SKI-er or Sk-ater. We know how to enjoy ourselves

A question about : SKI-er or Sk-ater. We know how to enjoy ourselves

I have deleted the original post. I have been reading the os tough and other threads and cannot bear the idea of spending money on fripperies for me and dh. So many people are in dire need and tbh I feel that throwing money away is obscene so I have changed focus. I am drip feeding things to our three grown up children, things like a box of meat, a basket of lovely shower gels and so on. I have given them my good food processor, my kenwood chef, soon a de-humidifier and on it goes. We have a local box for a salvation army food bank and I just buy some extra foods and put them in. Gone are any thoughts of cruises and expensive holidays, so I am no longer a ski-er. I resign

Best answers:

• Thanks for starting the new thread, kittie.
  Just noticed you don't have a SKI-ers number and you're the one who has started both the threads! Why don't you call yourself Honourary Member of the SKI-ers club?
  Most of our SKI-ing is/will be done in the UK and Europe. I don't think there will be any long-haul trips.
• I am more of a Skater than a Skier, not having any kids, with a team of similarly situated friends. So far this year we have had a month in Tenerife in Jan-Feb (to be repeated, what wonderful sunshine, not to mention fresh fish ) and an Easter excursion to Chichester in West Sussex.
  The South of France out of season also looks interesting for later in the year.
  Where are all your favourite spots?
• We too prefer Europe, not into long haul flights, and prefer to drive now as we have the time. It's not the flying it's the hanging around.
  We did France for 20+ years until we bought the house in Spain via ready erected camping and then our own touring caravan. We love France, and I have more French than Spanish. Still have the 'van and are off in that shortly to Belgium/Holland. we like Paris, Monaco is worth seeing, as is St Tropez, for people watching. Aigues Mortes is a nice old town on the Camargue, we ended up staying there for 4 holidays as the camp site outside was just what our teenage son wanted, and as we said, we can sit and drink red wine under any tree in France if he was happy. Now we can please ourselves. This trip we will be looking around the battlefields of Ypres, the diamond centre of Antwerp, and the Flower Festival in Holland. We fancy a "Grand Tour" of Italy which could take 5-6 weeks, under consideration for next year. We will also be out and about in the UK with the 'van too. Our problem is we just run out of time!
  DG
• I thought this year I'd go self catering in the UK. Fancy Devon but after looking at zillions of websites it would appear it will cost me Ј1k in accom/food/petrol/treats/booze for two weeks
  I could have a month in Malta in the winter for that kind of money. Don't mind Skating, but that kind of layout for that kind of holiday feels like spending money like a drunken sailor.
• sensible thinking errata. We got 2 weeks in Madeira last january at a good price and I feel that its more beneficial in the winter and during school term time. The best thing was flying from our local airport. Just a quick taxi ride and we were there. Lovely atmosphere in a clean quiet airport. I cannot face heathrow or gatwick these days. Winter has certainly felt a lot shorter this year
• I have decided that what I am doing to my wardrobe can be classed as ski-ing. I bought myself a very good overlocker (could have done with it 30 tears ago when I made everything) and have set up my study for sewing. I bought a dressform, which I have padded to my body double (and keep covered of course). I bought a stash of fabric, starting with lovely baby material but graduating to grown up material, a set of patterns for ME and all the accessories I need.
  I have started to sew for ME (making baby clothes in between of course). I needed to re-vamp my skills so have made bits and pieces in cheaper fabric and if the pattern is good and fits beautifully then it goes into a special ME box to be utilised on lovely fabrics like silks and cotton jersey
  The ski-ing part comes in now because I have decided to get rid of anything I don`t like in my wardrobe and that is most of it. A bit at a time of course eg 1 item in and 3 out. No more make do and mend for me
• I was out yesterday looking at new kitchens. I have had the existing one since the house was built 19 years ago so I think I deserve a new one. We are getting the house ready to sell and downsize in a couple of years but I might as well get some pleasure out of a new kitchen. My DH has finally come to the realisation that to get a decent price for the property we need to modernise it a bit. I don't intend to spend a fortune, just enough to make it look good. We are flying to Valencia next week (got cheap flights) so will be in your part of the world Donny-gal. We're renting a car and travelling to Javea and that area as a number of people on here have said it a lovely area. We had originally planned to look at property there but have decided against it due to all the bad press so will just treat it as a holiday. I am 52 and my DH is 56. Our youngest will be 18 in 3 years so that is when DH plans to retire. In the meantime we keep changing our minds as to what we want to do, where we want to live etc. Is this an age thing do you think? We can't seem to make a decision to save our lives and keep jumping from one thing to another. We were not generally like this before although we were never great risk takers.
• I think that in general, in my opinion, broadly speaking (that should satisfy everyone ) we become more risk averse as we age. Youngsters hardly ever consider the worst case scenario, which is why they join the services and fight in the front line but the 'old hands' are way at the back directing operations.
  Maybe the trick to coming to a decision about a new kitchen or a new life is to list the criteria the new has to meet. I dunno, looking back most of my big decisions have been made on the spur of the moment, and some of them were the right ones.
• Francophile I felt like you 4 years ago. Our children had left the nest and the two dd`s were recently married and the son has a lifelong relationship, so they are all taken care of. It was my dh having his first hip re-surfacing that made me decide (and lets face it, it is we women who make the major decisions, only the men don`t always realise). Looking after him, the large house, the large garden and a menagerie of pets including a horse. I was exhausted and had a flash of what the future might hold if one of us became ill.
  I was 56 at the time and we started by getting rid of STUFF. The stored things in the loft and the un-used stables. The more space there was, the more we accumulated. We gave most away to very grateful people and that was a delight in itself. Then we decided to downsize to release cash because my dh had two more years on half salary before retiring at 60 (company policy and he was a director but stepped down to half salary)
  We sold the house and moved to rented for a while. We dithered between Penrith or anywhere else really. The Penrith eco house fell through and we took that as a sign, then we walked into this place in Wales, which offered a whole lifestyle to us. A new town house with neighbours and lots of acres. It is fab and we have never looked back. Our energy bills are a fraction of what they were and cleaning is a doddle but storage is limited. So out with the old brown ercol and in with the modular light oiled oak. It was like staring again after being married
  My suggestion is to take baby steps, one thing at a time and do it while you are young enough because the downsizing was exhausting and backbreaking.
  Ps: we didn`t do anything new to the house, just made sure it was spotless and freshly painted before selling
• I'm afraid having 4 sons, a daughter ( and all their friends) 2 cats and a dog, a lick of paint just won't cut the mustard. I only wish it would. After we get back from Spain we have decided (aha we've actually made a decision) that every weekend my Dh will climb into the roofspace (I've no head for heights or I would do it myself), throw down say half a dozen bags which I will then sort through and decide if they can go to charity or the dump or be given to someone. Like you Kittie we have accumulated so much junk over the years. it's hard to know where to start but if we start now we should be about ready to put the house on the market in about 2-3 years.
• Just checked online April's Premium Bond wins and my husband and I have each won Ј50!
  We have won Ј350 between us on a total holding of Ј3,000 since June 2005.
  More money to SKI with (in fact it will nearly pay for our ferry crossings).
• Must be Spring in the air or something similar, we had a new loft-ladder installed a couple of weeks ago and on Monday morn I thought well its now or never, so I got myself up in the loft and took one look and nearly came down again, but I steeled my 'feint heart' and first threw down the huge Christmas Tree that we brought with us from our old house (its too big for this house) then started on the two 3ft piles of Computer mags my son put up there.. you won't believe how heavy they were... anyway I got one whole carload down on Monday and made a whole lot of space up there... there is maybe another carload but I left that for another day but god did my butt cheeks ache the next day it must of been all that up and down the ladder...
  When the loft is finished there is another place I need to go look at THE GARAGE.... I can't even imagine all the stuff in there ....
• SDW,
  I spent some of my kids inheritence on a new bike and go out most Saturdays. Sometimes there are 40+ bikes. We are off on a tour later this month, first stop is Cuenca on the 25th.
  One of our friends bought her husband a bike as a 50th wedding anniversary present. She kept it secret and had the garage store it and deliver it on the day.
• Wow, missile.....that is terrific!
  (My husband is now pulling a face and putting on a pained expression and saying no-one ever does that for him, in a plaintive voice....).
• motor bike? missile
  our local greasy spoon has dozens of bikers at the weekend and a thoroughly nice bunch they are and most of them appear to be getting on for silver haired
  my dh is a lycra cyclist and also spent some money on a new bike last year. In fact he was shaving his legs today. lol too chicken to get them waxed
• whooppeeee 7DW what a lucky month for , and both getting a win too .. I have often wondered wether I should up my premium bonds I only have Ј100 but have won a few Ј50's
• Thank you to all for the kind wishes and thoughts (PM'd) about my daughter's surgery today. In fact it didn't happen. Reason: company that has the sub-contract for cleaning/sterilising/repacking trays of instruments for surgery was recently changed, and they've been having to send back every other tray as 'not clean enough'. Result: the specialist surgical instruments that should have been there this afternoon were not.
  She's been asked to go back next Thursday but first thing in the morning. We were going up this weekend rather than next week, luckily we hadn't booked until the last minute. This is the second time she's been put off - before it was her consultant who fell over while ski-ing (not SKI-ing!!) and did his knee in. You couldn't make this up, could you.
  If anyone is in the area to receive BBC 'Look North', she has emailed them with her complaint, and also put a complaint in to the hospital.
  Gutted is hardly the word for it.....
• It is mostly old duffers like me who ride bigger motorcycles here. I guess the youngsters can't afford the insurance.
  Most of us are (well) over fifty, some girls and a mixture of nationalities - Brits, Germans, Scandinavians but only one spanniard (fortunately he owns a pub)
  My wife is terrified of motorcycles and it was only after many years, she eventually gave in and told me to go buy one.