The Brave Babes Battle Bus - Carry On Past The New Year Wine Offers!

[Mouseface]

Hello all.

We are the Brave Babes. We're on the Battle Bus, travelling around sobriety and going day by day, hour by hour, through the detox hell of not drinking, cutting down or sometimes even not.

Come say hi. We won't bite.

No doubt one of us has been where you are now......

It's fine. No judging, no nasty jibes, just us, the BBs.

Come meet the others..................

How long is it likel to be like that Mouse

There are going to be here all week.

Not heating or hot water until Friday.

Deep, deep joy.

Good afternoon, just back from work:
in at 8.30 back at 2, and paid for an hour and a half of it .

Never mind, I got lots sorted out, and have an easier mind, so that's something.

Ma how are you feeling now? I can't believe you still have snow, the weather is pretty rubbish here, but not cold.

I bought the Allen Carr book on Saturday, and found the first few pages very irritating, but will persevere until the end, as I will try anything to keep from slipping right back, which is what has been happening lately .

Mouse are you managing to keep warm, have you friends who can do the washing for you? Hopefully the builders will stay on scedule and get it finished this week. I just didn't feel like the house was my own last year, couldn't even go to the loo without feeling someone was listening!!

No thurso, no-one to help.

I'm hoping Nemo has a good week re vomitting.

How come you only get paid for 1.5 hours?

And yes, having to ask if I can use my own bathroom is not nice!

I shouldn't moan really Mouse I don't begrudge it. I just get paid for when I'm actually "doing", not all the planning and evaluation and assessments before and afterwards, also tying in my college course with work stuff takes ages.

How are you going to manage without hot water?

Hi all. just popping in to say hello.

Having a minute whilst dd has her nap.

Mouse sorry your house is upside down. Just think how great it will be when it's done.
Hope Nemo has a good week, little cutie

Ma Hope you're ok - sorry about your situation

thurso - lots of kettle boiling! We have a wood burner in the lounge so if it gets cold, we can all sleep down here with mattresses and bedding.

It's the disruption I can't bear.

I like routine, routine works for me.

Ruby - thank you x

hang in there Mouse.
Got car back - £150. And a nice letter from First Direct saying they are taking us to court for a debt which we have offerd to pay in small amounts, and which our debt management people have also offerd to manage . Next time that sodding advert comes on about how they are listening, have a hollow laugh on me!
Sorry to be such a moan babes, think its running deeper than just being a bit down or blue. Seem to have really come to the end of my tether this time.

Oh Ma

I'm so sorry you are going through this.

Can they do that even when you have made an offer of repayment?

Have they turned your offer down?

Huge hugs to you sweetheart. xxxxxxxx

ma!, poor you!, you sound down! - i have a feeling that you are being bullied by first direct, im sure that they have to accept an offer of payment - i know its a right pain but try to negotiate again, ram home the message that the pot is empty!

in hte meantime have a [[[hug]]]]!

Big hugs your way Ma. Must be frustating when you are trying to sort things out with them and they say no.

Oh ma it must be terrifying. Especially if DH has his head in the sand.

I've had a good day and back to feeling more peaceful and stronger. My sponsor is coming round tonight and I feel very lucky and blessed and without need for a drink - definitely life beyond my wildest dreams even to say that.

They are complete twunts - even if it goes to court it will be clear we can't afford any more AND they will have costs. They are the only creditor not to accept a reduced offer AND they are still charging interest!
I have sent the latest letter to our debt management people - we are 5 years into a 6 year repayment agreement without missing a payment and I'm SICK of it.The car bill just tipped me over the edge. Sorry. I'm quite depressed.

Ma - I'm sure that if you keep fighting and this does go to court, they will be forced to accept what you can afford to repay.

I was in your shoes many years ago, lost everything because I lost my job (long story involving my violent ex). I had credit cards, loans, bills, rent owed, etc.

The differnce is, I was single with no children to care for. I went to CAB and they drew up a repayment plan for everyone I owed, gave me letter templates, paid for postage etc....

They were great. Only 1 company refused to accept my offer and charged interest. They threatened to take me to court after passing my debt on to a third party who would call me every day and turn up at my parents house with balifs.

They couldn't take anything, I had nothing of value and my father refused them entry.

Anyway, when the court threat came, I told them fine, can you lend me the bus fair to get there?

Court date was set, and at the very last minute, (3pm the day before) they decided to accept my initial offer and stopped charging me interest for 6 months.

I'm not saying that you should push things but what have you got to lose?

I mean, do you have anything secured against your car/house etc?

What is the worst that can happen?

Is it worth going to court with these bastards?

DH had an awful time with them years ago. They are shitbags and have no compassion at all.

You could die and they'd want their money back.

Can we help at all??

I feel so useless!

Also Ma - DH recruits people for a well known debt management agency and even they hate First Direct!

Please don't let this get to you, it's out of your control for now and I know that's so easy for me to say, I'm not where you are.

Let the debt company handle the letter.

IME, people tend to do this as a way to panick you into paying.

One last ditch attempt.

Wait to see what the debt company says to you.

So sorry Ma xxxxx

'panic' even

thanks all - should be used to this shit by now, but just struggling a bit. Debt management people are wonderful so am sure they will sort something out.
They can't take what we haven't got. The really galling thing is First Direct were instrumental incausing a lot of the debt in the first palce with outrageous bank charges...we went down the road of challenging them on it a few years back and they were forced to repay us £2,000 in unlawful bank charges, which they wouldn't give us in cash but offset against our "debt". By the way, the VAST amount we owe them that they are prepared to go to court for is £338. Bank breaker huh?

What a croc of shite Ma

It would cost them considerably more than that if they continue with this.

What a waste of time and money.

It makes me for you.

Thanks Mouse, but you have troubles enough of your own. Day 1 of the builders survived, not long to go.
I'll come and visit you when its all done

Boing!! as jwn would say. (Have had an amazing evening.)

Hope Mouse and ma get some seriously well deserved proper restful and restorative sleep. And if there's any sleep dust left over from the various non-sleeping littlies, if my DD could wake up a little less and make it beyond 5am to start the day, I'd be even more boingy.

Ma - you're on woman!! Love to meet you DS

noteven - If I have any spare dust, it's your my lovely!

How old is DD now?

It's tough on your own. But you are her constant, and for that, you will always be loved.

Night night all xxxxxxxxxx

And is missing from that first line, sorry!

boing!!! who stole my line?

its a great feeling isnt it noteven!! , i get more boingy everyday!

had a fantastic womens meeting here this evening, met a new lady, just like us, i really hope that she felt comfortable and will come back again - in fact i have had a good day all round, done loads of jobs, the house looks really nice and i even got some baking done - what a little domestic goddess am i?

tomorrow i have to be in the office all bright and early, got a new project to get my teeth into, how i did this with a hangover i'll never know!

see you all tomorrow lovely lovely babes!!

L XXXXXXXXXXX

I might have to keep stealing it jwn - it is great today to wake up sober, and despite the fact that life is not easy really at the moment I am so much more able to cope with it.

Though I wasn't very boingy when DD woke me up at 5 and hasn't gone back to sleep since but I only had to get up once in the night which is loads better than it has been. I'm on my second cup of coffee and today's meeting is near the seaside so I am going to go for probably quite a wild and windy walk afterwards.

Hope all are ok this morning and the world looks a bit of a brighter place than it did last night.