General Chat

Back from the nurse, yes Vera it is taking a long time to heal sister Jane had the reainee nurse working with her today, nice enough girl but very heavy habded, not really gentle at all. Jane said that the more shallow wounds often take longer to heal and can get more sore but that is because the nerve ends are just under your skin. It is only when they swab the unhealed bit that it hurts, however this one hurt even more than daughter and she is not experienced. I already have an appointment for Thursday but Jane is hoping it can go to weekly then. She did say it was getting smaller.

Came back and broke up a couple of cardboard boxes for the recycling tomorrow then swept up a couple of the muddy patches where the water had settled when he power washed. you have to let it dry so it can be swept. Still a bit there.

Never mind Mel. It'll mess up today but at least you've got an appointment and hopefully will get the ointment you want. I hope your poorly thumb improves soon.

I hope your appointment goes well too AnnG. Your back has taken a long time to heal up, hasn't it. Doesn't Mandy have her jab today as well? It's must be the group's medical day today.

It sounds as though you haven't had a good start to the day Ann. I hope your Sky people come early and you can log in to your course on time.

I'm doing OK today, apart from my back still giving me gyp. OH readily agreed to make a start on the conservatory and he is up the ladder cleaning all the inside of the roof. I can't do much in there till that is finished. There's no point in me cleaning lower down while he is dropping dirt and muck everywhere but I have done quite a few other jobs. Three loads of washing are on the line and I changed the bedding on two beds. OH often does that for me so I've helped a bit by taking that job off him. The mat that sits by the door from the conservatory into the garden is now whizzing round the washing machine and I am about to go and wash all the ornaments and things that sit on the wide window sills in there. Anything that I can't find a good home for in the house ends up in the conservatory. I don't think we'll finish in there today and I won't get much done tomorrow as I have a haircut in the morning and a Sainsbury delivery in the afternoon but hopefully we'll be able to finish off in there on Wednesday.

Just stopped for a drink but I had better get on I suppose.

She just called just as I was about to start wahing a load of pots. I now have an appointment at 4.45pm today so thats thrown a spanner in the works for the rest of the day. Poo poo poo. :-| :-| :-|

Ooh, point out his lunch could be in danger. and that sort of remark would have made me very cross I think. But it does sound the sort of thing T would have said. Not helpful. Hope they come the earlier time, they have obviously got a staff problem so have had to shift things around.

I hope the nurse says you are nearly healed AnnG. Yes I expect people take up the parking like you say.

You are the same playing the waiting game then Mel. I hope you get some of the other ointment. Your thumb must be very sore, not good for gardening.

I am quite cross now. First OH decided to 'help' another clerk by being on the phone to her for 3 quarters of an hour, when he said it would be a quick call. It meant I couldn't go outside in case the engineers phoned or called. I asked how much he charges for these services and he looked at me blankly. Then he found the engineers had emailed him to say they will now arrive between 12.00pm and 2.00pm!! Why did they get us up early and give 8.00am to 1.00pm? They'd better not arrive at 2.00pm as they will be fiddling with the internet and my course will be starting. I shall be really cross if they cause me to miss it. OH's comment that if I miss it so be it didn't help either. :-S

Have they not sais am or pm Mel? Not very helpful is it? May be convenient for them but their patients have lives to lead as well.

20 degrees here but stil overcast with sunny spells.

Hope Vera has oh motivated to do the conservatory too as that will be a great job done in unison.

Supposed to have a phone appointment with the doctor today so just waiting. I hate waiting as you can't get on with other things until its done. I still have this peeling thumb like our Jane used to get. Starts off feeling like a nettle sting then I get little lumps come up and then they turn to sort of blisters and its very sore. I asked for some ointment that I had years ago and they sent me Betnovate cream but it dos'nt seem to be working like the Lociod oitment I had before.

Just have to wait and see if she rings or not.

good morning all, I was up at 7 but sat reading the Mail on line then a shwer and hair wash so you all beat me to it. sorry you didn't sleep well Ann I suspect it was partly because you knew you had to be up early for the Sky person.

It is lovely here at the moment, bright and sunny and already 17 degrees. And from my window I can just see the local main road nose to tail with school traffic for the last hour.

I have a nurse appointment at 1140, Cynth is taking me, she actually likes to get out for the ride I think. Normal times it wouldn't be a problem at all but surgery is right next to the community vaccination centre which, although it has its own car park always seems to make the doctors car park full as well.
Vera good luck with getting OH interested in cleaning the conservatory

Morning All,

Grey here too and I hardly slept at all last night and nearly got up at 5.00am but didn't want to wake OH so I lay in till 6.30am. I had one of those horrid cramp spasms in the night too so the calf of one of my legs feels sore. Now we have the waiting game till the tv people arrive. I need to sketch out today's picture to paint so will sit and do that now. If I still feel like a zombie this afternoon I may just watch and then do my picture later on. OH is doing some of his work. The sun's come out now.

Morning Vera and all,

Grey skies here but its quite bright so the sun may come out later on.

No plans for me either so will just take the day as it comes and try to plant up my lettuce seedling in a trough and see if the hsort beans are big enough to go in their big pot.

Morning all

Quite bright out there this morning. The forecast is for bright spells, light winds, very warm and no rain, but who knows. It’s been partly wrong for the last 3 days. Apart from doing the washing I’ve no plans for the day. OH is still in bed but if he gets up in a good mood I might try to persuade him with making a start on cleaning the conservatory with me.

Some interesting memories of grandparents and life years ago. I don't know how my grandmother managed. No electric, just oil lamps, gas lights with mantles that popped alarmingly when you lit them, but they were only downstairs and a candle to take to bed when I stayed. How I climbed up the narrow, pitch dark, enclosed stairs with a door at the bottom without falling and setting fire to things I don't know. I was only 5-7 years old. She had a big, black leaded range that had a big kettle hanging on a hook over the fire and I was allowed to use the toasting fork to make toast which I enjoyed. There was just one tap (cold) and that was over the shallow pot sink, where I would be washed, standing in a bucket, if I got grubby playing. There were ovens each side of the range where she cooked. Things like rabbit stew and tripe! Yuk. I think I had a lot of boiled eggs when I stayed with her. The iron was hotted up on the fire to oand she would spit on it to see if it sizzled and was hot enough! She had a lovely ornate brass fender round the hearth and my job was to clean it with brasso. I was allowed to black lead the range as far as I could reach too. Evening entertainment was reading the paper or listening to a radio that ran off a car battery. My grandfather was musical and would sometimes play his accordian (I remember the Floral Dance) or squeezebox he had. There was a very ornate fretwork piano with tapestry behind the fretwork but I never saw anyone play it. My grandmother, born in 1875, never went out without a hat on and fancy hatpins to hold it in place. She would colour her crimped hair with cold tea. She would wear a red fox fur around her neck that gave me the creeps as it always seemed to be watching me and she always had a brooch on her lapels and some lavender cologne. After having 9 children, she was a driving force and would go on holiday to Wales every year without my grandfather who was a man of few words who seemed to always be relighting his pipe.

Lunch was fine Vera and just the right amount for us (I have sent a pic). I hope they keep up the delivery and don't stop with the next easements\end of restrictions. I can just imagine people earwigging those phone conversations. Remember when there used to be shared phonelines too and if you heard some crackling you would wonder if the other party was listening in! Your walk sounds lovely and the young wildlife to see as well.

AnnG what great photos from your holiday and lovely ones in the sunshine of your daughter and SIL as well as yourself. As Mel says some nice memories. Rosemoor looked very good too. That's good getting the lawn cut today before it gets long and tackling some weeds too. We love a bit of gammon too. Yes, of course the post service used to be really good years ago, so that was good for communication. It used to be nice to get a handwritten letter.

I hope you get your tyre fixed tomorrow Mandy and it will be good to get your second jab done and have more protection.

The food came early today so we got wiped down early. An apple instead of a cherry pie and the date was up today, so I've asked for a refund on that. Less subs than usual and the rest were ok.

The meat was well hidden underneath Mel.......we both had Turkey and there were 6 veg plus potatoes, yorkshire and stuffing.

I've now found a local chippie in one of the villages that is doing free delivery, but only certain days. A bit naughty, but I could have just a few of OH's chips, I need to check up what they do though as it may be set menus.

The tv people could be here tomorrow from between 8.00am to 1.00pm so another early start. I hope they do come quite early as my painting course starts at 2.15pm.

Dinner looked nice Ann. What was the meat? Lamb?

We had some huge spots of rain this afternoon but only one drop here and there. They were making huge rings on the pond and I tried to get a photo. Almost like heat spots.

Lovely photos on your blog Anng and lovely photos of the raindrops on your plants Mel, I have some Lupin plants that I grew from seeds i collected last year and the other day after the rain all the leaves had tiny blobs of rain in them I was gently knocking each one so they dropped into the pots.

Oh Ann thats looked a nice plate of food there's a little bit of everything on there yum yum :-)

Yesterday when son was here I got him to order me a new zipper foot for my sewing machine ,well didn't we laugh when it arrived this afternoon, it was in a huge cardboard envelope ,when I opened it up I had to go right to the bottom of the envelope to find it my whole arm went in right up to my elbow :-D

It clouded up this afternoon and at one point I thought it was going to tip down but so far its stayed dry.

Lovely photos of the butterfly and raindrops Mel. I particularly like the first raindrop one with the rosebud and leaves. It certainly brings the song lyric "Raindrops on roses" to life.

Great pictures on your blog too AnnG. Nice holiday photos - you are making some new memories now. You have some pretty flowers in your garden as well.

I hope you have both enjoyed your lunch Ann and Gwyn. Was the small plate filling enough Ann?

I've had quite a nice morning. I needed to get a letter to the doctor for him to see tomorrow. Our practice has 5 surgeries and I don't know which doctors are going to be at which surgery, particularly with Covid changes, so thought I had better deliver it to the main surgery in town. OH came with me and we decided to have a stroll by the river while we were out. It was lovely. We watched a pair of swans with 3 fairly small cygnets, lots of ducks, swallows skimming over the water and cattle grazing in the water meadows. There used to be lots of swans, particularly in an area known as The Croft. They would come on to the grass there and people would feed them but they started to get quite aggressive, snatching the food from people's hands. There were notices put up asking people not to feed them, but I think some of them may have been moved to another part of the river as there were very few around. As we were wandering back we felt a couple of spots of rain and just made it back to the car before it really came down. It's been raining heavily on and off ever since, which is annoying as the forecast said no rain till tomorrow.

I don't think the walk helped my back but it certainly improved my mood.

You've all stirred up some memories with talk of grandparents. My paternal grandparents had a telephone but we didn't. To call them we had to go to the sweetshop on the corner and use a little public telephone cubicle in the corner of the shop. It didn't appear to be soundproofed in any way so anyone in the shop could hear your end of the conversation. From the age of about 10 I would be given some pennies and sent to phone my grandparents. Every other Sunday we would go to tea with them. This meant wearing a nice dress and best coat and shoes and getting the train just 2 stops along the line. I bet most of us can remember when the trains were smoky and smutty but ran all the time, even Christmas Day. Those were the days! I was usually in trouble with Mum because I'd managed to get my hands filthy on the train and had then wiped them down my coat or dress. I always was a mucky pup. Tea was normally ham or tinned salmon with a bit of salad and bread and butter, followed by tinned fruit and evap. and a delicious sponge cake. I think by then my grandmother had a gas cooker but, like Gwyn's, she made the lightest sponges.

Happy memories :-D

Glad you enjoyed the photos Mel, Just a small selection. If you are feeling fit Marwood Hill is a lovely garden all very natural but steep in places.

I am so hot now, I have been out in the garden doing a bit of weeding, clearing up and then I mowed the lawn, It is fortunately a small lawn and not a pristine one but it is now tidier and shorter than it was. :-)

You've got some lovely photos there of your daughter and you and her and hubby. Love the one where they are both smiling and I recognise Rosemoor. Nice memories to keep.

Suns out here now too and its getting mighty hot.

My mother also moved away from her family although really not far by todays standards, her parents and some of her siblings lived in Portsmouth, she moved to Fareham. Neither had a phone (this was in 1939) the only way to contact, for example to arrange a visit, was by a written letter or postcard. However, often a letter posted in the early morning would be delivered by lunch time. We did have a phone - a party line - by 1950 because of my Dad's job I think but that was way after her parents had died.

Hope you enjoy your time with your familt Gwyn and pleased you had a good time with yours Mandy.
Annx Enjoy your lunch, I have a small gammon joint for my meal this evening but I have to cook it myself. And it will last me 3 days.

There are two lots of photos on the blog, some of the holiday and some of flowers in the garden, I decided to put them on the blog as that way you get to see more.

The sun is out now and it has not rained today only overnight but it is too damp to garden so i decided to potter indoors.

What a lovely story Gwyn and thanks for sharing it with us.

We had a friend at bell ringing that lived on his own, never married, kept prize winning sheep and lived in the family farm all his life. He had no water or electric. A friend told me there were three oil lamps over the kitchen table for light. I would have loved to have seen it as Ali said it was like walking back intime. He had a hip op in his 70's and still came to ringing climbing 50 odd step to the tower. He used to take his sheep to scotland to sell them and they were very expensive. His dog was always in the van with him and sharing his supper of a pie and chips when we arrived for ringing. A lovely proper old gentleman he was too. Spoke beautifully and was always very clean. His water came from a pump.

I have sent a few pics from this morning.