Questions and answers.

I have received a lot of questions in the comments section of the blog and i want to reply but i cant figure out how to do so directly (or if blogger even has that option). So i will go through the questions and answer as much as i can here x

liveotherwise said...

Is it worth getting in touch with your MP? Or local paper?

I am in contact with my MP, so far i have had two letters from them, one confirming they got my email, the other letting me know they had forwarded it on.

RE talking to papers, i really wasn't expecting such a reaction, and was a bit thrown by the idea of media type stuff. But having had time to think and having spoken to a very lovely PR lady (who contacted me through Twitter) i have decided to go ahead with it. There will be something sent out on Monday to test the waters and i will see how it goes from there. You guys will be informed if anything comes of it.

Mademoiselle Poirot said...

...BTW, just a thought: If you do need furniture, have you tried your local Freecycle group? People give away all sorts of things there including furniture...

4 December 2011 12:00 

I have had suggestions of Freecycle etc, yes, and this is a really fab idea. Unfortunately if i was to get another sofa it would likely end up with the same problem as this one - the mould would get in it. So i will keep this in mind if and when i do get to move, because there will be a few things i will need to find then x

Anonymous said...

I would like you to do three things for me;

1. Try and establish why you have damp. Is it rising because there is no damp proof course (usually a line of rubber 3 bricks up from the ground) or because the walls are thin and there is no cavity. Is it in a particular spot where something - soil, a wall, is bridging the damp proof course.

I have addressed this in the post itself, the damp started because there is insufficient drainage in the front garden.

2. Write to your MP pointing out the cause of your damp, how you should be a priority and nothing seems to be happening. Can you include a letter from your Dr confirming the effect this is having on yours / your children's health. I would also badger Citizen's Advice with the above, they usually have a housing team who will act on your behalf.

MP - done, well, it is being dealt with.

Doc - less easy, i have on the phone appts as i cant get into the doctors surgery. And many of the health problems we have faced which i know believe are because of the mould, i have previously just put down to being 'one of those things' or a bug going around, or just plain bad luck with our health.

Citizens Advice - i have an appt with a housing solicitor a week Tues, am thinking this will cancel out the need for CAB?

3. Have a look and see if you can bid for any houses that aren't quite your ideal. The most popular houses always have everyone bidding for them so you might have a better chance if you compromise on one or two elements. Try and spot the gems that others may have overlooked.

If i bid for a house i have no intention of moving in to is that not wasting everybody's time? Literally all i am looking for in a house is 4 beds and a separate dining room i could use as a bedroom. Not much there i can compromise on, though i can see where you might have thought i was wishing for the moon on a plate if you had just read my description of the house we missed.

4 December 2011 12:57 

flashsays.com said...

Sounds horrid. But is there a reason you cant get a grant from the council for a stairlift in the immediate future - while still looking for somewhere better?

4 December 2011 17:29 

The short answer is 'No'. The longer version is that my condition is deemed temporary (even though there has been no improvement physically since my baby was born, this is not considered a permanent condition. With a lot of hard physio and trying to teach my body to ignore the horrific pain, i will eventually recover), so i am told that nobody will authorise the funding for a stair lift. I am not completely without aids though, i have a perching stool, my crutches and a bath board.

Anonymous said...

is your children's father providing any support at all? Financial or otherwise? Surely he should be the one wielding the paintbrush to keep his children healthy. It is terrible that he isn't helping when internet strangers are :(

7 December 2011 04:58 

My elder two children are from a previous relationship. Their father (who i have a good friendship with) has always been responsible financially. However, he works 13 out of 14 days in order to do this, and the day he has off he spends with his children. My (ex) husband has requested i not mention him on the blog, so unfortunately i cannot answer your question in relation to him.

Christina, Wicklow said...

... I tried to send you an email but your link goes to google's home page. Is it brokensinglemum@gmail.com? ...

The link isn't a link hun (or it isn't meant to be), it is just the email address for this blog 'brokensinglemum@mail.com' just copy and paste it into the address bar in your email x

... Can I get your address where to send some a donation? ...

Very kind of you to ask, but in the interest of being up front and above board i have set up a GoFundMe account, you can find a donate button on the blog itself now. Thankyou very much for your kind offer x

...Oh and this is a bit random but are you a knitter, spinner, weaver or crafter of any kind?...

Funnily enough i am, or i was (will be again some day). I am big into felting, quilting, cross stitch etc, and that was what my proposed business would have been. Just you wait, once i am recovered enough to sit at my sewing machine again there will be no stopping me!  I also plan to learn to knit and crotchet.

7 December 2011 08:51 

To everybody else who took the time to read this blog, to leave a comment, to advise me, tweet with me, send me support and well wishes, a massive Thankyou. Please keep going, you guys are helping me find the strength to keep going. Though i am not getting as much done toward this as i would like i know that alone i would have floundered by now and gone back to my usual 'just make the most of it' mentality.

To my friends on twitter, you know who you are, i love you. Your friendship and support has been a literal lifeline since i became so cut off from the outside world and turned to you. I really do think you lot are keeping me sane and stopping the loneliness from dragging me back down into depression. You can never ever over-value your friendships to me x

And to everybody who has donated, from the bottom of not only my heart, but my children's hearts too, thankyou. You have left me deeply touched by your generosity and words fall short of being able to express the gratitude i feel.

Please keep rt-ing, please keep reading. I will update the blog as often as i can.