General Chat

Wow Island, your garden is like something from Land of the Giants. Anyone remember that? It was on TV getting on for 50 years ago :-D. The sunflowers and sweetcorn look wonderful and Froggy is sweet. It seems to have been a good year for tall plants. We planted a white Gaura this year which is supposed to have a maximum height of 4 feet and it must be at least 6 feet now. It’s growing into the branches of a crabapple tree.

Oh Ann, I did laugh at the solar lights helping you see your way to the loo at night. I had a vision of you in a flannelette nightie and curlers picking your way through the garden to the wooden shack at the end of the path ;-)

That’s a good idea to offer the scarecrow to the school Mandy. I’m sure they’ll appreciate it.

You all seem to have been busy in your gardens. I’ll have to get going on ours when we get back.

I had an atrocious night and staggered out of bed at 8 am feeling like death warmed up, but once I’d got myself moving I started to feel a bit better and we had a nice day, though I’m yawning non-stop now we are back at the cottage. The day started a bit grey and chilly but brightened up and it’s been quite warm. Far from the bracing East wind you often get along this coast, there was a pleasant breeze. We went into Skeggy and had a good walk around. OH can still only manage to go very slowly which I find difficult, and every so often we sit for 10 minutes for his pain to subside, then off we go again. The beach is lovely golden sand but there was hardly anybody on it. The town however was packed. I can only describe it as like Margate on Speed (or like Margate used to be some years ago). It was all a bit brash and loud for me but perhaps I am getting old. We had a very good fish and chip lunch at a place recommended by a GR member. I’m not a great fan of f & c but this was really good with a nice light batter and non-greasy chips and it all looked very clean. Btw Ann, although we didn’t see them there are still donkeys on a marked out area of the beach.

After that we went to Ingoldmells which sounded a quiet and pretty place. Wrong again! There was the big Fantasy Island amusement park with all its noisy rides, shops and stalls selling all the usual seaside tat, several caravan parks and people everywhere. On the way back from there to our cottage we managed to find the pub that is just over a mile from us. We had driven past it a couple of times without seeing it because it is set way back from the road and surrounded by trees. OH made some enquires and they serve food every night but don’t take bookings. They said to come early as after 7 pm it gets so busy that you might have to wait as much as one and a half hours for your food. It is a very big place with lots of spaced tables inside and out. We thought we might give it a try tomorrow but get there by 6 pm.

I’ve been typing this while OH has been dozing but he’s woken up now so we might have a mutual think about what we’ll do tomorrow.

Flog it is from Gloucester cathedral

All ready for the delivery now. It's the last thing I fancy doing today but it has to be done. I've been trying to set up phone banking onmy new account but after a 'chat' online and trying to do the online application it doesn't like my account for some reason! Maybe it hasn't been open long enough yet? I'll have to ring tomorrow and see what they say. Don't we waste a lot of time trying to do these things that are supposed to save time!!! :-|

Glad you feel a bit more human today Island. Yes those juicy looking sweetcorn looked very tasty. We were pulling up the last of our Nasturtiums today as they have finished now......it's nice you will have a late show!!

I was wondering if the scarecrow would end up in your garden Mandy, but the school having it is a good idea and the children will like it too! Let's hope they will allow it. It's good that girls have a choice of trousers too. I like the black leggings, although not flattering on all legs, but some of the skirts they wear with them make tutus look long!' Do any of the older children know what work they want to do in the future yet?

What a nuisance with the phone and satnav Vera. It's good you got an upgrade though. I can just picture you both in your 'Kiss Me Quick' hats walking along the front! :-) It's very bracing there from what I remember so hang on to them. There won't be any these days I expect but I did used to like to see the donkeys on the beach with their names on their red harness and bells jingling. I hope you find somewhere nice to eat and save any cooking.

AnnG it sounds like you are having a good sort out in the garden. I pruned a good big humperful off the Viburnum this morning and some from a variegated shrub I forget the name of. I had to be careful around the Lavender which is at the front of the border and still full of flower as there were a lot of bees. We got out some of the Antirrhinums that had colours weren't very special as well and OH cut back some brambles that were coming over the fence from the field. I cut another courgette and see there are 5 more growing.

I keep meaning to get some solar lights Mel as our back garden is dark with the field behind. I think I will start looking at some. They are a good idea for finding your way to the loo at night as they are dim enough not to wake your OH or you if you are still sleeping.

Watching the grand prix. Both Hamilton and Verstapen are out of the race.

Afternoon all,

Lovely day here no sign of any rain ,yesterday we had Katie and Lewis for the day again ,yes it was nice to Katie in her uniform, she's wearing skirts at the moment but she can wear trousers if she wants to ,we were looking at her blazer it has so many inside pockets ,two on each side and one big pocket with a zip that runs right down one side on the left no wonder it cost so much.
She is now testing twice a week at school and said she missed most of one lesson because of all the waiting about .
The school were son works has had one little pupil tested positive but the class keeps going now no isolation although all in that class has to get tested .

Vera have a lovely holiday it was nice to get upgraded .

Island the sweetcorn looks good ,do you munch the cob after cooking or strip the kernels off ,I love munching the cob with butter but it does get between the teeth . :-D

Ann that was a good picking of your toms they look good I tend to eat a few when I pick them but not this year like Vera mine didn't do well this year .

I asked son if the school would like the scarecrow for their little garden, I thought the Littleover might like it do he's going to ask the head teacher tomorrow, it seems a shame to pull it to bits :-(

Our runners seem to be putting a spurt on gain there's a few beans to pick and some more red flowers coming .

Hope Frank is enjoying his time away and doesn't have any mishaps.
Hope Gill is getting there now with her garden and building works .

Right I'm off out in the garden now I did say to sit out but I've just remembered I have some violas and pansies I need to plant.

Morning all

I'm feeling a bit more human today after dragging myself to bed at 10 o clock last night :-0 Never knowingly done that in a very long time!

Enjoy Skeggie Vera, the sea's that way >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> LOL
Thinking about being 'upgraded' and how my mum and dad would have reacted - I think they would have put up with the dark until Monday. Have to admit though, I didn't know it meant when it first came into the language and the young lady on the phone couldn't explain so she didn't really know either!

It's fairly bright here so a bit of outdoors is called for.

Hot news..... the nasturtiums have finally woken up! September! They are very late - what a funny summer.

Annx, your toms look lovely. I spotted a good truss yesterday so I'll be out with the snips and a bowl this afternoon.

Morning All,

Sunny here and I'd better get moving. OH is weeding and pulling dead things out of the pots, at least I hope they are things that have gone over.

Delivery today so I need to clear a drawer in the freezer and wipe out the fridge. BBL.

Looks like we may be the only two on here again today Anng.

Morning Anng and all,

Bright morning here too and its been very dewy as the grass is all wet where the sun has'nt reached. Its 14 degrees here now so I expect its the same with yo9u Anng.

My solar lights were.nt working this year so I renewed all their batteries with rechargeable ones and they work fine now when they get enough sun. Mine are all on the patio now so mostly out of the rain unless it blows in. On dull days they don't last long though. I have three I keep indoors which go in the bedroom during the day and in the night I put two in the bathroom and one on the hall table so we can at least see if we get up for the loo. When it get dark in the evenings we put them on the kitchen table so they don't come on and I put them about wbefore I go to bed. Its so dark here some nights when there's no moon as we don't have any street lights.

Good morning all, Had a good night's sleep, woke at 0700 and I am pretty sure I didn't wake in the night, or at least if I did I didn't get up for the loo.

Only 11 degrees out there but sunny and looks bright. Looks like no excuse to avoid gardening. :-D Brown bin is almost full though so that might do it. I do need to check all the various solar lights though as most of them seem to have stopped working.

Vera have a lovely week.great to get upgraded.

That was a longer journey than you thought wasn’t it?.

Have a lovely time and hope the weather is kind to you.

Just watching the last bit of the proms. The words of Rule Britannia don’t really ring true these days do they?

Ann yes my Michaelmas daisies are starting to come into flower now.

Not much social distancing in the Albert Hallmtonight.

You’ve been busy in your gardens today I see and you’ve had company AnnG. Nothing wrong with chatting to a robin; at least you’re not talking to yourself which I find myself doing from time to time.

I bet Katie looked grown up in her uniform Mandy. I hope your son’s mouth is less sore now.

I laughed at your OH’s elephant ears on the washing line Mel. He’s very creative isn’t he.

You have a good crop of little toms there Ann. Mine have been pathetic this year. It was hardly worth bothering to grow them.

It was an interesting journey here today. We had no hold ups but it took 4 hours, though that included one stop of barely half an hour. On the way we got a message from the owners of this place saying that our bathroom light wouldn’t work and they couldn’t get an electrician until Monday but, if we had no mobility problems, they could upgrade us. So instead of a 2 bed place on one level we are in a 3 bed with the bedrooms upstairs. Then when we were just a few miles away but in the middle of nowhere OH’s phone went dead. We were using the satnav on it. We always carry an old fashioned road map with us but it’s difficult to find your way when you haven’t got a clue where you are at the moment. Never mind, we got here and phone is working OK now

The place is very nice in over 4 acres of grounds. There’s a lovely indoor pool, though we won’t be using it and a children’s play area well away from the cottages which are very quiet. It’s fairly isolated here. I brought stuff with me for a meal tonight but tomorrow we will look around for places to eat. I think there is a pub just over a mile away and there are bound to be pubs or restaurants in Skeggy.

I’m hoping for a good night tonight as it doesn't seem as hot now. I hope you all sleep well too.

Yes Ann I remember that or on a wall but only with the red topped matches as the safety maches would'nt do that.

I have been up the border for a couple of hours. Dug out more twitch and weeds and some of the old bits on another clump of bearded iris. Done some digging too and dead headed the heliniums.

Anng keep Robby with you as I talk to mine all the time. I have two coming for mealworms by the backdoor and think they are both males. One is my shed Robby and the other one goes up0 the box hedge. Shed Robby sings to me sometimes and I whisle back. They are great company when you are in the garden.

Afternoon All,

It's been a funny day here mostly cloudy with the odd bit of sunshine. I did my pedalling before my shower and then we had poached eggs on toast this morning. Saturdays we usually count it as brunch and have it early enough for OH to get to footie. Today it was an hour's journey away. I went out in my car to give it a run before it goes in for MOT and service and I took a few photos, but not enough sunshine really.

Mandy that was nice to see Katie in her school uniform. Some uniforms now seem much more comfy than what we had to wear at senior school and we didn't have uniforms at junior school. I always had those pinafore type things at junior school that could have the buttons on the shoulders moved as you grew. In winter there would be the inevitable hand knit jumper mum had made underneath it. I hope your son's extraction isn't giving him pain now.

I hope Vera has a nice break and good journey. I must admit with taking our food this year, we had a job to get everything in the car when we went to Cornwall. :-) Sorry if I've said that before.....age!

How sweet to have a little Robin visit you in the garden AnnG! He'll be back again when he sees you now and be hoping for more mealworms! You have been busy in the garden clearing things. We are doing some in the morning if it's fine as it's garden bin collection this coming week. Re fruit flies I know they share most of our DNA and have been used in Diabetes research. I suppose they don't cost much to keep or need much space!! :-D lol. Schools here went back on the 26th August so I expect infections will increase any time now.

We have a few flowers opening on one of the Michaelmas daisies at last, a bluey mauve one! Still no Cosmos though and they must be nearly as tall as me now. Mel we need your rain. :-S :-S

I thought of an old memory today. Remember when matches were used much more before many had cigarette lighters and how men would strike a match on the sole of their shoe?

Just you and me Mel then.

I have just spent an hour in the garden, sorted out the compost bins, potted up a plant that was waiting. dug up and chucked some yellow irises that spread like mad and don't flower very well and finished digging over the right hand bed. got reminded that there are tulip bulbs in there. And then I pulled out loads of ivy on the gravel under the apple tree and picked up yet more rotten apples.  Tree surgeon is coming to look at the apple tree for me on Tuesday.

All the time I was digging I had the company of the sweetest little Robin hardly bigger than a wren, sl small but very bright chest, he or she looked brand new and was absolutely fearless, waited until I dug a bit then pecked around in that. I went in and got some mealy worms and scattered then and he/she ate them after looking at me for a while. I suddenly realised I was in the garden chatting to a Robin.

Took some shredding out of the shredder to put in the compost and discovered that a lot of it had not cut. Just goint to put it through again, looks like I now need a new shredder.

Morning Anng and all,

When I got up at 8am it was sunny so I went back to bed for a while and woke to grey sky and murk half an hour later. Now its raining.

Only the hsop to do today and then whatever I wish as I shan't be going up the border cos its too wet. I need to put a delphium in and still hav'nt done it but it is shooting in its pot nicely after cutting it down.

Hope Mandy's son's mouth is better today and he is getting better.

Safe journey to Vera if its this week she goes to Skeggy.

Good morning all.
Vera not sure when you are going but have a good journey and a lovely break.

Mandy. How nice to have Katy call in on her way home from school. How is son's mouth?

Ann I think those exam parties were the cause of the recent rise in cases. No doubt in two weeks there will be another rise. Hope the poorly teacher is getting better Little girl over the road appears to be better as the family is out and about again and I think the 2 girls are back at school
Those fruit flies are so tiny how on earth do they use them for research. I have not noticed them in previous years in such numbers. I hate having to keep tomatoes in the fridge as they don't taste as nice but can't leave them out because of those flies. We in this borough all have small food bins for cooked food, it makes sense for them to be in the kitchen but those little devils get in there even though the lid is closed.

Island, I don't touch type either and it is often a surprise when I look up at the screen after writing a long screed. Even worse on the Ipad as I can touch all sorts of things when touching the keys. :-D :-D

Island that should have been :-D :-D Not sure what happened there.

Evening All,

Slept well again but thought it was quite muggy when I got up so the windows and doors were flung open. OH worked all morning while I did the veg for lunch and neither of us did much this afternoon apart from me doing the food order for Sunday.

At last we have had more rain, but not much. Things are really looking sorry and some things are dying off in the garden. We haven't watered because they have been saying every day that we will get rain the past few days. :-S

I hate those fruit flies and keep our fruit and veg in the uti as it's much cooler than the kitchen and if something goes off they soon appear. Sometimes it is the compost in a plant pot that attracts them too. There are soon lots of them as they have a fast breeding cycle. It's why they use them in research as there are a lot of generations in a short time.

It sounds like you had a nice time and have also recruited a new friend to the U3A AnnG.

Hubby tells me a teacher is very poorly with covid, likely caught from a pupil with covid who got it from an 'exam party'. Another member of staff caught it as well but is better now. The poorly young teacher hadn't been vaccinated. Guess the reason.......they thought it would make them infertile!!

I read today that only just over half who bought a 'pandemic puppy' had considered what would happen about it's care when they returned to work and that young dogs are inundating rescue centres or being abandoned. Why are people so shortsighted and stupid. The prices rocketed too and it surprised me that people who must have been unsure of the outcome of their jobs were happy to spend so much. :-S