General Chat

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.

It sounded a nice meal anyway AnnG, despite things on the menu being unavailable. Nice to catch up with your long time friend too. Yes we have been dressing more warmly to go to the carvery. Everyone is trying to keep the heating bills down aren't they.

I have taken the plunge and ordered an air fryer today. Just one big enough for 2 with 1 drawer. Lots of places had sold out of the one I decided on, but I managed to find a Black Friday deal that was among the cheapest on offer with free delivery too. I should mostly manage without the big oven now unless I can fill it like Vera does, but it's useful to not have to rely on one oven anyway in case it goes wrong any time!

You can never be sure if they are true, but did any of you see the letter in the DM recently. It made both of us chuckle. A grandmother was saying how her 7 year old grand daughter was working towards her home making badge at brownies. She walked in proudly carrying a cup of tea for her grandmother and mother that she had learned to make. Her mother said, I thought we had run out of milk, so did you manage to find some?' The little girl said, 'Yes, there was some in the cat's dish!'. Seeing her mother's horrified face she said 'he didn't mind....honestly'. :-D

Well I am back home now after a nice lunch (Steak, chips and pees and a brownie with ice cream) and a good long catch up. I usually only see them once a year as a lot of their time is spent at their apartment in Italy. Meal was at the Beefeater and we were greeted by a long list of things that were unavailable. I suppose with the shortages. Still we managed and with a large glass of red wine it was very nice. We did get the waitress to get the heating turned up a notch as it was really cold in there at first.

Morning Everyone,

It's 9 degrees here too and sunny with no wind now which is good.

Yes, I think the slow cooker will be a boon Vera. The pork pieces seemed very tender as I saved half what I cooked and have put it in the freezer this morning. There was plenty for 2 meals for us with some added rice or pasta and there was room in the pot for me to fill it at least another inch and still not be overfull. I noticed in the instruction book last night that it said you could add a sauce, so I will try with thickened gravy next time. I bet rice pudding would be nice and there is a recipe for it in my little booklet, also one to do boiled ham so I might try that.

Yes this year has whizzed by hasn't it. I never seem to ever catch up with doing all the jobs I want to get done. Our garden still needs tidying for the winter. Now OH has started to be able to do more after his hernia repair, he cleaned the bathroom this morning which is good. (and unusual!)

I hope the greenery for the advent ring wasn't too sodden to gather Mel. You are good to do one each year for the church. I have decided not to bother booking an extra slot with Asda too.

Enjoy your lunch today AnnG! I hope it's quieter than ours was yesterday.

Steady Gwyn, I still haven't got all my Christmas cards yet or ordered the turkey!!

It's a beautiful day here now as well. Long may it last.

You are right about the number of flowers still blooming Gwyn. Looking out of the window at our tiny garden I've got a viburnum in bloom, 3 clumps of white campanula covered in flowers, some yellow argyranthemum and a trough of annual begonias. It sounds as though your pot of bulbs will be in bloom early if they are already a few inches high. There's no sign yet of my early daff bulbs in the garden showing through.

We've just had a notice through that our water is going to be off on Monday for most of the day. I hope that means the water company is going to do something about the flooding at the end of our road every time it rains. You can imagine what it's like at the moment - one giant puddle. I expect they will ignore it as usual and work on pipes further down the road. I've decided that Monday would be a good day to go shopping and maybe have lunch out. There is a huge new M & S opened about 15 miles from us so I might drag OH there. I seldom buy anything for me in M & S but I have to get a Xmas pressie for someone who shops there all the time so I might be able to find something.

I've now got to go on a hunt for the birthday card I bought my son in early September and put away somewhere. It was the perfect card for him so I had to get it, now I can't remember where I put it. His birthday is a week today and I think the post people are striking again for 2 days so I must get it in the post soon.

A really beautiful sunny morning here and not a cloud in the bright blue sky. It is mild too and it was lovely walking up to school and back, when I popped to deliver something there before 9 a.m.
The ground is waterlogged in parts of this area and lots of surface water on the main coast road, when we drove to daughter's yesterday evening. Some of the puddles were so deep, that I could see great sprays of water being forced into the air and onto pavements by moving traffic.
Hard to believe that in one months time, we will all be in the midst of whatever we are doing over the festive period.
As Mel says, time seems to be going so fast this year.

Morning Girls,

Its bright and sunny here this morning and its 9i degrees at the moment can't see the tree moving so I am hoping there's not any wind but that could chaange later in the day.

I have to finish off the advent ring today so it ready for Sunday the first day of advent. Christmas seems to have come around very quickly this year to me. I have been having reminders to book a slot for Christmas from Asda but I don't think I will bother.

Good morning

More rain overnight but it is supposed to be dry today and sunny this morning. Not much sign of the sun yet.

Enjoy your lunch out AnnG.

I’m sure you’ll find the slow cooker a boon Ann. Sometimes I thicken the gravy up at the end but sometimes I put it in the slow cooker like wallpaper paste. By the time the food is cooked the gravy has thinned down. I normally only do a main course in mine but yesterday I did a rice pudding and that was successful.

I’ve no particular plans for today but I’m sure I’ll find plenty of jobs to do.