General Chat

Good that you may have sold the laser cutter Mel.

That lunch sounded good AnnG. What a shame you needed blankets to keep you warm

More snow Mandy! That’s just what you don’t want. Our Close is like a skating rink still as the little bit that did thaw has frozen over again. You are lucky to be getting post. I think Royal Mail are on strike today and tomorrow and they seem to be concentrating on parcels rather than letter post anyway.

Once we got out of our Close and the next bit of road our journey to Southend was fine and took the usual hour and a half. We decided to start for home earlier than we usually do when we go there in case everything iced over again and we wanted to avoid the rush hour. Well, there was so much heavy traffic and everything moving slowly that it took us just over 2 hours. Never mind, we got back safely.

Evening all,

Brr another cold day ,I gingerly walked down the front path to see what the road was like round the car but it was like a sheet of glass where it had thawed yesterday and froze again over night so I gingerly walked back up and we left it until about one o'clock when there was a good thaw ,didn't have to scrape the car as it had all melted so off we went to Tesco I had read that it took some people near.y an hour to get off the car park yesterday but we sailed in but when we came out it was another matter ,it didn't help that there was traffic lights for road works further down the road and by then we had snow !! It was great big flakes coming down .
I suppose it took about twenty minutes to get off the car park and then we got held up by the road works but we got home safe and sound .

Oh Mel thats good you've sold the Lazer cutter ,how are the girls doing in the cold weather I bet they keep in ,do you get as many eggs when it's cold does it put them off laying .

Ann thank you for your Christmas card ,we seem to have been getting our post most
days ,some yesterday and again today.

Anng that sounded a very tasty lunch you had and the others too I could just eat some of that pudding :-D
Shame you got seated near the window though where it was so cold .

We had hair cuts yesterday and mine was blown dry and looked good when I went out today but coming out of Tesco's I hot covered in snow and now its all flat to my head :-(

Well, good that it is sold anyway.

Back from lunch now and trying to warm up. It was freezing in the restaurant, it is an old pub and hard to heat, a couple of us were in the window and it was really cold but they did give us a couple of blankets which helped. And the car park was a sheet of ice.

The meal was lovely. I had slow roasted pork belly, pancetta and savoy cabbage, roast potatoes, port soaked raisins and mustard reduction followed by Warm treacle sponge pudding with clotted cream. This was all delicious, beautifully cooked and presented. And so much of it. The sponge was a thick slice and the top was covered in syrup that had sort of gone a bit like toffee and served with a biscuit type crunch, cranberries and a slice of peeled orange and we think there was orange in the sponge, it was lovely. Everyone else's looked nice too, four had turkey and one had venison cottage pie with rosemary and stilton crust and red cabbage. Two had starters instead of sweets They both had double baked Worcester Hop cheese souffle with cream and nutmeg. That looked good too. (2 courses £25, 3 courses £33) This was the Christmas menu

I may have just sold the laser cutter but he wants it after Christmas.

still minus three here mel, there was a glimmer of sun that lasted all of five minutes.

Morning all,

We had another sprinkling of snow yesterday evening just as I was thinking how frost free my car was after the long run to Holsworthy the day before. This morning its all iced up again on the windows and has a nice white hat on.

Its 1 degree here and pc says cloudy and its right.

I think the last post we had was Friday. I have had 20 out of the usual 70+ sad isn’t it. And a lot of mine will come when I am away so won’t even get put on display
Have a good trip to Southend.

Yes lots of memories of places visited with passports. But your post with Colchester and Southend and the A12 brings back many happy memories of living in the area in the late sixties early seventies with two young children. Oh to go back. (But with the financial security of today).

That was a nice little bonus AnnG. I am sure the bank will change them for you. I expect seeing OH’s old passport brought back memories of places you had been together.

I hope you managed to get your business on the phone sorted Mel. These jobs seem to take such a lot of time and effort. I’m pleased my card arrived. We have had no post since last Thursday and they are on strike for the next 2 days so the earliest we’ll get anything now is Friday.

I thought I’d better do some h/w so hoovered right through and did some ironing. Then we popped out after lunch. Our cul-de-sac and the road it turns into are lethal. I nearly went flying outside our garage just getting into the car but once we got onto the busier roads it was OK. We did see a couple of cars at the side of a road off a roundabout and it looked like quite a nasty shunt but the people in the cars seemed to be fine. OH got what he wanted at the builders’ merchant and filled up with fuel but I wasn’t so lucky at Tesco. It was really busy and I couldn’t get some things that I wanted and then at the checkout I got the droopy lad who was probably doing a holiday job. Not only was he very slow but he messed up completely when it came to me paying by card so we had to start all over again.

I hope you get to your lunch tomorrow AnnG. We’re going to Southend and we should be OK once we get on the main roads. Usually we go cross country through the lanes and pick up the A12 one junction south of Colchester but, to my relief, OH has said we’ll go straight down the main road and get on the A12 at Colchester. It will bring back memories as the last time we went that way was for my brother’s funeral in February 2021. It had snowed heavily the day before and there were still snow showers on the day and we didn’t know if any of the restricted number of people we were allowed would manage to get there.

We’ve just had a cup of tea and I’d better go and sort something out for our meal tonight and wrap the couple of presents we need to take tomorrow.

Thanks for your cards Mandy and Vera.

Still not managed to get anything to eat yet but I have brought the post in and hoovered the kitchen.

I'm sure it will be fine Mel. Nice of him to send me a Christmas present. Can't think why I didn't find it after he dies as I turned that cupboard out. didn't think to look through an old passport.

I expect they will change them for you Anng as I have found some of mums stashes over time and they have always done it for me. I do it at the post office.

I have been on the phone for over two hours trying to get soemthing sorted.

Now I am goinf to have something to eat as I hav.nt hand anything yet just a COC.

I was just sorting a few bits out pre packing and was looking for the anti herpes tube of stuff (just to put in my travelling medicine bag). checked T's bedside cabinet which is all but empty but that is where it used to be kept. picked up his old (not current) passport and out fell a fold of three ten pound notes and one twenty. And...... oh yes they are paper notes. I never knew he hoarded money like that, never even though to check. What a pain!!! Have to get to the bank now to try and exchange them.

good morning all -2 here I wish it would go up a bit so that at least our road and paths could thaw out. main roads are fine but my road is lethal. Not going anywhere today but supposed to be out to lunch tomorrow which will entail walking to the end of our road. If it is still icy I will use why walking pole.
Went up to -1 while I was writing this.

Morning Vera and all,

Its still very frosty here but we,ve had no more snow and pc says 2 degrees.

Shopping day today and 2 subs one is my wine which will be going back as its not acceptable and the other is tomatoes which I will accept.I don't get another order till the 3rd Jan so I ordered a bit more this week to get me through and anything else I do need I can get up the local shop.

Sorry you did'nt have another good night Vera perhaps too many things on your mind about Christmas.

Love to all of you and stay safe. <3

Good morning all

Weather app is telling me it’s-3 but feels like -7. It certainly does. At least our paper arrived this morning which is more than it did yesterday.

I’ve been sleeping better lately but I had a bad night last night so I’m feeling quite tired and heavy eyed. I’m not sure what I’m doing today. H/w is calling but I’m not listening ;-). If it warms up just a little in the middle of the day, we might pop out as OH wants to go to the builders’ merchant and I would like to get a little bit of shopping.

Keep warm whatever you’re doing

Evening all,

Brrrr it's cold ,we've had very sharp frosts but no snow so I think we've been lucky when I see what others have had.
Son and family came on Saturday to pick up the bag of potatoes and eggs we got them ,Katie ,Lacey and Lewis stayed for the day to help decorate the Christmas tree they had pizza for lunch and dil picked them up about half two ,son had to lock the school after a letting so she walked across from the school .
Hair cuts for us tomorrow then I hope on Wednesday the temp will rise a bit so we can get out to shop .

What terrible journeys your family had Anng and Gwyn I bet they were relieved to get home safe and sound .

Oh goodness Mel I'm glad you got home safe and sound too ,I wonder why there was no desiel, perhaps tankers couldn't get through the snow .
I hope your bil can bring you some you don't really want to risk driving on the red .
I keep meaning to ask if you use a mobile and take it out with you in the garden and when you go out ,I wouldn't be without mine its only a pay as you go and son pushed me into getting one years ago and ihardly ever use it but I was so glad of if when I broke my wrists .

Vera I hope your journey on Wednesday will be OK weather wise ,depends I suppose which way your travelling up here so far no snow but if your going down or across the country there might be snow .

Back home safe and sound. Got the chickens food ok and a couple of other bits and went into town for peanuts as MV did'nt have any of the 2kg bags only sacks. Then went round to the garage for deisel as I wqas very low. Guess what no diesel pumps working so I came home with the fuel light showing red. I shall have to ask BIL to bring me some when he next comes down or shall have to chance going to Hatherleigh another 18 mile round trip.

I had to take a crow bar to the chickens bolt on the door this morning and give it a bash sideways to get it open and pull like mad to get the gate open. Frozen water so I had to go and get some from the house and put a bowl in the actual chicken house where it may stay liquid. I could'nt shut the pop hole last night and if \I had I don't think I would have been able to open it this morning so it stays open for now.

So Vera you have the snow now too. Safe journey where you are going.

The frost is still on the trees here but the road looks like it may be thawing a bit. Not sure whether to chance it or not cos it will start to freeze again about 3pm if not before.

Morning everyone

We woke up to quite a heavy layer of snow this morning. The soft top is melting now but there seems to be quite a layer of ice underneath.

What horrid journeys your relatives had AnnG and Gwyn. I hope your nephew is safely home now Gwyn. We are doing a present exchange on Wednesday and it is OH doing the driving so I hope the weather isn’t too bad. It’s not too far, usually no more than an hour and a half, but as well as the weather to contend with there is a train strike so the roads could be chaotic.

Mel, you’ll need to try and take your car out for a run once a week or so to keep the battery topped up. We do that now as I was worried that we wouldn’t be able to start the car in an emergency.

I don’t remember ever missing school or work through bad weather. You were just expected to turn up. I know it’s difficult if you live in a country area and the school bus can’t get down the lanes and teachers often live further away from school now but I sometimes think schools are inclined to close at the first flake of snow. How will our youngsters learn to assess risk if they never face a bit of hardship?

I’d better climb off my high horse and see what the washing machine is doing. Stay warm and safe.

Gwyn poor nephew I bet he was glad to finally get home. So many people were caught out yesterday as the snow was very local. have to say though it may have been local but the whole of Gloucestershire and South Gloucestershire right to the Welsh borders seemed to catch it. Long time since that happened.

Mel definitely don't go out if your local roads are icy. They do keep the main roads gritted usually, especially if they are bus routes or routes to a hospital.

Ann is ok but I think her membership is due to run out soon, maybe she is thinking of not rejoining. Having just signed up for two new courses I think they will take precedence.