General Chat

Good morning all

It’s supposed to be a nice day but at the moment it’s grey and dreary. Perhaps the sun will put his hat on and venture out soon. I had a better night; 4 hours unbroken sleep from 1-5 am and the a couple of hours of dozing on and off.

I’m not sure what I’ll do today. At the moment I’m waiting on a Sainsbury delivery. They should be here by 10 am latest. Just one sub and I’m happy to keep that. This afternoon we both have our next lot of Covid jabs, so I expect it will be an achy arm for the next day or two. It’s at our local GP surgery so we can walk there

Sainsbury are here. Might be back later.

I'm really tired and headachy today. Still not sleeping much but managing to function during the day. Today I've managed to iron the few bits from yesterday's wash that needed it, tick several small jobs of the to-do list and give the two birdbaths a good clean. This afternoon a chap from another little cul-de-sac next to ours knocked to ask if we had seen his cat that had gone missing. We let him have a good search round our garage but no luck there but I will keep a good eye out for him as the chap was quite distressed. He said he had been ill and during that time the cat had been his best friend. The cat is a nice looking tabby called Enzo. I hope he turns up. Tonight a friend rang just as we were eating our dinner. Normally I would have said I'd ring her back later but she sounded upset and clearly wanted to talk so I didn't tell her we were in the middle of a meal. She had a financial problem, a fraud that her bank had thankfully picked up so she hasn't lost any money, but she was exhausted by spending all day online or on the phone and needed to talk it through and offload on to someone. Three quarters of an hour later my dinner was congealing on the plate and I didn't fancy heating it up again so it went in the bin. Sometimes I think everyone seems to be turning to me at the moment but I try to help if I can because I always think that one day I might be the one needing help.

I have read your posts but the pain round my head is getting worse and my eyes are beginning to blur so I am going to close the computer down. I always seem to be moaning lately so to end on a happier note it's been a lovely warm, sunny day. It's really felt that spring is here and summer might not be far behind :-). Night, night ladies, sleep tight.

Evening All,

Chilly and breezy ere today but it's been sunny. OH has cut down three shrubs for me, a very, very, prickly, purple leaved berberis with little yellow flowers, the huge, lime green Leycestria. Golden Showers and the Mahonia with frondlike leaves called Soft Caress. I couldn't believe Thompson and Morgan are selling small plants of the latter for £39.99! All I have kept in that corner is a pretty, orange potentilla which is easy to control.

Mandy there is a lot of tree pollen now as you say so perhaps it's that. I didn't feel well today and had crustiness in the corner of my eyes the last couple of mornings and the throat tickle again last night as well as some sneezing. I was a bit shaky today and spaced out and the penny dropped that I was out in the garden more the last few days. I stayed inside today and took an anti histamine and feel a bit better now.

Vera, It was the oilseed rape that seemed to first cause my hayfever when they grew much more of it years ago. I had a Renault cabriolet then with a folding roof and remember travelling down a long lane with field after field of it each side of the lane and had my roof down. The air was thick with the smell of it and the effect it had made me realise it was hay fever. Soon after that when I took my mother out along country roads (she lived in the city) she started to be affected by it as well and OH finds it affects him too now. We are quite glad less of it is grown round here. I do think other pollen affects me to some degree as well now though. It probably doesn't help having a field at the back of us, but at least it is grazed now instead of hay being cut like when we first moved here.

I expect the quinine dose must be really quite weak in tonic water AnnG. I read quinine could have some undesirable effects with heart rythm, so to be on the safe side I stopped having tonic water once I was started on a beta blocker. I like to always have a shirt as well and in my case they are good to slip over a short sleeved or sleeveless top on very sunny days, as my pasty skin burns easily! :-S

Mel, do you mean to say that you never kept a copy of those important things you didn't want to lose? I'm a dinosaur as I dislike and don't use the cloud, but I copy stuff I don't want to lose elsewhere. You could have lost those things anytime if your PC failed and was not repairable.

I've only just posted this when I got up for the loo and remembered I hadn't switch the PC off!

Sounds nice I like a blouse/shirt that goes over things and keeps the breeze or wind out.

Just taken pics of the things I painted yesterday.

It was a good trip to the gsrden centre. I didn’t buy plants but did buy an over blouse (shirt). I like themake they sell and have several of the
E blouses that go over thin sweaters.

Iv'e hit another hitch with this putting me back on Firefox or should I say re entering. I have lost ALL my bookmarks so lost all the recipes I have saved and the cake I made BIL for Christmas. I have been looking for it all morning cos I was going to make him one for his birthday which is tomorrow.

All I can remember is it had dates in it and you had to melt those over a low heat and then add things and leave it to soak over night, mixed fruit and I think no eggs, baking powder, orange and lemon rind and wholemeal flour and a drop of brandy.

Bitter lemon has quinine in it too and I think tonic water cos oh used to drink that when he was getting cramp in his legs.Enjoy the garden centre and tell us what you buy please? We are all nossey and want to know.....

We have 3 large wheelie bins and a smaller food bin plus a kitchen caddy. The garden bin I keep in the back garden the recycling and normal waste are in the front. Unfortunately they get spattered by birds from the aerial above. Only once has maggots in the food bin from chicken left on bones in very hot weather. We have had all these bins for about 20+ years and our system is not changing at the moment as it is as good as or even better than the ‘new’ schemes.

Good morning all bright and suny here but cold. Di
L has gone swimming. She is doing so many miles for charity again. Son and I are going to a big garden centre for breakfast later.

Sleep was much the same as usual, legs quite painful. DiL suggested trying non diet tonic to see if the quinine works. I will maybe give it a go.

Morning girls,

Was up at 6.10 for the bathroom and went back to bed but did'nt drop off again but lay there for just under 2 hours as it was nice and warm in there.
It must have been because the shoppings coming today and I did'nt want to get up late.

Its a bit grey this morning and its 9 degrees and pc says rain starting in about three hours.

Glad you arrived sfely Anng and not too many hold ups and hope you slept well last night.

I'm glad your journey was reasonable AnnG.
I hope your leg does not cause problems with sleeping.

That seems a lot of bins Vera.
We have had a waste food collection for many years now, at least 10 years, but many weeks I don't put it out, as we have no waste.As daughter says, 'We just eat it'.
We do have a garden compost bin, so outer leaves of cabbage etc. go in there, but when it comes to cooked food, we just prepare and eat what we know we will use, so there is nothing to put in the caddy most of the time. We can put bones in ours, so it is useful to dispose of a chicken carcase for example.We have never had a problem with the bin attracting flies, as I wrap anything either in compostable bags or newspaper, before it goes in the caddy or bin.

I'm pleased that you had a reasonable journey AnnG. I hope the weather is kind to you this week and I hope your leg doesn't pain you much so you can get some decent sleep.

Is there one particular pollen that affects you Annx? I hope the antihistamines ease things for you. I'm always moaning about the things wrong with me but, thankfully, I have never had any form of hay fever. My daughter, on the other hand, on doctor's orders has to take antihistamines all year round and keep them in the house, the car and her handbag.

As it was sunny and a little bit breezy this morning I got all the washing done and on the line. I like to get a week's washing of bedding and clothes done on a Monday if I can then it is all out of the way. Early afternoon I brought in the bulk of it which had dried well but there was a bit of bedding, OH's thick pyjamas and some jumpers that were still damp so I left them out a bit longer. Of course, half an hour later it came over very black and the heavens suddenly opened. The rain was coming down really hard so I didn't bother to go out to get the washing in till it stopped, by which time it was soaking wet again. I was not a happy bunny.

Our new recycling bins were delivered today, so we now have 4 large bins, a smaller food waste bin and a kitchen food waste caddy and have to find somewhere to keep them all. Our current 3 bins fit nicely behind our garage, accessible but out of sight but we can't fit any more there. I can't imagine where on earth people in some of the small terraced houses fronted by just a narrow pavement are meant to put them.

My book is calling me so I'm going to make a nice hot drink and read in bed for a while.

It's tree pollen now Ann ,I've been sneezing a week or two now and my eyes have been itching .

Glad you arrived OK Anng and the journey wasn't to bad , you'll probably be tired after travelling so I hope you get a good night tonight.

We had some rain late afternoon and some of it was quite heavy and it went over so dark we had the lights on early .

That's good the journey wasn't bad trafficwise and that you are settled in now AnnG. I hope the leg behaves so you get enough sleep and that it doesn't give you too much bother going out. The last few times we have gone away I've lived mostly out of my case, as I tend to take too much, so I leave 'reserves' in my case, to save re-packing if they aren't used.

Journey here was ok. Lots of traffic but all moving thankfully as only a short stretch of motorway. Sun and cloud most of the way then showery. Not a lot of unpacking to do as I live out of the case here and only unpack trousers and a couple of tops.

I usually sleep ok here but who knows at the moment. Time will tell.

I think the pollen has started to affect me with a tickly throat the past two nights and sneezing. I'd better get the antihistamines out. I've emailed Fitz with my last two paintings and the bins are out on the front now, but I have to remind myself about the food waste bin as the rest are fortnightly, although there's very little to put in it. I see it should be dry here tomorrow so I think I'll change the bed and put the washer on and then probably get in the bed! I record The Dog House which I love to watch, so I might watch that.

I hope AnnG sleeps well in the different bed tonight. The only other mattress than the one at home that I have slept well in is at the lodge at Cornwall as it is nice and hard like the one at home! :-)

Still sunny here hope Anng's journey was in sunshine.

Take a look at this its fasinateing.

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/wALD7bbsM4Y

A very short spell of trimming, as my back hasn't really recovered from the last session, but I filled a medium humper twice, so a bit more progress and OH cleared a lot of weeds behind the greenhouse and either side of it as well. I then managed to get through to the doctor's with only a queue of two. I couldn't get a double appointment but got two singles. So now as well as a covid jab and a blood test with a nurse I also have one doctor's appointment all on the same morning!

OH was reading the notices in The Times at lunchtime when he noticed one about a woman he knew from work when he was in his twenties! He reckons she must have been about age 99. I think I've spotted two lots of Magpies with nests in the tall field hedge as they keep flying to and fro to the same place as if feeding chicks. Nothing has used the nest in the tree just over our bottom fence this year.

OH is making phone calls so I better get on and clear some rubbish in here.

Morning All,

Lovely sunshine and a clear blue sky. We were showered before the windowcleaner came so that was good and popped out to do a few errands. No salads came with the food delivery yesterday which was annoying, so was one errand we had to do.

It sounds like you are ready for the off now AnnG, so I hope it's a good journey for you. The roads seemed busy here this morning now the children are back at school.

I just tried contacting our doctors' surgery to make a future appointment, but the queue was over 30 and they are short of doctors due to sickness, so I'll try later. They will ring you back when your place in the queue is reached, but I was on the landline and don't want to be in earshot.

Time for more trimming and weeding next and will take a COT with me.

Just all the odds and ends of jobs to do now, empty bins, sort waste and recylcing and food bine etc. Nearly done/ showered and hair washed.