General Chat

Afternoon All,

Sun's trying to break through, but we had heavy rain during the night which is good and should make the weeds easier to get out like Mandy said. It was mostly brick hard here too as it hasn't been properly turned over here for a few years either.

I didn't feel well yesterday, so after a trip to the shop I didn't really do anything. I think it was just a bug, but my shoulder took ages to stop being achey after my covid jab this time and I'd felt under the weather since. I kept waking feeling hot and headachey last night but feel a lot better now. I might have picked up a bug at the Pharmacy when went for OH's meds as I had to queue and wait ages. I don't know why pharmacies and GP surgeries aren't required to have brass or copper door handles which are antibacterial.

It would have been my mother's 99th birthday yesterday. How time flies by, She would never have coped with the internet and never had a credit card and only had a bank card to be able to draw cash. She was a few months younger than me when she passed away.

OH's went to a match with his footie pal yesterday who has just started work at a well reknowned undertakers. In his first week he's already been out collecting bodies and is keen to eventually qualify as an embalmer. I'd be too squeamish!

Oh Vera, our gutters are low being a bungalow, but we had someone come and clean and hose them last year. Typical like your OH though, OH never plans and prepares when he does things or move things out of the way like you say. If I ask him to carry something into the conservatory or garage, he never thinks to go and open the doors first and ends up shouting me to do it. First OH would drill a hole in the back of a kitchen cupboard without taking anything out of the cupboard first. It must be a man thing. Your OH was very lucky he didn't do more harm to himself though and it must have been very worrying for you when they needed to check him so well, but reassuring as well.

AnnG I think people can be so busy they just don't think at times. Despite OH often visiting his mum's aunt and two nephews in Lincolnshire with his parents and her nephews attending MIL and FIL's funerals, the remaining nephew didn't let OH know when his brother passed away till he sent us our Christmas card. We were both puzzled, but decided with us not being local to them, it had perhaps slipped their minds till they started their Christmas card list.

A friend has told me to try pouring a little salt on the centre of our dandelions to get rid of them and I've read that adding vinegar and a little washing up liquid is good for getting rid of weeds too as long as it's kept off plants you want to keep.

I'll see what state the remaining Lillies of the Valley are in Mel as OH has been slashing and bashing them and using the spade to cut a few below the surface to try and stop them spreading further. I see Alan Titchmarsh has some with striped, variegated leaves.

I might sketch out a little painting idea next. I have a mock up of cardboard boxes in the lounge forming two options for the shower in the bathroom that I should be getting on with, and checking if large enough for OH, but my head still with some aching doesn't feel quite up to it yet. I'm meeting Fitz soon and he always asks me to bring any paintings or anything I've made for him to see.

Still no Annx. I do hope they are both ok.

I was going to look something up and answered your question and now I have forgotten what I was looking up. :-(

How about a kettle of boiling water? I must admit I use Roundup but not near either ponds. I get it fromAsda with my shopping or in Mole Valley.

What is the best weed killer for weeds growing in gravel, a lot of which are clover which must have fought its way through from the lawn undernesth.

I agree Mel and no way was I criticizing her getting re-married. She knows I am happy for her in her new relationship. I am in quite frequent contact with her, especially because of the boys. Yes I heard from Grandson this morning, we have always been quite close.

I suppose they all have their lives to live how they wish Anng. Do you hear from your grandson?

good morning all, went back to sleep at 615 and woke ar way gone eight. feels like I am all behind, but, having nothing to do I am really not and a wash load is already in. dry here so far and 12 degrees, bright, not sunny.

Feeling a bit sad as I have just seen eldest grandson#s ex wife has re-married, not been informed but saw it on facebook. looks ike she was in the full white as well. Not really a problem, I wish them well for the sake of my great grandson's and he seems a nice fellow. But it would have been nice to have been told.

Morning all

Bit cloudy but bright and not raining at the mo but its been raining in the night Ithink. Pc says rain strting in three hours and its 11 degrees.

BIL may come today to look at my pond pump and see if he can get it working.

So easily done Vera. As you say a pity he didn’t clear the pot out of
F the way. Easy to be wise after the event. Good that his memory returned anyway.

The last time Ann Posted was on the 30th I think so hope she is ok.

I waited till around 7 pm and there was no sign of rain, not even a grey cloud, so I went out and watered pots and a couple of plants in the garden. Now it's raining. Why couldn't it have started a bit earlier?

I said I'd tell you what happened on Monday but I'll give you the short version as I think I've probably bored you enough with our problems. OH decided to clean the gutters out. Our house is a chalet bungalow type with quite a steep roof so the gutters aren't very high up. He was almost right round when I went out and told him to leave it for the night as he was getting tired and that's when accidents happen. Famous last words! As i walked indoors I heard an horrendous crash and rushed back to find OH entangled with the ladder and broken pots. After checking that all his limbs appeared to be functioning and he didn't seem to have banged his head I got him indoors. His injuries didn't seem to be too bad, a cut on his nose, another on a thumb and a couple of grazes but his mind was away with the fairies. He didn't know what he was doing and insisted he hadn't fallen off a ladder. I rang 111, we both spoke to a clinician who said she was organising an ambulance and paramedic which arrived quickly.

After doing lots of tests and talking to us both the paramedic said that, as OH had sustained quite a whack to his nose there was a possibility of a bleed on the brain. So off we went to hospital and, once there, were taken straight to Resus where various medical people started working on him with a whole battery of tests and scans etc. By now OH was talking more normally though he had no memory of falling. Then his head was immobilised and he was taken off for a scan of his brain and also his neck.

After an hour another doctor appeared and said that the scans had been processed and he had checked them and was reassured there was no sign of swelling or a bleed on his brain. He walked up and down with OH a few times to make sure he was steady enough on his feet and then said he could go home. So I phoned for a taxi and we arrived home at 1.30 am, £60 lighter in the pocket.

It's not an experience I want to repeat. It was frightening, particularly when the medical people were talking about a bleed in the brain. Even though I was shattered I didn't sleep for the rest of that night at all, I was so wound up. NHS administration seems to be in a real mess but the front line staff are great. You couldn't fault them. Everyone was reassuring and efficient, and everything was done with a smile.

OH's memory of what happened has come back. He says he thinks he was coming down the ladder and was only about 3 rungs up when he caught his toe on the rim of a flower pot that was next to the ladder. Goodness only knows why he didn't move the pots out of the way first. I think his common sense flew out of the window when he retired.

It's a good job I gave you the short version. You would have been reading for the rest of the night if I'd written out the full version.

I hope Annx is OK. I don't think we've seen her for a couple of days. Maybe she is busy with appointments or maybe she's just enjoying the good weather.

I hope we all sleep well tonight. At the moment it seems a bit airless and heavy everywhere. Perhaps it will lighten up a bit as the night goes on.

Been moulding and painting most of the day and thought I better stop and get dinner on. Its sausage and mash tonight with cabbage. I have been dying for a bit of cabbage.

Mandy my beans never came up so I have bought new compost and am going to try again.

Been raining here most of the afternoon now but a bit fine.

Evening all it's been sunny one minute and then cloudy but not as warm as yesterday, it was to hot to sit out yesterday even with the wind .

We've been busy in the garden getting the canes in for the runners and tomorrow if it's dry we'll get the plants in .
Yesterday son came and put the new LED light up in the kitchen, he fitted the new hose on the shower and did a little job outside on the shed ,he's coming sometime with dil to put the new canopy on the gazebo as it's a two man job and very fiddly .

Anng the pots will love the rain ,we want a nice steady rain all night to really soak into the ground it's just so dry everywhere, I tried weeding in the front garden yesterday but you can hardly get a fork in the ground it's just so hard .

Oh dear Vera why do men never listen ,poor OH now has a pulled back moving the trough on his own , I hope it soon feels better ..

I'm off to get a drink of hot water now as I've had indegestion since I had a sandwich at lunch time.

It has been raining steadily for fifteen minutes now. Not heavy but steady so no pots to water tonight. I don’t know what the temperature is but it has definitely dropped.

O dear what are you going to do with him Vera.

BIL rang just as I was going up the shop. It was about myCeramic Lemon Juicerond pump, he may come tomorrow ands saee if he can get the pump I have in the pond working.

Rain did'nt last long enough to wet the ground.

It is 16 degrees there. As I had a couple of walking and standing days I have taken it a bit easy so far. although I did walk down to Irenes with some books to return. so many books that I wasn't sure I had read (they are beginning to get duplicated now. I brought back 6 books but four have to be returned as it turns out I have already read them or have them on my shelf to read. will take them back tomorrow or Monday as they are good books for somebody else to read. I have just updated my typed list of books read by some authors so must remember to take it with me next time.

Vera you just can't win with your other half. Maybe you should make up a large notice and plant it in the garden so he can see it. "Remember your back£.

I don't know that OH has learnt his lesson AnnG. He has as far as ladders are concerned but not anything else. In fact I think I am about to strangle him. Last night I wanted to move 2 heavy troughs of geraniums right round to the other side of the house. I suggested we each took one end so sharing the weight or he moved them using the sack barrow, so that is what he did....for the first one. The other one he picked up, without me knowing, staggered round the house with it and put his back out. What would you do with him? He admitted it was foolish and he is his own worst enemy. Now he won't be able to do much for the next couple of days so I'm stuck trying to do the jobs he was going to do as well as my own jobs.

I've managed to spend an hour in the garden this morning. I've cut back some of my penstemons but stopped when my back was beginning to pull. I've also lifted some spring bulbs from a half barrel and planted in there the marigolds we bought yesterday and I've done a bit of general tidying up. I've had to come in as my back is twanging a bit and it's also getting too hot. It's about 18 degrees and sunny but there is no breeze at all so it really feels hot now.

I think I'll cook our main meal at lunchtime today so I'd better get started. We're having a sort of bolognese with noodles and I've got enough mince and other ingredients to freeze some of the bolognese so it will be quick to do next time we fancy it.

Its now 12 degrees cloudy and raining.

Morning all,

Brightish morning here and its 9 degrees there is a bit of blue sky but also white clouds.

Just the shop to do today and then I can do what I want which will probably be miniatures. I also need todo some to get on Ebay, pretty things as whats on there now is a bit boring.

Pc is still playing up so I better post this before is disappears.

Had a good night and hope you did too.