General Chat

Ouch Frank, that sounds painful. I hope your poor back starts to recover quickly. It’s good the physios are coming to see you. They should be able to help you quite a bit.

Ann, I love the painting you have emailed. I think it’s one of the best so far.

Yes, AnnG, OH drives me barmy at times but I am aware just how lost I would be without him and can imagine how much you must be missing T. You’ve encouraged me to try and be a bit more patient. I’m quite proud of myself today as I have remained calm through several irritating moments.

I got the cordless vac out this afternoon, went round the kitchen, utility, hall and living room, got to the bedroom and the power went. It had been fully charged so I couldn’t understand it till I noticed the suction setting was on maximum and it only runs for about 15 minutes on that. I said to OH that one of us must have accidentally knocked it when he admitted that he had used it for something the day before and put it on max. All I said was “Never mind. If you move the switch again, would you try and remember to put it back to medium when you have finished”.

Then he dropped and broke a dish. Blow me, an hour later he put a mug down on a work surface but didn’t put it right on. So it teetered on the edge before crashing to the floor and all I said was “Oh dear, that’s a nuisance. I’ll help you clear up”. I was seething really as it wasn’t one of the thick old mugs but my favourite bone china one.

I think I am having one of those weeks. It can only get better.

The new surgery is in Black Torrington about 2 miles there and so much better than Holsworthy which was 9 miles I think each way. The doc I liked bought the Black Torrington surgery so thats why we both went there. thats where I had my jab too.

I shall have to look this breakfast up and see what you have.

Toady in the old hole tonight with brocc and roasties.

Yes OH gets me to add poached eggs most times AnnG as he likes his runny egg yolks too. We didn't bother today though.

Oh Frank I hope your back soon eases but I remember FIL's back taking some time to heal when he broke a vertebra. I hope the physio can help you too.

Your plans didn't quite work out then today Vera. When OH is home a lot we seem to get a lot of crumbs too. I know our neighbour has one of those robotic hoovers that just does it on it's own.....I rather like the idea but I wonder if they are noisy as that wouldn't be great.

I have finished yesterday's painting but am still finding my way around to email pictures on the new laptop.....it is all different! :-S It took me about 10 minutes to get onto Terry's boogie stream on youtube tonight. Pam Ayers joined us tonight and must have heard about Terry's Pam Ayers Corner. She told him not to give p the day job!

Where is your new surgery now Mel? I thought you were still having to go to Holsworthy? Did they find someone to take on the old surgery after all? Have you rescued the mower yet?

No Gill again. I hope all's well with Sandra.

O Frank I am pleased you got some treatment we were all worried about you but now we know you are back home safe with Ros it puts all our minds at rest. Did or should I say were you ablel to bring the morphine home with you? I hope you get a good nights sleep tonight. Sending a gentle ((hug)).

Another day of trying to get in touch with the surgery for our scripts and in the end I had to drive down to them and drop the scripts in. They said they had new phones put in on Monday and they don't work properly if two people are on at the same time nobody else can get through.

Hav'nt done anything today apart from lunch and feed the hungry.

Hope your friend arrived soon Vera before you decided to start the spring cleaning.. don’t get carried away what are a few crumbs?
Glad your OH is off the hook now
You may imagine I wish mine was here to get aggravated at.

This really makes me realise we don’t really appreciate what we have until we lose it.

And I know you do all appreciate your O.Hs.

Those breakfasts sound ok if you want something easy Ann. Although I would miss my eggs with runny yolks.

Frank. Ouch you must have been in pain. I assume the break has to heal on its own. Hope the pain eases soon.

BUM, I have just lost a post that over half an hour long. ,So I will condense this down. Yesterday morning ar 6,30 am I rang 111, minutes I was in an Ambulance within 45 on my was to hospital. I was taken down to X ray only to find I had broken a small bone in the bottom of my spine, on the right hand side. I was then given pain relief, and fitted with a canular (sp) into that they attached two drips, one for more pain relief the other was multi vitamin . They also gave me a small bottle of liquid Morphine,which I had to drink.


The nurse has just arrived. She's gone now. Just follow up from yesterdays Hospital trip.

Con't. I was then put in a day ward to let the fluids get into me. Unfortunately as in these cases, I was left there from 11.30 until 4.00 pm They then took a blood sample, which the Dr. wanted to se before allowing me home. So around 5.00 pm I was able to ring for Ros to collect me. Once home we had dinner and a quiet evening, before me going to bed around 9.30.

Today's I have mainly sat around reading my book. and watching a bit of TV and relaxing.

The nurse said a Physio. chap will be calling in the next few days, to see if he can help with any mobility problems that I might have, together with any help I might need.

will ba back on tomorrow. So till then take care. xxxx

I still haven’t had a walk in the fresh air! Just as I was putting my shoes and coat on my friend rang to see if I had left home. As I hadn’t she told me not to go as she would drive round to me this afternoon to pick up the newspapers I save for her. They go to the cats home where she volunteers on Fridays. After speaking to her I thought I’d go out anyway but by the time I was ready it was pouring with rain again and I didn’t fancy getting soaked. Now it’s sunny and I am stuck in waiting for her to arrive.

I’m not so grumpy now and have been perfectly nice to OH today. I have had to count to 10 once or twice but haven’t snapped at him at all. I think I deserve a medal.

I think I might run the vac round while I am waiting for my friend to come. There seem to be a lot of crumbs on the floor.

Yes AnnG, they do 2 breakfasts, one bigger than the other with it in compartments like a ready meal with a seal that you pierce before cooking in the oven or microwave. In the small version you get baked beans, one hash brown, a small bit of bacon with a small egg omelette and one sausage. Not as tasty as home cooked but it saves a lot of faff and time and I stick the tomatoes and mushrooms in the oven at the same time and tell myself it is more healthy! That's a good trip to go from where you live. I've been to Workington a couple of times with OH when he's been to a match there and enjoyed looking round a big retail warehouse just outside the town to the north. It was quite tiring as he would drive there and back in a day. You must be near the sea then, so it explains the wind. It poured with rain here a little while ago but is back to sunshine now.

I see you have had wind and rain last night Mel. I hope you got through about your scripts in the end. We never have pancakes on the day, but I quite fancy some now so might do some later as we have plenty of eggs.

I hope your errand in the fresh air helped Vera. I must admit I could sometimes do with a break from OH after all this time together. We do spend a lot of the day apart with him working and me in the study, but it would be nice to be seeing something different to talk about. Being able to spend time in the garden again soon will help.

Mel, I am at Seaton just up the coast from Workington.

It is now very windy here. But not raining.

Ann my window cleaner didn’t come when he should have done either, don’t know if he has been since I came away.

Is it an actual breakfast that you get from Asda like a ready meal.

Vera maybe a walk to drop off your friend’s birthday card will cheer you up. This lockdown has been so much harder than the long one last year with the weather keeping us all indoors. Your poor OH must wonder what he has done wrong.

Hope Gill and Frank are ok, not heard from Gill for a while, hope there is no more trouble with Sandra.

Afternoon Folks,

No wind here but the sun has just come out. It's warmer again too. I slept well and we had a nice lie in so it's a good job the window cleaner didn't come again. We have to unlock the side gate for him or he climbs over it or the fence, despite being told not to! We have taken to pushing the garden bin right up the garden too as OH noticed he puts his radio on the lid......as if there isn't enough wiping down at the moment.

OH is busy catching up with more of his work and we are having an Asda small cooked breakfast for lunch with the addition of a tray of mushrooms and large tomatoes. Better go and see how it's doing!

Morning Anng and Vera,

Slept well and we have a nice bright morning at the moment but what it will be like later is anybodys guess the way the weathers been lately.

Anng I have forgotten where you are staying. It was so rough here last night with the wind blowoing in gusts at times across the garden. Looks quite calm out there now.

Must ring for our scripts and then my mind will be at rest as I tried yesterday and could'nt get through.

Good morning AnnG and all

It seems to be a mixture of showers and slightly brighter spells this morning. It’s fairly windy but not too cold.

I had a good night last night so I am less grumpy this morning. OH is still irritating me like mad but I am trying to bite my tongue and not get tetchy with him. To be fair to him he never sulks and seldom argues. I think we have been locked down together for just a tad too long. I am always a bit of a misery in February anyway. With the anniversaries of the deaths of 3 close family members and, this year, my brother’s funeral as well, it’s not a happy month.

That’s enough of my miseries. Mandy, your bags and Lewis’s cushion are brilliant. Mel is right. When village fetes and craft fairs and suchlike start up again you should book a table and put your stuff out for sale. It’s sure to go well as it’s always beautifully made and you can’t buy these more unusual pieces in a shop.

I hope Frank is OK and it would be good to hear from Gill as well.

I’ve never been encouraged to do any diy. My Dad wasn’t much good himself and OH is very good but a perfectionist so nothing I tried to do was ever good enough. I soon gave up trying. I’m the designer/supervisor/tea maker, he does the work. My daughter is excellent, doing everything in the home herself. I think that’s a result of having 2 husbands, neither of whom knew one end of a screwdriver from the other.

I’ve just noticed the time. I am supposed to be at a friend’s house by 11.15 to deliver her birthday present before she goes out for an appointment so I’d better get a wriggle on. Have a good day whatever you are doing.

Good morning, rain and strong wind (from the sea) overnight. Calm now and dry. Daughter taken herself off to the lounge for her zoom yoga.

We didn’t fancy pancakes on Tuesday but Daughter cooked them for lunch yesterday and very nice they were too.

What I have been meaning to say to you lot all day is ""How many of you had pancakes yesterday?"" Yes it was pancake day yesterday. We were so full of chinese that we did'nt have them but we had them tonight instead after our gammon steak chips and peas followed by an orange and a tangy.

Bag is beautiful and the cushion is great and he''ll love the pocket for his book. Lovely patterns Mandy on all the items and such professional work. I dn't know why you don't make lots of things and have a stall somewhere and make some money to buy new materials and wool etc.

I didn't see you there Mandy. Yes OH's ear seems much better thanks but we are still doing the drops for another week. It said to continue them a fortnight after it cleared up, but how do you know when it has cleared up if you can't see?? He says he can't hear as well in that ear now, but I don't think he will while he's having 3 lots of drops a day in it! :-). Yes, early starts don't seem to happen here unless we have appointments to go to! Our patio needs cleaning too and we want to get it done sooner this year. I want to look at some freestanding parasols as tables have all different size holes and the parasols that you get in a table and chair set never seem big enough. Our table top has come adrift from the base and we can't clip it back so we can't use a parasol with it like that anyway.

Afternoon All,

It's been sunny here and much warmer than recently so more cheery altogether,

I was up before 8.00am to shower and OH was soon up as well. It was great the laptop behaved perfectly, but I needn't have bothered sketching out the picture for this week as teacher had decided we wouldn't sketch but go straight in with pens to do a much smaller, less detailed picture! I might still do my bigger picture at some point so will hang on to it!

Yes the new dog has fitted in perfectly Frank and the 2 dogs have hit it off well. I hope your back has started to ease a bit now and that you managed to get some sleep.

I seem to remember us having had one little spat since the first lockdown Vera. I get fed up with 'food' on my mind all the time now. I get irritated when OH has a head free of these things and disrupts me when I'm trying to make short work of them like ordering! After having words, one or the other will either start sniggering at the other or each go off somewhere to do our own thing for half an hour. We don't stop speaking, although I might be a bit curt, and I can honestly say I have never known him to sulk in the 34 years I have known him. My first OH didn't either, he would just make himself scarce for a while! My dad, who had a terrible temper, could sulk for 2-3 weeks and I would have to pass messages between him and mum while there was this awful atmosphere in the home. I think it made me avoid any men who were bad tempered or sulky myself. My OH is like yours Vera and I have been told he is charming and a breath of fresh air by others who have worked with him. They don't live with them and see how different they can be at home though. I identify well with the 'child'. For the last year he has put the plates for lunch in the warming drawer, so why am I still needing to remind him?

It took me a while to work out who Florence was, but I realise now it is FG. What a worry it still is with her poor daughter although she is feeling better in herself. I hope she soon gets the dye scan now the vaccine rollout should start easing things on the NHS. Thanks for passing on the news.

As for tech things, I have to try and do these things as I have no -one else to help me. OH shouts me if he has a computer problem, although he does suss out some things! I think it is easier for him ask me first though!

AnnG I have always been like your daughter for doing DIY. Dad expected us to all be able to do things and I was such an unconfident teenager I never expected to be married so thought I would have to be able to do things myself. As a teenager I serviced dad's little van once and was expected to blow the tyres up and check oil and water and could adjust sparkplugs and distributor points with a feeler gauge if needs be. I redecorated my bedroom by myself and could change electric plugs, that sort of thing and dad had a workshop of engineering equipment and I knew how to use some of the machines and would help out if needs be.

I love the latest bag and the lovely cushion Mandy! AnnG, as I replied to you I think you need some more wool for a matching scarf for Inara. How about nice big pompoms on the ends of it?

I'd better finish now before you all fall asleep! An early night for me I think.

Evening all,

Nice dry morning and then we had rain this afternoon ,i did hang a couple of bath sheets out but i never noticed it raining so they got quite wet and so did i bringing them in .

Ann i hope you managed better with the new lap top and the class went well today .
I keep meaning to ask if OH's ear is better .

AnnG hope the stiffness from sitting in the car has worn off a bit now , love seeing Inara in her new hat she has a lovely smile .

Oh dear Vera i think we all have grumpy days when nothing goes right ,hope today has been better .

Mel i hope OH can get the mower out of the mud ,you don't want to much rain or he'll never get it out .
Thats good you've heard from FG i was thinking the other day we haven't heard from her lately ,what a long wait her daughter has had for her dye test .

I think Colin is hoping to do some more pressure washing tomorrow but we're in for rain again by lunch time so he needs to get an early start , he doesn't seem to do early starts these days .

It’s good that you have heard from Fg Mel and I am pleased her daughter seems to be doing OK, though she is having a long wait for her dye test. Please pass on my good wishes next time you are in touch.

I hope Frank is OK. We haven’t heard from him today. In fact, we seem a bit thin on the ground generally. I expect everyone is busy. I wonder how Sandra is getting on with flat hunting.

I decided I had better try and work my grumps away so I started by giving the fridge a long overdue clean. We have a big American style fridge and it is great, with an outside water dispenser and various sliding bits inside so it’s quite flexible, but it must have been designed by a man who didn’t think about cleaning it. It takes ages to take it to bits and wash it all and then there are lots of little crevices and tiny spaces that you can’t get in to really clean or dry. I find myself fiddling about with cotton buds. I do wipe over shelves and veg drawers etc all the time but I only give it a thorough clean every few months.

Anyway that was the whole morning gone. After lunch we were between showers so I got out in the garden and cut down the buddleias. We’ve got 3 in half barrels. I also cut back a couple of fuchsias that are overwintering in big pots in the conservatory. By the time I had done that and taken a couple of phone calls Tesco were here with my delivery. Nothing missing and just 2 acceptable subs.

OH puts the goods in the bags at the door and brings them through to the kitchen but if I am not quick enough he starts putting stuff away. Since last March I have been saying to him to just leave it to me to wipe down and put away but he never remembers. Today he’d got the milk, juice and wine in the fridge before I realised so I got a bit cross again and sent him away but did he remember to wash his hands - of course not. Sometimes I get tired of my friends telling me how wonderful he is when I feel as though I am living with a child who has to be told what to do. You can tell I’m grumpy again can’t you? Moan over now.

I wonder what tomorrow will bring? Let’s hope we all have a good night and tomorrow’s a lovely day.

Mowers still stuck as just as he was ging out there it started to rain and has been raining heavily ever since so it still out there stuck in the mud.

I have had a good go in the bathroom this morning and just have to do the shower (pet hate) and the floor.

Another pet hate, wiping down bread bags on sliced bread.

Had this from Florence this morning so thought I would put it on here for you all to read.

Hello Mel,
Thank you for your email, it's good to hear from you. Sorry about the e.card going astray! I think you could be right about it not having a title.
Daughter is much better in herself although still on epilepsy meds, and the good news is that she doesn't have any of these lesions in her spine but unfortunately has two on the right hand side of her head! She is STILL waiting to hear when she will be having this dye Xray which will pin point the severity of the problem. The hospitals appear to be so taken up with the virus that apart from emergencies everything else seems to be taking a back seat. At least the vaccine programme is going well, so if the general public can just do as they are asked, we may gradually get back to normal. Roll on the day!
We are doing Ok and walking our little girl regularly! We've managed to buy one of those large upright freezers which together with our fridge freezer now means we only need to shop about once a fortnight or less which is brilliant. Glad you had a good birthday and that all is well with you.
F.g x