General Chat

O Mandy how horrible for them to have the break in. Silly fools nothing inthere to inch serves them right.

Frank what a shame about the lamb. Our tonight was lovely and tasty and just right. We had it with a nice bottle of red and new pos and purple brocc.I am just finishing off the bottle of red as oh has gone to bed.

Anning enjoy yor stay in Torquay and safe journey down. Hope you have a lovely time.

You too Jane enjoy your day away and I hope Thomas comes in ok. At least you hav'nt the road to worry about if its now closed off. I expect he is full of bunny's .

I shot one tonight . There were three of them out on the back field and I got the nearest one but missed the two further away.

Enjoy your quiet time Gill and relax til lthe weekends over.I am just hoing I have some eggs tomorrow as I just have a dozen for Em tomorrow. I have the boys presents ready for tomorrow too.

O frank it is so disappointing when the meats tough when you pay so much for it. I hope you have another good nights sleep tonight.

Do you remember me telling you that Robby was building a nest in my shed and I could'nt find it. Well I found it today. I will take a pic tomorrow as its a beautiful nest right on top of the rubbish bin under a basket I had thrown away. I lifted the basket to put something in the bin and there it was all finished and ready to lay eggs in. I hope they have built another somewhere as he is still feeding her.

Mandy hoe you find the bags in time for Sunday. Its so annoying when that happens and I do it with the boys stockings next door. Emm gives them back to me and I can never remember where I have put them.

Going to watch Gardeners World now and then bed.

Hope anne is feeling better today and love to her and Ruby for Easter.

See you all tomorrow.

Hope Thomas turns up soon Jane ,you carn't say he'll come home when he's hungry as he fills his tummy with wildlife .
Have a lovely day tomorrow with all the family .

That's a lot of hanging baskets AnnG ,do you have some one to keep them nicely watered while your away ?

What a shame about the meat being tough Frank ,i think she should take it back or at least tell the butcher .

I meant to say my friends bungalow has now sold ,the people who were buying it and pulled out have now come back and decided they want it .
But listen to this the day after it was sold some one broke in !!! they got the key safe off the wall and some how the blighters managed to get the key out and in they went ,they must have been a bit cheesed off to find every room empty ,but i suppose it was better to go in with the key than have them do lots of damage to the doors trying to break in .

Jane I Hope Thomas comes home soon. We do go to Evesham but just to The Valley outlet centre, the garden centre and the Country Park. A very long time since we visited the town. Hope you have an enjoyable meal anyway.

Frank it is such a disappointment when meat turns out to be tough. We had the same thing last Sunday with a beef topside joint, tasty but very hard for our old teeth to chew. Monday I chopped it up and cooked it in the slow cooker and it was lovely.

Annx yes the tulips were beautiful and so many of them. We spent all day in the garden and it was beautiful here too. I made up 13 hanging baskets mostly with Surfinia Petunias.

Mandy hope you find the bags, I bet they are somewhere obvious and you will stumble on them.

Gill have you enjoyed your peaceful day? I hope the drive people are not travellers Gill as they tend to use sub standard materials.

Evening All,

What a lovely spring day today with lots of sunshine! It makes you feel good. :-)

That's good news to get the all clear on your mammogram Jane. I hadn't realised you were going out this Easter. Judging by your venue at Evesham I expect you are meeting up with family, so I hope you have a nice time. I expect there will be plenty of 'baby talk'. :-)

Gill that does sound expensive for the block drive next door. Is it a long drive? I hope they put plenty of hardcore down under the sand. The builder didn't put enough under ours and now you can see where the weight of our wheels have made a dented track across the blocks. Good of your neighbour to have got the written quote showing the drive was included though. I hope you have a peaceful Easter now and can relax. At least they are nearly done now by the sounds of it which is good.

Frank, I had to smile at the Seagull pinching Ros's toast!! lol She won't leave that out again will she! Pity about the Lamb as it should have been so tasty. I hope the sea air gives you another good night's sleep. The house sounds wonderful and worth all the hard work they've done.

I bet the children are looking forward to your Easter Egg Hunt Mandy. I hope you manage to get the bags.

Mel it does sound like you needed a few more chickens with a few going downhill. I suppose you will have to wait till she has some more now. Just when they have 5 star living quarters too!!

AnnG I liked your photos. Those dark red tulips were beautiful.

Better go now.........his lordship beckons to watch some recordings!

What a shame about the Lamb Frank. Not a cheap bit of meat !!! . I think she should complain even if she doesn't actually take the meat back. The rest of the meal sounded good :-D Bit of Fluff LOLOL is that your testerone talking :-D That is an expression I have not heard since probably the 60's or 70's :-D You just behave yourself ;-)

Our meal tomorrow Mandy is Us ,H&G,and his Mum and Dad ,maybe Gareths Sister and her partner (but he may be working)

Fish and Chips nearly ready here :-D Still no Thomas 18hours now :-S

Poor Jan, While out this morning/afternoon. She bought a LEG OF LAMB. £25.00 from the butcher where we buy the xmas meat and turkey. He told her to cook it for one hour fifteen minutes and it should be perfect. Was it HELL. She called me to carve it, it was like leather. She put it back in the oven when carved. It came out of the oven no better. She had done Jersey Royals, Roasts and Parsnip, Cauli and Broch in a sauce, Peas carrots. The whole meal looked wonderful. BUT when we tried the meat it was a tough as old boots. She is talking about taking it back tomorrow. But knowing Jan, I doubt she will.

Jo, Ella and her friend have gone to the fair along the sea front. I have given the girls some money to spend on what they want. We have both the dogs with us. JJ and LENNY, they have put on so much weight, since we last saw them. Jo said she doesn't over fed them, they don't have tit bits, and get plenty of exercise. So it might just be the breed. King Charles Cocker Spaniels.

Lovely evening sitting outside looking over the sea, with nice cold can of beer. What more can a man want. ??? No I don't need a nice bit of fluff !!!!.

Enjoy your evening, whatever you are doing. Tomorrow I will either walk, or get one of the girls to take me to the pub. Man. City play Spurs at 12.30 pm. Would like to see that.

Evening all,

What a beautiful day it's been and should be for the next few days , we've been out in the garden getting all the garden furniture out .
This morning it was Messy Church and Lewis and Lacey had a fine old time they made several bits and pieces and had Hot cross buns, fruit and a drink and were then given an Easter Egg each as we left .

Oh Frank i had to laugh at poor Ros losing her breakfast ,it could have been worse though as it could have taken the plate as well as the toast ;-) :-D :-D
You were best not to go out walking if you din't feel that great but you can still get a bit of sea air if you sit out .

What a price for a drive Gill no wonder the boss didn't want to pay ,if it's brick weave they are doing they are not that expensive ,it does sound as if they are being ripped off to me .
I posted Sandra's card yesterday as i thought i might not get out to post it before the middle of the week and i wanted to make sure she got it ok.

No i haven't found the Easter egg bags Jane and i forget to ask DIL this morning but we'll she her tomorrow so still time to find them .
Is it a family meet up tomorrow for your lunch ?

Oh naughty Mel i hope you don't call her Big Bum to her face :-D :-D
Are the new nest boxes a little deeper so they have to push them selves up more and that's how they break the eggs ?

It must be the sea air Frank why you slept like a log, I bet you feel great today. I recorded Earth from Space, as like you, I thought it looked good. I haven't watched it yet as I've been doing OH's side of the tree. Ancestry have their records open for free the whole weekend, so that was lucky as I didn't know until I went onto the site this morning. Vera Lynn's book about her war time memories sound just your thing, what a lovely Easter present, you'll enjoy reading it while everyone is at the garden centre. Oh dear poor Ros, I doubt she'll leave her toast outside with the seagulls again.

I hope your OH makes the divider you want Mel, it sounds like it's needed. We have lovely sun today and it's really warm. OH and I have just been sitting in the garden and the peace and quiet it lovely, all we can hear are the birds singing and the gentle sound of water from our water feature.......bliss :-)

We think the same as you AnnG that the drive people are travellers. I wouldn't want to get on the bad side of them. The boss of the jobs next door isn't a traveller, her just gets the workmen in and I don't think each of the workmen know each other, the travellers as we think they are, are separate from all the rest of the workers. I think they will come back and finish the job as there's only a small amount to do, but I for one, will be glad when they've finished and gone away. The drive looks lovely but they have only put the bricks on a bit of sand so it'll probably sink like the neighbour further down the road who had them, so no doubt they'll be back at some point to fix it, but for now we're just glad no one is there over the weekend and we will enjoy no stress. Enjoy you time in Torquay. It sounds like you'll be going as Frank is coming back.

I might have a glass of something outside later Jane. Don't worry about Thomas, I know it's easier said than done, but if I remember correctly he does this when the weather is nice. I'm sure he'll be back before you know it. Enjoy your wine and relax in this lovely weather.

Going to get something to eat now, I'm feeling quite hungry.

Afternoon Everyone
I have the plumber here at the moment .He is just doing the service on the hot cylinder.

What a beautiful day.It is so hot in the sun. I am very jealous of you Frank,being right down by the sea now.How I would just love to be there and AnnG ,you are going too!!,and then to Dorset. This is the same place you often stay if I remember correctly.I think we were staying near Dorchester and you were at West Bay one year,

Oh the Seagulls have been up to their naughty tricks then Frank,pinching Ros's toast :-D :-D. They will pinch anything these days. I am glad though that Ros wasn't actually eating it when the gull swooped.

Poor Big Bum Mel ! I hope you haven't given her a complex LOL . Is Chucky better in herself now that you are keepting her apart from the Bullies?

Gill, I wondered just the same as AnnG about the Boss maybe being from the travelling community. At least now your neighbour is not responsible for the cost of the drive.

The Plumber has gone.He is such a lovely chap but has had several health scares.He is just out of hospital after havig 2 cancerous lumps removed from his head. He needs a new hip too just like me. We waddled along together :-D

I am now in the garden with a nice chilled glass of wine :-D. Fish and chips tonight(from the freezer. I was thinking if I went out to get F&Cs now with all the extra miles I would have to do it would be cold by the time I got it home.
We are going tomorrow now instead of Sunday. The venue for lunch has changed and it is in Evesham now. I haven't been to Evesham for years.

Thomas has been gone since 2am last night.So nearly 15hours. He hasnt done this for a while ,and i do get my knickers in a knot worrying :-S

Chris is reading his book now as his back is hurting . He has done so much in the garden.It's looking lovely.

Mandy I hope the easter eggs dont melt :-D. Did you find out where the little bags were?

I shall enjoy my wine now and think of Frank by the Sea.Lucky beggar.

Lovely area to live Frank except maybe at holiday time when it gets very busy. My OH was born at brought up in Buckfastleigh, went to school in Totnes before joining the RN and going as an apprentice to Fisguard.

From Monday early evening to next Friday we will be in Torquay so save some sunshine for us please.

Well, the girls have gone out, peace and quiet here now. Jan's gardeners have been and cut the lawns. They have just left.

We are in PAINGTON,(sp) Their house looks straight to the sea, down the road between two hotels. At night the sea front is all lite up, and looks lovely, looking out of the lounge window. The property was built in the 1800 hundreds. It is very large, and they have spent THOUSANDS doing it all up. The previous owner was an old LADY who only lived in one room. They started by having to replace the roof, and gradually have had each room repaired and decorated to their liking. All the windows have been replaced. The only job left now is the KITCHEN. I wouldn't like to put a value on the property, but I would expect it to be in excess of a million. I do think that is far to big for Jan, with Conrad in Spain most of the time.

I am not feeling quite myself this morning, so didn't feel like risking walking along the sea front. I would hate to have a fall, and end up in Torquay hospital. ;-) ;-) ;-) So I am sitting quietly in the lounge reading my book.

The sun is really warm, but sitting outside, I can't read my tablet. Perhaps I should start reading Vera LLYNN then I could sit outside.

I did laugh at the gulls pinching Ros's breakfast!! If the weather is anything likke ours you should have a lovely day.

Gill I put Chuchy back in the run before I let the others out so she can have a feed before the fray. I still had a broken egg this morning so they must be breaking them when they get out of the nest box. I think I am going to take the bowls out and just make the two nests. Oh dos'nt agree with me. I want him to put a divider in the middle but I doubt if he will.

Good morning all, just come in for a coffee. We are now out in the garden for the rest of the day I have the baskets to plant up and OH has some planting out he wants to do.

gill, enjoy your peace. I wonder if the builders are a group of travellers. They (or at least the boss) don't seem to have understood the law very well if they were trying to avoid what was on the written estimate. I wonder if they will return after Easter. Anyway, enjoy the peace and quiet and relax.

Mel, Aaw poor chooks are ready to draw their pension.

Frank whereabouts in Devon are you? chuckled at the seagull, ros won't leave her brekkie out there again!! Enjoy the sea air.

Good morningMel, Gill, and all.

I slept like a log last night. After dinner, we all sat in the lounge and the girls watched their Emerdale for an hour. Then we went onto catch up and that programme from SPACE TO EARTH What a interesting nd informative programme it was. There are others to follow I believe, so will keep my eyes on it.

It's such a beautiful morning here. The kitchen door is open and I have been sitting outside in the sunshine,

The girls are going to a BIG garden centre later, it's the same place where we buy the Christmas Turkey, and the meats I think I will pass on that, and go for my walk down the sea front, and round the Harbour.

My Easter present from Conrad and Jane is a book by Vera Llynn about her war time memories. Should be interesting, as I like those sort of things.

So you sorted the greenhouse Mandy. Colin is like me, if the thing looks/is to difficult to do, just leave it to someone else to do. ;-) ;-) ;-) ;-)

What a lovely thing that young man did, finding you on FB and returning your purse with all the contents still in it. It proves there are some well bought up, honest lads around. That took me back to LONG LONG AGO. I walked passed a Telephone box in the village where I lived and there was a WALLET. It was full of the old WHITE FIVERS. As the Police Station was just up the road, I took it there and gave my details. Later that day a knock on our door produced a very well DRESSED Gentleman, who asked to speak to me. Mum thought I had been up to mischief and the Man was coming to sort it out. When I went to the door he PATTED THE TOP OF NY HEAD, and produced a WHITE FIVER. My reward for handing in all that money. I think I am right, that a fiver in those days, was like a weeks wages for a lot of men. Thinking back I don't remember, having af that money to spend. lol lol.

HERE's A LAUGHT TO START YOUR DAY. ROS did herself some toast and marmalade and sat in the sun to eat it, Jan called her indoors, and within seconds the toast was gone. THE SEAGULLS HAD BEEN DOWN AND PINCHED IT. lol lo. That will teach her to leave food outside, unprotected.

All showered and shaved, fed and watered. Now thinking of going for my walk. I can then come back and relax wth either my current book or start my new one.

Catch up with you all later. xxxx

Morning Mel I missed your post, yes I'm feeling much better today, OH and I were in bed before 10.30 last night and had a really good nights sleep so that's helped.

Sorry to hear you're still having broken eggs. Hope Chucky is happier in the old house, do you think she may go back with the other's in time?

I forgot to mention before, a card arrived for Sandra yesterday so I put it to one side thinking it was a birthday card. I mentioned it to her and she said it might be an Easter Card so I carefully open the flap of the envelope to take and look and she was right it was an Easter card off her aunt and uncle. Sandra had made them a lovely card for Easter and they thanked her for it. It's in pride of place on the fireplace now. Good job she mentioned Easter or she'd of ended up with an Easter card on her birthday. :-D

Morning all

Lovely and sunny and very warm considering the time of day. OH is painting our front fence, he started it yesterday so he had a reason for being outside, but it was really to keep an eye on the workmen. We've just spoken to the new neighbour and he said he's having a security company keep an eye on the place over the weekend as the drive isn't quite finished, they are coming back on Tuesday when they can get the rest of the bricks they need. I spent over an hour yesterday brushing up all the sand that had collected in a dip they'd made between our drive and theirs, so that's all cleaned up now. It was very fine sand they brush over the bricks so we didn't want it blowing around and possible going down our grids. We ended up with a full bucket of sand, so we put it next door with the rest of the sand as it's not ours.

The new neighbour has just been telling us that they doubled the price for the drive so it ended up costing 16K, the boss called the police as the neighbour was refusing to pay it. The neighbour said it was included in the quote the boss had given him. The police agreed with the neighbour once they saw the written quote so the boss ended up paying the full 16 thousand pounds in the end.

We are looking forward to the next few days as no one is going to be here so it'll be nice and quiet, not to mention no stress. I fell asleep on the sofa yesterday and when I woke up my migraine had gone, I think they are being brought on by stress more than anything. Yes, Mel, I'm eating Beetroot, I think I'll know if it works properly once I have a normal life again. The neighbour is hoping he'll be in by the middle of May now, but his wife doesn't want the boss anywhere near the place so he might have to get other people in to finish everything off. So that's where everything is up to at the moment.

I'm pleased you found your purse Ann, what a worrying time for your though, it must of been a relief in the end and nothing missing, it's nice to know there are honest people around.

I'm glad to hear your mammogram was clear Jane, I know when I had one when I found a lump, those few days waiting for the results wasn't pleasant, so now you can relax knowing all is well.

You must be so concerned about your brother Vera, at least he managed a walk which is good. It sounds like you had a lovely day with him. Yes, I've heard chocolate isn't good for migraine sufferers so I won't be eating to much of it. We don't have treats very often so a small amount will be nice.

What lovely photo's you've taken of Berkeley Castle AnnG, it looks a wonderful place and very pretty. Love all the red and white Tulips.

I'm going to have a good go at OH's family tree today, I managed to find a match on Genes and he's given me access to his tree, so that's going to be helpful, he's also been sending me images of various marriages and baptisms which is nice. He sent me an image of a marriage yesterday and when I looked at it the woman's sister's marriage was above , so I ended up with two marriage images and dates I didn't have. I should be able to concentrate better now it's quiet next door, so hopefully I'll be able to do quite a bit for OH. He's looking forward to seeing what I can find.

My washing machine has just finished so I'll go and peg it out while the weather is nice and there no dust around.

Morning all,

Hope you slept well Frank with our Devon air. We have lovely sunshine this mroning and it looks, as I hav'nt been out there yet, a nice calm day with it.

I must do up the boys little present I have bought them for Easter today and hope I have a few more eggs so I can give Em a dozen this week.

I have taken Chucky out for the last three night and she has spent those all on her own in the old house. I have still had broken eggs as their shells are soft on the end as the hens are getting old now. Its a shame I did'nt have a few more when Loraine was clearing out her flock. She told me I should have more than two and she was right. I have lost one since I got the new ones and I know two of the old omnes arn't laying. One had a BIG bum which happens a lot when they get to the ripe old age mine are and one just looks like she is cold all the time. Big Bum has been better since I gave them bread soaked in olive oil and is eating like a horse.

Hope Gill feels better this morning and I know Sandra is looking forward to her Easter Eggs. Lets hope she and the family have a quiet Easter with no worry and they can enjoy the peace and quiet. <3

Vera yes I did when I realized I was thinking of Kentwell Hall. When I lived in suffolk my son went on a visit there with the school.

I have just had a look at the Hall on the pc and its nothing like it was when I went there before I lived in Suffolk and come to think of it they may have lost the big trees with the mistletoe in in the storm of 1987.

It was very run down when I went there with my cousin who lived in Long Melford at that time. I remember seeing it in The Witch Hunter General on the telly.

Mel, have you just removed a post or am I going mad? I am sure I saw a post from you about Melford Hall, went to answer it and it had gone :-S

I think you may be muddling Melford Hall with Kentwell Hall, which is just across the road. I don’t know about the mistletoe as we haven’t been there for a long while, but they do still do the Tudor reconstructions. It’s still privately owned and not cheap to visit but seems to be popular with tourists.

Evening everyone

What a gorgeous day it has been here, warm and sunny. This morning I had my hair cut, then had coffee with the “gang” and did just a little bit of shopping. We’re going to my daughter for the day on Sunday so I bought a lovely yellow floribunda rose for her to put in her garden.

After a sandwich lunch we went off to a nearby country park. It’s not very big but has woodland and open areas and several ponds. It was really pleasant strolling around. After an hour we drove down the road to Melford Hall. It’s National Trust and we are members so go there a fair bit. Today we just had a look around the small gardens there and then had tea and cake at the cafe. We sat outside and it did get a bit blowy then.

I was quite concerned when I saw my brother yesterday as he looked very pale and tired and is clearly quite weak still. However he was pleased to see us and the other two family members who came as well. His partner produced scones, hot cross buns and cake so the six of us had a little tea party. Today I had a text from brother saying he had enjoyed seeing us and today he managed to walk round the block, so I am hoping that is the start of a proper recovery.

Mel, your pasties look really appetising, much better than the ones in the supermarket. Please can I come to lunch? :-)

Frank, i’m glad you have arrived safely. Now relax and have a lovely few days.

Ann, wasn't that lucky that someone found your purse and was honest enough to hand it in. You must have been so relieved, and well done the young man in the shop for tracing you. Good to see someone with a bit of initiative.

Anne, I am sorry you haven’t been feeling too well and I hope you are beginning to feel a bit better.

AnnG, I haven’t had a chance to look at your Berkeley Castle pics yet but you do always take good photos. You definitely have a good eye.

Gill, you really are having a horrid time lately but hang on in there. Those awful builders will be finished soon and everything will be a lot calmer for you. I know it’s easy for us to say but try not to get too stressed or you will be getting more migraines. And I hate to say it but it might be best if you go very easy on the Easter eggs. Many people with migraine find chocolate is very bad for them. I hope you have a stress and migraine free Easter.

Good that your mammogram was clear Jane. That’s one less thing to worry about now.

Mandy, I had a smile at your hunt for your Easter eggs bags. I used to do Advent bags for my grandchildren. They were small cloth drawstring bags. Every year they would get 24 little bags each. Parents would give them back to me but the following November I would have to hunt everywhere for them and when I eventually found them I never seemed to have 24 for each child and would have to rapidly make a few more. Happy days :-)