General Chat

Its easily done Ann.

The sky is clearing a bit now just as I have been reading your posts and I can see a little, very little bit of blue sky among the white and grey clouds. Its been that fine rain all morning too.

I had a good natter to Em this morning. The boys were pleased to see me and were all smiles. Sam showed me a Gold Certificate for attending school for the first week. His little face was all lit up when he showed it to me. They liked the Stickies boxes I took them and George put their stickies in it. It also had a game with it for you to play with the stickies I think. So 2p well spent.

Em was cooking two fruit cakes and they did smell nice so I think I shall have to make one for us now.

It seems to have turned very cold today.

Afternoon All
What a gloomy day it is. Dark and dreary. I am just having a bit of a break from sorting out old photos.I am surrounded by hundreds of the blooming things. I am meant to be looking out for some for Hannah to make a collage(think thats what it;s called). But I keep getting so distracted LOL It is taking me for ever and there are still several more large boxes to go through. It is going to take me weeks at this rate . Looking at Chris in some pics is just like looking a James and I know if I was to show a pic of Chris at James age now people would think it was James LOL

Frank, I haven't heard of that condition Simon has. Great info from Ann :-D which will make it all a bit clearer for you. Chris is sneezing his head off today so I hope it is not your cold he is getting but just a pollen thing.

I have the Meat Loaf all ready to go in the oven later. I realised last night I hadnt added the breadcrumbs and an egg to the mix so did that this morning. The glaze is done and in the fridge. I am still not sure how it is going to turn out so have got Chicken Kievs just in case.

The TV is on and it is Nightmare Neighbours. Oh my goodness what some people have to put up with.It is unbelievable.

Ann, that is 3 things now for you.I had a little chuckle about you not locking the door. I did just the same the other week. Not the front door but the back .It wasn't only not locked but it was open !!!!. I never told Chris LOL

I think your rain Mel might not be far off from us now. I can see darker clouds building up.They say tomorrow will be a brighter day.
I just asked Chris if he fancied going through these photos with me.. He is doing a Crossword and says he doesn't want to interfere with my sorting !!!!. Yeah right. He just doesn't want to help

Mandy I love those Sprouts on stalks. But I only ever see them around Christmas time.
I bought a bag of sprouts yesterday :-) :-D

Birds need feeding yet again. I am getting looks through the window :-D

Mel i bought the little ones some of those stickies from Lidls last week they were selling them off for a penny each so i got fifty of them , i think they were 29p each , they had some boxes there but i never really looked at them .

Well we can go one better than you Ann , we went out one day and i left Colin to lock up and he only left the keys in the back door !! he had locked the door , turned to open the gate and left the keys in the lock ,we found them when we got home .

Thanks for that Ann, it's made me feel bit easier. But will get checked out when next at the doctors, which I think is next week. When I saw her last, the still haven't heard from the X ray rest. about my hip X ray. That's over 4 weeks ago. That was a naughty thing to do "smacked legs I think" I bet your ON wasn't very impressed.

It's been a very dismal day here, but without any rain. Ros said it's not cold out either. She has been buying more XMAS presents today, and five bags of bulbs for the tubs on the patio.

She has bought ME a dressed crab, prawns and smoked Mackerel so I am set up for either lunch or supper for a few days !!! ;-) ;-) ;-)

Roast leg of lamb out of the freezer for tomorrow. I hope we still have some fresh mint to make mint sauce. If not it's back to the jars of Coleman's.
That was good Mandy, being able to buy Sprouts on the stalk. They do tend to last longer that way. You will have to put them up high to keep MAX from chomping on them !!! (little devil) xx

Is Fitz back today or tomorrow Jane ?? I know you are seeking him on Monday. I expect he will have plenty of tales to tell. !!

I read my book all morning, and the newspaper all afternoon. Come dancing tonight, so I will enjoy that. We haven't seen any X factor thank goodness.

Not sure what we will be eating tonight, If it's Indian we have last weeks meal for Ros. as a Credit. So I will leave her to decide. I might not even have anything. See how I feel later.

I'm looking forward to Strictly Come Dancing tonight . I think our Rev is hanging on by a thread at the moment. Then it is Casualty. One of my favourites.

You have a lot of fishy stuff going on Frank,what with Dressed Crab, Prawns and Smoked Mackerel .. All the things I don't like.

I think we are all guilty of leaving a door unlocked or open . I know I am worse than Chris ,but he has done it even though he might not admit to it :-D


I have ordered several books from Amazon for my kindle recently but today I realised that they hadn't downloaded :-S I got Chris to have a look for me and apparently I didn't have my Kindle on WiFi.He has explained to me now that if there is an image of a plane at the top of the kindle screen then I am not on WiFi !.. No I know :-D :-D

I just see an situation in London again with a car mounting the pavement and injuring several people :-0 :-( I hope it is not yet another terrorist attack

Afternoon all

Had a bit of a lazy day today, the weather is raining so we've been watching Christmas films again with Sandra, she is really enjoying them.

I noticed the incident in London too Jane and thought the same as you. I hope it's not another terrorist attack. So have you got your books downloaded now?

What a thing to hear about off Simon Frank, good idea to have your blood checked next time you're at the doctors. In the meantime try not to worry to much.

I can't say I've ever left a door unlocked, it must be a shock when you return home and realise the door hasn't been locked. You're all lucky no one went into your properties.

Books downloaded now Gill :-D I am so glad as I had ordered some good ones. My usual Psychological Thrillers plus a new Dawn French book.

James has just scoffed his meal .Meat Loaf a BIG success :-D :-D (PHEW). Chris and will have ours a bit later.I am so relieved James said it was good .So the Kievs will be for another day :-D..I am doing a fancy toad in the hole tomorrow .
I have just sent you all a photo of Janice's dog Jilly in the bath. It is brilliant. I think it looks like a painting.

That's a good idea to see what the doc says when you go next week Frank. ;-)

Well, more problems this afternoon. I'm really beginning to think my world is falling apart!!!!! I set off quite late for the garden centre, which is over 25 miles away. I had a good browse around and bought a few things, then I had to wait a little while for heavy rain to ease before I crossed the carpark to my car holding a carrier bag over my head. I jumped in the car and it wouldn't start!!!!! It had one attempt when it fired but just petered out despite me trying to rev it. I left it a while and tried about 12 times in all, but no sign of life! Next problem, where is the was my breakdown card with the number on as my phone battery was low so I didn't want to look the number up on there. Eventually I remembered it was in the glove box ......phew! I decided to put my spare phone battery in my phone as I didn't know how long the call might take........and I couldn't find my spare battery, as I'd changed to a new bag recently and apparently not transferred it???? Tried my mobile and there was enough juice to get the breakdown people on the way within 90 mins!!!! The garden centre would be closed within 40 mins, so I decided to go and explain the situation to the staff as they have big gates across the entrance to the car park. The manager told me that the gates automatically lock at 6.00pm!!!! :-0 I waited hoping they would soon turn up, as a garden centre in the the middle of fields with a car park surrounded by trees wasn't the sort of place I wanted to leave my car overnight, even if it did have locked gates. OH then rang me to tell me they had rung him and that he would set off and come as well. The breakdown man arrived and with lots of turning the engine over got it going. He asked if it had been serviced recently which it had last week. He said most likely the garage hadn't made an airtight seal on the fuel system somewhere and that air was building up when the engine was turned off so it wasn't firing till all the air had been pulled through. He said it should be ok to get home, but would most likely not start again after standing a while! As I daren't switch it off, in case it wouldn't start again, I thought I would ring OH but my phone was dead!! I decided to set off for home and ring OH from there to tell him I was going straight to the garage. After ten minutes my phone rang and it was OH to say he was at the garden centre and I wasn't! I told him to meet me at the garage and my phone fizzled out again!! When I reached the garage in the city I couldn't park at the side as they have put big locked gates there and it wasn't very well lit at the front and I didn't fancy leaving the car there with it being at my own risk till Monday. OH soon turned up looking as relieved to see me as I was him!! He agreed it wasn't a good idea to leave it there, so the car is in the drive at home now. I decided that if it won't start up on Monday, they will just have to come and fetch it as it seems the whole sorry saga may be their fault anyway. I need a darkened room now!!!!! I have decided that I need a little notebook of important phone numbers to keep in my car as, if for any reason my mobile doesn't work or I lose it, I won't have access to phone numbers on there to be able to ring for help on someone else's phone. I've told OH my life needs a 'makeover'. lol. Goodness knows how many miles he has driven today!!!!

What are these 'stickies' Mel/Mandy? Are they peel off things that children can stick on surfaces/ books?

That's good the meat loaf turned out well Jane. Makes the effort worth it when things are a success. :-)

I'd better stop here as my posts are turning into essays!! lol.

O poor little Gilly. and look at her little tail!!! Her face is a real picture. What a sweet little dog. <3

Hav'nt caught up with posts yet. Well Ann's really but I just had to see Gilly.

Right read it now Ann.

What a journey you have had today. I bet you were so relieved to see hubby after all you had been through. its funny how it happened at the garden centre and not on the outset but I suppose the air had'nt built up by then. I would have a right go at the garage if I were you when they come to collect it or if you take it to them if it starts. Just as well the cars battery held out!!

So your dinner of the new recipe worked out well in the end Jane and you did'nt have to fall back on the chicken after all. Pleased to hear it.

Morning all,

Plenty of cloud here and its just started to drizzle, so much for it being a nice day .

Dear little Gilly with those big eyes ,your right though Jane the photo does look just like a painting.

Oh gosh Ann what a time you had yesterday i bet you were so glad to get home , you can get those small Power banks ,you just charge them up then plug your phone in to take the charge ,they are handy to keep in your handbag or the car just in case your phone goes dead , they act like a spare battery really.


Not a lot happening here today ,might do a bit in the front garden if the drizzle stops .

Morning Mandy and all,

We have the sunshine today then. It was a bit dull at first but the sun is shining now.

Hope it brightens up for you so you can get out in the front garden Mandy. I'll send the weather over to you, ok?

I have something I have to sort out today so may not be on here much.

I also have the dentist for a check up tomorrow. Gosh that 6 months went by quick! So its hair wash ready for tomorrow.

Good morning to you all, evening Kim,

Glad the met loaf went down well Jane. That's another success. Don't let it go to your head, will you. !!!

Ann, what a terrible experience you had with your car. I have never herd of air being sucked into the fuel system before, but there again I have been away from the trade for many years. !!The modern cars are built differently to how they were. Lets hope they sort it and that's the end of it of you.

Mandy you are up with the larks this morning, we don't normally see you till the afternoon/evening ;-) ;-) ;-)

We have a beautiful Autumn morning here. Nice and dry with a slight breeze. Ros has changed the bed, and the sheets are blowing in the breeze.

I got a leg of lamb out for todays dinner, but decided to leave it in the fridge and take Ros out. We will go and use that £30.00 voucher from the disaster we had a few weeks go. There will be a few requests, 1, We aren't put in the family area, 2, The idiot who drowned Ros's feet stays well away from me. and finally better table service. If it wasn't for the voucher I doubt we would be going.

We ended up with F & C last night. Well I did. It was the best piece of COD I have had in years. The batter was nice and thin and it didn't give me indigestion. Ros had Fish cake, Pineapple fritter, Mushy peas and we shared our chips.

I'm still sitting around in my dressing gown. I will soon go and get showered and shaved and get dressed. I expect we will go out around 2.30/3.00 pm. I want to be back by 5.00 for the football.

Enjoy the rest of your day, might see you to report on the meal later.

Afternoon All

Ann !!!!! what a terrible time you had yesterday. I can just imagine what a panic you were in.Have you recovered now? That has to be the last of your disasters surely now (at least for a while LOL )

Mel Jilly has the longest tail for such a tiny dog. I actually hadn't noticed her tail until you mentioned it. She comes in through the cat flap so you can tell how small she is.

Frank. Am I showing off :-D :-D well maybe a bit LOL. I used to be so bad at cooking and just do the same things over and over again (as James reminds me ). It has only really been in the last few years that I seem to have taken off with doing some decent and new recipes,and I feel so chuffed when they are a success. I never enjoyed cooking and Domestic Science at school was a nightmare.Some of the things I had to cook and then carry home on the school bus were inedible.When I think of sloppy Hopots,casseroles etc I never know how I managed ot get them home .Trying to carry those dishes along with a satchel and maybe a PE bag for a good half a mile or possibly a bit further was a right juggling act at times.
Do children still have to do this? There were no parents with cars back then to come and pick us up from school.Not like nowadays.

Well after a lovely sunny morning it seems to be clouding up. Not a breath of wind and I can't even hear the traffic on the A14 which is most unusual. But really nice :-D
I nipped to Tesco just now to get some bits for lunch tomorrow when Fitzy comes.
I also had a look down the wine isle and spotted a real bargain. It is a white wine that I have had before at £7 a bottle. But they must be discontinuing it as it was reduced to £3.85 a bottle :-D :-D. I got the last 6 :-D :-D :-D. It was really busy there and lots of families with children getting Halloween things.A big display too of Pumpkins .

Frank I hope the meal this afternoon will be much better than the last time .At least you have your £30 voucher to use :-D

Big Breakfast day for you Mel :-D :-D. I have made the batter up for the Toad in the Hole. Had a double yolk egg too.I don't remember the last time I had one of those.
I bet my batter won't rise a much as Mandys. I seem to recall one of hers that was so high it almost touched the top of the oven LOL . Now mine never do that and often the middle is still a bit soggy.

The sun is coming out again :-D :-D

My Sister had just told me it is 5 years today that little Williams Mummy died !!!!!!

My lost Earring has been found :-D.. I know for a fact I lost it in bed but James found it hooked into the mat outside the back door . The only thing I can think of is that it got caught up in Thomas's tail as he was sleeping with me that night and it dropped out as he went out the door :-D :-D.. So now that is found Ann,maybe your USB stick will turn up in an equally strange place :-D.You never know LOL

Evening All,

Great you have found your earring Jane! :-) It does sound like Thomas unknowingly made off with it!! If only I could be so lucky with my missing stick. lol. You did well with your wine purchases and now have a few books in hand to read too! I wish OH didn't prefer actual books as it would save a lot of space to have them on a Kindle. Gilly is a sweet little dog isn't she and that is a great photo of her in the bath. Her head looks like it has no body!

You're right Mandy I was really relieved to get home last night and think I will look into those power banks and get one so thanks for mentioning it as I hadn't heard of them. We both slept like logs, which isn't surprising and I fell asleep in the middle of Strictly so had to catch up with it this morning. I thought the 'Trolls' were brilliant!! What a shame you have drizzle. It was sunny here earlier and quite a nice day.

I hadn't heard of air being drawn in either Frank, so I have looked online and saw that diesel fuel systems are pressurised. Not sure how they pressurise but I suppose that would mean that if it wasn't sealed and air could get in, the pressure would drop with the effect of too little fuel getting through till the the pressure built up. I was surprised how the battery held up with all my starting attempts too!! Like you I'm not up to scratch with modern cars, but it did make me think what a nuisance it could be with the stop start cars that switch off when you stop for a few minutes at traffic lights, if your battery was nearly flat!! I was reading the other day how all these touch screens on washing machines/microwaves are a problem for blind people as they have no idea where to press, whereas they could feel for a knob or switch. These new things do have their drawbacks. OH fetched us F&C last night!!

Mel, I think the garage will be able to tell I'm not happy when I see them tomorrow! A friend has suggested they give me a box of chocs instead of the 'Love Hearts' :-.D Good luck at the Dentist's tomorrow!

Didn't get out into the garden in the end ,the drizzle did stop late morning but by then i didn't feel like going out so had a lazy afternoon reading my book.

I can do early Frank LOL :-D hope the meal out was better than last time .

Ann i didn't know about those power banks until Colin went into hospital and son said take my power bank to use with your mobile dad ,we're not into gadgets but son is always buying things ,it was handy as he didn't have to worry about his phone going dead .

Oh that's good the earring has turned up at last Jane , yes i bet that's how it got outside hooked onto Thomas's tail as it's so thick and furry , just think you have been walking over that door mat all this time , James must have some good
eyes !!!
Hopefully this is the start of every ones lost bits and pieces turning up .

Hav'nt read the post today yet since I said morning. I have just arrived back with 7 new big girls. One at least is bald just above her tail. The lady said they should all be laying.

Home grown eggs again hooray!!! :-D :-D :-D :-D :-D :-D

Going to read your post now.

I'm so pleased you have found your earing Jane. Now its Ann and I that need to find our things. My scissors and my ring, Ann's stick and notes.

I wonder what the girls are going to think of each other in the morning when it gets light. I shall have to be up early to let them out.

I have seen those power bank things for mobiles but I don't think we need one.

I don't use my phone much. I only take it shopping with me or if I go out anywhere without oh and he always makes sure his is charged up and I always check mine. My one lasts at least a week on one charge if not longer.

Hope Franks meal was better this time and they managed to spend the £30 voucher and get something decent for it.

Still fighting with my tree and a couple of the girls on the trying to find boards are givin me advice.

Morning all,

Dull old day at the moment but I am hoping the sun will break through a bit later on.

Oh has let the girls out as they were making a row and he said he thought they were killing each other in the house. I shall go round there after posting this and see if I can give them a cabbage and some bread to keep them quiet. There is a few bald tails so I am told.

Dentists at 4.30pm and I need to get some layers pellets so I better go this morning as I want to get back and wash my hair.

Hope you get more than the love hearts Ann and they sort out the fuel problem for you without any charge as it must have been their fault. Box of chocs and a bunch of flowers i would have thought.