General Chat

Afternoon all,

Its been a funny old day here ,sunny one minute then clouding over as if its going to pour with rain , we have quite a wind getting up now.

Happy Birthday to Lewis ,it does only seem like yesterday that he was a little boy who use to come and stay and tease you Frank now he's a nice grown up young man.
Oh i bet that trip up was painful on your knee Frank, still early days after the op though and every thing is still healing inside .

Nicko is still about in the churchyard ,still sleeping under his plastic at night .
He now has a little tin with a night light candle in and a trivit on top that he heats tins
of soup on , he use to have a proper gas stove but i don't know whats happened to that, perhaps he ran out of gas .
I asked him the other day what he had eaten and he said he had had two tins of soup so i asked if he would like some cheese on toast , he was so pleased and told me i had a good heart, i wrapped the toast in foil and a tea towel and told him he could give me the tea towel when i next saw him but he came and knocked at the door and brought it back just in case any thing happened to it he said .

We're having jacket potatoes tonight with tuna and salad and home made colslaw .

I'm forever blowing bubbles........¨‘°ºOO.o°¨‘°ºOO.o°¨‘°ºOO.o°

O is Nicko getting one too Mandy?

Poor chap perhaps he had his stove stolen or could'nt afford a new gas for it. If he has'nt a home address then he won't get any dole. I wonder where he gets money for tins of soup or did you say he goes to get food from a food bank?

Mandy have you ever managed to find out anything about Nicko's background and why he is living rough?He is obviously a really nice man and grateful for all you do for him.Bless him bringing back your Teatowel :-D
Strange weather here too right now.It doesn't seem to know what it wants to do.
The sun is in and out like a Yoyo and spits and spots of rain in between.

We are trying to follow a trail of Hedgehog Poop. Just to try and work out its route lol
I think it comes from the bottom of the garden and up through the big hedge,across the patio and back across the lawn down to the bottom again.I don't think I need ot make or get a house for it.We have so many places in our garden for a good hideyhole to hibernate.

No not tonight Mel ,i haven't seen him about much today ,he could be down on the church allotments, my neighbour said he has a little shelter down there where he stores his things but some of the allotment holders didn't want him sleeping down there so thats why he moved back to sleeping in the churchyard .

Yes he gets some food from the food bank which is run in conjunction with the Wellspring church ,he must get the food through the church because i think you have to have a voucher to say you have benifits to get food from the food banks.

When i walked Max Nicko was heating his soup so i stopped and had word with him, he was sleeping last night when someone threw a large stone at him ,it has bruised his leg and he's now wondering if he should move on as he said he doesn't want any trouble and he's worried they might do it again.
I made him a hot drink and asked him if he would like the mug so he could use it to drink his soup , he said no i will bring the mug back in case any thing happened to it and he wouldn't be able to replace it , i said it didn't matter and would he take it as a present then which he was happy to do and he said he would now be able to heat his water and have a cup of tea once he gets some things to make tea with .
I didn't like to offer tea and sugar then so i thought i would do that tomorrow as he doesn't seem to like taking things and i didn't want to affend him by giving him to many things at once.

Evening All,

Oh bless you Mandy! I bet that cheese on toast was really enjoyed as a change from soup and he is right, you do have a good heart! <3 I can understand those that use the allotments not liking someone sleeping there, but I think it takes a hard heart to say anything about it to someone, unless you've found somewhere for them.

Jane I thought my throat felt a little better last night and, although it is still sore to swallow, it's not as bad, so it is on the mend thank goodness! I have felt less tired today too.

We went to an Art Deco Fair this afternoon and I loved some of the jewellery. I must have a go at making something in beads in similar styles. The Fair was in an old Hall which had a most beautifully carved wooden staircase that branched off after the first flight of steps to the left and the right of a huge stained glass window. I wanted to take a pic, but didn't think it would be allowed!

Ouch Frank, I bet that trip did hurt your knee! You'll have to go easy with it for a few days now. I can't believe Lewis is 18 either!I bet he's changed a bit since we last saw a photo of him. Most of the the young men where we ate today had those Hipster beards. It's really caught on around here.

I like all sorts of programmes, documentaries, historic building renovations, medical things, crime series, progs like eggheads and QI, some historical progs as well as period dramas and some political progs, some sport and ceremonial things and even a couple of soaps! Sometimes I watch things I think I won't like with OH and end up enjoying them! I think you have to be in the mood for some things, but I've never been in the mood for footie.........yet!! lol. :-S I hardly ever watch in the daytime though unless I'm ill.

Yes, Eurostar and the TGV are good aren't they. We used smallish, wheeled trolley cases like Jane, but If I ever went again I think I would get those stair climber ones with the 3 wheels each side. I remember having to rush to catch the train in Paris and OH climbing a load of steps carrying both our cases. Those Bullet trains in Japan look fantastic too don't they.

Mel I think Nicko would be able to claim benefits. There has to be an address for any post, but you can use the Jobcentre address I think. A person may not get dole if they didn't pay enough NIC in the right years, but it was always sensible to go and sign on to get credits towards your state pension. Years ago when I was in a benefit office, Income Support would be paid if people couldn't get other benefits . Nowadays I think they give you a card and load your money onto it if you are homeless. Nicko may be able to get help with housing from the council. The difficulty sometimes can be getting people to go and seek help.

A police officer sees an older gentleman staggering slightly down the street.

It’s 1:00 in the morning.

The officer pulls the man over for a chat.

“Good evening, sir,” the police officer says. “Is everything OK?”

“Why yes, officer, thank you,” the man says, speaking a bit thickly.

“Where are you headed?” the officer asks.

“I’m on my way to a lecture about alcohol abuse and the effects it has on the human body,” the man says with certainty.

“Sir, it’s 1:00 in the morning,” the policeman says. “Who would be giving a lecture on that topic at this hour?”

The man straightens up, looks the officer in the eye and says, ” my wife “

Morning david and all,

Raining here today so its wet wet wet.

I could'nt sleep again last night. lay there till 4am nd got up for a visit to the loo wnet back to bed and must have dropped off for a while but not for long cos oh woke me turning over then I tossed and turned for a while and then finally fell asleep.

One o those cats walked all over me all last night Tried to climb out the window behind head board. Usually it doesn't come near me

Nasty wet morning. OH is about to clean the logburner chimney, It's a messy old job, but once it's done we can light up. Last night was quite chilly, so we can do with some heat now.
Apart from that, nothing much doing here today!

Afternoon All,

Very good David!

I was awake till 3.00am this morning Mel, so not much better than you and I think I heard scrabbling in the loft so I must get OH to check the mouse traps up there! I wake up about at 8.00am anyway, as that's when I take tablets. Even so, I'm feeling less tired now this throat is getting better, so will get some HW done this afternoon. When OH goes off to his meeting tonight I want to start clearing some out of date stuff from the cupboards and freezer as it's bin day here tomorrow. If I do it while he's around he starts putting things back, vowing to use them (but never does!) We'll need a bit of space in the cupboards and freezer ready for Christmas.

We went via the villages instead of the main roads when we went to Lutterworth this morning and what should we see but a large fridge freezer in a ditch on a quiet country lane.....just what we thought would happen with the tip charges and erratic opening times! :-S

My car's in for it's first service tomorrow, so it will be an early start to take it into the city. I need to clear some things from the boot so they can get to the locking wheel nut. I still have the drilled slate in there my friend gave me back on Friday. (for my birdbox roofs!)

It's been steady rain here most of the day, but the washer is going on as it should be dry tomorrow. I would hate messy jobs like that Liz, but it's what you have to do to have a cosy fire with real flames!

Been to the garden centre this morning and we had lunch there so not much to do for tea tonight now.

Got some more Poultry Tonic but they only had big bottles and not the size I usually buy also bought some chopped peanuts for the bird feeder I make in the winter. I have a nice BIG coconut with a big hole in the side I can fill with fat and seeds and stuff.

I think I shall have to go back to the dentists as the bottom set are rubbing the inside of my gum and it is makeing it hard to swollow as I seem to clench my teeth when swallowing. Top set seem ok.

Still hav'nt found that recipe book but found one I thought had been thrown away a long time ago and it has a nice scone recipe in it so I am now going to make my scones at last.

Hi all

I've been trying all day to catch up with the posts, but with the builder here finishing off the side gate and fence and the landscaper I've only just caught up.

I like your joke David LOL.

Well done Cas, you must of been so proud of her Liz <3

Sorry to hear you've had a fall Frank, hope your knee isn't to sore today.

You are so kind Mandy to Nicko. What sort of person would throw a stone at him, his life isn't exactly brilliant so he doesn't need that as well, he sounds such a polite man and seems so grateful for all your help. Maybe if he has a word with the jobcentre he might get some help, it's worth trying at least. It can't be very pleasant sleeping rough in the winter months, or any time for that matter.

So you've finally made your scones Mel, you'll find your book when you're not looking for it, it's always the way isn't it? Sorry to hear your bottom teeth are giving you some trouble, let's hope the dentist can sort them out for you.

Pleased to hear your throat is finally starting to feel better now Ann, there's nothing worse when it's viral and all you can do it wait for it to go.

Well, I've had a couple of days off from the garden as there's nothing for me to do at the moment until the landscaper comes back with his plans, so I've been catching up with my housework. The landscaper is only 27 and very enthusiastic. I'm looking forward to seeing his ideas as we're not sure exactly what we want. I've mentioned a few things to him like the water feature and lights plus a summer house that can also be used as an observatory, so I'll be interested to see what he comes up with. I've got a telescope and would love to set it up. It was a Christmas present almost 9 years ago and I've only used it a few times as we moved house and it's been packed away ever since, so it'll be nice to use it again once I have somewhere to put it. Scott, the landscaper said he would be in touch in a couple of days when he's done the plans, he's also bringing his portfolio with him and I'm looking online for pictures of things we like, so we can all get together and plan the garden between us. I'm quite excited even if it doesn't all get done this year, I'd be happy with anything pretty to look at this year.

Off to get a cuppa now, I'm very thirsty today for some reason :-S

Afternoon All

Mandy ,you are so good to Nicko.I bet he loved that Cheese on Toast :-D. Fancy some s*** throwing stones at him :-S :-S..He doesn't deserve to be treated like that.He sounds a gentle soul.With your kindness I bet he won't want to be moving on anywhere anytime soon lol

Gill it will be nice to see Scott's Port Folio.That way at least you can get a good idea of his work.He sounds keen to do the work for you :-D

Mel I hope that your plate just needs a little rubbing down or something very simple to make it rub less.I dread having to have false teeth .Hopefully I will hang on to all mine for a long time yet :-)... Chris has to have a wisdom tooth out.I don't think he has many back teeth.

Liz we had our Woodburner serviced and the Chimney cleaned a few weeks ago .So we are all ready now for when we want to light the fire.Basket of logs ready beside the fire :-D :-D... It's not cold enough yet though and we haven't put the heating on yet either.

Ann I'm sure your car will get through the service no trouble.I hope you get a bettere nights sleep tonight and not hear any scuttling going on above you !!!!!

Nice one David :-D :-D

Well this hedgehog made such a mess on the patio last night I had to hose it down this morning :-S :-S..Picking up didn't work,and just made it worse. I can't be doing this every morning. I wonder if there is any way to distract the Hog from the patio.

Feed it on the grass away from the patio.

Made the scones and we,ve had two each with a cuppa. They're nice. This recipe was from The Dairy Book Of Home Cookery. Mum bought this book for me in 1969 as I can remember making things from it in the flat where we lived when first married. It has seen better days but is still readable although the cover is quite yellow from years of everyone smoking. I am so pleased oh dos'nt smoke indoors now. The paintwork and windows are glad too.

Gill sounds like things are going to plan for you all at last and you should be a lot tidier for when Michelle comes to visit. Love to Sandra........... <3

Evening All,

Oh Mandy I couldn't believe someone could be so cruel as to throw a rock at him. :-| What is wrong with people these days! Is it the way they are brought up? I get really angry about this kind of thing.

Gill, I bet you are excited about the garden ideas you will be seeing soon. :-) I bet Sandra can't wait till it's done as well.

Jane, it's the time of year the mice move indoors here! It's also the time of year the Magpies decide there's something tasty in the gutters and try with all their might to remove the plastic mesh that's fixed within the top edge of them all that's to keep leaves out! We had 3 visiting Hedgehogs a few years ago and they would leave calling cards all down the side path the length of the bungalow! Not the easiest mess to remove as you say, but it was their route into the garden.

Mel, I got a cook book with either pink or greenshield stamps for when I got married in 1969! It was Mrs Beeton's, a thick volume, and I still sometimes use it. Like yours mine is falling apart at the seams and the pages are all yellowed and we didn't smoke. I covered it in brown paper at first, but now it just has the original cover that's in several pieces.

I think I have that Mrs. Beatons book somewhere too Ann. Between mum and I we have a whole bookshelf full of different cookery book. Some from the 70's which I really must give to the charity shops. I sorted a couple to get rid of today whilst looking for my book again.

There is this book on amazon but a new one is £19 and I don't think I WANT TO pay that. They also have about 63 used ones at 1p each plus postage!!!!!!!!!!

Mornn ing all.

Grey sky here today again. we seem to be paying for the nice weather we had last week now with dreary days, rain and some bright spells.

I was interested in Gardeners World on Friday as he was talking about the cobwebs in the garden. He even showed those ones I get in the box hedge I call Fairy Hammocks.