General Chat

Evening all. We went to Ambleside today I wanted some new walking shoes so got a pair in the same shop I have bought the last three pairs. They are expensive but good. We first went to Hayes Garden world where we bought some stuff and daughter bought some plants. Then we had lunch there before driving into town for the shoes. Weather was a mix of sun and cloud. Views were beautiful, a bit hazy but no rain still quite bright passin by Grasmere and seeing the Lion and Lamb in the distance it was hard to believe that I have climbed it twice in the past. Lots of lambs, black and white and also tiny calves.
And now I have a sore throat. Don’t know who gave me this.

Afternoon All,

I slept quite well, but was up early as the window cleaner was due and he was here before 9.00 am so it was a good job I had my shower later. OH was already on his way to a meeting in the city, so he wasn't here to warn me when he arrived. I popped out later to get some coleslaw and toms to go with our salad and a paper. The Hawthorn blossom and shrubs look lovey and the verges are covered in Cow Parsley. I passed the house I lived in as a teenager on the way which has recently been sold and they are doing a complete renovation with skips outside and are building a new frontage in brick. I'll be interested to see the finished result! I loved living there as there were fields at the back and the front and a brook at the bottom of the huge garden. It still has the fields, but the new houses are creeping closer. The paper shop had two tall racks of bedding plants with some pretty petunias with stripes or spots and busy lizzies.

I hope Vera feels much better today and that the shakiness has gone now.

Mel that bird is quite something isn't it and I'd never heard of them before. I love the markings it has and a quick google shows videos of the strange calls they make. That was a strange dream you had and it does sound like the castle was connected with AnnG's outing.

Like Gwyn we have sunshine but it's cooler today (17 degrees) and a bit breezy. I can't decide whether to do a bit more weeding next or not. I think I should before the rain reaches us, so I'd better don my hat and leather gloves and get out there.

Its raining here now properly but lightish. Been up the post van and sent a little parcel. Need to get some more stuff on Ebay and do some ironing. That reminds me I did a wash yesterday and its still in the machine!!!! With all the gardening I completely forgot all about it and it would have dried yesterday too. What a nuisance. :-|

Gwyn I have started using the little shells you sent me so when they are finished I shall send some pics.

Wonder what Anng's doing today and if its raining where she is.

Morning all.

What a strange dream :-S :-D
You wonder how the brain computes all the random thoughts into a story, but that dream is particularly odd.
Sort of being bestowed with hair restoring reminds me of people wanting to kiss the Blarney Stone for it's so called powers. ;-)

Thank you for BiL's forwarded photos. I have never seen one of those striking birds. I like it's 'clergy' collar. :-)

Warm and sunny here, but slightly cooler than yesterday maybe. That's not a bad thing though, if we want to be busy.

Morning all,

Just answered an email and forgot to come on here first thing. Its cloudy today and pc says 13 degrees and light rain.

Had another really strange dream. I was showing people around a castle (must be something to do with Anng visiting a castle) and oh came through with this chap who was going bald, quite a young chap. He told him he could do something about that and took him down a secret doorway and up onto the cstle roof where there was a hole in the stonework. He told him to put his head through the hole and so he did and when he stood up he had a full head of wavey hair in a beatle style. The chap was delighted. Then I woke up

Evening All,

Still sunny here now and 23 degrees but was overcast this morning. OH was up early again and has finished weeding the last bit of gravel. Next we need to put weedkiller on it to kill off the tiny weeds. He looked for the Northern Lights again last night but nothing. He did notice a coloured glow from our neighbour's garden so peeped over the fence and saw lots of lit up ornaments like mushrooms etc that have appeared! :-)

I had some cream yesterday and had tummy trouble again so it does seem to be more evidence of lactose intolerance. I checked online today and it says cream can cause a problem even though you drink skimmed milk and eat cheese with no trouble which is what I do. It also said it can be linked to thyroid issues. I will give all cream a wide berth for a month next and see how I am.

Oh yes, those capsules would be impossible to divide Mandy! Your idea of alternate days sounds a good idea. I hope the gradual introduction works ok for you. A rest day sounds like a good idea and we have done the same. The food delivery came but was a small one so didn't take long to put away.

I'm sorry you felt so dreadful Vera, but can understand those horrid feelings which I've had sometimes. Make sure you are drinking plenty of water as a hospital told me once that my heart rate going up was just due to dehydration. I had thought I was drinking plenty with having a chest infection as well, but apparently not. It sounds like the walk to the river was a bit ambitious but I hope you have started to feel better again now. What a shame something seems to have befallen one of the swans and the nest and the poor swan left on it's own too.

It sounds like you had a good time at the castle yesterday AnnG. I love to see Rhododendrons in all the beautiful colours, so I hope you took a few pics. I expect Inara enjoyed the Owls too.

Mel is there much of your drive still to do? I remember it is a very long drive. Just don't overdo it with wearing yourself out will you. I bet the girls did enjoy those grubs!

Done enough for today. Worn myself out and I'm hungry as all I have had is a coffee a glass of water and a cup of tea. There were loads of fat lather jacket bugs under what I scraped up so I collected them all in my little bucket and fed them to the girls you should have seen the rush once they realised what they were. A nice treat for them.

I think now I will do bacon and egg and that will do me for the day until later when I shall have some strawberries and cream.

Had to come down for a drink and whyis it that I try to remember all the things I need up the top and there's always something I forget. Yesterday it was the long handled loppers and today it was my scoppy things that I pick up all the sweepings with.

So sorry you feel woozy aggain Vera and I hope it passes soon. Have a nice rest today after you've done the dinner and don't go out in the sun.

Had a nice shower and did the chickens and fish so now I am off up the garden to do a bit more scraping.

Good afternoon all

21 degrees and sunny at the moment. There is a slight breeze that stops it being too uncomfortable.

I’m being Moaning Minnie again today. I didn’t have too bad a night, sleeping through from about 2.30 am to nearly 8 am but I woke up feeling dreadful. I’ve still got a woozy head and I was so shaky. I felt so bad that I checked my BP. That was better than usual but my pulse rate was much faster than normal. I don’t know why but hope it’s to do with migraine and my funny head and not something else going wrong. Anyway moan over.

To try to make myself feel better I decided to walk down to the river and OH said he would come with me. Tbh it was a struggle putting one foot in front of the other and I had to sit down on the way home. Sadly when we got to the river we could only see 1 swan swimming around the mill pond where they nest. There was no sign of eggs or babies. I suppose a fox or other predator could have got the eggs and hatchlings but I would have thought an angry, adult swan protecting her nest would have been more than a match for a fox. It’s so sad and father swan looks so lonely and has stayed in the mill pond waiting for his mate.

I looked out at 11 pm and again at 2 am and couldn’t see any Northern Lights. The only odd thing was that at 11 the moon was a normal yellow and at 2 it was quite a dark red. I wondered if that could have been caused by the gasses in the atmosphere.

I don’t feel much like dinner but OH needs feeding so I put a chicken in the oven as soon as we got back from the river and I now need to get some vegetables ready. I hope you all continue to get good weather. “See” you again soon.

Beautiful day here but more cloud in the sky than yesterday. BIL popped in as he had been down the lake to get pictures of the Great Northan Diver which has been down there for about two weeks. He said he would send some pics to me to forward on to all of you. Its a beautiful bird with a funny call. It needs a lot of ground to be able to take off and we think it maybe stuck here. If only it would go up the bank of the lake it has a great big field it could fly off in. Theyrescued it from a ditch andit was stuck in brimbles.

Morning all,

Bit cloudy here this morning the sun keeps trying to peep through.
I looked out last night but didn't see any colour in the sky like the night before it was a bit cloudy as the tiny moon was covered although you could see the brightness of the moon through the cloud .
Not a lot happening here today son and family usually come but they messaged to say they were staying in and having a lazy day ,we're both tired after doing jobs through the week so we're having a lazy day too .
I started my iron tablets today ,I thought I would start by having one every other day for a week or so then if I'm OK on them I'd go to one a day .
Ann you said could I have half a one but I can't do that as they are capsules filled with what looks like hundreds and thousands lol

Morning all,

So did anyone see the northan lights last night? I think I may have done the sky to the north was pink and sometimes it looked a bit greeny but it could have been my imagination. I was looking out from 10pm till 12.38am.

Slept like a log, it must be all the scraping I am doing on the road and I did a bit of pruning too as a rose bsh had fallen off the wall within reach of the deer and they had eaten all the new shoots off it so I tied that back up out of reach. Its one of theroses that was planted outside the potting sheds which the buiders pulled up and chucked and mum recued a few.

Need a COC now to get me ging for the day. BBL

Evening All,

We were up early and outside to do a bit before it got too hot. I weeded another couple of feet of the island bed and OH did more weeding of the gravel on the front alongside the drive. He only has a a few feet more to do now then he can start on the borders.

OH went outside to look at the sky at about 11.30 pm but could see nothing, yet nearby at the quarry a friend got some great photos. I wonder if he was looking in the right direction. They say we should be able to see it again between 10.00pm and 2.00am tonight like Mandy said but that it won't be as good so we might try again tonight.

How lovely to be able to watch the baby birds Mel. I hope you will be able to send some photos. Yes, it would be hard work for your BIL pushing a heavy mower in this heat. I hope it keeps going ok now. Do you still have another mower to fall back on? I seem to remember there was big Bertha too. I would love to have seen the Shetland and trap so I hope you can download the pic you took.

Well my data has been breached again, this time at Dell. I got an email about it last night, but was suspicious it might be a scam so had a google and it was being reported by several sites. It suggests no financial data has been breached so I'm keeping my fingers crossed!

Those compost bags are handy for things like that Mandy. I've cut some open to lay on the bare soil in the greenhouse and then stood the tomato pots on it as it stops the weeds. I hope the tabs will be ok now, if not maybe you could cut them in half and try half a dose.

You've been busy in the garden catching up Vera. I love Antirrhinums! Yes I think OH needs checking out to be on the safe side. It does seem to be positional with how he sleeps sometimes or when he does a lot of computer work. They suggested before that it could be to do with his osteoporosis and I suppose nerves could get trapped with that, but I think it's good that he will get a second opinion with another GP. I wonder what has happened to you swans as it doesn't look good does it if there's only one adult now.

OH went to a match this afternoon and I think both of us are ready for an early night tonight, apart from checking if we can see the lights!

It has been a beautiful sunny and warm day and we had a lovely time. Inara was very good and so was A bee the dog. The rhododendrons and a alias were beautiful. And we enjoyed watching the owls and birds of prey in displays, even though it got very hot. It was not too busy so we had no problem finding a seat to have our picnic on while looking out over at distant fells and hills. Inara has now gone home having been fetched by zdzddy and Senua so then there was an hour of mayhem in the garden, children shouting and dog barking while Daddy caught us up with news.
Barbecue tonight but w will eat inside as it does get chilly in the evening.

It’s another very warm day. I still feel off-colour, not really in pain but as though I’m wearing the wrong head, but I decided I couldn’t waste the good weather so we’ve both been working in the garden today. Amongst other jobs I’ve pricked out and potted up 25 little antirrhinum seedlings. That’s a fiddly, boring task. But I’m pleased with everything we managed to do between us. Now my back and legs ache and OH says his shoulders are sore so we’re a right pair.

I hope the new iron tabs work for you Mandy and don’t upset you at all. I wish I’d remembered to look for the Northern Lights yesterday. If I’m awake around midnight tonight I’ll look out and hope to see something.

I really feel for your OH with his bad head pain Annx and hope the doctor can help him.

As Gwyn said, Mel, it must be lovely to have the baby birds to watch. OH walked down to the river to check on our swans yesterday and he could only see 1 adult which he thought was the male. There was no sign of the other adult or any babies which is quite concerning.

It sounds as though your break with your daughter is quite exhausting AnnG but lovely to see all the family. How can Inara be 8 already? We must have blinked and missed her growing up ;-)

I think that’s enough screen time for now as my eyes are still a bit unfocused. Enjoy the rest of this lovely day ladies.

Afternoon all,

Sunny and warm again ,we nipped to get my iron tablets and ill take one after I have my meal tonight ,we went into QD which us very similar to Roys with the things they sell ,I wanted two liners for a couple of long planters that we have on the fence ,they never had any so I have used the compost bag turned it inside out as it's black on the inside so it doesn't look bad .

Yes Gwyn I saw the northern lights I got out for the loo about twelve and thought the sky looked an odd colour and as I watched there was green strips going down in the sky ,I stood for quite a while and watched as it faded and then came back ,something I have always wanted to see and we could be in for another chance again tonight.

Gosh Mel that mower must take some pushing hope he can get it going again .
How lovely to see the baby birds it always amuses me how they shoot there little heads up and open their beaks ready for food .

Vera hope your feeling better today and your head us a little easier .

O mowers going but it dos'nt sound much better to me.

Morning Anng.

I did'nt but I was'nt looking. Still not got the mower going yet he's cleaning out the fuel tank as there's bits in it.

I have been bitten on the first joint of my thumb on my left hand and it dos'nt have itch. Just bought an Argy up the shop double white. Potted on my two osties I bought last week and repotted some Heutera cuttings. I think the patio is going to be orangey peachish and white and yellow this year and rusty red colours.

There was a Shetland pony with its trap down the shop today I did take a pic on my phone but shall have to ask BIL how to get it on the pc again. I can never remember.

Right time to take a pill and get some lunch I think.

Morning everyone.

How lovely to have young baby birds to watch, Mel.

Did anyone see the Northern Lights last night.?
I didn't realise that it might be possible to see them this far south.