General Chat

If you use that peat free compost you need to mix it with some pearlite and leaf mould. I did'nt get on with it either so just buy multi purpose and add some john innes no 1 2 or whatever I am potting on I use the 1 for seedlings the 2 for more mature plants and the 3 for things that have been in the same pot for a ong while or to top up my big tubs with the clematis in. I also mix some of the farmyard manure you can buy in bags with the toms and the sweet peas.

Afternoon all,

Very windy here and quite cloudy but I did get a bit of bedding dry on the line ,I nipped to take dil her birthday presents this morning as Colin was waiting for a call from the doctor ,he's had new tablets for his waterworks and they really didn't suit him made him very light headed and his legs swelled up ,doctor said this can happen with those tablets so now he's got a prescription going to boots for some different ones so although they did help his waterworks he got side affects from them.

Another nice little win Ann from Ernie :-)
I was very pleased with all the seeds I got from that seed company they have all germinated well, the only problem I've had was the repotting on as I used some of that peatfree compost and they didn't like it so I lost a few tomato plants ,I put some more seeds in different compost and they are doing well .

Thanks for the handy tip with pva glue Mel. I've not heard of that before. I do run them between finger and thumb after washing and never leave them standing in the water pot between use.

It started to drizzle with rain when I went out, but it soon stopped and I did my 2 laps. The lamb cooked well in the pressure cooker and lunch was ready by the time I showered.

OH is washing up what we don't put in the dishwasher so I am relaxing with a hot chocolate. I must look in the greenhouse soon as things dry out so quickly. We just had a heavy shower of rain but now it is sunny again.

Ann if the brushes are bent on the tips give them a was ans put the PVA glue on them and make a point and leave them to dry then you can wash it out and they should be straight again if not do it again. I always rinse my brushes and then run them through my index finger and thumb to form the point.

Morning All,

Quite bright and 10 degrees here. I rang the appointments and dept my appointment is at at the hospital but no-one there has tried to ring me so goodness knows who it was. I doubt it was to do with my knees as they have discharged me for the time being. The telephone number doesn't match any on their letters either.

I am cooking some diced lamb that was an Asda sub ages ago. It says to cook it in a casserole for 2 and a half hours in the oven, so I will do it in the pressure cooker instead in about a third of the time and see how it is then! I can set it going and do my walk while it is cooking and tell OH to keep an eye on it. ;-). The veg will cook while I have my shower.

I need to hoover through today, then maybe some knitting or painting. OH was in my bad books yesterday as he knocked my small and fine watercolour brushes flying all over the floor! He didn't seem to realise it mattered, but once the tips of them get bent it can spoil them for painting. It seemed to hit home when I told him it would be like bending the nib on his best ink pen!

ERNIE has sent me £50 this month so that was nice. :-)

Morning All,

Dull and grey here this morning and it looks wet out there too. I hope it brightens up a bit later on like it did yesterday as the pc says 9 degrees and mostly sunny.

F & C's night tonight so thats good as no cooking tonight. I had a steak opie last week but am having cod tonight.

So what are you all up to today, Whats on your lists? Mine is clean the bedroom and finish hoovering the hall.

Evening All,

A better day, warmer and with some sunshine today. More seeds are coming up now which is good. Those premier seeds seem to germinate well.

I hope your back has eased a bit today Vera. You need to be ok for your meal out, especially if the seats are as uncomfy as the ones where we went. It was like musical chairs with me keep trying others when the staff were out of sight! Your poor OH getting a puncture to sort out too. Hopefully it wasn't raining when he had to pump it up.

Not many subs this time then Mel which is good. That's a good idea to grow the short beans in pots and raise them up. The beans are easier to see like that too as I often find ones I've missed that are 'past it'. Yes Jane did love the bean, garlic and tomato mix didn't she. I wonder what news she would have for us if she was still around. I still remember those tiny little plates you showed me you'd made that time I visited you!

You managed to get the lawn mowed after all AnnG and got some other things done too. Yes it's amazing how the cutting down of certain Clematis seems to give them new strength.

I did my 2 laps again today and I think it is getting slightly less effort so maybe my legs are getting stronger. The tent had gone!! There was a poor old yellow Lab with a golf ball sized growth dangling about 3 inches from his tummy, but he didn't seem to be in pain. As I walked past him I noticed several, similar growths on his forehead. He still seemed to be enjoying sniffing his way around though and was probably too old for an operation even if that was possible. The hospital tried ringing my mobile while I was walking round, but it stopped ringing in the short time it took to get out of my pocket. I tried ringing back but got a recorded message saying they would ring again. Then OH rang to say they had tried me at home but wouldn't say what it was about. I hope it is due to a cancelled appointment being available but I will try ringing them tomorrow.

OH is out again and has taken his woolly hat tonight as he was frozen last night. After this week when they break up for easter I think he has a few weeks with no meetings so can catch up, and with some garden jobs too.

I don’t think I have been as busy as you Vera even if you don’t have a lot to show for it. Daughter helped put on the fresh duvet cover and so. In law changed the battery in one of the fire alarms and the light bulb in the bedroom, he can reach both without a stool or steps. Daughter also did quite a large chunk of the jigsaw, surprising what new eyes see that mine didn’t

Mel quite a street you have there why were the others banished to loft etc, and why have you decided to get them out again? Do you have plans for them.

Cottage pie tonight but daughter has mashed swede instead of potato on top.

Fairly quick visit to the thread today as I'm trying to get our dinner for 6 pm. I am going to the Ladies Club tonight so have to be out at 7.15.

It's been quite a busy day with ironing, meals, deliveries and some family and banking business to sort out, plus showering and hair washing. I then remembered the physio had emailed me a form to fill in all about what I have/haven't been able to do and how I have felt over the past 2 weeks. I have to take it with me to physio in the morning so I had to find that and get it filled in. Plus there have been a number of phone calls. All in all, I seem to have been working all day but don't have a great deal to show for it.

You sound as though you have been busy AnnG. It's good you got your lawn mown (is that right or should it be mowed?).

I reckon you could start a model village with all your shops and houses Mel? You'll have to set one up on your land and charge people to visit, lol.

Chicken in a chasseur sauce tonight so I'd better go and see how that is doing and turn over the roasties.

Have a good night everyone.

O and I still have a fishermans cottage up the potting sheds I started back in the 1970's when living in Redbridge.

Anyway while he was up there he brought me down my dolls house shop I started years ago. He's put it out in the garden as its covered in dust and cobwebbs even though it was in a bin liner which has disintigrated (sp) through time being up in the hot loft over about 30 years. I can see inside is my lovely dollshouse davenport so this afternoon I have to wipe it all down and see if its any good to carry on with. I was going to do an Antique shop as I have so many bits of furniture and my minitures I made years ago that would furnish it just right. So another project to start after the two I am still doing now. Still putting bits in the green witch's brew cottage and the next project could go on the side of it.

I have mowed the lawn, tidied up one clematis that I thought I had chopped back too far but it is growing well. put all my seedlings in the greenhouse and washed the duvet cover so daughter can help me put it on. Also showered and washed my hair and cleaned the bathroom. I think that is my lot for today. Still dry 12 degrees but overcast.

Morning Anng and all,

Dull and grey here and pc says 9 degrees and cloudy.

Big wipe down day today and I have two subs my small brown hovis for a large hovis and oh's prawns for some kind of other prawns. After that It will be craft.

Anng are you going today or are they staying with you for a couple of days? Hope they ahve a safe journey and you too.

Good morning all. up early as I have a bit to do before daughter arrives, and they usually start out early. already 9 degrees here but quite overcast. Still it is dry so far.

Been dull and raining here most of the day.

Those big pop bottles make good plant covers. Still not found my bean seeds but I have more I can sow but not the Benchmaster ones that give huge long beans. I usually grow my short beans in big pots and have them on a slatted table thing oph made so I don't have to bend down to pick them. I think I shall grow more of those this year as they crop well. I have the varity Ferrari and like them when they are very small.

Yes I did watch the first episode of the tiney tiny world of miniatures and am going to watch the next one tonight soon.

Runner beans tomatoes and garlic always remind me of our lovely Jane as that was her favorite. Oh's favorite is my minty mushrooms which he dos'nt get very often but I may make them for his this week. I must say they are nice and make a change from the ususal salad stuff.

Will say night night now and see you all in the morning, sleep well.

Your meal out sounded a bit of an adventure Ann :-). I am more than ever convinced our OHs were cut from the same cloth. I hadn’t thought of the Mr Bean comment but I am always telling mine that it’s like going out with a child. He’s always the one to drip gravy down his shirt or knock his wine over. Our neighbours have asked us to go out for a meal with them on Saturday night and I just know he’ll knock something flying. I would rather go midweek when it will be less busy but I keep putting them off and I don’t want to upset them. We’ll just have to manage the risk as best we can and take our chances.

I’m not surprised you got chilly AnnG. Even when it’s a reasonable temperature it can get nippy if there is no sun and you are sitting still.

We’ve not had a good day really. My back is quite painful again today but I’ve plodded on and got all the washing done, cooked our main meal at lunchtime, dealt with the food delivery and sorted through some more photos. I am resting now and OH will get us a snack around 7 pm.

This morning he went off early to the optician’s. I expected him back soon after 10 and was getting a bit worried when it got to 11 am. Soon after that he arrived back and apparently had rung and left a message on the answering machine. I don’t know why I didn’t hear the phone. I think I must have been in the bathroom with the water running. Anyway when he got back to the car park he found a nearly flat tyre - he’d picked up another puncture. He had to stand in the pouring rain using the foot pump to get enough air in the tyre to drive a short distance up the road to get a new tyre fitted. Another expense we could have done without :-(

Think I’m going to copy AnnG now and sit and read for a while.

Well I was feeling chilly indoors but looking at the PC it says it is 15 degrees.

I have been lazy and just sitting reading.

It's 11 degrees and dull here now AnnG and no more rain.

I decided to go to an Italian restaurant a couple of miles away at 12.00pm when they open, as a late birthday treat for OH. Mondays are usually quiet and we last went 2 years ago on OH's actual birthday. Well we ordered and they brought this massive tray of dishes and were trying to squeeze them all onto our table when I realised it wasn't all our order! There were 4 dishes of chicken in a tomato sauce with oregano instead of 2 dishes and chicken on skewers, salad etc as well as other things we didn't recognise. We finally sorted out what should be ours and I said to OH they must have thought we were greedy with all that lot!! OH then managed to tip some of his deep fried cubed potatoes on himself and the floor, nearly knocked over a bottle of water, then spilled some milk. I said 'honestly, it's like being out with Mr Bean'. :-) He couldn't help but chuckle.

Greenhouse next to plant more seeds.

it actually has not rained most of the morning and is 12 degrees out there so not too cold. Most of my plants are now in the greenhouse, Just the two seed propagators to go down.

Morning All,

It's 9 degrees here now but doesn't seem that warm. It was raining when I woke up, but very, very fine drizzle when the windowcleaner came. I decided to risk my walk and was surprised to see a few other brave souls. A strange sight greeted me as I walked onto the park, a bright blue tent was pitched next to the circle of fenced off trees in the middle of the park with a canvas holdall bag placed next to it. It looked like a toilet tent as it was tall, but was just about big enough to sleep in! Goodness knows why that was there?

Mel I do have a propagator, but it is too small to put much in. I also have a lot of clear lidded food containers our meals came in, but they are too shallow for the pots I sowed seed in. It doesn't help that a piece of the greenhouse glass has slid down leaving a gap either. I have found some more bubblewrap from the new blinds now so will be able to cover things better. I could have covered the tomato plant with one of my covers I made by cutting the base off some big plastic pop bottles but I thought it would be ok as the big pot it was in had soil well below the sides. I still might look at a bigger propagator though as it would be easier. Have you been watching the prog Sandy Toksvig presents about the dolls house people are doing tiny makes for?

Island my climbing french beans are through, so I must look after those and will bring them into the conservatory if more frost is forecast. I will be interested to see what the beans are like and fancy not having to bend down so much to pick them!. :-)

No subs and just 1 thing out of stock is very good Vera. I have wet washing to dry too.

It's a shame you can't get the lawn mown before you go AnnG, but at least you got the edges done.