General Chat

Morning all

Quite bright out there this morning. The forecast is for bright spells, light winds, very warm and no rain, but who knows. It’s been partly wrong for the last 3 days. Apart from doing the washing I’ve no plans for the day. OH is still in bed but if he gets up in a good mood I might try to persuade him with making a start on cleaning the conservatory with me.

Some interesting memories of grandparents and life years ago. I don't know how my grandmother managed. No electric, just oil lamps, gas lights with mantles that popped alarmingly when you lit them, but they were only downstairs and a candle to take to bed when I stayed. How I climbed up the narrow, pitch dark, enclosed stairs with a door at the bottom without falling and setting fire to things I don't know. I was only 5-7 years old. She had a big, black leaded range that had a big kettle hanging on a hook over the fire and I was allowed to use the toasting fork to make toast which I enjoyed. There was just one tap (cold) and that was over the shallow pot sink, where I would be washed, standing in a bucket, if I got grubby playing. There were ovens each side of the range where she cooked. Things like rabbit stew and tripe! Yuk. I think I had a lot of boiled eggs when I stayed with her. The iron was hotted up on the fire to oand she would spit on it to see if it sizzled and was hot enough! She had a lovely ornate brass fender round the hearth and my job was to clean it with brasso. I was allowed to black lead the range as far as I could reach too. Evening entertainment was reading the paper or listening to a radio that ran off a car battery. My grandfather was musical and would sometimes play his accordian (I remember the Floral Dance) or squeezebox he had. There was a very ornate fretwork piano with tapestry behind the fretwork but I never saw anyone play it. My grandmother, born in 1875, never went out without a hat on and fancy hatpins to hold it in place. She would colour her crimped hair with cold tea. She would wear a red fox fur around her neck that gave me the creeps as it always seemed to be watching me and she always had a brooch on her lapels and some lavender cologne. After having 9 children, she was a driving force and would go on holiday to Wales every year without my grandfather who was a man of few words who seemed to always be relighting his pipe.

Lunch was fine Vera and just the right amount for us (I have sent a pic). I hope they keep up the delivery and don't stop with the next easements\end of restrictions. I can just imagine people earwigging those phone conversations. Remember when there used to be shared phonelines too and if you heard some crackling you would wonder if the other party was listening in! Your walk sounds lovely and the young wildlife to see as well.

AnnG what great photos from your holiday and lovely ones in the sunshine of your daughter and SIL as well as yourself. As Mel says some nice memories. Rosemoor looked very good too. That's good getting the lawn cut today before it gets long and tackling some weeds too. We love a bit of gammon too. Yes, of course the post service used to be really good years ago, so that was good for communication. It used to be nice to get a handwritten letter.

I hope you get your tyre fixed tomorrow Mandy and it will be good to get your second jab done and have more protection.

The food came early today so we got wiped down early. An apple instead of a cherry pie and the date was up today, so I've asked for a refund on that. Less subs than usual and the rest were ok.

The meat was well hidden underneath Mel.......we both had Turkey and there were 6 veg plus potatoes, yorkshire and stuffing.

I've now found a local chippie in one of the villages that is doing free delivery, but only certain days. A bit naughty, but I could have just a few of OH's chips, I need to check up what they do though as it may be set menus.

The tv people could be here tomorrow from between 8.00am to 1.00pm so another early start. I hope they do come quite early as my painting course starts at 2.15pm.

Dinner looked nice Ann. What was the meat? Lamb?

We had some huge spots of rain this afternoon but only one drop here and there. They were making huge rings on the pond and I tried to get a photo. Almost like heat spots.

Lovely photos on your blog Anng and lovely photos of the raindrops on your plants Mel, I have some Lupin plants that I grew from seeds i collected last year and the other day after the rain all the leaves had tiny blobs of rain in them I was gently knocking each one so they dropped into the pots.

Oh Ann thats looked a nice plate of food there's a little bit of everything on there yum yum :-)

Yesterday when son was here I got him to order me a new zipper foot for my sewing machine ,well didn't we laugh when it arrived this afternoon, it was in a huge cardboard envelope ,when I opened it up I had to go right to the bottom of the envelope to find it my whole arm went in right up to my elbow :-D

It clouded up this afternoon and at one point I thought it was going to tip down but so far its stayed dry.

Lovely photos of the butterfly and raindrops Mel. I particularly like the first raindrop one with the rosebud and leaves. It certainly brings the song lyric "Raindrops on roses" to life.

Great pictures on your blog too AnnG. Nice holiday photos - you are making some new memories now. You have some pretty flowers in your garden as well.

I hope you have both enjoyed your lunch Ann and Gwyn. Was the small plate filling enough Ann?

I've had quite a nice morning. I needed to get a letter to the doctor for him to see tomorrow. Our practice has 5 surgeries and I don't know which doctors are going to be at which surgery, particularly with Covid changes, so thought I had better deliver it to the main surgery in town. OH came with me and we decided to have a stroll by the river while we were out. It was lovely. We watched a pair of swans with 3 fairly small cygnets, lots of ducks, swallows skimming over the water and cattle grazing in the water meadows. There used to be lots of swans, particularly in an area known as The Croft. They would come on to the grass there and people would feed them but they started to get quite aggressive, snatching the food from people's hands. There were notices put up asking people not to feed them, but I think some of them may have been moved to another part of the river as there were very few around. As we were wandering back we felt a couple of spots of rain and just made it back to the car before it really came down. It's been raining heavily on and off ever since, which is annoying as the forecast said no rain till tomorrow.

I don't think the walk helped my back but it certainly improved my mood.

You've all stirred up some memories with talk of grandparents. My paternal grandparents had a telephone but we didn't. To call them we had to go to the sweetshop on the corner and use a little public telephone cubicle in the corner of the shop. It didn't appear to be soundproofed in any way so anyone in the shop could hear your end of the conversation. From the age of about 10 I would be given some pennies and sent to phone my grandparents. Every other Sunday we would go to tea with them. This meant wearing a nice dress and best coat and shoes and getting the train just 2 stops along the line. I bet most of us can remember when the trains were smoky and smutty but ran all the time, even Christmas Day. Those were the days! I was usually in trouble with Mum because I'd managed to get my hands filthy on the train and had then wiped them down my coat or dress. I always was a mucky pup. Tea was normally ham or tinned salmon with a bit of salad and bread and butter, followed by tinned fruit and evap. and a delicious sponge cake. I think by then my grandmother had a gas cooker but, like Gwyn's, she made the lightest sponges.

Happy memories :-D

Glad you enjoyed the photos Mel, Just a small selection. If you are feeling fit Marwood Hill is a lovely garden all very natural but steep in places.

I am so hot now, I have been out in the garden doing a bit of weeding, clearing up and then I mowed the lawn, It is fortunately a small lawn and not a pristine one but it is now tidier and shorter than it was. :-)

You've got some lovely photos there of your daughter and you and her and hubby. Love the one where they are both smiling and I recognise Rosemoor. Nice memories to keep.

Suns out here now too and its getting mighty hot.

My mother also moved away from her family although really not far by todays standards, her parents and some of her siblings lived in Portsmouth, she moved to Fareham. Neither had a phone (this was in 1939) the only way to contact, for example to arrange a visit, was by a written letter or postcard. However, often a letter posted in the early morning would be delivered by lunch time. We did have a phone - a party line - by 1950 because of my Dad's job I think but that was way after her parents had died.

Hope you enjoy your time with your familt Gwyn and pleased you had a good time with yours Mandy.
Annx Enjoy your lunch, I have a small gammon joint for my meal this evening but I have to cook it myself. And it will last me 3 days.

There are two lots of photos on the blog, some of the holiday and some of flowers in the garden, I decided to put them on the blog as that way you get to see more.

The sun is out now and it has not rained today only overnight but it is too damp to garden so i decided to potter indoors.

What a lovely story Gwyn and thanks for sharing it with us.

We had a friend at bell ringing that lived on his own, never married, kept prize winning sheep and lived in the family farm all his life. He had no water or electric. A friend told me there were three oil lamps over the kitchen table for light. I would have loved to have seen it as Ali said it was like walking back intime. He had a hip op in his 70's and still came to ringing climbing 50 odd step to the tower. He used to take his sheep to scotland to sell them and they were very expensive. His dog was always in the van with him and sharing his supper of a pie and chips when we arrived for ringing. A lovely proper old gentleman he was too. Spoke beautifully and was always very clean. His water came from a pump.

I have sent a few pics from this morning.

I am very fortunate and do realise this.

One daughter lives here with me and the other 2 children within about 8 miles, so I have seen them from time to time, but we didn't visit each other's homes during lockdown, just met up on social distance walks for birthdays and a few other times.

Today we are having lunch together for the first time since March 2020.

Annx
It sounds as if your grandmother lived in similar conditions to mine, although I never remember the cottage without electricity.
Gran cooked on the open fire or baked in the oven alongside.
She made wonderful cakes. How do you make a light sponge like that ? I have enough trouble in a temperature controlled oven.

When she got 'modern', they no longer fetched water from the village pump, but had a standpipe outside the front window next to the stile which gave access to the garden. (this was Wales and was the way to keep wandering sheep out )
She was very particular about cleanliness and although they had humble beginnings, all 3 daughters lived healthily well into their 90s.

Morning all,

We have sunshine and it feels really muggy with no breeze .

Enjoy your day with the family Gwyn .

We had a lovely day yesterday ,Mel you asked if I cooked different things for the children ,no when I do cook they all eat the same no cooking different ,it was the Chinese take away that I meant they had to decide what they wanted to eat .

Hope you enjoy your lunch again Ann and the smaller plates are enough ,there's always pud to fall back on though if your still hungry.

Tomorrow we have to get a new tyre put on the car when Colin went out to check the car over the other day he noticed one tyre has a tiny crack in the tread so hopefully we can get that done before I go for my jab after lunch if not son said he would take me .

Coffee time now I think BBL

Enjoy your time with your family Gwyn. I am pleased you can see them face to face at last and, if I am honest, a bit envious too. I haven't seen my granddaughters in Yorkshire for well over 18 months now. We’re waiting to see what happens on 21st June and, all being well, will arrange to visit them after that.

It’s got a bit greyer here but no more rain promised till tomorrow. I think we had more than our share on Friday.

Ann, if it’s anything like round here, a small plate will be plenty. Enjoy your lunch.

Morning Vera, Gwyn, Anng and all,

I think my weather here is about the same as Anng, grey skies and it rained last night fine steady rain. Weather thingy says 17 degrees here.

Hi Gwyn it will be nice to see your daughter later face to face. Will it be the first time for a loooooonnnnnnggg while? Enjoy your chat. :-D

If its dry I shall try to get up the border and if its not I shall be in the shed and there's a grand prix today so I shall watch that too.

Morning All,

It's looking grey here too. We had to water the garden last night, no real rain for ages. Today a bit of HW is needed with the new TV being set up tomorrow. They will connect sky and the dvd player too, but we can do Wii. Then wipe down later, but that is getting easier with only what we need immediately and the fridge stuff being wiped. We have a wheeled garden trolley that was unused to store tins, packets etc in for 3days and 2 empty drawers in the freezer to leave things for 3 days.

It will be nice to chat face to face as you say Gwyn after using screens and phones for most chat. It makes me realise that my grandmother didn't even have that when my parents moved away from the area where she lived. She didn't even have electricity so no phone, my parents only had a phone when I was in my teens.

It's great not having to think about lunch today, but rhubarb and custard is on hand if the portions are toddler size!

Anng our cars have only been washed by rain for over a year now! I have thought about going out with a soft hand brush or sponge in the rain to give mine a once over and let the rain do the rinsing.

Weather as promised here so good morning all from a grey Gloucester. Looks like we have swapped with the East for a damp day, we had rain overnight but dry here and 14 degrees but we are not expecting sun today. The garden needs a good shower and so does my car which is covered in dust.

Good morning Vera and everyone

Cloudless blue sky here and quite warm too.
Seeing my elder daughter later and possibly grandson. It will be good to chat face to face.

Good morning

It’s a bright sunny day and 15 degrees already. We haven’t got any plans so I’ll just be taking the day as it comes. Hope you all enjoy your day.

Foxes are getting very tame aren’t they, it probably fancied a chicken dinner.
As I said in my email Vera they are very pretty and would look lovely on a rickety.

They are lovely plants Vera. We will want to see a picture when they are bigger please.

So you made it today Mel! It sounds like you have made some progress too. The fox wasn't that scared was he as he hung around.