General Chat

Yes I do drive Liz but our drive down at the back is only just big enough to put the car down if we turn the wing mirrors in, so with it being such a tight squeeze I don't trust myself to do it on my own. I have done it before but with OH's guidance.

The sun is really shinning here and it's lovely and warm, the only problem is I can't see to paint properly as it glares on the cream fence. Sandra is trying to block the sun so I can see what I'm doing. At least the sun will dry the paint. It's going to take me hours to do, so I'm having a bit of a break with a cuppa, while Sandra has some lunch then we'll go back out.

It sounds like everyone has some nice plans for today, hope you all enjoy yourselves. Sorry to hear you're not well now Frank, hope you feel well enough to go out later. At least you don't have any cooking to do today so can relax away from the kitchen for a day :-D

I decided to leave my router plugged in after I finally got it to work property and just turn the router off at the power button instead. It worked so that's good. I decided to leave my laptop on while I'm painting and then I can just pop in during the day to post to you all.

Well, I'd better get back to it.......Sorry for stealing your sun Mel, I'll give it back to you when the painting finished LOL
BBL

Carolyn just phoned, she thinks it's best I stay at home and they will pick me up late afternoon.

Ros has come in now to get showered and dressed ready for her to pick her up about 2.00 ish. Ros has put three trays of pansies in the from garden together with some others she picked up yesterday. She can't bear to see the garden without flowers and colour.

I am having a lazy few hours till they pick me up. :-\ :-\ :-\

Good day :-( Hope I've got this right, as I said to Mel FairyGodmother (thats a mouthful to start) I come from the East End of London I worked in Roman Road market on Saturdays and school holidays, thats when I didn't go hop picking in Kent with my family. Is there any one that went hop picking, we got shot at by the farmers a few times for scrumping, they were either bad shots or they didn't really mind us nicking their apples etc, I don't think.

Regards Harry ;-)

Oooooooo glad to see you made it Harry. We used to go scrumping eating apples although we had them in our own gardens but someone elses always tasted nicer!! I wonder why?????? Must have just been the thrill of the chase.

FRANK have you taken an immodium?? Hope you can manage to go and have the meal tonight and its not something spicy that you don't like!! :-0 :-0

Hi Harry and all,

No I never got to go hop picking, but did go fishing down in Kent amongst the hop fields. There were families everywhere, picking the hops. Some lads were trying to catch Pike for the family tea !!!

My Mothers family were Market people in Green Lane, Upton Park. Spend many Saturday afternoon there with my Mum.

Just had one of those phone calls with the "withheld" number. and nobody at the other end, and there I was having 40 winks. I tried 1471. but got the withheld message. BUGGER, I would have given them such a mouthful.

I expect Jane and Co. are still sitting out. I can feel the sun through the conservatory windows.

Tummy is behaving after a couple of Immodium. So lets hope it lasts. Ros will ring me when they get to Carolyn's, and I will walk round.

Might catch you later.

My uncles family would go hope picking every year. Aunty Jean would go with the four children as use it as a holiday.

Oh has put all the koi back in the new pond. My poor old goldfish has'nt gone back in the new pond. Boo hoo. She will have to go in my pond but oh was so wet after catching the big ones he has come in. It is really cold here today and we hav'nt had any sunshine at all just grey skies and wind.

I have just seen Harry's post about.hop picking as we lived quite near to the hop fields it was a daily trip for us during the school holidays. I can remember pinching the apples but were never in trouble over it,other memories were collecting the furry caterpillars and keeping them in a jam jar with leaves. My late husband and all of his five siblings used to stay in the huts provided along with his mum. I also remember the billy cans for brewing tea on a camp fire. Happy days as I was born just before the war this was as near as we got to a holiday.

Afternoon All,

FRANK, the Patagonia prog is on tonight at 7.00pm I think. I recorded it before we went out this morning!

Thank you Jane/Chris and Gill for the info about Gunga Din!! I never realised it was a poem.

It's been another sunny day here so we nipped down the road for the bargain breakfast and then on to the house to do more clearing and sorting. Another CLOCK in a glass dome turned up!! I think that's the 5th of those kind now. OH found his teddy bear and a box full of his Dinky cars (it was Corgi cars before) and a few in their original boxes again too and a box full of old games that were probably from the 1930s and were FIL's as a boy. His mum's school reports made interesting reading!! lol. We don't think they threw any paperwork away as we found more boxes and tins of paperwork to go through and shred. OH was shaking his head at the fire risk it all must have been. Upstairs we even found a new crosscut saw in a metal table all boxed up. I don't know how FIL got that upstairs! We brought a load of stuff home to go through, but even after we've taken lots to charity shops I think we will need more than one skip and big ones at that. I had a peek in the shed today and there are probably over a hundred tins just of paint, stain etc. yet they rarely did any decorating. They couldn't have found anything they wanted in there as you can't even step inside the shed even though it's all very neatly crammed in! OH said it's a sobering lesson not to accumulate too much stuff when you end up with the equivalent of at least 2 of your house rooms filled with rubbish.

This afternoon OH was outside fence painting like Gill, but doing just the tops and ledges for the winter. there's just half one side left to do now. I filled 3 big polythene sacks with prunings and cleared all the bedding plants from the pots and wall pots. All in all we've had a good day. :-)

Hi Harry glad to see you're back with us. I never went hop picking but did go scrumping.

Glad to hear your tummy is ok now Frank, enjoy you meal and evening out.

So you're getting there Mel, with your fish? I would pass the sun onto you now but it's going down, maybe you'll get it tomorrow.

I've just finished the painting, luckily we have a light near the gate so I managed to finish that with the help of the light. I think the gate is going to need another coat as it's a bit patchy but the fence looks great. The gate is 7ft tall and the fence is 6ft tall and about 30ft long which is why it took me so long, I also painted some of the garage as well around the door that OH painted the other day, so now it looks really good down the side of our bungalow.

Going to put dinner on now, Sandra and I will be eating late tonight. Then I need to ring OH to let him know the gate and fence is wet, so he'll have to be careful when he comes in after work.
BBL

Oh I see Gill! I don't blame you over reversing the car!!! Glad your painting has gone well. Well, we've had such a busy day and we're completely worn out!! Had a lovely lunch, daughter is a brilliant cook, and always does a good meal. We're going to watch Downton and then it's bed for us, tomorrow should be a quiet day!

Just noticed your post Ann, I've just realised my fence is about 36ft long and I also did another 6ft on the other side so 42ft of fence at 6ft high and then the gate 7ft by 7ft. I think that might explain why my back is so sore now. I've just watched the weather and it's going to rain for the next three days then brighten up on Thursday and Friday then a really cold weekend. So I guess I'll be doing the second coat of paint on the gate on Thursday......just enough time for my back to get better.

It sounds like you've been so busy at MIL's. It's a big job isn't it? You could open a shop with all the new items you've found still in there boxes, not to mention everything else and another CLOCK is that 17 now you've found, I've lost count LOL? The charity shops will be full to the brim with everything you've given them lately.

Hello to the new Anne, hope you stay with us it would be nice to hear of your childhood memories. Everyone's lovely on here, I've only been on the thread just under a year and they have made me feel very welcome.

Must check the dinner now
BBL

Evening all,

It's been another sunny day ,the family came for hubby's birthday lunch ,the beef was so tender i cooked it yesterday and gently warmed it through ,plenty of clean plates so i think everyone enjoyed it , this afternoon we haven't done a thing just sat and watched the tele .

Oh nice to see Harry has come back to us ,fancy getting shot at by the farmers naughty boy :-D !! imagine them doing that now ,they'd get locked up !!

Hope your tummy has been ok Frank so you can enjoy the meal ,it would have been a bit risky going on the train just in case you needed the loo :-0

That's the trouble with light colored paint Gill you get a lot of glare from the sun while painting ,hubby noticed that when he painted the shed that was a light color too ,Sandstone i think it was called .

Mel I bet all the fish are happy to be back in their new pond ,i should think they take some lifting about as they are a good size !!

Oh no Ann not another clock :-D the Dinky cars were a good find and nice too that OH found his Teddy .
It sounds like the shed will be a big task !!
Isn't it nice when you've had a good day getting lots of jobs done , we always feel pleased when we've had a good day .

Happy birthday Mandy to your hubby. Glad to hear you had a nice family meal and the weather was nice for you all.

Sandra was a great help blocking the sun. As I went along the fence, because we have such a high gate, the sun wasn't so much of a problem, plus it was starting to move around too which helped. It did go quite cold just before I finished, with losing the light and now, not only is my back sore, so is my arm. I'm glad most of it's done with just one more coat to put on the gate later in the week when the weather is suppose to be nice again, then it will all be finished.

OH's just come in from work so I'd better go and let him know he can't open the garage door with me painting above it, as the paint might still be wet and might go on the garage door.
BBL

It sounds like lunch for your hubby's birthday was a great success if the plates were polished clean Mandy. :-) Yes, we need some more busy days at the house as we need to get it sold quickly now. The care home fees for FIL have to be paid in full in 6 weeks time. You can defer payment of the home fees till the house is sold but they charge over £700 just to set it up and then charge interest as well, plus the cost of valuation. :-S So it looks like we'll be doing more sorting over there tomorrow morning. :-D

Hi t'other Anne and welcome. Tell me, did children pick the hops at the bottom? I can't imagine they would have used those stilt things.

Yes Gill, I'm losing count of the clocks too......it's 17 or maybe 18? I think we will have to go to some different charity shops this week. We have soon filled the shed where you put things at the dog's home!! :-) It sounds like you need a couple of rainy days to rest your back and arm now. I found the sun in my eyes a nuisance when I was pruning some things.

I bet some of the fish were hard to catch Mel, but they will love the nice deep pond and be glad to be back in there. Thanks for putting the poem up.

Off to bed for me now as OH wants to be up early. Night night and sleep tight!

Welcome to the new Ann and thanks for your memories. We would be glad of anymore you can dig up please.

You do feel good when you have had a busy day and got lots of jobs done. Will G keep his cars Ann? they fetch a goodprice nowadays. Sounds like you are getting on well with all the clearing Ann.

It was too cold for me to go up the border today and its been windy too and the winds cold. I even thought I may turn the heating on today but did'nt in th end.

I am signing out now so see you all in the morning night night.

Just found this in my inbox from Shirl so I am posting it.



Hi Mel,
Have been trying a few times to post but I can never get to the currant page . Must do one page at a time/ Is anyone else having this problem?
shirl x

6 weeks isn't a long time Ann. Hope you manage to sort everything out in time, but please don't over do it. Did you ask the neighbours if they wanted anything, it would save you time taking everything away?

When you get a skip if you need another one, just ask for a tip and return, then you won't be without one as they drop an empty one off at the same time they collect the full one. I think it's a bit cheaper doing it that way too.

I'm shattered now, so going to bed.
See you all tomorrow
Night Night

Just noticed your post Mel. Yes I've been having that problem on and off, so it must be Genes. Maybe Shirl could report it to them. I've also had a number of other problems with them lately, like no box to type my post in and the dreaded error page for various things. Maybe Genes are updating their site. Hope she manages to get back on here soon <3

Signing out now

Morning all and evening Kim,

What horrid weather after last week. It's dull and there's moisture in the air so its not really raining but its making everywhere wet if you know what I mean.

Todays the day the shops charge 5p for a plastic carrier bag. I wonder just how many people will forget?? I have my bags I take with me when I go shopping.

I have just remembered something I did as a child. When we went to aunty Jean's ( Mum worked for uncle Les doing his paper work) she would sometimes have these great knots of wool. She would give us kids a colour each and we had to undo all the mess and wind the ball of wool up. I loved it as it was a great challenge. I don't know if she bought the unwound balls of wool cheeply or where they came from. Sometimes there were two colours mixed together and one of her children and I would work on the same knot.