General Chat

Just looked on FB. MY SON Simon got married today. What a way to find out.

O Frank yes what a way to find out!! but at least you know he is ok. when did you say his birthday was?

I picked 1 and a quarter pound of raspberries. They are in the freezer.

I hav'nt got a ref no. on my receipt.

Morning all

We've just had one heck of a downpour of rain, it went so dark I had to put the light on. Luckily it stopped just as OH was going to work and it's started to brighten up a bit.

What a shock that must of been for you Frank, but like Mel said at least you know he's ok and happy.

You did well Mel, one and a quarter pound of raspberries, what are you hoping to do with them all? Shame there wasn't a ref no. on your receipt, have you tried contacting the post office you sent it from they might be able to help?

I'm so glad I did all my washing yesterday and OH cut the lawns and hedges, the weather has just been so bad those jobs wouldn't of got done today. It was lovely to get up this morning and see the two new rooms all finished and looking normal. No more dust and everything where it should be.

I'm going to have a relaxing day today, starting with a nice soak in a bath followed by catching up on all my programs I've recorded and a nice roast chicken later on.

Going to get my cuppa now and start running the bath
BBL

Morning all and evenign KIm,

Very small patches of blue sky this mor ning in grey clouds. The suns peeps out every so often and it is dry at the moment.

Gill it is not as easy as it sounds to go to the post office from where I live. We have a post VAN call for an hour in the morning in the net village about a mile and a half up the road in Shebbear. In fact I don't think it is even an hour! It was'nt a registered package and I only have a certificate of posting receipt.

What a shame Mel, it sounds like there's not much you can do then.

Glad to hear you haven't got the rain we had here this morning. I'm going to have to ring our insurance first thing tomorrow as all the rain has washed what must of been part of a blockage through to my back garden drain instead of the other way to the road, so it looks like we've still got a problem with our drains........Hope it's just a blockage and not a broken drain.....I'll find out soon no doubt :-( :-(.

Finally got round to having my bath, I had more washing to do then decided to give my washing machine a good clean and also run it on a boil wash while it was empty to clean out the inside. I popped some bicarb in the dispenser as it was a bit smelly, but thinking about it that's probably the drains I can smell LOL.

I'm just going to dry my hair then Sandra and I are going to watch a two part film I recorded the other week, I think the two parts together run for about four hours so they'll keep us out of mischief this afternoon ;-) ;-).

Good morning all, Evening Kim,

Well my early night turned into a very late night. I sat until 2.00 am wondering where I had gone wrong as a Father. I was not invited to my daughters wedding and not to either of my sons two weddings.

I think I will have to accept that contact with my children, grandchildren, and great grandchildren has come to the END.

I have always been here for them, and have got my daughter out of financial trouble twice, without a word of thanks. Si8mon was a good son for many years and would visit me and me him for regular meals. When his marriage broke down I was there for him, and saw him through all the heartache from the breakdown. For some reason unbeknown to me he dropped us like a HOT POTATO and things never improved from there. He had many weekend girlfriends from various sites on the web. I didn't approve of them but didn't voice my opinion as it was nothing to do with me. He had been bought up to respect himself better than that.

Sunshine and clouds here today.

Ros has bought me some more shorts, but they have a buttoned fly. Which with my stroke hand, I find very difficult to do up the buttons. She has bought a ZIP and is trying to fit it now. She keeps pricking her finger on the needle, so you can imagine the language !!!!

Had a selection of photo's of Jan, Conrad, Jo and Ella taken on various visits around the coast where he lives in Spain. They all look as though they are having a lovely time.

Ros has been on Skype for almost an hour chatting to them this morning.

Hope you get your drains sorted Gill. They are horrible when smelly in the hot weather.

That's a lot of Raspberries Mel, are you going to make jam, or just freeze them ??? I just noticed they are in the freezer (SILLY BOY)

It's my son's 50th birthday today. I did leave a message on FB, so will look to see if he replied.

Must see about getting sorted to go to John and Carolyn's, as I feel now, I could just as easy stay at home !!! :-( :-( :-(

Well I have done it. I sent a note to his FB page Thanking him for the WEDDING INVITE. and not to bother making contact with me ever again. I am so sick and tired of trying to be a father to these two children. Why should I feel guilty for the way they have developed. They are both now over 50, and if that's how they want to be. So it be.!!!

One day they will perhaps realise what they missed by not having me in their lives.
I feel like getting as drunk as a skunk, and going into oblivion for a few hours. ANY ONE WANT TO JOIN ME ???? I won't do it, but will enjoy a couple of bottles of RED with John over dinner.

Sorry again folks, but I had to get it off my chest. <3 <3

I hope your son replies to your message Frank. It can't be easy for you. I've PM'd you. I would go to John and Carolyn's it will do you the world of good <3

just noticed your post Frank, sorry to hear you felt that way. Glad to hear you are going to John and Carolyn's, don't drink to much it won't help. Just drink enough to have a pleasant time.

Frank your not the only one in that situation. Oh never hears from his children either. Never in all the years we have been together now 18 in all has he had any contact with any of the three of them. You know I don't hear anything at all from my one in all of that 18 years. It is upsetting but I suppose they have their own lives to lead in the way they wish.

Enjoy your meal with John and Carolyn and just forget about them and live your life to the full.

Just going to start the big breakfast after watering all my pots and bits. I think I may have very very small long beans coming now and the short beans are coming along nicely. I picked three yesterday!! We had them with our fillet steak last night, two for oh and one for me. Ha ha ha..............

The sun is blazing now and its really hot out there.

Gill get yourself some soda crystals and make up a half a bucket of that and some bleach with boiling water and put that down your drains. You want about just over half a cup of soda and a good glug of bleach with a kettle full. It will make your drains smell as sweet as anything.

Frank you do have Lewis and by the sound of it he is a young man to be proud of. I can see that the situation with your children is very hurtful as we've had some tricky times with both of ours. But Mel is right, you only come this way once and if there is really no raporte with your family all you can do is let them go and not to let it ruin your own life. It's not easy I know, being hurt never is, but allowing it to gnaw away at you can be very self destructive and make a bad situation just miles worse. It isn't easy, that's for sure. You could always have a puppy!!! Now that would make you tear your hair!!!
We are sitting in the garden on a windy but very sunny afternoon! I think this dog is just about worn out and needs a rest, so into her crate she goes, which means some peace for us!!

Afternoon All
Well what a lovely afternoon it has turned out to be.It is really hot in the sun now.

Frank you enjoy yourself with your friends.As Mel says you have done what you can .The ball is in their court.It is very sad that both you ,Mel and her OH are all in the same boat where your children are concerned .

Oooh Poo!!! Stinky drains are not good Gill.The smell seems to permeate everything too.I hope what ever is causing the problem can be sorted asap .

That was a load of Raspberries Mel :-D :-D.

I have 2 Chicken Crowns in cooking.it is Sainsb**** Just Cook....Memphis style barbecue with smoked dry cure streaky bacon.It says one is enough for 2-3 people,but I find that a real stretch (with 2 big men plus me) and as Jess is here then it has to be 2 Crowns.It is really tasty and well woth giving it a go if you have a Sains****nearby :-D
I'll do some little cubed roast potatoes and peas,asparagus,broccoli.

Got a feeling it might be Jess's cake for pudding :-).She won't want to be taking them back with her tonight on 2 trains .James and Jess are out at a summer fair at the place where Johnny's happy place is opening.I was going to go but then realised as Jess's train is quite early this evening so need to get the dinner done earlier than normal.

Thomas has been asleep ALL DAY !!!.He will not be allowed to stay in tonight thats for sure :-D :-D

I tried the soda crystals Mel, but the water level is to high in the drains for me to try it again. I'll just have to wait to see what the insurance will do about it, I'm not sure if drains are insured, does anyone know, does it come under the buildings insurance? I have been putting bleach down the toilet and after all the rain this morning the toilet is actually flushing better so it must of been blocked there and has now moved towards the back of the bungalow. I think it needs a camera down there to see what's going on.

I rang a drains company yesterday as the toilet wasn't flushing properly, but they wanted £99 plus VAT for every half an hour (so over £200 an hour) and if the drain is broken and needs replacing I'd need to get a builder in to take up the drive for the drains people to put in the new drains then the builder again to replace the drive......That might prove to be very expensive, whereas the insurance only has £100 excess which is much better. After all that's what I pay the insurance for, not for me to have to pay someone else a fortune to fix the problem.

I know the premiums will probably go up slightly but it'll be worth it to sort out the drains and get rid of the smell. It rained so much in such a short space of time this morning that the water level covered the patio and came right up the wall of the bungalow and left a right mess on the patio which I think may of come from the toilet so I've left it alone until the insurance people can see it. It looks a bit like dried sand, I went to clear it up earlier but decided against it until I know what it is and putting more water down wouldn't of been a good idea as there is no where for it to drain away so the mess would of come straight back anyway.

I've just had a look and there is toilet paper at the bottom of the pipe coming from the kitchen sink and I can't get to it as there is a grill of some sort over the drain area so that's going to have to be cleaned somehow.
So long as it doesn't come inside the property I won't worry about it to much. Tomorrow morning isn't that far away to ring the insurance, so hopefully it'll be sorted out soon. :-S :-S.
At least it's stopped raining now, but with the hot sun the smell isn't very nice :-(.

Going to watch the second part of the two part film I recorded, with Sandra now.

Hope you're feeling a little better now Frank <3.
BBL

Mel, I should still ask at your post office as a matter of course. I feel awful that I wasn't here but if the parcel never reached here then there is nothing I would have known or could do about it. I often have parcels and they are delivered safely, or if not I get a card saying it is at the sorting office. I also often take parcels in for neighbours who are out or working. It just seems so ironic in this case and I do so appreciate your kind thought. If it should turn up by some miracle, I will let you know straight away. The fact that it's got your address on the back may be of some help.

We are having an easy day as we have been a bit tired since we've been back. It's lovely and sunny out but so very windy with it which is keeping it cool. We are feeling a bit 'cut off' today as Carmel's daughter and her O H are off visiting family in Ireland, Carmel's brother in Dublin is away on a break so we are missing our phone calls. That said, youngest grandson Matthew did ring this morning to ask it we had a good time on my birthday break, so that's something. Oh yes, and granddaughter Siobhan and family are off holidaying in France!
Hope you are all having a good day. I'm off to post some photos for you now.

Gill.I don't really know the answer to your question.We are covered with Anglian Water and have Home serve for any plumbing problems.As for any problem in the main drains if it is outside your boundary line I think it the responsiblity of the Waterboard,but even an inch inside your boundary it is yours.Hopefully if it is just a simple matter ,like clogged pipe with loo paper or wipes then I would think you would be covered . (if anything is simple when it comes to plumbing).We had a blocked loo pipe a couple of years ago and water was coming through the garage ceiling.Little did I know then it was from the toilet.Things were getting through but not enough, so that had been a gradual back up.it was sorted in a very short time.
I was told not to ever use quilted toilet paper or wipes even if they say the are flushable...They might flush but don't disintegrate properly.

The thing is if it is toilet waste leaking it is very unpleasant
:-S
I hope you can get it sorted without having to 'spend'..It does sound like the drains have been overloaded with all the rain you say you have just had.
Wish we could have a littl bit of decent rain.Everything is still so dry in the garden.

Oh Heck..I have just seen a load of water come out the bottom of our overflow pipe from the hot tank :-S :-S.Will have to keep an eye on that now

2 good programmes on tonight.The Skeletons from Rail Cross ,and Outcast :-D :-D
Just my kind of thing :-D :-D.About time there was one night with something I really want to see.
I did watch a programme this morning on catch up about a girls Boarding school for girls with Autism.It was really interesting.

Frank ,remember ,,just enjoy yourself tonight. <3 <3

I hope Ann and Gordon have been able to enjoy this weekend knowing that both MIL and FIL are in the best hands.

Don't worry Jane, I just wondered if I'd be covered by my insurance, I'll find out tomorrow when I ring them. I used to have cover like yours but we never claimed on it so after 6 years we thought we'd get rid of it last year, obviously that was a mistake but I'm sure it'll be sorted soon.

I don't have quilted toilet roll or put wipes down the toilet so I'm not sure what is blocking the drain or even if the drain has collapsed. I wasn't sure what was on the patio which is why I thought it might be best to leave it for now, it's away from the back door so we won't come to any harm before tomorrow. I thought it best not to touch it before I knew what it was.....although I'm pretty sure it's from the toilet. It looks a bit like sand but a grey colour, there isn't much so I think it'll be alright to leave it for now.
I hope you're not going to have problems with the water from your tank. It is a good idea to keep an eye on it.

I've been thinking of Ann and her OH all day and hoping they're having a nice break for a few days without any worry, they certainly need it.

What's the program "The Skeletons from Rail Cross"? What time and channel is it on? I'm recording Outcast as I haven't seen the first one yet. Sandra and I will watch them both tomorrow.

Hope Frank is having a good time and enjoying himself, it sounds like he could do with a good night out.

Sandra and I have had an easy day too William. We've both been working so hard this past month so we thought we'd have a day off and watch a film. Sandra's now watching her own programs in the new dining room. She's got a few of them to watch with the room being out of use for a few days, so she's gone to watch them before her dad gets in from work. We have a spare set top box in there which is uses for her own programs, that then frees up space on the system in the living room to record program all three of us like to watch.

I'm getting tired now I've been up since 5.30 this morning, I'll be glad when the weather cools down and the darker mornings get here then I might not wake up with the lark ;-)

I might see if there is anything I can watch on TV now as OH is still at work and Sandra is in the other room.

Have just got home after a lovely afternoon. We went down to J & Cs about b2.30 pm. There were three other there who we knew. We had a few beers before dinner, and had a wonderful afternoon, eating and drinking.

I feel a bit more relaxed now, but still thinking of Simon on his Birthday .I was there for 48 hours before his birth, and helped to bring him into the world. So it's not easy to forget.!!!

I won't stay on moaning about my feelings, so will say goodnight to you all.

Channel 4 .8pm Gill....Londons lost Graveyards.

Frank it sounds like you managed to have good time today with food ,drink and good company :-D :-D..I can't be easy for you to 'let things go',but just think of you and Ros now.There is nothing else you can do.I know you can't switch your mind off at night.Wouldn't it be good if we could
:-D
I had a really weirds night sleep last night.I know it was partly because I I found the night so muggy,but the dreams too.I was all over the place LOL
Tonight I have persuaded Chris to go and sleep in Hannahs room,so I can sleep in my own bed with windows OPEN :-D.I am looking forward to it :-D

Thanks Jane, I'll watch that when it comes on. I have found my dreams book if you want to know what your dreams mean. PM me your dream and I'll check it out for you.....that's if you want to of course, bossy little me LOL.

Glad to hear you had a nice time this afternoon Frank.

Channel 4 is on so I'll get off and watch the program you were telling us about Jane.