NFR NFC 2017 - The friendly thread for lovely people

[guypjfreak]

On 21/09/2016 at 8:32 AM, sheffieldlady said:

Glad all went well with your daughters wedding @guypjfreak! Nice to see you back around Ben.

I am overly nervous about ticket day, I keep telling myself it's just a festival, it doesn't matter if I don't get tickets... (of course, that's all a lie!)

cheers.

yea tix days going to be a night mare we got 50 odd in our group !!!!! madness

[mr gumby]

Is there anybody out there?

[Yoghurt on a Stick]

 

[Curlygirl]

Hi guys. Very long day at work had! Yog I looked at your wife's shop and liked it on faceache... Your 'stuff' is very much your stuff! Excellent!! Showed mother dearest who was visiting last night, she loved the head wrapped in multicoloured wires. Hope it's doing well?! 

[Yoghurt on a Stick]

35 minutes ago, Curlygirl said:

Hi guys. Very long day at work had! Yog I looked at your wife's shop and liked it on faceache... Your 'stuff' is very much your stuff! Excellent!! Showed mother dearest who was visiting last night, she loved the head wrapped in multicoloured wires. Hope it's doing well?! 

Hello Curlygirl

The wired head is now a full mannequin and stands in our living room. My wife has put a black trenchcoat on it along side a sign saying 'I am not rubbish'. She has even named the piece 'Burka'. The reason for this is that she sees the piece as a reaction to the oppression of woman in certain countries. I'm happy to run with this although it was never intended to mean that. Guess that's the beauty of art, songs, poetry etc because you can read what you like in to them. Then again there's a flip side to that in that a little part of you would love to know the creators own thoughts. I'll see if I can get a photo of it up on here so that others will know what we are talking about.

As an aside, I may have sold another piece of work. A lady who called in to the shop wants to buy it but is sending her husband in some time to see what he thinks.

Thanks for your best wishes. Hope that all is well in your life.

[Yoghurt on a Stick]

I can't get the full mannequin or close up of the head as it is at the moment. However, here's a previous incarnation of it;

[Quark]

Morning all.  Hope everyone had good weekends?  Fairly productive chez Quark; took the father in law out for his first proper outing (ie somewhere other than a family house or round the park) since he lost his leg and started his chemo, spent a good couple of hours in the local food market with a couple of live acts on the bandstand.  Food and music, what's not to like?

Anyhoo, bring it on Monday you fucker 

[Funkyfairy!]

Morning all

Apologies for my absense, I'm still here honest - just crazy busy at work - horrible deadlines for Thursday and trying to get finished up for holiday as well as trying not to panic too much about t day (last part not working at all) - pounding heart and sweaty palms every time I start thinking about t day

Hows everyone else ?

Whats the gossip ?

Big festival love to you all on this Monday !

FFxx

 

[mr gumby]

Afternoon all  

It's a bit Shitterton round here today, perfect for doing indoor bits and bobs. The port is bubbling away, think this afternoon I might bake a cake, and get some sloe gin started  

[noplacelikehome]

Hi everyone -all very Manchester today, feels like Autumn for the first time.  Gumby is Sloe Gin easy to make?  I would love to have a go (although to be honest I don't even know what Sloes look like or where to find them) as it is delicious.  Dee's sloe gin from berries picked on Worthy Farm at the meet up was amazing.

[mr gumby]

15 minutes ago, noplacelikehome said:

Hi everyone -all very Manchester today, feels like Autumn for the first time.  Gumby is Sloe Gin easy to make?  I would love to have a go (although to be honest I don't even know what Sloes look like or where to find them) as it is delicious.  Dee's sloe gin from berries picked on Worthy Farm at the meet up was amazing.

It's incredibly easy. This is the recipe I use, although I start off using half the amount of sugar, then test it and add more if it's needed. 

http://www.theotherandyhamilton.com/2012/09/11/sloe-gin-recipe/

 

[lucyginger]

Hello! I survived my holiday! My legs ache though, we did loads of walking! 

I'll try to catch up properly later, am quite a busy bee! 

Hope everyone is well

[Yoghurt on a Stick]

Well, we've had our first (and hopefully last) break in at the shop. We take Monday's off work and got a call earlier from someone who had said that one of the adjacent shop keepers had found that we were broken in to overnight. I rushed down there with tools and sheet boarding to secure the place and asses the scale of theft. I found that the neighbouring shop keeper had already padlocked the place back up for us with one of his own strong padlocks. Once I found him and the padlock was removed I went in not knowing what to expect.

It turns out that they stole some obvious stuff and some less obvious (costly) stuff. They did take the shop's music system, which has really pissed off my wife as she loves to have music on while in the shop, and we haven't got a spare system. They also took all of her vintage handbags which were worth a bit. They also took a lot of the jewellery but fortunately this was just costume jewellery and not that expensive. They also took some clothes and shoes.

All that said, it could have been worse as they could have taken a lot more stuff and also could have trashed the place. In fact, me and my wife are, strangely enough, OK about things and not stomping around wanting to get at the thieves. We kind of feel that we got lucky this time, but know that we have to beef up security on the place. I've boarded the door up for now and put on a fuck off and die hasp,staple and padlock on to the door. However, if people want to get back in tonight then it'll only be the strength of the fixing to the door that will count - and it'll not count despite the enormous padlock. We'll go back tomorrow and I'll repair the split door and frame as best I can.

It's one step forward and about three steps back in our lives right now. It's got to end soon. Surely.

 

 

[Funkyfairy!]

58 minutes ago, Yoghurt on a Stick said:

Well, we've had our first (and hopefully last) break in at the shop. We take Monday's off work and got a call earlier from someone who had said that one of the adjacent shop keepers had found that we were broken in to overnight. I rushed down there with tools and sheet boarding to secure the place and asses the scale of theft. I found that the neighbouring shop keeper had already padlocked the place back up for us with one of his own strong padlocks. Once I found him and the padlock was removed I went in not knowing what to expect.

It turns out that they stole some obvious stuff and some less obvious (costly) stuff. They did take the shop's music system, which has really pissed off my wife as she loves to have music on while in the shop, and we haven't got a spare system. They also took all of her vintage handbags which were worth a bit. They also took a lot of the jewellery but fortunately this was just costume jewellery and not that expensive. They also took some clothes and shoes.

All that said, it could have been worse as they could have taken a lot more stuff and also could have trashed the place. In fact, me and my wife are, strangely enough, OK about things and not stomping around wanting to get at the thieves. We kind of feel that we got lucky this time, but know that we have to beef up security on the place. I've boarded the door up for now and put on a fuck off and die hasp,staple and padlock on to the door. However, if people want to get back in tonight then it'll only be the strength of the fixing to the door that will count - and it'll not count despite the enormous padlock. We'll go back tomorrow and I'll repair the split door and frame as best I can.

It's one step forward and about three steps back in our lives right now. It's got to end soon. Surely.

 

 

Scum Yogs - they are scum ! So sorry to hear this has happened to you, such a horrible feeling

Big love

FFxx

[Yoghurt on a Stick]

3 minutes ago, Funkyfairy! said:

Scum Yogs - they are scum ! So sorry to hear this has happened to you, such a horrible feeling

Big love

FFxx

Thanks for the bige love FF. It's a bit strange really because I can't bring myself to feel animosity towards them, despite the fact that we are struggling to make ends meet and they have added to that struggle. I think that I might be punch drunk from things going wrong to the point that they've lost some of their meaningfulness.

[noplacelikehome]

Thanks for the recipie gumby - just wish I knew where to find the berries!

Yog that is awful news, you seem to have taken it remarkably well, do you have any security cameras or does the neighbour? Hope you are insured, lots of love x

[bennyhana22]

Taking a hiatus from my hiatus just to come on here and share others' sentiments for our dear Yog and his wife. What a bunch of w*nkers to do that to them.

Hope all repaired and back to normal super quickly, Yog. NFR loves you.

Ben
xx

[Yoghurt on a Stick]

3 hours ago, noplacelikehome said:

Thanks for the recipie gumby - just wish I knew where to find the berries!

Yog that is awful news, you seem to have taken it remarkably well, do you have any security cameras or does the neighbour? Hope you are insured, lots of love x

Unfortunately no security cameras or insurance so we are going to have to take the losses on the chin. I know that under normal circumstances having no insurance is mental, but we opened the shop on a shoestring budget. Essentailly what happened is that a friend of my wife's was living in the shop )on the floor) before we got it. He was a hoarded (ie slightly mad) and just had the shop full to the gunnels with all sorts of stuff. Then he was diagnosed with a terminal illness and had to go to hospital. When he came out social services put him in sheltered accomodation. He said that if we clear the shop out then we could use it for free until the landlord asked for any money for it (his landlord had let him live there rent free for two years). So we spent three weeks clearing it out, cleaning it (think dust one inch thick and cobwebs from floor to ceiling), re-painting it and getting all our stock in etc. So, we had no money for insurance etc but did have a shop which could get us out of a hole, which it was starting to do to some degree. Guess what - now the landlord has seen the shop and it's restoration to former glory he has just asked us for rent. So, this burglary couldn't be better timed to add to our burden.

Despite it all I think we'll just brush ourselves down and carry on giving it a go. You meet some strange and wonderful people running a shop. Only on Sunday (we were open then) just gone some bloke came in to the shop and spent an hour talking to my wife about this and that. I then get a call from her to say come down to the shop because there's a bloke there who is really interested in my art and wanted to discuss it. When I got there I found that not only was my wife drinking (this is normal) but the bloke was sat down drinking too. It transpires that he hadn't been home from the night before and was doing ' the walk of shame back home again'. He had popped in to the shop while passing it on the way home. To cut a long story short he was a lovely bloke and a great laugh. I even drove him up to the supermarket so that he could get more drink. He'd had a recent bad divorce and was a bit weepy about it all. Anyway, we managed to put a smile on his face for the afternoon. When he went to leave he thanked us profusely for being so kind and temporarily taking his mind off things. I told him to come back this coming Saturday evening if he was at a loose end and wanted to party. He said that he might.

Events like the one above happen regularly at the shop. We have also made a friend of an HIV gay bloke who once wondered in to the shop having had a drink or two. Turns out he is a bit of an artist (I've seen his work and some of it is very impressive) but is back living with his dad and has no real friends in the area. We invited him back to the house one night and he came back with us, got drunk, proceeded to take off the skirt that he was wearing and start masturbating on our settee. Me and my wife just ignored him and then he soon stopped. He's had an interesting life, which once saw him working as a rent boy in his youth.

It's events like the ones above that make running a shop really quite interesting. We are now even supplying the posh local opera society with hired out clothes for their up and coming production in late October. Never a dull day. I think that's why we'll be giving it another bash despite this burglary incident.

Anyway, sorry to all for writing a War & Peace type lengthy post. I guess I'm just trying to rationalise and confirm to myself that we need to continue doing what we are doing for as long as we can. I mean, we are almost offering a public service!  lol

[Yoghurt on a Stick]

3 hours ago, bennyhana22 said:

Taking a hiatus from my hiatus just to come on here and share others' sentiments for our dear Yog and his wife. What a bunch of w*nkers to do that to them.

Hope all repaired and back to normal super quickly, Yog. NFR loves you.

Ben
xx

Cheers Ben. Your kind post and text mean a lot to me and my wife.

Edited September 26, 2016 by Yoghurt on a Stick

[Quark]

Gaagh, didn't get on much yesterday afternoon so just picked this up Yog.  That sucks and many hugs for you and Mrs Yog, but really glad to hear that you seem (!) to be taking it all in your stride.  Not much else to offer other than hugs I'm afraid, but hope you bounce back better than ever :

[lucyginger]

Yog I'm really sorry to hear all this, apart from the bits about your attitude towards it all. You are being so positive, and I think that's the only way you can be. Sending love and thinking of you xxxx

[noplacelikehome]

Blimey Yog - sounds like you are a shop and counselling service all in one, there should be a community whip round to provide funding for you and your wife  - I never met any such interesting people when I was in retail (although as a Saturday girl in Dorothy Perkins probably wouldn't get that type of customer  )

[Yoghurt on a Stick]

5 hours ago, Quark said:

Gaagh, didn't get on much yesterday afternoon so just picked this up Yog.  That sucks and many hugs for you and Mrs Yog, but really glad to hear that you seem (!) to be taking it all in your stride.  Not much else to offer other than hugs I'm afraid, but hope you bounce back better than ever :

Hugs are good. Thanks Quark.

[Yoghurt on a Stick]

4 hours ago, lucyginger said:

Yog I'm really sorry to hear all this, apart from the bits about your attitude towards it all. You are being so positive, and I think that's the only way you can be. Sending love and thinking of you xxxx

Much appreciated, thanks lucy.

[Yoghurt on a Stick]

1 hour ago, noplacelikehome said:

Blimey Yog - sounds like you are a shop and counselling service all in one, there should be a community whip round to provide funding for you and your wife  - I never met any such interesting people when I was in retail (although as a Saturday girl in Dorothy Perkins probably wouldn't get that type of customer  )

Hello noplacelikehome.

Yes, perhaps we should call it a shop and drop in centre for those in need - it would be kind of accurate.

Talking of Saturday girls, the gay lad I was talking about in the above post so so wants to be a Saturday girl at the shop it's ridiculous (he's about 50 years old!). The thing is he'd want to arrange the window etc when that's my wife's domain. We said as much to him. His response was something along the lines of 'could I dress in drag then and just walk up and down on the pavement outside the shop to try to draw custom in'? Unfortunately we had to let him down on that proposal too. 

 

PS - I've just realised that when I call someone a lad it just means that they are male and not necessarily young. It's the result of an Irish upbringing where lad can mean any male.