General Chat

Did anyone see the news item about the wedding dress found in Australia ,a bride over there was looking for a vintage wedding dress and bid for the dress ,it was worn here in England eighty four years ago and packed away in the box with other wedding bits and pieces, as she had no family when she died her things were sent over to relatives in Australua where it was put up for bids .
The Australian woman didn't wear the dress for her wedding but it has now gone into a museum ,she did keep a hair slide and had it in her purse at her wedding .
The dress was beautiful and as the young lady said it flowed out of the box like liquid silk as good as the day it was made and to think it had been stored away all those years
If only that bride could see her dress now in a museum.

No not the main channels Mandy. I thought you could see those on your firestick???? or on catch up. I shall have to ask oh.

Afternoon Everyone,

It was windy here earlier but it's calm now and the sun has gone in again. The PC says 11 degrees but it doesn't feel that warm.

Oh very clever your OH and 'tetchy Vera'. I hope he was right and there wasn't a third thing! I would be stumped if we lost the channels on this new tv. I barely know how it works as OH watches it mostly.

Oh how nice to hear from you Gill and good to hear your news on all the progress being made on the bungalow. I bet you can barely keep up with all the changes, but it's good the water leak is repaired and that you can soon start decorating. It's an exciting time for you now being able to see light at the end of the tunnel. It's so good that you are almost there with seeing the extent of your garden too as it will make it easier for you to plan what you are going to do with it.

I recorded The Gilded Cage the other day as I thought it might be good and I recorded The Alpinist as well which is a true story about an explorer and my sort of thing. Yes I think SKY is too expensive although I have haggled twice and got a reduction. OH won't change because of Sky Sports and the BT Sports that's included with ours now. They cost the biggest part of our £120 a month. :-S I see NOWTV shows some main sky sports events as well.

I sorted some more things in the bedroom today. Some frilly and quite skimpy posh knickers I can't see me wearing again, also some misfitting bras and ones with narrow straps that dig in your shoulders! The bras were unworn so I might put those in the supermarket clothes bin. I also found my crown coins together with an old threepenny bit, a sixpence, 3 older silver sixpences and some farthings. To think 4 farthings would make an old penny, so there would be 48 farthings in a shilling or 5p as it is now.

I like the vinegar from pickled onions too Mandy.....a nice oniony taste!

Oh hubby is back from footie at Southam. I'll get him a COT.....will be glad when I can have one on Monday! :-)

Good to hear from you Gill. It sounds as though things are moving for you again now. You'll have to send us pictures of your garden as it develops

It's annoying that a lot of the writers that used to write for the BBC or Independent Television now sell their stuff to Now or Netflix or Sky. I expect they make more money that way. We don't pay for any of those services as we wouldn't use them enough to make it worth while. There is more than enough on terrestrial and freeview for us but now and then there is a series that I would like to watch on one of the subscription services and I have to miss it. Oh well, that's life.

It rained overnight but has been dry all day with alternate sun and grey skies. It's also been really windy. I went outside and by the time I came in I had been blown about so much I looked like a twin of Worzel Gummidge. I usually do the Big Garden Bird Watch and in a mad moment at 10 am decided to do it then and there, so I sat by the window for an hour watching for birds. I'll send my findings in but they are not representative of our usual bird life. All I saw in an hour were 4 blackbirds, 1 collared dove, 1 blue tit and 1 thrush. Usually there are plenty of pigeons and starlings and lots of blue tits, great tits and sparrows, a few goldfinches and often a robin. I think the smaller birds were staying huddled in the trees rather than trying to fly in the strong wind. They'd most probably have been blown to the other side of the world.

I cleaned out another cupboard that had all the medical supplies in. It made me think how much we have these days to what our mothers had. Sometimes I wonder if we are over-medicated but I suppose the population generally is living longer and older people need more medical intervention and a lot of the drugs successfully treat illnesses that were once very serious.

I've been lazy again today and we're having a ready meal tonight so not much cooking for me to do. I think I'll go and make a cup of something and then decide what I feel like doing for the rest of the day.

It is such a shame that programme is not on terestrial TV as it did sound good, I loved Downton.

I took myself off for a walk, the first time I have been round the park since November, although even today I just stuck to the main path through the park, it would be too muddy in the woods. I needed to get out to take my mind off the date. So far I have managed to keep bust. I will raise a glass to him at 7.15 5his evening and maybe light a candle.

jigsaw is progressing very slowly but I have got some pieces in, Unfortuately I really need to get suck into the wooden piece across the bottom. I have done quite a bit of the sky where the flower stems help but, even though I have every piece of sky out there are pieces I should be able to find but can't. :-D

Thank you Mel we did look but couldn't work out what package we would need as we need telly broadband and phone ,I think they are all separate not in one package ,and not sure what channels we would get with the entertainment package is it all the main channels like BBC and itv as I do like the soaps.

Mandy we've had Now tv for a couple of years as oh watches the grand prix's on it I think. I have watched some other things on it too. Oh set ours up so perhaps I can ask him to tell you what to do. He won't have sky as he says its to expensive and I think he just pays to see the races but I did watch the first one and it was good. I love the people in it and all the dresses. Its going to be good.

Must wash up the lunh things and then have another go at my craft. I have got lots of little tiny bits together for it and just have to plan it all out now.

Afternoon all

Not a bad day here little bit of sun now and then but tyhe wind has really got up through the morning.

Mel I saw that advertised ,The Gilded Cage ? Can I ask if you have Nowtv as my sister said they have it and her daughter had sorted it out for them ,son looked but we weren't sure how to sort it as we need telly,Internet and phone ,I know my sister said it was so much cheaper than sky she was paying like us over a hundred a month on sky and now she's only paying about twenty seven pound a month so a big saving .

Gill so nice to hear how things are going ,your really getting there now you must be so pleased to at last get your plastering done .
It will be nice to start on planning your garden over the coming weeks ,have you any bulbs coming up .

Ann I like Tom sauce on my F&C and yesterday I used some vinegar that was left over in the jar from the Pickled onions I love that.

I don't know if any of you have NOW tv but a new series of a Julian Fellows has started on there. Julian was the man who wrote Downton Abbey. Its set in America and I have watched the first one and think it is going to be good.

Morning Anng and all,

Dull and cloudy grey and miserable here this morning. I think my leccy toothbrush has just died but I have had it a few years now. I thought I had charged it a day ago but there was nothing in it when I went to use it last night. I shall have to look out the other one.

Lovely to hear from Gill and so good she got the heating fixed as February is supposed to be the coldest month of the year. I bet you can't wait till you can both get out int he garden and start on that. Hope the bathroom is done for you soon so you can get on with other things.

I forgot to pick up oh's pills yesterday!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Good morning all, quite clear and bright outside and feels a bit warmer.

Gill good to see you and to see how far you have progressed. How exciting to have a large garden to start on now it is almost cleared. A blank canvas, I bet you have fun designing a new garden.
Especially pleased to see you have had the heating fixed so hopefully you will stay warm now. Progress at last.

Vera had to chuckle at 'Tetchy Vera'. still at least you have got one cupboard cleared. I last did mine in 2020 when we all had Covid clear out mania. I suppose I ought to have another look I must have an eat from the freezer week as well. It is full and still I buy in on the weekly shop. right next week it is then.

Mandy F&C sounded lovely, long time since I (or also we) had any from the chippy. Nice for an occasional treat.

Mel, I bet they can hear that bell in the next village. If you look out of the window the next time you ring it you will probably see a long line of pensioners all lining up to be let in thinking they are at school :-D :-D

Ann I wonder where all the pigeons came from? How strange to see so many, obviously the word went round that there were snacks available in that field.
You got stuff you needed(wanted) at the factory shop so it was a good trip out.
Yes Mel is keeping us in suspense. Sounds like a big project.

Hi all, just to let you know we've just had the last of the plastering done so once it's all dry we can finally start decorating. We've also finally had our central heating fixed, the boss of the company came in the end and found a leak under the kitchen floor, he fixed it there and then and so far the boiler hasn't lost any pressure.

OH's going to get in touch with the plumber tomorrow to see when he can put the new bathroom in and we're hoping he can put a new sink in the kitchen and an outside tap, plus move some pipes from the kitchen to the bathroom as they stick out and we can't put a kitchen cupboard in that corner.

It's a lovely feeling knowing most of the jobs have now been done and OH's been clearing the back garden, digging up the roots from the plants I cut down last year, it's surprising how much gets done just doing an hour a day, it soon mounts up and it won't be long before it's completely cleared. He's off work tonight so is hoping to do more hours tomorrow, I can't get over how big our garden is as OH has cut the skirt off the weeping willow. One of his mates has a chainsaw so he's going to take the branches off soon and OH has cut all the overgrown plants down at the bottom of the garden so we've gained around 15 foot of garden there now.

When the spring arrives and the apple blossom trees are in flower I'm going to clear around them and cut back the rest of the trees as we don't want them. At the moment I can't tell which trees are which with them having no leaves on, so thought it best to wait until later in the year. Once that side has been cut back it should give us another 15 foot as the fence between us and next door goes off on an angle. Hopefully it'll all be cleared of the plants and trees we don't want soon then we'll be able to design our new garden. OH has cleared the front garden so we can make a start on that one too. I'm so pleased everything is starting to come together now after not being able to get hold of workmen last year.

I had trouble sleeping before and was wide awake but now I'm starting to feel a little sleepy so I'll sign out and hopefully be back on here more often now most of the dust has gone. I'm planning on putting the last of the architrave up tomorrow as it's easier to do with two of us, it's only a few cuts so shouldn't take to long to do, then all the architrave will be finished. I feel like we've had a year's work done in one month, at least we can see an end to the jobs now, so I'm not complaining.

I hope everyone is okay. Take care night night

You reminded me Mel that we used to have a school,bell. I had forgotten it but it used to be in the garage at our old house. I’ve just asked OH what happened to it and he thinks he gave it to someone but can’t remember who. I’m intrigued by what you are making. It sounds as though you are gradually getting together the bits you need.

I quite like nuts but am not supposed to have them with my bowel problems. If I followed the list of things I am not supposed to eat I would starve! I’d certainly struggle to eat my 5-a-day. I’ve learnt what really upsets me and avoid those items and eat the rest in moderation, so I don’t shell and eat nuts but don’t worry if there are a few nuts in a cake or pudding.

Tesco order was fine. There were 3 subs but 2 of them were larger sizes of things I had ordered and I’ll have no problem using them up and the other sub was what I had ordered but a more expensive brand, so it all worked to my advantage.

OH got all the TV channels back but says he did have a third thing beginning with T. It was TETCHY Vera. I had said I must get the kitchen cupboards sorted out and given a good clean even if I could only manage one or two a day. He said he’d start off by doing one for me. His idea was to take everything out, give the cupboard a wipe with a damp cloth and shove everything back. I tried to be tactful but had to say it needed a thorough wash down and the stuff sorted through and dates of foodstuffs checked etc. In fact all the food was OK but I did wonder why we needed to keep 4 sets of salt and pepper mills. We had so many because OH was never satisfied with them and kept buying another one. At least he bought 3 of them and then I got him a battery operated one that he does like. So we’re keeping that and one other one and 2 sets are now going to the charity shop.

The forecast is for a warmer night tonight and quite a mild day tomorrow. We have some hellebores out and the winter aconites are just opening up. I like those as they are such a bright cheerful yellow.

OH is watching another awful film. He seems to have turned into a bit of a telly addict lately, yet once upon a time he hardly watched anything much. Now I’m the one who doesn’t watch much. In fact I think I’ll leave him to it and take my book to bed. “See” you all tomorrow.

Yes you read right Anng we have a school bell that sits by the front door. I found it in my grandads shed when mum and I went round to clear the house out of the things we wanted. When you shout within these walls it echos aroiund so he can hear me up the caravan if I shout loud enough.

Well I have had two huge boxes out in the uti room looking for something I want and still hav'nt found it and now the day has gone and its nearly time to cook the dinner. I did find some stuff I can use though and oh went up the loft for something and brought me down some wood and another room box or shadow box whatever you want to call them.

Hope Vera's third T was ok and not many subs.

Oh yummy F&C Mandy, I bet they did go down well. What do you have on yours? I add tomato sauce, tartare sauce and lemon juice on the fish. Just vinegar is fine if we get some while we are out though. :-D You've reminded me I must add some walnuts to my food order. Yes I think I prefer pecans to walnuts and peanuts are very moreish. I like macadamia nuts too but they are fiddly to shell.

Better get back to the food order now.

Afternoon all,

Cloudy here after a frosty and foggy start ,yesterday was a lovely sunny day and we got a few jobs done outside.

This morning we nipped to sons for a coffee and we've just had some F&C's they went down a treat so won't have to cook tonight.

Oh dear Vera two things happened beginning with T hope Tesco's not the third thing .

That's typical Anng as you say if you'd laid late they would have been there early but at least you now have nice clean windows for when the sun shines .

Mel you need some walkie talkies that way you can call OH when he's out of sight, Lewis had some for Christmas they are brilliant little things but of course his are toy ones but they still work a good way apart.

Ann you'll soon be able to have your walnuts again ,I like nuts too I like peanuts and Pecans .

I missed your post there Mel as I had lunch in the middle of my last one. I'm having trouble typing near the end of rows too so have given up trying to correct my last one as the cursor jumps elsewhere. I think I will have to get one of those bells for when OH is in the garden when the phone rings for him as he never hears me banging on the window. No I haven't tried that lamb joint Mel and it sounds nice so I will order some. We have had the lamb steaks before but they do vary as you say.

Afternoon All,

It was horrid and dull earlier but we have sunshine now. At least we didn't need to scrape frost off the car before we set off for the factory shop! They'd had more of the joggers in that OH liked so he got another pair and I stocked up on fat balls for the birds and got a new plastic jug as an old one has split. The staff and us were all masked. Then we stopped at the PO/Pharmacy and OH dropped off the old meds and posted the lightbulbs back that I bought for the bedside lamps that don't dim despite saying that they do! Their customer service has been excellent though and they will replace them with better, more expensive ones and have paid the return postage.

Oh Gwyn how nice to see some Narcissus in flower. They are such perfect looking flowers and the scent is so lovely.

Vera OH is always making me jump out of my skin as he comes looking for me and I don't always hear him with the hoover on. Your OH must have had a start though if he spilled the tea! Sometimes it can make you feel badly for a few minutes as well.

After posting the card yesterday we walked a bit further towards the village and we have never seen so many Pigeons flying across the field at the back of our bungalow. They came across in flocks of them, some settling in the trees but others were crossing the road in front of us. We thought there were about 400 of them! Goodness knows where they are all coming from and we've never seen this many before. It'll be like the Hitchcock film soon!

I've trimmed the flowers off my geraniums but the cold this week has shrivelled some of the leaves so I hope they will be alright. I might put some bubblewrap I have over the top of them as it is supposed to get colder I think.

I wonder what Mel is making......clue no 1 is wood !

I hope there are some good bridge pictures for you to see today AnnGn

Oh dear Vera, not a good start to the day, hope nothing else happens. I dread having to retune my TV as T always did that and I don't have a clue.

Mel had to re-read that as I first imagined you standing outside the door wealding the large hand bell that we used to be summoned in from the playground by. (that last sentence is appalling grammar but I can't go back and re-write it now.

Window cleaner was supposed to be here at 0900 so Cynth and I were both up early and they didn't come until 1045, typical. If I had overslept they would have been early.

O I think it was about oh going up the caravan with his new toy and pc. I either shout at him if the doors open or I ring the school bell that sits in the hall and was rung for us when we worked up the top garden and mum wanted us down the house.

It says 1 degree here and fog but the suns been out since I got up but has just gone behind cloudy skies, boo hoo.