It's getting tough out there. Feeling the pinch?

VintageHistorian

Slinky said:

Didn't get anything in the traps last night. Will re-bait with chocolate as well as peanut butter and move them to different positions tonight. The mouse we caught yesterday was on the shelf right where the food source had been removed from.

We thought we had a rodent problem in the loft a few years ago (thankfully it was actually a bird). The man that came out to put down traps told me that mice are much easier to catch than rats. Mice are stupid and go straight for anything that looks like food. Rats have better memories and are smarter, so they recognise when things have been moved or when something new has been put down, and therefore avoid it.

Hopefully it is just mice, in which case it should be quicker and easier to catch them, but if there's quite a few of them then it might take a week or two. If it something bigger than you may need to leave the traps in place for longer in order to succeed in catching them.

Jellytotts

Luckily I can’t abide mince pies, I’m sure the gluten free ones are just as hideous as the normal ones too!  

We’ve not had any in house pests so far this year but I am having a daily or twice daily deposit of internal organs on the doormat in the drier weather.  3 cats but only one hunter. One that is too old to hunt likes a good chew but hates the offal. 

I’m going to attempt some gluten free baking tomorrow, not had the oven on for months, it might have forgotten how to oven….

Back during the summer I purchased an electric blanket from a boot sale, it was washed, dried and out away but finally made it onto the bed today.  Utter bliss to climb into a warm bed this evening.  Whilst I’m going through that time of life that I’m often hotter than the sun, I do appreciate a warm bed to climb into.

Florenceem

Been very wet here this week and cold. 
D was too poorly to go back to sleeping rough after being taken to hospital - diagnosed with pneumonia and prescribed antibiotics. SA put him in a hotel but he has worsened and tonight was taken back to hospital very poorly.
We are collecting Christmas presents for children in my town - lovely man came with a bag full of gifts today when I was on door duty at SA.

YoungBlueEyes

I hope D is alright, thankfully he's where he needs to be

London_1

One of the reasons the SA is my go-to charity of choice, I donate what I would spend on Christmas cards to them as a rule and all my friends and family know this and are quite happy about it Being an ex-londoner I have see the work they do to help people in dire straights, and this is really where people who really are in deep trouble and despair can get help. I do hope the outcome for D is good and will add him to my chats to the 'Big Guy' tonight before I go to sleep.

JackieO xx 

Elisheba

I've been thinking of D and everyone sleeping rough in this weather. I really hope he makes a full recovery, but from what you said about his very low spirits its very concerning. When your body is as run down as his, you need to have the will and strength to keep fighting. I'm not saying that's all you need, but without it then it's not good news. If he's given up then his weak, struggling body will do too. That poor man. My heart really goes out to him. 

YoungBlueEyes

I agree @Elisheba.  I have a logical scientific sort of brain - I'm not religious or spiritual at all, so this gonna sound paradoxical. But I believe that when your ....soul...? is tired and you've lost all interest, it takes far longer to heal because the body has an extra battle to overcome to get well and healthy again. 

I don't know if I've explained that very well. 

My father died 5 years ago. He'd been in hospital for the week before. When he was discharged I had all these forms and paperwork signing him off as fit+well again - stuff for his GP, stuff from the consultant and specialists and matron (I can't remember who all it was from now tbh).  I picked him up at 1630 and he died 12 hours later. I honestly believe he'd had enough of being old and crotchety, and his soul was beyond it, and he just wanted to be with mum (she died many years ago). So he waited 'til he got home, and he got into bed for one last sleep, and then he died.

I do hope D is ok.  If his soul is in good shape, he'll be fine :fingerscrossed: 

Longwalker

We are just back from a 3 night stay in Edinburgh - our holiday for the year.

We done it on the cheap, very cheap, flights cheaper then the cost of taking a cabin bag, so we carried two tiny 10litre back packs with enough clean clothes to get by on and wore our big heavy waterproof coats and boots - and the weather was fabulous. Only having the one coat meant I was too hot to be wandering about shops - made an even cheaper break

We walked everywhere and only paid for one tour that we were interested in. We visited more then a lifetimes worth of free galleries and museums and must have explored every inch of the old town - and a lot of the new town. We did donate where donations were asked - St Giles etc 

Breakfast was at Wetherspoons, a full fry for £5 and everlasting coffee for £1:30 - a lot cheaper then the hotel , we did go all out for two evening meals, but even then that was only £20 a head including a drink.The first night we were so tired we had a pizza and glass of wine at the hotel and collapsed in bed by 7pm If we were home, Id have baulked at paying £20 a head for a meal, thinking that would do me a week, but it was a holiday and we had budgeted and saved for it and for once it was nice not to look at the price and worry

So after being so warm in Edinburgh ( it was 7oC but dry ) and not having the heat on in the hotel room, Im back home where its dark and lashing it down and Im feeling cold and already tempted to light the fire

We got heating oil before we left 700ltrs for £650 , hopefully that will get us to the new year. We have it on an hour in the morning and it goes on again at 4pm when it gets dark, until around 10pm. But if its going to be a long wet winter, it will need putting on more, the house is never toasty, just warm enough to function in wearing jumpers 

I dont know when we are going to be seeing any help with heating costs. Rumours are it will be January. Unfortunately you pay for oil in advance so for a lot of people here its very very bleak. We are fortunate that we can cover the costs as we both still work and can always increase work hours if we need too but I have friends on fixed incomes ( benefits/pensions ) who are already rationing the heat 

RobM99

Agree, the "spirit" can over-rule the body. That's why I believe it's vital to keep mentally active as well as physically (where possible). Anyway back on topic - quick shower, heating on 20 minutes, 3 coffees - £1.71 says smart meter (plus VAT!).

YoungBlueEyes

@longwalker do you mind me asking where stayed when you were in Edinburgh? I’ve never known a hotel where you can turn the heating off. I’d actually pay a wee bit extra for that ha haa!