Sunday 31 January 2016

Taking care

WS, it is definitely a cold I have, my darling grandchildren gave it to me, but  I did take an antihistamine, it stopped me wanting to rip my face off.

This weekend has mainly been taking care, of myself, of my L&M, of some outstanding issues.

On the household front, I have done little apart from providing food, the rest of the time has been spent on the sofa under a quilt either on line, chatting to my L&M or watching TV and consuming copious amounts of tea and lemsip.

We have had discussions about the problems surrounding MIL's will, we could be looking at a bill in excess of £20,000.this is the cost to transfer the house to the trusteeship. We need to get to this stage to block the bad BIL from making FIL homeless, this, in theory would be split 4 ways, except, of course the bad BIL will not contribute. Discussions are ongoing.

As if there wasn't enough going on with MIL's will I decided that now would be the ideal time to go after my ex-husband for the balance of what I am owed.
I have written to him to explain that I want a lower amount if he agrees without going through a solicitor and if he doesn't I'll go after the true value of the business and house and half his pension.

I now await a reply, I'm very scared, but I can't let the fact that he is a bully stop me from getting what should have been mine..

Saturday 30 January 2016

I have a code in by dose

Still feel like shit, my teeth itch and it hurts when I breathe, still lemsip and soft tissues instead of kitchen roll to the rescue. I will feel human again in a couple of days. We had DGS to stay and as he's 11 he's the easiest visitor to have, he's helpful, opens doors and carries bags. He will happily chat or play Minecraft, he just need feeding on a regular basis.
I had a catch up with a friend on the phone today I love a good natter.
It's taken me ages to get online today, problems with my browser, now I have got online Blogger is telling me I'm using an unsupported browser. I'll struggle on for a couple of days until I feel better and then try to sort it out.

Friday 29 January 2016

One step forward and three back

Mad rush for me from 2 until 5 this afternoon, collecting DGC plus friends and delivering them to various places including dance class and then collecting my L&M from the station.
I will hear more about the meeting tomorrow when DGS has gone home, hopefully, by then I will feel well enough to concentrate.
I feel like shit, I've been up since 2:20 and was in Mr T's at 5:45 this morning. DGS wanted to buy his sisters a birthday present, Eileen is 5 today Norah is 8 tomorrow. I have a streaming cold, I look so bad people at work thought I was crying, my eyes look like pissholes in the snow, they are puffy and bloodshot. My nose is flowing like Niagara Falls and so red I look like an illuminated Rudolph. Sneezing, well, explosive bouts of Tena Lady sneezes, the sort that make you cross your legs or sit down hurriedly so you don't wet yourself. Yes I know I should have done my pelvic floor exercises, but I didn't ok!

Wednesday 27 January 2016

Fewer calories, more arseholes

And a couple of idiots thrown in for good measure.

I lost 2 lbs at weigh in yesterday. I am making sure I drink at least 2 pints of water a day on top of any other drinks. I am eating a banana every morning and an apple every evening. I have freshly made vegetable soup for lunch Monday to Friday with a wedge of wholemeal bread.

Hubby is off to the solicitors meeting tomorrow. Hopefully there will be some clearer way forward after the meeting. The will seems straightforward, it's just BIL being an arsehole.

And as for the idiots, one of my machines was damaged when I arrived this morning. Obviously what I really needed whilst repairing it was some idiot breathing down my neck asking how long I was going to take to effect the repair. My reply of 'It will be a lot fecking quicker if you sod off and let me get on with it!' wasn't appreciated.

Idiot number 2 was a first aider who overheard someone asking how my DD was. I explained that tests were still ongoing and that a diagnosis had been suggested. At which point the first aider piped up and announced with complete confidence, 'I spoke to your daughter three weeks ago,  that's not what's wrong with her'. Oh good, from a first aider to medical expert capable of diagnosing complex medical issues in one fell swoop! My reply was short, succinct and left the idiot very red faced.

Tuesday 26 January 2016

Blanket pic


Here are a couple of photo's of the blanket I've been making for the last week, crochet helps to keep me sane, or what passes for sane round here.

Monday 25 January 2016

So much for an early night

I went to bed early in the hopes of catching up on some sleep, fat chance.
I dropped off for about half an hour and then all hell broke out. How on earth someone can manage a car chase in a road that is only about 10 houses long I do not know, but they did. Lots of roaring engines, screeching brakes and lots of shouting. Now I'm wide awake and likely to stay that way for some time.

Dreaded Lurgy

I feel bleugh, sore throat, a tickly cough, temperature and blocked up ears.
An early night is needed I think, hopefully I will feel better in the morning.

Sunday 24 January 2016

Calories & arseholes

Thank for the hugs LM, Sheila & WH.
WH, no chance of mediation as BIL refuses to speak to anyone.
Marlene, this is something that will be discussed at the meeting.
We need to know how the ongoing costs are going to pan out, we need know for how long we can afford to protect FIL and keep a roof over his head.

Dieting
I have lost weight and I will continue to do so, life and other crises permitting.
I understand the theory behind the 800 calorie a day diet, I have two colleagues who were pre-diabetic who successfully lost weight on the diet and immediately put the weight back on once the diet finished, this is not healthy. 
Everyone claims they would stick to a diet if their health depended on it, but I've yet to meet anyone who has.
What annoys me is, being told to follow three different diets by three health professionals all at the same surgery.
Being told I need to lose 4 stone, which would take me down to a scant 6 stone, way too little even for my height.
The biggest annoyance is being told I'm diabetic when actually my BG number is under 5.





Baby pic

There seem to be a lot of pics on FB of people when they were younger. I would have been around two years old when this was taken.

Friday 22 January 2016

Some people are arseholes

There is a meeting with the solicitors next week regarding MIL's will, the initial costs are £3000+VAT.
Conveyancing to the trusteeship will be another £800+VAT.
This is obviously BIL's ploy, hoping we will be unable to pay the legal fees to protect FIL.
Bang goes any extra mortgage payments for the foreseeable future.


Thursday 21 January 2016

800 Calories

Catriona & FQ, where I work there are many people who have tried both these diets and hundreds of others. The problem is that none of them seem to be sustainable long term and most of them seem to be a way of making big bucks for those who promote them.

Diet and food costs

Plantpot, I'll look for them online, thanks for that.

My days currently go something like this.

Get up some time between 5 and 6 depending on hubby's shift, get showered, dressed, drop hubby at work, on to DD's to help with the school run.

Go to work until 2 then from work back to DD's to babysit whilst DD is at Dr's/hospital etc. Then help with school run, help with homework, evening meal and bedtime.

Back to work some time between 7 and 10 depending on hubby's shift, collect hubby, cook evening meal, clear up after meal, an hours housework, fall into bed. 

Rinse and repeat.

I'm too knackered to do more than organise the most basic of meals, I'm certainly not up to cooking two different meals each night. Hubby is covering extra hours at work as one of the team is having family problems.

And now hubby has had a solicitors letter about his Mum's will, they are suggesting a cost of £3000 to resolve the problems BIL is causing.

Wednesday 20 January 2016

Food costs

Remember I told you my Dr told me to go on the Lighterlife diet as a cure for my alleged diabetes, quite apart from the contra indications with my gallstones & diverticulitis, it was the cost of £55 a week that put me off.

Now another Dr, Dr Michael Mosley has come up with yet another miracle cure diet for diabetes. I've not read the book, but this also doesn't look like a very economical diet.

I have been trying to get some new blades for my L&M's razor, I tried the local mini Tesco and the main Tesco and the Co-op and the pharmacy. No joy, the next nearest place was Waitrose, hooray they had what I needed.

I also bought their Indian meal deal, £10 for two mains, I bought chicken masala and butter chicken, a rice dish, I bought spinach and carrot rice, a side dish, aloo gobi saag and naan bread, 2 very large ones.

When I got home I divided it up and it made 6 individual meals. I ate one & froze the rest, my L&M doesn't like Indian food, so it's all mine.

Not ideal diet food, I'm sure but smallish portions so not too damaging either and cheaper than a takeaway.


Tuesday 19 January 2016

Exam concessions

We used to get the occasional request when people had broken an arm or suffered a bereavement. 
Sometimes they are for people with a disability.
This year I heard one of the silliest.
A child wants to do his/her exam in a separate room as they find the sight and sound of people writing very distressing. So how have they managed to cope for the last 10 or 11 years in a class full of students?

Monday 18 January 2016

Sweep

Not the sort who cleans your chimneys. No, at the end of every month, on the day before payday, I check the balance of the joint account. I leave a set amount in there in case we get an unexpected bill, the rest I sweep into our savings account, when this account gets to around £500 it is used to make a payment off our mortgage.

Chip, chip, chip

I have some shares left from when Santander was the Abbey National bank, I've had them years, I had to apply to get the dividend paid into my account (it's under £10 a year)  and for a new certificate as my ex hung on to it all as long as possible.
I'm going to sell them, they are worth about £200-£300 but it will be another small amount paid off the mortgage.

Sunday 17 January 2016

It's only free if

it didn't cost anything. I'm often amazed by people who think they have got a freebie when actually it's cost a lot of money. Magazines are a case in point, ok so you have a free gift, but you will have paid £3 or £4 for your free gift, magazine subscriptions are even worse.

Matinee Jacket
I seem to remember the original pattern was published in Woman's Weekly about 40 years ago.

Saturday 16 January 2016

Friday 15 January 2016

Matinee jacket


I used to make these back in the 1970's, I lost the pattern many years ago. Wandering around youtube I found this pattern, it is almost identical.

Is it me

Or is it a full moon. I've heard some really strange things said recently.

One of my colleagues was lecturing us all at lunchtime on how to be a good parent. She demands her children excel at all things, she rewards them with money but anything other than top of the class in every subject brings down great wrath upon their heads. They seem to have very little chance to be children and I find that very sad.
She was even explaining today how she is grooming her daughter to be head girl, the child is 11 and has years before she gets to sixth form.

Another colleague was telling me she's made a beef casserole for tea, she served it with a meat pie, I thought this a strange combination.

Someone else wrote her car off this morning skidding on some black ice, she claims it was the other drivers fault as he was stationary, on his drive!

Thursday 14 January 2016

Good day, bad day

At least I had a working pc from mid morning onwards, yesterday I didn't have a pc at all, so I was able to get some work done finally today.
DD1 is having problems with her mortgage company, they have lost every bit of information she has sent them 3 times now.
DD2 started yesterday with a flat car battery and a buggy missing one wheel, it was 10:15 before she finished the school run.
I was saddened to hear about the death of Alan Rickman, he had a voice to dampen female knickers from 50 paces. I loved him in Galaxy Quest and Truly Madly Deeply, and in Prince of Thieves he knocked spots off Kevin Costner. Now for a bit of movie trivia, Alan Rickman acted in a film called January Man, this also starred  Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio, who played Maid Marian in Prince of Thieves.

Wednesday 13 January 2016

Trust issues, envy and other bloggers

Saraband, yes my Dr's do run that scheme, but my son in law used it and nearly died as they cocked up his medication so badly so I refuse to use it.

At Christmas at work, many people exchanged cards, a member of hubby's team only took home signed by male members of staff, his wife doesn't trust him and would create holy hell if she found cards from female staff.

Well it seems she is not the only one, pc's too have trust issues, I turned on mine this morning to find an error message 'The trust between this workstation and the primary server has broken down' so no pc for me today.

I do not suffer from jealousy but I do suffer from envy, especially when I read blogs, so many talented people producing wonderful craft items. 

I'm green with envy, not only of their talent but also that they find the time to make such wonderful things.

Monday 11 January 2016

Somebody pass me a large gin

Oh no, I've just remembered I don't drink gin!

We visited FIL, he now thinks his cataract surgery was cancelled because the anesthetist glued his eye shut instead of putting numbing drops in it, but he has given up drinking so hopefully it will go ahead next time.

He claims that he has to pay an extra £1000 for the funeral and cannot afford it, but hubby and two of the brothers have already paid it.

One minute he's boasting of having £20000 in the bank and the next he's pleading poverty.

Time

My L&M and I both wear hearing aids, when we need new batteries it means a two hour round trip to the hospital in the centre to town to collect them. It is very difficult and expensive to park at the hospital so we go by bus, it's free with our bus passes, but time consuming.

I'm running out of my BP tablets, so I ordered a repeat prescription, I went to the surgery to collect the prescription. It took them 25 minutes to find the prescription in a box containing about 20 scripts!

Then I went to the pharmacy and handed in the script, there was a 10 minute wait so I went to the Co-op to check out their Feed a family for £5 deal.
I returned to the pharmacy and waited, and waited and waited, they too had lost my script. It took 45 minutes for them to find it and give me my tablets.

An hour and 10 minutes of my life wasted, waiting for an assortment of stupid people to do a couple of fairly simple tasks. Oh and if you get deja vu reading this, it is because this shambles takes place every 8 weeks, every time I need more tablets!


Sunday 10 January 2016

A small positive

I am managing to drink 2 pints of water at least every day plus two cups of tea.

I started a baby cardie for a friend who's just had a little girl.

If we visit FIL today I may need a strong gin afterwards!

Marlene & Jenni, I don't find the 30gms of porridge allowed enough to fill me up for seven hours, I must just be a greedy pig, I can't add the berries to it at I can't eat food with seeds/pips in.

I do eat a banana mid morning but I'm not supposed to because of the seeds,

Margie, I love eggs & hummus but can't eat either at work because of the smell.

Thanks Rambler, hubby can get home on his own but it's a half an hour walk or half hour wait for the bus when he's already been on his feet all day.
And as for the grandchildren, my DD isn't well, I'm doing extra running around whilst she is attending hospital appointments.

I will have to see where the nearest laundromat is Kate. 

Marjorie, I don't usually have such a problem but we have had weeks and weeks of rain.


Saturday 9 January 2016

Trying to focus on the positive.

So I'm trying to focus on the positive and on what I am managing to achieve.

We do have clean clothes though getting them dry without a tumble dryer is proving interesting. I do have a heated airer that I use overnight but it only holds about half a washing load.

I cook a meal from scratch every night two weeks out of three, when hubby is on lates he doesn't want a cooked meal after ten at night.

I cleared and cleaned the kitchen today, but didn't manage to tidy the living room. My L&M suggested some Afternoon Delight, much better than housework and greatly appreciated as he's still not feel too good himself.

I am also managing some crochet most days, even if just half an hour. 

Friday 8 January 2016

TFI Friday

We may be going to visit FIL this weekend, or we may not, he can't decide, he will ring us at some point when he has decided!
Witch Hazel, thanks for the link, LM, Anon, a UTI could be a possibility or dementia. I'm inclined to think that the bulk of the problems are alcohol related, mainly as he seems to be ok first thing in the morning but deteriorates as the day draws on.
If he decides we can visit this weekend I will try to find out more about how he is feeling and coping.

It's been a nightmare at work today, very stressful, I have 1000 booklets to print on top of my normal jobs and both my machines were jamming. The engineer came to see if he could help, he got them working again but I'm not sure how long for.

I went back to Slimming World, I've put on 3lbs, I need to get a grip! I've realised I will have to cook 2 different meals every night as my L&M won't eat any of the SW meals. I also find breakfast difficult, I eat at 5:30 and there is a limit to how much prep I feel like doing that early in the morning. Also whatever I eat need to last me until 12 non when I get my lunch break.

I've had an epic fail on the housework front, I tried to follow the Flylady Thread but 3 days this week I've left work at 2, gone to the bank or Dr's etc, gone back to collect hubby at 3. Then gone out to collect one of the DGC at 4, spent an hour or two at dance club or similar, got home at 6ish cooked a meal, eaten it, cleared up after by which time I'm knackered, must try harder!

Tuesday 5 January 2016

All going tits up

FIL phoned today, he claims his cataract surgery has been cancelled and it's all our fault because we upset the surgeon. Allegedly FIL was on the bed, all drugged up and then the surgeon refused to continue because of something hubby or I said. All I can say is the surgeon must have bloody good hearing, we live about 30 miles from the hospital!

Then he phoned to complain about his party wall, it need work doing to it and he cannot afford it, hubby offered to go and look at the problem. FIL got very upset, saying the solicitor has told him he is not allowed visitors!

We can't work out if he's drunk, lying or imagining things. He has some very good neighbours but he's gradually falling out with them all.


Sunday 3 January 2016

Clutter

Today I'm taking photo's, I'm decluttering and putting a few things on ebay, they are a juicer, mini oven, two quilted wall hangings and two Fat Lady ornaments, if they don't go on ebay they can go to the charity shop.
Either way it's a little less clutter.

Fly

Yesterday whilst mashing the potatoes I spent some time trying to catch a small fly that was attempting to land in the pan.
Eventually I realised that it was a floater in my eye!

Saturday 2 January 2016

Blanket Part 2

I've decided to carry on with the 32 existing yellow circles, I'll make the next 32 when the weather is brighter and I can see better as the first round is fiddly.

The 32 have all had the brown added,  eight of them will have the pale green next.

Shopping and eating

My Mr Grumpy is improving slightly, he is just normally grumpy rather than 'biting my head off because even my breathing is annoying him' grumpy.

Marie, I hope your Mr Grumpy feels better soon, why oh why won't men go to the Dr's.

I went to the village this morning, mooched round the CS's but nothing called to me.

I bought 6 rolls from the bakers and 6 apples from the butchers, sounds weird, but they sell fresh veg and fruit.

I checked out the orange stickers in the co-op, lots there, but nothing of interest to me, it was mainly vegetables and I still have sprouts, cabbage, lettuce and beetroot in the garden, yesterday I picked 4 tomatoes.

I also checked out the co-op £5 meal deal, this week it is fish fingers, chicken dippers, vegi fingers, potato waffles, petit pois & arctic roll. All things the DGC will eat when they visit, so I bought it and stashed it in the freezer.

I always check out the deal, sometimes I buy it to help out my DD's, sometimes I buy it if I'm feeling lazy. Once I bought it, it was chicken pie, chips, carrots etc and I made a huge batch of carrot soup for my lunches, some of the chips are still in the freezer.

Today we are having liver and bacon in onion gravy with mash and cabbage. I lightly steam mine as like Marlene, I hate it boiled to a mush. 

Exactly!!!


Friday 1 January 2016

Blanket, part one

I need to start with 64 yellow circles, I've made 32 and 10 of them have the next colour round already added.

Larder list

This morning I emptied the larder cupboard, sorted it and made a list of what I have.

Packets:-                                                               

Chick peas, Butter beans, Green lentils, Red lentils
Haricot beans, Star pasta, Pasta shapes, Lasagna
Spaghetti x 3, Pudding rice, Long grain rice, 
Flavoured rice x 3, Semolina, Pearl barley, Couscous
Stuffing mix, Yeast, Popping corn, Onions, Salt, 
Sugar, Icing sugar, Cake cases 4 sizes, 
Cake sprinkles, Dried fruit, Plain flour, SR flour
Bread flour, Yeast, Bicarb, Citric acid, Cream of tartar
Custard powder, Cocoa, Plain noodles, 
Flavoured noodles, Packet soup x 5, Miso x 2
Creamed coconut, Easi yo sachets x 3, 
Digestive biscuits, Cheese biscuits, 
Packet flavourings x 4, Stock cubes.

I also have a huge selection of herbs and spices.

Tins:-
Kidney beans, Baked beans x 3, Tomato soup
Potatoes, Tomatoes, Butter beans, Chick peas
Mushy peas, Mandarins, Sliced peaches, Pilchards
Sardines x 4, Spaghetti hoops, Sweet corn x 3
Tuna x 4, Marmade x 2, Honey, Marmalade.

I have tea, coffee & condiments  in another cupboard.

I have milk, salad, butter, cheese & veg in the fridge and the freezer is full of meat and fish. 

We won't starve even if I don't shop for a month or two!

Here we go again

FIL has told one BIL  that he wants to sell up so all the BIL's can have some money now. 
He tried to persuade him to stay put as his current house is set up for his needs.

He told another BIL that he has to sell up as he is being threatened by the nasty BIL.  So calls to the solicitor etc. etc.

He told another BIL that he wants to sell up as he can't cope with the memories. 
If this is so we are all happy to help him move.

Shopping for the New Year

I checked the cupboards, no need to check the fridge & freezers they are stuffed full.
I was driving past the supermarket to feed a colleague's cat so I dropped in with my extensive shopping list.
A bottle of shampoo, whichever is on offer.
A nine pack of toilet rolls.
That was it, no food shopping needed at all.

New neighbours.

A couple of days ago I met the couple who have purchased one of the flats here. The flat is over two floors, has two bedrooms, two bathrooms...