Wankerbastards move to 2020. With moderatin' a plenty. We rage against flouncers, strops and teens, and of dryness we have big dreams. We want teacups not fuckups!

[Frouby]

Thread 9 for the tryers to be dryers. Join us if you want some support to reduce alcohol. All welcome for support, laughs and moderating.

Will tag a few peoples name I can spell as I am useless at clicky links.

@flossie
@madameforest
@longestlurkerever
@dionoysa
@waterandlemonjuice

Hello all, day 3 this week or day 19 in January today as long as I don’t drink tonight which I won’t but I do have cold white wine in now as my shopping arrived this morning. So I need to just forget it’s there tbh. Am at course and it’s not as bad as I thought actually

Evening all

Goddamn whispering AF beers were shouted down by the lovely bottles of Estrella in the end. Only 2 330ml bottles though so moderate if not dry. There is only 1 left though then they are gone. Really love a bottled beer. Even more than wine or gin.

Had a busy day today. Dentist for me (bloody veneer pinged off again 🙈) then vet for ponies dental checks. BabyPony had her wolf teeth removed, which are little teeth that erupt when they are 5/6 and they get in the way of the bit sometimes. They don't need them so we tend to take them out. She's got a week off work now while her mouth heals. Glad really, it's bloody freezing here and we had a flurry of snow earlier. Brrrrrrr.

Ds tucking into leftovers from yesterdays roast dinner. He's very pleased with it, his favourite of gammon. My gusto box due tonight, hoping it's not too late. Booked for between 6 and 10pm, dh will be eating the dog if it's not here by 8pm 😂😂.

Don't know if I will be dry tonight. That last bottle of beer looks very lonely.

Ahhhh at babypony’s wolf teeth, I hope she’s ok, poor her. At least that was moderate frouby.

The course was fine, I came home and had some of the lush tart I made this morning, photo attached, it’s tomatoes, garlic, basil, olives, gryuere, brie a d anchovies, all on a pastry base, it was lovely. And very easy to make, if calorific (but dd needs fattening up)

I hope everyone else is ok. How are the new people getting on?

That looks absolutely amazing water. I love anchovies and olives sooooo much. Did you just wang it all on a puff pastry base? Asking for a friend 😂😂😂

Frouby, yesterday I made this, the onion and tallegio tart, except with brie, gruyere and some other cheese with chives and dd loved it and said oh can you make me another one with tomatoes and anchovies so I did just wang it all on a base made out of Jus Rol! I cooked garlic with some sun dried tomatoes, one piece of bacon snipped up, and some fresh basil and then spread a thin layer of tomato puree on the pastry then added the cooked garlic, bacon and sun-dried tomatoes (I overdid them slightly, prob wouldn’t cook them another time) on top, then added cheese and olives and anchovies, then cooked it for 20 minutes. Then added fresh basil on top.

Btw the garlic was frozen, ready diced and the sun dried tomatoes were from a jar as were the olives so it was all really quick to make.

Just to say I am still here, but am struggling to find a single minute spare. Submerged by problems, esp. with DD. Not helped by not being AF. But still here.

I'm here too. Not AF. Just got back from drinks with my next door neighbour. Never been out before. Was nice, but also weird, as we talked about a lot of quite intimate stuff and yet she's next door and we know each other's dhs and so on. Oh well!

Work a bit tricky at the mo, and dh is not in a good place health-wise, which is a bit miserable, but we are hanging in there.

Saw another Edinburgh job that i could definitely apply for and is better paid than my own, but looks a bit dull. Time to interrogate what i really want and realise i have no idea. Except for one of water's tarts. Yum!

I’d go in for one of Water’s tarts too. I’d like to have that level of inspiration. I rustled up BBQ chicken, wedges and peas tonight and felt like Nigella flipping Lawson 🤣

That’s a quandary and a half Longest. It’s the age old question - money and lifestyle or fun (or at least less dull) job? I tend to go for the latter then moan about being skint. Luckily it’s cheap but also very nice where I live.

Dion is everything Ok? It’s hard dealing with teenage worries without another person to bounce it off.

It’s all calm in my house, for now. I’ve had no work the last couple of days which has been a bit of a drain as I cba doing anything else productive, so have generally slumped around watching box sets. I do have a tendency to regress if I don’t keep myself in check.

Big job on tomorrow though, so of course I can’t sleep....

AF here but swimming in decaf Earl Grey

It’s hard dealing with teenage worries without another person to bounce it off

This, X 1,000,000, NC4.

Anything we can help with Dion?

Hi Dionysa we’re here if you need our help. Between us we’ve probably got about 1,000,000 years of experience of teenagers (or maybe it just feels like it!) I’m sorry it’s tough with dd 💐

NC4 AF and box sets sounds like a good combination. Lol at Nigella. She’d call it “smoky chicken, with flavours redolent of the deep south, served with rustic wedges and acid green peas, to add a layer of sweetness and crunch” ha ha, I’m so funny.

Longest, it is indeed the age old question- have you started fantasising about Scottish houses yet? IIRC you are in London so you would probably get a castle up there! Neighbour chat sounds nice.

Frouby, how was your Gousto? What time did it arrive? 10pm is v late.

Had to get up early to drop Dd today but was asleep by 10.30 last night so that’s ok. May go back to sleep in a bit though.

Today is day 4 AF this week or day 20 in January. Pretended the wine wasn’t in the fridge last night so wasn’t tempted and that’s progress as previously I’d have wanted it or been tempted if it was there.

We are going shopping for a prom dress on Saturday Frouby, will let you know how we get on. I have offered dd the option of inviting some friends here to get ready and of taking photos in our garden / having drinks for parents / sorting a limo if they want one so we are waiting to hear what the groupchat consensus is.

Sorry to hear life is so tough Dion.

It's even harder than that NC4. It's not much more money, so that wouldn't change my life, but it is in Edinburgh, where i have in theory always wanted to live. So it's a choice between rat house, alr pollution and and knife crime but fun job and good (but diminishing) set of friends and exciting stuff going on, versus brooding moors and sea, but starting all over again. I bored Dion with this dilemma when we met but it was very much in the abstract as there are very few Scottish law jobs i am qualified for. But this one i would be, and it's civil service so not burning any bridges. But it does sound a bit dull so it's whether Edinburgh would make up for that. If i could trust London not to sink deeper into the abyss I'd stay here forever but nothing is standing still. When the kids hit secondary school age half my friendship group will evaporate for a start.

Sorry for self indulgent rant.

Edinburgh though! The festival, the buildings... what are the school options Longest? What does dh think? You could always apply and then you’ve only got a decision to make if you get it...

I don't think school options are amazing water, but then they aren't where i live now, and at least in Scotland my dds wouldn't be the youngest in the year, and could get free uni! And rat house is worth silly money really so we could take our pick of areas, with a bit of compromise. But they are settled where we are. Dunno about dh. In theory it's his dream but he'd need a shove.

It's a big decision to make, the main thing that would put me off bout Scotland is the climate! Very different from London, brrrr. But exciting all the same. Why not go halfway up the country and try Yorkshire? Some dramatic landscapes this way on as well.

Bloody gousto box didn't chuffing arrive. So have asked for a refund this morning and been normal shopping instead. Sigh. Was a good idea at the time but I wouldn't have paid full price for it. The portions were tiny. 171g of king prawns to serve 4 people would have gone down a storm in this house, DH needs a good man tea when he gets in and would have been a bit dischuffed with 4 prawns.

Wasn't at all dry last night. Not even moderate. Fml. 4 beers in the end. Had a shit nights sleep, really wakeful and anxious. Obviously am probably going to drink again tonight cos I have 4 little bottles of peroni in the fridge that came with the tesco meal deal we are having tonight. Fml.

How annoying! But yes, there was another thread on here about one chicken breast being two portions, which i thought sounded a bit stingy even for effete penpushers like me and dh.

Yeah, we have a leeds office, though it's also full of the boring jobs. That'd be the easy option and I'm sure i could have had a lovely life in leeds, but it has all the drawbacks of Edinburgh re starting over and not the real pull factor. Dh and i have been over all these options before and tend to come back to if we are going to move it's Edinburgh or bust really. But then dh just texted to say he's seriously worried he will have to give up work so perhaps we need somewhere dirt cheap.

By which i don't mean Yorkshire btw! Just meant i was revising my statement that i can afford to take my pick of areas with the best schools etc as perhaps i need to scale back the mortgage as a priority. Sigh.

Lol Yorkshire is dirt cheap in comparison to London prices in all but a few areas.

The estate I live on is a naice new build. Can get a 4 bed detached for 240/250k. Go a mile down the road to a similar estate but not in the most desirable bit and you would pay 150k. 4 bed period property with a few acres, maybe 350k. And the cost of living is a lot cheaper.

But I know what you mean about having a certain place you are drawn to. I'd love to live in Devon if money was no object. Near the coast in the countryside.

Well that bloody gousto box has now turned up 😂. Got an email earliet saying it was on its way so sent one back saying order cancelled and thought nothing more of it. Then it came while I was in shower and dh accepted it. Looks decent quality to be fair and actually twice the volume I thought I was getting as they have doubled up the ingredients.

It's all in fridge anyway.

longest I like dreaming about where else we could live. We need to stay here for now for dd to do A levels but after that we’re definitely off, not sure where.

Frouby, did the Peroni call to you?!

Today is day 5 AF this week or day 21 AF in January. No plans at all today, which is nice although there is various boring admin I should do. It’s parents evening tonight so I do have to get dressed though 😂

And Frouby 😯 at those house prices!

When I read about other people’s house prices I’m so grateful to live where I do. I spent 130k on my place - a 3 bed (plus unofficial loft bedroom) Victorian terrace in a good area, with outstanding state schools, good amenities and a progressive council.
It’s not the most exciting place on earth but it’s so well connected I can be in one of the major cities in an hour and London in 2 hours by train. Depending what they decide on HS2 today it might be less than that in years to come. My neighbour’s house is up for sale actually - move here and retire Longest 😂

I’m a bit stressy and anxious today. I don’t have enough work to do and the work I have had this week is very emotionally demanding. I love my job and want to do it well but some stories are too close to home. It can feel a bit unsettling at times.
Good job my mortgage is cheap. I just know if I can get past half term, things should start to pick up - DS back in college, spring in the air....

Day 4 here but day 25 or 26 in January. That would be a win if I hadn’t demolished an entire weeks units every time I’ve had a drink 🙈

Haha, I just conjured up the work fairies! My best (and quickest paying) client rang while I was typing that, asking me to go out on a cute dog related story.
That is exactly what’s needed today 😁

NC4 hurrah! Hope the cute dog cheers you!

My work feels on the one hand quite good and important this week and on the other hand there's too much of it and too much responsibiity that frankly i feel is above my pay grade. Which is a bit linked to wondering if London is really working well for me because i can't afford any of the things that might make a demanding job easier. But i also feel so lucky that my job makes me feel stimulated and valued and i am a bit loathe to give it up - not least because my experience doesn't translate that well to other types of work. Which is partly connected to the Edinburgh pull - it's a capital city too so it has many similar types of roles, though annoyingly I'd need to requalify for many. This boring job i have spotted would be a stepping stone though and they'd probably pay for me to requalify. It's not particularly cheap though - i could probably afford the grown up version of my house without the railway and pests and in better school catchments but not a mansion. A bit further out i could potentially afford something bigger, with some kind of annex that we could let out for a bit of extra income which is quite tempting, especially if dh does have to downsize hjs job. Anyway, dh thinks i should apply, but agrees moving is a scary prospect.