General Chat

I have duck leg this evening with Broccoli spears. cauli, british asparagus and Aunt Bessies roasries.

I hope you have all had a good day. It was sunny this morning and dull all afternoon but at least it has stayed dry

Good luck with the orchids Mel. I'm not the best at looking after orchids but I have managed to keep alive one that one of our granddaughters bought me a while back and it is now blooming again. It doesn't have quite as many blooms as first time around but at least I haven't killed it yet.

Enjoy your Easter eggs Mandy and OH.

Another Easter memory came to me today. I always had a new pair of sandals for summer and, weather permitting, they were worn for the first time on Easter Sunday. I usually got brown but if we had any special occasion coming up I might be bought a white pair. I thought I was the bees knees wearing those. If money wasn't too tight I also got a new blazer. I don't think there were many other types of summer jacket available for children in those days. My mother usually bought me a royal blue one.

We've had a lovely day with daughter. It really cheered me up. She arrived about midday and stayed till 6.30 pm. We had a nice meal, lots of chat and some laughter. She bought me a lovely bunch of flowers, a big bag of rhubarb and several squares of a rhubarb crumble cake she had made. I had bought her some chocolates and she went home with a pot of scilla (squill) bulbs that have bloomed but have finished for this year and a load of muscari bulbs that were in a terracotta pot that was falling to bits. The flowers have finished but the leaves haven't gone over yet. I dug the bulbs out with the leaves attached and I think they will be OK for her to plant in her garden.

There was another nice surprise for us as well. Daughter and son have put their heads together and found a couple of dates when they are both free. Daughter checked when we would be free and said she will drive us to son's house and we will all stay the weekend before she drives us back. It looks as though it will be in two weeks' time so that's something to look forward to.

OH dozed off as soon as daughter went and is still doing his eyes good but I think I had better go and gently wake him. If he gets into too deep a sleep he'll be gone all evening and then won't sleep tonight.

Enjoy what's left of the day and sleep well tonight.

Evening All,

Hope you've had a Happy Easter Sunday! No eggs or chocolate here this year, but we haven't really missed them. I did like the sound of Mandy's cake though. I bet it looked lovely with bunnies and eggs on top. We enjoyed a lunch of farm shop chicken with green beans, cabbage, broc, cauli, carrots, swede and a bit of parsnip and some mash that was just for OH and he ate it all. He did a short walk this morning and we both spent just a few minutes in the garden to pull up a few more handfuls of weeds.

I don't know what your nuisance weed is Vera, but after some googling I've changed my mind about mine and think it is wood sorrel. Apparently when it's pods burst it can scatter seed up to 10ft so no wonder it is popping up where I don't expect it. I've looked up and found something to kill it and am sending off for some and also some path and drive weedkiller. I hope you knees and ankles were ok last night. How lovely your daughter brought some nice gifts and has cheered you up. A nice visit to see both of your children at your son's to look forward to as well.

Mel, your Little Red was just an inch higher than my second pony who was 13.2hh. They were just the right size for our height weren't they. I sold mine about a year after I got married, as I soon found working full time and having a house and husband left me little time to ride. I was so pleased when the lovely young girl who bought him rode him back to see me about a year later, as I could see he was very well cared for and she thought the world of him. Yes, good luck with the Orchids!

AnnG it is to do with our jobs and dealing with money and payments! I keep track of things on a spreadsheet on the PC. My balancing issue was to do with savings. I put formulas in so that it tots up what is taxable and what isn't etc as I like to check my tax is right at the end of the year. I had put something in a wrong column. I've forgotten most of what I learned about spreadsheets, but it does save me some time adding up. I think your garden looks lovely with all the work you have done and the alterations you have made. I'm sure it will be good this year and I enjoy seeing your photos of your plants.

Mandy I thought it was lovely how you did the easter egg hunt in the garden for your grandchildren. It was nice that they shared them afterwards so the little ones didn't lose out. I think I made Fudge a long time ago too and it was nice. I know I tried making toffee as well, but managed to burn it and the pan took ages to clean. I'm guessing purple for the Chapel bedroom!! :-D

Good morning all very dull so far but dry at the moment. 10 degrees and I think it has rained over night. Jake is supposed to be coming today and the forecast was for rain. I hope it is not constant as I do want that part of the garden cleared. However the garden does really need a good soak so I have mixed feelings.

I slept ok last night but woke early again and up before seven.

Vera you reminded me that Easter was more about new clothes than Easter eggs when I was a child. I did get one easter egg from my parents. In those days eggs were quite substantial with a good amount of chocolates inside. (that was post war, I don't think there were any until after the war. but I was very young then so can't remember.
I too used to have new sandals, Clarks brown and when I was at High School we were allowed to wear sandals with short white socks when we went back to school after easter and our summer dresses. I was also often given by my mum a pair of white summer gloves for church.
I am pleased that the visit from your daughter was a success. and how lovely to have a weekend with the family to look forward to. I am sure that the bulbs will be fine to plant in daughters garden. difficult to kill grape hyacinths.

Ann, I don't keep my bank details on spread sheets as I still prefer to see them in a book, accounts style. But I do use spread sheets (very basic) for other things, mainly lists. I did used to know how to use them properly with them adding for me etc but I don't use that facility now.

So that is my plans changed. Jake has just realised it is a bank holiday and his dad won't be working so will be coming Thursday PM instead. Not too bothered though as it is raining off and on.

Morning Anng, morning all,

Cloudy here but bright I have washing to hang out so I hope it keeps dry .

Ann I'm thinking maybe orange for the bedroom ,Colin thinks yellow, we'll see tomorrow

Anng I was going to say its a bank holiday will Jake be working and then I read your other post, sounds as if he wouldn't have done much though if it's now raining .

Vera glad you had a good day with your daughter yesterday and now you have a lovely weekend to look forward too ,easy in the garden now then as you don't want to aggravate your back before then.

Mel are the girls still giving you lots of eggs and have you seen the baby Robbins

Morning all,

12 degrees and quite sunny but there are some grey clouds as well as white ones in the sky and pc says partly sunny.

Thats something nice to look forward to Vera a nice visit to your son and daughter and a taxi service too. I am sure the bulbs you gave daughter will be ok and she will have a good show of colour next year.

I too had Clark's sandles when young always white ones for summer brown for school and sometimes even lovely red ones with little holes punched over the toes. As I got older I had a one bar shoe also Clark's and can remember having my feet exrayed in that machine where you could see a pic of your feet all green and if the shoes were a good fit or you needed a bigger size. In the winter my nan would always buy me wellies and as I got older it changed to lovely leather boots. I still have two pairs she bought me well out of fashon now but still good.

I too wondered if Jake had realised it was a bank holiday when he said he would come on Monday!

Been slopping around and not dressed yet so better get on and then see what the day brings.

I had assumed that Jake knew and was just happy to have a job. I think he would have worked if his Dad had not said he wouldn't work. He would have been able to get the job done as it has stopped raining for quite a while and it really only involves shifting a load of broken pots to his trailer and demolishing a small old bench.

Some sunshine for us today, after a rather dull and sometimes damp Easter day.
I'm glad you had a chance to enjoy your daughter's company Vera and now can look forward to special time with both your children.- how lovely.
You all seem to have been busy with your gardens.

I can remember having Clark's sandals too.- serviceable brown mostly.
Towards the end of the summer, some children could be seen out playing in sandals which had had the top leather cut out near the toes, so that they would last the child a few more weeks until winter shoes were bought for the new Autumn term.

At secondary school, we had to wear plain black or brown outdoor shoes, - I had boring lace-ups, then change as soon as we got to school into Clarks type sandals for indoors and we kept our outdoor shoes in a liitle wire cage in the cloakroom, under our coat peg.
No fancy fashions allowed for us. It was a grey long gaberdine for winter and a dark blue blazer with school badge on the pocket for summer.
My coat and blazer were bought a bit bigger to last. I was fairly tall starting secondary school, but then didn't grow so much over the next years, so I think mine did infact last until I left school :-0

I think it is a do nothing afternoon now. dusted downstairs had a quick clean of the bathroom and cloakroom then cleaned all the inside upstairs windows (5 rooms.) arms ache now. good job it is raining so the garden can rest.

Afternoon All,

A wet day here up to now with a few dry spells, but hopefully it's loosening the weed roots ready to pull out once it's dry again.

That's a shame you were all ready for more work to be done in the garden AnnG, but it's been cancelled till Wednesday. Still, it won't be long to wait, but does throw out any plans you might have made if you'd known sooner.

OH managed to put my plans out this morning by coming to the shop with me as there were things he needed. I would have gone first thing, but we were later than I planned as he has to wait half aan hour between some tablets and has to then have breakfast after the last one. I was silly enough to mention that we should go to the new Jenno's coffee house that is near my hairdressers and Santander HQ and the old mental hospital Chapel sometime and he decided we should go there and then as it was on the way back. The building used to be Santander's canteen, but has been nicely renovated and I think extended, but it was very noisy and OH had to queue for a while. Also what we had would have been £7 less at Costa! By the time we got home the morning had gone.

OH and his pal have gone to footie and OH has more books to swap with him, so that seems to be working well as they both like the same sort of books! He gave his friend a tip that might be useful to any of you or your families if you get any books from Waterstones. Surprisingly, it is actually cheaper to order books from them online to be collected at the shop, than just go in the shop to buy them.

I remember having some red shoes to match a coat when I was little and mum telling me off for scuffing them! I only used to have one pair of brown sandals once I was at senior school. I was aged 15 before I had a another pair of different sandals for when I went on a school canoeing trip. I'd forgotten we only changed to our summer dresses and blazers for school after easter

Well, the washer has finished now and I think I will sort the bottom of the last wardrobe, or make a start as it means bending! I need to email Fitz too.

BIL popped in and he's up the top fiddleing with his mower. Probably putting the shaft back on he broke. I am just going to feed the chickens their corn and do a bit of potting.

Had a good 2 hours in the garden cutting stuff down. BIL left at 8pm put all the mower back together and tried it and the sweeper did'nt work so he's gone now to have some dinner and I am about to do mine now too.

Good morning all bright this morning with a bit of sun 6 degrees so colder than yesterday but no rain as far as I can tell.

Boiler service this morning and hopefully a look at two outside taps. Other than that no plans slept well until 4.30 then just dozed.

Mel you do eat late in the evening. I wouldn't sleep if I ate that late these days.

Morning girls,

Pc is telling me to expect 4 rainy days from today and its 11 degrees and it says mostly cloudy. There is sunshine out there this morning and I am hoping its going to stay all day.

Shopping comes today so I need to get in the shower early.

Can't get into anything till the shopping comes. He's one stop away but that could be miles away.

Had my shower anyway.

It is a bit like having your car mot'd. Hold your breath time.
Boiler passed No problems, working well. He still doesn't know why it had that hissy fir last year.
Oliver also changed both outside taps and tightened a jubilee clip on the hose down from the bathroom so I have two working taps and the one from the water butt is running much faster now. He also noticed a problem with the pipe down to the butt, it was not connected properly so he fixed that (no charge) He was working over an hour £130. Including £10 each for the new taps.
He remarked he was impressed at how I knew what he was talking about and knew what needed doing. He said (quote) 'a lot of women in their 60s don't have a clue' He was genuinely shocked when I told him how old I was.

He should hear me groaning to bend down to pull up weeds.

I have just walked down to Irene's with some stuff. Time to have another look and fill a couple more bags.

Afternoon All,

Slept like a log last night after taking a paracetamol and lay in this morning. It's sunny now but rained a lot during the night and more due later. OH had to go and fetch our garden bin from next door, before our neighbour took it in. Neither he nor the bin men seem to look at the large plastic red number on both the side and front of the bin.

I'm all to pot with what day it is this week. With OH going to footie yesterday it feels like it should be Sunday today. We ordered a normal size carvery between us for lunch, but just had one roast potato each and threw the third away with half of the mashed potato. We noticed how the price had doubled since the pandemic though.

OH has had 4 MOT reminders, one from where he bought his old car, one from where he bought his current car and two from where it was first serviced. Even better this morning he had an appointment reminder for his hospital dental appointment on Friday this week, which is an appointment the hospital had cancelled last week and rebooked in May! :-S

AnnG it sounds like Oliver got a few of those annoying little jobs done out of the way for you. It's good to be able to surprise young men with knowledge they don't expect us older women to have isn't it. No wonder he was shocked to hear you weren't in your 60s. His face must have been a picture when you told him your age. Good news that the boiler is good as well. I thought of an idea for your photography group last night, but expect they may have already done it......OUTDOOR CLOCKS!

Mel I hope you had some breaks or seated jobs in your 2 hour stint in the garden or you will put us all to shame! I think I'd get indigestion if I ate that late, unless it was a small snack.

I'm nipping outside now to spend a few minutes pulling weeds before the next rain comes.

Just as I put the washing on the line this morning it rained. It was only a short sharp shower and then it stopped but it is still a bit cloudy now. Washing has nearly dried though so thats good.

Anng that like when my plumber came to do the shower unit he said he would have to go and get something and I knew where oh had one and he was surprised that I knew what he was talking about. Oh always had spares of thing he may need to replace in the future.

Ann I have added your suggestion to the list. The door knobs one for me was not that good as I am so limited with where to look when I am not away in the time frame for taking photos. I was limited to around here and Gloucester . Managed to get 4 but one was mine and one was Cynths. However some people did get some really good ones.