General Chat

Afternoon All

Oh I see the men are in trouble (NOT YOU FRANK). I would not have been impressed with someone else using my flannel Not that I have any. James is the one in the family who loves his flannels. He has loads ,but I just wish he would put them in the washbin when he uses a new one. I find them all dried and stiff :-S. Gross :-| :-|

Fancy OH cutting the onions on the plastic bag on YOUR tray Ann.Did he think that he would be able to cut the onions without going through the plastic? I have a couple of plastic chopping boards and try just to keep one for meat and the other for veg etc.But I think they actually both get used for anything.The one good thing is they are so easy to clean and don't seem to hold the smell of onions, garlic leeks. I have started to buy frozen chopped onions .They are ok but not as good as the proper thing.

I don't know why but today I have just felt so tired.I had a good night last night but woke up tired. I have only done food shopping and some laundry.Shirts blowing lovely on the line in this wind. Chris found a pair of his pants further down the lawn earlier LOL.

My BIL Larry has had to hot foot it up to Leeds again as his Mum is quite poorly. This is becoming a regular thing now ,and it is so far each time to go. He takes the train now each time as it is quicker and not so tiring. When I was talking to Janice on the phone last night she was telling me about Larry's Mum and Larry was supposed to be in charge of dinner. But as I was chatting there was a loud yell from Larry....Oscar had stolen and eaten the uncooked Crispy Chicken that was on the worktop :-S :-S
Larry was giving Oscar a good telling off and Janice was giving Larry the same as he should have made sure the chicken wasn't near the edge of the worktop !! LOL

30 years ago today my wonderful Dad passed away aged 64 :-( I can't believe where those 30 years have gone. James doesn't remember Dad but Hannah still has vague memories which I am so pleased about . I have a feeling Liz lost her Dad too around the same time but maybe just a year apart from mine.

No rain at all today.Just this horrible wind and plenty of sun. I think it has actuallt felt a little muggy.

Nicko sounds ok Mandy :-D.I wonder where he is sleeping now. I bet he enjoys seeing you and having a little chat. Many people wouldn't dream of stopping and talking to a homeless person.

I had a good giggle when I was buying my iron the other day. This lady and her friend were also looking at irons.Well this one lady was a bit on the chatty and bit too friendly side really and was a bit irritating .It was as though I was her best friend !!.. Anyway when I finally got my iron and set off to the till she gave me a pat on the arm and said
"Take care KID " :-D :-D :-D.. I thought it was hilarious. She must have been in her mid 70's. I wonder how old she thought I was.

I do hope Gill is alright. How long is it since we heard from her?

Mel are you taking your antihistamine to help with your itches ?

Evening all,

It's been a lovely hot sunny day here ,we have had a good breeze to just keep it comfortable , we went shopping this morning and called at sons for a coffee ,came home and we have been out in the garden ,we sorted out some rubbish for the tip so we loaded the car and took that ,Colin has replaced some trellis that was behind the honeysuckle so now the roses can climb it.

Jane those cucumbers look good ,you carn't beat home grown for the taste they are so much better .
So poor Oscar and Larry are in the dog house :-D it's the same here i have to put every thing to the back of the work top or Max will be off with it , i've lost count of the tea towels he's dragged down the garden .
The other day Colin didn't shut the back gate properly and as i was gardening i suddenly saw Max's backside disappearing out the gate ,i went charging after him ,he had gone up to a chap who was working next door , the chap said he's ok ,i gave him a shout and he came so i grabbed his collar ,it's the first time he's been out the gate on his own. !!!!

Oh Mel that's not nice to think you've used a flannel after it's been used on OH's feet :-0
I like a flannel for my face but i use one of those scrunchies in the shower ,i have a long handled scrunchie in the shower to reach my back .

Ann ,Colin said OH is doing the job right ,best to get the pointing done first and then do the digging .
I like Melon ,we've has some English strawberries tonight they were really nice with some vanilla ice cram .

Hi all

I haven't had the internet for the past few days so it's nice to be back.

Not caught up with the posts yet, hope everyone is okay.

It seems they are all the same Mel. (excepting Frank of course!) I have noticed a lot of our white plates have criss cross grey lines across them now. I know what the cause is as OH cuts anything on his plate, even a lettuce leaf, as if it's a piece of tough leather and my cooking really isn't that bad....honest!!! Our knives have serrated edges too but he doesn't take that into account and has cut through the ceramic surface of the plates. What with that and the chipped edges when he unloads the dishwasher and rams them into the cupboards. He will look so surprised if I say we need new ones. :-) I have to hide some things from OH too. He sees everything in the food cupboards as up for grabs even if it is something I have got just for me or he has eaten his. We've said before about having our own screwdrivers etc!

Lol Jane! I see you attract the same kinds of 'stranger friends' as me when you are out!! Last night in Sainsbury's an older Irishman (actually probably younger than me!) started chatting in front of the bread rolls and saying how people pick them up with their fingers. I could barely follow what he was saying with his accent, so hoped I was nodding in the right places. 'Nice to meet you' he said as I pushed my trolley away, but the next thing he was right next to me again up one of the aisles. I wasn't getting good vibes so I had to scoot away. I think I forgot some of my shopping trying to keep one step ahead.

At least Chris's pants hadn't blown into a neighbour's garden!! lol

It must be quite a worry for Larry with his mum needing him and him having to keep visiting when she is ill with her living so far away. The journey would be tiring and he probably has to help a lot when he is there. Does he have any brothers or sisters to help?

Thanks for mentioning what Colin said Mandy. It's good to know that from someone who 'knows'.

Ann I am still using the dinner plates we had as a present for our wedding 36yrs ago. Not a lot of pattern left on them now but Chris is so reluctant to get rid and have new ones.
Yes I do always seem to attract the strangest of people . I think it is the minute you make eye contact when they latch on. I don't mind as I love having chats with strangers as long as they aren't scary lol . I hope you didn't miss too much off your shopping list trying to escape ther Irish man :-D :-D

Oh Max ! An open gate is irresistible to a dog :-D.At least he didn't go too far Mandy.
Our mini cucumbers are so good.I see there are 3 more ready to pick and we still have 4 in the fridge !!!!. Our Peas and Broad Beans are coming along nicely .Not sure about the carrots though. Frank I hope you get some good ones .The last 2 years for us carrot wise has been a disaster.I have a feeling this years lot will be the same.

Ann. Larry is an only child.His Mum is in a Rowntree home ,(residential) but it is sounding like she is going to be needing Nursing care soon. I think she is 95. Janice gets exasperated with Larry when he goes to visit as he never asks the right questions as to how his Mum actually is (re. medically).It sounds to me as though she is in Congestive Heart Failure.I do get the feeling though that she is on the downhill slope now :-(

Dinner ready to dish up.

Good to see you are ok Gill. :-)

I see Larry's mum is very old then Jane and it doesn't sound too good as you say. I expect these trips Larry is doing will become more frequent. I must admit we found it quite difficult to get hold of anyone who could give us the full picture on FIL's medical position. Even nurses in hospital just said it was a chest infection when he'd had 2 heart attacks and had got pneumonia. We only found that from his discharge papers. The carers at the home were on shifts and didn't seem to know much and the manager often wasn't there. We were never told what the doctor had said on his routine visits. Not ideal.

Naughty Max seeing his chance to take himself for a walk with the gate being open. It was good he went to the man though and that he had his collar on. You'll have to get one of those 'self closers' on the gate, although he would probably still get through.

I'm looking forward to Poldark tomorrow Mel. :-)

Funny you should say about strangers starting to talk to you because it happened to me too in Morrisons on Tursday. This tall man with an irish accent said something to me I just smiled and hoped it was the right thing to do. He followed me to the check out and was still tallking to me as I was putting my shopping on the belt. Then he said Keep well and off he went.

My itches seem to start when I have had something to eat. They can be round my neck round my waist on the insides of my fore arms and at the small of the back and even on my chest. I AM WONDERing if its the pills I am taking now. Sorry about that I must have hit a key twice.

I wonder if its anything to do with oh's shavers?

I meant to say that just before I was getting dinner tonight Phil Pheasent started chucking up and he was making such a din I went out incase the fox was about. I glanced over the back field and there stood a lovely doe and as she turned away from facing me she had a tiny fawn at her side. I came in for my camera but by the time I got out there she had disappeared into the trees. How disappointing..... :-(

What a shame you couldn't get a photo of the doe and fawn Mel. Sorry to hear your itching has flared up again,.

Poor Larry Jane having to go up to Leeds all the time, if his mum is near her end could he not stay up there for a while, it would save the long journey by and forth? Your poor fingers, they sound really bad and now you've caught your nail too. Hope it's all sorted sooner rather than later for you.

So Max is making friends with the man next door Mandy. I suppose the open gate was to tempting for him not to go through. At least he didn't go far and is home safe and sound now.

It looks like the weather is going to be better next week Frank than the last week, so hopefully you'll be able to go for a few walks without getting wet.

Yes, I'm okay Ann, just had a problem with my internet, I must of knocked the phone line when I was hoovering which stopped my Internet from working. I noticed it wasn't in the socket right and once I'd pushed it back in, the Internet came back on.

Morning all,

I have emailed you all. Dull and dreary here and at the mo I am cold as oh woke me early to go and see what was in the orchard.

Itching like crazy and have just taken a tablet so I may go back to bed for an hour or I may not.

Morning Mel and all

Oh what lovely pics Mel. It is a proper little Bambi :-D. It will be nice if Mum and baby stick around so you can watch the baby grow.

Gill, I am pleased it was just your internet that was the problem and not that you were ill.

Lookes like a nice morning even if a bit cloudy. I have been up since 6 again. I seem to be waking so early these days and then can't go back to sleep .So just come downstairs and have a couple of mugs fo tea and watch TV. I have just finished a crossword too.

Jane I said I saw it yesterday over the back field and was'nt sure if oh believed me. He had been saying they should soon have their fawns.

Washing is on the line and te suns come out for a while so I hope it dries.

Better chuck another load in the machine while the weather lasts.

Thought you may like to know this.

Soda Crystals.

Cleaning your clothes, protecting your machine and SAVING YOU MONEY

Soda Crystals have been around for generations and are often referred to as 'washing soda' for good reason. Before the invention of modern washing powder, they were one of the most popular laundry products and were renowned for their ability to cut through tough stains and dirt on grubby clothes. They are useful in a variety of laundry tasks and are simply a versatile, one-bag solution for all your laundry needs!
Soda Crystals in your wash

Soda crystals can be used:

As an in-wash additive to shift organic stains. Simply add a tablespoon of Soda Crystals to your normal detergent.
Remove tough stains from clothes by using it as a pre-soak. Make a strong solution of Soda Crystals and warm water and soak the garment for one hour before washing normally.
Save money! Soda Crystals soften water in the washing machine so less detergent is needed.
Ideal for tackling stubborn odours for items such as dog blankets, without simply masking the smell and leaving fragrances that can irritate your pet's skin.
Prolong the life of your washing machine by preventing limescale build-up.
Clean smelly bacteria from the machine. Run a maintenance cycle with 300 to 500g of Soda Crystals.

Morning you old Chatter box's, Evening Kim,

My eyes are aching reading all your posts.

When a child, before all these bath salts etc, a handful or two of washing soda was put in our bath water, It stopped that horrible ring round the bath and softened the water.

My flannel is only used if I don't shower in the morning, a wipe round just freshens you up. Like yesterday, whenI showered and shaved in the afternoon.

Carolyn popped in this morning on her way to church and Bell Ringing with a load of broad beans, ready for the freezer in bags. She is coming back later for Ros to show her what needs watering while we are away.

We know now it will be from Monday 9.00 ish and return next Tuesday when Jan takes Conrad to the airport at 7.30 am so we will need to be up early. We will be home just after breakfast time. Ros will take what vegetables we have over down to Jans and buy fresh when we get home.

I did go to the pub to watch the match and meet FOUR families off the Canal who were WEST HAM SUPPORTERS, So we had a good old chat about the area. which I haven't seen in over 55 years. It seems it's not how I knew it. !!!!

When Ros picked me up from the pub, we went to Towcester to our favourite F & C Place, I had COD with the BATTER on, and it didn't upset my tummy.

Everything is packed and I have got dinner ready for tonight. I am just going to tackle the back lawn. Lets hope I don't have another fall today
;-) ;-)

Afternoon all

Dull and cold here today and it looks like it's going to rain :-(

We're suppose to be getting nicer weather next week, hope so as OH and I have plans for the back garden. We are hoping to make planters for some Ivy I've got, we don't want to plant the Ivy in the ground as it'll spread everywhere, we're hoping to make a back on the planters about 6 foot high then we'll end up with a living wall of ivy as a nice backdrop to our plants as the screening isn't as good as we thought it was going to be. The screening is okay on one side of the garden but the other side keeps getting damaged with the wind.

So you're all packed and ready for the off then Frank? Yes, be careful out in the garden you don't want to fall. Pleased to hear you didn't have a bad tummy with the batter on the Cod. I can imagine after 55 years a lot has changed, it must of been interesting to hear about the changes though. Have you ever thought of going back to take a look around, then you can see the changes yourself?

Loved the photo's Mel, Sandra thought they were so sweet <3 <3 The second one you took would make a lovely picture with the baby looking over it's shoulder and mum looking straight at you. Sorry to hear you're still itchy, hope the tablet helps. Thanks for letting us know about the Soda Crystals. I didn't know they softened water and helped to keep your washing machine in tip top condition.

Isn't it annoying Jane when you can't sleep properly, it makes you feel so drained for the day. I find I sleep much better in the winter when there aren't early sunrises and it's cooler.

Going to watch Gardeners World I recorded now, I like that programme.

Frank,I think everywhere these days is not as we remember. I think it is rather sad.I have been following the development of new housing estate in the village where I grew up. I hate it. It is right opposite probably the oldest row of cottages . I know if and when I go back I will get a shock as it will all look completely different.I have an old family friend who lives in an old Farmhouse there and he is surrounded by new build.

Well Mel OH will have to believe you now seeing the pics of Mum and Baby :-D :-D.
I wonder what has made you start itching again. I do hope it doesn't last long. It must be miserable for you.

What Ivy do you have Gill?. Some Ivys are very pretty . I am afraid t osay we are over run by the stuff in parts of our garden. Most coming through from next door :-S :-S
Some years ago the whole of the back of our house was covered in Ivy. I don't know what kind but it would turn a beautiful red colour. But we got rid of it in the end as it was taking over.

Larry came home last night from Leeds. Nurses are going in each day to redress his Mums legs as they are all weepy. He said she is very breathless and really can't hold a converstion for long before dropping off to sleep. There is nowhere for him to stay there unless it is a Hotel.I would have thought they might have had a room for relatives to sleep .His Mum has been very poorly several times before now but has always rallied again. I think it is just a wait and see thing . She is not for resuscitation (her own decision).

So early set off for you tomorrow then Frank.I hope it is a good journey .At least Ros isn't driving this time. It is a long haul down there.

Looking a bit cloudy here now and the wind is still a blowin' I have all the bath and loo mats on the line.So they should be dry soon.

Thomas has had his meal for the day. Another Baby Rabbit !. He will be asleep somewhere now.
Ribeye Steaks tonight for us 3 .Mushrooms,Tomatoes,Parmentier Potatoes ,and Green Beans. If James wants fried onions he will have to cook then himself lol

Just seen an email come through from Liz.

Where is Anne?

Well I have come in for a break, my hip and shoulder are killing me. I managed to get the back lawn cut and trimmed. I have pulled the hose off the reel ready to put the sprinkler on this evening. I will start on the veg patch and gradually work up the garden to the patio. At least they will (the plants) have a good drink before we go.

I also had a blitz on next doors BINDWEED. it has come through my fence and wound itself all around the potted plants. Not only did I clear my plants, I also reached over the fence and pulled as much as I could from their side. This evening I will mix a load of weed killer and pour it through the ballast boards into the roots. It ill have time to die off before we get back. Tony won't notice it's dead, as he never goes near gardening. :-( :-( :-( Poor Valerie was on her hands and knees yesterday trying to cut the grass round the edge of their lawn, with a little pair of shears. why he doesn't buy a streamer I just don't know. Chances are he wouldn't know how to use it.

Glad you are back in the land of the living Gill. Do be careful with that IVY. If one bit gets into the ground it will be everywhere before you can say "JACK ROBINSON" LOL.

It's Roast beef tonight with all the veg I have in the fridge. A good variety, including leeks, which I don't usually cook on a Sunday.

It's clouded over here, and that wind seems to have dropped. If that means rain, I have wasted my time getting the sprinkler out for tonight.

I bet you aren't in your swimsuit Mandy LOL Come to think of it, I doubt if many are sitting out in their gardens.

Next door but two, Lynn had a party for her daughters 21st in their green last night, they were very considerate, and didn't have the music loud. Dos was still up at 12.30 am when TAXI'S started turning up and taking people home. There were a few cars in the close this morning, so I expect a few stayed over, rather than risk drink driving.

Sod it, I am going to have a nice cold beer, for my labours this morning. See you later no doubt.

Afternoon all,

Not in my swimsuit Frank but we have been sitting out in the sun ,boy is it hot !!
We have the pool up and it's filling up as we speak ,it will take quite a few hours to fill ,the salt has gone in so that can disolve well as it fills up.

Lovely photo of mum and baby Mel worth getting up early to see them .

Be careful what your doing today Frank you want to be able to enjoy your break away by the sea .
The ivy should look nice going up a trellis at the back of the planters Gill and will make
a nice bit of screening for the garden, also you could stand some of your pots in the
planters instead of planting them up .

Jane it does sound as if Larry's mum is going downhill ,you would think they would have a room for relatives to stay in ,i bet he hated leaving her but what can you do when you live so far away.

Frank,it sounds like you have earned your Beer ENJOY :-D. Hopefully you won't have to water everything. It is looking like we might have some rain on the way with big dark clouds. But they are whizzing by so fast they might just pass us by. I have just got the mats in as they are almost dry.Just a few minutes in the tumble D to finish them off. I didn't like to risk leaving them out any longer. Now the sun is out again !!

Don't do too much more now .You don't want to be going off tomorrow with a painful shoulder and hip.

Looking black again already :-SThe clouds are looking a bit stormy.

Mel I have a pack of Soda Crystals here somewhere .I bet though the pack has gone solid now as they must be so old. I used them to put down the sinks ,but now buy the liquid sink cleaner/unblockers. I have in the past used the Crystals in the washing machine.
The ring around the bath is something that never seems to happen these days. No doubt due to bath foams ,bubble bath etc. VIM was what Mum had to clean the bath.
Griity stuff which was quite uncomfortable in the bath if not rinsed away properly. Saying that it was probably a good exfoliator LOL It always left a bit of white powdery stuff if I remember correctly .

I can hear some loud bangs.. Might be from Wicksteed Park as there has been a War re enactment thing going on this weekend. It must have been a very popular thing to go to as the traffic to the park was horrendous.I got stuck in it this morning and so turned the car around and went the opposite way to get to where I wanted to go.

Poor Larry having to travel all that way as others have sais you would think they would have space for someone to stay overnight occasionlly even if its only a put u up bed in their room. It dos'nt sound as though mum has much time left now . Bless.

Gill you will have to make sure the planters are big enough to take the wind that blows so they don't go over.

Brought the washing in just as I was going to have lunch as it started raining. It did'nt last that long so I need'nt have bothered. I had left my drawers out and they are nearly dry.

Mandy I bet you can't wait to get in the pool again. I wonder what Max is going to think of it?