General Chat

Morning All,

No frost here this morning either which surprised me as it's supposed to be -6 degrees by midnight tonight. I don't like icy pavements either AnnG since my knees aren't reliable. so it will be good for your walk to the hairdresser. As children we would love making slides, polishing them with our feet and didn't understand grownups' concern.

Gwyn your casserole does sound tasty and good for a cold day, especially with the bonus of enough for another day and no cooking.

Here's me saying I hardly ever dream and I had one last night. I was at the big wild park with deer and bracken at some sort of fair that was packing up as it was getting dark. OH had got split up from me and my phone was nearly out of charge and I couldn't work out how to phone him. He'd dropped me off near the fair and parked at the other end of the park, too far for me to walk to charge it in his car. Everyone else was going home and then I woke up. First thing I did was check my phone battery and how to make a call!! lol. I've hardly used it since I've had it so it was good to check and I must get a phone bank like Mandy suggested as I can keep that with me, unlike the car!

Vera OH had read about the BT outage and told me as he said it must be such a worry for all the people like himself who need it to do their work. I wonder what has caused it, but hope you will be back to normal soon.

Better get ready for this 1 and a quarter hours hearing test next. I hope it is a bit quicker as I am expecting a delivery of some unbleached toilet rolls. Then more clearing of paper in the study that's piled up again when I get back. I've noticed some new cobwebs as well.

One of OH's meetings has been changed to another school tonight and it's about 25 miles away in the sticks, so he's taking his de-icer for the windscreen with him.

To be honest, the chicken casserole is something we have fairly often in the winter months made with skinless and boneless chicken thighs pack from Aldi.
Yesterday's bacon addition was because some was lingering, but still indate in the fridge, so that went in too.
Waste not, want not ;-)
Daughter found the main menu somewhere. It has no potatoes, ( unless we want to use them up ! ) but pearl barley is added towards the end of the cooking. That was new on me. I had previously thought of pearl barley, when using in a lamb dish.

Morning girls,

Grey and cloudy here this morning and 0 degrees. The car roof is still icy but the ground is ok. Hope it ok to walk to the hairdressers Anng.

Gwyn that sounds a nice dinner I don't think I have ever made a chicken and bacon casserole in my life but it sounds delicious can you save me a bit please?

Need to have a go at the bedroom today. It needs a good hoover and dust and I may even hoover the curtains. Also there's always ironing.

Morning all,

No frost here this morning the sun is trying to peep through the clouds.

That's good there's no frost Anng not good having yo walk out when it's icy.

Gwyn that sounds a tasty casserole you've made there , I like to make meals that last a couple of days .
Hopefully the snowy weather will keep over the channel and not come up to reach you ,last week they thought it could come up over the south .

I need to get some ironing done and hoover the bedrooms today .

Good morning Ann and everyone.
I hope it stays frost-free for your visit to the hairdressers.
Our birdbath water is frozen, but there is no other sign of overnight frost.
I am watching a weather front lingering the other side of The Channel, as there was mention that it might move north to bring snow to southern counties :-0 :-0

A day mostly indoors for me catching up on little jobs and tidying. We made a chicken and bacon casserole yesterday with lots of added veg. and there is plenty left for today, so our main meal is sorted. :-D

Good morning all, still quite dark and -1 degree but I don't think there was a frost last night. Hair appointment at 12 o'clock so I am pleased that the pavements will not be icy.

O Vera its good you have a back up and have read the posts. I was getting worried when you had'nt posted. Hope its all up and running smoothly tomorrow.

Keep warm. There's frost on the car and its been there since 6pm.

I’ve just popped on for a quick hello. We’ve had internet problems today. There was broadband when we first got up but then it went. We went out for a while, then had lunch and it still wasn’t back so OH rang BT, our provider. Apparently there is a major outage and it’s likely to be tomorrow afternoon before it’s fixed. They have put us on an emergency back up system but it is inclined to drop in and out so I won’t stay online long. I suppose if we hadn’t rung up we wouldn’t have got on the back up system at all.

At least I’ve managed to read the posts. Will be back soon. Stay warm in the freezing weather everyone.

Mum had as leccy fire that had a plastic bit over the bulb and then you put coal on that. It is a fan heater but I have never used it since she died and its just in the cupboard and the coal is in my shed. The big fan heater in the lounge has mock logs on the top and you lift those off to replace the bulbs and that one takes two bulbs.

I put all the shopping away and then clean the window in the back door and thats as far as I got. Now its time to corn the chickens so I am going to do that and maybe do the kitchen window after.

Mandy when I was a child mum and dad would do me a fairy bath. I had to sit inthe bath with my eyes closed and mum would call the fairies and then I was told to open my eyes and I had a lovely coloured bath. She did it with food colouring but it was always magical to me.

I have just looked on line and I see that you can buy 10 or 20 large pieces of coal. However I can't see if it gives the size of a piece and it could be they are too large for the basket on the front of the fire. I will wait now until the next time the bulb goes.

I have just moved the microwave off the top of the fridge, managed to fine somewhere else to put it in the kitchen but I will decide later if I am going to leave it there after the new fridge is in. Actually looking at it, I could probably do with a new microwave. I don't use it to cook, only to re-heat.

That's good you managed to get a red bulb and have managed to fit it AnnG. I remember having a fire with bulbs in once and it being fiddly to replace them and our bulbs would get covered with dust too. Could you stick some of the smaller pieces of coal together so they wouldn't fall through? I know what you mean by getting up again!

Afternoon All,

It was a cold night but is sunny now and 3 degrees. I slept well this time so feel a bit more lively, well slightly!

You soon finished your jigsaw Mandy, but I remember you said there were two. That's a good idea to knit fingerless gloves for Colin to get the logs in. They are useful for outside jobs where you still need a good grip with your fingers. I still have the owl pattern for fingerless mittens I made for a friend and I might do me some for when I carry a few things at once inside from the garage freezer. Lewis knew what he wanted for his birthday so that helps. I chuckled at the bath bombs, especially as he liked the one that made the water red. It must have looked quite gory! lol.

I watch Silent Witness too Mel. I used to like Clarissa, the lady in the wheelchair, who isn't in it now. I seem to remember her being stabbed in the head with scissors as her carer tried to defend her. The man was sectionned so was mentally ill, but don't think that is why she isn't in it now. Those deer are addicted to your day lilies aren't they. The poor things don't stand much chance, Yes, restaurants round here are struggling I think. Most don't open every day now and there are only two that do a carvery during the week. They are trying to compete with each other by doing free meals for children during school holidays, but that must be extra cost for them and it drives away older customers who want peace and quiet to chat to each other. I think if they copied the simpler meals the cafes do they would do better as cafes are thriving with many new ones opening up all the time.

Speaking of hot water bottles, I had forgotten what the number in the circle meant and there was a reminder on a tv prog I watched. I've checked mine and I need to buy a new one. If anyone doesn't know, there is a circle near the neck of the bottle with a number in which is the year of manufacture. The other marks in the circle round it are the month but that wasn't explained. Once a bottle is 2 years after the date it should be thrown away. Mine is 19. so should have thrown away in 2021 really. :-0

I have been into town on the bus. It is not too cold here 5 degrees now and sunny. I got the red light bu;b for the fire and have just fitted it. Not as easy as it sounds because first I had to empty all the loose coals out of the basket which is not fixed so when you put the coals back in, unless it is in the right position the coals fall through the bars and the whole lot collapses. this time it took me two goes. Not helped because it is all done by bending to do it. It would be easier if I knelt down but then it would not be easy to get up again. Done now so hope nothing disturbs it. Really I could do with some larger pieces of coal, some of the bits are really small.

Morning,

I forgot to post when I got up and happily went and ordered my scripts and looked on Ebay.

I have had two deer inthe garden this morning eating the new shoots on the day lillies.

Its 0 degrees and says it feels like -1 partly sunny but the suns been out since I got up at 8.29am. Frost all over the car and it is very cold out.

Shopping comes today and he is 14 stops away.
I must clean my kitchen windows as with the sun shining through the double door into the kitchen they are filthy as are the ones on the front of the bungalow. Also need to give my desk a good dust and tidy so that is what I shall be doing today.

Good morning all. 1 degree here and dull but, as far as I can see no frost. I need to go to town this morning to get a red light bulb for my fire. Tried B&Q yesterday but no luck there. Even though they sell the fires. such a huge place I will have missed them if they were not among normal bulbs but I did look all over. Hopefully my little shop in the market will still have some.

I hav'nt been watching the pottery programs but must do on Iplayer to catch up.

So disappointing when a meal out is'nt up to scratch. Perhaps thats why you had the voucher!!! trying to bring in more custom.

I don't think I wished Lewis Happy Birthday earlier so now I have. I still think of him as a small boy like in the picture you once sent us. I bet he is a big strapping lad now at 9.

Em bought me one of those long hot water bottles for Christmas too Mandy. I hav'nt used it yet and am hoping it not too heavy once water is in it for my hnad to hold. I had asked for a wheat bag when she asked me what I wanted. I find those good as they don't include the use of boiling water.

Hope Gill has managed to get on with the kitchen and we will hear from her again soon.

I am now giong to watch Silient Witness. Night night all see you in the morning.

Ann we bought Lewis clothes and gave him some money ,its getting harder to know what to buy as they get older but he did say he would like clothes oh and a couple of bath bombs lol I got him some bath bombs at Christmas and he loved how one turned the water bright red .

I like those furry throws it will be lovely and warm on the bed , my sister bought me one of those long hot water bottles for Christmas if this weather goes on it will be well used even with the heating .
It's a shame your meal wasn't so nice today ,you look forward to a meal out and it's disappointing when it's not very nice .

Yes I've been watching the pottery programme and I hadn't heard of those jugs either but the did glug didn't they .

We've finished the jigsaw and started another and I've started knitting Colin a pair of fingerless gloves for when he gets the logs in .

Evening All,

Brrr, it's -2 here now and has been bitterly cold all day with little sunshine. After having one bad night's sleep it takes me a while to get back to normal, so I lay awake till about 1.00am, but slept through till 9.00am then this morning. it's been a funny sort of day. We set off for lunch to use our voucher for the carvery and were a bit late and 10 minutes into the journey I said to OH, 'which way are you going?'. His answer was 'the wrong way! Then I reminded him of the road works that were the way he was heading , so we had to do a detour that made us later still. We got there ok and hardly anyone there so he went to order and the till wouldn't accept the voucher as there was no barcode on it. OH decided to get it up on his phone (in case I hadn't printed the bit with the barcode). Then he couldn't get a signal. A lady behind him in the queue went outside to see if there was a better signal and came back to say there was no barcode on the email coupon, so it took a while to get the discount sorted. The food wasn't very warm today and the veg too hard so it wasn't the best meal. We went to the Factory Shop next and got some fat balls for the birds, a nice furry throw for the bed in the 2nd bedroom, a little plastic basket for me to put bottles of things that live on the bottom shelf of the cupboard under the ensuite sink to save so much bending! Also a free 6 pack of plain crisps from a win on the scratch cards they always give you and an ice scraper for my car with a longer handle so I can reach across the screen.

I had a letter today from Boots about my hearing assessment this week and it said I needed to complete a questionnaire on line before the appointment using the link that was in the email they had sent. I couldn't find any trace of an email, so rang them. The chap who answered said they hadn't required the online questionnaire for over 3 years!! He seemed to find it amusing, no apology, just to ignore it, so I said, 'I think someone needs telling, don't you?' to which he said 'oh yes' as if it hadn't even occurred to him. Customer service seems to have really gone downhill and all these errors nowadays, and more important, the way they are handled without even an apology, seems to be acceptable these days. I don't know whether this chap was working from home, but for those that do, how do supervisors and managers know how their emplyees are dealing with the public, when they aren't in the building or within earshot of anyone? In my day, it was part of your annual report marking and affected your pay rise.

Is anyone else watching the Pottery programme? I'd love to have a go and had never heard of those Gluggle Jugs they made last time. It must be disappointing though when you make something really nice and it cracks during the firing.

Mel I can remember when mum kept chickens seeing flocks of Sparrows use the chickens' ready made dust baths in their run. We still talk about seeing all your birds on the feeders when we called to see you that time.

AnnG I bet you are glad to have got everything sorted with your fridgefreezer purchase and will soon have it installed. Good to find it was discounted too...a good saving. I never thought when we had a new one, but see if you might have any use for the salad drawers in the old one, like for things in the bottom shelf of lower cupboards like I bought a basket for today! lol Glad you have felt better after being in the fresh air.

It was a good day for a nice, warming soup Mandy. I meant to ask what you got Lewis for his birthday. It's interesting to know what the current generations like these days! I can imagine those big waves being quite scary.

I hope your speakers keep coming to your meetings Vera. It adds so much interest and people might start to fall away if they stopped coming. I've been to a couple of our Heritage Group meetings in the village when they have had some interesting speakers and really enjoyed the talks.

You got a good deal Anng if your old one lasted ten years stick to what you know was a good idea .
I use to hate B&Q as the shelves went up so high I use to come out with a stiff neck from looking up so much .

Wrap up well tonight Vera when you go out its really bitter out there now ,just saying on the weather forecast it shouldn't be quite as windy tomorrow so hopefully won't feel so cold .

Ann fancy someone having a party outside this time of the year ,I think round here the music has to be turned down by eleven and off by twelve .
Yes I did wonder if it is my meds but it now seems to have eased off ,I have to make an appointment for my tablet review so I'll mention it then .
Oh I had forgotten about the bin lorry cake ,bless him lol

Its been a beautiful day here with wall to wall blue skies and sunshine no breeze to speak of but it was blimmin cold out there.

The post van is changing its times in February and won't be there on a Tuesday now and just from 9am to 11am which is 20 mins shorter than it is at the mo. He has another stop in Sheepwash now as thier po closed. That one was run by voluteers in the little shop there but I think they have sold the shop and its now going to be a house. Poor old Dave still has'nt got a relief driver so is doing it all himself.

I had three eggs today so that was good. I thought I may get full productiuon of 4 as one of the black ones was moaning when I was cleaning out the nest this morning and I had had the 3, one in the house and two in the nest boxes. The ginger chicken had laid so I was hoping for another brown one.

Gwyn my box hedge is huge so if it did get the creepy crawlies the garden would look very strange. I have two seedlings coming up from it and they are now about three years old so I may try and dig those up this year. The box ball on the front of the rockery was self sown too but years and years ago now its really getting to big to be where it is.

Its good you found a fridge the same as you had before Anng so you know your od one did well. Is it a larder fridge?