The Garden Fence - proper Old Style support and chat!

camelot1001

Oh dear VJsMum, is that a roaring silence I hear?

I bought some Turmeric Gold tea, very expensive but quite nice. Not sure what the health benefits are but makes a nice change. I am a lover of Dutch tea, DS2 brings some over whenever he visits.

Oh no pandamonium, I would have been livid. Mind you, I like to be at the airport very early, nothing like a bit of people watching!

greenbee

I'm another who likes to be at the airport in plenty of time. For a start, if I'm travelling hand luggage only I want to be on the plane early enough to make sure there's space for my bag!

nursemaggie

Panda it's exactly the same as everywhere else. It is complicated by my having having the neighbours from hell. Yesterday was very bad. I strongly suspect that the children were left on their on from around 10am until 7.10pm.

The car was missing between those times and for all of the time. I heard the bang of the door to their flat and looked out. The car was there and it had not been there before. The noise from the kids did quieten down a little after they came in.

The adults just made up for the reduced sound from the kids by adding to it considerably. I know there is no soundproofing what so ever in these flats but when she is chopping herbs why does she have to sound like she's digging through the kitchen floor with a battering ram.


I did phone the office and ask what to do. I got the usual man I always seem to get who told me to do exactly the opposite to what I should have done. I actually talked to someone else on Friday morning but she was a clerk who keeps all their records. I have kept emailing them to tell them my son has moved out and it keeps coming back.

I got all this nonsense about they cannot take information by phone or email they have to be written on the correct form. I have been sent a form for when the actual tenant moves out not for a member of the family growing up and leaving home. She did tell me the bungalow was withdrawn not my name from the bids, though it is still being advertised. She then told me I have to be assessed by the Enabling Team what ever that is.

They are the council not the housing association. I don't understand it, the explanations for everything, on the website, are as clear as mud. I have filled in forms for exactly where I want to be, even what floor I would prefer. According to this woman everything is a lie if it is not on the correct paper form.

I worked for a local authority in the housing department and then the housing association when they came in. I retired 12 years ago and we had been paperless for nearly 10 years when I retired. All forms were on line. The government told all local authorities to put everything online well before I retired. By told I do mean it is enshrined in law.

I think you are supposed find things out by osmosis because they wont tell you. I have asked at least 3 times on the phone and twice online if I need a separate application for sheltered housing. I probably did not use the correct jargon for it. That is also something they have not done that they should have done years ago. I remember us having all forms and communications translated into plain English while I was at the previous local authority I worked for. That must be 22+ years ago.

This system of bidding has come in since I retired. It's a device made by the Tories so they can say you had a choice. Labour brought the arms length companies to run council houses. They are both as bad as each other when politics are brought into it all it gets complicated, and to the detriment of the users.

Before DS left home we were looking to rent privately. Private landlords do not like letting to the elderly because they will die and leave the other tenant not able to pay the rent.

Actually I could have an ordinary ground floor flat with a housing association exactly were I would like to live but they will only let to someone working. I think it is odd, after all the working person could get sick or have an accident within weeks of moving in and never work again. A single pensioner has a bigger income.

Sorry about that! This ones a Saga not a novel.

I am a bit worried about upstairs I have not heard a sound yet? The car is still there but maybe what woke me at 4.45am was them going out and slamming both doors, flat and main, as they went. I think I had only been asleep about an hour but I could not get back to sleep.

Softstuff

greenbee wrote: »

Softstuff - have you tried the Vanilla Chai?

Not yet, but I take it I should? We've been using up some twinings chai bags we've had for ages, not bad but not as nice as the higher living bags I've tried so far. We're drinking a lot of herbal tea right now because I can't have coffee after lunchtime and it's so cold here right now (we're down to 6 degrees this evening) and though we have a reverse heating cycle on the aircon, it's not very useful. We have tea, blankets, great dressing gowns and a good duvet. I've found a good cup of herbal tea really helps.

I am very envious of anyone who can get hotel breakfasts on a regular basis. Even when I used to go on tedious work trips years ago, the joy of that novelty was never lost on me. I do love buffet anything though.

Panda, are you actually speaking to your OH this weekend? He better be making it up to you. I get to the airport hours in advance (too far for it even to be convenient), because the thought of missing a flight fills me with frankly excessive dread.

Nursemaggie, is there any way that Macmillan could help with any of your housing change? Not necessarily in getting it done, just in giving the council a ring and shaming them into taking some action?

greenbee

Softstuff wrote: »

I am very envious of anyone who can get hotel breakfasts on a regular basis. Even when I used to go on tedious work trips years ago, the joy of that novelty was never lost on me. I do love buffet anything though.

So you probably won't be impressed by me skipping the inclusive breakfast buffet all last week and eating the office breakfast instead? :cool:

I hope you've got your hot water bottles for the cold weather. Is there anyway you could put a fireplace or stove in for some secondary heating? I'm currently splitting logs, so it seems an obvious idea to me I do also buy smokeless fuel for when I need a hotter fire in the winter, but get annoyed by the amount of ash they produce compared to wood.

Softstuff

greenbee wrote: »

So you probably won't be impressed by me skipping the inclusive breakfast buffet all last week and eating the office breakfast instead? :cool:

I hope you've got your hot water bottles for the cold weather. Is there anyway you could put a fireplace or stove in for some secondary heating? I'm currently splitting logs, so it seems an obvious idea to me I do also buy smokeless fuel for when I need a hotter fire in the winter, but get annoyed by the amount of ash they produce compared to wood.

:eek: nooooo! I would have had your seat at the breakfast table. I'm particularly keen on breakfasts in any other country too.

And yes, our hot water bottle is presently in bed heating it up. Many people here have stoves, but we're not likely to be joining them. One of my biggest phobias is fire, I can't even have a candle in the house It's only really winter here for a few weeks and to be honest, I quite like the snuggling.

fuddle

I guess the only way is for me to try it but...

Do you think I could dehydrate in the halogen? 0the lowest setting is 125C and then it goes to 'thaw' without a temp. My oven only goes as low as 60C and I have it in my head that I need 50C to dehydrate.

I'm interested in herb storing for now. :cool:

Floss

Fuddle i dry my herbs in the plate warmer/slow cooker bit of my range cooker..I think i would try something on "thaw" as a test

monnagran

Softstuff, I have also been trying to cut down on the coffee drinking, hence the various teas. I also have the turmeric gold. I love the Higher Living teas but have to use then as treats and not for everyday use.

I can enjoy all the various teas, (have made a mental note of Vanilla Chai) but have to say that they don't really compare with coffee. Why is it that all the things I really love to eat and drink are either bad for me or fattening, or both. It's a hard life, n'est pas?

nursemaggie, filling in forms on line is fraught with difficulties. They never seem to address your own particular circumstances, do they? They are probably designed to deal with 95% of situations and never mind the 5% who don't fit the bill.
I always hope that I can find a telephone number somewhere, and once I have run the obstacle course of options may stumble across a human being, whereupon the matter can usually be resolved in minutes.
I think it is called progress.

I've had a totally lazy day so far but think that I am about to restore the sparkle to the bathroom. You know, attack the hard to reach corners and hide the razors, tweezers, scissors, exfoliating gizmos and all other unattractive torture instruments that render me fit to face the public.

Lots of memories of my Dad today. He actually died on Father's Day 2011. Fortunately my brother spent a couple of hours with him in the hospital in the afternoon and I was to go over the next morning and bring him to the room we had prepared for him in a lovely nursing home just around the corner from me. It was not to be.. He was a lovely man.

mardatha

Having a lovely dad really prepares us well for life doesn't it monna xx