General Chat

I did half an hour sorting things that had migrated to the shed before Jakes work on the side passage. All back in place now. And I spent about half an hour picking up the bts Riley had cut off the various shrubs round the garden. Now must have lunch to be ready to go out at 2.

Morning all,

Been dry in the night and its cloudy this morning but bright with it if you know what I mean and the sun if just trying to break though. Its 10 degrees and pc says mostly cloudy so I m hoping its wrong.

Shopping comes today so nothing done in the garden till that arrives. Iv'e not been up the border yetand don't fancy that as its so overgrown.

Docs just sent me a message with a survey on it asking about my smoking which I answered on the phone the other day.

Good morning all a bit grey again at the moment but hopefully it will brighten up later It is 6 degrees as the moment, possibly going up to 14.
I will probably just have a wander round the garden this morning to see what bits are lying around after rileys frenzy with the elecric trimmer. I do have a corner of the garden to tidy from the bits that have died off around the large sedum. It is lovely in the autumn giving colour but so untidy through the winter and now.

This afternoon Cynth is taking me to the local garden centre. I want to get a heachera for the large new planter.

Just come in from the garden been cutting down the thug rose that smells lovely.

Just going up to get my recycling box and then get dinner.

Afternoon All,

I slept well last night and thought it was very chilly when I woke up this morning. We were up early as OH had an online meeting this morning and wanted to get his eyedrop and tablet taking regime done and breakfast he has to have now following his aspirin in good time. Then he got a text to say the meeting was cancelled so we decided to go to Costa down the road and had egg, spinach and mushroom cobs with a nice, decaf, skinny coffee. We called at the chemist next for meds and at the shop. We both did a very short stint in the garden and topped the garden bin right up to the top and put it out ready for tomorrow. Then I went in the bedroom and sorted through the rail in one of the small wardrobes at the side of the bed and found a few more bits I won't wear again ready for the charity shop. My knee was hurting a bit by then so I got a light lunch and started clearing some emails and replying to a few. I was going to the charity shop with my bags this afternoon, but checked their opening times on line and they are closed on Mondays!

Any cutting or tidying in the garden seems to make a mess to clear up as well doesn't it Mel. I don't like losing an hour this time of the year, but the lighter nights will be good.

It's a good job you rang the eye clinic about your OH's appointment Vera as they should have made it clear it was for an assessment and not the surgery. At least you can have your covid jabs now. The talk about the Docklands sounds interesting. I know nothing about them!

Jake and riley l;eft about 3pm. I do have to go round and clear up a few bits and, because they power washed the pation I have had to wipe down the conservatory windows that were cleaned last week. However they have mostly left it ok and the jobs they have done are good. I noticed that Riley gave the large clematis another 'haircut and he did alsi take off some of the new rambler growth which he really should not have done but it will be ok it is pretty robust. Just gor to pay them now.

I did think that the one on top was a frog but the one underneath look warty and like a toad.

Been beautiful here and still is I managed to fold the old greenhouose cover up and tie it so I can get it in a bag to store incase its needed.

Cut more of the clematis down and made a mess swept up a bit of the moss off the road down to my shed and picked up more stick from the ash tree. Just come in for a brether and maybe a cuppa and a sit down while I gather my thoughts and move on to the next job.

It was dull most of the morning and chilly in the north wind but the sun came out just before lunch and it’s quite warm now. I did 3 loads of washing and dried a bit in the dryer but the rest is on the line.

We looked at OH’s cataract letter again and it gives no info at all apart from the time and date of the appointment and the fact that it is at the cataract clinic. This made me suspicious so OH rang the clinic. The appointment isn’t for surgery but for exactly the same assessment that he had done last Monday at the opticians - same tests, same drops, everything. But nowhere in the letter does it mention this or say OH won’t be able to drive afterwards. I thought it was dreadful compared to the hospital whose appointment letters have all the information you need. They have already given me an explanatory booklet about cataracts and what’s involved OH has nothing. It does, however, mean we don’t have to cancel our Covid jabs as we should be back from this clinic in plenty of time to get to the surgery.

Toads? Frogs? One of each? Now I’m really confused! Maybe Annx is right and there were one of each. I am as near 100% certain as I can be that the one I was watching most.was a toad but the other one……who knows. I think I’ll just accept that they are whatever they are and move on.

We have a club meeting tonight. The speaker is talking about London docklands. It’s our turn to get the raffle prizes and do the teas. I’ve got a bottle of wine, a bottle of a non-alcoholic drink, an Easter egg and a nice notebook.

Better go and bring in any washing that’s dry and think about our dinner. We’ll have to eat by about 6 pm tonight which is a bit early for us so I’d better get my skates on.

Morning Anng and all,

Its a sunny morning here and I woke early and had a little lie in but did'nt go back to sleep. Not long now till the clocks spring forward and we will have to adjust again. Pc says expect three rainy days in a row starting Thursday and it 10 degrees and no wind so maybe get on well today.

I tried to do a parcel online last night and not sure if it was booked or not as something went wrong and I had to put as bank code in but hav'nt had an email back to say I had paid. Perhaps it was because I did it on sunday late at night. We'll see if the postman turns up with the label.

I have had a look, definitely two and one a lot bigger than the other. The eyes definitely look to be on the side as well on the top, smaller one. As to whether frogs or toads, I don't really know.

good morning all, another grey one but, at the moment it looks dry. It will be very annoying if it rains as Jake is due today, I really would like all these jobs out of the way now. It is 6 degrees with a possible 14 later.

Vera, I would have enjoyed your meal at the diamond wedding. It sounds like a lovely occasion for the couple. I guess it was not cheap either. Still it is an achievement however it is celebrated.

I wonder why there is such a difference in the timings of your and your OH's cataract appointments. Maybe the optician carries more 'weight' than the hospital which doesn't make sense.

I must have another look at your toads. I am afraid I just took them at face value

I've had another look Vera and I think there are definitely two, but I think it is a frog that has latched onto a toad! If so, the frog has a moist, smooth skin and the toad underneath has a dry, warty skin. Also the frog's eyes are more on the sides of it's head than the toad's, giving a greater field of vision. I may well be wrong though, but the frog could have come across the toad in the roots. I know frogs will latch onto fish like Koi and suffocate them by trapping their gills, so they do make mistakes!

It sounds like the anniversary dinner was a great event, but it's good there were three choices on the menu as I don't eat anything smoked and I dislike beef! The icecream would be nice though. It's good when there are choices as a wedding we went to once just had beef, so OH had a double helping by adding mine to his.

It's good there aren't long delays for your cataract operations, but it's sod's law the covid jabs are on the same day as your OH's. I must get my eye test booked now OH is happy driving again.

Evening all

It’s been a slightly hectic weekend so this is the first chance I have had to post. We had a lot of overnight rain and it rained quite heavily this morning. It’s been dry since about 11.30. but it’s been dull and cloudy with just the odd gleam of sun. My computer also says 2 days of rain starting on Friday and says it is 12 degrees. My phone says it is 13 degrees and raining now.

Mel, I am not at all surprised that your back and hips have been aching. It must be tempting to keep on going when you have such a lot of land to keep under control but please be careful not to overdo it. We don’t want you crocked up and in pain.

Why is everything so complicated these days Mandy? I hope your son can put your plastic box together for you. Whenever we have anything that needs self assembly there’s always something like an important screw missing and you need a degree in double dutch to make sense of the instructions.

I looked up the Dracula dahlia AnnG. It’s very pretty. I generally like those single flowers better than doubles. I won a double called Dalina Maxi Salinas in a raffle last July and it did bloom well all summer. OH has just replanted it in a pot so I hope it’s going to do well this year.

You seem to be getting somewhere with your bathroom now Annx. Is your front door lock still functioning OK for you?

I hope Gill and her OH are OK. She wasn’t feeling very well when she last posted.

I am feeling a bit grumpy today. OH saw the optician on 17th and was referred for a cataract op. He was asked if he wanted to go to the hospital in Bury St. Edmunds or the private clinic there that the NHS will fund. He said wherever it could be done quickest. Yesterday he got an appointment to have it done April 9th, just over 3 weeks from referral to op. Mine will be done at the hospital (I had no choice) and may or may not be done before my next appointment in September. Added to that our next Covid jabs are booked in for 9th April so tomorrow I’ve got to walk up to the surgery and cancel them and try to sort out a new date.

Yesterday we went to the diamond wedding anniversary dinner. It was a lovely event. The couple bought each other new wedding rings (the wife’s had had to be cut off a while ago). Our local vicar and his wife came and he blessed the rings and the couple renewed their vows. Then it was dinner which was delicious. We had earlier all been given a choice of 3 items for each course to pre-order. I had a sort of smoked salmon mousse with trimmings and sourdough toast, followed by roast beef with all the usual trimmings and veg, then I chose mixed ice-cream. I’m not really a lover of roast beef and when I saw the huge plateful I was given I thought I would never get through it and I did give some to a friend, but it was so tender and flavoursome I ate all the rest. There was plenty of water and red and white wine on the table and fizz for the toasts. Then, of course, tea and coffee, mints and individually packed cookies with white and silver icing. When we got to the coffee stage a duo that had been setting up started singing and a few younger people got up and danced. After a few songs we had to leave as we had a taxi booked but it was a thoroughly lovely few hours.

Now to my toads. Mel I think you are part right but not completely. Mel said that in my photo the toad looked big because it was, in fact, two. One was on top of the other. I had got down on my hands and knees and hadn’t seen 2 but looking at the photos again I am sure Mel is right. Well spotted Mel. However, there is no sort of comparison measure there to show the size and we had seen these creatures separately. One was BIG and the other was VERY BIG. Mel also thought they were frogs, not toads. I know toads are usually “warty” but not always. I have checked this out. My main reasons for thinking the creatures were toads are: (1) their location. They were in the earth, in the roots of a large shrub and a good way from any water. Typical of a toad but not a frog. (2) Their general shape – they were much more squat and chunky than your normal frog. (3) The clincher for me was that they didn’t leap or jump but sort of crawled across the surface. A frog that’s disturbed will almost always jump. Here ends the lecture. I might be right, I might be wrong. Either way I’m pleased I saw them and grateful to Mel for her comments as they made me double check my conclusions.

My posts just go on getting longer. My excuse today is that you’ve got two days’ worth in one go. Enjoy what’s left of the day and sleep well tonight.

Ann the first couple of times we visited the hulks which must have been in the 1990s as we were cycling along the tow path. I can remember the hums were skeleton boats above the ground. The last time we visited could be 15 to 20 years ago and we were surprised at how few whole parts of ships could be seen. In the film there were a couple of new ones again. Fascinating that it is ongoing.
Yes green Shrewsbury bit was interesting. I remember the river there as we busied T’s brother when he lived there when in the army.

Afternoon Everyone,

It's 11 degrees here, but no gardening either as we had heavy rain last night and everything was soaked. It was misty earlier but has just been dull since. We are due two rainy days starting Friday Mel. I think it must be a new feature as well.

Three Buzzards have been circling in the field which has upset the Crows who have been watching them from the trees carefully and mobbing them when they get lower.

The hulks were intersting to see with bits sticking above the surface AnnG and you would have enjoyed nice scenery with your walks in the area. The Severn Bore brings a lot of fish in and so many different birds feed there in the mud with the river being tidal. They started the programme in Shrewsbury and showed Charles Darwin's home where he was born which I didn't know/remember despite having read his books. I see you have found some hangers now to get rid of. We seem to accumulate a lot too and they get in such a tangle! I resort to rubber bands round them sometimes. I think we need to get rid of at least a few of our cardboard boxes. The recycling bin is always full to the brim so we'd best take them to the tip. I also need to take the four bags to the charity shop, as I've put them in the ensuite at the moment and they will be in the way when the fitters come this week.

I agree instructions are often hard to fathom too Mandy! Hopefully your son will soon have the box put together and it will be handy to store things and keep them dry.

I'm off to clean the bath now!

No gardening for me as it is sort of damp in the air type rain and really dark. I had a couple od gardening jobs lined up but am not encouraged to go out there. Not really done much today. I did dive into the back of a corner wardrobe (thought nobody would find me if I fell in. I found a large (I mean large) carrier bag full of coat hangers, some really thick heavy ones so they have all gone in the general waste bin. I had no idea that they were in there. I think hangers breed in this house, I still have loads of them in various places.

Morning girls,

Cloudy here this morning too and it did rain in the night and now its 10 degrees. Pc is telling me to expect three rainy days in a row starting Thursday. I'm sure thats new as I don't remember seeing things like that last year on the pc.

Slept well but must have overdone it yesterday as the back was paying up last night and the hips kept givving me gip. I had a wheat bag on it last night.

Edit forgot to post this.

I have just cut back the huge Hydranger from out the front door I hav'nt done it for a couple of years and now I hasve a huge trailer load to shift.

Morning all,

Very cloudy here today ,there was thick fog when I looked out in the early hours but it had all gone when we got up about half past seven .

We got the box out to put together yesterday but soon put it away when we saw the instructions ,son will soon put it together for us next time he comes , years ago we would have soon put it together with no problems but now we can't seem to get our heads round these instructions ,why do they make things so hard to understand.

Yesterday I couldn't seem to get the motivation to do much I sorted out what seeds I have in my seed tin and we just need some sun gold seed and we thought we might get some new runner bean seed ,we usually save some from last years beans but I don't think they were to good last year so we thought we'd buy some.

I made a nice trifle yesterday so there's enough for today but I haven't decided what to cook for tonight ,no roast this week thought we'd have a break from a roast, better get ths hoover out now .

Good morning all. slept well and finally woke just after 8, late fot me lately. very dull here and dark indoors, rained overnight so that probably means no gardening today, I hate it when everything is wet and soggy. It is 9 degrees so not cold which is something.
Ann yes one reason I got that Dahlia was because of the foliage colour and also the smaller flowers. Tony used to love growing dahlias, had loads of them but they were always the very large flowered ones. Lovely flowers to grow in the garden, not suitable for containers.
I am pleased that you enjoyed the Clare Balding trip along the Severn. I thought I had recorded all hers but don't seem to have done. I am sure that they will be repeated somewhere sometime though so I will watch for them. I liked the bit around the Hulks and down to Sharpness as that is where T and I would often walk when we were much fitter. More recently we covered the canal footpath further back towards Gloucester.

Came in as it was getting dark and I could'nt see very well in the shed. I potted on a couple of plants and sowed my Sungold seeds. Sived some leaf mould and mixed some in with the potting compost and put the rest in a bag for the next lot I mix up. Just been pottering about this afternoon and Em called in for a dozen and a half eggs and we chatted for a while.