General Chat

Morning All/Evening Kim.

Mel couldn't you do like the sheep farmers do to the RAMS. But instead of a bag of dye. couldn't you tie a paint brush over the entrance with some emulsion paint on, so when he goes in he brushes against it. He would hardle feel it, and if you did a bright colout you could see him easiely. You could then change the colour to see if any others are around, and going into the box. CLEVER OR WHAT. Don't use quick drying paint.

Can't comment on the programme, I didn't see it. Ros has started to watch the "Paradise" I recored the series for her. She has seen three now and quite likes it.

GOING TO THE SEASIDE. onThursday. We just had a call from Carolyn asking if we wanted to go to Hastings till Saturday. CAN A DUCK SWIM ??? What a nice break it will make for a couple of days. and good company, We will eat out each evening. Indian Thursday, Fish restaurant Friday

Weather dosen't look to promising lots of clouds, and still windy.

Just had a call from an old friend who lives in Kettering., Had a good old chat about old days, when wer were in the motor trade, and all the laughts we had. Brightened my day.

Now off for shower and shave. Might get to have a haircut later. I will soon be able to put it in a "PONY TAIL"

Morning /Evening All
I can just imagine a paintbrush with paint at the ready lol.You do come up with some ideas Frank :-S :-S :-D

Frank will you give me a call please :-D

I'm just enjoying a coffee and then have to tackle the first of several large plastic boxes and see what I don't want to keep.I am going to have to be very tough with myself :-|

I had already thought of that as the man on the telly on Autumn watch painted different colour nail vanishes on the ones he has in the garden but you have to catch them first. Oh was talking about catching it and keeping it inside over the winter if it is too small, in the lounge!! but hae said I will have to clear it out first. We have all the garden cushions for the swing, my new dream chair and the two white chairs in there plus lots of furniture from other rooms when we decorated and four huge draws from the bottom of the old bed and which he won't throw away for some reason. My big dolls house that used to live in the bedroom two settes two armchairs from my suit and one armchair of mums plus mums electric chair which lifts you up and two footstools two tables a sewing machine table and a chair I want him to burn a dressing table and a settle. Obviously it is a BIG room but has a huge fireplace that you can walk behind where there is a built in bookcase of great proportions and a stack of draws with all the sewing stuff in and craft stuff. A card table with my plants on that casn't go out in the winter and a load of small draws with his paint and decorating goods taking up space in another corner.

The nail vanish last about 18 months as they only shed a few prickles here and there and not all at the same time. He had 18 hedgehogs visit his garden and said his wife was running out of colours of nail polish. He weighs his hogs and keeps a book with them all in with their weights and the colour they have just behind the head.

Mel, I only mentioned that as you can't caych them to mark them.

Jane I have PMd you.

Mel, I finally got my acceptance for the Hedgehog Forum. You'd have thought I was applying to joing MI5!!!

I know people wonder about renewing their subs to GR but there are times when it pays off BIG TIME.
I had a chap ask to view my Tree, and I always like to know why. Without too much detail he said "my grandmother 3rd marriage was to a John James whose father was Richard and his mother was Mary". Looking up my tree, I thought this is too much like a coincidence. My Dad's brother was John James, known as Jim, Dads mother and father were Richard and Mary. I never knew Uncle Jim, he died in 1937 in Lambeth, I was born in 1935 in Stratford. Dad seemed to hold him in reverence, I only saw one photo, that was of Jim serving on a costermongers barrow.
Now this chap on GR has emailed me certificates of Uncle Jim's birth and his death - and also the marriage cert of Jim to his grandmother. There is a wealth of info on these docs that I hadn't known before.
In my book that's a JackPot!

Carmel is still weary but improving. The stitches have all disolved now and she is eating better. We just have to wait now until Dec 19th to see what kind of treatment the consultant is going to suggest for the Lichen Planus on her tongue.

The cold wind of this morning has turned to rain here, so I'm glad to be indoors.
Maybe back later on to see what you've all been up to.

All this talk of hedgehog marking, were you all watching Countryfile last night or something???

William ,how nice for you to have been sent those certificates.More info to add to your records :-D
I'm sure Carmel's tongue will feel mush more comfortable now the that the stitches has dissolved and that she will be able to eat more 'normal' food now.

Brrr ! I just took some rubbish out to the bin and it is feeling really chilly.We must have had a big gust of wind as there was a big pot blown over :-S

I just found out the cost of the electricity for the 2 months of dehumidifiers and fans.
£450.We will get a cheque from the insurance company for that.I actually expected it to be higher than that.Thought more electric would have been used.It was based on us using the machines for 12 hours a day,which is about right as we turned them off at night because of the noise.

I have Pork fillets for dinner tonight but they still haven't fully defrosted :-S :-S.I have got them in the oven on the defrost setting so hopefully they won't be too long now ,and then I can start cooking them.

James came in from work looking rather glum :-| I looks like the face he has if he and Jess have had words !!!!.I think I will bite my tongue and not ask any questions :-D
I had a package arrive today.It is a skirt for Jess for Xmas.I know it is a mini but eek! 'tis flipping tiny.It's lovely and I'm sure will look lovely as long as she wears black tights with it lol.

Back from shopping. Popped into As*a in Bideford and bought three bottles of Gallo white grenesh at £4 a bottle instead of £6.80 something.

Gone right off of red and don't drink at all now but I thought they would be nice for Christmas. Soft and fruity...................... :-D

I wonder if we will have our little face with the Christmas hat on again this year?

Jane I hope poor Carmel's tongue dos'nt feel like Mush! as you put it.

Nice to know she is getting better though and is able to eat more now.

Got oh a couple pf bits for Christmas in As*a too and a little something for me from him but he dos'nt know yet.

Must away and get hogwarts grub out.

Jane you can cook pork from frozen anyway.

Evening everyone,

What a cold day it's been ,not that i've out ,i only went as far as the back door .

I have that pain in my side again ,it stated last night , it feels like i have been punched in the side it's so tender , now i'am wondering if its my Kidneys ,i have had blood taken as the tablets i'am taking for my Arthritis can affect the kidneys ,i have an appointment at the doctors on Friday so will have to mention it then.

Frank , a few days away at the coast will be lovely for you both , even if its cold you can wrap up well and enjoy a walk , sounds as if you have the meals all planned out :-D

Mel i had to smile to my self when i read about all the things you have in your lounge .....made me think about the game ....I Packed My Bag and in it i put !!! :-D :-D
I take it you never sit in there then :-D :-D

Jane, hubby calls those Mini skirts ....Belts !! :-D :-D LOL

Mel I think Asd* is brilliant for wine at good prices.Is that the As** at the end of the town just before the road goes on to Northam?If you have an Ald* too that is another good place for wine at the moment.I bought some lovely white ones there the other day.A couple were £3 .60 something.Can't do better than that for a decent one.

I just took the Pork fillets out from defrosting and dripped all the blood on the mat in front of the oven .Before I could mop it up Chester got there and licked the lot :-S :-S.
Gross!!!

I can hear wind blowing and the back gate rattling.I have turned the heating UP as I feel cold.(not like me to feel chilly).
I see poor old Scotland is suffering with rain and floods again.I wonder what is like with Fiona.

Frank it looks like you will have decent weather on Thursday when you go off to the coast :-D I hope it stays fine while you are there.
Must get this Pork in the oven now.

Mandy they had just the right size tumblers for that sparkle ball in As*a, 25 for £1.19 I nearly got you a couple of packs. Let me know if you want them next week and I will go up there and get them and post them to you. :-D

Lasagne for us tonight so I just have to pop it in the micro for 6 mins each. Should be out to dinner tomorrow night if it all goes to plan and the offer is still on ;-)

Oil and oil filter change on my Focus.

Sixty eight pounds 99 pence

When I started driving I could buy a second hand car for that...................

Mandy I have seen Mel's lounge and it is BIG !!.It sounds like a storage unit lolol.

Mel I gather you don't use your lounge to sit in :-D :-D.I can still see your Mum in the corner doing her Jigsaw Puzzle :-D
Mandy that pain sounds horrible,if it gets worse I wouldn't leave it until Friday.

Talking of pain, my neck and shoulders have been giving me gyp,and when I move my head from side to side I can hear crackling and creaking :-S :-S.I rubbed Voltaro* Pain-eze gel in just now and have taken a couple of Co Codamol.Chris says he will change me for a younger model :-S Cheeky so and so :-P

We've just caught a hoggy!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! weighed it and it is under 500grms so it is in a box in the lounge......................

Evening All,

We enjoyed the new programme too. What a scary house......you wouldn't get me staying in a place like that. Yes, what about the poor dog, I would have wanted him right next to me at night! OH made me 'jump' when he 'jumped'!!. Look forward to next week's episode.

Lucky you Frank, it will be nice to have a few days away with a change of scene. Has Ros looked to see if there are any bead shops? lol.OH needs a hair trim, but says it is too cold at the moment. He put extra layers on this morning as he's gone to a match at Bradford with a couple of pals. I doubt he'll be home before midnight as he'll be dropping them at their homes.

William, that is good getting that extra info for your tree. It is surprising what turns up sometimes.

Blimey Mel, it sounds like you have a lot more seats than bottoms in your Lounge! I remember it was a big room too, but it sounds rather more 'full' now ........and a Hedgie is moving in too!! lol. We tend to dump stuff in the study and conservatory. We could really do with a good sort out.........maybe after Christmas!! :-)

I hope that nasty pain soon goes, Mandy. I was thinking today about your sparkle balls and how you could attach them to the top of sticks in pots like little trees.

Keep forgetting to say 'THANKS' for all the emails!! Had a good old chuckle about the underwired bra one.......bet Sadie doesn't make them like that!! lol :-0 :-)

I think it is Hogwart that we have caught!! as one of the sticks was down from outside the box. He is now in a bigger box lined in newspaper and oh made him a cardboard box to go into and it's filled with woodshavings that I use for the chickens. I forgot to line the base with polythene so hope he dos'nt wee to much till I can do it tomorrow when he is asleep. He had eaten some more food when I went in after dinner. I think he is going to eat me out of house and home.

Ann I thought that about those sparkle balls. I have a nice couple of old flower pots that oh put cement in and I selected two nice ash poles to go in them. I was going to make a holly tree for outside the front door this year.

More facts about hedgehogs:

They have relatively long legs - about 10cms (4") - and these enable them to run as fast as we can walk.

Their front feet are shorter and broader than their back ones.

The claws on their powerful front feet are particularly useful for digging.

Each night (when not hibernating) hedgehogs will probably make a slow and apparently haphazard search for food and will travel between 2-3kms (1-2 miles).

They have small bright eyes but cannot see very well. At night they will use their excellent sense of smell and hearing to guide them.

Their weight will be largely determined by the food they get, but most one-year olds will weigh between 450-680gms (1-1½1bs).

Self-anointing is an activity only hedgehogs do. It seems to be connected with strange smells or tastes that cause them to produce large quantities of frothy saliva. They then spread the foam over their spines by flicking it with their tongue.

If a young hedgehog survives its early life in the nest and then its first hibernation, it can expect to live for 4 or 5 years longer. By this time it will be getting old but might live to the age of ten.

Generally they lead solitary lives and tend to go out of their way to avoid other hedgehogs, except during the mating season.

Like most mammals the hedgehog has a characteristic smell and this will usually warn other hedgehogs to keep out of the way.

In the mating season the male may be attracted by the different smell of the female and commence a rather prolonged and noisy courtship with her.

Hedgehogs do not pair bond - the female raises her young unaided by the male.

Litters of young, called hoglets, are born from May onwards to as late as September and average about 2 to 6 in number. At about 4 weeks of age they venture out of their nest with their mothers and at about 6-8 weeks old they leave the nest and wander off on their own - they weigh around 250gms (8oz) at this stage.

It's a good sign that he's eating well Mel, at least his lighter weight isn't due to him not eating. Probably too young to have put enough weight on. Could you stand the cardboard box on plastic carrier bags for tonight.....at least it wouldn't come through then. I wonder if any other ones will use the box outside....you will have to watch your twig!

A little Holly tree sounds lovely too! You could put lights on it if you wanted couldn't you. I was wondering whether to use some of that stuff that soaks up water (the name escapes me at the mo) with foliage, small pots and sticks to make some miniature round ball trees for the window sill. I could wind some of my pearl beads on them. At least with planting a lot of evergreen stuff in the garden I should have some material to use. I quite fancy making something different this year. :-)

Jane I bet all the HW getting straight again will have set off a few twinges. I need to do some hoovering tomorrow and that usually sets my back off so I will do just the lounge/diner and the rest another day. You wouldn't think a lightweight hoover on a hard floor would cause it, but it is the twisting and bending I think. Maybe I should wear one of those Downton lace up corsets to hold my back straight to do it in......that would make OH raise his eyebrows! lol.