General Chat

That sounds like a feast to me Anng. I'm pleased they did most of the jobs you needed doing and it must have been nice to see them and chat to them for a change. Perhpas you'll get a good nights sleep now you know you have most things done you wanted to get done.

Well I have just come in from the garden and cleared out a lot more dead and growing pots and the big strawberry pot did'nt have one weevil in it but it did have about 8 of these funny little maggot thigns with a tail. The bantams enjoyed them anyway with a few slugs on the side.

Lovely to see them, felt very safe as they have been in the habit of doing tests. So that put my mind at rest as most jobs were in the house, we did stay distant most of the time. Yes the whole list of jobs were done even to putting my new Hylite cleaner together.

As there are lots of bits over from lunch that is what I shall have for my meal this evening so that will be easy, ham, pate, a couple of dips, mini pork pies and a crusty cheese bloomer with salad stuff if I want.

Had our lunch and oh went back out to do a bit more of my Fairy.

I washed up and made 8 sausage rolls and two twisters with the pastry left over and a couple of the sausages. Less fattening sausage rolls!!!! :-D :-D :-D

I am now about to go and attempt the last big strawberry pot where all the three plants died so I expect the bantams are going to have a feast.

Sorry you had a really bad night Vera and hope its better today.
Just had a delivery of the parcel oh haS BEEN WAITING FOR AND TRACKING AND IT SEEMS IT HAS BEEN TO MOST COUNTRIES AND HAS NOW ARRIVED AT OURS.

Sorry did'nt mean to shout. I hate this keyboard. :-(

Morning all (nearly afternoon)

It’s a dull day here and quite chilly.

I had a couple of reasonable nights but it was too much to hope for a third, wasn’t it. I hardly slept at all, not helped by the fact that I think there may have been a military exercise on as the helicopters flew over twice during the night. They are Apache helicopters flown out of Wattisham airfield which is not too far from us. They are so noisy and at 2 am when everywhere is quiet they sound as though they are skimming the roof. I think 4 went over, one after the other, and a couple of hours later they all came back.

Enjoy your visit from your grandson AnnG.

I hope you get your room sorted out Ann and, Mandy, when you have finished your conservatory could you come and do mine please? It’s filthy but it’s still full of overwintering plants and cuttings and it’s still too cold at night here to plant them out.

I’m another one who won’t go out and leave appliances on. We do have to leave the downstairs heating as it basically goes on around end of October and doesn’t go off till anytime between now and mid May. If we are away for the weekend (long time since we did that, lol) OH does turn it off.

All I’m doing today is cooking as I feel a bit zombie-like through lack of sleep. We’re having roast gammon with lots of roast veg, followed by apple pie. If I’ve got the oven on I try and fill it which is why the veg is going to be roasted as well.

Good morning from a SUNNY NORTHAMPTON. A few light clouds, but nice and warm.

Ros in up the steps cleaning out the front gutter. The Blackbirds love to pick the moss over, that has come down from the roof. The trouble is, it's then all over the path, and looks a right mess.

I have prepared Sunday dinner. A nice piece of beef, enough for us two.Pots, Parsnips, Cauli, brussels, peas and carrots, Yorkshire pudding made as is the gravy and cheese sauce.

I just told Ros she must not try to do too much outside today. The front garden looks beautiful, thanks to her hard work. Thanks to Simon the lawns are looking fine and don't need cutting this week. I might ask Lewis to come up next week to give them a trim.

Barry the gardener, is recovering from his operation, and should be back after a few weeks rest.

I/m now going to sit in the conservatory with my booker a little read, and catch up on the news in the paper.

Enjoy the rest of today my loves. see you later. xxxx

Just the one broken this morning but one in the nest and one under May who was in there. I weaited round there and she came out and her egg was in the nest so three out of four today same as yesterday so thats good. Thanks for asking Mandy.x

Oh is painting my big fairy that stands on the plinth in front of his filter shed. I thought I was going to do it but it seems I am going to do the arms legs and face in a lighter grey.

May do some of my smaller ones too as the hail over the years has taken some of thier paint off.

I have three big plastic boxes I put out for the shopping and they all fit inside one another for storage afterwards. Oh bought me a sack barrow for indoors before lockdown and I use that to bring the boxes of shopping through. Oh just lifts the boxes in onto the barrow and I drive it through to the kitchen.

Hope your grandson has arrived now Anng and is getting things done for you. :-D

The problem for me is not going when they will get here. They are not early risers so it could be late, or they may have made an exception and got up early and be here soon. So not easy to get involved doing anything really.

It is sunny and 10 degrees but with a cold wind so doesn't feel warm outside.

I have potted on one tomato that was not happy in a small pot but it is a tumbler which needs a basket really, ideally I could be doing that but then I would be down the garden and wouldn't hear them arrive.

Hope you get your rooms sorted Ann. cardboard boxes are a problem with internet shopping, my recycling bin has a lot of broken cardboard in it. The rest of the boxes are in the garage.

Morning all,

Mostly cloudy here this morning but the sun peeps through now and again, it does feel cooler though .
I have been giving my tiled floor in the conservatory a good mop and using a long handled wire brush on the grouting its coming up a treat ,I did wonder if it would scratch the tiles but Colin said no it won't ,it's mainly the tread where we walk through that needs it the rest of the floor is fine.
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AnnG enjoy your time with grandson and partner it will break your day up having company for a while .

Mel any eaten eggs today .

Morning All,

Dull and chilly here at the moment.

I'm the same Mandy and don't leave things on overnight or while I'm out now or set heating to come on while we are out. It was sitting in the kitchen and seeing flames come out of our gas wall boiler once at my old house that made me think twice about what could happen with other appliances too and be mindful.

I hope everyone's aches and pains are a bit easier today. Mine are less which is good.

It will be nice for you to see your grandson and partner today AnnG. Hopefully he can help with the electrical puzzles you have.

I want to clear the delivery cardboard boxes from the study and throw out some papers and magazines in there and more tidying on the shelves. It's a small room where the router/phone etc are so the engineer will need to go in there. The two bedrooms where the mini boxes are are were dusted and hoovered yesterday so we are ready otherwise.

Easy peasy chicken pie with veg for lunch, then the wipe down so that's my day sorted. OH has just done the veg and has some emails to answer.

Showers next! I hope we hear from Gill soon and that she is managing with her shopping. Hopefully Sandra is in her flat and has managed to start furnishing it.

Morning Anng and all,

Once again a lovely sunny morning but not been out yet to see if there's any wind today. It will be nice to see your grandson and partner today and I hope he can sort out some of youyr electrical problems. Enjoy your lunch i the conservatory. Hope you have cleaned up all the dust now. It'll be nice to have a ittle company and a natter.

good morning all lovely morning 3 degrees so hope it warms up a bit.
Grandson and partner calling in to collect T's big office chair and a few other bits today Will give tham a sandwich lunch in the conservatory. Hopefully he can help out with one or two electrical puzzles we have.
didn't sleep that well, don't know why. Hope you are all well and had a good sleep.

O gosh not a flood from the washing machine. I hope you got it cleared away quickly. Silly C fancy leaving the pipe off.

Ann i never set the washer going at night or if I'm going out ,ill go out into the garden but I do like to be here when it's on, we once had a machine leak and what a mess luckily we were here and caught it in time as it was a slow leak and not pumping out like it did today .

I know AnnG it soon flooded the floor luckily we have a tiled floor ,my first thought was oh no the machine has been pulled out and we've pulled on the water pipe that goes into the machine, I'd no idea he had taken the emptying pipe out ,thank goodness I hadn't set it going and gone out into the garden.

Yes, I can never settle to anything when I'm waiting for workmen Mel. Fingers crossed he will be early. They lady on the phone said he would be in and out in a short time so I think if it isn't a quick fix he will replace the box. Fancy you finding all those vine weevils. Have you tried the Vine Weevil killer?

Oh Mandy, it's a good job you hadn't popped out or put the washer on later and gone to bed! Your floor must be pristine now! :-D Yes I did quite like the idea of the bees but did think I wouldn't want any clothing made with bee material after wearing so many real ones that time!! I even made OH get rid of one in the conservatory today before I would have lunch in there.

I know if they swap our box we will lose all our recordings Vera which is a nuisance as we have a lot too. Yes setting up the printer floored me when it kept saying about QR codes as I am a dinosaur with not needing or having a mobile with whistles and bells. It's just a plain PAYG with internet access not enabled. I bravely ignored all those requests and it was fine. We are thinking we must get better mobiles though as no-one can track and trace us for covid contact at the moment. Yes it was clear that OH thought I was being over fussy when I put those thick plastic surfaces down, but I think he changed his mind when he saw the puddle of black ink today. You did well getting some of your shrubs out and replanting them as it can be awkward digging things out of troughs. I remember that lovely picture of your granddaughter and it will be nice in a frame so you can see it every day.

Oh Mandy it is amazing how much water can get out of a washing machine bet it took afpges to mop up.

Vera I took it slowly and the floors and shelves are free of dust for now. The frame needs a good wash but that will have to wait. I did it in two and a half hours but had an hours break in between

Yes we lived in a great Baddiw used to drive to Colchester to visit friends whi lived in the area.

Missed you there Mandy. I can just imagine what you said to OH when all the water pumped out. My OH would definitely have got THE LOOK.

Hallo Elizabeth. Good to see you. I hope you are having a contented and peaceful weekend.

Good to see you too Frank. Did you have a good read while Ros was having her hair done?

Take your time clearing the mess in your conservatory AnnG. You don’t want to overdo it though I am sure you would like to see it all clean and tidy but taking care of your back is more important. Btw, we are quite a way from Chelmsford. It’s just that the garden centre we particularly like is just outside Colchester going towards Chelmsford. I seem to remember you saying you used to live at Great Baddow.

You’ve done a good job getting your printer set up Ann. It’s lucky you had covered your surface with the ink leaking like that. I hope the Sky engineer gets everything sorted for you. It must be annoying to keep missing things. We only have the normal terrestrial and freeview programmes and I don’t find time to watch much of those. I have stuff I recorded 4 years ago that I still haven’t watched!

We got to the picture framers this morning and ordered our frame. It’s for the picture of our granddaughter in the old fashioned costume. You might remember it. I was thinking of our Jane when we were choosing the type of frame as she had pm’d me to say she was keeping the picture I had emailed round and kept looking at it as she thought it was so lovely. While in town we met our old neighbour so had a little chat. This afternoon I spent about one and a half hours in the garden and was aching like mad when I came in. I had dug a couple of small shrubs out from a big trough and planted them up again in ericaceous compost as I’ve just discovered they prefer acid soil. It took a bit of digging with spades and forks to get the rootballs out, disentangle the roots and replant the shrubs in new compost. I inspected them carefully and not a weevil in sight, Mel :-). I’ve got another 2 in a trough to do but that’ll have to wait for another day.

Just had a nice shepherd’s pie with veg and a glass of wine and I’m feeling quite sleepy now. I think I might read for a while or maybe I’ll do a couple of crosswords in today’s paper. OH is watching an old episode of Silent Witness.

Evening all,

We have been out in the garden most of the day again ,i have potted up my cucumber plants all my toms and some purple Lupins ,i took the seeds from my plant last year The floor and shelf in the green house is full ,all my tom seeds came up so i will have some pots of them outside and hope for the best .

We sat having breakfast and i suddenly heard running water ,it was pouring out of the washing machine ,i had put a load in and turned it on and yesterday Colin had had the machine out to gloss the skirting behind the machine he had taken the hose out of the outlet pipe and hooked it on the back of the machine so when i turned it on and it started to pump out it came out onto the floor ,i shooted over and turned it off but it surprising how much water can pump out good job we have a tiled floor .
There was a few choice words i can tell you ,why he hadn't put the hose back in the pipe i don't know .

Nice to hear from you EOS i hope you have a good weekend too .

Oh AnnG i think you'll be clearing the dust for a few days as fast as you wipe it flies up and settles some where else and you notice it more in the sunshine .
Was it today you friend was changing your dressing ? i hope it wasn't to sore to touch .

Mel it sounds like one of your girls has got a taste for the eggs now naugty girl .

Frank i hope the dizzyness soon goes not so good when your unsteady any way ,take it easy and i hope you feel better soon .

Ann you'll be glad to get the sky sorted now after all these months ,sounds as though they will be taking all the precautions they can so hopefully it should all goes well .
Sent a photo of the fat quarters but i think there's one lot that you won't be so keen on ,the ones with the Bees :-0
I have made a couple of masks with one of the Strawberry ones .

Vera as always i love reading your posts ,hope OH's back eases for him ,did you manage to get to the picture framers today .
We had one of those composters years ago without a bottom and we got rats in it so that went to the tip , but some one did say after we had got rid that we could have put a bit of wire netting under neath and that would have stopped them .

I like the ones with the bees on.