General Chat

We had a glimpse of the sun first thing this morning and it wasn't quite so raw and damp, when we went to the service at the war memorial.
So many veterans like to attend that I'm always pleased on their behalf, when the weather isn't too bad.
It changed about 12 o'clock and we are back to the recent gloom and damp feeling.

We walked through town later and saw a lovely tall deep red hollyhock in full bloom.
Yesterday in a village near here, I saw many gladioli still flowering :-S

We have a patch of blue sky and sun and 12 degrees at the moment. Got one or two things at dobbies. The 20% was finished but a lot of stuff was for sale at 30% off and I had £14 worth of vouchers. ended having to just pay £11 for a long list of stuff and also had 2 feee coffees.

Who's pinched the sun ,it lasted all of ten minutes now all grey again .

Yes Mel go for it ,mines in the oven got about another hour to cook .

Stu's rung me and he will be here soon.

Now should I make a Christmas cake this year or not???????

Suns gone here now and its 11 degrees and pc says mostly cloudy.

I have just done both pond filters so they are out of the way for a week. I have water running in the big pond from the well so thats getting a water change.

Not heard anything from Stu yet and I have phoned him and sent a text.

Blue sky - what’s that? I think it might be very slightly less grey but it definitely isn’t blue. It’s cold here.too. When I got up just before 8 am it was only 4 degrees and it’s now 6 degrees.

I hope you find some bargains at Dobbies AnnG. I haven’t heard anything so I assume our nearest one isn’t closing. We don’t go to it very often as we have other garden places nearer but we often pop in for a look around and a coffee or lunch when we go to the hospital as it’s not far from there.

I’ve no real plans for the day but if it’s not too cold and my arms aren’t aching too much I might plant up some more big pots with daffs and tulips.

Morning all,
Well my needle can come unstuck as I can say we have sunshine this morning but there's still lots of cloud .

I think I'm going make a Christmas cake this morning as I haven't heard anything from son so I don't think they are coming .

Oh suns gone but I can now see blue sky .

Morning all,

Nice brightish morning here and its 11 degrees but pc is saying mostly cloudy so I am hoping upon hope that its wrong and we have a decent day for a change instead of the doom and gloom we've had the pst week or more.

I am supposed to be texting Stuart this morning but not too early he said. He is supposed to be coming round to rod my drain and have a look at the old mower to see if he can sort that one out.

Better get in the shower and potter for a bit before I text him. Slept like a log but still got up twice for the bathroom. The second time I went back to bed for alie in till 8.50am.

Good morning all 8 degrees here at 7am. very heavy cloud so far. I am going to Dobbies garden centre this morning. Remembrance Sunday so no doubt a silence will be held. Probably just after we get there. This is one of the Dobbies that is closing and we have been sent vouchers, and today is a 20% off day. Be interesting to see what they have left to offer. People do love a bargain even if , supposedly, they have no money.

My doctors has its own pharmacy and last time they gave me Bisoprlol instead of the Cardicore they were having trouble getting and when I ordered this time I said I would take the Bisoparlol so I don't know whats going on. I wish I had gone for them yesterday and then I would have known and be able to ring them but as I picked them up today I now have to wait till Monday to ring them. Oh used to have Bisopralol and he got them each month. They won't let you have more than one months scripts at my doctors.

I enjoyed my burger and had two hash browns with it naughty but nice...... :-)

I used to have the Topper too and loved Big Uggy and the dinasaur and used to play in the garden with an old water tank and a pipe in it and feed it. It was my duplexdocas as I called it. It used to get mud, apples off the tree and dads sand and anything else I could find to get down the pipe. Goodness know what dad thought when he took stuff to the tip!!

I also had Mirabelle when I was older. I think the price of the Dandy and Beano was about 2d when I was small and the Topper 3d. I liked Beryl the Peril. Desperate Dan and his cow pies, Lord snooty, The Bash street kids and many more from both the dandy and the Beano.

I have been faffing around doing a bit of painting and cleaning up some of my watercolour tubes. I think its about time I ate something,.....think I will do a burger as I have some nice granary rolls and then have a bit of trifle.

I just let Max out and as I opened the door off went some fireworks so I nipped out with him but he didn't batter an eye lid just sauntered out and did a wee and sauntered back in lol

Ann you'll have to keep complaining to the company that's not good enough the windows and doors cost a lot of money and it needs sorting out ,it was ages ago that you told them about it so why has it taken all this time for them to say no .
I have some Alliums to go in the front garden I must get them in this next week .

I'm not sure if Gwyns Agapanthus is now peeping through in the pot ,does it look like grass when it comes through ? only I took some potting compost out of a planter that had had the sweet peas in and there was grass growing in there when the sweet peas were flowering, don't want to keep watering a pot of grass lol

Gosh what a lot of memories today.
We had the Bunty delivered, which my sister and I shared. I remembered the little ladybird pin, but wondered whether I had mis-remembered that, because I remembered that back in late 50s / early 60s we had a talk at school about the work of the Pestalozzi Children's Village in Sussex and their symbol was also a ladybird, which were like a little stick pin and many of us bought them to contribute to their funds.

I don't remember us regularly having annuals for Christmas as children, but our son looked forward to receiving his Blue Peter annual each year.It became a family challenge to look out in charity shops for the ones from previous years, before he started collecting them.

What a dismal day today and very chilly too. We've had really fine drizzle for most of the day and yet there were many people out and about without coats and even in short sleeved T- shirts, no jumpers :-0
We went to a nearby town and yet again I looked in several shops for basic household disinfectant, but it seems there isn't any to be found in any part of the county, ehat I've looked. I used to buy it in Morrisons, Tesco or Sainsburys, but none of them have it now :-| :-|

Mel, Does your GP know the pharmacist has a problem supplying your medication? It seems very unsatifactory if your are left with none of your required tablets. I wonder if there is a safe equivalent that they can prescribe.
So far, I have not been without necessary tablets, but the suppliers have changed at times.

Like Mandy on repeat I feel as though my needle has got stuck in the groove when I keep saying it's been grey, dreary and chilly, though it hasn't rained so that's a blessing.

I used to have the Rupert annual when I was quite young. I had School Friend and Girl comics though I don't remember ever getting the annuals. AnnG, I am glad you mentioned The Children's Newspaper. I used to get that but I've never come across anyone else who has even heard of it.

Your garage must look lovely and tidy now Mel. I wish ours did. We have a fairly large double garage and the car goes in one half. The other half is a glorified shed cum junk room cum storage facility. It needs a good sort out as I am always having to clamber over things to get to whatever I need. I see you had trouble with your scripts again. What is happening lately? We all seem to be having problems. I went to our pharmacy today to tell them I need to collect my next batch a week early. The girl looked me up on the computer, told me I was on the batch system (which I knew of course) and said to just go in when I want it and it will be got ready for me straightaway. I hope she is right but I have my doubts.

Annx, I am convinced all men are selectively deaf or they have a built in mechanism that tunes out their OH's voice. I have heard about using vinegar on weeds but haven't tried it. If you use it please let me know whether it works or not, though I think I'd need a whole vat of the stuff to clear some of our weeds. I can't believe you are still having problems with the door company. If it's a small local outfit I guess you'll just have to keep nagging and complaining but if it's a fair sized organisation write direct to the CEO. We had a problem at one time with Bathstore replacing a piece of rubber seal. In the end I got so fed up that I found out the name of the CEO and wrote to him. The following day I had a phone call of apology from his secretary and next day the seal was fixed.

We had our jabs this morning and were in and out in a matter of minutes. I was very relieved to see we had one of the doctors and not the heavy handed nurse we had once before. We were asked if we would like the two jabs in one arm or one in each arm and we both opted for one in each. We hardly felt the jab being given. No effects for OH so far but my flu jab arm is very sore and achy though the Covid one is fine. We came home and I hoovered through downstairs before my arm got too sore.

Then OH suggested we go out for lunch so we went to a pub 3 or 4 miles away. It's usually quite busy and I wondered if there would be a table free at 1 pm on a Saturday, but it was nearly empty. It made for a bit of a dead atmosphere but the food was excellent. We both had Parma chicken. This was chicken fillet coated in parmesan flakes and baked, then covered in pomodoro sauce which in turn was smothered in melted cheese. It came with a bowl of very nice chips and a good salad. I'm not convinced it was chicken fillet as it was so enormous, I think it must have been ostrich breast. It was so good I struggled through it and cleared my plate but couldn't even manage a coffee after it let alone dessert.

On the way back we called into town for me to go to the pharmacy as I said above and then we went to the Cards for Good Causes pop up shop in the library and bought 60 Christmas cards. These are just for far flung friends and family that we hardly see. Some years ago I stopped giving out cards to all the local people from clubs etc that we belong to as I can wish them Happy Christmas to their face. We make a charitable donation instead and give them all a note of our chosen charity that year.

My gloves came out for the first time this year. As we were walking back through town to the car park at about 3.30 pm it was only 6 or 7 degrees, dark and gloomy and for the first time I felt that winter had really arrived.

Stay warm everyone and sleep tight.

Afternoon Everyone,

Brrr yes a bit chillier this morning and only 8 degrees now. I popped out for the paper and a few bits this morning and they were gearing up for the remembrance parades that the local villages do now. I saw a man scrubbing the whilte fence over a bridge of poppies and I even saw Santa (bit early for him!) at a stall of some sort outside a village hall.

Dad always read the Dandy and Beano, so we had those and the Annual sometimes. I remember having Girl. It had a girl's head on the front and she had lovely wavy hair. We also had a bigger comic, 'The Topper' and I remember Big Uggy, the caveman and Sir Laughalot in that one. I used to enjoy the Rupert Annual each year. I had a Rupert Scarf that I wore to work and now have a Rupert Teddy Bear OH bought me a few years ago. I was a bit old for Bunty when it came out, but my sister had it.

Vera I don't think our OH's listen to us! Remember me cleaning the awkward kitchen window with the pole thing a few days ago? Well I asked OH nicely to be careful when he washes up the things in daily use from now on as it is he who dirties it. Walked in the kitchen after he'd left for footie today and it's covered in splashes again. :-S I still have some Allium bulbs to plant, but may put them in a pot this time as I ought to have what shrubs I want bought and planted to know what spaces are left to plant them in.

After all the trouble we've had with the front door and them agreeing verbally (but not in writing) to replace the sill, they are now saying it can't be done as something else could have caused the patches of deep scratches after this time. We are not happy and will send a complaint as I don't know what else could cause the scratches other than in manufacture or transport. Plus, why have they only just let us know months after they were sent photos?

Well enough of my moans for now. :-) The Magpies have been busy looking for food round the guttering and rocks. I love how they twist their necks to peer into every crevice. At least our food supply is more reliable.

Better recheck the food order now and see if I can add some white vinegar. I've read that it is good for killing weeds, so want to try some out on the drive where it can't harm any plants.

I just remembered I had'nt picked up my scripts from the shop this morning so shot down there before they closed at 2pm. A small bag was passed to me to which I opened and none of the pills I need were in there. Its the heart pill I need and a message on the bag saying one missing. When I got home and looked in the bag they have sent me disperable asprin instead of the gastro resistant one. I already have plenty of the other two they did send. It seems we are all having trouble with our scripts lately.

I am so cross they tell you to order 5 days in advance and I ordered well over that as I know they have trouble getting one of them.

I also had the Rupert annual and when eldest grandson was born I bought Rupert annuals each year but none of that generation were interested in them they are still in my cupboard. I used to read other comics (Girls' Crystal, Beano, Dandy, Eagle and Girl but didn't have them delivered.) I also had The Childrens Newspaper.


Back from town, it was cold, only 7 degrees here even now. Bought the annuals and had a quick look round, didn't even stop for coffee as wanted to catch the bus. the only run half hourly on Saturdays.

I think the first gift on the Bunty was a little ladybird pin.

BIL gone now we unwrapped the new grass collecter and the attatchment to scarify the grass and swept the garage out and moved the big bench over and now its all stored away in there in the dry. Now we just have to wait for the mower to come back and we should be all ready to mow again.

I have a huge cardboard box that some little kids would like to play with and make a house or den. May ring Vron as she has small grandchildren. Seems a shame to burn it.

BIL turned up just as I got back from the hsop. Met the posty in Shebbear and he gave me the parcel. BIL is clearing out the garage and chucking loads away.