General Chat

We seem to have had a visit from the sock fairy.............

Mandy the colours are nice in the fat quarters, any decision on what to make. I like the turquoise pattern

Just had jacket potato and orawns for my meal, I enjoyed that.

Cleared out some more dead pots and found a few little blighters in them which the bantams were pleased with at least I know there won't be so many around now.

I had my glowing embers begonia in the shed ove rthe winter and when I looked at it yesterday and had a prod it had gone soft so that came out and found lots in that pot and they were just turning into the beetley things so I was glad I looked in that pot as I don't want them in the shed.

I have repotted several plants I want to keep like my evergreen campanula's I have white and blue but don't know which is which at thee moment. The white tends to have lighter leaves. The only trouble with those is the rabbits love them.

Hope all goes well for your Sky box Ann and they can get it done before your zoom meeting. I hate having to wait for people to arrive to do jobs, you can never settle till they arrive do the job and go. My arm is a bit achey if I touch it and picking up a heavy watering can it gave me jip.

Mandy anymore magic material in those fat quarter?

Whacked now but only have to do burgers for dinner so thats good and there's a nice bottle of wine in the fridge.

Afternoon All,

More sunshine and we were both up quite early this morning. We needed to start clearing up and cleaning ready for SKY on Monday. SKY has virtually packed up now with freezing, no signal, software issue messages popping up as it goes off all the time, so roll on Monday! We were told to have a clear path to the SKYQ box, wear masks and have all our windows open so I hope it is still warm on Monday. The engineer will be calling between 8.00am and 1.00pm so I'd sooner he was early so I don't miss my course if it ends up a long job and he comes nearer 1.00pm.

We put the stand for the new printer together after lunch (we hadn't realised it was self assemble) and the covers for the screws were missing. As they were on the inside and we needed to get it set up, we decided it didn't matter. When I moved the old printer there was a puddle of black ink under it, so it seems that was on it's last legs too. :-S :-0 Luckily I had put thick clear plastic blotter sheets on the desk and cupboard tops to protect from my painting efforts so there was no damage, but I managed to get black fingers clearing the mess up. I then got it set up and told OH how to connect it to his laptop, so now it is all working and doing lovely clear prints! I then chucked out/shredded all the paperwork to do with the old printer and had a general clear up in the study.

OH did a bit more weeding in the back garden and I have rung a couple of garden centres to see if they have courgette or mini cue plants, one said they expect some more after next week.

Mandy I can never decide what to choose when looking at fat quarters........they are mesmerising!

AnnG most house alterations make lots of mess but men don't notice most dust! It's horrid and gritty like Mel says though so get a wet cloth after hoovering up what you can. We knocked walls down ourselves at my old house and despite our best efforts dust got everywhere for days afterwards.

I'm glad your OH's back has improved Vera. He just needs to be careful not to set it off again now.

Mel is your arm sore after the jab? OH has had absolutely no effects from his up to now. He was given an A4 leaflet of what to look out for after his this time with it being AstraZenica. I hope your back is a bit better too. Mine is twanging a bit after this morning's efforts so I daren't do more as it's the wipe down tomorrow. Well I might go and scoop some aby Violas from last years plants from one of the pots and prick them out as they are too cramped to do much. That's nice your Aunty Joy loved her card and wants to frame it. Those naughty hens eating the eggs. Is it just the one doing it?

Nice to know you are ok EOS and hope you have a nice weekend too.

Sorry you haven't been well Frank and I hope it soon passes. If not I would speak to your doc in case it's your medication causing it. Hope you had a nice read in the warm conservatory.

It is on the opposite side Mel. On the left and I am right handed. finished for today anyway and put the cleaner away now. And also I have had lunch and am just going to read the paper.

It'll be more comfortable in the conservatory when the sun goes round a bit and you don't have to do it all today. Are you right or left handed? Always a problem if its on the side of the arm you usually use. :-(

Been down the hsop for a few bits and the paper .

Washings in and I am about to get osme lunch. Got a nice fresh Bloomer and ham with some salad stuff.

Good to see you on here Frank. It is sunny here and very hot in the conservatory so not a lot of cleaning going to be done in the next two hours or so.

Mel stitches still sore but it was quite a deep incision so I am not surprised. I am using my right arm as much as possible.

Good morning all,

Sorry I haven't been around, I have not been feeling that good.

I keep having dizzy spells,and don't deem to be able to relax. Not eating a great deal, and not sleeping too well.

Ros is out thins morning with Carolyn shopping. Then at 2.00 pm she has her hairdresser coming to bleach and do her hair, I will be in the conservatory with my book, so I won't be in the way. !!!

Not a bad morning weather wise.A lot of high white cloud which seems to be blocking the sun. But even though I haven't been outside yet. I think it's quite warm.

I hope you areal well, I will try to get back later. xxxx

Brick dust is awful to clean up its so gritty.

Just having a slice of toast as I was hungry.

I waited round the chickens this morning and watched them one came out of the nest box, an old one, and after a while of noshing the loaf I had put in their hanging baskets she went back in. still in the nest with Daisy so I came back and left it a bit longer and went round again. 5 in the run opened the nest box and the old one had laid an egg so one down for today.

Went and did a bit more and went round again and there was two eggs in the nest and Daisy still in ther eating another egg. So I would have had 4 today but threes good. Daisy was still in the nest box. Yesterday I had three eggs all broken and eaten.

Arms a bit sore tis morning. How's your back today Anng?

morning Mel. Yes Charles is 29. I have done half an hour in the conservatory so far. Thought I would do a bit before breakfast. got a wash load in as well. There is brick dust over everything as well as dirt from the roof so I am emptying shelves to brush it off. I have also had to trace and disconnect lots of wires and plugs which were all to the individual sets of lights which were all solar and connected separately to Alexa, I have put the bag of electrical bits away in the electrics drawer in T's office. It will be easier to clean in that bit when I go back to it later.

Morning Anng and all,

Is it Charles who is 29 ?

Lovely morning again today with blue sky and sunshine. Well I got Aunty Joy's sbirthday wrong, its today not yesterday and her daughter's birthday was yesterday and my friend in Suffolk. I may remember cousin Ann's birthday now after all these years. She too lives in Bideford as does her sister Joy's oldest and the middle son not too far away.

We had a nice chat on the phone yesterday and she was delighted with her card which we had done a pic of my nan, her mum, at the age of 22 in 1921. She's going to se if she can get a frame for it.

Vera please keep on with your nice long posts as we all enjoy them and would miss them if you only posted short ones. We're nosy and like to know what you have been up to.

Love to Island and hope that back is getting better now and she will be able to do a bit in her garden.

I only got half way through gardeners world last night on catch up and had to go to bed I was that tired and my arm was hurting. Must have dropped straght off as I don't remember a thing after getting into bed. Got up once for the loo and came out here at 7.45am.

Good morning all sunny again so up early to make the most of the time before it gets too hot in the conservatory.

I can't understand that either Mel. I think it may have been the first very old roof they have changed, it is mostly dirt accumulated over 29 years. The 'boss' is only 29 he is a good workman and very willing but still learning. Hopefully he has learned his lesson.

I have a good few hours cleaning to do but hopefully it won't be too difficult as it is only dust and bits. when done I shall tell him to cover up next time he does similar work.

O so pleased to hear from you EOS we were getting worried and hoped you were ok.

You have a nice contented weekend too.
Have you been doing anythig nice?

Anng thats men for you only make you more work than what they do for you!! I can't understand how they did'nt cover things up.

How lovely to see you Elizabeth, I hope that all is well with you.you have a peaceful weekend.

Dear All

Hello

Hope you all have a peaceful and contented weekend.

Take gentle care
Love Elizabeth, EOS
xx

Vera I am always surprised when you talk about your outing as from what you were saying if you were travelling on the A12 in the Chelmsford direction it is not a million miles from where we lived 1968;to 1973 not that there were any garden centres there then. I think we had one small garden centre when we lived there. Garden centres are everywhere now but we’re unusual then and were usually called nurseries,

Shame that you didn’t get all that you wanted it will be better when all cafes can open.

As you know we love you chatting to us so don’t stop.

Mandy you will get fed up with sewing zips in. What are you going to make with the material?

The mess I have to look forward to clearing up is horrendous. So much dust and dirt why they didn’t cover things up I don’t know. I said I would clear things away but Charles said no need.

You've been busy Mandy. We've had a lovely sunny day but there's been a very cold easterly wind.

Evening all,

Oh what a beautiful day it's been when we sat out for our coffee we had to sit in the shade .
I've been stitching again Chelsea had another school skirt that needed a new zip ,goodness knows what she's doing with these skirts for the zips to keep going probably taking them off with out undoing the zip i should think any way thats done and i had to mend Katies bag the magnetic clasp had pulled out of the material so i just moved it down a little and stitched over the bit where it had pulled out .

Mel thanks for the news from Frank i hope his back pain soon eases and that Ros can get some relief from her painful tongue ,it must be awful for her to eat any thing .
Ann that's good OH has had his second jab and the queue soon moved so he didn't have to wait to long ,Colin goes next Wednesday for his second and son goes on the Friday for his second , i think i will have to wait a little longer for my second it's only about six or seven weeks since my first .
I don't know what i will make with the fat quarters ,i bought four different lots as it was hard to pick ,i liked them all ,i did take a photo so i'll see if i can send it ,i'm still trying to find my way with this new tablet .

AnnG i hope there's not to much mess to clear up,don't go pulling your stitches ,now you need a little rain to check there's no leaks ,we could really do with a little rain the garden looks so dry .

Mel i have pricked out my Mariglds and my Dahlias ,i've put all my toms in the bigger pots and they could soon have some canes put in the pot ,my cumbers are about four inches high and soon need bigger pots or they will snap off when i repot them
I need to read the packet to see if i should nip the tops out of my hanging basket Sweet peas as they are growing well .i've never had them for hanging baskets before .

I wonder how Gills OH is now and if Sandra is in her flat ,i expect she has been busy .

Vera it sounds as if you really enjoyed your time with your friends in the garden with scones and cakes and then having your hair done too makes you feel good .

Tomorrow i need to go to boots for my tablets and i think we might try a F&C lunch if there's not much of a queue i might get some.

A beautiful sunny day here but there is still a cold wind. I had quite a good night last night. I woke several times but went back to sleep quite quickly.

The mess made by these jobs is horrible AnnG but it will be worth it to get a new roof on your conservatory and have it water tight. You can take your time over clearing up. It’s a shame about the lights but it might be best to get new ones and get them put up, and you will know that T would have liked them.

It’s good that you have had your second jab Mel and so has Ann’s OH. We still have to be sensible and careful but it does give you a little bit more confidence to shop or go in a garden centre.

OH is still taking his anti-inflammatory pills but his back is so much better and he is walking more easily so we decided to go out and do the errands we couldn’t do the other day. The plan was to pop up to B & Q for a couple of bits OH wanted, then go into town to the picture framers who are now open, then a nice drive through all the back lanes to our favourite garden centre to have a coffee in their outdoor seating area, then look for a small composter, a nice pot, a couple of plants and some bedding annuals.

Well, it didn’t quite work out! OH got his bits in B&Q, and we started off. After a couple of minutes I realized that he was going totally the wrong way for town. Yep, he had forgotten the picture framers. Once I had pointed this out to him he was all for turning back but I told him to go on to the garden centre. The trip through the lanes is usually quicker than the main road as it cuts off Colchester town and going a couple of exits down the A12 and it is much prettier of course. Not today. We got stuck in a long queue of traffic behind a bus and a farm vehicle and it took forever. I was surprised at the fields of rape in full bloom. I reckon they might be harvesting it a bit early this year.

Eventually we arrived at the garden centre. First we looked at composters. We found the perfect one for size and the price was OK as well but when we moved it we realized it didn’t have any base. Presumably you were meant to stand it straight on bare earth but ours has to go on a small concreted section as the back of our garage where I already have a mini plastic greenhouse and our 3 bins. I can’t have compost liquid leaking all over the place there so that was a no-no. I found a pot I liked, the man of the house measured it and declared that it was too small for my needs. As I hadn’t said what I wanted it for and he was huffy at not getting the composter I got cross and we ended up not buying the pot. The plants there are always healthy and beautifully set out but they didn’t have the specific ones I wanted so I ended up with 3 packs of 6 bedding annuals. They had sold out of million bells but I got French marigolds, a mini chrysanthemum that looks like a little white daisy and a plant that I can’t remember the name of. It’s in the garden and I am upstairs and not going down to check, but it is like a smallish succulent but with pretty flowers. The final frustration with our visit was that the outdoor area to the restaurant was closed as well as the indoor bit so I didn’t even get a coffee.

OH wanted to go to the picture framers this afternoon but I was thoroughly fed up by then. He said that he wanted to get it done but I pointed out that the picture in question has been waiting 18 months so another few days wouldn’t matter. However I relented and said I would go with him tomorrow morning.

This afternoon one of my granddaughters facetimed me as she thought I would be amused at what has happened today. Apparently on a local freecycle site she saw a chap who was offering some books of plays to anyone who could make good use of them. As she is another of my granddaughters who is very “into” drama she contacted him and he was pleased to let her have them. Today she got them and showed them to me. Their large refectory type table was completely covered with piles of these books – there are well over 200 of them! She was laughing as she told me she hadn’t even got a bookshelf in her room. I pointed out she didn’t need a bookshelf, she needed a library. I asked her what her father (my son) and step mother thought about them. Step mum just said Oh My God and Dad hadn’t yet seen them as he had gone to his office for his first face to face business meeting in over a year. We did have a good laugh together but she is a lucky girl to get all those books for free.

I had barely put the phone down when my son rang on his way home from his meeting and we talked for over an hour (with me saying at regular intervals “you are watching the road, aren’t you?”). I didn’t tell him about his daughter’s sudden increase in reading matter. I thought I’d let her surprise him.

I see I’ve gone on a bit again. The trouble is, once I start, I feel as though I am just chatting to friends and tend to ramble on. Please, please tell me if it’s all too much.

Yes I have Anng. They are a nuisance getting in all my pots on the patio and the strawberry barrow.

Nearly straight then and you can have a good wipe down of your surfaces just tpo make sure they hav'nt left a lot of dust behind.

Got my backache again and I hav'nt done much. Did prick out my Statice seedling and plants 18 hole with two sunflower seeds in each. They were the packet oh bought me at Christmas I think. Got a lot of Honesty seedling up with just their two leaves. Lovely round ones just like the seed.

Toms are growing well and I am turning them every day as they are in the uti room facing south. I have mixed up a weak feed for them with osme Vitax Seaweed feed. I used to use Maxicrop but Mole Valley don't do it now they so this one so I am hoping its the same sort of thing.