You can never have enough...

[popeye333]

I Had wondered Hunni.

When I was in the shared room after having my knee done. The woman next to me really plastered it on.. I had been told but wasn't sure that it was easier for Hips.

She wouldn't do anything.. She had a fall at home. But she wouldn't get up, walk to the toilet or anything UNTIL her brother came in. He was going to be looking after her for a week, strictly 7 days. And she needed to get herself to the toilet. And not muck him around or he would leave... he Obviously knew what she was like. She started walking that day.

For me my worst part was the short calf muscles. I still get knee pain when I've over done things... So as annoying as it is, its also handy that it makes me stop.

Kiwimade do they do left hand can openers too? I imagine they can be tricky. One of my lefty friends uses an electric opener.. Im guessing that makes it easier.

Used to be a guy at the Local Winz office who although right handed he used the mouse in his left hand.

Glasses money all sorted, My appointment is next week.. After 8 years its no wonder they dont fit and dont work much lol.

---

Well Bugger me...

They are cool.. and I really think I would like a left handed ruler. They make sence.

Saw lefty can openers.

What about Slide Rulers Kiwimade? I used to drive my 5th form Maths teacher Nuts cos I used it back to front to the rest of the class and he hated that I got everything right.

Saw a post in the Dull mens club on FB about slide rulers, the guy I think it was called them "Our Generations Calculators lol.

[kiwimade64]

I haven't seen left handed slide rulers, but I suspect they are no longer being used thanks to our fancy calculators. And yes, I fight the can opener every time. Thank goodness for the tab pulling things on most cans now.

Arrrgggg John Campbell... he drives me nuts with his faffing around. It's bad enough listening to this budget without him stuttering and trying to be funny.

[popeye333]

I never used to like John Campbell.

But I prefer him to Jack now. So Im not bothered by him today. lol

[Oh_hunnihunni]

Both of them are good interviewers, and intelligent men.

---

I haven't seen left handed slide rulers, but I suspect they are no longer being used thanks to our fancy calculators.  And yes, I fight the can opener every time.  Thank goodness for the tab pulling things on most cans now.

Arrrgggg John Campbell... he drives me nuts with his faffing around.  It's bad enough listening to this budget without him stuttering and trying to be funny.

I am avoiding everything after she delivered the budget. Saves brain cells, lol.

[kiwimade64]

morning ladies We have rain for a change lol. Maybe it will wash the streaks off the windows Yesterday I washed the windows, inside and out. I should have left the outside until this morning when the day was dull. I suspect though, a new blade is needed for the Karcher.

Not much happening here today, just the usual daily routines. MrK needs a blood test. They tried to take blood the other day but nope, his body refused to give any. First time ever. When they put the lure in for his CT scan he bled happily though. Could be the phlebotomist was new.

Time to start the day

[Oh_hunnihunni]

I have a minor eye thing and have given up contacts till it heals, so I am rediscovering what the world looks like with very fuzzy edges, lol. It is surprising just how much I can still accomplish with whatever held an inch from my nose, but I must admit I am looking forward to being able to cook a proper meal, can't risk that blind as a bat. Meanwhile cheese and crackers make a very tasty dinner.

I scored another salvia in the chuck out bin this week km, it is another rampant grower that something fell on in the shop, so after a good cut back ended up at half price for me to scoop up. It has red calyxes with pink petals, so I shall put it and it's cutting clones (when it throws a few more stems) in among the purple ones, should be excellent fillers! That and a lavender coloured lantana on a single stem came home with me. I'm going to pot that up for the courtyard and also strike cuttings for the communal gardens as a filler. I have already put in a similarly coloured spreading geranium which is going mad in the poor neglected soil, low growing, scented leaves, perfect for those abandoned places, and so pretty when it flowers. The two should be happy companions.

[kiwimade64]

That was a good find, OHH. It all sounds very colourful Love it when we find garden bargains. One plant I bought over summer was full price until the garden center owner said, oh, that thing collapses and isn't any good in hanging baskets (not what I wanted it for lol). He gave it to me for half price; it hasn't collapsed and is growing like mad in the garden lol.

MrK has decided to give up some of his vegie plots so I have 'acquired' them. low growing salvias will be planted to encourage bees around the vegies. He loves the idea too which is a bonus

[Roma]

Good morning. 

Dull, cold day with no sun ... yet.

School duty this morning with encouragement needed to the 5 yo not wanting to go because of an activity happening outside the safety of the classroom. Hopefully all good,  now the teacher onboard with the "fear".

Nearly back to normal now,  with Mr R also much improved with the sore throat nearly gone ... 10 days we're glad to have behind us!

No plan today. Look forward to getting some plants for the garden/pots ... maybe over the weekend. 

Stay warm and enjoy the day all.

[popeye333]

Morning everyone

Slept like a log. Must have been warmer in the depth of winter nightie lol.

Big rain clouds out but not leaking as yet lol.

Hoping to get into the sewing room today to put the smaller stuff into the only pantry left for craft stuff. Ive stolen two for pantries lol.

And Ill start decanting boxes into crates.

Finally did some diamond painting last night. God its going to be wonderful to not have to hold a magnifying glass while I work.

The Budget just seems to be a we want money in the coffers and stuff the people of the country... But the oddest thing to me is the payment or none payment for 18-19 and 20 year olds.. Has to work on the parents income.

They are old enough to vote at 18, so now they are making Mum and Dad be the wager payer not the Govt. Just seems crazy.. I can imagine there will be familys blown apart, jobs are hard enough to find. It will make things worse rather than better. The only thing I hope is that it does help make these young adults look harder for work.. Glad I dont know anyone that age.

Right need to get sorted. Already on a slow start lol

[Lilith7]

Bastards R us budget - well it was always going to be from this lot. Any govt which wants to take food from hungry kids was never going to come up with a budget to benefit those in dire need. I suspect that the combination of the kick in the teeth they delivered to women & this dire budget may well be enough to make them a one term govt..."they're worth it."...

And of course this will also increase the numbers of young people beetling off to Oz to live & work.


Cold & frosty here but now sunny, having problem turning on hard drive so sweetie darling trying to find timeto check it for me later.

[Lilith7]

Friday funny this week has an Alan Carr clip.

[Jan]

Popeye It’s only wealthy parents who are going to have to pay for their kids if they go on the benefit - why shouldn’t they - Hipkins keeps saying they should pay more tax so look at it like a tax - same as the increase in KiwiSaver contributions by the company and decrease in the tax payer liability another increase in company tax .There is no reason why any job seeker shouldn’t be working in Napier - there are vacancies everywhere - Robie has 24 vacancies - start rate is $32.67 - clean uniform supplied you just swap it out even have a shoe shine .Foodstuffs just topped NZ for the best training schemes and mentoring but working in a supermarket is not everybody’s ideal - but it is a job .He has started the school up because there are so many turning up who can’t read or count - if they choose they work 6 hours then go upstairs to school 2 hours - get paid 8 hours - so far it’s working out really well - they don’t want to stay in recycling and know if the want to drive a forklift or work in IT they can do it .He has had a creche for 15 years - that has been brilliant - instead of putting their babies in childcare they are upstairs with two trained childcare ladies - when baby needs feeding upstairs Mum goes to feed them - entirely voluntary and limited numbers - the mothers love it .His supermarket is not a bad place to work .He has another scheme going families can chose to take your 4 weeks annual leave in the holidays and he has Uni students come in - some of the Mums leave a minimal amount in the kitty each week to pay for extra leave so they don’t need any childcare but get to spend the holidays with their kids - the Uni students have no student loan and the family wins .I certainly don’t think it’s wrong if either of my sons had to support their kids .
I am pleased Hipkins has admitted that the costs had blown out on the wage parity scheme and admitted they would not revert to his legislation - the facts are there for all to see so few settlements were reached in 6 years but as soon as Labour decided the taxpayers would pick up the tab for expenses it became a 5 star junket for executives ,lawyers, HR managers and every other hanger on to stay in 5 star hotels stalling proceedings every which way hence so few settlements were reached .James Shaw was responsible for my grandaughter being involved - he worked very closely with her when she was setting up the community law clinic - if he was still around she would probably have need up in parliament .She does brilliant work in the community - so many women don’t receive their final pay or bonds not repaid - an email from a lawyer does the trick might only be a couple of hundred dollars owing but it’s so unfair
It’s interesting that Hipkins main criticism of the budget is the govt should have borrowed more and taxed more - during Covid his govt borrowed 71billion accruing 3% interest - money that was definitely needed BUT they gave 19 BILLION to the overseas very lucrative banks at less than a quarter percent which means the tax payers were subsidising these Ozzie banks hundreds of millions a year - the Ozzie govt didn’t give them billions - but the point I find particularly difficult to ignore the kiwi tax payers are still subsidising them 9 billion still has not been repaid - so despite them recording huge profits post Covid kiwi tax payers are still subsidising them .I for one can think of many things the 9 BILLION could be spent on as well as the hundreds of millions we are paying in interest for them to make a profit .Robertson somehow tied the money up so this govt just have to wait .I haven’t voted for a major party since Norm Kirk but the audit I was involved in of the billions that have just disappeared through the ministry of housing and this money that the overseas banks owe us and this govts intention to mine - I doubt I will be voting for either of the main parties anytime soon
Rant over Hunni!

[Jan]

Just a heads up butter is going to be in short supply- Fonterra have sent all the butter overseas they are not happy with kiwi shoppers complaining so the supermarkets are having to source elsewhere - good chance for the independents to expand if they can get the farmers to supply them .Foodstuffs owned their own factory but the Commerce Commission made them sell it to Fonterra - Foodstuffs could do with it now

[Oh_hunnihunni]

I bought sunflower marge this week for the first time for years. Sad, but $9 for 500grams for NZ made butter is just plain silly. Fonterra is having a laugh at our expense. Soon it'll be cheaper to buy the cream and make our own again, easy enough with a food processor. Just a pain...

One of my butterflies as broken out of its chrysalis, a boy, wings pumped up nicely and it looks healthy, so that is a special pleasure. And the builders have carted down the old rimu pelmet from the refurbed flat for me, after I mentioned I could use it for garden edging. They're a nice bunch this time round, no portaloo and very considerate of us lot with their noisy tools. Now I just need the seedling grass to get a bit stronger so I can put the edging in on one side, it'll replace a rather warped board I put there seven years ago and stop my spent potting mix donations cascading downhill.

Scavenging pays around there, lol!

And Jan? About the budget, are the Nats trying to grow the prison industry or what? More beds and ppp developments of new prisons? That works soooo well overseas... (???)

[kiwimade64]

I do like that you can start saving in Kiwisaver at 16 years old now. Seemed silly if a 16 year old has started work, they couldn't start a kiwisaver account. And the rates rebate has been lowered for gold card owners. Nicola Willis refuses to call it an austerity budget. I'll happily disagree with her. Yes, we had to borrow BUT National also knew that and agreed to it. Labour didn't just go out and borrow the money, they knew times were unusual and checked in with National. And yes, we knew there would be belt tightening because of it. But this is ridiculous and mean. But at least we aren't the USA with their massive debt. I read their debt to GDP is something like 128%. And we don't have the orange clown. Mind you, we seem to have our own clowns at times. *looks at Shane Jones* Oh, and National blaming Labour for everything is wearing very thin. They have been in government for 18 months now, time to give that cliche a rest.

[Praktica]

Was it here or somewhere else that someone was talking about making their own butter? At paknsave Pam's cream is $4.39 for 500ml - that evidently gives around 420g of butter, after whipping and washing.

[popeye333]

Have to agree Kiwimade.

National are still blaming Labour. National didnt have to lead us during a Pandemic.

Im kinda pleased of that fact.

Understand the parent kid thing better now, Thanks Jan.

I think I will get more butter, thank god it can be frozen. And that I have a little extra to stock up. I Still haven't tried the stretching method with sun flower oil. yet.

I spent the morning emptying boxes in the sewing room. I can now sew if I want.

Have taken The empty banana boxes to the spare room and started emptying smaller boxes into them. They just look tidier. Will do more tomorrow. I Must stack them on the table I have out the front. So when it fines up I can pop them out the front for free.

Thats one good thing here, the boxes do the rounds, theres always people wanting and people passing them on lol.

[Oh_hunnihunni]

Was it here or somewhere else that someone was talking about making their own butter? At paknsave Pam's cream is $4.39 for 500ml - that evidently gives around 420g of butter, after whipping and washing.

Me. I have done it, during my Self Sufficiency phase. Made cheese too. Not hard. (Soft cheese ... )

That was when I learned how to kill and butcher pigs too...

[popeye333]

Was it here or somewhere else that someone was talking about making their own butter? At paknsave Pam's cream is $4.39 for 500ml - that evidently gives around 420g of butter, after whipping and washing.

Me. I have done it, during my Self Sufficiency phase. Made cheese too. Not hard. (Soft cheese ... )

That was when I learned how to kill and butcher pigs too...

I have found I enjoy playing to meat. Deboning roasts etc.  Its very satisfying. 

I always helped when we used to be able afford whole animals etc.. 

The only thing I wont do is empty chickens lol.. Thats just tooo gross for me lol.

[Lilith7]

I bought sunflower marge this week for the first time for years. Sad, but $9 for 500grams for NZ made butter is just plain silly. Fonterra is having a laugh at our expense. Soon it'll be cheaper to buy the cream and make our own again, easy enough with a food processor. Just a pain...

One of my butterflies as broken out of its chrysalis, a boy, wings pumped up nicely and it looks healthy, so that is a special pleasure. And the builders have carted down the old rimu pelmet from the refurbed flat for me, after I mentioned I could use it for garden edging. They're a nice bunch this time round, no portaloo and very considerate of us lot with their noisy tools. Now I just need the seedling grass to get a bit stronger so I can put the edging in on one side, it'll replace a rather warped board I put there seven years ago and stop my spent potting mix donations cascading downhill.

Scavenging pays around there, lol!

And Jan? About the budget, are the Nats trying to grow the prison industry or what? More beds and ppp developments of new prisons? That works soooo well overseas... (???)

When times are tough, crime goes up. And rather than look at other means, they build prisons...