General Chat

Good afternoon all, we have just been doing several small errands, post office, charity shop, Tescos and a call in to the Community centre. I was all set to have just coffee but left OH in the queue while I got a table and he ordered coffee, large sausage roll and chips (one portion between us. So that was lunch for me, he will probably also have a sandwich. Very dull and cold here again today.

Frank, the reason the hot tub should not be used by someone having chemo is because chemo lowers the immunity. Hot tubs have a few bugs in which our natural immunity can fight but Jane's immunity is very low so she has to stay away from crowds where people have coughs and colds and not eat certain foods as well, and also not use the hot tub. I am sure that doctors will give the same advice.

Vera, sorry you had another bad night after having two good ones. Maybe you were thinking too much that you were going to sleep so it was counter productive. Hope you can do better tonight. But I am pleased to hear that your OH's pain has lessened, hopefully he won't try to do too much now he feels better.

Mandy yes, OH got home well in time for photography. It was not a practical meeting but was a planning meeting for the coming year. It was quite long and for myself and another lady (whose hearing is actually even worse than mine) it was very tiring as the lighting in the hall where we meet is atrocious. It is a church hall with no real windows to outside and they have very low wattage (saving electricity) bulbs in the 6 lights there are, that means when in a circle in a largish (16 people) group it is hard to see people's mouths which you rely on when hard of hearing.

Mel your dinner yesterday sounded nice. We wanted to get something for this evening's meal but both had a mental block and ended up with a pizza. Not good for the diet I don't thin. I need to lose another pound or two but seem to have stuck and pizza and half sausage roll and chips won't help. On the other hand I blame over eating on the cold weather.
Mel that journal cover is looking good. do you keep a journal or is this for a present for somebody, or to sell at a fair. Did you sell much of your stuff in the end before Christmas? I think you were taking it to a shop to be sold in the end? Did the book front fit?
I would like my chops like your OH please.
So another OH who dreams and jumps around, it drives you mad doesn't it.

Annx We didn't have a subject for this month, or last if it comes to that, we wanted to slightly change the format of meetings (I say 'we' but I was happy how we were doing things, one or two wanted a change, hence the meeting yesterday. We are now going to aim to have an exhibition of work, Possibly in October, this will be at the U3A main meeting so we need to learn from one of our members who is in a camera club all about displaying our photos. We start wil the lessons next month but we also have a subject for February which is textures. (any suggestions welcome as it is hurting my brain at the moment).
Reading your post reminded me I don't know where the torch is on my phone so will have to have a look!

Gill, if your neighbour has the tree (that incidentally doesn't belong to him) cut down he can be fined thousands of pounds by the Council because such trees are usually protected. Leylandis are not usually protected but he can still be in trouble if he has someone else's trees cut down. Of course he may have had a talk to the person whose trees they are.
Hope your Mum's eyes are OK.
Personally Gill I take photos of anything and everything but for photography we usually have a subject for each month. I can't remember offhand but some of the subjects for the coming year are: Texture, Flight,Weather, water, architecture, opposites and Wheels.

Just checked the right to light law Mel and not sure it still exists. I found this:

Obstruction of window is a breach of planning: Wrong

How a development will affect the path of light to neighbouring properties is often something considered by planning departments when choosing whether or not to grant planning permission. However, once planning permission is granted, so long as the construction complies with the permission and any conditions imposed, it ceases to be a planning issue.

Your land has a right to light: Wrong

A right to light can only be acquired for light passing through a ‘defined aperture’ in a building (e.g. a window). A new construction on a neighbouring property which blocks light to a garden or grounds will not obstruct a right to light unless it also blocks light which passes through a window which benefits from a right to light

So that is confusing. I also thought they brought in a law governing the height of Leylandis but I have not seen it actioned anywhere yet.

Better get on this is getting very long. :-) :-) <3

Hope you are beginning to surface again Jane <3 <3 <3

Sent a pic.

Its in the oven............

I think its getting darker here today. I have to go to Em's now.

Will let you know how it turns out later when I get it out and I have my little dragon in there too and a mould I am hoping will come out ok.

Gill he must have he permision to cut some of the tree back from the neighbour who actually owns them? There is a thing called Ancient Lights where you can have trees cut down if they are taking the light from your garden. Its quite legal. I don't think that would apply to the oak though as big trees are often used by pilots of aircraft and helicopters as markers.

Morning all

Another damp day but no rain so far. According to the weather it's going to be bad starting from tonight and right through next week with some possible snow on Monday. I think it's going to be snow flurries rather than a few feet deep, which is a pity as Sandra would of loved to have built a snowman.

I think next door is having a metre cut off the top of the trees and then straightened all the way down to ground level, so quite a big job. He wanted the fella to take the big oak tree completely out but he said no as he would need permission off the council. Knowing the neighbour he'll get anyone in to take it out if this fella doesn't do it. He's had some right cowboys doing work for him including gypsies who did his drive. If your remember there was a problem over payment and the gypsy boss threatened to kill him.......I don't think he was joking either, so gawd knows who he'll end up getting and how they'll go about taking the trees out. I wouldn't mind but the conifers aren't even his. I guess I'll just have to wait and see what happens.

My mum has just had an operation on her eye so I'll be going to see her and helping where I can, so I hope they don't turn up to do the job when I'm not here.

Hope you had a better nights sleep last night Vera, those few hours you finally got wouldn't of been enough to keep you going through the day. Pleased to hear your OH is feeling better now.

It sounds like you had a bad night last night Mel, I hope you're not to tired today. Good luck with the book front, I hope it bakes well for you. Your girls did well with their egg laying, it looks like you're going to have quite a few off them this year.

So you had a restless night to Mandy, I think I'm the only one who's had some decent sleep lately. I hope you had a better night last night. I think time has gone by quickly so far this year, I was only thinking this morning how it's a month since Christmas Day. Before you know it, it'll be Easter.

Hope your OH made it back in time for your photography class AnnG. What type of photo's do you take?

Those nuisance calls are a pain aren't they Frank, at least you can block them, so that's good.

I'd love to see a pic of your necklace when you've finished it Ann. How are you getting on with your crocheting? I've got a very old phone so don't need to worry where everything is as it doesn't have anything on it lol ;-) ;-)

Thinking of Jane and hoping she's not to ill today. Sending lots of hugs off Sandra and I <3

I've not long got off the phone to my mum and forgot all about my cuppa so I'll have to make a fresh one as it's gone cold.

Morning one and all,

Another not nice morning here. Definately the 3D's or maybe even 4D's, dull, dreary, dark and drab and damp so thats 5.

Got in bed lst night and tried to go to sleep but oh was in a restless moody with his arm. This is all in hiis sleep. He was doing 4 punches of the bed clothes every few minuets so in the end I got up and parked myself in the spare room but we don't heat this room and the bed was sooooo cold it took me a while to warm up. Its not as soft as our bed either and felt quite hard to lay on. I did think it may stop after a while or he would turn over but no he was well away in dreamland cos he kept muttering.

I hope you all had a better night than I did last night!!

I have a dozen and a half for Em today and then down the shop for the Saturday paper.

If the book front fits I shall be baking it today so wish me luck please.

Did'nt do pots in the end just the cauli. and brocc cheese but I did some little button mushrooms. Oh said it was lovely. I got the chops how he likes them tonight all really pink in the middle but left mine in a little longer.

Well I hope you all have a better nights sleep tonight as it sounds like lots of you need it.

Evening All,

Yes another 3D day.......Dreary, Dull and Damp. :-(

I left OH in bed when I went to beading and he slept till 11.00am and felt better then after the draining effect of his migraine. We didn't do much of anything this morning as one friend had her new iphone and one of the others was helping her get to grips and I was earwigging in case I get one, not that I will remember anything! She found the torch for her and then another with an iphone didn't know where it was on hers so she found it for her too. That's the trouble with a lot of things these days. Not enough instructions so you might as well not have the features if you can't find them! :-( I did do a bit of a necklace I'd started last week and one did a bit of crochet. She is in her late 60s lives on her own and has an allotment and was saying giving up plastics for paper bags isn't ideal to put wet veg in. She is struggling to get her tension right with crochet (it is hard at first!) so I said she'd be able to do herself a string bag soon to use. I won't repeat what she said!! lol. :-D Two of the cats were lounging around indoors and about as lively as me. We went out for lunch, called in the shop after and I haven't done much else. I did sketch out a small painting I want to do to make up a pair, The board I am using, so it matches the other, is a quite rough board so pencil marks don't rub out easily so I'll have to concentrate on which lines to follow when the paint goes on.

Gill there's not much you can do except wait and see what happens with the trees. I can never understand why people let conifers get tall. At my old house we planted them across the bottom of the garden as there was a park at the bottom, but we kept them clipped at about 6 feet high and they never became a problem. How is Sandra's knee now? Is she still needing painkillers? You mentioned not dyeing your hair after you have shampooed it. My hairdresser tells me not to shampoo mine the day she colours it (I normally shampoo it every day when I shower) and told me the colour takes better on less clean hair.

I hope Jane is feeling a bit better today. I don't know much about how long the effects of chemo take to wear off, but expect it is different depending on the drugs used and how each of us react to them. I'm impressed with how Hannah and G have jumped to it to get the move organised while both working and how quickly Hannah got herself another job. She doesn't let any grass grow under her feet! :-D

Oh poor you having a bad night Vera. I have more now than ever and rarely get off before 2.00am. I hope it means you get a good night tonight.

I hope your photography group had a good meet up AnnG. Is there any particular subject you are photographing at the moment?

It will be nice to get some lighter nights Mandy as we don't seem to have the curtains open much in the afternoon even lately! How is your crocheting going? I hope you have a better night tonight too.

I am so pleased that hubby is feeling a lot better today Vera so lets hope it continues and he can get back to normal soon. sorry you had a bad night though so perhaps tonight will be better. I find if I think about not dropping off it makes me stay awake longer. I tr to think just black and that seems to work with me.

So I am not the only one who writes a post and forgets to post it!!

Frank are Ros Jan and julia going out for lunch tomorrow? Hope they enjoy it and don't come home with lots of plants if they go to a garden center.

Just going to start dinner now after finishing my cover. we have nice loin of lamb chops and I am going to make a cauli and brocc cheese to go with the chops. May do a few new pots, may not. ;-)

Evening all,

Dreary day here we haven't done that much today in fact this afternoon i fell asleep as i had a restless night again

Mel those dragon eyes have turned our well ,the mushrooms sound interesting .

Jane hope your not to bad this time after the treatment ,good luck to James with the interview next week ,we'll all have our fingers crossed for him .
So not long before Hannah is nearer to you which will be nice ,they have a busy time packing for the move .

Ann was it crochet today or beading ? what are you making or is it just learning the stitches in crochet at the moment .
That was nasty OH getting the migraine when he had notes to do ,at least he had time to rest before hand ,i have had those zig zagy lines at the side of my eyes and just sitting with my eyes closed seems to ease it but OH had to do the meeting and then drive home which must have been a bit of a worry for him ,i hope he's ok now .

OH must be pleased the pain has eased a little Vera, i hope you can get a better nights sleep tonight .

Oh Frank don't talk about those blooming phone calls we had three the other day and they are all automated so you carn't even tell them were to go :-P
We had soup today too nice and warming for a day like this .

Hope your OH made it home in time for the photography group AnnG if not he won't be in your good books !!

Gill don't you go worrying about those trees i'm sure they'll get them trimmed out with out doing any damage .

I don't know where this week has gone ,in fact where has the month gone ,the nights do seem a little lighter, i think you can notice it more when you have a brighter day .

Good afternoon everyone

Another grey, damp day. It’s not actually raining but everywhere looks wet.

I went to bed last night full of confidence that I was going to sleep well as I had had two good nights. I had an appalling night. I just could not sleep. At 3 am I put the radio on and listened to an hour’s programme where a Holocaust survivor was talking about her time in Auschwitz and Bergen-Belsen. It was very moving but not exactly peaceful and calming. So then I read for a couple of hours. I think I eventually fell asleep about 6 am and woke up at 9.30. I have been so lethargic. I haven’t been able to find the energy to do anything much. My get up and go definitely got up and went this morning.

It’s not all doom and gloom in the house today as OH has got up feeling quite a bit better. He still needs to take it very easy but the pain has eased and he can move more freely.

I hope you are not suffering too much with the after effects of the latest round of chemo Jane. Sending you a gentle (((((hug))))) <3. I’ll keep everything crossed for James on Monday. These days it’s an achievement to even get invited for an interview so well done James. I hope H & G’s house move goes well. Not long now and you’ll have them nearby :-)

Gill, don’t worry about the conifers. I expect they will just take some out of the top.

Wrote this over an hour ago, then the window cleaner came and I got distracted so it didn’t get posted. I’d better send it now before I forget again.

Good afternoon to you all,

Yes, the weather is certainly the same here, I think it makes us feel down in the mouth, we do need a bit of sun to cheer us up.

I was surprised that you can't/shouldn't use the HOT TUB Jane. It might be as well to ask someone who knows. i.e. Dr. Good luck to Both James and Hannah with their new adventures, provided James gets the JOB. Where is Hannah moving too. ??

Thank goodness for 1572. I keep using it to block all these nuisance calls. We have had three today, with NO ONE SPEAKING. They getright up my nose !!!!

Jan is coming up today to Kerry's. She is coming to spend the day with Ros tomorrow. R So I will be on my Ros has rung Julia, and they will meet up in Milton Keynes for lunch. So I will be on my "JACK JONES"

Gill, when I had my BIG TREE taken down in the front garden. They started at the top as already mentioned, and worked down to the stump. Made a wonderful job, and cleared every bit of tree away. So now we don't have any BIG TREES in the garden to worry about. It's funny, because when you put these trees in, you don't think how BIG they can grow.

Bowl of soup just coming in, so will go and have that. Will try to get back later. xxx

AnnG I am making a journel cover. I have also started a mushroom that will go on a base with another mushroom or toadstool as the case maybe.

I too hope Jane is not so dizzy today and is feeling a little stronger. Sending wishes and love. <3 <3 <3

Good morning all. a bit of normality for a Friday this week as OH has gone to golf, he said it was not too wet yesterday but they still can't use trolleys.
It is very dull here but not quite as dark as it was yesterday. We have photography group this afternoon so OH had better not be late back from golf.

Gill, it is only the top of the trees that they are having done isn't it. I do sympathise as we hated the conifers that were at the end of our garden (not ours), the killed everything we tried to grow there and in the afternoon they completely obliterated the sun. We were so pleased when they were taken down.
Can you get a photo of the trees as they are now and also if any does fall on your fence. If he employs somebody who is not covered by insurance he himself would be liable for an insurance claim if any damage was done I'm sure.

Annx Pleased to hear that your OH's migraine eased off enough for him to be able to take part in the meeting.
Was it crochet or beading today then?

Mel what else are you making to 'bake'?

Jane hope you are not feeling too rough today, still thinking of you <3 <3

Morning Gill and all,

I think the weather is about the same as you this monr ing Gill dull and damp and dreary. If the tree surgeon comes to cut the conifer down he will do it from the top cutting away some of the lower branches first then taking secions from the top at a time and not cut the tree down all in one go.

Hope you all slept well last night and feel refreshed this morning even though its dark and gloomy.

Frank I replied to your email thank you.

Morning all

Another damp and dull day today. They say we're in for stormy weather next week with possible snow and hail, the wind is suppose to be over 70 mph, not looking forward to that.

My concern about next door and the trees is he doesn't get professionals in to do jobs, so there's no guarantee the fella he's got knows what he's doing. When the builders were next door doing his extension and other jobs they damaged our fences and broke a concrete post and also caused a lot of mess. The tree I'm most concerned about is the 60+ foot conifer that's about a foot away from our fence and about 4 foot away from our conifers, if the fella was to cut that wrong it could fall our way. I just hope this time the neighbour has got a professional tree surgeon who knows exactly what to do. When all the damage was done to our fence we were assured it would be fixed, but it never was and in the end we took it away and used the unbroken wood for Sandra's little garden. So that's why I have a few concerns now.

Pity you won't be able to use the hot tub Jane, but it's still nice to have a break to look forward to. I hope all goes well for James's interview and Hannah and Gareth's move. How are you feeling today, I hope you managed a good nights sleep?

The programme you were watching Frank, sounds very similar to one we watched a while back where they had camera's inside toy animals so they could be close to the wildlife to film them without the animals knowing, sometimes they worked out they weren't real and would come right up to the camera to have a look.

I see why he's on call now Ann, there's a lot of things the waterboard have to do that I didn't know about, no wonder they work 24/7. Shame he disturbs you though when he has to go out. Hope your OH's migraine has gone now and he is feeling a little better today.

thats good news about the interview for James. I hope he gets it and it suits him. Is it nearer to home than the last place he worked? Good luck James I hope you get it.

It will be nice when Hannah moves nearer to you and you will see so much more of her. Good luck to her in her new job too.

Been fiddling today but hav'nt finished anything. I want to make a couple of things so I can bake them all together.

Hope you all sleep well tonight.

Evening All,

We seem to be back to dark and dreary days again! It's so dark in the mornings although we have passed the longest day now. OH was shattered after his migraine so we lay in till nearly lunch time! :-0 He was lucky last night as he was early at his meeting and could sit quietly for half an hour by which time the eye zig zags were fading and he managed to read and write ok once they started. He was glad he had some migraleve tablets with him. He is out again tonight so is hoping it isn't too foggy! He's picking a different route to normal as there are diversions with all these roads they keep closing and said he is sticking mostly to main roads in case the fog gets worse.

Frank I forgot to record that prog so I'm glad you said. I will have to look on catchup! It sounds like Sally and Simon can put their feet up together for a day or two till Simon's knee is less sore. Sally won't be moving fast anywhere for a while though till she heals. I don't think they are doing enough at our airports. Other countries seem to be treating this virus risk more seriously.

I expect your body needs some rest today after chemo Jane so some telly and reading sounds good! I hope James has a good interview and is it the same kind of work as before that he would be doing? It will be good to have a break and change of scene at Foxton Locks, although having been there a lot over the years, an afternoon would be enough for us. I have never done a boat trip there though so that would be good to do and it is a good opportunity for you to spend some time with your sister and BIL.

Gill, I think the water boards have to be on call 24 hours a day to repair things. Imagine a water main burst and water pouring down a main road! They are expected to reduce water waste from leaks and imagine a good frost on a road covered in water. They do a lot of commercial maintenance work too, cooling towers, boilers and my guess would be that that can only be done when the workers aren't there. They cover sewer mains and sewage works too, so they might have to deal with those day and night if there is a problem that could be a health risk. Just my guess though! Yes don't worry about the trees at this stage. Like AnnG I was surprised he thought he could cut the Oak down as well.

Mel the eye still looks very good and I hope your second try is even better! You find some interesting things to make! :-)

Better get my bead bag sorted now. I think we may be doing more crochet but I'd better cover all angles as they say!

Jane, tuck up by the fire and relax, it will help your recovery. Nice to have a break to look forward to in April. Good luck to James I do hope he will be successful, he deserves some good news. And good luck to Hannahe and Gareth in their new home and her new job.

I have just found this on line: Chemotherapy and radiation can cause skin sensitivity that reacts to chemicals such as chlorine. In addition, hot tubs, saunas and other communal baths are generally not recommended for immunosuppressed patients since bacteria and other microorganisms thrive in warm water.

So I think that might be a no for you with the hot tub. <3 <3

Afternoon All
Feeling a bit weak and wabbit today but that is to be expected. So it is feet up by the fire for means watching tv.
Hannah has booked us 4 nights at a Foxton Locks lodge from April 6th so that is something to look forward to :-D. Janice and Larry will be joining us :-D.There is a hot tub too but I am not sure hot tubs are recommended for anyone having Chemo.I will have to check on that. I have never been in a hot tub but would love the experience.
It is a dark and dismal day here too. James has just gone to the golf range for a practice . He has an interview on Monday in Cambridge :-D :-D.I do hope he is successful as he has been out of work now since September !!.
Hannah and Gareth wil move here on the 30th.They are coming on tomorrow to pick the key up for the house.Hannah starts her new job on Feb 4th. She will be working with addicts who will have been referred from the courts .She is going to have to have my car as Gareth will be using theirs to commute to his job in London .
Chris has just brought me a nice cup of tea so I better get that down before it goes cold.

Love the Dragon eye Mel :-D

Forgot to mention. Did anyone watch th BBC last night "SPY IN THE WILD" I was mesmerised by all the animals that they had rigged up with CAMERA'S. If you didn't see it, please watch on CATCH UP.

I hated having to carry my golf clubs, but when the fairways were too wet they banned trolly's. So you either carried or didn't play.

Still a very dark, drab day here. Looking forward to a nice bowl of stew later, with a couple of slices of bread, to soak up the gravy.

See you later.