General Chat

No Ann, I didn't see that programme about FGM, but I have read a bit about it and it is quite dreadful! The awful thing is that it is still practised as much today as it was way back! Just shocking!!
I've boiled the duck carcass in the slow cooker to make stock for soup. The weather looks as if it'll be a bit grim for the next day or so, so it'll be nice and warming!! I have stripped the meat off the bones for Cas so she should be happy!!
I hope you got your shopping without any difficulty Mel? Did you get some help with the lifting? You must be careful of your back!
Drizzling here now so pretty depressing!! I think it's a very good idea to get your solicitor to help you fill in your forms Gill, then you'll know they're ok!!
Time for a cuppa!!

It sounds like you've had enough Frank, how far is the pub maybe you could walk there if it's not to far and eat there too.

Well, I didn't get the forms done, Sandra and OH woke up and I need peace and quiet to do them, so I've ended up cooking for them both and changing the beds and doing loads and loads of washing after I run everyone a bath. I'm now sorting dinner out for them, I'm not hungry just yet, I might get something later. I've just poured myself a vodka and coke and I'm listening to the CD Sandra got me for mother's day......it's really good. At the moment I'm listening to So Macho, the CD is a mix of old and new pop songs but in a dance rhythm, just my kind of thing. It's a feel good CD and would be great for a party.

It's very quiet on here today, where is everyone??? :-S :-S

Afternoon All
My goodness it is bitter today.The kind of cold that gets into your bones.The bird bath was still quite frozen this afternoon.

Gill,hopefully Sandra will soon be on the mend and that OH's back pain eases up.What a shame he was unable to drive to his Mums with the flowers.I am sure will understand .
You have a full week don't you what with the Solicitors and all the viewings.Good idea to get the Solicitor to help with those forms.I remember what a job it was doing them when we sold our last house.You need to get it right .
I love the pic of Rosie :-D :-D

Frank,maybe you should take a spare key next time you and Ros go out.That way you won't have your quiet time disturbed.I bet now you will be looking forward to getting home again,where there are no stairs,and it is nice and peaceful :-D.Plus your good old Roast Dinners and no horrible tasteless Spag Bol :-D :-D
The weather sounds horrible for tomorrow.I bet you won't be able to see the sea at all .By the sounds of it we will all be stuck indoors for the day with all the rain forecast.
No doubt Thomas will be miffed when he pokes his nose out in the morning.I will just have to keep the litter tray out.

Mel is your back any better this afternoon?Probably not if you have been having to lift all the shopping in and out of the trolley and then the car.As Gill says a nice Radox bath is good.We have the Muscle Soak one.

Liz you sound sorted with your lovely stock for some tasty soup :-D The rain looks like it has just started here now :-S

Gill,I think Jess is ok.She didn't want James to go down. I think he was quite relieved really as he didn't really want to take time off work.So he will be going down on Friday for the weekend.I don't think her Grandads funeral is until nearer the end of this month,so he will go down again for that.He thinks it might be a Woodland or Green Burial .Like his friend Johnny had.I don't know yet when Joans funeral is.But usually at this time of year there are a lot of deaths especially in the elderly so there is often a bit of a back up.

We all have different meals tonight :-S.James will have the remaining Lemon and Herb Chicken Breast from Yesterday with Hassleback Potatoes(mine :-D),carrots and mushrooms.Chris has a Cottage Pie with whatever veg,plus some sprouts and bacon lardons that I cooked earlier.I have a Chicken and Bacon Pancake with the Sprout and Bacon thing.
What is everyone else having? Have we heard from Anne? or have I missed her yesterday?It is so easy to miss posts sometimes :-S

Afternoon All,

Sorry to hear about the bad backs Mel and Gill's OH. Hope you were careful with those trolleys around the corners of the aisles Mel!

Gill I have used 'to do' lists for years, it's the only way for me! It does sound like you have a lot on at he moment so I hope you aren't going down with what Sandra has and I hope she is soon feeling a bit better.

Frank, no- one seems to say speak quietly like we were told to as children, Mum would say, 'everybody doesn't want to hear what you are saying' or 'I'm not deaf!!' What a shame your jaunt was cut short! I like parking the car up with a magazine or paper when we are on our hols too, especially on clifftops with a view out to sea! :-) Those stairs are a real obstacle for you aren't they. There are 4 steepish steps up to the lodge we stay at in Cornwall and if we've been out walking for quite a while, when we get back I hate those steps and have to haul myself up!!

Well, what a surprise! OH went to see FIL this morning and he was talking and knew him!!! What a turnaround. We are beginning to think he is indestructible. Today he thinks he is already 100 bless him and was so chuffed he had reached that age. He was saying his room was converted from a bathroom and was asking when dinner was. I said to OH that coming off all his medication seems to have done him good. They are trying him with liquid meals now as he can't swallow very well and I expect this improvement will be short lived, but how good for him to have perked up, even if it is a short while. He was saying again to OH that he is fine and not to worry about him and when OH said he was going his remark was 'I'll come with you' and OH had to stop him trying to get out of bed!!

O bless Ann FIL did sound cheerfull today and asking when dinner was too so he must feel hungry. Did G show him the photos Ann?

WEll I did the shopping without much trouble and as you say Ann the corners in the supermarket are the worst but I now use the smaller trolly and still manage to get the same amount of goods in it as the big one. I just have to pack it better instead of just throwing things in. Then when I get to the checkout I pack all the heavy things in a few bags and all the lighter stuff in bags that will go on the top of the others. I find this works well but only if I am aloud to pack things myself. If the girls help me they get it all wrong and I don't know where anything is when I get home to put it all away.

Frank what a bu**er having to come home when you were enjoying a bit of us time. Like Mnady said they should supply you with a key so you can come and go as you please. After all it is supposed to be a break for you.

It's rained that horrid light stuff all day today but just as I got to Bideford it brightened p and bit and stopped. When I came out the shop it was'nt raining but was dull.

Oh dear so your quiet time didn't last long then Frank ,you should have said i'll get some thing to eat at the pub tonight then they wouldn't have cooked for you ,most pubs do food these days i'am sure you would have found some thing you liked .
I expect you will be glad to get home your not use to a lot of noise .

That's it Gill have a good dance and a drink it will help with the stress :-D
How is Sandra now ?

Well what a surprise that was with FIL :-0 how nice for OH to see him talking and cheerful again ,he must be made of strong stuff thats all i can say and as you say coming off the medication might have done him some good.

I had my bloods taken this morning for the Hypertension review ,she was so gentle i hardly felt the needle go in but i notice i now have an huge bruise where the needle went in ,first time i have ever had a bruise after having blood taken .

Ann, that would have been nice for OH today.Just knowing that his Dad knew who he was :-D.As you say this upturn in his health may well be short lived.But you never know do you.The main thing is that he is kept comfortable and can manage a little nourishment.
I used to laugh when I was young,seeing 'elderly' couples sitting in their cars in car parks /cliffs with their flasks of tea and sandwiches.Not realising then that they were maybe not able to get out of the car and have a walk.I am like that now :-S

James is home.He said that he thinks Jess and the family have been to 'view' her Grandad today.That is something that I could not bare to do.I understand how important it is for some people,but for me I just couldn't do it.I have seen many dead people during my time in Nursing and I coped with that .But if it was a loved one of mine I would prefer just to remember them before their death.

Ellen told me when she was new to nursing that shrieked when she found one of her patients dead. The ward sister calmed her down, made her prepare her patient ready for removal from the ward. She felt somehow responsible for the patients death. Over the months and years Ellen had many patients die on her, some were new patients, some she had grown fond of. None of them had the effect of the first.

I was with Ellen at Walkergate Hospital when her Mother died. She treat her Mother as she would have one of her patients, very calmly <3 <3

Good Evening all

The time seemed to go so fast yesterday, I don't know why. Richard has been off sick from work for the last couple of days he had a high temperature, sore throat and a cough, he came home from work on Friday not feeling well, He is going back tomorrow.

Ann that is good news about your FIL he must be well looked after as he seems very contented. When my MIL was in her 90's she went into a home and was convinced she was in a hotel so couldn't understand when we didn't get any food when she had her's.She was well looked after there as Emma one of her granddaughters worked there,she was in charge of the entertainment for the residents.

Sorry you aren't really enjoying your stay Frank, How old is Ella? I expect you will be pleased to get home. So you can relax in comfort and no stairs. plus well cooked meals, my Mother had a job with our stairs when she came to stay as her last two homes had been bungalows.

Jane I expect Jess will be pleased to have James with her at the weekend. I was in the same room when Peter's dad died, I was very fond of him as he was such a lovely man. I did see Peter at the nursing home just after he had passed away. Paul and Richard were with me plus one of his brothers

Gill I hope Sandra is getting better plus your OH's back, you have a lot on your plate at the moment. Sometimes forms can be a nightmare to complete so its always good to have help..

It looks like I maybe getting a lodger at the beginning of April, one of Richard's ex work colleagues, when he worked for technical indexes is being made homeless, his mum has just passed away and he had been looking after her but the house belonged to the council and he can't take over the tenancy and will be evicted at the end of March. It will only be for a short while as he is planning on moving abroad to join his girl friend in Cuba when he has saved up some more money. I have two spare bedrooms and he was very good to Richard when he was going through a bad patch. He is the friend that joins Richard to go to the cinema. so no stranger. never had a lodger before so no idea what I can ask him to pay, I don't need the money but realise I will have to ask for something,to be fair to Richard who does pay house keeping money although not a lot.

Going to watch Happy Valley later ,has anyone been watching Stag a very dark comedy on BBC 2 on Saturday?

Mandy,I bet the vein blew as the needle came out.Hope the results are all good.

Gill, I now have 'So Macho' going on in my head LOL..It is weird isn't it when you hear a catchy song.It just sticks in the brain. A little Vodka and Coke and that CD sounds good tonight :-D :-D
I am the only one not to have eaten yet.Mine is in the oven.I am not even hungry yet .So it can stay warm until I am ready vto eat.Chris and James are both stuffed.
Thomas has been making love to a new scratch box thingy.He has sat and rubbed and drooled all over it.He has now gone out :-S..I just hope he is back by the time Happy Valley finishes.

Mel I never use one of those deep trolleys.You can get loads in the smaller shallower ones.No big stretching into the bottom of the trolley :-D I prefer to pack my own stuff too.There is nothing worse than finding something squashed flat or even leaking at the bottom of the bag :-S At least now I remember to take lots of bags with me when I go shopping so don't need to keep buying extra plastic bags.I keep a load of bags in the car now.
When did plastic bags begin? I never remember them from my childhood.I think it was just wicker or straw baskets.I just can't picture the shopping bags my Mum used :-S

We used to get paper carrier bags with string handles when I was young. When I moved dowon here one of the old butchers in Holsworthy gave me a strong paper carrier bag and I remarked that I had'nt seen one of those since I was small. It was printed with Perkins Butchers Holsworthy on it and this one was white not the usual brown. Frank will remember them I am sure.

Morning All
I think I might just stay in bed.It is chucking it down.Thomas wanted out at 4am.One look out the door and back he came.Then it was 5am and he was miaowing at me again.Another look out the door .No..... still not going out it that.So he had a very early breakfast.I made myself a mug of tea.I came back to bed and I think he is still downstairs on the settee.
No Horses in the field either..They must still be in their stables.

Morning Jane , morning all

Pouring here too a day for staying in i think , we have only just had breakfast we're usually up a bit earlier but with it being so dull we were later waking up.

Coffee first then i'll get on with some jobs .

BBL

Terrible morning here! Ian's just got in from taking Cas for a walk!! He's now cleaning Merlins yard and stable. Poor old boy will have to stay in today as his field is virtually flooded!!
Not sure what we're doing today, drinking soup and reading!!

Morning all,

Terrible here too with gale force wind ripping across the garden and dull with it. Its been raining too.

Ironing for me today I think as my back is still painful.

Think I could make some soup today. Sounds a good idea Liz.

Mormng all, Evening Kim,

So much for the "ENGLISH RIVIARA" Storm winds and heavy rain here last night.

I decided to walk to the pub last night, and asked Jan if she could get dinner early as the K.O was 7.00 pm. What time did we eat 6.45 PM. I just left the table put on my coat and off I went. It rained all the way to the pub. Missed the first 15 minutes of the match. !!! Instead of phoning for a lift home I walked. Ros wasn't too pleased that I did.

Ella is 8 years old going on 18. Her and her mother are always falling our over different things. DOES MY HEAD IN !!! I know Ros is also looking forward to going home tomorrow.

This afternoon is the competition at Ella's school. She has to sing a song and recite a poem. The speed she speaks, I don't think anyone will understand her.

I Couldn't go and see my fathers body when he died. I sometimes wish I had. They did say that he looked totally different from when he passed away. So I did make the effort to see my mum in the Chapel of Rest. and yes, she did look very nice and peacefull.

Mandy I always end up with a bruise when they take blood " I have very tender skin"
;-) ;-) ;-) ;-)

Gill I hope your OH and Sandra aren't getting the same thing as you had again. These things tend to go round and round.

Mell I remember those Paper bags with the string handles. It was surprising how much weight they could carry, and not have the bottom fall out.

Anne that is very kind of you to take in your sons friend. Regarding housekeeping cost. Jane might know with what James Pays, if any lol lol. I wonder what it would cost to rent a room and fed himself £120.00 per week. If you charged him £10.00 a day, I don't think you would be robbing him, and it would help you with the extra food, cleaning etc.

It's dried up here now, but the wind is still strong.

Conrad will be home this evening, I am treating everyone to a TAKEAWAY. I was going to take them all out, but he dosen't want that, after his journey.

I see THOMAS is being his lovely self, being a pain in the bum, not making up his mind if he wants to go out or not.

I think the shower might be fee, so I will get myself showered and shaved and get dressed for this afternoon. I only have a pair of slacks and a jumper on at the moment.

Will get back again this afternoon/evening. Enjoy your day.

Just thought, so nice to hear your FIL is feeling brighter Ann, lets hope it continues for a few weeks/months. Bless him xxx

Mel will standing ironing not make your back more painful.Maybe you have a high stool.
I think the rain has eased off a lot now .It seems to be much lighter.Hopefully Thomas will get out there soon.I think he must have been busting and holding on.He has just done the biggest wee in his tray lol

I am just going to nip into town to take a dress back to M&S.Why I bought I don't know.I never wear a dress !!!!.(expect for weddings).Chris said it didn't do anything for me.So that was the deciding factor for taking it back.I wonder if I might find something else instead :-D :-D

I feel sorry for Merlin Liz being stuck in his stable :-(..He will be itching to get out into his field.

I was just thinking with all these sore throats about we could all do with some
"ZUBES"

I have another old chicken on the way out. She is laying in the corner of the house and her left foot is curled up which is a sign she is on the way to the big nest in the sky. :-( :-( That will leave me with two old big girls. Boo hoo..........