General Chat

Oh that was a nice lunch Anng good value too with lots of veg and a good idea to get booked for a Christmas lunch as they soon get booked up .

Ann you are naughty getting on your stool with your bad knees I bet OH would have stopped you ic he had seen you do it .
You are having some heavy showers we've had sunshine for a while now and I can see lovely blue sky .

Oh no Vera and after all your hard work on those cheesecakes, perhaps next time make a trifle and then you won't have to turn anything out .
When I went into Tescos the other day I was looking at the packets of jellies and I noticed ths Angel delights son use to love those and I thought I know I'll get some blancmange powders couldn't see them asked the assistant and she had no idea what they were and she wasn't young so I thought she would have heard of them but no and she looked on her phone at the stock in store .... and they don't sell them anymore , shall have to have a look in Morrisons I like blancmange.

I just had a look and Morrisons do have them but only strawberry flavour .

CHEESECAKE DISASTER! One of the cheesecakes in a square tin fell to bits when I turned it out to wrap for freezing and is now in bits in the fridge. OH and I will eat some of it over the next couple of days and will dump the rest. The other one was in a large loaf tin and did turn out in one piece but it isn’t set as I would like so that’s now wrapped in the freezer marked for our use only. So change of plan. We have a busy week ahead and no time to do those particular cheesecakes again so I am going to take a couple of small Iceland cheesecakes that I have in the freezer and will make a fruit salad and Mandarin Cream on Friday.

Your lunch sounded tasty AnnG and good value.

Your lunch was really good value AnnG. The carvery we go to charges £12.49 on Sunday for a small plate carvery that isn't as good! I'm not surprised you booked up for Christmas. Fancy there being all that rain in the area yet it managed to miss your garden. It's thrown it down here a few times.

The Asda delivery was 15 minutes early so it was a good job I was ready. The two subs went back. A whole cucumber would spoil before we could eat it and the walnut halves I ordered have more flavour than the walnut pieces they sent.

OH was having a nap after lunch so rather than disturb him I used the step stool to put my decorative boxes back on the high shelf. I had to hang on to what I could as my legs surprised me as they seem to have got quite weak, apart from having to be careful of my knees. I must start doing a few exercises to strengthen them. I got sidetracked going through the boxes as I found my collection of old coins, siver threepenny bits, sixpences, commemorative £2 coins, Benjamin Bunny ones Coronation Crown and others but didn't come across my Farthing with a little Wren on it I know is somewhere. I managed to hoover the bedroom again and did tthe hall rug and floor so that all looks better.

I spent ages trying to see what bulb to get for the ensuite light fitting, only to discover how out of date I'm becoming. With a bit of googling I discovered the old efficiency ratings have been changed and are now A-G and the A, A+, A++ have gone now. This light fitting has an F rating which is very good for LED and the unit is all sealed so that once the bulb goes it isn't replaceable and you need a new light fitting. It seems wasteful, so it's a good job the bulbs can last over 10 years. (I hope!).

There's just been some thunder and the rain is hammering on the windows again so I'm swtitching off now. I hope sleep comes easily for everyone.

Good afternoon all. While having coffee at 11 O'clock before going to lunch. (about 3 miles from here the other end of the village) It reallpoured with rain, really heavy and I thought that will be good for the garden. Then it stopped but there was another heavy shower while we were having lunch in the next village. When I got home just before 4pm it wa dry as a bone here, no rain at all that I could see so witll still have to water.

Lunch was excellent. We all opted for th OAP size. there were three meats for a normal roast and three veg choices Vegan wellington, some veggie parcel and nut roast. So I had a large slice of beef and a large slice of lamb, two large roastie, honeyed parsnip, roasted carrot, stuffing gravy, french beans broccoli spears and red cabage. and gravy. Plenty of it. I also had a large glass of Pinot Grigio, then apple crumble and cream. total was £24.40. I couldn't believe the roast dinner was 10.95. Escellent value and beautifully cooked. the crumble was OK, apple was lovely but the crumble was a bit too puddingy but it was OK.

We have booked for a Christmas meal on the first Saturday in December.

Theres a new series on BBC 1 tonight The Narrow Road to the deep north. I may give that a go as it has Ciaran Hinds in it and I like him he reminds me of oh a bit.

I only go out during the day as I don't like driving in the dark anymore. I do have someone I ould go out with if I asked her but she talks a lot and I am one of those people who likes to be quite quiet. Oh did'nt tak that much but BIL talks the hind legs off a donkey and I forget what I was ging to ask him to do and remember when he's gone and its quiet again. I can walk very quickly now with hips knees and smoking and thats one of my only pleasures so I am not giving that up.

Its 17 degrees here now and feels quite chilly may have to put a cardi on.

I am going to cook myself a big breakfast now, that big egg and sausages and toms with a few beans.

Raining here steadily now and looks like its set in for the day. Not done anything today.

Good afternoon all

I had a better night last night. I was reading for a couple of hours in the middle of the night but I did get some sleep and feel better for it. It rained heavily for a while during the night and there has been rain on and off all morning. It is still very muggy but doesn't feel quite as bad as yesterday as it's a bit cooler.

I hope you enjoy your Sunday lunch AnnG.

Are you having a better day today Mel? It would be nice for you to have someone to go out with from time to time. When we moved to an isolated, rural place I had no friends at all. After a year or so there I joined a literature group in a nearby village but I found the other people very "privileged" and cliquey so after a year or so I dropped out. I was quite lonely so I looked at our nearest town, about 6 or 7 miles away and found 2 groups we could both join. It meant driving but it was worth it as we made lots of friends who are still "our" group. Is there something like a craft group in your nearest village or town that you could join? Or a garden society or anything else that interests you?

I hope your tea soaked papers dry out and are still legible Annx. I seem to remember tea being used to make documents look really old.

I'm hoping my cheesecakes will turn out well. I changed all the amounts of the ingredients as I wanted to make a bit more than I usually do so I upped everything by 25% I now have 2 good sized cheesecakes in the fridge ready to be frozen when they are completely set.

Grandson's partner has just texted through some photos and videos of our great granddaughter who will be 2 in August. She is such a sparky, bright little thing. One video amazed me. There was a large chart of shapes on the wall and she was being asked to find various shapes. My kids did this sort of thing when they were little and we would ask them to find a circle or a square. But gr.granddaughter was being asked to find a rhombus, a parallelogram, a trapezoid, a triangular prism etc. I'd be struggling with that now! Of course, she has learnt what the shapes look like but you could see her scanning the chart to find the right one. At the rate she's going she'll be in Mensa soon!!

Our pot roast beef is nearly ready so I must go and get the green veg on and lay the table and maybe pour myself a nice glass of wine :-D

Morning All,

We had more rain in the night and although I managed about 15 minutes weeding earlier, down came drizzly rain again. It's stopped now though but it's quite overcast. The nasty weed is springing up everywhere so as soon as we have a dryer spell I will be squirting away with the weedkiller. I'm determined to get rid of it!!

Mel, I agree and like the sound of a Sunday Lunch out! I'm sure AnnG and her friends have chosen somewhere they know is good, but we stopped going out for Sunday Lunch round here a few years ago as we find nowadays it gets so busy and noisy, at least round here and they certainly hike up the prices for a traditional Sunday Lunch. You could always go to have a cafe lunch on your own for a change of scene. You could start with going for coffee and a cake like AnnG and I often do and would find others do the same these days. I take a magazine to read sometimes. I found it very daunting at first in my job going on training courses in places like Blackpool on my own, booking into hotels, as I'd never stayed in one before. The first time I remember I skipped breakfast as I wasn't sure what the procedure was!

Better get lunch started next.

I need to finish damp wiping a couple of skirting boards, the tops of door frames and a high shelf in the bedroom and it is finished. Then there's the lounge to do tomorrow as that brown dust has got everywhere. Food delivery this afternoon, but I'm determined to finish the simple necklace off. Yesterday OH rang me while he was out and I grabbed the landline from a shelf where I'd put it off my desk and managed to knock over a COT which soaked a lot of papers that have been drying out on various surfaces since so I need to sort those and see if anything is still readable first!

Morning ,

It's cloudy but bright here this morning, not so muggy ,I was quite warm in bed last night and the last couple of days have felt very weary .

Vera I hope you managed to get a better night's sleep last night ,how you manage to do what you do on just a couple of hours sleep I don't know, you cope with it much better than I would I would be so grumpy I'm sure.

Ann I'm not surprised you feel weary as you've had all the upheaval of the workmen doing the ensuite and then the cleaning up in all that heat , perhaps you can get some beading done today .

Anng enjoy your Sunday lunch ,will it be the traditional Sunday lunch or something lighter .

Mel you had a busy day yesterday with all your cutting down I'd have a slower day today and watch out for the old ticks in the overgrown stuff you don't want anymore of those .

Gwyn hope your gradually getting there now and feel better ,have your schools finished now ? ours finish on Tuesday.

Not doing much today as Sundays a day of rest :-)
Still doing these crochet squares for Katie's blanket I'm on number fourteen, not sure how many I'll do I think I worked it out to about forty eight :-0 then there will be the sewing up and doing a border of some sort .

Morning girls,

I am hoping its going to be a better day today. Its quite bright at the mo and pc says 16 degrees with a moderate thunderstorm warning. So perhaps my sunny bright morning is going somewhere else later on.

Sunday lunch out sounds nice Anng hope the foods good where you go. Have you planned to go anywhere you've been before? Wish I had someone I could go for Sunday lunch with it would make a nice change.

Ptobably do some minitrues or a bit of gardening is I feel like it. Bit achey from yesterdays stretching and bending cutting the thistles and docks sown and I had a go at the birmbles coming out the top of the box hedge. I don't think I cut the right ones.

Good morning all. strange night, slept tqo hours woke, lais awake about 10 minutes, slept another two hours (repeat), It was hot but not too hot so no idea why I kept waking.

I think we had some showery rain in the night so hopefully no watering this morning. Out for coffee to one friends house then 6 of us out for Sunday lunch.

Just reading about a family syndicate in Cork who have one the Euro millions (£213M) I can't imagine winning that much but it doesn't say how many are in the syndicate.

Well I felt I had had a good day with the small amount of gardening I got done and then we had an actual shower of rain that lasted about ten minutes.

Sorry that Vera and Mel had bad days hope tomorrow is better.

I just read that some of these shops have been raided including Nail Bars and Vape shops, car washes etc and all sorts of criminality has been found. No wonder our streets are becoming less safe. We noticed all the Barbers when we last went in the city. It seems from what you say they are springing up everywhere.

My hairdresser said she gets inundated with hairdressing for children for Proms Vera and also said how do they afford it if families are supposed to be hard up. I hope your cheesecakes turn out well and it's a good idea to finish them tomorrow when you will be fresher. I like the idea of freezing them beforehand too so it's a job out of the way with no last minute preparation. It's years since I made one, but home made always seem nicer.

Well we are both tired so are off to bed, or as Frank would say 'Bedfordshire'. :-D I never got any beading done, but my thread zapper has arrived and I have put a battery in it ready!

I too have had a bad day. BIL arrived to cut the grass which did'nt really need cutting at all. I fed the chickens and then cut some of the docks and nettles down round the run on the outside and collected my one egg. Fed Robby on the top of the run as I do everyday. carried on down the fence out the back and cut some of the thisley things that grow near my ground. Got round that thinking I will need the big trailer to pick it all up and then got really hot and I was in my wellies so came in to change them for shoes. Spied squirrels in the Hazel tree so got the gun out and fired at two of them then the gun needed reloading so came in to do that and in my hast I pout the pellets in the wrong side. Managed to get them out and tried again but the disc you put them in would'nt turn properly at which point BIL came in and said he was going. I told him I could'nt load the cartridge and he took it out of my hands to have a look. What did he do????? undid the srew on the back of it and took it apart and could'nt get it back together in working order so he went home leaving me without a gun to use. The one good thing is he moved my heavy statue off the decking by my pond as it was making the decking rotton.

Since then I hav'nt done a thing but I have just had another go at the cartridge and think I MAY have solved the problem but I am now frightened to try it. I have to wait till Monday to go to the gun shop to see if Rob can fix it or has a new 10 shot cartridge to replace it. I looked online and they are £34 something just for a little thing an inch by an inch and a half with 10 holes in it.

Then I was looking for the gun papers.....could'nt find them and had the whole kitchen draw out so I ended up clearing stuff out of that to get everything back in it. I am really fed up with mself today and its just started to rain. :-( :-( :-( :-(

We haven't got an influx of barber shops but every time there are vacant premises in this town they reopen as either coffee shops or nail bar/beauty places, all legit places I'm sure.. I keep wondering how many more our smallish town can support and how come they are always full if our population is supposedly hard up?

So far it hasn't been a good day. I think last night was the worst for discomfort. It was hot, muggy and sweaty and all my fan seemed to be doing was moving hot air around. I couldn't sleep at all and sat up with a cup of tea and a book for a long while. I eventually fell asleep around 6 am and slept till 8 am. Then I got up but felt so bad I went back to bed and slept from 8.30 to 10. It rained heavily a couple of times during the night but it didn't seem to cool the air. By the time I was washed, dressed and breakfasted I was already running 2 hours late.

We have a family event with 35-40 people next weekend at my daughter's house. I have promised to make a couple of cheesecakes and a big fruit salad so I planned to get ahead with the cheesecakes which can go in the freezer for a week. I drove down to Sainsbury's to get some cream cheese and I was going to replace the other ingredients I was taking from the cupboard just in case something went wrong and I had to do the cheesecakes again. These days I usually use Philly full fat cream cheese. They had everything but; I could have it with garlic, with chilli, with something else I've forgotten or an extra light version. Eventually after rooting around I found some Sainsbury's own brand cream cheese and got that. I hope it's OK. Next I wanted evaporated milk. They hadn't got any. Then a lemon jelly. I got that after I hunted the store for an assistant who could direct me to the obscure corner it was kept in. Last I needed an 80th birthday card. They had a choice of one which I didn't get as it wasn't a nice card at all.

There were only 2 manned checkouts open and the queues for these were long. Then I found out why. Various scanners had broken down and the operators were having to punch virtually everything in by hand.

Eventually I got through just as the heavens opened again. I only had to get a little way across the car park and I had an umbrella so I put it up and ran for the car. The brolly kept my head and shoulders dry but the lower part of my T shirt and my trousers were drenched. I had to completely change my clothes when I got in.

I had a quick sandwich and a cuppa and decided so much was going wrong that I wouldn't make the cheesecake mixture today. I've lined the tins I'm using with cling film and made the biscuit bases and I'll do the rest in the morning. Even doing the bases was a hassle because OH decided to do something in the kitchen at that time (it couldn't possibly wait). So as I am trying to crush biscuits into crumbs and melt butter he was faffing about behind me and every time I turned round I nearly fell over him.

Now I've bored you all with moaning about my day I must go and see about tonight's dinner. I hope you are having a better day than me and that we all sleep well tonight.

PS There is one good thing. The downpours mean we won't have to water our garden or our neighbour's today :-D

I think I have seen somewhere in the press about the barber shops and money laundering, maybe connected to drugs. You would think that the police would have them under surveillance.

I did another half hour cutting down a lot of ivy again. I can't work out why flowering plants don't grow in the current temps and yet weeds and ivy etc grow well.

Stopped raining and the suns trying to shine ,I got my ironing done with the fan on ,it's still really humid and very warm in the house even though I have all the windows open to try and let a bit of air in .

We're certainly mot getting the rain and the storms they said we would get , it might clear the air a bit if we did .

Ann we have about four of those supposedly Turkish barber shops opened up in the town with the revolving barbers poles and bright LED lights on the last one people were saying its a money laundering shop ,there's vape shops with those lights too .

We also have accordly to the local news over one hundred ex affenders been housed in the town over the past year ,there's a lovely big house in town that years ago was our doctors surgery and it was turned into a nice hotel then it was sold and its now a place of multiple occupancy, it always seems to have the police there so it may be where the ex affenders are housed ,lots of people have said they now don't feel safe walking round the town and to think years ago mum would go into town and never lock the doors :-0

Afternoon All,

It was raining here when I woke up after a good sleep and has rained off and on all morning. OH saw the forecast and decided not to travel south for the footie match he planned to go to and has gone north instead to a match with an artificial pitch. All I've done is pop to the shop and I still feel as tired as the last few days. I think it must be the aftermath of the heat, not taking antihistamines for hayfever, as in the move of things I forgot where I'd put them and being so busy recently. My thyroid was borderline low on the April test so that won't help either.

I forgot to say when we popped to my bank about 5 miles away in a large village yesterday in the space of a mile along the main street we spotted nine new Barber's Shops, all lit up and with twirling barber's poles, likely not all legit according to the papers. Are they springing up where any of you live too?

I'm going to put the little stack of drawers back in the ensuite for now so the door will hit the corner of those instead of the shower base till Adam has been to do the electrical work on Tuesday. Then I'll damp wipe the bedroom skirting boards and pull out side trays. There's no point putting anything else back in the ensuite till the ceiling has been filled and painted as that will involve sanding and mess!

It's still drizzling here, so no weedind etc today. It still looks cooler but drier over the next few days, so we can hopefully fill the garden bin then and I will get back to some beading this afternoon after my jobs

Just as I was watering Cynth's baskets we had a bit of rain, can't even call it a shower it was just drizzle in the air.

At 10am it was 18 degrees so I went out and tidied up all the pots and topped some of them with freah compost and feed. I was out there an hour, it does look a bit better even if not much flowering going on.
It is 20 degrees now, when I came in at 11.30 it was very humid. I was so hot that my glasses were steaming up.