General Chat

gOOD THAT THE MACHINE CAN BE FIXED mANDY AND NEW HANGING BRACKETS TOO AND GOT YOUR BASKETS UP. yOU HAVE BEEN BUSY THIS MRONING.

Sorry I had the cap lock on and forgot. :-\

What a shame you are not healing quickly and yes it is a long while but as Mandy said you are probably a bit run down with all you have been coping with lately. I wish you better soon and enjoy your holiday. You will have someone to get that dressing properly too.

Well I have tried and tried to order our scripts online this morning doing mine first and I could'nt find the password first of all and then I put it in wrong and the user name so after 5 attempts I could'nt doit anymore. I could'nt understand my own writing!!!!!!!! Shall have to do it tomorrow now.

Been faffing around all moring and not got anything done so now I am going down the shed as its raining.

Afternoon all,

Bit cloudy here with breaks of sun now and then, I had a chap look at the washing machine this morning ,its a Hoover washer AnnG, it needs a heater element so he's ordering one which he says can take a couple of days but he's right going later with the price ,not to bad he thought about twenty odd pound ,we paid the call out which was forty seven pound .

Oh its nice that you've heard from Fritz Ann thats for letting us know ,its good H&G are keeping local i expect H has been looking after them all she is such a lovely organised person Jane would be so proud .

Oh dear AnnG not what you wanted but at least you'll have help with the dressings while your away ,perhaps your a little run down with all that you have had to cope with ,a nice break away will do you good .

We've hung the baskets on the gazebo this morning and I have two new brackets to go up this afternoon if it keeps dry, there's a few dark clouds now since I've been typing.

Vera I hope your headache has eased for you.

Yes I did look at the 14 day forecast for Combe Martin, there still seemed to be a lot of wet about.

Not the result I wanted from the nurse. She said there is still some infection there so has bathed it and poked it and made it very sore and put another dressing on and another appointment on Tuesday (18th). Says that there will probably be another dressing which means I will have dressing on for the holiday. what a pain feel really fed up now, never had one of these ops take so long to heal. It will be 4 weeks next Monday since the op.

Morning Anng and all,

Thanks for the email Anng and I do hope you can get the seed off it for me. Thanks for trying in advance. I love it when things pop in in strange places. I have a foxglove in the gravel outside the back door. Self sown and in the wrong place and this year it should flower.

Grey sky and dull and wet looking today. It rained all yesterday afternoon and through the night. Everywhere is soaking this morning. The border will now be too wet to work even if it stopped raining. Thats the trouble with it down here once it starts it dos'nt know when to stop. I hope we get a bit of change in the weather for those coming down for a holiday eg. Ann and Frank.

Good morning all, up and dressed early as the men are supposed to be doing the window this morning and my car is also due back.

Mel I think the pink and whie acquilegia is call either strawberries and cream or raspberries and cream. I don't know what my white one is. Up until about five years ago we had them all over the garden sprouting in unlikely places in some cases and were all shades from the common dark purple to white and I think there may be some pink ones left in the garden somewhere. T bought lots of the specialist ones but they didn't last they just never seeded, or if they did they just came up purple.

Mandy I expect part of your tiredness is frustration over not being able to get your washing machine fixed. I hope after buying all those parts it is actually able to be fixed. What make is it, not sure if you have said.

Annx thanks for the news on Fitz, oh, I hope his back is soon better. I am sure that Chris and James are just living day by day. I know how Chris feels of course, it takes a long time to adjust to that empty chair. Bad enough for me with T but Jane was younger and had a lot of life in front of her so it is really hard for them. Pleased to hear that George is doing well. I did have H's email address somewhere and thought of asking after baby George but thought it would only cause sadness as you said Mel. It would be lovely to see a photo of him though.

It is already 9 degrees here but looks very grey out there so I guess we are in for more rain.

I had what I think was the beginning of cystitis yesterday and still here a bit this morning so drinking loads........ of water! I think it may be the aftermath of the antibiotics. Hopefully it will clear on its own.

Thanks Ann for the report on Chris and James and of course Fitz. I keep thinking I may email them but can't quite bring myself to do it as I don't want to bring back sad memories if they are adjusting now. I wonder how Thomas is? I bet he misses Jane more than Chris and James.

Anng that Aquilegia is beautiful and could you please save me some seed? I have a dark blue one that Di gave me and its still in a pot and the year before last I had it on the patio. Its sowed its seed between the paving slabs and they are better than the plant in the pot and just coming into flower. I saved the seed last year but can't find them at the mo. I have a different one up on the border which is pink and yellow and a different shape. The ones oh likes are the douple pink and white ones which grow in the tarmac road with those poppies I was talking about once before. The poppies are in flower now and the aquilegia are coming up. I think its called Mrs Popple.

That's a nuisance with your washer Mandy. I hope you can find someone to look at it tomorrow. It's a bit of luck your DIL isn't far away and can help. I think I would have to be finding a flat stone in the garden! :-D I still haven't got any cues yet. :-(

Oh Mel that sounds quite a big job with the other mower, but at least he knows what he is doing. It will be good to give it a lick of paint at the same time. Don't kick over any of those screws will you!

Sorry you have been struggling with a headache Vera and I hope it soon goes. You got plenty of jobs done though.

I have heard back from Fitz. He has hurt his back so not been on the computer he said. He sees Chris for lunch often and says he isn't easy to read but said he and the family seem to be adjusting to the sad change in their lives. James is still working from home and baby George is providing a focus for them. He also said that H&G will be moving to another house on the edge of Market Harborough, which isn't far away, It seems that their temporary move up here has become a permanent one for now at least.

Evening all,

Been busy the last few days and by the time we've eaten i have felt so tired so haven't felt like posting ,had an early night last night but still feel tired .
The new Blinds came yesterday so they are ready to go up Colin just has t get the old blinds down and just paint in the recess .
I've been trying to find some one to have a look at my washing machine ,son put a new sensor on but its still saying error 22 so we need to find someone to have a look at it ,i did find a number in our local advertiser but no joy there so ill have another go tomorrow ,DIL has been washing our bits and pieces and she did the bedding today for us so she has been helping .

I was going to say the same as Mel AnnG that T is still with you in he garden <3 i like the white ones ,i have the purple ones and they seed all over the place .

I have planted up 6 hanging baskets today ,oh goodness i now looked up and it had come up as 66 :-0 :-D
We hang them on the Gazebo ,just need Colin to screw the brackets on tomorrow and i can hang them up .
I have flowers on my tom plants but the poor cues don't look very healthy at all ,i put some more small cue seed in yesterday ,i don't know if its a bit late for them but i can only try ,if not i might see if i can buy a couple of plants .

Also been tying to sort out building and contents insurance so its been all go here .

Gill i hope all goes well with the builder tomorrow ,your on your way now with getting the bungalow just how you would like it .

Just going to get a drink and then it will be time for the sewing bee .

I’ve been finding it hard to get into anything as well Mel. I slept well but woke up with a bad headache again and Ican’t seem to shake it off. I have made myself do some h/w, hoovered and dusted downstairs and did the ironing, all except a duvet cover that’s a pig to iron and I couldn’t face that. I got a casserole in the oven and sorted my Sainsbury’s order for delivery Friday morning and even went for a short walk so I’ve done quite a lot but it all seemed an effort. I didn’t do any gardening though OH spent quite a while in the garden this morning.

That is a very pretty aquilegia AnnG. I do like them and had several in our front garden at the old house but they do seed like mad and pop up all over the place so OH isn’t keen on them. He likes plants to behave themselves once planted - everything in it’s place. Pity he isn’t so tidy about the house!

Sorry, going to stop typing as my eyes are blurry and it’s making my bad head worse. Will be back tomorrow. Have a good evening and night everyone.

Had a tidy up in the craft room but could'nt get into anything.

I told you he is still with you Anng. He knew you'd find that white one. <3

I have made fishing sandwiches for lunch and they are all ready for when he comes in. We just had a shower of rain and its all overcast now so I think I shall have to be content with working down here today.

Ann its the big zero turn mower he is working on now. Its been in the leanto over the west wall for some years now and he has the mowing deck off and is putting new barings in the blades and repainting all the deck. It in pieces all over the workshop in our small seed trays. Three rotating blades so three of everything to do.

So now they are not coming today but tomorrow morning, so they have to be finished before I go to see the nurse at 1205.

I keep meaning to send round a photo of an aquilegia, T so liked them that he often bought the different varieties and was always disappointed when they reverted to the main colout. He loved the white ones and I have just found a lovely white one growing in the gravel round the conservatory next to the garden bin.

Afternoon All

We were up early again as OH had an early zoom meeting with offer of more work just as he's been cutting down. They really wanted him so are willing to pay much more to get him. Then we went in the garden and planted sweet peas, a few rock plants, geraniums, salvias and snapdragons. I did another big pot of yellow pansies with some of the self set ones in the garden for next to the arbour where we sit like I had last year. Gradually a bit at a time we are getting things planted. I want to plant up 3 extra pots that I have this year to place round where we sit, so maybe that's a job for tomorrow. We are both shattered now as OH also weeded the front garden.

I hope you get your glass soon AnnG. We were told it would take them a few weeks to do our sealed units, but they have plastic arches in them so maybe they aren't 'on the shelf' so to speak. Mel is right, I am getting fed up of looking through fog in our conservatory, so it will be nice to have a clear view.

Gill I used to love planning things at my old house and used squared paper to draw things to scale. Are you building a staircase and planning to have rooms in the loft eventually or did you mean a loft ladder? It will spur you on now you will soon be able to do the interesting bits!!

Mandy's been quiet for a day or two, but perhaps she's been busy in the garden too.

Mel you certainly have plenty of garden to need doing, but as you say there's always indoor jobs as well. Has OH fixed the mower now?

We have glorious sunshine now.

Well my car was collected early and is now at the garage. I have dusted lounge and dining room and done the floors, not that they really needed doing. I have also moved the fuchsia baskets out (last years fuchsias onto their hooks, hopefully they are protected where they are if there is a frost. And I have made the frame with bamboo sticks behind the three tomatoes I am growing outside and they have been potted into place. Have kept three in their pots in the greenhouse in case I lose one of the outdoor ones.

No sign of the window lads yet.

Morning Anng and all,

Nice and sunny here this morning but clouds in the sky too. Had a lie in this morning so up late which I hate asit makes the morning hsort.

Hope your window glass comes today and they get this one in ok without cracking it. It'll be good to get it done and out of the way and you will be able to see your lovely garden through it properly.

I always spinkle the red campion seeds about the rough bit inthe garden as I think they are so pretty. I gather the seed on a nice dry day and keep some and sprinkly lots up the side of the orchard. I even had it inthe border last year near the little arch.

If the rain keeps off today I shall venture up the border if it does,nt I shall work down here.

good morning all, car being collected between 9 and 10am so, as I was awake I thought I may as well get up. Not washed and dressed yet though.

It is 6 months today since T went into hospital, time passes doesn't it? It is getting a bit easier being on my own and I am proud of getting several jobs done on the house that were outstanding for a long time. However i still go up and down, good and bad days and missing him will never get better.

Gill good that you have got the garden more clear now, or will have at the end of the week. And it will be great when the builder has finished and you can put your plans into action. But at least the enforced wait gives you time to make plans for afterwards so you can get things as you want them. If you google kitchen plans you can get lots of ideas free. Things you may not have thought of.

I am hoping they come back with the window today although I have not heard yet if they managed to locate more glass. If they can't it won't matter too much as long as they let me know.
Hopefully we can have some dry spells so I can get a few more bits done in the garden. some of the wild flowers are up and flowering. Pink campions. If T was here he would be pulling up 'weeds' but the bees love them.

What a day you've had AnnG I hope it isn't long before the glass is sorted. With not using the car much it probably is the battery, I'm sure you'll find out soon.

It sounds like everyone has been busy in the garden. OH finished moving all the garden rubbish to where the hedge rubbish is so that's now ready for shredding on Friday. It only took him an hour to finish so we spent a couple of hours sorting out the living room and putting some more boxes in the loft and spare bedroom. We've just got to move a few bits of furniture tomorrow then everything will be ready for the builder on Thursday.

We had a bit of a storm this afternoon with rumbles of thunder and the odd flash of lightening, luckily OH had just finished the garden before it started. He had to nip out to sort out the car tax and that's when the rain started, he said it was like driving through a car wash. Luckily he parked outside the post office so he didn't get to wet.

I've been having a think about how I'd like my kitchen, it's so big compared to our old one being just over 9 foot wide and 15 foot long. I've come up with about three or four different ways to design the kitchen now lol and keep thinking of other things I'd like. OH said it was nice to see a smile on my face as I've been a bit down with this place needing so much work doing and not being able to get a builder for so long. So now I can allow myself to start planning each of the rooms now, then the garden will be next.

Signing out now. I hope everyone has a good night's sleep.

Wonder what Mandy's been up to today?

Rained most of the afternoon and so I stayed indoors and washed all my BIG pots. I have four nice ones for my tom plants and a nice bigger one for my courgette.

YOu've been busy Vera and got a nice lot of gardening done.

Thats a good idea Anng I expect your car just needs a new battery and then it will be fine again.

Sweet and sour chicken pieces in batter tonight, chow mein and rice which I will have to cook the other things go in the oven and in the microwave. So nice and easy.

Did anyone watch the new three part thing on BBC last night? I quite enjoyed it.

Yes it was a bit frustrating but it or actually the car pushed me to do something I have been thinking. My car has done very few miles this past year with lockdowns and T’s situation, and the battery has flattened twice. I have got my garage owner collecting it tomorrow and he will check it over for me and hopefully iron out any potential problems. And if necessary a new battery.