OS Singlies - We Do It Our Way!

Byatt

It's never occurred (sp) to me that I would be turned down for a table juts because I was the only one! :eek: I'm now in 2 minds, to book reservations in all the places I know or avoid them like the plague. Is it lawful to turn people down, for no reason other than your single status.

Tbh, sitting down with 9 other people I don't know is just not for me, already getting a panic attack

Nicki, well done! :T

Mtstm, I think most if not all places "shut down" for the summer months, I think it's as much to do with those people taking holidays as it is because they are parents. All the classes etc will start in September, there are other summery things that happen though, such as fetes, county shows, and other smaller things, names of which escape me right now.

Winter_Phoenix

Nicki, well done for tackling all those jobs with your daughter. It's just brilliant that she will feel empowered and confident in the future. (And so, of course, will you!)

Horace, it's just awful that there is no proper way, in our voting system, of registering a protest against all the candidates. I often want to write, "Not one of them is worth voting for!" or similar, but this would just be discounted as a spoiled ballot paper and not even shown to anyone in authority. Then it's claimed that people "don't care enough to vote"...!!! It wouldn't take much to add an extra box at the base of the form saying "None of the above," and certainly in General Elections it would make the various political parties sit up and take notice if x% of the electorate ticked that box.

lessonlearned

Well done Nickie on the diy. You have also taught your daughter a very valuable lesson. Sisters can do it for themselves.

I've always been a bit of a diy queen because my darling late husband was so useless at, bless him

These days there are so many power tools to make things easier that our lack of muscle strength isn't such a problem. I love mooching around the diy sheds looking at power tools. You can even get pink drills now:rotfl:

I love the idea of the circular dining table for singlies. The restaurant is really missing a trick there.

Well today I went shopping for an outfit for my husband,s funeral - exhausted now.

At the weekend I need to start looking for a car. Will let you know how I get on with the salesmen.

A friend of mine is a very high powered businesswoman. She decided she wanted a Porsche. The salesmen paid her no attention. They just sat around ignoring her. Eventually she marched up to them and demanded a test drive. They tried to fob her off saying for her to come back with her husband.

She tore a strip off them telling them she wanted the test drive immediately.

Eventually they Capitulated and took her out. She is an experienced driver who has had several high performance cars, and could probably handle a formula 1car.

When they got back to the showroom, she calmly wrote out a cheque for £55k and told them she required the car within 7 dAys or they could forget it and that by the way she didn't hAve a husband - she had earned the money all by her little helpless female self...:rotfl:

Needless to say she was furious and wrote to their head office. The salesmen all received a bollocking....

Horace

I love the idea of circular tables. When I had a business I used to attend a monthly business club dinner and we had circular tables to sit at - it was an opportunity to meet different people and have a chat.

I guess where I live could be considered semi-rural (am about 7 miles from the city centre but close to fields and countryside). As a volunteer for a local Friends group, I instigated some free community activities in the park which started in May and may finish in October or may not (we have no indoor space so we are weather dependent). Tai Chi takes place on Tuesday mornings and the class has grown from 4 to 25 and Zumba takes place on Thursday evenings again the average number of attendees is 25. Due to my position in the Friends group that has opened up further opportunities and I was invited to participate in a supper club around plans for the locality (the old Rover works is on my doorstep). When I told my mum about this she thought I was bonkers but I said that at least I was meeting new people, going out for a meal and I didn't have to wash up. The supper club seems to have ceased so maybe the artist running them has no further funding. They were fun whilst they lasted.

There is this huge arts project going on around the old Rover works (since demolished) and new buildings are appearing so a new town centre is being created. The arts project is there to engage the community and to get us thinking about where we live and what we want to see here. Every weekend there is something going on and I have been on two photography walks which have been quite entertaining and my photography has certainly improved. I like things that are free (too skint to pay).

moneyistooshorttomention

Cities...what be they things called cities?:rotfl: That's got me thinking maybe I should calculate how many miles away the nearest city is to me now. I got informed that visiting the nearest city is a matter of finding somewhere to stay overnight and didn't believe them until I checked...

People from these yur realms I'm in now tend to visit a city at intervals (pretty rare intervals) and then come back feeling shellshocked as far as I can see:rotfl:.

A visit to a passable size town is now a day trip and I'm planning where to have lunch out whilst there and making out my shopping list for things I cant buy here.

Just a wee change from a powerhouse little city...

I must admit I took for granted just how many free events there were going on back there and I certainly used to visit quite a few of them.

calicocat

lillibet_dripping wrote: »

I have been an OS singlie for 12 years. At first, it bothered me hugely but with age (now 53) comes an 'I don't give a damm' attitude.
I will happily walk into a pub/restaurant/caf! and order a meal/drink by myself. After all, I don't ever intend to have another partner (long story!!) and I don't want to waste the rest of my life NOT doing things just because I'm single.


I'm currently waging a campaign against our local 'upmarket' restaurant. We often eat there when the family are visiting and so they know me fairly well. Each month, they hold a 'Gourmet Evening' where I suspect the chef tries out new dishes on an unsuspecting public. Now, I love food - I was a Food Technology teacher until Rheumatoid Arthritis caused early retirement earlier this year. I am also a MasterChef semi-finalist (from years back in the Lloyd Grossman days!!). However, I am also conscious of the fact that the restaurant won't want a single person seated at a table at which they could earn twice the money.


I keep suggesting to them that on these evenings, they provide a circular table for, say, 10 persons and advertise it as such. That way, I get to eat at the Gourmet Evening along with like-minded foodies AND maybe make new friends. So far, they are not playing ball, but I won't give up!!


Re: DIY - it's amazing what you can achieve without a man when you put your mind to it!!


Edited to add: re doggy bags. I have always done this. Initially, it was genuinely to feed the dogs but now it is distributed between the cats, dogs, chickens or compost bin. After all, I've paid for the meal and am saving the left-overs from going to landfill. I have yet to find a restaurant which has 'looked down' on me for doing this. Usually, they will put all the scrapings from each plate into a foil 'basket', but I have been known to take my own plastic container to places where I know the portions are large!!

That's a brilliant idea, I would be up for that, and most people I know...singlie of not.



Just to add....if you are a master chef semi finalist.......when can I come for dinner please. ...

Byatt

I must say, in my albeit limited experience of buying cars, well maybe not so limited thinking about it, because ex was obsessed with cars and a weekend spent looking was his idea of heaven. But then when separated I had to buy my own and didn't have a problem. Negotiated, etc...even bought a new one a few years back and it was fine.

One time we bought a car together and they delivered the car (wasn't brand new) and a huge bouquet of flowers was in the car for me.

and I guess it's just me not liking the shared table idea :rotfl:

If I'd been buying a Porsche I would have done a Pretty Woman scene that's for sure!

MummyBobble

Well, after a very busy day getting GCSE results and enrolling at college just a quick drop in to say how proud I am of DD. GCSE results were 6 A*'s, 3 A's and an AS level in algebra (to add to the A and A* she got last year).:j I like to think that it's all down to the small fortune I spent on colour co-ordinated notebooks, post it notes, gel pens and highlighter pens, but perhaps it's just that she's clever and works really hard

Anyway, this afternoon I suffered from death by form filling ,but am now officially the mother of a student :eek:

I'll catch up on posts tomorrow when life slows down

LavenderBees

MummyBobble wrote: »

Well, after a very busy day getting GCSE results and enrolling at college just a quick drop in to say how proud I am of DD. GCSE results were 6 A*'s, 3 A's and an AS level in algebra (to add to the A and A* she got last year).:j I like to think that it's all down to the small fortune I spent on colour co-ordinated notebooks, post it notes, gel pens and highlighter pens, but perhaps it's just that she's clever and works really hard

Anyway, this afternoon I suffered from death by form filling ,but am now officially the mother of a student :eek:

I'll catch up on posts tomorrow when life slows down

Well done, your DD :T Betcha you're one proud Mama! :j

mum2one

Mummy bobble well done for dd x