General Chat

Morning all,

Overcast today with a bit of wind but still quite warm out there.

We had a very tatty fox walk across the the garden this morning just now and it looked like it had mange. the two rabbit disappeared. One yesterday and the other half eaten but today its gone so I expect the fox had both after the crows had their pic the first day.

Thats the bit I don't like about nature that all animals feed each other. Same as when we get the baby birds and the sparrow hawk comes along and take sthe babies. The magpies take the baby pheasents as we have witnessed this many times in the garden. Woodpeckers take chicks out of their nest too. Such a shame for something so young to have their lives cut short in this way.

I don't watch the programs where lions kill things either.

Good morning Gill and All,

Belated best wishes Jane and Chris. Ours is on Monday FOURTY ONE YEARS. Would you Adam and Eve it. Jan has booked them both into a SPA day, on Monday so with Conrad at work and them out. I will be left on my dear old JACK JONES. ;-) ;-) ;-)

Lovely sunny morning here, even though I had a terrible night, and laid awake for hours and hours. I still feel full of SPRING.!!!!

We went to a Chinese Restaurant, where you eat as much as you like. Everything s Fresh, you choose what you want and take it to the counter where the chef bloke cooks everything,endplates it up. There is a big salad counter, with everything you could think of. Unusual for me I got a large plate of salad, and started on that while my PRAWNS, CRAB, MUSSELS,SQUID,CLAMS cooked. When I had eaten that lot I went back for seconds. Then came the sweets (AFTERS) Ice creams of every flavour, profiteer rolls, chocolate sauce, lemon sponge, Roly polly type pudding, I could only manage one trip to the sweet counter. ;-) ;-) ;-) ;-) All washed down with a couple of pints of cold larger. Eos, Conrad and Jan, tucked into all manor of things, and we all came home stuffed and satisfied.

Jan and Conrad went straight to bed 9.15 pm Ros and I sat and watched a bit of BGT, then I went in to read around 10.00 pm.

When the girls are showered and dressed, Conrad will pop back and take them to a large Shopping Centre, where they will while away their day. I will stay at home and BABY SIT. Talking of that. They (the pups) are growing so fast. Jan is going to the vets later, to see if they should be starting on some sort of puppy food. Poor LOLA. as soon as she hops into their bed, they are after her for food. I'm sure is getting fed up with it. They are five weeks old now.

So the HOT TUB is playing up Mel, Can't you contact the Manufacturers ,for advise why the ERROR notice keeps popping up.?? I know Simon and Sally have a solid one in the shed/sun lounge outside. The one he had, when married to his first wife, was lifted over the roof of the house, by crane and taken away to his old wives new home. I expect that was part of the marriage settlement. I would hate to think what that might have cost to do. !!!!

I am pleased you are feeling a bit better Vera, just take things easy, and I am sure you will be back to normal soon.

I see your weather is getting warmer, for the weekend. Have any of you got any plans for going out to nice gardens, ??

Gill I think you should insist, that whoever puts up the gate. That they do not FIX IT to your fence. There is no reason they can't dig a hole and cement it in on their side of the driveway. JUST KEEP AN EYE ON THEM, as I am sure you will.

The girls have rung Conrad so he will be here soon, I will get myself a bit of breakfast when they are gone, and settle down in the sun for an hour, then come in and read. That is the only trouble with either the KINDLE OR TABLET, you can't read them in the full sunlight. :-P :-P :-P

Have a sake day all, see you later. xxxx

Good morning Gill and all. I doubt the blackbird would attack you Gill hr might have screeched at you though. Baby blackbirds are huge aren't they.

I have put a photo of the robin collecting food on the photo blog, plus a few of the garden.

Morning all

<3 <3 <3 HAPPY BELATED ANNIVERSARY JANE AND CHRIS <3 <3 <3

I thought it was today like Ann, sorry, your flowers sound nice.

Love the video's I'll show them to Sandra when she wakes up. I see what you mean about the squirrel lol.

OH had a word with the neighbour about the gate, the fella's were suppose to do it a couple of days ago but they were busy so have now told her they'll be here tomorrow, she doesn't think they'll turn up, so we'll have to wait and see.

That was a close call with the Muntjac Vera and with your friends driving, I'm not surprised you needed a drink afterwards.

How lovely to see the birds nest AnnG, we've been watching the baby Starling's being fed by their parents and this morning a Blackbird was watching me when I was outside I wondered why he was on the patio close to me, then I realised he had a baby close to him, I say baby it was quite big but very fluffy, so I came inside and left him to see to his young. I wasn't sure if he thought I was a threat, if he might of attacked me, I've seen them going for the Magpies and they can be quite aggressive when the fancy takes them. So I thought it best to come inside until they'd gone.

I hope you manage to sort out your hot tub Mel, it can be annoying when you get an error showing.

No more belly button fluff for OH Frank once he has his op lol :-D I said the same thing to him when he told me. ;-) How are you feeling today? I hope you are feeling better now and the headache has gone.

I was thinking it was tomorrow.........Happy Anniversary Jane. :-) :-)

Vera that sounded like a hairy ride back in the mist. Hope you both feel better for your holiday when you go.

Jane Happy Anniversary as I forgot to say it this morning. Hope you've had a nice day and the flowers were a nice surprise.

AnnG I think our Robin whose nest was pulled out has another now and its under our Potentilla down by Prickly Bottom in what we call the back garden. When he gets a worm for her he takes it to the old chicken house past the bantam houe and then flies into the Potentilla from there. Why do they always build nest in places where cats or rats for that matter can get to them. One year they made a nest behind my shed just about 2 foot off the ground in the end pot of a line of pots laying on top. It was raided and then they built a nest in the old tree stump which was a success but it was still about 3 foot off the ground. It is a BIG tree stump of an old sycamore tree.

We also had a Robin's nest in the poly tunnel when I used to use it before the wind took it away. and another time it was in the top of a bag of sand outside the wall by the potting sheds again only the height of a compost bag.

Well we have fought all day with this blimmin hot tub and still can't get it to work with the heater on. We can get the bubbles but there are no real instructions on how to program it. I looked on the net and wrote it all down for oh and we tried it and still we got E 02 which is the Error. Its put oh in a mood and he has gone to bed.

I was going to do so much today and hav'nt managed a thing except cook dinner and that was late which did'nt go down well.

We have a robins nest, well pile of dead leaves I should say. It is on a shelf down the side of the house. Clever because it is the bit that is under cover. Can’t get close to see if there are eggs or babies but both robins have been very active this evening hunting for food. Must be this years robins as they are really tiny.

Jane Happy Anniversary to you both :-D

Vera we can self refer to physio here. I think it sounds the same kind of set up you have. I hope all bad backs and pains ease up before you go away. (cant remember where it is now :-S)
You were telling a few weeks back about the enhanced recovery thing your Brother did. I think that is what I shall be on.Fitz too.
That sounded a close call with the Munjac .At least you got back safely :-D. The day before yesterday something ran across the road in front of me and I thought it was a little dog. But I reckon it was a baby Muntjac.Frightened the living daylights out me I can tell you :-0
Driving on country roads ,you just never know what is going ot leap out in front of you.

Jane, I forgot to say “happy anniversary.” I wish you many more happy years to come.

I keep thinking of things I meant to comment on. I hope your OH gets his operation date quickly Gill. As others have said all belly buttons do is collect fluff but, just think, he’ll never be able to have it pierced! I thought of that because at the weekend we saw our eldest granddaughter, who is just coming up 22. She informed me she had just had her belly button pierced. When I asked why she said she just felt like it.

Now I really am going to get my chicken casserole in the oven

Good afternoon all

A lovely morning here but this afternoon has been very overcast though it is still warm. It’s a bit on the heavy side really.

Sorry that you still have a headache Frank. Why not let Conrad take you to see the doctor? Just to be on the safe side.

We ought to be outside doing a bit of gardening but with my back still playing up and OH with a dodgy back and leg we are being a bit careful. We go away in less than 2 weeks and don’t want to risk putting anything else out. OH pulled a hamstring a few weeks ago but now he is wondering if the pain he is getting is referred pain from a hip. Today he has self-referred to the physio company that the NHS in our area outsources to (does that make sense?). You go online, describe your problem and fill in a diagram showing which bit hurts and after a while they email you with their conclusions. It might be an exercise sheet and/or an appointment with a physio, or advice to see your GP etc. I used the system 3 or 4 years ago and it worked really well.

Mel, those baby pheasants are sooo sweet. I hope they all survive. I used to like seeing the pheasants in the garden of our old house. They would come in and help themselves to corn and seeds from the ground feeder.

We went into town this morning for me to have my hair cut and himself to do a couple of jobs and then we met friends for coffee. When we came back we found a dead sparrow in front of the house. There were no feathers around or signs of being got at by a cat so I think it must have flown into the window.

I had a good evening on Tuesday, in spite of my friend J’s driving. We went to a country pub 3 or 4 miles out of town and it was OK driving there but a bit hairy driving back. It was that gloomy time just before it gets dark and there was a heavy white mist coming off the fields. I did have a heart stopping moment when we came round a bend, going a bit faster than I would have liked, and a muntjac ran out in front of us. I still don’t know how J and the deer missed each other but they did. I needed my drink when we got back to the birthday girl’s house ;-)

Chicken casserole tonight so I had better get it in the oven. I’ve got the end of a bottle of white wine in the fridge so I’ll chuck that in as well. It should perk it up a bit :-D

I will send the video clips to anyone else who wants to see :-D

Ann it was the thought of having to go all round about again to get to the other side of town again that really put me off going to Dunelm this morning ,I was only going to go and buy one of those v shaped pillows.I am going ot have to sleep on my back apparently for several weeks after the op :-S so thought one of those might be very useful. I agree with you that this air we have here is not great is it, plus I am sure there is a lot of pollen around .It just all adds up to making you feel quite weary at times.Th traffic noise now from the A14 is so loud too.

Chris ordered some micro worms .He says they just look like sand ,and he has watered them into the veg patch in the hope they will get rid of all the slugs that have eaten our Pea plants.He has managed to lop off the left over hanging branches from the tops of the Conifers belonging to next door. It was quite a job with the long handled loppers and the step of ladders but he has done his best and it looks so much better now.He is now ready for a shower.

I hope you have managed to get some nice pics at the Botanical garden this afternoon :-D We keep meaning to go to the Botanical Gardens in Cambridge but somehow we havent done it yet .
I have some lovely flowers from Chris today for our Anniversary.They look lovely on the fireplace in front of the Woodburner .
Frank, have you had your Anniversary yet? I know it is about now .I am sorry if I have missed sendign you wishes .

AnnG . I burped well into the night last night LOL then just couldnt sleep.I decided maybe because I had not had anything to eat since lunchtime that a Banana would help.So at just before midnight I got up and ate one and low and behold I fell asleep quite quickly afterwards :-D

Cottage Pie and veg for us this evening plus veg. Nice and easy.(M&S Gastropub )
Out tomorrow and no need to cook for James as he is going straight from work to H&Gs
Hannah and her friend Polly are going to Margate for the weekend and it is a boys day out at Twickenham on Saturday.

Gill I took to little video clips yesterday . One of the Squirrel on our windowsill under the bird feeder and the other of the Woodpecker on the feeder. I think Sandra might lke to see them :-D. I will forward them on.

Good afternoon all, quite a pleasant day here, a bit breezy but some sun and no rain. I did an hour in the garden but didn't want to push my foot too much so came in for a rest. It was Tesco day today as well which is always tiring.

Don't think we would have room for a hot tub but I am sure it would be fun to have one. And is good for aches and pains. Look forward to photos of the alpine house Annx, botanical gardens are great for ideas aren't they>

Bettter go and make head gardener a cup of tea now back later I expect.

So it's a new hot tub for your OH then Mel. I did smile when Frank said to Ann he knew where the hot tub had gone now. It does sound like a good idea though and should help all those aches and pains your OH has.

You really should see a doctor Frank if you're still having headaches, the fall you had sounded like a real bump to your head, so should be looked at.

Thanks for letting me know about the you tube channels Ann, unfortunately we don't have a SkyQ box, can you get the channels on a laptop? Enjoy your day out.

The neighbour said the gate was going up sometime this week Jane, but no one has turned up yet. OH has to go out tomorrow so I'll just keep an eye out incase they turn up. I'm going to take a photo like Ann said, at least then I'll have a before and after photo should anything go wrong. They said they were putting a post up to attach the gate to but the only way to put the post up is to attach it to our fence. They put three posts in concrete the other week, but didn't put one by the side of our fence, so I don't know how they're going to attach it now.

The sun has come out and it's getting pretty warm. I think it was about this time last year the heat wave started, I hope it's not as hot as that again this year, it was a bit to hot for me.

OH and I are about to watch the final programme of three on the Blitz in Liverpool. It must of been so scary, some of the stories they are talking about sound awful.

I have just lost a longggggg Post. But I really can't be bothered to do it all again, so might get back later.

Afternoon All,

Muggy here too Jane. We said this morning that this stuffy Midlands air is making us both tired. I don't blame you for leaving Dunelm till another time. I seem to do that sort of thing more often now. Next week will be better after half term when there will be less people about. I hope your indigestion soon went.

I have hummed and haad about getting a hot tub too Mel, but the maintenance and having a water meter put me off a bit. You can hire them for a weekend round here so I would try that first I think. I bet it will help your OH's hip as nextdoor have one and she has arthritis. They had a fibreglass one a few years ago and ended up smashing it up for some reason.....maybe it leaked? Now they have the inflatable sort like Mandy's. I like the inflatable sort as you can sit where you like instead of the moulded seats. You will have to have your camera at the ready for his maiden voyage! :-D :-D

Frank I agree with Conrad and would see a doctor being as you still have a headache.......can't be too careful with bumps on the head. Yes. slap that cream on if you go to the beach. We don't want you burned to a crisp as well. Will the beach be packed or is it still not a it's busiest yet? You will be getting sore eyes next from all the sights on the beach!! lol. :-)

We have eaten at home again today, breaded lemon sole with french beans, cabbage, leeks, mashed potato for OH and a packet Hollandaise sauce, quick and easy! Now we are off to look at the nearby Botanical gardens as we haven't been at this time of the year before and they have a smashing alpine house.

f you have a SkyQ box Gill you can get youtube on it and watch some sports things like last night's match. I hope you don't have anymore problems with the work next door. Take a few photos of how your fence is now so you have some evidence of any damage done if that should happen. It won't be long now before Sandra gets her trip to the zoo. I bet she will be snapping away with her camera!

Better get going now, I can hear OH is getting restless!

Afternoon All,

Muggy here too Jane. We said this morning that this stuffy Midlands air is making us both tired. I don't blame you for leaving Dunelm till another time. I seem to do that sort of thing more often now. Next week will be better after half term when there will be less people about. I hope your indigestion soon went.

I have hummed and haad about getting a hot tub too Mel, but the maintenance and having a water meter put me off a bit. You can hire them for a weekend round here so I would try that first I think. I bet it will help your OH's hip as nextdoor have one and she has arthritis. They had a fibreglass one a few years ago and ended up smashing it up for some reason.....maybe it leaked? Now they have the inflatable sort like Mandy's. I like the inflatable sort as you can sit where you like instead of the moulded seats. You will have to have your camera at the ready for his maiden voyage! :-D :-D

Frank I agree with Conrad and would see a doctor being as you still have a headache.......can't be too careful with bumps on the head. Yes. slap that cream on if you go to the beach. We don't want you burned to a crisp as well. Will the beach be packed or is it still not a it's busiest yet? You will be getting sore eyes next from all the sights on the beach!! lol. :-)

We have eaten at home again today, breaded lemon sole with french beans, cabbage, leeks, mashed potato for OH and a packet Hollandaise sauce, quick and easy! Now we are off to look at the nearby Botanical gardens as we haven't been at this time of the year before and they have a smashing alpine house.

f you have a SkyQ box Gill you can get youtube on it and watch some sports things like last night's match. I hope you don't have anymore problems with the work next door. Take a few photos of how your fence is now so you have some evidence of any damage done if that should happen. It won't be long now before Sandra gets her trip to the zoo. I bet she will be snapping away with her camera!

Better get going now, I can hear OH is getting restless!

Afternoon All

Its muggy here today and hazy cloud. I went over to Rushden Lakes earlier and wished I had worn short sleeves. The roads were really busy ,and I was going to go on to Dunelm but decided just to come home. That can wait for another day.

So a Hot Tub is coming Mel :-D. Is it one of the 'posh' ones or the inflatable kind ? Do you think you will use it too?I would think it would be so relaxing and it may well be good for OH's aches and pains. Those little chicks with Mum looked so cute :-D.Fingers crossed they all survive.

Frank,that was lucky Conrads phone wasnt lost. He must rely on that for all his business. Enjoy the beach. Are you going ot be making Sandcastles :-D :-D. Slap on the suncream .

Gill, at least we dont need our Belly Buttons for anything(other than fluff like Frank said LOL ) OH wont miss it I am sure. At least he now has an idea of when his op will be.
Gill why don't you ask your new neighbour when the gates will be going up? That way you wont have to stay in all the time .You could have a long wait !! Surely they wouldnt fix it to your flimsy fence. Would that not make the gate unstable?

I think it is lunch time :-)

Good morning all,

So thats where the HOT TUB went to Ann, It's down in Devon with Mel. lol lol

Much warmer day here. Jan's flight was an hour late taking off, so it was passed midnight when she got here. Eos stayed up, but I was tucked up in bed. !!!

Conrad thinks he has had his PHONE STOLEN. He hunted through the Villa last night before going to pick up Jan, NO LUCK. He went to the office, the shop where he bought a few bits We tried ringing his phone but nothing. Just now, Ros's phone rang and the caller came up as CONRAD. So whoever has it, is trying numbers in his phone.

I am hoping we can go to the beech at lunchtime, I have sent Conrad an Email asking if that was alright with him, but he might not look at me message, as Jan says he only looks at his Emails in the evening. We will have to see. He has seen the Emil and says he has found his PHONE at one of the show houses. BUT no mention of eating out at lunchtime. What is he like.

The mum Pheasant has a job on her hands with that brood Mel, Do you know if the male has anything to do with the chicks, being bought up. ?? I know with normal birds both parents feed and look after the chicks.

One thing Gill if the OH looses his Belly Button, he won't get any FLUFF IN IT. ;-) ;-) ;-) I hope everything goes according to plan, and he gets over it quickly.

Jan has just mentioned, that Kerry, her daughters partners Father, is waiting to have his leg amutated. It has been bad for many years since a Motor Bike accident years ago.

I am still nursing a nice HEADACHE. Conrad wanted to take me to the Doctors, but I said I would be alright. He has taken a copy of my prescriptions and is going to try to get me some more Co-Coldimol tablets, as Ros only packed one extra strip, in case I needed any. They have all been used up. So if he can't get a repeat, I will have to take Anadin -Extra.. My shoulder is very painful, where I am expecting a bruise to arrive anytime soon.

What are you all up to today. and hows the weather. ?? I am just going back into the sunshine, and try to get a bit of a tan.

See you all later. xxx