General Chat

Afternoon All,

Forgot to cut and paste so lost my post! I think it’s when I brush my wrist against the Ctrl key on the bottom left.

I don’t like snakes either! There were so many in the Cannock Chase where I was a young girl, boys would bring them to school in jamjars and threaten to let them out. They were mostly the poisonous Adders as well and when I went out to play my parents taught me to look out for them as the area was full of bracken, even the hedges and roadside verges.

Vera our washer is a Karcher and not the smallest, but I don’t think we have turned the water tap on fully before, so that would probably help! I don’t think we have done it often enough either so it gets very ingrained. So Mr Crewcut got it right that time! As to your big space did your eyes gently close with your finger pressed on the ‘Enter’ key! Lol.

Our quick bite out didn’t get off to a good start yesterday. The place we have found quiet before had about 60-70 motorbikes in the carpark. OH noticed one with a german flag on it. We peeped through the door and it was packed with noisy german men, clearly some kind of group travelling together, so no chance of quick service or quiet! We moved on to a place we used to go to about 20 years ago that is part of the same group now and does the same menu. Well, the place has really gone downhill with furniture more shabby than chic, so we were both quite relieved when they said they didn’t serve food on Monday lunchtime. So we went to our other haunt at Ullesthorpe Court and I had a tuna jacket with coleslaw and salad and OH had a fish finger stack with coleslaw and salad. No pud Mandy! Lol.

What a shame your friend’s daughter tripped and fell AnnG. It is so easily done though. I hope the strapping will be enough and she won’t need it pinning. It’s lucky there is family nearby as so many have family who have moved away. Two of my neighbours have children living abroad.

OH never ceases to amaze me! He’d run out of things to put on his wholemeal cobs before he goes to a meeting tonight, so I said I could scramble some eggs for him and he liked the idea. After I’d done them in the microwave I told him they were cooling ready to do his cobs. ‘Don’t I eat them hot’ he said. ‘Not usually’ I said. ‘I don’t think I’ve ever had them cold before’ was his reply. ‘Well what do you think is on the egg and cress sandwiches you sometimes buy?’ said I. The light suddenly dawned!

I’ve done nothing outside today except put the slow cooker on with a chicken thigh casserole, onions, mushrooms and root veg with a mustard and horseradish gravy. I also gave the front of the oven a good clean and some of the cupboard doors.

He has'nt got to wait till Christmas has he Vera?

Came down from the border at 18.44pm I have been out there all day. I started on the border after a bowl of cornflakes for lunch and have managedd to et a whole haystack of brimbles out and off the wall . I really need a COT now and then I am going in the shower. Just as well I have a large trailer but I will still have to fill it three or four times I think. I wil see if I can get a picture of what I have cut off.

Grey, wet and cold this morning, a bit warmer with on and off rain this afternoon. It feels a bit like autumn.

I see you are still keeping very busy in your garden and with the ponds Mel. When we had a large koi pond OH spent at least one full day a week on maintenance. They take a lot of time and effort so you’re doing well to keep up with it. You do seem to get a lot of subs in your shopping. A friend has a weekly Asda delivery and she always seems to get a lot as well.

Anyone got any idea why my post last night ends with a long space? It happened just once before and I can’t work out why.

I did all the ironing this morning. I iron the minimum but there’s always more in summer than winter. OH’s thicker winter shirts never need ironing but he has at last moved to lighter weight clothing but he won’t wear all the T-shirts etc he has. No, he’s wearing the good, long sleeved cotton shirts that have to be ironed to look halfway decent.

This afternoon I drove into town. I went first to Roy’s and they hadn’t got what I wanted. I thought of Mandy as I did see a long toy snake. As I came out it started raining again so I struggled into a cagoule and went to Waitrose. They have been rehashing the store so it’s impossible to find anything. Now they are redoing it because of what they have learnt from customer feedback. I walked up and down every aisle in a hunt for eggs and eventually found a small stand with a few boxes on. It was in the bread section. I did my good deeds for the day while there by helping an old lady get some products off the shelf and helping an old man cross the road outside. I say old man and lady but they could both have been younger than me!

I took the shopping back to the car and then trudged to Iceland to get some bits I wanted. I only shop there on a Tuesday so I can make use of my pensioners’ discount card. I had forgotten how heavy a big bag of frozen food can be so by the time I got back to the car I had had enough. I am now on the bed resting my throbbing head and throbbing feet. And that’s what I’ve done on my rather boring day.

I took a home made cottage pie from the freezer this morning. It’s defrosted so just needs reheating. A few steamed or microwaved veg and that’s tonight’s dinner sorted.
OH hoovered through while I was out so brownie points for him. I told him he’ll get a kiss for Christmas :-D

I have not done much in the garden today. Just fed and watered tomatoes and cut back some more rambling roses and dead headed some as well. Also cleaned the bathroom. Got to water Cynth’s baskets in a minute.
Sun has just come out been very grey all day so far.

Been up the garden and I started on getting brimbles out of the box hedge and when I got to the end I got sidetracked by the border so I pulled all the nettles out of about a third of it. Its all strewn across the lawn but I also have a bunny in the trap so have comme down for a drink and the gun. I need the strimmer up there and the loppers and secs and my leather gloves as when I go back up I am going to cut a load of brimbles out of the border. I hav'nt touched the border this year at all so now I think its time to start.

Going to post this in case it disappears.

No Mel I have not heard from my friend since she told me when it happened. Luckily she doesn't live far from her daughter and walks there to help her. good job she does still walk at 86. The other daughters and their families, those that are local are all quite close but of course the young ones still work. They will all be helping one way and another, they are that sort of family.

Morning all,

A bright morning so far but cloudy too with a bit of a breeze pc says 15 degrees and mostly cloudy.

It rained here last night but that fine stuff you can't hear. I shall have to have a look at the soak tray on the side ofthe pond to see just how much we had but it was dripping of the patio roof before I went to bed. The raod all looks dry this morning.

I do hope your friends daughter had a good night and could get comfortable. Do you know if she has to sleep sitting up? Its so hard when things like thi shappen to a person who looks after soemone else but if she has four daughters perhaps they can all rally round and help as much as they can.

Better get on as its shopping day and I have five subs.

Good morning all couldn't get to sleep for quite a while last night then kept waking up at intervals I suppose all together I had quite a bit of sleep but hate keep waking. Leg is a bit stiff when walking after yesterday but not too bad. 13 degrees here and dry. when I got up for the loo in the night the front bedroom window was covered in rain. But I don't think that can have lasted long as it all looks dry out there now.

Vera I think friend's daughter was taken to the minor injuries at Cheltenham when friend phoned one of her other daughters to fetch them (Luckily they were not far from home. The nurses there strapped her shoulder and made her comfortable and she is now waiting to hear from Glos orthopaedic clinic so they can see if it needs pinning etc, My friend has four daughters all live more or less locally and the one who I know is her youngest and unmarried.

Sorry about that Mandy I did'nt know you did'nt like snakes but this one is quite safe and they are not slimey just dry and silky to the touch. When I had a pet shop in Boxted I looked after quite a large python for a young couple while they went on holiday. I had to feed it mice and change its water every day. I was a bit wary of that one but it was fine.

I am sorry but I must admit to not having a hot night here. I can remember hot nights when I would throw all the covers off and keep moving to a cold place in the bed. I am still going to bed with three wheat bags on my back hip and left knee.

Hope you all sleep well tonight.

Well I don't know where I got Felixstow from must be going doolally lol :-D

Oh no 4 snakes ,I'll be dreaming about them now ,if they are on the television Colin usually says don't look as he knows I will have dreams about them.

Oh that poor girl AnnG. I imagine a break like that will be very painful and she won't be able to help her mum for a while. One of our neighbours did something similar a year or two back and she wasn't allowed to lay down for several weeks. She had to sleep sitting up all the time. I hope your friend's daughter doesn't have to do that.

You confused me there, Mandy, talking about Felixstowe. I think Gwyn went to Folkestone. I guess you're not a fan of slow worms. I said to Mel in an email that I wish we had one in our garden; it might eat up all our slugs and snails. You wouldn't like visiting my grandson - he has 4 snakes!

Annx, I forgot to answer your question about detergent in the pressure washer. No, OH just uses water though I think the machine has a facility for using detergent which I suppose he might use if he washed the car with the machine, which you can do. OH just puts ours through the car wash. The pressure washer we've got is a Spear and Jackson machine and it's quite a powerful beast.

We've got the rain as well Mandy and like you, I had to put a cardi on a little while ago though I've taken it off again now as it feels muggy. I am struggling with the heat at night and not sleeping a lot but I suppose we're all in the same boat. Fingers crossed we all sleep well tonight.

No sorry Mel ,as I said in the email I'd have forty fits if there was one in the garden .

Did you like my beautiful Sloworm?

Hope you enjoy your lunch out today Ann ,did you have some naughty and nice :-D
I thought I'd have a rest from the poppies and do something else for a while ,I might do some more poppies later on as they will want a lot to cover the pill box , the count is 60

Gwyn it's a long time since I've been to Felixstowe I use to go there with mum and dad for the day .
That's good your daughter had some help with the branches it sounds as if there was a few branches to cut off if its filled the bin so the loppers and the neighbour were a good help.

Yes Vera the garden looks pretty and I couldn't see any weeds , the penstemon are lovely I think I'd like to have a some of those in the garden.

Oh Anng poor girl that sounds very painful and she will be a while before she can drive her mum about again .

Raining here now and its turned very chilly so I put a cardi on .
I got lots of odd jobs done this morning but you can't see what I've done but I know I've done them :-)

Another night of the programmes being changed by the football and now the tennis .

I meant to say that I heard from my friend. She and her daughter (the one who tidied my cables), were on a visit to open gardens when her daughter tripped and fell and she has fractured her shoulder. I feel so sorry for her and for my friend. Daughter does lots for her, takes her shopping etc as she drives and friend no longer does (she is 2 years older than me.

No rain here, complete cloud cover but failry bright and 17 degrees. So more watering needed later in both gardens.
I went into town on the bus. I left the house with my stick fol;ded in my bag, then when I got off the bus I used the stick to get out of the bus station with the crowd all hustling and pushing to get where they were going. Then when I got to the start of the shops (about 200 yards), I folded my stick again and left it folded in my bag until I got home. I am quite pleased with myself even though my leg is a little bit sore, I walked quite a way round the shops. all to no avail though. I was either looking for red trousers to wear with a top I have, or a pinks floaty type top to wear with pink trousers I have. Plenty of red tops and some pink trousers but not what I was looking for.

It's about 18 degrees here but quite breezy and cloudy. I'm keeping an eye on the weather as some of those clouds are now looking very black and I have loads of washing out.

I'm glad you all liked my garden photos. What we have now is nothing like we originally planned. Plants die and people give you plants that don't quite fit in anywhere but you feel you ought to find a home for them. Annx, I can assure you there are plenty of weeds. They are just not obvious in the photos. Last year I said our 2 physocarpus shrubs were getting too big and we would have to cut them back. Mr Crewcut got at them with his electric shears and cut a swathe through them.. I could have cried. I was left with 2 tiddly , skinny bushes that were all broken branches and ragged twigs. Well, OH had the last laugh - he'd given them a new lease of life. The one closest to the house which grows faster than the other one is now 4-5 ft across and about 7 ft tall. It's bigger than it was when I said it was too big. My big clumps of purple salvia did suffer from Mr Crewcut's administrations - they are not nearly as good as usual. I normally deal with those by shortening them slightly in the autumn but leaving most of the old stems to protect new growth. Then I cut them right down to the ground in the spring. He decided to "help" and cut them right down in the autumn and I think some of the new growth coming through in early spring got killed off by the frosts we had then. Thankfully I have trained him to leave the penstemons to me and not to touch any seedlings or cuttings.

That's annoying that all your wool is dk Mandy but you are so good at knitting that I am sure you will manage to produce lovely dolls even without the 4 ply. We have a craft evening at the ladies' club tomorrow but I shan't be going as, where crafts are concerned, I have 2 left hands.

I've changed bedding and done several loads of washing this morning and I am hoping to get some h/w done this afternoon. I can hear noises from downstairs that I think mean lunch is being prepared and once I sit down for lunch I don't want to get up and start doing jobs again.

Ah, I'm being called; lunch is served. Have a good afternoon everyone.

Brightened here now and we have some sun but its only 15 degrees and the pc is telling me strong gusty winds at 2pm. Not nice. I have been to the post van with a couple of little parcels and now I have fed the fish and the chickens I am going to wash up.

You're getting on well today Ann with cleaning the cooker etc have a nice lunch out and I hope its not to crowded. Make the most of it the children break up soon.

Must fill up the bird feeders and do a bit of hoovering and dusting and a general tidy up as I am in a bit of a mess.

Thank you Vera for the lovely photos of your garden. Your plants look very strong to make a pretty and very pleasing show.

Our garden has been much neglected this year. Other priorities have taken over in the infrequent days, when it wasn't too wet or too cold to get out there. Rhubarb transferred from another location seems to be thriving though, so daughter will be pleased. She does like a rhubarb crumble :-D
Saturday she went out to 'put a bit in the garden bin' before today's collection. Neighbour's son saw her cutting back and before long he came round to help armed with one of those extending loppers, so they could reach some higher tree branches, which his mum thinks are shading her greenhouse. I think the fact that the greenhouse is to the north of their house, so is in the shade for part of the day adds to the problem and then by the time the sun moves round to the other side of our short row of houses, it is much lower in the sky. We were more than willing to cut back any long branches though, because they are great neighbours and we hope to keep it that way.
Mr Crewcut would have a field day ;-)
My job was cutting up the downed branches, so a full and heavy bin is now waiting collection and a pile is ready for chopping up to refill it!

Today is cooler and was cloudy, but brightening now.
Yesterday afternoon we went to Folkestone to watch the Red Arrows perform over the sea as a finale to Armed Forces Day. We sat on the beach waiting, then the rain started :-|
They did come, but only managed about 3 fly-pasts before they had to abandon the show due to low cloud and very poor visibility, which we quite understand. I don't think I've seen them fly with a front light shining before they zoomed by and were lost from sight in the murkiness.Scary.
At those speeds there is no room for error,so it was just as well they left the area.

Today is a general tidy up indoors day and deciding which, if any of the clothes I bought recently can go back to the shop.

Morning All,

Sun's comig out here now and it's 16 degrees. I was up early and have had my marigolds on and cleaned the kitchen sink, then the microwave, cooker glass door and the hob. The gas burner lids are in soak. The rest of the cooker will clean itself on a day that's cooler and now the electricity price has gone down today. I cleaned the kettle and the kitchen tap is soaking in limescale cleaner. It is a nuisance living in a hard water area!

Thank you or your garden photos Vera. It looks lovely and not a weed that I could see so you have worked hard on it. The Penstemons are beautiful and it all looks healthy and lush. Your OH has done a great job with getting your slabs so clean. Does he use a detergent in the washer only our slabs seem to stay a bit patchy.

Mel I hate that sort of rain as it fools you into thinking you won't get very wet and then suddenly you are soaked. I expect you could be sending it up here later! lol. We could certainly do with some.

Oh Mandy what a shame you still have the wrong wool. It sounds a good idea to try it with some smaller needles though. I must admit that I have only seen double knit in places like the Works lately. It sounds like you are ready to move on from the poppies!

I'd better get the Marigolds back on and sort the hob burners out next. I think we are nipping out for lunch then as Mondays are usually less busy.