General Chat

Evening all,

We've had a nice dry day so we got some jobs done in the garden ,Colin put a new fence post in in the front garden ,i got all my Begonias out of my pots and had a good sweep up ,also got the canopy down off the Gazebo ,tomorrow we hope to get the new outside light up ,we do have a light at the side of the house so we can put that on but we miss the light down the garden for when i let Max out at night ,i like to see where he is and what he's doing .
Today when i was outside he came out with me and then i think he was cold so wanted to come in ,i let him in and got on outside when i came in ....well you should have seen the floor ,he had got my cleaning cloths that i had washed and laid on the top of the washing machine ....eight cloths i washed .....five he shredded and stood there with the other three in his mouth as if to say look mum these three are ok LOL

Well it's no change for us with the restrictions ,i did see on the news where they had fined four students ten thousand pounds each for having a house party in Norwich over the weekend with over a hundred guests ,they were talking to a student who said he didn't think it fair that they should fine students so much but if they had listened to advise they wouldn't have been fined .

Vera that was quick getting the appointment for the x ray tomorrow ,hopefully you'll be able to find out what you've done to it as it's been a while now to be in pain .

Hair cut day tomorrow ,she rang to ask if she could come at 11.30 instead of 1.30 ,makes no difference to us we don't go out only to shop .

Thanks Vera as you have reminded me about WDYTYA. I want to see the lady in the wheelchair who is in Silent witness. That was unlucky having to cancel your hair twice but at least they can see you quickly again. I agree about a lot of people who seem to have carried o as normal. I think it is the same with some friends I stopped meeting when this all started. I may be wrong but I have the impression from what they say, that they don't think much of the rules, think they are ridiculous and have mostly ignored them. Good luck with your x-ray tomorrow.........better see what Boris has to say later!

I would have watched that programme if I'd realised it was on AnnG as it sounded interesting. I was reading yesterday that the Australian scientists had discovered the virus can exist on stainless steel, phone screens and something else I can't recall for as long as 28 days. They had only tested it in darkness for some reason and it is known the virus survives less time in the presence of UV light so must be why 72 hours is enough to kill it normally. That was a good idea to move the mower so it will be easier for either of you to use. Hopefully there won't be too much more mowing needed now. Good idea to get some blank cards in. I was wondering whether to try painting some in watercolour.....better see how I get on with it first though!.

Well the watercolour teacher went at a pace today! We did all kinds of masking techniques today where you do things like scribble wax on the surface before you paint and cut shapes from masking tape to stick on and paint over before removing. Now we have to do a painting of autumn with trees to demonstrate what we have learned. We have a man on the course and he trying to cut bits from masking tape reminded me of Frank with sellotape wrapping presents!

The flock of Jackdaws were back at lunchtime as were the collared doves in the garden again, rooting around the top bed like before! No pigeons and hardly a Magpie now, yet there were more of them than anything else in the spring.

I hope Frank and Jane are ok and that Gill is making strides with teaching Sandra to look after herself.

Gosh it's getting dark already!!

Afternoon all,

It was dry and a bit grey all morning but it is raining again now. I did 3 loads of washing but didn’t hang it out. Some is on an airer and, with our underfloor heating, should dry quite quickly and I did the rest in the tumble dryer. The tumble dryer did seem to be getting very hot so I will keep a very close eye on it next time I use it. I don’t want any fires and dryers are notorious for being a bit unstable.

It must be so frustrating for your OH to be so limited in what he can do, AnnG, and a pain for you to have to help him so much. It’s good that he can at least still drive a short distance. It was good of your daughter to offer you help in the garden but that would be a long drive. Like you I have decided that what isn’t done before winter sets in will just have to stay undone. At the moment our garden seems to be full of soggy leaves that have blown in from elsewhere. I have asked OH to collect them up and bag them but there’s no sign of him doing it. I like to save them to turn into leaf mould to put on the garden. The ones I collected 2 years ago are nicely rotted down and ready now and last year’s are getting there.

I was surprised when you said your wallflowers were coming into flower Mel. That seems ridiculously early. Are they the normal everyday annual wallflowers? I’ve never seen them bloom before March and sometimes it’s much later. I’ve always sown the seeds in July, planted them in their final positions in October and then they bloom March to May. I hope your back pain is easing a bit now. Your heated fleece thing sounds useful.

I hope things are going well for you and Sandra, Gill. Take care and don’t overdo it, you need to keep your migraines at bay.

How are you Frank? Are the new tablets helping?

One of the ladies in our group has a birthday at the end of the month and has invited us all for tea and cake. She is having the group split over 2 days so she sticks to the rule of 6 but I and my particular friend in the group have both turned down the invitation as we are not happy that one or two of the others have been very careful. One or two of them have been out and about meeting up with the world and his wife and hardly seem to have changed their lifestyle at all. My friend was telling me on the phone today that she has decided not to meet any of our group for coffee for the next few months. I said that was a shame as I was going to ask her and her OH for a cuppa on Wednesday afternoon but I respected her decision. Apparently we aren’t included in her decision because she knows how careful we have been and they are happy to come to our house or have us to theirs. At least that’s one couple we will be able to chat with, as long as Boris allows it.

I rang the X-Ray people this morning and they had received the request from the doctor and gave me an appointment for 12.30 tomorrow at our local health centre which is only a 10 minute drive. Last Wednesday I had a hair appointment booked and OH rang and cancelled it as I wasn’t too well. I then made a new one for 12.15 tomorrow. I felt really embarrassed at ringing to cancel again but she said she could fit me in at 4 pm tomorrow. Poor OH is having to drive me around at the moment so his day has been organised for him and he may be spending quite a while just sitting in the car waiting for me.

I’m hoping to see “Who Do You Think You Are?” tonight but suspect I will doze through most of it as I also had a sleepless night last night. We are a right old bunch of insomniacs aren’t we? Here’s hoping we all have a good night tonight.

where's our Frank? Hope he enjoyed yesterdays meal out with the od neighbours.

Just by accident, as TV is not usually on in the morning, A press conference mostly on the NHS with Jonathan Van Dam, Stephen Powys and a lady (doctor I think) from Manchester. Quite interesting facts about the hospitals, rates of infection, test and trace etc with just four questions fro the media, BBC, ITV, the Sun and one other. We missed the start but not anything about further restrictions as Van Dam wouldn't be drawn.

It wa dry first thing but OH takes so long to get going that be the time he had had breakfast (weetabix and banana) and we had got his shoes on and started to walk down the garden, it was starting to rain. anyway what we did, he got the mower (it is a very light one) out of the shed and I put it into the greenhouse so it is easy to get out. Now when we have a dry day one of us can easily get it out and mow the lawn. Once that is done he will feel better about the garden. I then tackled the conservatory getting rid of some cardboard as it is recycle bin day tomorrow and putting away tools that have been left lying around. Stopped for a coffee but will go down in a minute and do the floor out there.

Annx just checked the photos again and yes I can see there is a difference in the 1:1 photos. I actually like them but I notice that the photos are more pixels and more MB than the others I took.

Morning All,

So much for my recent good sleeps, I was awake till after 3.00am this morning. :-( It looks very overcast here this morning and rain is forecast.

That's a good way to move your heavy pots Vera and I use polystyrene too to keep the weight down. Our pots all sit on the gravel which makes wheeling anything around more difficult. I put plastic flowerpots in the smaller ceramic pots now so I can lift them out to pot up plants and put them back again. Saves my back bending and OH or I can move the smaller pots when they are empty like that if I want them somewhere else. I bet your new ones will look so good in the spring with the Wallflowers!

No we don't usually have so many subs with Asda, but I think life round here is different to some parts of the country, as the city is still under restrictions due to the virus and the Asda where our deliveries come from is on the edge of the city. The virus just in our district(ward) has increased with over 74% extra new cases in the last 7 days and I think people have been stocking their cupboards again with a likely more restrictive lockdown looming. Lots of things were out of stock when I was ordering.

It's good your OH managed some dinner AnnG. He might be a bit concerned about the results from his scan. I think we all worry a bit about results. I hope he is in less pain than he was now. Has the cushion arrived yet? Yes these Amazon people do come early sometimes. I think it is a second job for some and they do some deliveries before their usual work. We have a gardener (man with a van) turn up at one of the bungalows with his mower further up the close at 7.00am and is gone by 8.00am and I wonder if he goes to another job afterwards.

Mrs O opposite has been out in her slippers picking miniscule bits off their gravel this morning. I suspect they may be bits that have blown from our pine tree!

It's an Asda brekkie with added grilled mushrooms and tomatoes and toast today as a brunch, as OH has an afternoon meeting and I have my painting class so I'd better go and check on it now.

Then we have the PM's announcement to watch later.

Morning Anng and all,

Not very nice here this morning as its that fine rain that get everywhere. Skies are grey and depressing and its generaly miserable. A typical Monday morning.....

Vera yes as Anng said be careful with that foot. Its great you got the pots in place and the wallflowers in them. I bought a 6 pack of wallflowers down the shop on Saturday and I am going to try then in the big tubs out the front of the bungalow. Can't put them up the border as the rabbits and deer eat them but tye may be ok down here. We will see.

They look to be nice colours as they are just starting to flower. A pretty pale yellow and some nice orangey reds. There also two in one of the 6 packs.

Back is still playing up but I sat with my heated fleecey thing on yesterday while I was sitting down in the evening.

Hope Jane has had a nice weekend with H & G and is comfortable. Sending love and hugs <3

Good morning all. gosh, good job I was up and halfway decent as an Amazon delivery arrived just after 0830. One Christmas present out of the way and some more blank greeting cards.

good you got the big pots in position Vera. Just be extra careful of your foot until you know what you have done to it, you don't want to make things worse. OH not sleeping very well apparently seems to be cat napping in 30 minute intervals. I am wondering if he is nervous about his scan on Wednesday. At least yesterday he ate a fairly good meal, not big but meat, vegetables and potatoes (2 small roasties).

daughter has offered to come down for a day/one night to help with the garden but it id nearly a five hour journey, I don't want them to do that. I have said if things suffer because we can't see to them then we will just put up with it.

It’s actually been dry all day today; it’s the first fully dry day we’ve had for ages.

You are right about the weight of the large terracotta pots. We have a sack barrow that we can use to move the smaller ones and OH sort of rolls the biggest ones on the bottom rim. We have a couple of half barrels and years ago he made some round wooden bases on casters for them though they are still too heavy for me to move on my own.

First thing this morning OH put our two new pots in place by the front door and I got them filled. As wallflowers don’t need too much depth for their roots I put a layer of crocks and then filled about a third of the pots with polystyrene pieces, then filled up with compost. I still used a lot of compost but it’s another job done now. I was out there about an hour and a half and I would have liked to do more but didn’t want to risk my back or foot. The back just aches a bit but my foot is painful again so I’ve been sitting with my feet up all evening.

I’m glad you are feeling a bit brighter today Frank. I hope you enjoyed your roast lamb. It’s my favourite too. Today we had pork which was nice and tender.

That was a lot of subs and out of stock items in your order today Ann. Do you usually get that many? Tesco seem to be pretty good. I seldom get more than one sub. Last week it was some jam that they substituted for a different brand and they charge whichever is the cheaper of your original order or the substitute.

Mel, make sure you rest as much as you can to give your back a chance to improve. That’s easier said than done I know - there always seems to be something that needs doing. If you are in touch with fg please pass on my good wishes for her daughter. I hope they get her scan sorted out quickly for her.

I’m feeling really tired tonight so I think I am going to go to bed with a book and read for a while. I hope you all sleep well tonight.

Ann I am pretty certain that any subs are charged the same amount as would have been if dearer. We were lucky only one sub and one not available. So far Tesco have been quite good.

I must have a good look at the photos I took tomorrow and see what the difference is.
Yes I suggested that to OH earlier to put the plug in and wash his feet when he showers. Of course he still won’t be able to dry them though

Yes AnnG I thought some I did in black and white had a quite different effect. I had another go at doing the background wash for my painting practice and got it a bit better this time. Tomorrow morning I will practice the other things we did ready for the afternoon session. We are using wax candles and masking fluid tomorrow so that will be a first for me.

My knees make it difficult to reach my feet easily to wash them so what I do is put the plug in the bath while I use the shower over it and that gives them a nice soak. On hot days I sit and give them a soak in soapy water in a shallow garden humper that is long enough inside for my feet. I am very lucky with OH as he is the only person I have ever met whose feet have no smell at all, even on hottest of days. He can wear the same shoes or trainers for weeks on end and no smell from them or his socks!! I find it incredible as mine can soon get whiffy and I have to stick my slippers and trainers in the wash from time to time. Neither of us have corns, bunions or deformed toes, bumps on our heels, but I do get a bit of hard skin on my heels now if I don't use cream on them regularly. I can still just manage to cut my toenails by keeping one foot on the ground and the other leg stretched along the bottom of the bed!! lol. I don't think I could varnish my toenails now though.......unless it was the clear stuff!

The food delivery was 15 minutes early today which was good as we got it wiped and put away sooner. I was annoyed about the milk! I didn't mind the change of brand from the usual one, but they only sent 8 pints instead of 12!! I thought if they substituted, they had to bear the extra cost but it seems they just give you something to the same value by giving you less of it! Luckily we have a few longlife cartons and some dried milk too that I can use. Nine substitutes and 6 items out of stock. One of the subs was the chicken crown I wanted to try Mel. :-( I think we better get the Xmas pud ordered next time if people are buying everything up!

OH made me smile as he showed me a photo he found online of the match he went to yesterday and no-one was near him at all.

Mandy if you go on the Hobbycraft website they have several crochet patterns on there for autumn things.

Frank, it is good to see that you feel brighter today. and I hope you enjoy your lamb dinner, my favourite is lamb so I envy you,especially the not having to cook bit.
We have a shared lamb shank again today, at least OH will eat a small amount of that and enjoy it.

Mel, glad your back is feeling better, keep resting it though don't start working again too soon.

Annx hope the shopping arrives OK. and that you get the homework done. I was out in the garden with my camera earlier. I took a few photos on the 1:1 ratio in black and white and in colour but I am not sure that I can see the difference when I view them on the computer. I was pleased though with the couple of black and white I took, I forget how I have always enjoyed monochrome photos.

I have just spent a further 20-30 minutes out in the garden trying to tidy up a few bits. We were very lucky this morning as our neighbour was out doing her front garden and she offered to give our large lavender bush a hair cut. She knows T usually does it this time of year.

Afternoon All,

Lovely sunshine here this morning Mel so the washer was on. I think we are due your rain at teatime though! :-S Sorry your back is still bad. I think I have noticed a few thumb and finger twinges since it got colder and wetter. My L knee is still achey if I sit with it bent but much better than it was. I can't believe it is 10 years since your mum died, where did all that time go.

Sorry to hear your sad news about your sister Frank, but it was a blessing for her wasn't it with her being so poorly for so long. I remember my mum was the last to go out of 9, but she was 9 years younger than the next youngest. That was nice of Gary to think of ringing you and offering to collect you for the funeral. Glad you are feeling better today as well.

We had lunch in the conservatory as it was quite warm with the sunshine. Two collared doves settled in the top island bed and were there ages pecking at this and that and even laying down with the sun on them. The flock of Jackdaws were enjoying vigorous flypasts from the trees in the field when they spotted a Buzzard!! Off they went in pursuit mercilessly mobbing him for ages till he had to give up and fly off!

What a shame there was an appointment muddle for FG's daughter. You just get yourself prepared for these things and then have to do it all over again.

Now my cheaper paint pads and paintbrushes have arrived I've just realised I haven't finished my homework for tomorrow so better get cracking now.

It's food delivery day today so I shall be putting my Marigolds on later.. The reward will be a bar of wholenut choccie which I shouldn't really have but you need a treat sometimes! :-D

I'm pleased you had a good night Frank and are feeling better than you were yesterday. You sound very smary in your blue slacks and striped shirt. Enjoy your dinner tonight as you hav'nt had to prepare it.

We've had a few showers this morning but the suns out at the mo.

Anng nice of T to make you bacon sandwiches this morning. Hope his back is not too bad today. Mines a little bit better but I am being very careful what I do.

I had 6 eggs again this morning but they still managed to break one.

We had scrambled eggs on toast today for lunch. Oh had tinned toms with his as thats what he fancied. Then we had toast and ginger preserve all washed down with orange juice.

Whats everyone else doing? Bet Colin is watching the racing as we are.

Afternoon to you all, I am pleased to say I had a good nights sleep and feeling better than yesterday. Had plenty of water, and a COT.

All showered and shaved, dressed in a nice pair of blue slacks . blue and white stripped shirt and light pullover. John and Carolyn have invited us to dinner at 4.00 pm. Not feeling that hungry, but will do my best. she is cooking LEG OF LAMB with all the trimmings, so shelf be nice, not having to prepare and cook everything at home.

I has call from one of my nephews (GARRY) Brother Bills youngest. He was concerned about how I felt. being the last of the Original Bedford's. He was concerned how I was taking the news. He has offered to come and collect Ros and I for the funeral. I left it that if I felt able and well enough, I would see if Simon was thinking of attending, and if so. we would go with him. Otherwise Ros would be able to drive as it'd Straight down the M1 onto the M 11 and turn of to Woodford Bridge. I must find out if Ted's som will be there, as I am sure there will be FIREWORKS between him and I. We will see.

We has quite a bit of rain in the night, but this morning it's wall to wall sunshine. It was too warm for me to sit in the conservator, reading the paper. So a BEAUTIFUL AUTUMN DAY.

I am thinking of asking John and Carolyn if they fancy a day out at Whipsnade Zoo. I haven't been there since we took Lewis as a child. We could stop on the way back at a nice little pub I know around Dunstable and have a bite to eat.


I hope you are all well, and sending you all my love. xxxx

Good afternoon, lovely autumn morning here, sunny but cold.

T didn't sleep all that well but was up reasonably early and at 10.00 cooked bacon for bacon sandwiches for us. has been sitting listening to music after we watched the end of Britains Got Talent - only for the performances from Mary Poppins, Phantom and Les Mis. all well worth watching if you haven't. (it is on youtube under Musicals Britains got Talent.) He is now ironing a couple of shirts and a pair of my jeans. No doubt he will then collapse in a heap. His back is no better as far as I can tell. Hope yours doesn't go on as long Mel.

Morning all,

Not been up long. Still suffering with the back so how's T's now Anng.

Not a nice morning as its dull and raining so its wet wet wet.

My mum died 10 years ago today so I won't forget Mary either. <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3

O Frank so your the last of the 10 now. Its good SIL phoned to tell you and that you were told straight away. Sending you love and a gentle (((hug)) from me too.
Rest in peace Mary <3

I have heard from FG and will put her posts below.

Both messages today.

Hello Mel,
Just to let you all know that our daughter has her MRI today. We should have the results in about 10 days which will at least tell us what's what and what the next step will be. As I'm sure you will understand this is a pretty stressful time for us so at the moment we are trying to keep busy and positive!! One thing though, I finally have an appointment with the dental hygienist on Thursday, so that is good news!
Abby is her usual affectionate cheerful self and boosts our spirits no end.
I hope all is well with everyone and that Jane is in a reasonably good place. for Jane.


second one.

Hello again Mel, Just a P.S. Our daughter went for her scan only to discover that that there's been a complete muddle up with her appointment and she didn't get her scan today! I'm speaking to her later so will know more then. I guess it's been rescheduled and no one thought to tell her! So more worry!!


I think its stopped raining so I am off on a very slow walk to corn the chickens.