General Chat

Hi Liz what a setback for poor Ian but I hope you enjoy your night out with your nice neighbours adnd as you say no clearing up afterwards.

I meant to say that when I picked up the Chinese last night we had 12 Fortune Cookies put in the box. I have never had these before and they were a bit of fun. Tasted a bit like wafers but sweeter and harder. Have any of you had them??

Maria have you tried to get in touch with me under the name of Maria Harding please?

It has turned very cold here after we have had some rain so I have turned the heating back on .

15.47

Welcome to Foxglove and Maria. You're building up quite a harem now Frank.

It must seem never ending Liz, poor Ian, bad enough having surgery but the after effects sound even worse. Did you sort out your boundary problem in the end?

We're back on the sweets then. Do you remember the Frys chocolate bars, where each segment had a different flavour, orange, coffee etc. and the big barley sticks.

I haven't had much luck growing sun flowers, might stick to painting them Mel, the slugs/snails get them before they have a chance to grow. Never grown pumpkins, might have a go, think my daughter saved the seeds from last halloween.

Haven't been to the cinema in quite a while, but I have got bitten by the theatre bug. Having just seen Jersey Boys am going in a few weeks to see Blood Brothers. Haven't a clue what it's about.

Afternoon everybody ,and hi Foxglove.It's nice to see new names.
I loved making pom poms using a cardboard circle with the middle cut out.I don't remember cardboard milk tops though.Just Silver and Gold
Another use of cardboard was a circle all coloured or painted with a little hole in the middle.A bit of string threaded through and looped around the middle finger of each hand.Then using one hand,spin the card so all the string twisted .Then pull the 2 hands apart and the card would whizz like a catherine wheel.I remember the whirring noise it made.

I have lit the fire this afternoon and it is roaring up the chimney.Very cosy.
Now I have the horrible job of taking the bin out in the rain.I better get it done now before it's dark.
16.17

Afternoon and welcome to Foxglove ,another new name !!

I remember making Pom Poms with the two pieces of cardboard ,and the spinning disc thingy ,also pegging a piece of cardboard to your bicycle spooks and it making a clicking sound as you cycled along .
Remember Cats Cradle and French skipping too.

Did anyone ever make the Cotton Reel Tank , a rubber band threaded through a cotton reel ,with a button on one end and a hair clip on the other end to wind it up .

We had a little rain this afternoon but its stopped now,
Jacket potatoes for tea tonight .

4.54

Yes Mandy, I remember making a cotton reel tank! I'd forgotten all about that! Do you remember putting four pins/nails into a cottonreel and winding wool round them and slipping a a stitch over,so to speak! making crochet I suppose. You could make a really long one in different colours, take itoff the reel,wind it and stitch the winds together to make a 'useful (?!) mat, to give to 'Aunts' for Xmas! Just what they wanted!!!!! The boundary seems to have fizzled out. We wrote to our neighbours Sols enclosing our surveyors report, saying that unless they could produce a professional reason to contradict that report, as far as we're concerned that is the end of the matter, in other words,'Putup or Shutup'! that was November and we haven't heard a word since!! The 'hideous' woman wants to put a panel fence up on the boundary (our boundary with a post and rail!) but unfortunately the 'actual' boundary is in the flood ditch that runs along the bottom of our garden between us and her field, so she's been trying to put her fence up on our side of the ditch As our surveyor said, she can put her fence up wherever she likes, so long as it's on her own property!. putting it up in the field would of course, look really wierd, as it can't go in the ditch for obvious reasons! when other propertys' fences and hedges are all in line!! dear oh dear, the woman's a maniac!!!!

Yes Liz, French knitting !! you were left with a long rope like thing that you didn't really know what to do with lol

I think they were little Tacks in the top of the reel ,and i think i used a nail to pull the wool over each tack ,remember it made your fingers sore !!

5.34pm

Just poped in during the break of the chase. gets the old grey matter going ,can't answer many questions but I enjoy it.

Yes Mel, Those Fortune Cookies are a bit different. what did you think of them ??? We get them served in the local Chinese. Not with Takeaways.
Last year the bird seed had a lot of sunflower seeds in it, I had loads grow in the garden under the trees,, most didn't get to 6 inches let alone a foot !!! and the amout of grass in the border will be si difficult to get out. Will have to move the feeders.

Maureen, My blood pressure will have a job to cope, what about my imagination ????? LOL LOL

Liz, It must be a real pain for Ian, what has the nurse said about it. ????
Is it likely he will have to spend more time in hospital,???

Where's Jane the pain ???? not like her to be absent all day long. not out drinking at lunchtime again. !!!

Afternoon All,

Welcome Foxglove......nice of you to add to the memories. I think we all loved sherbet! Remember those cones of paper they would put your quarter of sherbet in out of those big glass jars, weighing it on proper scales with brass weights. I used to like the rainbow one.

Meant to ask yesterday how your cough/cold was Mandy. Glad it seems to be going, but as you say it will be a while before you feel your old self!!

I saw Black Swan too Maria......it was rather strange. A couple of us saw The King's Speech which was brilliant. I saw True Grit last week, also very, very good.

Maureen, OH would really envy you being so close to the West End theatres......he would be wanting to see nearly everything. I must admit I would like to see War Horse.

We went to the hospital first thing this morning as OH had an appointment about his cataract. They have suggested not doing anything with it at the moment as there are extra risks with him being short sighted. He was quite glad!!

This afternoon I filled a charity bag with clothes and shoes. Why do I think shoes that are not comfy will improve sitting in the wardrobe for a year or two? lol I put a few jumper things in too. Far too hot since I've reached the age of flushes......a cardi's better to slip off quick. lol

Glad you enjoyed your meal Mel.......I seem to remember having those fortune cookies. The rainbow pic was very good and what a lovely peacock, beautiful feathers. I would want to make something with them........after they had fallen out of course.

The four pins in the cotton reel was knitting Nancy I think .I spent hours doing that.I made yards and yards lol
Oh Liz lets hope that is it now with that blooming woman and the fence.I wonder if she will try again when new people move in !!!!
Poor Ian,I bet he can't see the end in sight .re incontinence.But you said it could take up to 6 months I think ,and it is still very early days for him isn't it.I'm not sure how patient I would be if it was me.

Mags,are you a DIY person?Moving doors and things!!! I could do with you here lol.I meant to tell you last night in the ET on the front page was a lovely story about 2 men who live at Darsdale Blind Home.Discovered that they had met in the war when one of them had rescued the other.They are nearly 90 now.It was so touching.

17.53

JANE THE PAIN!!!.Frank I have been here all day ,just busy doing house wifey stuff like the good girl I am lol
Do you know I turned down going out for lunch with Fitz last week!!!.He is such a bad influence on me lolol.There's a first .

Hi Everyone.
Welcome to Maria & Foxglove.
Sweets, let me think , love hearts can you still get them ???. used to swap them with my friends, depending what was written on them. Jelly babies. kept the black ones for last. Milk & Cola bottles.

Been up daughter no 1 house most of the day, been looking after Sofia while her mum got on with some housework. took her to the local swing park and she loves the swings but when I went to put her back in the buggy she had a screaming fit. so I let her toddle about she still is a bit of balance at times and kept falling over.
Her mum was not impressed when I brought her home with a dirty snowsuit and muddy shoes , I kept telling her but look what fun we had. I was not in daughter no 1 good books after that.
everyone was happy though after I offered to do a bit of dusting and hoovering so I am back in her good books now lol

Had some one view my house for the second time yesterday afternoon.

Think he's trying to decide between mine (ours) and a similar one up the street.

With the Knitting Nora you used to get a booklet with things to make out of the endless coil you made. There was a little bag to make sewing the cord in a spiral for both sides and carrying one on and over and attatching it to the other side to make the handle. I can't remember any more things but can still picture the bag in my mind.

It turned very cold here this afternoon.

The spinning thingy you had to make two holes in the card for the string or use a big button.

Loved Cats Cradle and used to do it with my grandad. He would also play the dot game with me and one with o's sort of up and down and you could only have two lines to each o and not cross any of the lines.

Toad in the Hole tonight so I had better get on and make it!!

18.28

Ooh David I will keep everything crossed for you.Have you seen anywhere you fancy?

Fiona I think a few years ago they brought out Love Hearts with new sayings on.Bit more up to date words.
Little ones can't have fun without getting mucky !!!At least the snow suit can be bunged in the washing machine lol
I couldn't think what to have tonight ,so have just chucked some Baking Potatoes in the oven.I think we have had too much meat lately.Tomorrow may be Pasta.
Never had baked potatoes or pasta when I was young lol,nor Pizza,Indian,Chinese,KFC Mac D,etc.I think Fish and Chips from the van that came round was the highlight,and that wasn't until I was in my early teens.
Chris and Hannah have just arrived so will go and see how their day has been.
18.48

All in the oven.

David thats good news that people are starting to look again.

Keeping my fingers crossed for you too.

19.18

I'm glad you said about the 2 holes in the cardboard for the spinning thing Mel. I could remember doing it but couldn't remember how it would work with one hole. lol

Fiona, I can remember my gran asking mum if she'd got my playclothes when she took me there for the day. I can also remember standing in gran's big pot sink and her washing me down with an enamel jug of warm water and saying she'd better get me cleaned up before my mother saw me. lol I would skip out of her gate and down the lane with my butterfly net aged only about 6 or 7 and spend ages exploring the meadows and catching stuff in my net. All that was said was to be back before dark and don't talk to strangers.

8.17pm

How nice to see we have still got things locked in our brains from childhood.

I used to do that with the cotton reel, Us kids would sit for hours doing it. I also remember having my little wheelbarrow upside down on the lino.,spinning the wheel round that had a tin rim. and cut up string, wool anything I could get my hands on, I had a fort with lead soldiers, cowboys and indians, with little metal horses. cannons covered wagons. It would be worth a few bob today. But LEAD SOLDIERS Health and Safety would have a field day. Also had spinning tops, wooden cone shaped with a nail in the poined end. We would put coloured chalk rings round the top, and spin it with the whip. Also had some from tops of German shells that were dropped from the planes and we would find around the fields. Cigarette cards, marbels, I'm off again. sorry

Maria and Foxglove, where are you living, We are spread out from Scotland to Devon Hope you can stay with us, we are such a good crowd, I'm sure you will enjoy our banter. Mags has recently joined us also. I think Maria said you were living in Yorkshire. Sorry. !!!

Chicken curry tonight.,one of Ros's. She always makes it. All washed up and sorted, dressing gown on. Holby on T.V. so im on here.

Frank I had lead soldiers too.Gosh you are bringing back a memory here.I think some soldiers had guns held upright and others holding guns out in front.Some soldiers were bent down on their knees with the guns up to their eyes,and some lying down with guns straight out in front.I think I might have been a bit of a tomboy lol.I also had a garage that Dad made for me .It had petrol pumps and a slope that the cars came down from the car park up top.
I can just see it now.
I am going back to my childhood tonight lol
20.54

It's funny how one thing can trigger us all off again down memory lane,
i can remember having a big doll that Mum or dad won on the fair !!

Oh and i have to confess.........i use to have a ........Dummy !!!!!
My sister said they couldn't part me from my dummy lol

And i use to call it my .....La La ......... stop laughing