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

Possession

Glad I'm not a teenager going through all that again, hope the girls and families get through all the angst!
The children had one of their Christmas presents today - DD had tickets to Strictly Live and DS to the Sealife Centre. It was all good fun, except that I really dread to think what would ever happen if there were to be an emergency in the NIA in Birmingham. Even at normal times it was head to head crowds, and the queue for the ladies' loo! Stretched about a mile. Am secretly quite pleased it's all finished with. A bit too many people for me, but DD enjoyed it, so thankyou MIL!

If you have a kindle, this slow cooker soup cook book is free today: http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00HVLRCQG/?!!!!!kinofboo-21

mcculloch29

Lyn's mention of the carpet piece with bound edges reminded me of the carpet squares we had down when I was a kid, when fitted carpets were a middle class thing and we were resolutely working class.
We had cold black ceramic tiles on the floor of our tiny living room - most families used it as a dining room, as we did, but we saved the front room 'for best' and used our dining room as a sitting room too.

My Dad had promised my Mum a new carpet to fit across the centre of the floor, but a 'book' of large square carpet samples was all that materialised. Mum and my older sister sat up half the night sewing the best matching ones together and binding the edges. It was the Sixties, so bold clashes of colour weren't too out of place.

Mum never had fitted carpets and neither did I for some years, as Army quarters also used carpets with bound edges rather than fitted.

When I was childminding in my current house I replaced the fitted dining room carpet with carpet tiles after two lots of carpets lasted less than five years each. The most badly worn / stained carpet tiles have been replaced with spares so the floor still looks pretty good over 15 years later.

Pooky

I've only got carpet Up the middle of the stairs with some lovely oak stair rods....the rest is viynal/Lino in a wood effect, the kitchen is solid oak parquet which I laid myself (which is so lovely I could stand and look at it all day)

When we moved in the house was carpeted from top to bottom and the bathroom even had carpets going up the walls to skirting board height. The problem was the old dear that lived here didn't own a hoover so the carpets were vile. She'd had them put down when she's moved in, in 1973. (I was born in 1973!!!!!) When we told her we'd be taking the carpets up she was horrified as they were expensive good quality carpets that she'd had made by her London carpeters....they were mouldy underneath and disintegrating......Blugh. I will never go back to carpets, I love being able to Hoover through and wash all the floors down and know its clean.

DD2 came home happy, she set a few conditions to their "getting back together" and when he agreed to them she said she'd let him know in a few days. Cheeky! He adores her but does need a bit of a shake up. No sobbing tonight....thank god!

greenbee

I had similarly disgusting carpets here when I moved in pooky, and having ripped them up I won't be having them again. Ditto carpet in the bathroom, but at least not up to skirting height (I did see one house with carpet up the bath panel :eek:).

Currently I have floorboards upstairs and concrete down. Accessorised with some threadbare oriental rungs that my dad had been [STRIKE]hoarding[/STRIKE] keeping for just such an eventuality and some carpet offcuts that they found i the attic of their new house (to cover up the splintery boards that the plumbers damaged).

I have plans for stone and hardwood floors downstairs. Probably lino in the bathrooms (as it's a natural material made from linseed) and just painted boards everywhere else.

Pooky

Who has sent me a friend request on FB? Initials CS, has a few mutual friends for here? I've tried sending a message but had no reply....anyone know who it is?

fuddle

Can't beat a carpet underfoot. My grandma never had a fitted carpet but big pieces covering most the floor. Those boundings that Lyn talks about are super, I agree. Normally off-cuts that they can't shift. MIL swears by them. I'd never have carpet in a kitchen or bathroom - been there, done that and it's not pretty on the eye or the nose! Similarly I've had a bad experience with laminate (being so so cold) in bedrooms but the bare floor boards we sanded in first rental were lovely (with rug)

I guess it depends on who fitted, what suits space, insulation and/or lack off and who has lived there before you. We had our 2 month letting agents inspection on Thursday gone and happy to report that they are thrilled with what we've done and have permission (to be sent in writing in the next few days) to continue to redecorate/change/improve house and gardens but te best thing is the agent could not detect any lingering cat pee smell think it's gone

I think (best check!) I'm not at work until the evening tomorrow so housework it is for me. I intend to get the duster out for skirting boards throughout. This house is very dusty.

fuddle

It's molly41 Pooky

monnagran

Hi everyone. It seems that I'm on the late night shift again.

Nutty: What a wonderful thing to look forward to - a Caribbean Cruise! Incidentally who decided that it should now be pronounced CA-RIB-EE-AN. Actually, looking at how I've written it it could be anything, hope you understand what I mean, it depends where you put the accent.
I'm drivelling again, ignore me.

Pooky: Glad your DD has patched things up with her BF, and on her own terms too. Clever girl!

Fuddle: Be very, very thankful that your house is too small to have your sister staying. I can only echo what others have said - coach is the way to go for your Mum. My friend who lives in Scotland always uses coaches when she is strapped and reckons it's not too bad at all.

We've had a restful weekend after all, in spite of an influx of visitors on Saturday. Back to work tomorrow. The Rev and I are about to visit the job centre to find out why people we know are having their benefits stopped on the flimsiest of trumped up reasons. I quite understand that people must be stopped from abusing the system but these are honest people who would absolutely love to be able to leave the system altogether. One, who has 2 children, was sanctioned for 6 weeks two weeks before Christmas because she arrived at the usual time to sign in and was told that she was 15 minutes too late. For that week, and that week only, they had moved her time without telling her. When she asked why she hadn't been notified of the time change she was told that it was up to her to find out. Another, who is dyslexic, has to have help with filling in forms. He was told to apply for a certain job and given a form. He made an appointment to see his helper and when she investigated she said that the job had already been filled, so he didn't apply. When he had no money he rang up and was told that he had been sactioned for three months for not applying for the job. When he explained what had happened he got the usual reply, "NOT OUR PROBLEM." On top of that our friend with terminal cancer who was told that she was wasting NHS money by needing to have more scans has been told that her benefits may be cut because she has out-lived the doctors' prognosis. She has had to fill in a form which asks "Do you expect to live more than six months?"

I don't know. Perhaps I am expecting too much but this seems all so cold and unfeeling, almost inhuman. Whatever happened to compassion and commonsense? I am not expecting a u-turn tomorrow but I hope that someone can tell me that I am wrong in thinking that this is turning into a war against the unfortunate. I'm sure it's not really but it just feels that way.

It's a bad thing this writing late at night, I get carried away.

x

burtha

Rabbit was a success still have half a sc full so will reduce down gravy and make a pie crust for tomorrow, or freeze , kids want a sweet and sour ,so will use the pheasant for that,fingers crossed that it works lol .
Busy day tomorrow , all the normal stuff i.e school run ...but have training 9 till 1 then patient booked in to see me at 1 30 ,next patient about 10 mins later for a 40 min appt. Supposed to finish work at 2 30 ! Know its going to be tight, should of said no , need to be on the sch run by 2 45 ..let's hope it all goes to plan ....x

Molly41

Pooky wrote: »

Who has sent me a friend request on FB? Initials CS, has a few mutual friends for here? I've tried sending a message but had no reply....anyone know who it is?

Me - Molly xx