General Chat

Afternoon All,

It sounds about right to be in your underpants Frank.......seeing as the weather at the moment is 'pants!! Mum always talked about the Doodlebugs and the dreaded silence too before they dropped. Liz is right, you should do a little book about your experiences. My friend did one from her dad's diaries from when he was a minesweeper in the Navy. It was fascinating to read.

Liz, the 'ration' word often cropped up in our house when I was little. I suspect now that mum used it long after rationing stopped as an excuse for when I asked for sweets !!!! lol. I remember sitting round the fire with scorching shins while my ankles were cold with the draught around the back. Shivering till the fire got going, no food wasted because 'children were starving in Africa' was trotted out if you didn't clean your plate before pud was served. A present was more exciting than nowadays because they didn't happen often and we were grateful and would take care of things because we were reminded that they cost a lot and that we were lucky to get them, that there were lots of children who didn't get any. Mum and dad worked hard and bought a small detatched bungalow when I was aged 4, but mum would buy me clothes from jumble sales and make me dresses from her old ones and unpick jumble sale knits to knit me jumpers with. We would walk up the lanes and pick up sticks to light the fire, collect blackberries and bilberries for pies and sometimes mushrooms. Dad had half the garden planted with veg too.


I have had my 'barnet' trimmed this morning and it feels much cooler round the neck now. :-D A chap in there spent £56 on a trim and products.......maybe I should start charging OH!! My hairdresser looked very glam this morning with long dark wavy hair (extensions!), a little see through black lace top with scalloped edges that came just below her bra and a black pencil skirt with tiny white polka dots.......and she has a perfect figure to show it off!!

Did a bit in the garden, but the soaker hose keeps fighting back. OH wrapped it up and tied it in coils and now it wants to stay that way.......reminded me of Kim's snake!!! I think him indoors will have to help with it. lol. He has a migraine at the moment though, so maybe later.....if the RAIN hasn't started again.

I saw that about the painting Mel.......could do with a few of those to sell!! :-D The artist would be amazed at those prices if he were still alive.

Just had a nice home made brunch, bacon steaks, poached egg, flat mushrooms, grilled tomatoes and beans and toast. Yum......should keep us going.

Hope the new meds help Kim and that your daughter doesn't give you more worries. I keep looking at your envelope on the shelf......gives me a little glow thinking it came all the way from Australia!!! :-D

Found the programme on iplayer. Oh, how that bought back memories of the way the houses looked and what we had in them.

That old earth and ware sink was the norm, and only about 6" deep., with cold water tap attached to the wall above. The gas light and coke company's gas cooker. small enameled stove with three rings a very small grill under neath, and then the oven below that. How Mum cooked dinners in it I will never know. The only fire we had was in the "BACK ROOM" the FRONT ROOM was for Sunday afternoon. but you had to have your sunday best on.Later we had a boiler fitted behind the fire, which heated the water . The tank was in a cupbourd which was turned into an airing cupboard. We use to put our "sleeping suits" (Pyjamas) on the tank to warm them before going to bed. The bedroom floors were only covered in LINO.

All the beds had a feathered mattress, with sheets blankets and eiderdown. The winter of 47/8 was so cold the ice was about 2 inches thiick on the inside on the Bedroom windows. It didn't thaw till the spring. and we still had snow on the roofs till AprilMay.

More story's to come.

Still very dark here. with rain showers

Yes Frank I have heard from Shirl. those headaches sound horrible not surprising she's not using the computer.

Hope everyone else is feeling okay today. Maybe now they've changed your medication Kim you will start to feel better. April sort of weather here, one minute sunny the next it's pouring with rain.

I may have won something on the premium bonds,going to check now, I can see those pigs flying already .......lol

pics sent if you did'nt get them ask!!!!

Think I got everyone :-( :-( :-(

the high expectations putting my holder number in and then the disappointment, oh well there's always next month :-(

I can certainly remember going 'wooding' when I was quite big to feed that fire. My granny was the person for all that, sides to middle (sheets) collars and cuffs turned, leather on elbows (Mens/boys jackets) shorts cut down from trousers, material always used for cushions, dolls clothes, drying up cloths whatever, shoeboxes for dolls beds, my uncle's pre war milk float, was turned into a dolls pram for me . (I loved it!) I think it was being an adult through two world wars that made my granny simply not waste ANYTHING! I think most ladies had a material bag, wool bag elastic box, kinitting needles and patterns going back to heaven knows when! I've inherited some of these, and haven't had the heart to get rid! so there they sit unused, as a reminder of the original re-cyling generation! I remember that winter too Frank. My mother and I were living in Oxford in a room rented from a friend of hers, she at work, (war widow's pension not exactly generous, AND was taxable!!!) me at the local day nursery. I remember her telling me to rub my hands by the thimbleful of gas coming out of the fire to try and keep them warm! Snow up to a very small girl's shoulders, and no thaw till April, then floods! Luckily my stepfather came over the horizen and rescued us both, talk about a lucky day, that was certainly ours!

Heavens,it's a complete cloud burst here, I can't believe it can go on like this with no end in sight! Just awful particularly for people in the holiday trade, they must be tearing their hair!

Thanx Melanie,those pictures are lovely x

Frank that is a lovely set of photos :-D Isn't Lewis like his Dad!

Well I think we will be like the 3 little Fishes soon :-S.Sounds like tomorrow will bring another load of rain :-S :-S.I wonder what this chap tomorrow will say.knowing our luck he will say it is just bad luck we are right on top of the water table and we won't be covered for trying to have it tapped in to the drainage system.
My scalp has broken out in red patches.......all the bloo** stress :-S :-S

I had a lot of colourful envelopes arrive in the post today ;-)

I think i can see BLUE SKY :-D :-D :-D..........of to look at Mel email of Deer it has just come through

LOL Mel you are right the first pic looks like a Kangaroo or Wallaby!.Thought you had moved out near Kim lol

Jane so did I when I first saw the pic. My thoughts exactly. She is such a lovely colour at the moment.

Stress proves counter productive so often,Why not watch a couple of DVDs and get half a bottle of your favourite inside you petal?

Send out for an Indian or a Chinese if you like them.
I'm sure neither of you feel like cooking.

You might have the winning Lotto tonight

I haven't bought a ticket David :-S :-S :-S.Is it a lot of Millions? I am not really a stressful person ,but I think when things are on your mind these kind of reactions happen.I know I dreamed a lot last night of Water pipes with little people inside them lol..Right I will follow your suggestion and go get a glass :-D :-D

Just watching the Andy Murray match.Now that is getting stressful lol.My head is starting to itch :-|.Now it looks like it is about to rain there.I do find Murray the most uninteresting player (personality wise) but I do hope he gets through.

No take away .It is just a simple Pasta and sauce with added pancetta bits and mushrooms and a bit of garlic bread.Might even rustle up a little salad on the side :-D

I think I have set my back off slightly this morning moving big rocks, rolling them over to chip bits off to get them to fit close together. It's the last 3 of them to do as well. I have just taken Ibu*rofen.....fingers crossed it will be ok after a night's rest. I have the bit between my teeth now and am keen to crack on. We have just been out for lasagne and garlic bread.....tasty.

Maureen I am lucky if I get £25 in a year now! :-( Wouldn't it be great to win a few grand though!

OH happened to look at the website today as he has yet another interview on Friday for the same job with another council. Much to his surprise he found his name listed as being in post. They haven't told him yet that he has got the job!! :-D

My gran was the same Liz, she turned collars and had a rag bag. There was a button and zip box, elastic was saved as was bits of string like you say. I think it does rub off on you too. I save and reuse all sorts of plastic square and oblong containers. Some in the drawer where I am sitting have pens and pencils in, others staples, paperclips, rubbers. The bathroom cabinet has them with tubes of stuff in some, plasters in others. In the bedroom I use them for lipsticks, eye make up etc. They are even in the kitchen drawers with small items in!! lol The old rotary line is chopped up in small lengths and used as ties for the tomatoes and cucumber, nice and soft against their stems. I must be turning into my gran! lol.

Thanks for the other pics Frank.......they are great and I thought how big Lewis is getting too. OH came and had a look........would like to go to Wembley to see a match now, but not sure he'd like the huge crowds!

I havent won anything for 2 months on the premium bonds...I was hoping to retire lol

You must be due a win next month then Pat. Don't forget your friends if you do!!!!! lol. ;-) ;-) :-D :-D

I'm enjoying your stories Frank. More please.

Off to bed now, hope it's a bit drier tomorrow .........sigh. :-S

Oh no........... I've just read that the Met Office have issued a severe weather warning for Friday and Saturday when a MONTH'S RAIN is expected to fall with central and northern England to be the worst affected!! An amber alert for the north east, the second most severe category, so get your wellies ready David!

Oh, what a Blood# mess the weather is, what have we done to deserve this.!!!

Jane, I feel so sorry for you with all your damp troubles. I am sure you felt you were settled there for the rest of your days. What an upheval you are having to go through.

Mel the little deer is beautiful, is it a Munkjac. ???

Liz, I am a horder in the Garage and shed, always thinking "It will come in handy some time" My mum was the same with the sheets collars and cuffs. Our handkerchiefs were pieces of torn up sheets, when she couldn't find anything else to do with them. We had a button box (Ros still has one) all bits of elastic, string, brown paper, I think they were sdo used to being without, that they wouldn't waste anything.

Another little story, When the German bombs dropped locally, we would go out and search for the shrapnel. The bomb craters werre very deep. and the clay was exposed togethjer with a lot of water in the bottom of the hole. We would climb down into the hole and search around in the water for any remains. Covered in CLAY and soaked through we would tramp home, proud as punch with anything we recovered. After a good hiding and a wash down., we would take our trophy's to the bedroom and store them in the waldrobe.

One morning after an incendery attach, we went to the site, and found the caseings. They were dropped in Milk Crate type containers. One lad found a live one, and tried to open it on the pavement. Like all kids we stood around looking over his shoulder, waiting to see what happened. We were lucky that someone came out of their house and put it in a bucket of water.

M ore another day.

Morning /Evening All
What a beautiful sunny morning :-D :-D.For now at least.Doors and windows wide open .It's just lovely.

Chris is home today as he wanted to be here when the BT man comes to do whatever he is doing to computer so I am going to nip out quickly now as I still need a bag for Saturday.Better get a waterproof one lol

I will be back sometime later.Not sure what time the Surveyor chap will be here.

Frank Mel's deer isn't a Munjac.They are quite small.

Morning/evening,

Mel's deer is a Roe Deer and as Ann kindly pointed out to me it is a Male as it has antlers. I was calling it a her as it was so pretty.

Better day today with some sun this morning earlier on but I have chanced the washing on the line. Oh is mowing so if anything is going to make it rain those two things should. :-| :-|

Sky is a bit cloudy now, grey clouds.................

Jane hope you get sorted with your damp and pooter.

My nan always kept things to use later and mum had a button box which I still have. She also had a set of sewing draws and they are filled with all colours of cotton, different sizes of elastic, piles of lace and bias binding in all colours too. We have two trunks both full with material that Ros would have a field day in. A huge box of embriodery thread in a variation of colours to which Mandy can confirm as I sent her some. Boxes of hangers for making padded ones from. Dolls faces you can sew on to cloth dolls. Boxes of dusters dish cloths wooden spoons and scourers for making duster dolls. You name it we seem to have it.