General Chat

Oh Vera that is an expensive accident but even worse if it is out of stock for a long time. Hope it is in soon.

Yes it is such a shame that Annx seems to have got accustomed to not joining us. I assume she has got used to doing other things.

It has been colder and cloudy here most of the day but luckily it stayed dry. And it is still cold here indoors.

I enjoyed my morning at Slimbridge being half term and a local advert that said ‘bring your chicks to see our chicks’ there were a high number of very young children there. They were all very excited but also well behaved. I haven’t had time to download photos yet but I am sure there will be a few fuzzy photos as water fowl are not known for remaining still for photos. Just as you focus the camera they decide to dip their heads in for food.

After we left there we went to a garden centre for lunch and then I bought a few more plants to infill some empty tubs.

And just now I had a wood pigeon in the conservatory after the bird food I had moved in to stop them eating it. That took a bit of getting out. I was worried it would injure itself but it flew off ok.

The bad news: I dropped the main body part of my cordless vac and broke off a small piece of plastic which has broken the vacuum, so it doesn’t work at all.

The good news: I can get a new part from Dyson for about £70.

The bad news: it’s out of stock.

I hope it’s back in stock before too long as I really struggle with our big, heavy plug in one, particularly on the stairs.

Gosh, it’s cold today. Even the window cleaners, who are out in all weathers, were moaning. The iPad is telling me that we have sunny spells with a moderate breeze and it’s 18 degrees. We haven’t seen the sun at all, there’s a strong wind blowing from the North East and if it’s 18 degrees I’m the Queen of Sheba.

We have 2 lovely fellas doing our windows and they often do odd jobs for us. Today OH asked if they could clean a painted gable end wall for us as it was covered in lichens and muck. After they finished OH asked them how much and they just added £3 to their normal window cleaning charge. You can hardly get a cup of coffee for £3 nowadays so that was a bargain price.

I hope you can sort your pond pump out Mel. Yes, I miss Annx’s posts as well. She does a lot of other things but it would be great if she was able to return to the thread.

I can hear a van backing up so it’s probably Sainsbury’s who are due about now. Thank goodness I no longer wipe everything down. It used to take so long. There’s the doorbell which OH is answering but I’d better go and help unpack.

Suns out now and it is 15 degrees. I have been cleaning the pond filters and now I can't get my pond pump to work. I can hear it humming but it not pumping. I took it out of the pond and checked the impeller was going round and it was but it won't pump.

Morning girls,

I expect Anng is on her way now and I hope she enjoys her trip.

Grey skies here this morning and the temp is 12 degrees and pc says mostly cloudy. Still we have had some really lovely weather lately which made a nice change but I hope that was'nt our summer.

Nothing planned for today but I have some ironing to do as always and there's always windows to clean or HW to do.

I do miss our other Annx's posts.

Good morning AnnG and all

Enjoy your trip to Slimbridge today AnnG. I hope the rain stays away for you. We had a little rain in the early hours but nothing much. Today looks like yesterday - grey and cool.

I hope to garden for half an hour again. I’m going to try to do just a little each day rather than overdo it and then be out of action for a couple of days. Nothing else planned apart from a Sainsbury’s delivery this afternoon. I’m getting everything I ordered and no subs so that’s good.

I’ve just seen the weather on Breakfast News. They were showing yesterday’s “highs” and temperatures in the west were between 20 and 25 and where I am was 13! It’s not looking a lot better today though the temperature should go a bit higher.

I’ve been up for ages but am still in my pjs and haven’t had breakfast. I can’t seem to get going this morning but I’d better stir my stumps.

Good morning all, not a good night for sleep, kept waking up but that was probably because I had set the alarm as i need to have shower and wash hair early as being picked up to go to Slimbridge at 0930. It is cloudy bright here and 10 degrees, supposed to be cloudy all day so not sure what to wear, I also heard the dreaded word 'drizzle' on the forecast last night so, although I don't mind if it is here I don't want it wet at Slimbridge.

Last night I was trying to get a young magpie out of the conservatory, tonight baby blackbird and baby bluetit are having flying lessons in my garden.

It was very cool this morning when I went into town and I wore a light jacket. The sun did eventually come out but the was and still is a strong wind, especially down the docks. I had a really nice day walking around the docks taking photos of boats and occasionally sitting in the sun. I did also go into the Quays and M&S where I bought some lightweight cotton navy blue trousers. I also bought a shirt in Mountain Warehouse. Then, when back in town I bought a pair of crops in Bon Marche. Finally got home (not having had any lunch) at 2,15pm.

Still no sun and only 14 degrees but there is a bit of a breeze now so the washing is probably drying OK. I did a little bit in the garden this morning but I am having to be very careful. After doing quite a lot outside on Saturday I spent a lot of Sunday in pain. It doesn't do to get carried away and work for too long as Mandy's found. I shall just have to do half an hour at a time.

I rang the docs about my repeat prescription and got a very helpful receptionist. I pick my meds up at a pharmacy in town but she told me to speak to the pharmacy in the main doctors' surgery (there are 5 surgeries) and they would sort it for me. So I rang them, they looked me up on the computer and said no problem, they would reissue the script and it would get sent straight through to my pharmacy as usual. That's great but I don't understand why it was stopped in the first place. I think they may be trying to stop people misusing medication and taking tabs when they don't need them but the docs don't write scripts on repeat unless they are needed. I've no problem with the staff at the docs or the pharmacy; they are all lovely, it's the system that seems a bit wacky.

Must go out now to post a birthday card for youngest granddaughter who will be 17 on Friday. I think I'll need a thick fleece or jacket.

O Mandy I missed your post this morning. Take it easy today andhopfully it will be better tomorrow. Trouble is you don't realise how much your back moves by just raising an arm of clearing your throat etc.

Vera hope the sun comes out later for you to dry that washing. Its full sun here with a chilly breeze so a good drying day.

Just getiting ready for the shopping which is arriving today.

BIL has turned up and is in the garage sorting out.

Sorry to hear your back's sore Mandy. Try and rest up today.

I've washed a load of bedding and just been outside to hang it on the line and it's not very nice out at all. It's just grey with no sun or breeze so the washing is just hanging there. I was surprised at how chilly it felt as well.

Have a good trip into town AnnG. I've got to ring the surgery and find out what is going on with my meds as the pharmacy said when I collected my tablets last time that I wouldn't be getting any more. As I have had 3 items on repeat for 21 years and the consultant neurologist said I would be on them for life I don't see how they can just be stopped, particularly as I am not due another review until November. Why must everyone change a system that is working extremely well? The way our doctors and pharmacy worked was great till they "improved" it for the "convenience of patients" by introducing an Automatic Batch System. I'll ring the surgery this afternoon when the phones are less busy and see what they have to say.

Better get on and do some ironing now - my least favourite job. As I hate ironing I do the minimum to keep us looking clean and tidy so there isn't much to do.

Morning all,

Bright and sunny again today and we have wall to wal blue sky pc says 10 and sunny.

Fell asleep at the table last night so got myself off to bed. I was watching the Chelsea Flower Show. I washed half the decking and the west wall of the bungalow yesterday and got myself soaked my trousers were so heavy they were taking themselves down so I came in took them off and hung them on the line to dry out.

I also did some moulding and some casting so you couild say I had a good day at everything.

Mandy take care today then protect that back.

Morning all,

Dull day here lots of cloud not sure if we should have sun today I can't remember seeing the weather forecast yesterday .
My backs not to good today I think its all the potting up I did yesterday, I just bent over to pick up the laundry basket and boy did it shoot a pain in my back so I'm having an easy day ,no going for the wood over the school or going to the tip with the garden rubbish .

Yes its odd how the swans are behaving and I heard on television that the bees are swarming earlier this year and they didn't know why , perhaps these things know something we don't.

Anng enjoy your trip to town ,don't spend too much .

Vera sorry you had a bad night ,have a easy day and hopefully you'll have a better night tonight.

Good morning all. I had a reasonable night but woke early so on here early.
I wonder if the strange weather is affecting the Swans, it has been unseasonably warm when maybe they are used to cooler spring weather but that high number of eggs is strange Gwyn.
Yes I remember the Forts on the hill, can't remember which was/is Dryad and which Nelson though and I had not realised that Nelson was being used again but what a good idea and how appropriate the use is. Before we were married we once walked from The George inn on top of the road running up the hill from Cosham across the top of the hill and down into Portchester. I don't think I could do that today.
I envy you your visit to Portchester castle.
Mandy you had a busy day as did your son and DiL. I bet it is nice to see the gazebo up again.
All being well I am catching the bus in to town this morning, I have done a lot in the the garden so feel I am, for the moment, on top of it. :-) :-)

Good morning all

I had a bad night and gave up trying to sleep a while ago. I feel very tired and lethargic this morning.

I have no plans for the day. It looks as though it’s going to be like yesterday - a few sunny intervals and quite breezy but it should stay dry.

Your swans are behaving strangely Gwyn. I haven’t been down to the river to check but OH saw a pair with some cygnets further down the river than the usual spot we see them. They might have been “ours”.

Evening all,

We've had another day in the garden , this morning son and dil came and put the gazebo up for us they can do it so much quicker than we can it would have taken us all morning to do but within 40 minutes it was all done ,I just have the little lights to go round ,they also put the brackets on the gazebo for the hanging baskets to go up ,I planted them all in yesterday so they hung them up too.
This afternoon I potted up my cucumbers and some tomatoes and got them in the greenhouse now I feel really tired
It's been a bit cooler here today we have had a little sun this afternoon after a cloudy morning and we even had a little drizzle first thing .

Gwyn I think its a swans nest of multiple occupancy :-D it will be interesting to see how many hatch .
Half term here too so dil is off school this week ,she is now on a contract with the school so is giving up her evening job at the doctors ,it will be much better she won't have to be turning out in the dark to go to work in the winter .

In the morning we have to take the garden rubbish to the tip and call at the school as son is in grass cutting and he has lots of wood for Colin to cut up for the wood burner , there's pallets there that can be cut up the school have all their paper come in bulk on the pallets .

Mel, You were asking about the swans.......
I really don't know what is going on this year. It was some time ago, that I saw 7 eggs in the nest and that number stayed steady for a while, then suddenly there were more eggs, - in total 9 eggs, but they were often left for long periods of time with the eggs totally uncovered and sometimes no parent swan in sight.
I was last near the nest last Friday, when a friend and I walked that way. The female was sitting on the nest with the other swan swimming a short distance away. When we returned on our way home, both adults were standing up close to the nest and we could see 12 eggs!
Your guess is as good as mine as to whether any of the eggs are viable and will hatch this year :-S

It's a lovely sunny day here, but with a very strong easterly wind blowing, it's quite chilly, if one is out for any length of time.
We've had some lovely weather, while the children are on their half term break. Our local primary are off this coming week too, so I have another week to myself, before I go back volunteering.
This weekend was busy. On Saturday, my elder daughter took me to Hampshire to Fort Nelson, which is on the hill ridge north of Portsmouth. Ann, like myself will remember this building as derelict, but it now houses items for the Royal Armouries and at the moment, an art installation, - Standing with Giants, in remembrance of 255 Service personnel and 3 civilians lost in the Falklands conflict. This takes the form of lifesize metal silhouettes standing all over the parade ground and on the outer ramparts overlooking that. Many ships sailed out to war in 1982 from nearby Portsmouth, so there has been a lot of local interest.
Afterwards we went to nearby Portchester Castle to tend family graves in the churchyard there.
It was such a warm day, the first this year when I could walk in short sleeved top all afternoon.

I am just thinking about lunch myself as I have been pressure washing the sid eof the bungalow and the decking.

Its only one degree higher here at 16 Anng.

You've got a nice lot done this morning. I have put a coup;le of coats on some moulds this morning, done the chickens and wild birds.