General Chat

Gwyn that really is early for narcissus isn't it? I know you always see those few early but surely not in October. what a topsy turvey worls we live in now.

Tumble drier arrived, was installed and old one removed by 0930 and already one load dried and it seems good. Another load in now. I did a wash to be ready for when it was installed, not a large one but big enough for a good trial. first through it was a large bath towel took about the same time as the Grundig.

All I have done other than that is take 8 geranium cuttings, pot them on and they are in the conservatory.
Arms were only painful one day after and mainly only the one I slept on. Both are fine now.

also did some admin bits on the computer including registering for a free 10year guarantee for parts for the tumble drier. 10 years being a bit optimistic (for me not the tumble drier).

Good morning all.

I too had a strange night and have been awake for hours. I'd obviously had enough sleep for a while, so unwillingly stayed awake, after a bathroom visit, but it's not enough sleep to see me through the day :-|
AnnG, I hope your arms are getting more comfortable. I had my Covid vaccine on Saturday and it's been painless.
I trust your new machine arrives and works well. With gloomier weather here, I know you will put it to good use.

Annx , I hope your pharmacy buck their ideas up and become more efficient. It doesn't sound very helpful if you have to keep going back and still have poor service.
I've stopped trying to fathom out how our system works.
The repeat prescription process is actually not too bad and the doctor signs for 2 months supply of tablets at a time. The pharmacy is less than 50 yards from GP surgery, but the request is zapped up to Maidstone electronically for it to be made up at the 'hub' there, from where the prescriptions in sealed plastic bags are sent to the various pharmacies within the county by van, including our local one many miles from the hub. For some reason, one of my repeat tablets are never included in the plastic bag and are dispensed by the pharmacy,popped into a paper bag along with the 'hub' package for me to collect them.
How this saves any time or resources beats me :-S

Vera. Hopefully you will have rested well after your really busy time and now have less pain.. You got a lot done, maybe too much in one go, but there is a great temptation to just get on with it, when you see something wants doing, I think it's great that you have a thriving social group there. How lovely. A good chat together does wonders for one's well-being.

Mandy, You did well defrosting your freezer.You will be all ready to tuck away any extra foods for the festive season. Do you freeze any of your baking?
We have a chest freezer too and I'm sure there are probably some forgotten items in there, which need using up.I prefer fresh vegetables, so may be a soup-making session is called for here to make use of the few items of frozen veg.

Mel, No you don't need another Robbie requiring food :-)
Are you making any Christmas themed miniatures this year?
Will you make the Advent wreath for the church again and then the individual ones you usually make?
I remember last year, I think it was, the birds took most of your holly berries before you could use them. There seem quite a lot of berries on the holly trees around here this year, but we don't have so many hungry birds as you do!

Yesterday, I was walking in our local area and was surprised to see that the early narcissus in one garden already had leaves about 10 inches high. I was even more surprised when I looked closer and saw that there were large flower buds formed on some stems:-0

Morning Anng and all,

Grey old day again here its 13 degrees and I am hoping it may brighten up a bit today. I don't like these dull dreary days it dos'nt make you want to do anything just sit around indoors.

Shopping comes today and my driver is Robbie!! I hope he dos'nt want mealworms too its bad enough with my resident two who fight so I don't need another.

Slept quite well but lay for a while before dropping off again after a visit to the bathroom.

Good morning all hope you all slept well. I had enough sleep but brain seemed to think I needed a five minute rest from sleeping every hour/two hours, very strange.

I have Paul coming with my new tumble drier this morning, he is picking it up first thing and will be here at 0900. so I am up and dressed to get a good start on the day.

Vera you obviously overdid things by changing two beds at once. That is one of the most tiring things I do, changing my bed, so much more difficult doing it on your own.

I could have done with a bit of your sun today Mandy. Here it started grey and drizzly, then around lunchtime it got greyer and the rain came down. It’s rained on and off ever since. I did 3 loads of washing but half of it had to go in the dryer and the other half is hanging around the house. We changed both the beds completely this morning so I’ve got sheets, pillow cases and 2 king sized duvet covers still to be washed but I’ve got plenty of bedding so I’ll wait for a good drying day before I do them.

I intended to make Mandy’s Manor House cake today and took a block of margarine out of the freezer yesterday so it would defrost and soften ready but I’ve run out of time. I’ll try and make it tomorrow.

My back is aching badly at the moment, probably from bending over the bed and changing the duvet, so I am resting it with pillows and a wheat bag behind me. It’s a bit awkward typing this on my knee while leaning back against the pillows so I am going to shut down. Enjoy the rest of the day.

Yes I can reach the bottom Anng ,I scraped the ice from the sides and scooped it up with my little dustpan into a tub ,there was peas and chips and other bits I had dropped out of the bags as I take a bowl down with me to fill .

Clouded up here and it feels cooler now the sun has gone .

Ann Yes they could be done at different times but it is more convenient to get it out of the way. Hers is apparently still sore and she has a bruise

That was a pain about your meds, sounds like the staff need a bit more training in where to look. Maybe by next time they will know.

Mandy could you reach into the freezer. I never liked our chest freezer as I couldn't reach the bottom of it.

Chicken thighs in the air frier Mel. ( fillets, no bones in). Try 200 for 20 minutes. But check after ten, it depends on your air frier so it maybe it could be 190 for 25 minutes and, of course depends on the size of the thighs. sometimes with the air frier it is trial and error. And always write down what is a success. Have you got a meat thermometer? Handy to have as you can double check if cooked through.

Afternoon all,

We have had lovely sunshine until just after twelve when it began to rain but that didn't last long and ths suns out again now.
We went over to the school in thd car as son had a lot of wood for Colin , the nursery is having new flooring put down and all the rads and heating pipes taken out .

Yesterday I had a good sort out in the chest freezer ,I have to say there was a lot I turned out that was very frosty but I need room for Christmas bits so that was a good job done and the bin goes out tomorrow for Wednesday.

Ann our aldi has those hard plastic / glass doors on all the veg and salad and meats , cheeses I find that you have to open the doors to see as the lights shine on them and you can't see what's on the shelf ,they also get very wet and run with condensation.
I have started a christmas goodies box ,I buy a few extra bits each week .
Looking forward to seeing your beading ,I've nearly finished another gnome just got some flowers to sew on his hat .
I've got another crochet gnome book coming this one has some small ones in as well as the bigger ones .
When you mentioned the yarn bombing it reminded me that the poppies have been put on the pill box there was a photo on fb ,I must get a photo next time I go out .

Mel thats good you've changed your appointment you don't want to be driving home alone in the dark , you might be better going early and going to to Lidls first , by the time you come out of the dentist it will be getting on .

Mel the wings were cooked at 200 at the time it said on the packet (they come in a packet.

Thighs, I will look back and see what I cook them at and let you know (I am upstairs and that info is downstairs),

Afternoon All,

The horrid fiine drizzle has arrived here too, but it should have been dry till after lunch. We managed to drag ourselves out of bed to go to Aldi early and, as usual, bought more than we planned! We got a few Christmas things with long dates, like a box of Fox's biscuits, OH's Turkish Delight and a box of Ferrero Rocher for me. (I like the handy polythene boxes they come in and am using one for my cable chargers). I got some non bio liquid for the washer and other food so the fridge is crammed now! The shop hardly looked any different, but has new chill shelving clear plastic doors that are better than the plastic strips it used to have.

We called for the last of my meds on the way back (3rd trip for them) and the older staff seem to have been replaced by youngsters who don't seem very organised at all. One girl spent ages on the computer checking what meds I still needed and after another 10 minutes I heard someone behind a screen say that it wasn't this village, so it sounded like they had wasted time looking in the wrong place. Eight other people were served while I waited and the only 3 seats were filled with people waiting for Flu and covid jabs. One lady asked for more chairs but they couldn't find any. My knees were really aching by the time they found my meds and I was on the verge of saying I'd come back in ten munutes and go and sit in the car for a while. OH had the same trouble getting his last meds too, so I think we'll ring before going to collect them next time. It's a good job we make sure we have some extra so we don't run out. As we drove out of the village they were putting up a Halloween Yarn Bomb!

Yes Mel the stamps on things are just read by a barcode reader now and don't have any franking marks. I suspect they would get some kind of alert if a barcoded stamp had been read before. It's a good idea to change your dental appointment now we have the darker nights, especially with your narrow, unlit roads. Road markings, if any, are poor and you can't see potholes. I rarely drive at night now, unless just along the main road. Our lanes have so much traffic and the headlights are so bright nowadays, they dazzle.

It's funny how the jabs affect us differently some years and different to each other, but I wouldn't fancy having them both in one arm like your poor daughter AnnG, although I expect they could be done at different times. You were up earlier than me this morning too. I don't seem to have benefited from the extra hour at all.

Better put our salad lunch together now and sit with OH to do the wordwheel and try and do the cryptic crossword afterwards, :-D Then I might start beading.

I had had a huge tomato, beans, 3 bacon, egg and two slices of toast for a late lunch.

What temp do you cook the chicken in the air fryer? is it the same for thighs?

That was not a lot for your evening meal Mel. I would not have slept if I had had that small an amount. I had the ready to cook (Tesco) chicken wings in a sweet chilli sauce that I could cook in the air frier, with broccoli, cauliflower and jacket potato. It was very nice. I have put on 1.5 pounds since before my holiday but that is good considering the three cooked breakfasts and the three meals out.

It is drizzly rain here now which is a nuisance as I wanted to cut a few more bits back to fill the brown bin which has to go out this evening.

My ache went on for a few days and then they started to itch a bit further down my arm.

Been raining quite heavily here and then turned to that fine stuff that gets everywhere. Sky is just grey.

Changed my dental appointment from tomorrow to 20th Jan as it was at 4.15pm nd it will be dark by the time I come out and I don't like driving far in the dark and theres dark narrow lanes I have to drive through. The Jan appointment is at 3.15 so that should be better. I do like to pop in Lidl on the way home so I may get round there before its too dark as well.

Think I will have something for breakfast today as I'm hungry. I only had a couple of cream crackers a bit of cheese and and three quarters of an apple and 5 grapes last night. A bit of toast I think and another coffee.

Morning Mel and all. It is 12 degrees here and dry and bright so far. It was raining a bit when I went to bed last night. Nothing planned for today so shall see where it goes. Arm is still stiff, strange that it is the covid side when I expected the flu side to be worse. Not helped, I think by that being the side I lay on.
You were up early Mel!!
Daughter had both jabs in one arm as she has had before, and that has been very painful. she can't have anything jabbed into her other arm as it has Lymphodaemia (not sure of the spelling of that but it is after having breast cancer on that side and the lymph nodes were affected.

Meant to say how's the arm this morning? is it still a bit achey?

Morning on this dull miserable wet day. Its 14 degrees here and that fine rain that get everywhere. Pc is saying near record for the temp.

Thanks for your answers about the postage stamp. It was a box that came to me without being franked and I wondered if I could use it to send on but I shall not chance it now.
Almost completely dark here now and its been a beautiful day with wall to wall sunshine and a few clouds towards the evening.

Dave called in with the poppies today and he always saves me the little metal enameled one as oh always bought me those. He said they were very short on that one this year.

Done a bit of craft fiddleing today and put two more lots on Ebay. Just brought the washing in and need to put it on the airers on the rads.

Had one of my BIG tomatoes for lunch with bacon, egg and toast it was delish so I have saved 5 seeds from it to grow next year. If any of you want a few seeds let me know as I have a few more to eat yet. They came from my neighbour last year and when I ate the big one I saved some seeds and they came true.

Hope the arms feeling better now Anng and the legs.

Annx I had an invite for that jab and it booked for for the 1st November which is the day I also have a breast screening at 9.50am.

Legs are still a bit achy, not sure why I think it is robsbly because the last couple of days I was pottering in the garden carrying around a few heavy ish rocks and also a large container. That always seems to affect my legs which is weird.
My right arm is not too bad, the left,nthe covidvarm is painful still probably because that is the side I sleep on.

Yes it said in the leaflet that this year it was modified to protect against the latest new additions to the virus

Good afternoon ladies

It's been a lovely bright sunny day though not all that warm. At least it has been dry. I had to go down the road just now and the sun was so low in the sky that I couldn't see a thing. I was walking very carefully as the path is uneven and I didn't want to fall because I couldn't see. There was a helicopter going backwards and forwards and circling overhead. That often means someone is missing, usually an older person with dementia. I hope they find whoever it is before it gets dark.

Mel, you got 2 good jobs done while bil was there yesterday so that's a bit less to do now. Did you mean you want to send the box with the stamp to your friend? If it's unused there'll be no problem but check the size and weight of your box to make sure it fits the large letter restrictions. If it's small and not very heavy it should be fine but there is plenty of info on google.

Oh Annx, it is so sad when you come across an obituary of someone you knew. He sounds a real character and you obviously enjoyed his company at work.

I hope your arms (and legs) are feeling less sore now AnnG and you get a good night's sleep tonight. I've heard so many people say that they have had painful arms this time, even though they haven't had them before, that I am not looking forward to having my jabs.

This morning I potted up my cuttings and cleared 3 big troughs of annual begonias. It was a shame in a way as they were still blooming but I thought I'd better do some garden jobs while the weather was dry. I was going to pull up a clump of antirrhinums in one of the beds but they have new blooms opening so I'll leave them for a few more days. Then I went to put my beef joint in the oven this morning only to find I had forgotten to take it out of the freezer. I seem to be having more of these senior moments lately. So we ended up with meat pie. I can't manage potatoes and pastry together so I didn't do any spuds but did a big pan of mixed veg - carrots, leeks, peas and broccoli. It made a change from always having a roast on a Sunday and we both enjoyed it. The only problem is that with a roast there are leftovers for Monday which is always quite a busy day for us. Now I've got to sort out a dinner for us tomorrow.

I've just looked out of the window and the sun is already setting. It's only 4.30 :-(