General Chat

r. Have had somelunch and the suns still shing bright with a little breeze so I am going beck out in the garden to do more sweeping up and cutting down out the front.


Bum lost a long post.......................................................

Vera I wonder if they were the sort of alarms that I had put in by the fire brigade via hearing concern. Mine flash all night every 5 minutes or so but don't bleep if the power goes off they have battery back up. I think I have to go back to the fire people if they stop working.
There is always something isn't there?

I spent most of the morning well from about 10.30 to 12.30 in the garden potting up all the new plants. Sounds easy but two of the very large pots I wanted to use had compost in them that had been added to but not changed for over 4 years and also I wanted to check on the drainage of both pots. I completely emptied them one at a time into a large trug where I checked the drainage then took half the compost and added grit etc to it then topped up with new compost before planting up the Sedums three small ones in one large pot and one large ones in the other. Then I planted up with fresh copost etc three other plants so they are all done now and I just need to sweep up the mess. I have also changed the bed and the fitted sheet is on but I am working up to putting on the rest now.
Ant Tesco will hopefully come around 4 with a large (for me) order.

It is full sun and 21 dewgrees here now.

Good morning Mel, AnnG and all

It’s reasonably bright but not very warm at the moment. I certainly need the wool cardi I’m wearing. I think it will get warmer this afternoon but it’s not going to be a hot day.

Mel, that’s good advice from AnnG. Just do the most essential jobs on your list and leave the rest for another day. You don’t want to put too much strain on your back

Well, my day isn’t going to plan. We are now staggering through another problem. This time it’s the fire/smoke alarms. They were in the house when we moved in and, apart from occasionally pressing a button to test they are working, we have never touched them. There are 3 and they are the sort that are hard wired in. I had a dreadful night and had just fallen asleep when I was woken again by a beeping noise. I then heard OH get up to check so I got up as well. There was nothing burning or smoking anywhere so OH turned off the power but they still kept beeping. They seem to have some sort of built in battery that takes over if the power is cut but OH couldn’t find it to take it out so he had to find a company that could come in quickly. Believe you me, when you have had a high pitched beep going off every 30 seconds for 3 hours you need someone in quickly. Well OH found a fairly local company who said they could get someone here within an hour and he duly turned up. He couldn’t stop the beeping either but when he dismantled one of them it said inside, where it can’t be seen, to replace it by 2016! It’s done well to last this long but was obviously telling us it was no longer working. So our man went off to pick up 3 new ones which he is fitting now. That’ll be another unexpected expense, probably a few hundred pounds.

Oh, at 7.30 am, while all this was going on, the delivery that we were expecting yesterday turned up.

Better go and offer this chap a coffee I suppose. I hope you are all enjoying your day more than we are.

Good morning all, like Mel it is bright and 12 degrees here. and like Mel I want to do a few small jobs in the garden.

Vera that was a busy day. Not often we get asked to go early for appointments but it obviously was a rush for you.

Mel So that you don't start your back off, take that large amount of jobs you have on the list and halve it to the most pressing. Save the other half for tomorrow. :-D

Morning all,

That was a rush around then to get to the appointment Vera its no wonder you took the wrong script with you.

Nice bright morning here and its 12 degrees and pc says sunny. I am expecting BIL today as the thing he ordered arrived and its blocking the garage inside so I have to open both doors to get to the chcikens food.

I slept very well last night it must have been the glass and a half of Merlot I had last night. I want to do something in the garden today back permitting. Finish off sweeping up the leaves and rubbish round by the garage door and cut some weed down. then do the front of the bunaglow. I hav'nt cut the ladies mantle down yet and I bet its sowed its self everywhere.

I'm late on parade today. It seems to have been a day of dashing about. It has been much cooler, thank goodness, and has stayed dry. It looks as though it is going to be a cooler night as well so hopefully I won't have to have the fan going all night.

Thank you for the Butterfly Garden info and picture AnnG. It was interesting to see how it started and how it has expanded. I am sure it is doing a lot of good for a lot of people.

I'm glad you enjoyed your evening Mel. A nice meal with good company always seems to cheer us up. I don't know a lot about swallows . Lovely to have new eggs in the nest but is it usual to lay a clutch this late in the year? Will they be mature enough to fly off to warmer climes when most of the swallows leave?

Today I went to our Thursday coffee meet on my own as OH stayed home for a delivery that never came. When I got back we had a bit of lunch and I put some old clothes on to do one or two grubby jobs and then divided a load of meat I had delivered yesterday into 2 portion sizes for the freezer. I was just finishing that and thinking I would tidy myself up for my hospital appointment when the phone rang. It was the hospital asking if I could go early. They wanted to see me in about 40 minutes time and it takes at least 30 minutes to drive there. so it was a very rapid wash and change, leap in the car and go.

The eye treatment centre is in a separate building at the back of the hospital so OH dropped me at the door and went off to park. I usually have to go upstairs for my appointments but my letter specifically said downstairs. There was no-one around and the reception desk was closed but there was a notice saying to check in upstairs so upstairs I went. I checked in and was asked to take a seat. I pointed out I was supposed to be downstairs but was told I was being seen upstairs. At that point I wondered if OH would ever find me again.

After a few minutes someone called my name and I went in to see the specialist cataract nurse. Lots of tests, flashing lights and questions. Later she asked if by any chance I had brought in my last prescription which I had. She then asked if I had always had a lazy left eye. Well, it's hardly a lazy eye - without my strong glasses I can't even see across a small room with that eye so I just said I have always had very poor vision in that eye. She looked puzzled and looked again at the prescription and then suddenly said that it wasn't my name on the form. Oops - I had had a very senior moment and taken in OH's last prescription. Nurse disappeared and came back with yet another machine that was held by both my eyes and flashed lights etc till a clear picture showed and that apparently gave her the info she needed. I felt very stupid! She then said OK, you can go now but she hadn't given me any information so I had to ask what the next step was. Apparently I will get a letter in 2 to 3 months, hopefully with a date when they will at least deal with the cataract in my bad eye. In the meantime I have to go to my normal check up appointment in September..

OH had found his way upstairs and was waiting for me when I came out. We came home, had a cup of tea and went out again into town to get something to eat as it was already 6.30 and I didn't feel like cooking by then. We both had a very large grilled salmon fillet with baby potatoes and pan fried mixed veg and a glass of wine. It was delicious.

After 2 fairly hectic days I am hoping tomorrow will be a bit calmer and I can actually do some h/w and get a bit done in the garden.

Had a lovely evening with Stu, Martin and Samantha we did'nt mix the chilli but mine went first and only half of Stu's one but we had beef dripping chips and two kinds of rice and a glass and a hl;af of Merlot which went down very well. Samantha also made a plum and apple crumble andwe had that with custard. My plums and I think she had put a bit of cinnamon in it. It was delish. Always nice when someone else makes it. Good food good company and leets of laughs. A great night all round.

Change of plan I am taking the chilli round to Stu's as he has his friend there staying the night he's done chilli too so we are going to put it altogether. See you later if I'm still awake.

Evening all,

Typed a post this morning then whoosh it was gone so gave up .

Anng the butterfly garden sounds lovely, a place to revisit I'm sure ,thank you for the photo .
Hope your sister is feeling better today.

I seem to be all behind with commenting on the posts for a day or two and then losing a post doesn't help so I'll post this and hopefully start afresh tomorrow .

I see I am missing my avatar in my early post wonder if it will re-appear.
I did a bit of PC admin but the morning just disappeared as I was up late. I have done a bit of ivy cutting and sorted a pot for and planted one of the large new sedums,taking a bit odf care and hoping I have got it right as they are £10 a time. After lugging compost perlite and crocks, gravel etc around and then transferring the very large plant from one pot to another one I didn't have the energy to tackle a second one. Not helped by the temp going up to 20 and the sun being fully out so I have come indoors.

Afternoon All,

Breezy and weak sunshine here so the washing should dry quickly. I pulled a few weeds while I was outside and then watered the borders but the plants don't all look so good now and I think autumn will be here early this year. We went to Ullesthorpe Court and had tuna jackets with salad for lunch which was about the only thing without creamy sauces. We had a long chat with Sharon who we hadn't seen for ages, but we were the only ones there so business isn't like it was once.

Thank you for the Butterfly Garden details AnnG. It's lovely how it all started and just grew and is so popular now. We have seen very few of the tortoiseshell butterflies in the garden this year, but more of the white ones and the Peacock ones that appeared with the self set Buddliah flowers have disappeared again.

I've just booked my car in for MOT, service and the timing belt change as that's due now the car will be 10 years old. I shall have to dig deep into my pockets with the bill for that lot this time, but it will still be cheaper than the dealerships having it done in the village garage.

Mel, that's a bit clearer now, but Stu's family ownerships sound quite complicated! It will be good that our cars will be checked over for their MOTs before winter. It's nice you have more Swallow eggs, but I hope they will be mature enough before winter comes. We saw the Pigeons with two youngsters being fed near the old Magpie nest so it looks like they did use it. They are all using my little water lily feature along with the Magpies now, so I must make an alternative for them. Maybe if I cover the lily feature then they will use it instead hopefully.

I must see what I have and decide whether to enter anything in the village show that's coming up soon next.

Good morning all, 16 degrees so a bit warmer this morning. Had a strange night, took ages (past 2am) to get to sleep then woke twice for the loo but finally slept until 0845 so obviously had enough sleep all together.

Mel awe more baby swallows I hope. When do they all fly off. There were quite a few sitting on overhead wires driving back from MK. (as well as quite a few red Kites.

Vera, I have to admit that often names of things, birds, animals, plants, flowers etc often just wont't 'surface' If I am on the computer I often type in a 'clue' to google to quickly get the word.

Mel that is a complicated family of Stu's you say Dad 'give' the garages to his sons I hope for Stu's sake it is all tied up legally. But checking the car then taking it on for the MOT is not unusual. What is unusual is family having to wait to get it done. the brother must be doing well with the MOT business.

I forgot to say that when BIL went in the filter shed at the weekend a swallow flew out and he said she was sitting. I went in yesterday and theres 4 eggs in the nest again.

Morning girls,

Quite bright this morning and pc says mostly sunny and 12 degrees. I must admit I too had a cardi on yesterday evening as I felt chilly. YOu'll have to excuse my typing with this new keyboard and mouse It has textured keys and I keep catching them with my nails.

I will try to explain about my MOT. Stu's dad Andy used to live and own the garage Stu now has. Andy has parkinsons too and Stu being the eldest also has it. Andy gave Stu the garage and the two other sons had places as well but Andy still owned the garage in Shebbear that was licienced to do MOT's. The checks are done at Stu's garage and then he would take the cars down to Shebbear to get them tested. Andy has now sold the Shebbear garage to his second son Ian and he is so busy that Stu now has to take the cars to Torrinton for the final cert. I don't have to wait anywhere just for Stu to bring my car back to me and then I run him back home.

Evening All.

lt was a cool and overcast day till this evening when the sun came out. OH took the BP record he was asked to keep and saw the doc this morning. His low BP hasn't changed much since stopping one BP pill and he still gets dizzy if he gets up quickly. He had a thorough check up, everything was fine and he had an ECG to be sure this afternoon and they will contact him if needs be. The doc and the senior partner decided to halve his other BP pill and he's to continue his daily BP recording. This pill lists dizziness in the side effects so hopefully the smaller dose will be better for that.

Your poor sister AnnG, no wonder she was exhausted after all that happening and with other health issues too. At least she had a good checkup though and has some medication now and I hope she is feeling better. Taxis are so expensive too, but there's not much choice when it's urgent.

The butterfly garden sounds lovely and a nice place to go. Your black Sedum sounds interesting. I must get out to more garden centres as it is the time to buy Sedums now.

That's good your fence painter has turned up and is well Vera. It doesn't bode well for the rest of us if BT can mess things up with the changeover. As it was his business emails affected and presumably phone I hope he hasn't lost work. It isn't funny I know but the thought of you ending up with 50 litres of the paint sounded like something connected with Victor Meldrew! Hopefully you or the painter should be able to get a refund on the surplus. At least you areback on track for getting the fence painted before winter. It sounds like your OH had a very thorough assessment and it doesn't sound like it's a concern for now. I told OH a while back that I can't recall the word I want to use sometimes and he said it happens to him and he just uses another word instead.

Will you have to wait at Torrington while they MOT your car Mel? I'm confused. Was the MOT centre at Stu's dad's garage and has now moved to Torrington because Stu's brother is there?

I don’t know what the temp is but I have a thick caddy on and I am chilly

No my sister was not on BP medication, she hates having to take any medication as she usually proves to be intolerant of stuff in the pills, not necessarily the medication. She has always had high BP the pill they gave her in hospital took it down from 238;to 185 so they were happy with that. She tried to get a GP appointment and couldn’t, neither did she get anywhere with econsult. So she phoned 111 and they got a doctor to phone her and she now has a supply of the medication.

Hopefully your OH has nothing to worry about. I lose words sometimes although scratching around I can usually manage to retrieve it eventually.

That sounds an interesting place to visit AnnG. I'm glad your sister got home. Is she already on blood pressure tabs? I had a similar thing happen to me at one point. I was already at the hospital for a scan but when they took my bp it was well over 200 and they said they couldn't do the scan unless they could get it down to no more than 180. I was put to bed in a darkened room with a nurse sitting beside me and taking my bp every 15 minutes or so. After about 2 hours it had dropped to 185 and they decided to risk the scan. It was during Covid so OH had to wait in the car park all this time and was getting really worried as I was so long so I think his bp was quite high by the time I reappeared. When I rang the doctor the next day as instructed by the hospital I got an immediate appointment and have been on pills ever since. I hope your sister can get a quick appointment and can get sorted out.

Well, yesterday we went to the memory assessment for OH. We had to ring a bell and wait to be admitted, presumably because it's the mental health unit. We were seen at 1 pm and left the unit at 2.45 pm so it was a long, thorough session. The specialist nurse-prescriber we saw was lovely. I asked if she wanted me to keep quiet or join in the discussions she was having with OH and she said she wanted my input as well but would send me out while he had a few tests. She talked to us about every aspect of his life, physical and mental and made lots of notes, then I was sent out for about 20 minutes while OH did the tests. When I went back she said that the tests weren't bad and he is very borderline. She now has to write a report which will go to the consultant who might ask for a CT scan of his head but might not. Needless to say she is on holiday for a couple of weeks in September and originally said that the first appointment she could give him for the results etc was in October but then she decided to squeeze him in earlier so we have an appointment on 24th September. So, it is wait and see time. Tbh most of the time you wouldn't think there was anything wrong with him, his only problem is sometimes forgetting the word he wants to use or forgetting a name.

I've seen 2 of my neighbours this afternoon and now the window cleaners are here. This house is like Piccadilly in the rush hour today.

Yes sister got home just before 4am as she has fibromyalgia and also secondary breast cancer she is exhausted today and was told the hospital would give her two BP pills to take but then she needs to see a GP. Well I don't know any more at the moment but her GP surgery is like ours and can't see her getting an appointment. As I have been out since 0930 and only just got in, I don't know any more.

OH dear Mel, nothing seems to be going your way lately, that is a pain with the MOT, you would have thought they would have let all their regular customers know about it having been sold.

Vera so luckily, fence paint doesn't usually go off so you will have enough for next time. Hopefully that is the end of that saga.

Just been to Dundrys and had a tour of behind the scenes in what is known as the butterfly garden. so much going on there, from spinning wool, to cooking lunch for themselves, to art, to a large area of 'allotments' with fruit and veg grown, to a wonderful display of Dahlias. And then the recycling. everything that is taken there videos, tapes, CDs tools everything is broken down by students, volunteers etc and then collected by the large recycling firms, pallets are kept and made into bird boxes, bird tables etc. Then there is an open area used as a theatre or social gathering area and a sensory garden, and behind the whole lot a copse of trees where there is a bird hide, we must have been looking around and hearing all about it for two hours. exhausting but so interesting. And so much good done there, none of them are charged for anything and all the disabled people we met, mentally and physically disabled, were so happy and loved to chat. And being holiday time it was apparently a quiet day. And I also bought another Sedem there, really black

It’s cooler again today but feels muggy to me. I wish we could have some proper rain to clear the air a bit.

Sorry to hear about your sister’s BP and her visit to A&E, AnnG. It’s good that the tests were clear and I hope she is home now. That was an expensive taxi fare for her. Last time we had to get a taxi home from our hospital it was £38. If that’s your only way of getting home how on earth does someone on a low income manage?

Sounds as though there was a bit of a lack of communication over the MOT Mel. Hopefully it will pass with flying colours when it’s tested on Tuesday.

You are nearly there with your crochet squares Mandy. I agree with Annx; you must have flying fingers. I’m looking forward to seeing a picture when it is finished.

I said that the speaker for our meeting on Monday was on the programme as TBA. That was me having a senior moment. I had looked at September instead of August. The August speaker was someone from the Wish team, a charity connected with the West Suffolk Hospital, but at the last minute she contacted the lady who books our speakers to say she couldn’t make it. Our booking lady did very well as she turned up with Beetle Drive forms and dice and we just turned it into a social evening. We were down on numbers anyway with only a dozen or so of us there so we had the Beetle Drive till our half time tea break and then chatted about club matters and other things. It was quite a pleasant evening and I got a pair of gardening gloves in the raffle.

The last couple of days have been like Casey’s court here (who was Casey? I’ll have to google). Yesterday morning the big builder’s merchants rang to say they couldn’t get hold of the fence paint we wanted so OH went online himself, found somewhere in Colchester that could supply it and would deliver this week for just £4 so he ordered 25 litres. Then in the afternoon it was OH’s assessment at the memory clinic. More of that later.

This morning there was a ring at the doorbell and there was our original fence painter with 25 litres of paint he had sourced for us. OH was pleased to see him alive and well but of course queried why he hadn’t responded to our emails etc. It turns out he never received them and he was amazed when we showed him what we had sent. Apparently, BT have just converted his area to this new digital phone system and it looks as though it has messed everything up. He has now given us a gmail address which he uses for personal rather than business emails so that’s another way of getting hold of him if things go wrong. So…….he is now reinstated as fence painter and should start next Wednesday and OH has left a message on our substitute’s phone to tell him nicely that we won’t need him after all and we now have 25 litres of paint here and 25 on the way!

While all this was going on our Tesco delivery driver rang to say he was just down the road so could he possibly come to us nearly an hour early. I said yes and normally I would be pleased to see them early but I had painter going up and down to the study with OH to check things on the computer, Tesco driver going in and out of the kitchen with the crates of groceries and me, not knowing if I was coming or going. I think I need to lie down in a darkened room now.

OH has just called that lunch is ready so I’ll post this and try to come back later to tell you about our Memory Clinic visit.