General Chat

Good morning all I have just watched the temp drop, it wa 3 degrees at 0615, dropped to 2 and now just dropped to 1 degree. Wonder if there is a frost, that will kill off some remaining plants if there is.

Up early as didn't want to go back to sleep. Actually woke just after four but dozed off and on until 0615.

Daughter got back safely from Santorini last night, always good to hear.

Just got in from having dinner out and got myself all undressed ready for bed. Tonight we had haddock roasted new pots and tomatoes with a sauce and it was very nice.

Its been quite cold today and with heavy showers so no gardening done once again.

Glad your home safe and sound Vera but what a todo at the airport with the passport machine. You should have gone through after oh if he was through ok. These machines for everything now dive you up the wall don't they. Iv'e never been abroad so I would'nt know about these things but I have been to Stanstead Airport many many years ago in my younger days we knew the couple who lived at the airport, can't remember what his job was but we did have a drive along the runway and under a plane that was taking off. That was an experience I shall never forget. He had to get special permission to do this. Of course the Airport was nothing like it is now and it was many years before they built the M25. The family who lived there had a caravan on the same beach as we had one. He had three daughters who I used to play with on the beach.

I had been doing a bit of family stuff on my tree today but I keep getting in a muddle. I seem to have lost it with all the families!!! Definately getting old. Going to watch a bit of telly now to relax before ging to bed. I think BIL may come tomorrow so want to be up early and have a tidy up.

I haven’t heard anything about the vaccine yet so not sure what is being offered when

It was the garden interest group and mainly today we had a talk on composting. Interesting to see what can go in the compost and how. I will have to start taking it seriously. We used to have two compost bins but I only have one now, I have slipped a bit with it the past month so had better get my act together.

Good to see you are home Vera! What a pain with your passport though. We've said before haven't we that things are fine when they work, but worse than ever when they don't. I bet you did feel chilly too as the temp has dropped here. A sprinkle of snow in Scotland today I heard.

I hope you had a nice get together at your meeting this afternoon AnnG. Was it gardening or photography?

This morning I meant to ask if anyone else over age 75 had been invited for the RSV vaccination? This is the first year it has been offered and is in addition to the covid and flu ones and is a one off.

Welcome home Vera. Hope you have acclkmatizec by now. That happened to me once with the passport checking things.

Just a quick post to say we are home. The taxi turned up early at the hotel so we were at the airport around 12.15, European time. Sailed through checking in our baggage and going through security and found a cafe where we shared a club sandwich. The only place Vienna airport appears to have any seating are at the boarding gates and you can't go down there too early. So we had to just keep wandering about till our gate number was showing on the board. When we got there most seats were already taken but a nice young man gave his seat up for me and there was one vacant nearby for OH. Boarding was half an hour later than scheduled and when we were all on board the doors were closed and we sat there and sat there....After another hour we were eventually cleared to go. We landed OK. Vienna is a capital city but compared to its airport Stansted is immense. From the plane we had to walk through corridors and up and down stairs to get to a shuttle train to take us to passport control! Once there we joined the faster e-passport queue. Well, it is faster if the machine likes you. Mine didn't :-( I had 3 goes and each time the machine came up with Remove Passport and when I had done this I got Try Again. After 3 attempts it gave up on me This time I got Remove Passport and Seek Assistance. OH had gone through another lane with no problems and was the other side of the glass barrier. I couldn't get out and he couldn't get back in so I shouted as loudly as I could over all the noise "Stay there. Don't move" and hoped he heard. Then I followed the assistance signs and came to a couple of police kiosks. Passport checked there and I was through but now some distance from where I left OH. Thankfully he had heard me and stayed put so I was able to find him. He told me that while waiting the taxi picking us up had phoned to find out where we were. The taxis use flight trackers but clearly the one our driver was using hadn't updated its website to log the delay and the poor man had been waiting just outside the airport since 4.30. We still had to get to baggage reclaim and get our bags but we had arranged that when we got outside we would ring him and then make our way to Zone B where he would pick us up. This worked OK and we only had to wait 6 or 7 minutes for him to arrive but I froze in that time. The temperature had dropped and there was a stiff cold breeze. Drivers always wait outside the airport till their passengers call because Stansted charge £7 just to drop someone or pick them up even if you are only 30 seconds. If you are more than 15 minutes the charge is higher.

Anyway we eventually got home sometime after 8 pm and by the time we'd done all the usual "getting home" things and had something to eat it was 9.30 pm and I was too tired to bother anymore. So today I've been doing loads of washing, putting things away and making a shopping list for the morning and checking on our neighbour's garden as she went away on Friday and we said we would look after her garden as soon as we got back.

This is a longer post than I meant it to be and now I had better get the rest of my washing in. I'm hoping to persuade OH to cook tonight as it's only eggs, bacon and oven chips so not beyond his capabilities and he hasn't done very much today.

Don't know if this would be any help Mel Amazon £12.99

Feitore Deer Fence Netting, 7 x 100 Feet Anti Bird Deer Protection Net Reusable Protective Garden Netting for Plants Fruit Trees Vegetables Against Birds and Other Animals

The main problem is not having a choice of times, with ENT it seems to be at their convenience. apparently they have sent out a letter. Obviously totally unaware that second class post takes longer than 2 days. I don't suppose the letter is important but I am going to email and ask for an email copy if possible.

Morning all,
Nice and sunny here but oh so chilly and we might get a few showers later.

Oh goodness Ann good job you moved your legs out if the way those scooters could do a lot of damage, a neighbour has one and she told me when she first had it she knocked a whole stand down in superdrug .

Oh Mel what a shame about your beans the little bliters will eat any thing .
I can remember you sending us a photo of your wonderful veg garden with rows and rows of veg ,did you have trouble with the deer then when you grew things .

Hope Vera got home OK yesterday ,I expect it will be washing day now that's the only thing after a holiday all the washing .

Anng hope your meeting goes OK is it the gardening club today.

Morning All,

Chilly but sunny here so I might put a wash on. Just been for my RSV vaccine and nearly had an accident in the waiting room! A lady with a motor scooter who could hardly walk had left her lovely little dog lying down in the foyer and come into the waiting room, then decided she was in people's way with her scooter and began to turn it round. All of a sudden she swung to the left to do a 3 point turn but suddenly accelerated straight int o the legs of a lady sitting opposite me and hit her hard enough to tip her chair back. She apologised profusely and the lady she hit was ok, but then she started reversing and headed straight for me but I had anticipated it and swung my legs to the side of the chair as I was on the end! She kept apologising and said she wasn't used to the scooter and moved it into the foyer and managed to walk back slowly using two sticks. Everyone told her not to worry as she was so thin and clearly struggling.

OH has popped out and will be back shortly for us to do a couple more errands, one to collect the rest of his meds which he has already been for 3 times! It's a good job they weren't urgent ones.

Mandy that accident with your bike must have given you a nasty bump on your side and shock if you were winded and struggled to breathe. It is how we learn to be careful though isn't it.

Mel it's a shame the deer had your beans. They seem to think your garden is their restaurant, but I suppose it's hard to stop them.

AnnG it just shows how an appointment time can make such a difference and can be really inconvenient. We try to book things early these days because of parking spaces not being available, but school drop off times cause chaos on the roads round here and we find we set off earlier and earlier these days. Roadworks spring up everywhere with little warning as well.

I think I hear his lordship on the drive so toodlepip for now. :-)

Morning girls,

12 degrees here but feels much colder. The suns out and there are great big whitey grey cludy scidding across the sky. I have just looked to the north and the heavens there are completely dark grey so I think we are in for a downpour like we had early this morning. I thought it was the wind at first but the trees were'nt moving.

I think Autumn has arrived with vengence.

good morning all Brrr! 3 degrees, sunny , pale blue sky but that is a winter temperature at 0750.

Mel isn't there anything that you can cover the beans with to keep the deer off.
A bit of a tidy up this morning as I have a meeting here this afternoon.

Looked at the bus time table and I might have to take an earlier bus and pay. Only thing is, it is right on school time. Not going to be a lot of fun.

Afternoon all,

Sunny morning but now there's lots of black clouds beginning to build and its very chilly ,my hands are cold and I've got my jeans and a cardi on today.
Been and dropped our scrips in and called at Tesco's for a birthday card and a few bits for Chelsea's birthday next week .

Oh hi Jude I too had a three wheeler and many times I tipped it over turning to sharply instead of gently turning the handle bars .

Oh the bamboo cane could have gone into you Anng you were very lucky there .
Mel your poor toe that was nasty too .
I can remember having my new bicycle and gradually going faster and faster round and round in front of the house and coming off and catching my tummy on the piller cap edge of our low wall ,oh I did wind myself I felt as if I could hardly breath and couldn't even talk to tell mum what I had done ,I slowed down after that .

We were going out to take the runner beans down as they have finished now but it's so chilly we decided to do it over the weekend when the temp should come up a bit .

I went down to pick my first lot of beans this morning as when I fed them the day before they needed another day to be big enough. How many did I pick? 1 the deer have cleared the lot. :-(

That accident with the cane sounds dreadful Anng. I had an accident with a cane too but it did'nt scratch me instead I rushed into the polytunnel have open toed sandels on and stubbed my big toe on my right foot just on the end of the cane and the other end hit the raised bed. Oh was'nt around at the time so I hobbled to the front of the top garden and waited for him to come back. I had destroyed the cartalidge in my big toe and now it dos'nt go up anymore it goes down ok but no high heals for me now. we went to the hospital and they said they could straighten the toe but it would be fixed so I could'nt even wer very small heels. I did'nt have it done. Now when I walk in flip flop showr shoes my sock goes round my foot and I am forever pulling it back up. Gosh it did'nt half hurt when I did it it made my head shake and the pain was awful.

Suns been in and out here but there a strong wind blowing and its 14 degrees now.

Hope Vera has a safe journey home. She certainly made good use of her time away visiting all those places and I am hoping hse has a nice lot of photos to show us when she gets back.

Gwyn the original appointment I had was much more convenient being at 12pm, sadly the booking team who appear to be the bane of the medical secretary (not in the same building), had already used that slot although not told the med sec's office. They put me in the 1020 slot instead so I have to go with that. I will have to catch a bus sometime just after 0930 because of road works traffic lights on the journey slowing things down. I will possibly be there early but better than being late. I always tend to be early or on time for things. Comes with being from a RN family and marrying somebody in the RN.

That's good you know which time your appointment is now AnnG, not so good that it wasn't the 12.00pm one! That could have been a really nasty accident with the bamboo stick. :-0

Afternoon All,

Yes autumn is certainly arriving now. it was drizzly when I went out but the slight breeze was making leaves fall. It's sunny and dry again now and 11 degrees.

You've sparked some meories Jude! I had a 2 wheeler bike for my 7th birthday, It meant I would be able to ride to school on it instead of the 2 mile walk that partly involved using a footpath across two fields. Not very nice when it was getting dark in the winter. I remember riding the bike down the rough track to the farmhouse opposite where we lived then. There were tall, old trees either side of the track which had a grassy bit down the midde where no wheels ran. I was riding on the grassy bit as it was flatter than the rutted wheel tracks either side and hit a hidden root from one of the big trees. I was pedalling fast, so I was pitched headfirst over the handlebars and hurt my ribs one side. I was more worried about damage to my bike though and being in trouble with dad, so I was relieved the bike was ok and never told my parents! I never had a bigger bike till I was age 15 and a man who worked for dad took pity on me riding a bike I had to ride standing up as my knees would hit the handlebars when I pedalled otherwise. He gave me his wife's bike she would no longer ride after falling off it. I was thrilled as it had semi drop handlebars and deraillier gears. Sadly dad insisted on 'giving him a drink for it in payment' so it was no longer my bike then and I had to leave it behind when I married and left home. OH and I have mountain bikes now, mine is purple with a gel seat and handlebar grips to be comfy, but they haven't been used for years. We used to ride along the canal on them and on disused rail tracks.

Better get some money transferred now using the cardreader I hate using. OH has finished his online meeting and is off to two more meetings this afternoon and evening so I should be able to get a lot done! He's taking a banana, some cobs and a bottle of water with him.

I hope Vera has a good trip home after what sounded like an interesting holiday.

It's raining here now and no sunshine.

Oooh that sounds nasty :-0
Glad you were OK afterwards though.

It was youngest who had most problems here.... Often she was trying to be as 'clever' as her older siblings :-| but sometimes just an accident.....

That's good that you've clarified timings. I prefer very late morning or afternoon appointments at the hospital, then I can get there without having to get a lift. It takes ages and 2 buses, but the countryside is pleasant, so I don't mind the actual journey.
It's the walk to the bus stop ( local bus stopped ) and then having to hopefully catch the bus, before the bus, which should connect with the hourly bus to the hospital grounds. I have to do this, to allow for my nearest bus to be late or not turn up at all, as has happened in the past :-|
Daughter says she will take me next week otherwise I would need to leave home about 1.40 for a 3.45 p.m. appointment.

The only childhood accident I had was when I was about 4 years old. (it had no repercussions)' Playing outside jumping over a flower border and there was a bamboo stick in the border, I slipped and the sick went down my throat. painful for a moment scraped throat and panicky mother but otherwise OK. And both our children had accident free childhoods.

Appointment sorted Gwyn at 10.20.