General Chat

Those fire's are terrifying and so sad.

good morning all Alexa is telling me it is -5 degrees.so it must be icy out there. there is frost on roofs but it is not as white as yesterday .
Have to get the house ready for the meeting this afternoon, otherwise it is just back to following the jobs 'to do' list which has not shrunk much.

Morning all,

We have frost and lovely sunshine, it should be sunny all day .

Not to good today I had sickness and diarrhea from about one o'clock till four so feel a bit tired ,don't know where I picked that up from ,the hospital maybe ,its just one thing after another here .

Sorry that you are poorly Mandy I do hope that Colin doesn't catch it from you. Hope you feel better soon.

mornig all, Jack Frost has been again here too cars all covered in ice but at least it has'nt snowed and laid.

Beautiful sunshine and an 2 degrees and pc says light rain.

Woke at 745am and could see it was going to be nice today by the sun coming up so popped back in bed it was so nice and warm I then awoke at 9.50am with brilliant sunshine flooding the room so I shot out of bed.

Stu comes tonight and still not decided what I am going to cook be it stew for Stu or Toad in the Hole. I think maybe a nice stew with butter beans and dough boys.

Stu's girl just rang to say he's not well so he is'nt coming tonight. I have the stew on so it looks like it two days dinner for me then.

Suns still out and I have a weather alert for snow and ice and its 2 degrees out there. Nice........I don't think.

I had two eggs this morning so it looks like they might be coming back into lay. I have been having just one a day with a day off here and there. The one that lays the bluey greenish eggs had been laying all winter but neither of the white laying ones.

I had a tidy round and did a bit of casting but only two things and now I am hungry so am going to have some toast and honey and then I'm going to hoover. May even do some ironing.

Afternoon All,

You poor thing Mandy, that's horrid to have. As you say it's one thing after another. It could have been from the hospital visit as you say. I hope you are soon better and that your son doesn't get it or Colin. Thanks for the mention of new series of the chapel renovation coming, I'll look out for it.

It was colder here last night with more frost. I was watching them clearing up from the floods round here on tv and was surprised to see a nice pub at Whetstone we've eaten at and less than 2 miles away had been flooded. The owner rescued a woman from her car stuck in the floods and his wife said the water had been up to his chest in their carpark. The fields on the way to the shop were still like lakes this morning but there's still no sign any gritting has been done and the puddles left are sheets of ice.

OH had his phone appointment with the doctor this morning. They didn't seem to know what it was about yet they had asked for him to make the appointment! Anyway his x-ray showed arthritis in his back, but no compression of his spine which was the main concern with his osteoarthritis and they've booked him in for physio. They are repeating one of the blood tests next month, but OH said the doctor didn't seem concerned.

It's a long time since I could shoot anywhere Mel especially out of bed in the morning! Oh that's a shame Stu isn't well. At least you can freeze some of a stew though for another day if you wanted.

I chuckled at your 'to do' list not shrinking AnnG as it sounds like mine! I think it sounds even colder than here where you are. I hope you have a good meeting with the group.

I've put my cooker metal racks in the bath with hot water and dishwasher tablets. I read about it for cleaning them online so we'll see if it works!

I'll be glad when OH sits down to his online meeting and then is out to another meeting as he pops in and out of here like a jack in the box to chat which does'nt help me get anything done! Then he asks me how I am getting on! :-)

Gosh that made me laugh, how are you getting on. I know just what you mean as oh would do the same to me.

Hope Mandy is feeling better now and she gets over this bug quickly and that Colin dos'nt catch it or her son having just gone back to school.

Sun is still out but its so low in the sky and its still bitter out.

I have been meaning to say that our Frank has got dimenture badly now and Ros can't cope. He is in hospital and she has lost 8 stone last year looking after him. She thinks he will have to go in a home as she can't is'nt able to look after him anymore. Its so sad.

I have also just realised I did'nt send the pics of my Christmas flowers they are still on the desktop so I will send them today.

Shame that Stu is ill Mel, I know that you look forward to his company. good job it is stew and it will heat up nicely tomorrow.

Oh dear poor Frank, or rather poor Ros, It does seem that when a person suffers dementia it is the partner who suffers. I am sure that he will be better off in a home and she will be too She is probably worn out.

Ann yes it does seem that as fast as I complete one job another one crops up. I just seem to not being able to catch up with myself at the moment. None of the jobs are urgent though so it does keep me occupied.

the meeting went well, not a lot of gardening to talk about but we covered many other subjects such as the LA wildfires, the Tsunami from way back and the depth and type of snow in Canada compared to ours (One member's daughter lives near Ontario.
We did talk about plants that have survived winter temps and the following is one that has done well in several gardens. I might look out for it.

Brunnera macrophylla 'Jack Frost', also known as Siberian Bugloss, is a hardy perennial plant with large, heart-shaped, silver leaves and small, bright blue flowers:

There is a varigated form of that plant Anng and the leves are really pretty. I had the ordinary one years ago.

That's sad and a shame about Frank Mel. Poor Ros must have been under a lot of strain. Do you know why he is in hospital? Like FIL he would probably be fine once he settles in a home and would enjoy the company and entertainment. It would be easier for Ros too as dementia can make you quite demanding and not easy to deal with at times. I think he must be about 86 now. I do miss his funny posts and things he did.

I thought the frosted one was the variegated plant, but maybe there are several others that are variegated. They are a nice plant, do well in the shade too.

Yes those fires are dreadful with all the destruction they are causing, cars and expensive homes. Awful trying to decide and grab what's dear to you before you escape the flames too.

Colder still here tonight if they are right and down to -5 degrees! :-0

The
Lang with the name I mentioned is the variagated one dark green wiiyh silver variagationthat gives it the Jack Frost name. Has small blue flowers apparently

I think th eflowers are like a forget me knot but darker in colour.

Its very frosty outside again tonight my car is all white.

It’s so sad to hear about Frank. Poor Ros must be at the end of her tether as it’s a 24/7 job taking care of someone with dementia. I hope a good home can be found for Frank where he will be happy and Ros will know he’s being cared for. I also hope that while Frank still had good understanding they got a Power of Attorney set up or Ros has a bit of a struggle ahead of her.

Sorry to hear that you haven’t been well Mandy. I hope it was one of those bugs that quickly goes and you are feeling better now. Get plenty of rest.

Hopefully the physio will help your OH Annx. It’s not good to hear about his arthritis but good that it’s not his osteoporosis causing the problem. Let me know how the oven racks cleaned up as mine are in a sorry state and need a good clean. OH always used to give them a bit of a clean after our Sunday dinner but he seems to have given that job up.

Shame that Stu is unwell, Mel. Stew was a good meal to cook because you can reheat it for you tomorrow or freeze the leftovers for another time.

It’s been a beautiful day with blue skies and sunshine but sooo cold. We went for coffee to friends who live about 15 minutes walk away and normally we go on foot but even OH decided to get the car out. I think we’d have turned into icicles before we got there if we’d walked. After lunch I got on with several jobs while OH spent hours on the phone trying to sort out a website problem with the company’s tech people. He needed to use it to set up various important things to do with his finances. Now he has to wait for a couple of days for this company to email him to say everything has gone through OK. Any transaction seems to be so complicated these days

It looks like being a very cold night again so I’ll be taking my wheat bag and a hottie to bed with me. I’m still not sleeping well so I’m hoping for a better night. I hope you all sleep well. Sweet dreams everyone.

Mel from a photo I think you are right about the flowers.

Vera hope you can sleep better tonight.
I have been no further than the conservatory and that was cold enough.

Morning all,

Not a nice morning here and very cold still its 2 degrees but the frost gone off the windows of the car but is still on the roof.

Just have to check if I have the foot man today at 12.15am or if its next week.

Hope you slept well last night everyone. I went out like a light and only gt up once for the loo.

Good morning all Very hard frost again and very dull/dark, heavy cloud cover. glad I don't have to go out. I didn't wake until 0855 it was so dark. -3 degrees out there now.

Good morning all

It’s a white world out there this morning; not snow but the heaviest frost I’ve seen for a long, long while. Earlier I was reading Mel’s post saying it’s 2 degrees and thinking that’s nearly tropical. At the time it was -4 here. We have.gone up to -3 now. We were going into town but have decided to give it a miss. I’m so wary about slipping on an icy path.

We’ve always had 3 hours free parking in town but for years the district council have been trying to bring in charges and now they have succeeded. So, apart from shopping, every time we need to go to a bank or a solicitor or get a haircut or have an appointment at either of the 2 GP surgeries in town, it will cost us. The few remaining shops and businesses are not happy as it’s believed that people from the outlying villages come to our town because of the free parking. If they have to pay they might as well go to one of the nearby bigger towns with more shops etc. We are no more than 1.5 miles from the town centre, if that, but our elderly legs won’t let us walk there, shop and walk back carrying shopping. Buses are very few and far between.

I’d better stop moaning and get on with some h/w. I had a few hours sleep last night and so I’ve got a bit more energy today.

Morning all,
Blue sky and sunshine here still very frosty the cars still while ,it was a very cold night .

That is sad about our dear Frank he was such a chatty and cheeky chap ,its good that he's going into a home it will be for his own safety and poor Ros must be worn out ,that's a lot of weight to lose probably through worrying about him ,I just hope it's close by although Ros did drive but it would be better if it was close by for her to visit.

I'm feeling a lot better but my tummy that feels so empty,just got to be careful what I eat today.

Ann lots hope the physio can give OH some exercises to help with the pain ,Colin has exercises for his back as he has Arthritis ,the doctor said its general wear and tear after being in the building trade all those years .

Good Morrow friends,

Yes I hope Mel has her bikini to hand! We have only just reached -2 degrees here. :-D It was a cold night, but the 2 fleece throws were cosy and warm. I wrapped OH's jimjams round a hot water bottle ready for him coming home from the school last night. He was perished and said he thought the heating there had been turned off. He said no gritting had been done on any of the roads on his longer trip either.

Vera they did the same here with the bigger village next to us. It had a thriving centre once with the surgery, chemists, greengrocer, a library, Iceland and Aldi, hairdresser, Post Office, newsagent, bakery, several banks and building societies, jewellers, hardware shop, Chippie and dry cleaners. All the carparks were free, then they introduced a 10p charge at the biggest carpark and we knew that would only be the start of increasing charges, then the library carpark became pay and display. Aldi had to introduce inputting your car reg in a machine in their store to park free as everyone was using their carpark. We only go to appointments at the surgery now and struggle to park there since they've halved the patient parking to 9 spaces. I think the charges have slowly driven people to the retail park and smaller villages or internet like they have us. The bank and building society branches that were there have gone, as have the drycleaners, one of the chemists and some shops are just empty. We are also staying in today. OH's bones and my knees wouldn't be good if we fall and we don't desperately need anything. The road up the close is still white over with frost.

I have a letter from HMRC that is going to take some fathoming with all the adjustments to my tax code for previous years and this year. I do wish they had left it so building societies deducted the tax from interest. It was simple for me then.

I'm glad you are feeling better than you did today Mandy even if your tum is still a bit fragile. Better get lunch now and the sun has managed to peep through the clouds just now.