General Chat

Morning all

Started off with a bit of light rain and now the sun is trying to come out, hardly any wind, so it looks like we've got quite good weather compared to everyone else.

How nice that FIL recognised your OH Ann, it's nice when you can have moments like that. My granddad was the same.

So you had So Macho stuck in your head Jane, it's a catchy song isn't it? I had a very early night last night as I was shattered, although the vodka might of had something to do with it LOL, but I did get a good nights sleep and feel much better for it this morning. My throat feels a bit better than it did yesterday so I'm wondering if it might of have something to do with the gardening I did. There are a few plants out there that don't agree with me.

Sorry to hear your back is still playing you up Mel, does your ironing need doing today, could you not wait a day or two until your back is better?

Poor Merlin being stuck in his stables Liz, I hope the field dries out soon so he can get out and have a run around.

Pleased to hear you managed to get to the pub in the end Frank, pity you missed the beginning of the match, did they score? Hope they didn't so you didn't miss any goals. Good luck to Ella for her concert later, hope she wins. I won't be back on here in the morning so I hope you and Ros have a safe journey home.

Sandra is starting to feel a little better now and I've noticed she's not coughing as much. The doctor said it would last another week so by the sounds of her she's over the worst of it now. OH's back is still sore but he's resting it so that's slowly improving.

I've booked a viewing on a property for tomorrow morning online, I've never booked online before, but it seemed pretty straight forward. There was a live chat so I asked about putting in offers and how to contact them and how to let our solicitor know who to contact, they answered all the questions and everything seems quite easy. We are the first to view the property, the vendor has three open days and there are time slots so we booked the first one in the morning. If we go ahead with it and it's looking like we might, then we'll have enough money left over with a small mortgage to buy another property that we can rent out, which is what we wanted to do in the first place.

I really hope we like it and can put in an offer tomorrow then we stand a good chance of moving on the 18th May like our buyers wanted. There isn't any rush to buy the second property, although I'm going to take a quick look anyway today just incase there's anything out there as we're seeing the mortgage advisor on Friday.

Before I do all that I'm going to grab some lunch. I'm really hungry and I'm sure Sandra and OH are too.
See you all later

Sorry to hear your bad new Mel :-( :-(

Afternoon All,

No wind here YET but we must have had a lot of rain in the night as there are a few puddles on the gravel in the back garden. Not a nice day to go out but I still think I shall pop to the Grantham retail place next as OH will be out till late tonight. He's gone to see his dad now after hearing he had a restless night when he rang earlier. Then he has an interview for being re-appointed as an 'Independant Person' for the complaints work he does for several councils, then he has a school meeting this evening. I might see something extra for his birthday tomorrow and I did manage to find tickets for 'Breakfast at Tiffany's' at the new city theatre for tomorrow so that should be good.

Frank, it sounds like Ella is a bit of a handful. Arguing and answering back weren't tolerated by my parents........the times I was told children should be seen and not heard.....which I thought was usually when I was winning an argument and they hadn't got an answer! They were too strict but at least I knew there were boundaries and dad's thunderous face would let me know I'd reached them. Will you be going to watch her perform today? I always think it's nice to get home again after a break anyway and can well appreciate the struggle with all the stairs aggravating your knee. The weather hasn't helped either and not been fit for strolling out anywhere to get a bit of peace and quiet.

What a shame about your old girl Mel. You must feel glad she had a good home with you in her later years though. Will you be getting some more now the numbers are down? I hope your back improves soon. I find it always happens just when there are things you want to get on with and as you get older, it seems to take longer to get better, which is so annoying!

Liz it's a shame Merlin's field is so waterlogged, but it would ruin the grass if he went out with it like that and turn it into a bog!! I suppose Ian will have to take him out on the road for a while to stretch his legs if this weather keeps up. When I had my ponies I thought in an ideal world how great it would be to have a little area fenced off and covered in sand or bark for them to exercise in if they had to be kept off their field.

Gill, I have the So Macho song on the brain too now.......I'd forgotten how upbeat the tune was!! lol It's good that Sandra seems to be on the mend now and that you may not have caught it after all. Hopefully your OH's back will be better soon now he's having a bit of time off work.

Sorry to hear your FIL has had a bad night Ann, it sounds like your OH has got a busy day ahead of him. Are you buying anything special at the retail place or just going to have a look around? Yes that song is very upbeat, in fact the two CD's are full of songs like that, it was nice to have a bit of fun last night with Sandra doing the time warp and YMCA, plus lots of other songs to sing and dance to. So nice to have a break. I still haven't done the forms as I'm chatting with Michelle online and I'm still looking for properties as there seems to be a lot of new ones coming onto the market at the moment, so you never know what else there might be for us to view. We are still keen on the one I booked a viewing for this morning but there is only one photo of the front of the property so we're looking forward to taking a look inside, then we'll take it from there. it's a lot cheaper than our bungalow but not to small according to the right up about it. Sandra will have her big bedroom and if we knock the kitchen and dining room into one that'll give us a bigger kitchen diner which is what I was after. Unfortunately there's no garage and we're not sure if there is any space to have one built so OH might not get what he wants, but he'd be just as happy with a large shed in the back garden if there's room.

Well, I'd better get back to Michelle, I've just heard another message come through

Just off to the show.

Ann, Merlin has quite a big yard attached to his stable, so we just leave his door open and he goes out there when it's too wet and boggy for the field. He's 12 now so not lively as he was when we first had him aged 3!!!
Gill do ask your solicitor about buy to let. I know you are keen to do this, but there are so many new and strict regulations governing rented property, particularly health and safety issues, that have to be adhered to to the letter else you can be in a load of bother should there be an accident with electricity for example, and tenants try to prove neglect, so do have everything at your fingertips!
I think you might be glad to get home Frank!!! Like Ann, I knew exactly where the boundaries were when I was small and bad behaviour/rudeness simply wasn't tolerated. Different era though!
Sorry about your chicken Mel. Poor old soul! At least she's had a good life with you and will go on peacefully.

Oh Mel,I hope your hen doesn't linger and isn't suffering :-(.So then down to just 2.How many did you start off with?

Ann that should be a nice show to see tomorrow for OH's Birthday :-D..My goodness he has got a hectic day today !!!.Soundsl iek hw will be like a headless chicken !
I must remember it is Hannahs birthday too tomorrow.Because we saw her on Sunday and she had her presents I keep thinking it was then :-S I can't believe she will be 33 :-0 :-0

Gill,I hope the viewing goes well in the morning.I am glad though that there are more properties coming up now.You might be spoilt for choice at this rate lol.As long as you can find the right one for you and yours now ,then you can take your time looking for a second.Good advice from Liz about buying to let :-)

Chris has just been showing me on his laptop all the pictures of flooding around our part of the county !!!!!!.It has been very bad in some parts..Some poor family got stuck in flood water in Corby and they were on the way to a funeral.I think we must have been very lucky here .

Frank do take care when driving home tomorrow I reckon there may well be a lot of water on the roads still.
I hope you are enjoying the 'show' now :-D :-D.I am sure you will be cheering and clapping very loudly :-D :-D

I took my dress back.But found nothing else for me.I ended up buying 3 pairs of mens trousers in the sale.So Chris and James can have a look and see if they want any.If not they will be going back too.

Gill,now I have the Time Warp in my head !!!!!.Is that the song from The Rocky Horror Show?..I would love to see that.It was on in Northampton a couple of years ago ,but no-one else wanted to see it and I didn't fancy going on my own .Only because I would have felt daft dancing or jigging all on my tod,and I know I wouldn't have been able to sit still for that show :-D
I hope the weather improves by tomorrow.It's been such a miserable day.Thomas looks as miserable as sin LOL.He has had 2 pouches of food this afternoon..I think all mice must be in hiding in this wet weather :-D.I will have to put him out a bit later whether he likes it or not.At least it is just light drizzle now.

I hope Frank enjoys the show too.

Bet he will be glad its just one more sleep before returning home tomorrow to peace and quiet and no stairs.

Old girl is still in the corner of the chicken house on a nice fat bed of shavings and I gave her some corn on her own but of course the other two had to go in and pinch it so I put the whole tray in there and then gave her a drinker with Poultry Drink in it and she had a little drop. There is nothing else I can do for her still she has had a much longer life than she would have had had she been gassed with the others when I bought her.

WE had words last night about him talking when my program was on and he is'nt really speaking to me at the mo. I must admit it has been a nice quiet day and I have got on really well. I did do some ironing but not much, still some is better than none. :-D

We've been quite lucky with the weather here today by the sounds of what you've all been saying and now flooding where you are Jane, hope it doesn't reach you and that Frank makes it home okay. Yes the "Time Warp" is from the Rocky Horror Show, I would love to see it too but I doubt OH would like it, Sandra might though, but I've not seen it on anywhere to book tickets around here.

Thanks Liz for the advice, once OH's back is sorted properly we'll look into it further, providing we go ahead and buy the house I've found this morning that is, as we would have a good deposit with the house being so much cheaper than our bungalow, I just hope we can afford the mortgage we'd need to make the difference up.

Happy birthday to Hannah and Liz's OH for tomorrow, I won't be online in the morning as we've got to take the car for the MOT re-test and view the property, so I thought I'd say it now.

Going to sort out the pudding now, we've just finished some spag bol, it was very nice.

See you all later

I don't blame you Mel, I would find that infuriating, so I think you are well within your rights to complain! Your poor old hen, but as you say she's had a much longer life thanks to you. We're quite glad to see the back of today as its been so wet, windy and generally horrid. My DVD arrived from Amazon today; a present from our daughter, so I'm really pleased. Salmon in a cheese sauce for supper,cooked by Ian, so should be good.
It's not Ian's birthday tomorrow Gill! That's in July!

Oh Mel has he got the hump?? We seem to have an understanding here if one of us wants to watch something and the other doesn't.Chris can't stand some of the programmes I like so he takes himself off to the study and will watch things on catchup that he likes.There have been a few times though when we have had big bust ups about what is on.A few stand offs LOL

It is Ann's OH's Birthday tomorrow Gill as well as Hannah.Thankyou for you wishes.
Hope the car passes the MOT in the morning and you like the property.

I remember Zube Mel. and my Father always had a strip of Aspro, they were pain killers.
He was either prone to tooth ache or headaches, he didn't complain.
And Beecham's Powders. Seldom suffered a cold.

We mostly like the same progs so its rarely a problem luckily. We've just watched a farming program, and are now watching Robson Green in Northumberland on catchup. Then something on the history/geographic channel - then 10.00 bed! We don't chat except for the odd comment as we'd both find that very annoying!!

We have had a lot of rain here as well but no flooding, Earlier on when I took Amy for her walk it was quite nice.

Mel I hope your husband has stopped sulking now, it must be a man thing as Peter could sulk for England when the mood took him, I'm glad none of our 3 sons are like that my problem is I'm too laid back about most things.

Mel I was sad to hear about your old lady hen but you have given her a good life.

Gill I hope you have a good day tomorrow and all goes well for you.

Frank, I hope you have a good journey home tomorrow and enjoyed the concert this evening. That little girl sounds a proper little madam, I wouldn't have dared argue with my parents, I would have been sent to my room. I was never ever smacked but that was punishment enough.

No Anne, I was never smacked, and we didn't smack our two either, but we certainly sent whoever to their room, as I was on occasion!!
Cas has had a terrific game of biting my foot and turning somersault this evening!! I think she's finally settled down in her bed! We're about to watch my new DVD, so I shall be glad if she goes to sleep.!!!

Just had games with Thomas Liz.Hopefully he has now settled for the best part of the night.I bet Cas doesn't wake you up in the early hours.
Anne,I do remember having my bottom smacked.It was probably a hard tap really.Never did me harm ,but just enough to make me behave :-D.I have to admit I did smack Hannah and James's bottoms a few times.My hand probably hurt more than their backsides.I must ask them if they remember being spanked.

Zubes!.I know the name David but that is it.Aspro is something that never agreed with me.I never take anything with Aspirin in.

I am off to bed now......Frank I hope you enjoyed the show ..Safe journey home tomorrow <3

Mel, I have the same trouble as you know! We still like to watch some things together and he will still chip in with comments when he forgets. What I do now is say sweetly, 'I didn't catch that when you were talking' and rewind and play it again. He really hates that and it seems to stop any further interruptions, at least for that programme!! ;-) As I say to him, he manages without doing it at the cinema, so do I need to turn the tv up to cinema volumes at home?

One thing he likes doing is tell me all the other films/programmes an actor or actress has been in, whereas ignorance is bliss when you forget these things like I do. A poor example would be Johhny Depp as he's so recognisable but it will explain what I mean. If I saw him in a new film and OH said he played Jack Sparrow, then all through the film I would keep seeing Jack Sparrow in my mind!!!

Liz is right about needing advice about 'buy to let' Gill. I was looking to do something like that a while ago with interest rates being so pitiful, but with the rules changing to be less favourable to landlords (if I remember right) I would certainly do lots of research and take advice first. I know a few self employed folk who have done it to boost their retirement income and capital, as they only normally get the flat rate state pension unless they've made other pension provision.

I saw floods where I haven't seen them before on the way home Jane and roads closed too. One pub I saw looked like the water was up to the windows.Then when I got home OH told me that he never got to his interview because of the floods. He tried 5 different routes, but roads were all closed!! He had to ring them and apologise when he got home. I must take my camera down the road where it usually floods badly tomorrow.

Liz I was watching Tales of Northumberland when it happened. I still got my kiss goodnight tonight though.

I am watching that farming program too about the crofters etc.

Any news of FIL today Ann?

Morning all, Evening Kim,

All packed, and ready to get things into the car. The problem is the builders are in working on the stairs, putting the spindles in. The ones already in look great. Then they ate going to staert painting. So hope I am out of the way by then, or I am bound to get it on me.

Haven't read the posts, will do that when we are home.

Not only is it your OHs birthday Gill and Ann. It's Jans as well. I was woken by Jo, Ella and Conrad sing £HAPPY BIRTHDAY"

We all ended up having India last night. Which I said I would pay for. What prices they charge down here, and you have to collect. At least £25.00 dearer here than at home.

Conrad is going to do a cooked beakfast, before we go home, and they leave for Manchester. Leaving Jo and Ella on their own till Monday.

Speak to you all soon.

Morning all and evening Kim,

Nice morning here with sunshine but its still very cold out there.

Safe journey home Frank and tell Ros to mind the roads.

<3 <3 <3 <3 <3HAPPY BIRTHDAY HANNAH <3 <3 <3 <3 <3

Have a lovely day, Mel xx

<3 <3 <3 <3 <3HAPPY BIRTHDAY GORDON <3 <3 <3 <3 <3

Enjoy your day and relax and have a nice meal out somewhere.

Mel xx

Happy Birthday Jan even though I don't know you. x

Must get some washing in as I think it may dry well today. At least that awful winds dropped.