I hate flytippers

Among the many things I dislike, some of the highest rating have to be flytippers. The area I live is sparsely populated. Most of it is farmland and marsh but all of it beautiful and at times quite tranquil. It is however becoming more and more common to find people's unwanted appliances, car tyres and furniture dumped without a care at the side of the road or down a dyke. Why these mindless idiots cannot simply drive a few miles to the local recycling centre is quite beyond me. The latest item to be dumped at the side of the road between here and Sutton Bridge is a leather sofa.

I suspect it will sit there for quite some time before it's removed. There is a real and sad lack of interest in the countryside and our surroundings in general. If it's not on their doorstep then people don't care where they dump their rubbish.

A turn up for the books...

I visited my mum this morning with my son. I often go on a Friday and we have breakfast there. My mum cooks a mean breakfast. While I was there, my mum asked me to check her lottery ticket. She had tried to check the numbers on Freeview but was having problems. The truth is that despite being shown hundred of times, she cannot grasp the technology. So grudgingly, I brought the numbers up on the kitchen TV and started the check the ticket. As I read across, each number matched those on the ticket. I continued circling them until we had five numbers circled - five out of a possible six. Unable to believe my eyes, I checked and double checked before calling to mum. At first, neither my mum or dad believed me but we agreed I would shoot down to their local store to get the ticket checked. As they aren't on the Internet I couldn't do it there.
Arriving at the store I asked the assistant to runt he ticket through the machine. I could see the look on her face as the winnings were displayed on the screen. She excitedly informed me that we had won £1,076!
I had to wait a few minutes for the store owner to return to the shop. He needed to get the money from the safe.
I returned to my parent's home and gave them the money. Kindly, they let me have £150 and put the same to one side for my sister. Despite their faults which often drive me to the edge of despair they are certainly very generous and I love them dearly.
So, it just goes to show that I can happen to you...

Austerity Britain

So it's the last day of June and there is much talk about the effects of the economy on 'everyday people'. I've normally taken it with a pinch of salt, after all some are better off than others and the newspapers do like to exaggerate things. But I do actually believe that most people are beginning to feel the effects of lower income and higher food and fuel prices. For me, the signs are already here - we're short of bread, we're low on squash, we're out of kitchen towels, I've used the last of the eggs and I'm constantly reminded not to use too much washing-up liquid. These things may seem trivial but they are real signs that things are changing. I never used to worry about where the next loaf of bread was coming from and I would use three towels when one would do. I've run out of white paper in my printer so I have to use bright yellow and anything else spare provided it fits. Little things but sure signs that the money simply isn't there for the 'little extras'.
Things have never been quite like this before. I know for some, struggling to find the money for everyday essentials is normal. However, I think for many, this is a new phenomenon. I've a feeling though it's something we're all going to have to get used to.
The self-sufficient lifestyle is fast becoming more and more relevant. We pay £1 for six eggs at our local roadside fruit and veg stall. We eat a lot of eggs. I am particularly fond of them. So do we start keeping chickens? A lot of people in this area do and they are never short of eggs as a result, most choosing to sell the surplus. My tomato plants will in time provide enough fruit to keep us supplied each month. If successful, I intend to plant some more. I have ten plants currently.
To be honest, I would really like a polytunnel. This would enable me to grow all sorts of things but we don't really have the space unless I dig up one side of the garden. Then there's the cost and I don't think it's cheap.
Would be nice though...

Such a difference...

Being diabetic and suffering depression, I take a lot of tablets each day. The long-term effects of this daily cocktail are unknown - basically no one knows as they haven't been tested long enough. So I choose to place enormous trust in my doctor and other specialists, just as many thousands of other people do each day.
I don't really have a problem with this. I know by the look and tone of my diabetic nurse that there is a big risk of me developing complications. My life could end a lot earlier than normal - the estimate is ten years - and each visit places me one step nearer insulin. I'm currently on tablets to control the condition.
The depression has been something more difficult to control. It comes and goes of its own free will but the last few months have certainly seen a huge improvement - well I think so anyway. I think this is due largely to a couple of tablets I take each day. One in particular, Mirtazapine is a very effective little tablet. I used to take it last thing at night. I would be asleep within minutes but waking in the morning was difficult. It sends me into a very deep sleep with vivid almost life-like dreams. I would be tired all morning the following day and energy would be seriously lacking. But yesterday I was told by my specialist that I was taking the tablet at the wrong time of the day. Instead of late at night, I should be taking it early evening. That way the effects would not be felt the next day. So that's what I did and lo and behold I feel great. I didn't have to struggle out of bed this morning and for the first time in ages, I feel awake. In fact I'm so awake, I can type this blog entry.
So there we have it... such a big difference from a relatively small thing. Incredible.

Storms and little black midges

After a couple of humid sultry days, it's now cooler damp and stormy. Also there are hundreds of little black midges everywhere. I hate them. Somehow they work their way into every crevice and I can even see the buggers crawling inside my computer screen! How the hell did they get in there?
As I type this, a storm is overhead. I'm half expecting the power to go off so I'm saving as often as I can. I do have a big generator in the garden. It's big enough to power the house but the battery's dead. My wife tells me we don't have the money for a new one. The thunder is getting heavier and it's raining heavily. Little man will be inside this afternoon at big school. No field games today I'm afraid...

Lightning Detector

Heat

I'm really not enjoying this heat. We're simply not used to it in this country. It's a shock to the system when we get any significant sunshine. I just was not built for a warm climate. I cannot function properly. It is perfectly true that we're never happy. We moan when it's cool and we moan when it's hot. I do believe the weather is a British obsession. But one thing's for sure - I hate this oppressive heat. Tomorrow is supposed to be even warmer but we're forecast heavy rain and storms from 3pm onwards so some respite is in sight... I must sound terrible. I know there are people who simply love this kind of weather. They strip off and go about with as little on as they can get away with. Others light a BBQ at the first sign of sunshine (in-laws). I'm sweating now as I type this though I suspect it's more to do with my diabetes than the weather. I was force-fed a mini-pavlova earlier with fresh cream, decorated with raspberries and strawberries. I know I shouldn't, but there's a lot I shouldn't do but I do... life would be so boring otherwise.

V-log progress, good food & getting old

I'm making progress finally with my v-log. I've been having no end of problems with MS Movie Maker which seems to have a mind of its own. The constant crashing and freezing drove me mad so I just had to find something more stable and reliable. I eventually found it - Serif MoviePlus X5 - it really is superb with every special effect imaginable. It took a while to master but I've got the hang of the basics and I've nearly completed my first v-log. In fact it should be ready for uploading to YouTube tomorrow evening. There are two items in the v-log, my tomato plants and a small piece about my generator - both on the subject of self-sufficiency. I'm hoping it will be of interest to someone.

Probably the food retailer's best kept secret has to be Farmfoods. I began shopping there a few months ago more out of curiosity than anything else. The stores are basic but the quality and range of food is excellent. Prices are good too and £10 can really go a long way. So that's my recommendation to anyone looking to save money but not compromise on quality. Advertisement over.

There may be some good news regarding my lost money. I'd read recently that most purchases made using a credit card are protected under Section 75 of the Consumer Credit Act. Until recently this did not extend to debit cards but now it does. As my parents funded my training, they made an appointment with their bank and I understand it all went very well. We have some forms to fill in and I need to send copies of the various letters we have sent including stuff from the solicitor and the court. If they do refund the initial fee (£1,140) that'll be great. I will send details of the solicitor fees we had to pay (a further £1,000) in the hope taht they may look kindly on this also. Well, it's worth a try...

It's supposed to be getting hot apparently. Well not here yet. I'm by the Wash and it's been cloudy all day. OK it's been humid but nowhere near the sizzling temperatures predicted. Tomorrow is supposed to be properly hot... Call me boring but I hate it, especially that stifling heat you simply can't escape. The only thing I enjoy about hot weather is the inevitable storm that follows. I believe there are storms forecast for Tuesday.

I'm more sure than ever that I'm 'getting old'. I used to be able to do many things at the same time and listen to several things going on around me. Now though I just can't seem to cope with more than one thing. Quite often, my son will be having a grizzle about something in one ear and the TV news or something similar is going in the other. I find more and more that my head just cannot cope with it. I actually feel it overloading. OMG, I am becoming so much like my father. I make strange noises when I get up and down, I moan about the cost of everyday things, I don't like too much noise and my son's running about the lounge after dinner gives me indigestion. I'm 38 for goodness sake!

I want to go to Lowestoft tomorrow. There's a vintage bus rally down there organised by the East Anglia Transport Museum. But we can't go... I've been told by my wife that we can't afford it. The truth is the event is actually free but the petrol we certainly can't afford. It seems that days out and trips in the car are things of luxury. It's so sad that we now can't afford to travel, to see friends and family or to take a trip to somewhere different. It seems we're not alone, I heard on the radio that more and more people are cutting back on trips in the car. So sad...

I shot some footage today of the model railway I'm building. I've taken many photos but never taken any video. I'm quite pleased with the raw footage and after a bit of editing, I'm sure I can make it into short video for YouTube. I have a channel on YouTube, 'MattLincs' where I upload everything to. Wow, I am becoming creative...