General Chat

Morning All,

It's heating up here now and is 21 degrees according to the pc but the car was showing 27 degrees while we were out. It's strange as I had to pull the duvet over me last night. After showering we went to the charity shop in the next village with a pile of OH's books and a CD or two, then on to the Post Office to drop my parcel off and get some of their nice cobs for tea. Then the pharmacy for some meds and then the shop for the paper and some english strawberries, tomatoes, eggs, milk and other things. We did some watering when we got back and I sprayed some more of the nasty weed that has popped up on the drive and gravel. I'll get lunch next, fresh salmon with a traybake of peppers, courgette, toms and onion and a handful of low fat thick chips.

Oh Vera, Pigeons are not the sharpest birds but what a shame your ginger jar was broken! I remember how upset I was when OH knocked over and broke my chinese vase moving a mattress. We've talked about replacing one of our leather settees with two leather reclining chairs as I think one would be better for OH's back. We are similar in each using different rooms, OH the bathroom and me the ensuite. I'm dreading sharing with him while the ensuite is being done as I use so much different stuff to find space for. Also the bathroom door lock doesn't work which isn't ideal with workmen around! I might have to make an 'ENGAGED' sign to hang up!

I hope you have a nice trip into town AnnG. There should be some new stock to see after three weeks away and the shops are cooler these days. Once you finished the watering it would be a nice change.

Better get lunch now then some admin this afternoon.

Morning girls,

Bit cloudy here at the mo and its 17 degrees. I did decide to have a lie in this morning and got up at 10.40am. Wish I had'nt now.

I have lots to do in the garden today so I'm hoping it dos'nt get too hot.

Vera gosh the pigeons wingspan is so big its a wonder it didi'nt do more damage but its always something which gets broken that you really liked. I had Robbie in looking at my a few weeks ago but only in the kitchen and I managed to open the window and he flew out. Thing is with my kitchen I have lovely plates all around on a plate rack and the room divider with lots of jugs and things on. I expect you'll be finding little bits of china for a long while now as its surprising just how far they can travel.

Enjoy your bus ride into town Anng and do a bit of retail therapy.

Good morning all. 7am and 13 degrees. When I woke at 5am it was brilliant sunshine but it has clouded over now. I laid there for an hour but then decided I was not going back to sleep, as I had had six hours I decided to come into my 'office' with my morning cuppa and look on here but I guess not many are awake yet.

Birds are a nuisance when they dly into the conservancy and then stupidly can't see the way out. I had a pigeon in mine a few years back, luckily it didn't do any damage.

I think I might go in on the bus to town later. I don't really need anything but being away it is three weeks now since I went in so it will make a break. That is after watering duty of course.

Oh no Vera so you had a right mess to clear up , I remember my friend had an owl come down the chimney while she was out ,it was quite sooty and made a heck of a mess on her sofas and chairs .

Lovely evening here now ,June is a nice month for the light evenings it's gone ten before it really gets dark .

It's nice that the family visited Colin with gifts today Mandy. It shows he's appreciated. You are going to be busy with all the sewing.

The day went from bad to worse and I didn't get out to deadhead. I heard a thump from downstairs and went to investigate. A pigeon had flown in through the open door of the conservatory but couldn't seem to find the door to fly out again. OH opened the other part of the door so there was a big wide opening and was in there trying to guide it out but the pea-brained bird still managed to miss the doorway by about 6 inches. It flew against an ornament on the window sill - a nice ginger jar - and knocked it to the floor where it smashed into a thousand bits. At that point it managed to find the door and flew away. Grrr :-|

Evening all,

It's been quite a nice day temperature wise with a little cloud at times some quite black and looked as if it was going to rain but no luck so it means we'll be watering again

Vera I found it quire warm in bed last night warmer than the night before ,I hate it when one should be easy job takes longer than it should do and it's usually when your wanting to get on with other things .
Hope you manage to get your dead heading done ,that's a job for me tomorrow and I must feed some of the plants .

Ann thats good the paracetamol help you with the pain ,I have noticed on some of the ambulance/ hospital programmes they give out the paracetamol tablets .
I got Max one of those gel cooling mats and they are heavy and I wondered about trying that under the sheet too as he doesn't seem that bothered about laying on it he'd rather lay on the kitchen tiles near the fridge ,I think it must feel cool there .

Anng that was a nice surprise to go out to Dunelm sometimes spur of the moment trips are the best and you did a bit of shopping too that you didn't have to carry home ,those duvet sets can be heavy .

Glad your aches and pains are better Mel ,don't eat to many strawberries again .

Well it is fathers day today and son and dil came with Jake, Lewis and Lacey ,they bought Colin quite an assortment of things one being a new sign for his shed saying grandads den .
They asked me if I could mend a bean bag that had a small split in ,it's from the nursery class at school so I sat this afternoon and mended that .
Dil also brought a dress she wondered if I could shorten the sleeves as they are three quarter sleeves and have elastic in but when she slides then up a bit they slide back down so I'm going to take a couple of inches off and put fresh elastic in them ,a job for tomorrow.

Afternoon/Evening all

It was a more bearable temperature last night and has been quite pleasant today as there is a good breeze. I don't seem to have achieved very much. I am feeling lazy and having a day of odd little jobs but every one seems to create more work. Just as one example I had something on the computer that needed printing out - a 2 minute job. BUT one of the ink cartridges had run out and needed replacing and it took me a while to find where OH had put the spares. Then it was so long since I had done it that I couldn't remember how to get the old ink out. Another 10 minutes fiddling about before I sorted it. That 2 minute job took over half an hour. Everything I touch today seems to be like that.

It would have been a good day for gardening but all I've managed to do is wash some pots but I might get out in a minute and do a bit of deadheading..

Like you AnnG I checked the 10 day forecast and there is no more rain forecast for us either and it is supposed to get even hotter in a few days time. That was a handy trip to Dunelm and nice to have an unexpected ride out with a friend.

I could sleep downstairs if it gets too hot Annx. Our settee is very firm and upright as we bought it to help with our bad backs and isn't very comfortable to sleep on, particularly for someone fairly tall like me. We do have a couple of leather reclining chairs with separate foot stools and I have very occasionally had a restless sleep in one of those. OH never has problems sleeping in any temperature and, bless him, he has offered to swap rooms with me while it is so hot. His bedroom is the coolest room in the house but we have both got our own en-suites set up with washing and tooth cleaning gear etc and it would be a faff to change it all round. I do have a very good German fan that we paid quite a lot for a couple of years ago which helps and I remembered earlier today that in a hot spell last year we opened the skylight on the landing and had my bedroom door open and that helped a bit too so I might do that.

If I am going to do some deadheading I had better get going. Stay cool and sleep well tonight everyone.

I think it could be now you've mentioned it AnnG, so thanks for saying. It's a very old plastic one. I think once the neighbour is back from her hols and we don't need to water for her we can see if it will undo without the plastic breaking. We might even have another one in the garage drawers to replace it or even the washer from it if needs be. Well that was good you popped to Dunelm with a friend and found a duvet cover and two cushion covers to buy.

I hope Gwyn is still improving with her walks and has hopefully got an appointment for her CT scan now.

Could the connetor need a new washer to stop the leak ann. Weel I thought we had storm warning for this weekend but they seemed to disappear.

My friend over the road came for coffee and stayed for a nice chat. Then she helped me organise the new soft hose that arrived yesterday. not used it yet but she has helped set it up all ready to go. then as she was leaving she was just going to pop to Dunelm and asked if I wanted to go for the ride. Which I did and while there I bought a new duvet cover and 2 cushion covers. So that was worthwhile doing.

Afternoon All,

I slept really well. I've found on nights that I have pain, just one paracetamol when I go to bed, dulls it enough for me to get off to sleep after about half an hour. I don't want to keep taking them, but it's good to know when I need a good sleep. I was up at 7.30am and in the garden planting up more of the Marigolds and weeding for half an hour. OH was up too and went for his walk before it got hot. It was nice as there was a gentle cool breeze. It's hotter now, but 21 degrees is ok, it's when it gets hotter and sticky that I hate it as I think it will do this coming week.

Vera you did well getting two of the raffle prizes with one your OH really liked! Long walks are beyond our capability now too, but I'm sure you will find a home/use for the book. Is it worth you spending a night downstairs if the heat gets unbearable. I told OH recently that I will take a duvet in the lounge and sleep on one of the settees where it's cooler if it gets a lot hotter. In the past I've filled a hot water bottle with cold water and kept it in the fridge all day before taking it to bed. I even got one of those cooling gel dog mats to try on the bed, but it was so heavy to lift I sent it back before I got a hernia! :-D

Mandy that's good Max doesn't worry about storms. Our neighbour's mother was staying with her little dog years ago and there was a storm during the night and it was howling. I don't know the reason, but they'd put it in her car for the night and the poor thing could see it all vividly and was scared. Well done that Jake has at least got booked in and a date for his test! I had read about the delays which seem to be everywhere. Now he has to try and make sure he passes first time doesn't he! :-) It must have taken a while deadheading the rose if you managed to get as much in your garden bin ready for tomorrow's collection. It's good your knee is a lot better and it does sound like the stretching doing the roses has caused the new pains! We never get a warning while we are doing it do we!

That's nice if Robbie has some more chicks Mel and you may get chance to see them. I love courgettes and you are making me wonder whether to see if I can get a plant. Do you know what sort it is? I like the round ones I grew during the pandemic.

AnnG our neighbour's parting words were that it would probably rain all the time she was away, but she got that wrong! Now our hose connection to the tap is leaking when the tap is on so we are sticking a bucket under it for now! I've only been watering the new plants up to now and still hope we might get some rain.

Actually no gardening done so far. Friend came for coffee, she leped me sort out a new hose and we had a long natter, then she needed to go to Dunelm so I went with her and while there I bought a new duvet cover and a couple of cushion covers.

Suppose you're all busy doing gardening if its as nice where you are. I am just going down the shed.

Good morning all sunny here and 14 degrees. I checked our 14 day forecast and there was no sign of rain at all. I hope they are wrong as it will be never ennding watering for me, especially this week with cynth away.
Nothing planned for today so will just see what occurs.

Well done on the raffle prizes Vera, the port was a good win. )well for your OH anyway. Maybe the book can return for another raffle until it finds a home with somebody still walking.

Morning all,

Well it was nice and sunny when I woke and I had a little lie in . Now theres a big grey cloud out the front which dos'nt look good for the rest of the day.Pc says mostly sunny and 14 degrees. Not sure what I am doing today so will take it as it comes. I bought a Courgette down the hsop yesterday as there's a new lady from the village doing plants down there and I have to find a big pot for that and I need to dead head the plants on the patio.

Hope you all slept well last night.

Seems like everyone has been dead heading roses today. I did the Albertine at the end of the decking by my little greenhouse and have to stretch for that as its in the ground and there's a steep step down and if I go down there I can't get back up without something to pull myself up with. Its also above the top of the fence so I can't reach all of it.

Aches wore off during the day thank goodness. I also did both pond filter this afternoon and the swallows have moved around in the shed to other nests and the ledge. There were five in there today but I think one was out with the parents.

Annx its not the trailer that has a flat tyre its the wheelbarrow ( not my best one) and its full of road sweepings and dirt plus it had loads of water in it. I have managed to move it a bit nearer where I want to dump it by pushing the handles down to let most of the water out.

Glad you had a good day out and won prizes Vera. The Port would have been very welcome here too. Hope the post-op tests go ok for oh next Saturday.

Like Mandy we had a heck of a storm in the early hours. It started with rain at about 11 pm, that eased off a bit and then the storm proper started just after midnight and seemed to go on forever. I suppose the worst of it lasted about an hour but we were still getting odd little rumbles of thunder at 3 am. I thought it would clear the air a bit but it seemed as hot and sticky as ever so, needless to say, I didn’t get much sleep and got up at 7.30 am feeling very grumpy.

The coffee morning went well. This group is like any group of people AnnG; there are some who will always help and make an effort and others who just come along and don’t do anything, but that’s OK as long as they spend some money and swell our funds for speakers etc. Whoever hosts it usually provides the tea, coffee, milk etc though they can be reimbursed if they wish. This time plenty of people took cakes, plants, books and raffle prizes. It would be easier to just put our fees up but then some people would probably drop out whereas they will happily spend their money if they are getting a nice few hours out. As well as Club members the hostess invited several of her neighbours who were happy to come and swell our coffers as well. We got there at 10.30 and left at 2 pm and there were still a few people there. We got 2 prizes in the raffle – a very good bottle of port which pleased OH and a small book of country and coastal walks in Norfolk. It’s a nice little book but I think our days of going to another county and walking for several miles are over now.

I was quite tired when we got back so I haven’t done much this afternoon apart from preparing and cooking our evening meal. It has been very hot again and at the moment my bedroom is like an oven so I think it will be a restless night. I just walked around outside and it’s a comfortable temperature in the garden. I could do with a bed out there.

I see that some of you have been busy in the garden. Mandy I hope you haven’t strained anything in your side. It’s so easy to do when you’re stretching. It’s good that your knee is a bit easier. Do you think your aches and pains are down to the strawberries Mel or perhaps you have been doing a bit too much in your garden? I hope you both recover from all the aches very soon.

Fingers crossed that it is third time lucky with the medicine cabinet Annx. I hope the physio is helping OH with his neck pain. I moan and grumble about my aches and pains but it must be awful to be in so much pain all the time. My OH finishes using the cataract drops tonight and next Saturday he has his post-op tests at Specsavers. His distance sight is so much better that I think he may only need to have some reading glasses.

I am now going to make some overnight oats for my breakfast and then have a quick read of the paper before taking my book to bed. Stay cool and sleep well everyone.

Mel hope your aches and pains are better now ,oh to many strawberries can upset your tummy .

Ann Max really doesn't take any notice of thunder and lightning which is good ,our dog Bonnie really hated a storm and would hide in the corner and shake bless her .
Well I got some cutting back done and cut the grass ,the roses are really turning brown I cut as many as I could but it's such a job you think you've cut most out but when you stand back there's loads more you've missed.,the bin is three quarters filled now and it goes out tomorrow for Monday emptying.

Knee hasn't been to bad today I do think the ice pack has helped but tonight the muscles in my side feels a bit tender with all the stretching to cut the bits back so Colin rubbed some volterol on for me so I hope we can nip it in the bud before it gets bad .
Suns shining now its a lovely evening .

Oh I meant to say Jake managed to book his driving test for....... ...... November !! They said there was a long wait and they were right .

I spent half an hour cutting off all the now dead rambling roses clusters
And then cutting back a honey suckle that Jake had reduced to a trunk in the spring it seems determined to grow but I would rather it didn’t

Still a lot to do out there but the bin is three quarters full and it is another week before it is emptied.

Afternoon All,

Mixed weather here with a very overcast sky and breeze, but now it is blue sky mainly and still some breeze which is very welcome even though it is warm breeze. We popped to the shop after I had watered the pots and grabbed a few more handfuls of weeds, particularly with any showing a flower to turn to seed. With the neglect it got last year the garden is full of weed seeds waiting to sprout so I don't want there to be more still next year.

I have now ordered medical cabinet No. 3 and this will match the mirrored cabinet being all stainless steel. As this one is taller, I could get a narrower one and it will leave some extra leeway in the space behind the door. It is a little deeper which means my meds/paracetomol/antihistamines etc will fit with the ends and expiry dates showing which I like to do. Fingers crossed it will be ok! :-S We decided to leave going to the Post Office with the parcel till Monday as we realised Saturday is not good for parking. OH has sorted some books for the charity shop and I have some things to take as well and we can drop those off at the same time. OH has been for his physio session on his neck.

Mel I always leave a few of the self set Foxgloves. We seem to have a few white ones as well as the mauve. They are such unusual flowers aren't they and it's lovely to watch the bees scrambling inside. That's a nuisance the trailer is stuck and needs clearing out. I was stupid yesterday and left the garden bin lid open, so we were lucky we avoided the rain last night, although it would have helped the garden.

AnnG I spoke too soon about the slugs and Hostas as I notice one of the potted ones has some holes in the leaves this morning. Speaking of which I wonder if anyone saw the fascinating bit about snails that Chris packham was telling us and showing a video of a few nights ago. I remembered they were hermaphrodite so each being male and female, but apparently they have sword darts they use to fight each other with to decide which would be the male and which would be the female when they mate. Afterwards the sword darts are lost being no more use. I see you are on watering duty too now. OH never thought to ask our neighbour how long she was away for, so we'll just have to keep an eye on the cars in her drive till they move.

I hope Vera managed to find some cake at Sainsbury's to take today. I hope they do well with what they sell as well. The orange cake should be nice in a trifle and a useful standby.

Mandy you had quite a downpour last night. I thought it might miss you being as it missed us. I hate the thunder and lightning when it's bad. Does it bother Max? I remember Jane used to go downstairs and sit with Chester. It's good the garden got watered and that your baby runners weren't knocked off the plants. Good luck with the deadheading of the rose. It sounds like a big job with all the lovely flowers it has.

Morning girls,

Dull and rainy here this morning and its 15 degrees and pc says partly sunny so lets hope its right.

For some unknown reason I have woken up with aches and pains. I suppose it could have been the BIG bowl of Strawberries last night. I did'nt save any I was a pig and ate the lot all 4 oz of them.

Did you all sleep well?

Just the shop to do this morning then perhaps if it dries up a bit I can do a little fiddleing in the hsed. I have some repotting to do and a wheelbarrow full of road sweepings that also full of ater and has a flat tyre so I can't move it. It will have to be dug ou9t quite a bit beforehand. I was going to dump it along the side of the sunflower workshop and plant more things there. The foxgloves have been good planted along there and the bees love them. Wherever a foxglove comes up I leave them, I even have them in the road down to my shed.

Hope you find a nice cake for the do today Vera andI wish you many raffle prizes. Have a great day.