General Chat

I see the get well card arrived safely Frank, I've given Sandra another hug off you and she's thrilled you like her card. It took her ages choosing exactly what she wanted to use and she showed it to OH and I asking if we liked it, of course we did and told her she'd done a smashing job. Pleased to hear you had a better nights sleep last night and that the pain killers are doing their job. Could Ros help you in the shower, like you said a hot wash would make you feel a lot better, at least you've managed a shave now so that'll make you feel better as well.

We didn't get the snow in the end, it's been sunny all day but boy is it cold. I think we might have some frost once the sun goes down.

So you're ready for your new girls now then Mel? I hope they settle in okay and get on with the others. I use a big feather duster to get rid of the cobwebs I find it's quite quick. As for the leggy spiders, I pick them up and put them outside.

I'm sitting here trying to type but every now and then there's a bang from next door which makes me jump, I keep hitting the wrong keys so have to go back and change it. There's been a massive delivery of plaster boards and wood which have been left on the lawn next door, it's going to get ruined there. I don't know if anyone is going to take it into the bungalow or not. There's only one lad there today, the electrician, he has to do the electrics in the kitchen and we think he's putting the kitchen units together as they are flat pack, so if he's got to move the wood and plaster boards as well he's going to be working in the dark, all that work for one person is going to take hours. If it's left on the lawn it's going to be very tempting to anyone walking past to just take. The skip was emptied before so I should imagine they'll be more workmen here soon. At least it's been dry today so hopefully the plaster from yesterday will have dried now.

Going to watch the Red Arrows I recorded the other day with OH now, it's the last one of two. It's very interesting.

Fascinating programme about Anne Boleyn Anne. I watched that and the prog about Henry V11th's palace of Eltham this afternoon, both brilliant! OH will have to watch them on his computer on catchup! Quite a lot of interesting historical progs at the moment, well worth keeping on eye out for.

That's good you had a better night Frank.......any rainbow colours from the bruising yet? I would have thought you could shower your bottom half by holding the handset to spray yourself wet and then rinse after you soaped yourself, but maybe you have one of those overhead rain things if it's a wet room. I don't blame Ros staying in with you tomorrow.......she can make sure you don't do anything silly!! LOL. :-D

That's lovely that you are giving 2 old birds a home Mel.....can I come too? Seriously it is great that they are going to have a happy life with you now and give you some nice eggs in return hopefully. As you say though, you don't want any more now or it will be more of a chore. I can't believe you are nearly 70!! Still I can't believe I've passed that goalpost either.

You are right Gill it won't do the plasterboard any good lying on a wet lawn. I suppose they can put the assembled kitchen units in the other rooms till they are ready to fit them.......unless they have already fitted them!!!

You asked about the DNA and how it works. I did mine through Ancestry and they send you a container to return with some spit in it as it will have your DNA in it which they check and compare with their huge database of people in different areas of the world they have tested and also other Ancestry members who have been tested. Other tested members will have some of their DNA match yours if you are related and the more DNA you have matching with someone, the closer they are related to you. By comparing your results with the samples from different parts of the world they can give you a rough idea of where your distant ancestors might be from as a percentage of your own DNA. Eg they now show I have a small percentage of Swedish ancestry in my make up. Any ancestry DNA tests of others that match some of your DNA are flagged up for you and whether they have a tree and if so what surnames they have in their tree and their likely relationship with you. If they have no ancestry tree like me and this chap who contacted me, then you have to start asking each other about surnames in each others tree as a starting point.

It can open up a can of worms in families where there have been lies and coverups about parentage, for whatever reason. I read today where a sibling was found to be the product of a father and cousin. It is a good way for someone who doesn't know who their father (usually) is to start to narrow down possibilities.

You are lucky seeing the Long Tailed tits in your garden as well Anne. Food for them must be getting short if they are coming into gardens now.

I'd better sort out what to do at beading tomorrow. Something else to finish I think, but not anything complicated or I will go wrong once I start nattering with the others. :-D :-D

I forgot to say that was interesting and thanks for that about the wet and forget and tiles Mandy.......I will have a google too.

Evening All
Just a quick post now as I have lterally just got in from having my haircut.
Oh Mel I bet the new girls are home now :-D. I hope they settle in really well and love their new home. I hope your old girls are nice to them too :-D

Frank you sound much more like your old self today :-D Just having a really good nights sleep will have done wonders.

Its blooming freezing .I dont think the ice thawed at all today on the drive . I did hear that you might have had a bit of snow your way Frank. But nothing here.
I wonder if Mandy had any in Norfolk.
I have made the filling for a lovely Chicken Pie (for tomorrow). I add extra bits other than just mushrooms and Leeks ,so there are thin sliced carrots, asparagus ,baby spinach and fresh Tarragon. I only need ot put the Filo Pastry on .H&G wont be here until gone 8 tomorrow evening so it will be ready and keeping hot for them if we have had ours . I took a topside joint out from the freezer and the Turkey Crown has been defrosting in the fridge since yesterday(for Xmas Dinner on Saturday). I am going to cook the Beef tomorrow. So one less thing to roast on Saturday.
Chris has had his dinner, James will have a Curry and I think I will just have a couple of eggs and some oven chips .

I can't beleive it is Friday again tomorrow!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Where do the weeks go?

I got them two new girls and they are both Black Rocks which means I think that I shall have four of those now. Loraine told me they are both laying and they are not bald!! just a bit moth eaten around thier tails. I'll see if I can get a pic in the morning. I popped them in when the others were all in and it was nearly dark.

It stayed sunny here all day but its been very cold out there even in the sun. The air is so chilly.

I did'nt do the cobwebs in the end as I got side tracked by the ironing pile which is now a lot lower. I was right into it when I suddenly thought it must be getting near the time to collect the new girls and it was, 5 to 5pm. I said I would be there at 5pm. When I got in the car it was all misted up so I went up the top and stayed on our road for a few mins so as it would clear but it did'nt so I had to wipe the windscreen which I don't like doing. One thing I can hardly reach it in my car and you get bobbles of water form on the screen when you wipe it. Anyway off I set up to the crossroads and turned right and there was a big torridge valley bus coming up and not enough room for me to get through I pulled right over but still he would'nt move so I had to back up with misted up windows back to the crossroads. Not a good place to be at the best of times. It was a school bus and I don't think they are aloud to reverse which would have been easier for him as he did'nt have too far to go to get to a wider place. Loraine was at the big chicken house when I got there waiting for the straggler to go in. There's always a few who leave it till the last moment to go in. Not funny when its windy cold and raining as I have known in the past.

I have just put the chicken in the oven. I am doing a lemon chicken tonight and shall do some new pots and brocc with it. Can't be bothered to do any other veg.

Evening all,

We had a little snow today but if you blinked you would have missed it :-D

Son had to take his FIL to hospital today as he has had tingling down the side of his face and his eye went blurry ,he took him last week and today he had to go back for some more tests ,the outcome was they think he had a stroke , he now has a heart monitor on and has to go back to the hospital tomorrow for them to see the results of wearing the monitor .

Oh i see your going to have two new girls Mel ,do you pick them or do they pick
you :-D looking forward to seeing them and finding out their names .

That's good your getting a decent nights sleep Frank .
Am i right in thinking you have a shower cubicle ?is there room for a seat in there it would be much easier for you to sit and shower .

Sounds as if it's all go in the bungalow next door Gill ,i expect the flat pack kitchen has been stored in one of the rooms until later ,i shouldn't think they will fit that until all the plastering is done ,as for the roof Colin says there shouldn't be any water go in with any tiles off so long as there is still the old felt on ,when he use to do roofing they would strip one bit of the old felt off at a time and replace with new ,it keeps it water tight that way.

We have done a few jobs today and finished off the Jig Saw this afternoon .

Bet you can't wait for H & G to arrive. Its a long while since you have seen them and they will have so much to tell you and all the photos to see too. I can see we won't be hearing much from you over the weekend Jane. Have a lovely time with your daughter and new son.

We had a little snow this morning with quite big flakes but it hardly lasted and it wouldn't have laid because the ground being so wet.

Good to hear that you had a good night's sleep Frank and hope you soon manage to shower again.

Hope the new girls settle in well Mel and give you some lovely eggs, I would love to be able to keep chickens, when Mum and I lived with her widowed Aunt she had a small holding nr Tenterden in Kent she had a lot of chickens and I was allowed to help collect their eggs, .She also kept geese ,Ducks,geese pet rabbits and goats We stayed there through out the war as Dad was a Desert Rat tin the eighth army
I didn't know him when he came home which was sad. but our little Jack Russell knew him straight away

Thank you for Cleo's photo Ann what a sweet little cat she is.

You must be feeling really excited Jane to be seeing Hannah and Gareth to hear all their news and see the all photographs they have taken.

Had the Sainsbury delivery today so fully stocked up again. I cooked a fresh salmon and courgettes dish with a double cream.lemon juice and dry vermouth plus seasoning one of our favourites and so easy to do.

There isn't any felt on the roof Mandy, the bungalows were build in the 1920's so they used nails and mortar. The workman just ripped the bottom couple of layers of slates off so there is a big hole all around the edges of the roof and we noticed that they've taken two of the ridge tiles off where the old roof meets the new roof of the extension, so water can get in there to. It's going to ruin the plaster on the inside tomorrow when it rains. Sorry to hear about your son's FIL, hope all goes well with the monitor when he goes back tomorrow.

We couldn't believe our eyes earlier, the silly boss had only sent the brickies around to finish building the last layer of breeze blocks to the top of the new extension, IN THE DARK the poor fella's had one lamp to work by, so OH put our back light on, the bulb is a 500 watt bulb, so they were pleased with that and it helped them finish the job. They didn't turn up until 5pm to start the job. Apparently they had to do it so the mortar would be dry for Saturday so the men doing the fascias and guttering could do their job.

They've moved the plaster board and wood around the back Ann but it's still outdoors on the ground with a bit of plastic over the top, so it'll be soaked by the morning. It's more like a comedy show than a build at the moment. I wouldn't employ this firm. The workmen on their own are brilliant at what they do, it's just the boss asking them to do their jobs in the wrong order and not storing the materials properly and of course expecting them to do jobs in the dark. He is such a silly boss.
The DNA sounds great, I assume you are given contact details of any match's who don't have trees? I hope you find out lots of new information, I'll keep my fingers crossed for you that you find other match's to.

So you'll see Hannah and Gareth tomorrow Jane, I bet you can't wait. You'll have a lovely time going through all the photo's and hearing all about their travels.

Sandra's been waiting all day for snow, but we didn't get any in the end, she was so disappointed.

Morning all,

The sky is mostly grey but there are streaks of blue here and there so it may brighten up a bit later on if we're lucky.

Hope Ann gets something finished at beading today and dos'nt do too much nattering and giggling.

Hav'nt gone round to the girls yet as I am just having a cuppa first.

Morning all

Dull and grey here to Mel. Lots of workmen around. OH thought that might be the case so when he got up he put our car in front of our bungalow to stop the workmen parking there as they block the drive. There must be about 20 vans in our street today as the neighbours over the road are having work done to their place to. We noticed the brickies didn't finish the top of the wall last night so that's being finished now and the fascia boards have started to go up on the new extension. It looks like they're going to have black windows, fascias and gutters. They've already told us the rendering is going to be white. The neighbour on the other side doesn't like the black windows as he can see them through his bay window. Luckily we can't see anything from our side apart from down the side but they're small windows for the bathrooms and small bedroom.

I hope your new girls settled in okay last night Mel. I suppose you'll find out once you've had your cuppa and check on them.

Still going through the family tree and comparing it with the one I've got access to, so that'll keep me busy today.

If anyone is interested "The Great British Sewing Bee" is due to start soon on BBC.2 It hasn't been on for a few years so Sandra and I are looking forward to watching it when it starts, they haven't given a start date yet.

It's just started snowing, but not enough for it to lay, so Sandra's waiting patiently to see if it thickens up so she can build her snowman. I think she's going to have a long wait as the ground is very wet after the rain we had. I'll keep my fingers crossed for her though.

i BET SHE IS DANCING AROUND ALL EXCITED AT THE PROSPECT OF MOR ESNOW gILL.

Sorry did't mean to shout but I forgot I was making new files and I always label them in caps.

I just had the Error page twice!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Forgot what I was going to say now... :-| :-| :-| :-| :-| :-|

Afternoon Everyone,

A scraping morning this morning with all the frost! I had a look outside at 4.00am as I was still awake and the cars were covered in frost then. We were laughing at some old photos my friend had dug out this morning Mel. In one she had just climbed a mountain with her hubby, but in WHITE bell bottomed trousers of all things!! One of the other ladies had brought us all a large glass bead to bead around to make pendants. I managed to get one I liked the best! I hope the new chickens are settling in with the others ok and are playing nicely.

Anne we have salmon most weeks now and your version sounded delicious and very tasty. Your mum's widowed Aunt's smallholding would have been heaven to me as a child with all the animals. I'm sure I've been to Tenterden or passed through it with OH quite a few years ago. It would have been when we stayed at the Peak Lodge accommodation at the hospital at Benenden.

Jane I meant to ask if you had ever been to the farm shop at East Farndon which is near the eaterie you suggested at Great Oxendon? Some friends reckon it is fantastic and has a great restaurant where you can watch the chefs cooking. I might pop in there after I see you and Fitz, just to see what it is like.

Gill, the more the merrier with the vans. What do they say about many hands making light work? Hopefully it means the work will be done quicker and you can get back to normal again with your car back in your drive.

We are off a bit further afield now to a garden centre along the A5. We might divert to go past OH;s parents old house on the way to see if it's changed much. :-)

Afternoon all,

I slept until 10.45 this morning, with only one trip to the loo around 3.00 am. Ros got my COT and tablets. I have HAD A SHOWER. My darling wife covered my dressing with Cling Film and stuck it all down. WHAT A TREAT., having that lovely hot water running over my body. I managed to wash my hair, without any help. Now all dressed in clean joggers, Tee Shirt and jumper.

Ros has made a Chicken Casserole for this evening, and I had a bowl of vegetable soup for lunch.

Thanks for your cards Ann and Jane, very much appreciated.

My back is feeling a little better this morning, even though I want to scratch it to pieces :-( :-( :-( I wish I knew how to send a photo through Ros's phone. The bruise goes from under my armpit to my waistline, I am now getting pain in the front of my ribs also. A chap from around the corner called at 2.00 pm yesterday and stayed until 4.30.!! Nice to have a bit of company, but BOY was I pleased when he went, he tired me out :-S :-S :-S He can talk for ENGLAND and can out laugh the loudest hyena in the JUNGLE.

I'm beginning to feel drossy, so will get back to my chair for a few zzz. I hope Ros won't be long with her hair dryer. It makes such a noise. :-( :-( :-( ;-) ;-) ;-) ;-)

Suns shining here !!!!

Must read Ann's and Franks posts but I have been to Holsworthy this afternoon for chicken food and shavings and wild bird food.

It tipped it down on the way there but as I drove into Mole Valley it stopped.

I am having trouble with the Error page keep coming up and had to go to the GR sight to get in that way and then on to General Chat and then try to get on here.

Anyone else having trouble?

You must feel ice now after having a nice hot shower and washing your hair Frank. Sounds like you are on the mend now. I don't understand about the cling flim on your dressing gown though????

Pleased to see you had a shower now Frank and feel much better for it. Good idea to put cling film over the dressing, now you know it works you can have more showers. It looks like you're sleeping better to and had a good lay in this morning. With not having much sleep lately you'll find you'll be sleeping a bit more now to catch up. The bruise sounds awful, I hope it clears soon for you.

Well, after all the vans this morning Ann most of them didn't stay very long and with the snow the people doing the fascias and gutters stopped work after only completing half of it. I don't blame them as the snow did come down quite thick and fast. The plasterer has just left, he had a light on somehow in the hall so the light shone into the small bedroom so we could see the work in there, the plaster looks like it'd dried out okay with no effects of rain or snow running down it, the ceiling has been done so that'll help keep the water out, but for how long who knows?

Even though the snow came down quite thickly it melted straight away with the ground being wet so Sandra never had a chance to build a snowman after all. My mum visited so that pleased her though.

I've been getting the error page to Mel :-| :-|

We have been lucky to have no rain today but the gloom is back and it's been very cold. You made me chuckle Mel, as Ros stuck the cling film on to hold his dressing down, not his dressing gown. :-) No wonder it puzzled you! I expect she stuck it over the dressing to his skin to keep the dressing dry.

That must have felt good getting your shower at last Frank. It would make you feel more human. I thought you would get some bruising but that sounds pretty bad from your waist to under your arm. It was nice you got a visitor, but it sounds like it was too much of a good thing with him staying so long! It can be tricky visiting as you don't want to seem like you are rushing off either do you!

We were absolutely perished at the garden centre as they had NO heating on and I'd not bothered with a scarf as I thought I'd be too hot. We made a beeline for the cafe to warm us up on a hot drink. We came home a different way to avoid the Friday afternoon traffic so didn't go past MIL's old house.

I had noticed the other day that the Sewing Bee was coming back and am looking forward to it as well.