General Chat

Afternoon All,

It was so dull here this morning I didn't wake till after 8.30am. It is still dull now and doesn't look as if it will get any better. :-S

The pain has gradually eased more each day thank goodness Mandy and I am not needing to sleep propped up now. I'm just keeping everything crossed it was nerve pain from a torn muscle and that the odd twinges I still get will gradually go. I'm being very careful how I move though. Hopefully the scan will show if I have a swollen appendix or not, hopefully not!

Your description of the zigzags are exactly what OH experiences with his migraines these days. He says they are called silent migraines or migraines with an aura. He rarely has the headaches now, just these zigzags that work their way to the sides of his eyes after about 20 minutes. Oh didn't you do well with your present shopping!!!

OH has gone to a match near Rugby today, another one that will be poorly attended and he will keep away from what few others there are anyway. There's no money to pay either. It does him good though to walk about and see some kind of footie.

My BP was never high AnnG, but I have to have a beta blocker to bring my heart rate down after it didn't come back down after a panic attack once. It does reduce BP as well so my BP tends to be around 112/65 these days. I used to get mine checked at the chemist before I got a monitor, but the doctor has never asked or requested I have it checked.

Well I will nip out for a short run in my car next. There is a bungalow for sale a few miles away and I want to see exactly where it is although I think it may be on a busy road and a bit far from all the facilities we have here. I can play Terry's new CD in the car too.

In the end I had an email to go round to a friend for coffee so that was a good coupls of hours chat.

Yes Mel I did put in some photos, we all do.

Vera, my BP Monitor does have the proper cuff, It was quite expensive so I will learn to use it eventually, It has not been used for so long now that I think it needs setting up again. I wish T had bought a more simple one.
The book tokens sound like a good buy. when I was little I used to love having book tokens from my aunts that I could then go to a book shop and choose books.

Mandy pleased that your head is better today. You did very well with Tesco clothes didn't you? I must admit that is one thing I miss with having the on line shop the opportunity for impulse buys.

Sorry Mandy, I didn't make it very clear. It's the book tokens, like gift cards, that are made personal for the children. Their parents can take them into a local bookshop to choose their books and they can buy them with their book tokens. You did well with your present shopping. I'm glad your head is clearer now.

Yes thanks Vera my head has cleared a bit now .
I got some Christmas presents yesterday I noticed tesco had 25% off all clothing so I went in and got the children new coats ,I bought Chelsea and Katie the same style but different colours ,Lacey I couldn't find one for her but I did get one for Lewis and Jake didn't need a new one .
I got son a couple of pairs of jogging bottoms and a hoodie and dil a couple of pairs of leggings I think I saved about thirty pound and I also had twenty pound in vouchers and used them too so a good saving .
I had to go into town in the afternoon as I needed some new pudding basins and I nipped into Peacocks and found a nice red fleck polo neck top for dil that had 30% off so 11 pound odd instead of 16 pound so I did quite well yesterday .

The books sound nice Vera they will love them with their name in ,books would cost a fortune to post are they sent to them direct from the company as that would save postage .

Morning AnnG, Mel and all

It’s a similar sort of day here - about 10 degrees and very dull. I think it’s going to start getting a lot colder at night so in the next couple of days I’ll need to cover the agapanthus pots with their winter fleece.

I’ve got a BP monitor as well and it’s very simple to use and seems pretty accurate. The doc. gave me a choice of buying a mionitor or constantly going to the surgery. At one stage I had to monitor my BP every other day; now I am down to once a month. The doctor did tell me to buy a monitor with a proper arm cuff and not to get a wristband one and I took the pharmacist’s advice on the best sort to get.

I managed to get 3 more Xmas presents yesterday. They were for OH’s 3 great-nieces. I decided the younger two, aged 3 and 6, could have books but they’re heavy to post so I went into the National Book Tokens site and found some nice children’s designs that could be personalised with name, age or short message depending on the design chosen. It was only an extra 99p so they are on order now and I got the other great-niece who is 15 in January a Love2Shop gift card.

Towels are in the washing machine at the moment but I’m not sure what I am doing for the rest of the day. I might try and write a few cards.

It’s come over really black outside. I think I’ll have to put some lights on. I hope you all have a nice afternoon.

EDIT. I missed you there Mandy. It sounds as though you had some form of migraine. I hope you’re feeling a bit better now. I like the sound of your parsnip soup

Morning all,

Tablet is saying its 10 degrees here ,very cloudy and dull today don't think I'll be doing much today I have woken up with quite a muzzy head last night when I went to bed I had those zig zaggy lines in front of my eyes but once I laid down it soon went and I soon nodded off .
I was dreaming again this time it was about my Christmas puds I had steamed them and when I took the greaseproof paper off all the bread crumbs laid three inches thick on the top with just an inch of fruit at the bottom ,I remember saying they'll be OK can mix it all together .

Ann you saying about the cutting flowers off your Geraniums reminded me I should have a look at mine I dug them up and bunged them all together in one big tub in the shed ,I don't know if they need any water as they were quite wet when I dug them up.
Hope you soon hear about your scan ,has all the pain really eased up now or do you still feel it now and then .

Mel it will be nice to see your advent calendar for the church, we'll have to remind you to take a photo when you say you've made a start on it .

Anng I bet there was some lovely autumn photos ,I brought a leaf in on my shoe the other day the colours on it were beautiful and the pattern on too.

I have some parsnip soup on the go for lunch so I'd better go see if it's cooked .

Morning Anng and all,

Dull and very grey here tis morning and 10 degrees on the pc.

I have the usual shop to do this morning and then the rest of the day is mine to do what I like. Oh is watching the things about tomorrows race and thats about all.

May do a bit of ironing or craft don't know yet. I have three things I want to finish before I start on the church advent calender which I make every year. I will try and remember to take a pic of it this year as I forgot my camera last year when it was set up int he church.

Anng did you put any pics in yesterday?

good morning all, very grey and still here and 8 degrees at the moment. Not doing anything special today. HW again I expect.

Annx I don't think T got the BP monitor checked but it was accurate because I had a previous reading to check against at the time. I have always, until covid had my BP checked at the Drs every year because of my BP tablets. I have also had it done at the chemist. this time it is 2 years since last check. MY BP in the last five years or so has always been low rather than high.

Photography was good and there were some very good Autumn photos, on I liked was a single leaf laying on a grey brick driveway. It was a really pretty leaf all different colours and a sharp photo....... Which was taken on a mobile phone.

Afternoon All,

Quite dull here now but dry and still. I checked the greenhouse first thing and am wondering whether I should cut off all the flowers on the geraniums I have put to bed??

OH was fine today after getting a migraine in the night. I think it must have been brewing yesterday when he was being difficult! Mind you he wasn't happy being chased up for some papers this morning which we drove and returned over a fortnight ago! He does get cross that these people being paid over £70,000 a year are so incompetent and don't even check before sending curt emails and then don't even apologise when they are wrong!

No he's never in the doghouse for long Vera and he knows to keep his meal provider in a good mood! lol. Speaking of which, he would be the same as yours doing any cooking himself. He thinks it is much easier than it is and I know if I was incapacitated there would be a string of questions pouring from the kitchen. He did watch me scramble some eggs in the microwave the other day, but expects cooking to be an exact science which we all know it isn't. He wanted to know exectly how long they took to cook. My answer was that it depended how many eggs you use and what size they are and that you can't walk off and leave them. I hope your stew is tasty!

What strange dreams some of you are having. I wonder if one day they will be able to save our dreams while we sleep and play them back to us when we are awake? :-) What an unecessary fuss about your passport photo, but at least they accepted it in the end. Then a palaver over your parcel and how odd someone must have recorded it as given to you.

I had an email the other day from Amazon to say they aren't accepting Visa from I think January. They wanted me to register a different card and offered £10 if I did. OH was convinced it was a scam so I deleted it. Of course now we find it was genuine and I have lost the £10 I could have had. :-S Best to be safe if in doubt though.

I bet you will see some nice autumn photos people have taken AnnG. Single leaves can look very pretty as well, wherever they are taken. We use a BP monitor too and ours is easy to use. Do you get it checked for accuracy at the doctor's or pharmacy from time to time? I'm sure they would show you how to use it.

Better get my paints out now I have been good and hoovered the hall, bedrooms and ensuite.

I love your long posts Vera and I know I am not the only one. That was astrange dream you had last night. I wonder if it was todo with not mixing with others if you can help it or whether it was to do with you smiling at the little girl in the doctors surgery who was saying all the colours on the screen.

I think its getting darker here as the day goes on cos I can hardly see my keyboard.

Anng I hope you hear about your scripts at the begining of next week so you don't run out.

Good that you got your parcel in the end Vera. I do know what you mean about rambling on. I belong to a correspondence magazine (well 2 actually) which I have belonged to since 1984. My letters are invariably longer than other members.

I really don't expect to hear from the surgery until next week with it being Friday. As long as I do hear that won't be a problem as I have enough for just over the week. I suspect Ia m going to get instructions to present a BP reading so that will mean a visit to the chemist again. I do have a BP electronic monitor here but it was bought and used by T and the directions are very complicated so without daughter here to take me in hand I can't work out how to use it..

Good morning everyone (oops, it's afternoon already)

Well, the gremlins in the computer seem to have disappeared this morning. I have no idea what caused the colly-wobbles but we seem to be back to normal now. It’s dry and reasonably mild but very grey and cloudy again today.

Thank you, both Anns, for your kind words about my writing. I have never had a problem putting pen to paper but I do have a problem knowing when to stop. If rambling on and on were an Olympic sport I would win the gold lol.

Are your scripts sorted out yet AnnG. What a faff for you!

Is your OH still in the doghouse Ann? I know just how irritating constant instruction can be as my OH is just the same and I’m always saying “I don’t know how I ever managed without your help”. He has decided he ought to do more of the cooking (wonder how long that will last?), so tonight he is making a stew, never having done one before. So far I have had to remind him to take the meat out of the freezer and then find it for him as he couldn’t see any in the freezer. Later when he is preparing it I will get “How much of this should I put in?” and “Where’s this or that?”. I wouldn’t mind but next time I am cooking one he will suddenly be the expert and will stand over me issuing instructions. Men!!!

You and Mandy have been having some odd dreams Mel. Last night it was my turn for a strange dream. I think I was at a funeral, or at least at a wake, but everyone was in the room next door to me. I was on my own with just a babe in arms and a toddler, both little girls. Every so often some one from my family would appear, give me a hug and disappear again but although I recognized all these family members they appeared to be going under different names. For instance, one I recognized as, let’s say, cousin Fred appeared to be called Joe. I was getting more and more confused. Nothing happened in the dream that was bad or unpleasant yet I woke up feeling quite anxious and disturbed. What on earth was that all about?

I am currently awaiting delivery of my new passport. When I submitted it online the passport office didn’t like the photo because they said there wasn’t enough distinction between my head and the background and I should get another photo taken or I could press “Submit anyway” which is what I did. I then had to state my reasons for submitting a photo that might not be accepted. I pointed out that the photographer had already submitted it for approval before I left the shop, we had complied with all their conditions and I couldn’t help it if my hair colour (grey) blended into the plain pale background they demanded. I also pointed out that I appeared to be more distinct than the photo in my old passport. I heard nothing more till I got an email saying the new passport had been dispatched so clearly my photo was acceptable after all.

Talking of deliveries, I had a strange thing with Amazon yesterday. I had an email saying my books were out for delivery. By 4.30 they still hadn’t arrived so I opened my iPad to see if I could track the parcel, only to find an email saying the package had been delivered at 3.50 pm and “handed to resident”. Not this resident, it hadn’t! So OH traipsed round all the neighbours to see if anyone had taken it in. No-one had so I decided I had better chase it. I found the correct bit of the Amazon site to put my query, put in our phone number and pressed “Call me now”, expecting them to ring back at some time if I was lucky. Well, within about 30 seconds the phone rang and I got a very helpful and pleasant young man. My only problem was that his accent (possibly Indian) was quite strong. I am sure that face to face I would have understood him perfectly but the phone does distort accents and I got quite embarrassed asking him to repeat things. The upshot was that he said he would chase the parcel and if I hadn’t received it by 20th to contact them again and they would replace it. As an apology he put £5 in my account to be used off my next order. A couple of hours later there was a knock at the door and someone had brought my parcel and told us it had accidentally been left on the floor of a van. No-one can explain how it was registered as delivered and handed to resident but I’ve got my books and a £5 apology so a good result all round.

See what I mean about getting the gold medal for rambling on? I’d better stop before I find something else to write about. Enjoy the rest of your day everyone.

Morning Anng and all,

Grey skies here this morning and 11 degrees and no wind.

Enjoy your photography group this afternoon and it will be nice to see others photos.

Another funny dream last night about children and colourful toys and making spinners you throw in the air and they come down like Sycamore seeds but we could'nt get them high enough to work properly. They were pink and we were on a camp site.

Good morning all 9 degrees and very dull. Nothing planned for this morning but Photography group this afternoon. should see some lovely autumn photos. although all mine have been taken from here, in the garden or from the window so nothing exciting.

Annx it seemed that the more your OH opened his mouth the further he dug himself in. And I bet if you said anything he 'was only trying to be helpful'! :-) :-) Hope he (and you) has a better day today. Keep him busy.

O dear he he he............

Mandy it was a screw in bulb that I wanted. It is also a halogen one and lots of sites on ebay said 'sold out' of the one I wanted. It is hard work finding bulbs for things these days! So you had an odd dream too as well as Mel. It makes you wonder how our minds conjour up such strange images and links them together. It will be good for Lacey to be back at school and easier for mum too. Hmmm I bet your puddings smell nice. I like Mary Berryy's recipes......they are usually good. :-)

Oh Vera, I hate it when the computer acts up!

I hope they contact you soon AnnG so you can get your meds. It seems all surgeries operate the same now with the options. When I rang for an appointment recently there was a queue of 22 in front of me.

Mel it is nice to just have some time to yourself doing nothing sometimes.

OH is in bad books again. This morning he was iritating as he went on along the lines of telling me I should get my mask on before we reached the surgery so I could jump out if he couldn't park (which I have done the last few times anyway). Then it was that I should go straight in and not wait till nearer my appointment time and then he even said I should go and ask about my scan first. I think the gist of what I said to him was that I don't know how I managed my life before without his guidance (interference) when I was a manager and an Inspector in a govt dept. Then this afternoon I decided to take advantage of black friday discounts and get some blind samples and book an appointment to get measured up. We discussed it all in the summer and agreed to get the front windows and study window on the side done first as that would stop the lights opposite waking us and keep those rooms and the study cooler. Well he started making a fuss that the wooden blind in the dining end of the lounge needed changing as well. I don't want to change that till we decide whether the patio door needs changing as it would be nice if we got matching blinds for that as well. Being a man he thought we could do the window now and do the door later as he doesn't understand that they change the patterns and we probably wouldn't get a match!! :- So I have sent for the samples but not booked an appointment......another job where he's put a spanner in the works! :-( I think he needs a full time job to keep him out of my hair. lol.

And Vera's post came up twice so there must be gremlins in the works. I also got the Error page when I refreshed the page and had to come in from the start of the thread.

Chicken breast tonight with roasted veg so nice and easy and stuffing for oh of course.

I hav'nt done a thing today apart from feeding and corning the chichens. I just hav'nt felt like it.

The pics of the Robins are the two guys who come the minuet I go out of the back door. They come for mealworms and sometimes sing their heads off so I tell them thats a pretty whistle. :-D They both arrived together each side of the patio.

Hope you get an answer from the docs about your scripts Anng.

Where's our Island?? Sending love <3

Anng dil had her jabs before us as she works at the doctors and she should have had had her boaster last weekend and son too but they had to cancel them ,Jake and Chelsea have had their first jab and Katie should get hers in December when's she's 12
Good you got your letter in to the docs about your prescription they will get it sorted for you now I'm sure .

Oh dear Vera gremlins in the works .

Thanks for the pictures Mandy and Mel. Max is such an old softie isn't he. I love the owl but will he put birds off using the nest box Mel? It is a nest box isn't it? The 2 Robbys are handsome fellows.

I'm not going to post more right now as the computer seems to be having a mad moment. I think I must have accidentally touched the wrong key or something. Odd messages keep coming up. At the moment I have one which says "Device simulation changes require a reload to fully apply". I'm going to post this while I can and then leave the problems for OH to sort out.

Yes Mel all the optiona which is what makes it difficult for me. I have explained many times about my hearing and I think it is noted on my details but that, of course is no help in this case because it is me trying to get a message to them. In the end Cynth ran me down (5 minutes down the road) and I put a note for the practice manager in the letter box outside. It is for letters and prescriptions so will probably be looked at tomorrow. Hopefully then they will either email me or text. If they phone and leave a message on the answer phone I can then turn the volume right up and can hear it.

Mandy those girls will be so pleased when they can get back to school. Are they going to be vaccinated? Had your DiL been vaccinated?
Yes it is not very good they didn't warn me. With the pathway it is the pharmacist who usually puts a note on the prescription slip when I pick my prescription up. But it didn't happen last time. I actually thought this one was going to be the last one as they had not said in September because I know it is usually the end of October and I didn't have one then. Not the end of the world and just inconvenient. I bet I will have to go down for a blood test and BP check sometime soon as well.

Mel I meant to say good photos, love little robbie.that is a really good photo of him on the railings, very sharp he must have sat really still.