General Chat

What a hot day it has been here and it looks like a hot, sticky night. I washed a big duvet cover and got all the ironing done first thing before I started to wilt too much. This afternoon we walked round to our friends’ house and sat in their garden for a couple of hours. Our garden is in the sun all day but they get sun in the morning and more shade in the afternoon so it was quite pleasant. I’ve just been watering all the pots and troughs while OH is cooking our meal and I’m shattered now.

I don’t suppose Jane likes this heat much. I hope she is not feeling too grotty at the moment. I hope Ros and Frank are OK as well. Sending you all love??

(Had a break to eat)

Those bee swarms can be fascinating but quite scary when they happen. I’d love to see your pictures Mel. Some years ago we had a swarm fly up over the roof of our house and settle on a bush in our front garden but OH never took any photos. We had a lot of trouble getting someone to deal with them. The local council weren’t interested in helping us and the local beekeepers were frightened of introducing a virus into their hives. Eventually we found someone who agreed to take them, much to my relief. Have you covered your blueberries yet? We had to do ours a week or so ago as the birds were already at them. We picked our first bowlful yesterday. How are you getting on with removing your twitch? I didn’t know what it was till I googled and realised that it was the bane of our lives in our old house but we knew it as couch grass.

How did you get on with your family tree today Gill? Did you break down any of those brick walls?

Yes, AnnG, we are enjoying our Zoom quiz sessions. We quite like a quiz anyway but what’s really nice is the chit chat that goes back and forth and just seeing them all. I think that’s why the younger ones are keen to carry on, they are enjoying the family interaction and seeing their cousins.

It looks as though things are getting back to some kind of normal. Usually with the government it’s too little, too late, but I am wondering if the easing of restrictions is going to prove to be too much, too soon. I feel sorry for Boris and his crew as they will be damned if they do and damned if they don’t.

As well as my hair appointment on the 6th July I now have chiropody on 15th. I have to time my arrival just right so I don’t meet anyone else and I must have a face covering. My chiropodist always wears a mask anyway. I will also have my temperature taken before I am allowed through so maybe things aren’t so normal after all. I am getting quite canny. I have made sure that I have the first appointment of the day at the hair salon and the chiropodists so I won’t have to worry about how well everything has been cleaned after the last person.

I forgot to say earlier that a couple of hours after I sent my email of complaint to Tesco I had a phone call from them. They were very apologetic. Though I had told them all the things I was unhappy about I had only asked them to refund the money for the cucumber that was missing (a whole 49p!), but they are also refunding the cost of the potatoes and cherries as well, and the delivery charge. That comes to near enough £10, so a good result.

As OH cooked I said I would clear up so I had better get on with it. I hope you all have a good night tonight.

I rang Ed to see if the boys wanted to come and see them but he told me he has had them turn up at his too in the garage roof where the bee keeper can't get to them.

they're in the rhodo and I have pictures.

Oh Mel, it's good he spotted them! You don't want to be upsetting flying stingers as I know to my cost. Will they move on soon themselves or will you need to get a beekeeper in to move them?

I just had to get on oh's mower with him as he called to me and we have a swarm of bees in the garden and I think thye are settling in the Rhodidendron. I have taken some pics but I am confined to the house at the mo.

I hope Mel has done her wiping now, got it put away and can enjoy doing more work on her border. It really is a lovely day with a slight breeze to keep the heat down a little.

We had lunch but were pestered by a persistent bluebottle so had to do a lot of swatting! After we had sat a while I went and picked our first mini cucumber and a few minutes later my arm was blotchy from the hairs on the foliage. It's faded now, but I'll put my long gloves on next time. Gill I have 1 tomato that's a different variety and although it's up to my waist now it only has 1 small bunch of flowers on it! The others have some small toms coming and far more flowers. I hope you do better with your OH's FH today and find some people to add.

That's a pretty Peony in your Avatar AnnG. You are lucky to have gooseberries to pick as we only had about half a dozen the size of peas and they have just disappeared now so maybe the birds have had them. Is it pectin you add to fruit to set jam if the fruit doesn't have much? I don't really know what the sugar does so don't know about using less.

I have framed the painting but had to trim the mount which I may paint a different colour as it doesn't look right and won't when I repaint the wall it is going on. I've also signed up for a one off free watercolour painting session on zoom with the WEA at the end of the month. I have only used acrylic paint up to now so it will be interesting to learn the difference and maybe pick up some painting tips anyway.

My left knee is achey after rolling the slates around yesterday and kept me awake last night, so I think I will start sorting out what I need for some craft work next.

I hope we hear from Frank and Jane soon.

Morning all

Another bright day after a dodgy start, we had some fine rain, but thankfully it's gone now.

Hope Ros's arm has gone down and she's home today Frank, she needs rest now or could end up in hospital again. I hope she had a good nights sleep, not so easy in a hospital though. Hope you are okay to and had a good nights sleep.

I've been thinking of Jane and hoping she hasn't had to many side effects from her treatment. Sending a gentle hug Jane <3 <3 <3

The birds will surely eat all your blueberries Mel, good idea to cover them or you'll have none left. Has your delivery arrived yet? Good luck with your twitch grass. We have horsetail everywhere and are forever pulling it out, we really need to put some weedkiller down but I don't want my plants to be effected, so it's become a daily job to pull it out now. It's starting to come through the patio flags so we might put some concrete in the gaps, hopefully it'll stop it growing in between the flags then.

That was nice of your OH to fix your freezer Ann, it saves you the job now. How are your tomatoes doing? Ours have lots of flowers on them so we should have quite a few toms soon. The little one on the end only has two flowers so I'm not holding out much hope of it getting any better, but the other five are doing well.

It sounds like you're really enjoying your zoom quiz's Vera, it must be nice to see your family, even if it is only on a screen.

Going to take a look at OH's family tree today, I thought I'd found a marriage for one of his ancestors yesterday, but it turned out to be wrong, so I had to take her off again. I'm still hitting brick walls, so I'm hoping I have a better day today and finally find someone to add.

Yes Ann the twitch is awul and I never get it all out but it looks much better with most out and I can dig the ground at the mo so some is better than lots. I am approaching a really thick bit though.

STill waiting for my delivery which has'nt arrived at the alloted time of between 10am and 11am. You can't get into anything else when you're waiting can you?

I need to cover up my blueberries or the blackbirds will eat the lot ripe or no.

Hope Jane is ok after the last chemo. we hav'nt heard from her since the picture came on the day of the first lot. It was the 18th when she last posted.

Where's Frank??? Hope he has'nt done anything silly will Ros is in hospital. Did you sleep well Frank?

Sunny Morning All :-),

I hope Ros got some sleep last night and that her arm swelling has gone down so she can go home. Lots of resting it then so it doesn't swell up again.

Glad you are enjoying the family quizes Vera. Just doing something different helps doesn't it and at least it is a way to see family too. I think zoom and skype have been a boon for many families so they can have some better kind of contact.

That twitch grass is awful isn't it Mel and so hard to get it all out. We had it in one border when we got rid of the pond and had a change around. We also had the awful mare's tail. We ended up removing all the plants for a way beyond where it was and keep dosing every shoot that appeared with systemic weedkiller. It did get rid of it but it would be impossible to do it with your big borders.

I was going to see what to do with that freezer drawer front but his lordship tells me he has managed to fix it back ok so that was a nice surprise and saved me fiddling with it!

Better go and open the greenhouse and see what veg need using up for lunch!

Good morning, lovely morning here as well Mel. Not sure what we are doing though, pretty sure whatever it is we won't be away from the house for long.
We have gooseberries to pick then I may make a crumble. I want to make a pot or two of jam but the sugar I have is halfspoon so I wonder if it will work?

Vera glad you are all still enjoying the quizes. Not our cup of tea, neither of us like them.

Frank, when I had a minor op in outpatients they kept me in overnight, I was the only female kept in so had a side room, there were several men in another room at the end of the long ward but it certainly wasn't quiet with nurses back and fore all night. I hope Ros is ok to come home today and she really must rest if she doesn't want t be back in hospital again. And you don't do too much either. I bet you missed her last night. :-) :-)

Morning all,

Nice morning once again and sunshine and blue sky.

Hope Ros had a good night in hospital and her arm has gone down this morning.

Its the big wipe down today and I want to get everything ready so am up early. Hoping to get back on the border today as I have now hit a really think lot of twitch. If I can just get some out it will make it all look a lot better.

Frank thye won't leave patients on their own all night there's bound to be staff about if only a small amount. Hope you get on ok on your own. It will be strange without your other half so don't go doing anything silly please. Aunty Mel has spoken for ALL of US. So there..........and its no good saying Ros dos'nt do what she's told if you don't either.

Yes thank you Vera my arm is much better today and I have now finished my pills so we will see if it carries on getting better as its still a little red and the actual bit where it sunk its jaws in me is now the size of a pin prick. You sound like you are really into these quizes now and its nice if the younger ones want to carry on with them.

Ann I do always where long sleeves but I must admit I did do a bit of weeding laying on the gras doing the edge when I had the bite. I can never go sleeveless as I get very bad horse fly bites which really swell up. the only thing is as I am up there digging and weeding if I get a prickly touch me I have to have a look straight away incase its another one.

Robby came up with me today and when oh brought my afternoon cuppa up and I had a sit on the kneeler he went over the weeds in the barrow and then on the earth where I had been digging and found a nice lot of worms there.

Beef's in the oven and is just starting to smell nice so I better put the tatoes on to boil. I did all the veg before I went up the border so its all ready to go when I turn it on. We have brocc, carrots onions and yorkshire puds. I shall do 12 and we will eat all of them!!!!!!!! Some nice new horseradish sauce to go with it all and meat juice gravy. Anyone feel hungry apart from Ann as I know she dos'nt like beef.

Hot, dry and sunny here. Beds changed and 3 loads of washing done, hung out, dried and brought back in again.

Frank, I'm not surprised Ros is feeling a bit down at the moment but having the extra stents fitted is probably the best thing that could happen. I am sure in the long run she will feel much more comfortable. At least she will have to rest up more now, particularly if she can't use her arm for a few days. You'll just have to try to be patient as I bet she will get a bit tetchy with you if she can't lead her normal active life. At least it will stop her even thinking of driving to Devon and staying. I won't say anymore on that subject except to mention something you might not have realised. Staying away overnight from your normal home is not just going against advice. It is actually illegal. If you were caught I think the police would just try to persuade you to go home but they have the power to fine you or bring a criminal charge so please think twice. My best wishes to Ros. Take care of her and take care of yourself too.

Ann, I would probably collapse with shock if I woke to the sound of OH hoovering. Bless him, if I ask he'll willingly do anything like that but he wouldn't think of it himself. I should let the supermarket know about the things wrong with your delivery. I have just emailed Tesco to tell them about my delivery yesterday which had problems. I told them how pleased I normally am and that I have recommended them to other people but told them I was very disappointed with yesterday's delivery. First, the cucumber I ordered and paid for was missing, then the potatoes had a best before date of 21st June but they weren't delivered until lunchtime on 21st, but the worst thing was that I had ordered a pack of frozen cherries and they were completely defrosted :-| Another minor quibble is that it was very badly packed with heavy stuff, like a 6 pint bottle of milk, plonked on top of lightweight stuff so it was squashed. I have had an acknowledgement of receipt of the email and they say they will reply within 48 hours.

We had a nice Zoom quiz yesterday with the family. It's a way for me to see that son and his family all look s though they are still thriving as I haven't seen them in the flesh since last October which seems a lifetime ago. Now a couple of people have dropped out I thought our weekly quiz might end but the rest seem keen to continue, particularly the younger ones, so another of the granddaughters is going to organise next Sunday's.

I hope your gurgly tum is better Mel. Some of these tablets can upset the innards a bit but it sounds as though they are working on your arm and putting it to rights.

Thinking of you Jane and hoping you're not suffering too badly from the side effects of the chemo <3

As we didn't have a roast yesterday I've got lamb shanks for tonight so I'd better go and sort some veg to go with them.

EDIT: Everyone crept in while I was typing. Sorry to hear that Ros needs to stay in but I am sure they will look after her well and it's better to err on the safe side. Fingers crossed that the swelling will go down quickly and she will be home again tomorrow.

LATEST NEWS. The left hand and arm are very swollen, and is supported by pillows. It looks as though she will be kept in overnight if they can't get the swelling down. She just has to lay there with her arm held up in the air.

Of course there are no visitors, so she will be on her own, as everyone else has gone home.

Further updates to follow. lol lol

Ah you sneaked in there before I posted Frank. I'm glad Ros is all done now and just has to wait a while. Two more stents? How many does she have altogether then as I thought they had already done some?

I meant to say that it is good your arm is getting better now Mel. Sometimes a bit of itching happens as things get better. Fancy the tick getting on your arm and not your leg, but I suppose when you are digging and pulling grass and weeds out your arms are in the same position as your legs would be. You'll have to get some long gauntlets or wear long sleeves.

No Ann I did'nt see those programs but they sound intersting. We will want to see a pic of this new outlook post you know! :-D :-D planted or not........ :-)

Well she'll have to est now Frank after all its the main artary they use to go down and if that gets a bleed your in trouble.

Anng that sounds like pyracantha scab, a fungal disease that's fairly common on this thorny, climbing shrub with red or orange fruits.

I have anice piece of beef out of the freezer for tonight. Its so long since I cooked a piece I have forgotten how to do it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I know its 20mins a lb and this bit is 2lbs 4oz and oh wnats it pink in the middle. HELP :-S :-S :-S

Afternoon All,

Glorious sunshine today so we ate outside. It's quite a ritual now with a glass of orange juice and water. We had the ham bake today Mel and there was more meat this time so very nice. They substituted the lemon cheesecakes so we got profiteroles instead.

I hope Ros is able to come home soon and not have to stay overnight. She musn't do anything strenuous for a few days so keep her sat at the sewing machine if you can Frank. I bet that baby could do with a next size up little jacket too!:-) That was kind of Tracy, but I thought you meant she had left you hot cross buns on the doorstep at first! :-)

It's a great feeling when everything is put away AnnG. I hope your back is ok. Mine was aching towards the end yesterday but was ok again this morning. Even with OH lifting carrier bags onto the draining board when he isn't helping stash things away, there is still a lot of bending and twisting round. One of the fronts of the drawers in the garage freezer has come away and we couldn't get it to hold back so everything in the drawer just slides out when you try to move it! If the clips that hold it have broken I think we might have to see if we can tie across the front of it to the wire basket each side! :-S

I used to have a yellow and a red pyracantha at my old house. The yellow one covered a tall garden wall and had to be kept cut back as there was a path next to it. The thorns are really sharp on them and I'm not surprised your OH has taken action Mel.

It's garden bin collection tomorrow so I have done some pruning to hopefully help lessen the job at the end of the year. OH has done a bit of weeding as well and one more short stint tomorrow should see my lookout finished. It looks pathetic to take so long when you see the small size of it but it's all too heavy to do much at a time.I can level the soil next and start planting things then. I put 2 of the repainted ladybirds out there this morning too to see how long it takes OH to spot them.

I got a reply from Asda this morning and they have put a voucher on my account for the amount of the out of date meal so that was quick.

Did Gill or Mel see the 3 progs on Mexican craft that were on recently? I thought the first was fascinating. It showed a girl making one of their colourful traditional embroidered dresses. They stretch the material and sew it on a frame, draw their own beautiful flower designs on paper, then place the paper design on the material and stick pins all over the outline. Without moving the paper they rub flour over it and it leaves white dots of the outline on the material underneath. They then just go over the outline with a chalk pen before they then do the embroidery.

Just heard from Ros. She has had TWO MORE STENTS FITTED, and is feeling a bit on the low side. She has to stay and rest, and will let me know when she is able to come home. SHE MUST NOT USE HER LEFT ARM, for a few days. I said I would make a SLING. she replied SLING YOUR HOOK. !!!! So I can see I am going to have trouble with this one. lol lol

Will keep you posted.

Afternoon all

Dull and cloudy after a lovely sunny start to the day. OH managed to cut the lawns before it went dull, so they look much better now.

We used to have Pyracantha plants in our old house Mel, the thorns are about 2 inches long so I don't blame your OH for wanting to cut them back. We had the red one, but I think the orange looks much better and the birds love them.

Easing lockdown a bit meant your granddaughter could spend her birthday with her family, how nice was that. It sounds like you all had a lovely time together Vera.

Hope all goes well for Ros today Frank, good luck trying to get her to rest though, she always seems to be on the go doesn't she? I hope she doesn't have to stay in hospital over night, although she'd have to rest then wouldn't she lol

We had those type of deckchairs Ann when I was a child and sometimes I'd catch my fingers in them, it was very painful, which I think is why I never bought any like that when I left home. That was nice of your OH to run the hoover around, that's something my OH would never think of doing.

How nice for you to see your grandchildren Mandy, pity you couldn't all hug each other, but hopefully it won't be to much longer, then you can all have lots of hugs.

Enjoy your rest AnnG, it sounds like you've been very busy wiping down everything. I see the shed is done, that's another job out of the way now.

I spent all day yesterday sewing OH's jeans, he's managed to put holes in his pockets on three pairs, putting his keys in them, so I've put new pockets in now, hopefully with it being stronger material, they'll last a bit longer than the last ones.