General Chat

Evening All
I haven't had the chance to read any posts today ,but thought I would nip in quickly .
I won't really be around unti after Janice goes home on Wednesday.We are having great time together.Been shopping and out to lunch today.

Had a message from Hannah earlier.She is going to having to up sticks and move yet again as the house she rents with the other 2 girls is going to be sold.(just like the last one) :-(... She really could do without another upheaval.This will be the 6th move in 4 years in London.I think they will have to move in the next month or 2.

Janice and I saw Thomas in the garden a couple of hours ago and he looked like he was walking a bit oddly on his back legs :-S :-S.I just hope he hasn't done anything bad to his operation leg :-S :-S.. I just want him to come in soon so I can have a look at him.Maybe he has pulled a muscle or something. Fingers crossed he is ok.

Hope its not serious Jane. Perhaps he just twisted it a bit?? Let us know how he is please.

Morning all,

Bit grey here this morning but there is a bit of blue sky here and there.

Shopping day today and I need to go up the High St to get some stuffing for my pumkins and some orangey wool for other pumkins. I am sure there was something else too but I can't think of it at the moment. I hope it comes to me before I get to Morrisons as I shan't be going back up the High St afterwards.

Frank I hope there was'nt any arguments about what was going back and what was'nt last night. We shall want to see some pics of this nice clean refurbished room.

Morning Mel. and all, Evening Kim.,
No Mel, the arguments haven't started yet.!!! I did manage to make her sit down for the evening last night.

We think she might have GOUT The big toe on her right foot is swollen and RED and is throbbing like made. Managed to get an emergency appointment. She is up the doctors now.Hope it's not as I know how painful that is.

The dear decorator turned off the radiator in the dining room end, as he didn't want any heat on the wall he had papered . I tried to turn it back on this morning, but can't move it an inch. Will get neighbour across the road to try. He's a big strong lad !!!

Glad you are enjoying Janice's company Jane, where did you go for lunch ??

Had another bad night with you know what. It feels like something wants to click in place (like locking a door) but just won't do it. I am exercising it more and more, and it still hurts like billyoh (sp)

I wish I could be some help to Ros, as she has to start to bringing the box's into the lounge and sorting out what goes where. I will TRY to make her do a few at a time and have a break for an hour.

Not sure what we are going to get weather wise. It's a bit cloudy here.!!

Its cloudy here too Frank and quite breezy with it so the cloud are moving fast but still showing small blue bits.

You tell Ros to take it a bit easier Frank. She must rest inbetween the boxes and make sure she does.

Afternoon all,

Bright sun shine here and its really warm ,we have been sitting out again this morning , it's Colins birthday today so the family are here later and we're having a Chinese takeaway tonight .
Then tomorrow Colin has his appointment at the hospital to see the surgeon again ,i think he's hoping he will say he can give up the crutches and use a stick.

Ann Max has his first training lesson this thursday and then each thursday for the next five weeks.
I'm hoping he will be a bit calmer by the evening as he's usually getting tired by then .

Frank what a good price that was to have the room decorated ,i don't know how he does it for the price , you sound as if you have found a good worker there.

Jane how is Thomas ? i hope he hasn't done something to his leg again .

Afternoon All,

Lovely warm sunshine here now so the washer is on! I hope Thomas hasn't got into anymore scrapes Jane and that he has just pulled a muscle.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO COLIN........hope the crutches will be able to go so he can carry things again! That will be good to meet some other people with puppies Mandy and share your experiences. I expect the dogs will all be a bit excited on seeing each other, but he's a clever boy and I think he will soon pick things up.

Frank it does sound like gout to me having had it in a toe myself. I hope she managed to get to her appointment alright as I ended up hobbling so slowly to the Doctor's room he came to look for me!! Yes she must take it easy putting stuff back and keep having a rest. She doesn't want to hurt her back.

Mel I'm curious about what you are doing with the jamjars and leaves and now white glitter!! lol

Must go and do a (short!) stint in the garden now.......more pruning! It all got left with everything happening with the in laws last year, so we need to get on top of things before winter! OH is finishing painting the bottom fence.

Afternoon from a sunny Frankie, !!

It's turned out very nice here, the sun is very warm through the conservatory windows, even though you can't sit out there.

Ros is going to make some Green Tomato Chutney. She made a load the other year, and it keeps so in air tight jars,but like all good things they come to an end !! the reciepe is from an old book her mother had, it must be 120/140 years old. It has everything you could ask for in it.

Ros has just popped down to Carolyn's to collect a load of "WINDFALL APPLES" she will give them to the "stitchery do" lot on Thursday I will get some later to take to the pub.

Happy Birthday Colin, I might have one for you later (a pint) ;-) ;-) if I go to the pub. Hope you get rid of the crutches tomorrow. I'm down to one stick !!!

Madam has got both sets of curtains up this afternoon. I am going to try to stop her for the day now. Well I can try :-D :-D :-D :-D

Hope everyone has enjoyed this afternoons sunshine. See you soon.

One of our tomato plants we put outside turned out to be plum tomatoes! It was in the way of OH painting the fence so he turfed it out........but there were 2 bagsful of green tomatoes on it. I thought I might do us a breakfast with fried green tomatoes later in the week. :-) Has anyone else done this with them and were they nice?

Crikey Frank, putting up the curtains takes quite a bit of effort so Ros mustn't do too much at once. I have filled a big polythene sack with more prunings from just 1 bush but it looks better now. Plenty more bushes needing doing though. I am getting fed up of the cats spraying and killing more shrubs. There's at least 5 more that are covered in brown patches. At £6-£12 each it gets quite expensive to keep replacing them. :-S As soon as I hoof out what they have killed they start on another one.

This time last year we were sorting stuff at MIL's house and loading our cars and making trips to the tip and charity shops most days. The old chap, a widower, 4 doors up has died according to a neighbour. We saw an ambulance and another car (that often used to visit) a couple of weeks ago and thought he must be unwell. He'd had mobility problems for a year or two as handrails were fitted down the side of his bungalow, but we never saw him to speak to, and he wasn't one to smile as you passed by in your car. That will mean another bungalow up for sale in the close. OH said he bet there wouldn't be half the stuff to clear from there as at his mum's house!

I'm off to the bead sale at the house with cakes and other goodies in the morning!! It will be the last one ever as they are just selling on-line, which they already do, in the future. I told OH I'd better get there early before the best stuff is sold and stock up!! He said he'd pay for what I buy..........bet he doesn't realise how much I will be stocking up though!! :-)

I've been invited to another study at the research centre. It's for a parent and child though, so they obviously didn't look at my AGE!! OH offered to wear a school cap!

Another quick one from me :-D
Happy Birthday to Colin <3.I hope he has had a lovely day today.

Thomas is fine. I think he must have just done something yesterday to strain something in his leg. He hasn't been far today (whichi is good :-) )

Just doing dinner now.Janice is in charge of cooking the Lamb Steaks :-D :-D

No call yet to say what time the man is coming tomorrow to sort the freezer :-S

Happy Birthday to Colin. Hope all goes well for his appointment tomorrow and he can get rid of his crutches. He will be much better if he can use a stick now.

Well the sun came out here before I went to Bideford but the wind was chilly today so I started of in a fleece jacket but had to take it off when I got to Bideford. They have that very old boat in Bideford I think its the last one left of its kind. I think its a steam tanker or something that used to supply ships at sea in the war. I shall have to find out more about it. We saw it on the news the other week being towed past Instow and into Bideford.

Gosh I did'nt realize the time so I must get something on to eat!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Ann I am making lanterns out of the jars. Some with leaves and some with pumpkins and some with fairies in. You cover the jars with tissue paper.

Morning you lot,

Cloudy then a bit brighter and so it goes on today.

We are expecting the oil to arrive either today or tomorrow so oh has moved both our cars up the top. It is so nice just to walk past the bungalow and not have to worry about scraping the bucket along my car when going to the girls.

I asked someone to reach a joint of pork for me in Morrisons yesterday and he did but it was'nt the one I wanted , it was right at the back on the very bottom shelf and it was the cheepest one so I bent down and got it myself. Bad move I could hardle get up and this morning my left hip is really giving me gip. Together with that and the fact that I bashed my right thigh on the blimmin bottom of the bed you can imagine how I am walking today.

I think it will be a quiet sit and fiddle day instead of the usual housework on a Wednesday.

First today, Good morning my sweet peas, evening Kim,

Nice blue sky's everywhere, not sure about the breeze (looks chilly)

Curtains all up, as Ros gets one on half the pole, I hold it up with my walking stick, while she puts the other one on the other half of the pole. It works out fine. I have tried to make Ros agree to emptying FOUR BOX'S a day. We will see how it works out. Then we will sort out the paintings. That's when the music will start.

I typed this before 10 this morning, forgot to send.

Afternoon All

Mel I think you are getting your oil just at the right time as is feels a lot colder now. The wind is biting here even though it is lovely and sunny. You do sound as though you have been in the wars :-S..Hopefully your hip and bashed thigh will feel better tomorrow.

Frank I bet you are pleased all the decorating is finished now.Curtains back up and all back to normal again :-D..It seems you have found a very good and reasonably priced Decorator.

Well I am still without the use of my big freezer.The compressor has gone so a new one will be fitted next Wednesday.One of the young men had a funky moustache with curled up waxed ends :-).It actually looked quite good.
This afternoon I had to take my car back to the people who sorted the scratch on the drivers door as the rubber seal around the window was puckered. They couldn't do it and have had to order a new one. So that is 2 things on order so far today. I wonder what the third thing will be. It may well be a new catch on the washing machine door as something has happened to that :-S

Janice has gone home now.We had a great few days :-D.I think she felt rested and relaxed,and snored her blooming head off every evening on the settee LOL
She has taken some dresses of mine to put on eBay,for which I am very grateful.I know I will never wear them again and they are just hanging in the wardrobe taking up much needed space.

Thomas was very sick during the night(thankfully on the kitchen floor). Too many mice.I could see a little foot and toes plus what looked like it could have been 2 mice partially digested :-S :-S..Then we discovered the patio was streaked with Hog doo doos.Chris had to hose it all but it has stained the paving slabs so that will need a good power wash now :-D..I wonder if someone has been putting milk out or the wrong food.We found more mess on the front drive :-S :-S (hopefully I haven't been too graphic)

It's strange here now without Janice.She is one of these people who you know is around LOL

I hope Colin has had good reports from the hospital today Mandy.I'm sure he has :-D

I must sort out what we are having to eat tonight now.

Evening all,

Mel i have pm'd you .

Another nice sunny day but the wind has been quite chilly ,i forgot to say we had a frost monday morning the shed roof was all white.

Colin had a good report from the hospital ,the surgeon was very pleased with him and will see him again in three months time ,he can now go down to one crutch for the next six weeks ,after that he can walk without a stick in doors but must use a stick for
longer walks when he goes out

We had a good look at the xray he had today and the new hip joint is a much bigger
one than the old one he had in , the shaft down the leg is 10 inches long so that too is much longer than the old one.
Hope your hip feels a bit easier now Mel ,have you rested it today?

Walking sticks do come in useful Frank thats a good idea holding up the curtain pole
with it , i use Colins to get things from under the sofa ,the children roll things under it when they come.

Poor old Thomas he's been over doing the mice catching i see.
Good idea to sell your dresses on ebay Jane you might as well see if you can get somd money for them rather than letting them just hang in the wardrobe .

Right better get Max out for a last walk ,the nights are really pulling now.

Brilliant news for Colin then Mandy :-D..He has done so well.
I don't think we have had any frost here yet. Just lovely misty mornings. The mist hangs over the fields out the front and then as the sun comes up it burns off.
It is proper Autumn now. The season of Mists and Mellow Fruitfulness :-D :-D.
is one of Chris's favourite sayings at this time of year.

Season of Mists and Fruitfulness
Close bosom friend of the maturing sun
Conspiring with him how to load and bless
With fruit the vines that round the thatch'eaves run

That is just part of the poem by Keats. (so I am told :-) )

Dishing up dinner now .

Here it is in it's entireity

To Autumn


SEASON of mists and mellow fruitfulness!
Close bosom-friend of the maturing sun;
Conspiring with him how to load and bless
With fruit the vines that round the thatch-eaves run;
To bend with apples the moss'd cottage-trees,
And fill all fruit with ripeness to the core;
To swell the gourd, and plump the hazel shells
With a sweet kernel; to set budding more,
And still more, later flowers for the bees,
Until they think warm days will never cease,
For Summer has o'er-brimm'd their clammy cells.

Who hath not seen thee oft amid thy store?
Sometimes whoever seeks abroad may find
Thee sitting careless on a granary floor,
Thy hair soft-lifted by the winnowing wind;
Or on a half-reap'd furrow sound asleep,
Drowsed with the fume of poppies, while thy hook
Spares the next swath and all its twinèd flowers;
And sometimes like a gleaner thou dost keep
Steady thy laden head across a brook;
Or by a cider-press, with patient look,
Thou watchest the last oozings hours by hours.

Where are the songs of Spring? Ay, where are they?
Think not of them, thou hast thy music too,—
While barrèd clouds bloom the soft-dying day,
And touch the stubble-plains with rosy hue;
Then in a wailful choir the small gnats mourn
Among the river sallows, borne aloft
Or sinking as the light wind lives or dies;
And full-grown lambs loud bleat from hilly bourn;
Hedge-crickets sing; and now with treble soft
The redbreast whistles from a garden-croft;
And gathering swallows twitter in the skies.

Just love that poem.

Mandy thank you very much........xxxxxxx I am so pleased Colin had such a glowing report today. I would have thought one crutch would be more awkward than two.

Evening All,

Mel I am always asking men to reach things for me in supermarkets.......usually from high shelves, particularly the back of them!! I can hardly reach some clothes on hangers that are so high up these days. What a shame you have hurt yourself though and banged your leg this morning too.

Yuk Jane, I wouldn't have enjoyed cleaning that lot up!! It sounds like Janice was nice and relaxed if she was snoring. lol The 'knowing she is around' made me think of OH. He is another one like that. ;-) Good idea to sell your dresses. I really must make a start on selling some things, but need to get set up on ebay as a seller first. We always seem to trot out 'season of mists and mellow fruitfulness' in the autumn but can never remember the rest!!

Mandy, did Colin have a previous hip replacement replaced then? It's good he's doing well and can lose one crutch.

Frank's been pole dancing today then! ;-) Very handy using your stick to hold the pole up.

I spent a good 2 hours at the bead sale. The lady's husband makes us drinks when we arrive and then comes round asking you if you want another........and another!! There was a table full of crisps, several cakes, shortbread, biscuits and a bowlful of chocolates!! I got 2 lovely patterns they have designed (free) and spent far too much this time with it being the last sale there. Then I took some trousers back to an outlet in a garden centre near there and had a pensioner's 2 course special while I was there, chicken forestiere and blackberry and apple crumble.

While I was sitting in my car getting ready to set off, a silly woman crashed into another trolley someone had left in front of my car with hers and only just stopped it running into my bonnet. :-S

Gosh Ann could'nt she see the trolley!!!!!!!! Sounds like you had a narrow escape there.

That poem always reminds me of the Mr. Kipling cake advert from years ago.

I have had a day of making pom poms so have been siting most of the day. I have made 4 yellow ones and 4 orange ones and got the faces on 4 of them and two more with their eyes and noses but hav'nt done the mouths yet on those two. They are the hardest part. I am hoping to make them into a garland for the halloween party the kids have up in the village hall. I must take my camera up this year and take some pics of how they (the mums) decorate it as it is usually quite something. There are two cousins who have birthdays very near each other in October so they do it for the two of them together.

Morning all,

Bright sunshine at the moment and the oil has beed delivered.

I am just goping to let the girls out and do some toast to start the day.