General Chat

Glad you're home safe and sound even if it did take forever to get there.

I had to google Joe Henderson as I had never heard of him before.

Did you go anywhere new?

You'll have to invest in one of those supper duper water guns and lay in wait for Mr Black with white paws. They don't like water.

Its been so quiet on here today.

Afternoon All,

I'm back! What a week! It took us 5 hours to get there with just one toilet stop and another leg stretch stop. The Gloucester services were great with loos just inside of the big, airy building, barriers to keep people seperate going in and out of the toilets, sanitisers fixed to the walls and a cleaner going in each used toilet to wipe down. When we arrived in Corwall a notice fixed to the inside of the window said they had deep cleaned 5 days before so no wiping down was needed. Sanitiser was provided inside too. All books, games, places to go and visitor book had been removed and no cream tea this time, no milk and no ice cubes in the freezer. No internet till Monday either, when OH spotted Seph and he said he would fix it. There were only 2-3 other lodges with people staying so it was nice and quiet. I managed to do my zoom courses then we lost the internet again and didn't bother as the worsening weather was probably the cause.

We didn't eat out and only used the little village shop, but did find a good chippy and so had F&C twice as a treat! :-D Unlike round here they used cardboard trays with lids whereas our F&C just get wrapped in paper so not so easy to eat from that. Delicious seaside Haddock! yum yum, I thought of Mandy! People are so much more careful there too and keep their distance from you. Even in the village shop a man was very strict with his young daughter who wore a mask too and didn't leave his side. The shopkeeper wore a mask and was behind a plastic screen as well. OH said the man in the chippy took cash from the only other customer in the shop and, after putting it in the till, sanitised his hands straight afterwards. It was quite sunny and dry 2-3 days so we sat overlooking the Falmouth docks to read our papers and also revisited some of the places/coves that were NT with free parking and toilets (timber buildings and nice and draughty to blow any virus away!). We thought it would get busy from Monday but there weren't many people about at all. We had a male Blackbird in the gorse and bramble behind the bedroom and he kept flying into the window. It carried on for over an hour and we think he must have had a nest nearby and could either keep seeing his reflection or us and thought we were too close. He was there every day! We had rain showers most days and it was getting really windy by Thursday so we came home on Friday. We thought it might be busier on Saturday being as it was the first week of hotels being open, despite OH saying normally that Saturdays are best for travel. How wrong we were as it took us 3 and a quarter hours longer to get home than coming, 8 and a quarter hours and much of it in rain. The traffic news was reporting all kinds of holdups on the M25 and elsewhere, even a 25 mile tailback going south! We were crawling along for ages and thought we were on the home stretch when we heard there was a 60 minute hold up on the M25 near Birmingham! Out came the map and we got off at Worcester and came home a route OH knew well from football outings!

I've only scanned the posts and see Mandy had a slip on the stairs which could have been nasty! I bet it gave her side quite a wrench too as well as an ankle twist. Young Jake 16!!!!! It can't be.......he must be quite grown up now then and will appreciate the money and clothes.

The tomatoes in the greenhouse were fine and have grown, but something has uprooted a few of my Mesembryanthemum plants that are ready to plant out. We have seen a new cat in the garden lately, black with white paws, and we think it is from the bungalow that OH is convinced the Housing Association have bought, that is further up the close and is where the 2 young girls live that were playing in the road just outside us that time. . I have caught it spraying once and it had left poo on the gravel when we looked today.......it is the second time! I wish Hello Kitty would see it off as he doesn't have such bad manners!

Vera I misread your post and thought the cauliflower was the gift! It reminded me of was it the 'double or drop' game with Eammon Andrews?

OH recalled an old memory while we were away. Joe 'Mr Piano' Henderson.

Vera they sometimes just need a while to gather their senses together and then fly away. It happens here a lot with having large windows and the shed windows. When the suns in a certain position it reflects the sky and they think it is the sky and fly into it.

I am often picking them up and putting them in a safe place to recover.

SUNSHINE Mel? What’s that? Oh yes, I remember, it’s that yellow stuff we used to see occasionally. Here it’s cold, grey and showery AGAIN.

Life is hardly normal but we’re beginning to venture out a bit more. We went into Waitrose this morning for the first time in a long, long while and then popped to our nearest garden centre to get a voucher for a birthday gift for someone. I never thought I would get so much pleasure from choosing a cauliflower ;-)

While I was having a cup of tea this morning there was a thump on the window. When I looked out there was a young starling lying on the patio. As I watched it tried to get up, staggered a step or two and collapsed on its back with its legs up in the air. It looked pretty near death. Unfortunately OH had gone for his walk and I am not good with birds. I felt I ought to do something but I couldn’t pick it up or do anything to help it. When OH came in about 10 minutes later he went to have a look expecting to either find it dead or to have to put it out of its misery and it had gone. We’ve looked amongst the plants to see if had dragged itself under cover to die but it has completely disappeared. I was amazed. Wherever it has got to I hope it’s OK and not badly injured.

I’ve promised to shorten a pair of trousers for OH today so I’d better get on with it or I won’t be popular. I’ve already been putting it off for a fortnight.

Aftermorning to you too Isalnd.

WE HAVE SUNSHINE so I may put my toms in the little greenhouse this afternoon.

Had a lateish lunch and I need to go out in the garden and do something.

Aftermorning Mel
It's drearsome her again but no big showers yet today. I wish somebody would turn the tap off.
I think I should start hardening off the beans today so I'd best go and check whether I have a jungle or a plant cemetery in the shed.
Enjoy your day all, whatever the weather.

Morning all,

Thats if anyone is about. Not a bad morning here and the wind has dropped and its quite bright but we have grey skies.

Just have to go to the shop for the paper as usual and then I don't know what I am going to do. May clean the chickens out.

Hope you all sl;ept well and safe journey home for Frank if he's not home already. <3

Gosh you had a long journey then Anng. Hope it is worth it and the weather is better for you than it has been.

Mandy I can't believe Jake is sixteen!!!!!!!!!!!I am sure he will love his new clothes and the money in his card.

Weather here is awful. Journey was really bad with congested traffic all the way fro Gloucester on the M5 to where we turned off to cut across country near Tiverton.mthe journey took two hours longer than it should have. Traffic going north was really bad as well and sometimes was at a stand still so hope if Frank was travelling today he didn't have a problem.

Still raining here too Mel its rained most of the day ,the wind is still quite strong .

What a long wait you had at the hospital Vera good job you took a book with you.

We're off to see son and DIL tomorrow as it's Jakes birthday he will be 16 ,it will feel really strange going into the house after all these months,we have bought him some clothes and will put some money in his card

I'm cooking loin chops jersey royal broccoli and mushrooms.

Wind dropped a lot here but its still raining.

We picked our friend up at 1.30 and got back at 6 pm. It was a long wait in the hospital car park but far too wet to go for a little walk while we were waiting. OH put Classic FM on the radio and promptly fell asleep and I read my book. It’s still pouring now.

I wonder if Frank is back yet.

I’m just cooking us some dinner. Salmon tonight.

Safe journey to both Vera and Anng and I hope tomorrow is not as windy as its been the last couple of days.

Morning all,

Windy here too it seems to have got up a lot since we got up ,its raining too.

Safe journey AnnG, you'll be on your way now, have a nice break away.

Vera hope you have a safe trip to the hospital and don't get blown about to much .

We've just stopped for coffee, we're having a go at putting the big eight foot blinds up if we can if not don will do it for us over the weekend .

Can't getto the last page and have had to go through to the first page so am posting this to see if it gets me to the current page.

Morning all,

Still very windy here and lashing rain.

Safe journey AnnG. Enjoy your break. We are picking our friend up at 1.30 to take her to the hospital and bring her home after her procedure. That’s only 20 miles each way but I am not looking forward to it in this wind.

Good morning all, wow, it is blowing a hoolie out there, just the weather for setting off on holiday. We will be leaving at about 11am and hoping there are no problems on the motorway, don't look forward to the journey in this wind As it is not that far and we can't get in until 3pm we will leave later than we normally would.

Busy day doing nothing yesterday then Vera?? Hope you soon warmed up.

I haven’t had any problems getting on but just seem to have been busy with other things all day. Did some cooking this morning and tidying of paperwork, then OH wanted some help finding some documents that he’d mislaid. I managed to get a shower and by then it was lunchtime. After lunch I did a few gentle garden jobs, things like deadheading, but it was beginning to get really windy so I didn’t stay out there for long. Then a friend called unexpectedly to drop a book in for me. It seemed strange to be able to invite her in though we still kept a sensible distance. She didn’t stay long and then I did a few more odds and ends of jobs and it was time to cook our dinner. So the day has gone, I seem to have been busy but don’t seem to have done very much.

That’s good that you will probably get grants for some of your work Gill and I am glad your electrician is able to sort your light and your power points out for you.

Good you got your ironing done Mel. I hate ironing so do the absolute minimum but there are always a few bits to do if we don’t want to go out looking scruffy.

I’ve been feeling a bit shivery all evening so I think I’m going to put a little fan heater on in the bedroom for a few minutes to warm the room up and then get myself to bed with a book.

Have a safe journey Anng and I hope the weather is better tomorrow.

I'm just about to watch Innocent now.

No no trouble getting on Mel watching Innocent so I could see the end before going away. Looks like it will be a wet and windy weekend. Stay safe everyone.