General Chat

Back and had lunch.

All she did with my teeth is put some plastic stuff under where they don't fit and press them in my mouth for ages till it set and then I had to wait for at least an hour before taking them out at all for any reason. I have tried to have lunch with them in but I shan't be having dinner with them in I shall wear my others. They are hurting in lots of places and the dentist is off to Malta tomorrow for her holiday. My next appointment for a review of the fitting is 8th June.

Evening All

Well I have spent most of the day looking for a holiday cottage in September in Pembrokeshire. Finally I have found what looks a lovely place in Fishguard .So it is now booked :-D..Thomas is booked in at the Cattery :-D.So all done and dusted now.

Frank ,I wouldn't be surprised if Lewis has a last growth spurt.I think boys do that at around his age.So he may well tower over you !!!. Bet you are looking forward now to getting away to the sun :-D

Dermot it was a fascinating read about Exeter.It is many years since I was there .Probably when I was still at school in Plymouth. You could always be a volunteer for the tourists :-D..I think you would be great :-D :-D.Do you actullay live in Exeter itself or somewhere outside?

Mel ,try and persevere with those teeth.Your poor old gums must be sore at the moment with all the pressing down on them.

I have just seen the time !!!!!!. I must get the Meatballs on the oven..I can't believe how long I have spent looking for holiday cottages this afternoon.The day have just flown by.

Evening all,

Very impressed as always by our Dermot's posting very good. Very interesting information for anyone visiting Exeter. I only drive round it on the way to see my son in Torquay. We were thinking of moving down there last year, but couldn't stand the upset of all the moving.

Have just finished dinner. The chicken was wonderful and the veg was very nice with the exception of the peas and carrots which caught on the bottom of the Saucepan. My fault !!

I have my appointment for my knee replacement. I have to go for my assesment on the 24th July and my admission is 7.40 am on the 30th. I am expecting a three or four day stay. The quesionaire I had to complete is SIX PAGES LONG. While doing that with Ros the peas burnt !!! The things that want to know is nobody's business. I was wondering what they would ask next.!!!

What a lovely evening it has turned out to be. I have watered the back and front garden, Patio and the VEG PATCH. The beans are going mad up the canes and netting. I hope they aren't ready while I am away !!!

Val next door has rung to say she's not going to Choir practise tonight. Then Sid's Val rang to say she was in hospital all night last night, so she wouldn't be going, so Ros isn't going either. Val woke with a very bad nose bleed during the night. She couldn't stop it, so rang her son who took her to A & E. She had to wait "SIX HOURS" to be seen by the doctor. TOTALLY UNACEPTABLE. What is happening to our NHS ???

Think I will get a beer and sit outside for a while.

Well here we are in deepest Surrey and I've managed to tag sons wifi onto my kindle! What a lovely welcome we've had and are now getting ready for a pub supper courtesy of our hosts! Who says that past difficulties can't be resolved!! With good will on all sides they can!!
Jane OH's brother used to live in Fishguard and we've spent many a happy holiday there. The scenery and coastline is fantastic and Fisguard itself a really pretty town.
Your poor mouth Mel! It sounds as if you've had a very rum deal.
When we lived in Somerset we used to go to Exeter quite a lot for shopping and to take friends round the cathedral. I once knew a lady whose father stood her up on their garden wall in Tiverton when she was about 5 to see Exeter burning after an air raid! I think it was something she never forgot.
Must go we're being summoned!!

Evening All,

Oh dear Mel, you haven't had much luck with your teeth! You'd think these new ones would fit better than the old ones and now you have to wait till she's back from her holiday. It's a good job you have your old ones to fall back on. :-S

That was quick work finding a holiday place Jane and getting it all booked! I'm still faffing about with Scotland and haven't booked anything yet......I must get cracking with it. :-) I've OH's car insurance to sort out first though and see if I can get him a good price. ;-) I think the nearest I've stayed to Fishguard is Solva near St Davids. Years ago my friend whose hubby was an art teacher used to go to St Davids with students as he loved the scenes for painting. (something for Chris! ;-))

Today we got the final probate docs through so have been to Nuneaton to close FIL's accounts. The banks seem to know less than OH about these things and one was insisting on OH coming back with a copy of the will till he pointed out it wasn't needed for the amount of money involved!! Anyway the bank employee agreed when he checked which saved another 36 mile round trip! We drove past MIL's house after and it has new windows and front door. It certainly needed them, but the new windows have dark brown matt frames and the door looks like those you see in hospital corridors or inside offices in a varnished wood with silver strips across and a long silver handle. It doesn't look in keeping with the style of the house at all to us and there are no windows to let light in the hall now. Still, the new owners must like it! :-)

So Lewis is quite tall now then Frank, he would tower over me I think. I hope he does your lawns for you when you are away. It would make it easier for you if they are kept short. It won't be long till you are lazing in your shorts will it! Speaking of shorts OH wears those PJ shorts for bed in the summer, much cooler as you say.

Well I've been invited to take part in another study another student is doing at the hospital. I can't do it though as it involves running on the treadmill for half an hour on one of the days! There is no way I could do that with how my knees are......I can't run at all. It's a pity as it sounds like an interesting study. I've also been asked to another Focus Group on a different subject next month and will go to that. There's also lunch provided too. They have the most delicious fresh salad buffet and fresh fruit platters..........just what I love! :-)

Dermot we pass near Exeter on the way to Cornwall each year. One year we stayed in Devon near Exeter and close to Tedburn St Mary. It was a lodge at a golf course at I think Fingles Glen? You may know it? We had a trip into Exeter and liked it there.

Evening all,

Much better day weather wise ,we had a little drizzle first thing but that didn't last long and we soon had the sun.

Mel i see we have Spring Watch starting next week we shall be looking to see if the things you sent them will be shown .
Your poor gums would be sore if she was pushing the plate down in your mouth like that ,its good that you have the other set that you can use so your mouth gets time to adjust to the new set.

I wasn't very old when we went to Exeter but i do remember Dad driving into Exeter and getting into a one way system and having a heck of a job to find our way out , of course it didn't help that he was towing the caravan at the time.

We're off to Makro tomorrow to stock up with bits again ,i seem to have used a lot more kitchen roll since we've had Max ,i use it to wipe out his food dish and to mop up his tiddles ,although i must say we haven't had any for a while now.
l do use the mop for the floor when he lets me ,it's one big game for him chasing the mop.

I can just imagine Max at the mop. My dog Tilly Trotter used to attack the hoover so I had to shut her in the bathroom when hoovering. Mandy I saw Springwatch was on soon. I wonder if my little birds have just got bunged somewhere or if they will even remember them and take them to the site. I would love to see if they appear though and shall be keeping my eyes peeled.

Has anyone been watching the Country File Spring program? I was going to watch the second one tonight but can't.

The leccy went out at some time this morning and my Fire Stick won't work tonight. I can't reach round the back of the telly or know how to make it come back on. I tried what oh told me about holding two buttons down but it would'nt work. I think it has to be uplugged from the back of the telly.

Hope you have a lovely time with the family Liz. Who looks after Merlin while you are away?

Forgot to say my teeth cost me £222.50 for a load of rubbish.

Here I am sitting up in bed after a lovely evening at 'their' local.pub. OH is still asleep beside me, but I never sleep that well in a strange bed!
The young chap who supplies our logs (for free!) and lives just down the road with his partner, looks after Merlin for us Mel. He uses part of our barn as a workshop, and also keeps his trailer (and quad bike in the barn!), and small Jeep(!!) in the top end of Merlin's yard. We don't charge him any rent, but as well as the logs, he'll always look after Merlin, water the greenhouse, and, if we're stuck, look after Cas. It works well, as both our two live too far away for casual emergencies or horse sitting!
Don't know what to say about your teeth Mel, except that sounds just awful! Perhaps you need to lodge a complaint as the service you've received is just dreadful!
Yes we've been watching the Country File Spring programme. We both love it and usually watch it while having our supper!
I think a COT is about to be brought in to us!! Not sure what we're up to today, but hopefully it'll stay fine!!

Morning Liz and all, Evening Kim.
Sogood news on the Carolyn front. Ros just rang to see how she is. She had a phone call 10 minutes before from the Hospital,to tell her to get there in the NEXT HOUR. It seems they have the biopsy results back from Leicester hospital. So John is taking her in. We will no doubt hear what's going on later.

Glad you had a nice evening in the local Liz. Lets hope that the weather stays fine, so you can get out and about.

Mel, I do feel for you regarding your teeth, there is nothing worse than that rubbing on thr gums. Are you useing anything on them. (FIXODENT) ??? That might help to cushion them a bit.

I am out of the shower and feeling a bit wobble on the old pins, so have a sit before shaving and going for my haircut.

Ros is doing a chicken curry for tonight with the remains of last nights meal. I said to her you must save a bit of chicken for JJs supper tonight.

Ros has changed the bed, it's all blowing on the line. As Pam and Dennis are away next door, she hung her washing out in her night dress. Ehen she came in I asked if she had been "SUNBATHING" I won't say what she said !!!!.

Ros rang Sid's Val this morning to see if she was O.K. and if she wanted anything getting from Tesco. There was no reply, so she must be alright and gone shopping.

I will get my shave now and get dressed and off to see my nice Asian Hairdresser. I always get a peck on the cheek from her. <3 <3 <3

Morning Liz and all,

Liz I think I have asked you that question before and you told me but I must have forgotten. Very senior moment...

Dermot does this mean you live in Exeter if so not too far away from me then, just about 40 miles I think. I too hav'nt been there for about 20 years. I used to do the market there with plants, flowers and wreaths. I also knew the people at Victoria Nurseries. What a lovely family they were. They also did Holsworthy market years ago until Gerald retired.

Well I am sitting here eating toast and my mate with my old friends.

'You cannot milk a cash-cow' is a modern expression composed by someone probably long forgotten. Man’s best friend is often referring to his pet dog, which doesn't say too much for her indoors. Maybe I'm attaching an inference unduly.

Having been reared on a farm, I'd like to stand-up for cows. They like to lie down a lot. We can learn much of them from the way they are more inclined to turn to each other for consolation when times got tough down on the long grassy fields.

The Friesian friendship is not to be sneezed at because cows can apparently form close relationships with each other to the point that they are apt to produce less milk when they are separated. As well as that, there would be a lot fewer eating steak if we allowed them to stick together for all of their natural lifetime - but, thankfully, they remain unaware of their eventual demise.

'The diary of a dairy herd' has formed a significant part of daily life during the last three years for a team of researchers at Exeter University who were eager to maximise milk potential even if it means letting cows congregate for a while & chew the fat – or the cud.

Research is already coming to an end in the delightful county of Devon, where a herd of cows were wearing radio transmitters, or proximity collars, to see how close – literally & metaphorically – they got to each other on a daily basis. Did they, for example, discuss the price of beef? Would they back horses, if they got a good tip from the next field? Did they ever complain about the smell of the pigs nearby?

What happened when the stranger in the big lorry pulls up & some of their pals were shunted into the back for a trip to the local cattle market, never to be seen or heard from again except at the dining table or restaurant?

There was a whole world of discovery awaiting the researchers as they got to grips with the social networking of the cow classes, all of them outstanding in their own field.

Of course, the serious aspect to all of this is the £8 billion a year that the dairy industry is worth to the UK economy - Brexit or no Brexit. The entertaining side of the project was what our beefy brethren got up to when they thought no one was looking. Equally, it’s an acknowledgement that these friendly animals are more than just massive containers of milk & beef – they have feelings too like you & me - but especially me.

But the real danger for these researchers was that they would start to form close friendships of a sort with their 'guinea pig' cows – and they would never be able to look a Big Mac in the face again without seeing old Bessie or Bertha that they knew well & cared for.

It’s not the first time that animals have been treated above their station, but at least when it comes to racehorses – who are more pampered than the jockeys – there is the small matter of their multi-million pounds value to the Sheiks & tax ex-pat refugees of this world.

The only time the question of cows’ feelings came up for discussion had been in the never-ending debate over the consumption of veal & live exports. And that really is more down to the fact that a little new-born calf looks lovely whereas cows or cattle are just big lumbering burgers dressed up in black & white.

Maybe it’s the start of a whole new era for cows everywhere, a world where we’ll treat them as equals & not just as the source of something that goes well with chips, mushrooms, mushy peas & thick gravy. But frankly, I'm not holding my breath with this idea.

Moo! :-D

No No No Dermot not chips, mushroom, mushy peas and thick gravy......yuk can't stand gravy with chips, in fact I don't really like chips other than those from the fish and chip shop. Its steak mushrooms, chips or rosti, toms, peas or asparagus, or broccoli and fried onions for us.

When you come to think about it chips are not that different from roast potatoes and I like gravy with those. It must just be the thought of chips and thick gravy that puts me off.

Well I had a very nice breakfast of toast in my old set but my mouth is still too sore to put the knew ones in. Especially at the front on the bottom where the new ones are a good half inch long than the old ones.

I had better go and feed my feathered friends (the wildies) as I forgot to do it yesterday and got some funny looks from them whilst I was washing up at the sink yesterday afternoon. The only thing hanging out there at the moment is two peanuts feeders about half full and they are on the feeder by the box hedge.

See you all later.

Its a dull day here today and we had a downpour yesterday evening.

Afternoon All
What a lovely day it has been .Plenty of sun and really quite hot.
I have stayed off the laptop until now as my right eye has been painful and a bit fuzzy.
But thought I would just pop in quickly now.

Frank,that must have been a worrying phone for for Carolyn geting her in so quickly.I hope the biopsy result is not a bad one.Hopefully it isn't going to mean she needs dialysis.

Mel I am surprised you have had to shell out more for your teeth.I would have thought as things haven't been right with them that you wouldn't have to pay any more.

Liz,glad you had an enjoyable evening.Strange beds often take a bit of getting used to.I often find it takes me a good couple of nights or more to sleep well when we go away.I usually find it is the pillows that are the problem rather than the bed.If we stay anywhere in this counrty I take my own pillow now :-D

LOL Mandy.You are going to have fun and games with the mop and Max each time you get floor cleaning. Chester used to be a devil with the hoover.it had teeth marks all over it !!.I had to shut him in a nother room sometimes like Mel had to.

I took chiicken breasts out of the freezer this morning and I just checked to see if they were defrosted and they still have a bit to go.I thought they would been done by now.

Liz what a great thing you have going with the chap who gives you the logs.It sounds perfect .Free space for him to keep his things is a big thing.It would cost him a fortune if he had to rent a garage or such like.

Dermot another great post :-D :-D...I have never in my life had gravy with chips or curry sauce. Salt and Vinegar for me and maybe Salad Cream :-D

Thomas is not doing his job properly.That Baby Bunny is still taking the mickey :-S

The Jay too is actually taking advantage of snaffling all the food in the window feeder :-S.It seems to be visiting far too often now for my liking.I bought a 3 kilo tub of suet pellets today.I wonder how long they will last.

Hannah says the heat is hotting up on Santorini now .It looks so beautiful there.Did I say that she and Sarah hired out a Quad Bike !!.Those things worry me as you hear often of terrible accidents on them.But the girls had their helmets and obviously had a great time riding around the island.I think most of the wedding guests have arrived there now.Wedding is on Monday afternoon and then flights home on Tuesday (probably a lot of sore heads).Many of them are on the same flight home so It may well be a very peaceful flight for the crew as I bet everyone will be fast asleep lol

Well Ann you are in great demand :-D..I think you made the right decision to turn down the one with the treadmill LOL Your knees certainly wouldn't not cope with that one.
The fresh salad and fruit platters for the Focus Group sound delish :-D :-D

I am sure there was something else I wanted ot add in reply to someones post,BUT for the life of me I just can't think what it was :-S

After it sropped raining we went out in the garden and cut down the hazel tree overhanging the tarmac past my shed to the old back gate down by Prickly Hollow. Oh is going to move my old big chicken shed further towards the gate. Tomorrow I have to move all my large clay pots out of it and find somewhere for them to stay. I can then have my beans and tom plants down there I hope. I have 6 tom plants this year. Last year I only had four.

Oh shot a rabbit tonight. It was a really big one chasing a smaller little girl. There are so many rabbits this year. It could be because oh sold off his top ground and buildings and they have cleared the place up. All the secret garden and chopped sown the little orchard up outside our wall at the top of the garden. Now their land is next to my land. Oh has kept the top field that is in front of the potting sheds. I must go up and take some pictures.

Signing out now so see you in the morning.

Night night.

RIP Rabbit. :-0 :-( :-| :-S

Morning all and evening Kim,

Misty moisty morning here this morning and I am hoping the sun is going to burn it off which it seems to be starting to do as I type. At least its not raining as we want to get on with clearing that bit of the garden we started yesterday.

Morning All
Morning Dermot. We too have so many rabbits around here right now.Sometimes in the field at the top of the road there are so many I can't even count them .Lots of babies at the moment .It is like an explosion.I don't know how many my cat Thomas gets and then eats :-S.He does his best to keep the numbers down.My neighbour said to send him to her garden :-D

Well I thought we were in for a wet morning here but it is dry and a bit hazy .I might pop in to town and see if there is anything worth getting in the B H Sales.

Morning all you little bunnies, Evening Kim,

Really beautifull day here yesterday, and this morning is looking good.

Thanks again Dermot for your very interesting post. I loved it ;-) ;-)

I know if and when I get F & C from the shop. There are always youngsters who order Chips and Curry sauce, I must say it's never apealed to me, nor gravy on chips.
to which she replied "I WILL BE THERE AS WELL" The Manager from the ladies side of the saloon came round and told them to cut down on the NOISE. The laughter was coming from all directions. to have a good laugh was like a TONIC <3 <3 <3

I have JJ lying at my feet. Ros is at the hairdressers so I am "DOG SITTING" They arrived just as I got home from the football, he remembered Ros and I and has been as good as gold. He has found every new smell in the bungalow and the garden. Ros reconds he has sniffed every blade of grass. ;-) ;-) ;-) Carolyn wants us to take him round to her this afternoon, when we go to Alexanders FIRST birthday party 1.00 pm till 4.00 pm.

Carolyn has to take 12 tablets a day now (can't think what they are) plus vitamin "D" tablets and something else. (sorry senior moments) Will have to ask Ros. !!!

Ann you and I would do just perfect for that treadmill exercise. Who would fall over first ???

Nice you are enjoying your weekend Liz, Are you going anywhere special over the weekend ??

Tony called into the pub last night after going to his other drinking hole. He ordered and drank his pint just as the football was finishing, got up and walked out, didn't even bother to ask if I was ready to go home. (which I was) Rather than walk home, I had to ring Ros. NICE NEIGHBOUR !!!!

Good morning all

I Haven't read all the posts yet but hope everyone is ok

Liz, I hope you are enjoying your break with the family and Cas is being spoilt.

It's a lovely day again here just about warm enough for me.

Paul is taking Abbie and Becky away for a week to Yarmouth as it's half term. he thinks he may have sold his house although he was advised by the agent to drop the price by £15,000 but is still getting £300,000 when he asked about getting the flat he was looking at being reduced he was told they won't do it apparently a cash buyer from just up the road at Ascot has bought three of the flats and even he didn't get a reduction. He hasn't decided yet to buy it and is still looking at other flats in the area. The lady who is looking to buy his house doesn't have anything to sell and Paul's house is in the right catchment area for her children's school. He may move back here for a short time if she wants to move quickly as there is still a spare bedroom so he doesn't make the wrong decision in a hurry
,
Dermot I also enjoy reading your posts, we have been to Exeter several times in the past when our three sons were young Devon was a favourite holiday spot.