General Chat

Afternoon All,

It's brightened up quite nicely here after a dull start. More washing pegged out and more in the washer. I have some more soup veg cooking away in the pressure cooker.......courgette, pumpkin, runners, onions and carrots. I know why the pressure cooker isn't hissing out of the right bits now. A valve that slides up and down is getting jammed. I put cooking oil on it at first, but noticed it is jamming on the cracked plastic bit it pops up from. The steam is still escaping gently from another part and the safety valve is working properly so it is on a low heat for 10 mins now. I must see if I can get a new valve but it is quite old now so may not still make them. :-S I want it working properly to do the boiled gammon at xmas.

What a time you had at the hospital Frank. I always think those dots you have to count go on for ever too. lol My eyes seem to go wider and wider trying to see them all. OH sometimes has to have 2 lots of those drops as he is very shortsighted and they like to have a really good look at his retinas. Doesn't it make you glad you don't work anymore though when you get held up in the rush hour traffic. Then another wait this morning at the docs. Do they swap sides each time for your injections? I have a picture in my mind of Hattie Jacques saying 'turn the other cheek please'. ;-) :-D

Oh Mandy I can just imagine Max with the spider hanging out of his mouth!! We seem to just have those spindly legged ones with the small round bodies just now. I don't like those big black ones that come inside as it gets colder. I see you got some more bargains from the chocolate factory......what great bargains they were too! :-D I suspect I would be tempted to keep popping in there too often if it was near me. lol. I think I would need to do an awful lot of paintings to get a free stay Mandy!! lol. We were saying how they have cut back on what they provide now compared to when we first stayed. There used to be fresh flowers, a bowl of fruit, bag of ice cubes in the freezer, spare light bulbs, all kinds of cleaning materials, lots of loo rolls and kitchen roll, box full of washing tablets and dishwasher tablets. I expect some people took advantage and took stuff home with them though.

Jane I have resisted cleaning my windows inside on the pretext we would be replacing some of the sealed units soon, but it hasn't happened yet so I will have to do them soon. It will be hard to tell which are mucky and which have foggy glass soon. :-S

Mel, I hope you haven't forgot anything!! Donkey day comes round far too fast doesn't it. I meant to ask how your fish are now as you lost some earlier in the year? Yes, I have quite a nice photo of Kynance Cove with the little tearoom that I might try painting........I'll be getting my brushes out again as you say. I will send the photo of it.

Gill, that's good to get your OH interested in his family history and the rellies you are finding for him. It will help to take his mind of things for a while. I have found rellies that were born and died between the censuses like you say. In fact, if there seems to be a gap in ages of siblings I try and find other children now.

I've just emptied things out of my car as it's in for service tomorrow at 8.00am!! It had to be early so OH can take me to pick it up at lunchtime as he has meetings in the afternoon and evening.

I saw about that poor chap falling down the mine. There were signs up where we went saying to stick to the pathways and we came across one opening that had had metal gridding fixed across it. What a dreadful shock though to lose your footing and fall 50ft!!

Buy a new one Ann :-D :-D ....Your soup sounds nice but I don't like Pumpkin. Many moons ago I went to Canada when it was Thanksgiving and was dished up Pumpkin Pie.I absolutley hated it.It makes me cringe now just rememebering it :-S

Early start then for you tomorrow Ann!. Up with the lark :-D.I hope the car service goes well and you don't have to pay out for any other work done. I must remind James that his car is due for a service soon.I know he knows as he told me the other day but a reminder won't be a bad thing :-). He can take Chris's car to work when his is in for servicing .

My window cleaning effort has been really half hearted . I thought it was looking good but can still see smears :-S :-S :-S I think it has to be the most infuriating job. A couple of windows have roller blinds and I just reached as high as I could without steps. But when I looked up under the bit at the top where the blind is I noticed lots and lots of Fly poo spots :-| :-|.. So the steps will have to come out now.

It wasn't pumpkin Jane, I don't think I've tried that...........I put the wrong thing!! I should have said squash, one of those bright yellow Patty Pan ones a friend gave me, tastes much like a courgette. OH is at his next meeting now and just rang me. He said the same as you about the pressure cooker!! lol. It must be over 35 years old and the plastic handles are cracking too. I don't use it that much, but it's handy for some things that would take ages to cook otherwise, or for doing larger quantities to freeze like this soup. I do beetroot in it as well. We get lots of those fly spots too and on the window sills. There still seem to be those bluebottles around here. I'm up to date with 'Liar' now and also saw the lost child prog. We want to see the new film with Judi Dench in this week if we can, Victoria and Abdul.

Just read your post Jane and thought when you said about the Dr putting up a message on the screen he said at the end HOW'S YOUR BUM LOL I then realised there was a full stop before you said that. It did make me laugh though :-D :-D :-D I should think the bum would be numb through sitting around in the waiting room to long :-D

Thanks for the offer of the number for my tree Frank. I might take you up on it. Do they do parts of a tree as I have around 4500 people so it would probably be to big. It would be nice to have a shortened version of it with OH's and my direct blood line. It would be nice to have something as a keep sake. I did print it off once, but like you it's definitely out dated now and I doubt I can remember where I put it as it was a very long time ago.

Hope all goes well with your car tomorrow Anne and it doesn't cost you to much.
I've done really well today on OH's family, I've had a go at the living ones for now as they are a bit easier to do than going back and back, although I will have to sort those out too. OH is pleased with everything so that's good.

Going to dish up dinner now

Evening all,

Very foggy here first thing but it soon cleared to another lovely sunny day.

Frank what a todo at the hospital yesterday that was a long time to have to be there ,what was the outcome on your eyes after all the tests ?and then you the wait today at the docs .
Ros has been busy weeding again i see , haven't you got one of those pull along tubs with a handle and wheels ,they are really handy we use one to bring the logs in ,we got ours from B&Q they are handy in the garden too.

Jane it was me for the Scampi ,thanks i'll look out for some when i go in .
So Chris is busy doing chutney ,i want to make some Apple and Garlic chutney ,i found a recipe in a magazine and liked the sound of it ,i'm waiting for Colin's brother to come as he usually brings me lots of cooking apples .

Ann i'm sure you'll get the spares for your pressure cooker ,mines a Prestige it was a wedding present so it's over forty years old !!
I've had new gasket and the little bit on the top that pops up when it reaches pressure .
I use mine to cook the gammon at christmas too.
We don't go to the chocolate factory that much so i usually stock up when we do go ,they had the christmas Nativity calendars for the children for sixty pence each .

Yes Mel there was Walnut whips but i didn't get any of them i bought some Marzipan balls covered in dark chocolate ,cor they are yummy :-

Well hav'nt you all been busy posting while I was slaveing away on the shopping.

We get loads of fly poo on our windows and on the windowsills and moth poo too. Some of it is bright orange. We are plagued with daddy longlegs at the moment. I think it is because they like our mass of grass. In the spring we get the crows on the grass after the leather jackets.

It turned out nice here too with plenty of sunshine and nice and warm too. Got all the shopping and did'nt overspend so that was good.

Ann loved your pics. I have stayed at Porthreath with an aunt many years ago. It was a house on the beach road and we would go to a cafe there, my cousin and her cousiin, and have tea and toast and the ladies would cut a thick slice of bread and spread it with tons of butter and if I remember rightley it cost us 4d a slice and 6d for tea!! Gone are those days..... :-(

I recognized the pic of the mine you painted. Are you going to have another go at a different angle?

Easy dinner tonight as oh does his curry and I have frozen cod in crumb with salad and croquets. I hope these are ok as they did'nt have my usual Macains ones so I bought Morrisons ones. I only have two so they will last me ages. I have a ready made salad to go with it so that should keep me quiet for tonight.


What a wait you had for your three mins in with the doc. Could'nt you get that done by the nurse it may be quicker?
I do hope the b*ms not too sore Frank.

Gill ,LOL I was asking how Frank's Bum was after his injection :-D :-D.. I see what you mean though about my post :-D :-D.

Mandy did the Walnut Whips have Walnuts on top?. I am sure I saw something on TV a little while ago about leaving the nut off!!!!!!. It wouldn't be a Walnut whip without one would it. Don't fancy Mazipan Balls,chocolate or otherwise. I'm not that struck on Marzipan... All this talk of chocolate the other day made me really want some .A couple of nights ago I said "is there any chocolate in this house" the best we came up with was a Penguin Biscuit :-S.. Not quite the same as a good old Cadbury Fruit and Nut....I really fancy one of those now..I can see me going out tomorrow and buying the biggest bar I can find :-D :-D :-D

I forgot and meant to say Jane how good the drawing of Gareth's dad's bull was. Was he surprised and pleased with it?

Mandy mine is a Prestige one too. I think I'll look online to see if I can see the part I need and how much it will be and also see what the new ones are like.

I used to run a mile when mum had the pressure cooker on when I was little I hated it.

I have never had one and don't want one. Mum's used to make such an ear piercing whistle when it went off it frightened me so much.

Little titch has made its self a nice nest under its newspaper today while I was out so now I know it can do it when I let it go.

Morning all

A dull morning here, but quite warm so I can't complain, at least it's not raining.

OH has to go out today and Sandra is still asleep so I'm going to go through OH's tree again. I didn't do as well as I'd hoped yesterday, so hopefully today I'll have a better day for him.

I got a bit confused on the info you sent me Mel and can't seem to find any information on James and Jane Hulse, the parents of James William Hulse born 1877. The census is really hard to read, do you know where and when James and Jane were born and what Jane's maiden name was so I can enter them onto my tree? Don't worry if you don't know, I just thought I'd ask on the off chance. I'm trying to find their marriage, but so far haven't been successful. Do you know if they had any other children apart from James,
Sorry to ask for your help again, I hope you don't mind?

Going to get a cuppa, then take another look. I might strike lucky today.
Pleased to hear little Titch is making himself comfy......bless him.

Morning Gill and all,

A nasty day here with rain and grey skies.

Gill I will have another look later but I must do some work first. I think I looked for a marriage but could'nt find one. I expect they are mistranscribed on the census and thats why I can't find them.

Morning All,

I was the same with gas Mel. I hated the 'pop and flare' when it was lit!! The gas mantle lights grandma had used to scare me stiff as a child. I wouldn't have a gas fire or cooker for years after I was married, but have a gas fire and gas hob now. Mum never had a pressure cooker, but I got one when I was first married. They work far better on a gas hob I think as the heat is more controllable, so the hissing is more gentle. As long as you put enough water in and check the safety valve nothing can go wrong really. I would quite like to get a halogen oven or a slow cooker, but we eat out more now so would it be worth it and where do you keep all these things??

What a shame about your apple tree, it was quite large too. Little Titch looks in fine fettle and the Buzzard looks good as well. Round here they tend to keep high off the ground circling so you were lucky to get those pics.

It was busy with rush hour traffic everywhere when we took my car to the garage so I was a few minutes late which I hate. It's a good job I woke early as well as OH's alarm clock stopped half an hour before the alarm was due to go off! After it was booked in and I'd given them the £25 off email voucher they'd sent me, the chap told us to drive through their huge car compound at the back and through more gates across more land to get out the back way that they use that comes out near the Space Centre. He said the queuing traffic at the front won't let anyone in, so we were grateful for that. Fingers crossed the car should be ready to collect by midday as OH has a meeting later and wouldn't be able to give me a lift to fetch it.

I've had another look today Mel and still can't find them so maybe you're right and it's been mis transcribed. I did however find the marriage for their grandson James William Hulse born 1904 marrying an Annie Pridding but there are two dates for this marriage. One says the 3rd August 1929 and the other says the 8th August 1929, is there a way of finding out which is the correct date? Her father is Hugh Ridding so I can only assume that has been mis spelt as it should be Pridding, unless her name is mis spelt of course.
There's a lot of mis spellings isn't there? As if it's not confusing enough LOL.

Thanks for your offer of looking again for James and Jane, but like I said don't worry if you can't find them or anymore of their children I'll just leave it with their son James if that's the case. There's plenty to do with his children, grandchildren etc....

Fingers crossed your car is ready to collect on time Anne. That was nice of the man to direct you through the back way with all the traffic in the front.

I remember when my mum melted a plastic jug once, the look of it scared me ridged.
Strange the things you remember isn't it?

Afternoon all, I'm not staying as I feel absolute crap today. Headache, sore throat, Arthritis is playing up and I feel faint and sick. What else can go wrong.

Try to get back later.

It's only me ;-) ;-) ;-)

Felling a bit better now, so as Ros has gone to Tesco for a few things, I thought I would pop in.

No outcome on my eye test. I have to go again in six months, I expect it with be the same process. The needle was quite painless yesterday. She did say she was warming the injection, as it's so thick to inject. I suppose by warming it ,it makes it more fluid. So no sore bum. !!!!

Yes I agree that a new pressure cooker might be the best thing. It can't owe you much after 35 years use. LOL LOL.

Gill, It might be worth eMailing this Company to see what they would charge for a LARGE TREE like yours. Their eMail is- [email protected] I know mine was around £30.00 but that was some time ago.

Thanks for the recipes Jane. I might try the Turkey one. Will let you know if I do. Hows our little friend Thomas?? Is he still catching rabbits ??

We have a nice day here Mel, The rain you are getting is spreading eastwards, so we should get it after dark tonight.

Ros has got all the bedding washed and dried and a colours wash, only a few things still on the line. She has put another coat of Saddling on the Conservatory door, so that's open. Hope it dry's before I shut it later.

Tony's gardener bloke has been for an hour this afternoon. He has trimmed the long grass round the small wall and greenhouse base which was over a FOOT HIGH. Now all Tony needs to do is clear it all up and mow his lawn. SOME HOPE of that happening. !!!

I think I might have picked up Jan's cold. At 4.30 this morning I woke up with my throat as dry as a bone. The little bit at the back of my throat felt like the size of my thumb. (Don't know what it's called) Jane will know. !!! My head was thumping and I felt like I had been pulled through a hedge backwards. Where did that saying come from ??? Feeling a bit tottery so have only prepared dinner and sat doing nothing. I have recorded the INVICTUS Games so might watch a bit of that.

Afternoon All

Sorry you are feeling grotty today Frank. I hope it doesn't devolp into the dreadful cold Jan had. At least you know who to blame if it does :-D

I think you will enjoy that Turkey dish. I have made up the marinade today for it for Saturday. I hope it just keeps ok in the fridge until then.

Mel I loved your pics. What a powerful camera to get such a good pic of the Buzzard from so away !!!! Little Titch looks a cutie :-D

Ann when I was 9 we had a family holiday near Kynance Cove and spent a day on the beach there. I remember it so well for a very sad reason. In the afternoon a young boy had chased his football on the grass above the cliffs over the beach and went over and was killed. We all had ot stay on the beach until the rescue services recovered his body :-0 :-0
It is such a beautiful place there. I am sure I have a photo somewhere of Janice and I sat on a rock above the beach in about the same position as where you took your photo :-D

Chris has made the chutney. What a job and what a smell.The house pongs now . From 3and a half kilos of tomatoes, apples onions dates and sultanas it has only made 3 jars !!!!!. Chris is still clearing up. I am waiting to get in the kitchen to start our dinner. Another Recipe(not from my choosing) but Chris. It is Sausages,Green Peppers,2 tins of mixed beans,Garlic diced potato and chicken stock. I don't like all those different beans,so will probably leave them on my plate.

Frank, I don't think there are many bunnies around now .At least I haven't seen Thomas with any and he is not straying far from home. I think it is just Mice on the Menu.He is still sleeping on our bed every night !!! Chris doesn't seem to be complaining any more (at the moment :-D)
Is it Pheasant shooting time? I keep hearing guns.

Ann I hope you managed to pick your car up at lunchtime and that no work needed doing on it. That was good to be able to miss a lot of the traffic by going out the back way from the garage.

We haven't heard from Anne again for a little while. I hope her wrist still isn't causing trouble.

When we were in Suffolk we were in a cafe that had lots of books dotted around and I just happened to pick one up which really tickled my fancy. It is for Children really but adults with dogs would love it too. It is called PLUMDOG by someone called Emma Chichester Clark and it is really funny. I loved it so much I ordered a copy off the internet .I might give it as a present at Xmas for William but might keep it for myself :-D :-D. I was thinking Mandy it might be a good one for you with your Grandchildren.I can't stop raving about it LOL

Getting a bit dark here now .I have a feeling rain might be on the way .

GILL I have sent a pm and its all good.

Dark and raining here. I have got the veg on ao can't stay. Hope everyone is well.

Perhaps you can get in the kitchen now Jane. I have done Shin of beef in the over for 3 hours so should be nice and tender. Mash, cabbage, peas and parts.

Must fly (CRAWL)

Yes Frank I got in the kitchen and
the dish is cooking :-S I don't fancy it AT ALL :-S :-S It looks horrible . Chris and James will have to eat most of it. Saying that I don't think James will be too impressed either LOL.
The rain is just starting now . Thomas in . I just spoke to my friend in Cornwall and she said it hasn't stopped raining all day,rain and thick fog . I think Fitz will have had a wet day too in Pembrokeshire .

Hair cut for me tomorrow . I could almost have a tiny ponytail at the moment as it is so long!

Oh dear Frank, it does sound as if you have Jan's awful cold. You'll just have to take it easy for a few days and rest up.

Jane it was the first time we had been to that cove in all the years we have been going to Cornwall. It is very unspoilt and beautiful as you say. It would be nice to see that photo of you and Janice on the rock! :-)

The car is fine and all sparkling and clean inside and out.......... and now it's started to rain. The customer service at this garage is far better than at the main Citroen garage OH sometimes has to use. As soon as I walked in I was recognised, hand shaken and offered tea by the young chap I dealt with last year, even though someone else was to be dealing with me this time. Afterwards, as I drove off I had a chuckle at the little packet of 'Love Hearts' they had left in the coin tray again!! lol. You just can't help reading the messages on them can you. :-D It will be good to go back to the little garage we use next year when the warranty is up though and much cheaper on the pocket! :-)

Mandy, OH would love those marzipan balls and Jane's fruit and nut bar, but I think they are the only chocolate things in our house that are safe from me! lol.

I'm not sure what is happening with the tooth that ached. It does keep having it's moments, but on the whole the ache isn't so bad or as often, so it's wait and see I think. :-S