General Chat

morning Mel and Vera, yes I normally don't go near the computer or Ipad if I wake but last night I had several goes at trying to get back to sleep so decided I would come on here. Went back to sleep afterwards then woke again an hour later, dreaming but i don't know of what.

Anyway I have spent an hour in the garden cutting down the long runners on the blackberry bush, I am aware that this is not the right time to do it and it will send up more to replace them but it was getting out of hand, ditto the adjacent honeysuckle and Jasmine. brown bin half full again but that bit of garden looks tifier. I also cut off the dead heads of the peony. Apparently if you leave the dead heads on longer than a week it affects how many flowers you get the following year. Next I had a go at reducing the number of apples on the tree taking one off each cluster. I can't believe how many there are this year, last year there were only a dozen or so apples altogether. Unfortunately they didn't get sprayed at the right time (didn't get sprayed at all) so no doubt will be infested with some moth or other's offspring.

I'd had the window open all the time Anng. We get the sun on the bedrooms all morning, but not in the afternoon so it is the cooler end of the bungalow at night. We are both bemused by how we have changed the last few years. For many years I would overheat and OH would be cold. We often smile when we recall going for a walk years ago one frosty morning. OH had 2 pairs of socks on, T shirt, long sleeved shirt, jacket, anorak, gloves, scarf and hat and I wore just a T shirt and jeans. After walking for a few minutes, OH took a glove off and his hand was frozen yet mine were toasty with no gloves on. I think I had a very long menopause as it was unbearable at work and I would feel drips run down my back just sitting. Now it is OH who is too hot at night!! I must say it is more pleasant being cooler .

Sorry you have had 2 bad nights for sleep Vera and I hope it's better for you tonight.

Better get lunch sorted now.

Good morning

It's a fairly bright day here and reasonably warm.

I'm sorry both of you had a bad night last night AnnG and Ann. It's miserable when you can't sleep and I hope you both do better tonight. I had a much better night last night, not having slept well all week. Even when I have a sleepless night I try and avoid using the computer, iPad, kindle etc. because the "blue light" from them is bad for sleep. I generally just read a paper book. Ann, I wear socks in bed unless it is really hot as my feet get very cold and it keeps me awake. OH says my circulation stops at my ankles. I often take the socks off in the early hours if I wake up and feel warm.

Apart from Sainsbury's coming between 4.30 and 5.30 pm I have nothing special to do today so it will be a "take it as it comes" sort of day. I hope you all have a good day. Might bbl.

Morning 2 Ann's and all,

I slept well sorry you lot. It was much cooler here last night than the night before (two tom cats came knocking at the door, one with a trumpet, one with a drum, and one with a pancake stuck to his b*m) sorry could'nt resist. Don't know why that popped into my head. Seriously it makes you so cross when you can't sleep and I think that makes it worse.

Well its Friday again and gardeners world again tonight. Another week flown by.

I am itching all over with midgey bites. On my shoulder and side and back and neck and in my knicker elastic line. I shall have to have a go at putitng the midge net up at the bedroom window. They say the insects are decreasing so why can't it be the midges?

:-D Strange you were so cold while I was too hot Ann. I realised when I returned to bed that the window I had shut for the window cleaner had not been re-opened. Once I opened it it was better but I still didn't sleep well all night. finally woke from a light dreaming sleep just before 8am. So that is two not so good nights with last night being the worst, after sleeping really well. Too much excitement obviously.
Still only 15 degrees although it did drop a bit down to 14 and may have gone lower I suppose. Nothing to do here until nurse appointment at 5.15pm.

I haven't slept yet AnnG but I was so chilly when I went to bed I put some bedsocks on! I 'm watching an old DNA programme series.'

2.20 and it is 15 degrees, I am so hot, couldn't sleep so wandering around and ended up in here. I wonder how many of you are also awake?

Yes got it Mel, couldn't download it on the ipad becauseit was too big but got it ok on the desk top although it didn't like it and wanted me to use outlook which I never use on the computer. managed to view them though. That Japanese iris is very pretty. and a nice size courgette.

Oh yes Anng I had forgotten about you having the tree out.

Sorry Anng I think I put Ann's on twice. I have forwarded it to you now.

Ann I have sent all I got whether they were just on the edge or not.

Lovely pics Mel. Does Robby still come on your hand? As I said in my email the Japanese iris is very pretty.

We have plain white for everyday plates too Vera. Even different sorts will tend to match then. I've discovered the sizes vary a lot, some with a wide shallow rim, others with a small lip. I've measured our old plates and ordered some a bit smaller (might encourage smaller helpings?).

I cooked (frozen uncooked ones) 4 large sausage rolls while OH was out and he polished his off as soon as he got home, yet at lunch time he said he wouldn't need to eat anything else today.. ;-)

I booked 3 more courses tonight, two are one session free ones just as OH got home. Now I see they are both on the same day at the same time!!! One is painting fairies and the other is making polymer clay beads. I will have to ring and cancel one tomorrow but can't decide which one. A friend and I are both doing the third which is wool felting a squirrel.

I have taken some pics of the garden this afternoon and there is a pretty blue flowered plant you might want to get for your new bed AnnG. As it is in flower now, you might spot it at a garden centre. I've forgotten it's name.

I have not had an email Mel :-(

Thanks for the pictures Mel. I'm not a lover of courgettes but yours looks good and healthy. The Iris is a pretty colour and I smiled at Mr Robbie enjoying the sun.

For once it has stayed dry all day and got to a comfortable 19 degrees. I had a short walk of about a mile this morning and this afternoon I decided it would do me good to do a bit of gentle gardening. It was fine to start with as I just did a bit of deadheading, then I decided to stake and tie back a couple of plants that had got battered by the heavy rains and were laying across the path. I still felt OK so I got the big fork out and dug up a couple of grasses that were nearly dead. That may have been a step too far as my back is really painful again tonight, where it had subsided to a constant ache. My own silly fault but I felt that mentally I needed to be outside doing things.

You've reminded me Ann that I must pick up a couple of test kits at the chemist next time I am in town and, talking about plates, you've also reminded me I need to get into town to buy some dishes. Our everyday china is mostly plain white and we have a dozen dessert bowls but they are very big and I wanted some smaller ones. I've been looking for ages and then in town last week I saw some in Roys (I know Frank and Mandy know Roys). I wasn't sure if they were the right size or not so I just bought 2. They were perfect so I intended to go back the next day for more but things got in the way and I never went. I hope they haven't sold out.

You sound as though you have had a nice time with your friends AnnG and you got a few more bits at the garden centre.

Yes, like the rest of you I have been thinking of Jane a lot recently. She shared a birthday with my daughter so I'll never forget the date.

I think I am going to get a cup of tea and a couple of painkillers and sit up in bed with a couple of pillows behind my back. I can usually get fairly comfortable like that and I can sit up and read, so I'll say night night all.

The new bed is at the front where I had the Yew taken out.

sent a couple of pics.

All I have sone today is wash a load of pots and seed trays and other thing then got lunch. This afternoon I washed my hair after cleaning the bird baths out. Sat by the pond and watched the fish with a coffee and cake with oh and made dinner for tonight.

One chicken has been in the nest box all day and not laid an egg but I did have a broken one this morning. I need to feed the toms and other bitsso I can do that now while dinner is simmering away.

Youi had a nice time with friends then and a visit to the garden centre. Which is the new bed Anng?

Well friends have been and gone. It was lovely to see them, they were with me for just over two hours and we went to the local garden centre for coffee which they wouldn't let me pay for, and a brownie. Well Wayne and I had a brownie Sandra is so slim, she is the only friend I have who is shorter than me she is about 5ft and a size8/10 with a size three shoe. I did get a couple of plants for the new bed, a very pretty viola and a thyme, there were lots I could have bought but I didn't want to clutter up his car and also with going away I was not sure about putting plants in now. Anyway, we sat and chatted before we went to the garden centre, then spent a long time over coffee (they were not busy, then had a good look round before coming back here so they could walk round the garden. Wayne wanted to do any jobs I had that need doing but I couldn't think of any off hand.

I certainly don't grudge you your birthday card Ann (I just have to remember to post them all at the right time I too will miss finding one to send to Jane. The older we get the more people are missing from our lives. 29 July is also the anniversary of the day that my Mum died. That was a shock as well as she had not been ill and the day before was digging her garden, she was 85. An Aortic aneurism, so quick. It doesn't seem possible it is 27 years.

when you take these tests Ann, as your OH has done, don't you have to send a result to somewhere, or is that only if it is positive?

Afternoon All,

It's too hot and muggy here, 24 degrees on the thermometer in the study. I went outside to water the cues and toms and take a few pics of the bottlebrush and was sweltering when I came inside.

Well some of you are making me feel guilty about having a birthday in July! Like Mel I was thinking about Jane with her birthday being so close to mine. I feel so sad about what happened to her. I bet Fitz is feeling the same too as his birthday is near ours too. He has another grandson now, so 2 boys and a girl.

Mel, something has eaten my first courgette and the second is only the size of a golf ball now so you are doing well with yours. The yellow climbing one which seems a less vigorous plant has just one or two tiny ones appearing.. My runner beans are at the top of the poles, but very few flowers open yet so I think it will be late for the beans.

OH has done his virus test (negative) before his meeting later, but I don't see how anyone would know whether or not anyone has done them. Even if they were taken along they could be someone else's or done a few days before? The cables have arrived for the wii, but to save wiping as they were only packed yesterday I'll leave them till the weekend. I can hopefully weigh me on my usual Monday then.

I think a lot of habits are changing due to the pandemic. I can't imagine me going back to doing the heavy supermarket shopping and lugging it into and out of the car. I think it will be meat, fresh stuff and a browse I go in for and still have all the rest delivered. I see that the GAP chain are closing all their shops and going completely online and I think some other shops will do the same. With people having got used to online shopping and how easy it is to return stuff, people will carry on, at least for some things. Some things you can't as you need to try them, like a car or settee.

I am just ordering some new plates as ours are getting shabby and chipped by you know who! We both got £5 amazon vouchers this morning so they will help!

It must be nice to have a friend come and have someone to talk to for a while AnnG. It's very different when you are at home on your own every day and outings have been so limited with the lockdowns.

That's good idea to get your conservatory roof done as well Vera. Ours is mucky too, but the bungalow guttering is all brown so it doesn't show on there. I wish we could do a bank transfer to pay our window cleaner. I think it's only him and the car wash we need cash for now and perhaps local car parks. Heaven help us all though once we are too befuddled to remember our PIN. I don't like the fingerprint idea.......some would chop your finger off to take to the cash point these days!!

OH's elbow is much better today as is his neck with taking Ibuprofen. My jobs now are getting the plates ordered, arranging my car insurance and doing most of the food order. I never seem to get round to doing what I want to do and, as Mel says, June has flown by now!

they both garden when in this country and have a big garden but in normal times would spend quite a few months in their house in Italy so the garden tends to go a bit wild then.

The courgette is in a big pot and at the moment it looks good. I like them young but these are about 6 inches long and just right. I'll take a pic to show you.

Anng it nice you're seeing a friend this afternoon someone to talk to and have a nice natter. Does she like gardening too?

I would have had two cards to send this july but sadly only one now. I shall be thinking of our Jane all this month. <3