General Chat

Good morning everyone.
I hope you get the greenhouse sorted, Mandy.
With it being so cold and windy lately, I expect like you say, many people will have been busy in their gardens, now that the weather is brighter and warmer.
I went out early, before 8 o'clock to get a bit more in the garden bin, before they came yesterday. It was about 3 quarters full, by the time they came, so it earned it's keep ;-)
It sounds as if you were busy too AnnG.

Another busy day today.
I have daughter's coat in the wash, while the weather is good. She wears it often, but working from home mostly and not needing it this week, it is in the wash with hat , scarf and gloves, which she seldom wears, so they will be put away during the warmer months.
Elder daughter is off work until the new term starts, so she will come this afternoon, after her dog-sitting duties and then go back to walk him again early evening.

Right, must get some breakfast...

Good morning all good morning Mandy. yes wasn't it quiet on here? I kept peeping in and nobody arrived. I did a bit of pot clearing on the patio and even had to water my Geums in pots, they are starting to look sad and last week they looked really good. Geums hate being dry, hence the watering. I don't actually remember what I did yesterday, the day passed quickly but I think I just enjoyed the sun wandering round the garden. Although I did do some admin jobs. today I have stripped the bed and that is in the washing machine. it is forecast to get0ver 20 degrees so warm again but tomorrow it is going to drop and rain and tomorrow is the meeting here.
Anyway hope all is well with Ann, Vera and Gwyn. I am assuming the gardens called.

Morning all,

Another sunny day and we're hoping to get the greenhouse up .
Very quiet on here yesterday, hope everyone's OK and just busy perhaps in the garden .

Morning all,

The suns tryng to stay out but the sky is grey to the north and better to the south.Its 12 degrees and pc says mostly cloudy.

Shopping day and 3 subs I ordered 4 lots of spring greens as the price was so low and the girls love them but they have sent Cavolo Nero instead and I don't think you get as much of that as you do the spring greens so that could go back they sent a different broccoli but thats ok . They sent two pint bottles of milk so thats ok.

I suppose its because of Easter and the children being off school.

I can't believe we are a week into April already, this year seems to be flying by before we know it it will be Christmas again.

I slept very well last night had a little lie in and watched the cloudys then came out heremade my coffee but did'nt heat it in the microwave my nose started to run but it was'nt it was a nose bleed. Had to find the nasal cream.

I'm posting this as I have lost the first few lines once.

Morning Anng ,morning all,

Nice and sunny again so I hope to get in the garden and repot the plant I was going to do the other day ,soon be time to get the greenhouse up too so plenty to do ,I did strip the bed and that's all in ths machine ,should get dry on the line .

Ann Terry can play the piano ,the girls were really good and had all the moves .
Welsh Chapel dream tonight .

Better have my tea and get the washing out .

Good morning all 7 degrees here but sunny and dry.
Not such a good night as a couple of times waking with leg pain. It has gone off now I am up. I got up just before 7am. And, of course I am not dressed yet.

That was a busy day Ann. I had a chuckle at the 'lost' car key. that is so easy to do.

And, 30 pages!!! almost writing a book. did you really need it all printed? Maybe you could have kept it copied on line somewhere. All that ink and paper (do you print both sides of the paper?)

I hope you have a more relaxing day today :-)

I can see those young girl entertainers would be great for going into care homes to sing. But somebody is backing them as the costumes were not cheap looking, very well made. And they were weell trained in presentation.

Evening All,

It’s been a lovely sunny day, makes you feel good. We both managed to add to the garden bin which is out ready for tomorrow’s collection.

It sounds like you had a nice meal and time with the family yesterday Gwyn. Thankfully no ‘shouts’ to attend!

Yes it was the cheerfulness and confident personalities of the girls enjoying their singing that I loved. I know they were singing together last year so only 12 years old and one aged 14 then! I would never have had such confidence at that age. They also sang Chattanooga Choo Choo and Don’t Sit Under The Apple Tree with Terry and There’s a video of them singing for the birthday of someone in a care home.

Happy Birthday to your SIL Mandy. It seems a shame the boys’ father doesn’t want to know, but every circumstance is different and at least they are still with close family they know, although it won’t be easy for your niece either as AnnG says.

Very upsetting for them to lose their mum though and no dad wanting to be around.
Glad you are catching up with your ‘things to do’ Vera and can slow down a little. I’d love to have seen your OH in his ‘Euphorbia proof’ outfit! There’s a clump of self set bright lime green ones in the field hedge up the close, but apart from the sap I don’t like the smell of them.

I hope your tomatoes soon start taking off AnnG. They always seem so tender and fragile when they are tiny. Let’s hope you have another good sleep tonight.

I’ve had a funny old day. After calling at the shop I opened the car boot and put my shopping in and then couldn’t find my car key, searched the boot and my shopping, pockets and handbag……nothing. I started looking on the ground when I noticed it was in the hand holding my handbag all the time! I’m losing the plot!
After OH went to a match, I started sorting a money transfer to a new account. I thought it was going well, then I had to print some rules of the account etc, which turned out to be 30 pages and one of the printer inks ran out and by the time I had swapped that I was timed out and had been logged off! I logged on again and had to start over again and managed to finish, or so I thought. A message came up then with an error code, so I thought I’d better phone to report it. I use the landline at home as the sound is clearer and I can never remember with my mobile how to bring the keyboard up while you are on a call and thought they would be bound to want me to type something in. Well blow me there was no dialling tone on the landline! It did come back this evening after it was too late to phone, but now there’s no dialling tone again. I have had an email just now to say the transfer has gone through so something has worked! I was saying to OH that when there is only one of us we will need two phones because if one goes wrong, once our landlines are sitched off you need the other to phone someone with.

Your eyes must be nearly shut reading all this, so I’m off to bed late for me and OH is taking me for a breakfast bap in the morning so it’s an early start, although I don’t think it will be busy.

Pleased that you have caught up with yourself Vera I bet that felt good.
Strange about the euphorbia, something dropped by a bird maybe.. pity you could not get a photo of that strange intruder in your garden. :-D

Happy birthday to your dil Mandy. That is so sad about those poor little boys and it must be so difficult for your niece to take care of them and their needs while grieving for her daughter. My heart goes out to you all.

That sounds a lovely Easter Sunday Gwyn. A good meal and some family time – what could be better? I agree with you about preferring hot cross buns to be traditional, I’m not keen on all these fancy flavours either.

That was a nice surprise dinner you had Mel, and an Easter egg from Em as well. Your neighbours all sound like nice people.

The 3 girls in the YouTube clip you sent us Annx are talented young ladies and should go far if they choose a career in that field. They had nice voices but I was really impressed with their personalities. They know how to smile and draw their audience in which is half the battle.

Your tomato seedlings will probably be OK AnnG. It’s a bit of a balancing act between them drying out or getting waterlogged but if you can just keep them a bit damp they should survive.

I finished all the real priority jobs yesterday. I have a few emails to write still but none that are urgent and only one that I ought to do today so things have now calmed down considerably and I’ve concentrated on some household chores. As the weather is so good today I did loads of washing and for the first time this year hung it all outside. Then just before lunch I wandered round the garden, caught site of something yellow in a corner behind a bench so went to have a look and it was a euphorbia plant in bloom with two smaller ones growing nearby. Where the heck have they come from? The one in bloom looked well established but neither of us have seen it before. We won’t have them in the garden after OH’s mishap with euphorbia a few years ago so he decided to get them out straightaway and to make sure he was well covered while he did so.

First it was “I can’t find my goggles”. After I hunted everywhere in the half of our garage that acts as our shed I got “I’ve just remembered they were damaged so I binned them”. Grrr! But, still smiling, I suggested a large pair of sunglasses that he bought for protection when his cataracts were done. Ten minutes later “I can’t find my sunglasses”. Double grrr! Eventually he was ready but I then suggested a mask to protect the lower half of his face so that had to be found. He eventually got into the garden and he was a sight to behold with his long sleeved jumper, gauntlets, woolly hat, face mask and sunglasses. I’d have liked a photo but didn’t think he was in the mood for that. Anyway, euphorbia is removed and hopefully OH got all the root out but we’ll keep an eye on that area to make sure no more pops up there.

I can’t believe it is 3.45 pm already. I’d better go and check the washing. A couple of heavy jumpers might still be damp but all the lighter stuff is probably dry now. I hope you have all got sunshine too. Enjoy it while it’s here.

Happy birthday to your daughter in law Mandy.
Yes lovely and sunny and says 15 degrees but that wind is taking the temp down.
Oh that is sad that the boys father doesn't want to know. Your niece will have her hands full now. I hope she is able to cope OK especially as she is grieving too.

Beef sounds nice. I could just eat that.

I have just potted on my tomato seeds. They are a bit small but were not looking too happy in the seed cells as it is so warm they were drying out. If I lose them that is too bad but they were not going to survive in the mall cells.

Afternoon all,

Nice sunny day and we went to sons to take dil her presents, the sun was really warm in the car but there's still a bit of chilly wind that's catches you in the shade .

Got a piece of beef in the oven and all the veg is done so just having five minutes .

Gwyn that was nice to get the family meal and time together yesterday .

Thank you everyone I think we're still in shock about Anna , we all thought she would have at least a couple of months to make memories for her boys but it wasn't to be .
She doesn't have a partner, the boys father doesn't want to know so my niece is looking after the boys .

Did a huge post and lost the lot as I forgot to copy and paste it.

When I got up for the loo while it was just light there was frost all over the lawns. Its 12 degrees here now with the sun shining but pc says windy tomorrow.

Gwyn that was nice to have a family meal together and glad son got it in before his shout.

BIL is coming today so I better get in the shower before he arrives. Getting up late has put me all behind but I did have a wonderful sleep.

Good morning everyone.

Mandy, I was so sorry to read of the passing of your sister's grandaughter. What a tragic event for all the family. My condolences to you all.

AnnG,
Around 6.30 seems to be my natural waking time lately, so I get up and make a drink and start my day. If I've been quite busy, I do find myself nodding off during evening TV programmes sometimes, so I probably do need a bit more sleep really.
Earlier bed time doesn't seem to work for me, as I wake after a certain time and then have had a few hours, but find it difficult to go back to sleep,so enough to keep me going, but not enough to see me through the next day.
Why do we do such random thinking at such times.?
Once I start thinking in the night, about what I am doing in the morning, eg. don't forget to post that card, on the way to school, my mind is in 'awake mode' and sleep becomes harder.
I actually try not to bother about it.
I don't drive, so I'm not a danger to anyone on the roads and am fully alert to walk, wherever I want to go and carry out normal activities, so it's not really a problem. It's probably more a case of not being able to cram so many things into a day, as I could, when I was younger.!

It's feeling chilly, but the sun is trying to shine through, so hopefully if it gets a bit warmer, I will go in the garden and get some more in the bin, before tomorrow's collection. Laptop is saying it's 4 degrees, at the moment.

Yesterday, we managed a family roast dinner meal together. We had thought to go out somewhere, but son was on call for work, so it would have been awkward if there was a 'shout' and he had to head off suddenly, so we opted for a home cooked meal prepared and made by my 2 daughters. Son joined us, when he was free, parking the fire car just outside and we had a good family time together, before he had an alert and had to rush off, just after 5 o'clock.

I think we have some hot cross buns left, so I think I'll have one for breakfast. I do like them to have a definite spicy taste and not be too bland. I'm not keen on all the fancy flavours. Traditional are the ones for me :-)

Good morning all a bit grey here and only 3 degrees but I think it is supposed to warm up later.

Another good nights sleep but awake at 0645 so decided not to go back to sleep then and got up.
Those are three talented young ladies Ann. I imagine they are quite popular locally for performances.

Mel that dinner sounded lovely, I bet you enjoyed that. and an egg from em too, lucky you.

Oh Vera, I thought my list was difficult to prioritise, that workload sounds horrendous. Is there really nobody else in the family/group who could share the load. I hope it will soon ease off for you.

That was great Annx,I enjoyed that.

Dinner was lovely and Aaron brought it down for me as Winnie was having a paddy. I had lot of lamb,carrots, broccolli and roast pots with stuffing which I did'nt like. Never have liked it much but oh used to love his stuffing with any dinner really. Gravy vame in a little jug to pop inthe micro and I put the dinner in the oven for a while tatoes seperate.

Oh Vera it was overwhelming just reading what's going on for you at the moment, so it's not surprising how busy you have been. I hope you manage a restful read finishing your book and a good night's sleep.

It doesn't sound like an easy road to your tip with the big vehicles using it too so it's easy to see why people would prefer the appointment system. Our tip is half a mile away on a small industrial estate. It used to be a doddle driving round the edge of the buildings on a tarmac road to it before covid, but now they have put steep humps at intervals and big lorries have started parking all down one side of the road or leaving their trailers there. which means one lane is mostly bocked with parked vehicles. It's not been too busy and no queuing the last couple of times we've been, but we went early in the morning. I can imagine a bit of gridlock with only the one lane passable, so expect it will be appointment only there as well before long.

Mel that was your good luck then that Aaron's guests couldn't make it, so you have a nice roast dinner! A nice surprise egg from Em too so that was good. You tube is listed in the Apps in the SKY menu on our tv so we don't sign in to anything. Yours is clearly different. Did you have to sign into it before it went wrong?

Terry did a livestream for easter tonight and I noticed, as his wife panned around his studio with the camera, that amongst a few things he has pinned to one of the doors in his studio is the christmas card I painted for him last christmas, so he hasn't put it away.

Speaking of Terry, if you like 40s music, the lovely Duchy Darlings called on him playing on the Elton John donated public piano at St Pancras, after they were on the morning news recently. If you haven't seen them, they are a trio of lovely young girls who sing a three part harmony. When I say young, one is aged 15 and the other two are aged 13. This is the link if you want to hear Boogie woogie Bugle Boy of Company B.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hNbNgWJwv4E

Em came round with a lovely big dark chocolate Lindt egg for me so that was a nice surprise. I fiddled with my miniatures and had some late lunch and BIL and SIL called in so I made them a drink and asked SIL how to get youtube on the tv. She said you've got it on there, I just watch as a guest. I tried to log into it and messed it all up but by this time they had gone home.

Then I came back to the pc and could'nt get youtube on that and I must have clicked on something and now every time I go into anywhere I have to sign in or accept cookies. Its driving me barmy. First I lost firefox so I turned the pc off and on again still the same.

Anyway I just rang next door to see if they were in as I have a little egg for their little girl and they were just finishing their lunch and asked me if I would like a roast dinner. Of course I said yes please so I am going up in a mo when they ring me. Aaron said they were supposed to have people coming but they could'nt make it.

It’s been sunny most of the day but, although the wind has dropped, it is still very breezy and quite chilly outside. I sat in the conservatory with a cuppa after our lunch and it was like an oven so I opened the door and it wasn’t long before I got cold and had to close it again.

It seems as though many of us are having bad nights now. It’s a pity that leg pain is waking you AnnG. It will be a good idea to speak to someone at your surgery when you get back from MK just to try to find out what is causing it and get a bit of reassurance. Perhaps we’ll all get a better night tonight.

Mel, I wasn’t sure whether kio food was some special chicken preparation or whether it was a typo for koi. If it was koi pellets I’d try and judge by eye what seems the right amount but underfeed rather than overfeed. If it all gets eaten quickly then you can always give a little more next time. I can’t remember how we used to feed ours – my memory is getting quite bad these days. Are there any guidance notes on the pack?

Annx, after Covid the local council ran a sort of survey on whether they should keep the appointment system for the tip and the response was a big majority vote to keep the system. Our nearest tip is up a narrow, twisty lane and it used to be a nightmare at busy times. There is some sort of oil company in this lane and farmland beyond it so you would get heavy farm vehicles or tankers trying to come past the queue for the tip and the only way for them to get by was if all the cars reversed back down the lane to the bottom. With an appointment there are usually only 1 or 2 cars waiting to go in and you never have to wait more than 5 minutes. You rarely have to back up but if you do one car can usually find enough of a space to pull in whereas a whole queue of cars can’t. It works much better for us.

AnnG – I am prioritizing what needs to be done. H/W, gardening etc are getting left. All I am doing is washing because we need clean clothes and shopping and cooking because we need to eat. The last week or two has been quite unusual. Our friend’s funeral and house clearance are being organized by his sister but I have been acting as a sort of liaison between her and our very large, extended family. Where possible I have been doing a group email to about 20 rellies and asking them to pass on all the information to their own families, otherwise I would have to send about 60 emails every time. Without going into details that are private to other people I have spent nearly all week sending and answering endless emails and phone calls which all take time. Our dil was also very unwell at a time when both our son and dil’s son were away from home. She managed to drive herself to her doctor’s surgery and was sent straight to hospital. She had an overnight stay and then had to go back after a couple of days for tests and scans with the upshot that she is having an operation on Tuesday. As you can imagine we have been worried about her so more phone calls and emails. I won’t bore you with all the rest of it but I have needed to do something to help a cousin who had got in a bit of a pickle and also give a little help to someone else who has had to go to Addenbrookes hospital every day as her OH has been having treatment. That has mostly involved message taking and sending on. Not arduous at all but time consuming. Written like this it doesn’t sound a lot but I have spent hours on the computer which hasn’t done my eyes or head much good but I think I’ve dealt with the bulk of it and it should get a bit easier now.

I gave myself a little break on Thursday and went for coffee with our friends and I am having a restful day today. I made a double size stew yesterday so I didn’t have to prepare and cook much today so all I have done is a tiny bit of ironing, changed my bedding and reheated a stew with a few little potatoes and cabbage. Not quite the roast lamb and spring veg with a lovely dessert that I would normally do on Easter Sunday but it was tasty and filling.

Now I am going to go and read. I’ve been trying to finish the book I am reading for several days and I only have a couple of chapters left so I am going to try to finish it before OH decides it’s time to eat again.

an yes I realised you got my legs condused -easy done :-D :-D :-D

T never bought me an egg. He always said Easter Eggs are for children any more was just the businesses making money.

I have just remembered I meant to tie up a rose down the garden and forgot. So better go and do that before it rains.