You will be relieved to know that my recent bout of yarn-lust didn't result in a purchase. Maybe, as Amy suggested, it was the time between receiving Lidl's email and actually visiting a branch (Lidl is a supermarket chain from Germany), that allowed it to wear off. Maybe it was because I'd spent several hours rummaging through the stash on Sunday, reacquainting myself with what I already have. Maybe it was because none of the patterns are screaming "Make me in this!", but when I popped into Lidl yesterday, I was underwhelmed by the look of the yarn and the colours on offer.
It was all quite "Meh" in the flesh. Ok, but nothing special. Even the sock yarn didn't appeal. Forget the bargain price. Cheap is no good unless you want to knit with it. And I don't.
This is one big reason I prefer to buy my yarn in person rather than via the internet - internet purchases often look far prettier on the monitor than in real life and colours are deceptive. (I do purchase yarn online, but it is usually something I've seen and touched first.)
Lesson reinforced.
Pam
Thursday, 26 January 2012
Tuesday, 24 January 2012
Non-darning sock repair
Over Christmas, one of the things I did was repair the worn-out soles of a pair of DH's socks. These were alpaca socks that I knitted for him in 2009 and, I've just realised, I've never documented. (The closest I've got was in this post, when I ended up knitting on them in a traffic jam.) The yarn is UK Alpaca's Alpaca Sock Yarn, a 60% alpaca, 20% merino wool, 20% nylon yarn.
Anyway, last winter, DH wore the ball of one foot down to the nylon.
I don't darn socks, but after the labour-of-love it took to make them, I decided I had to do something. So I hit upon the idea of knitting a patch over the top. (The rest of the socks are in good condition.) Using a latch hook, I picked up stitches along one side of the worn section and slipped them over a DPN.
Then I knitted a row and purled back. On the next and subsequent knit rows, I picked up the stitch that was parallel to the patch and knitted it together with the end stitch from the patch. (Not sure how clearly you can see that from this photo.)
Basically, I knitted a pocket that was attached across the bottom and down both sides.
When I was satisfied that the patch covered the worn area, I Kitchener stitched the patch to the sole.
Finally, I wove in the ends, using them to invisibly tack the nylon to the patch.
And voila! Not invisible - the yarn is from a different dye lot for a start - but it's soft, doesn't rub and will last for a long time.
- Pam
Anyway, last winter, DH wore the ball of one foot down to the nylon.
I don't darn socks, but after the labour-of-love it took to make them, I decided I had to do something. So I hit upon the idea of knitting a patch over the top. (The rest of the socks are in good condition.) Using a latch hook, I picked up stitches along one side of the worn section and slipped them over a DPN.
Then I knitted a row and purled back. On the next and subsequent knit rows, I picked up the stitch that was parallel to the patch and knitted it together with the end stitch from the patch. (Not sure how clearly you can see that from this photo.)
Basically, I knitted a pocket that was attached across the bottom and down both sides.
When I was satisfied that the patch covered the worn area, I Kitchener stitched the patch to the sole.
Finally, I wove in the ends, using them to invisibly tack the nylon to the patch.
And voila! Not invisible - the yarn is from a different dye lot for a start - but it's soft, doesn't rub and will last for a long time.
- Pam
Friday, 20 January 2012
Frugal Friday - Temptations and Balancing Acts
I am having one of those days, when I want something "just because" and part of me is rationalising hard to get it. The thing is, it might turn out to be pretty ordinary when I finally get my hands on it. But I won't know that until I handle it. All I've seen are pictures and the colours are lovely...
Naturally, I'm talking about yarn. I subscribe to the Lidl newsletter, which lands in my in-box on Mondays and Thursdays. Every so often, they do knitting yarns and the odds are 70:30 in favour of their yarns being good instead of cheap, nasty acrylics. Yesterday's edition announced that, as of Monday, they'll be stocking a cotton-wool-blend sock yarn (this one with a new name), some 100% DK cotton in assorted packs (meh), and a cotton-viscose blend DK which really caught my attention (this one, I think). The colours I'm lusting after are the two at the back, the pretty pink and the aqua:
(Photo from Lidl's website.)
They'll be sold in packs of 4 skeins for £4.99 a pack. Two packs of either would be enough to make a Soleil from Knitty; three would make a Raina from the Twist Collective. And here is where my argument with myself really starts:
On the one hand, the price is totally within my self-imposed £3/ball limit.
On the other hand, purchasing enough to make the Raina would absorb a quarter of my £60 yarn budget for the year and we're only one month in; buying both colours would have me spend £25 or even £30 on something I might not knit with for 2 or 3 years. That's 40% or 50% of the budget. Can I really go 11 more months on £30? Money will be tight until DH gets a new job and I don't want to set myself up so that I'll break the budget later on. Also, if I spend this much now, what will I do if something better comes along later?
On the first hand, I'd like to encourage Lidl to keep stocking yarn, and the only way to do that is to buy some.
On the second hand, I have two separate yarns in virtually the same shade as the pink (if the photo is true to life). I don't need more.
On the first hand, I don't have anything like that aqua. I could settle for just the one colour. And while Soleil is nice, the Raina will be more flattering (especially if I modify the neck to a sweetheart one like this one in Ravelry). Or I could do the Soleil - that'd mean only spending £10.
On the other hand, I have far too much yarn as it is. I DON'T NEED MORE YARN.
God, I hope the stuff looks horrible in real life! That'd save me from trying to square the circle. Knowing I only have £xx to spend means that I want to get the best value possible and not squander it. I have to balance the "I want it now" with the "but will I want that more, later?". That is what budgeting is all about. It's a way of ensuring that sufficient money accumulated now for goodies later.
- Pam
Naturally, I'm talking about yarn. I subscribe to the Lidl newsletter, which lands in my in-box on Mondays and Thursdays. Every so often, they do knitting yarns and the odds are 70:30 in favour of their yarns being good instead of cheap, nasty acrylics. Yesterday's edition announced that, as of Monday, they'll be stocking a cotton-wool-blend sock yarn (this one with a new name), some 100% DK cotton in assorted packs (meh), and a cotton-viscose blend DK which really caught my attention (this one, I think). The colours I'm lusting after are the two at the back, the pretty pink and the aqua:
They'll be sold in packs of 4 skeins for £4.99 a pack. Two packs of either would be enough to make a Soleil from Knitty; three would make a Raina from the Twist Collective. And here is where my argument with myself really starts:
On the one hand, the price is totally within my self-imposed £3/ball limit.
On the other hand, purchasing enough to make the Raina would absorb a quarter of my £60 yarn budget for the year and we're only one month in; buying both colours would have me spend £25 or even £30 on something I might not knit with for 2 or 3 years. That's 40% or 50% of the budget. Can I really go 11 more months on £30? Money will be tight until DH gets a new job and I don't want to set myself up so that I'll break the budget later on. Also, if I spend this much now, what will I do if something better comes along later?
On the first hand, I'd like to encourage Lidl to keep stocking yarn, and the only way to do that is to buy some.
On the second hand, I have two separate yarns in virtually the same shade as the pink (if the photo is true to life). I don't need more.
On the first hand, I don't have anything like that aqua. I could settle for just the one colour. And while Soleil is nice, the Raina will be more flattering (especially if I modify the neck to a sweetheart one like this one in Ravelry). Or I could do the Soleil - that'd mean only spending £10.
On the other hand, I have far too much yarn as it is. I DON'T NEED MORE YARN.
God, I hope the stuff looks horrible in real life! That'd save me from trying to square the circle. Knowing I only have £xx to spend means that I want to get the best value possible and not squander it. I have to balance the "I want it now" with the "but will I want that more, later?". That is what budgeting is all about. It's a way of ensuring that sufficient money accumulated now for goodies later.
- Pam
Thursday, 19 January 2012
A letter to Mark Kermode and Simon Mayo:
Recently, I've been catching up on your
podcasts, having missed several weeks of live shows. One thing I've noticed is
Mark's regular disparaging remarks about so called "comedies" such as The Hangover. A few weeks ago, while
I watched Burn After
Reading (3 laughs); a
question occurred to me upon which I'd like to hear your views: is modern
American comedy predicated on the assumption that the audience is stupid and
that, as a consequence, the audience finds stupidity
funny?
I'll rant about Burn After Reading because it is the most recent example I have watched, but you could substitute any one of a hundred other films. It was impossible to connect with the characters played by Brad Pitt, George Clooney or Frances McDormand - they had no character traits other than stupidity and self-centredness. They just weren't interesting. Surely comedy works best when you have sympathy for a character? The only main character in that film who wasn't vapid, stupid and self-centred was John Malkovich's, Ossie Cox. Ditto, he was the only really interesting person. And yet, in a film which starts off about the disintegration of his life, he rapidly becomes a bit-part character because the producers/director/writers found it easier to focus on the stupid characters.
Anyway, what do you think? Is it possible for modern Hollywood to produce a comedy about well rounded characters which relies on intelligence and wit to be funny?
Love the show, Steve. Say "Hi" to Jason Isaacs for me.
- Pam
I'll rant about Burn After Reading because it is the most recent example I have watched, but you could substitute any one of a hundred other films. It was impossible to connect with the characters played by Brad Pitt, George Clooney or Frances McDormand - they had no character traits other than stupidity and self-centredness. They just weren't interesting. Surely comedy works best when you have sympathy for a character? The only main character in that film who wasn't vapid, stupid and self-centred was John Malkovich's, Ossie Cox. Ditto, he was the only really interesting person. And yet, in a film which starts off about the disintegration of his life, he rapidly becomes a bit-part character because the producers/director/writers found it easier to focus on the stupid characters.
Anyway, what do you think? Is it possible for modern Hollywood to produce a comedy about well rounded characters which relies on intelligence and wit to be funny?
Love the show, Steve. Say "Hi" to Jason Isaacs for me.
- Pam
Tuesday, 10 January 2012
Broccoli & Stilton Soup
Whenever we have broccoli, I save the stems in the freezer until I have the urge to make Broccoli and Stilton Soup. I use the stems as padding, instead of using two heads of broccoli, I'll use one head including the stem plus another stem. However, if you're feeling particularly frugal use 3 or 4 stems and no florets of broccoli. If you've only got frozen broccoli, you'll need about 500g/1lb.
If you don't have Stilton, you can use any other blue cheese. Be warned if you use Danish Blue - it gets most of its flavour from salt.
Since I decided to make soup, DH dug the bread maker out of storage. Here's proof you can make bread and cook a meal with vitually no workspace whatsover.
Broccoli & Stilton Soup - Serves 4
Ingredients
1 tablespoon of oil or butter
1 medium onion, sliced
1 clove garlic, crushed
200ml dry white wine or cider
800ml stock (or water plus 2 stock cubes)
1 head broccoli plus 1 or 2 stems
150g Stilton or other strong blue cheese, cubed
Pepper to season
Method
Enjoy!
- Pam
If you don't have Stilton, you can use any other blue cheese. Be warned if you use Danish Blue - it gets most of its flavour from salt.
Since I decided to make soup, DH dug the bread maker out of storage. Here's proof you can make bread and cook a meal with vitually no workspace whatsover.
Broccoli & Stilton Soup - Serves 4
Ingredients
1 tablespoon of oil or butter
1 medium onion, sliced
1 clove garlic, crushed
200ml dry white wine or cider
800ml stock (or water plus 2 stock cubes)
1 head broccoli plus 1 or 2 stems
150g Stilton or other strong blue cheese, cubed
Pepper to season
Method
- In a deep saucepan, melt the butter or heat the oil. Stir in the onion and garlic and fry until soft.
- Meanwhile, cut the broccoli into florets and slice the stems.
- When the onion is soft, pour over the wine or cider together with stock, then gently add the broccoli. Bring to the boil and simmer for 20 minutes or until the stems are soft.
- Stir in the cheese and keep stirring while it melts.
- Using a hand blender, blend until smooth. Alternatively, if you have a food processor or stand-alone blender, carefully ladle the hot soup into the blender and process until smooth, then return to cooking pot or decant into a soup terrine. Do not over process - I once made a soup so smooth and textureless that it was horrible to eat. It had the mouth-feel of water.
- Season with freshly ground pepper. You won't need salt because the cheese is salty enough.
- Serve with fresh bread.
Enjoy!
- Pam
Friday, 6 January 2012
Frugal Friday - the "M" word
M is for money.
It seems that, every where I looked before Christmas, people were talking about budgets and budgeting. The BBC ran a series of the Money Programme looking at people and money. Channel 4 ran a Christmas Special episode of Superscrimpers as well as The Ultimate Guide to Pennypinching. We recorded most of the episodes and have caught up over the last week.
The BBC Money Programme series started with an episode about people paying hundreds/thousands of pounds to attend wealth seminars, in the blind hope that they'll discover some big "secret" that'll make them rich overnight without putting in some hard graft first. The people profiled missed the big irony - that the real secret behind wealth seminars is in the income they generate for the organisers a.k.a. "wealth counsellors" and not in the information they're presenting to their audience. (That is a rant for another day.)
What was more interesting to me were the second and third episodes: the second episode was about couples and the conflicts money (or lack of it) causes; the third profiled several families where their combined, after-tax income was £40,000. In each, the couples talked about their budgets and their attitudes to money. The couples episode, in particular, included questions about whether they ever talked about money to each other, how they rated the other person's attitude to money, etc.
Some really stuck in the memory. For example, I don't rate the longevity of the marriage of the legal secretary who despised her NHS-employed, research scientist husband's income for being too low at approximately £31k. He has a PhD and is working on potentially life-saving research but science doesn't pay in this country (frankly, if he was married to me, I'd be really proud of him for the work that he does and not care about his salary). Her opinion, though, was that he is failing as a husband because he would not keep her and her children in the manner to which she'd liked to be accustomed. According to her, he was "tight" with money. It was obvious that she compared him to the lawyers for whom she worked, who earn a lot more than he does and who probably have stay at home wives, kids at private school, etc. They only married because she got pregnant within 6 weeks of their first date and didn't have a "money conversation" until long afterwards.
(Incidentally, the obvious money-earner has never seemed to occur to her: studying law and persuading her employers to back her. Or as DH put it, "Stop moaning about your husband's income and work out a way to earn some more yourself".)
One of the eye-opening points of the show, of all these shows really, is that many couples never talk about money. Oh, they grumble about each other's spending and how much things cost, but they never really talk about money. Or about what they want it to do for them. That is what a real money conversation should be all about: goals. It's about determining what you want out of life and how you will get there. It's also about working out how you will pay for it. For a couple, it's about give-and-take, determining what is jointly a priority and what they'll sacrifice to get there. It shouldn't be about one person giving all, while another take-take-takes. Both partners need to pull their weight.
Really, that is what budgeting should be all about. Sitting down with your partner and determining what you want out of life, what it's going to cost, how long it will take to get there and how much you'll need to set aside from each pay-cheque in order to pay for it in the long run. Then when the priorities are settled, you need to work out together how you're going to have a good quality of life from the money that remains. The aim is to have a champagne life-style on a beer budget without going into debt to support it, while setting money aside to work towards your goals.
- Pam
It seems that, every where I looked before Christmas, people were talking about budgets and budgeting. The BBC ran a series of the Money Programme looking at people and money. Channel 4 ran a Christmas Special episode of Superscrimpers as well as The Ultimate Guide to Pennypinching. We recorded most of the episodes and have caught up over the last week.
The BBC Money Programme series started with an episode about people paying hundreds/thousands of pounds to attend wealth seminars, in the blind hope that they'll discover some big "secret" that'll make them rich overnight without putting in some hard graft first. The people profiled missed the big irony - that the real secret behind wealth seminars is in the income they generate for the organisers a.k.a. "wealth counsellors" and not in the information they're presenting to their audience. (That is a rant for another day.)
What was more interesting to me were the second and third episodes: the second episode was about couples and the conflicts money (or lack of it) causes; the third profiled several families where their combined, after-tax income was £40,000. In each, the couples talked about their budgets and their attitudes to money. The couples episode, in particular, included questions about whether they ever talked about money to each other, how they rated the other person's attitude to money, etc.
Some really stuck in the memory. For example, I don't rate the longevity of the marriage of the legal secretary who despised her NHS-employed, research scientist husband's income for being too low at approximately £31k. He has a PhD and is working on potentially life-saving research but science doesn't pay in this country (frankly, if he was married to me, I'd be really proud of him for the work that he does and not care about his salary). Her opinion, though, was that he is failing as a husband because he would not keep her and her children in the manner to which she'd liked to be accustomed. According to her, he was "tight" with money. It was obvious that she compared him to the lawyers for whom she worked, who earn a lot more than he does and who probably have stay at home wives, kids at private school, etc. They only married because she got pregnant within 6 weeks of their first date and didn't have a "money conversation" until long afterwards.
(Incidentally, the obvious money-earner has never seemed to occur to her: studying law and persuading her employers to back her. Or as DH put it, "Stop moaning about your husband's income and work out a way to earn some more yourself".)
One of the eye-opening points of the show, of all these shows really, is that many couples never talk about money. Oh, they grumble about each other's spending and how much things cost, but they never really talk about money. Or about what they want it to do for them. That is what a real money conversation should be all about: goals. It's about determining what you want out of life and how you will get there. It's also about working out how you will pay for it. For a couple, it's about give-and-take, determining what is jointly a priority and what they'll sacrifice to get there. It shouldn't be about one person giving all, while another take-take-takes. Both partners need to pull their weight.
Really, that is what budgeting should be all about. Sitting down with your partner and determining what you want out of life, what it's going to cost, how long it will take to get there and how much you'll need to set aside from each pay-cheque in order to pay for it in the long run. Then when the priorities are settled, you need to work out together how you're going to have a good quality of life from the money that remains. The aim is to have a champagne life-style on a beer budget without going into debt to support it, while setting money aside to work towards your goals.
- Pam
Thursday, 5 January 2012
I'm with lurgy
I don't think I've had more than a minor cold since 2008 but, this year, one has really hit me. This one started with the sneezes last Thursday and appears to be progressing one symptom at a time. (I really hate it when that happens.) Naturally, it started when I was already on leave - I'm sure there are statistics about that somewhere, people getting sick when they finally have time to relax. However, I know that since it's a cold, I would have become infected in the first or second week of December. That's when the lurgy was going around the office.
I phoned in sick on Tuesday, with my tonsils pretending to be golf-balls. By yesterday night, they were down so I thought "Yes, I can cope with work. I'll go into work tomorrow". Set the alarm for 6am this morning. It went off, I got up had my shower, etc, sat down with my breakfast coffee and realised that I felt more tired than I did when I went to bed last night. Breathing was harder, too. So I phoned the office and told my team that I won't be in for the rest of the week.
I do hope this damn thing isn't escalating.
- Pam
PS: Yes, I've had my flu jab. I've been having flu jabsreligiously annually since I developed a secondary chest infection after having the flu in 2000. My GP recommended it, which means I get it for free on the NHS. I'd have paid for it, prior to that, but it was almost impossible to find somewhere to obtain it. (One year, my employer organised flu jabs for everyone who wanted one. We paid £5 each towards them.) Now, of course, you can buy a flu jab in Boots.
I phoned in sick on Tuesday, with my tonsils pretending to be golf-balls. By yesterday night, they were down so I thought "Yes, I can cope with work. I'll go into work tomorrow". Set the alarm for 6am this morning. It went off, I got up had my shower, etc, sat down with my breakfast coffee and realised that I felt more tired than I did when I went to bed last night. Breathing was harder, too. So I phoned the office and told my team that I won't be in for the rest of the week.
I do hope this damn thing isn't escalating.
- Pam
PS: Yes, I've had my flu jab. I've been having flu jabs
Friday, 30 December 2011
A time of reflection
Did you have a merry Christmas? Or was it just so-so? Mine was excellent, thank you, although it felt strange working right up to Christmas Eve. For the last four years, I've managed to take the last few days of before Christmas, but not this year. Still, I have had the time off between Christmas and New Year - a much needed break.
For me, the time between Christmas and New Year is always a time for reflection and goal setting. What did I achieve last year? What do I want to achieve in 2012? Etc, etc. It's that whole "New Year, new me" thing.
In 2011, I set 8 goals:-
non-hedge trees from the back garden so it no longer needs to be napalmed, but it is still far too wild and unruly. I walked the Lincoln 10k dressed as a French Maid and we raised about £1,000 for charity in the end. 2011 is going to finish with the same two UFO's it began with (a shrug from Verena that just needs to be sewn together and my Hibiscus for Hope socks, which had to be suspended while I knitted the Sunray Ribbing top from A Stitch in Time because I wasn't sure whether I'd need to frog them for the yarn). No, I didn't get pregnant. And I lost 15lb in weight. I actually managed to knit six sweaters in 2011, as well as the second half of a seventh, so that goal was well and truly met (I'll put up photos eventually). As was the one to knit a pair of socks every two months - I completed 6 pairs, almost finished a seventh and re-knitted one of the Hibiscus for Hope socks.
For 2012, I have a whole new batch ofNew Year's Resolutions goals:-
What about you? How did your 2011 New Year's Resolutions do? Did any last beyond January? Are you planning on doing any for 2012?
I'd like to wish you all a very happy New Year. May your resolutions be achieved and all your dreams and wishes in 2012 come true. Here's hoping 2012 will be a kinder year for all of us.
- Pam
For me, the time between Christmas and New Year is always a time for reflection and goal setting. What did I achieve last year? What do I want to achieve in 2012? Etc, etc. It's that whole "New Year, new me" thing.
In 2011, I set 8 goals:-
- No stash enhancement (I've gone cold sheep)
- To conquer the garden
- To do the Lincoln 10k
- To finish the year with no UFOs
- To get pregnant (yes, this cancels out other goals)
- To knit 1 pair of socks every 2 months
- To knit 6 sweaters
- To lose 25lb in weight
For 2012, I have a whole new batch of
- To really work at having a decent veggie garden this year. I'd like to be able to feed us from it for days/weeks at a time.
- To use things up. I have a stockpile of "stuff": make-up, fabric, cross stitch stuff, yarn, even cooking ingredients. As Gigi Knitmore once said, "There's no point in saving things just in case the Queen drops in. Use it and enjoy it".
- To only buy yarn from a) charity shops or b) if it is less than £3/ball. Oh, and the yarn budget for 2012 will be £60 for the year, no more. I've tried going "cold sheep" and not buying yarn and all that happens is that I'll be good for months and then go mad.
- To be tidy. I have the messy gene - I can put a pen on an empty table and it'll look like a bomb hit it in 2 minutes flat. I can't do neat but I can do tidy.
- To be more organised. No more forgetting things or procrastinating and putting off things that need to be done.
- To buy less than 12 items of clothing in 2012 (underwear, socks and stockings exempted). Ideally, I'd like to buy them from charity shops - I've had really good luck recently and scored 3 brand new suits for less than £10 each. (I have far too many clothes anyway, so need to wear some stuff until it wears out.)
- To lose at least another stone (14lb) in weight. I want to lose the spare tyre that has settled on my midriff.
- The nebulous fitness goal: to strengthen my body by working out/lifting weights three times a week.
- The not-so-nebulous fitness goal: to be able to run 5k/3 miles without stopping, and to achieve this before my birthday in August.
- To knit another 6 pairs of socks and 6 sweaters in 2012. And to make them from stash yarns.
- To blog more. I didn't post nearly enough this year.
What about you? How did your 2011 New Year's Resolutions do? Did any last beyond January? Are you planning on doing any for 2012?
I'd like to wish you all a very happy New Year. May your resolutions be achieved and all your dreams and wishes in 2012 come true. Here's hoping 2012 will be a kinder year for all of us.
- Pam
Friday, 16 December 2011
Other things to think about
I have other things to worry about besides the impending Great Depression...
The kitchen roof failed on Tuesday. I heard a slow drip when I wandered down to make breakfast. Dashed into the kitchen and found a small puddle forming on top of the recycling. Shoved the "laundry basket" under that (a large trug). It collected maybe a pint of water before the rain stopped. Phoned the builder - he can't get to us until the week between Christmas and New Year. Hopefully he can patch it up enough to take us through to the summer, when he is scheduled to replace it with a pitched, tiled roof. (I hate flat roofs.) It's rained since then but no more drips.
Worry number 2 is that DH'a job finished abruptly yesterday. In a way, I am not surprised. They'd already informed him that they were halving his hours and splitting his job into 2 in a misguided bid to save money (it won't). I think they picked an excuse and ran with it because the other guy was cheaper. They've shot themselves in the foot though because the other guy can only work part time and won't work Saturdays.
As they say, bad things come in threes... Eldest Sis phoned me yesterday - Dad's baby brother died at 2am. He'd just faded away since Uncle Ron died. So now there is nobody left of that generation.
This has turned into a depressing post! I'm not normally like that. I'm one of life's optimists - keep trying and something good will happen is my philosophy. Ok, so what good things have happened? Well my boss told me I will get a raise in January's pay reviews. No idea what yet - I didn't put him on the spot and ask how much (anyway until it is approved by corporate, he won't know for sure how much anyone will get but it will be something). How's that?
- Pam
The kitchen roof failed on Tuesday. I heard a slow drip when I wandered down to make breakfast. Dashed into the kitchen and found a small puddle forming on top of the recycling. Shoved the "laundry basket" under that (a large trug). It collected maybe a pint of water before the rain stopped. Phoned the builder - he can't get to us until the week between Christmas and New Year. Hopefully he can patch it up enough to take us through to the summer, when he is scheduled to replace it with a pitched, tiled roof. (I hate flat roofs.) It's rained since then but no more drips.
Worry number 2 is that DH'a job finished abruptly yesterday. In a way, I am not surprised. They'd already informed him that they were halving his hours and splitting his job into 2 in a misguided bid to save money (it won't). I think they picked an excuse and ran with it because the other guy was cheaper. They've shot themselves in the foot though because the other guy can only work part time and won't work Saturdays.
As they say, bad things come in threes... Eldest Sis phoned me yesterday - Dad's baby brother died at 2am. He'd just faded away since Uncle Ron died. So now there is nobody left of that generation.
This has turned into a depressing post! I'm not normally like that. I'm one of life's optimists - keep trying and something good will happen is my philosophy. Ok, so what good things have happened? Well my boss told me I will get a raise in January's pay reviews. No idea what yet - I didn't put him on the spot and ask how much (anyway until it is approved by corporate, he won't know for sure how much anyone will get but it will be something). How's that?
- Pam
Monday, 12 December 2011
Life's unanswerable question #24: the Euro crisis
Over the past few months, I have been bemused, puzzled and worried by the situation in Europe - the near default and bailout of Ireland, Greece, Portugal and Spain. Italy is the latest rabbit in the headlights and France is being lined up to follow (French banks have had their credit status downgraded).
These are all countries that have been throttled by the straight-jacket that is their membership of the Euro. They cannot devalue their currency in order to give themselves a competitive advantage over their neighbours. They also cannot print currency to inflate their way out of the current crisis, as Britain and America have attempted to do ("fiscal stimulus" by another name).
Since joining the Euro, Ireland, Spain and Portugal have experienced property booms, funded by interest rates that were far lower than they would have been if they'd kept their original currencies. Money was cheap, borrowing it became easier and easier as banks funded themselves on the wholesale market. Prudence was forgotten. Then along came 2008 and the collapse of Lehman Brothers. The supply of easy money dried up overnight and many banks turned to their national governments for bailouts, effectively nationalising themselves. That's what did for Ireland, Spain and Portugal. Spain, in particular, wasn't a highly indebted nation until it had to bail out its banks.
Greece has a different set of problems. If you listen to the stereotypes, the Greek's are a profligate nation: they retire earlier than anyone else in Europe, have a huge and inefficient public sector and get well paid for the privilege. The average salary in Greece is €20,000 higher than the average salary in Germany. I was therefore surprised to read on the BBC website that the Greeks pay more tax than pretty much any other Europeans and have higher levels of personal savings too. They also have lower personal borrowings.
As a nation, Italy is suffering from the hangover of debt that was incurred in the decades leading up to the last recession, the one at the beginning of the 1990's. Since then, Italy has balanced its budget and does not borrow to fund its day to day operations (unlike, say, the UK and the USA). Until the current Great Recession, they were slowly paying back the old debt.
The big question is: will the Euro survive? I both like and dislike the Euro: on the one hand, having a single European currency is really useful when travelling or when dealing with invoices for my big work project (it made life so much easier). On the other hand, the current situation was foreseeable 20 years ago during the last recession when Britain exited the ERM (Exchange Rate Mechanism), the Euro's predecessor which tied currency exchange rates together. Ditto 40-odd years ago, when the Bretton-Woods Agreement collapsed.
Monetary union cannot work unless the countries involved give up the rights to control their borrowings, their taxation policies and their budgets to central control. Whether the Eurozone will get to that point is anyone's guess - right now, they're still trying to stick plasters (band-aids) over the wounds instead of biting the bullet. Will we have another credit crunch and a world-wide Depression? Or will the Euro collapse instead?
- Pam (I have no answers)
PS: Most of my background knowledge re Italy, Spain and Greece, I owe to the BBC. Naturally, I can't find the articles on their website when I need them for attribution.
These are all countries that have been throttled by the straight-jacket that is their membership of the Euro. They cannot devalue their currency in order to give themselves a competitive advantage over their neighbours. They also cannot print currency to inflate their way out of the current crisis, as Britain and America have attempted to do ("fiscal stimulus" by another name).
Since joining the Euro, Ireland, Spain and Portugal have experienced property booms, funded by interest rates that were far lower than they would have been if they'd kept their original currencies. Money was cheap, borrowing it became easier and easier as banks funded themselves on the wholesale market. Prudence was forgotten. Then along came 2008 and the collapse of Lehman Brothers. The supply of easy money dried up overnight and many banks turned to their national governments for bailouts, effectively nationalising themselves. That's what did for Ireland, Spain and Portugal. Spain, in particular, wasn't a highly indebted nation until it had to bail out its banks.
Greece has a different set of problems. If you listen to the stereotypes, the Greek's are a profligate nation: they retire earlier than anyone else in Europe, have a huge and inefficient public sector and get well paid for the privilege. The average salary in Greece is €20,000 higher than the average salary in Germany. I was therefore surprised to read on the BBC website that the Greeks pay more tax than pretty much any other Europeans and have higher levels of personal savings too. They also have lower personal borrowings.
As a nation, Italy is suffering from the hangover of debt that was incurred in the decades leading up to the last recession, the one at the beginning of the 1990's. Since then, Italy has balanced its budget and does not borrow to fund its day to day operations (unlike, say, the UK and the USA). Until the current Great Recession, they were slowly paying back the old debt.
The big question is: will the Euro survive? I both like and dislike the Euro: on the one hand, having a single European currency is really useful when travelling or when dealing with invoices for my big work project (it made life so much easier). On the other hand, the current situation was foreseeable 20 years ago during the last recession when Britain exited the ERM (Exchange Rate Mechanism), the Euro's predecessor which tied currency exchange rates together. Ditto 40-odd years ago, when the Bretton-Woods Agreement collapsed.
Monetary union cannot work unless the countries involved give up the rights to control their borrowings, their taxation policies and their budgets to central control. Whether the Eurozone will get to that point is anyone's guess - right now, they're still trying to stick plasters (band-aids) over the wounds instead of biting the bullet. Will we have another credit crunch and a world-wide Depression? Or will the Euro collapse instead?
- Pam (I have no answers)
PS: Most of my background knowledge re Italy, Spain and Greece, I owe to the BBC. Naturally, I can't find the articles on their website when I need them for attribution.
Sunday, 27 November 2011
RIP Gary Speed
Today, the British football world was shaken with the news of the suicide of the Welsh manager, Gary Speed, who was found hanged at his home this morning. On the surface, he was a man with the world at his feet: happily married with the footballer's dream job of successfully managing his national side. He was a regular pundit on Football Focus and Match of the Day. I didn't know him and yet I was moved to tears while listening to his close friend, Robbie Savage, fielding calls on a football phone-in that rapidly became a tribute program. (Robbie, it was obvious you were crying.)
My heart goes out to his family: his father, his wife and his children. I am truly sorry for your loss. (I have heard no mention of his mother so assume she has predeceased him. If that assumption is wrong, I am very sorry.)
The big question is "Why?". Was it planned? Was it spontaneous? Were you living a double life for years, Gary, hiding depression from absolutely everyone? Maybe we'll never know. Hopefully his wife and children won't be left haunted for years, blaming themselves. The one thing I know about suicide is that, for the person involved, they want what-ever-it-is-tormenting-them to stop and to be at peace. They often don't want to die but they can't see another way to make it stop.
Gary, I hope you are at peace now.
My heart goes out to his family: his father, his wife and his children. I am truly sorry for your loss. (I have heard no mention of his mother so assume she has predeceased him. If that assumption is wrong, I am very sorry.)
The big question is "Why?". Was it planned? Was it spontaneous? Were you living a double life for years, Gary, hiding depression from absolutely everyone? Maybe we'll never know. Hopefully his wife and children won't be left haunted for years, blaming themselves. The one thing I know about suicide is that, for the person involved, they want what-ever-it-is-tormenting-them to stop and to be at peace. They often don't want to die but they can't see another way to make it stop.
Gary, I hope you are at peace now.
Saturday, 12 November 2011
New Scam in Progress
I've just had a phone call from someone claiming to be the "Windows Help Desk" and saying that they're getting loads of error messages from my computer and that if I didn't do what they told me immediately, my computer would break down! The background noise sounded like they were calling from a large call centre and the accent was Asian.
Err.... I don't think so. We aren't stupid enough to sign up for a service like that for domestic computers (waste of money) and the people who run those services commercially don't make calls out of the blue on a Saturday. You have to register a problem first with the help-desk - they can't monitor you remotely (companies can, but that's because you log into the company network before you do anything else).
Also, I'm geek enough to know there is nothing wrong with either PC. If there was, I know a reputable business in Uxbridge that'll fix it for a flat fee.
However, someone who didn't have much technical knowledge might get caught out, follow their instructions and download the spy-bot as instructed or pay over the money for the service these scammers are selling.
For heavens sake, if you get a call like this, engage your common sense first and then hang up!
- Pam
Err.... I don't think so. We aren't stupid enough to sign up for a service like that for domestic computers (waste of money) and the people who run those services commercially don't make calls out of the blue on a Saturday. You have to register a problem first with the help-desk - they can't monitor you remotely (companies can, but that's because you log into the company network before you do anything else).
Also, I'm geek enough to know there is nothing wrong with either PC. If there was, I know a reputable business in Uxbridge that'll fix it for a flat fee.
However, someone who didn't have much technical knowledge might get caught out, follow their instructions and download the spy-bot as instructed or pay over the money for the service these scammers are selling.
For heavens sake, if you get a call like this, engage your common sense first and then hang up!
- Pam
Friday, 11 November 2011
The Game
I swear I didn't pop into the Barnardo's Charity Shop with buying a suit in mind. I was looking for something - or rather, some things - but my list didn't specifically involve clothing for me. Instead, it covered the "usual": a double boiler for melting wax for candles (always top of the list but unlikely); an un-engraved pewter tankard to be polished up and engraved as one of the numerous 40th birthday presents (so far, I've found 2 in two years); a plain black fleece for DH for work; yarn (maybe); and possibly some clothing for me if something catches my eye. Oh, and to amuse myself, I was playing The Game.
The Game? What game? The "you only have £50 and you need to buy a full wardrobe" game. The rules are simple: you have £50 and the clothes you are currently wearing (including hand bag). You must buy sufficient clothing to get you through a working week and a weekend (including underwear and shoes), plus make-up, toiletries and a bag to carry it all in. Since this is a game, you don't have to buy them in real life.
I think I first invented The Game, when I had to do something similar for real. It was February 1999 and I was spending every weekend and most evenings with DH (DB as he was then). Fridays, I'd normally schlep a bag of clothes in with me to work and then go directly to DH's. One particular Thursday, I stupidly drank wine after giving blood, nearly passed out, and ended up spending the night at DH's rather than drive the 20 miles home. This Friday, I was dreading driving home to get my stuff - it'd take me 4 hours in the Friday evening traffic to get there and back. At about 4.30 in the afternoon, I cooked up a plan and decided I'd go shopping instead. I didn't have a huge amount of money so I set the budget at £50. After an hour's dash through the shops, I had a Head gym bag, a pair of jeans, three tee-shirts, some underwear, socks and a cardigan. I'd already had to buy make-up that morning and I could use DH's toiletries, so they were off the list. I was wearing a trouser suit, loafers, coat and had a handbag. Thus was borne the basic elements of The Game.
Anyway, last Friday, I was wandering through the shops playing The Game. I decided I could keep the clothes and shoes I was wearing (jeans, coat, cardigan, t-shirt, trainers, etc), together with my handbag and its contents (including lipstick, lip balm, sock knitting kit, and a comb). Here's what I "spent":-
So, anyway, this is the long way around to explain how I purchased two almost-new Marks & Spencer suits in Barnardo's a week or so ago.
- Pam
The Game? What game? The "you only have £50 and you need to buy a full wardrobe" game. The rules are simple: you have £50 and the clothes you are currently wearing (including hand bag). You must buy sufficient clothing to get you through a working week and a weekend (including underwear and shoes), plus make-up, toiletries and a bag to carry it all in. Since this is a game, you don't have to buy them in real life.
I think I first invented The Game, when I had to do something similar for real. It was February 1999 and I was spending every weekend and most evenings with DH (DB as he was then). Fridays, I'd normally schlep a bag of clothes in with me to work and then go directly to DH's. One particular Thursday, I stupidly drank wine after giving blood, nearly passed out, and ended up spending the night at DH's rather than drive the 20 miles home. This Friday, I was dreading driving home to get my stuff - it'd take me 4 hours in the Friday evening traffic to get there and back. At about 4.30 in the afternoon, I cooked up a plan and decided I'd go shopping instead. I didn't have a huge amount of money so I set the budget at £50. After an hour's dash through the shops, I had a Head gym bag, a pair of jeans, three tee-shirts, some underwear, socks and a cardigan. I'd already had to buy make-up that morning and I could use DH's toiletries, so they were off the list. I was wearing a trouser suit, loafers, coat and had a handbag. Thus was borne the basic elements of The Game.
Anyway, last Friday, I was wandering through the shops playing The Game. I decided I could keep the clothes and shoes I was wearing (jeans, coat, cardigan, t-shirt, trainers, etc), together with my handbag and its contents (including lipstick, lip balm, sock knitting kit, and a comb). Here's what I "spent":-
- £4.47 - Make-up: powder, blusher and mascara (£1.49 each) from Tesco's All About Face range which I reviewed last year. (I decided the powder would stand in as a make-up base and that I could keep the lipstick in my handbag.)
- 85p cotton wool pads to apply the above makeup.
- £2.80 - Toiletries and skin care: value shampoo (64p/litre), value hair conditioner (24p), value cream handwash (37p) which can double as body wash and facial cleanser, value toothbrush (10p), value toothpaste (17p), value twin blade disposable razors for shaving my legs (30p for 10). The cheapest moisturiser is actually quite a good one: Nivea Soft Intensive Moisturising Creme (99p).
- £4.50 - Suitcase: second hand from a charity shop. Not the nicest case, but better than a plastic bag.
- £18.00 - two work suits (£9.50 and £8.50) - the ones I found in Bernardos.
- £6.50 - work shoes: in Oxfam, I found a pair of black shoes suitable for work.
- £8 - 4 t-shirts from charity shops.
- £1.75 - tights/pantihose: value brand pack of 6.
- 62p - socks: value brand pack of 3 black socks. (This is the price I paid last time - couldn't find them today.)
- £2.50 - panties: value brand pack of 4. (Again, this is the price I paid last time - couldn't find them today.)
So, anyway, this is the long way around to explain how I purchased two almost-new Marks & Spencer suits in Barnardo's a week or so ago.
- Pam
Wednesday, 26 October 2011
It pays to shop around
I should be fuming.
The Toy turns 11 next month. With his insurance due for renewal, I went on line to compare quotes. His current insurer is quoting me £50/month or a one off payment of £560 for fully comprehensive insurance including business cover - £20/month more than I was paying the same company a year ago. In fact, it's more than I was paying when he was brand new!
Lured by their advertising, I logged ontoComparethemeerkat.com comparethemarket.com and typed in my details. Everything exactly the same. Half-way down the list of insurance quotes was my current insurer, quoting exactly half what they quoted to me. So I phoned my insurer. "Sorry, madam, we can't match that quote....You're an existing customer and that makes you ineligible."
Huh? So you don't want to keep my business then? Good-bye.
Frustrated, I turned back to the quotes on the internet. Directly above my current insurer and £2 cheaper was a subsidiary of the same company. Five minutes later, I've bought identical car insurance through them. And scored a free Meerkat toy, with my own Meerkova Village Parade. Enjoy!
- Pam
The Toy turns 11 next month. With his insurance due for renewal, I went on line to compare quotes. His current insurer is quoting me £50/month or a one off payment of £560 for fully comprehensive insurance including business cover - £20/month more than I was paying the same company a year ago. In fact, it's more than I was paying when he was brand new!
Lured by their advertising, I logged onto
Huh? So you don't want to keep my business then? Good-bye.
Frustrated, I turned back to the quotes on the internet. Directly above my current insurer and £2 cheaper was a subsidiary of the same company. Five minutes later, I've bought identical car insurance through them. And scored a free Meerkat toy, with my own Meerkova Village Parade. Enjoy!
- Pam
Monday, 17 October 2011
Score!
Saturday was one of "those" days - a rushing, busy day. DH had to work, then there was football (5.30 kick off) and a party in the evening. Somehow, I got behind in my plans and never caught up, so 8pm saw us dashing into Tesco to buy a gift bag to cover the birthday present. Naturally, being us, we sprinted around the "Condemned Food" sections in order to snaffle up any useful bargains.
Sitting lonely and ignored in the produce aisle were 4 bags of perfectly good mushrooms marked down to 35p! There were plenty of people pawing over the rest of the reduced veg but nobody was paying any attention to the mushrooms. Quickly, I liberated them and walked away. Their combined weight was 3.25kg. Total cost £1.22 (one was a half bag).
Yesterday, we processed the majority for the freezer. Since we didn't have that many onions, we made 3 boxes of "Base", with one of the bags of mushies. The rest were sliced and fried in the remains of the oil/liquid/pot scrapings from the Base, then boxed up in double quantities for the freezer. That filled 4 boxes.
The freezer is full again with 3 meals-worth of base and 8 meals-worth of mushrooms stashed away in take-away food boxes. Not bad for £1.22.
-Pam
Sitting lonely and ignored in the produce aisle were 4 bags of perfectly good mushrooms marked down to 35p! There were plenty of people pawing over the rest of the reduced veg but nobody was paying any attention to the mushrooms. Quickly, I liberated them and walked away. Their combined weight was 3.25kg. Total cost £1.22 (one was a half bag).
Yesterday, we processed the majority for the freezer. Since we didn't have that many onions, we made 3 boxes of "Base", with one of the bags of mushies. The rest were sliced and fried in the remains of the oil/liquid/pot scrapings from the Base, then boxed up in double quantities for the freezer. That filled 4 boxes.
The freezer is full again with 3 meals-worth of base and 8 meals-worth of mushrooms stashed away in take-away food boxes. Not bad for £1.22.
-Pam
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