Progress is...

Cherryfudge

So sorry to hear this, what a mess. Get that complaint sent in, but keep it brief - you don't need to open up that wound any more.

greent

Coming in late to agree it's absolutely awful. Do what is right for you and OH - and stick 2 metaphorical fingers up at the busy bodies and numpties at the council. So sorry to hear this - it's not what you need at all x

rtandon27

@themadvix - thank you for the support - not to worry, I had plenty words for all or us - I regularly eat a thesaurus for breakfast!

@Humdinger1 - I will report & you probably know that I now have the art of registering my objections down to a fine art - I've had lots of practice with swr trains due to their appaling service! (and again - don't worry for a sec about me thinking you are a busybody! I'd not paste things on an open forum if I wasn't looking for the tribe to rally round - all words of wisdom are always greatfully received as well as the supportive vibes)

@Watty1 - Liking the visual of setting light to the negative energy and sending it back to the universe - I will use that imagery when I hit send on my e-mail!

@teapot2 - What a horrible thing to have happened to you - I'm so glad you stood your ground! I can see that the one brain cell at your local council was not being used the day they tried to make you stay away from your OH!

@Cheery_Daff - it was indeed horrible - now to get to the bottom of who said what to whom and have the responsible party brought up sharpish!

@edinburger - thank-you for the reminder - yes indeed, one form will go in as OH and one will go in as me - that way they know that we are a partnershiip and they have ZERO right to interfere - I've also had a chat with our local law firm (down the road from my house) - they are more than willing to take it on if I need once I've got all the relavent paperwork inhand - helps that we have already used them for a couple of routine items and one big non-routine item for OH in the past. It actually helps that as part of my own job, I've had to produce docs for access to information requests so I am aware of the language that will get me what I want to see.

@KajiKita - yes it is appaling - but it also opened my eyes to the fact that when you are dying, you really do have nothing to loose! - his choice is to die peacefully, it could be now, it could be in a few months but it should be on his terms, not someone. - if only having a sparkling floor was as easy as that! - It gets vacummed regularly, but I've not yet given the tiles a good deep clean! - good thing we are generally clean & clean as we go.

@thriftmonster - yes agreed - fighting injustice seems to have become my mainstay!

@Cherryfudge - first the fact-finding mission, then the complaint - depending what is found & who's incompetance we are talking about, the legal route may - I've learned that sometimes a stern letter from a lawyer gets instant results!

@greent - yes fingers have done what they were meant to do, and OH's rather colourful vocabulary helped us both express our anger about them!

It is rather ironic that a good workmate of mine was chatting OH the other day and the two of them agreed that crossing me is not a good idea - my mates words were 'I've felt her wrath - it's not nice' - at the time I found it amusing but tbh - it's true - prodding the sleeping bear with a stick is a very bad idea & where I come from bears don't put up with stupid humans 🤣🤣🤣

rtandon27

Another weekend and another attempt at order!

meal plan…
✅ 🍜 Saturday Feb 21- Easy Peasy Day - Lunch = soup dumplings - Dinner = leftovers from freezer and fridge
✅ 🍖🥕🍠🍅🥔 Sunday Feb 22 - Roast Day - Lunch & Dinner - Freezer Dives!
🥬 Monday Feb 16 - Veggie Day - Seitan & noodles & pak choi
🐟🍟 Tuesday Feb 17 - Fish Day - Fish & Chips
🍗🍄🥕🥦🥔 Wednesday Feb 18 - Chicken Day - Lunch = BLT sandwich rolls - Dinner = Chicken Seekh Kebab & salad in cabooz bread
🍔🌽🥔 Thursday Feb 19 - Meat Day - pork steaks & roasted root veg
🥧🍟Friday Feb 20 - Fakeaway Day - Lunch = coffee shop sandwiches - Dinner = Cheeseburgers & smashed potatoes
🍜 Saturday Feb 21- Easy Peasy Day - Lunch = soup dumplings & noodles - Dinner = Chinese with rice & pak choi
🍖🥕🍠🍅🥔 Sunday Feb 22 - Roast Day - TBC

routine tasks..
✅ YNAB done & credit cards
🔆 across the pond banking
✅ grocery order - Tuesday evening delivery
✅ meal plan (above)
🔱 weekly digital planner
🔆 Delay Repay
✅ supplements into dossets
🔆 pack-ups for work days
🔆 Weekly surveys & contests
✅ laundry - 3 loads done & put away - another in the machine

non-routine tasks...
✅ messages to mom, other-mom & recently widowed
✅ donation in memory of friend who passed, to spinal injury org
✅ watched curling & hockey over the weekend (patriotic duty!)
✅ dishes and pots washed - 3 sinkfuls done - one to go
✅ vacuum downstairs
🔆 vacuum furniture
🔆 vacuum stairs
🔆 vacuum landing
🔆 vacuum bedroom
🔱 have sourced weighted blankets - singles - Scandinavian style!
🔱 still on the hunt for ballerina wedges that fit for everyday use
🔱 need to get a flat top brush for brass paint
🔱 apply for the GHIC card so it gets to us before Easter
⏳ look into oiling/waxing newly installed xtra banister
⏳BFF across the pond - we owe each other money - she is currently more interested in olympics hockey 🤣

rtandon27

Water Company rant upcoming…

Today I received an e-mail from the water company telling me I owed them 800+ pounds!!! better yet - if i clicked the link I could pay it immediately without waiting for the bill to arrive! Are you kidding me? I never ever click on payment links and have never paid my water bill in February!

Got home this evening, logged into my water accound and was dismayed to find that my bill for the upcoming year has in fact gone up to that 800+ and my 6-month bill is just over 400. In 2024/25 my water bill was 325, in 2025/26 was 744 aand now we are at 813 for 2026/27. Shocking!

We are not getting anything extra or special for this more than double increase, and in fact there have been no less than 10 leaks reported in the vicinity in the past 6 months that have affected our water pressure and the colour of the water coming out of the taps.

Best bit is, the bill is not even due until mid-April and the account has a warning symbol on it telling me that action is needed. Methinks I smell a bully - how can unethical tactics to pressure you into paying a bill early even be legal?

I've adjusted my YNAB budget and reminder & shuffled money out of the savings pot to cover it but the company shan't be getting one red cent out of me until the due date!!!

Now I shall take my grumpy self off to bed and try to come up with a creative way to cover the extra 70 odd pounds I now need to come up with in under 2 months!

rtandon27

…and look what just arrived to my e-mail box…

We are aware of a reported leak in the area. Our teams will investigate and if deemed to be a fault on a Southern Water asset, schedule for this to be repaired.

Have looked at the map and hilariously it s on Shepard's Spring lane - hmmm - methinks there is a clue in the name of the road? - most of the customer reported leaks come from this area of the town!

beanielou

That’s just shocking.

rtandon27

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/81897464#Comment_81897464

haha - the increase or the bullying or the leak which will turn out to be the spring (AGAIN!)???

beanielou

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/81897497#Comment_81897497

All of them!

rtandon27

Will wonders never cease…

OH received a form today from the company that is supplying his O2 - looks like he gets a rebate from the electric company for this!

Made me laugh as…
1) they sent us the wrong appliance & we now have to get the correct one sent out
2) we have had to adapt his needs to the machine (or machine to his needs - however you want to frame it)
3) it uses less electric than our dehumidifier
4) in actuality, it's my name on the electric bill

In reality, it's going to get transferred to me anyway in our monthly money shuffle, but without fail bureaucracy gets my goat every time!

…but hey - it may even be enough to cover that dang increase in the water bill, who knows?!

I've just shuffled money around and come up with 40 pounds towards the increase so savings won't bear the brunt of it!