General Chat

A really beautiful day here again. There’s a bit of a breeze but nothing like yesterday’s wind. All the washing is hanging out and may be nearly dry by now. After I had changed the beds and done all the washing I managed to get a little bit more done in the garden and OH did some tidying and pruning on a strip alongside our garage. We can’t see it from our house but we try to keep it nice as it looks better as you come up the Close and it’s a better outlook for the bungalow opposite. It’s a wonder that anything grows there as there is only a small amount of topsoil on top of a load of rubble but we put in some small shrubs a few years ago and it doesn’t look bad.

I laughed at your daughter’s phone skipping a day Gwyn. Has it caught up with itself yet or has it moved on to April already?

I see you couldn’t get the shrub you wanted Annx but got some pretty violas. It’s awful to hear about the fly tipping. If someone can use a vehicle to dump the mattresses somewhere, you’d think they could drive to the tip with them. As AnnG says, most councils will take them away for a fee but it can be quite costly. Ours charges £59.50. It is true that they will take up to 5 items for that but it’s a lot of money if you only have 1 thing to dispose of. We have to make an appointment for our tip which most people locally prefer, including us, but I suppose that might be too much of a bother for some people and they would rather tip their rubbish anywhere. In fact, I’ve just made an appointment for us to go on Friday with a load of rubbish.

Oh dear Mel, I bet you were annoyed at leaving that drain tap on and having to top up all the pond water. Good job you found it when you did. We all have these senior moments when we get distracted and forget to do something. I seem to be having more and more of them. I’m glad you managed to get your parcel sorted out. Thanks for the pictures you sent. I love the cloud. Do you think the pheasant is an albino or do you think she is from an ornamental breed that is normally white.

It sounds as though you had a nice few hours in Gloucester AnnG. It’s always an upheaval when grandchildren visit and we all feel exhausted when they leave but isn’t it lovely to see them. I’m sure you’ll have a lovely time.

You’ve been busy in the garden Mandy. I hope your thumb isn’t very sore. Those tiny injuries from thorns and splinters can be quite painful sometimes. Enjoy your roast. In fact your post reminded me to get a move on and get my washing in and get cooking as I’m supposed to be making us a tuna quiche. At the rate I’m going we’ll be eating it at midnight.

EDIT: Now I’ve had a senior moment. I meant to say thank you for your anniversary wishes and forgot. Your good wishes were much appreciated.

Afternoon all,

Lovely sunny day again its lovely in the sun but in the shade the wind is a bit on the nippy side ,we've been in the garden most of the morning ,we just nipped out first thing as Colin had his rsv injection, bit late going in but there was hardly anyone in there we are suppose to be getting two new doctors as a surgery just on the edge of town is finishing and 4000 patients are being divided between our surgery and another where dil use to work so the new doctors are needed ,it's hard to get an appointment now so with 2000 more patients the doctors are badly needed .

I did a bit of digging and weeding and cut some dead out of the big rose ,I got a thorn in my thumb so stopped then as it was nearly lunch time .
Got the bedding all dry on the line and I've remade the bed ,we're having our roast today so I've had that to sort out too .

Ann it sounds as if that garden centre is going to be a big one soon which will mean the prices will go up , I love the little violas and pansies too they are like little faces bobbing in the wind .
I have some tiny daffs smaller than the tete tete is that spelling right ,oh you know which ones I mean ,I bought them from roys last year and they are so small I must look for some more but I never kept the name of them .

Just having a cuppa ,Max has been sprawled out enjoying the sun but is now in the conservatory on the rug .

Good afternoon. Had a good day in gloucester. Managed to find a pair of Cargoe trousers in the size the M&S cheltenham disn't have last week so that is good. After a wander round the shops I went and sat in the Cathedral gardens in the sun as I was a bit early for lunch. Lots of people in and around the cathedral, the grounds attract the shop workers with their packed lunches and there was a long crocodile of 5-7 year olds came in allwearing high viz waistcoats. They made for a large patch of grass next to the cathedral and all sat in two rows to eat their packed lunches. so sweet, lovely to see. fish and chips was good three of us opted for the small cod this time and it was plenty enough for me as there was loads of chips.

I have just heard that on the Saturday after next my eldest Grandson is coming for two days bringing the two boys. It is an upheaval to clear this room to get to the bed but He will help when they get here as I can't do it on my own. It will be chaotic but nice to see them.

Looks like the PC got it wrong Mel. All sorts of charges are going up in April so we'll all have to be careful not to waste.

I hope they are nice F&C AnnG and that you have a nice chat with your friends and a wander round the town.

There were plenty of Camellias at the garden centre but not the one I wanted. They are massively extending it and have put up about 5 huge polytunnels and a large shipping container type building and were working on more still. I did come away with a pack of 9 Violas for the black wall pots for £2.50, pretty yellow with black blotches. They had gardeners delight toms about 5 inches tall, but I resisted as it's too cold yet. I picked my paper up on the way and watched a pair of Jackdaws by the brook. They seemed to be carrying beakfuls of grassy stuff down into the brook before flying off with them. Maybe they were softening whatever they were lining their nest with.

Now I've had lunch I feel more ready for a lie down than getting on with things. Maybe a COT will help.

I'm sitting here looking at the time on the pc and it says 9.20am. I have just looked at the time on Echo and its 11.11am.

Morning girls,

I have been on the phone this morning trying to send this parcel again and I actually did it so thats saved me a trip to the village for the post van and I have just remembered it won't be there today.

Its 7 degrees here and sunny and no wind which is a blessing as its always cold when theres wind or breeze. We did have a frost this morning.

The other thing I did'nt tell you about the pond yesterday was that I started to fill the big pond back up with the well and the well ran out so its use the tap water and thats goingf to cost me. I did a bit yesterday but turne dit off after it had filled about 5 inches and now this morning I have had to turn it on again. As we've had no rain over the last month to speak of it not filling up. I do do some silly things!!!!

Enjoy your lunch Anng and I hope you find something to buy this time out. A bit of retail therapy does you the world of good. You too Annx hope you can find a suitable shrub for the garden.

Morning AnnG and All,

Sunny and 7 degrees here so not very warm. OH has gone to a council meeting and found another suit he can wear, also a new white shirt he hadn't been able to wear, so with grey suit and tie and white shirt looked very smart and how he used to look for his full time job. He is eating more now and hasn't lost any more weight, but now has the flat tummy he used to have when I met him. (I wish I did!!! lol)

I am going to a garden centre out in the sticks that closes through the winter and is owned by another, nearer, smaller garden centre. It is more like the old nurseries with a good stock of shrubs. There is a particular, compact pink Camelia I have seen flowering in gardens just now that I would like to find if I can.

Good morning. dry here and clear sky, quite bright and 2 degrees.I don't think there was a frost though. I slept well again. Bed at 10.30, loo at 1230ish and didn't get up again until 0650.

Meeting friends today at lunch time for fish and chips at 'Ye Olde fish and chip shop' near Gloucester cathedral. Probably a quick look round town before I meet them.

Last day of march. already three months into 2025.

I had forgotten about you seeing a whie pheasant and I was trying to think what the bird was in the photograph. Lovely isn't he/she?

Just been up to put the recycling out and the white pheasent was up the side of my garden behind the old workshop. Another female close behind her so I| went past very slowly and put the bin out and came back and she was on the edge between me and Beccy next. Came back down to get my camera thinking she woul dhave gone by the time I got back up there but she had'nt so I will send the result plus the new toy in the sky and a strange cloud I saw when |I went out to see the drone flying.

I don't think it's that likely to be someone in the close AnnG as most of us are retired, elderly and incapable of lumping mattresses around. The only van in the close is Mr O's and he never uses it other than for his work with the water company. I can't imagine his houseproud wife having stained mattresses either! lol. I used old baking tins as drip trays in the greenhouse once. They eventually went rusty but could be handy to stand plants in when you go on holiday to save as much watering.

You ladies have had some nice Mother's Day gifts and the flowers will be nice and cheery. So the box is put together now then Mandy and ready to use. I like the garden bins as you can often wheel them to where you are working and put stuff straight in them. No having to put bags in the car to go to the tip either.

Mel, BIL will be able to take photos from the drone too, also do videos. :-) It's a nuisance when they change things that were working fine as you say. I expect they must be getting complaints from other customers too so I hope they soon fix it for you.

BIL did'nt stay too long this morning so when they left I decided to do the pond filter. Did my pond and it needed topping up from the well so I turned the pump on and came in to eat. I had done the big pond too and just left it as I knew it would fill the filter and that would be that one done as well. Came in and did lunch and sat and ate it and watched a bit of telly and went out for a ciggy and saw that my pond was full to the brim so turned the pump off and looked in the big pond and it was down about a foot six inches. Changed the pump over to fill the big pond and went round to the filter shed and I had only left the bottom drain tap on. It just as well I went out when I did or they would have only had about thrre foot of water left in their pond. I had checked everything but the bottom tap on the filter which let the dirty water out from cleaning the filter.

Just tried to send another parcel online and it still won't do it it maybe because its the weekend and the banks ar'nt open as they have put a 3D security thing on it now. I did manage to get the three numbers in this time which was an emprovement on the laast time I tried. As Vera said why do the change things when they were working ok before they made changes? If it ain't broke don't mend it.

Ah I see what you mean ann. Yes it needs somebody to report it it doesn't sound very nice. Wonder if it is somebody on your road that dumped them.

You are getting on well with your garden. I find little and often works. My bin is three quarters full but a lot of stuff was taken away by Jake so not in my brown bin.

I sat down the garden with a cup of tea. the sun is nice and it is OK if I can find a sheltered spot as the wind is still very cool.

Mandy that was a nice lot of presents. I am pleased with my flowers and I will probably spend daughter's money on something for the garden.

No they haven't been left outside a house front AnnG. The top of our close on the left just has a long tall fence along the back gardens of the bungalows in the next close and the field hedge is opposite along the other side of the road. I will ring the council if they aren't picked up soon as they are stained and not very nice to see. My word you have been busy with the garden and sorting in the kitchen. I need to replace a shallow round tin that just fits in the microwave and that I use on the conventional oven setting for tray bakes. I got rid of a big heavy tray that came with the cooker a little while ago. I still have some hardly used stainless steel saucepans that MIL had. They are far too heavy for me and I think she hardly used them because they were heavy.

I have done a wash and went in the garden and filled another humper with more shrub prunings. The garden bin is full now but the contents will settle with room for more in a day or two or can be pressed down. OH cut down more of the Bottle Brush and there is only a bit of it left to do now. He also did a half hour walk this morning down the remains of the Fosse Way a short distance away.

I'm waiting for the food delivery now but the hour change seems to have changed the usual delivery time as he's later than usual. Two subs this time and one will go back.

Afternoon everyone ,

Not a bad day here nice and sunny but a bit chilly in the wind .

Happy Anniversary to you both Vera I hope your having a nice relaxing day together.

Son and family came this morning with chocolates ,flowers , pink roses and a nice mug with an A Initial on for Amanda , not many people call me Amanda these days .
They stayed quite a while as he put the box together for us ,ordered a brown garden bin for us and some seeds for the garden . Oh and a new coat stand .

Anng I had a sort through my tin draw just before Christmas ,there were lots in there that I don't use very often so I put those In a cupboard in the corner but that's a cupboard that could be sorted through as I seem to put alsorts in there that "I might use one day "

Ann thats good your pleased with the fitter and July will be here before you know it ,also it gives you time for any little tweeks to be made if you change your mind about things .

Oh I wonder where your Sunday vanished too Gwyn ,its bad enough losing the hour it always seems to be a quick Sunday when the clocks go forward but I don't know why as we try to go to bed a bit earlier to make up for it , the day always whizzes fast but then so do the weeks ,nearly April already .

Mel you'll get to see all your property from above with bil's drone handy for having a look at your roof .

Ann fly tipping is disgusting. Although maybe the stuff is outside a house waiting to be picked up by the council. I know that most councils have the scheme whereby items can be collected for a charge.

I think I have finished for the day now. Potatoes all planted. two lots in potato pots and thee charlotte potatoes in the planter, a different position to where they were last year.

I have also changed the bed and washed and dried the bedding. And of course cleared out that cupboard under the oven.

I just have to go and dsort out the flowers that son had delivered.

Well that was not as hard as I expected so, another kitchen cupboard sorted and washed out and stuff put back. several bits in the bin and a collection on the dining room table waiting for me to find a home for it. Possibly it will go to Irene.

Morning All,

<3HAPPY ANNIVERSARY Vera and B <3. I hope you have a lovely day.

Thank goodness most clocks change themselves these days! I have to change my little travel alarm and still need to do my car clock and OH usually does the big lounge clock and the cooker.

Well the 2nd fitter arrived and exactly on time which was good. He was very helpful, but it seems we can't have a shower as close to the floor as we'd like, being a bungalow with concrete floors. They would have to be dug up to lower the drainage pipe and we might not get enough flow to drain the shower properly, but it can be a bit lower. Otherwise everything will be fine. He sent us a quote overnight and would be looking at July to do the work. The quote seems reasonable and he's enthusiastic. It will seem a bit disjointed as we order the materials from the shop and for the skip the day before the work starts and he does the work and organises his electrician. As I said before I think the bathroom shop is reducing and may do away with their own fitters. It saves them paying them when they aren't as busy and saves them paying sick pay and the new extra NIC employers have to start paying as well as not needing as many vehicles. I suspect more places will start doing the same. We think we are going to go with him as his price was less than expected and he seems very obliging and helpful and organised and has done a lot of the same work.

The end of our close is round a bend before an 80 yard straight bit of road with hedge one side and a high fence the other to the junction at the end. As all the bungalows are beyond the bend we can't see the end straight bit and yesterday we saw someone had fly tipped three mattresses, leaving them propped against the fence. The tip is only half a mile away as well. I hope they don't start making a habit of it!!

Gwyn I was measured for and had some of those compression stockings made for me last summer. I can't get on with mine at all as they slide down my calves despite gripping so tight they leave a deep ridge in my legs round the top. They seem too loose around the ankles where most of my swelling happens, so don't help where it is needed most either. My ankles improve during winter so I have left them off and will go back to my GP in the summer. A friend has a contraption to help put hers on, but she asked and was referred to a lymphodaema clinic and they are ordering some different ones for her. She has an infection in her leg. I am hoping doing less sitting and losing some weight will help mine.

Better get lunch started so will catch up later.

And then I fotgot to say Happy annivesary Vera.

Managed to get the actually shelf/wire tray thing back in. Some stuff already gone in the bin and some put aside for taking to Irene.

Just had some lovely flowers delivered from son.

So much for not having anything to do. ent to put away a baking tray in the pull out tray in the lower cupboard of my built in cooker and the whole tray collapsed. So I have had to empty the whole cupboard. I can well see why it collapsed I will do a tally in a moment of the number of baking trays etc, I have obviously not got rid of some of the older, hardly used very heavy trays and just put new on top. The next thing will be to work out what to do with surplus trays. But it looks like being a long mornings work.