Bereft and Broken

EssexHebridean

You OK Smolly?

Thistle-down

Hope you're doing ok, Smolly!

Smolly

Hello ladies thank you for popping in. I've not been hiding. For some reason I don't seem to get email notifications when someone replies on my thread so am happily reading other people's diaries and forgetting to check my own! Am hoping to start a new diary soon anyway so will make sure the settings are right on that one!

Hope you are both ok - Thistle I've seen on your thread you're feeling a bit better now so that's good news. Hope you have a good day today.


I have a few bits of news myself, nothing exciting just catch up stuff but in true Smolly style I'll probably ramble on and I really need to get on with a few jobs right now so will come back later (Essex part of my list involves a meal plan!!!!) xx

EssexHebridean

Glad you're OK - I find the easiest way to keep up with diaries is to subscribe to them - you can subscribe to your own too so it just pops up in the list with the others!

ERICS_MUM

Good morning (well, afternoon). A stressful morning so I've treated myself to a trip to a garden centre and now tucking into a slab of peach cheesecake and a pot of tea.

My 'to do' list for today included posting two gift boxes to my niece and her family but I'd forgotten a couple bits that had to go in. So I had to take the boxes, unwrapped, to the post office, get the last items, wrap the boxes and post. I remembered to take sellotape and scissors but not pen and address labels. Found a till receipt in the car boot and used the back for a label. Went into the bank and used their pen (chained to the counter !!). Posted boxes.

Next the charity shop with a lovely delicate black silk beaded jacket that was my late Mums. I'd wrapped it in tissue and told the woman in the shop that it needed hanging up straightaway as it creases easily. She countered that it didn't matter because they would steam it. I said it was silk and beaded so steaming wasn't a good idea. She gave me a weak smile and turned away. I won't take stuff there anymore.

Then the chemist to arrange 2 months prescriptions because I will be away. I'm still not sure if the woman got it right, I will find out when I go to collect them ! I do know she had a loud voice and there was a long queue behind me so everyone in there knew my holiday plans !

Last job - cleaning the bathroom, has been postponed to make room for this trip to the garden centre. I'm knackered.

Well that's me for the day, sorry for a long post ! Xx

Smolly

Hi Essex and EM - hope you are both ok. You sound like you've had a productive day EM - and the peach cheesecake sounds delish! I was treated to a trip to a garden centre yesterday and had my lunch bought for me (by OH!) Nearly fainted when he suggested it. Sadly no yummy pud for me but then it was a help yourself carvery and I did fill up!

Shame about the charity shop incident - it often pains me to take stuff in that I've looked after for years and just see someone fling it all to the back of a room for 'dealing' with. I once insisted on carrying a box through to a local charity shop's storeroom as I knew it contained lots of breakables. I just stood in awe. There were mountains of stuff - some black bags which must have contained clothes were piled up to the ceiling in a makeshift holding bay. I didn't hold out much hope for my little box of treasures to be dealt with carefully any time soon!

Your comment about the boxes reminded me of my Mum - she's always having to undo boxes she's packed up for eBay only to look across and see the item she was meant to have packed still sitting beside her! God knows what she's posted to people in the past. Two people have been in touch with her to a) tell her that for some reason Mum had posted them Dad's birth certificate !????? and b) to say thank you for the scissors she kindly packed in addition to the item they were expecting (the scissors she had been using to pack the parcel and somehow chucked them in as well). I'm not the only daft one you see!:rotfl:

I've tried to be good today and prepare a few bits for eBay for listing tomorrow. I've taken photos and that's about it but it was a start! I've also finished a form to try and reclaim some PPI which will help enormously if it goes through after my weekend car disaster....

Took the car back to the garage with the clunking exhaust. Not a clunking exhaust at all. A clunking rear wheel axle no less. :eek: On it's last legs.:eek::eek: (Why did no one notice when they fixed my exhaust???)
£450 please and thank you.:eek::eek::eek: Oh and don't drive the car - t'ain't safe.:eek::eek::eek::eek:

The old Smolly would have thrown herself on the ground with arms and legs flailing (not really!) but I wouldn't have been best pleased. I would then have got out a credit card, whacked it on that without a second thought, other than to feel sick and guilty about increasing my debt. And then probably gone shopping to cheer myself up.:rotfl:

This time I felt fine. I was thankful for not driving and seeing my own wheels pass me on the road. I was thankful I don't have that far to get to work (50 minutes walk each way) and thankful for trains to get to Mum's. I was incredibly thankful for not being able to add to my debt on a credit card.:o

I rang Mum. In true Mother fashion the first thing she said was 'that's my Thursday visits out the window then'. Charming. The second thing she said was that she would pay for it so that her Thursday visits weren't compromised. I declined but she won me over as I really don't fancy a 1 hr 40 min walk every day as the weather is turning, and DS still has some hospital appointments to come. I do aim to pay her back however. The debt therefore has increased anyway but not in the way it would have done before.

So eBaying with my life it is to try and get this extra debt from around my neck and not feel beholden to Mother. xx

ERICS_MUM

Smolly I think your Mum cares for you but doesn't know how to show it. Her offer to pay for your car seems genuine to me, try not to stress over it !

I've got s few things on EBay with 3 days to run- no bids but lots of watchers. How long will they hold their nerve before putting in their first bid ? OR will they forget they're watching it ?

Goodnight everyone.

EM

JustAboutThere

Sorry to hear about the car. I hope your Mum doesn't use the money as a means of controlling you.

Smolly wrote: »

Your comment about the boxes reminded me of my Mum - she's always having to undo boxes she's packed up for eBay only to look across and see the item she was meant to have packed still sitting beside her! God knows what she's posted to people in the past. Two people have been in touch with her to a) tell her that for some reason Mum had posted them Dad's birth certificate !????? and b) to say thank you for the scissors she kindly packed in addition to the item they were expecting (the scissors she had been using to pack the parcel and somehow chucked them in as well). I'm not the only daft one you see!:rotfl:

I did manage to take my TV remote control on holiday one year. I'd put the suitcase on the sofa to pack (small flat) and chucked a load of clothes to one side whilst deciding to take. Obviously didn't check too closely as I was really bemused when unpacking at my location and there's the remote. I was like, huh!???????

Had a crazy, busy day at work yesterday. Hopefully today I'll manage to get some routine things out the way.

Take care.

EssexHebridean

EM may be right about your Mum - it does sound like she doesn't know how to vocalise things. If she said she would "pay for it" then I would take that at face value, thank her very much, and take her a small bunch of flowers or something similar next time you go to see her and hand over with another thank you - but I wouldn't necessarily assume that you need to pay her back. If she had intended that I would suggest that she would have worded it as "paying for it for now" or "loaning you the money to pay for it" - once you have the debts a bit more under control you could always try a gentle "Mum I'd like to do something about starting to pay you back that money you paid for fixing my car" and see what she says. It may well be that she realisesd that going to visit her every week puts you to a lot of expense, acknowledges that it would cost her a fortune to do it on the train, and is actually happy to contribute a bit back.

Glad you got the car sorted before it actually fell apart anyway - in fairness to the garage they wouldn't have noticed it when they fixed the exhaust as even though the car was on the ramp they wouldn't have been looking elsewhere than at the exhaust!

Both carvery lunches AND peach cheesecakes sound glorious! :T

Smolly

Hi all, I am very lucky to have Mum I know it - just wish she thought about what she was going to say first before she came out and said it! :rotfl:I had a really nice chat with her anyway today. I think she is feeling good in herself too because she has been able to help and I am actually really chuffed to bits that she offered and I still have my car. Well I have my car and a lovely new axle holding my wheels on but the handbrake is like a floppy old thing! I rushed back into the garage saying 'my handbrake isn't right - I only paid for that to be fixed a few weeks' ago!' And the lovely man in the garage (he is rather lush!) told me not to worry as the brakes need to bed into the new axle (???) and to come back in a fortnight and they'll sort it with no charge. So for now I put up with a floppy handbrake. I have no other words to describe it!!:rotfl:

I've managed to list a few bits on eBay today. EM - how's your eBay doing? Any bids for you yet?
And today I posted a couple of things which had sold at the weekend. Both parties got a 'right bargain' but I just felt pleased I had got rid of two rather large cumbersome items.

I never did get the telephone call for the market research project which was going to pay £90 but I didn't think I would. Something better happened today instead - had an email inviting me to do something next week for £120 (whoop whoop). I've accepted and it should take me about 2 hours I think plus all the writing up afterwards but worth it and after deducting some for Mrs HMRC I may then split what I have left between my brother and my mother to pay them a little back what I owe. My sick note (my final one) also finishes this week so I feel I can move on and start doing some extra bits and bobs now.

And I have finally heard from all of my creditors!!! :T It has been a long journey but I got there. It is only the first hurdle but it feels good. The biggest 4 have all put me on a zero charge for about 3 months. T3sco have accepted £1 a month for 6 months and N@tW3st with whom my overdraft is with are going to 'work with me' once they've had a medical letter. I've just kept the one I got for H5BC and photocopied it - everyone can have a copy of that.

I know these arrangements aren't for ever but there was a time not that long ago when I could make my payments, although it was a huge stressful struggle. I can do it again as long as I have more reasonable amounts to pay back and am not facing a huge interest mountain. (You can tell ladies I am still taking the tablets!!):D:D:D

What else can I say? Have started the Christmas shopping. Do not want to be dealing with this in December. I was so stressed out last year around Christmas I just wanted to block it all out. It was so sad I just couldn't face it, but this year I want to enjoy it, and not feel rushed and stressed and out of control. I've also had my Hamper vouchers too - how the hell I managed to save £450 I have no idea but I have them in my grubby little mitts and Christmas can go ahead!

Anyway I need to get off and sort a few bits out before I go to bed. Night all and hope everyone ok xx