General Chat

It's so easy Jane ,

1 onion chopped
1 glove garlic chopped
2 sticks celery chopped
Soften these for a few minutes in a little oil in a saucepan ,add chopped mushrooms( i use one pack of mushrooms from tesco's the 90p ones ) add 2 oxo vegetable stock cubes , salt and pepper and just cover with boiling water don't add to much or the soup will be to watery and you need it nice and thick , gentle boil for about 15 minutes or until the onions and celery are cooked .
Pour into liquidiser and blitz and return to the pan , add a small pot of single cream and simmer for a couple of minutes .

That looks a nice little project to do Gill ,have you seen all the things that Debbie Shaw makes ,you can see them here www.debbieshore.tv/ she makes some lovely things .

Ann , i meant to say have you got this weeks Womans Weekly? free pattern for a necklace and bracelet in there and they are pretty .

Thanks Mandy for the recipe. I just asked Chris if he likes Mushroom soup.......
"Not really" was his answer :-S :-S..So maybe I won't be doing it :-(..I will add it to my recipe book anyway :-D

That Cath Kidson sewing book looks lovely Gill. All these needlework and craft work things are way beyond me.I am just happy wit hmy adult colouring books LOL That is the most artistic I can be . :-S

Full Moon tonight. I thought Thomas would have been out for hours .But he has just come in :-D..Last night he was really hyper,(almost climbing the curtains again).Then he disappeared just before I went to bed. I looked under the settees, chairs ,study ,garage. Found him eventually curled up on Hannah's bed upstairs !!.He never goes upstairs .I felt a bit bad disturbing him and bringing him downstairs ,but I know if I had left him there he would have been awake and being a pain in the early hours.
Dilemma tonight.Do I watch The Documentary 'Hospital' or Italians Invisible Cities???
I think it is going to be the Italian one.It is Venice.One of my favourite places.
I can see 'Hospital ' on catch up. :-D

Have just read the posts. You have all been very talkative today just because I have been trying to work something out to make. I have made a start on one thing and collected lots of bits around me to work with.

That soup recipe sounds really nice Mandy and I think I will give it a try. I even have celery and mushrooms at the moment but not sure I will have time with what I am into at the moment.

Hope Frank had a lift down the pub tonight if he went and I expect Ros will pick him up.

Gill has Sandra got her sewing machine now as you said she was getting one after Christmas I think?

Morning all

Dull here today. The wind has finally gone, it was really bad yesterday and a bit scary at times. It looks as if there's something in the clouds today but I don't think it's SNOW, more like rain. I still have my fingers crossed that Sandra will at least see a bit of snow, even if there isn't enough for her to build a snowman.

Yes Mel, Sandra has a sewing machine, it's only a very small one that my mum bought her for Christmas to get her started. She can use mine if her small one isn't enough for any big things she wants to make.

I finished the little bag for her yesterday so she now has all her small bits of material in it and today I'm going to make her a cushion cover to put on the cushion I bought her with the white fluff on it, that needs washing and she doesn't have a spare one. Needless to say it's going to be in PINK ;-) I'm going to use the pink material she chose the other day. Then we are going to make her some pencil cases, I think Sandra might be able to manage that with a bit of help as there isn't really any set measurements for her to deal with, unlike the cushion cover. She also want to make an apron for her gran, just one that goes around her waist so she should be able to manage that on her own too.

Well, I was right, it's just started raining here and it's gone very dark. Good job we didn't have any plans to go out. Sandra wants to stay in and watch some films and do her sewing, so it'll be another girly day as OH is out.....we like those types of days :-D :-D

So Thomas found a nice spot to sleep on Hannah's bed then Jane.......bless him. I don't expect he was to pleased when you moved him, but like you said you don't want him waking you up to early in the morning. Yes, the Cath Kidston book is really good, I love things like that, especially if they have a project and the material inside so you can make it straight away. Not sure when I'll have to time to do it though as I'm helping Sandra first. It's not going anywhere, so there's no rush.

I got Sandra some adult colouring books for Christmas and she loves them. There are quite a few on the market now, so I got her three different ones and some felt tip pens. She has a lot of coloured pencils and her felts were running out so now she has a choice on which ones she'd like to use. She has so many pens and pencils which is why we need to make her some pencil cases. At the moment she has them in an old shoe box, which takes up a lot of space in her wardrobe.

Thanks for the link to Debbie Shore's site Mandy, I like the things she does they are very similar to Cath Kidston's projects aren't they? I found the smocking interesting and might have a go at that. She did it on a cushion cover, it made a plain piece of material look so much more interesting to look at.
I like the sound of the recipe you put on here and will have a go at that, I don't have a liquidizer though, but it should still be okay without liquidizing it. More like a chunky soup than a liquid one I should think ;-)

Going to get a cuppa now, then pop some washing in the machine, it seems to be working okay now, so I didn't ring them in the end. If it goes funny again, I'll ring them to take a look.

Morning Gill and all,

Had a good lie in this morning after getting up at about 4am for the bathroom and oh had the telly on cos he could'nt sleep. I like it dark as I don't like the flashing light when the picture changes.

Pouring with rain here to and so dark I need the light on. As I hav'nt done anything yet there's nothig to report...........

Bet Sandra will love her new pencil cases Gill. It will be something hse can handle with a little help from you and they don't all have to have a zip on the top. They can just have a flap with a button on. Or even make a roll with sections for the pens or pencils she can roll up and tie with a ribbon.

Morning Folks, Evening Kim,

Jane Conrad had his bike stolen from the sun terrace at his apartment during the floods. It was chained to the railings, so they used cutters to get it.

Both Ros and I love mushroom soup, so it's one I will try.

It's just started to rain here. They did say rain this morning and MAYBE snow later this afternoon.

Couldn't be bothered with going out last night, so didn't have to worry about the weather and dragging Ros out to pick me up <3 <3. She insists I must start going out more. I have only been out once since we arrived back from Devon. !!!

Had a good night last night, only got woken twice my the dreaded Knee. ;-) ;-)

I got myself Eggs on toast for breakfast, while Ros was having her Grapefruit. The next thing I saw was her with a tray of Eggs on toast. She said I smelt yours, and couldn't resist :-D :-D

I could just see Thomas curled up on Hannah's bed. You are a bad MUM making him move. lol lol.

Ros has said how her little ROBIN is getting so tame, and sits around her in the garden. She talks to him. I have told her to get some meal worms, and try to hand feed him. Just like Mel does !!!

Hope you haven't got to be out in this weather today girls, if you do wrap up warm and take care xxx

You and Sandra sound well occupied Gill, which must be very nice for you both.
Son is back from NZ tomorrow, and coming here for supper on Saturday. His Partner is staying away for another two weeks in the hopes that her daughter's baby will appear!
Very miserable here this morning! OH has gone to Sainsbury's to do a bit of shopping. I didn't feel like going so he's on his own!!
Have put the chicken carcass in the slow cooker to make stock for more soup!! It'll stay there for a few hours to simmer and should be top dollar!!!
Chicken in white sauce tonight with rice! Nice and easy!!!!

Hi to Liz~~~~~

Still pouring here and now we have a blocked drain. Oh just put as bath of water down the bathroom and my little loo is past that and he said it is blocked from my little loo. So I am now boiling water to put some soda and bleach down my handbasin to see if the will shift it. The water is running down our road like a river and the ground is so wet it must have been raining all night I should think. The winds dropped and its quite mild.

Your OH needs to give it a poke with some drain rods Mel. When we had blocked drains it rained really hard and backed everything up right into our garden, it was such a mess and very smelly, so you don't want it to get that far. A stitch in time and all that ;-) Hope it's sorted soon for you.

We thought we saw a little snow mixed in with the rain earlier, but that might of been wishful thinking. I'm still hoping Sandra gets to see some snow, even if there's not enough to make a snowman.

Good idea not to go out last night Frank, the wind was terrible and the temperature dropped a lot too around here. What was it like by you? I assume it was just as bad if you decided to stay indoors ;-) I agree with Ros, a little light exercise would keep your knee mobile, you don't want it to seize up again. Maybe you could take a walk around the block, weather permitting, once or twice a day, a few small walks rather than one big one might just do the trick. Have you though of getting a dog, then you'd have some company on your walks and also when you're home alone. You can take a dog on holiday with you as well, although I wouldn't recommend taking the dog on the cruise, if you go next year ;-) ;-)

I bet you're looking forward to seeing your son on Saturday Liz. How long was he away, sorry, you've probably already said but I can't remember :-S So his partner is waiting for the birth of her grandchild, how exciting. Hope he/she is born before she comes home, I'll keep my fingers crossed for her. How is Cas, we haven't heard much about her lately. Did you get her anything for Christmas? We used to get our cats a little something for the big day and sometimes a new scratch board which Jez (our middle cat) used to love and go bonkers about.

Just finishing off the washing and drying my hair after a lovely hot bath, then it'll be a spot of lunch and SEWING TIME with Sandra and a film or two after that. See you all later <3

Son was away for a month Gill, I think he'll find it rather cold as he's left hot weather! He's travelling via Dubai, but I'm not sure whether they'll be there long enough for people to stretch their legs!
Talking of seizing up! OH had to dismantle his larger chain saw this morning, as a branch needed removing from a tree across the road from us. He hadn't used it for a while and it was well and truly seized up! After a bit of huffing and puffing its now running well.
Yes, drain rods would be the answer Mel. We always keep them handy for blockages, whether it's the septic tank or kitchen/bathroom blockages.
Cas is fine Gill, she went beating yesterday, so she's quite tired and quiet today! No, she didn't get an Xmas present! Just her usual cooked bone which she loves!!!

Afternoon all,

Raining here now after a dry morning , i have made Shepherds Pie for tonight and a nice Apple Crumble for pud .

So a sewing day for you both then Gill, a pencil case will be a good project for Sandra to start with and as Mel said just a flap over top would be easy to do.
There are some nice things on the Debbie Shaw site , the smocking caught my eye too ,i think if you look on you tube you can see her explain how to do it .
Yes give the soup a go Gill ,you don't have to use a liquidizer ,i use one of those little hand blenders it's ideal for soup ,i had it when the grandchildren were small to blend up a meal so they could eat what we had , it's handy for whipping up cream too.

Oh no not a blocked drain Mel i hope the soda and bleach mix soon clears it ,if not the drain rods will.

Oh i hope the baby arrives before your son's partner has to come home Liz, that will be sad if she has to leave when her daughter is so close to her time to have the baby , everyone wants to see their grandchild and hold the baby for the first time so i hope she gets to do that before she has to come home.

Think i'll make a cuppa now ,Colin is snoring away in the chair, it's really loud ,i might have to give a loud cough to wake him up :-D

Just got back from Holsworthy and its snowing.

Ohhhh is it laying ? or is it to wet after all the rain .

It's just hissing with rain here. I just put my nose out and it's very cold. I don't think we will see the snow tonight.

Dos went into the garage and found the SNOW SHOVEL, It sits outside the conservatory door, just in case.

Roast Chicken for us tonight. I have sprinkled it with GARLIC powder. So hope it's not to strong. Doing Carrot and Parsnip mash, Curly Kale (never tried it before) so will see what we think. I have done Jane's Dauphinaure (sp) potato's. I do mine with onion and thinly sliced potato's sprinkled with salt and pepper and in cream. Not sure if there is any other way.

I hope the baby arrives before your son's partner leaves Liz. It will be a long way to go back and see her.

I went to get a pot of cream out of the fridge and knocked it over. It went all over the shelf, and covered the bottom of everything that was in there. Plus it dripped down onto the floor of the kitchen. I lost it completely. Dos had to come and clean everything up, before I could continue preparing dinner.

Cuppa time and a bit of NAT. GEO.

Snap Frank !! We're trying Curly Kale for the first time tonight too, ours came from Lidls i think it was only 59p a bag.

Stopped raining here now but it's very cold out .

Gill oh knows all about clearing drain as don't forget he iwas fireman before he retired. We have a septic tank and it used to get blocked a lot but it has'nt done it for a long while now. The thing is Kleenex have changed their toilet rolls and they now have a pattern on them and I don't think they disintigrate as well as the ones without a pattern. I may have to buy cheaper ones. We can't use the quilted ones only the plain.

Stopped snowing here now. It did try to settle a bit on my car roof but it has been so wet this morning that any on the ground just melted. The wind came up a bit too but thats died down now.

Hope that grandchild does arrive before your sons partner has to come home but you know what first babes are like, they will come when their ready and not before.

Going back to my project now for a little while before I start dinner which is sausages and mash so nice and easy.

Afternoon All

Well no snow here yet.It is raining. Chris just looked on some app and it said snow due here any time now.But we wait and see.
Oh dear blocked drain Mel :-S. Hopefully it will just takes a few pokes with the rods and all will be clear again. I never use quilted loo paper now after our blockage a couple of years ago.I was told to only use plain paper,amd the only things to go down the toilet should be Pee,Poo and Paper :-D. I use Cushelle now.It does have a bit of a pattern but is def not quilted.I am always having to remind Hannah when she is here not to put any of those face wipe things down the loo.

Oh Liz ,it would be dreadfully disappointing if your Son's Partner has to leave before Baby arrives.I will keep everything crossed for her.

Frank I seem to have got your seized up knee :-S :-S..It feels like a lump of concrete and has been so painful all day.I have just had to take 2 of my stronger painkillers.

My car should be ready sometime tomorrow morning :-D.They will ring me when it is being cleaned.Fitz is coming for lunch tomorrow so it better be ready to collect before then.

Poor old Thomas is not impressed with the weather.He did go out for about an hour first thing this morning ,but hasn't put his nose out the door since then. He will just have to swallow his pride and use the litter tray now.

I am wondering how the travellers are getting on with their delayed flights. I did hear earlier that Heathrow was cancelling so many flights ,so just hope that inward flights are still able to land.Matthew and Kelsey will be absolutely shattered by the time they finally get back to their flat tonight..I did wonder why on earth they were coming home via Istanbul from Cape Town rather than a straight flight.But Janice said that it was so much cheaper for them to do it this way.I bet they wish now they had paid out a bit more for a straightforward journey.

The Unforgotten is on again tonight.I'm looking forward to that :-D

Mel ,I just remembered I had a dream last night when I flushed a shirt down a toilet !!!!!
I have no idea what that was all about LOL..Hope you don't find it in your pipes!!!

I think she will be induced Mel if baby doesn't appear on time, so I think he or she will be arriving pretty soon!!
When OH was ill after his cancer option our drain to the septic tank jammed up, quilted loo paper was the culprit, and I had to rod it through and then hose it!!!! What a horrible job it was, but I felt quite pleased that I was able to do it - successfully!!
We've had some sleet this evening, but it soon turned back to rain! Must empty the dishwasher.

Liz,when is Baby actually due?