The Garden Fence - proper Old Style support and chat!

MMF007

FPK, lovely post!
I have some dear friends who have, through hard work, become fairly wealthy. They are now quite elderly and somewhat infirm but they seek to make the most of every day, laughing, doing the crossword competitively, enjoying simple things like their morning coffee taken in a sunny conservatory. But* the thing that impresses me most is that they truly appreciate what they have. My friend said to me that every morning when he looks at the view from his living room window he thinks how lucky he is. Every morning!
I know it should be easy when you have a comfortable life but too many people have not found contentment or happiness and still yearn for something else. Or worse yet, they moan about not having more!

I know it sounds a bit 'Pollyanna-ish' but we count our blessings every day.

Plans for the next 2 days? We hope to go to a flower show at the local church, We may go to the cinema and on Sunday we may go to the opening of a new exhibition at the nearby art gallery (the latter is least likely because the artist's style is not to my liking, but it would be an experience!)

*Please forgive me starting with a prepostion, I thought it made more impact!.?

monnagran

Mar, you are right, I had a disturbed night and finally fell into a deep sleep about 7.30. Have now woken up, imbibed coffee and consumed a slice of toast and feel half-way human. I think poor old Millie is coasting into old age and day/night confusion. She sleeps all day and is ready for fun and games as soon as I switch the light off at night.

FairyP. I get what you say about speaking in public. I suppose that teaching removes most of those fears although when I started speaking in halls and churches I had to get used to the back wall being further away.

MMF, the time I had to pinch myself was when I found myself in a remote village in India, with a crowd of children round me calling out, "Me, Mrs Camera. Me." They were fascinated by my digital camera and couldn't get over seeing the photograph of themselves that I had just taken. It was the first time that most of them had ever seen themselves. We then progressed to my little handbag mirror where they took turns in pulling faces at their reflections. After that we played hand clapping games as we had no common language.

Was that really me?

THOUGHT FOR TODAY

When life shuts a door...... open it again. It's a door. That's how they work.

ETA. Cross posted MMF. You are so right. Even though some of us are emotionally hurt, physically damaged, financially strapped, our lives are a fairy tale compared with millions of people in the world. We tend to forget that.

elona

Growing up in a small tenement flat in Glasgow the idea of ever living in a real house either a terrace or semi with a garden, never mind fitted carpets, central heating, a phone etc sounded like a fantasy.

DH grew up in a small terrace and promised himself that one day he would have a profession and have a house with a garden. We both went to evening classes, worked hard etc and met at the OU while working full time at opposite ends of the country.

I still pinch myself to realise we have four grown up DDs and after losing DH I downsized to a chalet bungalow with a garden etc. I really appreciate things like the shower and central heating even though I have had these for for over thirty years.

Simple things like getting a book by a favourite author whether I bought it or it is a library copy and reading it with my feet up in a recliner and a cup of tea beside me makes me happy. Having dds over for a meal and finding a new recipe that is enjoyed has me chuffed to bits.

ivyleaf

Monna So glad you're all right! i hope Millie sleeps better for you tonight. I love Today's Thought :rotfl:

Elona How brilliant that you and your OH met through the OU :T

Hester I hope the stiffness wears off as the day goes on x

nursemaggie any news on the housing front? Thinking of you x

My "unbelieveable" thing was visiting new Zealand, not once but twice! The first time we went with Saga; the second time we went on our own and hired a car. I never thought I'd find myself writing a postcard that read "Paddled in the Tasman Sea today." We'll never afford to go again, but have such wonderful memories of it.

I'd like to visit India, but I suspect I'd spend most of the time with an upset tummy

(((HUGS))) to everyone, especially to MMF, karcher and burtha (who I hope is reading along.)

nursemaggie

No nothing ivyleaf. Without housing benefit I cannot afford to pay rent even if we go back to wartime rations. DS would not eat that sort of thing anyway.

We signed up to two websites for swapping houses but our advert has not gone live yet because our Housing Association has not given permission yet.

I am still bogged down with the problems of the housing benefit. Of course I expect DS to have to have to pay towards the rent but not at the rate of 220%.

I have found lots and lots of errors, they are overestimating my income by £10 a week, They are asking DS to pay the rent two weeks before he got paid, that means they are taking it two weeks early. Housing Benefit is paid 4 weeks in arrears so that is another 4 weeks less and they are asking for £6.41 per week more than they paid me. That lot cuts the bill down to less than half what they are demanding from me yesterday or they will take me to court on Monday.

I have not finished looking at their figures but so far even if I got no Housing Benefit at all the are demanding 60% more than they are entitled to so I have got Macmillan Cancer Support involved. I am waiting to hear back from them.

The lady I spoke to yesterday says we are also entitled to a move within the housing association because of DS's commute. I am also entitled to two other benefits. I would actually rather move to another Housing Association. I don't mind as long as we get a house. After the past two months I do not want to ever have to live in a flat again.

I think the noise from upstairs will put anyone else off. It is usually quiet between 1 am and 2 am. I don't think I could persuade anyone to view then. There is always a chance the baby will be left to scream for that hour anyway.

Our unbelievable holiday was to Egypt. We had 4 days in Luxor and 4 days on a Nile cruise. I found a really good deal for the holiday in a magazine. It was one third of the price of the Thompson identical holiday. The only difference was they had a very slightly better hotel but were on the same cruise. It was with a small company. There were only 8 in our party so we got lots of individual attention.

We went on the same flight, were taken to the front of the queue and taken through immigration and customs before the rest of the flight. We were all fast asleep in bed before they left the airport.

ivyleaf

Oh nm How very frustrating :mad: Someone needs to train them to use a calculator!

[Deleted User]

I grew up in a cold and damp mid terraced 2 1/2 bedroom house with one cold water tap and an outside loo in the yard, we didn't get hot water until I was in my 20s in the early 70s and there was one useable fire place in one room which was the only warm place in the house but we survived and were healthy if not always comfortable. I think we weren't so very much worse off than any of our peers but my mother was a very bad time and finance manager and would rather sit and play patience and drink tea than actually clean the house. I still get up and pinch myself some days when I think of what we take as normal these days and remember when having a pair of shoes that not only fitted but didn't have a hole in them was considered by me to be luxury!

nursemaggie

Someone needs to train the computers to use the proper figures. Apparently all these nasty threatening letters are coming from the computer. The woman from Macmillan thinks it is just the computer churning them out whether there is anyone there or not. I really was only given a week to sort it all out myself.

Due to Christmas there was no one available to help me.

To be honest I can work this stuff out for myself better without a calculator as like the computer it does not know when DS got paid, that housing benefit gets paid 4 weeks in arrears, and that you only pay rent 48 weeks and not 52 so that reduces the weekly rent.

If a Private company sent me a bill worked out like that was it would be prosecuted for fraud.

monnagran

nursemaggie, I am so pleased that someone else is weighing in on your side. Macmillans is a wonderful organisation and if they get involved I think you might get somewhere.
I hate how the computer's word is law. It only deals with ticked boxes. It cannot take into consideration whys and wherefore, circumstances and any deviations from the average. It is just Yes or No, Black or White, tick the box or we don't want to know.

The way you are living now you would almost be better off in a tent in Aldi's car park.

camelot1001

Hope you manage to get everything sorted quickly nursemaggie, sounds all wrong to me.

I've just had an amazing holiday in Malaysia over Christmas and New Year, I met up with my best friend who now lives in Sydney and we had a ball, didn't think I would be able to do anything like that after DH died, either financially or confidence wise.

I do think I am extremely lucky to be able to come home to a heated, comfortable home and have the love of my family and friends, I have very little to moan about (but I do occasionally!).