General Chat

Good morning all. Just taken me half an hour to get on here (and facebook) I guess the weather is affecting something somewhere as all programmes were affected.

4 degrees here, very dark rained overnight and we are promised heavy rain today.

Ann I am sure that in your situation we would have the same or similar fears and worries as you. <3

I missed you there Vera with not sending my post straightaway. Thank you for your good vibes and we are trying to relax. Mind you It doesn't help though that the hospital only sent enough of a couple of tablets to last till Monday, and because the surgery didn't include the new tablets online till yesterday, we couldn't order more till then. I need to phone the pharmacy to see if they have them in stock first on Monday, then ask the surgery if they can authorise their issue to us sooner. These problems don't help with relaxing do they.

I like watching birds on the feeders too.......very entertaining. Thanks for explaining what a Humax box is. I can't believe I hadn't heard of them.

You are right AnnG as hospitals are so noisy at night. Yes, I hope the Doctor can allay my fears and I can say and ask him things I'd rather not mention to OH. It's good to have a bit of an outlet for concerns on here as you say.

I'm off to try and get a bit more sleep again now.

Coming back from the shop today there was a lady walking towards the church at the crossroads and when I pulled up at them I saw it was a lady I know . Stopped and chatted a bit and she was going to walk down the church to retrieve a wreath from her brothers grave. I asked her if she would like to come and have a cuppa with me and she said yes. She did'nt want a lift to the church so said she would be round in about 20 mins. I went in and tidied round a bit and when she came it was lunchtime so I asked her if she would like a ham roll with her cup of tea and she said yes please. So we had unch and a very good kong natter and she had a look around the garden and at the chickens after our lunch and thne she walked home. I used to teach her daughter to ring and she even had a go but was a bit frightened so did'nt come anymore once Frankie her daughter got to know us a bit. She is on her own as her son lives with his partner and Frankie the daughter is away from home too. She said if I ever need to be taken to hospital she is willing to take me and I asked her if I go to a garden centre would she like to come and she said yes so that will take some time out for both of us. She lives opposit the Shebbear Colledge so not to far away from me.

I'm pleased oh managed to get a good nap in today Ann as sleep heals too. Hope you get a better nights sleep tonight. As ever thinking of you both and sending wishes.

I have a good small knocker on my shed door which was oh's I'll send you a picture of it. Its only very small but very strange too.

I expect OH's sleep pattern was disrupted in hospital and will take a while to get back again. at least he is home anyway.
It is good that you will be able to talk to the doctor and hopefully he will be able to put your mind at rest and allay any fears you are harbouring. 'talking it out' is good. I often feel I am doing that on here so thanks to all for continually listening.
I got my months mixed with the photo subjects. February is 'old things' and March is door knockers.

Vera nothing wrong with spending time watching the birds feeding, very good for you.

Talking of foxes. I was amazed the other day, looking out of an upstairs window into our Close at 11AM There was a fox calmly walking down the road from the cul de sac towards the main road. I have seen them in the early mornings around 2AM but never in daylight.

Afternoon All,

I think someone asked, but OH never had any heart trouble before. The surgeon even said his cholesterol levels weren't bad. He doesn't smoke and rarely has a drink. He has put a couple of stones on so that needs to go. He said he had a restless night, but he had a long nap in the day. I just couldn't get back to sleep after 2.00am. He's usually on the go and doing things, so is frustrated his back is such a problem. His meds have been added online now, so we can order more of those they only gave him half a dozen of. He said again to thank you for thinking of him. Gwyn I was quite relieved that nurse did what she did for me. She said I need to 'talk it all out' with someone.

I hope you enjoy the quiz Gwyn and I like your method for dealing with the Pyracantha!

Well it will be hunt the doorknockers for you AnnG. They are more rare aren't they now and video ones are getting very popular round here. I suppose old cottages and terraced ones may be a good bet as many have no front gardens so you could get a good shot of them. Yes, the April one will need some thought, but will be interesting to see what the others come up with for it. We both enjoy Dad's Army too. :-)

Oh those little Rabbit dolls were lovely Mandy and the little girl will love it when you give it to her! We needed some heat today didn't we as it's frosty, but it's a bit of a shock to get out of bed and find it's cold!

Mel I haven't seen a fox round here for a few years now since all the building in the area, but you don't want one after your chickens. Fancy Phil dropping by for a bit of sunbathing! Not daft as you say. :-)

I hope OH is continuing to improve Annx and was able to get more comfortable last night. You must both rest and relax as much as you can. The nurse you saw sounds both efficient and kind. It’s good that she thought of the effect on you as well. Sending lots of good vibes your way <3

A Humax, ladies, is just a type of set top box/recording device. I think it came out years ago when Freesat came into being.

Enjoy your haggis tonight Gwyn. I have Scottish neighbours and we had haggis, tatties and neeps in their house a few years ago, followed of course by a wee dram.

It’s very cold again today but beautifully sunny. We have vertical blinds in our lounge and when it’s sunny like this we pull back the ones at the garden end of the room which cover 2 floor length windows and patio doors so the sun shines in and brightens the whole room. The trouble is we then waste.too much time watching the birds on the feeders.

We are waiting for friends to come for a cuppa and a piece of cake so that will pass a pleasant hour or two. Blow me, I’ve just heard their car draw up. OH will let them in. Enjoy the rest of the day.

Yes the sun certainly cheers things up. I just walked down to take some books back to the book stall lady, next book stall is 7-10 February.

Yes Gwyn and Ann, interesting photography subjects. Door knockers does mean I need to wander round some of the older parts of town. Modern houses tend not to have knockers put on their nice new doors. So they are few and far between. I guess the illustrate a song etc will take some thought.
Old things, well this house is full of them, just need to choose what to take.

Annx
So pleased that OH is safely home and that you found a sensible and thorough nurse at the surgery to prioritise your appointments. That was thoughtful of her to think of you needing to talk to someone too.
I hope you both managed to get some decent rest last night and that he continues to heal well.

AnnG,
The proposed photography subjects sound interesting. I remember when I was in secondary school, my friend and I went down Castle Street in Portchester, where you will know they have some quite old properties. Our art teacher had tasked us with drawing interesting doorknockers, ( no moble phones back then ;-)
We found some interesting ones, an anchor, a dolphin etc.but I don't know where I'd look round here. I'd probably take myself off to Canterbury and look around the side streets off the main city, just as we did when grandson had an I-Spy book many years ago and we were looking for foot-scrapers outside front doors.

Mel
Good that you didn't have chickens roaming free, because as you say the fox may well be about.
I know we talk about cunning foxes, but I'd never seen them really 'at work' until the time I went to look at a field of young lambs near here. I stood watching from the roadside, as they played and jumped about. They were at the stage where they leapt into the air periodically. As I watched, I noticed a fox watching them too and he was mimicing their play. He would jump in the air, just like them, but every landing took him just a bit closer to the young lambs.
Luckily, on the far side of the field, a farmer must have seen this too, because suddenly a loud warning gunshot sounded and the fox quickly ran away.

Mandy
Your roast sounded good. We have haggis ready for our Burn's Night meal today. Daughter is always keen to acknowledge her paternal Scottish links ;-)
I can imagine the little one will be thrilled with her new doll. You make such lovely toys.

Another quiz for us last night, - a fun-raising event near son's house. Thank goodness the weather had improved and the rain and wind had eased. We are forecast more wild winds in the next few days though. Our pyracantha and it's supporting wall have parted company :-0 but not for the first time. As daughter says, it may need 6 hands to make sure it's secure again, so we will wait until someone can help us. It's such a prickly job, so usually I man the long-handled broom and push the plant towards the wall, so someone else can tie some strong wire round and fix it to the wall.

Wall to wall sunshine here today and although not actually a lot warmer, at least it looks cheerful :-D

I just looked up the garden and Phil is sitting on top of the wall sunning himself. No fool is he?

Morning girls,

Cold and frosty morning here but the suns out, its three degrees and the pc is telling me we are going to have rain for 6 days won't that be nice.

Hope A and G slept well and he could find a comfortable spot. Its so awful when you are bruised around the chest to as every breath can hurt if you're not in a good postion. I hope you're feeling a little better ow you're home and in your own surroundings.

I just have the shop to do today and then the rest of the day is my own.

Morning all,
We have sunshine and blue sky but it does feel cooler mainly because I turned the heating off yesterday as it was milder and we had the fire lit and then I forgot to put it back on auto for this morning so I quickly turned it on when I came down, wind has dropped too.

Ann hope you've both manage to get a better night's sleep and OH found a comfortable position to get some sleep .
Yes at the moment I'm knitting a doll for Colin's sisters great granddaughter ,I took one of the little rabbits I'd knitted and said I would knit a doll for her .

Anng we like Dad's Army too always get a laugh with those .

Good morning all. Gosh the temperature does fluctuate these days, yesterday it was 8 when I came on here I think and today it was 0, gone up to 1 degree while I have been struggling to get on here. Lovely sunshine but looks cold. No wind.

I actually ended the evening by watching a Dads Army episode and found myself falling about laughing at it. That was as good as a tonic

Thank you Mandy and Mel. I pass on everyone's good wishes and he smiles and I know he appreciates them.The paramedic said the same as you about ribs Mandy and of course they have to mend on their own. Your roast dinner sounds good. Are you doing any knitting or crochet at the moment? nice.

AnnG the photography group future photos sound interesting. I would love the doorknobs one!

I hope you manage to fix a new collection for the parcel Mel. It's good BIL at least managed to get the chicken run door shut as well.

I'm another that hasn't heard of HUMAX Vera! Yes it's a bit of a nuisance that one survey leads to another isn't it.

Well I feel shattered today, so am off to bed now to watch something mindless ;-)

Oh poor OH Ann he must be so uncomfortable, sometimes when they resuscitate they can break ribs as they really push hard , that's good you've managed to get an appointment so you could talk things through and a good idea for you to see someone too ,you both been through it this last week, I hope as each day goes on that OH improves and the pain and soreness eases for him, take care <3

The rain eased and so did the wind and we had sunshine so itx been quire a nice day .
We are both full after our roast everything cooked lovely and there was no room for any pud .

Anng it sounds as if the meeting went well ,the next three subjects should be interesting to photograph.

Vera I've never heard of Humax is it a box , we have a BT box and go through that so we have a remote to turn the television on and a remote to work the box if we get in a muddle we just press the back up button or ring son lol

Mel that would be good if someone could make use of the car and a few pounds in your pocket would be win win .

I was so frightened the chickens would go all around the garden and I could'nt get htem back in their run. I hav'nt seen a fox in the garden for a long while but you never know with that sly fellow.

I am pleased yu have had a consultation with the nurse and it sounds like you got priority treatment so that was good. Please give him my love and wishes for a speedy recovery. I'll leave out the gentle hug as I may hurt him if he's still very bruised.

Think I will turn the heating on now as I am getting chilly. I hav'nt had it on all day.

Afternoon All,

Fetching OH wasn't that simple as he phoned me 3 times before I got here which slowed me down finding somewhere to stop and phone him back. He obviously thought I would be much quicker. The street lights were dim near the hospital and their sign wasn't lit up either, but I got there though and wrapped him up in scarf, coat and gloves as it was bitterly cold. I was surprised he was walking with a nurse rather than the nurse wheel him out. When we got home he wanted to go through the 5 page letter with me, which made me more anxious still with the detail of what happened. He had a much better sleep, but still found it agony to lie or turn over, so this morning we got an appointment at the surgery. There was only an appointment left with a nurse so he took it with a view to how to proceed next with his back. He decided we should park on the big pay and display carpark at the surgery end of it so he could show me how to use their machines which are fairly new ones. All went well, till we selected paying by card and the machine stuck at that point. There was a lady behind us so I asked her if she paid by card and to show us. She couldn't get it to work either, so we paid in cash instead!

The nurse was new to us but she was so thorough, checked OH over, read what had happened and listened carefully. She consulted a GP, rebooked the physio and then he's to make an appointment with the GP to decide the next steps with his back. She also asked if I'd been present and that I must have been badly traumatised with all that had happened and said I really should see a GP myself. She overode the receptionist saying there was nothing bookable next week and found me an appointment on Monday with a male doctor she said was very nice and kind. It all took 2 hours which was fine, as she had to see other patients and the GP who was busy too. I felt she went the extra mile for us. We then called at the pharmacy and I picked up the eyedrops, although the Hospital issued some as well. They seem so hard to get that we thought it worth keeping some in reserve till they are out of date.

OH has had something to eat and drink and is having a nap. I keep checking on him.

That will be good if you get rid of the old car Mel. Some places will give a small payment to you to take it away and sell the parts, but if Stu can get it out and find someone to buy it all the better. If BIL can then get to the mower part it will be a bonus. Your chickens probably look like my hair in the wind this morning.

good that BiL mended the chickens house Mel. Shame you missed the post though. Hope you can get that sorted.

Vera, I try to avoid those spaces for extra comments on questionnaires.

I could easily have walked as the weather was a lot better than forecast here this afternoon, but it was good to have a lift. It was a good meeting, there were eleven of us there including the president of our U3a who is new to the job and is visiting all the groups. He actually enjoyed the meeting. (we had 4 people missing as well so our numbers could be on the increase. Our subject for this time was an odd one to take a photo of the same place/view spring, summer, Autumn and winter (four seasons). Not everyone managed to do it though.
We have 3 future subjects. February - door knockers, March - 'Old things', April Express a song, poem or piece of music in your photos.

It will be good if Stu can move the car for you Mel. It will be better than leaving it to just rust away. It’s a shame you missed the postie but handy that bil could help fix the chicken house. The coopies will be nice and snug tonight

I hope the photography meeting went well AnnG. Do you have a subject to photograph for next time or was it just a general discussion? We’re having haddock tonight as well so ours is defrosting too. Ours is smoked haddock. I hope Mandy enjoys her roast.

It’s a relief to find someone else watches TV through Humax Gwyn. I don’t know anyone else who does and thought it must be us doing something wrong. I just wish I could work out why it’s necessary. I might think it was the signal to the house but the TV in the conservatory works fine on its own so it can’t be that. Oh well, at least we are gradually getting to grips with the controls to the TV daughter brought us.


I hope you were all OK in the wind and rain. It hasn’t been too bad here though it bucketed down last night and the wind was lashing the rain against the windows. The rain did eventually stop and the wind has died down a lot. Needless to say, I didn’t sleep a lot last night with the weather noise and the security lights going on and off all night as the wind and rain hammered into them. If it weren’t for the sad circumstances I bet my granddaughter would be pleased to be in Essex rather than in Edinburgh where she lives. It is supposedly warmer today but it doesn’t feel it. I’ve got to go out to the freezer in the garage to get tomorrow’s dinner out to defrost and I keep putting it off.

I’d better go and do that next and then I have to look at something the council emailed me. I, maybe foolishly, took part in a council survey a little while ago and in a space for comments I gave them my thoughts. Now they have sent me another supplementary questionnaire they want me to answer. I think I’ll have a look at it before I decide whether to comply or not.

BIL been and gone but he did sort of mend the chicken run door and the top of the fence so I can now shut it and ti stays shut.

I missed the postman for my parcel collection I saw him come but I was down the garden with BIL and as we walked beck from picking a fence up the posty drove away. Now I am trying to get it collected tomorrow and it won't accept it. It maybe because the posty has'nt got back to the depo so he still has the label.