Ok I'm gonna join in with this Thanksgiving.
Firstly I'm thankful for my new washer woman "job" Ten loads of washing (per week) for a Gypsy family £40! Every quid helps this time of the year.
I'm never sure with all this PC crap if they prefer to be called Gypsy or traveller, but I like the word Gypsy. Traveller to me means more "new age" type, converted ambulances, buses, dreads and dreamcatchers. These are traditional Gypsies in caravans. More gold, glass, chrome and cash :-)
I'm thankful for the NHS. To be able to go in and get my flu jab today-free. Pick up my methadone script today-free. Dental X-rays and impressions-free. Blood tests this week-free. Very thankful.
Thankful for my house and garden, provided by the council. For interest free loans given by the DSS, that can be paid back over the year. I have one every November and just see it as my way of saving £17 a week all year towards Christmas. The kids are always guaranteed a good Christmas. I love it when they are young enough to still believe in Santa Claus. Only one believer left! Its so magical for them.
Thankful for my children. Ok not every minute of every day but mostly. They keep me focused, on the whole.
Really thankful that Stropster went straight into work/aprenticeship mechanic this September when he left school and even more so that he enjoys it.
I suppose I've got quite a bit to be thankful for. I did a lucky dip on the lottery yesterday for the third time in my life. I have checked neither the winning numbers nor my "lucky" numbers. I might have a lot more to be thankful for if I do. Though I seriously doubt it. I might not even check.
Thankful that I don't really give a damn.
I wonder why we Brits haven't adopted Thanksgiving day . . . ??
Thankful for Thanksgiving Day for making me think what I'm thankful for.
I best post this before the day is done.
Thanks to anyone reading. Enjoy what's left of Thanksgiving day and the turkey.
The Gypsies/Travellers go by either name although I think the Travellers are actually a different family line/ethnicity. I should know this. My sis-in-law's ex is a Gypsy and we've been quite involved with quite a few members of the family over the years. Not so much as to get in trouble mind you. Many of the newer generations are becoming quite respectable now and shying away from the traditions. I can't see that the traditions were doing them a lot of good so it's all for the best even if the "romance" is gone.
ReplyDeleteI suppose only the New World has Thanksgiving because it was so tough to survive in the early years - getting a harvest in was a big deal and meant you wouldn't starve over the winter.
Nice post...I am thankful i woke up this morning and read this so i start this day with a bit of thankfulness!
ReplyDeleteI'm just done paying of my last loan,don't think i could get another so soon..?And I shall tell my 15 year old to look into aprenticeships cos he so wants to be out there earning but I don't want him to leave school with no plans.So thanks for that idea.! : ) xxxxx
Jeannie,
ReplyDeleteRight, I see, that makes sense then why Gypsies wouldn't want to be called Travellers ... This town, although mostly white, middle class, "posh" folk (like me;=)), for some reason finds itself with two large permanent Traveller sites, One at each end of the town. Must be at least 200/300 on each site. Quite a few have moved into houses now and the kids go to the schools. How did Misty's/Baby's first night go? Did she join Dexter inbetween you and Gary? Must away as Geekster got cookery today and I need to pack all the necessary bits. Take care.
Annie, Yeah you can apply as soon as one is paid off. I must have done this for at least 8 yrs. Anything between £600/£800. There's no way I would be disciplined enough to put the money away every week. And it usually means , with a bit from their dads too, they can get most of what they want.
ReplyDeleteApprenticeships are back in - Big time. A way of keeping unemployment down and getting away with paying them £2.50 an hour!! I know it's low. I keep telling Stropster to look at the bigger picture, when he is qualified. Thankfully he has always had a passion for cars so he loves it. Big hugs n love to all x x x
You do have a lot to be thankful for and I really enjoyed reading your list. I miss the days of "santa claus" it was so much fun! Enjoy shopping for your kids :)
ReplyDeleteBarbara,
ReplyDeleteI do indeed :-)
Funny you should mention the shopping. I did about 80% of Hamper G's yesterday on-line. This is the first Christmas I've used the laptop - I certainly won't miss the queueing - but I like the Christmas shopping atmosphere so I left some to do in "real life".
Christmas wont be the same when Santa has gone . . . I better make the most of him!
So pleased that you've had a good few days :-)
and Keven is sticking with it. LOve n hugs x
I would love to have a proper council place instead of emergency B^B like I'm in now (where did that circumflex come from?)... I am thankful to be British and not American. An American friend told me if I lived out there I'd be living under a bridge!
ReplyDeleteGledwood,
ReplyDeleteYeah I only got this (3 beds 50's house, nice big rooms) because I had two kids at the time. Bit of a price to pay . . . but it seems it's the only way. They were an accident, I didn't have them to get a house :-) Single guys in this town are on the list forever. I'm not sure where the council expect them to go. Real pleased I got an old house as the rooms in the new builds are tiny with thin walls, tiny gardens and front doors that can be put through in a instant. It's only since I read so many blogs that I realised how things work in America . . . We are lucky. Imagine paying for methadone!!?! Or to see the dentist? it's bad enough when its free. There was talk of them moving you a while back . . was that just to get you to clear your stuff out? Wouldn't put it past them. They probably still waiting.Snidy swines. Take good care x
Nice post, bugerlove. But u inadvertently made me feel like an ass because as an American I didn't post anything I'm thankful for on my blog. I did however share all the things I'm thankful for around the Thanksgiving dinner table so maybe that makes up for it. One thing I am thankful for is all my new blog friends. U are all welcome to crash at my 4-room apartment if ur ever in Boston.
ReplyDeleteSusie. BugerLove! I love that. I never intended to be called Buggerlugs. It was way before I knew how to use the laptop. My twelve yr old son was setting an Email address up for me, which I thought I would never use and he called me Buggerlugs . . . Now I have to use it for all kinds of formal stuff, School, council, Drs etc . . I could change it but so many people have that E address now that its not worth it. Yeah me too, I'm thankful for blog friends. Will defo let you know if I come to Boston . . . You never know. Thanks x
ReplyDelete