Dusty's Frugal Fortnights Return!

tooldle

Am I understanding correctly Dusty, Mr Dusty in all those years found only temporary work? The 80’s were a horrible time and I can see how the circumstances would grind a person down.

I’d like to think things have improved for minority groups, but I’m not so sure. Many organisations are very white at executive level. 

I have a work friend who was expelled from Uganda, along with her mum and sister. Dad somehow stayed and is never talked about. Friends father was a prosperous business owner. The ladies of the family arrived here with one suitcase between them. Some good people and very distant family members helped them get back on their feet. My friend now works on clinical trials and previously for the NHS. Those early years in the UK were a struggle despite them living in London.

AliBee16

Coming out of being an interested lurker to say you should consider writing a book Dusty. What an extraordinary story, and a unique perspective of survival and making the most out of life, despite having to leave your home and start again. All the best to you

dustydigger

Muddy_Walker said:

Hello Dusty 🌼
I have been following this thread and thoroughly enjoyed it! You also gave me a cracking idea - I used to sort my money from one month to the next which didn’t work so then did it weekly which just overwhelmed me. When I saw your thread I thought aha! Try fortnightly as I get paid mid month and hubby end of the month and I’m glad to say it has helped enormously!
so a big thank you for that.
I also love reading but mostly kindle unlimited dire detective stuff ……..🤣

Glad you found it useful. As long as you keep a good bank buffer to even out your outgoings,I have always found it a nice compromise between monthly and weekly.

hmm.....''dire detective stuff''. I use Kindle for dire science fiction  and urban fantasy stuff so SNAP. 

Nice mindless easy on the brain stuff,little literary value but very enjoyable. Mainstream publishers look down on them,but the successful kindle authors are those who have worked out what their audience  enjoys,and they give it to them.

I used to read masses of crime novels back in the 80s and 90s,but bit by bit I lost pleasure in crime fiction. The style and content have changed gradually and I dont enjoy the big names of today. That modern thing of everything being shades of grey,with the protagonists either being depressed,addicted or something of the sort,with often nasty things happening. I loved the !!!!!! Francis still of hero,upright,with a moral code,brave and willing to suffer to bring things to order - very much in the tradition of my all time crime fiction hero Philip Marlowe in Raymond Chandler's classic books. Bit by bit I abandoned crime fiction. I have tried a few on kindle,but I dont much like what are termed cozy mysteries. Too many of the protagonists are brainless airheads! .In SF,the old classic books were all about action and ideas,so it was painless to just follow the action without being bothered that there was little characterisation.There are masses of modern versions of such books on kindle

this month,with the end to end fotball I have been raeding some old urban fantasy,the Guild Hunters series. I read 9 straight off the bat,such fun to go back to old stuff and still find pleasure in it.

I think 2023 is going to be the year of the rereads. Since I dislike modern stuff,going back to things I used to love will be much more enjoyable

Could you tell me some of the KU stuff you really enjoyed? Nice hero,possibly some romance,interesting background,intriguing mystery......

just checked out my Librarything lists of books read. Even though I have barely read crime over the last decade,crime fiction is still my biggest ''shelf'' at 1021 books read. SF is next at 757 titles,then urban fantasy has 485 books on it. Childrens books 304 By comparison there are only 150 classics,93 general fiction,77 historical novels. And a big chunk of those are Georgette Heyers or Amanda Quick. Horror has 93.

My total count is 4679 books listed.

I read a gazillion Mills and Boons etc years ago but only listed 37 of them. Also I never used to bother adding some really humdrum crime fiction,so crime is under represented actually.. Especially from decades ago.

retiredinfrance

Delighted to see Georgette Heyer mentioned above. I’ve been a fan since my Gran introduced me to her when I was about 12. Keep calm and read on, Dusty!

dustydigger

tooldle said:

 The 80’s were a horrible time and I can see how the circumstances would grind a person down.

I’d like to think things have improved for minority groups, but I’m not so sure. Many organisations are very white at executive level. 

I have a work friend who was expelled from Uganda, along with her mum and sister. Dad somehow stayed and is never talked about. Friends father was a prosperous business owner. The ladies of the family arrived here with one suitcase between them. Some good people and very distant family members helped them get back on their feet. My friend now works on clinical trials and previously for the NHS. Those early years in the UK were a struggle despite them living in London.

Yeah life was hard. Odd to think that you have to be well over 50 to have experienced such hardships here in UK. I always admire my parents generation.(father born 1905,mother 1910) for sheer grit to endure. Born in abject poverty,they grew up during  WWI,suffered through the General Strike,then the second world war,then the rampant inflation of the 70s.They died in 1981 and 1984. I still remember how upset my old mother was watching the recession and the miners' strike,it all brought back bad memories. My dad was a miner in the 1926 strike,they had a terrible time. He and his brother had worn out their shoes,and shared one pair between them,one stayed home if the other had to go out,unless he wore his pit boots . they never forgot the humiliation of lining up in the street at midday for kind charitable ladies doling out meals (only one of the day they would have,often)100 years later and millions are relying on food banks.Incredible.

About the Asians being shoved out of Uganda,workmates and friends of ours had to leave. One friend gave us some beautiful furniture and ornaments. She didnt want to leave anything in her old home,to be looted. One suitcase was all she had left from 80 years of her family living in Africa.

Glad your friend's family survived and eventually prospered!

dustydigger

retiredinfrance said:

Delighted to see Georgette Heyer mentioned above. I’ve been a fan since my Gran introduced me to her when I was about 12. Keep calm and read on, Dusty!

I still love and read Heyers books.The last one I read was October 2022.

I am seriously thinking of doing a massive binge read of all my Heyers as a major pleasure for my birthday in January. 75 years old.EEK !!!!!!.Not sure though,as I already am compiling a big reading list for 2023. Perhaps I will just do a top ten favourites!.

dustydigger

Hi people. After16 days wait I got a back scan appointment. 4 pm  at a walk in clinic on the far outskirts of Sunderland .In the dark,probably snowing. With a stick...... No thanks. Cancelled it. Sons cant help,one is in Aberdeen,and the other is snowed under  with work. His company got rid of 15 of their 18 smart meter teams during covid. My son was surprised at the time,as he was a recent employee,thought it would be last in,first out, but he had great reviews,and was kept on. Now EVERYBODY and his dog wants a smart meter ASAP,he  has the whole of County Durham in his purview. He is on call every weekend,and always gets called out. He is even going to be working Boxing Day. So no chance of him taking time off. Hopefully the next appointment will be after the Xmas period,and I will get a taxi from the city centre out to the edge of the city. But not with snow in the offing,highest temp expected to be 1 degree,feeling like -2C.. When I still have a cough and weak chest, a painful back and a dizzy head from the vertigo attack? No thanks!

Yay,no football today,but Mr Dusty is still hogging the telly chair beside the radiator. I put my foot down about the moronic morning TV programmes today,so we have the radio on playing golden oldies,which is fun.Dinner is really late,as Mr D had me fiddling with football,and then we had the scan business.I spent ages looking for buses that go near and failed,then had to go through the canceling business,and I started dinner really late,and Mr Dusty is complaining he's starving. Last of the sirloin steak,and he wont be eating till 1.15 .Not a happy camper,so I'm off to do onions,mushrooms etc.

Oh to get back in a routine and be fit enough to whizz through tasks like normal people......

beanielou

Now dusty please don’t get carried away. 

We don’t whizz through tasks like normal people. We are ‘special’! 

dustydigger

beanielou said:

Now dusty please don’t get carried away. 

We don’t whizz through tasks like normal people. We are ‘special’! 

So true,beanielou. No whizzing around us,we are the ones falling down left right and centre,dizzy as a duck. .

Yep,we are truly special.....sigh.......

Katiehound

Take lots of care..

Try not to do too much dizzy dancing......... thinking of you.