General Chat

Just popped in to say goodnight. As you guessed AnnG it seems to have been a bit of a busy day. In fact it looks as though it might be quite a busy week so I hope I can find a bit more energy from somewhere. I’m going to bed now in the hope of catching up on some sleep as all these disturbed nights are really getting to me now. Sleep well everyone.

No Vera or Mandy. Maybe busy. I am just watching Lewis one that I have seen more than once before.

Hav'nt managed to take a pic of the new girls yet as they stay in the house at the mo and if I open the double doors I stand a chance of losing them if they get out and we've had the fox in the garden a couple of times lately. I did manage to get a bowl of water and food in the house while they were on the perch and tonight I put corn in their bowl and they went for it straight away before I had shut the door soI know they are eating well. I hav'nt shut the pop hole tonight so they can get out in the morning if they want.

Made a load of scones this afternoon and we had some for tea with two sausage rolls eash Em gave me. Made the scone mix a bit too soft but they taste ok. They were mums recipe for Kings Head Scones. They hsould have had unsalted butter in them but I put Flora buttery in them and think thats what made the mix a bit soft.

Going in the hsower now and then watch a bit of telly.

Our yorkshire Farm on on Tuesday Channel 5.

Where is everyone today? That was good only 1 sub AnnG. I thought our Sunday lunch was fine, but I think OH is getting a bit fed up with them now. His tum is never great on Sundays though as he has to take an Alendronic Acid tablet for his osteoporosis in the morning. At least he said if he doesn't have one next week he will sort himself out foodwise if I still want to order one for me.

Well today lunch arrived with a polite, lycra clad young asian man on his mountain bike! We were following the tracker and he turned off the main road too soon so I think he may have had another delivery as well. Either that or he thought he could cut through the estate they built to get to our close which you can't.

OH is watching footie and I need to get cracking with my paintbrushes this afternoon.

hopefully two good ones Mel and cheaper (Lol Island). I am assuming that whatever they have died from plus the one that is not well have not got something infectious. I am sure that you are knowledgeable enough to have thought of that. Look forward to seeing the photos. It has been very bright and sunny here with a cold wind except for the 20 or so minutes it took me to walk to the post box and take a couple of bits to the charity lady when the sky clouded over and there was rain in the very cold wind. 12 degrees out there. I sorted out the bird feeders, put a couple more up having seen the collard doves eating this morning and also the great tits. I have put the niger seed back up now and am hoping the goldfinches will return for the winter.

Island, I am sure it won't be long before you get the flu jab, I think I did say there was a supply problem to do with driver shortages. (of course the perfect excuse now for shortages of anything).

Annx Hope you enjoy your lunch, I could do with having mine cooked for me for a change. I have got a piece of gammon which could probably last me a week. I will have it for two days and freeze some I think. The only things not available were the two toys I ordered for Christmas presents. I fail to see how they can have been available late Saturday and not early Sunday I do have a suspicious mind and wonder if sometimes it is easier to put non available than to hunt for items. I had one sub, Colemans cheese sauce instead of Colemans white sauce ( I already had a cheese sauce on order. But that is acceptable.

There was a knock on the door just before 10,30, I was upstairs, it was Tesco he was surprised when I said 'gosh you are early'. He said 'Am I, I didn't check, I was not supposed to be driving today'. I hastened to add that it wasn't a problem but it was a surprise.


Yes it is 6 months. Almost to the day I got a text and an email saying mine was due

Morning All,

We had the heating on for a few short bursts yesterday as it was so cold. This morning is just the opposite, warmer and nice and sunny, but there is more breeze today.

Vera thank you for saying it was 6 months since your jabs as I thought I had read that somewhere. By that reckoning mine will be at the end of this month and OH's about 2-3 weeks after that.

Mel how nice to get 2 new girls! I hope they settle in quickly with the others and start giving you eggs soon. :-) We'll have to start coming up with some names now.
I hadn't heard of Warren hens before so looked them up and they sound really good hens.

AnnG that is a good point about passports for ID. Ours have run out now and my only other ID is my driving Licence. I hope you get everything you want in your food delivery.

Lunch should be here in about half an hour so I'd better get everything ready. The price went up by 40p this time, but it's still good value at £14.02 for both of us. A pub in the village does delivery but it's £21.98 plus delivery charge from there and isn't a place I've ever been in and seems a bit rough and ready. They get good reviews for their food though, but I think the helpings would probably be too large for us.

Morning Mel and Ann

It's so bright here and the sun being low at this time of year is a bit blinding. I'll need double sunglasses!

Anng, Our Lloyds pharmacy did flu jabs for years but aren't this year. I think it must be a supply problem - I wonder why? hmm. We don't have a Boots either and what with the petrol situation don't want to drive to the nearest large town. I'm happy to wait now that I know my surgery ill do them in due course - even though the nurse is a bit 'stuff and nonsense' (French and Saunders)

Cheeper chickens Mel? I thought they clucked :-D That's good that you got a better deal. I hope they settle in ok with the others and no squabbling - sorry, that pigeons isn't it. We haven't put the heating on but we have got the leccie blanket and winter duvet on - much sooner that usual!

I put the new ones in last night and shut them in. When I got at the farm going the wrong way so it took me longer, He brought the two girls I had ordered out but I said I did'nt want those ones as they were the same dark colour I had before and they did'nt lay for long. So he asked me if I owuld like two Warrens instead to which I said yes as I know they lay well and usually brown eggs. He brought out two lovely point of lay and put them in my box. I handed him the money £32 and he said these are cheeper have you got a fiver to which I said yes so they cost me £25 instead of the thirty two. I was p;leased with that and came home and left them in their box in the car till they other girls had gone in and I shut the pop hole and put the two confused girls in the house with the others. I am now back up to 6 but one is still not well. I shall give them some poutry drink today and keep my eye on them.

No names yet will see what they look like as the week goes along. Will take a pic later so you can see them and perhaps come up with two nice names?

Warrens were the ones I had from Loraine as recue girls years ago when Mandy knitted me a chicken coat for one that was nearly bald. Unfortunately it was red and the one colour chickens always go for so I had to take it off in the end.

Sun and showers here today and its cold with it. Not had the heating on yet but won't be long if it carfries on like this.

Our oil comes tomorrow so I had better move my plants off the decking and tie my new branch of rose in as its right across the gateway and I don't want oh to cut it off.

Island have you got any pharmacies in your area doing the free jabs?

Good morning Mel and everyone else. Mel hope the oldies have not turned on the newbies, do you immediately put them all in together and do we have names for the newbies?

I have a Tesco delivery this morning, not idea why it is today not yesterday but I have a vague memory that I was late making the booking so couldn't get the Saturday. No problem just a bit confusing.

Morning All,

Just going round to let the girls out as I shut them all in last night.See if theres any mayhem going on as I can hear them clucking.

Evening all
This had better not get eaten so I'll keep it short.

It's my flu jab that I hadn't heard about and still haven't but I've now been told - via another surgery! - that mine hasn't had the vaccine delivered yet. Nice to be informed!
I expect the covid booster will be after this month but at a different place to 1&2 so no cause to worry about that yet.

Oh dear Island I have started to copy anything I have written if I need to leave it unfinished then , if you lose it you can just paste it back. Shouldn’t have to do it but the site has timed out on me twice today so that is probably what happened.

Vera my arms still ache a bit but are a lot better and not stopped me doing anything I know it is early days but fingers crossed I don’t get any of the side effects the doctor warned me about. I do think, all things considered that it is worth having them both done and get them out of the way.

The other thing about renewing your passport is that you have it for ID purposes even if you don’t go abroad.

Oh this really isn't on. I'd typed a few lines in reply to Anng intending to continue to everyone else. Went to the bathroom, came back and guess what? :-| :-| How on earth can typing disappear on it's own.

I've got the hump now.

Re the Michaelmas daisies, They all come from one original plant. At this time of year I love them but for the previous 3 or 4 months they are a nuisance. I am going to try moving them I think when they finish flowering.

Re the awful weather. Daughter and son in law are on holiday in a cottage on Anglesey. It is wet there too but they have been to a butterfly farm and had a nice day despite the weather, as you do on holiday.
Ooh there is a glimmer of sun out there.

You’re right Island, it’s definitely dank...and dreary and gloomy. In fact everything but cheery :-(. There’s been lots of heavy rain and a strong breeze but nothing as bad as the winds that were forecast for this area. Thanks for the pictures from your garden after it got a touch windblown. I love that red sunflower. I hope your sciatica is easier today.

Your garden still has some colour in it AnnG and your daisies look a pretty lavender colour. I hope the aches in your arms are beginning to ease now. We are booked to have both our jabs at the same time and I am wondering now if that’s a good idea. Btw, Island, you will probably get something from the NHS 6 months after the date of your second jab. I got both an email and a text saying that I was now eligible to book a booster. It was 6 months to the day after my second jab. In fact mine was already booked as our GP surgery does them.

Ann, the reason we are changing the old bank account is that it is effectively obsolete and no longer does what it was set up to do. Money can no longer be transferred out of it to an account in a different bank. We have talked to both banks and the best solution they have come up with is that we open a current account with the old bank, then our money can be paid into that, then we might be able to transfer it to our current account at the other bank, or use a chequebook to withdraw it bit by bit, and then we can transfer it to the account we want it to go in. How complicated is that!! We can just close the old account and receive all our money back, which is what we want to do, but I am loth to close it till the DWP stop putting my pension into it or I can see the pension ending up floating around in cyberspace.

Mandy, those cakes look yummy and will sell well I am sure. Everyone likes home cooked goodies. I did some cooking this morning but I wasn’t as successful as you. I made 2 large lemon cheesecakes, one for now and one for the freezer. I’ve been making these for 30 years and it is my go-to dessert when we have visitors. Today as I lifted the first one out of its tin, it went flumph and collapsed on the dish I was putting it on. We’ll have to have a dollop each tonight and I’ll bin the rest. I haven’t attempted to turn the other one out yet.

I hope the new girls settle down OK Mel. Will the other two just accept them or do you think there might be a bit of hassle?

I discovered this morning that my passport expired in June. I was dithering whether to renew it or not as I am becoming doubtful that we will ever travel abroad again but OH says he still wants to go back to Vienna as he was so poorly when we went in 2019 and we only saw the inside of the hotel room before having to fly home. I am not at all sure we’ll get there but it’s better that he’s optimistic and looking forward than just giving up so I’ll organise a new passport this week.

Even though heating is on I’ve got quite chilly just sitting still. It’s time to go and don a thicker jumper.

Afternoon All,

What a miserable wet and cold day! OH soon abandoned plans to go to a match and is watching Rugby I think on the TV.

We both did some unplanned HW instead! I did some hoovering and dusting in the bathroom, hall, lounge and kitchen and got rid of the webs! OH cleaned the bathroom toilet (he's the only one that uses it so it seems fair) and emptied both hoovers and threw out some newspapers. I cleaned the uti window in the door as the blind was hiding a lot of marks and OH hoovered a bedroom and put away some of his work that was delivered and still in the way on the floor. He also did some shredding. We had a quick, easy lunch and have done nothing else since.

I did have a look at a tree on ancestry and found some wrong info on it. It is a good example of how things can be wrong. They had details and photos of OH's mother, grandmother and info even of where his Dad died which surprised me. Even more surprising was to see OH's parents had two children marked as private, a girl then a boy, when OH was an only child!! I showed it to him and he was intrigued too. Further digging showed that the info had come from the obituary site!! This showed both me and OH under the heading 'Child'. When we did the obituary we didn't specify I was their DIL so the assumption was made that I was also their child!

Ooh Mandy, thanks for sending the pics. The Sunflowers are lovely and it was a good idea to cut them before this weather snapped them. As for all those different, delicious looking cakes so nicely wrapped, OH was drooling as soon as I showed them to him! We were fancying an apple slice and the smartie buns! lol. I bet they have been snapped up and the school must have been really pleased with you taking the time to make them all! :-)

So you are all ready to collect the new chickens now then Mel. When will you be going for them? I must look up the Pop Pop Boats and ask OH if he knows about them.

Island I think it depends where you had your first vaccines. Ours weren't at the surgery as their covid ones were done at a big vaccination centre at the Racecourse. but our surgery called us in for the usual flu one. The paper we have been using for this course is thick cartridge paper and it is fine till you water paint down to blend it or use it thinner. You reminded me of OH's Gt Aunt years ago with your talk of a teenage bedroom! She was unsteady and quite frail and birdlike so used a walker. When I first met her she introduced me to her 'office' on a trolley at the side of her sofa that fitted your description of all the necessary bits and bobs! I must get my 'bins' out to watch the birds in the field. Now why haven't I thought of it before?

Your garden is looking nice AnnG with all the work you have been doing in it and there's still a lot of colour there. I love colour of your Michaelmas daisies. I must send the pic I took of mine. I used to have a nice mid pink one that the butterflies loved, but the one I have now is double so I suppose any nectar is harder to reach.

The dreaded error thread is around again.

Are you still taking the cocodomol? And are you feeling any better for it? Island. Yes a horrible dank (lovely word that, very descriptive) day here too. All I have done is make six Christmas cards. Oh no, not true, I did a load of washing and I have forgotten there is a load in the drier probably ready to come out.