General Chat

Morning all,

Another nice morning here so far pc says 15 degrees at the mo and mostly sunny. Oh told me it was going to rain today so in a way I hope he is wrong but the garden needs a water after the couple of hot days we've had.

Hope you all slept well enough for the day ahead. I found it extremly hot last night when I went to bed and thats unusual for me.

I must move my triffid out into the garden today as it is heading towards me on the desk and the flower stalk fell over yesterday so I cut it off. It can go in the garden for the rest of the year and in the shed for the winter.

It has been hot today but there’s been a nice breeze that’s made it feel quite pleasant outside. However the breeze has died down now and it’s feeling quite heavy and muggy so it might not be a very comfortable night.

It sounds as though it was a bit of an upheaval for you Mandy getting your TV and phone sorted. I hope everything is working OK now.

I expect that bite will calm down in a day or two but do keep an eye on it Mel. They can occasionally turn nasty and need a dose of antibiotics. You’ve reminded me that, when I last cleaned out the medicine cupboard, I threw out the insect bite cream as it was well out of date. I meant to replace it but forgot. I must get some. The stuff I threw out was wonderful. I bought it in Vienna in 2019 when I had a nasty bite on my arm and it took away all the soreness and itching. What was more within hours the inflammation died down and the bite was completely cleared up within a day or two. I wish I could find it here.

As I said in my email I enjoyed reading about your visit to the NT house AnnG. That’s something else to go on my list of places to visit.

Ann, it’s good that you were able to do your walk even though you woke up with a painful knee. I feel very lucky that I don’t have much trouble with my hips or knees, apart from the occasional twinge. It’s the rest of me that’s falling to bits, lol. You asked about the field. We call it that, or the rec, but it is a local authority managed recreation ground. I couldn’t begin to estimate how many acres but basically it’s a fairly large area of grass bordered by a good number of large trees, which are clearly pretty old. One corner has a small children’s playground with swings, roundabout etc. and railings round and there are 4 or 5 benches dotted about and that’s it. The council keep the grass cut and I noticed that they are now leaving a narrow strip along one edge and a small triangle in a corner full of nettles and weeds, presumably for the wildlife. The field is mostly used early morning and early evening by dog walkers but the owners all seem very responsible and use the 3 poo bins provided. I’ve never seen any mess on the field. Before Covid there was always a fete and craft fair in June and a bonfire and fireworks in November. The youngsters marching band practiced there once a week and there were often small boys getting a bit of football training but none of that happens now. We had the Platinum Jubilee fete there so perhaps they will start to have more events again. I did have a walk round there this morning and had another very short walk round the road this evening.

We have to be up, dressed and breakfasted by 8 am as the boiler is being serviced tomorrow so I hope I get some sleep tonight or I will be grumpy.

I am getting far too hot as I’m at the computer upstairs under the sloping roof where all the heat seems to gather, so I’ll say goodnight, sleep tight.

Afternoon all,

Really hot out today we have got a few jobs done ,one was dead heading the roses and the other was weeding along the outside of our wall and giving it a good hose down .

We finally got sorted yesterday with the change over on Monday , the chap was late coming he should have been here between 8 and 1 but didn't arrive until half past four but did ring us to say he was held up ,he finished ar half past seven , we then had trouble getting the channels and the engineer had gone then but luckily an engineer was connecting another neighbour yesterday up so I went out and had a word and he came round and got the channels for us ,the phone was another thing he had connected our phone to the hub but the problem was there end so we had to wait for that to be done but it's OK now , I had an email from to say sorry and they credited our account with just over five pound .
Just have to get use to working the television box now ,it's very similar to sky and we can record four channels at a time .

Glad your arm feels a little better Mel oh its the time of year for those nasty bites ,don't they always itch more at night .

Ann good you got a walk in after your knee aching when you woke up ,perhaps you had lain in one position to long last night and once you got moving it eased it .
Hope OH's speech goes OK no way could I do any thing like that .

Vera be careful you don't aggravate your back again, you had a busy weekend sorting all the seating out and moving chairs about so have an easy day .

Anng hope you had a good chat this morning with your friend .

It's a degree cooler here Mel at 23 but indoors feels much cooler than outside. That's good the bite was better in bed last night. I never seem to see what gives the worst bites as they fly off before I notice. Is banty an old girl now?

Thanks for your write up of the NT place you went to AnnG. It was very interesting and thank goodness for Robert Parsons and his determination it should be restored and not allowed to become a ruin.

It itched at first Ann and then it hurt. It was much better in bed kast night as the night before I did'nt know where to put my leg to stop it aching.

Banty has laid her 12th egg of the season.

Its 24 degrees here but feels much hotter.

Morning All,

I slept well last night with just a sheet over me. I got up early with my L knee aching quite a lot as I got out of bed, but standing seemed better so I got ready and went for my walk before it got too hot. I was only going to do 1 lap anyway and I could turn back if it started to get worse. Anyway it was fine and not too hot, especially as a third is under shady trees. I had a closer look at the Hall and they have scaffold up and aren't painting it, at least not yet. A man seemed to be removing the plaster on the outside which is why it is a different colour. They must be redoing it. The council mower man was there on his ride on mower today, but the grass was short and scorched anyway so it wouldn't do it much good. I met the man with a new hip with his little Schnauzer, Darcy. I said she looked like she had been in the water as her beard was soaking wet, but he said she hates water, except drinking it. She was right up to me for fuss and was looking intently and I realised she was eying up my bread for the ducks! He reckoned she'd eat it as well! The Moorhens are growing fast and my throw into the bank foliage is getting better where they can hide with what they can grab. Soon I'll have muscles like Popeye. :-D There was no-one in the Co-op carpark on the way back so I popped in for a magazine and got an apple pie (still hot from being baked) and some half fat creme fraiche to go with it.

Had a shower when I got back and need to start painting now. OH is on zoom to do with arrangements for the keynote speech he is giving at the conference. It's right up his street, but something I would hate doing.

Which NT place was it ypu went to AnnG, it sounds good. Being high up would tend to be cooler with a little breeze maybe. Enjoy your coffee and chat with your friend.

Yes Vera, do be careful with your back. You were moving lots of things over the weekend for your visitors so it's probably had enough for now. I hope you manage a short walk but don't be tempted to go far as you say. I've had to do less, even with my short walks with it being so hot, but every little helps. The field sounds nice for a walk.......is there anything in it?

That does sound like a bad bite Mel. Does it itch as well? I realised I'd run out of insect repellant the other day and ordered some online as I was hinking the biting beasties would be out soon.

Well better get on now. BBL.

Morning all,

Really hot this morning pc says 23 degrees and sunny but we can see that. I think this is the first morning it has been this hot as this time of the day.

Nothing planned for the day but I must water the toms and top up their soil as it has sunk in thier pots.

Fish and chips tonight so no cooking for me so thats good.

Nasty earth quake in Afganistan and all those poor people injured.

Sorry your back is bad today Vera and I hope you manage your walk around the field. Take it easy and you will get there then have a little rest.

I went to bed just after 11pm last night and only got up once for the loo and then slept till 9.20am so youcould say thats the best sleep I have had in ages. My arm is not too bad at the mo and I have had a nasty bite on the back of my right knee which I thought at first was a varicous (sp) vein but oh had a look and its really red.

Good morning AnnG and all

A lovely bright start to the day and it looks as though it is going to be another hot one.

I didn’t have such a good night either and kept waking but probably had enough sleep in dribs and drabs.

My back wasn’t too good yesterday so I will have to be a bit careful today but I do want to get in a short walk, even if I just walk round the field at the bottom of the road, I’m still struggling to walk much. It’s not pain but my legs just feel stiff and heavy and don’t want to move. I feel as though I am dragging my feet along but I must keep going or it will never get any better.

Apart from that I haven’t any plans for today. I hope you all have a good day. Enjoy the sun while you can.

Good morning all, sunny again, a lovely early morning. Sleep was a bit mixed last night, couldn't get to sleep until gone 12 then woke a couple of times but probably actually did have enough sleep. It was very hot.

Have a friend coming for coffee this morning so that is nice.

We had a lovely time. The house was fascinating and the grounds beautiful. We actually chose not to walk far because the walks were steep and one of my friends has something wrong with one of her feet notvsure wgat. But although the sun shone and it was very warm it was not unpleasantly hot.we were fairly high in the Cotswolds.

Tired now after watering duties but I sat out on my patio reading until 7pm it was so lovely out there warm and peaceful with the birds singing and even a buzzard overhead in the clear blue sky.

Maybe more on the house tomorrow.

Is everyone warm enough! :-) Phew I just watered the greenhouse again and trimmed back a bit of the Leycestria. I hate to think what the temperature was in there. I must stick my thermometer n there tomorrow and see but the PC is showing 24 degrees even at 7.30 pm!

I hope you wore something cool AnnG if it has been as hot at the NT property!

OH has a busy week and is at another meeting and very glad to have working aircon in his car. I shall have an early night and hope to be up early and do the walk in the morning as long as it isn't too warm already. I hope Vera has another good sleep tonight. :-)

Morning All,

It's 19 degrees here now and the sun has mostly gone in with the clouds about but it still seems very warm outside. The blinds are shut and curtains drawn in the bedrooms where the sun is at the moment and we have the patio and conservatory doors open so it is quite cool indoors.

It does sound as if your arm needs to be seen now Mel. Maybe a nerve is trapping. I had pain in my wrist when I first had my underactive thyroid and the doc said it could happen with that. Once that was sorted it was fine. It might be more simple though and need a bit of physio like Vera suggested so it's best to have it looked at. Yes twisting around with knees can hurt can't it. You are doing right to keep using them though as that helps strengthen them as long as you don't overdo it like I do sometimes. It's good your hip is better than it was too.

Oh that is a lot of baskets with much lifting AnnG. When I used to have baskets I eventually got some you could lower which was a boon for watering and deadheading. I don't have any now as it can be quite breezy here and they used to spin and knock the flowers against the walls which spoiled them. The wall pots work better here. I am wondering whether to try a window box next year.

So glad you had a good night's sleep at last Vera. You feel like a different person don't you, but don't do too much. We have now stopped wiping down altogether the last two times and have stopped wiping the bin handles too as the binmen always wear gloves now and OH wears gloves to fetch them in. If cases keep increasing we'll go back to doing it all again though.

Some tarted up chicken and bacon pasta salad with 'extras' for lunch today so I'd better get it ready now. :-D Then I must make a start with some paint on my picture.

Morning Mel and all

Sorry to hear that your arm is still bad. Maybe you should talk to the doctor or can you self refer to physio in your area? They are very helpful round here.

Looks as though it is going to be wall to wall sunshine for the next couple of days. HOORAY I had a good night. It’s not often I say that, is it? I slept from midnight till 4 am, got up for the loo, went back to sleep fairly quickly and slept till 7 :-)

I’ve no plans for the day and will see what mood I’m in. Maybe a bit of h/w, a bit of gardening and a bit of shopping. For the last couple of years I’ve had a delivery every 2 weeks but am now trying to stretch it to 3 weeks, so I need to get a bit of fresh veg and fruit. I find that the shops aren’t very busy around 1 pm when people are at lunch and going then avoids all the mums fitting shopping in with the school run. With deliveries I now only wipe down what is going to be needed in the next couple of days so it doesn’t take long. That’s the level of risk I’m prepared to take but as we’ve said before it’s a personal decision.

I’m rabbiting on and I ought to be getting dressed and having some breakfast. I’ve had a nice cuppa but need to get myself going now.

Good morning all, bright here at the moment and 9 degrees, supposed to be 23 degrees later.

I am out today to a NT property in South Gloucestershire with two friends, hope we don't get any showers, it is really hard to decide what to wear.

Mel you were up early. Yes good idea to see your doctor if you can about your arm. you ought to really rest it by not doing the models but it is hard when that is what you enjoy doing. Good luck to your OH with the hedge.

Ann yes it is hard work watering the two gardens, mine is actually easier than Cynth's because her baskets are mostly high for me so lifting the watering cans is difficult. I was really surprised to find she had ten baskets. I am sure she didn't used to have that many. after today 4 days more, although Saturday is only half a day.

The longest day today so the nights will be drawing in now............ :-(

Good morning all,

Another promising day by the looks of it as its nice and bright with sunshine but pc says partly sunny and 3 degrees.

Shopping comes today so you know what I will be doing for the morning whatever time it decides to come as its been rather late the last few weeks.

Shall have to have a tidy up and wash the surfaces down and maylean the bathrooms before he comes.

My arm is still playing up and I think I am going to have to go to the docs with it. Hips not too bad at the mo and knees just give me gip if I turn too quickly on them.

Our leccy went out 6 times again early evening and guess who had to go and strtch in the cupboard to get it back on again.

Oh did a little of the top of the hedge today so he is getting there. He said it was going to take him 17 days to do the top at the rate he was going.

see you all in the morning night night.

Afternoon All,

It's 21 degrees here. After some wall pot watering and doing the greenhouse and putting the washer on this morning I'm doing some paperwork inside now. I did get up early and do 1 lap of the park first thing. It was lovely and cool with a bit of breeze. I took a couple of old crusts with me for the ducks and there are so many young ones now and even a few new smaller baby Moorhens, but the parents are still feeding the bigger babies too. The ducks have become such bullies and chase the Moorhens to steal the bread off them. I nearly put my shoulder out flinging the bread under the banks so the Moorhens could do snatch and retreat to where the ducks can't get to them. A beautiful, jet black, working cocker spaniel latched onto the wrong master and followed me a little way. His coat was sleek and shiny and all waves, especially his ears, and I could happily have taken him home! ;-) I noticed they seem to be repainting the old Hall, so I must take my camera next time.

Oh Vera I have had those strange payments I can't remember or identify at times. With some transactions it asks you to use a ref which helps, but it would be better if they were sent under a name you are likely to recognise. I had to chuckle at your OH on his tummy to reach for the photos for you. I imagine I would be like a crocodile on a riverbank if it was me doing it! Then fun and games scanning them too. I confess I had trouble scanning on this pc I bought last year and had to google how to find it on windows 11.

We went out for the carvery lunch and used our 30% off voucher so it was really cheap. I had turkey and OH had the beef which was and still is, the best he has had. We were recognised by the chef who told us she is the only one of the original staff before the pandemic that is left. Everyone else, including management, are all new. Hardly anyone else came in and nowhere near us so we might do it again next week.

It's good you haven't lost the skill of making your miniatures after all this time Mel. I've recorded that programme to see if it is something I would like too. How are your arm and hip now?

AnnG that is quite a job watering 2 gardens! At least the main gardens have benefited from a good soaking of rain recently, but as you say, baskets and wall pots still need doing as they are sheltered near walls and the plants shed the raindrops outside the containers. It's a shame your granddaughter has covid and is quite unwell. I think with covid and the fact you can worsen, I would come back from holiday early too. They would only worry about her and not enjoy their holiday anyway.

Some of you are more organised than me with your spending, although I do check my credit card and bank statements to see if anything doesn't look right. I got caught once with one of those recurring charges from something I bought, but the bank was good and refunded me as it was only a few months. I do keep spreadsheets of my investments and maturing dates though.

Still sunny here and 20 degrees. this morning it was quite cool. I watered both gardens then dusted my bedroom. After coffee I walked down to the post and to take a small bag of several pairs of shorts that had shrunk in the cupboard over the past 2 years to the charity lady.
I next wrote the reminder letter for photography group meeting on Friday. and an email to son to check on Grandaughter who has just got covid and seems quite poorly with a high temp, cold and cough. Caught she thinks at a concert in Manchester last week. Sadly son and daughter in law had to go back home from holiday in Devon, grandaughter is almost 21 but it seems we still feel the need to look after them when poorly. I am sure I would have been the same as they were worried about her.