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

Pooky

Evening all


It's so quiet on here lately....where's everyone hiding?


Sunshine and showers here today - not ventured far so avoided the worst of it - DD1 has been alternatively drenched or roasting in London at the comicon event. I was a bit nervous of them driving into central London on a Saturday morning but they managed it - I must learn to stop worrying quite so much!!!


DH's new toy arrived today - in an effort to try and get him a bit more sociable I suggested he join a local club or group - he decided he'd like to get into astronomy along with his photography and has found a group to help him with both - so this afternoon his new telescope arrived - he's been very good and sold some other old gadgety things to pay for it - he set it all up and then had to go to bed for 3 hours to get over the excitement.


I bit the bullet last night and applied for a job, only a very part time one locally but fingers crossed it comes off.


I finished another paper cut this afternoon and started trying to design the next but I'm coming up blank at the moment - the brief is very specific and I'm trying to make it work within the sizes I can create - I need to get this one right as it's going to be in a prominent place behind the financial directors desk at a big bank in Gibraltar (ok so she's my sister in law but it still sounds good)

savingqueen

Evening all,

Finally remembered to look at your daughter in her prom dress Pooky - a beautiful young woman in a beautiful dress. Love the colour.

How are you doing being on call fuddle? Sending positive thoughts your way - you'll be grand you know.

Still struggling as I have been all week. Saw my counsellor Friday after a month's gap. Usually I feel calm (or calmish) in the sessions and come out feeling positive. This time I was all over the place, stressed and panicky. When I filled in the anxiety and depression rating sheets, my scores were higher than when I first went. I feel like I gone back to minus square one. He did say that with all that's going on with DH and both sets of families and lots of other smaller things that its not surprising. I also said I am panicking because the sessions are nearly ending, only 2 more left and I have a review with the GP in July and I am worried he will tell me to start cutting down the ADs with a view to coming off them and I don't feel ready at all. And breathe! I know I have to prioritise my mental health, I can't afford to not take care of my family and household.

Feel better just typing that. I have been trying not to involve DH too much as he is under so much pressure but I was honest with him yesterday and that has helped to. I am trying to calm down partly by concentrating on the day to day routines and OS stuff. I am part way through meal plans to use up all sorts of odds and ends. This month our spending on all sorts of extras has been sky high so I need to do what I can to get our finances in better shape again.

Took boys into town today to give DH some study space. Last port of call was to buy milk before we went home. A young woman was completely distraught in the supermarket. Apparently she has dropped £20 on the ground, realised it had gone, turned round and someone grabbed it and ran off. The staff tried to help but not much they could do, a security guard gave chase but the man had scarpered. She said she had just moved to the area and was getting some basics and didn't know anyone to call to help her.

I did think it could be a scam and I am usually very careful but this woman seemed so genuine that I went with my gut feelings and trusted her story. I gave her a hug and calmed her down and gave her some bus fare to get home. It took me a fair amount of time to persuade her tot take it.

Thinking about it after I could have offered her a lift home and if she had wanted the money she would have come unstuck. I would rather play safe and not take a stranger in my car given that my car was parked at the end of a quiet car park and had the kids with me. No way could I have left her the way she was and I was prepared to take the risk. Didn't tell DH, he will say I was daft.

sq

savingqueen

maryb wrote: »

British Heart Foundation electrical shops sell secondhand freezers which look surprisingly good value (given that their clothes shops are the worst for trying to sell washed out tat for more than it cost new)

we also have both a BHF charity shop, the most expensive of several CS in our area. They have some nice stuff but the prices are ridiculous. However they have a separate furniture and electrical shop which is good value. Which reminds me I must start checking out every week as will need furniture for DS9's future bedroom


sq

stiltwalker

Evening all - woke up with one eye glued shut this morning, most disconcerting. It'd been sore last night and I thought I must have got dust in it when packing up but no, conjunctivitis, just what I need.


Had a lovely break away at Center Parcs - confirmed though that DD does so much better there in term time as it was night and day to when PIL took us at half term - better hope her Headteacher keeps on being nice to us (gave permission as exceptional circs) or we'll just be paying the fine.


Now we are back though the big pack up has truly begun - my lovely dad has pretty much stripped the wallpaper off the whole of the new house and is coming Tuesday to put lining paper up ready to paint. Today we have chosen colours with DD and bought curtains (yes I know I could have made them but not in the time I've got and I hate making curtains!) went into the new Dunhelm fairly near us and got a good bargain though and DD has picked a really sophisticated colour scheme so hers will last ages. DS is having green/blue and dinosaur decals and got blue curtains that will blend in with the 'sky' walls so again pretty long lasting as we can always change the decals when he gets his next obsession.


Recycling my parents old bedroom curtains for the lounge, so will need a new rug that goes better at some point but we've got a good rug stall on the market so that shouldn't be too bad.


Made sketty sauce for our dinner from mince in the freezer as need to run that down too, although again not too bad as got a fridge freezer and a single of each so only need to empty one, move it and let it settle before we move all the stuff over. Off to chuck some pasta in to boil. Catch you all later - X

Hard_Up_Hester

I'm sat watching TV, some episodes of Lewis that I recorded, two objects of lust in one program, the beautiful buildings of Oxford & the delectable Sergeant Hathaway!
I'm surrounded by pieces of fabric & I shall be sewing tomorrow, I've cut out a Quillow, some sets of ote dama juggling balls from Elaine' s blog & some owls from Tracing Rainbows blog.
It's half term so I'm on holiday, I need to do lots of housework & the sewing is my treat for when I get fed up with the housework, lol.
Hubby is on holiday this week too, we have a couple of cheap treats planned, we have a £10 voucher for a local pub & we will use our bus passes to go in to town.
My top up shop came to £11 & we now have enough food to last til the end of the month. It's going to be tight financially for the next few months, hubby is joining the new pension scheme so that will be coming out of his wages, I'm opting out as I'm already past retirement age. Our pay day is also changing soon, moving from the last Thursday of the month to the last day of the month, years of experience of dealing with the company that do our wages leads me to believe that this is bound to go tits up & I'm expecting some general SHTF moments when this happens.
Hester

ginnyknit

Stilty, exciting but hard work moving house. What colour scheme did little madam choose? Im dying to know.

Wet and cool here but Dgs was kept occupied all day with new flash cards and drawing. He can now write his name - so proud. We have an inkling he can read but is keeping his cards close to his chest . Grandad taught him a card game so m guessing lots of games of poker in our future.:rotfl:

Busy making invites for Ds's wedding blessing tomorrow, as they got hitched in Vegas last year its going to be a laid back budget affair. Doing the Vegas theme so thats simple enough.

Hugs to all in need xx

paidinchickens

SQ What a lovely thing to do. It's sad thought that in these times we are wary over being conned. I wouldn't give anyone a lift either, just in case.

Hester Housework ??? :rotfl:

Stilwalker I hope your eye gets better.


Not much to tell here, it rained all day so nothing productive done.

PiC x

savingqueen

Morning everyone and lovely and sunny it is here too. Have a big washing mountain so will be using nature today to get it dried Feeling a bit calmer today and appreciative of that.

Glad you had a lovely break away stiltwalker - good luck with the decorating. Our whole house bar our bedroom needs decorating and we have been here years now ha ha!

Another Lewis fan Hester - though Hathaway isn't my personal cuppa lust wise! Still love Morse as well.


Yay to your clever grandson ginny!

Hope you're ok if you're reading today CC. Sending you some of our sunshine.

off to have some breakie and read the papers before making a start on "the list" interspersed with cuppas. This afternoon I'm taking DS9 to a party at the noisiest venue imaginable with probably about 40+ kids. I have to stay as the birthday boy's mum is a good friend. Wish me luck! Will be a warmup for DS9's party on Tuesday though we only have 18 guests plus our 2. Oh boy!

sq

Hard_Up_Hester

PIC, well you know my house must be really dire if I feel the need to do housework, lol.
SQ, & I'm old enough to be his mother, lol.
I've just replaced the banana skin on my foot, the verruca is definitely improving so it looks like it works, I love old fashioned remedies.
Hester

[Deleted User]

Morning Toughies, mixed here today lots of blue skies and sunshine interspersed with very black patches of shower clouds dropping much water with little warning,must be spring!!! Another Lewis fan here but I'm sad enough to like it for the title music which I think is just beautiful and the series was well written too, kind of wish they hadn't stopped it but even script writers and actors must have thier limits.

STILTY good luck with all that moving entails though it sounds as if you have everything well in train and thank heavens for kind Dads eh? SQ a generous gesture from you love, restores faith in human nature when I read things like yours, well done, hope the pressure eases off for you when DH has a respite from his own work pressure. GINNY wonderful that DGS can now write his name playing poker sounds fun too and I hope all goes smoothly and enjoyably for your sons wedding blessing. HESTER I know how hard you teachers work, DD1 has been off her feet this half term and has really needed a 36 hour day to get all the things done she's had piled on her, enjoy your half term break and your trips and sewing and remember to take time to do that increasingly short commodity in teachers lives, ' nothing at all' , good for your soul love!!!

I'm making an old wartime recipe for lunch today it hopefully is going to taste better than it reads as its a savoy cabbage stuffed with a savoury sausage meat and onion stuffing which we'll have with some steamed carrots, peas from the polytunnel and mashed potatoes, I haven't tried this one before but have made the discovery that hollowing out a cabbage to stuff is much fun and the best tool? A grapefruit knife inherited from the inlaws- who'd have thought I'd use it after all these years??? Have a good one all, Lyn xxx.