General Chat

Even though we open the big and the little windows wide open in winter as well as summer when we shower and for a short while afterwards. We get some mould come each side of the window on the grouting and it is hard to get to clean it where the roller blind is fixed at the top.We should put our towels and bath mat outside to dry but tend to use the radiator in the winter which can't help. It might also be that the loft above slopes down to the wall at that end of the room and the loft insulation above could be short of the edges to allow ventialion. The ceiling below would be colder. I've found the mould cleaners I have tried and one is an Astonish, the other is called Dettox, so are different ones. The bathroom is fully tiled on the two walls where the bath and window are and half tiled on the others. It was done in 2006. I think that's enough of my bathroom/ensuite for now!

A worse problem for some locals were the last lot of floods we had that caused the brook to burst it's banks in the nice village where I go to the shop. Several cottages have the brook at the edge of their short front gardens and have a little bridge across it to their front doors. They have railings along the edge of the brook and hang baskets of flowers along the top in summer and it looks lovely. One was only sold last summer, but now that one and two other of the cottages are up for sale since the floods. Just down the hill from here there is a nice bungalow at the edge of a large field where the river runs through an old packhorse bridge. The bridge used to lead to an old Mill that was used as a studio by an artist when I was young. Then there was a fire there and it had to be demolished. The bungalow with 3 acres of land along the edge of the river was only sold last year and that is up for sale again now. I expect they saw how bad the floods were there last time.

Yes I wonder what's on the menu tonight Mel!. I meant to ask whether you ever had any more trouble after things were stolen from one of your buildings that time.

Its been a beautiful day here all day and its 21 degrees and pc say sunny but I can see that.

I was fiddling with miniatures when I heard a car come down the drive and it was Em for more eggs as both boys have now broken up from school. George the eldest is 16 tomorrow, where have all those years gone?

Better do the girls and then get ready to go out to dinner tonight. I wonder what it will be?????

Ann our extractor goes on with the light and stays on for ten minutes or so after you put the light off ,we've had no trouble with any black in there and Colin tiled it all out ,if you remember I wanted the white tiles turned to a diamond instead of being laid square on and we have black and grey long tiles as a border through the middle .

Well its rained here all day the sky is bright but its still coming down ,we keep saying oh I think it might get out now but no such luck ,hopefully it will be a better day tomorrow.

I did qite a bit of admin on the computer, including getting five 'water' photos ready for tomorrow's photography meeting.
I also spent 45 minutes in the garden cutting back one of the jasmine's which seem to grow a foot every time I turn away and back. And tidied out another part of the garden and cut back a lot of ivy and perennial sweet peas.

Ann my daughter has a telescopic 'tool' for cleaning her showers. I think she got it from Lakeland and I keep meaning to get myself one.

Afternoon All,

Overcast here now and we had a few spots of rain earlier for all of a couple of minutes. We popped to Costa for a coffee and cob each. We had one egg and spinach and one bacon this time and shared them. We then went in M&S for OH to get another pair of the jeans he bought recently and they hadn't got any 34 inch waist ones left only in long in the same style so I'll have to see if I can get them online. He did find some navy chinos he liked, so got those and they fit him well. He needs another suit and thin jacket, but we are going to the M&S outlet shortly to see what they have as nothing took his fancy today and most jackets had two vents in the back and he prefers one vent as they seem to hang better on him.

The electrician looks young around age 30 so I thought the children must be quite young. I was also wondering how OH would be able to work in the lounge diner and if he had a last minute online meeting to attend as well with little ones around. I remember in just one visit with my sister her 2 little boys took the stylus out of the record player (never to be seen again), reprogrammed the washing machine and we had to get someone in to fix it and covered the lawn with gravel that blunted the lawnmower blades after they filled the bird bath with it.

Yes AnnG I think most houses have a little spot prone to mould somewhere. We get it in the shower corner of the bath too. Like Mandy we have fans that come on with the light in the bathroom and ensuite and leave them on 15 minutes after our showers. We had a more powerful fan put in the bathroom, but it is in the middle of the room instead of over the shower which must make a difference. The ensuite gets sun all day and has never got mould before, but the shower is used far less in there. The bathroom outside wall faces north and doesn't get any sun on it and I think that may not help. We wipe thr glass and wall down after showering but we don't dry it. The other thing about the new shower is that it is too tall for me to reach the top of the glass. I think I am going to see what long handled things there are for future use and on the walls too.

That's interesting about our eyes as we get older AnnG. I knew about the yellowing, but not about the rest. I did wonder whether my paintings had a strange hue as I read about an artist whose paintings you could tell were his later ones because of the colour. I have wondered as well like Mandy about whether we see the same colours and what colour do colourblind people see? It's the same with hearing and smells isn't it! lol. I've never been as attracted to white plants as they discolour more noticably when they are past their best. These boiling hot summers are making me think perhaps I should change the garden to more cool blue or white plants though, perhaps in the hottest corner.

I must check what make the mould remover is that I have tried before Mandy as I don't think it was a Cillit Bang one. I've resorted to bleach on the grouting in the bathroom before.

The pork steak meal I did in the slow cooker was very nice today and there was enough to freeze for another day. The knee that seemed to keep locking seems a bit better today so I hope that at least is getting better. I want to look round T K Maxx down the road tomorrow as I haven't been in there since last year, so it will be good if it's improving.

Now I need to order more meds and more post needs dealing with. Then maybe a short weeding session as they are growing fast just now.

Ann I meant to say that wasn't very good the workman bringing his children with him ,they must be young ones as older ones could be left ,you really don't want children you don't know wandering in your rooms ,as good as some children are curiosity can get the better of them and they could pick something up and drop it ,I wouldn't be very happy having them come into my house so you did the right thing changing the day .

It is good that you managed to get the day changed for the electrician Ann. I know these young people have to keep earning through school holidays but there are all soerts of reasons why they should not expect to bring their children with them. And neither should they be expected to stay in the van. Eaving them in the van if it turned out to be a hot day would be illegal (well probably not but it should be). And having them wandering around somebody's house is really ill advised. No matter how well behaved they are accidents can happen, they will want the loo etc etc and kids carry germs you are not used to.

Mandy, that is a good point about colour isn't it, especially when it comes to painting.

Morning All,

Quite bright here this morning and its 17 degrees.

Stu's tonight for dinner and thats all thats going on here today apart from maybe a little gardening as there's always some thing to be done out there.

I get mould in the bedroom on the inside of the outside walls if that makes sense. Its not so bad now theres only me but I have to ask BIL to pull the heavy furniture out for me.

Annx thats the trouble if the wife works and the electrian has to have the kids for a few days. Bit of a cheek though asking if it was ok to bring them or perhaps there is'nt anyone else that can look after them. I would'nt have been happy with them coming round with dad while he does a job though either. It does make you wonder what age they are.

Morning,

Raining here again a day I think it should be showery all day .

We have an extractor in our shower that comes on with the light and that soon dries out the shower and bathroom ,the big mirror we have in there never steams up so it works well , I use the cillit bang black mould remover as we get a little bit of black in the corner of the conservatory on the tile floor grouting and sometimes behind the washing machine ,you just spray it on leave it for fifteen minutes or so then I mop it off it always works a treat and takes all the black away ,I think the other one I used was a detol mould remover .

Ann I often wonder if we all see the same colours ,I now we say oh thats a nice blue or what ever but how do we know we're both seeing the same blue , I think that's why some people can paint like Ann does because they see colours, shades , depths etc differently I know people are taught to paint but I do think it's all about how people see things differently to others if that makes sense .

Hope Vera enjoys her day out and it's not to wet for them to have a wander round ,they'll be OK when they are in the theatre.

Good morning all. 15 degrees here at8am anda bit grey with soft cloud cover. I have no plans to go out anywhere so will be looking for things to do in the house and maybe in the garden.

Talking of gardens I was just reading something on a gardening group on facebook that I found interesting because it had not occurred to me before.

" here’s the thing: it turns out that as we get older, our eyes quite literally change. The lens in the eye starts to yellow a little. The pupils get smaller. And colours don’t look quite the same. Blues can seem less vibrant. Yellows are a bit muddier. Our eyes let in less light, which affects contrast, too.
And maybe that’s why some of us start reaching for softer tones. Pastels. Whites. The shimmer of silver foliage. They seem to glow, even on dull days, and they stand out more clearly as we age. It’s not just about taste, it might be our bodies quietly adapting to what we can still enjoy best."

I am trying to think, although not having been plant buying as much this year it is difficult to judge. I do still like the bright reds of geraniums but have always likes soft lilacs and pinks in the garden. Maybe it is correct about white plants though, they do attract me more these days, whereas I sort of used to find them a bit boring.

I wipe down my shower end of the large bath and wipe the shower shield and tiles, tap etc and I still have a small amount of mould behind the taps and in the coener of tiles and bath.

Oh my goodness, just as I thought things were sorted with the electrician and had arranged for the painter next Monday and Tuesday, I got a text from the electrician to say he would have his children with him tomorrow if it was ok and that they would either stay in his van or be with him!! Not a good idea I thought. I don't know how many children he meant or their ages, but couldn't imagine them sitting in his van for the 3 hours he said the work would take and he was supposed to be here for 8.00am. He would be in the loft some of the time too and the bungalow isn't child friendly with stuff everywhere and sorting of things going on in the conservatory and a mostly gravel garden with a glass topped table not attached to the base and a ricketty old shed and greenhouse with chemical sprays in wouldn't be safe either, so we have agreed on Friday afternoon instead now as I also want his full concentration on the work he's doing for us.

Those books sound ideal for the little one Vera. My parents never read to us, but I used to sit with my brother when he was aged 2 and I was 18 and go through his litttle books with him. I'd ask him to point to the Monkey or Tiger or Parrot in the jungle and his face would beam when I told him he was right. Inevitably he would want to do it again when we reached the end of the book. The interactive ones are really good that they have now with little patches of fur etc and I bet she will love the mirror. Your trip out tomorrow shounds great so I hope it stays fine for you. I wonder how many men will be watching!

Mel I think people have more showers and baths these days that helps cause more mould, especially on cold outside walls. It used to be a bath once a week on a Sunday when I was a child. We open both windows in the bathroom and got a stronger fan but still get some on the outside wall above the shower. Neither of us can climb up safely to clean it properly now. The wallboards we've had in the ensuite are also supposed to be mould resistant so we'll see, We tend to use the shower over the bath mostly as one shower is enough to clean anyway! The new shower says to only use washing up liquid on it and to wipe dry the glass and metal parts after every shower. I can't see that happening! Limescale is a problem here with our hard water, particularly with taps and the showerhead. Even the flooring man said to only use water on the floor as anything strong can affect the protective surface on it, so no cillit bang anywhere I'm afraid.

There seems to be plenty of Get Up and Gone on Amazon though. :-D

Anng its sounds as if you had really good day out yesterday thank you for the photos, I love the one of the reflection of the Flamingo too ,they look so odd when they go to sleep on one spindly legend head tucked under a wing,the geese have some lovely markings .

Ann, I didn't watch the money for nothing but I know who your talking about he has made some really lovely things .

Vera you can't go wrong with getting books for little ones ,the ones with the push buttons with the noises are good too .
Sounds like a good day out tomorrow I hope you have a lovely day .

Mel I looked on amazon for get up and go but the postage was to much and there was no next day delivery :-D :-D

Thanks for the pics Anng and like Vera I like the one of the Flamingo on its own. That would have been a great photo for you photography group when they had the title Reflections. Sounds like you had a good day out.

I have been down the village and have entered just Gwain and Emlyn in the village show. Now I just have to remember to go and put them down there on Friday night between 8pm and 9pm. cos I am not rushing to put them in on Saturday morning brfore a stupid time of the day.

The new gun cartridge arrived today so I am all set for the squirrls in the hazel tree but I hav'nt seen any for a couple of days so I am hoping I have the pair that were there every day.

Sorry you had a bad night again Vera and hope tonight will be better for you.

Annx I had nt heard of mould free paint either there must be a lot of mould around for them to invent that I expect its all the double glazed windows and doors etc that people have nowadays. I do get some in the dark corner of the kitchen but use Cilit Band on it and that seems to work well. I use it in the shower too. YOu'll be so pleased once the work is all finished and you can get back to normal.

Mandy they have no "Get up and go" In the shops down here either so I don't know where you are going to get any form. Have you tried Amazon?? :-D :-D :-D :-D

Stu rang just as I was typing this post to say he's busy so its dinner at his tomorrow. Think I'll have a salad tonight, ham and egg and a bit of cheese.

Why does everything happen at once? This week I seem to be really busy and dashing about, next week there is hardly anything in the diary so it should be a quiet week.

I didn’t sleep much last night again and was awake from 2 am to 6 am. I got up at 8 and have been busy since then. After breakfast I tackled this week’s ironing. There wasn’t a lot thank goodness. Then I drove into town to buy a book or two for our great granddaughter. She will be 2 in August but we will be seeing the family this weekend so I wanted to have a present for grandson and partner to take back with them and give the little one on the day. We’re giving grandson a little cash to put in her savings account but wanted something for her to open and her mum said she loves her books. It’s very difficult when you don’t know what she already has so I avoided the best known toddler books as the chances are she has them already and got a new story from Julia Donaldson “Hare’s New Dress” which has lots of flaps to be lifted. I also got a basic Winnie-the-Pooh book where the bear is looking for someone and enlists the help of his various friends. When you get to the last page there is a mirror for the child to look in and learn that Winnie-the-Pooh was looking for her. Lastly I got a sticker book about summer activities that I thought was good because there are 140 stickers to go on the different pages and the child has to find the right sticker for the right place, rather than just stick them in willy-nilly.

Once back home, it was lunch and an hour’s deadheading. I’ve sorted out tonight’s meal as well.

We are out all day tomorrow as a group of us from one of our clubs are going to Frinton. We’ve got a 16 seater minibus and driver and should be down there by about 11.30 and have 3 hours free to get a bit of lunch and have a wander. Then we are meeting at the little theatre there for a 3 pm performance of Calendar Girls – The Musical. It should be a good day out.

AnnG, thanks for the pictures of Slimbridge. They are great. I particularly like the one of the single flamingo reflected in the water. It sounds as though you had a really good day. Today will be a day of memories for you.

I hope that heron stays away from your fish Mel.

At least you now know when your painters will come Annx. You will be glad to get it all finished and paint that’s guaranteed mould free for 8 years sounds a very good idea.

There hasn’t been any rain today and our soil dries out quite quickly so I expect OH will at least water the pots tonight.

Time is rushing on again. Why does it fly by during the day but drag during the night? Enjoy what’s left of the day and sleep well tonight.

Afternoon All,

A few bits of drizzle this morning but sunny otherwise. OH went off to a meeting and I popped to to shop then started preparing a pork steak meal for the slow cooker. Got a text from the painter who I was going to contact later in the day as I hadn't heard from him to say could he come at 2.00pm. I wasn't expecting him to need to come as Dave the fitter had sent him photos of the ceiling so I said 'yes'. Then he texted me again to say could he come at 12.00pm. I agreed but had to rush round to get changed back out of my scruffs, having put them on after getting home from the shop! Then the bed needed pulling together as I usually leave it pulled back to air in the mornings. Anyway they've been and and will come at teatime on Monday and Tuesday to do the work after their other jobs. They are going to use paint that is guaranteed mould free for 8 years. I didn't know you could get that!

It sounds like you had a good day out at Slimbridge AnnG. Thank you for thephotos. I love Flamingoes as well and those rare Geese have very distinctive markings.
Happy Birthday for T.

I see you have more rain Mandy, but it's nice to not need to water so much for a while. I hope you manage to get a crab on Friday. I have notice the small market they have at Lutterworth near the Factory Shop has dwindled to 2-3 stalls lately. I think people are just watching what they spend now. Did you watch Money for Nothing today? I couldn't believe what that man who makes metal things made. I won't say more in case you record it and watch later.

I hope the GP can just issue you with a prescription Vera and save you having a face to face appointment. Yes the step stool two steps are a bit high for me and make me bend my knees further. There's nothing to hold onto either.

Better get on with more admin now. after a read of the paper and COT.

Had a great day today, Anne picked me up at 0930 and we had a busy but reasonable drive to Slimbridge arriving at 1015 to a car park rapidly filling up. Of course us is school holidays and this was evident at the number of excited children of all ages making their way in. As we are both members it didn’t take too long to get through reception, noting that for seniors it would cost £18.00. We headed for the cafe first to start the day with a coffee which Anne insisted on buying, it was quite expensive at over £4. For lattes.

After talking with the young man on reception we had decided to go for the 11 o’clock tour of Peter Scott’s house and that included an exhibition of and talk on the art and various books and papers kept in the house.

Elizabeth and her male colleague were both excellent knowledgeable speakers. They made the whole talk very interesting and entertaining. Telling the story of how Peter Scott came to open wetlands in Slimbridge and how he and Philippa his wife lived and worked and, in his case drew and painted there. Most of the paintings are prints as the actual paintings were in the hands if people who paid a lot of money for them. We looked at the tiny cottage that was their original home until they had a house built in the early forties post war.

PS started the wetlands there after he was no longer able to continue to display paintings etc at Hull where he started he visited the area, spotted many geese including two rare geese and thought that was an omen that it would be the perfect place.

Elizabeth and her colleague (I think his name might be James) told us about nene geese from Hawaii that were on the endangered list and almost on the red list. PS approached Hawaii and asked to be allowed to try raising Ben geese in captivity, they were sent 2 geese but the following spring they both laid eggs. So they were asked to send a gander which they did and the following spring there were nine goslings. They are still endangered but there are now a good number here and Hawaii and other places. I took several photos of the Nene geese.
The talk was well over an hour but was so well done it didn’t seem as long.

Our next stop was the cafe for a very good lunch of really large jacket potatoes with cheese and beans plus a large salad.. Some time while we had been in the house then having lunch it had rained so we were lucky as we missed it.

After lunch we walked around the area closest to the cafe as I was fascinated by two large arches that I could see. They turned out to be woven from willow, beautiful. On the way there was a bed of beautiful Roxanne geraniums. Meanwhile children were having fun crossing the small lake on huge stepping stones.

We made our way round now visiting the flamingoes, always one of my favourites then on to see if we could see the otters but they were asleep in their hut. Elizabeth had suggested we visit the mission possible area where the Nene geese are and where there is an exhibition about endangered breeds including the Madagascar Pochard ducks. No actual ducks on display as they are forbidden to be removed from Madagascar. Although there were a couple of ducks said to be similar.. we spent the remainder of our visit looking at all the variety of ducks and swans before wandering round the shop and buying a few bits for the Christmas drawer.

In the photos I sent the geese are the Nene geese (I think there should be a circumfleck accent over the first e but can't find how to do that).

Morning all,

Raining quite hard today so no watering again ,have to find a few inside jobs for today I've still got drawers and two wardrobes that need going through and nows the time to do it really while it's not hot ,I just need some get up and go but none of the shops seem to be selling it.

Happy birthday to Mr T x

Just been outside to put something in the dustbin and there was a Heron on the back lawn which flew away when it saw me. Now my pond is clear you can see the fish.

I have a new voluntary worker in the garden on the patio..... a big toad. Its been there two nights running now. At first I thought it was a leaf but when I went to see it moved and there was no wind. I took a pic the first night but could'nt see very well as I could'nt get the flash to work but last night I worked out how to do it and I will ssend a pic later.

Morning girls,

Bright and dull here this morning and it 16 degrees here so 1 higher than Anng.

I need to get a little parcel done up and posted today.

Happy birthday T x