General Chat

I had to turn the pc off before dinner. We had a thunderstorm right overhead and when that went on its way we had high wind and huge hailstones when I looked out the back door. It blew our Christmas tree over onto the grass. I just hope it has'nt broken any of the branches as I think it has fallen on the best side.

O Mandy thank you so much the hog is lovely and I am glad you recycled the box as I shall do it up in that too. A well travelled cardboard box. How much do I owe you please?

We're off in decent time this morning bearing in mind the weather!
No Ann, OH won't be dressing up as Father Christmas! Not his style at all! We just put some greenery on the trap. People love to pat old Merlin which is fine, but we have to say no to feeding him as he is prone to laminitis, also we can't give rides this year as he's not got appropriate insurance so unfortunately, it's just not worth the risk.
COT has just arrived!

Morning all,

Just having a cup of tea here to Liz , have a good time away .

Let Max out for his wee and it seems a nice dry morning ,lots of leaves in the garden from the strong wind we had yesterday .

Mel , there's nothing to pay i was happy to make it for you , yes that box is getting about it , its nice to reuse things again if you can .

Morning all,

Hi to Liz and Mandy. Yes I like to use things again. I send for my Joint Ace online and that comes in a nice square box I sent thing on in to Gill and you Mandy.

It is very wet out there this morning but its not raining at the moment and the suns trying to come out but there's big grey clouds moving quickly across the sky.

I suppose it is time for me to start mossing my wreaths but I need to get some moss first and don't feel like walking up the lane to get some. I shan't do many this year as the old hand won't take it and I had one left over last year which I gave to Em next door. There is so much work goes into them. Oh is not pleased when I start them either.

Suns out here now and the sky is blue with white clouds.

Cloudy now and the sun has just gone in. :-( :-( :-(

Where are you all today?

Afternoon All,

Sunny but chillier here today. I have been to class and we have made (almost!) a beaded wire bangle which made a nice change. OH went off to his hospital appointment for 11.00am, but soon texted me to say his consultant was running an hour late!! He was hoping to meet me after beading as usual for lunch but he still isn't home yet so I have come home to wait for him. He won't be best pleased with hanging around at the hospital.

Hope you have a nice time Liz. My OH wouldn't dress up as Santa either Liz.....although I keep saying his beard is almost the right shade now!! Years ago I used to let the local children have a sit and short ride on my pony while I led him on the grass and they would be thrilled to bits! I even took him to a garden fete to do pony rides. I wouldn't do it now though. Too much risk of being sued by parents if they fell off!! :-S

Christmas wouldn't be Christmas without you doing your wreaths Mel and it is a shame your hands struggle now. Ooops he's home so I'd better go now.

Home alone AGAIN, Good afternoon all,

All the "Stitchery Do Girls have gone to Rushden. A new shop has opened similar to "HOBBY CRAFT". As HC aren't stocking the things they need (Ros thinks they might be closing down) They left at 9.30 this morning, having lunch out, and will get home as and when. So not holding my breath.

Have a nice few day away Liz, see you when you are back. !!

Bright cold day here, Ros wanted me to walk to the Drs for the scripts, but I declined, so she picked them up before she went out.

Spoke with Harvey and Lewis last night. Lewis is getting a handful. They just can't seem to get enough food in the House. He seems to be constantly HUNGRY. Last Sunday they went to see Jamie in Bristol, so didn't cook a Sunday Dinner. Lewis decided he would get himself something. A TIN OF SOUP followed by, FOUR RASHERS, THREE SAUSAGES, TIN OF BEANS, AND SCRAMBLED EGGS. Here's the best bit HE USED TEN EGGS. Harvey and Julia went mad. He recons he's coming up here to raid our FRIDGE. Little Bugger !!!!

Mince, Mash, Cabbage, Runners and carrots for dinner tonight. Will make a change from a joint. :-D :-D :-D

It's been really cold here today,we've had lovely blue sky and thd sun was so dazzling this afternoon when we nipped to thd Bernard Matthews factory shop , we bought two of the big Turkey Crowns both done for M&S they were a fiver each ,one had chestnut stuffing and the other was just a plain crown, i looked on line and the one with the stuffing sells for neary fifty pound !! bargain or what !! It might be that the bacon is not laid over the crown quite straight or the butter has been missed off the top , but that doesn't bother me who would know once its cooked.

The really extra big turkeys were only twelve pound each , it is only because there may be a bit of the skin that has been nipped off or the wrapping is not closed
properly , you just have to take your chance as to what they have on the day.

I see you got your bargains yesterday Ann with your free turkey and pudding .
It must be uncomfortable having some one breathing down your neck when your trying to enjoy your food ,it's a shame you have to find some where else as you've always enjoyed your meals there .


Lewis eats well then Frank :-D ten eggs !! he'll be getting egg bound :-D what about
feeding him for the week he'd soon clear your fridge out LOL

Afternoon Everyone

This is the first sit down of the day.My hip is being a right pain today and making my back ache too.So I am not doing anything else other than pop the Chicken and Mushroom Pie in the oven later, and Tarragon Carrots. I have just finished making the pie.

OMG Frank 10 EGGS !!! Lewis must be well egg bound now LOL...That was quite a meal he made for himself. No wonder his Mum and Dad were a bit peeved . He is at that age though when his tummy is a bottomless pit.
That will be a shame if the H C shop closes for Ros. Rushen must be a fair trip .But I am sure she will have had a nice day out and a good lunch.

Ann, I would hate it if someone kept coming up that close and calling me lovey and touching like that.When you have a meal you just need to enjoy it without all the interupting.I think once is ok for them to check everything is too your liking but no more. Can you imagine what Fitz would be like if he had that happen to him constantly !!

I think Fitz has to wear the stockings for maybe 6 weeks. Hopefully with the applicator thing he might just be able to manage getting fresh ones on. But it will still be a struggle. There is a toe bit that folds back so he should at least be able to wash his feet !!!. But also now his stitches are out he can have a good shower :-D..I am always willing to help with the stockings if he has trouble.It's no skin off my nose.(haven't heard that one for a long time lol )

So a nice new bangle Ann.That will be a nice change from necklaces :-)

How many wreaths will you do this year Mel?. I know it takes a lot of your time and not easy if you have a hand that won't work properly.Is it the thumb?

I expect Liz and Ian will now be at their Sons.Hopefully they had a good journey .

The logs came this morning and are now all stacked away.The Woodburner is blazing as it is blooming cold today.I went out without a coat or cardi this morning (bit of a mistake).But I only went to Dunelm to get a Duvet protector cover so I just nipped straight in from the car park and then back into the car again.

I am wondering if Gill had any snow this morning as I did see some places up North had a fair bit.I think it was in the Oldham area, but as my knowledge of geography is pretty pants I have no idea if that is anywhere near her ! :-S

Thomas has just come in.He was only out for about 30 minutes.I bet his little tootsies were cold.

It is so quiet here.Chris is sitting by the fire reading (so I turned the TV off) .He said it would be nice to have a lot of candles lit to make it even more cosy :-).. The trouble is the only ones we have at the moment are scented ones and there is no way I am having them in the lounge.

I tried ordering a present for Hannah on line this afternoon.What a performance.My password wouldn't be accepted even though I already had used it before.Luckliy I found a phone number and managed to order that way.The girl on the phone asked if I wanted her to help me go through setting up a new password ,but I said no thanks as I know I would have made myself seem even more incompetent LOL.

Does anyone have one of those roll up mats for jigsaw puzzles? Are they good ?

Wow Mandy!! I wish I lived near you to get such a great bargain on the Turkey Crowns. That was a really good buy :-D.We will no doubt be paying an arm and leg for ours here :-S
Tissues ready here for Children in need.People do so much .We do our donation but it still puts us to shame as I know we should do more.(Chris wont be watching as he gets more upset than me ,but pretends he doesn't) I can tell by though by the secret wiping of eyes :-)

Jane I think it must be the colder snap we have now that is setting our aches and pains off!! My knees felt quite achey today and after sitting beading for a couple of hours I had to stand up very carefully! lol. I was just glad I didn't have to pick any beads off the floor. I often drop a few.

Mandy those were great BARGAINS from Bernard Matthews weren't they. :-D I think we passed his place when we were in Norfolk this year. It looked very grand if it was it.

Frank, I would sooner keep Lewis a week than a fortnight at that rate. Ten eggs!!!! I hope they weren't 'EXTRA LARGE' ones!! I can remember eating lots of food as a teenager at times. It was all the riding my bike everywhere, roller skating and horse riding. The exercise you do then gives you an appetite. I bet Ros has enjoyed her day out with lunch and not come back empty handed! It would be a shame if HC closed. I have called in one on my way to Northampton in the past. The nearest one from here is near Tamworth just off the A5.

Gill we think it will be at least another 12 months before the builder is finished as he hasn't started on one of the bungalows yet. He's close to finishing the first bungalow, which is sold, but it looks odd with it's cream walls and pale green windows, as everything else around it is red brick with white windows. The house is being worked on inside at the moment but the outside isn't finished yet either. When I got home today the hole that had been dug was filled and tarmaced again so hopefully the problem is sorted this time. It does look a mess on the road now with 2 strips of new tarmac the length of it and a channel that goes across. There is mud all over the road from the lorries and where they have dug. Yes it was a shame that boy's voice came back so well, then became just a whisper. Still better a whisper than no voice like before.

We noticed today that someone was at the bungalow further up the close again where the old chap died recently. We both said thank goodness we hadn't got that job this year.

I found a little wooden sledge Christmas ornament at a garden centre we went to after lunch. It's just right to go with 3 little reindeer ornaments I got in a sale last Christmas. They just need eyes painting on and hooves and little reins attaching and a bit of work on the sledge and it will look very nice I think. :-D ;-)

Chris has just brought in A BOX OF TISSES and dropped them on the table LOL

Ann he lived at the hall at Gt Witchingham just past the factory , a huge house you can see very plainly from the road,i think his wife still lives there but there are Offices there in part of the house too, he moved out to live with his lady friend .

Yes tissues ready here too.

What a bargain Mandy. I bet you were very pleased you went today. I usually get a turkey crown from Morrisons as I have found they are ok and we don't need a big one with only the two of us and I don't like it going on for days and days as I get fed up with it.

The little sledge sounds nice Ann and we shall want to see a pic when you have done it. Also the braclet please.

Jane oh does that too with the wiping away of a tear or two. He is such a softy when it comes to kids. I think the fireman in him also kicks in after the things he has seen in his lifetime in the service.

Well this morning was nice weather wise but this afternoon we had thunder again and hail showers and then it rained for the rest of the afternoon and is still raining now.

I have seen the two little hogs again in the garden tonight and they are getting bigger. They had the best part of a tin tonight plus a lot of biscuits as they cleared the plate last night very quickly.

Roasted veg and a chicken crown tonight with lemon and garlic. It should just about be done now so I better take a look.

I think boys of Lewis's age have hollow legs. I know my friend Ali has three boys and they have all been the same and two of them are long steaks of nothing only the youngest is a beefy boy but not in a fat way.

Good morning all,

Oh woke me at 11am!!!!!!!!!!!!! I awoke at 20 to 8 and turned over, he was up, fell asleep again and had a dream about having to go to this valley up a dirt track and swim in the river with my clothes on and the water was freezing. The boys were already in there but who the boys were I do not know. I think it must be something to do with watching I'm a Celeb.

Only the usual to do today, go to the shop for hte paper and thats it.

The hogs ate me out of house and home again last night. They had eaten a whole bowl of food before oh went to bed and that was about 9pm. I put more biiscuits out when I saw the big one poking around by the bowl and the little one was down the garden eating some I had sprinkled along the edge of the grass.

Must get the steak out for tonight.

Afternoon all

Dry but very cold here today and I've started with another bug, hope it has gone by Wednesday, I don't fancy being ill on my birthday :-( :-(

You were all very chatty yesterday ;-) We took Sandra to Chester Christmas shopping like we promised her, although she didn't buy that much this time so we're going to take her to the outlet in Ellesmere Port when I feel a bit better. We were supposed to go today but I really didn't feel up to it, hopefully I'll feel better by Monday so we can take her then. We didn't get in until gone 8pm last night, Sandra loved all the Christmas lights that were up in the shops and streets of Chester.

No we didn't get any snow yesterday Jane, although I haven't given up hope for Sandra, as like you said the snow is very close to us at the moment. We're not on high ground so don't always get the snow when it's near us, which is a shame for Sandra as she can see it on the weather maps and doesn't understand why it's all around us but not here. I think Oldham is about an hour and a half away from us, so quite a way away.

So another year before the builders go Ann, let's hope it doesn't run over and you have next Christmas clean and quiet. It sounds a nightmare at the moment for you both.

Your Turkey Crowns sound like a bargain Mandy, we saw a tiny one yesterday and they wanted a tenner so we left it there as Iceland do a whole Turkey for the same price so I'm sure their Turkey crowns will be slightly cheaper if they do them.

10 eggs is lot Frank, Lewis maybe paying for it today, it does sound like he likes his food doesn't it. What a shame HC is closing down Ros will be so disappointed.

So the hogs are eating you out of house and home Mel, it looks like they're giving Lewis a run for his money LOL.

I'm recording the best bits of children in need tonight as we got in so late last night that once I'd sorted dinner out and cleared up I was shattered and went to bed, although I didn't sleep for long and was tossing and turning all night. I gave up at 6am this morning and got up for a cuppa, haven't been back to sleep since, so now I'm really tired.

We called in the sofa shop before we went into Chester yesterday and they have told us our new sofa's will be delivered on 28th November, so we're going to order our new carpet, now we have a date and get rid of the old sofa's ready for the new ones.

Off to get some lunch now and watch the Christmas film with Sandra we were going to watch the other day when my sister rang. We've caught up with our soaps and Masterchef this morning so are now up to date with those :-)

Afternoon All

I am still chuckling at the thought of those 10 eggs !!!!!!!

Oh so no snow then Gill. I have a feeling that this will be the year for Sandra to make her snowman :-D Sorry you aren't feeling so good.Maybe a nice relaxing day will do the trick.If it is like here you will just want to be in the warm today...I dug my long boots out this morning and even wore a coat when I went to Tesco . My goodness it was busy there.I wish I hadn't bothered really as I only wanted a few bits.I wanted to get some ready Puff Pastry ,Pesto and Salami for some little recipe I saw. Needless to say I came out with far more than that :-S.
Got home and saw Fitz's car in the layby outside.He normally parks in our drive. Anyway he was here having a glass of wine with Chris after 'his walk'..I was impressed.He has been told he needs to have a proper walk every day.So our road is just right as it is flat .He walked to the end house (where the pavement runs out) and back again) Then came in to us.He needed a sit down(so he said LOL)

Hannah and Gareth are in Christchurch (Dorset /Hampshire) I am not sure what county it is in for the weekend.She sent some lovely pics last night .I think it is a concert they have gone there for.

Mel you did have a good sleep in this morning. I wish I did. I was up at 6.30 as I needed to come down and get something for my hip.I thought I would feed thomas and let him out, but he just stuck his nose out and came straight back to his bed.It was a really frosty morning .I was just going to take my mug of tea back to bed but decided to let Chris sleep on so I sat and watched 'Nothing to Declare ' on tv. I love that programme .Just seeing all the things people bring back through customs without declaring and drugs hidden in unmentionable places.How they think they can get away with it I just don't know as all the drug dogs soon pick them out.

I might just make a start on the Xmas cards this afternoon .The fire is lit and it's all nice and warm .
Dinner tonight is Sausages ,Mash,Spring Greens and Gravy.Maybe Mushrooms too. Nice and easy
:-D :-D