General Chat

Good morning all. It is a chilly one again 3 degrees. But the sun is shining and I think it is going to be a nice day again. Slept OK but woke from a dream where T and I were visiting the area from where we moved to here (1992), and meeting all the friends we made there. Waking I realised I am the only one left out of the large group we socialized with. (Used to go to a quite larfe dance once a month for those ten years. I was always the youngest in the group. One of the more sad aspects of growing old.

I don't have plans for today so I will see how it goes.
Vera you asked what I did yesterday. Not a lot, I think the exercise the day before plus the covid jab, slowed me down. I just did jobs around the house, washing, tidying this room a bit preparing for the boys coming next weekend, and I did a much needed job on a pair of pull on indoor trousers that the waist band over the wide elastic had come unravelled so I re-sewed that all round. Not easy, black on black and quite a hard material. I din't do any gardening so maybe I need to get out there today. Still some tidying needing doing. It depends how hot it gets I think.

I have already stripped the bed and got the bedding in the wash. Next thing is shower and hair wash.

What are you like Mel? First you jab a fork through a pipe and then you get stuck!! Good job bil was there to repair the pipe and good that you managed to get up again but please be careful. You don’t want to end up in the pond next time. It’s nice that you can pass your mum’s painting box on to Stu’s daughter as it will be going to someone who will appreciate it and make good use of it.

Shame your horse came second Mandy. I forgot it was the Grand National today. I’ve never had a bet in my life but I usually pick a horse for fun.

Your trip out yesterday sounds very interesting AnnG. What have you been up to today? Is it next weekend your grandson comes?

How did OH get on with the physio Annx? You were kind enough to ask about my daughter. As you might expect she has good days and bad days but is generally managing OK. She finds the best thing for her is to keep busy. Yes, she is now a trustee of the gardens near her home. I’m not sure of all the ins and outs but there were 8 original trustees who resigned at the AGM. I think they were just there temporarily to keep the gardens functioning till they could get people with some knowledge to take over. There has been a bit of vandalism there from teenagers and it was felt that if they could get an education programme going among nursery and primary age children then as they grew up they would view the gardens differently. Daughter worked for an Academy Trust of 15 schools and not only taught but was the lead for child safeguarding and mental health, so she was elected. There was another lady that she already knew who had been doing the same job in other schools and a chap who had been involved in primary school education so they are also trustees now, plus a couple of other people. I won’t bore you with everything she is doing at the moment but I wonder she has time to breathe.

It has been another beautiful sunny day again, though there has been more of a nip in the wind. When our local B & Q closed down it was taken over by B & M. As we knew nothing about them we went out this morning to have a look around and I managed to get a little round stool for £8. I’ve been looking for something like that for a while. OH goes for a walk most mornings and will come in the back door and walk right through the utility, kitchen and hall to sit on the stairs and take his shoes off, dropping bits of earth, dead leaves etc as he goes. Well, now he has a little stool in the uti, right by the back door, and he can sit there to take them off. I spent the rest of the morning doing odd jobs such as watering the indoor plants and then after lunch I did a bit more tidying in the garden. Later I had a delivery from Sainsbury and there was nothing missing and no subs which was good.

The computer is making a strange whirring noise so I think I’m going to close it down now. I slept reasonably well last night so am hoping for the same tonight. I hope you all have a good night as well.

Iv'e just come in from the garden. Dug out a couple of brimbles and got stuck sitting on the edge of my pond. I was determined to get up on my own before ringing someone for help and I did manage it so that was good. Iv'e sucked up lots of dry dead leaves but before I could use the garden vac I charged the battery and then I cold'nt get the battery off the charger so drove up to Janine's and Simon's and he did it for me.

Think I may do myself an omlett with tomato and anice roll and then fruit and cream.

No nothing for second :-(

Second is better thasn last Mandy!!Do you win aything for second?

Good luck Mandy or am I too late.

BIL has been here and I only saw him when I went up the shop as he keeps his new mower at Phil's so drives there and comes down with the mower then when he puts it away he goes off in the car.

I was digging brimbles out of the Hosta bed by my pond and shoved the fork in to give me some stability while climbing on there and I put the two pronged fork right through the pond pipe and it spurted all up my leg!! Just wondering what to do to stop the leak when BIL appeared to say goodbye so he had another job to do for me, mend the pipe. He cut it off and connected back to the pond pump as there was just enough pipe to do it. Thank goodness for BIL's he rescued me again from a silly mistake. Then he came indoors and backed up my pc pictures and some files cos I did'nt know how to do that. Good jobs done but it has'nt helped me with the gardening I was hoping to get done today.

Oh we came second :-(

We were just looking at the names of ths horses in the grand national and thought we'd pick one just for fun not to bet on.
Looking at the runners the first one to come up was I am Maximus and he's 9 same age as Max and I call him Maximus sometimes
Asked son if he had picked any and he said I'll put a bet on I am Maximus for you , never had a bet on a horse before but this was strange that that was the first name I read out .

Morning all,

Nice morning, suns shining but it's very nippy out .

Mel I have all eight of your tom seed come through ,I only planted the sun gold yesterday .

Not sure what we're doing today, j have a pile of ironing to do and I might make a fruit cake , I have dil's presents to wrap up as its her birthday tomorrow.

Morning Anng and all,

Pc is telling me its cold outside feels like 1 degree but it also says 9 degrees and mostly sunny. There is that high wind this morning though.

Just the shop to do this morning for bits and bobs and I don't think BIL is coming but we'll see later on if he turns up.

My Sungold seed has been up for a few days now and I must check if they need a drink as I have them on the uti rook windowsill which is in the sun. Must also sow the big tomato seed like the ones I sent you lot.

Slept well and up just the once. Hope the rest of you slept well I see Anng did.

What are you others up to today?

good morning all, 3 degrees here now but dry and bright. Actually we could do with a shower to lay the dust. I just looked out of my front room windows ans they are filthy, covered in dust. They were only cleaned 2 weeks ago. slept ok but seemed to get up more than usual for the loo. Nothing planned for today except Tesco 4-5 this afternoon. Probably potter in the garden. It is very windy again which is a nuisance

Well the promised sun has been very hazy here today but it is 20 degrees (we were promised 23) so they got that wrong. No clear blue sky just losts of light cloud cover and patches of pale blue sky. Pleasant for walking around though
Odda's chapel is small but interesting and difficult to imagine that it was built in the11th century, Anglo Saxon and dedicate by Odda to his brother Aelfric who died in 1053. The chapel was dedicated in 1056.
n the 16th century the chapel ceased to be used for worship and by the 17th century it was part of a farmhouse

Five minutes down the road is St Mary's Priory church. Much of the church is Anglo-Saxon. It was built in the 8th century, when Deerhurst was part of the Anglo-Saxon kingdom of Mercia
From the Anglo-Saxon era until the Dissolution of the Monasteries St Mary's was the church of a Benedictine priory. It was restored and altered in the 10th century after the Viking invasion of England. It was enlarged early in the 13th century and altered in the 14th and 15th centuries.
The inside is impressive, not that big and not ornate. Just two stained glass windows the remainder are plain but either side of the interior are two aisles and al.each aisle are three impressive arches. Might be easier to imagine if my photos come out OK.
The font is 9th century Anglo Saxon and one of the oldest in England.There are two war graves in the large cemetery,

We had a short wall from the church, past Odda's chapel and along a footpath which ended up at the River Severn. near the river is a huge, very old oak tree with a hollowed out trunk which I am sure will have encouraged many children to play in it.

Afternoon All,

An early start this morning and OH dropped me off to get my covid jab before he went to Melton Mowbray for a short meeting. A new nurse did it and there was not even a spot of blood after but it feels a little bruised now. I went beck to the garden centre in the sticks after popping to the shop and got another tray of the same Violas. With the remaining plant from the tray I did the wall pots with, there are enough to complete the pot for the other side of the arbour. I checked at the surgery and do need to book my HB1AC blood test in the next couple of weeks, but will do it by phone as I didn't have my diary with me.

Ah I see what you mean about your meds being automated Vera. Our prescriptions only go to the pharmacy once we book what we want online and seems to have a few days leeway. My word that should keep you busy looking at the Florida photos! There are lots of places in the world I'd like to see, but the journey to get there puts me off. I keep meaning to ask how your daughter is now and did decide to do the work the charity would like her to do? It's satisying getting rid of rubbish at the tip so I hope with your appointment system it isn't busy.

I saw that about Aldi too Gwyn, but had forgotten again. What a bargain with such good savings.

Not much of the fence left to do now then Mandy. Here's me thinking of downsizing my greenhouse and you are expanding! lol. I was looking at the tomato plants for sale again this morning and was tempted, but I might be between greenhouses in a few months so ought to hang on.

Stu's daughter's art sounds really good Mel and very detailed which is what I like. It was a good idea to give her your mum's paintbox as she will make good use of it.

That sounds an interesting trip AnnG. Pianist friend Terry is always looking for churches with pianos or organs to make videos, so if you noticed any let me know! It'sa lovely day weatherwise for you.

OH is back from the physio now so I'd better see how he got on.

Thank you for that Gwyn it's a nice little saving on the veg .

Vera I've watered my pots and the troughs as they were very dry ,I always think my toms look a bit leggy in the pots but when I plant them, I always plant them well down in the compost so part of the stalk goes well down in the compost and makes more roots from the stalk ,I read that somewhere and have done that the last few years and it seems to work well.
My sungold seeds came this morning so I planted them up and the runner bean seed came too but its a little early to plant those for a couple of weeks .

We put the little greenhouse together but the cover had had it ,it was really brittle and I put my hand through it so thats gone in the bin ,I'll just use ths frame of it as spare shelves in the bigger greenhouse I think .
It was really warm out ,I think it must be our warmest day .

So another nice meal Mel , sounds as if Stuart daughter had some lovely drawings .
You must have needed the sleep to sleep through till gone ten.

Morning all,

Overslept this morning thinkj it may have been the jab. I woke in the night when it was still dark and went to the loo and back to bed. Must have dropped off again right away and woke again at 10.15am !!!!Lost all my morning ow and I'm cross. It was very nice when I woke but the sun seems to be making as appearance now so hopefully its going to be another nice day.

Stu did another chilli last night but it was a bit different it was'nt hot but he had put chocolate in it and something else but it tasted ok and he did wedges with it in the airfryer. Could'nt eat ll the wedges so James finished those off. Stu is off today with his sort of girl friend and they are going to Exeter to see the tunnels there. I did'nt even know there were tunnels under Exeter and neither did Stu so they are staying in a hotel there and having a nice weekend.

I found out last night that Stu's daughter Abbi likes to draw old buildings and bits. She showed me her work folders and files last night and I am trying to get her to put some of her paintings nd drawing in the show.One I perticulary like was a big black border of a keyhole and the pencil drawing was done insaide that. So detailed you would'nt believe. She has done oils and pen drawings and used Acrylics. Lots of peoples faces and famous people and there was a whole page of eyes some coloured some in pencil. They looked just like reall eyes the coloured bit with all the little details and lines. I think it was her school work as it was all in big drawing books with hard covers.I wish I had taken pics of them but I was so shocked at what I saw I forgot to ask if I cold take pics. I will though at a later date. I told her she could have mums painting box if she wanted it and she said that would be lovely.

My arm was hurting a bit last night when I went to bed Anng and still a bit this morning but only when I touch it.

Thank you Gwyn. We do have an Aldi in town but seldom use it as the parking facilities are so poor and we have to go all round the one way system to get to it.

It’s a beautiful day again. OH is talking about getting the hose out as everywhere is so dry and everything is drooping. My tomato seeds germinated quickly but don’t seem to want to develop any true leaves yet. I’m concerned they might get a bit leggy.

AnnG, that sounds like a nice trip out. You seem to have a good little group of friends there.

It’s funny that Mandy said about garden centres being designed so that you have to walk past lots of products to get from one bit to another. I had just been reading about escalators and how they are positioned in large shops as a marketing ploy to get you to look at more products.

We will be off shortly to go to the tip for our 12.15 appointment. I always book that one as the men take a break then and shut the gates until 1 pm so no-one tries to hurry you along. You get 15 minutes anyway which is time enough if you have pre-sorted your rubbish but at least there is no-one waiting to come in.

Have a nice afternoon and enjoy the sunshine.

For those who live near an Aldi store............

Several veg. items are on special offer for Easter

In stores from 15th–19th April and until 20th April in Scotland.

Aldi’s Easter Super Six:

Nature’s Pick White Potatoes (15p, 2kg) – was £1.35, savings 89%
Nature’s Pick Carrots (15p, 1kg each) – was 69p, saving 78%
Nature’s Pick Broccoli (15p, 360g each) – was 79p, saving 81%
Nature’s Pick Spring Onions (15p, 100g) – was 69p, saving 78%
Nature’s Pick Loose Garlic (15p, each) – was 37p, saving 59%
Nature’s Pick Cucumber (59p, each) – was 89p, saving 34%

Morning all,
Nice bright morning suns up and shining away .

Ann they do these garden centres like that so you have to walk past the things hoping that you'll buy extras on ths way round ,our one in Taverham has a door one end where you go in but you come out another door way down so you have to tramp right across the car park to the car so it's a choice of which end shall we park .

Anng enjoy your trip today sounds as if it might be very interesting .
We hope to do the bigger greenhouse ourselves if we get in a muddle son will soon sort it for us I'm sure .

Vera thats a lot of photos to look through that will keep you occupied for a while.

Mel was your meal nice last night ,what did you have .

Right better get sorted and get outside .

Good morning all. 9 degrees here, dry but the sun is not quite up yet, can see the sky going orange/red in the East though. Hopefully it will stay dry as five of us are doing a fairly local trip to Deerhurst where there is supposed to be an interesting church.

(St Mary's Priory Church, Deerhurst, is the Church of England parish church of Deerhurst, Gloucestershire, England. Much of the church is Anglo-Saxon. It was built in the 8th century, when Deerhurst was part of the Anglo-Saxon kingdom of Mercia. )

We then are going out for lunch to a pub called The Farmers boy that I have never been to.

Arm was a bit stiff when I went to bed and I can still feel it this morning but not too bad.

Ann, although the garen centre has reverted to past owners does it now come under the British Garden Centres? The reason I ask is that our Dobbies have been taken over by them and, although I have not yet visited, I believe it has been re-fashioned like you describe making it difficult to find a way out.

Vera, hope the cottage pie was nice anyway so at least you had something to show for yesterday.
Good that you now have tablets.

Mandy, That will be a nice feeling that the fence is finished. good luck with the greenhouse this weekend. Will son be helping with that?

It's clearly the week for Covid jabs. I hope none of you have achy arms and you have a gentle nurse or doctor tomorrow Annx. Our jabs are next Wednesday.

I wonder what Stu is cooking for you tonight Mel.

I have only seen a couple of butterflies so far this year, a large white and a peacock. The peacock was spreading its wings out in the sun so I wondered if it was newly hatched. I used to see a lot of red admirals but rarely see them now I seem to remember that red admirals like to lay their eggs on nettles but we all keep our gardens too tidy now.

I think I will cut all my tablets up Mandy and put them in a little pot. I don't want to go on to automatic pilot and take a whole one without thinking, though I don't suppose it would do me much harm. Good luck with getting your greenhouses up.

Annx, that doesn't sound like a very enjoyable visit to the garden centre today. I wouldn't be wanting to be eating in a cafe with the doors open at the moment as there is still quite a chill in the wind. You suggested that I order my meds a bit earlier. There's a slight problem there - I don't order them. All I have to do is collect them every 28 days from my nominated pharmacy. Meds that I have to take every day are on an automatic system. The only one I have to request are my pain killers as I only take them when I really need them and I am given 100 at a time of those. As it happens I do have a small stash of most of my pills to tide me over any gap in getting a fresh supply but, unfortunately, I only have a couple of days leeway on the ones I couldn't get this time.

I don't seem to have got anything much done this afternoon. All I can remember doing between 2 and 4.30 is preparing a cottage pie for tonight and a small one for the freezer. I must have just been pottering at this and that. Around 4.30 our son rang and we talked for a good hour or more. He was telling me all about the great time they all had in Florida and all the things he is planning to do to his house. He also said that some of the family group that had gone to Florida had been sharing their photos on WhatsApp and he would send me a few. He did - 113 of them!

Eyes are sore now so I am going to go and put some drops in and then go and check out the kitchen. OH said he would clear up after our meal but I haven't heard much movement. I suspect he's watching snooker or something and has forgotten all about it.