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

Pooky

Possession - how about candy cane wreaths - have a google - they look great and are cheap enough to make (boxes of 15 in the 99p store).

Marzipan fruits?

Bags of rocky road

Ginger bread men - and upside down ones made into reindeer.

Well I've spent the day beavering away, went to frame some cuts and totally messed one up....first time it's happened but I could have cried.... it took 6 hours to cut. I managed to re-cut it in 4 hours but I'm not even going to attempt to frame it tonight - I shall go rest my poor aching hands.

DD2 had picked tonights viewing - 2nd Bridget Jones film and I might even break open a bar of choccy. There will definitely be jimjams

Nutty - So glad your DD has finally got her house! I bet she's so happy.

camelot1001

Nutty - Good luck to your DD in her new home.
fuddle - Your halloween treats look amazing, so refreshing to see home made decorations and a lovely walk.
cornishchick - I too am 'below average'!

I am going down south next weekend to see my Aunt and go to my cousin's 50th birthday party. My cousin hasn't invited her Mum (my Aunt) to the party which is quite awkward. I will be staying with my Aunt who I get on with very well. I spoke to my cousin to tell her that I was very uncomfortable with the situation (this type of thing happens a lot - cousin uses her mum to look after the dog but isn't very nice to her).
Another cousin phoned me tonight to say that cousin was raging that I said what I did. I just wish I had said something to her before now.
No doubt my name is mud, buy hey-ho.

The homeless situation is tricky but I would give my money to an organisation before an individual. I watched a piece of film on FB where a chap asked a few people for a slice of their pizza - the only one who shared was a homeless guy.

Possession

Pooky I'm amazed that's the first cut you've had to redo. I think I'd have to redo them all! I will google candycane wreaths, haven't heard from the lady so putting it on hold till I do.
Nutty best of luck to DD!

ivyleaf

Pooky wrote: »

Possession - how about candy cane wreaths - have a google - they look great and are cheap enough to make (boxes of 15 in the 99p store).

Marzipan fruits?

Bags of rocky road

Ginger bread men - and upside down ones made into reindeer.

Well I've spent the day beavering away, went to frame some cuts and totally messed one up....first time it's happened but I could have cried.... it took 6 hours to cut. I managed to re-cut it in 4 hours but I'm not even going to attempt to frame it tonight - I shall go rest my poor aching hands.



.

Oh pooky , what a rotten shame - I suppose it was almost bound to happen eventually ((HUGS))

nuttyp - So glad to hear your DD has a home at last :j

re homeless people - I remember watching a programme some years ago where some young people spent 24 hours with a homeless person to see how they coped with things we take for granted, like managing to have a wash, for example. One of the young people asked the homeless woman she was shadowing "Why do so many homeless people drink so much?" Her reply was that being homeless was so horrible that being drunk was the only way to bear it

Possession Good luck with the fair If you're going to be making big meringues my OH will be wishing desperately that we lived near enough to come and buy some, even though he's not meant to eat meringues

monnagran how is the boiler now?

camelot What an awkward situation to have been put in

Fuddle Love your Hallowe'en food etc

Cornish chick Hope last night went okay and that you enjoy the party on Sunday x

savingqueen

Hi everyone,

Sat here in my jimjams. I have been doing chores and having a bath soon so will chuck the them in the wash. Feeling a bit off colour and have a sore throat but nothing much more, hoping it stays that way.

Congrats on your below averageness CC! We used less energy this year than last, wonder how we will do for the coming year. It will be hard to cut down much further without a noticeable impact on our lifestyles.... though having said we have only needed the heating on for a couple of the children's baths. There are times when we have been too warm lately. DH has the front door open to take the old mattress to the tip and I am still boiling!

Had fun last night - some of the carved pumpkins were so intricate - thought of you Pooky (sorry you had a bad cut, just put it down to one of those things, bound to happen one day, shame though). Our pumpkins were designed by the boys but my attempts to copy them.... :rotfl:

Camelot - sorry to hear about the family strife.

Yay on your DD's home nutty and in time for Christmas too. She must be so excited and happy.

Hadn't thought of my local PCSO. I am going to check to see if that homeless man is still in the same spot on Monday, he isn't one of the regulars who band together, he was on his own. I wouldn't give anything, even a hot drink to any of the others - I know at least some of them are not homeless and I feel very uncomfortable when I see them. Not that I have money to help everyone anyway.
Yes a lot of homeless people drink because they need to blot out the awful reality of their lives. Others end up homeless because of drink too but some because of relationship breakdown, job loss etc not to mention the youngsters who leave awful homes and end up on the street. Like benefit claimants - some people aren't getting what they are entitled to and are barely living and others play the system and are living the life of riley. I know its the world we live in and all that but it still makes me angry - that genuine people are suffering and also that others feel they can use a mask of suffering and greedily grab what isn't rightfully theirs.

fuddle

Oh I have to say those photos weren't mine. They were ideas from Pinterest but we recreated them last night.

I have had pasta, meatballs and bolognaise sauce in the SC today. I could have actually reduced the cooking time. I will add more chopped tomatoes, maybe even passata next time as the pasta absorbed more than I thought but, all in all, I am very happy with it. Even more happy at a hot lunch ready for when we came in and for very little effort.

We've got some fireworks tonight. We're having a jacket potato garden party in candlelight. Heck, it's warm enough! :rotfl: The small BBQ will be on to finish the jacket potatoes off and I think I will try some mulled cider in the SC for DH and I. The kiddies are going to have toffee apples. I made them years ago so will have to refresh, but that won't be a problem. The houses either side don't have pets so I hope we won't be a nuisance. We don't have bangers so hopefully our enjoyment will be shared with the neighbours without causing anyone any negativity.

Airthrey

May I join you? I've been lurking for a while and finally worked out how to join the forum today.

I do monthly meter readings and I'm below average for electricity but above average for gas! Can tell from October usage that DD has had the heating on more than I expected. I spent ages today faffing around trying to work out whether I should change supplier only to conclude I should stay where I am.

Apologies if this has been covered before, but what do you use to line kitchen bins? I've been using old carrier bags from supermarkets but now we have a 5p tax on these, I feel I need to come up with an alternative.

[Deleted User]

Hello AIRTHREY welcome in to the thread, it's always nice to have new folks join in the fun, nice to have you aboard.

Kitchen bins, well I use the heavy duty sacks that come on a roll from the 99p shop. You get 30 for that money so really not expensive (I've got a big swing bin type) but I also use any charity bags that are put through the door. I've left them out for re-collection when I've had nothing to give but they are never collected. Rather than throw them away I use them in the bin.

candlelight_2013

Mo too Lyn, they never bother to collect the empty plastic sack.

I pay a penny more for my roll of black plastic sacks but still a bargain I think. When I had a small bin I too used to line them with carrier bags.

Candlelightx

Airthrey

My kitchen bin is a small one, just the right size for carrier bags. I don't really need a big one. It only gets the stuff that can't go in one of the 4 recycling boxes/bins my local council uses. We have a separate one for food waste, but I'm trying to be better about that and not much gets wasted in this house.

I hadn't thought about the surplus charity bags. They never collect the empty ones here. If I fold over the edges to make them smaller, they should do for the bin.