General Chat

Morning all,

Quite bright today but not as nice as yesterdayas there's more clouds in the sky. Oh is outside working on a stand with one of his saws on it. He has it on castors so he can wheel it in and out of his shed. I had to laugh and so did he as you cn hardly get in his shed so I don't know how he is going to wheel it in even!! There will have to be changes coming I can see.

Gill I'm pleased your mouth is slowly getting better after the nasty abcess. Yes I have seen hogs in the garden and have started to feed them. Last night I had one in the feeding ring and I had put dried food in ther and a bowl of water. When I turned the outside light on it ran from the ring to under the decking of the ponds a usual route. I did see one down at Prickly Bottom earlier in the ev en and have seen that one three times now. So they are out and about now.

I think the clocks go forward in Spring, Spring forwards is how I always remember it.

Oh has let the chickens out for me again this morning and they have food so I only have to change their water and they are done for the day untill its corn time this afternoon.

I said I only had one scratch from the rose bush yesterday. I did but I also have a tiny thorn in the knuckle of my little finger on my left hand which is swollen this morning and painful so I shall have to get a needle out and dig it out.

Good morning Frank and Gill,
Morning all. Lovely morning here so I was up early and did a small hand wash, just to keep clear before the new machine comes. That is tomorrow, a bit of a 'nail biting' time as it is going to be only by luck that the new machine fits, if it doesn't we have to get a plumber in to shift the kitchen sink a fraction as the bowl is likely to be an obstruction. It is only millimetres, new measurements versus the old. OH is at golf hence the early rise.

I have also potted on 20 small basket plants which have joined the others in the conservatory. now sitting down with a coffee.

Frank it sounds like you could be having a busy morning in the garden, lovely to get out there after the winter weather.
I am sure that ros's back still hurts even when she is gardening, but like me with my sciatica and back, if she is doing something she loves she doesn't feel the pain so much. don't worry too much about her, I am sure she knows when she needs to rest, otherwise she just wants to feel 'normal'. She obviously loves her garden, and loves the fact that you appreciate it too.

Gill Easter is 19 April Good Friday

I don't have anybody's birthdays or addresses :-( :-( I am happy to send cards. Oh I forgot I do have yours Gill but not your birthday or Sandra's.

I think it is very bad that the police say they are doing nothing about who started the fire. I suppose they will quote shortage of police to deal with it. I think the insurance is going to be very difficult as it always is with an empty property, especially if the police are not showing an interest beyond giving it a crime number.

good that the antibiotics have worked anyway. And that you had a good night's sleep.

Vera pleased that the headache eventually cleared. I hope you have this lovely sunshine and can get out in the garden today to potter.

Jane, I think Thomas has made his way here, I have just seen a cat in the garden that is the image of him. (he is not supposed to be in our garden but often sneaks in to eye up the bird population.

Mel how many eggs so far today. As Frank says take care of that rose scratch.

Morning Frank, morning all

Lovely and sunny here today, OH has gone to his mates, he hasn't seen him for a while and I think with everything that's been going on here he just wants a break.

The police aren't taking it any further Frank, not sure why though. There's no workmen there yet, I should imagine the insurance will want to take a look before they can do any work on the kitchen, but there is the bathrooms to do, so we're not sure when they're going to be done. How lovely that Conrad has a little dog you'll enjoy taking her for walks when you go over to visit. Can Ros help you with the greenhouse glass? I help OH when he needs to put some in and it's safer with two people. Sorry to hear her back is playing up, I hope the orthopedic gel cushion works. It's horrible when you have disturbed sleep, I hope you have a better nights sleep tonight. I had a good nights sleep last night OH had to wake me this morning to take my antibiotic I've only got three left to take and they are doing the trick, my gum is still a bit sore, probably from the lancing, but all the swelling has gone down now, so that's good and I can finally eat properly which is great. :-)

Love the photo of Thomas Jane, he's very fluffy isn't he? The costume your sister made is brilliant, she's very clever.

I hope you're feeling better now Vera and your headache has gone. We give each other birthday and Christmas cards and I was wondering if you'd like me to send some to you. If you'd like that I'd need your birthday and of course your address which you could PM me if you like. It's up to you, but it's nice to receive them. Sandra loves receiving cards off everyone on here, she doesn't have much post so gets all excited when they start arriving.
She already talking about her birthday and it's four weeks away yet.......bless her. :-D :-D

How lovely your girls are now in their new home Mel and giving you eggs to. Will this one be drier, as I know the old one used to get rain water in it? Have you seen any hedgehogs lately? We saw one the other night.

Love the pictures of your old houses Ann and Anne, how similar they look, I had to look twice at who's post I was reading, at first I thought it was one person till I looked closer and read the names properly.

So you've bought the eggs for the children's egg hunt Mandy, they're going to love that. I must check online when Easter is, all the dates this year seem to be different to past years, I noticed the clocks don't go back until the end of the month. I don't think it's ever been that late.

We saw an owl flying over the garden last night, because of what's happened next door we're keeping an eye out more. I was outside as it was going dark the other week and thought I'd saw an owl but it was so quick I wasn't sure, this time around both of us saw him. They are lovely birds aren't they?

Morning all,

Was awake at 4.15 am. WHY does my body do this ?? Every morning I wake between 4.00 and 4.15 am. Went to the loo. and dosed until 6.30. Got up and made my TEA.

I have ordered Ros an orthopaedic gel cushion for her back. She is getting so much pain from it. With the surgeons saying they can't do anymore operations, It's a case of trying anything to help relieve the discomfort. I keep telling her to rest. But she will insist on doing HER GARDEN.

Another lovely morning here, don't know yet if it's chilly our there. I am hoping to rotate the Veg patch and try to put some seeds in. Eos has bought another two packs of canes for the runners. So they can go in situ. ready for when the plants have grown enough to be put in. I MIGHT attempt to put the glass in the greenhouse, as I don't know when one of the boys are available to do it. Jonathan is busy with his own garden at the moment. Harvey is still up to his neck with this bungalow conversion. So Someone has to do it. !!! ME !!!!

I see you are busy Mel, be careful of that Rose scratch. They can go septic. Keep it covered won't you ??


Have things settled down now Gill, I expect you were all tired after the episode with the fire, the police and firemen. Is there any news of who or how the fire started. The next door neighbours were lucky, that it was caught in time, before spreading to their property. It doesn't bare thinking about. :-( :-( :-(

I haven't had the photo of Thomas Jane, OUT OF SIGHT OUT OF MIND. !!!!

I only got one scratch on my thumb which bled like anything but I just carried on. Washing dried nicely today and I'm glad as it was the sheets and pillow cases and two large towels.

AnninG your photos are lovely. What a great time you must have had and Luke really did like his jacket. What lovely children too.

You need a good nights sleep after last night Gill. Hope the pain killers take the migrain away.

I was out in the garden most of the afternoon till it started to get dark. Oh said he was going in the shower so I stayed out incase I turned a tap on. I had another egg today so thats 3 in all today and much like I was getting before their move. They knocked their water over today and it all leaked out and it had the wormer in it so I made up a smaller amount and they all crowded around it so how long they had been without water I don't know. I have put it in the corner now so they should'nt knock it over again. Last day tomorrow then I can fill it up and it will be ok.

I am dying to do some more craft but can't think what I want to start next. I seem to be doing more housework and no craft. I don't seem tohave the time lately.

Mandy hows the unicorn doll coming along?

If the Police have asked down the road, maybe someone will remember seeing something Gill. I expect all this and the lack of sleep has caused your migraine Gill so an early night will do you good.

Thomas pic has arrived now! I wonder if the attraction is the smell of the birds who have been bathing in it?

I thought about your hubby today AnnG. We saw lots of golfers out on the greens when we went out. It's been a lovely day for it!

The property is a semi Frank, so the neighbour on the other side was lucky to as it could of spread had the whole place caught fire. Like you said Ann the place was locked as the new neighbour had to open the door to let the firemen in. Kevin was telling OH that his old place is back on the market and that he regretted buying next door, so now we're wondering if they did it themselves. It's hard to imagine the police not taking it any further and a bit worrying as they may come back and next time the neighbours may not be as lucky.

We've all been asleep this afternoon as none of us slept very well last night. I've only just woken up but now have a migraine, I sometimes get one when I'm stressed or have to much sleep, so I've taken a painkiller and I'm going to shut my computer down for the evening.

I haven't read any posts just skimmed through the bits you said to me, so I'll catch up properly tomorrow. I hope everyone is okay. See you all tomorrow.
Night Night

AnnG i keep meaning to say what lovely photo's you took in the gardens at Hidcote ,the sea looked very choppy at Stokes Bay although it looks like it didn't put the wind surfer off .

Afternoon All,

How awful there was a fire in the bungalow the new neighbours have bought Gill. No wonder Sandra is a bit twitchy now. If the bungalow was where the old lady lived, maybe a few neighbours had a key? It does sound deliberate as breakins into newly renovated property are usually to steal the new fittings not start a fire. What time did the other neighbour notice the flames? Was it dark by then? It seems it wasn't left unlocked, as whoever did it, locked the place up behind him after setting light to it, otherwise the neighbour who spotted the flames could have got in. It's really lucky the neighbour was at home to hear the smoke alarm otherwise it would have been much worse. I can't understand the workmen fitting a bathroom onto a floor in such bad condition it needs replacing and to not mention it before making a start! I think if I was the buyers I would be having second thoughts about it too. What a nightmare for them.

That's good the hens have laid you an egg Mel.......they obviously know a good nest box when they see one! How often do you worm them? I can't remember mum worming hers, but it could have been done when I was at school.

Jane, the whole costume Janice has made is superb! Especially as she has done it for someone else's child. I love the fur tuft on the tail.......very realistic. I think they will be thrilled. Larry looks like he is auditioning for the front part of a pantomime horse! :-)

We are still bemoaning our soon to be loss of our Waitrose in the next village. It has been there over 40 years and I have used it since the beginning.

That's nice you will have a new doggie friend Frank. What name has Conrad given it? Will you have to speak to it in Spanish? :-D

Anne I was very lucky to spot my old house in the 'Open Gardens' event last year and got a chance to go and see it. They were so pleased to see me and I got a tour of the house to see the changes they had made as well as the garden, which I set out many years before. I liked some of what they had done, which was what I planned to do if I'd stayed but OH much preferred the old garden.

We sat out in the sun this afternoon but the wind picked up a bit so we came in .

Frank we do love having the children but find it very tiring ,they just love coming and we find all sorts of things to do ,Chelsea has some knitting on the go ,i think it's going to be a scarf ,might be a Sunday one ....very holey LOL might just be ready for next winter bless her ,they also like baking cakes ,doing jig saws and playing with Max so they have plenty of fun.
It won't be to long before they won't want to come as they'll be out with their friends .
That's lovey Conrad has taken in the little dog i bet she will be by his side all the time , he has a friend for life now.

Vera our son DIL and family only live about ten minutes away ,we live one side of town and they live the other ,your right about them growing up fast ,Jake is the oldest he's fourteen in May Chelsea is eleven ,Katie is nine ,Lacey is six and Lewis four .

Colin is going to make a run for the childrens rabbits ,we always laugh when he makes things as he always makes things so sturdy which i know you want but he does tend to go just that bit to big LOL

Beef was lovely and tender ,there was plenty of roasties and veg which i love , Colin had a mini cheesecake and i had a little chocolate trifle for pud so now we are both full to the brim .

Frank I hope Ros has room to plant all these plants you are ordering for her !!!!
Clotted Ice Cream is sooo good Vera. Nice and rich :-D
My Sister is a perfectionist and never thinks the things she makes are good enough.It is just lack of confidence .She is amazing with the craft work she has done over the years.I always say she could set herself up in a little business and get a good income .
Mel I hope Janice does manage to get a pc of the little boy in the costume . It has cost her over £15-20 to make it so far :-0

I now have the song Chick Chick Chick Chick Chicken in my head Vera :-S :-S :-S

Never heard of Nethergate Brewery Vera,I suspect it is just local to Suffolk. Chris sampled a few local beers when we stayed in Suffolk so may well have has a pint :-D

O thats lovely news Frank. It will give him some company whilst at work to. Something to talk to instead of staff or clients. Can't wait to see a pick of her if he would end you one you could forward it to us, please? Is she long or short haired and has she been spayed? How old do they think she is? What colour is she? Whats he going to call her?

t's me again. I forgot tp mention, CONRAD has a little DOG. It's been hanging around for a few days and looked totally unkept. So he took it in, took it to the vets to have it checked over. She is fine, just needed a lot of love and feeding. He has bought a bed for her and lots of food from the vets. He has spoken with members of staff, who have said they will look after her when he comes back to the U.K. He is so proud of himself committing to having the responsibility for a little HEINZ 57. She seems to have settled in with him. I think he takes her to work with him also, as he works in a port a cabin for an office on site. So he is able to walk her when she needs to.

I expect I will be walking her when we go to Spain in May/June.

I have part boiled the Spuds and Parsnip, now waiting for Ros to come in, then I will start dinner. We never eat till late on Sunday's. So I won't want any supper later. !!!

Jane I don’t know why your sister is disappointed with the warthog. It’s a cracker. Wish I was as talented.

Gill, your poor new neighbours. They must be at their wit’s end. I hope they have good insurance. It’s quite frightening to think how bad it could have been but it wasn’t too bad so don’t dwell on the what ifs. I wondered if the door could have “accidentally” been left open but you’d think the culprit would at least have made it look like a break in. You’d think the police would look a bit further into it, even if much of the evidence was washed away by the fireman. It’s depressing to think whoever did it can just walk away scot free.

Mandy, you are lucky to see your family so much. Make the most of the young ones - they grow up so fast. I feel so sad for those of you who don’t have contact with your children and grandchildren. I don’t see a lot of my grandchildren now as they are fairly grown up and not close geographically but we are close in spirit.

Mel, I am sure you’ll soon be getting plenty of eggs. Do you know the old song “Chick, chick, chick, chick chicken, lay a little egg for me”? You’ll have to sing it to them :-D

Enjoy your beer Frank. Bob went for a lunchtime pint with a neighbour today and instead of going to the local they went to the bar at Nethergate Brewery which is only 3 or 4 miles away. I doubt if Nethergate is known outside Suffolk. He got back about 2 pm and we had our dinner then. Roast lamb with roast potatoes and lots of different veg, followed by clotted cream ice cream with a big dollop of rhubarb compote, made by my daughter from her home grown rhubarb.

Now I am sitting in the conservatory with the door open, enjoying a cup of tea. It’s been a beautiful day but the wind is getting up again now. Think I’ll now move into the living room and read the newspaper.

I think the costume's great Jane and would love to see a pic of the child wearing it if thats at all possible.

Had another egg before lunch so there must be two that can get in the nest box.

Suns still out and oh is watching the back of his eyelids so when I have washed up I shll go out in the garden and do a bit of tying up of the rose over the fence as its sprawling all over the place at the moment. I shall probably come in covered in scratches but it will be worth it. It only flowers once a yer but it is so lovely. Its Albetine and has been there for a very long time. Then there's the other rose further down the back garden which is a real beast. That only flowers once but the scent is to die for. I think its a rambler, well if not it certainly rambles along our fence into places I don't want it.

It woud be nice if they could find who did all that damage to next doors new build bit. Perhaps the builder needs more money to pay for his expensive holidays he's been having. I don't suppose it could have been a fault in the under floor heating which set fire to the cardboard packaging laying on top. There again did whoever fitted the kitchen leave any cardboard inside or was it all put in the skip which means it must have been taken out of the skip and put in the house. I do hope they get it all sorted soon and decide to stay as you seem to get on ok with them Gill.

Hi all from a very sunny Northants. I have been very lazy today. Last night while Ros watched something on T.V. I did the veg for dinner today. This morning I got the beef out of the fridge, and made the Yorkshire Pudding. No cheese sauce today as we aren't having Cauliflower. We are having Roast potatoes and Parsnips, Runners, peas and carrots and sweetheart cabbage.

Ros is still in the garden, I have offered to make COT but she won't have one while she is bending down all the time.

I have ordered her a load of Begonia's this morning from Jersey Plants. I am also trying to order 72 Perennial Plants, advertised for £9.99. BUT when you go on line the price is £19.99. So I have sent an email complaining. (TYPICAL ME) !!! Now the wait for a favourable reply, I hope. !!!

Vara, we are all as guilty as anyone else, for rambling on, but that's what our group do, so don't worry yourself please. !!!

You are having an easy day Jane, everything pre-prepared, and ready for the oven/microwave. Don't blame you. if you can get away with it. ;-) ;-) ;-) Thats nice that James and Hannah are spending time with each other. I don't ever remember doing that with any of my family, when I was younger. I did spend time with TED later in life, and we did have two Foreign holidays together with the four of us. But of course now I only have Mary me sister who is in very poor health, who I can't see us having a holiday together.

Mandy, I think you are a very lucky Grandma, having your children and grand children round as often as you do. I know from what you say, they do enjoy coming to see you, and of course that's very important. I can honestly say I only ever had Grandma Baker, my mums Mum, who lived in Canning Town, and as a family very rarely visited her. I think this is the reason I would be interested in knowing where my daughters THREE BOYS are, and what family I might have. I haven't had any reply to my enquires yet. I might be tempted to ask Simon if he can find out, even though I know he no longer has anything to do with his Sister and Mother. (WHAT A FAMILY)

I have read the paper from end to end, not that there is much n the way of interest to me. BREXIT seems to be dragging on and onnnnnn :-\ :-\ :-\ :-\ I will be glad when it's all done and dusted. !!!

Mandy I think Janice has done a great job too.I think she will be glad to see the back of it next week LOL .
Roast Beef :-D.. I can just smell it.My tummy is rumbling just at the thought :-D :-D
I am doing a cheat roast tonight just for me and Chris. Rotisserie Chicken Breast with a sticky marinade, ready to roast potatoes, same with Parsips,Yorkshires and a big bag of veg that will go in the microwave :-D :-D I just need to do the Gravy. Bisto :-D
Enjoy the rest of your Sunday. I sometimes feel a bit sad we have no family near enough just to drop in. It is just us here. I do think sometime in the future (I don't know how far in the future ) that we may well move down nearer Janice and Gareths parents.That is where H&G are planning to move.( I think I might have said this the other day !! ) Sorry for repeating myself.

The sun is still shining and there now seems to be a little breeze.

An Egg Mel :-D :-D :-D That is a good sign . May there be many more soon :-D

Afternoon all,

Beautiful sunshine here just a few little white clouds in a blue sky .

Oh my goodness Gill your poor neighbours, just when it seemed the bungalow was just about ready for them to move into too ,hopefully it will just be smoke damage and easily sorted out for them .
I carnt see that anyone with a key would go in and start it as they would be the first ones the police would talk to if there was no sign of a break in .

So you have one happy girl who has laid an egg then Mel :-D i'm sure the others will soon follow suit .

Oh Jane what a good job Janice has made of the Wart Hog costume it's brilliant she should be so proud of herself ,i carn't see any thing wrong with the legs if the child wears tights the same colour they will look great .

Yes Ann we have been buying the eggs for the childrens egg hunt ,they have two more weeks at school before they break up for Easter .

The family came this morning and the little ones played outside it was so nice .
We're just having a lazy sunday ,the beef joint is in the oven and smelling good and apart from doing the veg that will be it for today , we get lots of jobs done in the week so having a lazy day at the week end doesn't hurt .

Frank, I think we have had Hob Goblin Beers here. I am sure you will enjoy yours .You mentioned Speckeld Hen Beer the other day. Now I am not a beer drinker but I do like Speckeld Hen :-D. We always get a variety of Beers in for when Gareth is here :-D

Just seeing this lovely weather today makes me really want to be on the coast somewhere . I really miss living by the sea :-(.. We are so far away from it here.But it wont be too long before we go to Yorkshire and I will get my fix then when we go to Whitby and other coastal places.A boat trip is high on my list of things to do(even if Chris doesnt fancy one. When we went to Northumberland I did a boat trip out to the Farne Islands and it was just amazing to see so many Seals and the Bird Life.Chris stayed on dry land then. He missed something special.I think it was the small boat and slightly choppy sea that put him off :-D The one thing though that was not nice was to see a Seal with a load of fishing net caught around its neck :-( :-(

Just going to try on these clothes I bought this morning.