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

cutestkids

KatieOwl lovely to see you back on the thread, congratulations on the new addition, what a lovely name.

Fuddle just keep thinking about everything that is great in your life and what really makes you happy.

It is freezing here today, the living room thermometer is showing 17.5 and that's with all the windows and doors shut, just 4 days ago it was showing 21.

Pouring down as well so can't get the washing outside.

Bigjenny

Its been a lovely day here, just a breeze so a cardigan needed, and have windows open.

Have picked 4 lb plums from DS's garden and free apples across the road from him, and nearly 2lb blackberries from footpath near here. Jam making tomorrow.

Have also been to see the Mallard which is on show here for the weekend, as the record was near here 75 years ago, she certainly has elegant lines. I went just after 10 when it opened and it was already busy.

elona

KatieOwl

Congratulations on your granddaughter and what a lovely name.

Fuddle

I hope the positive attitude you take to your sister's good fortune results in good karma and has you in a nice house and nicer location very soon. Late Happy Birthday to you.

Mardatha

Glad your son has finally had op on his hand.


Trying to get stocked up while DH is able to drive around and got a sack of onions, a sack of potatoes and a huge bag of carrots so I don't have to lug home heavy stuff in the next few weeks.

Baking a loaf and some rolls later for tonight and managed to get shoulder pork for tomorrow's lunch. Strange with two dds away for long weekend and house seems very quiet with only me , DH and one dd home.

It was cold last night and this morning but has warmed up and quite sunny now.

Hugs to all

elona

Forgot to say we went to an A**i this afternoon which is usually only half full in the car park even at the weekend , and it was so full there were only a few car spaces left.

The fish and chip shop which usually had a queue out of the door and we would be lucky to get a table inside - was much quieter than usual with several empty tables around.

Looks as if the recession has dawned on people and the penny is beginning to drop.

carlymummy

Hiya everyone hope you are all enjoying your weekend. I am so relieved that the first week of school is over and we all survived. I know I am probably not the only one but I HATE the whole playground !!!!! as I call them, all the mums standing around !!!!!ing about the others, I am a bit of a loner I'm afraid but glad to be out of all that.
Quiet weekend here, we did the BIG food shop when DH finished work on Friday night and spent £97 in Farmfoods :eek: but in my defence that is for 5 of us and most of it should last up to 4 weeks with only fresh top up shops in between, well I can hope anyway. DH at football most of today he will be back in time for some tea, then so excited as Strictly is on tonight must be getting old LOL
Tomorrow am hoping to not do much at all, a roast for lunch and possibly a nice walk on the common. I have managed to wash, dry and iron all the uniforms today as it is cool and windy.
The bra debate made me smile I also struggle to buy bras (38E) at a reasonable price and that fit comfortably, Matalan normally save the day, but my Mum bought one of those Belvia type from Wilko and she loves hers Enjoy the rest of the weekend all x

fuddle

Nah, you lot are too good to me. I was mightily jealous when she called and still jealous when I typed what I did but I'm determined to shake this attitude and sibling rivalry. She's got all I wish for in life and more, it's a really exciting time for her and with me hopefully moving away I'm not going to be around. I need to try to patch up my relationship with her for my own good and if I can have a day out with her without negative jealous 'it's not fair' feelings I think it will do us the world of good. She's not a bad person, she's exactly like I was. It's how we were brought up - the only difference is I got burned in life and have had to claw my way back - lesson learned and attitude changed. I am grateful for that.

Pops it wasn't too bad here, a few cars spun on a notorious roundabout but I heard about further to the coast. Horrid mess.

Mar, Lyn our geese flew off with a mighty din on Thursday night. As I was saying on the winter prep thread, I think they must have known yesterdays cold wet snap was coming.

I have had to make my way over to DH's work through M'boro city centre :eek: ok, over reacting - along A66 but still I was in the work car and that's awfully technological and fancy to drive . He couldn't get the oil filter off and having drained the oil out of the car he couldn't use that to go to the garage for the part he needed. Cue a load of :eek: from me and made my way there only to find he could have walked :mad: Been there 'helping' all afternoon. All sorted

We have found some corrosion on the floor. It will need welding at MOT time but at least we know about it and can save. My micra needed attention anyway but we're doing it in case it has to make the trip South. Very worried about that fact because I will have to drive it :eek:

Rosanna79

We've been so busy harvesting produce from our garden I've only had time to lurk recently.

It's absolutely amazing what quantities of food one can grow even in 1930s semi garden. We've never fancied an allotment. This way it's out of our back door so the regular phenomenon of 'dressing gown gardening' goes on. We've almost full freezers and could probably survive a siege for months. It's a great feeling as a series of events around the car have left us very out of pocket, although not in the red. It requires us to be very tight in the financial belt region for the foreseeable future so I'll be following this thread with even keener interest.

We've had such a humongous tomato harvest that I've just done my first bottling of 4 Kilner jars of tomatoes. My cousin's wife gave me an assorted selection of these as a gift last Christmas. It was extravagant at the time but immensely appreciated now. Two massive ones call for fruit bottling so I'm on the lookout for an extra deep stock pot to use for the process. watch this space. Amazing what skills one can pick up on the internet. Great to be able to pass on any leftovers of gluts to folk, especially those who have been so kind & generous to us recently. we may not have a lot of dosh at present but the gluts give us an chance to repay generosity.

Sorry to hear of folk having menopause problems- mine was surgically induced after what the East Enders would call, 'having it all taken away!!- that was within 72 hours of the op and sobbing all night in the ward. I was willing to sign anything to get HRT and was very glad of it restoring me to some sort of normal function.

It was only when I started having migraines after 45 years without them and the new GP said the worst case scenario with Migraine & HRT could be a stroke I cam off it asap!! I still layer dress 10 years on but it's OK.

On the Question of bras- I've always been a generous size although am down to more acceptable levels after losing 4 1/4 stones in weight. I have another problem- massive skin allergies- so can only wear cotton. Having found a local store that stocked the type I could wear it was simply a matter of ordering the number I required and they'd be delivered.

Then the store changed to one brand - all nylon & underwires- no use to me at all. So I wondered to the assistant what I was now going to do in the 'stoppem floppem' dept. as not wearing was not an option.

I will always be grateful to another customer who directed me to a small lingerie shop in a nearby market town. They were gobsmacked to hear of what the other store had done, saying that the bra I wear is their best seller!!

You can guess who gets my business? They're not too expensive considering I have the skin problems I have so I happily travel 8 miles there.

boultdj

carlymummy wrote: »

Quiet weekend here, we did the BIG food shop when DH finished work on Friday night and spent £97 in Farmfoods :eek: but in my defence that is for 5 of us and most of it should last up to 4 weeks with only fresh top up shops in between, well I can hope anyway.

Carlymummy, have you got a printer? Reason I'm asking is you can sign up to FF, and they send the money off coupon's to your email address every month, amount's are £2.50 off £25, £5 off £50 and £10 off £100, but you can use a £5 & £2.50 on a £75 shop and as they keep telling us 'every little help's'. hth

Popperwell

Kept out of the bra debate but Darlington(near here)has a specialist bra shop that measures(I think makes them specifically)for the customer. I think she is called Sally the bra lady. So there must be a business there.

Popperwell

I couldn't wait so I went out and bought two loaf tins again, the shop was closed so I purchased from Wilko's some liners(a bit more expensive)and silly me I can't find either of two kitchen scales I have(I'll find them again now, you watch)so purcased a cheap one in Poundstretcher for weighing out my flour.

I was remarkably quick considering it was after 5pm and everywhere was closing between then and 5.30pm. I was late going out because I finally watched Wallace & Grommit's feature film on CBBC via the IPlayer Curse of the were-rabbit.

I'm still young at heart at the centre of things.