General Chat

It sounds like your get up and go has got up and gone today Frank :-D :-D. Mind you that's not a bad thing if your knee is still playing you up, it's a good reason to rest up for a while. I'm sure what ever you had to do can wait a few days.
Let us know if you hear from Fiona, Frank. I hope she's okay.

Ros has been as busy as me today by the sounds of it. I've done all I can do to help OH now and have used the greenhouse to store some of his things. He's just boxing up the last of his tools to put up in the loft, then the garage will be empty apart from a metal bed frame that we are hoping the scrap man might take when he comes round again.

How nice that your Alliums have started to grow Mel, I'm sure they'll keep going and look lovely when they flower. I love this time of year when everything starts to come up. I moved some of my pots around today so I now have a row of colourful flowers on a shelf I have across the side fence. It does cheer you up seeing all the beautiful colours doesn't it?

Yes we do seem to have a canny mouse don't we Jane? Hopefully we'll catch him soon, we have two traps set up now. I still haven't heard from the woman with the shed, we're going to give her till Monday and if we haven't heard anything by then we'll order a new one. I don't think the garage will be removed before Easter now anyway as the council take forever to do anything, so there's no rush. We have to put the flags down as a base first anyway.

We used to have trouble putting the flea treatment on our long haired cat, I used a cat comb to spread the fur apart which seemed to help, but it still wasn't easy.
So you're getting your new sofas tomorrow, that'll be nice. I need some new ones but have decided to wait until all the alterations are done otherwise they'll be filthy.

I wonder how Ann got on at the NEC, I remember Michelle going there a few times and it's so easy to spend much more than you'd planned. So long as she's having fun, that's the main thing :-) :-)

Well, I'd better go Sandra's been waiting all day to watch a programme I'd recorded for us. OH said it would only take 10 minutes to finish the garage, that was almost 10 hours ago so poor Sandra has been waiting quite some time now.

Well I couldn't wait until the weekend to ring Fiona.So I have just spoken to her.She is OK but has had another nasty flair up with her head so hasn't been able to use the computer.Her Tablets have been increased and things are now settling down again.
She says thanks to everyone worrying about her and she hopes to be back soon. <3

Evening all,

What a horrible day it's been dull and drizzly all day here and cold too ,so different from yesterday when we had the nice warm sun.

Thanks Liz , i think i'll leave Max down and see how it goes ,i do so hate to her them cry though .
We went into Mole Valley to look at collars and leads and while we were in there one of the girls that works there came in with a Golden Lab puppy ,i heard her say he's not able to go out yet ,she put him in the office ,i just got a glance at him but he looked quite a size !!

You don't need an alarm clock then Ann with all that going on in the close to wake you up .
I bet you made the old boys day stopping to talk to him ,he's probably lonely after losing his wife ,so that was your good deed for the day .
Hope you haven't spent out today :-D

Mel the seeds do take a while to come through ,i think mine were about six weeks ,i kept mine in the warm bathroom as i think they need the heat , one lady i gave some to put hers in the green house and she said hers hadn't done any thing i think out side is to cold for them .

Oh Gill i had to laugh at the Mouse saga :-D :-D i bet your face was a picture when you saw the bait had gone and so had the mouse :-D
Hope you hear soon about the shed , have you had a look on Gumtree and the Preloved site ?

Frank ,sounds as if it will be fun and games with your friends , Carolyn only being able to use one hand and her hubby with a new knee ,they might want help with things for a few days .

Oh Jane a lovely new suite bet you carn't wait ,it seems ages ago you said you had ordered them .
So Hannah and friends are having your old suite ,are they hiring a van to take them away ?

I hope Fiona is ok ,let us know Frank as soon as you hear any thing .

And we haven't heard any thing from David lately either .

Oh i see you've been in touch with Fiona Jane thanks for letting us know ,poor Fiona she keeps getting these flair ups , i hope these tablets help and she's back with us soon <3

Your right Mandy we hate to hear them cry too. I think we were a bit firm, because of how Millie was! On the other hand Millie did suffer dreadfully from separation/ anxiety syndrome which Cas certainly does not!!! I think it would be ok to bring him into you for the first night or two if he really won't settle! I think you'll just have to suck it and see!!!! We have been quite firm over other things though, and it has been a bit of a case of starting as you mean to go on. We can take Cas away with us us now without any trouble as she knows we won't put up with her being a nuisance!
This TV is really tedious tonight! another night of geographic/history channel!

Liz,you have done the right thing with Cas..I was far too soft with Chester when he was a little Pup.I couldn't bare to hear him cry at night.He always suffered from Separation Anxiety .But that was all my doing :-S.If I had just been a bit stronger in the first week or two things may have been very different.I did him no favours really.I couldn't even leave the room without him on my heels.I couldn't even go to the loo without him crying outside the door.
Mandy ,be tougher than me :-D.

Sports Relief Programme on now.Both Chris and I have already had tears.Chris has gone off now as he can't watch it any more.

Sorry to hear Fiona has had a bad turn Jane, at least the meds are starting to work now. Let's hope it's not long before she can join us again <3

Yes I wasn't impressed Mandy with the mouse taking the food then just walking away, lets hope the traps work tonight and we catch him or her. I don't think I can afford to feed yet another animal
I tried looking on Gumtree and Preloved but it was full of people wanting sheds and no one getting rid of one. I still haven't heard anything off the woman. I'm starting to think someone else has got in there before me :-(

Yes Jane, Millie was like that! I couldn't go anywhere without her following, if we left her to go shopping, she would howl, we couldn't leave her with anyone because she just cried all the time, so if we went away she had to go to kennels!!! Troubled was that we didn't have Millie till she was 13 weeks as she had been taken by someone else at 9 weeks and sent back to her breeder two weeks later because she just wouldn't settle, and they just couldn't cope with her howls!!! Much as we loved her it could be a bit of a pain!! and as we didn't want a repeat performance we have been much firmer with Cas, which has paid off.

Our gun would'nt kill the fox it would only give it a sting which is enough to make it think about coming in the garden again for a while.

Morning all and evening Kim,

Grey day today, grey sky but dry.

Nothing planned for today only to go up the shop for my paper. Fillet steak for dinner so nice and easy.

Not too achey from yesterdays gardening but back is a bit clicky this morning. I did a load of edgeing with my little spade all the way down to my she shed and round the big pond. The earth was just about right a bit like plastersine so easy to work with. Also planted some of the crocus I have had in pots. I put them around the trees and the arbour in the orchard.

Morning Friends, and afternoon/evening Kim.

Jane so glad you have spoken to Fiona, I must let Shirl know she's alright. Give her our love if you speak again and hope she recovers soon <3 <3

Dull drizzle first thing, but as I look out now the old CURRENT BUN has popped out, for how long is another story.

Ros has gone to meet Martine NATTER , NATTER, NATTER. They will put the world to right in three hours. ;-) ;-)

Icould just see the surprise on your face Gill, see the trap was empty. Did you set it right. ??

When I had a young LAB. I left it in the kitchen in it's box and toys. The little Begger chewed the Blind cord to pieces, and opened the cupboard door where his biscuits were stored and he ripped open the bag. There was biscuits all over the kitchen the next morning. So look out Mandy TROUBLE WATERS AHEAD ;-) ;-) <3 <3 If like me, you will just greet him and clear up without a cross word. I was very strict with his training from there on in. As I was with all three Labs over the years, and three Poodles. Miss a dog like mad. :-( :-(

Horrible black clouds now !!!

Jane the Pheasant, wasn't that down the A 604 towards Huntington at a village on the right. Was is KEYSTONE ?? I haven't been to the one you mentioned. The meals sounded very nice, just my sort of food yum yum.

Mel, do you only have an air rifle, surely a powerfull one of those would kill a fox. !!

Will have to check with Tony if he's going down for the match. If not I don't think I will bother. The knee isn't very good again today. I did manage to go down the garden to check if there was a bag of Compost for madam to pot up some plants.

Shower and shave time now, after I email Shirl in Canada.

Afternoon All
Well the new suite has arrived.It looks massive !!!,and so high.It feels like sitting on a throne LOL.Hopefully the seat cushions will soften up a bit after a while.It will take a while to get used to I think compared to the soft Leather one.It all goes well.
Just waiting now for Hannah and her pals with the van.They set off a bit later than planned from London.

Fiona did say thank you to everyone for worrying about her.I think she was quite touched.

Frank,yes it isThe Pheasant at Keystone just off the A14.That is another lovely pub and the food there is great.We haven't been there for a while.I know you would enjoy the food both there and at the Falcon in Fotheringhay.It isn't too fancy if you know what I mean.I think you can google the menu at the Falcon.

It is so dark today.I have put the table lamps on and lit the fire.I am trying to think which of Hannah's friends is coming with her Partner.I think it is Leanne and Chris.I hope they have got a big enough van for the Settee and Armchair !.Hannah is also taking a load of garden pots that we don't use as she wants to start making the garden where she is look nice.I have a feeling that she is the only one of the 3 girls in the house intersted in gardening.(it must come from her dad :-D :-D )
I hope they get here soon.Hannah hasn't called to say there are any major holdups so it can't be long .They left at 10.45..Maybe Chris (the chap who is driving the van) is taking it slowly if he is not used to driving a van.

Well I better go and set the table for lunch.I will BBL when they have gone.

Ha Ha ! Frank you have reminded me now of what Chester got up to as a young pup.He would steal a shoe and run off with it and take it under the big Yew hedge.The look on his little face was just pure devilment LOL.The other thing was socks .They would disappear too.But shoes were the main thing.It was trying to get under the hedge to find them .What a performance !!!!!.He had me in tears sometimes (and not tears of joy)..One good thing about him as a puppy was that he never chewed anything :-D :-D..He just stole :-)..I hate to say this Mandy but I have often heard that Labs can be big chewers !!!.I am sure young Max will be the perfect pup :-D :-D

Still waiting for Hannah :-S Where the devil are they?

Afternoon all,

Funny old day here cloudy with drizzle then it brightens up the sun peeps through for five minutes and then its gone again .

Sounds as if you got on well in the garden yesterday Mel ,any sign of the fox about today ?

LOL Frank i'll send Max to you if he's naughty , i never tell them off unless i catch them doing some thing , i just had to say to our old dog Bonnie " what's all this then "and she would put her head down and walk off she knew she had done wrong.

My sister has had Labs and i don't think they have had any chewers ,i'am going to get him a Power Chew or i think they are called Kongs now ,Toby would spend ages trying to get the treats out .

So the men managed to get the new suite through the side gate ok then Jane ,i carn't remember what colour you said the new one was now , you'll soon get use to the height of the new one ,it might help your knees and hips if it's easier to get up from and the cushions will soon soften up .
It's good Hannah likes gardening ,perhaps she could grow a few herbs in the pots then the others might take an interest in them if they can go out and pick them when they cook .

Gill any sign of the mouse ? or has he taken the bait and done a runner again LOL

I have made a Lemon Drizzle Cake and a Quiche this morning ,we will have the Quiche tonight with mashed potatoes and salad , hubby has already had two pieces of the cake !!

I meant to say there's a new series of Great Canal journeys with Tim West and Prunella Scales at 8 o'clock on channel 4 tomorrow night ,this series they are in Sweden .

Yes Jane, daughters lab years ago was a bit lively!!! Their garden took quite a beating!! However, she did take her to puppy training classes, which did help. Having said that, once she grew out of her lively ways, she grew into the most lovely amiable, dog you could ever wish for. I think for temperament, she was the best dog we've ever had, although they've all been pretty good, but she was just so calm and chilled out. So once you get over the lively bit, they are lovely dogs.
Gloomy again here, and cold. I spent the morning outside, de stoning the veg patch. Ian is going to put the little rotavator over the piece, and then we should be reasonably up together!!

Afternoon All,

There's plenty of gloom here too today, but at least no drizzle like we had all day yesterday.

First, thank you for your pretty card Jane, it was very kind of you to send it. :-) I bet you will be glad when the old settee and chair are safely in the van and you have some space back in your lounge. It will all look nice and posh with your new suite but you will have to watch Thomas and his claws! Your meals did sound nice. We have decided to try some other places around here. What with the new pub being closed yet again and Sally at the village garden centre and tearoom saying this morning she is giving it up at the end of next month, we will be running out of our regular places. She has become a Slimming World leader the past few months and will be doing more of that instead. Also Ullesthorpe Court where we go now only does a carvery one day a week and the fav carvery is unreliable as to what days it is on! :-S

It's good to hear Fiona is ok and let's hope this flare up doesn't last long.

Yesterday was good at the NEC and I did spend plenty.........more than I expected to! I met up with my friend after an hour and a half and my knees were aching by then, but my friend wanted something I had found so we set off again to try and find the stall which took a while. Then we met her hubby and he took us to see the magnificent cakes in the cake decorating section which were the best I've ever seen.

Everything is now sorted for the funeral and I just need to sort what I will wear. At least it looks as if it will be dry which is good. OH's cousins are travelling again from Scotland and the south coast but both are staying in hotels the night before and going back after the funeral as before.

Frank, I know all about clicking and crunching of knees, it's horrid isn't it! :-0 I sometimes think other people must be able to hear mine when I go up and down steps.

I think starting as you mean to go on is good with a puppy, otherwise they must get confused. Once you go to them at night, they think that their persistent howling and crying did the trick and got you to come! So they then persist even longer the next time. The little, spoiled dog next door suffers from seperation anxiety. He's been allowed to please himself and takes charge, pulling ahead on the lead, won't come back when called and barks his head off at anything and everything. He's become the boss, but it doesn't come naturally as he runs up the garden scared if you clap your hands. As the boss, he frets like mad when she leaves him, as pack members should stay with the leader, so all in all, despite her thinking spoiling him means he is happy, she has created a worried, anxious little dog who feels responsible for her all the time. Cas feels calm and relaxed and doesn't worry because she knows someone else is in charge and makes the rules..........she's still learning them of course! :-)

Be strong for your OH next week Annx He's had quite a year of it, you too.

Afternoon all

Dull and gloomy here today but still dry which is good.

It sounds like you've been busy in your gardens Liz and Mel. I'm hoping to do something nice in mine once the garage situation is sorted.

So you did spend plenty in the end Ann. What did you buy, anything nice? Hope your knees are feeling better today and yours too Frank <3

Has Hannah turned up yet Jane? Your suite sounds lovely. The cushions will soon soften, but in the meantime it'll be good support for your hips ;-) ;-)

We still haven't caught the mouse Mandy, I was outside last night and heard a click, it was to dark to see much, so I went inside to let OH know, but again the mouse got away, it didn't get the bait this time. I was looking out of the window after putting the big light on and noticed it jumping on the top of the trap so think that is why it clicked with the mouse outside of it. OH was saying that he thinks it might of got caught the other night, but with the trap being on it's side in the morning a cat might of noticed it and tried to get it out, knocking the trap over thus letting the mouse out. We have a different trap that OH is going to try tonight. The bait is still in the trap and no mouse anywhere to be seen today. I really don't want to use a mouse trap that kills them, but it looks as if we might have to if the humane one doesn't work.

All this talk of puppies, I've never had a dog but it sounds like they are all very lively when young. I'm sure Max won't be any trouble once he knows what's expected of him. Puppy Training sounds like a good idea and it'd be a great way of Max to socialise with other puppies too.

I've been thinking about the garage which is now empty and was thinking of making it into a summer house instead of taking it down. It gets quite windy down our drive and the garage acts as a wind break to the garden, plus it's over 20 foot long so we'd have a massive gap between us and next door which we'd have to fence off. MORE EXPENCE as Frank would say ;-) ;-) So turning it into a summer house might be the way to go as we wanted one anyway and it would keep the costs down. We're still getting rid of the asbestos roof what ever we decide to do as that is dangerous.

Does anyone know if we'd need some kind of permission to convert the garage to a summer house, or are we okay to go ahead with it and not tell anyone. It's only somewhere to sit if the weather isn't hot enough to sit outside?

I've checked my emails today and the woman still hasn't replied about the shed, so I'll take a look online later for a new one instead as that one must of gone. I've got an area in mind in the garden to put it which is already flagged, so that'll be one big job we won't have to do. At the moment we have put lots of stuff in the greenhouse, but it's not practical to leave it there to long.

I forgot the qualifying for the F1 was on earlier, good job I recorded it, so I'm going to get a cuppa and watch it now. See you all later <3

Gill, I wouldn't think so! But if I were you I'd have a look on line for some advice. There will almost certainly be a site that can advise you.
We have been very firm with Cas, and at times it has been tough going, but when we go to other people's houses and we have to take her, she just has to be well behaved, obedient, and fit in with us, not the other way round!! and I think she is finally getting there!!!
We're having roasted pigeon breasts for supper with smash and leeks! should be interesting!!