General Chat

It’s a lovely sunny day here too but overnight and this morning the wind was strongly gusting. It’s calmed down now.

I’m still having a lot of trouble with my head and eyes so am restricting screen time.

Your poor OH, Ann. He has all my sympathy. It’s good the eye hospital can see him quickly and good that the optician spotted something. I got referred the same way, the optician spotting something but not being sure what. Thank goodness for opticians who are on the ball.

Your jam and cream puffs sound delicious Mandy. Next time you’re making them please invite me to tea.

Glad you sorted your smooth soup out AnnG. I used to use a liquidiser before I had the soup maker.

Going to close down now as my eyes are tiring trying to look at the screen and it’s making the headache worse. Probably be back tomorrow.

Afternoon Everyone,

Lovely sunshine and 7 degrees just now.

I keep asking OH to make a note of when he gets these head pains Vera, but he forgets so I'm going to make a note. He hasn't had headaches like he used to with migraines for years now, he gets the visual effects instead with zigzag lines and other optical effects. A few years ago he would suddenly duck or lurch when walking or sitting as if something was going to land on his head and we think that was migraine effects, also the numbness, tingling fingers similar to what you describe. He gets that same washed out feeling afterwards with these head pains too. I hope you are feeling much better today. We must try and adjust our front security light as the violas in the pot under it trigger it just the same when it is windy.

Mandy those cakes you made sounded absolutely delicious! I might try some as a special treat as I love apricot jam and with cream......more yummy!! :-D We went for OH's eye test and what did I notice........Regatta had closed!! If I'd realised they were closing so soon I'd have gone there sooner. That'll teach me. :-( I hope you get on ok with your eye test today.

OH was referred to the eye hospital about his left eye, as the optician noticed something he wasn't certain about that could be to do with the old laser treatment. The eye hospital was quick off the mark and rang OH this morning to determine whether he should be an emergency or not but have booked him in for next Monday. I just hope the traffic chaos and major incident is over by then, otherwise OH will have to walk further. I've had the glasses I saw the other day which are very comfortable, but settled for less thin lenses this time as the lenses are a bit smaller than those in my old glasses, so should be lighter. I also sorted some for reading , but I cringed a bit at £450 altogether. I just hope they will be better and that another new prescription won't be needed next year! I picked up the new bathroom catalogue on the way home so had better get on with sorting the en suite. One thing I am going to get them to fit this time is a Surestop Stopcock instead of the wheel thing to turn the water off. They corrode or get stiff to turn in time and neither of us will get stronger as time goes on and the Surestop needs no electrics and turns the water off at a flick of a switch.

We had to be up with the lark as OH's car was being collected for repair today. Then at 7.30am they rang and said could they come now as the trailer wasn't available and they would drive from Warwick in the courtesy car and drive OH's car back. We flew around as I wanted to change the bed and the phone rang again. All cancelled for today. The courtesy car was a brand new automatic and when they had gone to put fuel in, there were serious warnings on screen they needed to contact Vauxhall about. So that's the first delay!

AnnG you don't hang about getting things done, unlike me! Your garden is getting a few changes and upgrade and made a bit easier for you to maintain. It's going to have a fresh new look this year. :-) French beans would be good as you con't need to bend down to pick them. Is there a particular subject for your photography group this time?

I thought just the same about all the dust showing when I dusted the bedroom this morning Mel. The sun shows it up everywhere doesn't it. Will you sell the purses and horns on their own or are they to go with your Tudor men as you make them? You have a great eye for detail.

The slow cooker's been on this morning. I've done a chicken thigh and veg casserole similar to what I watched Kate Humble do with a tbsp each of mustard and horseradish added and a dollop of creme fraiche to go in just before serving.

OH has gone to a council meeting so I am going to pop out to the shop while the sun is shining.

I solved the soup problem. As I wanted it to be a smooth soup I resorted to the old way and put it into my small processor/liquidiser and it came out beautifully smooth and I enjoyed that for lunch.

Err Mel, did you miscount your fingers? Isn't it 11 months to Christmas??

Yes sunny here too, the grey soon shifted it looks lovely out there and is 8 degrees now.

Morning Anng and nall,

WE have bright sunshine at the mo and te pc says 7 degrees so a bit cooler than yeasterday and the other days this week. Usual thing htough its showing up all the duster so that will be one job for today.

Glad you all liked my little Tudor purses and horns. I have done more but they are not finished yet. I have tried to do powder horns this time.

Well another weekend tomorrow! I don't know where the weeks are going so far this year thye seem to be racing by and its only 10 months till Christmas.

good morning all. looks grey out there but dry so far 5 degrees so cooler than the past few days, probably getting colder again.
Mel those tiny things look so fiddly to make, they are really good though, well done.

Photography group this afternoon so Jake won't be back until Monday now to do the lawn make over.

Think I may give it a go as I have some puff pastry in the freezer and apricot jam from the Christmas cake and my own cooked apple in the freezer too. They could be nice with strawberry jam and cream or pop a bit of icing on the top or just the sugar.

Sounds a decadent idea Mandy. Might try that.

I am thinking that as it is behind the trellis and not part of the flower garden I might have some veg in it. Maybe French beans, carrots.

Sent a pic. Annx has already had it.

They were so easy Mel I cut four oblong bits off a roll of puff pastry ,I suppose they were about 3inches by 5 inches pricked them all over with a fork so they don't puff up to much ,gave them a little milk wash put them on a piece of parchment paper and into the air fryer on 200 for five minutes then turned them over for two more minutes, when they were cool I put apricot jam on them and some whipped cream .
Next time I'm going to do them with some cooked apple and cream like apple turnovers

Gosh Mandy did you cook the pastry in triangles and fill them afterward? They sound nice I may have a go.

Evening all,

We had rain most of the morning but it did stop just after lunch so we went and did our shop while it was dry ,I didn't need that much this week as I stocked up when son took me shopping .

Anng did you need tissues for the film I should imagine it was a sad watch .
You'll have your garden all nice and sorted ready for the better weather ,have you an idea of what you'll plant in the new planter they are making .

Ann did you find any bargains in the Regatta store ,Colin use to like the Regatta shorts for his holiday ,there was a little shop in Wells that had them and each time we went he would buy some .
Hope OH's headache is better today, he does do a lot of paper work which I suppose doesn't help.
Did you manage to get your glasses sorted ,I have my eye test tomorrow afternoon and I know I will need new glasses for long distance ,my left eye is more blurry than the right eye

Vera sorry to see your hospital appointment news wasn't what you had hoped for ,as Anng said was it the migraine that affected the check up ,hope each day eases your migraine.

Mel have you worn the washing machine out yet ,I bet it's been busy again today .
Looking forward to seeing all the little bits and pieces you have been making for your Tudor men .

I haven't really had the motivation to get going with any crafting ,I have knitted Colin a pair of fingerless gloves for when he gets the logs in but I haven't done any sewing because my machine is usually on one end of the dining table and we eat at the other end but it was put away because of using the table over Christmas .

Oh I was very naughty this afternoon I made two jam puffs in the air fryer ,so quick to do with bought pastry, only took seven minutes in the air fryer ,I put apricot jam and fresh cream in them boy were they good .

It’s been very overcast all day and rained hard for a while this morning. Now it just feels damp in the air. It’s 11 degrees so very mild for January and, as the wind has dropped now, it doesn’t feel cold at all.

I’m like you AnnG and normally make smooth soups. I usually only do the chunky ones if I’ve got something like pieces of chicken and lots of different veg. I haven’t had any problems with the soup maker not blending smooth soups properly. Perhaps it was the broccoli that wouldn’t mush up. We have quite a lot of broccoli so perhaps I’ll have a go sometime with a broccoli and something soup and see how it goes.

Sorry to hear your OH is getting these horrid headaches Annx. It’s fairly common for a migraine to affect one side of the head. With mine, the pain is always centred above my left eye and even though it spreads right through the head I still find myself holding the left side of my face. When I used to get the migraines worse than I do now one side of my face used to become numb. If I were you I would try to get OH to see the doctor again. If it’s migraine then he might get medication to help but if it isn’t migraine then the doctor needs to get to the bottom of it.

Have you been able to get on with your Tudor men today Mel? I do admire all you “crafty” people. My brain doesn’t talk to my hands so I see how something should be made but it comes out looking like something put together by a 3 year old. When I was younger I used to do some dressmaking and knitting but that was because we didn’t have much money and in those days it was cheaper to make your own. Even then OH used to have to do the cutting out for me as I was hopeless wielding a pair of scissors.

I’m still not feeling anywhere near 100% but I am gradually improving. We went to meet our group of friends for coffee and 9 of us turned up this morning. We left there at 12.15 and OH dropped me near the hairdressers to get my hair cut while he parked the car and went for a walk. My hairdresser is usually spot on time but she was running late today. By the time she had finished and I’d met OH back at the car and driven home it was nearly 2 pm so we had a late lunch today. I haven’t been able to rouse myself to do anything since then. My eyes are less of a problem today but I am still a bit heavy headed and feel drained.

I’m on the iPad and I see that it’s very low on charge so I’d better go and get it plugged in. I hope you are all having a good day. “See” you tomorrow :-)

See even machines can't get it right.

It says its 12 degrees here and Iv'e not got the heating but it feels a lots colder the 12 degrees. Its probably warmer outside than it is in here. Its good in the summer as the house stays nice and cool on a hot day but you would think it felt warmer in the winter too.

Yes Mel it is just half the lawn they are gravelling. today though they are making the large planter to go by where the greenhouse was.

Vera I have the same soup maker has you I think. Have you ever had this happen before? I usually make the soup smooth and pressed the usual button but it has come out like clear soup with very tiny veg pieces in it. so not chunky but not smoothe either. It is carrot mushroom and broccoli spears. It tastes nice so I will eat it but not a smooth soup. I am assuming it couldn't work out what to do with the broccoli spears and I had cut the carrot up quite small.

Morning all,

quite sunny here this morning but pc says afternoon rain so thats something to look forward too. Its 11 degrees here and I don't really need the heating on just for some hot water.

Nothing l;anned for today but I have to go and get my scripts at the shop so may get a nice whlemeal loaf too.I really must get down to some more plaster work and painting but have been making tiny belt purses for dolls house Tudor dolls. Not finished my other little tudor man yet either so he's to finish off. Perhaps then I can settle to some more casting etc.

Its good your getting the garden all done and tidy for the spring Anng. With this new lot of gravel will you have any lawn to cut??

Good morning all. 9 degrees and very dark but hopefully dry. PC is warning of high winds. I have Jake coming to start on the next phase of the garden.

Vera yes I did enjoy the film. It was very well made. Not sure, because of the subject, that enjoy is the appropriate word but it gave much food for thought. How brave the people were organising it from the children's end. Amazing that the stress and the sadness at not being able to bring all the children, didn't get to Sir Nicholas Winton but he lived to 106 I think. What a lot he had to look back on.
Antony Hopkins is excellent of course in the main part.

I don't really watch Josh Widdicombe in anything but his family tree went back to Edward the 1st and he was related to Ann Boleyn. I found it so intersting I had'nt seen it before.

Hope you find some glasses you like.

Evening All,

A sunny day here and not so cold, so it made me feel a bit brighter. OH wasn't though as he woke up twice with a headache one side of his head and had to take tablets. He's been getting them for a while now, but the doc thought it was connected to his osteoporosis, but we've read they can be a kind of migraine too. He's not good with his posture when sitting or lying down, but I think he should get a second opinion if they are going to be more often or worse.

Perhaps the new cats have taken over Skinny's patch then AnnG? We haven't seen Hello Kitty that used to sit in the road here at the top for months now, so we think something must have happened to him. The film you went to see sounds good from what I've read and I hope it was warmer than our local cinema is. Not that I've been since the pandemic and it was freezing then!

You poor thing Vera having a nasty migraine and then the appointment for your eyes and not what you wanted to hear. AnnG could perhaps be right about the migraine affecting things though, especially as you felt things were stable. I'm glad you feel a bit better today, but resting your eyes from the PC is a good idea. At least you managed to get to your appointment though. Our main hospital yesterday and today has declared a major incident with up to 200 people in A&E, ten ambulances waiting outside up to 9 hours and traffic chaos in the area with people advised to avoid certain roads. One man taking his elderly mother to an appointment said it was a nightmare. OH has to go for a checkup at the dentistry department in a few weeks, so I hope it's better by then.

I only tend to watch WDYTYA if it's someone I know Mel and I've never watched anything he was in. I expect you have swapped your pile of washing for a pile of ironing now! :-)

OH has his eyetest tomorrow and I hope to decide on and get measured up for my glasses. Then I want to pop a few doors away to the Regatta store that is closing down and has a sale on. I still need a warm, but waterproof, jacket. The bathroom place that did our bathrooms before has a new catalogue out so I want to call there and get one. (I bet the prices have gone up, but their sale is still on). :-)

Glad your ok Vera is still getting over that nasty migraine.

Done two lots of washing and had it on the line for a while as there was a tiny breeze. Its now on the towel rail in the bathroom and some on the airers on the rads but I hav'nt had them on much today as its been a bit milder.

Pc is telling me it looks like your in Ayesbury. Daft thing I can't get it to keep Buckland Filleigh up it just gives me Beaworthy and thats miles away. Right got it to B F and now its telling me gusty winds tomorrow, that'll make a change I don't think.