General Chat

Afternoon all

Sunny at the moment but we had a real downpour of rain earlier.

I've never bothered with Alexa, never really thought about it, but I do like the advert, especially when he says "I said Bingo not Flamingo" lol. Sandra couldn't stop laughing when she first saw it, with the man running away from a Flamingo. I can't remember the man's name but I think he's one of the presenters on Top Gear.

How nice of everyone to have a collection to help Steve. I love a happy ending to Jane. Good luck to James on the job hunt, I hope he finds something he likes very soon.

Pleased to hear your OH's knee isn't to bad Ann. Yes, the front garden does look much better now the new fence is up and will look even better once OH paints the concrete posts brown.

It sounds like your busy with your apples Frank, your neighbours will love the ones you pass onto them. When we had a big apple tree I passed some onto a local lunch club and OH gave some to his friend for her horses. We're like you and didn't want any going to waste. We don't have the tree anymore, but I do have a smaller one in a pot which gives me enough apples for Sandra and I. OH doesn't like apple pies, so I just have enough for us two, with no wastage now.

OH has taken the wood off the concrete posts so they look much better and he's going to sand the old paint down and re-paint them in brown to match the new fence in the front. I must admit it looks so much better than the broken fence that was there and the front garden is less windy now which can only helps the plants.

OH is managing to get out of our drive, he goes out forwards and edges out slowly so if anyone is there they can see him. When the weather is less unpredictable he's going to jet wash the drive and all around the bungalow. Since he's painted it white the ground looks very dirty so really needs a good clean.

When I looked out of the window today it was so nice to see no skips around, it makes a nice change after looking at them for almost a year :-) :-)

OH and I have just moved a few pot plants around, so I have 5 Sedums in the long border at the back now, they are just starting to go pink, so will look lovely in a week or two.

Afternoon All
Cloudy and windy here .It is quite dark in the house.

Ann, I think I would quite like that thing where you can see who is around your house.But how do you know? Does the phone beep or something to alert you?

Frank, it is Suffolk we are going to . Yorkshire was where we should have gone back in June but had ot cancel. Appleby I think it the place you are thinking about with all the travellers annual horse fair. We stayed there a few years ago but left just as all the Travellers and Horses were beginning to arrive. I am glas we left when we did though as it would have been mayhem !!!!

Hope Ros got to her appointment ok this morning. She doesn't need a second wasted visit. This decking sounds a bit odd with a slope !!. I am sure that Val may have problems :-S

Well the barrier is down on the road now and there is a new road lay out just along from us. I thought oh great I can drive up the road now BUT oh no you can't as it is still closed off at the top of Cranford road ,so I had to do a 3 point turn and go the long way again to Tesco :-| They really need to make the signs clearer.

James was exhausted last night after what must have been a very difficult day. But this morning he seems fine and has got cracking on the job search. I suppose now it will be a relief in a way . No more worry about going into the job but he can now fully concentrate on looking forward.

Mel only one egg? Is that unusual? How many of your girls actually lay? Hope the rain stops for you. I dont think we are forecast rain but it does look a bit suspicious .At least I got all the washing done yesterday :-D

Vera I am so pleased that your Brother seems to be recovering well from his latest op. That must have made you feel good :-D

Remember my homeless man Steve? Well he was in Tesco this morning and my goodness what a difference. He looks amazing.He gave a hug and thanked me for being so kind to him when he used to sit outside the Co-op. He said that staff and customers raised money for him to help him get some accomodation (how good was that) so he is settled now in a little flat in town . I think he still has a way to go with getting stronger,and he had 3 months in hospital after a spinal operation that became infected. It was just so lovely to see how well he looked and it did bring a little tear to my eye :-D :-D. A happy ever after story :-D
Mandy have you seen Nicko lately? I think you said last time you saw him he too was doing well.

I can see tiny spots of rain on the window .

Perhaps Val's son is doing a slope up to the bungalow if Val has to go in a wheelchair so she can go out and get back ok.

Good morning to all you lovely people.

Was awake half the night again, would you believe I sat eating PORK PIE at 2.30 am Just felt a bit peckish.

I picked up a BUCKET full of windfalls yesterday evening, while watering the greenhouse and pots around the pond. I have stood coring and peeling loads this morning, they are in a BIG saucepan, stewing down. I have a few to give to Pam next door. This apple tree this year seems to have so much fruit, I will soon have to get my PICKING NET out and get to the ones high up. The neighbours will be well supplied with cookers, I hate to see them ROT away, rather than give them away.

Carolyn was late picking Ros up for her eye scan. Shoppe she managed to get it done, even though she was late. I will put the "FLAGS" out when Carolyn turns up on time. ;-) ;-) ;-) ;-)

The decking next door is going to be HUGHMONGOUS (sp) The son has put THREE BIG STAKES IN THE LAWN. They are so high above the patio level. To me it looks like the decking will slope back towards the bungalow, so when they come out, they will have to WALK UP. Most strange. !!!! I just hope Val will be able to cope with it.

I have been watching the morning programme with the guy who use to do the news round on children T.V. (can't think of his name) He is spending a lot of time on the Isle of White. It's somewhere I use to go with my ex and children years ago. I might see if there are any cheep coach trips in the Autumn, and take Ros there, as she has never been.

You are off to Yorkshire aren't you Jane. ?? Is it the place where the TRAVELLER'S hold their Annual Horse fair. I remember something being said about it. I hope all of those who are away or going away have a nice restful time.

I spoke with Simon yesterday, they are just back from two weeks on the Narrow boat. I asked if he and Sally would like to meet up for Lunch on Sunday (I can alter the number of diners) Unfortunately they have two weeks of washing, gardening etc to get done today and tomorrow, before returning to work on Monday, so they are unable to do so. It would have been nice to have a catch up.

Funny sort of morning here, breezy with a lot of cloud. So I might be better off staying at home, instead of risking getting wet, walking to the pub.

Still trying to sort out this bracelet for Ros. I can see me sending it back and starting again. All this seller keeps on about is the size of Ros's wrist. It's the size of her hand that the bracelet has to go over, her wrist size really doesn't come into the equation.

The shower worked O.K. for Ros this morning, so hope it behaves when I go in there in a few minutes. I was thinking of having a stroll to the pub, but I see there is football on BT sport at 12.30 Southampton V Man. UTD. So I might as well stay home and watch that.

Have a pleasant afternoon, will try to get back tonight. xxxx

Morning all,

Not a good one today as it very windy and pouring with rain.

No eggs to deliver this morning as I am only getting one a day and I baked this week using two so I shall have to email Emm so she can get some elsewhere.

Going back to alexa or Echo in our case it upsets her if the leccy goes out which is a pain and if you lose the internet for any reason she has to wait to connect again and sometimes we have to unplug her to get her going again.

F1 today so oh is fiddling with the telly.

Annx We have that app on OH's Ipad and phone and can see who is around the house when we are not there. Mainly for security. We also have numerous plugs and Alexas around. However it has caused a bit of a problem when we had the new router as they are all Wifi. The one that connects to the phone he just can't get to work now. Can you imagine if you have a child called alexa. What you have to do is change the name on the device. This is possible I believe., It is not connected to the door bell though so that is a thought.

Ann I have seen that APP on the telly advertised.

Our Echo is near the telly and sometimes she answers what they say on the telly. Its like having a parrot back in the house the things she comes out with. she will turn the Christmas lights on on the tree and the ceiling ones and the kitchen light and the heating so I don't have to keep getting up to so these things.

Been watching a silly film on Prime. Think I will give this one a miss and watch Gardeners World and then bed.

Evening All,

I hope you had a good trip to see your brother Vera. I expect he was pleased you went and its good he is recovering well. Nice that your OH could go too this time.

OH's knee has a bit of a lump where he banged it but it's not as bad as he expected or it sounded. He was back in the garage this morning making more space and sweeping up as he went . We got some more plastic boxes to put things in yesterday, so at the moment we can at least walk down the middle!!

Jane OH is like you with loving baths and wanting there to be one when we go away. I did used to like them for a nice soak, although I would feel weak with no energy after, but now I stick to showers which I love. It's good you were able to manage your first one without needing help. I think your break will really do you good and help you unwind as it is a lovely place. At least James can look forward to his trip with Hannah now and start to see what opportunities there are for him.

Gill, I bet your front garden looks even better with the neighbour's new fence in place. I can imagine it could be a bit tricky to see when your OH reverses out of the drive though. He needs a little periscope on the roof. :-) How nice of the workmen to help you with the fence and to take the rest of the concrete post out. Don't get any dirt where you hurt your hand. The savlon should do the trick.

Oh Frank how annoying for Ros to get the wrong day! We've all done it though. Oh it's horrid when the shower runs cold, makes you gasp and jump as you say. I hope it isn't going to do that every day now! :-0 We started going out for Sunday Lunch after we did a couple of Car Boot sales when we moved here to get rid of our surplus things. It does soon become a habit Frank, especially when there are places nearby that have nice food and reasonable prices. It does save a lot of time and work as you say, but I still think you can't beat a tasty home cooked roast.

A friend at beading gave me a lovely big pattipan yellow squash today. I an going to cook it a way she enjoys which is to slice the top off and scoop out the middle, discarding the middle bit with seeds. Chop the middle flesh and fry it with onion, mushroom and bacon. Cube some cheese and stir it through the mix and fill the squash case and bake it in the oven. :-)

I know I need to get more up to date with new technology and I had read about this, but what a great idea! When OH called at his friend's brother's yesterday, when he rang the doorbell they were out at a shop nearby. The brother was able to see who was at his bungalow door through an APP on his phone and could speak to OH to tell him he'd be back in 10 minutes. What a useful thing to be able to do! I see that the name 'Alexa' for girls has dropped in popularity now there can be other Alexas in the house!!

Enjoy your time away Pippyn, see you when you get back. Your OH sounds like mine, he can turn his hand to most things, which saves us so much money not having to get people in. He's taught me a lot over the years, so I can do most things to.

Pleased to hear your new router is working okay for you AnnG, it must feel so much better than it stopping and starting all the time. Thanks for your advice on the best way to read the thread when everything is back to front. It all makes more sense now.

Sorry to hear about your friend Jane, you have had a lot to contend with lately have't you, some time away will do you good. Where are you going? Poor James, I think you're right the holiday for him and Hannah couldn't of been timed better. Hopefully you'll all feel better on your returns and James will find himself another job. OH reverses into our drive so goes out forward, he's not said anything since yesterday and has been out a few times, so I don't think it's as bad as he thought it would be.

OH's not in as much pain with his tooth now the antibiotics are starting to work, so that's good. He finished mum's painting today, so he can rest up a bit over the weekend and watch the F1 now. I got some salt in my hand before and boy did it sting, the sore bit is just below the palm of my hand. I've been keeping it clean,so hopefully it'll be okay. I've started with a bit of a cold, sore throat and ear ache, I haven't slept very well for the past few nights, so I'm shattered now. I think an early night is in order. See you all tomorrow.

We have lamb chops tonight as its a nice easy meal to cook for me. I have picked the runners and have new pots to go with them but I grill my chops as oh likes his pink inside.

Anng how long are you away this time? I hope you have nice weather and see lots of interesting things as I am sure you will. You always find nice places to visit or nice walks to take and we all enjoy your pictures on your blog afterwards.

Oh has washed the dustbin out for me and never did the lid and the inside of that was disgusting with mold on it so I had to do that bit myself. All nice and clean now though and I shall put a little detol in it before the liner.

Have done some washing today and a ittle ironing and am just about to go and do what came off the line when I put the rest out.

AnnG James is in P R.

The Steaks from Aldi are always really good.A few years ago I would never have thought of going there.(being a bit snobbish ) But now I realise how stupid that was.Any fresh meat I have bought there has been just great. The Lamb chops will be done in the oven as the instructions say to do. But they are in the freezer now.

Washing blowing nicely on the line :-D It wont take too long to dry.
My Sister and OH are in Broadstairs now for a wedding tomorrow .She said it is wall to wall sunshine there and they had a nice walk down by the beach while they waited for their room to be ready in the Hotel.
A week today and we will be off :-D I can't wait. It has been too long since we were last away.

My dear friend says unless the Doctors can come up with any possible treatment she may only have a few weeks :-( :-( At this late stage it is not looking good :-(

On a lighter note one of my favourite programmes is on tonight... Gone Fishing with Paul Whitehouse and Bob Mortimer . I just really love this.It is the last in the series tonight.

Frank, of dear a wasted journey for Ros, never mind she was going shopping anyway. Enjoy your fish tonight and your meal out on Sunday. Like Jane when we are away I rarely cook, we do eat out then but at home we eat out quite a lot during the week but not often on Sundays.

Jane the steak sounds nice, and the lamb chops a swell, ages since we have had them, how will you cook them? Hope James manages to freelance for a while to give himself time to look around. What line is he in I seem to want to think it is IT. If so there are opportunities out there.

Afternoon Everyone

Yes I have my car now :-D :-D. The new tyre looks quite snazzy as it has coloured stripes on it !!. Shame all the other 3 arent the same. They showed me the piece of metal that was stuck in the tyre and it was a big chunk !!!!. I went to Aldi then and got some Rib Eye Steaks for Chris and Me and a Sirloin steak for James, 6 bottles of wine,a Pineapple and a few other bits.Then it was to Sainsbury for soem Sourdough Bread.Ispotted some nice looking Lamb Chops so got them.I can't remember when we last had Lamb Chops.
Everything is unpacked and put away now.

Frank, James was not looking forward to going in today.I know that they will be going to the pub after work but he really would have preferred just to come home. He is going to try and do some Freelance work for a while whilst still looking for another permanent job. Everything at the moment looks bleak to him but I know something will turn up for him . It just has to. The break away in Lisbon with Hannah has come just at the right time :-D

So Ros got the wrong day today ,just like you did with your injection . It happens to us all. I hope you havent got the wrong day too for Green Thumb :-D :-D
I think many people go out for Sunday lunch these days. I thin kit is a great idea and as you say it is not so expensive when you think of what it would cost to buy the meat ,veg etc etc. Ann and her OH have the right idea I think eating out .
Why not I say :-D :-D I think we should do it more often too. In a weeks time I will be doing just that when we are away. I don't cook at all . If I do though it is something simple like Pasta or Bacon and Eggs.

Crikey Ann that fall OH had sounded painful.Is his knee ok today? I bet it has stiffened up .

Gill,OH will soon get used to getting out the drive with the tall fence.Does he reverse or go frontwards? It does seem like the fence will be good for you though acting as a windbreak :-D Hope your sore finger is ok . Rusty nails are not good :-S

I am sure I have missed people out here now but I have a machine full of washing that really needs to get hung out .We have quite a breezy day so it should dry nicely. I will BBL

Last day on here as my sub runs out today. We're going away for a couple of weeks, probably onThursday as the children will be back at school by then! So I'll say goodbye to you all at least for the time being!
OH is putting in a new hotwater unit under the sink as the old one was leaking! It's lucky he can do these sort of jobs himself, else we'd have to ask our son and he's got a very 'busy' job so we don't like to bother him anymore that's necessary! SIL isn't into plumbing!
Still not too much rain here!
Take care and Cheerio!!!

Good morning to you all.

Silly ROS she has gone to Martine's, and from there Martine has took her to the Hospital for her eye test. When they arrived, they were told the department wasn't open today. She rang me, and I found the appointment letter. It's for 10.26 am 31st August 2019. So she is 24 hours to early. They will still go shopping at Morrison's as that is what they normally do on Saturday. We will have to see who can take her tomorrow, as after the scan she's not allowed to drive for a certain period of time.She will either get Carolyn or perhaps Pam or Carole to take her. This is when I wish I could still drive.

I hope I haven't got it wrong about Green Thumb coming today. They are normally here soon after 9.00 am. I will have to check back to the Email.

A lot cooler morning here, Adam the postman just called with a parcel for MADAM. He had shorts and short sleeve shirt on, and said how nice and cool he was.

I feel as though I have been pulled through a hedge backwards, this morning. I don't have a bit of energy, and ache all over.

That was kind of the workmen to clear away the broken post, and help with the fence Gill. You do find that there are nice people around, when you need them, and least expect them. Hows things with your OHs teeth now. ??

I have booked a table for Sunday lunch, it's getting a habit with me, not cooking on a Sunday, and a real treat. I suppose when you way up the cost of all the meat, and Veg. Preparing time and cooking and clearing away afterwards. It isn't that expensive, I can understand why Annx and G go out like they do.

The scab on my burnt arm has finally come off in the shower this morning. I just hope it won't leave a scar.

GREEN THUMB has just turned up, so I was right after all.

Have you got your car back today Jane, ?? I expect it's Jame's last day at work today. Has he started putting out feelers regarding other employment yet, or will he take a few weeks break and look in ernest then. He has his short break to look forward to with Hannah, hasn't he. When do they go. ?? All a lot of questions from me today, SORRY. !!!

I have got a nice PLAICE and a COD LOIN out of the freezer for this evenings meal. And I have found a tin of MUSHY PEAS, in the cupboard, so Ros will be pleased. She loves them with F & C.

I see Val's son is back today. Doing some more preparation, for all this decking. I heard Tony banging something into his lounge wall this morning, another finished painting I expect. ;-) ;-)

I'm starting to feel hungry so I am going rain the fridge for my lunch.

Stay safe, and well, whatever you might be getting up to today. See you later. xxxx

Good morning Mel and Gill and everyone, grey and dull here but dry so, despite having a lot to do with packing, OH has gone to golf. I am packed thank goodness, I do hate doing it, wondering if taking too much or not enough, how cold in the evenings etc.

Gill what I do when I click on last post is scroll down to the last post I read the day before, then you can read the posts upwards in the right order. so far the router is working well so hopefully it has solved the problem.
The fence sounds great and all free to you. OH will get used to inching out so he can see the road and as you say it will be a useful windbreak. You were busy yesterday. Watch that hand injury. Maybe you should get a tetanus injection as you do so much in the garden.

Oh dear Frank, that woke you up! the cold shower, not a pleasant shock. so now after the treatment the lawn will look beautiful.

Apologies for once again not reading back but I am chasing my tail here so have to just come on here in short bursts. If i get time I will have another go later

Morning Mel, morning all

Cloudy but dry today, I've just spent an hour getting rid of some of the weeds that have grown in between the paving in the back garden, there's still a bit more to do but I hurt my hand yesterday, so it can wait for now.

Oh Frank a cold shower, that must of been a shock, just when you were enjoying your warm one to. Let's hope Harvey can sort the new one out for you soon. That was a stroke of luck not cutting your lawns now Greenthumb are coming. It does sound like Tony is having the decking done for himself rather than Val, talk about cheeky getting her son to do it. Yes, decking can be very slippy so I hope Val will be okay.

I hope you have your car back today Jane, you must miss it and not being able to drive for so long to. So there's a dishy vet now, he sounds very busy working here and there and can't see much of his family, but a job is a job I suppose. It sounds like Thomas likes him to.

How is OH's knee this morning Ann? It sounds like he went down with a right bump, I hope it's not to bad. How nice to have a little collection of 50p's, some of them are quite interesting. Sandra has one with a dolphin on it she's kept from when she was into dolphins, she was so excited when she found it....bless her.

It sounds like your OH is coming on well now Vera, hopefully it won't be to long before he's pain free. Sandra was asking how Amy was doing, she keeps looking at the photo's you sent her. We're playing catch up with our jobs to since OH's op. There was a lot of things he couldn't do, so he making his way through them all now before the winter sets in. Is it the first day of Autumn tomorrow?

It must of been nice to see your son last night Pippyn, it's nice to have a catch up isn't it? Canada sound lovely, your daughter must of had a great time if it took her two hours to tell you about it.

I'm like you Mel and find it easier to wash my hair in the bath with it being so long, it so much quicker to. I must admit I do like a soak in a bath, especially if I've been working in the garden all day and feel a bit achy, there's nothing like a warm soak to easy ache and pains. I keep forgetting I'm not 20 anymore.

How's your new router AnnG, hope it's made a difference and your WiFi is working okay for you now. Pleased to see you had a lovely time for your anniversary.

Well the fence is up next door and it's almost 5 foot tall, OH isn't pleased with it as it blocks his view when he tries to drive the car out of the driveway, but like I said other people in the street have very high hedges, much higher than the fence and they manage. I love the new fence, it's going to act as a good wind breaker in the winter as it's really windy down our street, coming from next door to us, so hopefully it'll stop all the rubbish blowing into our garden and save me a job of picking it all up, which I hate doing in the cold weather.

While the men were working I was very cheeky and asked them if they could take the broken concrete post out, the skip man broke, which they did for free and they also helped me take our old fence down as I was struggling with some of the screws, so that's all nicely put to one side out of sight down the bottom of the garden ready for OH to use for something else. I did catch my hand on one of the rusty screws so that's a bit sore now. I'm keeping it clean and putting Savlon on it, so hopefully it won't get infected.

Sandra and I then cleaned all the saw dust and sand away that I couldn't get to with the old fence being there, we then did a lot of weeding and I cut a shrub back so everywhere is nice and tidy in the front now. OH is going to jet wash the drive when he gets five minutes. At the moment he's gone back to mum's to finish her painting. So we're still busy.

I kept getting the error page yesterday when I tried to come back on here so gave up in the end. I could see it was going to happen again today as it was taking ages to get to the last page, so I clicked on post date instead. I'm getting used to reading the posts back to front now ;-)

Morning all,

Quite a bright morning here and at least its dry. I am still having to go around the houses to get on here and have got to the last few pages but can't get to the last page to read the posts so I am posting this in the hope I may get there.

Good evening
Have been getting the error message a lot today. I have no trouble getting on site but I haven’t been able to move from one page to another, so I gave up in the end. If it’s still a problem tomorrow I’ll contact support again.

Pippyn, I hope you enjoyed seeing your son tonight and I bet you were pleased to chat to your daughter about her trip. AnninG reminded me when she said that it could be helpful to “chat” about problems on here to people outside the family that I did mean to say that everyone here is very supportive. When I was stuck in Vienna recently with a poorly OH I obviously told our children and kept them up to date but I didn’t want to worry them more than necessary, so it was good for me to let out some of the stress on here. Everyone’s concern and kind words did give me a lift.

I have read all the posts but won’t respond to them all as there are quite a few and I’ll be here forever. I’m quite tired tonight as I am still sleeping badly and am still trying to catch up with all the household jobs and gardening that got neglected with OH’s problems and other things that have been happening. I got an hour and a half in the garden this afternoon but I was very hot and achy by the time I came in.

Now OH is fine either driving or being a passenger and says his pain is “ignorable” we are going to visit my brother tomorrow. I haven’t seen him for over four weeks since I dashed up to see him in hospital in London, and then I was worried about leaving OH and kept phoning him to make sure he was OK. I am pleased to say that brother is doing quite well and at the point he should be in the recovery process so it will be good to see him.

I am going to try and post this now and hope I don’t get the error message or lose the post. Sweet dreams everyone.

EDIT Took me a couple of attempts and I got the error message but it seems to have posted now

Jane, they went to Ontario for three weeks. Daughter has a school friend who emigrated to Canada some years ago and they stayed with her and family for the whole time!!!! Her friends parents also moved there and live about an hour away, so they met up with them again and had a really good time, going over the border into the US. As you say, the scenery was just out of this world, in fact it all was!! The girls were just bowled over, as they say!! Hope they haven't got ideas about going permanently!!!!
As you say,you do have to be careful with decking as it can get very slippery and become dangerous!