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

nuttyp

kidcat, I am so glad DS is home. I hope he is feeling more comfortable and you get the chance to have a well earned rest.


We have just had a lovely tea cooked by DD, pork lion from aldi with potatoes and peas. very yummy. and cheap too

ivyleaf

Glad to hear it kidcat :) Wishing DS a speedy recovery!

Thanks for the heads up Lyn - our store had none of the GF grills but when i saw your post it prompted me to order one online - have to pay for delivery but still a big saving!

SQ - Would you be able to use a fan in the boys' room? We find it a big help, but of course it depends if they'll mind the noise or not.

burtha

Hi all,I haven't been around since my kids broke from school ,so I hope I haven't missed anything important ,sorry if I have,
Will have to read back a few pages

Dh now back so things a little bitt easier ,kids are fed up all ready as having to go to my mums during the day ,for all of last week ,kids club starts tomorrow so fingers crossed for the next 2 weeks ..working way to many hours now. ,to hopfully have a full 2 weeks off ,dh will only be off about 4 days ,but hope that wecan get away for those 4 night ,nothing booked yet all still to expensive ,or maybe I am just tight

OK better go and get some sleep ,long day tomorrow x

ivyleaf

Morning all! Sunny again today, after yesterday's clouds and showers. Going to get up to about 27 again apparently, which I don't mind if only it didn't get humid as well.

I spent some time y'day filling in an online survey for our local council. As with all councils, their funding from central government is being cut year on year, and they are asking residents' opinions on how their budget should be spent.

They say that if things were left as they are, CT would need to rise by 12% next year to balance their books.

Council Tax is not allowed to rise by more than 2% (I don't know if that's orders from Govt or just that the council doesn't want to alienate the many Tory voters who live here and are doing quite nicely thank you ) so you choose from their list of possibilities where you think spending should be increased or decreased.

When you decide about something, a little notice comes up to tell you what the consequences will be. and if your ideas mean Council Tax going up by more then 2%, you can't submit the survey!

In the end I managed to work out ways to make CT go up by only 2% without reducing essential services to the most vulnerable people in our community, but as the council's funding will be reduced every year for the next few years, what's to happen? I can't see how it can be managed without leaving people in desperate straits.

One of their possible suggestions was to make more money by making everyone pay at least 25% of Council Tax regardless of their circumstances :eek::eek::eek:

Of course the poor, infirm and disabled are as a whole the least likely to be in a position to fill in an online survey :mad: So the results will probably be skewed, and the Council will probably reduce services to those most in need and say "But that's what most respondents wanted!"

paidinchickens

Ivy The main CT is not allowed to go up by more than 2% but the Parish CT raised 17% this year. They said they had to as blah blah then spent £1 500 on a graffiti artist to spray paint the skate park. We are in a well off village so they think they can put it up and no one will suffer as we all have dosh.

Funnily enough it's the houses where you think they're alright who can't afford it but they just don't know it yet as they are sticking their bills on their credit cards and Hey if it goes on the plastic and your head is in the sand what's an extra 17% ?

PiC x

Twoblackcats

It's interesting isn't it how councils make a big deal about not increasing council tax by more than 2% but then increase the costs of as many other things as they can which the public never stop to calculate the % increase on. Our local council have increased the cost of car parking by at least 50% over the last year, cost of entry to council run leisure centre gone up etc etc.
well done Ivy for doing the survey!

savingqueen

hello toughies

glad to hear you and DS are back home kidcat. lots of get well wishes to DS and hope you get a few mins to have a well earned rest kidcat.

ivyleaf - grrrr to your council survey. Our council can be similarly useless. We live in a deprived town with wealthy outlying areas and policies often seem to benefit the richer folk. Sometimes they just lack plain common sense, very frustrating.

thanks for suggestion - boys do have a big fan in their bedroom which we put on to help them drop off. However I am too worried about leaving it on overnight, probably daft but I am funny about electric stuff. I think some of it is anxiety with DS7, he should be relaxed being out of school but maybe because our normal routine has gone it is affecting him. We had the same with DS10 when he was a similar age one summer holiday.

Last night DS7 didn't wake up and when I did, I dropped back off fairly quickly. :j :j DS10 had a lie-in until nearly 10 which happens about once every 2 years. So plans to go out early have changed. I am getting chores done this morn, whole chicken in slow cooker for dinner, laundry pile going down and then after lunch we are off to see a film, cheap film day here. Forecast is boiling then and we will have a couple of hours in an air conditioned cinema. We are still feeling coldy, not sure if it is "just" hayfever now but sure feels orrible either way.

Shopping yesterday with boys went quite well. I sent them off to find various items on the list which kept them occupied. The only bit they didn't like was the repacking trolley bit and I did get a fair trolley load (had vouchers). DS10 was shocked at the bill though. I am going to book an online shop some time after payday I think to save hassle and then do top ups as and when.

right washing won't hang itself.... have a cool day everyone
SQ

Pooky

Hello all

Kidkat - Glad DS is home - hope the next few weeks are calmer for you.

SQ - How about doing the boys some cold water bottles (in hot water bottles if you have them) - lovely to cool you down when you're silly hot. The girls used to love taking them to bed and putting their feet on them.

DD1 is really suffering with a bad tickly cough - she came back from France with it and it's really disturbing her sleep. She was still hacking away at 2am so I dosed her up again with everything and anything I thought would help. She eventually got off to sleep and is only just stirring now, no plans today and she's not working so she can sleep as long as needed.

Went to buy both girls new laptops yesterday - both need them for college/uni so we agreed that they'd be early christmas presents.....DH mentioned it to his parents and they offered to go halves with us. Our bit came to £485 (ouch!!) and I had £400 in my christmas savings pot.....we've sold a couple of bits on ebay this week too so I'm still in profit! The girls will just be having stockings on Christmas day and I've already started with a few small bits for those. Quite a nice feeling.

Made a big veg chilli the night before last, 4 portions went in the freezer, did the same last night with risotto so I've got a few "ding meals" for when it's too hot to cook.

Egg and chips tonight - yum!

ArthriticOldThing

Good afternoon all.


I'm feeling quite pleased with myself today. Have been quite OS and had cooking day. Made soup which will do me for lunch for rest of week, vegetable casserole n SC - enough for at least 4 meals so going in freezer when cooled down, the breadmaker is on and I have flapjacks in the oven. :TWas going to make Twinks hobnobs but discovered had no bicarb.


Now going to sit with coffee for 5 minutes then get the crochet out. Am making a cotton scarf as a birthday gift for a friend.


Kidkat, I am pleased that DS is home now. Hope things settle down a bit for you now.

savingqueen

good idea re the coldwater bottle Pooky - we did that last year but forgot this year. Will do again tonight. They like a cold wet flannel on their forehead as well. I have taken the majority of cuddly toys off their beds and they like a cool cotton sheet instead of a duvet. Hard to know what else to do - with DS7 its not the getting off to sleep, its the waking up and then not getting back to sleep.


Twas lovely and cool in the cinema, not my sort of film but rarely is when I take the kids but they loved it. Came out and felt like we had stepped into a desert!


need to get washing in, wash up last few dishes and sort dinner. planning an early night all round so if plan works, we will be up and out early before it gets too hot. None of us like crowds so another bonus if we go out early.


SQ