New Year Eve Birthday

Child with a temperature so we were up most of the night. She hit 39 degrees so we went through the list of things to do. Finally it broke and she is feeling better, We were nearly off to a walk in centre but thankfully. Fit enough today for a walk to a castle and a waterfall in the Ochill Hills.

We are visiting my sister for New year and my birthday. I hit the big 40 today. Sister liveth in the land of Scots in Clackmannanshire. The wee town is very picturesque and nestles at the foot of the Ochil Hills.

Pah 40! Its just a number. Had a curry last night in Alloa. We all went out and I used the evil CC to pay for it, Not loads but it happens rarely that I am in a position to do so. Will be paid off in full.

My birthday meal this evening is on the sister and BIL. We are celebrating their anniversary (28th December) as well as my Bday.

Weeny will have cousin time.

Apparently we have champagne, panettone and a  birthday cake.

We are heading out tomorrow to bag some hills before a huge sunday dinner.Weeny will be staying in.

The pootle to the castle and the waterfall was gentle. I believe in fresh air and kids bounce back to being energised so quickly.

Enjoy your Hogmanay! I maybe drunk or at least a wee bit tiddly fnar fnar 

Sales hell !

Forgot to mention our horrid cinema trip where by we did n't see The Hobbit. After an hours wait in an imax 3d cinema screen at The Metro Centre- huge shopping centre we eere imformed of a technical glitch that became a fault and film was cancelled.

We had travelled 35 miles. One way  35 mile journey to my definition of torturous hell. Shopping mall on Boxing day teeming with Sales zombies.....

I am mentally scared. We were refunded and given free tickets. Weeny was with the 'others'
All ready had the treat costa coffee and comitted petrol money for a 70 mile round trip. These are the expenses we are out of pocket for negating any savings from complimentary tickets. Also we always book seats in advance as we like decent seats and like to guarantee we will get in given the long journey. Will try again w/e 5th Jan.

The place was horrible and souless and the frenzied spending just one day after xmas made my nose wrinkle.

Death by pavlova....Nah lifes a beach!

I have made three pavlovas since xmas eve. We have half of one left to finish tomorrow. I also have hazelnut tiffen in the freezer and s lime cheese cake to make.

We never did get round to biscuits but we will for Valentines day.

mixed berry pav
peach kiwi and raspberry pav
kiwi and red grape and rasp and peach.

Yes thats four combinations. Topping wise I split a large one in half. Its so simple now I have my fantastic mini oven. I love it.


So to avoid becoming pavlova bound, Weeny and I headed to the beach.

White wine in the Sun...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fCNvZqpa-7Q

Tim Minchen on Christmas - I love it.

Resolutions and 2013

1. Get fit - I am very unfit
2. Complete at least one additional short qualification. I am thinking Pttls at work.
3. Meal plan - and budget the weekly shop more efficiently.  I can reduce this with good planning I feel. Also I hate waste and have noticed some creeping in!

This is it really.  Three nice and simple things I hope lol


Again I have left out the garden as long term plans are not set in stone and to garden is to plan for tomorrow.

In general I shall continue with the getting by and juggling and penny  pinching in order to get by and live as well as I can without debt. No frugal end goals just life or something like it!

Although its Christmas and the silly season I have a new Ebay and car boot stash coming along nicely already. Some nice kids frocks, toys for a boot sale and such. I also have a charity pile too. The money will be put towards next years celebrations and Weeny's birthday. I have £3 in vouchers from surveys stashed also.


Freecycle look outs
photo frames
rugs
garden table
DVD player
suitable toys for a to be 6yr old- xmas and birthday. To be saved. The Bratz cache was an excellent find!
washing up basin
laundry basket
curtains- always useful
bamboo blinds or other windo covering for the kitchen
sewing machine - working
oil filled radiator - nice to have two so I don't have to move one around the house.


Big things that may go bang!
My fridge is getting old so we shall have to wait and see how long it holds out. I will invest in a new one as its an essential and I like a big freezer and equal sized or smaller fridge. I also have a limited space in a small kitchen.

The bedroom telly is ancient but working so far and another ancient big chunky telly will suffice. Freecycle fine and I can do without quite happily. Biggles will always lend me his as well but I prefer not to chance braking his gadgets as he loves them so..... (rolls eyes)

Lap top - my one is very disabled physically. The screen is comming apart and two of the funtion keys are missing. It works so far though and I get to use a PC at work so will replace in time when it goes to techie heaven. Who knows how long it will last!!

The car will require a service, MOT and also new wiper blade motor. Tyres seem ok at the moment but I do put 10K+ on the car per year.


My credit card debt will be up in January I think.. or maybe feb! Thats another £50 to put towards repaying Biggles and then family. I have no interest accruing debts however. This is a satisfying thing!
 

Gas n leccy part 2

Well the metre reading when I finally got round to in ( 28th of December 20 days late) actually reduced my DD to £38 per month. Yipee! The frugal heating plan is working.

This has included having goodd heating ie having it on over Christmas and when we have all been in and also the use of other items as we have been homebased for several days, cooking etc etc

The mini oven is a dream. Quick and efficient.

I will keep the DD at £50 per month untill the spring reading and see if I can reduce or not.

I also have credit on my account which is good.

 

Next year's xmas

What I will do

• start earlier making cards and gift tags with the weeny
• make pine cone decorations with weeny
• if I acquire a sewing machine this year via freecycle i will make xmas bunting from scraps. its very pretty
• make fewer vegs on xmas day
• buy a supermarket free range chicken- butchers too big and expensive and we don't do turkey
• do not buy any sweets or choc for weeny bar a selection box. She gets so many as it is.
• ask Biggles for a list
• limit Biggles to a set amount of money he can spend.
• make a door wreath and other indoor items from woodland detritus. Never got the chance this year
• force Biggles to give me a list of what he would like
• take weeny to evening mass. I have issue at present with RC and others due to having many gay friends and cannot bear to listen to sermons on topic of gay marriage.
• make individual pavlovas as we are greedy buggers

What I will do the same:

• record all programmes and films Weeny will love. This has been ace as the tv is pants and weather rubbish
• buy crafty doing presents and a game for weeny. Been nice doing arty things with her.
• Re- gift. Controversial to some but useful. I have two boxes of posh chocs lined up for birthdays, one smellies set, one scarf, one stamp set - weeny got two. As well as two bags -peppa pig and dora the explora, a felt scene toy, art activity and barbie doll.
• Buy booze for people. Always appreciated if they are drinkers
• Save all ribbons and cars for next years card and tag making.

What has annoyed me this xmas:
Not a lot at all!  Apart from the general OTT, lets forget the true meaning of the season etc etc Though weenys other family insist on buying large expensive slushy cards and always buy a new super large gift bag every year. It is invariably broken and can ony be thrown in teh recycling bin. Buy a bloody re useable santa sack. They have 4/5 grand kids so imagine the waste and the easte of money! I feel this is a waste of money and poor show for the environment but its their cash and they are idiots.  Also small kids sending christmas cards tpo each other - Rip off! Why parents indulge this I do not know!

I have to do christmas but will one day get my dog and cottage in the lakes, /holiday to cambodia and vietnam, Australia when the dual nationality sibling returns... this is how I woudl really like to spend Christmas.... avoid it lol but the Santa years are few and far between and to not indulge her would be very cruel me thinks.

Decorations are down!

They have been up for 27 days. All down bar the fairy lights which give a little sparkle to welcome in the new year and banish the gloom. We are still feasting however and enjoying family time. Bike ride today. Swimming and book bartering tomorrow. Weather is unpredictable for beach combing but maybe Saturday
We head off to Clackmannanshire on Sunday till the 2nd. I will be walking the Ochil Hills weather permitting on the 31st which is also my big poohey birthday. FORTY.
But we are looking forward to seeing family and feasting some more.
All of my furniture is gifted of freecycled. This is just how it turned out.

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Part two : Christmas slippers, boots and a pink tutu, a cache of dolls, boxing day outfit and a cat

Christmas day to Boxing day in pictures...part one

Lovelies

food for Santa

Christmas Jamas

Star fished in a king size bed

Santas been!

Morning Mayhem

Boozy gifts!

Dinner table and Pavlova

 Ilovely

Merry Christmas!

Finally home and prepped in about three hours. Well 3hrs just for food. Spent time with W & BB and survived an exploding chestnut. unpacked all sorted. Pressies laid out.

I can relax..... W hyper. B also excited. Hee hee me too. Alot of the grinchy ness has buggered off but this is Weeny girls fault lol There are a finite number of Santa years....

Home is a great place to be.

Merry Xmas to everyone however you choose spend it.

Much to do and itching to be on my way home. I want Weeny snuggled up in her own home watching The Grinch and baking biscuits not having to be worried about making a mess or too much noise.

Mummy needs to:
make soup
bake bread
make merangue
peel veg
prep stuffing and pigs in blankets
stuff the bird and gammon joint
roast chestnuts
bit of unpacking and general tidying
bath and ablutions for us both
leave out santa treats

set the scene.

Nice though it has been I want to leave now.

Lord that sounds ungrateful but I like to get organised. Waiting on the last visitor to arrive then we can be on our way.

What we will be up to over the entire hols !

Currently seeing Yorkshire family.
Xmas at home
The Hobbit on Boxing Day. Weeny has her requested five and a half hour visit with the others. Their choice.
Beach combing for smooth pebbles and subsequent crafting.
Bike ride for Biggles!
Visit to see my Mum in her care home in Ayr.
Hill Walking Ochil hills in Clackmannanshire
New year birthday celebrations with sister and family.
Maybe an additional cinema trip with Weeny. Hobbit is a bit long.

I still need to book Weenys fifth birthday and take the bloody meter reading lol

I probably won't get the time so.....

We are visiting The peoples Republic of South Yorkshire. Nice easy weekend before traveling back xmas eve where upon we will have loads to do. We are all done bar some fresh food. Merry ones to you all. xxxx

Gas n Leccy????

Now the buggers are upping their prices again I feel the need to work on a strategy to give them as little as I can!

Profiteering bastards!

I now have a mini oven. it is very quick to cook stuff in and is ace. This is cheaper than using the gas oven I think. Am I right in thinking this??

I only put the heating on at weekends when we are all in and only for short periods to warm up other wise we heat a room with an oil filled radiator. The temp on the central heating is not high. The temp is high on the oil filled radiator however  I have had the heating on for day times on only four occasions this season.

I have a combi boiled - Rented House so no chance of getting a new one.

We bath once a day. Share a bath.

I wash up when I need to.

I wash when we have a full load.

I turn off lights when I am not using them. I never use a hair dryer or other heating implement for the styling of hair( ok only on special going out occasions and there are few of them lol)

I turn off at the mains all that I can.

I need to take a meter reading this pm so will update when I get the bad news. My £50 a month may be rising.

Any other frugal tips?

I shut doors and have a draft excluder, I double curtain and have lined heavy curtains up all the time.

The lounge has a bloody staircase in it. This makes the living room hard to heat as heat rises. We do get the benefit of the oil filled radiator upstairs a wee bit though.

back with a vengeance Rahhhh!

Hello roller coaster going up again lol

Anyhoo - looking at postings ( Biggles not me lol) Won't be long before the London malarky is finished. Well the best part of a year to do but we are planning.

We are off to look at the twinkly lights on Friday in the big smoke.

I have only had the heating on three times so far and am getting by with the oils filled radiator in one room heating it when needed and using jumpers at other times. We survive ok. I see the bastards are hiking prices again! This is what comes of privatisation eh!

I am finished with Christmas.  Ha wish I could be permanently for ever  but have a few more years of it lol.  Bar food shopping I am wrapped and cards sent and such like.  Enough! Only food to purchase on the 24th . We are in Sheffield that weekend so needs must lol.  I hate shopping onthe 24th December. We are then travelling home on same day. Might not make the christmas pavlova depending on time or the fajitas but plans need to be flexible and sometimes family comes first. We need to see the extended Biggles family.


 Busy at work, busy at home. I am really missing Biggles who also has a bad back at the moment. Weeny had her nativity. It was lovely apart from the fact she never got on stage. She wanted to come over for a cuddle with me prior to the performance but  the teacher didn't let her. She got upset so the teacher made her sit at her feet. Weeny then refused to participate in any star like activities. She was a star- well supposed to be a star and sing a star song along with al the other little stars.

She has a stubborn streak.........  its genetic. I think I was more miffed than she was. She said sorry mummy. She wasn't afraid or anything just stubborn. The teacher wouldn't let her go so Weeny decided she would go on strike.

The functional father Sperm Donor is still a prat.  Functional father! barely functioning father. He has so far never asked for a school picture, invite to the nativity, shown any  interest in school, her swimming lessons or anything. It is a shame for small one. He will not see her till Boxing day now. His choice is fine by me. if ony he could chose to drop off the face of the earth........ I hear it is expensive to arrnage for this to occur....... shame.

Just a quick drop in as I need to be off home.

Stay well and thanks for reading and replying lovely ladies.


XXXX

Some things would just be so right.....but life doesnt always give you the good bits no matter how hard you try or how much a person may deserve it. 

Vomiting Veronica....

Yes we have been slapped by the Vomiting Virus! Weeny girl to be precise. Adults have constitutions like oxes and so have avoided it. A weekend spent cuddling on a sofa has put the xmas plans back and canceled a few- Our woodland walk for detritus for our door wreath. We had a window and it was filled with sickines!

Next few weekends are taken up with visiting- the others ( weeny girl), London and Sheffield. Then its Christmas so no wreath this year. Will post some snaps of last two years efforts.

We are otherwise on target with all other xmas things. Baking will have to be frozen this year. Baked then frozen am afraid. We are travelling back form Sheffield on Xmas eve so no time other than this Sunday to bake and freeze.

This weekend all those xmas type things get made or not at all.

Biscuits, tray bakes, fairy cakes - Xmas eve is for chilling out eating fajitas and having a bath with some veg prep... I spose I could do baking furiously.... maybe....or could just leave it till after before we go a visiting yet again.

Other than that am crabby natured at the moment. PMT. Miffed with skintness - my general state of affairs. It will pass. It does. Then returns......... fooofibollocksyness.

Still can't work out how to rid myself of blogs. I want to stop following some dead in the water blogs of the type not updated in over a year. Any ideas?

I don't have a nice green door anymore.
 

Post cards from the edge pt 3

We was on the telly.....

We done a few children in need things. Jam jars decorated x5, Weeny wore spots to school and I bought cakes. We also went to The Alnwick Garden to see Pudsey. We waved on Telly.



We are making xmas cards tomorrow as well as swimming and collecting a chest of draws via freecycle.

Biggles home. Happy times.

Tagged 11 things and questions

Tagged by Foster Mummy from http://www.frugalmummy.com/ My Beautiful Life!

Here are the rules: 

• every tagged person has to tell 11 things about themselves
• answer the 11 questions from the person who tagged you
• list 11 questions for the folk you are going to tag, and they should have fewer than 200 followers if possible
• don't back-tag

11 things!
I can teach aerobics. ha ha ha ha long time ago
I nearly lost the little finger on my right hand and had to give up a nursing course because of it. I like the way five fingers look on a hand funnily enough. Separated from Weeny's Dad so went back to the old career which is 9-5.
I love equatorial weather.....warm and clammy and hot everyday.
I had two puffs of gas and air then refused any more as it was making feel sick so was 99% natural child birth from start to finish.
I breast fed for far too long lol-  that's me and me feeding weeny girl Bah don't care! Both of us have stopped now lol.
I am half scottish and half jewish which should according to stereotypes make me the tightest person with money ever.. sadly they cancel each other out.
I hate grammar and am very lax in my blog posts. ! Same with spelling. I am lazy when it comes to correction.
I was a member of CND and Green peace how on earth did I end up with the bloke in the mi
I get obsessive about good TV and will watch certain programme religiously. Do not come between me and the following - Homeland, Home Front, Hebburn, Game of Thrones, The Walking Dead and SVU.
I am fascinated by Mormons and their IMO mad crazy beliefs
I read fantasy books in secret. George Martin at the moment.



1. In which month is your birthday?

December! The very last day in the year!


2. What is your favourite colour?

Purple

3. What one thing do you wish you could change in your life?

Being so crap at reproduction! I am fecund but shite at growing babies.

4. What is your biggest regret?

Hmmm difficult one - probably buying a house when I should have rented and saved money and worked part time. See blog posts! Though other stuff not so much as I wouldn't have the lovey elements of life that are Weeny girl and the Biggles.

5. What do you feel is your Christmas tradition?


There are many - see blog posts. I really enjoy collecting detritus with weeny girl to make our door wreath.

6. Which part of your body do you dislike the most?

Thighs - large and  always have been and always will be! Large muscles at their best and covered in a thick layer of the dreaded stuff at their worst.

7. Which celebrity would you take out for dinner, and why?

Hmm lots though I would say....Mo Farrah- interesting journey, Germain Greer - a life well lived and Frankie Boyle as he is an arse. Maybe not all of them at the same time.


8. Who was your favourite teacher at school, and why?

Mrs Edgar - History teacher in 1-3rd year. Was a lovely woman and believed in all her students and made history live!

9. What do you like to do in your spare time?

Blogging lol - walking in wide open desolate wilderness places when I get the time. Moors and Hills, mooching around a car boot, cooking and the watching of good films.


10. I'm coming for dinner: What will you cook for us to eat?

Carbonara - can be minus the meat with HM garlic bread and fresh salad bits preferably picked fresh from the garden when I get round to growing them, Pavlova to finish. Don't be doing dieting! or meat feast of beef bourginon in the winter ( Sp) not a frugal version if I am feeling rich! Might as well make it a super good un every occaisionally- nice beef, well reared and wine and bacon and onions and mushrooms in a  very rich source with perfect mash potatoes- well I would try to get hte lumps out.

11. What are you planning for your garden next year?

Hedges to cordon off the compost heap and vegetables if I can get the cats to stop crapping like mad crapping things all over the place.  Can they please crap in someone elses back yard like cats are supposed too! ( Not) Salad veg, carrots and potatoes.



11 questions

Hmmmm

1. What frivalous thing if anything would you ban in the world. Caveat - must be something silly like for eg The jelly in pork pies. I get the pastry and I get the meat but there is no need for the jelly!!!!

2. What was the  last thing that made you cry with laughter?

3. What book have you read and enjoyed that you would prefer not to admit to?
(Mine was the twilight series- saddo)

4. Where would your dream holiday be?

5. If you could change your name - first middle or last name what would you change it to?

6. Football - does it have a place in the world. Discuss.

7. Favourite song from your teenage years.

8. First kiss and where are they now? Names can be changed to protect the innocent or ''pass'' is also perfectly acceptable.

9. Favourite bargain

10. TV advert you actually like

11. TV advert you would ban



I am a techno biff and can't work out how to tag but feel free to pass it on!

Xmassy Time stuff

Now that the Halloween and Bonfire night and Armisticeday/ Rremembrance Sunday is over we hurtle towards Christmas. We have in addition this year Children in Need. CIN is going to be at Alnwick Garden this Friday and its free so though Weeny and I would pop along. We are taking as requested jam jar lanterns as they hope to light up the grand esplanade with lanterns. Christmas however...as a recap what do we do..... let me think....

Alnwick Garden


General Stuff!
Making our own cards - Cheap and fun and uses up last years and donated cards

Advent  calendars - one for sweets and one for pressies. Auntie- My sister started this one. I had one for sweets which is simple. We only do tiny second hand bits both collected and donated.

Having two trees - Biggles had one so did I and we make sure they fulfill their Xmas destiny each year! My tiny living room looks like a plastic forest but bah small girl likes it.

Making our own door wreath from detritus - special walk to gather up the bits from various good spots and woods.

Santa visit  at The Alnwick Garden- been pricey in recent years so may give this one a miss. Last year was naff as well for what it cost! Will def be giving it a miss. Skint! With a capital SK!

The watching of silly films- its a wonderful life in particular. A must! MIRACLE ON 34TH STREET IN BW ALSO A GOOD ONE.

Church - We try being left footer RC types and  apparently if you are going to celebrate it you gotta bring in the JC somewhere eh! Though am a bit at odds with RCdom and their stance on gay marriage and such.Hmm I will go for Weeny but have issues.
Biggles Birthday - We have Pavlova with candles! Early December! Trial run and practice for making pavlova on Christmas Eve - well the meringue bit.

Nativity stuff at School. Awwww


Solstice
Solstice celebrations - fire outside, lots of cooking ( Brownies and Biscuits) and a special song to say goodnight to the Holly King and welcome in the oak tree king danced around the fire outside.
Brownies and Christmas shortbread biscuits - One made by me with hazelnuts and the other by weeny with festive cutters. Good day to make your biscuits and stuff and bits to go with.


Xmas Eve
The tracking of Santa via Norad! Xmas  eve with Weeny!

The eating of fajitas on Christmas Eve - Biggles would work late Xmas Eve when based here so he could have Xmas day off. Stay up late with Weeny and eat Fajitas around 10pm. This year he will be home or we may be returning from Sheffield on 24th but will have fajitas!


On The day - Food!.
The Corn fed Free Range Chicken from the Butchers- and chipolatas and streaky bacon. Still loads of meat which does for Boxing day or soup and always the cats.
Pea soup - starter. Frozen pea soup. Very green and cheap and light. I make bread to go with it
Pavlova/meringue thing for pudding with special strawberry sauce- I freeze nearly mushy going off strawberries to save for the sauce.

Up early - We have stockings - Sorry Biggles and Weeny have stockings. I try to get her to leave some pressies (wrapped ones) till evening so as to stretch the day out a bit but invariably fail. it will work when she is older.

Doctor Who Xmas Special - the only thing we watch, well maybe a bit of the queen too.

Boxing Day - we are invariably travelling or sans Weeny who is with 'The Others'
We visit Scotland and Sheffield over the week. Its busy.


BC- Before Child I used to like to go away preferably somewhere hot and Islamic to avoid the whole damn lot of  it! Malaysia, Borneo and Tunisia is good for this! Also Prague though while Christmassy does not shut down. Metro still runs etc. Went to the Opera on Christmas day. La Traviata which was ace. I was much younger and mooched about in a long coat wearing sunglasses while wrapped up, drinking black coffee, Czech beer and smoking pretending to be European and watching Jazz musicians. Highly recommended. Not the smoking though.

Our Sunday

After a hearty breakfast of sausages, bacon, eggs, beans and toasted home made bread we were ready for the remembrance day services. Biggles in full kit and me trying to look smart.

Lovely service. Good hymns. Much to feel lucky for and reflect on. Will add pics once I ve worked out how to anonymise. Rules re the chap in uniform etc etc. Not mine thems the rules of the millitaries but I am very proud!

Bah ! Off to train station yet again. One day eh! We are thinking on it adn next postings and such. Much to deliberate upon!

Lest we forget......

Busy days. Collecting Biggles Uniform for tomorrows Rememberance Services and parade. Its also a nice way to remember my Dad as he was RN. Died long time after WW2 but I like to remember him as the strong chap he was. He would approve.

Some swearies and lovely things

Bargain Thorntons Morrisons

Check Morrisons. Bargain small box of Thorntons chocs RRP 6.99 now 2.50. I bought 4.

In which I have much to think on....

In session today ie counselling we worked on making time for the personal demons.

I need to give myself space apparently . I agree. I need to work on how I will feel in different futures - the one I least want being the one I need to think about and I agree. Cleverly the Counsellor recognised that I don't make space for this. I am a forwards kinda gal - get on with it being the mantra. Laugh at it make it humorous. I find humour in everything. Default position. I gloss over with flippancy so that I don't face shit as its pants and crap and hurts.

How will I feel at 65 not having had a baby with Biggles. Hmm Can of fecking worms. On my death bed that will be my only true regret. The rest yadda yada oh and if I look back and have been a shite parent to Weeny girl that one too will be a death bed regret. I put the death bed bit into it not the counsellor. I am very black and white and  grey to quote a blog is lovely lol See am doing it again I can't help my self! Default position- ridicule ones feelings! its all shades of grey and my life also. It ain't that simple especially in my head.

Sigh so am off to try to do the what if thinking. And probably some crying if I can. Not easy. I gulp it back down again. I am a most stubborn client/ It takes me a good hour to get to the point then its time to go.

I have a fortnight till the next one as I am in work next week to orchestrate the office move about at the other campus. I have joiners and caretakers and some shifting to do my self with my other darling colleague. I am the boss but they are colleagues. Not people who work for me. And we are all over qualified and have a plethora of experience.


No need for sympathies Blogosphere its good to think and cry. Its part of the process. Am trying to avoid the sink. Don't want it happening again. I just need to find the space and time to do it!

Freecycle round up!

Have done pretty well so far.

12ft trampoline. Only needed a net and cushioning which I ebayed for £45
Tv cabinet and hifi cabinet. Cherry Oak and sturdy
Cache of bratz dolls with lots of clothes and accessories, a motor bike and toy horses Even includes boy dolls!
Lots of clothes for weeny some  5-6, 6-7. Perfect
18inch bike (Needs some work) and a pair of gym shoes for weeny.
Glasses - drinking ones

Am hoping to snaffle a chest of drawers at some point too.



Other stuff am looking for:
oil filled radiator
bamboo blind s
electric carving knife
cd player

Will post pics when I work out how to do to from my smart phone Worked it out! What a beaut!

A jolly good day with a wee puff of smoke!

Apart from my lap top going to techno heaven. Boo. it was Biggles old one and had done time in a war zone so  fair dues. RIP Lappy. Thats the wee puff of smoke.

Will sort something out. I have Weeny Girls PC which is my old standalone. Creaking and crumbling and slow as it is.

Had the IVF appointment today. We had pretty much decided no. As it turns out the lovely doc agrees. I am good at conception all things considered he said. 7 times up the stick. in ten years. He suggested that I may have been pg more but had not known and may have a low progesterone issue which hinders implantation. He feels that IVF is not useful as I can do that bit albeit it getting slower at it these days. Combined with the law of diminishing return and 39 year old eggs things are not so hot. However as we will not be using contraception he has supplied me with lovely progesterone suppositories lol lol lol  TMI??? Am to use these if I think there is a good chance of doing the deed and hitting the jackpot!  ha ha not easy when you are restricted to weekends only but possible as we have found out.

There are lots of expensive treatments if you choose to do IVF and are a recurrent M/Cer but the drugs don't sound too hot and stopping your T cells from working and T ceels being the ones that keep the nasties at bay or having to go in for intravenous lipids combined with the elderly egg thing is not my bag. You should only start the treatment if you know when you will get pg/are pregnant. If I was younger by about 6 years then would do as the eggs would be less ancient. Will do the progesterone and asprin ( 75mg per day) combined with vitamins and carry on as usual and accept the fact that its a probable no no. Biggles will agree. He was not keen on IVF and being a tight Yorkshire bastard wants to see return for his money and have odds on his side!

He, the doctor/consultant was a very nice chap indeed. He has also said he will scan me as soon as I hit five weeks and to get in touch if we get pg again.  Means I have to drive to Hexham which is 55 miles away but hey ho I mind not. Big county I live in! The cons of living in the country! Meh!

Counselling tomorrow followed by lidl for cheap food bits, a dress to get fixed ( sewn by a dress maker person), a tv unit to collect and floors to wash. I don't work Fridays - well I do sometimes on a time off in lieu basis-  Only working four days means I can take Weeny to school and pick her up again. Gives her a break from being a full time first in last out inmate at wrap around care! T-O-I-L also means I save money during summer hols and she gets a better deal. Bugger is I still have to pay for petrol to get into work to get the toil! Overall its a better quality of life!

Peace and monkey nuts! Night y'all

Title change! More

Why I changed my title!

I am not shunning frugaldom I just have no frugal goals. Frugality is great especially when it leads you somewhere. I am just plain poor. yes I am in fuel poverty its official. I own nothing and live in social housing. My frugal ways will not allow me to pay off a mortgage, save for another mortgage or pay into an additional  pension plan.

I have not left being frugal. I still need to live. What frugality does allow me to do is live better than someone who is not frugal. I am not fighting the good fight and winning.  I am just keeping my head above water  by budgeting. And sometimes its tough as there are no flags or banners waving me forward. There is no motion.

No you cry you can always change your situation blah de blah blah.. err no I have exhausted those avenues and am caught in a cycle. 

1. I am not able to orchestrate a move to affordable housing easily and in good time. Social housing does not work well with this. if you don't know the social housing system as it stands in 2012 I will explain it to you at another time. .

2. I must travel to work. No changing that. No buses and as I have strict times for child care I am not flexible enough for car sharing.  This takes up a lot of my salary. Fuel Poverty! More than food spent!

3. Change jobs.... I am restricted by where and when I can work given the limits of childcare and parenting.  I live in the country in a reasonably nice social housing hooose and am limited by point one.  Private renting is out of my league and my old job does not exist anymore. Retraining - see point 1 and country living.


What I can do is penny pinch and give my daughter a cool childhood on not a lot of dosh. I earn just enough to not get benefits of any kind including school dinners, prescriptions etc. They draw the line somewhere and that's me. The line has to be drawn simple as that so lets get on with it!

So good bye frugal rural life and  hello:

  Con Dem- Ned Plebdom- Cheers Marra Dave!

with the caveat of:

 ''Southern Plebby Working Single Mother exiled far north trying to keep afloat after all the blessings brought by Tory Dave. Penny pinching and scraping by with a caustic sense of humour and a wee sweary!''

Explanation

Con Dem etc - ref to them in power that brought about the changes that knacked me big time.

Plebdom - I am a pleb- simples- working class background, now a single mother in cooncil property ha ha Ok I got me a education somewhere along the line but I am more pleb than professional and do not ear a professional salary. Also single parent - demonic aren't they!

Marra is makem - or sunderlandeese for friend/mate. This is scarcasm.
I also feel condemned to plebdom and blame Dave as all my efforts and drive were thwarted by that evil Bullingdon Etonian!


I likes it!

 

On tree climbing.......

My job is wonderfully varied! Approached in my office well one of my team members offices while doing some pc stuff I was approached to give some support to a staff trying to get a girl up a tree down!. Not far up a tree but she was anxious apparently and having a time of it.


At first I was concerned as it goes overly so that she may require mental health support. It was pissing down and she was up a tree in the woods near the stream and wouldn't come down and wanted to be left alone outside in the open air and rain.  This was Monday- not had the time to post properly as the lap top went bang!! Another tale booo!

Anyhoo went down with my coffee not chuffed. It was pouring, cold, muddy. I am not a mental health professional.

Got there. Askedstaff ( 3 of them standing way back pleading with her to come down) her age - 17, She looked older as she was a large girl. No way could you get her to move unless she wanted to put it that way!

Bugger it thougth I . I need to make an assessment as to whether she does need the men in white coats or we will be stood in the pissing down rain for ever. She was perched on a tree that hung over  the bank that led to the river. Not too high but slippy.

In my Next work trousers with cooling coffee from the rain drops knocked it back  said 'Alreet pet' to tree girl and scampered up the bank. Slippy it was. Said are you gonna budge up or do I have to climb.... she ignored me so I climbed the tree. Swearing as I went. Not professional but as soon as the  ''Fuck it '' left my mouth she smiled and had a wee laugh to herself. Aha thought I not so morose as I was led to believe. Someone is have an attention paddy up a tree and wants some more attention more like. I plonked my mad middle aged arse ( am 39 nearly 40) next to her and figured she won't want to be sat here next to the sweary mary auld middle aged nut bag for too long.  I am still nimble and have some flexibility in the old hips... NO COMMENT ON HOW THEY ARE SO FLEXIBLE fnar fna.r I have lived. Nuff said. Nice spot I said.

And I was right. Down came Clarabella and she happily walked with me to a better more sheltered spot for a wee chat aboot life the universe and presentations.

I checked with the member of my team who is working with and knows the girl well that she does like a strop adn a paddy and attention.

A well timed purposeful swear can tell you alot about a person....

Thank you for reading. That is all

A new title.....

Am not keen on 'a frugal life anymore......' I dont' necessarily identify with the whole frugal thing anymore. Its not a life choice for me. Its a necessity. I  have to spend on somethings. yabba yabba nadda nadda I hear you cry. I have a small child who doesn't need to be subjected to extreme frugalism. Thats silly and just a bit cruel.  Some things are worth spending on for a childhood lived once. Now I won't do designer togs, expensive toys and frivolous things but a life with a child is different. They need decent food, they need stuff - French lessons and swimming lessons. But you could do them your self you shriek - No I bloody well couldn't. My french is shite and swimming though ok am not as good as a teacher. They deserve if you can do it lots of horizon broadening experiences and they cost. Ok not necessarily a lot but they do. Littlies do not make for a super frugal way of life. penny pinching yes but not super frugal.

Anyhoo as I blame Dave very much for my predicament - redundancy and then feeling the bite of the housing slump, the bastard, I feel something more appropriate reflecting my leftie leanings would be good.  (20k loss of life savings and investment in my house is a bitter pill and is an entrenched memory)

Am pondering.... Condemned in the era of the Con- dem- nation maybe, The liberals have been nowt but a bunch of pussies so there!

Anyway thats one I am toying with I will add to the list as I think on it and will update and edit this post.

 Con-dem-ned Plebdom - Cheers Marra dave!

The Catabolt and other stories or in which I avoid hospitalisation by the skin of my teeth.

Cats can get up to about 42 miles per hour or so I was told... when going full pelt, which is technically faster than Usain.Ok only short distances. I have two cats but I won't get anymore. Weeny is aggravated by them - Eczema so the poor buggers are confined to the kitchen mostly. I like Bolt. This pic amuses me.


Anyways the ancient bod finally properly kicked into gear yesterday.. long time coming and getting to the point of potential enforced hospitalisation again.  Doc who is a dear and knows my gynae history in full will do the ancient hcg tests. Hence I knew non viable which I knew before anyway before nature had taken its course. (I got the test having a history of now 7 M/c - mostly from before weeny girl with ex husband so am well versed with what my body does. Bye bye symptoms hello non viable pregnancy. None of this no symptom crap and remaining pg for me.  Anyhoo lovely doc knows this and will do bloods for me. Common in yankville but no so much here anymore. Was threatened with the pants scan at EPAU if the body didn't start doing what it should but finally and thankfully.... Don't like the day stays or the methotrexate type stuff they fill you with or the sodding mad sorry midwives.

Last time I went in in 2010 after having diagnosed my own m/c by two private scans. (Had a different gp doc  then  and I couldn't argue with this one so resulted to private sector. They always think they know bloody best. Took me £200 to prove I was right.  Fecker Gp at the time didn't realise I have been down this path before many times and seen expensive docs for help and investigations. Ok so you don't read my notes then! Meh!

Anyhoo cheeky biatch  madwife at hospital on scan confirming what I had already told them - non viable pg where upon development had ceased early hence Missed miscarriage, said in that disdainful tone of voice ''well you don't seem  very upset '' and skewed her face at me -. Grr snap snap "No love that was a fortnight ago when I got the first private scan which didn't fit with my dates which are always right. Yes they are always right. Living  8 years of obsessed fertility monitoring, m/c's, bonking  and 1 successful pg you get good at taking control and you get practised at it. Even the student doc smiled when I informed her of my actual emotional positioning and the full reasons why. Silly cow shouldn't  have judged  and listened more. Probably my ''assertive'' shall we say or ha ha aggressive stance put her off a bit. Yeah can face things full on. My bad I know.

The hosp gynae doc was fantastic. Listened and understood and was efficient. Just as my lovely GP Dr is now. He gets it. He is also overseas trained or rather has practised overseas where practises are different hence the hcg often the bastion of fertility clinics and post IVF on getting a positive result. They should rise and double every so many days parts per something of your blood. Can't recall what they are exactly. Nice chap. I like him.


Anyway I am pleased. Very pleased. Given the circumstances. No need for the day stay being fed chemicals and bored shitless, dwelling.

Moving on time. I am seeing doc on Thursday to arrange to get hormone tests done again for general fertility . Will need to leave it a month or so till ones bod returneth to 'normal'. Will then find out if its still worth trying or not. part of me is hoping that the FSH is high and  progesterone off kilter then I have no choice but to accept no. Easier that way I think than hope in the face of decreasing returns. Easier for Biggles too I think. This really got his hopes up.... again.


And buggery fuck to all those that think swearing is dreadful and terrible and utterly awful and vile blah de blah.  Yawn  I wonder if real life for some exists outside of blag sorry blogland.....????


have worked out how to remove meself from dead blogs. I is chuffed.