General Chat

Well friends have been and gone. It was lovely to see them, they were with me for just over two hours and we went to the local garden centre for coffee which they wouldn't let me pay for, and a brownie. Well Wayne and I had a brownie Sandra is so slim, she is the only friend I have who is shorter than me she is about 5ft and a size8/10 with a size three shoe. I did get a couple of plants for the new bed, a very pretty viola and a thyme, there were lots I could have bought but I didn't want to clutter up his car and also with going away I was not sure about putting plants in now. Anyway, we sat and chatted before we went to the garden centre, then spent a long time over coffee (they were not busy, then had a good look round before coming back here so they could walk round the garden. Wayne wanted to do any jobs I had that need doing but I couldn't think of any off hand.

I certainly don't grudge you your birthday card Ann (I just have to remember to post them all at the right time I too will miss finding one to send to Jane. The older we get the more people are missing from our lives. 29 July is also the anniversary of the day that my Mum died. That was a shock as well as she had not been ill and the day before was digging her garden, she was 85. An Aortic aneurism, so quick. It doesn't seem possible it is 27 years.

when you take these tests Ann, as your OH has done, don't you have to send a result to somewhere, or is that only if it is positive?

Afternoon All,

It's too hot and muggy here, 24 degrees on the thermometer in the study. I went outside to water the cues and toms and take a few pics of the bottlebrush and was sweltering when I came inside.

Well some of you are making me feel guilty about having a birthday in July! Like Mel I was thinking about Jane with her birthday being so close to mine. I feel so sad about what happened to her. I bet Fitz is feeling the same too as his birthday is near ours too. He has another grandson now, so 2 boys and a girl.

Mel, something has eaten my first courgette and the second is only the size of a golf ball now so you are doing well with yours. The yellow climbing one which seems a less vigorous plant has just one or two tiny ones appearing.. My runner beans are at the top of the poles, but very few flowers open yet so I think it will be late for the beans.

OH has done his virus test (negative) before his meeting later, but I don't see how anyone would know whether or not anyone has done them. Even if they were taken along they could be someone else's or done a few days before? The cables have arrived for the wii, but to save wiping as they were only packed yesterday I'll leave them till the weekend. I can hopefully weigh me on my usual Monday then.

I think a lot of habits are changing due to the pandemic. I can't imagine me going back to doing the heavy supermarket shopping and lugging it into and out of the car. I think it will be meat, fresh stuff and a browse I go in for and still have all the rest delivered. I see that the GAP chain are closing all their shops and going completely online and I think some other shops will do the same. With people having got used to online shopping and how easy it is to return stuff, people will carry on, at least for some things. Some things you can't as you need to try them, like a car or settee.

I am just ordering some new plates as ours are getting shabby and chipped by you know who! We both got £5 amazon vouchers this morning so they will help!

It must be nice to have a friend come and have someone to talk to for a while AnnG. It's very different when you are at home on your own every day and outings have been so limited with the lockdowns.

That's good idea to get your conservatory roof done as well Vera. Ours is mucky too, but the bungalow guttering is all brown so it doesn't show on there. I wish we could do a bank transfer to pay our window cleaner. I think it's only him and the car wash we need cash for now and perhaps local car parks. Heaven help us all though once we are too befuddled to remember our PIN. I don't like the fingerprint idea.......some would chop your finger off to take to the cash point these days!!

OH's elbow is much better today as is his neck with taking Ibuprofen. My jobs now are getting the plates ordered, arranging my car insurance and doing most of the food order. I never seem to get round to doing what I want to do and, as Mel says, June has flown by now!

they both garden when in this country and have a big garden but in normal times would spend quite a few months in their house in Italy so the garden tends to go a bit wild then.

The courgette is in a big pot and at the moment it looks good. I like them young but these are about 6 inches long and just right. I'll take a pic to show you.

Anng it nice you're seeing a friend this afternoon someone to talk to and have a nice natter. Does she like gardening too?

I would have had two cards to send this july but sadly only one now. I shall be thinking of our Jane all this month. <3

I know how you feel about July birthdays Vera. I have six cards to remember (would have been 7) four of those with presents and I have a granddaughter who will be 19 too.

I have had four nuisance calls this morning one after the other. don't know who from because they went to answer phone.

Good morning Mel, AnnG and everyone

It's a bit brighter today and, touch wood, it looks as though it is going to be dry. It's still a bit chilly but the odd gleam of sunshine makes it feel better.

Our window cleaners turned up just before 9 am and OH asked them to give us a quote for doing a proper good clean of the conservatory roof. They told us how much and said that, if we agreed, they would do it straight away while they were here. The windows usually only take 10-15 minutes as they have these modern high hoses with brushes and do everything from the ground but they brought their ladders in to do the conservatory roof. There are two of them and they were here for 1 hour and 15 minutes and have made a good job of the roof and the gutters.

They prefer to be paid by bank transfer so we never have to worry about having cash available for them. In fact we hardly use cash at all now and could quite happily go cashless but I do worry about people who aren't so disciplined as us with keeping track of their spending. One of our grandchildren is a bit like that and she needs to be able to see the cash going out of her purse or she will overspend. I can see the cashless society coming sooner or later.

Enjoy seeing your friend this afternoon AnnG. Being able to spend a bit more time with friends does break the day up and make life feel a little bit more normal.

I must just pop down the road to post yet another birthday card and I might try to get a short walk at the same time. I think I have said before that we have a 6 week period from end of May to beginning of July when we have 8 close family birthdays,all getting presents, and another 5 or 6 birthdays when we just send a card. It's an expensive time of year for us. Today it's the turn of granddaughter F. who is 19.

good morning Mell and everyone. gosh Mel, are those courgettes early? Not that I have grown any, I do have a couple of cues on the way though, one in particular is growing nicely (will probably be ready in two weeks)Just as I am away.
cloud cover but bright and 13 degrees here. Strange you had the hottest day so far yesterday Mel, it was not that hot here. There seems to be quite a lot of difference in the weather even in places not that far away.
Got friend coming this afternoon but nothing on this morning. Better go and get some breakfast.

Pinch and a punch for the first of the month.

Morning All,

Well there's our flaming June gone and here we are at the begining of another month.

Grey sky today but its still warm. I have two courgettes to pick today which will go nicely with meatballs I think. The second of the garden produce as I have had some strawberries too.

Poor Vera and Mandy as we have had one of the hottest days here so far this year I think. Vera yuou did a lot today but as you say I don't know where the years gone either and as for June one of my favorite months thats just whizzed by.

I have been out in the garden and cleared all down the side of the little wall that runs along the road dow n to my shed and into the corner. Two barrow loads came out of it and then I moved to behind my pond and had another barrow load out of that. Oh was looking for me to say it was coffee time and could'nt find me till I came out for the secs. I have been stung by nettles all up my arms and scratched to bits too on the brimbles but it all looks a lot tidyier now for the time being. No doubt it will all grow back in a couple of weeks. Its been much too hot to go up the border but I was still in the sun doing what I did.

Now I feel all sticky so am going in the shower in a min.

Yes Ann Max would be a challenge but I am sure you would manage it.

Hope Frank comes on tomorrow and tell us how he got on sitting with John. He still has'nt told us how he is getting on with his scooter.

It's just Wii Fit and Wii Sports that we use AnnG. We have the step board and you can weigh yourself and do balance games which helps my knees. We like competing in the tennis and table tennis etc as it doesn't seem like exercise when it's a game. It's very old now but still works ok.

Yes, Max would be a bit of a challenge with him being black Mandy, but the shine on his coat would stand out and being a Lab I can just imagine his wobbly chops when he shakes himself! :-D

I kept meaning to say about the heat in America and whether Shirl was getting it. I couldn't stand those temperatures!

Off to bed now. I seem to be quite tired but whether I sleep is another matter.

Ann I love doggie :-D he makes you want to turn away in case you get splashed from his shaking lol
I'll have to send you a photo of Max he would be a challenge to paint as he's so black

Thats good you can get the prunes Vera I love prunes with rice pudding .

Have you seen how hot it is in Canada ,hope Shirley's OK

Would you believe we have turned the heating on its so chilly .

Annx good you got the cables etc sorted with curries. I have got a Wii here with lots of activities but I never use it. Not sure what to do with it really. Suppose I should check if any of the family want it.

Yes I didn’t feel I had done a lot but I suppose
I have.

Afternoon All,

Weak sun here all day but no rain so the washing has dried which is good. I must get the towels and cloths done next.

Naughty Mona hasn't mended her ways yet then Mel! The chickens are just like men aren't they! lol. You get a floor nice and clean and they start dripping things and making crumbs straightaway! I hope the deer isn't the one that had twins and has lost one! :-0

Nice to hear from you Frank. F&C sound very nice! I hope Ros's infection gets cleared up quickly. I think particularly ladies are more prone to them as we get older.......something to do with our plumbing! I hope you have a nice chat with John at the hospital today and manage to take his mind off things for a while.

We managed to get up early and were at Curry's just before they opened but there was a large queue! :-0 We decided to go and get fuel at Sainsbury's first and do the charity shop drop off of our 2 bags and come back. OH parked further away from the fuel pump than usual and managed to get the fuel nozzle stuck in his car with stretching it so far!!! Much rocking of the car and telling me ( like I could do anything) and he eventually got it unstuck. Now it looks like he has undone the good work of the steroid injection in his elbow recently as he says the pain is worse than before. We went back to Curry's, and I asked a nice young asian man about my cables and adapter and he confirmed what I thought I needed. He also said there were more HDMI ports on the tv but they are hidden under a cover that flips off so that was good to find out as I could only find 2 of them and they are both in use.

The farmer has been cutting the long grass in the back field and we have had meadow butterflies in the conservatory like we used to get. There were seagulls and the buzzard circling the field, probably looking for what had been disturbed.

I did a bit of weeding in the back garden and OH did a short stint in the front garden but otherwise I've been searching around for a good deal for my car insurance. The current insurer has put it up over £60 and I know I can do better. I need to wait till tomorrow to check some sites as my renewal date isn't close enough. It was a bit worrying to see one site only deals with people up to age 74! Once I sort and pay for the insurance I must get my bank account switched as they have started charging the monthly fee. :-S

Next task for me is to order the cables for the wii from amazon as they are cheaper there than at Curry's.

You have both got more than me done AnnG and Vera. That was a nuisance the water coming in the conservatory AnnG, but maybe it wouldn't leak under normal circumstances and was just the angle the bucket was at,

OH has another school meeting face to face tomorrow night, but this one is insisting that people do a test before they attend so that seems a good idea. I have refused to do any poking of his nose as I told him he would be squealing like a pig before I got anywhere near!! :-D

Strange how we forget what we have done isn't it Vera. So actually you have done quite a bit, as I said I dusted and polished the lounge, then cleaned the cloakroom thoroughly, instead of giving it a quick lick and a promise. I have washed the towel and toilet pedestal mat plus a few other things and they are all dry now and in the airing cupboard. I also pulled up some geraniums that had gone over that had spread out over the steps and then sort of tied up the poppies and cornflowers which had got battered down by an overnight shower. I sat down the garden and read for almost an hour too and did a bit on the monthly accounts which I will finish tomorrow. I was geared to finish by 5.15 Pointless time but that is a victim of the sport that is taking precedence over everything. Not only am I not \ footie fan, I am not a tennis fan either.

I'm pleased to hear that your back is improving at last AnnG. It's been a long haul for you. That's a good point about taking in enough liquid, preferably water. My father used to get water infections and we always said that he never drank enough. Poor Ros, it must be miserable to keep getting them.

Mel, could you send some of your warmth up here please. I've just put a cardigan over the long sleeved jumper I am already wearing. It's really chilly here. It rained all morning. It wasn't heavy rain but that continuous drizzle that soaks everything. It has stopped for the moment but the sky is an ominous dark grey. There is a weather bit on the bottom bar of my computer and it is telling me it is 14 degrees and sunny. There are a couple of places in this country with the same town name and 2 or 3 in Canada and the US so I reckon the meteorologist who thinks it's sunny must be standing in one of those towns 'cos it sure ain't sunny here.

Thanks for telling me about Aldi's prunes Mandy, Sainsbury's now have some in so I have put them on my order for delivery on Friday. There is an Aldi in town but we seldom shop there as parking is so awful. The car park is tiny so at busy times cars are queuing up the main road which holds up the traffic coming round the one way system. I don't understand how a supermarket got permission to build there with such a lack of parking but the planners seem to be a law unto themselves.

I love the movement in your doggy picture Ann. You can almost feel him shaking his head and drenching anyone standing too close. The old boy who knocked your bin over sounds a bit lethal. I wonder if he is just not a very good driver or if he can't see properly. A lot of older people fail to get their eyes retested regularly and don't see as well as they think they do. Thank goodness it was only a bin he knocked over and not a child.

I've washed towels and they are just going in the dryer and I have got my Sainsbury order for Friday sorted out but I don't know what I have done with the rest of the day. It just seems to have disappeared. The whole year seems to be like that. How can we be halfway through the year already?

Oh, I've just remembered - I did a big load of ironing this morning so I haven't completely wasted the day.

Frank, just a tthought, does Ros drink plenty of water? I ask because T was dehydrated when he got his water infection.

O I had two eggs today and a broken one.

Trying to Mandy as its so hot here today. I have been down by the bantams this morning cutting down docks and grass and had a barrow load so dumped that in the big trailer and came and did lunch. Now I am so full and I have to go and finish off. I'm nearly down to the end by Prickley Bottom.

O Frank poor Ros not another water infection. I wonder what causes them so regulary with her. It must be so uncomfortable for her aand with it being hot can make it worse.

F & C's for us tonight too as our fish van calls this evening.

Mandy We have had rain since it was done and lo leaks as far as I know but the rain was overnight. anyway I messaged him (he is working in London Mondays to Fridays ) He will come and have a look on Sunday.

still at least all the windows are sparkling and this chap did all the conservatory windows too, not sure that was in the initial agreement but it does look lovely and clean.

I have given the lounge a good clean and polish and cleaned the cloakroom. I have friends coming tomorrow afternoon. we might go to the local garden centre for coffee or we might just stay here, depends on the weather really, they live just on the border of the Forest of Dean and Wales so it is a bit of a drive for them (I worked with her and we have kept in touch ever since (first met her in 1976, but she has been married twice before marrying her current husband. we used to meet up with them for a meal at Christmas, the last time was 2018 as they have a house in Italy and were spending a lot of time there. they have been stuck here since the beginning of the pandemic.

Afternoon all,

Very dull and cloudy here with a little drizzle at times .
I went early to do my shopping in Aldi ,Vera Aldi had prunes , came home and then we nipped out to drop a card off as its my sisters husband birthday today ,we stopped and had a chat over the gate didn't go in but they did say they might come round one afternoon when its better weather and we can sit out .
We then went to sons to give him the order for a meat delivery from the butchers but didn't go in there either as dil's parents were there , the meat should come tomorrow so we'll see them then .

Nice to see you popping in Frank and that your ok sorry poor Ros has another water infection you would have thought with all those hospital visits Ros has done they would have found the cause by now.

Oh Anng you'll have to have the chap back who did the roof perhaps it just needs a little sealant put in a join somewhere, good job he did it really as you might not have noticed until we had some heavy rain and you might have had a flood inside

Oh Mel let's hope its another deer with her baby and not the one who has the twins
Can you send a little of your sunshine this way please.