at the break she said "well some of that was a bit close to home"

So, we had a chat (in the break, at the cinema - not what I'd planned at all :rotfl:), turns out she'd known for years that she was - as she put it - "more on the spectrum than most people". I said she could have bl00dy told us, and she was surprised she hadn't.

And that was kind of that, we came home and she spoke to OH, I've said i think it is more of an "ability" than a "disability" and she agrees. It is such a relief.

She is off to Drama school in September, a little way away, so now we can openly address how she manages some of the difficulties - particularly the social phobia that she has somewhat.

Thanks for all the advice, and hope this might help someone with similar concerns.

**relurks**