General Chat

Morning Anng and all,

Quite bright here this morning but pc says rain coming and its 9 degrees.

Need to pop up the post van this morning with a little parcel and then the rest of the day is mine.

Still not sure about getting an air fryer but may have another look. I still hav'nt used the slow cooker yet.

I woke up just after 9am this morning and I had'nt been up in the night that as first for a while.

I do wish it would stop raining long enough for the man to do the roof. He only heeds three days.

good morning all, late for me I laid awake for ages around 0430 then didn't really wake until 0830. the trouble these days is, if I wake and it is still dark I just turn over and go back to sleep. still it is not a problem I have nothing planned.

Ann goodness all those power cuts, I wonder why your alarm was going off and nobody else's? Does it need a check up?

Vera I had my air dryer in 2019 but didn't use it a lot until a few months ago when I decided it was a waste not to use it. Now I wish I had bought one with more than one compartment, even for me on my own. My daughter is lucky, she has a very convenient utility room next to her kitchen/diner and has turned the worktop out there almost into a second kitchen with a Nintendo air frier and another sort of grill thing, both cheaper to use and she rarely uses the oven now. Her air frier cooks a whole roast meal for two. Still I do quite well with the air frier and the microwave. I can cook roast potatoes in mine. Part boil, toss in oil then air fry. I did use the oven yesterday though as I had roast chicken, carrots and potatoes and steamed veg. Now have to work out a couple more chicken meals with the cooked meat.

It's been wet and miserable all day again today and so dark that the lights have been on nearly all day. It's still raining now.

It sounds as though you had a good evening out yesterday AnnG. I expect you enjoyed your friend coming for coffee as well. It does break the day up when people drop in.

You had a nice little lie in this morning Mel. I wish I could go back to sleep for an hour or two sometimes. I had a good night last night and slept from about midnight to about 6 am but couldn't get back to sleep after that.

I see a couple of you are looking at buying an air fryer. A few of our friends bought them when they found their fuel bills were going to go sky high and they all seem pleased with them. I considered it but I really don't want more stuff on my work surface and we seem to be managing fine with mostly using the slow cooker and microwave. As you know when I do use the oven I make sure the whole meal goes in. Today we had loin of pork, roast potatoes, lots of other veg roasted, some stuffing and an apple and raisin oaty crumble. The only thing that didn't go in was a bit of broccoli but that just needed 5 minutes in the microwave. OH is beginning to get a taste for roasted veg.

It's been quite a busy day. I did a couple of loads of washing this morning as the water is going to be off tomorrow and I didn't want to leave it any longer. I prepared and cooked all our dinner and had a long phone call with my daughter. This afternoon I've filled out my Tesco order for delivery on Tuesday. It's a big order as I now do about 3 weeks at a time and I've included some Christmas stuff in this as well. I've done some banking and filing and been online to order an accessory for my daughter's Bosch cooker as it is what she wants for Christmas.

I haven't managed to write any more cards today and my eyes are getting too tired and blurry now. I think it will have to be an easy evening. Enjoy the rest of your day and sleep well tonight everyone.

Evening All,

I slept in this morning so was late taking my tablets which I never do. It's been a sunny day here which is nice.

It sounds like you had a great time AnnG and we love a buffet where you can pick what you fancy. A chance to join in with the singing too. OH most years says he fancies going to a carol concert, but I never show enthusiasm as he sings very loud and out of tune.....and doesn't care!!! lol. I see people's heads turning to see who it is at funerals we've been to! :-D Cravendale and Bob milk seem to keep better than some others so you may be able to use it all. A few more friends round for coffee?

We had a nice lamb shank meal at lunch time cooked in the convection option in the microwave, even squeezing a few parsnip and potatoes cut small to roast around it.

Then just as it was getting dark this afternoon, we had a power cut and it set off our burglar alarm! Just ours and it's never been triggered by a power cut before. So it was a scramble to find torches and candles and some antiquated instructions for the alarm that are not for our model and some advice I had scribbled down from the alarm engineer. It was a bit worrying that one thing I had written said if a power cut triggered it we would not be able to stop it ourselves!! I remember our neighbour having to call someone out once so we weren't hopeful. We managed to stop the screeching noise, but it was still flashing so we expected it to start again after a while. Then the power came on again and the screeching started up. At least we were able to reset it with the power back on and peace reigned again and the flashing went as well. We'd just settled down with a nice COT when we had another power cut and just our alarm triggered again!! :-S Since then we've had a 3rd power cut and the same performance. We are going to bed tonight armed with torches and have left the screwdriver etc handy. I hope this isn't the start of the power outs they've been warning us about. :-0

Friend just e mailed to ask me for coffee but she is coming here instead as I have to wait for Tesco.

Morning Anng and all,

I did'nt have any subs this week from Asda which surprised me.

Dull morning here and its 11 degrees here and cloudy and pc says rain 95 kl away. I do wish we could have a weeks nice dry weather so I can get the roof done and then my mind will be at rest.

Sounds llike you had a great time yesterday Anng its alway nice when with friends at this time of the year.

I woke up at 7.22am and went back to bed for half an hour and then woke up at 9.22am. I wanted to get up early today so should have stayed up the first time I woke.

good morning all slept very well, didn't go to bed until later as I watched the dancing bits of strictly when I got in. Had a lovely evening. One plus was that when we got to Nature in Art where the concert was, we were told that before the buffet we could walk round and see the exhibits (normally £6 to go in. so we did that. The buffet was simple nibbly bit but very nice and plenty of it with a glass of mulled wine. The choir was about 100 strong, really big and they sang beautifully. It was The Gloucester area Christian choir. They (and we) sang for about an hour and a half.

Tesco today. One sub would you believe no 2 pint skimmed milk so sub is one large Cravendale skimmed I'll take that! And one item 2 pastries not available. No problem with that.

That was lucky with your watch that the water didn't get inside it Mel. Is it supposed to be a waterproof one? :-) The advent ring looks really vibrant and fresh with the different greens and they are lucky to have you do it each year. Will you do any wreaths do you think?

Your BIL is so good to take you to Barnstable and back and must have done about 80 miles altogether I would think with fetching youand going home after, so it was good to try and give him the diesel money even if he didn't keep it! Nice of him to get you a pasty too. Once things are sorted out it might be worth seeing if there is another bank nearer to you to swap to.

I must have had another senior moment yesterday. I went to get the garage door key this afternoon and what did I see with it and the other keys that live there.......my car and front door key and they have never, ever been kept there!! If I hadn't happened to want something from the garage before I went out, I would have been searching high and low for them!!

Mandy I was reminded of the kittens your son and family have today when I saw the cat that had the poorly leg leap onto the neighbour's front garden fence. (obviously fine again!). I expect they must be about fully grown now. I'm intrigued by the sound of the ram's bobbles and look forward to seeing him, but don't overdo it with your wrists. I meant to ask you if your Aldi has stopped doing the fat quarters as I've been to 2 stores round here recently and neither had any?

That's amazing seeing Narcissus in flower Gwyn. Lovely scent too as Mandy says.

The slow cooker meal turned out well AnnG. I think I may have cooked it a bit longer than I needed to, but the pork pieces fell apart they were so tender. It got the thumbs up from OH. It's great not to have to watch it in case it needs more liquid too. I also noticed like Vera said with hers that the base didn't get hot either.

O posted by mistake! Keith down the shop was saying today that they have an air fryer and it will even cooks joints of meat and steaks to your liking and chips he said are wonderful and baked pots. May have to look into one of those too.

There are quite a lot of early flowering daffs and narcissus. In the secret garden there used to be a line of daffs that flowered in December but when oh sold the place they were all dug up and cleared away but I osmetimes wonder if they will come up somewhere else where they moved the dirt to.

Been having a play with my poly lay. Just made a lettuce and two chocolate logs. Don't know what to have to eat tonight. May have an omlet I think with beans.

Didn't see you there Gwyn, goodness fancy Narcissus flowering already and they smell lovely don't they , this weather is throwing things all out but when we get any really sharp frosts they'll all get nipped in the bud .

Try again just lost a whole post

Evening all,

Oh Vera the injections in the eye I'm sure your not looking forward to having it done but if it's going to help your sight then it's got to be done .
Your doing well with your Christmas shopping, I did get some bits for son and dil yesterday but it's hard to get motivated this year .

Ann I did laugh at the little girl and the cats milk lol
You'll have to let us know how you get on with the air fryer ,I keep looking at them and I think there's lots you can cook in them ,I've seen roast potatoes done in them and they looked lovely.

Anng it must have nice to have a catch up with your friend and I see your out tonight
too so I hope you enjoy the concert.

Oh goodness Mel that was lucky you found your watch or it might have gone through another wash ,the back must be on really tight so the water hasn't got in .
Lovely to see your hard work on the advent ring and it looks nice and fresh and green so will last a long time .

I've nearly finished knitting the Ram ,started stuffing him and sewing bits in place, this one was a bit more tricky on my wrists as its got bobbles on him which I've had to turn my wrists more to do them .

Goodness Mel, how lucky are you that the watch is still working.
You are good to do the Advent ring for the church. Around here, the regular church flower arrangers make one.

It's been a brighter day today, but quite chilly, when the sun went down. Earlier it was lovely, so I took myself for a walk round various local streets, as I wanted to see how people's bulbs were doing. There are 2 gardens, where they always have early blooms. Sure enough, in one garden the leaves are about 1foot high, with many buds about to burst open this coming week, I should think. If I remember correctly, they are bright yellow, small narcissus.
A little further on, in another garden, there were many narcissus actually in bloom. They were multi headed and pure white, - possibly paperwhite ? Several flowers were fully open, others still in bud. so pretty.

Gosh, Mel, you were lucky to find your watch still working Thanks for the pics of the advent ring. It looks good and the church must be so pleased that you make it for them every year. Your BIL is obviously happy to help you where he can and doesn't want anything in return but I expect you want to feel you are paying your way. It's difficult isn't it. When OH was taking our late friend back and forth to hospital he was always offered money for fuel and parking and used to refuse it but then we found, as AnnG suggested, that our friend didn't want to ask for help when he needed it. So OH used to accept it sometimes.

It's good you enjoyed your lunch out yesterday, AnnG, and had a good natter with your old friends. I hope you have an enjoyable evening tonight as well.

Ann, I read the cat's milk tale out to OH and we had a good chuckle over it. True or not, it is a funny story.

I did a towel wash this morning and then managed to write half a dozen cards before my hand started shaking and the writing got illegible. Then I managed a short spell of tidying in the garden. The trouble is that as I clear all the dead plant material from the beds I expose all the weeds that were happily growing underneath. Since lunch I've been on the computer trying to source more Christmas pressies. I've ordered 2 things for youngest granddaughter, one to come through the post and one to be collected when we go out to shop on Monday. I've also decided on a couple of things for one of the other granddaughters and I think I'll be able to get both of them at the shops on Monday. I prefer to support the stores if I can get what I want at a price I am prepared to pay.

I am going downstairs now as I have got very cold up here, in spite of the fact that I am wearing several layers including a long sleeved fleece. I don't know what I am going to do when the really cold weather comes.

Stay warm everyone.

O I meant to say that I ddi a wash yesterday and went through all the pockets on trousers and cardi's and when I put it on the line there was a sparkley thing in the bottom of the rubber where the water drains away. put my hand in to pick it out and I now have a very clean watch!!

I don't wear it on my wrist and it has now strap on it. I just pop it in my pocket. How I missed it I don't know as I took all the hankies out. It was still going and is the right time this morning so I think I was very lucky there.

Another senior moment |I| think. :-S

Morning all,

Not so nice this morning as its cloudy and dull and its been raining and its windy so theres not much left it can do now except snow or thunker and a hail storm.

Lots to do today as I have to get the advent ring finished and up the church. See if I can remember to take a pic this year.

Must dash BBL.

Good morning all 6 degrees but dry and quite bright here. Slept well again. Nothing on today until this evening.

Pleased that you had a good day out Mel, you certainly seem to have got a lot done. Your BiL is good to you. Shame he wouldn't take the money for the fuel as I means you will hesitate to ask him to take you anywhere again. You will have to buy him and his wife some nice wine or something for Christmas.

Ann what make is your Air Fryer? There are a lot on the market now but because of the amount of interest in them they are selling out quickly.

Was your slow cooker meal nice in the end?

The s*d I have just found the twenty pound note on the work surface!!!!!!!!!!!!!! and I did'nt see him put it there the last time I saw it it was in his hand.

Meant to say I laughed nad laughed at the little girl putting the cats milk in the tea. Think I would have thrown up if it happened to me.

Back home just at dark. I rang the solicitor this morning and got through right away. Said I was going to bude today to nat west and he told me they had closed and only Plymouth, Tavistock or Barnstaple were now open. I rang BIL to find out if he was coming today and he said he was'nt so I told him what I was going to do and he said he'd take me so that was good. We went to barnstaple in the end and I really enjoyed the journey of a ride when I did'nt have to drive so could look round at all the changes on the way there. There's been lots of building on the old road which we went on and he parked in a car park near the library and we only had a short walk to Nat West. Had to wait a little while to see someone but all got sorted and I had BIL with me to back me up and take in what was said as I tend to forget things but the lady did write it all down for me anyway.

Then while I was there just up the road I went into the Nationwide building soc. and had the interest put in my book for a couple of years as I hav'nt been to Bideford since March 2019 and I was going to take the money out but the lady in there told me that the interest was going up on the 1st Dec to 2. something so I left it in there.

I popped into Wilko too to get some bird nuts and came out £16 lighter on just bird feeding stuff but I am all set up for winter now with suet blocks and pellets and enough peanuts to keep them quiet for a couple of weeks. BIL carried the bag back to the car for me it was so heavy.

Walked back to the car but on the way there was a nice cake shop so BIL said would I like a pasty and I said yes so he bought one for me and one for hiself and two sausage rolls to take home to the wife. Then we went back to his house in Barnstaple and ate our pasties and had a cuppa. I had never been there before and its a nice old place with beams and stone built. Then he brought me home. Poor chickens had to go without their corn tonight as they were all in by the time we arrived back. Banty still had plenty of food in her dish so she would'nt have gone to bed hungry and the chickens never eat all their pellets by the time I corn them so I expect they have tonight.

Well thats been my day and I thougherly enjoyed it. Gave him £20 towards deisel for the car which he tried not to take but I insisted. I did try to buy the pasties but he would'nt hear of it.