General Chat

Afternoon All,

Quite sunny again today but the wind has got up now. While OH was at an early meeting I popped out and had poached eggs on toast at a garden centre and checked that they hadn't got a Camellia I have been searching for for a few years. It is very compact and has large pink flowers that are tight too and smother the plant. (I know this as there are two in local gardens that I envy every year when I see them.

It's interesting that Mel brought up having a smart water meter and Vera has been looking into it like me. As I understand it, we now have three kinds of water supply. The original water supply, which many still have, which has fixed water charges according to the rateable value of the property, regardless of the amount of water used. Then people could choose to have a water meter fitted (which we did) and new houses started to have them installed. These meters charged for the actual water used and mean you can make savings by being careful with what you use and does make you think when you turn on the tap like AnnG said. These meters are still read manually and we have a grey disc on the front wall of the bungalow where they read it, although I've never seen them doing it. We get a bill twice a year. Now, as Vera said, they are starting to roll out new smart meters, although in some areas I understand you can request one and is the kind which Mel says she has. These new ones are wireless, so they feed back useage and calculate bills without the need for manual reading. (so a cost saving!) Other advantages are said to be faster leak detection, insight into daily habits and, if you have one of these new smart meters you can track your own useage via an App or online dashboard, so Mel should be able to track her useage this way and it sounds like they have started swapping them whereAnnG is. So some will be swapping from the old system and some from the previous meters like we have.

My first thought about having one was how big are they and whether one will still fit in the newly done ensuite corner cover that Dave made to fit so neatly over the existing meter! :-S

That's good you got your meds ok today Vera......long may it continue!

I just had a vision of AnnG and Vera whizzing along in the windy air like Mary Poppins!!

Both of us felt weary today after the sessions in the garden so haven't done much else, although OH has an online meeting in half an hour.

I need to download some photos from my mobile now and put it to charge.

Wish I had been there too Mandy. They are
Lovely

Oh Vera that was good you got all the correct tablets this time ,bet you wish you had changed ages ago .
It's gone over very black here and looks like it's going to pour.

Sent a photo of my lovely daffs I got from Tesco's today there was loads there all in a crate and I do love a bargain lol

I hadn't realised that you had a new meter put in when you had your major leak Mel. I've been doing a bit of googling just out of interest and if you have a smart water meter that isn't transmitting accurate data the water company have to fix it. Have a google, it's surprising what you can learn :-S

I know just what country living is like Mel - farm muck and mud, tractors, no public transport, no pavements or lighting, no gas, car needed for everything. Until we moved to our present house in 2013 we lived for 26 years in the middle of nowhere. We lived in a fairly large country area within which there were 5 tiny hamlets with a total population of about 250. We lived in the largest of the hamlets. As well as a few houses there was a pub and a church but nothing else but farmland. We were lucky in that we lived near the top of a slight slope - you couldn't call it a hill. If there was a storm and half the fields washed on to the lane or the ditches got blocked and overflowed, most of the muck flowed downwards past our house. We loved that area but we were getting older and decided we would need to move at some point in case we had to give up the car.

The wind got quite strong and, like AnnG being blown to and from the hairdressers, I got blown to and from the pharmacy. It did seem a long trudge, particularly coming back when I was nearly bent double walking into the wind. All went well. I got all the correct tablets and was told that my next lot will be available for collection on 21st April. Although it is all done electronically with our GP surgery, the system seems to be slightly different than with the old pharmacy but I don't mind that as long as it works.

Afternoon all,

Very greyish here too and windyish this morning but I think its now getting a bit brighterish and hopefully we might see a little sun .

We went to tesco this morning for a few bits ,I needed to get some fliwers for my sisters birthday tomorrow.

Mel yes that's the book but looking through it I'm not sure I like the patterns very much

I find I have to trim the white edge off the stamp books and then it just fits my purse.

Iv,e got another moan now. The books of the new stamps are so big they don't fit in my purse anymore. I shall have to keep them in my card box now I think so when I ask you where I have put them can you please tell me because I am bound to forget. :-(

I have all the bills, perhaps one missing, from Feb 2024 when the meter was put in. A couple of them had a government grant on them.

Glad you did'nt get blown away on your walk home from the hairdressers.

Just putting the biscuits away I order jaffa cakes they have sent chilly and honey jaffa cakes. I have asked for a refund as they did'nt send any subs today. I did check I had ordered the original ones. Just because the box had lots of colours on it I thought it was just an easter thing or soemthing like that.

If you had a new meter then Mel I assume it would have been a smart meter as that was not long ago. So it should be sending readings, if not they should fix it. I forgot when remarking on not seeing meters read that, although I do have a smart meter (which is wwhy I am careful using water on the garden etc as with a smart meter you pay for every drop. with the old meters you didn't.) Anyway some in this road are smart meters, some not yet changed over but they are working on getting them all changed. I assume the meter is at the end of your long drive as you are responsible for any leaks along the drive as well. so what I think I am saying is, are you comparing the cost with before and after you had a new meter? It could be , if that is so, that you were getting a lot of water at a good price before. Smart meters can save you money but they do make you think before turning on the tap.

Vera yes a very ish day here too and I slept quite well.

Just been wind propelled to and from hairdresser. Not cold but very windy and gusty with damp in the wind. I debated wether to wait for the bus when I came out of the hairdressers but there was a 6 minute wait (in the wind, no shelter) so I walked and got to the bus stop at exactly the same time as the bus.

All I have done today besides that treck ia a bit of admin and washed the towels.

Morning all you ish girls,

Its the same here greyish, coldish, drearyish but dry ish, Pc says 11 degrees and light rain buy fiveish.

About my meter I had a new one put in after that very large leak I had and they fitted new meters to most of the houses along here. You have to remember I live out in the country and our roads don't even have names only the crossroads. We have many tractors coming past every day and lorries and no pavements just grass verges and banks. Water seems to run down our road whatever the weather. there are 8 dwellings including the village hall next to me and including the big house. Outside the big house there is a dip in the road so the residents of the house could'nt see the peasents going past and thats where it always floods and they installed a pump in the drain that that takes water to Mussle Brook which runs through the land not far from the road..

We also have a dirty farm up at the next crossroads from us with many farm tractors and vehicles always going past ours. Alsoo I have a very long driveway to the house from the road where the meter is.

I must get on as I over slept this morning. Hope you all slept well as I did up at 6.15am for the loo and back to bed and straight off again till 10.15am.

Good morning ladies

It’s an “ish” day; greyish, coolish, windyish and I slept OKish. I’ve no real plans apart from picking up my meds and I’ll go and do that as soon as I have posted this.

Mel, are you sure your water meter is a smart one? Has it been changed fairly recently? The water companies are beginning to roll out smart meters but they haven’t got very far yet. Smart meters do send readings but ordinary water meters don’t. Ours is still an ordinary meter and gets read once a year and our monthly direct debit adjusted according to what we’ve used over the year. It doesn’t seem very good that yours is filled with sludge but at least you can get to yours. At our old house our meter was on our drive. Here, it isn’t even in our road! It’s set in the pavement in a road that runs parallel to ours. How stupid is that.

Doorbell ringing. OH is answering it but I think it’s for me. Must go.

good morning all. Grey here this morning but dry and 9 degrees. I think strangely the garden actually could do with a shower but hope it waits until after 12 when I should be home from the hairdresser.

Ann if I have to get down on the floor (planned) I put a small stoll (one of the folding ones) next to me, that is enough to lean on to help me to get up. but sounds as if you also have a plan which works

Mel, surely all that sludge around your meter could be affecting your readings. I am still confused as I never see anyone round here reading water meters. When you receive your water bills, do the readings show estimated use? surely they should show that if they are not actual readings. I have just read my last bill and no readings are estimated. Keep copies of everything you pay in a file so that you can check next time there is a bill, and maybe somebody should come out to check the meter again because of the sludge.

Yes they have smart meters for water but they don't give them a reading which I think is a bit stupid. My meter is always fully of water and really sloppy mud which has to be caled out before you can see the meter to read it.

Well done getting the bulb changed AnnG. I dread getting down on the floor as I can't kneel with my knees needing replacing. To get up I have to roll on my tummy and walk my feet towards my hands to stand up. Yes sitting for a long time does make us stiff, especially if we have been doing more exercise than usual. You have got quite a lot done today though.

I'd like to at least paint the bedroom skirting boards, so a new carpet could be fitted, otherwise I expect it means waiting ages as the decorator I want to use will be busy now.The rest could be painted at a later date. Oh how I wish I could still do these things as I did the walls with two coats of paint in there in a day last time. I rang a place that I know will do a bed base with continental drawers that have side latches to connect the bases today as well as supply the carpet I want and they have said if we empty the bed drawers we have and can move the mattress they will move the bases themselves to fit the carpet. They have an offer on just now where they pay you a small sum for your bed base as well as take it away free of charge. Young folk these days don't seem to buy secondhand, so it would save us paying for it to be taken away instead.

I filled the little humper again today, some prunings and some grandmother's bonnets that were trying to establish in the gravel. I have some with lime green foliage in the border that I love, but these have reverted to to darker green so I hoof them out anyway so they don't take over. I also sat and went through the drawers in a small plastic cabinet so I can put it back in the porch cupboard on the new floor in there. I couldn't believe what was crammed in it that's of no use now and managed to throw a lot out.

That's good you have a new knitting book coming to make some more things Mandy. You've been doing quite a lot lately so it's not surprising you are tired. Having a rest to do some new patterns will be good. I had to smile at the thought of Max showing off his nice teeth! :-D

Vera you've had a washathon with four loads and I don't think I would have fancied pegging it all out either. I still use the airer for some things as well. Fingers crossed all goes well with your meds at the new place tomorrow.

Mel I didn't know they had smart meters for water.

I think we are all stocking up on stamps. I got some with my last Tesco delivery and will order some more with my next one.

There’s not been a sign of the sun today but it’s not really cold and it has stayed dry. I changed the bedding on the two beds and got that washed as well as all our clothes for the past week. It took 4 loads. I should have hung it out but there was no sun and not much of a breeze so I was lazy and some went in the dryer and other stuff on the airer.

Since lunch it has been one phone call or text after another, all of which needed a response. I had thought I might clean the bird baths this afternoon but time is getting on now and my motivation has gone to sleep again.

You have done well to dig those clumps out AnnG and change the bulb in your fire. I hope the digging and kneeling doesn’t set your leg pain off again.

Mandy, you have been quite unwell so it might take a while for you to recover fully. If you feel tired don’t struggle on but rest as much as you need to.

Yes, Gwyn and Annx, don’t do anything to hurt your backs or anything else before your appointments this week. It seems to be a medical week as I think AnnG’s appointment is this week too and I should also have had an appointment at the eye treatment centre on Wednesday but it was cancelled and I am still waiting to be sent a new date. Tomorrow I am going to walk up to the new pharmacy for my meds. It will be the first time getting my tablets from there so I will open the pack in the shop and make sure I have everything before I leave.

Time for a cuppa and a biccy I think. Then I shall read a chapter or two of my book before it’s time to get our dinner ready.

Just managed to get the bulb in the fire changed. The only way to do it is to actually kneel down on the floor, Not something I do these days if I can avoid it. managed to get up again and that is done now for a few months.

I also added two books of stamps to my shopping list as well.

Mandy is that the one with the badger and duck on the cover?

Not got out there yet. Rang the water board again and it seems they read the meter in Feb (that must have been when BIL saw someone doing it) and the new smart meters don't show the waterboard the meter reading so all the bills from Feb 2024 had been estimated. I am giving them the benifit of the doubt and am going to pay it but I still want to see the meter reading now to see if its going round when I am not using the water.

Also had to send my solar reading in and thats a faff too.

I am now going to get myself soemthing to eat as my tummy thinks my throats been cut then I may venture outside a do a bit.

Afternoon all,

We've had a little sun this morning but it seems to have clouded up now ,I hung a towel wash out and just got it all in as it was all dry .
Son took Max for his yearly injection ,we were a bit late doing it so he had one injection today and has to have another in four weeks ,I don't know how we missed it ,we also got six months flea and wormer tablets too, vet was happy with him and said he has some lovely clean teeth :-D
Not such a good day today feeling tired but I have got tomato seeds ,cucumber and some peppers sown so I've done something .

I have a new crochet book coming today called Woodland whimsy's so something new to have a go at .