General Chat

Good morning

It’s sunny and bright but very cold today and still quite windy. I’ve got an appointment with a nurse at the surgery today for yet another blood pressure review. Not sure why I need another review. It’s at the local surgery so I can walk up there but I’ll be wearing a warm jacket and gloves. Otherwise I have no plans for the day - depends on how much energy I can muster.

nd chips cooked.

Just lost a huge post so I am now giving up.

We had heavy rain and wind right through the night and up to around 1 pm today. The rain eased up then but it was still windy. That seems to be easing up now as well, thank goodness.

Getting a new tap is probably the right decision AnnG. The washer on that should keep you drip free for a long while.

I've got AO on my list of cooker sites to look at Mandy. I don't know anyone who has used them and wondered if they were any good so I'm pleased to hear that you were satisfied with them. You are right about our animals becoming part of the family. Son said that even Terry the tortoise seems to be looking for Buster. Terry lives indoors. He has his own corner with a lamp for him to get under when he feels his blood needs warming up but he was frequently found curled up against Buster.

I hope OH's back is a bit easier now Annx. I had some of those Iris Reticulata in a bowl for years. It stayed in the garden and I would just bring it indoors for a few days when they were in bloom. Mine were just the standard blue. I got rid of them last year as I think they had reached the end of their natural life. The leaves were starting to grow very tall but there were no blooms. Granddaughter is very much enjoying her time in HK. Her fiance is also about to audition for Disney but none of us are holding our breath as they are auditioning around the world and hundreds turn up to each venue to try for just a few positions. Son and dil are going out there at the end of this month to spend 3 days in HK to see F., then going on to Phuket in Thailand for a week's relaxation which they both sorely need. They have a one night stopover in India and you wouldn't believe the form they each had to fill in to get a visa to stay 1 night. I kept getting phone calls from son with questions like "Where was Dad born and where were you born?".

I'm going to stop before I bore you rigid. As you know I can witter on for ever given half a chance. Enjoy your evening and stay warm and dry everyone.

Iv'e got hailstones now just after I got back from corning the chickens.

When Oliver came he looked at the tap and we discussed new washers, then I thought it is about ten years old. After having a new washer how long would the tap last? So I have decides on a new tap which Oliver will do for me in a couple of weeks time.

Afternoon All,

I slept well last night and struggled to get up this morning. It rained a lot overnight but I heard a noise outside and on the roof, so looked out of the window and two, then another bedraggled Magpie followed the first two from under OH's car. Their heads were dry and fluffy so I suspect they'd had their heads tucked under their wings during the worst rain. I'm sure they are the fledgelings from the nest as they spend so much time in our garden, usually looking for food. Today they were trying to remove the birdproof netting in the gutters! We didn't have any of the wind and it's been dry since late morning. Other than pop to the shop when yet another person with a little Jack Russel this time using one of those extending leads lost control as it ran into the road. That's three times it's happened to me now with a different dog each time.

We rarely see Co-op staff serving now and often have to look for someone to serve us. As there are so few of them they are always unloading deliveries or stacking shelves. Both yesterday and today I noticed they had jammed wide open all the doors on the glass fronted chill cabinets the full length of the walkways on both sides. I expect it makes it easier for them to stock the shelves, but they never used to do it and I'm not sure letting all the cold air out means the food is kept at the right temperature. :-S

I've made a few phone calls, got lunch and that's all today, but OH wants his hair cutting! It's next weekend they put the clocks back I think, so I'll be glad of the extra hour in bed!

I hope Mel has caught up with her tail now. :-) The apple strudel things sounded nice.

Hopefully your leaky tap is mended now AnnG. Another job to tick off the list.

It does sound like it might be a better idea to have another range cooker Vera and save the expense of altering your kitchen. I prefer dual fuel too in case of power cuts for one thing and gas is also much cheaper. Having had a self cleaning cooker though I wouldn't want one that doesn't now as it's spoiled me, but I wish it did the wire racks as well. :-D What a shame your brother's dog has died. He sounds like he was a lovely character and they will miss him being around so much. Is your grand daughter enjoying her time in Hong Kong and performing in the show? I would have enjoyed your meal you had yesterday. As for those little Irises, I watched Monty Don plant a bowlful last night and think I am going to do the same. They don't last long as I have a few in the garden, but what an uplifting splash of colour when we need it early in the year! :-D

Afternoon all,

Suns been out here after a wet morning but the wind hasn't been as bad as they said, I stripped the bed this morning and remade that then did a little bit of ironing and got a sausage casserole in the slow cooker .

Oh Vera that's sad about your sons dog, it's so hard when you loose them they become part of the family .
Have you looked at AO for a cooker ,we had a washing machine fro them and that has been OK.

Mel you must have been surprised when you found your miniture a case of hiding in plain sight .

Ann hope OH's back is easier now ,I expect the bending over sorting the programmes out didn't help ,he needs a little stool to sit on ,Colin keeps an old chair in the shed to sit on if he doing a job down there .

Anng hope the plumber has mended your dripping tap ,it's surprising how much water you can loose with it dripping .

It was that quick now its sunny with blue sky and thi8n white clouds and its stopped raining.

I have high winds lashing rain and sunshine out the back with a huge rainbow to the north and pc is saying light rain and 9 degrees.

Morning Anng and all you lovely ladies,

Iv'e got a moderate rain warning and its 10 degrees it was bright and sunny but now its clouded over and the skies grey out the front.

Overslept this morning so I shall be chasing my tail all day now but at least I don't have to cook tonight unless I here otherwise from Stu.

I did myself a cheater mini roast yesterday and cooked an apple strudle type thing and with the left over pastry I did a few cheese straws.

good morning all, a bit damp out there not raining at the moment though. 8 degreesfairly bright.

Plumber coming this afternoon to check a leak from the kitchen tap. So, of course, I now need to go and clean the kitchen.

Good evening all

Thank you for the Hidcote pictures AnnG. They are beautiful and the colours are glorious; you have a good eye for taking photos. I was puzzled by Mel’s Vita comment as well. The only Vita I could think of was Vita Sackville-West and I don’t think she was associated with Hidcote, was she? We need you to put us out of our misery Mel and tell us who Vita is or was.

Mel, it’s good you found the little creamer you made. It’s funny how things seem to disappear and then reappear in the very place we’ve been looking. Thanks for confirming which dog is Benjy. I’d been peering at the dogs trying to see the colour of their collars. It didn’t occur to me to look underneath the dog for the obvious sign of maleness. Doh!

Sorry to hear your OH has a bad back today Annx. He must treat himself very gently for a few days to give it time to mend. You look after your knees as well. You said that I might be ahead of you in the garden but I don’t think I am any more. Today the weather has been really lovely for the time of year and I should have worked outside but we decided to go out instead so nothing got done. The forecast for tomorrow is for heavy rain and wind and there looks to be plenty of rain coming in the following days so gardening will be put on the back burner again.

Today we went to Curry’s and Hughes, next door to each other on a retail park outside Colchester, to look for a new cooker. I’ve been dithering for a long while about whether to get a new one. Our current cooker came with the house but the previous owners hadn’t looked after it and a couple of times recently I’ve thought the thermostat on the oven was a bit dodgy. It’s a large range cooker and I don’t really need one that big anymore as I don’t entertain or cook nearly as much as I used to so I have considered getting a smaller cooker. Having thought it through I’ve decided to look for another range cooker as, in the end, it will work out cheaper than rehashing the kitchen to accommodate one of a different size. Cutting a long story short there was just one in Hughes and one in Curry’s that would do but both were all electric and I’d really like a dual fuel one like I have now. So I’m going to have a think about them and also have another look online and then make a decision.

Coming back and feeling grumpy at another wasted morning I suddenly remembered there was a garden centre hidden away at the end of a long lane that turned out of the road we were on so I suggested to OH that we had a pootle up there. We got there about 11.45 and went straight to the restaurant to see if there was a chance of getting a table for lunch as they get very booked up. They said they could fit us in at 12.30 so we had a good look around at everything in the store till then. I bought a Christmas decoration that I thought would look fine on the front windowsill in the lounge or would make a good table decoration, and I got some bulbs for a friend who will be 80 on Monday. The bulbs are the short Iris Reticulata called Rejoice and they look as though they are a deep purple with some white patterning and a yellow stripe on the lower petal. I have already got my friend a garden gift voucher but thought these would just be a little extra.

Lunch was delicious. We had to wait a while for it to come but I think that was because most of the food was fresh cooked. I had a round tart with salmon, ricotta cheese and sun-dried tomatoes and it came with baby potatoes covered in herbs and a salad. OH had fish and chips with crushed, minted peas and tartare sauce and he said it was lovely.

On the way back we called in to our local garden centre. This had been a small Wyevale which closed and was then taken over by Perrywoods. They have been operating out of the original Wyevale store but always planned to rebuild the whole thing on land next to it. The new build opened this week so we had a good look around. It is lovely there with a 200 seat restaurant but it’s all waiting to be seated and table service only so everything will take longer. There will be no popping in for a quick coffee as you could with the old little café.

We got in about 4 pm and I hadn’t even taken my jacket off before son rang and we chatted for about an hour. He had some sad news. Buster, their old dog, died a couple of days ago. AnnG might remember talk of Buster when we used to post on various threads on the hobbies boards. He was an English bull mastiff, a real gentle giant. Everyone loved him. He was a real old boy, having lived beyond the usual age for that breed so it wasn’t unexpected and he had a good life with son, dil and the family but it still takes time to get over these things.

Look at the length of this post! I think someone wound me up and set me going and I don’t stop till the clockwork runs out. I think I’d better stop before I think of something else to say. Goodnight everyone, sleep well.

Afternoon All,

One short spell of drizzle this morning but dry and sunny otherwise. OH noticed on his walk that hey have started digging where the big warehouses will be. More wildlife will be homeless as we get joined up to the city here. :-(

AnnG what glorious colours in your tree photos. They made me want to fill the garden with those trees, but of course the beauty doesn't last long! Yes I did manage to have a coffee yesterday, but the cafe had all changed too, even the entrance had been moved and it is waitress service now. You can't make up your own breakfast now so I had scrambled egg on toast. Yes I was tired by the time I got home yesterday and my clutch leg knee was achey by then and I slept like a log last night.

Mel it sounds like you are having a change and making pottery instead of food platters for your miniatures just now. Amazing that the lost cow creamer turned up! I wonder if you will make christmassy things soon like Turkeys and pork pies?

Vera I think you are still ahead of me in the garden and your OH is good with all he manages to get done. Mine had a painful back today. His friend wouldn't let him lift boxes yesterday, but I think OH was bending up and down a lot as well. Apart from collecting his meds and getting lunch we've only done admin stuff today. Our trip to the tip tomorrow has been postponed till we've changed the pillows and mattress protectors.

Mandy the weather forecast here for tomorrow looks the same with it raining all day. Still there's always some HW needing to be done and paperwork and it's time I went through the food cupboards.

Mel not sure you first line makes sense.

The reds are amazing would Vita have loved to see it now?

Still having trouble with my email log in. I really need a new pc.

Clouded over here now and its trying to rain.

You'll never guess what!! Yesterday I cast another tiny cow creamer so today I drilled it out and when I went to put it on the plate with other things that need painting there in front of me was the one I lost last week. I could'nt believe my eyes and had to look to see if the broken one was still there and it was. Now I had looked and looked all round that plate as there's things piled on it and it was right on the edge. I did ask the fairies if they had borrowed it and if so could I have it back please and they must have brought it back.

Mandy we are forcast high wind and rain tomorrow but todya is a beautiful day for the time of year. Sunshine and now its 13 degrees.

Annx you asked what I was making yesterday. I painted two cow creamers and a Clarice Cliff style vase.

Morning all,

Lovely bright morning here and looking out the kitchen window when I got up the sky was so pretty all the wispy clouds looked all zig ziggy wish I had taken a photo now.
I didn't read the posts until late yesterday and I was to tired to post by then ,got lots of jobs done yesterday I cleaned all the shelves in the oven so that was a good job done ,we also walked up and got our tablets .

Vera lovely to see the little dogs ,looks like they are settling really well into their new home and I love the names .

Ann how lucky was that finding the duvet set after all that time and even better was it was in the sale .

Anng sounds as if you enjoyed your trip to Hidcote and picked a good dry day to go , if your in for the rain tomorrow like us it will soon fill your new water butt .

We're off to get the shopping today as we're forecast heavy rain and wind tomorrow ,we never lit the fire yesterday as it seemed quite warm and I slept better last night ,the night before I was quite hot in bed .

Morning Anng and all,

Its 7 degrees here and I have a moderate wind warning. I think thye said onCountry File at the weekend that it would be windy on Thursday.

Nothing planned for today but still not gone for my siesel so I may do that when I'm dressed.