General Chat

Morning all,

Very cloudy here today no sun and 26 degrees but I think any rain is further down from us so probably more Vera's way .
I heard the weather should be getting hotter again next week .

Feel so tired with Colin like this I'm backwards and forwards to make sure he's OK and be there if he gets up to trundle through to the loo ,we got the walking frame out of the shed that he used when he had his hip done so he's using that which seems better than a stick .
Just having a coffee then I need to gave a dust and hoover through .

Still raining here and I left the washing out last night but it was windy so this morning it was wetter than when it went out.

Mandy how is Colin today? did he have a good night?

Morning all,

Mostly cloudy here and its 16 degrees. Yes thank you Ann I have sorted out a top I already had and a pair of crinkly light weight trousers I already had. Black trousers and a fushia pink top. I can wear a t shirt under the top if its chilly so I shan'nt be wearing the awful top I bought and the awful velour trousers which I look like half a house in and can't get altered anyway.

Been bitten all over the top of my back and it itches like anything.

Good morning all. Fairly bright this morning 16 degrees complete white cloud cover. I think rain is forecast for today here so have no plans to go out. Better start to look over holiday clothes. (Which as it is for UK are not a lot different to non holiday clothes). And wedding clothes.
Mel, are you sorted for the wedding now?

Thank you Mandy, I was pleased to get it today, Only guessed who it is from from the post mark as I have not opened it, I will take it with me so at least I have something to open on my birthday at daughter's. It arrived this morning.

Well you are sort of no further forward really. Just a case of drinking more and waiting to see if the Doc is right. As he seems better today it might just be a case of drinking more and rehydrating.

I rang the surgery and the water sample came back as satisfactory so I had to go through all his symptoms again so she could fil a form in when that was done she said I'll have a word with the doctor and call you back, ten minutes later she rang and said the doc will see him now if you can bring him up so off we went ,no where to park only onedisabled space so I parked there ,he can't walk very far so when I went to check him in I said to the receptionist where I had parked and that we don't have a blue badge and was it OK yes that's fine she said so no risk of getting a fine or clamped.
The doc checked him all over told him to drink more as dark looking water is dehydration which we knew he prodded his tummy and also checked his blood pressure ,told him to stop one of his blood pressure tablets that can cause low blood pressure which could make him go over and he also gave him some sachets to help him go which with IBS he doesn't usually have any trouble, but bloating can make your water dark too, he thought it could have been a bit of a flu like virus, so he has to see how he goes without the blood pressure tablets and if he still feels unwell the next step is blood tests and a scan.

I just feel all of a dither today I suppose it's the worry and shock of him going over yesterday.

Anng I know it's a bit early but I got dil to post your birthday card yesterday as I wasn't sure when I would be going out so you'll just have it a bit early but that's better than being late .
Really cloudy here now but so muggy ,think it's going to be a muggy night for sleeping .

Just had the follow up appointment for 28th August by email, and also a duplicate of the 19th August appointment in the post. I actually asked for letters by post after all the confusion before. Don't know why I had a duplicate in the post. My guess is that one should have been by email
I suppose you can't have too much of a good thing.

17 degrees here now but very grey and occasional spits of rain. Quite pleasant in town though as not too hot. I had a look round M&S, was going to get salad stuff etc but the queue was long and my appointment was for 11.30 so I didn't bother. so all I bought was a coffee and a pecan plait while in town. Oh and a Woman's Weekly to read with coffee. I was back home by 12.30. Next chiropodist appointment is 25 September Ugh! Summer, such as it is will have gone.

So pleased Colin had a better night last night Mandy. Had'nt seen your post as I went up the post van but when I got in there he had lost the internet so I had a long wait and even then it did half of the post as I use signed for and the rest would'nt come as the net was lost again. He said its only Shebbear that has the trouble so he is going to do the rest when he gets to Sheepwash and will give me the receipt next time. Then I picked up my recykling box on the way abck done and saw my neighbour so we had a natter and I am going up later with half a dozen eggs.

Still cloudy here and its now 18 degrees so feels quite comfortable out.

Morning all

I am glad Colin had a better night Mandy. Fingers crossed you get some meds from the doctor today.

Annx, the photos of the Red Kite are wonderful. I particularly like the one with the magpies as the comparison gives you a good idea of the size of the Kite. I've only ever seen them in flight, never at rest like that.

You are all lucky to get 8 weeks meds in one go. Our surgery, and I think the other main one in this town, only issue scripts for 28 days and our surgery, at least, will only issue 6 of those before you have to be rechecked. In cases like mine where I am on permanent medication for life I just have to ring the surgery after 6 scripts and ask for mine to be reissued, so it's not really a problem, but if the docs think 24 weeks (i.e. 6 scripts for 4 weeks each) should have been enough to put you right they will insist on seeing you before issuing more scripts. The idea is to stop people stockpiling and wasting drugs that they no longer need.

Just noticed the time, I must dash and get ready to go out. We're meeting our friends at 12.30 and it will take around an hour to get there. Hope you all have a good day. It's going to be another hot one here.

Your post came through before I posted Mandy, but I'm glad Colin had a better night. I was thinking how frightening it must have been for you. It would have really scared me too. It's great your son is doing all he can to help and will be good if he can get any meds today. Yes rest up as much as you can today.

I have wondered whether to try painting one of the photos! :-) There are several paintings I want to do now, but seem to be so busy arranging and sorting other things lately.

Good Morning,

I still feel tired but thought I'd better see if our WIFI was still on which it is and fingers crossed will stay on till we know what's next.

Yes, I was lucky the bird stayed there long enough for me to take the photos. I had never realised before that they were so colourful or that their feathers were so long and loose looking. When they are in the air they really don't like the other birds hassling them, but while perching he didn't seem bothered at all.

AnnG we had wondered about the phone calls but thought it wouldn't affect us as we have a landline phone package now that gives us unlimited calls, although I'm not sure about calls abroad. I'm glad you have mentioned it though as it has made OH wonder about the billing arrangements, as we don't think nextdoor have unlimited calls. Our broadband provider has agreed we will get some compensation for each day's loss of service, but that's all at the moment. We are thinking there should be more to cover the fact that we should never have been inconvenienced at all, as they shouldn't have used our line for someone else, but we have lodged a complaint anyway, so will wait till we see how long it takes for the problem to be properly sorted first.

We have decided to go out for a simple jacket potato lunch today to unwind a bit. OH has paid HMRC online now so is happy that isn't hanging over him and he managed to do a few other things workwise so seems more relaxed now. Our provider has said they will update us again tonight.

I too hope Mandy's OH is ok and managed to sleep and is not in too much pain and will get sorted today.

It says 20 degrees here but is dull and feels cooler to me. Rain is expected so I'm glad OH got some weedkiller on the gravel at the front yesterday instead of leaving it till today.

More HW jobs this afternoon and we have empty cardboard boxes piling up in here I need to sort out. Some might be handy to store craft stuff, or to use for those low down cupboard shelves. :-)

Morning all,

Bit cloudy this morning and we might get showers later I hope so then I won't have to water .

Colin had a better night ,son came and saw him up the stairs and he went up really as he normally would ,the night before frightened the life out of me as he was so confused and didn't know his left foot front his right he just got to two treads from the top and stood there .
It will be a long wait if I ring the docs now as there is always at least twenty odd in the queue and i don't know when they get the sample results back so I thought I'd leave it until lunch time then ring ,son said to ring him straight away and he go get the script ,I said you know what boots are like and he said that's no problem I'll just ask for the bar code and then I can get them anywhere ,he also knows one of the girls in boots so if he can see her she'll get them for him he saw her last time when I needed tablets
At the moment Colins having a doze which is what I would like to do but we have a parcel coming and just in case the docs ring I don't want to be startled.

Ann I hope they give you some free Internet after all the hassle fancy cutting yours and connecting it to next doors ,that's going to cost them especially if they have to have the road up , good that your back with us again .
Lovely photos of the kite and the magpies ,one for you to paint there perhaps,it would make a lovely picture .

Don't think I'm doing much today just hung a bit of washing out and might put the hoover round and get the meals and that's it .

Morning girls,

Dull dreary and raining here 16 degrees and that about sums up my day.

Woke early and went back to bed and then woke at 9.12am and I need to go to the post van again so better get my skates on again.

Mandy please let us know about the results for Colin? You do really need to get him to see the doctor and get htis sorted. Hope you hear something today thats good news.

Good morning all. 15 degrees at0700 but very grey, no sun, a bit misty but dry. I have to go to town this morning for a chiropodist appointment. So that is the day taken care of.

Vera, that was a satisfying morning that you had with blood test and prescriptions all sorted (we hope). I always have 8 weeks of meds these days, it used to be 12 but they cut down to save more meds being thrown out when unused. (I wonder if they did save money).
Enjoy your meet up with your friends

Goodness Ann, there are enough problems to contend with without the 'help' of people supposed to be trained to fix problems. I would hope they would offer you some compensation for the trouble they caused. Are your neighbours likely to have made any expensive phone call when on your line? Still hard to believe that this could happen so easily.
Those photos are fantastic of the Kite. What a gift for him/her to sit while you took its photo. But well done to get the focus right. I love the one that puts it in context with the magpies.

Mandy how was Colin last night? Don't hesitate to contact the surgery if they don't come up with the result today, you don't want to let the situation drag on and maybe get worse.

Pics are great. :-D :-D :-D

Evening All,

I'm back but only with a temporary connection so I hope it holds good! Sorry I had to cut you off so quickly Mel, only with still getting used to this newish mobile I was worriied I might press the wrong button to answer! It's such a palava to ring them back too. As Frank might have said, they want to know everything except your inside leg measurement, but in hard to follow english spoken at speed! I'd have got OH to answer, but where is a man when you need him......out at a meeting! We are now waiting to hear from the engineer again hopefully tomorrow to see what's to be done next, which might be digging up the road. I suspect that would affect everyone else in the close as well as us. When nextdoor's internet went down the engineer found their cable in the box underground had been cut, so had fixed things for them by using our cable for them by disconnecting us from it, so leaving us with no internet or landline instead of the neighbour! Luckily with our schools already having broken up, OH has just about managed, and he can write up work without the internet. If the schools hadn't broken up, there are one or two where he could have used their internet. He needs to pay HMRC online before the end of the month, so that will be one of his first tasks tomorrow so he avoids fines. It's surprising how exhausting it is dealing with things nowadays though and I can't concentrate on other things very well, but I've had a good clearout in the study.

Poor Colin and how scary for you both Mandy! I hope the results come through quickly tomorrow and that if it is a bladder infection he can get some antibiotics soon and will quickly feel better as it's horrid being in pain. I seem to remember FIL falling when he had a bladder infection once. I couldn't pick OH up on my own either, so would have to ring for an ambulance.

I hope your BIL can sort the mower Mel. It must be a worry when the grass is growing well at this time of the year.

I'm glad you now have a date to work to AnnG and that it's at the nearer hospital for you. Now you can try and sort out a lift. That was kind of your son to send you the flowers. These dates that come around are bound to make you have those thoughts, but you were happy together and have lovely memories, so he'll be with you in spirit.

It's good you managed to get your scripts sorted out Vera. We both get 2 month's supply at a time. We never seemed to have as many problems years ago did we? Is it the outage that's causing problems with your eye appointment? Isn't it shocking that they now charge for changing details on your insurance and all the extra charges for your holiday if you don't do it on line! I avoid downloading apps if I can, but even had to dowload the one for the hairdresser to save my points to get a free haircut. I Our parents would never have managed to do it.

Someone has been to mow and bale silage in the field at the back of us and it has attracted the Red Kite and Buzzards. I'll send a photo of the Red Kite as he perched himself on the bare branches at the top of the hedge in the field quite close by, much to the annoyance of the Magpies.

It's well past my bedtime now, so I'm going now and hope you all sleep well.

Oh Mandy, that must have been frightening for both of you. Thank goodness your son is nearby and can help. If anything like that happened to us I'd have to rely on paramedics like AnnG. It's silly to say to you not to worry because of course you'll worry but try and remember that things often look a lot worse than they really are If you don't hear from your surgery in the morning with some results, I would be inclined to give them a ring and tell them about Colin falling over and finding the stairs difficult. I hope you manage to get some sleep tonight.

It was nice of your son to send you some flowers AnnG - what a thoughtful gesture.

Annx and her OH must be feeling pretty fed up and frustrated. I hope Talktalk sort her out quickly and maybe compensate her in some way if their engineer caused the problem.

OH's appointment went well. The lady he saw wants to get blood tests to rule out various things. Usually we have to contact a number and they give you an appointment at the local Health Centre, normally quite some time ahead. If it's urgent they are sometimes done at the surgery or we have to go the 20 miles to the hospital. She said it wasn't too urgent, hit a couple of keys on her computer and came back with an appointment for him in 2 weeks but at our small local surgery which he can walk to in about 10 minutes so it's ideal.

After that we walked through town to the main surgery to sort out my scripts. I think it must be our lucky day as I actually got someone who understood what I was telling her and seemed to know how to deal with it. She's noted that everything is to go on one prescription and my next lot of tabs must be ready to collect in 3 weeks. She's also going to arrange for me to have 8 weeks supply then instead of the usual 4 as I will be due to collect the following lot the day we go away. She then said that she would put my scripts and her notes in the basket that go upstairs for the pharmacy clerks to deal with; then she smiled and said that she was working upstairs herself tomorrow so she would deal with it all.

Next it was into Roys for a couple of bits and I had a look for the Bisto while I was there. They had plenty of large packets though they had gone up in price to £5 so only a fraction cheaper than buying a couple of small ones from Tesco. But these had a long date (BBE Feb. 2026) and will probably go up in price again so I bought 3 packs. That'll keep me going for a while.

Lastly we finished up in Waitrose where I wanted some salad stuff and some fruit and our luck ran out there. The shelves were half empty. No rocket, no vacuum packed beetroot and the Granny Smith apples OH likes were a joke. They were hardly any bigger than apricots! When we were first married we used to buy huge, juicy apples in the market and lots of varieties. Then the powers that be started grubbing up all our orchards and we end up importing all this small, tasteless stuff. I ended up just buying a couple of bananas and some "wonky" strawberries.

It ended up being a busy afternoon but, on the whole, a good one. Tomorrow we are meeting friends for lunch and are looking forward to a good catch up. They were our next door neighbours in a village we lived in from 1972 to 1986. We then both moved away but always managed to meet up once a year roughly half way between our houses. The lockdown intervened but we've managed to meet once since then. About 9 months ago they moved back to the original village where we were neighbours - in fact, back to the road we lived in then - so it will be good to hear what's going on there now.

Just spoken to Ann on the phone and they have only been online about 2 and a half hours but I had to ring off cos she had a call from talktalk. Apparantly next door had an engineer down to fix their internet and he cut Ann's cable and connected it to theirs so thats why Ann lost her connection but its still not completely sorted and they may have to dig the road up!!! The engineer said there was a very weak signel to all their close.

O Mandy I should have posted after Vera's post and had'nt seen your last posts.

Don't you think you should have the doc out to him? Its just as well you hav eyour son nearby. Don't forget to give him boiled water cooled down. He may have a bug in his tummy.