General Chat

Morning Gill and all and Happy Midsummers Day,

Dull old day here again today but its dry so thats not too bad. Looked out the bedroom window this morning and there was a Bullfinch on the weeds round by the workshop garage. By the time I had walked through the bungalow for my camera and got it set up to get a pic he was'nt in the right postion but I took a couple of pics and he then flew off with a beak full of weed seeds.

Hope all the aches and pains are better this morning for those not well and that Colin's tummy bug has now gone too. My fingers are acheing again this morning but my toes feel better.

Don't think I shall see Di today and I don't know what she is doing or if she is working.

Shall send a couple of pics now.

Morning all

A bit of a damp day here so it looks like the rain we had yesterday stayed overnight. It's stopped now so we may have the sun back later if these clouds disappear.

How is your OH Vera? I hope you both had a good nights sleep and he's feeling a little better today. Sandra had to take some medicine for her stones, it was a while ago so I can't remember the name of it, but it broke them down a bit so she could pass them herself. My poor mum had to have them lasered so it was more painful for her. Either way there is something that can be done, so hopefully if that's what it is it'll be sorted soon for him. I hope he doesn't have anymore problems and recovers quickly.

So you're not making the cake now then Mandy, good idea for DIL to buy one, it's better to be safe than sorry. Are you going to eat the cake, it seems a shame not to, now it's made? I hope your OH is feeling a bit better today.

Your day out sounds like a lovely place Ann, pity about the chatty man though. If he wants people to know the history he should make up a booklet for people to pick up and read themselves. I love curved borders to and the edges sounded really good where you could pop out to the main garden in different places. Pity your OH doesn't take his own photo's, it would leave you to take your's then.

How is your hip today Jane? I didn't realise humid weather could play it up. Not long now to your op then you'll be skipping through the daisies in no time lol :-D :-D :-D Did James make it home okay last night? I should think they'd be a lot of traffic around this time of year as people go away or return home, so lots of traffic jams everywhere.

It sounds like you had an interesting day out AnnG and your meal was a good price. How is your OH's cough today, they can linger sometimes, which ends up being more annoying than anything, especially if it keeps him awake at night. I hope it's eased off for him now.

Did you have a nice time out yesterday Frank? How are you getting on finding a new shower, have you found one yet?

I'd love to see a picture of the scarecrow Mel. I had a lay in this morning and didn't wake up until 8am. OH brought my antibiotic to me at 6am as he was up, but thankfully I fell back to sleep. I must remember the time I take these tablets as I took the last one for yesterday two hours earlier than I should of done by mistake. So I'm making a note of the times today, I don't want to be doing that again.

I do feel for you two Vera. It must be awful to be in such pain and scary for you too. I hope B is a lot better now and has some pain relief and you both get a good nights sleep tonight. As the others have said its just one thing after another for you at the moment.

Poor Colin having a tummy bug. Its best for you to not make the cake while there is this sort of thing in the house no matter how careful you are its best to be on the safe side and let DIL buy a cake. Glad it turned out alright though so you will know for next time you have to bake one it will be ok. How many l;ayers do you cook for the unicorn cake?

I hav'nt done a thing today except the big breakfast but have just slobbed about. Its been a really dreary day all day even after the rain its been dark.

I did put the recycling out and took a pic of the scarecrows while I was up there.

Well the sponge cakes turned out ok but since then i've decided not to do the cake ,Colin still has the tummy bug and i've been washing my hands and disinfecting door handles and any thing else he has touched and don't feel i should make a cake with a bug in the house so i rang DIL and she's going to buy a cake for her instead ,i would hate to think we had passed this bug on to anyone .

Oh Vera your poor OH what a time he is having and such a worry for you too ,i do hope he doesn't have to wait to long for them to see him and they can find out quickly if it is a stone and then do what ever needs doing .
I hope tonight is a better night for you both you must both be so tired .

Oh no Ann i hate it when you get pounced on like that you just want to get away and look round with chapter and verse .

Evening All,

What a torrid time for your hubby and you Vera, but thank goodness you managed to get home before these other things happened. A work pal I keep in touch with had kidney stone and she said it was the worst pain she'd ever had so no wonder his BP was up if that's what it was! I hope he is ok now and that you both get a good night's sleep.

Frank, I hope you feel ok now. Maybe it was eating something spicy and later than usual and laying down too soon after that did it. It sounds like you have a plan with the shower so that's good.

The friend I just mentioned who had the kidney stone has a Petit Basset Griffon Vendeen Jane. I had to ask her to repeat it when she first told me! lol I expect that is where Janice's new dog gets his shorter legs from. For what it's worth, she was so pleased with her 'Billy' as he has a lovely temperament and is no trouble at all. I hope James is back by now. I know with OH travelling long distances in the past it could be worrying when he was very late.

We have been to another open garden today at Earl Shilton. The owner gave us chapter and verse on the history of the place as soon as we got out of our car, which was ok except he was that long my knees started aching and I thought I'd have to go and sit in the car instead of go around his garden! :-S OH noticed me shuffling about and started moving off which finally shut him up! We really didn't need to know all about people building on his land and access for other properties having to be made elsewhere.!!! :-( The garden was very nice with curving borders which I like and on a bit of a slope. The outer edge had tall mature trees with a pathway all along it and shrubs and trees on the inner side of the path next to the main garden, so it was like walking between shrubs and trees all around the outside edge, with little openings to the main garden here and there.

Mandy I hoped the new oven behaved with baking the cake and it turned out ok......I bet you were watching it through the door! Good idea to keep the photo of the previous one as I'm sure the girls will be looking to see if it's just the same! I hope Colin is feeling ok now and yes your DIL wouldn't want any bugs passing on! A few years ago I gave OH my old (easy to use!) camera,so he could take photos too and he did take a few on one holiday. I don't think he was that interested though and would forget to bring it or charge the batteries. I think you need more patience than he has for photography but don't tell him I said that!! lol.

Oh Vera I'm so sorry to hear about your OH, I know how painful kidney stones can be as Sandra had them a few years ago, I've never seen her in so much pain, she eventually passed them herself, but it took a while. I hope he's starting to feel a little better now the pain has eased a bit. You must be wondering "What next?" I really hope things improve for him soon, he must be so fed up of it all now. Sending Get Well Wishes from Sandra and I.

How did the cakes turn out Mandy in your new oven, I remember the first one I made in my new oven didn't work, I got the timings wrong but I soon sorted it out and have lovely cakes now. I hope they turned out okay for you. That was a good idea to keep the photo of the last one you made, it'll be easier to do now you have a picture to follow. Sorry to hear Colin has a tummy bug, I hope he feels better soon and everyone can go in the pool again, good idea to keep the children away for now, the last thing they need is the bug going around the family.

How are you feeling now Frank, maybe it was the spicy food you ate. So you'll be having a new shower soon, at least you'll know when it's coming on and going off then. OH painted the gate in a cream colour to match the bungalow, it's right at the side of the bungalow so looks good being the same colour. It's a good job he did it so early this morning as we've had some rain this afternoon. Luckily the paint had dried by then and I think the sealant I did yesterday has dried to, as that wasn't effected by the rain either. Yes, Sandra was taught to say thank you for anything she received and then she decided herself to send the thank you cards. Like I always say to Sandra "Manner cost nothing"

It sounds like you've had another lovely day out AnnG, sorry to hear your OH has still got his cough, I hope it clears soon for him. No I'm not bored yet lol, to be honest I fell asleep for a couple of hours, probably because I was up so early and I've been taking another look at OH's family tree this afternoon, so that's kept me busy. Sandra brought the washing in for me while I was asleep, which I'm grateful for with having a bit of rain this afternoon.......she's ever so good.

Well I seem to have lost a long post :-S I cant go through all that again but see poor Vera Oh my goodness what a dreadful time you are having :-0. It must feel like it's never ending for your dear OH at the moment. I hope that you wont have to make another call for the ambulance .You will both feel like you have been through the wringer many times :-(

I love the pics Mel and Ann :-D. Those Pheasants looked in heaven there basking in the sun. I too loved the Waterlily pic Ann. What a beautiful garden .
Frank, did you eat many food with yellow colouring in for your Chinese? I think they are the ones with lots of MSGs in which may well have upset your tum.

This humid weather is playing havoc wit hmy hip today. I have hardly been able to hobble. I have often thought hot and humid weather makes the pain worse.

Janice's dog ..... is a mixed breed but Bassett Griffon x Duck Toller Retriever!!!. I think Larry wants to have his DNA done at some point just to see exactly what mix he is.
James should have been home ages ago from Canterbury ,but no word .I always start getting a bit on edge when he is this late . I am hoping it is just heavy traffic and that he is unable to ring beause he is in the car. Dinner is almost ready too :-S

Goodness Vera, it is just one thing after another isn’t it? Does he have to wait for a kidney scan if the hospital suspect a stone. Our son had that and it was really so painful the his PA called an ambulance and he was taken to hospital. I think he may have passed it in the end and was allowed home. I hope that he can get scanned quickly. That could also account for the nausea. You must go to bed wondering what next? I hope you can get a good sleep tonight. And do try to eat something.

Afternoon all

I have read all the posts but, to be honest, I feel too shattered to respond right now.

At the moment.we seem to be taking one step forward and two back. Last night OH developed really severe stomach pains which just kept getting worse so at 3.30 am I called an ambulance. They arrived about 4.15 and spent an hour trying to sort out what was wrong. OH's blood pressure was sky high and his is usually on the low side. The pain was intense. In the ambulance the paramedic dosed OH up with morphine which helped the pain a great deal so his blood pressure started to come down. At the hospital the staff kept taking blood pressure and temperature readings and they were gradually coming down, they did all sorts of blood tests, scans, X-Rays etc. and the only thing they really discovered was that he had a urine infection so they have put him on anti-biotics for that. But, because of the level of pain, they are wondering if he might have a kidney stone or stones, so a kidney scan is being arranged. I hope he doesn't have to wait too long for that.

By mid-morning the pain had subsided considerably and his blood pressure was normal again so we were allowed home with instructions to call an ambulance if he went downhill again. I called our daughter and she drove to the hospital to collect us and drive us home.

He seems much more comfortable and cheerful now so I am hoping we are over the worst.

Neither of us has had any sleep and very little food so we are both very tired but we are trying to stay up till something like a reasonably normal bedtime.

Oh yes Mel I thought one of the other girls might want a unicorn cake so I kept the photo just in case .

The cakes are in the oven now ,I just hope to goodness they turn out OK as I haven't made a sponge in this new oven since I've had it .

We wll want to see a pic Mandy. Have you still got the pic of the last one you made to give you and idea?

We are now on our own here as daughter and son in law have gone up to Workington, they had papers to sign for the new house. They will then go to a rugby league match as Joe is club president then on this evening to Manchester airport to stay overnight for their flight to Turkey tomorrow.
We have been to the Docks museum cafe for lunch, I had scampi chips and peas and T had brunch, (sausages, bacon, chips and beans.) all good value at £5,75 each. We had a look round the museum afterwards. Barrow is such an interesting place. It is tempting to think it is just an industrial town but there were some fantastic ships built in the shipyard and it is interesting to note that in the 19th century the men came from all over to be ship builders, work in brick yards etc. So the heritage is of people from Cornwall, Scotland, Ireland and all over.
Downstairs in the museum there is a wildlife photography exhibition with some really excellent photos by various wildlife photographers of the year.
We then paid another visit to Tesco as we had run out of gin :-( :-( and needed tissues for OH. Then we called in to the Range where I bought some craft bits.

T’s cough is still with him. But seems a bit easier today and his face is just brown now. Last night daughter gave him a Sudafed tablet to ease the congestion and although that was a half dose it knocked him out for the night, in fact I got to the stage of being tempted to nudge him this morning to see if he was still breathing :-D

Frank, maybe you being sick was because you laid down very quickly after eating spicy food so you were not able to digest it properly.

Mandy hope the cake turns out ok as I am sure it will. Sorry Colin has a bug and hope that you don’t catch it.

Mel, can’t remember if I said that I love the photos of the little birds with mouths wide open. You are lucky to be able to get near to them

Gosh Gill that was an early start for you. Have you got bored yet with no jobs to do?

Afternoon all,

Nice and sunny here and feeling much warmer today .
The children went in the pool on Friday but haven't been in since as Colin has had a tummy bug so we told them not to come as i'm sure DIL and son wouldn't want that to go through the house .

Jane the new dog looks a nice little chap and i hope he settles in well with the other two dogs ,it's probably best not to know what sort of life he's had ,he's going to have a lovey home now with his new family :-D

Mel the baby black birds have really grown ,it's nice to see them changing every few days ,mum and dad will have their hands full feeding that lot .
The Pheasents like the sun !!
Looking forward to seeing the little Christmas tree when you've finished .

Sorry to hear you've had another rough night Frank ,to much spice maybe ?
Hope you are feeling better today for your meal with Simon and Sally .
It sounds like fun and games with the shower :-D didn't you have problems with it like that before were the water wouldn't urn off or did i dream that one up.

Vera your poor OH what a time he has had lately i hope today he is feeling a little better and can move a little easier ,lets hope they don't keep him waiting to long for the hospital appointment .

Hope the antibiotics are working for you Gill and the pain has eased now , you were both about early getting your washing out and OH getting the gate painted ,it's nice to get the jobs done so you have the rest of the day to please yourself with what you do.

Lovely photo's Ann ,i like the Cornflower and the Waterlily's
Get OH a camera Ann he'll be busy getting his own photo's he might leave you in peace to take your own :-D
It sounds like you both had a good plateful of food each :-D perhaps next time you could share one now you know how big the portions are :-D

AnnG poor OH not putting the suncream on and getting a bit of sun burn, how is his cough today ?

Right i must make a start on the birthday cake ,i'm not really in the mind for doing another one i get a bit anxious in case it doesn't work out right with the decorating of it but i said i would do it so i'd better get on with it .

Just got up from the pc and its pouring with rain!!!!!!!!!!!!! :-(

I meant to say out of those lovely pictures Ann sent of the garden they visited yesterday my favorite has to be the waterlily. The reflection and the light on the water and petals is beautifull.

Afternoon all,

Not such a nice day today as we have clouds and no sign of any sunshine at all but its not cold so that a bonus.

Got up at 6.15 for the loo and went back to bed. Heard oh get up but dn't know what time so I spread out right across the bed and woke up at 12 noon!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I have told him not to let me sleep in late as it makes the day so short and the chickens don't get fed early enough but thye had plenty of food in the pen last night and they have the grass to eat so they should be ok.

Not done anymore to the little Christmas tree yet. I have found some of that fast setting cement that you use around toilet fittings so that could be good to put the canes in the pots but now I have to find the pots. I have plenty of those green canes ffrom when I had the nursery.

I have Di's presents to do up for tomorrow as Midsummers Day is her birthday. I think thats rather special.

Good morning Gill and all,

Another nice day, with sunshine and breeze, after another not so good night for me.

I felt totally whacked out last night, after our Indian Takeaway. Ros had Chicken Tikka Marsala, and I Tandoori Chicken, we had garlic mushrooms, pashwari Nan, and rice. I gave up at 9.00 pm and went to bed, as VERA started on ITV 3. I read until 10,00 ish went to the loo, and was sick as a pig. Something hadn't agreed with me. Ros was in bed by 11.30 and I was still awake. Don't remember dropping off but was awake again by 5.00 am. Have done nothing this morning apart from drinking tea and reading the paper.

We are going to "THE CROMWELL COTTAGE" at Kislingbury Jane, I have mentioned it before as I am sure it's a place that you and Chris would enjoy.

I am about to TACKLE the shower. I will make sure I am in it with the doors closed, before I pull the RIP CORD LOL LOL I mentioned this to Harvey and he is going to look for a model that will easerly fit the existing water and electric connections. Once he finds one that is comparable, I will but it, and he will come and fit it.

Those little (NOT SO) Blackbirds will be eating the Mum and Dad out of home. Good job the parents have lots of open ground to find all their food. Your worm population will be in for a right old shock. ;-) ;-) ;-)

Gate all painted now then Gill. What colour have you used.??

It's nice that Sandra likes to send thank you letters to people. A lot of children just take things for granted. We find over the years, we have always bought Christmas and Birthday presents for Family children and friends, and never get thank you letter. Each birthday and Christmas, I sat my children down at the table to write THANK YOU LETTERS to everyone who had bought for them. I think it's only polite and curtious (sp) to do so. !!!

How are all the aches and pains doing folks, a little easier with this fine weather.

I have just had a Email from the Toby Carvery with an offer of two main meals for a TENNER. So I have booked a table or 5.00 pm on Wednesday, anothday day without cooking. ;-) ;-)

Will try to get back later today. xxx

Morning all

Cloudy here today and not as warm as yesterday, but the sun is trying it's best to come through so it might warm up a bit later. I believe we're in for another heat wave soon.

I did two loads of washing and had it pegged on the line by 7.30 this morning. I take my first antibiotic early so I'm not having to stay up to late at night and I couldn't get back off to sleep, so all my jobs are finished for the day now. OH had the same idea as me and decided to put the second coat of paint on the gate, now the rest of the day is ours.

I love all the photo's Ann and Mel and will show them to Sandra when she wakes up. She enjoys looking at them all and asks me each day if you've sent any.

The Blackbirds are growing fast now Mel, I noticed they are starting to get their feathers now. You are lucky being able to see right inside the nest.

Those flowers are beautiful Ann, Sandra will enjoy seeing those to. She often takes photo's of our flowers and took a lovely one of our Azalea when it was in full bloom.

Yes, Jane I have finished the sealant on the living room window, so hopefully the rain won't come in again. It was a bit of a tricky job near the top where the window opens but I managed to do it and leave it neat. I've never done it before so I'm quite proud of myself. The window is about 5 foot tall so it took a while to do. Hopefully it's worked. I guess I'll find out next time it rains. Mum came home from her holiday last Thursday and is thrilled with the decorating, she now wants the rest of her bungalow painting, so OH is going to do it after his op when he's fully recovered.

Thank you Vera for your kind offer of sending Sandra some pictures of Amy the Orangutan. I've explained to her that it might be a while, as your husband isn't very well at the moment. She's asked me to ask you for your address so she can send a thank you card. She makes her own cards and sends thank you ones to everyone who sends her things. The two Ann's and Mel have received a few over the years. I'll PM you our address. Is your husband called Bob? Sorry if I've got this wrong, but Sandra will ask me for his name to put on the card. I hope your OH is feeling a little better today and the meds don't stay in his system to long.

I have to remind my OH about sun cream to AnnG. He comes out in white blotches if he doesn't use it, we think it's might be to much Vitamin D from the sun. He's lucky and doesn't burn, apart from the top of his head where he's going a bit bald, but over the years that seems to have stopped now, so it's just the blotches he needs to be aware of.

How are you and Ros feeling today Frank? I hope the meds are working for her now, all these infections aren't nice at all. Enjoy your lunch out today.

I think I might have a go at OH's tree again today, I checked the tree match I have last night and there are lots of people I don't have yet, so I need to check them all to make sure they're right, then add them to his tree. That'll keep me busy until the F1 race later. I'm starting to feel more human now, the swelling has gone down a lot and I'm not in as much pain, so I'll be able to concentrate now. I'm starting to get a bit nervous about having the tooth out, but the dentist is very good so I'm sure I'll be okay. At least once it's out I shouldn't have any more trouble with abscess's anymore.

Jut been in the tub and now feel all relaxed and dozy. Yes the Blackbirds have grown a lots over the last couple of days and the parent keep going back to them with beaks full of worms all neatly folded in their beaks.

This evening I saw shed Robby and he brought a yongster with him who sat onthe sundial. I misse dthe pics of Robby with the chick but did get a pic of the chick which I will send tomorrow. Robby has been warming himself on the tyre of oh's mower and having a preen so I'll send that tomorrow too.

Tired now so I am going to watch a bit of telly and then go to bed.

Night night sleep tight.

My goodness Mel, those birds have grown a lot in just a few days. Ma and Pa blackbird are going to have their work cut out feeding that hungry lot.

I hope you got some good photos today Ann even if they were flowers rather than the wildlife you thought you might be seeing.

AnninG, what is it with men? Mine would never put sunscreen on or wear his hat if I didn’t remind him. Does Ros have to nag you to do these things Frank?

Gill, OH says that instead of just emailing a picture of Amy, the orang-utan, when he is up to it he will scan in a couple of photos and print them out so I can post them to Sandra with a little note about Amy, who is older than Sandra.

OH was not prescribed co-codomol as such but was given separate codeine and paracetamol and told to take birth. I know a lot of people don’t tolerate codeine very well and he has been quite poorly today. I suppose it’ll take a day or two to work itself out of his system. Strange how it affects some people and not others. I have had a 30/500 co-codomol on repeat prescription for the last 17 years. I don’t take it every day, just when I need it, but I am fine on it. Hopefully tomorrow will be a better day for OH.

I managed to do a bit of garden tidying and deadheading today and I got all the pots and troughs watered which is another job OH usually does. Now I think I’ll read for an hour and try to relax a bit before bed.