General Chat

All packed yesterday Mel, it is the packing of the car that is a problem if it is wet.

Morning all,

Nice bright morning so far and its 8 degrees but feels very chilly indoors. Iv'e just turned the heating on.

Shopping comes today and I hav'nt cleared the fridge out yet. That better be the first job of the day.

Slept late tis morning and went to bed earlier so I must have needed it.

Good luck with the weather and your packing tomorrow Anng, I hope the rain keeps off.

Good morning all 7 degrees here and daughter has already left on their journey down. dry here but possibly raining up there.

Mel if he he strict in his diet don't put jam on if it is not sugar free. If he wants to he can always add jam later to his slice of cake. If they have diabetic cakes at home they will be used to it being dry.

vera, yes they come today, stay here tomorrow and we travel on the 18th. Unfortunately although it is dry today it is going to be very wet again tomorrow and Thursday, not easy to pack the car up then. this is always the most fraught journey for packing with all the carrier bags of presents for everyone up there.

I have baked the cake and it did smell nice but it dos'nt look good to me, it looks a bit dry. It is an eggless and sugar free cake and there's no fat in it just vine fruits, dates and walnuts chopped, 2 tbsps whiskey, wholemeal flour, baking powder which Em went up the shop for me to get, mixed spice and the rind of one orange and one lemon. The recipe tells you to melt the dates over a low heat with 4 tblsp of water and to stir continuously. It also takes 275ml of water but dos'nt tell you when to put that in. I think the water should have gone in when I let it cool after doing the dates as it was a bit stiff to work to mix in the flour and other dry stuff. I put it in then when I mixed the flour in.

Did'nt waste the orange I had that after dinner and it was so easy to peel with the outer rind taken off. I shall make a drink with the lemon. I did add afew cherries cut up and think I may put a little jam on top and some more walnuts and cherries. The trouble is I can't taste it to see if its any good!! It looks a bit miserable to me. I'll send a pic tomorrow.

Vera its just as well you had'nt bought the smoked salmon before your phone call to say the tea was off.

Evening all

It’s been quite chilly but no rain here today though there is rain promised for tomorrow.

AnnG, you’re not the only one that has never used Ebay. I wouldn’t know where to start. When we were getting ready to move here OH, under instruction from our son, did sell our cement mixer and our big garden shredder on Ebay but I don’t think he has looked at it since. I hope your daughter has a good journey to yours tomorrow. Is she staying a couple of days before taking you back with her? Somewhere in the back of my mind I had a feeling you were going away on the 18th.

I bet your kitchen smells lovely, Mel, with you mixing up bil’s Christmas cake. Have you baked it yet or is that a job for tomorrow?

Oh dear Annx, I’m sorry that you are going through such a bad spell of sleeping. You don’t want to get like me, though I am quite resigned now to not sleeping well. I did sleep through about 4 hours without waking last night which is good for me but I woke at 4.30 am and couldn’t drop off again. Getting your paper was a bit of a marathon performance. I hate those machines where you are told to press a particular button and by the time you have searched for it and, with luck, found it you are too late. The machine has decided you are out of time. I think we all wish we had even half the energy we had when we were younger. These days everything seems to take twice as long and make me twice as tired as it used to.

It's been a strange day today as plans got changed. I think I mentioned we had a club Christmas tea today and I had decided to splash out on my plates of food. I had got some little macaroons, some sandwiched with chocolate cream, some with coffee and some with salted caramel and all flavoured with Baileys. They were still in the freezer. I also decided to take smoked salmon and cream cheese sandwiches. I had cream cheese in the fridge but was just going out of the door to shop for the smoked salmon and one or two other bits I wanted when the phone rang. I nearly didn’t answer but it's a good job I did. One of the organisers was ringing to tell me the tea was cancelled. We are only a small club, I think current membership is 19. 10 members had phoned her to say they wouldn’t be there! 2 never come to social events like the Christmas or summer party because they just don’t enjoy parties. The others are all ill. A couple have long standing serious illnesses that were causing them problems right now and the others were down with bad coughs and colds. Even the lady ringing me sounded very croaky though she insisted she was okay.

I had worked on the basis of us having sandwiches, sausage rolls, cakes and so on mid afternoon so not wanting a big meal in the evening. So I had to rapidly have a rethink and raid the freezer for something for dinner. I decided it would be an opportunity to use up some oddments and I found a shepherd’s pie for 1 person and cubed chicken in gravy for 1 so OH had the shepherd’s pie and I had the chicken and then I did carrots, leeks and cabbage for both of us.

As I now had a couple of hours free I managed to get the tree decorated at last and put some candles and other bits and pieces around to make it look a bit more festive. Just as I finished a friend arrived and delivered a handmade card and a couple of crackers that she always makes for our Club Christmas do. She is another arty and crafty person and her work is amazing. The card she gave us was far too lovely to put on the card hangers in the hall, it now adorns a unit in our lounge. I can’t work out how she makes the crackers. They are about the size of the smaller ones you get in the shop and you just tug at one end and the end comes right off. Out falls a little gift and there will be a silly cracker joke. No hat but rolled round inside the cracker is a scratch card, so you have a chance of a win. I think the cost of those comes out of club funds. This year there were a couple of chocolates and a little plastic tree ornament. Neither of us got anything on our scratch cards this year but last year I had a £5 win.

It's now time for yet more eye drops. I am hoping that they are doing some good as my eye feels more sore than it did before I went back on them. Perhaps things will improve – I’ve got them for 4 weeks and this is only my third day so I suppose I’ve got to give them time to work.

Snuggle down in bed and keep warm and maybe we will all sleep well tonight.

Afternoon Everyone,

Didn't sleep too well, but then was fast asleep when I should have been up early as we planned to go for a coffee and cob, so we cancelled that to avoid queuing and the best seats and parking being taken. After we showered OH went for a short walk and I just popped to the shop when he got back as a parcel was being delivered today. The shop hadn't got the paper I wanted so it looks like they are stocking less papers too now. I drove to the little newsagent the other end of the village where they have now installed two of those click cabinets where you can get your parcels which means even less of the small parking area and cars were praked solid with some blocked in unable to move till those front or behind them did. So off I went to a fairly new little Co-op in the next village near where I used to keep my pony. That has a narrow drive to the carpark at the back. It's a while since I last went there and now you can't park on half the spaces as they have beem rented to 'Residents' of the new housing estate built nextdoor according to notices on them. Anyway I managed to park on an end space by driving in forwards and over a kerb! They had a paper, but then at the till the man in front of me wanted to sign up to be a member. I noticed a self service till vacant to went there and paid. What a strange till though as it said to press if you wanted a receipt, so I couldn't see where and it counted down 3-2-1 and said 'thank you for shopping'! :-S So no receipt.

I've done a wash, cleaned the hob and splashback and microwave and ordered printer inks , got lunch and that's about it today. I wish I still had some of the energy I had in my twenties! The kitchen sink will have to wait till tomorrow.

AnnG I have bought quite a few things on ebay as I like that they will refund you if there's any problem and take it up with the seller themselves. I like to be able to see some things before I buy so don't get things like that, although you can send things back. I've bought some hardly used, good watercolour paints before and some unused ones that were cheaper than buying from a shop. It was on ebay that I found the identical chinese vase to the one OH broke a few years ago. Amazon is good, but I hate how they seem to try and trick you into Amazon Prime subscriptions every step of the way.

That sounds like it must be a healthy cake for your BIL Mel and I wonder if it is a christmas cake or another sort of cake.

I hope Mandy managed to get the rest of her shopping.

Been dry here all day ,got some more Christmas presents just need something for Katie but I'm really stuck for just a little something to fill her bag .

Did you get your packing all done Anng , are you staying at your daughters for Christmas or going to a holiday home .

Mel I fancied doing a Christmas cake in a loaf tin as I thought it would be easier to decorate and easier to cut but I stuck to a round tin as normal , I still have the cakes to marzipan and ice , might do them tomorrow as we have some parcels arriving.

It has rained all day here without stopping, I had to dress up in raincoat and outdoor shoes just to get the recycling bin to the endo of the drive. Glad I don't have to go out.

Mixed up BIL diabetic cake and its now waiting a few hours before I add other stuff. Recipe says to put it in a loaf tin but I shall put it in a 10 inch round tin the same as I used to in the past.

Its stopped raining for a bit so I went and did the girls and went down the shed and wired some holly berries to sprigs of holly and fed the shed Robin.

Just eaten the last two sausage rolls for my lunch with a glass of water so I can take my pills and then I am off to get some more greenary for OH's and mums posies.

Well done on remembering to copy posts Mel. Saves you a lot of frustration.

Ann I meant to say I must be the only person never to have bought or sold anything on Ebay. Although T used to buy and sell phones.

nd mix up the cake for BIL.

Morning girls,

I had a really lovely evening at the party and did'nt need tocook anything for tea. Slept really well last night but over slept this morning.

Its 10 degrees and raining steadily.

I think its present wrapping day today and mix up the cake for BIL. You can see I have already lost this post once but I had copied most of it.

Morning Anng, morning all,

Dull morning here but dry ,it's 9 degrees and there's a little wind as its blown the big piece of polystyrene packaging that was on the dishwasher down the garden ,We need to break it up and get it in the green bin, oh suns now trying to peep through .

Mel it sounds as if your snack went down well at the Carol service and there was lots of lovely food that everyone brought with them .

Need to do some more Christmas shopping this morning just something for Katie and Lewis then my sister and bil and then we're done .

Good morning all. 9 degrees here and raining. didn't sleep badly but not really well either. Still it is another day.

Packing day for me as daughter arrives tomorrow.

Oh it sounds like you enjoyed it Mel and your snack went down well too with plenty of other food there as well.

I have just managed to buy a new top in an ebay auction at the last minute for less than half price so am chuffed. Off to bed now hopefully for a good sleep tonight and I hope everyone else sleeps well too.

Glad the party went well Mel all sounded good and so much food you won’t want a meal tonight. I too thought it was an evening do.

Vera pleased the return journey was OK cheaper than a taxi!

Good that your vision has improved but frustrating that you are not finished with the treatment yet. I suppose your eye is vulnerable we should have guessed it would not be straight forward

Enjoy the carol service Mel. AnnG’s idea is a good one, anything with cheese is usually popular. It all depends on what you have available in your cupboards. I put cubes of cheese with grapes when I didn’t have pineapple and that worked as well. Anything fruity is usually popular but, as I say, you have to work with what you have available. I’ve got to do the same thing for a club Christmas tea tomorrow but I’ve got time to pop to the shops in the morning.

AnnG, the bus company has been in and out of private ownerships, mergers, takeovers etc for years but it has always kept the same name. It now appears to be in a small group operating in Norfolk and Suffolk. I assume that there was a driver shortage for some reason and ours was pulled off a different route to drive our bus but in that case the company should at least have provided him with a map and some instructions. He didn’t seem to have anything. It would have been nice if he had explained or apologised but I expect he was getting a bit wound up himself.

Mandy, we did come back by bus as one was due within a few minutes of us leaving the hospital but we looked carefully to make sure it wasn’t the same driver. We were delayed for about 20 minutes but that was due to the volume of Friday traffic trying to get round two difficult roundabouts. Once we were past those the journey back was fine.

At the hospital there was good and bad news. The scans showed that all the swelling for which I was having injections etc has gone at last so that was good. The vision tests showed that the distance vision in the eye that had cataract surgery has improved hugely and there is even a slight improvement in the distant vision in the other eye. So I went in to see the doctor expecting to be told I could now go and get tested for new glasses but no such luck. Apparently the eye is still inflamed so I have to go back on the drops for another four weeks and use them more frequently, then go back and see the doctor again. I thought of your OH Annx and hope I don’t have to use the drops quite as often as he did. I’m not a happy bunny as I still can’t get the correct glasses and so can’t drive or rather won’t take the risk if I know I am not seeing well. I hate asking OH to drive me everywhere as it usually means he has to hang around waiting in order to drive me back. Oh well, worse things happen at sea.

I’m now going to try and find where I put the 2 Secret Santa gifts I’ve got to take to tomorrow afternoon’s club tea. As I bought one in April and the other in July when I saw suitable gifts I could have hidden them anywhere.

My eye is very sore now so I think it’s time to close the computer down. You seem to be going through a spell of bad nights Annx so I hope tonight will be a good one for all of us.

EDIT Just seen your post Mel and see you’re back from your carol service and food. For some reason I thought it was this evening. It sounds as though there was quite a spread and your cheese, pineapple and olives went down well.

Hope you get a better nights sleep tonight Annx. I usually do if I have had a bad one.

What a trip onthe bus Vera it really makes you wonder who is in charge of these things changing the numbers on the buses. How was the outcome of your visit to the hospital any, were your eyes better after your treatment?

Back from our Christmas party now and what a lovely spread I could'nt begin to tell you what there was as it was so much. Funny you should talk about the cheese stuff on sticks cos thats what I took. I put pineapple cubes on then cheddar cheese and then a stuffed olive. They looked quite festive as I put them all round two small plates with all the stuffed olives pointing upwards. They all went. there was 18 of them. The children all had thier presents from Father Christmas and there was about 5 little boys who got flashing cars each and did they make a noise. It always amazes me how such a loud voice can come out of such a small person.

We had festive pimms when we went in and then the tea, sandwiches cheese and biscuits, and fresh fruit, melon, grapes, raspberries and slices of orange.Choc cakes fruit cakes, mince pies and mince wheels little sausages and many sausage rolls made by different people, a huge cheese board with four kinds of cheese, Stilton, Cheddar, Brie and something else. Loads more that I can't think of and there was tea and coffee and even a glass of sherry if you wanted it.

I asked the vicar if there had been a collection and he said he had'nt thought of that but he would put a plate out, if he did or not I don't know but I gave him my pound for the church anyway. At the harvest festival the collection goes to a charity and I thought the Christmas one did too.

I laughed when I read your posts with you mentioning the cheese and onions on sticks.

Afternoon All,

No frost here and we've had weak sun that's sinking already now. Another bad night sleepwise and awake till after 4.00am so I lay in late. Lunch was a quick affair with Asda's chicken crown in a sage gravy. Also baby pots, carrot, parsnip. red cabbage, broc and red onion. I had a banana out of the fridge after. I wish I'd known about keeping them in the fridge years ago. The skin changes colour a little but the banana inside stays perfect much longer. I hate over ripe bananas that are too sweet and full of sugar. My turn for the advent calendar choccy too, but they get smaller every year don't they.

Vera, what a saga with that old bus and Mr Bean for the driver! You must have doubted ever getting there and thank goodness that lady was able to get him back on the right track. I can just imagine your OH making that comment with an 'I knew it would be a mistake' look on his face. At least the clinic still saw you though, so I hope it was good news for both of your eyes.

That's nice Jannine has invited you for a Christmas eve meal to look forward to Mel and a chance to see the renovations too. Some cheese cubes might go down well with the other snacks or cherry toms or peanuts if you have any.

AnnG I remember those sticks with those things on them and people would wrap a raw potato in tinfoil and push the sticks in to make a hedgehog effect. They usually went down very well too. OH went for a short walk earlier and said it was mild, but said it was freezing when he went out to put something in the bin later.

one thing that caused a giggle and was very popular at ours last week was cheese and pineapple and small siversking onions and cheese on sticks.