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

kidcat

Nurse Maggie that's a good idea from Nellie, you could email, call and send a letter by recorded delivery saying that they have 7 days to have plumber round or you will arrange your own and deduct it from the rent.

ginnyknit

Sheila, glad you got your MRI done and hope the results come through fast and negative xxx

Stilty sounds like your little one learned her shopping skills from my OH - Omg he was the worst present buyer ever for years and years but the last 3 Christmas's he has become amazing - Jamie Oliver Pie dish last year that I use constantly - it had a small chip on so he got it cheaper and knew I would be impressed .

Off to meet Smileyt for a cuppa and a natter, not seen her for a couple of months so will be nice to catch up and pop in to craft shop - would be rude not too:rotfl:

nursemaggie

I do better than that FPK I just keep adding more to the original it is getting enormous. Getting another plumber in is expressly forbidden in my lease and there is a section in the law about private landlords that allows them to give you 2 months notice without any reason what so ever.

I am a supporter of shelter and I do know what I can do and what I can't. I am also not in a financial position to be able make hundreds of long distance phone calls.

My landlord is a company not a person. There is no human being to care what happens. They certainly can throw me out if I get a plumber in.

I did mean the post as ironic but it looked like a rant so I said that. I don't think irony works in print. The irony is I have been pestering them for months and they send someone out, who did fix some of them. What he fixed is now worse than it was. What gets on my nerves about the drips is where ever I go in the house I can hear at least one of them.

What keeps happening is that every time it gets to the stage when they will actually get someone to fix what ever it is the person who is responsible is leaving the following week or going on holiday or going maternity leave or whatever so they do not bother. I don't get told the person responsible is being changed and I send the email to some who does not work there any more. We have had at least 10 people leave on us. I am constantly looking for who is in charge of our property.

The landlord is a big company and the agent is a very large international company. It is like dealing with any other multinational. We will get there eventually. As my neighbour is threatening to sue them if they do not fix one of them they will have to do something. She says it has happened frequently over the last 5 years. More than one thing I mean.

One thing today looks like being a fine day. The roof only leaks when it is raining.

SpikyHedgehog

nursemaggie, that is just so rubbish of the company .

I do understand what you are going through - before we moved here, we were renting through a housing association, but the house was owned by a private company. So everytime something needed doing, I had to phone the HA, who would then pass it onto the LL, who would after several more phone calls to the HA from me asking when someone was going to (fix the cold tap in the kitchen so we had water I knew was drinkable/fix the boiler so we could have heat for our baby & young son/fix the hot tap in the kitchen so I could wash up without boiling the kettle/fix a kitchen tap so it would actually turn off and not keep running/fix one of the taps in the bathroom), the LL would sent some cowboy along to fiddle about and charge the LL for his time of not solving the actual problem.

Eventually, on our first wedding anniversary, the HA sent a chap round to give us 2 months notice which took us to Christmas Eve, as the LL had decided to stop using the HA and rent it out privately. They didn't get any of the work done while it was empty, as the windows are still rotten (and we've been out of there 7 years) and we still speak to the old neighbours, who've said all the new tenants are only in for 6 months.

It worked out for us, though it was tense - we got a 3 bedroom HA house so now have this house for as long as we want it. That's not much help to you, I know.

One thing that helps with the noise of the dripping tap (and the water wastage) is turning the water off at the stopcock when you're not using it. It is a pain in the backside to have to keep rummaging under the kitchen sink (where mine was then), and probably eventually leads to wear & tear on the stopcock.

kidcat wrote: »

Sheila - when DS had an MRI I think his results were only 7 days away, so hopefully it wont be too long.
....

spikyhedghog - its worth contacting your council SEN team as well, ours has a support team who will attend groups as a one to one support, if they feel its needed - worth an ask if your area has something similar

....

DS10 eye is healing beautifully and thankfully the eye trauma has ceased so no more rainbows or triple vision

When my friend had an MRI, she also got the results within a week - it's stressful waiting, of course, but didn't take as long as some tests do.

I'm glad DS10's eye is all right, eyes are worrying things when there's a problem.

I realised last week that new school hadn't done as they'd said they would in asking the LEA's autism service to give him some support - I'd discussed it with the high school SENCo and explained that primary school had eventually made a referral but too late for it to be considered (my wish was that he could get extra support particularly through the transition to high school, since it was now too late to get support through much of his time at primary school), and the SENCo at high school said we'd make the referral in September. Then at work we had a phone call from the service to explain why they couldn't give the support to our children (because we're a preschool & they can't work with children till Reception) and I realised that we'd missed the deadline again for DS2.

We've got Paediatrician on Wednesday, and I spoke to the GP at half term, who said he didn't feel DS would meet a CAMHS criteria (by the time we saw the GP, DS had his way about not going on Scouts camp so I could do uni work and he could be active, so was smirking away instead of running away, also they are understaffed & overneeded so it would take forever for them not to see him anyway). GP said to talk to Paediatrician and school and I'm going to ask for a CAF to be set up so we can try to pull everyone together, and find out what support is available.

The tricky bit is of course most of the phone calls and appointments need to be made in school time, while I'm at preschool, and I keep having staff call in sick, so end up not getting any sort of lunch break where I can make the calls.

I guess I need to stop saying 'I can't do X', and see how I can do it - and there's no reason for me not to do an email any time from home. Which will at least make sure school etc are aware of how things are. And if high school are as reluctant as primary was to start a CAF, I'll have to download the forms and start filling in myself.

In my role as 'worst mum ever', I have said DS cannot go on the computer until all his homework is done, and if he needs the computer for said homework, I will need to sit next to him to make sure he is doing it and not nipping onto minecraft.

So I should be getting a good bit of knitting done while sitting next to him. [STRIKE]We[/STRIKE] He managed to get all 3 pieces of homework done on Friday, in only 45 minutes... Now just to hope he remembers to give them in.

mrsdwhite

Been off the forum for a few days so trying to catch up on the threads I frequent. Lots of reading to do!
The weather has been ok today so went to the lottie and dug up my Autumn Charlotte potatoes. Not a great yield on them but they were an experiment and the ground had already been used twice this year! Anywho there'll be enough for the three of us at Christmas so I'm pleased. Also from the lottie I pulled some of my parsnips up now we've had a frost and wow they're huge! Very pleased
Someone told me on FB that the tubs of Christmas choccies we all love were on offer at 2 for £7 in Mr M so went out today to stock up on them for Christmas as I was waiting for them to be on offer before buying them. £14 on Chocolates seems ridiculous though :eek:
Whilst in My M I found some green bananas reduced to 19p for being a bit ugly, some HUGE turkey thighs for £4.50 (one of them looks like it has half of the turkey breast on it as well! :T) and Douwe Egberts was half price making it the same price for 100g as the shops own gold blend
Off to a remembrance service at our Abbey this evening as our lost babies name will be in the list of names being read out. DD actually asked to go to the service and visit the grave today which is a step forward as she is usually reluctant.
All in all the events of life this week have left me in a bit of a bad mood but as the saying goes, 'this too shall pass,' which I know is true, I've had some of the toughest times of my life this year and come out of it on the other side so I can take plenty more 'life' before I break ::)
Hugs to all those who need them, hope the weather is nice where you all are :j

[Deleted User]

MRSDWHITE may the sunshine of our collective care and love shine on you and yours and give your souls and minds peace and rest and make your hearts joyful and the world a much warmer place for you to be!!!

ArthriticOldThing

Good evening.
Well I've managed to get all the stuff for the fete into boxes which a friend (with a car) will help me take down to church tomorrow and another friend is going to help me price it all. Will probably take a few days. SQ, I had to just do a bit and rest a bit so it seemed to take ages. NurseMaggie, at least this year I do have some help with the job. Have previously had to do it on my own and it is a hard slog. Will be glad when it is done.
My hand is very hot and itchy but at least all the dissolvable stitches have dissolved - they were starting to pull the skin.
What an awful time you're having with the landlord NurseMaggie. I hope you manage to get something sorted sooner rather than later.
Sheila (chickens11), glad you have that appointment for the second foot thru.

chickens11

Hi all, Thanks mar...Woke up to heavy rain today but it soon cleared and its been quite a sunny day , temp got to about 13 , then it went pretty cool at 4 ish so ive lit my fire and here I sit , watch xfactor then bed at 9 for me........
Mrs D White....I havent got a llotment , ive got big enough garden if I wanted it for home grown , but as I wouldnbt be able to dig my own garden I dont bother , also the price of seeds and plants are extremely high , I dont think id ever re cuperate the costs , as there is only me the family there would be too much to get through , its cheaper for me to go to the farm shop and buy a cabbage for lets say £1.......and I get 3 days out of it .....As long as I buy local home grown food im happy.....

Thanks for all your encouraging posts on how quick some of you got your MRI results , I just hope im put out of my misery soon .......I just cant make out why ive got this tingling in the corner of my mouth and lips on the left side, my gp said its an cold sore , but I put zorvirax on when it tingles and even if I dont put it on the sore dont come out , think this is why they decided to send me for MRI....
Spikyhedgehog...Nice to see you back posting , long time no hear....
Catch you all later....Sheila

mrsdwhite

Thank you for your kind words MrsLurcherWalker it's been a tough week and I'm feeling a bit melancholy, and feeling it for DH as well. But we shall perservere the chunky kitkat I found lurking in the cupboard was a welcome comfort :T
Chickens I don't have a garden of my own, my allotment is my place to go and be left alone by the world. I love to see where it has come from when I got it last year, knee high in grass and weeds and now it's had a year of providing veg for me to nurture and feel proud of. I've not considered the cost of it tbh, it's more for the fun of doing it. That and it's true that home grown tastes infinitely better than shop bought
Off to get dd stuff ready for school and rainbows tomorrow. Then to make sure DH has a hot bath and nice dinner for when he finishes work.

chickens11

Mrs D White...I know exactly what you mean when you say you go to the allotment for the peace , thats exactly how I use my garden ......Ive mulled many of problems over while either walking/ sitting or even gardening in my garden, its my sanctuary, especially in my summerhouse......Im quite lucky living deep in the countryside cos so many places here have market stalls with all fresh local grown food , the food dont travel many miles to get to your plate.......
Nursemaggie....I hope you can soon sort your house problems out , so not fair....Seem to hear that so often a lot of posters on MSE have LL problems ......
Nutty....I hope your oh feels better soon.....
Im now off to bed im usually in there by 9 im watching the last of the flames then im off.......Sheila