General Chat

Afternoon All,

Slept well again, but I think I've got into the habit of waking early now between 4.00am - 6.00am, but it could be the lighter mornings. I seemed to twist a muscle in my side as I got out of bed, but I've been careful and it seems to be ok again now. I decided to give the garden a miss in case I made it worse.

That is a pretty Dahlia AnnG and not too tall for containers either. It has the reddish foliage too and I always found when I grew the Bishop of Landaff with reddish foliage it didn't seem to get earwigs which is good. You have been busy so I'm not surprised you are tired! I watched the Claire Balding prog about the Severn this mornig and it was very interesting and I learned a lot. I'm looking forward to watching the other eoisodes now.

I've been to the shop and saw a dead rat in the carpark! Yuk!! :-0 It was at the far end furthest from the shop and may have come under the garden fences of the houses, but I suppose the shop may put down poison as a precaution with selling food. The Cherry blossom seems to have suddenly bloomed and the trees looked lovely.

I've heard from the other bathroom fitter and he is coming next week now so it will be good to see whether we can actually do what we plan to do. I've done a wash and finished sorting all 4 drawers under the bed and the 4 drawers under the 2 built in wardrobes each side of the bed, so will start on those small wardrobes next. I can't believe how many clothes I have, but of course they don't all fit me and I'm not good at throwing out the ones I think I may wear one day!

Mel how many books at a time do you borrow? I stopped using our local libraries once they became childminding places where parents dropped them off and left them until closing time. I used to use the PC's for FH till I got my own, but young, noisy boys had started using the library ones to look at inappropriate things by then and were running around them to each other and trying to outdo each other with what they were finding.

OH has gone to a local match and has been lucky with the weather as we've had no rain that was forcast.

Mel you did a lot yesterday so it's not surprising you are achey today. I remember shopping after work on a Friday, then cleaning the house through and doing a wash on a Saturday morning and still having energy to drive into the city in the afternoon to look round the shops. After a night's rest there were few aches as well.

Time for a COT now.

Spent quite a lot of time out in the garden but not a lot to show for it. I planted a Dahlia (Dracula) into a pot. Weird thing I had to look on line to see which way was uop!! So that is in a big tub, then two oldorata begonias (trailing) in a basket, and two double begonias in a tub and five crocosmia in a large tub. I also dug out some of my garden compost and sieved it to mix with bulb fibre for those pots and tidied up the bottom of the compost bi where ivy had crept in.
I weeded and cleared the pots on the patio but can't do much else there until Jake has finished Monday. Apparently riley spent Friday making me a new birdhouse to replace the rotten one I have to be taken down on the list. The one tony made a long time ago is a double one and he has made the same it was supposed to be for sparrows but they prefer next doors guttering to nest in.

I have also made the bed. And now I am shattered.

Bed stripped and bedding in the drier. had an eggy breakfast then planted into larger pots two very sickly looking geranium cuttings and planted out into a tub,a grass that a friend gave me. back started to ache so will potter indoors for a while until that eases, I was bending over the pots, always makes my back ache.

Morning Anng and all,

Rained here last night and its cloudy this morning and gloomy and it 11 degrees pc is saying expect three rainy days starting tomorrow so that not promissing is it?

Slept well and I can't remember if I got up in the night for the loo or not!!

Nothing but the shop for a few bits planned for today. I may text BIL to make sure he's not coming and then take my library books back and see what else they have that I like.

definitely only 4 in mine Mel. but that is fine and the seeds were bigger than the others I planted.

Good morning all, quite bright but a lot of cloud this morning.and 9 degrees. sunny at the moment and no wind so I am hoping that it will feel warmer.

I think I put 6 in each packet Anng. I could'nt beleive how small the seed was from such a huge tomato.

Vera good all was well with your eyes. I feel I should be giving my conservatory a good clean too.

Mel I realise that yes I have planted your seeds I was thinking they were from another friend. I shall have to look and see if I had some from her. I had four of yours.

Oh isn't it lovely to climb into nice smooth sheets and pillowcases that smell fresh! I need to do a bed change tomorrow.

Some good news about your eye then Vera, but you had a long wait like OH. It's a good job you did speak up or goodness knows when you would have been seen. OH sometimes has to have 2 lots of the dilating drops as his pupils refuse to widen. It's the same routine as with you, drops, eyetest then scans, then see the consultant. I hope you don't have to wait too long for your cataract operation. I keep getting reminders about my overdue eye test, but have been waiting till OH had less appointments I have to drive him too, also to give him a lift to take his car in. I wonder if they will do mine now after refusing last year, despite the hospital saying the previous year they were happy to do them when I was ready. It's good you have virtually finished cleaning the conservatory and the kitchen window pane replaced as well.

You must have needed that nap after not sleeping well last night Mandy. Yes OH told me there would be no soaps tonight and of course he will be watching the football too. I might watch the Agatha Christie I recorded and the River prog AnnG mentioned after her day out.

Good news about your eye then Vera but what a wait. Its just as well you butted in on the next person being called or you could have sat there for ages longer. I hope you get a good nights sleep tonight you've earned it.

Mandy glad you are sowing the seeds I sent and Vera too. I need to get mine in and see if I have any Sungold seed as thats always my favorite.

Anng have you sowed any of the big tom seed I sent you?

Not managed to get much done today but I do have a lovely clean bed for tonight.

Evening all,

It's been quite a different day not much in the way of sun and a lit cooler .
Yesterday we went into the garden I did some more weeding anx cut the grass and Colin got the wire brush on the fence but we didn't start any painting .

Ann thats good thd scan was much better than OH thought ,now it's a waiting game for the results which isn't to long to wait , he must be pleased that his eyes are getting better though and he doesn't need to go back .

Anng thats a nuisance having to wait again to get your jobs finished off but they have made a good start by the sound of things .
I bet there's a lot of people in the same boat as Cynths friends ,so are they staying the whole weekend with her now or is it just a stop over for the night .


Vera thats good news about your eyes and good job you spoke up or you'd have sat there for ages which uou did ,you'd have thought she would have seen you sitting there all that time as she called others in before you .

Your all getting your tom seeds planted I must get mine sorted ,I did buy the tumbling toms and have Mels tom seeds she sent but I need to get some of the little yellow sun gold seeds .

It was haircut day today and after lunch I sat to watch ths news and went sound yo sleep must have had an hour but I didn't have a very good night last night ,I was still awake at gone twelve .

Football on tonight no Emmerdale or Corrie and red nose comic relief on bbc1, I have recorded the new Bergerac but I think Colin will watch ths football.

There was a beautiful sunrise this morning and it has been a sunny day but with quite a gusty cold wind. At the moment the computer is telling me it’s 13 degrees but feels like 8. Now the sun has disappeared I think it feels even colder.

I’m pleased that OH’s scan was less of a problem and more comfortable than he expected Annx. At least he should get the results in a few days. It’s good that he doesn’t need to go back for his eyes. That’s one thing fewer to worry about.

You all seem to have been very busy. You always have lots to do on your land Mel; I don’t know how you keep up with it. Did you get your fence painted Mandy? I need to have a good sort out of wardrobes and drawers as the two Anns have been doing. My excuse is I have been putting all my energy into cleaning the conservatory. I have got round most of it at last. There’s really just the skirting board and floor to wash but I’ll probably leave the floor until the overwintering plants finally go outside.

We’ve both been doing a bit of gardening today. OH has been going round the garden clearing lots of moss from the beds. As he was going round he noticed a low branch from a viburnam had touched the ground and rooted. He dug it out and it had such a good root he has potted it up and it can go to one of the local plant sales. As he was digging it out a couple of large toads appeared. One quickly disappeared but the other went and hid in a corner by the back gate. I’ll have to send you the photo I took. It was awkward to get a shot of him as he was right up in a corner but I managed to get something. I tidied up a couple of troughs of geraniums and got some seeds planted. I’ve planted the seeds from Mel’s big tomato, some Moneymaker toms and some Gardeners’ Delight cherry toms. Both these were from old packets of seeds so I hope they germinate. I’ve also sown some dwarf antirrhinum seeds, again from an old packet. I have a very old electric propagator so I’ve got trays of seeds in that in the conservatory. The room gets cold overnight but the low level heat in the propagator keeps the seeds warm enough.

There was a ring at the doorbell a short while ago and it was our glazier to say he’d finished a local job he was doing and wondered if it would be convenient to fit the new double glazed pane in our kitchen. It didn’t take him long and it’s so nice not to have to chase a tradesman up all the time as we had to do with the plumbers.

It’s a nuisance Jake couldn’t do your work AnnG and now has to come back on Monday. It’s probably not his fault but irritating for you as it means another day messed up. I hope Cynth was pleased to get her unexpected visitors but disappointing for them not to get to Salzburg. It must be heartbreaking for anyone flying off to get married abroad or to visit a sick relative. I am wondering how much flights from other airports will be affected as a lot of planes will now be in the wrong place. 11 of our close family members are flying to America tomorrow but on 4 different flights, 3 from Gatwick and 1 from Manchester. I hope they all manage to get there and meet up at the house son has hired for a week or so.

The visit to the hospital was a real pain yesterday but the result was good. On the way to the hospital a huge estate is going up (on good productive farm land), and a new large roundabout is being constructed. There are long delays there but no other easy route round so we left loads of extra time. We joined the queue about 400 yards from the works but the traffic lights must have turned green just as we got on the queue and they stay like that for quite a while to give time for a lot of traffic to get round the narrow driving lane winding round the edge of what will be the new roundabout. The upshot was we arrived at the hospital about half an hour before my appointment time. I hoped we might get seen early but no such luck, though I was called in exactly at my appointment time.

I know the routine well by now. First room it’s vision tests with and without pinhole lenses and pressure tests, dilation drops and anaesthetic drops. Then it’s waiting in another area for scans. I’ve never waited more than a few minutes for the scans but I sat there and sat there. People were coming to the waiting area and getting called in while I still sat there. After 40 minutes I had had enough and when the nurse put her head out to call someone else in I interrupted and asked if I had been forgotten. She said she calls people in as their notes arrive with her. Mine had never arrived! She dealt with the chap she had just called in and then went to find out about me. Apparently, some dozy nurse had taken my notes to the wrong place. If I hadn’t spoken up I’d probably still be sitting there. As I knew the procedure the scans only took 5 minutes and then I had to go and wait to see the doctor. By now it was almost 1 pm and the morning clinics had almost finished so I got called in quickly. Everything seems to have stabilized and stayed stable and the swelling has gone right down so they are now willing to deal with the cataract in the bad eye. I don’t know how long I will have to wait but I am definitely on the list. The doctor said they would see me in 6 months whether I’ve had the cataract surgery by then or not. I had barely arrived home before my appointment for next September was texted to me.

The journey back was a bit slower and we didn’t get any lunch till 2.30 pm. My eyes were blurry and very sore and I had to wear dark glasses for the rest of the day so couldn’t post yesterday. My bad eye is still a little sore but otherwise I’m fine today. I should think you all have sore eyes now f you have read through all this lot. I’m looking forward to a good night’s sleep tonight and hope it’s the same for you.

I think we have gone back into winter again. It is really cold and dark and I have all the lights on.

Its only 12 degrees here and cloudy with a very cold wind. Where is all this cold wind coming from? It was beautiful yesterday as Anng said. I have half stripped the bed and got back ache so gave up and had lunch. Now I don't seem to have any get up and go but must do the bed and then I want to wash my hair and have a shower. I wonder if I will get it all done?

Iv'e not been up to check on the mole traps yet either.

My neighbours who have been away since before Christmas are due back on Sunday but they are coming back to a very dirty and untidy garden. The builder told me yesterday that it should be better by Sunday. All the plastering is done inside and all the electics and they have a working loo so that should be ok. I bet they are all lovely and brown as I know they were in Morroco at Christmas when they sent me a card and Spain when they sent me a birthday card. They really gutted the bungalow and live in their camper van. They've had a new sewage system put in, a new roof and had the conservatory taken down and a bigger one will be going up making the lounge bigger as its a lounge cum kitchen.

O well back to the bed changing............ :-S

Well I spent all morning doing practically nothing, except for a wash load and a check through the small wardrobe of jackets and coats. just couldn't get enthusiastic about anything So after luch I decided I really ought to look for the pots to plant begonias in. Went out in the garden spent five minutes looking round for pots, located them and came back in because it is really cold with a cold wind out there It is supposed to be 16 degrees. my hands are freezing!! And it was so warm yesterday.

Cynth's friends were going to Saltzberg for the weekend so they were staying in a hotel overnight at Heathrow. Oops.
so cynth gets a phone call saying, are you doing anything? we are all packed for a weekend away that is not going to happen now. so they are at cynths. I told her if they are running round the garden singing Doh Ray me I am not joining them!!

I have sorted the wardrobe that holds all the jackets and coats etc and found several things I can get rid of. there is a large waterproof very heavy weight coat of tony's in there but I have to find a bag large enough to carry it in. Meanwhile I have found a couple of light weight waterproof jackets that were Tony's hardly worn and they do fit me so I am keeping those. One is M&S autograph.

Phew, that's 2 more loads for the garden bin and OH came out and carefully trimmed down a Fuschia as well so the bin is full now. We have the large one so it holds quite a lot. I feel as if there's a bit of progress being made!

Mel, OH will get the results of the MRI scan next Wednesday, so not long to wait. A lady was telling me the other day that her daughter had to wait 8 weeks for the results of a scan to tell her whether her cancer had returned, a much longer wait with the NHS but luckily she was clear.

I've had lunch and will get a COT now before doing a bit more sorting in the bedroom. :-)

Morning All,

It's 12 degrees here too but it seemed colder outside so I wore my fleece jacket to go to the farm shop as they have no heating on in there, but it keeps the food nice and fresh. I stocked up on meat, but the prices seem to shoot up every time and I'm sure we used to get 2 barnesley chops for what it costs for one now. I got some fruit, veg and their nice apple yoghurts and eggs too.

I've also had a reminder and booked my covid booster and the verrucca seems to have come back so I obviously didn't treat it long enough, so I'm treating it again.

That's a nuisance about the van AnnG. You don't seem destined to get the work done as quickly as you'd like, so I hope the weather will be ok on Monday. Your seeds from the big tomatoes could be crossbreeds with any other tomatoes growing nearby that insects carry the pollen from so the tomatoes on each plant you grow could be different and very interesting!

I'm not surprised you are aching Mel after doing all that work. my back ached yesterday after bending to cut a couple of shrubs back from overhanging the gravel the other day. Your rain looks like it's coming my way according to the PC so I'd better nip out and cut another humperful so the garden bin will be almost full and worth putting out.

Morning all,

Pc says rain starting in an hour here and its 11 degrees nd cloudy not the nice bright sunny morning we had yesterday.I ache everywhere today, what with bending and digging holes for the mole traps and walking across the top field a few times during the day to see what BIL was doing. He recons he's go the brambles down but I can't see much difference to what it was before he started the only thing is there not brambles reaching over the lawn that he mows.Then reaching up to the top of the shed windows and rubbing away at the green stuff that was on them. I don't know when I think back I would have done all that and more and not had a ache to show for it.

I'm pleased that the scan did'nt take as long as he thought it wold and he was comfortable throughout even if it was still a bit noisy. I always think the worse bit is the waiting for the results.

Hope Vera got on ok at the eye clinic yesterday and she has had a good nights sleep.

Well it four weeks tomorrow I have worn this ugly booty sandle thing but I must admit I hav'nt worn it to drive to the shop, Iv'e put my wellies on then.

Well that is annoying Jake has trouble with the 'works' van which has gone into the garage (yesterday) and apparently now will not be ready until this afternoon. now coming on Monday.
Apparently it is 12 degrees here but it feels a lot cooler than that. At least I have got a load of washing done with being up early for Jake.

Good morning all. a bit grey but it is early so hopefully it will clear out later. I think there was forecast for rain later but I am hoping it will stay dry for Jake to get most of the remaining jobs done.

I didn't really sleep well, woke for the loo twice before 4am (didn't really need it though!!) Then couldn't really get back to sleep so was up at 6am. Probably knowing Jake was due around 9. Good job I don't need a lot of brain power today.

Yes, Ann it will be interesting to see what the toms are like. I am wondering if these are seeda from the same ones friend gave me last year. No name as they were from N Zealand. Only 3 on the plant but very big, orange not red and a good flavour.
They have got to germinate and then grow first!!

Pleased that G's scan went OK and good that he has got that out of the way. Hopefully it will answer some questions.

Mel, pleased that you had a good evening with Stu and enjoyed the meal and a good chat.

Vera I hope the eye appointment went OK. I noticed that you were not on yesterday so guess there were eye drops involved.