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

Longwalker

@YorksLass. How awful for your daughter . Ive been there and had got the tee shirt, one of the reasons I dont carry a bag anymore. Cant see the need tbh, car keys, phone and pipe, all in pockets, Im ready to go

Im not making light of what your daughter has gone through, not at all, I was in bits myself when it happened to me years back. Your daughter needs to come to terms as to whats happened and process it. I remember I was scared to go out the door and got very anxious in busy areas for a long long time. I didnt drive back then and got mugged at the bus stop so for me learning to drive and being able to control my journey was a big step in moving forward.

I really hope she gets past this soon. It really is awful how you are left feeling. Be kind to her ( as I dont doubt you will be ) and help her look at what she needs to take out of the house with her. My phone pays for everything. I have face recognition, I have double security when I use my phone or cards. I keep the house key separate from the car key ( no one needs a huge bunch of keys nowadays )

(((((Hugs)))))

euronorris

So sorry to hear that @YorksLass . Your poor daughter.

I imagine the feeling is similar to being broken into and she will feel unsafe and quite jaded for a while. Time will help with that xx

CKhalvashi

YorksLass said:

DD rang last night in floods of tears.  She'd had her bag snatched earlier in the day and had spent quite a while in a police car touring the area in an effort to find the *****.  No luck, so ended up at a police station (miles away from where she lives) looking at mug shots.  No luck there either.  Luckily, her phone was in her pocket along with her bank card but they got away with her purse (not a lot of cash in it) and her house keys.  She said there wasn't anything in her bag to identify where she lives but, to be on the safe side, had called an emergency locksmith to change the locks and get into her own house.  Grrr.

I hope she's feeling a bit more secure today! Whoever did that probably needs doing something the management won't be happy with me saying on the forum.

Just to check; was her driving license in her purse? This will have an address on it. Many people don't think of that.

We found several old (not used for many years) sets of keys in grandparents and they have return details including an address. My keys have 2 car keys (for different cars), 2 door keys (for different doors) and a Clubcard on them, so nothing identifiable unless you work in Tesco. That's not to say there isn't identifying paperwork in the car itself though (assuming you could work out which one it is).

YorksLass

Thank you all for your good wishes re DD and bag snatch.  She wasn't physically hurt but was of course quite shaken.  She's not the most confident person at the best of times and, as she does occasionally have panic attacks, I doubt this episode will help.  She doesn't drive so thankfully no driving licence or car keys involved.  On reflection, she probably looked an easy target - just over 5', very slim build (7 st wet through) and, despite being in her early 40s, looks about 18.  The area where she lives isn't the best but it's not the worst either, although nowhere is safe these days, thanks to the nefarious activities of such criminals.  

I personally have an over body bag as it leaves my hands free but keep my bank/loyalty cards in a separate wallet that goes in an inside zipped jacket pocket, along with my house keys.  I changed from a shoulder bag when I was getting pains in my back and shoulder but have sometimes wondered if an over body bag is a such a good idea.  I suppose someone determined could still have a go (with me potentially ending up on the floor or injured) but it would at least make it a bit more difficult for them.  I try to be always aware of who's around me, especially at ATMs, even if it's inside a bank branch, and never carry much cash with me.  We can only do what we can do.  

After a very chilly start this morning we've had another dry and beautifully sunny day here but my plans to clean the outside windows were scuppered early doors when council contractors turned up to paint the exterior of our maisonettes.  It only happens once every 10 years - did it have to be today?    And despite not having any school run traffic due to school break, it's been a far from peaceful day.  We've had builders working on a new house extension (at the last count this is the 5th one on our road) with lots of noise from their machinery, council grass cutters careering around and early season gardeners out with strimmers, hedge cutters etc.

The day has not been wasted, however, and I've made a large loaf, two cheese & ham quiches (one for now, one for the freezer) and a dozen mince pies (6 for now, 6 for the freezer otherwise they'll disappear PDQ).  Easy tea tonight - salad with cooked gammon slices.  I've made some couscous flavoured with a bit of grated cheese and a very small portion of a bacon & tomato stir through pasta sauce that I found in the freezer - I knew it would come in handy one day!  

otb666

Sorry to hear about your daughter Seems people are getting quite desperate now.  On other topic i also have moved away from meal planning as i tend to cook a small amount of what i want then hubby normally shares as likes the look of it. generally.  I also share what he eats generally.  But no longer cook vast amounts as can be quite repetitive otherwise.  I like trying new veg like yellow and purple tomatoes this week.

YoungBlueEyes

Ooh yellow and purple tomatoes? Where did you get them from @otb666? If you don't mind me asking.

Floss

My local Lidl had loose multicoloured cherry tomatoes in store last week. I've grown coloured (as opposed to red) toms for years, yellow ones can be sweeter.

YoungBlueEyes

There were young tom plants in my Lidl the other week so I lifted 2 trays, one red one yellow. I've not seen purple tho...

euronorris

I haven't grown purple tomatoes, but I've grown black tomatoes before (which are really like a very, very, very dark purple). Called Indigo Rose. They are prolific producers! I had soooo many tomatoes from them, and they are very blight resistant. They were developed for their anti-oxidant properties. However, they are not as flavourful as other tomatoes in my opinion.

Pollycat

YorksLass said:

Thank you all for your good wishes re DD and bag snatch.  She wasn't physically hurt but was of course quite shaken.  She's not the most confident person at the best of times and, as she does occasionally have panic attacks, I doubt this episode will help.  She doesn't drive so thankfully no driving licence or car keys involved.  On reflection, she probably looked an easy target - just over 5', very slim build (7 st wet through) and, despite being in her early 40s, looks about 18.  The area where she lives isn't the best but it's not the worst either, although nowhere is safe these days, thanks to the nefarious activities of such criminals.  

I personally have an over body bag as it leaves my hands free but keep my bank/loyalty cards in a separate wallet that goes in an inside zipped jacket pocket, along with my house keys.  I changed from a shoulder bag when I was getting pains in my back and shoulder but have sometimes wondered if an over body bag is a such a good idea.  I suppose someone determined could still have a go (with me potentially ending up on the floor or injured) but it would at least make it a bit more difficult for them.  I try to be always aware of who's around me, especially at ATMs, even if it's inside a bank branch, and never carry much cash with me.  We can only do what we can do.  

I really feel for your daughter.

I was mugged in Greece a few years ago.
It was a horrific experience.
It turned me from a confident woman, happy to go off for the day on my own, into a wreck.
We were just going across the road into a restaurant for dinner and I'd taken my bag from cross body to over my shoulder to take off my cardigan.
A motor cyclist drove past and snatched my bag.
I must have held onto it for a brief time as it dragged me over backwards and I hit the ground. I think my hair clip must have taken some of the impact.
Apparently, according to a couple who were coming out of the restaurant, I bounced back up and screamed.
Several chaps from the 2 restaurants next door to each other chased after the thief on their scooters but there are many tiny lanes and they did not find him or my bag.
I was bruised and shaken physically but the biggest impact was mentally.

I still wear cross-body bags but tend to have the straps very short so that they are almost under my armpit and in busy areas, I pull it round to the front.

Please try not to let your daughter shrink into herself and stop going out.