General Chat

Iv'e cut down loads and filled the big trailer up and left loads onthe grass cut down the Weigela as it was dead at the back. cut more off the fig tree and dead stuff out the border. Had down some huge thistles and a sycamore tree out of the Xacodia on the corner. Cut a hawthorn ouut of the borderbut had to come down for a drink and my left knee is hurting so its time to stop.

long a biut further and found my poor Gloxinia

Blast lost the lot I give up.

I can't settle to what I should be doing either Mel. I've just knocked a pile of papers off my desk and now they are all mixed up including the food order I need to add to and the bits of paper to do with the bathroom. I think OH must be having a nap as he hasn't interrupted me for ages! I think I'll get a COT and start again. :-(

That's good you are back and settled now AnnG and that you found a garden centre to have lunch at on the way. Yes I have an idea some were behind a Fuschia so I will have to have a careful poke around as you say. Come to think of it, he's also removed the dying leaves from some pink bluebells that have travelled with me from other house moves, but I know they are under the sprouting leaves of a cordyline that's regrowing, so I can dig those out giving the clump a wide berth with the spade. I should have known what he would be like in the garden when we got together and he 'helped' weed my garden years ago and he told me proudly that he'd cleared the weeds I had in an old half buried metal bucket. It was my mint I had carefully planted in the bucket so it wouldn't spread everywhere! Another time he came to help, I left him to halve a big clump of yellow flags in my small pond while I popped out on an errand. When I got back I was surprised to see him at the pond sporting a pair of my very bright floral shorts! He'd only managed to fall in the pond hadn't he. He'd had to go and rummage in my drawers to find something to wear and the shorts happened to fit hm ok.Turning around I saw socks, jeans and underpants drying on my rotary line! lol

As the others have said Mel, it is easy to accidentally log on to American Amazon. Just make sure it has UK in the log in line.


Oh dear Ann can you remember roughly where the chinodoxia are? If so dig loosely with a fork and see if you can retrieve some bulbs. Then put a marker there

We had an uneventful journey back. Stopped for a hour and a half at a big independent garden centre for lunch. Now all unpacked and settled back in.

Yes that made me chuckle to. Three year olds are so knowing.

Even though BIL is'nt coming I still can't get into anything and I should cos lots needs doing inside and out. May just go and cut off the big thistle heads so they don't self seed all ove the garden.

Afternoon All,

Still dull, but dry and no wind. OH and I popped to the shop, then had lunch and now I really must send an email to bathroom place for more answers! Speaking of which I have now had 5 more scam emails today. I can't believe all these prizes I am supposed to have won!! lol. They've all been reported now.

Yes, Vera is right Mel. It sounds like you missed clicking on the UK Amazon account. I have done it myself before now.

I hope you have a good journey back AnnG and that your sore throat and cough are much better now. The white Peacock sounds nice, I have never seen one, but wonder if it has the coloured tail. I love to watch the baby bunnies together.

Mandy I hope the painkillers are helping with the pain and that you are getting on better with them now. It's a devil when you take something to help you and then that gives you a different problem.

Vera, I thought the front garden had got away unscathed from OH but was wrong. He's managed to dig up a big patch of small, yellow flowered little alpine type plants with leaves like small irises that I specifically told him to leave as I haven't got any in the back garden and was going to move them there. There are 3-4 tiny pieces left so I will have to nurture those. I asked him to leave the pink Chionadoxa leaves that were dying off so that I would know where they are when I dig them up. No chance, every trace of them gone now, so I will probably chop the bulbs up when I go digging. The garden bin was collected this week so I can't try and find anything in there to rescue either. Perhaps I should have married a Monty Don or Alan Titchmarsh! Still, he won't mind me buying replacements.........but you can't always find them to buy these days.

I read something in the paper yesterday that made me chuckle. You may have already seen it. A man said that they had a friend who, unannounced, would often just pop round for a chat and coffee. They heard his car pulling up one day and the man was really busy and didn't want to be held up, so told his wife to duck behing the sofa and they both touched their lips to indicate to their three year old to be quiet. Eventually the man drove off again. When he turned up the following day, they let him in and the three year old immediately piped up and said to him 'don't worry, we aren't hiding from you today'. Imagine the embarrassment and the shock on the visitor's face!

Thanks Vera I will try that.

BIL just phoned and he's not coming today so I can get on with what I want to do. Done some ironing so thats out of the way.

A bit dull and cloudy at the moment but not too cold. Mel, are you going into Amazon.com? If so try going into Amazon.co.uk and the prices should be in sterling.

OH is calling to show him what I want done with some plants. BBL.

Morning Anng and all,

Quite a bright morning here and pc says 12 degrees and partly sunny. BIL is due today so another day I shan't get on.

I shall have to ask him about my Amazon account as when I go into it it gives me all the prices in dollars and I changed it to pounds and pence but it keeps going back and telling me it can;t ship to my address. I hav'nt been on there for months since Christmas.

Good morning all, alll packed and just about to clear up ready to leave. Very grey and damp looking but not raining at the moment. It must be dry as the peacocks are around again they don’t like the wet. There are lots of tiny baby rabbits out on the grass and yesterday a blackbird was feeding his baby right outside our patio door on the. Seal o y. He had a piece of bread which he held I. His beak so the bs y could peck at it.
There is also a completely white peacock.

Evening All,

A chilly day here, but no wind and some sunny spells this afternoon. We lay in this morning as OH had 400 pages to read for his voluntary meeting yesterday. He said everyone was complaining when they gave them another 100 pages to read during the meeting, so he had a nice rest this morning, but is out again now. Last night I couldn't seem to get my right knee in a position where it didn't start aching after a few minutes and it was the same when I woke up this morning. I expected it to be bad today, but when I stood up and walked about it went off. All I have done today is get lunch, pop to the shop and catch up with some admin, so I have lots to do tomorrow.

Vera you sound as if you got on about as well as I did yesterday! You'd never think someone carrying a washing up bowl had lots of seed packets in it! lol. It is annoying when systems for getting our meds change. Our chemist used to have our tablets ready to just pick up, but not anymore, which means there is always a queue now while people wait for them to make them up. I don't remember Minadex either, but I do remember being given some Famel Medicine out of a flat, faintly bluey green tall bottle when I was ill in bed and it tasted foul and made me screw my mouth up. It looked like clear water and I can see that teaspoon zooming towards my mouth now! I also had syrup of figs but didn't mind that or the codliver oil and malt.

Mel, I used to like to enter local shows as you know and have had some successes and didn't signed any of my paintings through lockdown as they obviously don't accept signed ones, as they need to be anonymous for the judging. But sadly we haven't had any local shows since the pandemic and I keep looking out for them. I expect it is an area where the council can save money. You have been busy with your miniatures and it is a good idea to make things that others don't, as people will want to buy things they don't often see. I hope you feel a bit brighter watching the Carpenter's Tribute tonight. We like them too.

It's a shame it was wet again for you today AnnG and that other people wanting to keep out of the rain had the same idea so it was a bit crowded inside. It's a pity your legs are very sore and the steep stairs wouldn't help. It triggers too much pain if I try to climb steep stairs with my short legs and bad knees, but I can carefully manage the very shallow ones. Maybe all the walking you have been doing has made them sore.

It looks like it should be dry and sunny tomorrow so I think I will get some more washing done and see if I can do a little stint of weeding again. I need to email the bathroom people with some questions too!

Hope you enjoyed the show Vera you will have gone now. Hope oh enjoyed it.

BIL turned up here quite late with the new belt for the mower and he tried to get it on but has failed so he's gone home and will ne here tomorrow.

I have been sorting my meal worms for Robbie. I have to keep them clean and have been sorting out the sizes which takes ages but I now have a good lot of big ones I have grown on and sort ed the beetles that lay the eggs and got those in clean litter. I have gone from porridge oats to bran now as I think its going to be easy to sive them.

We have had two wet days now. We were soaked yesterday getting from the car park to the visitors centre and then back to the house. The house was interesting but crowded, everyone wanting a day in the dry. And as for my legs, they are very sore today as there were lots of quite steep stairs in the house. Today is not quite so wet but still wet and Misty and yesterday we were driving in Thick fog.
We have been to Morpeth today a walk round the shops in the rain then lunch in an Italian restaurant, good food bad service. Just having a rest before packing..
Yesterday the internet was down from the afternoon until ten o’clock this morning.

You did well winning all those local show awards in the past Mel. With luck, you'll find a couple of categories to enter this year. I'm sure you'll win something again.

It's been cloudy and not very warm all day and now the wind is getting quite gusty but at least the rain has stayed away today.

I had a dreadful night, eventually falling asleep some time after 7 am and being woken by a noise outside at 9.30 so I have been tired and grumpy all day. All I want now is a drink and a sleep but instead we have to go out. Many moons ago we used to quite like The Carpenters brother and sister duo and OH loved Karen Carpenter's voice so when I noticed there was a tribute to them on at the theatre in Colchester and it's OH's birthday week I bought tickets. It's only on for one night and our plan was to go down early and have a meal in the theatre cafe/bar before going to the show. I couldn't feel less like going out but I can't disappoint OH by not going (or waste the money I shelled out for tickets). .We want to leave here around 4.45 pm so I had better go and change and tidy myself up.

Its quite windy here too Mandy and still a grey sky. I have had a little hind out the back this morning but hav'nt taken a pic. Robbie is still feeding his chicks like crazy and eating me out of house and home. Must fill the bird feeders up today but I am getting the Jackdoes and they eat everything in site and are so noisy.

Morning all,

Very overcast here today we have had the sun peep through for five minutes then it was gone ,its 13 degrees and might get to seventeen, its also quite windy .

Morning girls,

Not raining but a grey sky and pc says partly sunny and 11 degrees. Slept really well it must have been the big dinner I ate but I woke up thirsty.

Nothing planned for today so perhaps the ironing will get done unless I get sidetracked again. Its so easy to do now I am on my own.

era I love yourlong posts so don't stop. I have never heard of Minadex. I used to get Syrup of figs and I liked it. I also liked it in orange juice as a child!!! Mum always told me that on Sunday nights her and her brother and sister woud be given Senna pod tea. Thats it give them a good clear out before going back to school on Monday. Mum also said she would know which day of the week it was by the dinners they got as they had the same thing on each day every week.

I have done nothin g inthe garden today and got sidetracked from the ironing by doing miniatures but I got a lot preped and a few cast and cleaned up and some painted . Just going to start another lot of Tudor slipware as I sold the first lot right away. I try to make things that other people don't do if that makes sense. I also made another plate of food from the shells Gwyn sent so thats two now and I have made a lot for myself.

I see down in the shop on Saturday they have the local shows booklet of entries, I wonder if they will have one this year I can enter as there was nothing in the way of needlework that went with my two Tudor people or my Witches cottage box I made in lockdown. they did'nt even have anything in the way of woodcraft in the last one and there's never anything to do with miniatures in there either. One year when I was first down here they had a catigree (sp) for a miniture garden in a tray or pot holder and I did a tiny wooden arch and a brich path going athrough it and tiny terracotta pots with real miniature flowers in and that tiny moss that grows and I got first prize. Then another year when I wa swith oh and we were doing the veg and fruit growing I won with raspberries and blackcurrant and the fruit class I put in 5 figs and they did'nt know what they were. I also won the best in show with a beautifull basket plant I can't remember the name of but it smelt wonderful. My picture was inthe local paper with it too. I could'nt believe it at the time.

It rained all night and it rained heavily all morning and this afternoon it has been on and off heavy showers. I am wondering if I ought to start building an ark!

I hope it hasn’t been as wet where you are AnnG and that you enjoyed your visit to the NT property.

Annx, we always called Garibaldi biscuits Flies’ Graveyards as well. As children we thought it was quite funny. What a performance with your meal. Are you sure you hadn’t booked in to Fawlty Towers? All this going backwards and forwards with cutlery, glasses etc would make a great farce on stage. I hope we have better luck when we go out to lunch on Sunday. As it’s OH’s birthday we’ve booked a table at a rather nice restaurant about 30 minutes drive from here. We laughed at the confirmation email we were sent which told us that they “respectfully require the table back by 3.35 pm”. How precise is that? We’re booked for 1.30 so should have finished eating and they have a nice lounge/bar area where we can linger over coffee if we want to so it’s not a problem

We’ve been quite busy again today. I tidied up generally, got the ironing done and gave the downstairs cloakroom a good clean. By then it was nearly midday and I noticed the rain had eased up a bit so I decided to go and get my script before it started pouring again. The pharmacy was packed. I joined the queue outside the doors. Eventually it was my turn and I got my tabs. I have three lots that come on what they call automatic batch and I just have to collect them every 4 weeks. The rest I only take if I am in pain and when I am getting a bit low I just ask the assistant to order me another lot to collect with my next automatic batch lot. Not any more – the system has changed, yet again!! Now I have to ring the pharmacy when I have 7 days worth of tablets left and they then order them for me to collect. How am I supposed to know when I have 7 days of pills left when I don’t take a regular amount or take them every day? I’ve decided that a week before I have to collect my next automatic batch I’ll ring up and ask for them to be ordered regardless of how many I’ve got left. I also discovered that I am 6 months overdue for my annual medication review with the doctor. In the past the surgery have rung me with an appointment time. Now, apparently I have to ring the surgery and book a telephone consultation with a clinical pharmacist. By the time I left the chemists today I was pretty fed up.

It didn’t get any better. The car park I was in is right next to Roys shop so I popped in and just got a net of 3 onions and a birthday card. There were 2 checkouts open and I joined the one with a fractionally shorter queue. This was at the counter where they sell the lottery tickets and tobacco products. The queue moved along fine till we got to the man in front of me who just had a washing up bowl to buy. At that point the cashier announced we would have to wait until someone could take over from her as she had handled raw chicken and couldn’t touch anything till she washed her hands. I’m not sure how or when she could have handled raw chicken as Roys doesn’t have a butchery but that is what she said. We all stood there like lemons for quite a few minutes waiting for another assistant to turn up. Apparently they were all busy but eventually one came and took over. That was when I found the man with the washing up bowl had it full of seed packets, all of which had to be rung through individually. His total was £107 so you can guess how long it took to put all these packets through the till. Eventually I got out of the shop and drove home only to be collared by my neighbour who wanted to tell me all the ins and outs of her latest illness and I just couldn’t get away from her. By the time I got indoors I was tired and headachy and all I wanted was something to eat and a cup of tea.

Sorry this is rather long winded but I couldn’t tell half the story of my time in town today.

Going back to childhood memories, does anyone remember Minadex? We ladies were talking Monday evening about how we were all given Syrup of Figs every week but none of them had heard of Minadex. My mother used to dole it out to my brother and me if she thought we were looking a bit peaky or seemed off-colour. It was some sort of tonic and was revolting. It was a horrible yellowy-green colour, quite thick and sickly sweet; it had probably been saturated with sugar to hide the taste. I googled it earlier and it looks as though it might still be available but I bet the formula has been improved. I hated it.

My posts don’t get any shorter, do they. I shall have to learn to condense everything down a bit. Have a good night, ladies and may all your dreams be nice ones.

Well after you talking about fish and chips I went down the vilage for some for my dinner. I was a bit late but they had no fish left so I had a burger and chips. Shall have to go down earlier in future.