General Chat

Morning girls,

Its another dull and dreary day after a nice bright start yesterday. Pc says 4 degrees and cloudy and its dead right.

I,m cross cos I have made my coffee too hot and I want to drink it.

Now how did you sleep last night? I woke with a very dry mouth but I did have cheese and biccies for tea quite late last night and probably did'nt drink enough water.

Yes its an awful long time since I tasted roast Lamb and it sounded great.

I meant to say that when I came back from feeding the chickens this morning there was a Heron by my pond it made me jump as it flew away. They are so huge close up.

watched my you tube Living the sky life they went to look at Dinasaur footprints this week and found some. They do lovely arial shots with their drone so you can see all around the coast.

I had another brown egg yesterday morning and I was so surprised to see another this morning so now I have three nice brown ones.

Its been really bitter out there today even though the sun was out most of the morning and then it clouded over into the afternoon.

I suppose there must be some compensations for growing old but it is a struggle to find them. Ooh that lamb sound delicious.

Pain does drag you down Annx, and the not knowing is the worst thing. We all cope better when we know what it is we are coping with. Fingers, and everything else, crossed that you will get some answers soon.

The roast lamb was delicious. I had made little slits in the meat before cooking and pushed in slivers of garlic and tiny tufts of rosemary and it was really flavoursome. With lots of veg and a strawberry cheesecake to follow it was a good meal.

I have sort of contacted my son in that I have now got through to his phone and was able to leave a message. I wasn't concerned as there are other ways he can contact us if anything is wrong. It's just irritating. I like to use the landline but my daughter is thinking of getting rid of hers as she says hardly anyone uses it now. Everyone rings her mobile.

I've been wasting time at the computer looking at photos of our old garden. See what you started with your before and after pictures Annx. Looking at them now I wonder how we ever coped but I suppose I could spend 3 or 4 hours gardening without even thinking about it whereas now I'm lucky if I manage half an hour without ending up with a painful back. Oh, the joys of getting old!!

BIL turned up this morning with the wife and had a coffee with me but he only came to pick up some bags of rubbish which he takes to work and gets rid of that way.

Then I put the wash on the line but it has'nt dried much even though the sun was out this morning with a bit of a blow. It does smell nice though and its on the airer in front of the rad so will be even nicer when I turn the heating on.

I have finished painting and varnishing the new little pot and lid for the lady who did'nt receive it and shall just have to wait a bit for the varnish to completely dry and I can dend it to her.

Just getting myself a nice drink now and at 6pm I am going to watch my nice little couple on you tube. Living the Skye life. He's a musican and she's an artist and her painting are out of this world. She used to have a channel called She Walks She Paints where she would take the dog for a walk and find something to photograph and come home and paint it. She does notlets and cards and Christmas Cards and calenders with her work on. Its all so detailed Annx would like her paintings as she likes to use a lot of detail. She did a wonderful picture of a Highland Coo.

Cuppa time me thimnks and maybe a biscuit. :-)

I did think about doing some painting a week or so ago Vera and AnnG, but my hands were still too shaky then to control a brush. They aren't now though so I might see if I can do a little painting. I could start knitting a jacket I've had a pattern and wool for for ages too. I've been shredding more papers today and filled a black sack, so that made me feel I was making progress with something.

I think OH would be much better if he didn't have all this pain. He's very resourceful usually and not one for moping, but he hasn't had a proper diagnosis yet, so I think that doesn't help when you think about your future or for him to know what he can do and what to expect.

I could just fancy your roast lamb Vera! I hope you've made contact with your son now. I know a lot of people don't bother with a landline now, but I still prefer using it.

Decided I had done enough on the PC for today so came downstairs to watch some TV. Hmm! Rugby then later football. It is that season again.so I am watching old recordings of Death in Paradise as I don’t want to start watching something that is two hours long

Did a bit today, one load of washing, dusted downstairs. Then had another go at deleting the files that were corrupted. Actually so far I seem to have managed to download uncorrupted several of my most used files so things like address labels, Christmas card list, holiday list (for packing). And the list of books that I have read over a long time. So I am well pleased about that. I have a poussin for my dinner tonight, that will cook in the air fryer. I have left over mash which I will brown with cheese on the top and tinned sweet corn and broccoli.

Vera Ooh roast lamb sounds lovely hope that you enjoy it and that you managed to get in contact with your son Technology can be so infuriating sometimes. :-)

Another dark, wet, dreary day and the forecast is for heavy cloud and on/off rain for several days yet. The miserable day follows another bad night. It was too much to hope for two good nights in a row but I do get so cross as there doesn’t appear to be a reason for not sleeping.

Annx, I agree with AnnG. It might help if you could take just a little time to yourself to paint, read, watch TV or anything that you enjoy doing. It will take your mind off your problems for a short while and help guard against depression and anxiety. You seem well organised with your lists of jobs to be done and people who might be able to do them. I am ready with the name and phone number of a gardener who comes recommended but I think we can manage for this year.

Mandy, Jake will go a long way. He reminds me of a young chap our village butcher took on as an apprentice many, many years ago. Once he was fully trained the butcher offered him a job as his assistant. Then he managed the shop when the butcher semi-retired and when the butcher fully retired he bought the business from him and expanded it. It’s now flourishing. I can see Jake doing something similar.

Mel, we end up with lots of roof moss and lichen on the paths but the noisiest things are pigeons on the conservatory roof. It sounds as though there’s a troop of tap dancers up there.

Better go and turn my lamb over and sort out the veg and then I might pour myself a pre dinner glass of rose :-D. I also want to try my son again. There’s no land line in the house he has moved to and the mobile signal is very weak there. I’ve tried his mobile twice this morning and just got “call failed” so I’m hoping it will be third time lucky.

Magpies throw moss down off our roof too and if it raind before I can get to it, it is horribly sticky. We don't have as many magpies as we did have. Just a couple I think. the very large older one facinates me, he comes right up to the house looking for food and I can see him watching me through the window when I am sitting having coffee or lunch. He keeps his eye trained on me and only flies off if I move to stand up.

It sounds as if you have got all the jobs on a list and lined up Ann. It is a pity that OH is not up to people doing jobs at the moment as now would be the time to get the dismantling out of the way.
I feel that you are having a job stopping your OH getting depressed, which is what happenes when pain goes on for a long time without knowing the reason. I hope he can get answers soon. Somehow you need to guard against you, yourself getting depressed about the situation. Are you able to perhaps spend some time on some simple painting, perhaps when he is sleeping? <3

Mandy I think it is probably not liking working with meat but not liking how hard they have to work. Well done Jake for seeing the value in a worthwhile job.

Morning All,

Dull here with a white sky, but it seems slightly warmer.

Mel, we find the Magpies make a right racket on the roof here and we find clumps of moss on the drive too. You wouldn't believe birds could make as much noise would you. That's a good idea to put something extra in the parcel for the lady. She will appreciate that.

AnnG we need to clear the old raised beds we had and the shed to be dismantled and taken away and an arbour that's rotten first, but I have the name of someone who would do that. Also someone to cut right back the the high brambles coming over the bottom fence. I've also got the name of someone the next door neighbour used who could do that for us, so that would be a start. OH can't face anything major being done at the moment or I would get on with the bathroom being done. He's needing a lot of help with the pain he has at the moment, so I'm getting little done inside too. Now the little walk we did yesterday has set my left knee off aching. It will improve though. I'll be glad when we get all his results within the next fortnight and know what can be done for him. You make a good point about gardeners getting busy soon though, so I think we need to stock up on weedkiller for now! I was reading that vinegar, salt and washing up liquid mixed are good for killing moss on driveways and slabs, so I might test a patch! It's frustrating not being able to do what we could once do so easily.

Morning all,

No frost and it's a little bit brighter than yesterday, don't know how cold it is as I haven't been out yet ,nothing planned for today I just have a little sewing job to do ,Katie has a jump suit that needs the legs turning up as it's to long and she needs a bit off the sleeves too ,it looks so tiny ,it's a size 8 .

Mel the birds can make a heck of a mess when they get the moss off the roof , they have a go here sometimes and then if Max sees it he brings big lumps of it in .

Ann you asked if ths butcher has a van ,yes they do so Jake might do delivery's, he does walk delivery's to the local pubs sometimes if they are getting short of something .poor boy now has to train another boy as this latest one has now left ,I suppose it's not everyone's cup of tea handling meat and they don't know until they try it

Morning all,

Nice bright morning so far today unlike yesterdays dull and dreary cold weatherpc is saying mostly cloudy and its 4 degrees and expect light rain tomorrow.

When I woke this morning I was convinced someone was outside as I could hear a few bangs and crashes. I went to the loo and when I washed my hands I thought I saw something come off the roof. I listened and it carried on and all the time stuff was falling off the roof then I realised it was a bird on the roof turffing the moss off. I don't mind that but I have to sweep up after them. I did see a Woodpecker fly away so perhaps it was that.

Hope you all had another good night and are well rested for the day ahead.

I have to paint this pot for the lady to replace the one I sent to the wrong address and I'll put some extra bits in to compensate for her wait.

Good morning all 2 degrees, no frost butmaybe a bit brighter than it was yesterday. I don'r mind cold (rather have warm), but yesterday was really horrible. So dark all day that I had to have the lights on all the time.

I had a couple of books for Irene but didn't go down yesterday as it was so raw so will probably take them down today.

Otherwise it is back to the list of jobs on the new PC.

Ann, if you are looking for a gardener, don't leave it until the summer. keep an eye out from now on. Do you have any local facebook or 'Next Door' sites. It is best to try and get somebody recommended by someone else in your area. I wouldn't call Jake and his Dad proper gardeners, they know nothing about plants but that is fine, I just need them to do the heavy work under supervision..That is fine by me, I and T survived 60 years doing our gardens without knowing the latin names of plants. All they need is clear instruction. So start looking casually now. Good luck.

I bet the apple cake would be lovely as a pud with custard! Well done Jake on doing so well with his driving. At this rate he will be ready to take his test sooner than usual as well. :-) Would Jake be able to do some driving for the butcher if he has a van?

Ouch Mandy, I bet your thumb is sore after doing that and bending it back so far as to crease it! The plaster will help protect it as you say. Some of my toe and nail are slowly going back to a pink colour, but half of the top of the nail is still dark, so I hope that gradually grows out pink as well and that the nail doesn't come off!

They have turned our city Homebase store into a Range too Mandy and it opened last week. It has a big carpark so I want to go and see what it is like. There is a smaller Range store further in the city, but it is hard to park there.

We will have to get a gardener this year Vera once we have had the front garden made easier and someone has sorted the back garden better for us. I thought when we moved here it was small enough to always be able to manage it. Like you I loved my garden at my old house and grew lots of veg and fruit. It wasn't as big as your garden was, but it was about 3 times as big as what we have now. It's a shame, but I will still be able to plant up some pots of colour.

Evening all,
Cold and dull here again ,no frost but it's been one of those days I can't seem to get warm .

We went to sons for coffee and I took the cakes ,they were going to have the apple cake with custard tonight for a pud .
When we hot home I took my trainers off and when I put them in the cupboard I caught my thumb nail on the shelf above and it pulled my thumb nail back so I now have a white crease line across my nail and blood under the nail ,I put a plaster on as the nail is split and I thought I might catch it ,it's to sore to cut it at the moment .

Ann how's your toenail now ,that looked really sore .

We have the Range opening a store next Friday in the old Homebase store ,I use to like looking round the one in Norwich so looking forward to seeing what this one is like ,it won't be as big as the Norwich one so probably won't have as much choice .

Jake came back from his second driving lesson and he's really getting on well the instructor told him he's at least three lessons ahead of where he should be , his next one is next Tuesday again .

This is why Wifi is difficult to understand. Since 11am this morning Wifi has been working perfectly. Wonder if everyone has finished downloading for work!

Afternoon All,

It feels very chilly still, but the rain we had earlier has stopped now and it's been a dull day. We popped to the shop before lunch and decided to do a short 15 minute walk in the village. We hoped to go further but my left knee was playing up and OH's hands were so cold. I had to brake a bit harder at one point on the way home and it really set OH's back off so it was painkillers, tv and rest for him this afternoon.
You are right Mandy about him having a big change to adjust to. If he didn't have the pain, I think he would be much brighter. He was always on the go and his diary was full of things he's had to cancel now. He was always very good at dealing with all the changes in his job in the past, but it's different when you have to stop.

AnnG it would be a good idea to email Dom, especially as things have slowed down as well. It could be like you say with more people using wifi where you are. Maybe you just need something like a signal booster.

I didn't know you could get the radiator grills off the top of radiators either Mel. It sounds like it was a bit of a game getting the plate out but you did it in the end. It will be good to get back to making more of your miniatures.

It sounds like your rhubarb is doing well in the tub Gwyn and you will have some pickings this year.

I'm going to see what else I can shred now.

Easy day then Vera. I think that is a good idea about the rhubarb. I think mine was on its last legs last year so, if it doesn't appear this year I won't replace it. Planning 3 years ahead gets a bit uncertain at my age. Although I won't stop planning a year ahead with the garden.

I have filled my day with small jobs, mostly admin. I did change my bed and washed the bedding. I also wrote a letter by email to a penfriend. (we have resorted to email with expensive poatage and dodgy post it is easier and safer. I have atarted to sort the recovered files. So far two that I would say are important to me have recovered ok so they have been re-saved on USB. A lot that was really only useful last year has been deleted. I was pleased to find that the master for my address labels, so useful at Christmas, was OK. I have also just sorted an A4 sized plastic drawer that sits on my desk It was full of off cuts of card meant to be for my card making. so useful that I really had forgotten what was in it and I can guarantee it had not been opened for over 5 years. So most of the card bits have gone in the recycling bin. On top of that drawer is a basket weave 'pending' tray and that could be next.

I have put away the Tesco shop. He was early when I opened the day I had to smile he said'afternoon.... crappy day!'. It really is horrible out there with the sort of cold that seeps into your body. I felt sorry for him. He was really cheery though and very helpful. When he saw me chacking the BB dates, he took over and checked them all for me.

Thanks for the rhubarb advice ladies. Mel, my garden is very small and there is not a free corner to pop a rhubarb plant in. I had a large garden with a big vegetable plot in our last house and there I used to grow Timperley Early and a later maturing one whose name I have forgotten. On a good year we would have more than enough for pies and crumbles etc and I would make rhubarb and ginger jam and rhubarb ice cream. I do miss my veg garden, though I don't miss the work involved. At the moment I have several pots of herbs on a pebbled area, blueberries and guava in pots and I put half a dozen pots of tomatoes in a sort of alleyway between the house and the garage. Having said all that, I am thinking twice about having rhubarb now. You shouldn't pick it the first year and only pick a limited amount the second year so we'll have to wait three years for a reasonable crop. By then OH will be 90 and I'm only a few years behind. Will we want to be doing much in the garden by then? I suspect we'll be doing a bit of gentle dead heading and getting a gardener in to keep everything weeded and tidy. I think in rhubarb season I'll keep my eyes open in the shops and the market and if I see some nice looking rhubarb that isn't too horrendously priced I'll buy a load and freeze it to use as I want.

I've had an easy morning. I did get a load of towels washed but otherwise I've caught up on several silly little jobs - tidied some plants overwintering in the conservatory, descaled the kettle, went through some old emails and deleted most of them and got some paperwork up to date. I'm not sure what I'm doing for the rest of the afternoon but it won't involve anything very energetic. I'm following the easy morning with an easy afternoon ;-)