yeah, of course it couldn't last. He is back to sitting on the sofa, putting his feet up (with his shoes on !!!) and I am back to coming home from work and spending the rest of the evening cooking, cleaning and doing general housework. I know it's a hard life to sit in front of the TV all day but at least a bit of effort isn't too much to ask ???
Apparently it's all my fault as I didn't cook the last 3 days when I was at home with a cold lying flat out in bed with every single bone hurting and generally feeling totally washed out. I am really getting fed up here.
Thursday, October 22, 2009
Sunday, October 18, 2009
Hello all
we have finally moved house. The new place is absolutely georgeous and we are slowly settling in. Way too much stuff is still in various boxes and the kitchen is in chaos as we ran out of moving boxes and ended up just emptying things everywhere we could find a space. So currently the pepper is between the plates and the olive oil was found hiding behind the salad bowls. We are still re-arranging our kitchen-gadgets, as soon as they have found a permanent place we can move the rest of the things around.
I have finally managed to find most of my clothes which is a good thing, I got a bit bored with one pair of work-trousers and one pair of jeans. I really hate moving house and hope we will stay here for a long time.
I am now on a cooking-strike. I am fed up with working (evne though it's only a 6-hour-day) and then coming home to housework, cooking and cleaning while the BF sits at home all day doing nothing. I showed him where the cleaning stuff is, what a dust bunny looks like and I have placed the cook-books on a living room shelf, next to the TV, so he can't miss them. If he wants to eat, he will have to cook. Well, that worked until his mum gave him about 100 pot-noodles as a moving-in-present. Grrrr.....But, I have to say, so far we had lovely dinner every evening. I am hoping it will last as my patience is really wearing thin by now.
I took some photos of our lovely garden today, but completley forgot that I don't yet have a graphics program installed on my PC. Not usually a problem, but all my software CDs are ina box somewhere, and I can't be asked to go and find them. They could be anywhere !!! So I decided to download Gimp. With a 10meg connection, much faster than finding my PSP CD. But I am struggling. I can't get it to do what I want when I want and it takes me ages to do even simple tasks. I guess rooting round the boxes it is...
I gotta go, as I have some soap to pack for a Halloween swap and as a samle thingie at work tomorrow. I can't find the lipbalms, so they will have to wait and I still need to work on my website and get my head round Dreamweaver. Sigh, will the geeky stuff never stop ???
we have finally moved house. The new place is absolutely georgeous and we are slowly settling in. Way too much stuff is still in various boxes and the kitchen is in chaos as we ran out of moving boxes and ended up just emptying things everywhere we could find a space. So currently the pepper is between the plates and the olive oil was found hiding behind the salad bowls. We are still re-arranging our kitchen-gadgets, as soon as they have found a permanent place we can move the rest of the things around.
I have finally managed to find most of my clothes which is a good thing, I got a bit bored with one pair of work-trousers and one pair of jeans. I really hate moving house and hope we will stay here for a long time.
I am now on a cooking-strike. I am fed up with working (evne though it's only a 6-hour-day) and then coming home to housework, cooking and cleaning while the BF sits at home all day doing nothing. I showed him where the cleaning stuff is, what a dust bunny looks like and I have placed the cook-books on a living room shelf, next to the TV, so he can't miss them. If he wants to eat, he will have to cook. Well, that worked until his mum gave him about 100 pot-noodles as a moving-in-present. Grrrr.....But, I have to say, so far we had lovely dinner every evening. I am hoping it will last as my patience is really wearing thin by now.
I took some photos of our lovely garden today, but completley forgot that I don't yet have a graphics program installed on my PC. Not usually a problem, but all my software CDs are ina box somewhere, and I can't be asked to go and find them. They could be anywhere !!! So I decided to download Gimp. With a 10meg connection, much faster than finding my PSP CD. But I am struggling. I can't get it to do what I want when I want and it takes me ages to do even simple tasks. I guess rooting round the boxes it is...
I gotta go, as I have some soap to pack for a Halloween swap and as a samle thingie at work tomorrow. I can't find the lipbalms, so they will have to wait and I still need to work on my website and get my head round Dreamweaver. Sigh, will the geeky stuff never stop ???
Saturday, September 19, 2009
ok, I haven't posted for a while. Things are up and down as usual. We are trying to move house and things are going wrong at every corner. This is why there hasn't been any news for a while. As soon as we have settled in the new place I will be posting more regularly, promise ! But for now, everytime I post something it is old news a couple of minutes later and it would far too confusing to keep up with the inns and outs of our local council's housing department.
But I felt I had to post something today. I accidentially stumbled accross a website promoting greem living and thought I'd find some interesting articles on there. Interesting they may have been, but they contain so much pseudo-science and scaremongering against the "cosmetic giants", that it caused me to write them a lengthy email and shout at my poor monitor. The cat has decided to sleep outside now and the OH has gone for a walk in the park until I finished ranting, lol.
Here is a copy of my email. I will break it up into chunks, as it is rather long and I don't want you all to fall asleep while reading it. Feel free to comment, I may have gotten some things wrong myself...
From: Sabine Haller [mailto:sabine@blueyonder.co.uk]
Sent: 19 September 2009 18:55
To: 'laura@theecologist.org'
Subject: Articles on your website
Hello Laura
I came across your website while surfing the net and got stuck on some very interesting articles, or so I thought. I am a maker of natural cosmetics (100% Natural and Natural with synthetic Fragrance oils). Initially I thought the articles on your site contained a whole load of information I can use to explain to my customers why natural cosmetics are better than industrial ones, but the more I read, the more I just wanted to scream at my monitor as a lot of these articles are based on scare-science and badly worded explanations to run down major cosmetic manufacturers. Not something I would like to be associated with and the reason for not registering on your website and simply commenting on each article.
Yes, there are some valid points but I would have to research each point again due the fact that so many other arguments are so badly misleading.
In your articles you make many recommendations for alternative products. If you would like to promote truly natural cosmetic products and help small UK businesses, can I point you to this website http://www.soapmakers.eu/ ? Not all makers are certified organic, but all make natural cosmetics, avoiding petroleum based oils. Some have palm-free products, most avoid Parabens and PEG emulsifiers (not all, but each supplier has a small statement, so you can check this first)
I don’t make any money from this, but it irks me when you only promote the large pseudo-naturals in your recommendations. Most of these manufacturers are no different to P&G or L’Oreal and are neither based in the UK, nor make their products in the UK, so adding to the carbon footprint.
Behind the label: Listerine teeth and gum defence (click on this to read the whole article)
Argument: Long-term use of alcohol-containing mouthwashes dries and changes the pH of the mouth and throat and is associated with an increased risk of mouth and throat cancers.
Question: What is constituted as long-term use ? Where is a link to this study ? Mouthwash is in your mouth for about 1 minute (if you can stand it that long). How about the effects of drinking alcohol ? Does Mouthwash contain some other alcohol than for example Vodka ?
Argument: Flavourings and aromas are basically perfumes. At best they mask odour temporarily; and since they are composed of volatile solvents, they can also alter the basic flora of the mouth in the same way as alcohol and may cause dermatitis around the mouth
Question: Flavourings and aromas are actually not perfumes. They made by strict guidelines and have been tested to make sure they are safe to be ingested. This is also an INCI label and therefore aroma could also stand for essential oils, which are anything but synthetic. Large manufacturers sometimes call Essential Oil blends “aroma” if they don’t want to give away their formula. These are not volatile solvents (some do damage certain plastics, but none can be used as paintstripper).
Argument: methyl salicylate (oil of wintergreen), eucalyptol (oil of eucalyptus) and thymol – even if they are naturally derived – are also highly toxic. Just 10ml of methyl salicylate can poison a child; 30ml can poison an adult.
Question: Of course they can be toxic. Even water is toxic in large enough amounts. 30ml of a pure essential oil is quite a large amount. Most essential oils are actually toxic if ingested and apart from a few, none of them should ever be placed on the skin undiluted. Thymol (well, thymian) has been used to treat teeth problems for a long time. It’s made from Essential Oil of Thymian and has strong antiseptic properties. From Wikipeda: The Blackfeet Native Americans recognized this plant's strong antiseptic action, and used poultices of the plant for skin infections and minor wounds. A tea made from the plant was also used to treat mouth and throat infections caused by dental caries and gingivitis.[4] (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thymol) Nowhere in the Wikipeda article does it mention that this substance is toxic, although I am sure if ingested in large enough amounts it can be damaging, as everything else.
Argument: In addition, bright colours and nice smells mean that children find mouthwashes so intriguing that each year hundreds accidentally get smashed on as little as two ounces. So do adults; earlier this year an American woman was arrested for drunk driving after drinking three glasses of Listerine.
Question: I doubt it is 2 ounces and a responsible parent keeps things like that away from toddlers. Just like cleaners. Hundreds get “smashed” then ? Apart from the fact that this should teach them not to drink it again, 100s of what ? American children ? Worldwide ? That doesn’t seem to be a very large number to be honest. It’s not like it tastes very nice…And if someone really wants to get drunk on Listerine then I would say “each to their own”, Vodka is cheaper and tastes better.
Now the ingredient analysys:
Alcohol > Antiseptic, antibacterial > Dries and denatures mucous membranes in the mouth; changes mouth and throat pH; promotes mouth and throat cancer. –>> as above, what about drinking alcohol ? Were these tests done with pure alcohol or the concentration found in mouthwash ?
Sorbitol > Sweetener, tartar control agent > Mostly safe, but if swallowed can cause bloating, diarrhoea. –>> Mouthwash is not supposed to be swallowed and bloating and diarrhoea are common side effects of all sugar alcohols if consumed in excess ! The small amount of sorbitol contained in a swig of mouthwash won’t trigger Montezuma’s Revenge.
Aroma > Fragrance > Perfume by another name, composed mostly of solvents; drying to the mouth and potentially neurotoxic; allergic reactions may mimic common dental problems such as bleeding gums, mouth ulcers, gingivitis. – >>No, aroma is not the same as perfume. Some don’t even smell like they taste. Which aromas are neurotoxic ? And are these actually in this product ? If someone is allergic to an aroma / essential oil then they should obviously avoid it. Common sense really. Like not eating peanuts if allergic. But I see no warning messages on peanuts informing me I could die from eating them.
Sodium saccharin > Sweetener > Carcinogenic – linked to bladder cancer in animals. Banned in US –>> and declared safe in Canada and Europe. Saccharin has been around for quite a long time as is deemed safer than aspartame. I am glad to know that it is linked to bladder cancer in animals, but which animals, how much did they consume over what period and have any studies ever proven an increase in Bladder Cancer in humans ? There is no link to a reliable study.
Eucalyptol (Oil of Eucalyptus) > Fragrance, antiseptic > Allergic skin, nose and eye reactions, inhalation may trigger asthma; vocal cord dysfunction in sensitive individuals. Ingestion can cause vomiting, stomach pains, seizures, abnormal heart rhythms, bleeding, coma and death. –>> “Sensitive individuals” – yes if you are allergic to Eucalyptus it would probably be a bad idea to use this mouthwash. Doh. It CAN cause vomiting etc. That doesn’t mean that it will, and this is the warning label for undiluted Essential Oil. If ingested undiluted and in large enough amounts it will cause death…That’s why people need to learn about Essential Oils before using them. Mouthwash will not contain undiluted Eucalyptus Oil. And not even enough of it in a whole bottle to cause these symptoms, although there is a warning label on the back advising people against glugging it down like Gin.
Methyl salicylate (oil of wintergreen) > Fragrance, antiseptic > Respiratory tract, skin and eye irritation; allergic reactions; small ingested amounts are fatal to young children; may cause reactions in aspirin-sensitive people. – Again no mention about how much needs to be ingested to cause these symptoms and people who are allergic to aspirin would know what else they need to look out for. “Small ingested amounts”, what is classified as small here ? 1ml ? 250ml ? 0.5ml ? And how much of this is actually in a whole bottle ?
More tomorrow
Cheers
Sabine
But I felt I had to post something today. I accidentially stumbled accross a website promoting greem living and thought I'd find some interesting articles on there. Interesting they may have been, but they contain so much pseudo-science and scaremongering against the "cosmetic giants", that it caused me to write them a lengthy email and shout at my poor monitor. The cat has decided to sleep outside now and the OH has gone for a walk in the park until I finished ranting, lol.
Here is a copy of my email. I will break it up into chunks, as it is rather long and I don't want you all to fall asleep while reading it. Feel free to comment, I may have gotten some things wrong myself...
From: Sabine Haller [mailto:sabine@blueyonder.co.uk]
Sent: 19 September 2009 18:55
To: 'laura@theecologist.org'
Subject: Articles on your website
Hello Laura
I came across your website while surfing the net and got stuck on some very interesting articles, or so I thought. I am a maker of natural cosmetics (100% Natural and Natural with synthetic Fragrance oils). Initially I thought the articles on your site contained a whole load of information I can use to explain to my customers why natural cosmetics are better than industrial ones, but the more I read, the more I just wanted to scream at my monitor as a lot of these articles are based on scare-science and badly worded explanations to run down major cosmetic manufacturers. Not something I would like to be associated with and the reason for not registering on your website and simply commenting on each article.
Yes, there are some valid points but I would have to research each point again due the fact that so many other arguments are so badly misleading.
In your articles you make many recommendations for alternative products. If you would like to promote truly natural cosmetic products and help small UK businesses, can I point you to this website http://www.soapmakers.eu/ ? Not all makers are certified organic, but all make natural cosmetics, avoiding petroleum based oils. Some have palm-free products, most avoid Parabens and PEG emulsifiers (not all, but each supplier has a small statement, so you can check this first)
I don’t make any money from this, but it irks me when you only promote the large pseudo-naturals in your recommendations. Most of these manufacturers are no different to P&G or L’Oreal and are neither based in the UK, nor make their products in the UK, so adding to the carbon footprint.
Behind the label: Listerine teeth and gum defence (click on this to read the whole article)
Argument: Long-term use of alcohol-containing mouthwashes dries and changes the pH of the mouth and throat and is associated with an increased risk of mouth and throat cancers.
Question: What is constituted as long-term use ? Where is a link to this study ? Mouthwash is in your mouth for about 1 minute (if you can stand it that long). How about the effects of drinking alcohol ? Does Mouthwash contain some other alcohol than for example Vodka ?
Argument: Flavourings and aromas are basically perfumes. At best they mask odour temporarily; and since they are composed of volatile solvents, they can also alter the basic flora of the mouth in the same way as alcohol and may cause dermatitis around the mouth
Question: Flavourings and aromas are actually not perfumes. They made by strict guidelines and have been tested to make sure they are safe to be ingested. This is also an INCI label and therefore aroma could also stand for essential oils, which are anything but synthetic. Large manufacturers sometimes call Essential Oil blends “aroma” if they don’t want to give away their formula. These are not volatile solvents (some do damage certain plastics, but none can be used as paintstripper).
Argument: methyl salicylate (oil of wintergreen), eucalyptol (oil of eucalyptus) and thymol – even if they are naturally derived – are also highly toxic. Just 10ml of methyl salicylate can poison a child; 30ml can poison an adult.
Question: Of course they can be toxic. Even water is toxic in large enough amounts. 30ml of a pure essential oil is quite a large amount. Most essential oils are actually toxic if ingested and apart from a few, none of them should ever be placed on the skin undiluted. Thymol (well, thymian) has been used to treat teeth problems for a long time. It’s made from Essential Oil of Thymian and has strong antiseptic properties. From Wikipeda: The Blackfeet Native Americans recognized this plant's strong antiseptic action, and used poultices of the plant for skin infections and minor wounds. A tea made from the plant was also used to treat mouth and throat infections caused by dental caries and gingivitis.[4] (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thymol) Nowhere in the Wikipeda article does it mention that this substance is toxic, although I am sure if ingested in large enough amounts it can be damaging, as everything else.
Argument: In addition, bright colours and nice smells mean that children find mouthwashes so intriguing that each year hundreds accidentally get smashed on as little as two ounces. So do adults; earlier this year an American woman was arrested for drunk driving after drinking three glasses of Listerine.
Question: I doubt it is 2 ounces and a responsible parent keeps things like that away from toddlers. Just like cleaners. Hundreds get “smashed” then ? Apart from the fact that this should teach them not to drink it again, 100s of what ? American children ? Worldwide ? That doesn’t seem to be a very large number to be honest. It’s not like it tastes very nice…And if someone really wants to get drunk on Listerine then I would say “each to their own”, Vodka is cheaper and tastes better.
Now the ingredient analysys:
Alcohol > Antiseptic, antibacterial > Dries and denatures mucous membranes in the mouth; changes mouth and throat pH; promotes mouth and throat cancer. –>> as above, what about drinking alcohol ? Were these tests done with pure alcohol or the concentration found in mouthwash ?
Sorbitol > Sweetener, tartar control agent > Mostly safe, but if swallowed can cause bloating, diarrhoea. –>> Mouthwash is not supposed to be swallowed and bloating and diarrhoea are common side effects of all sugar alcohols if consumed in excess ! The small amount of sorbitol contained in a swig of mouthwash won’t trigger Montezuma’s Revenge.
Aroma > Fragrance > Perfume by another name, composed mostly of solvents; drying to the mouth and potentially neurotoxic; allergic reactions may mimic common dental problems such as bleeding gums, mouth ulcers, gingivitis. – >>No, aroma is not the same as perfume. Some don’t even smell like they taste. Which aromas are neurotoxic ? And are these actually in this product ? If someone is allergic to an aroma / essential oil then they should obviously avoid it. Common sense really. Like not eating peanuts if allergic. But I see no warning messages on peanuts informing me I could die from eating them.
Sodium saccharin > Sweetener > Carcinogenic – linked to bladder cancer in animals. Banned in US –>> and declared safe in Canada and Europe. Saccharin has been around for quite a long time as is deemed safer than aspartame. I am glad to know that it is linked to bladder cancer in animals, but which animals, how much did they consume over what period and have any studies ever proven an increase in Bladder Cancer in humans ? There is no link to a reliable study.
Eucalyptol (Oil of Eucalyptus) > Fragrance, antiseptic > Allergic skin, nose and eye reactions, inhalation may trigger asthma; vocal cord dysfunction in sensitive individuals. Ingestion can cause vomiting, stomach pains, seizures, abnormal heart rhythms, bleeding, coma and death. –>> “Sensitive individuals” – yes if you are allergic to Eucalyptus it would probably be a bad idea to use this mouthwash. Doh. It CAN cause vomiting etc. That doesn’t mean that it will, and this is the warning label for undiluted Essential Oil. If ingested undiluted and in large enough amounts it will cause death…That’s why people need to learn about Essential Oils before using them. Mouthwash will not contain undiluted Eucalyptus Oil. And not even enough of it in a whole bottle to cause these symptoms, although there is a warning label on the back advising people against glugging it down like Gin.
Methyl salicylate (oil of wintergreen) > Fragrance, antiseptic > Respiratory tract, skin and eye irritation; allergic reactions; small ingested amounts are fatal to young children; may cause reactions in aspirin-sensitive people. – Again no mention about how much needs to be ingested to cause these symptoms and people who are allergic to aspirin would know what else they need to look out for. “Small ingested amounts”, what is classified as small here ? 1ml ? 250ml ? 0.5ml ? And how much of this is actually in a whole bottle ?
More tomorrow
Cheers
Sabine
Tuesday, June 09, 2009
Yay - I have finally gotten myself into gear and managed to book all my Safety Assessments today, booked a soap workshop place and registered my domain name. Things are slowly moving.
I am still not happy with my logo though. It needs work and I can't seem to find anyone who would give me a certificate which uses lard as a soap ingredient. This is just stupid. Because some cows had BSE some 10 years back, I cannot make soap with Pig Fat. But everyone can buy pig fat to cook and eat with. This is just wrong, wrong, wrong. If it is not safe for soapmaking, how can it be safe to eat ?????
Anyways, off to bed and shopping for supplies tomorrow. Then I can make soap and other goodies.
I am still not happy with my logo though. It needs work and I can't seem to find anyone who would give me a certificate which uses lard as a soap ingredient. This is just stupid. Because some cows had BSE some 10 years back, I cannot make soap with Pig Fat. But everyone can buy pig fat to cook and eat with. This is just wrong, wrong, wrong. If it is not safe for soapmaking, how can it be safe to eat ?????
Anyways, off to bed and shopping for supplies tomorrow. Then I can make soap and other goodies.
Wednesday, May 13, 2009
Sorry for not posting for a while. I literally had the floor pulled out from under my feet.
On the same weekend that I found out that my landlady has cancelled our rental contract I found out that I have been made redundant. This sent me into a spin of "rabbit in the headlights" and I am only just slowly coming out of it. Apparently a letter was sent to us in February (not recorded delivery) to cancel our rental contract by the 12th of May. I never recived that letter so when I found out we had less than 4 weeks to find a new place.
We managed to find one and were supposed to be moving in last weekend, but today I found out that it has fallen through. We have now overstayed our welcome here by 2 days and have nowhere to go. Thankfully, just before I went into hibernation to bury my head in the sand, I managed to grab an appointment with the housing officer here (apparently that was extremley lucky as they usually have a 3-month waiting-list) and I will see them tomorrow. As I am now job-less and there doesn't seem to be anything out there either (sorry, working at McD is not beneath me, but just doesn't pay the bills), I may finally have a chance at a council place. I have been on the housing list as a single mum since 1996, but as I have always been stupid enough to find my own place (even when that meant getting into debt and working 2 jobs), I never ever managed to even slowly move to the top of the list and actually have moved down.
Only issue I have is my cat, as we would not be able to take him to B&B / Hostel accomodation if that is all they will offer us. I am hoping to be able to get him fostered by the cat's protection league. He is not a very social cat and tends to fight quite a bit and all the friends who would be able to take a cat already have one or more.
So now I have the difficult taks to tell my current landlady that we are not able to move out by Friday and they are threatening us with legal action which we will have to pay for (from what ? If I have no job, I can't pay ????)
I am very stressed out right now and frazzled. Sadly the BF and my daughter are having to suffer from it the most, but it is a very scary position to be in.
4 years ago, I owned my own home and holidayed abroad 3-4 times a year, now the cardboard box is looming. I hate the credit crunch.....
I sit here content my thoughts and my feelings
Remembering who I used to be
The life I have now is much more appealing
No hurries no worries for me
A bench by the shore a coat for my pillow
A future with no guarantee
The world was a rat race and I had my fill oh
No hurries no worries for me
Homeless Happiness
My castle’s the stars and the sea
Homeless Happiness
If this door is freedom then I’ve found the key
Homeless Happiness by Madeleine Peyroux
On the same weekend that I found out that my landlady has cancelled our rental contract I found out that I have been made redundant. This sent me into a spin of "rabbit in the headlights" and I am only just slowly coming out of it. Apparently a letter was sent to us in February (not recorded delivery) to cancel our rental contract by the 12th of May. I never recived that letter so when I found out we had less than 4 weeks to find a new place.
We managed to find one and were supposed to be moving in last weekend, but today I found out that it has fallen through. We have now overstayed our welcome here by 2 days and have nowhere to go. Thankfully, just before I went into hibernation to bury my head in the sand, I managed to grab an appointment with the housing officer here (apparently that was extremley lucky as they usually have a 3-month waiting-list) and I will see them tomorrow. As I am now job-less and there doesn't seem to be anything out there either (sorry, working at McD is not beneath me, but just doesn't pay the bills), I may finally have a chance at a council place. I have been on the housing list as a single mum since 1996, but as I have always been stupid enough to find my own place (even when that meant getting into debt and working 2 jobs), I never ever managed to even slowly move to the top of the list and actually have moved down.
Only issue I have is my cat, as we would not be able to take him to B&B / Hostel accomodation if that is all they will offer us. I am hoping to be able to get him fostered by the cat's protection league. He is not a very social cat and tends to fight quite a bit and all the friends who would be able to take a cat already have one or more.
So now I have the difficult taks to tell my current landlady that we are not able to move out by Friday and they are threatening us with legal action which we will have to pay for (from what ? If I have no job, I can't pay ????)
I am very stressed out right now and frazzled. Sadly the BF and my daughter are having to suffer from it the most, but it is a very scary position to be in.
4 years ago, I owned my own home and holidayed abroad 3-4 times a year, now the cardboard box is looming. I hate the credit crunch.....
I sit here content my thoughts and my feelings
Remembering who I used to be
The life I have now is much more appealing
No hurries no worries for me
A bench by the shore a coat for my pillow
A future with no guarantee
The world was a rat race and I had my fill oh
No hurries no worries for me
Homeless Happiness
My castle’s the stars and the sea
Homeless Happiness
If this door is freedom then I’ve found the key
Homeless Happiness by Madeleine Peyroux
Wednesday, April 08, 2009
Thank you for the comments. Thankfully things have calmed down now. The girl who lost her mobile made a peace offering to my daughter and they no longer argue, but my daughter wont trust her anymore and has lost a friend. Still sad, but she has plenty of other girls to hang out with and funny enough, the other friends she has don't smoke or drink and seem to do well at school. So I am actually quite happy.
We have received the dreaded R word at work. I know 4 people from my department have to go. We are 52 in this department. But they wont tell us who goes and who stays until the 29th April. This is agony. This is like an extended Big Brother Nominations week. I can't relly make any plans until then and I am not sure if I should look for a new job or not. Am I safe ? I have no idea. From our department i have been with the company the longest. This may be a good thing, or it could backfire on me, as this means I am the highest earner due to previous annual pay-increases.
If they are not going to tell us until the 29th, why mention anything now ?? What is is with that stupid consultation period ? Consulting what ? The crystal ball ? I am sure they have already made up their mind who they want to see gone, so what's the point ? If I am one of the leavers what are they going to consult with me ? How high they are going to kick me out of the door ???
On the other hand I will get 18 weeks worth of pay, most of it tax free, so if it should happen, I think it's time to get the business off the ground and stop treating this as a hobby.
I made some more soap this week, and although it seized terribly on me, it ended up looking really good and smelly divine. Might try this again - croap soap inc....lol
We have received the dreaded R word at work. I know 4 people from my department have to go. We are 52 in this department. But they wont tell us who goes and who stays until the 29th April. This is agony. This is like an extended Big Brother Nominations week. I can't relly make any plans until then and I am not sure if I should look for a new job or not. Am I safe ? I have no idea. From our department i have been with the company the longest. This may be a good thing, or it could backfire on me, as this means I am the highest earner due to previous annual pay-increases.
If they are not going to tell us until the 29th, why mention anything now ?? What is is with that stupid consultation period ? Consulting what ? The crystal ball ? I am sure they have already made up their mind who they want to see gone, so what's the point ? If I am one of the leavers what are they going to consult with me ? How high they are going to kick me out of the door ???
On the other hand I will get 18 weeks worth of pay, most of it tax free, so if it should happen, I think it's time to get the business off the ground and stop treating this as a hobby.
I made some more soap this week, and although it seized terribly on me, it ended up looking really good and smelly divine. Might try this again - croap soap inc....lol
Tuesday, March 17, 2009
It is a mystery - I am stumped....and I don't know what to do....
Friday night my daughter Vic's best friend slept over. We were sitting on the sofa watching TV and the girls were giggling and playing around on their mobiles (typical 13-year-olds). We asked them to go to bed at 9:30pm. They got up, went to the kitchen for some night-time supplies (god I wish I still had their metabolism) and then into the bathroom to do their hair, go to the toilet and clean their teeth. My daughter decided to have a shower and wash her hair. While she was in the shower, her friend said she can't find her mobile. Vic was still in the shower and asked her to ring it from her phone. Her friend said it came back with "currently unavailable". She looked for it and when Vic came out of the shower they both started looking for it, but couldn't find it. They went to bed, thinking it would re-appear in the morning. The next morning, they looked everywhere, but no luck. They woke me up at 8:30am to help them look. I was working nights that day, so I would have normally had a lie-in, but no such luck - I was pestered into submission to help look for it. No luck. Her friend's mum came round and shouted at her daughter for losing a brand new mobile. I told her that I was going to do the spring cleaning this week and that I was sure it would turn up somewhere. She grumped and left - I assumed she was just angry at her daughter.
At about 11am the mum rings me and screeches at me that we are a family of thieves and that she is calling the police and how dare I not have finished the housework yet, when her daughter's phone was missing. Hello ? I had a 12-hour nightshift ahead of me and was woken up at 8:30 already.
BF and me decided to go on a mission to find the darn thing. We started in the kitchen - nothing. We looked under the fridge, inside the bins and every single drawer. Nada
Bathroom - not many places to hide things there and also no luck.
Daughter's bedroom - we took the place apart. Matress off the bed, every single drawer and box in there, the wardrobe, behind and under every shelf. Nothing. (and hell on earth must be a teenager's bedroom)
We checked the whole front room. Under the sofa, around the shelves, behind the TV - nothing.
Short of taking up the floorboards, we have searched the whole house. The phone is nowhere to be found.
Mum rings back at 4 and again threatens me with the police. I say, fell free to call them and send a sniffer dog round, but we cannot find this phone. No one has left the house, no one came round and there was nowhere left for my daughter to hide the phone, should she have taken it, which she was accused of. So mum now accuses me or the BF to have stolen it. WTF ??? It is a nice phone, but probably worth about £20 on the street (if I would know anyone who would buy it). Why would I want to steal it ? Of my daughter's best friend ???
My daughter is being treated like a criminal by us at the moment and she and her bags are searched everytime she leaves the house - I feel bad about it, but have explained to her that at least if the police comes round, I can confirm that Vic hasn't taken it out of the house. She is ok with it. (in a grumpy teenager kind of way). Thankfully she trusts me and doesn't feel too put out by me going through her pockets. She hasn't got anything to hide.
But I still don't understand the disappearing phone. The only person who did leave the house unchecked was Vic's best friend when she went home in the morning. But why would she claim that she had lost her mobile - she only had it for 2 weeks and it was the one she wanted ? And why do it round her best friend's house ?? My daughter has no reason to steal it, she has the phone she wants and doesn't even like that particular phone as it is a slider and she keeps breaking those.
The girls were together all evening - like typical 13-year-olds, glued together at the hips. The only time they were seperate was the 15 minutes while my daughter was in the shower and that was when her friend lost her phone. How can you lose a mobile between the kitchen and the bathroom ??? It's a Victorian Semi we live in, not a footballers mansion.
My BF and me were sitting on the sofa at the time and didn't move, other than to get more drinks from the kitchen.
Her mum claims she called the mobile operator and they said the last call received was at 9pm and at 10 past 10 that evening the phone was physically switched off and she insists that the phone was fully charged and had batteries left for another 3 days. My daughter says the phone was nearly empty when they were on the sofa, as they were taking photos of everything and generally played around with it. At 10 past 10 my daughter was in the shower, and my BF and me were sitting on the sofa. I know as I shouted that it was way past bedtime and that I would switch the hot water off at quarter past, if she wouldn't get a move on. And how come the call from my daughter's mobile to her friend's mobile never registered ?
Something really stinks here. Her friend now tells everyone at school that my daughter is a thief and no one talks to her anymore.
This is what is says on my daughter's facebook today:
Vickie wishes she was dead sometimes.
This makes me so sad. I don't know what to do and what the hell happened here......
Anyone got any ideas ????
No song either today - too freaked out
Friday night my daughter Vic's best friend slept over. We were sitting on the sofa watching TV and the girls were giggling and playing around on their mobiles (typical 13-year-olds). We asked them to go to bed at 9:30pm. They got up, went to the kitchen for some night-time supplies (god I wish I still had their metabolism) and then into the bathroom to do their hair, go to the toilet and clean their teeth. My daughter decided to have a shower and wash her hair. While she was in the shower, her friend said she can't find her mobile. Vic was still in the shower and asked her to ring it from her phone. Her friend said it came back with "currently unavailable". She looked for it and when Vic came out of the shower they both started looking for it, but couldn't find it. They went to bed, thinking it would re-appear in the morning. The next morning, they looked everywhere, but no luck. They woke me up at 8:30am to help them look. I was working nights that day, so I would have normally had a lie-in, but no such luck - I was pestered into submission to help look for it. No luck. Her friend's mum came round and shouted at her daughter for losing a brand new mobile. I told her that I was going to do the spring cleaning this week and that I was sure it would turn up somewhere. She grumped and left - I assumed she was just angry at her daughter.
At about 11am the mum rings me and screeches at me that we are a family of thieves and that she is calling the police and how dare I not have finished the housework yet, when her daughter's phone was missing. Hello ? I had a 12-hour nightshift ahead of me and was woken up at 8:30 already.
BF and me decided to go on a mission to find the darn thing. We started in the kitchen - nothing. We looked under the fridge, inside the bins and every single drawer. Nada
Bathroom - not many places to hide things there and also no luck.
Daughter's bedroom - we took the place apart. Matress off the bed, every single drawer and box in there, the wardrobe, behind and under every shelf. Nothing. (and hell on earth must be a teenager's bedroom)
We checked the whole front room. Under the sofa, around the shelves, behind the TV - nothing.
Short of taking up the floorboards, we have searched the whole house. The phone is nowhere to be found.
Mum rings back at 4 and again threatens me with the police. I say, fell free to call them and send a sniffer dog round, but we cannot find this phone. No one has left the house, no one came round and there was nowhere left for my daughter to hide the phone, should she have taken it, which she was accused of. So mum now accuses me or the BF to have stolen it. WTF ??? It is a nice phone, but probably worth about £20 on the street (if I would know anyone who would buy it). Why would I want to steal it ? Of my daughter's best friend ???
My daughter is being treated like a criminal by us at the moment and she and her bags are searched everytime she leaves the house - I feel bad about it, but have explained to her that at least if the police comes round, I can confirm that Vic hasn't taken it out of the house. She is ok with it. (in a grumpy teenager kind of way). Thankfully she trusts me and doesn't feel too put out by me going through her pockets. She hasn't got anything to hide.
But I still don't understand the disappearing phone. The only person who did leave the house unchecked was Vic's best friend when she went home in the morning. But why would she claim that she had lost her mobile - she only had it for 2 weeks and it was the one she wanted ? And why do it round her best friend's house ?? My daughter has no reason to steal it, she has the phone she wants and doesn't even like that particular phone as it is a slider and she keeps breaking those.
The girls were together all evening - like typical 13-year-olds, glued together at the hips. The only time they were seperate was the 15 minutes while my daughter was in the shower and that was when her friend lost her phone. How can you lose a mobile between the kitchen and the bathroom ??? It's a Victorian Semi we live in, not a footballers mansion.
My BF and me were sitting on the sofa at the time and didn't move, other than to get more drinks from the kitchen.
Her mum claims she called the mobile operator and they said the last call received was at 9pm and at 10 past 10 that evening the phone was physically switched off and she insists that the phone was fully charged and had batteries left for another 3 days. My daughter says the phone was nearly empty when they were on the sofa, as they were taking photos of everything and generally played around with it. At 10 past 10 my daughter was in the shower, and my BF and me were sitting on the sofa. I know as I shouted that it was way past bedtime and that I would switch the hot water off at quarter past, if she wouldn't get a move on. And how come the call from my daughter's mobile to her friend's mobile never registered ?
Something really stinks here. Her friend now tells everyone at school that my daughter is a thief and no one talks to her anymore.
This is what is says on my daughter's facebook today:
Vickie wishes she was dead sometimes.
This makes me so sad. I don't know what to do and what the hell happened here......
Anyone got any ideas ????
No song either today - too freaked out
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