Resourcefulness: The budgeter's friend

rtandon27

@foxgloves - I hope you don't mind me hopping in on your thread, about the statement above, about C0vid vaccines

As I am one of the immunosuppressed who has the jab, as well as one of those who reacted badly to the M0derna back in the day, I keep on top of the topic.  The free NHS vaccine this year provides good protection against the circulating variants, such as 'Stratus' and 'Nimbus'. The private vaccine is intended for those not eligible for a free NHS jab, but it is not for covering different strains.  The reason I am abreast of this is that before my OH's recent diagnosis, meaning he too is now immunosuppressed so will get an NHS jab, he was affected by the raising of age from 65 to 75 so we would have had to pay so we did research to find out about the private jab to make sure it was the same jab and also to find out the extortionate private costs involved!

An ironic aside, my brother-in-law across the pond works for the company that provides these vaccines, and he doesn't get free jabs either because of the province he lives in.  Most of my family who live in a difference province can receive the jab for free!

Makingabobor2

rtandon27 said:

@foxgloves - I hope you don't mind me hopping in on your thread, about the statement above, about C0vid vaccines

As I am one of the immunosuppressed who has the jab, as well as one of those who reacted badly to the M0derna back in the day, I keep on top of the topic.  The free NHS vaccine this year provides good protection against the circulating variants, such as 'Stratus' and 'Nimbus'. The private vaccine is intended for those not eligible for a free NHS jab, but it is not for covering different strains.  The reason I am abreast of this is that before my OH's recent diagnosis, meaning he too is now immunosuppressed so will get an NHS jab, he was affected by the raising of age from 65 to 75 so we would have had to pay so we did research to find out about the private jab to make sure it was the same jab and also to find out the extortionate private costs involved!

An ironic aside, my brother-in-law across the pond works for the company that provides these vaccines, and he doesn't get free jabs either because of the province he lives in.  Most of my family who live in a difference province can receive the jab for free!

It was a pharmacist who told this information regarding the difference in the jabs. My sister was told the same and she lives 150 miles away, so heard it from a totally different pharmacist.
I didn't actually mean they were for covering different strains, but what he said was that the NHS one was the same as last year's, so wouldn't be quite as good against the new strain as the one offered privately, as they were different. 

So maybe its not right then...?? Maybe they had been given wrong info?? 

foxgloves

Afternoon m'dears,
Chatting to you from my desk with a steaming mug of honey & lemon by my side. Yesterday's headache had vanished by this morning & I managed to get some pleasant jobs done outside before I started feeling rather coviddy again. Spoke to a neighbour who, like Mr F had a bout of covid in the summer, & who said our neighbours opposite have also been down with it, so we concluded that there is probably a lot more of it around than we think, because of most people not testing & there no longer being any 'rules' with these milder versions/greater herd immunity. Did I mention what happened when my sis went for her vaccine? She has permanently damaged lungs from a bad dose of pneumonia a couple of years ago & her lung consultant wrote to her GP at the time & said she must be a priority for both flu & covid jabs. Well this year, she turned up & the pharmacist wouldn't administer the vaccine because she isn't eligible. She stood her ground & said she was there because her consultant had told her it is essential she does everything possible to avoid covid. He grumpily jabbed her, then said he'd be looking into it & if he found out she wasn't eligible after all, he would be sending her an invoice for £85!! B-i-L is a cancer patient & he isn't eligible this year either. I think the piece on the BBC News website today shows that people are very confused about the changes.
Anyway, onto today's budget-friendly doings:
*Emptied out my 3 big tubs on the front courtyard. Potted up 3 pelargoniums after giving them a major trim back as they will overwinter perfectly well in the conservatory ready for next summer's containers. Replaced with fresh compost, some mini-daff bulbs ('Jetfire' which I think are very cheery) & some autumn colour. Didn't spend much at all on this (it would routinely be around £40 per tub back in the Spendy Era) - 4 Chrysanthemums at £2.99 each & 1 pack of bulbs. The ivy just has a hair cut & goes from year to year (I just root some new ones if it starts looking a bit gnarly), I successfully saved last year's cyclamen by potting them up & popping them in the cold frame & the pansies were all grown by me this year from a packet of free seed. Still had a bit of energy so attacked some weeds between the house & the slabs with boiling water.
*Garden pickings: Big bundle of sage, now tied into bunches & hanging to dry from kitchen beam.
*Made tomorrow's packed lunch & breakfast.
*Use-it-up 'free' meal tonight as it's cannellini bean & veg crumble. I've defrosted one of the bases I batch cooked back when we had a glut of produce & made crumble with cheese & pumpkin seeds to go on top. Shall serve it with wokked sliced tromboncino & some sweetcorn which needs using up.
*Baked a small batch of scones  - it's the 7th anniversary of my Mum's death today. I can't believe it is so long. I suppose that having everything to deal with because of losing both parents quite close together, then all the work clearing & selling the house, then of course the pandemic......time just seems to have flown. I like to bake on their anniversaries & birthdays as they both enjoyed eating my baking & it seems a nice traditional thing to do.
*Did 2 surveys.
*Froze the blackberries & chillies I picked yesterday.
Nothing else to do today  - & I have also had a couple of hours of restful TV viewing - so I am heading for a hot bubble bath & hairwash. I am going to imagine washing some more covid germs down the plughole & hope that this provides a positive psychological boost! Surely I can't have it for much longer. I do feel a lot better than last week as can now do things, but I know that I'm still not right, so hopefully the last bits of virus will depart from my person very soon. 
Wishing everyone a cosy evening.
F x

Makingabobor2

Glad you are starting to slowly recover. It does certainly sound as though lots of people are going down with it.  That's terrible about your Sis & BIL. How can someone so vunerable, not be eligible. It seems to me that there is a bit of a postcode lottery with the pharmacists as well. My DH who is under 60, has a condition ( not hear or lung related), but because of his medication, he qualifies.  My sis however, who is almost 65, cares for my dad aged 93,  although doesn't live in the same house, and she is also asthmatic & possible COPD, she is not eligible though. All seems a bit topsy turvey to me. 

ladyholly

Covid is rife in my area I am told. I was surprised by the very short list of people who are elegible for vaccination this year. Not surprising there is a lot of it about.

PennysIntoPounds

Baking for your mum's anniversary is a lovely thing. I hope you've had a day filled with remembering nice things and getting better x

foxgloves

Morning Campers, rise & shine! Well, I have definitely risen.....the shining might take a bit longer. The coviddy headache was doing its best to set in when I woke, but the paracetamol are kicking in now, so it is hopefully going to be a better day than I anticipated. Still not anywhere near my usual levels of productivity. On the budget-friendly front today, I intend to:
*Pot up a few more pelargoniums to bring indoors for over-wintering.
*Water chillies & peppers
*Make a fish pie using all the trimmings & oddments of fillets from our last fish box.
*Write a list for town tomorrow & sort out containers for the eco-refill shop.
*Surveys. My engagement with these has been woeful over the last few months & I have started to miss the boost to my Personal Spends.
*Do a bit of research into a gift I need to buy in the next few days or so. A brief online trawl has come up with options from £35 to £109 so far, & I'm very much aiming at the lower end of that.
I think that will be plenty as I have promised Mr F I will rest this afternoon, so will enjoy somw time with the cats & my book.
The heating came on this morning. Since we switched it back on in rhe last week of September, it's only come on twice, which is good for gas costs this month. It just hasn't been cold enough yet. 
F x

Cheery_Daff

I think that's still an acceptable level of productivity given your illness, well done you! Take it easy 😊

Suffolk_lass

Have a good day. Hopefully time to reflect on your parents' lives and possibly play some music in memory of your Dad. Lovely to bake in their memory. 

I really must make a savoury crumble. it always appeals. Not today though, as I am off out for lunch with some women I have known for 35 years plus!

foxgloves

@Makingabobor2 - Yes, it does seem a bit odd. I suppose the 'powers-that-be' won't know if they've made the right call until there is any upward trajectory in hospitalised covid cases. 

@ladyholly - Yes, there seem to be a lot of people around here who have or have had 'the lergy'. I'm betting a significant amount of it is one of these two new covid strains. I suppose if nothing else, my immune system will have had a bit of a boost from coming into contact with it, although I know with all the rapidly developing strains, it's possible to get it again.

@PennysIntoPounds - Yes, thanks, I only made a small batch of scones but they are very nice with home made blackberry & apple jam. I enjoyed looking at a nice family photo which lives on my piano. It was taken at a pub lunch for what we all knew would be my Dad's last birthday, so it's a special photo as has Dad in it, Mum plus our elderly relative who died last year. I baked & iced a stonking 80th birthday cake (though I do say so myself) - again, I knew I wouldn't be baking him another one & also have some great photos of him cutting it. I prefer to remember people on their birthdays, really, but both deaths were difficult, especially everything which happened with Mum, so those dates are very much logged in our heads. It feels better to offset with good memories & baking than go over those stressful sad times.

@Cheery_Daff - Thank-you! I am not good at sitting around (unless I'm reading) so I do tend towards trying to revert back to normal levels of productivity too soon.

@Suffolk_lass - Thanks. We always play our CD containing Dad's Christmas music on Christmas Day when the Buck's Fizz comes out. 
I can recommend savoury crumbles as a good use of produce. The bases I batch cooked back in August contain tomatoes, aubergines, courgettes, onions, garlic, basil & cannellini beans. I make the crumble topping from wholemeal flour, jumbo oats, butter, grated cheese & a tbsp of pumpkin seeds.