General Chat

No we haven't Jane! Tbh the fragrance isn't that strong and doesn't affect us that much! It sort of comes and goes!!
Watching Super Vet. My he's a clever chap! The wind is blowing a gale here!

Liz I forgot to say how pretty your flowers are. Have you had to move the Hyacinths yet? :-D

Mel,maybe it was the combination of the rich food (and that chocolate :-D) that upset you. I sometimes find chocolate too late at night can have that effect too.I can't just eat a square of it either .It either all or nothing :-D

Chris has glasses that go really dark outside but is finding that they still stay really dark for a long time once he comes indoors so next time he has his eyes tested he is not going to have them again. The ones I have are fine . But I may need new specs on Friday when I go for my yearly test.
I thought you must have rain as I just spoke to my friend Margaret who lives not too far from Launceston and she said it has poured all day with no let up at all.

Must get the frying pan heated as James is well on the way now.

Oh dear Anne, that's awful for Richard's friend. Hoping for a positive outcome.
Very busy morning for us. We started with a visit to our local Garden Centre to buy our summer seeds and seed potatoes. Then Waitrose!! Home for lunch, a walk with Cas, then a snooze!! later we watched Mary Beard's programme about Caligula, which we'd recorded a while ago. We love her commentary and as always It was very interesting.
Glad your roof turned out not to be serious Gill, that must be a relief!!
We had a letter from Sky informing us that our subscription is going up in April!! I don't think so!!!! letter is in the paper box!!

Tum has been ok since this morning and I think it was probably what I ate yesterday. Toast and marmalade before I went out and a scone with a cuppa when I HAD UNpacked the shopping and mac cheese, toms and frankfurters. The in the evening I ate rather a lot of chocolate.

That is a terrible thing to happen to John, Anne and with two youngish children too. Puts me in mind of my dear dad. He dropped dead on the front of my bungalow when I lived in Redbridge, he was only 57. I hope John can make a recovery.

Well after I posted this morning it started raining and has'nt stopped since. The chicken run is all big puddles again and it was just drying out nicely too.

I have finished what I was making but you can't see it because its for a present for someone. Not Sandra but someone else. I might make another one soon as I really like this one. It has 165 beads on it. I have been looking for my silver wire....... I had it last week, or I should say saw it last week. I have looked in all my boxes of craft stuff. It should be in the jewelry making boxes but its not there.

Been having trouble with my glasses as they seem misty all the time. I have just got my second pair out, the ones with the lenses that go dark in the sunshine and they are great. They make all the writing on here black instead of grey and the colours are brighter too. I must go and get new ones now I have seen the difference. Perhaps I will spy my wire now I have better glasses on.

I had'nt realized what the time is and I must get dinner on.

Afternoon Everyone
Anne what a terrible thing to happen to Richard's friend. His poor wife and children must be in a terrible state now with the not knowing if he is going to survive this :-( :-(

Are you feeling better this afternoon Mel? Was it something you ate that upset your tum?

Did Sandra get the books she wanted today Gill? She loves her books doesn't she :-D

That is good news about the roof and it is just a few new tiles you need.I bet you gave a huge sigh of relief that it wasn't anything too drastic.

The film was brilliant today and I thoroughly enjoyed it.I said to Fitz that I thought it should be shown in all schools ,as it dealt with bullying etc of a young boy who looked different. I had a few tears at the end..It was a happy ending :-D
Fitz and I then just popped into the Pub/Restaurant it is Hungry Horse,and we just had Scampi and Chips which were ok but nothing special.

Yes,the Rabbits must scarper when they see Thomas coming LOL . Obviously though they aren't scarpering quickly enough !!!. He has just had some of his wet cat food so maybe he hasn't been so lucky today out there. He has just gone out again!

I can't start cooking until I know James is almost home as I have to fry these Pork Saltimbooka (sp?) things There are little pats of sage butter to melt and pour over them too.

Forgot to mention. Ros is still making those muffs for the old people in nursing homes with Dementia, she is running out of WOOL. If anyone has any old spare wool, she would be pleased to have it. I would of course be happy to pay for any postage. Hope you didn't mind me mentioning it. THANKS

Just a quick hallo, Did you hear that JIM BOWAN has passed away aged 80. That's three famous people this week. They do say things like this comes in threes.

Had a nice afternoon reading my book. Roa went to get the prescriptions from the Doctors, and didn't realise that they are closed Wednesday afternoons for training. They want to get more Telephone lines put in, as everytime you ring IT'S ENGAGED I bet sometimes you can ring up to TWENTY times before you can speak to anyone.

Ros is doing stir fry this evening. I have told her I don't feel hungry, so don't give me too much. She replied "WHEN DO YOU FEEL HUNGRY" ;-) ;-) ;-) Good point I suppose.

Thats not nice news Anne. Poor chap, what sort of age would he be ?? I know that these things can happen without any warning. It happened to my 2nd eldest brother. He was riding his bike to work, and felt a bit dizzy, so came home. His wife said get to bed and I will call the doctor. He got to the landing just as his children were getting up, and dropped down dead at their feet. He was only 49 and as fit as the BUTCHERS DOG. So we all thought. I never ever saw him in a overcoat, no matter what the weather.

Stir fry is smelling nice, so I had better go and see if there is anything I can do.

Good afternoon Everyone

Sorry that the little bird didn't survive Mel but at least you gave him a chance. Hope you are now feeling better.

Like the photos of Cas's flowers Liz. I have quite a few Hyacinths coming up in the garden all different colours and a tub full of tete a tete the daffodils haven't done so well a lot have come up blind this year.

Jane I know where Over Haddon is and it's very close to Bakewell and near to all the best places. Bakewell have a good market not sure now on what days. Thomas must be the scourge of the rabbit population. Did you enjoy the Film, when I worked at the Arts Centre they did silver screening one afternoon a week and another one for Mum's and their babies.

Richard had some sad news yesterday John one of the friends that goes on holiday with the group had just come out of a meeting where he works collapsed with a Cardiac Arrest and is now in the John Radcliffe Hospital in an induced coma and the prognosis isn't good. Cathy his wife works at the same place they are accountants working for Oxford County Council .They have two sons 13 and 16 years old.
They are all going on holiday to Norfolk, Easter weekend so hoping that he survives this but it doesn't look that he will be able to go but someone suggested that maybe they could take the boys.

Forgot to mention. Jane, Northampton Council is flat broke. What the hell they have done with all the money Gawd only knows. It's been like it for years, and I doubt it will get any better in foreseeable future. I expect i's the same old story. Paying to much to the councillors and their expenses. There are only one looser in all this and thats us the Council TAX PAYERS.

Still a pleasant day here. Sunshine and breeze. I haven't been out so can't say if it's warm or not.

Just had a Ham and cheese sarnie, with a cup of coffee. So that's me until tonight.

I see Chelsea are playing Barcelona away tonight. So I might have a stroll down and watch it.

Back to my book now.

Good Morning to you all,

Very breezy day here but dry, so that's a bonus. I do wish we could get a few dry days as the lawns are growing like mad, and badly need the first cut.

I am seriously considering getting a man in twice a month to cut the lawns and do a bit of gardening. I have no idea what the prices are per hour. So I might get a nasty surprise, and have to do in myself anyway. :-( :-( :-( :-(



Those Walnut whips are sooooo cheap Mandy. What Company is it. ?? I know in 1958 when I was stationed at Old Catton, we trained Auxiliary persons. A chap who use to come wold bring lots of misshaped Caramel bits. But I never knew where or who he worked for. It might have been the same as where you get your chocs !!!

Mel, I have ried to save birds lives in the passed ha have had an accident, i.e. flying into a window. But never have been successful. It's always worth dying though.

John and Carolyn are back from Tenerife today. Ros has been round this morning with Bread, Milk etc. to save her going shopping today. John is getting withdrawal symptoms for a Chinese Meal, so I expect we will be going to out nice one, very soon. !!!

Madam is out to the NEC at Birmingham tomorrow to an embroidery exhibition, then tomorrow night it's Choir practice. So we won't be seeing much of each other. I think I will do a Casserole for tomorrow, I will only need to boil he spuds when she get home.

Ros has just taken over the bathroom, having a shower and washing her hair. I will have a shower when she is finished. In the meantime I will have a look round Ebay. I'm not looking for nothing in particular, but who knows what I might find. ;-) ;-) ;-) Do they do PART EXCHANGE on WIFES lol lol.

Morning all

Dull here today, but so far dry. We are going shopping soon as Sandra wants to buy some more books and I'd like a pair of curtains and another picture for the living room. We were going to go the other day but we ended up emptying the loft instead.

Sorry to hear you have a bad tum Mel, that happened to me on Mother's Day. I took some Imodium which worked a treat. Maybe you could try that, if you haven't already.

Thanks Mandy for the info on the vents. The roofer has just been here, he was suppose to come at 5pm but said he was passing. Good news we just need a few tiles replacing as they have cracked, he said he could do them at the end of this week or the beginning of next week. The cost is less than £150 including VAT so that's good. He said apart from that there is nothing wrong with our roof and it should last years. OH thanked him for being honest, so we're just waiting for him to call us sometime today to let us know what day he can come back.

I've just stripped the beds so the first load is in, I thought I'd get it all washed before we go out then I can dry it when we come home later. I think it might be a bit to windy to put in on the line as it wraps itself around the line and I'm in and out all the time untangling it, so I'll put it in the dryer instead.

Going to get a cuppa now, we'd only been up a short time when the roofer arrived so I've only had one cup of tea today, then it's off to the shops once I'm dressed. Luckily OH was dressed when the roofer arrived so Sandra and I kept out of sight in my bedroom until he'd gone.

See you all later.

Morning all,

Not a lovely day like yesterday. We have grey skies and a cold wind.

Mandy you need to get two traffic cones to put in your parking space when you go out in the car. People round here do it sometimes in Holsworthy. The green grocer always does it so he can go and get his car in time to go home so its outside the shop.

Bit of a bad tum this morning. I have visited the white friend twice this morning so I shan'nt be going anywhere today.

Been looking through my dads coin collection.

The buildings should be finished next month Jane , there's two one bed bungalows and six one bed flats ,it's only this last month that all the vans have arrived ,it's all the plumbers and electricians ,we counted ten vans !! and then some come in their cars too.
They are not allowed to park on the car park of the old peoples complex where they are building so they all park on our road .
There's been loads of lorries carting all sorts but they haven't caused any problems at all.

Enjoy the film with the oldies :-D :-D :-D :-D :-D

Gill ,Colin said you can buy slates with the vents already in them, which means you just need to know the size of your sates , or you could buy Soffit vents ,he said they are an easier job to do as they are just drilled into the Soffit which is under the Fascia Board .

Cheeky beggars Mandy moving your bin to park their car :-S :-S. Sounds a bit chock a block with all the vans etc in your road at the moment. Do you know how long it is going to be before all the building work is done? Sometimes people only think about themselves and b****r anyone else.

Fancy OH's Sister rallying like she has. She will really enjoy having a visit from OH and you.It is amazing sometimes when you think it is the end of the road for someone and they suddenly just seem to 'get a second wind' so to speak.
Larry's Mother has been at deaths door several times over the last couple of years ,but seems to be doing fine again at the moment . She is 95 this week .So this is another trip for Larry up to Leeds.

I caught up with Marcella this afternoon I missed it the other night. There are too many programmes on at the same time I want to see some nights. Good old Catch Up :-D

The film tomorrow at the cinema is called Wonder. It is about a disfigured young boy . Julia Roberts is in it . That is all I have found out. It is Seniors prices tomorrow for this film so everyone will have white/silver hair :-D :-D. A lot cheaper though than usual tickets. Fitz is picking me up at 10.45.

Dinner ready to dish up ...and Thomas is in :-D

Yes, I think it might be condensation in the loft Mandy. How do you put vents up there. We have slate tiles, would some of them have to come out to accommodate the vents? How cheeky of the person to move your wheelie bin and park in your space. I hope you managed to park near your house when you came home.

We're not doing the front garden for a while Jane as the weather isn't good enough, so hopefully all the jobs inside will be finished by then. So Thomas gave you a present of a bunny.......that's was nice of him.....not LOL ;-) Pleased to hear you didn't have bad weather and the yellow warning wasn't in your area.

Evening all,

We've had a nice dry day , i hung the washing out and got most of it dry ,it was just the cleaning cloths that were damp when i got the washing in but i had washed them by hand and as there were only a few i didn't bother to put the in the machine .

Oh dear Mel poor little bird but at least he died in the warmth and quiet of the shed, i suppose they go into shock .
Mel i don't know what the postage would be on all those Walnut whips they weight a ton LOL by the time postage was paid it would be cheaper to go and buy some in the shops LOL

Gill that's good there's no more water in the loft ,it does sound as if it was the condensation with the weather being so cold or that the snow had got in ,fingers crossed the chap thinks the same so you don't have to spend money on it , Colin has seen lots of lofts where the condensation has been bad because of the lagging being topped up so there's not so much heat going through the ceilings into the loft ,the answer is vents in the roof to let air in .

We are hoping to go and see Colin's sister in hospital on Thursday she has rallied round again bless her .
That's twice now she been so poorly and they didn't think she would make it , we wouldn't go in before because of having the flu and then the tummy bug we wanted to make sure we didn't take anything in to her .

They are building more flats and bungalows at the old peoples place near us and the amount of vans that park on the road is terrible , yesterday there was one van parked right at the end of the road and right on a slight bend it was a heck of a job to see what was coming down the road .
We park on the road so today when we went out and as the wheelie bin goes out for tomorrow we thought we would stand the bin where we park the car, that didn't work when we came home some one had moved it onto the path and parked there.

Afternoon All

Its almost evening now and still so light. Well I think Chris must heard wrong about the Yellow warning last night.It must have been for somwhere else. It did rain but not that much. Dry day today with lots of sun and washing out on the line !!!

That was a shame the little Dunnock didnt make it Mel.At least you found it though and gave it a bit of comfort. It doesnt really take much for these tiny birds to die when something happens to them.
Thomas brought me a dead bunny :-S. I saw him coming up the garden with it so went out to try and stop him coming up to the patio. But I think he thought I was calling him and he came running with it !!!!!!!. Dropped it bedside me too !!!!. I picked Thomas up and called for Chris to quickly come and get rid of the rabbit.So I carried Thomas in and just had his cat milk and went straight out again sniffing all around the patio LOL
I think he has gone off to find more now :-S :-S

Frank if Chris starts mumbling or snoring I just do a gentle poke or say TURN OVER.That usually does the trick. He hasnt mentioned my snoring lately so maybe I dont do it any more :-D.I think I do though as I wake myself up sometimes :-D

Gill it sounds as though you may not actually have any leaks then from the roof.That will be just great if it is just melting snow/icicles . Fingers crossed for tomorrow and that the chap finds nothing wrong up in the roof. It does make me smile when I hear you say you and OH will be tackling yet another job LOL The front garden now :-D
:-D and you havent finished inside yet :-D :-D.

My oven is pinging..So that means my Rotisserie Chicken in a bag is cooked. I better take it out and get the potatoes in.

I am off to the cinema in the morning with Fitz and I still can't remember what film it is !!!!.

The sun is still out and it's quite warm out there now. The lake in the garden is subsiding slowly, so that's good. Sorry to hear your knee is still playing you up Frank. Can you take some anti-inflammatory's, would that help? If it does you might have a better nights sleep tonight. Hope you don't have the rain we've had recently.

OH went into the loft, (with a mask on) and said there wasn't any water on the plastic, so he think's with it being so cold up there some icicles might have formed and then when they thawed out the dripping might of caused the few dark marks on the ceiling. I hope that's the case and we don't need any work doing on the roof. We did have quite a lot of icicles around outside, so I suppose it's possible to have them in the loft too if it was cold enough. Once the fella has had a look at it tomorrow OH is going to put some sealant paint over all the marks and re-paint the ceiling.

So the poor little bird didn't make it then Mel....that's a shame. I hope it didn't suffer to much. Maybe it was the shock, at least it had a comfy place in your shed. Could you not buy a bigger size clog for your OH to wear if they are good for the garden?

OH and I have decided to re-do our front garden when the weather stays nice. It looks a right mess at the moment with over grown plants and a broken fence, not to mention the hedge which seems to want to grow out towards the public path rather than straight up. Mind you that way is south facing so it's just growing towards the sun I suppose. We also need a new side gate and a fence between us and Victor Meldrew, at least he'll be pleased with the fence and I doubt he'll offer to go halves on it, the grumpy old so and so.
Hopefully when it's all finished it'll look a lot tidier and be easier to maintain.

We need to do the kitchen first and see what's happening with the roof so we can put everything back up there. I was going to go through everything in the loft at some point and have a good sort out, so at least that job's out of the way now, even if we hadn't planned on doing it so soon. We had quite a lot of things we no longer needed or wanted so that's all gone now and we're just left with the things we want. The living room is almost finished I just need one more picture and I'd like some new curtains with a bit of colour in them as the ones I have now are plain and the same colour as the walls. Then it's just the floorcovering when we decided what we'd like, but that can wait until all the dust has gone with the other jobs.