General Chat

Sounds like everyone is getting on with things. I had a letter in the post from waterboard saying they were going to fit us all new meters etc. The line line reads:-

Further information can be found on the enclosed leaflet. NO LEAFLET!!!!! Nothing about a break in the surply of water or for how long or if we have to run taps because dirty water will come out. I can remember once them working on the pipes and I had a white wsh in the machine, yes you've guessed it all came out ginger brown and they had to send me a sachet of something to put in and wash them all again. I am sick to death of the waterboard this year and now I have had an email asking me to do a short survey andwould I like to be on a panel for discussions once a month. No thank you very much, I get enough rubbish mail already and don't have time.

Good afternoon folks

It's a dray day here so far and the wind has dropped but there hasn't been much sun and it's not very warm.

Mel, your garage and sheds are real treasure troves. Who knows what you will find next? I wish I could discover something as interesting as a hunting horn in mine.

That sounds like an interesting talk you had at the U3a meeting AnnG and a nice walk today. If it's dry and not too cold a walk like that does lift the spirits a bit.

I hope it was all good with OH's car after you drove him to collect it Annx and he didn't get held up by roadworks on the way back. Men aren't generally very patient about these things are they?

It sounds as though your tablets might just be beginning to work Mandy if you are finding a little more energy to get into town. You will probably continue to feel tired for a little while as it will take time for the pills to really perk you up. You mentioned how lots of people used to have brass bits and pieces. Just after we got married I was given a box of small brass ornaments. We had them along the front of the hearth and on the mantelpiece above it but I used to get fed up keeping them all bright and polished. An aunt was visiting one day and said how much she liked them so I gave them to her. She was thrilled and thought I was so generous but really I was glad to see the back of them.

We had a good chat with friends yesterday afternoon and, yes AnnG, we did have cake with our tea and coffee. Very nice it was too.

We didn't go to our usual coffee meet this morning as some of the group were going on a tour of the orchards of a company that produce apple juice. The idea was to see all the lovely apple blossom and it was supposed to be next Thursday but the company rang to say they reckoned the blossom will be over by next week so to come this week. That wasn't so convenient for us so we didn't go. I had an exciting trip to the supermarket instead as we are running out of some fresh things and my next delivery isn't till next Tuesday.

This afternoon I've done a little bit of tidying in the garden, which is a bit of an overgrown mess, and I've also potted up some tomato seedlings. There's more than we need but any spare plants can go for sale at the Club's coffee morning fund raiser in June or the plant stall at the village fete at the beginning of July.

I think I need to go and get myself a cup of tea now. I might even have a ginger biccy :-)

I have been painting for three hours.

Its now 12 degrees here and the sun is in full swing and its very warm when you are in it but the air is really chilly and its warmer outside than in.

That was a nice walk seeing the blossom and hearing the birds sing. Robbie has been umpteen times today and is taking away three and four worms at a time.

Mandy you'll feel more private once the wood is up over those bricks. Hope it stays dry so you can get the grass cut. Iv'e had a couple of pots ruined by the frost this year too. I always forget to put them in the shed for the winter.

I think its about time I got myself something to eat for lunch as I had'nt realised what the time was.

Afternoon all,

Clouded over here a bit now but we have had some sun this morning got the shopping done and called in at homebase for some wood that Colin needs for the wall where he's putting new wood up to over the open patterned blocks .
Got two nice pots from Aldi I do really need to sort my pots out as I have a couple of clay pots that have the rims crumbling with the frost .
Hope to get the front grass cut later so long as it stays dry

Sounds as if you had a nice walk out Anng good idea to take your stick to help you along .

Just you and me then Mel. Just back from a 40 minute walk round the next estate and through the small copse. First time I have gone through there this year as it is too mudyy in winter and after rain. lots of blossom on the trees, lots of birds singing, the trees suddenly all in leaf and I saw a baby squirrel but couldn't get it on camera. I took my stick today as, after sitting still for so long yesterday at the meeting my legs are playing up today. sun is shining but there are also clouds it is 11 degrees now feels warm in the sun but still a nip in the air when a cloud covers the sun.

Good morning Mel and all. wow I went back to sleep around 5am and woke up at 0900. I did get up more than once in the night so had broken sleep with a quite long gap at one stage. very sunny but only 6 degrees so far. Better go and get dressed now. Not that I am going anywhere.

Morning all,

Bright sunshine this morning so far and pc says 6 degrees and mostly sunny so we could be in for a very nice day. It dos'nt look like there's much breeze today either but not been out there yet.

Hope you al slept well, I did no dreams that I can remember and up just te once then dropped off again.

Teas and coffee is after the talk Mel.
He didn’t have a single note and talked non stop, didn’t even have a sip of his water. He must be in his seventies now.
Ann to engrave on such small things he has a very strong contraption like a microscope/fixed binoculars very clever.
Mandy this booster is 75 and over.

Evening all,

Its been another cold day ,we've just had thunder and lightning and a very heavy shower, I woke up in the night and felt quire chilly yet I was under the covers ,tonight I think I will lay my dressing gown over my legs .
We walked up town to go to the butchers and go into boots for our tablets ,I felt tired by the time I got home but I was pleased I managed it ,the last few times I've gone up I was so glad to get home as I felt so drained ,hopefully the tablets are now beginning to give me a little more energy.

Ann hope your journey back to pick up the car isn't in the leaving off time ,I always worry about getting in the wrong lane when you can't see the signs on the road ,some of those cycle lanes just seem to stop and if your not careful you can suddenly have a cyclist beside you in the blind spot as you move over to the left .

Anng thats a long time for that chap to talk I bet he was glad of a drink after all that time .

I don't think I'd be old enough for the next covid jab ,is it just for the over seventies this time ?
I noticed Aldi has now done away with the hand sanitiser as you go in the shop so we used the bottle I carry in my bag .

Vera the doctor must have been happy with you if he's given you eight weeks before seeing you again.
Hope you enjoyed your afternoon tea and chat with your friend .

I think years ago everyone had lots of brass things in the house ,now they are out of fashion because of all the cleaning they take .
My friend use to have one of those horns hanging over her fireplace and a big brass bell that came out of the pub they ran , they used it for calling time .

Yes I've just got a COT too Mel after another trip to drop OH off to pick his car up. He is not a good passenger and I had to quietly remind him who was kindly giving him a lift and did he want to be delayed by causing me to have an accident. He went quiet! :-) I know he was bothered about roadworks he'd got delayed by this morning and as he needed to go that way to his meeting after picking his car up I'm sure that was on his mind, but no excuse.

I noticed the closing date for getting the covid jabs is around mid June this time. I think a lot of people won't bother this time now it's quietened down. It looks like I will be the last of us to get one this time AnnG! I meant to ask you more about the micro art as I envisaged painting with a couple of hairs under a big magnifier! It does sound interesting, but it might have been better to have a 10 minute break from what you say.

Thunder and rain lashing down here now!

Don't you get a break fro a cup of tea at these meetings Anng? I think I wouldhave fallen asleep with a whole hour of talking.In fact I could just drop off now but I won't I shall go and make myself a COT.

The winds still blowing a hooley and its also still very very cold. Pc is saying rain tonight just as the chicken pen has dried out.

Mum had a small hunting horn on a green cord with a tassel on it and I always loved it and she gave it away to her aunt. I was so annoyed. I bought this one in the hospice shop I think and it was many years ago I wanted to hang it above the door in the diner. It does sound like yours Annx.

I had a message from the surgery to book my booster, then several days later I had one from NHS suggesting I book with several options and it said book with the nearest. My appointment with the surgery is 27th April.

That was a very interesting talk. But too long and too fast, really tiring concentrating as he spoke without a break for an hour. He actually engraves verses etc on all sorts od small things. A disc that fits in the eye of a needle, a cufflink, a nail head. But his talk was also about who he had met along the way. Princess Michael of Kent, Princess Anne, Ronnie Barker, Uri Geller to name a few. Interesting and tiring.

Oh just spotted Vera and Mel have posted so an excuse to leave the pruning a bit longer.

I had a long copper hunting horn that hung above our stone fireplace in the 70s Mel. It sounds like it might have been like yours as mine was sealed, although it wore off. It had a brass mouthpiece and a red and gold rope it hung with. I'll see if I can find a photo with it on and send to see if it's like yours. I think I must have sold it.

Vera your journey sounded better than ours was today and it was good you were seen quickly too. You got in quickly with your covid jabs as ours are not until May.
We got notifications to book from our GP and from NHS.

It's hard not to get too involved in things isn't it! It's right to consider the group's own insurance. I don't know, but suspect seperate insurance may be needed, not just for the members, but also for speakers that are invited. Think who would they claim against if a member tripped them up and they hurt themselves? I don't know whether your group hire a room, but if so it could be a good time to look at the terms and conditions for that. It 's best to revisit and review everything whilst a new name is considered as the new name would have to feature on any policies like insurance and probably a fresh constitution document that will be needed anyway if the old one is lost. Good luck!

Afternoon All,

I expected a much colder morning but it's been a sunny and nice day up to now.

We both drove into the city to take OH's car to the garage doing the update for 9.00am and it took an hour and 20 minutes to do almost the same trip I did to work as a teenager that would take me 25 minutes. We both went a different route and both said it was horrendous and would rather take a less well paid job out of the city these days. On the ring road that's supposed to keep traffic moving they have removed a lane to make it a seperate 2 way road for cycles, but only a short length. No cycles on it though and pointless being so short. They have put a bus lane actually in the middle of another section of the road for a short distance.What was a neat crossroad junction with 3 lanes, one right, one straight on and one left has been reduced on the left to make a cycle lane so that traffic turning left or straight on share the same lane now. You don't know approaching it which lane has gone though and whether the right hand lane is now for right turners and straight on instead. No chance of seeing the road markings with queuing,shuffle stop traffic covering them. People were getting stuck in the yellow sin bins because others had blocked their exit. They've blocked off the dual carriageway where you could turn right into the garage so I have to go further and make 2 right turns to go and turn in the Space Centre carpark and blow me there were roadworks and traffic lights there. Now we just need to collect the car later hopefully before OH has to get to his meeting.

The blind man came at lunchtime so was nice and early in the slot we were given and that job is now done so that's good.

AnnG I had to visit many self eployed people in my job that were behind with sending their stamped cards in etc and many confessed their paperwork and admin got behind because they focussed on the work and admitted they preferred doing that to the the other things, so it isn't surprising to me that Jake sounds similar. He seems like many immature but willing young men whose mothers always remembered things for them, so isn't quite used to all the responsibilities he now has. I hope the prompts mean he will prioritise your work when he gets back.

Our plumber and window cleaner jet off to sunnier climes in winter Mel. They must both earn a lot as one always goes to America and the other likes Australia.

Well I'd better go and prune a humper full for the garden bin while waiting for the garage to ring.

Enjoy your tea with friends Vera. does that come with cake?

I am sure that if you keep quiet they will get the group sorted out. Hope so anyway.
Good that your cleaner had recovered from its hissy fit anyway.

Mel, I have to chuckle. Doesn't everyone have a hunting horn in their garage? Or anywhere else for that matter. what exactly do you need it for? Will BiL manage to do it as you want it do you think? Is it worth risking? :-D

Enjoy your afternoon out Vera.

Gosh that winds bitterly cold today but its doing the washing good.

I found my long hunting horn in the garage thismorning and the ends come off. It was out tere for oh to buff it up but he never did it for me. I shall have to ask BIL if he can take it to work and get it done for me. It had been sealed and inside the horn it still has the sealant on it so a bit hard to get at but it looks like he has done the pipe bit as thats now dull copper.

Why is it that men don't do what you ask of them and do what they want to do the way they want to do it. No logic really.

Good morning

Intermittent sunshine and cloud today, but rain forecast for later again. I think the wind has dropped a bit but there is still a stiff breeze and it’s only 7 degrees; a bit of a change from the weekend when it reached 20 here. The nights have got cold again as well.

I’ve just booked our next Covid jabs at our local surgery. Normally they let us know they are booking vaccinations but I hadn’t heard so rang the main surgery to ask if they were doing them and the receptionist gave me the earliest available booking which is next Wednesday.

AnnG, I don’t have your problems with using the phone but with businesses and trades people I prefer to email anyway. Then you always have something in writing. You wondered if the possibility of a Club name change had come up before. It gets mentioned at every single AGM and everyone says they will think about it and it just blows over till the next AGM. This time someone has written a letter about it to the Chairman so it’s got to be taken more seriously. It’s funny you should mention insurance. I did look into that yonks ago when I first became secretary and at the time was told we didn’t need it as we hired premises so their public liability should cover us if, for instance, someone slipped over and was injured. We also didn’t sell or give food or drink to the general public. However I am sure rules have changed a lot over the years and, as it happened, the chairman said to me on Monday that she thought we should have insurance of some sort so I hope the committee will look at it again. The money issue isn’t a problem – that is all written into the Constitution right down to what will happen to any funds left if the Club closes. I am trying not to get too involved but seem to be getting drawn in more and more.

My vacuum cleaner is working fine this morning so washing the filter seems to have done the trick, but I can’t understand why it wasn’t flashing “Filter” as normal if that was the problem. This is my cordless vac but I do still have my old plug-in Dyson that I can use. I just find it so heavy and I don’t like using it on the stairs. I don’t really feel safe with it.

As it’s a 20 mile drive and you can never be sure where there are road closures or roadworks we always leave plenty of time to get to hospital appointments. Although we had rain on the way, yesterday we had a clear run so I was early for my appointment. I was called in more or less straight away, had all the usual sight tests, pressure tests and scans and all done by the same very good nurse so it was only one attempt to scan each eye, not the 5 it took the dozy dilly last time. The nurse then said she would show me where to sit to be called for the photos. By the time I’d taken in what she said and asked what photos she was gone. After a couple of minutes I was called in and said to the lady at the machine that I don’t usually have photos done, I normally go in to see the doctor next. She then said the doctor wanted some special pictures of the back of my eye. These were done and she said I could go home now. The doctor would look at everything and then ring or write to me. It was not very satisfying as I was left with no idea of the state of my eye or how long it would be before I heard. However, this morning I got an email from the eye dept at the hospital giving me another appointment in 8 weeks, so I assume it’s stable but he still wants to keep a check on it.

I’ve written quite a lot again and must go and prompt OH to do his duty and get lunch. I want it a bit earlier than usual as we have been invited to a friend’s for a cuppa this afternoon and she is expecting us at 2.30 pm.

I don't ring anyone (ever if I can help it). I email Jake or message him on Next Door site. He contacts me via email or Next door. His Dad I think owns the parent company and Jake is branching out on his own with his Dad working for him (and advising him).. He has explained all this to me. His partner contacts me via the next Door site.

Morning Anng and all,

lovely bright morning again and its 7 degrees at the momemnent and pc says sunny.

Anng who is it you ring when you want Jake and dad? If it is Jake perhaps dad just comes with him to work or maybe it is actually dad who owns the business. When you say te BOYS have gone to Spain do you mean him and his dad? or has Jake gone with friends? I wondeer if it is soemthing like you say.

good morning all bright so far but only 4 degrees so a bit chilly
Nothing planned for this morning but being picked up at 1320 to go to the U3a monthly meeting I think the talk is on micro paintings.

Ann I think with Jake, he is a good worker but a bad manager. (No excuse when dealing with customers I know). He is also, although he would like me to think otherwise) organised by his Dad and they always work together. His Dad does the complicated work. Can't quite put my finger on it, it is as if his Dad is training him. He always leaves Dad in the truck when he is discussing jobs, then calls him in when things are arranged. I suppose he is like a big kid really. He is always willing, always cheerful. And usually gets more than the agreed work done. Just a bit disorganised in his life I think.

I actually wonder if he is on the Autism spectrum in some way. Anyway I can't do anything until they return in 10 days now.