General Chat

Enjoy your lunch with fitz Ann, hope he is well.

Mandy have a nice chat with sister in law.

No signs here that there was a frost as far as I can tell and the sun is still shining temp now is 12 degrees.

Morning Anng ,morning all,

Not sure if there was a frost this morning but yesterday the car roof was white .
Colin had his eye clinic appointment yesterday and then we did a few jobs when we got home , today we're off to see Colins sister and have a coffee with her so that will be the morning gone .
I have a basket of washing to hang out but we should get showers so I'm not risking hanging it out until we come home .

Ann I hope you have a nice lunch and chat with Fitz today .

Vera hope the burn on your hand is OK, did you get just the one blister in the end .

Better drink my tea and get hoovered through before we go out .

Good morning all. Bright sunny morning but only 4 degrees. I don't know if there was a frost earlier, I was awake from 5-6is then went back to sleep until 0745.

Hope the sun stays out so I can potter out in the garden.

I too have to admit I don’t recall what T gave me for my 22st.

You were busy today. Era even if not gardening.
Just listening to the news about the people off the virus hit cruise ship. I think we did actually learn something from Covid. They appear to be handling this very well keeping it contsined. Hopefully no more of those repatriated will develop the virus. And those returned to their homes will continue to self isolate. One of those just inthe centre where they are kept said.’we did it for Covid we can do it again’ referring I think to isolating

Like you AnnG my age meant I had to wait till this year to get the RSV jab. If I were you Mel I would check with the surgery whether you might already have had it, perhaps when you were in hospital. If they say you haven't then ask for it.

I didn't expect anything much for my 21st from my parents as I was getting married a month later and they were paying quite a lot of the wedding costs but they bought me a silver bangle. It's awful to admit it but I can't remember what OH bought me. When our kids were getting near 18 we gave them the choice of a proper celebration then or when they were 21 but not both. They both opted to celebrate at 18.

The sun has just come out at last. It's been a cold dreary day again and with a bitter wind that's made it feel really cold. At the moment it's supposed to be 11 degrees but, like you AnnG, I had to put a jacket on when I went outside for just a couple of minutes and it's saying it could go down to -2 tonight. There have been a couple of light showers but not enough to even dampen the ground. I haven't been tempted to do any gardening though I have packed away tulip bulbs. The leaves died back quite quickly so I lifted the bulbs and let them dry out a bit. Now they are packed away and will get planted in pots again around November time. The leaves of the potted daffodils are taking ages to die back and I want to use the pots for other things.

I've also done loads of washing again and changed our bedding. Now I've got to think of something to do with cold pork for tonight's meal. It was just going to be a salad but OH seems to have eaten most of the salad stuff. He generally gets lunch for us and usually has some salad. Lately he has been having quite a plateful. I don't mind that as it's nice and healthy but I do wish he'd remember to tell me when we're running low or he's finished something up.

I hope you all have a pain free night and a good sleep tonight and hope you enjoy your lunch with Fitz tomorrow Annx.

It is saying it is 12 degrees here but it is so cold outside that I had to put a fleece on. I didn't stay out long, just wanted to put compost into a couple of hanging baskets so it can warm up before I put plants in there.

Yes that is right Ann. I have only now got mine because they have opened it up (at least they have at my surgery) to over 80s. So yes maybe Mel has already had it.

I just looked my GP records up and I had the RSV vaccine on 12th September 2024 when I was age 77. It was the first time it was offered by NHS and for people over age 75 and I think up to 79 at that time if I remember right, plus certain other groups like pregnant women. I know I mentioned it on the thread at that time. I did wonder whether Mel had already had the vaccination when she went into hospital, as it is supposed to protect against respiritory infections becoming more serious and I couldn't remember her ever saying so. If not I assumed they would recommend it once she was better. I was invited to have it by my doctor's surgery.

Afternoon All,

Window cleaner was due so I was up early so I could be showered before he came. OH was up by 6.00am to allow him time for his tablet regime and he wanted to get to Grantham early enough to call for poached eggs at the supermarket before the council meeting. It's poured with rain, but is bright sunshine now so the window cleaner didn't come. I bet he comes tomorrow, so I hope it isn't when I'm getting ready to go for lunch with Fitz. Being a bungalow and two of them coming, they are so quick backwards and forwards to different windows.

Your extra work on the buckets certainly enhanced them Mel and made them more authentic. I would never have guessed the plant photo was Box! I meant to say that the Verbascum I sent seeds for aren't the very tall ones. Mine reach about 2 feet.

It is probably best to wait till you are back from your daughter's now as you say AnnG and when you can sort something with Cynth for transport.

so you are old enough then Mel and surely it would be a good vaccination for you to have, it seems to prevent hospitilisation with breathing problems caused by chest infections.

I'm 77

RSV
you are probably not yet old enough Mel

As of April 2026, free NHS RSV vaccinations are available for adults aged 75 and over, residents in older adult care homes, and pregnant women (from 28 weeks) to protect against serious lung infection. Vaccines can be booked via GPs or selected pharmacies.

Morning all,

Quite bright here this morning and its 11 degrees and pc says mostly cloudy.

Annx the bright green bushy plant is self sown box. I shall have to seperate them and get them into plugs. The pond had big drop of rain falling into it and they were very spaced apart. It was really weird. The buckets came to me unpainted with no handles. I painted one with the rings round it and the other three I put string round them and though they looked better.

Slept right through till 7.15am went back to bed for a lie in for half an hour. Feels chilly this morning and there's hardly any blue sky now.

A neighbour has asked for more eggs so that will give me a chance to speak to someone. She usually gives me a cup of something and we all sit and chat the three of us.

My covid jab Hurt when she did it and it seemed to hurt for longer than usual. Iv'e not had the other one.

good morning all. 7 degrees and sunny this morning. I think tomorrow morning is forecast to be a frost which is annoying so late in the year, plants will be staying in the conservatory although I hope to plant up the baskets today.

Very little pain in my legs last night, it does vary. I will get it sorted soon but not before I go to daughters in a couple of weeks. I need to make a doctors appointment ideally for when Cynth is home and she is away for a few days now. Using the bus is ok but really awkward as it is an hourly service so can end up afterwards having almost an hour to wait.

I have the bedding in the wash, should be almost finished, so have the bed to re-make later.
After the covid vacc my arm was quite painful yesterday evening but it seems to have gone off over night and didn;t keep me awake. The RSV vacc in the other arm has hardly caused any pain at all.

Evening All,

Yes after a sunny day here it's very chilly and I'm giving the heating a blast before going to bed.

I had a gold watch for my 21st Birthday and my boyfriend who became my first husband bought me a silver charm bracelet. I was still a virgin and had to be home every night by 10pm till I got married at age 22, despite having to leave anywhere I went early to get home. My father's temper was something to behold if you disobeyed him!

Thank you for mentioning the programmes Mandy. I caught up with Reuben and have recorded the other as I like the Spanish Riding School. I went to see them once at the NEC in Birmingham. You are doing well with your plants and it's a good idea to cover them these colder nights as you don't want to lose them having got them this far. I bet Jake will enjoy riding around with a personalised number plate! It must be over 20 years since my old doctor retired and I saw his personalised number plate on a small white car a few weeks ago and forgot to mention it. It's only the second time I've seen it since he retired, SAY 99. Remember when the doctor would tell us to open our mouth and say 99!

Tasty though they are while you are having them, we haven't eaten many sausage rolls for years, mostly a few at christmas. High in the wrong sort of fat means they are bad for acid reflux as Vera experiences if she has them and they aren't good for other reasons. OK for an occasional treat and like AnnG shares things with her daughter, we have an occasional farm shop four inch sausage roll, but between us now.

Mel those buckets you made are so realistic as are the other things. What is the bright green plant in one of your photos? It's nice and compact. Was it rain or hailstones on your pond!

It's good your roof is done now AnnG and I hope the little girl is soon better. Perhaps you should see the doc now about your leg. It would be good to see if it could be helped before you next go away, Did you get much pain after your covid jab this time? OH has been surprised how his arm has ached more this time.

Vera ouch, ouch! That could have been even worse if the fat had gone on your feet as well. Then to cut your finger on the foil! I hope your OH is better than mine at putting plasters on. I usually have to take over once one end is anchored. You are going to be sore for a while.

O Vera that sounds nasty and a paper cut too, they are painful cuts. Put some vasaline on the cut it should help.

I have just come in from the garden. I have had a good go at the big pond filter and cleaned that out and fished out a load of beech tree flowers out the skimmer on my pond. I have managed to get one biggish piece and two small bits off the Iris Rose Queen and have them soaking in a bucket for now. I am hoping I have got all that nasty weed out of them. There's still lots more to get out of the big planter it was in.

Iv'e fished loads of the Beech tree flowers out of my skimmer. Had a walk round the garden and the border needs a lot of attention. The really old plum tree up on the wall got blown to bits in the winter and there are only a couple of weedy branches left on it and it come away from the wall. I get those great big grubs in the poor old thing you can see the big channels where they have eaten the wood away. I think they are the larva fro the stag beetle.

I'm hungry now so I better get something to eat.

Oh Vera your poor hand thank goodness you didn't have hold of the tin as you'd probably have dropped it with the shock of the hot fat , you won't be doing that again with the tongs , I hope you don't get more blisters and the paper cut soon heals .

Anng it should get down to 2 degrees here over night so I've been out and put some bubble wrap over the cucumbers and we've got some plastic round the runner bean plants , I haven't put any flower plants out yet they are in the greenhouse too .

paper cuts are the most painful. Glad that you didn't blister any more, you obviously moved fast enouth. Hope you didn't drop the remainder of the potatoes in your rush for cold water.

It is supposed to be 3 degrees here tonight and 1 degree tomorrow nght. I think I will be wating until about Wednesday yo put out some of the plants I bought on Friday. At the moment they are in the conservatory and today it was so windy I didn't even take any of them out into the garden but had the conservatory double doora wide open.

Thak you for the photos Mel. The buckets are so realistic.

Dull, dreary and windy here. It's around 12 degrees but is expected to drop to 0 overnight. I'm glad I haven't yet put away the fleece that was covering a few plants as I think it might be needed again. I find the constant change in night time temperatures a pain. I keep being too hot so I decide to change the duvet to the thinnest one, then it turns cold again so I don't change it after all.

This morning OH planted the choisya we bought and it's looking good. The golden leaves brighten up a fairly dark area. I haven't set foot in the garden today but there is still plenty to do out there.

I hope you enjoyed your sausage rolls still warm from the oven Mel. For me that would be a recipe for chronic indigestion. We've just had a full Sunday lunch of roast loin of pork, stuffing, roast pots, plenty of veg and gravy, followed by apple strudel and cream; all washed down with a nice glass of French Sauvignon for me and a Portuguese red for OH. In a little while we'll have a nice cup of tea

I had a slight mishap while cooking. I took a pan of roast potatoes and other veg out of the oven and was turning them over with some tongs when I dropped one. It bounced back into the pan and shot hot fat everywhere but mainly over my hand. Gosh, I did yell. I dropped the things I was holding, rushed to the sink and stood there with my hand under cold water for some while. When the pain and redness subsided a bit I got a flexible bag of ice cubes from the freezer and wrapped it round my hand for a little while. I've been lucky and seem to have got away with 1 small blister on one finger. The final straw was when I was tearing off a piece of foil to cover something and the edge sliced into a finger. It's only a paper cut but I had to call OH to put a plaster on for me as it was bleeding well and I didn't fancy extra flavour in our dinner.

Hopefully things will get better now. Enjoy the rest of your day whatever you are doing.

Sent pics.