General Chat

Pam next door has been in to tell us that the neighbour passed away on Wednesday. The daughter never bothered to tell anyone until last night. I also learnt that when Joy's husband died he left his daughter his home, which is still empty and hasn't been sold, she has had it a few years. I hope she doesn't do the same with her mum's bungalow.

The black clouds passed over and we have a bit of sunshine again.

It's good that you keep that type of book Gill. There is always something that you need to know.

Ros has collected the Prescriptions only to find they have sent me some tablets the I have never taken before. She's on e phone now, trying to find out why. !!!

Dinner is in the oven and smells lovely.

So Lewis has grown to over 6 foot now then Frank. I think I'm going in the other direction, at this rate my height will start with a 4 ;-) ;-) You're shin of beef in gravy sounds nice. Hope you didn't get rain with those black clouds, we've still got the sun here.

I have a selection of books Frank but mainly sewing, cookery and garden books. I love them so never throw any of them out or give them away to charity shops. I have a Carol Klein gardening book which I call my bible as it's very good with lots of tips and tricks for plant growing.

I bet your girls are pleased now they have fresh bedding, that'll be better for them now Mel.

How did Chris get on sorting out the fallen tree Jane. Hope it'll be sorted soon for you both. Has James got over his cold yet?

Hi Mel. Lewis has just gone home as he has the little kitten to sort out. I don't know if I mentioned it. Julia bought him for Harvey for Christmas. It's an ENGLISH BLUE. Such a lovely little thing. He still has his stubble, which looks quite nice on him, Lewis not the cat lol lol/

Beautiful sunny day here, but still very cold outside.

We heard this week that our neighbour, who has the cats, and has been in hospital since before Christmas, won't be coming home again. She is slowly DIEING. The cats are being removed to a rehoming centre. So our garden won't be used for their TOILET anymore. Ros will now be able to replant the garden, and know it will stay like it. Joy the neighbour, hasn't been well for years. But recently went out and bought a new car, that sits on the drive. She has a daughter in town, so I expect she will have that. As as when anything happens to her I expect we will have new neighbours. I just hope they won't have any CATS.

Shin of Beef in gravy ready to go in the oven to tick away slowly, it will melt in your mouth tonight. Brussels, carrots and Parsnips, with Mash potato's.

Looking out the back there is a bank of BLACK CLOUDS building up. I hope it's rain clouds and not SNOW.

Had a good laugh this morning. On "THIS MORNING" a woman phoned in to say her sister who was eight years older. Pushed her pram in a lake with her in it, pushed her down the stairs and broke a leg, and tried to kill her. She asked if they thought as they are older now, would they be able to put i behind them. Another woman said her sister tried to put her brother down the toilet and drown him. WHAT LOVELY RELATIONS TO HAVE. LOL LOL. And I thought I came from a strange family. !!!

Lewis is going to arrange for us to meet up for a meal one weekend. When that will be, who knows. !!! We have invited Harvey, Julia and Lewis up for Sunday lunch, but yet to set a date, that was weeks ago.

I trust you are all well and fit. (who is these days ??)

How lovely Lewis has arrived Frank. Lots of catching up to do. Has he still got the beard?

Been having a bit of a clean out with the big girls. I did manage to move soem things so I could get to the wood shavings so their nest aare nice and clean now. I just put the old nest stuff in the house to make that dryer.

Just having a COC now after taking my morning pill.

Had quite a heavy shower of rain while I was out there and the min I got back in the sun came out again.

Thinking of our Anne and hoping she is getting steadily better. Give that Ruby a hug for me please.

Good morning to you all,

Guess who's just walked in ?? OUR LEWIS. He has grown since we last saw jim. Must be SIX foot plus now. Ros is just getting his Bacon Sarnies and a coffee. Then we can sit and have a chat. Not that he has much to say.

Spoken to my Sister and SIL rigs morning. It's SILs birthday today I think she is 83. My Sister will be 83 on 4th March.

Glad to see OH is getting on with the loft Mel, that will be a good job out of the way.

What are all the books you have Gill. ?? When I finished reading my books they go straight to the Charity Shop. We wouldn't have the space to keep them.

Wha's the news on the tree Jane, ?? I hope Chris managed to sort it our without any upsets.

I see we haven't seen Anne again for a few days, I hope she is getting better. We send our love. xx

Well I had better go and chat to the boy. See you later.

Oh is in the loft and I can hear srews going in so he must be putting the legs on the joists so another layer of lagging can go down then the boards on top. Then when he has done that section he can move the stuff onto that and do the next section. Its an area of 8 metres by 16 metres that he is boarding so we can walk from one end to the other.

Morning all

Sunny here too Mel and a bit warmer than it has been lately.

It was like that for me the other day Mel, once the sun came out I could see all the dust so had a good polish around.

It sounds like you've got a right to do getting to the shavings haven't you? How is your OH getting on with the loft. We had ours done for free and it only took the two men a few hours, it makes such a difference and now the bungalow is really warm once the heating goes on.

Going to track down all my books today so they are all together then I can put them all in a few boxes so I know where they are and they don't get separated again. OH is going to try and get me some small boxes so I can put them in the single wardrobe. The boxes I have are to big and a bit to long so the door won't shut.

I can't believe how much stuff I've shoved in draws and wardrobes over the years. I need to move one of the shelves down in the single wardrobe so I can put the boxes in as the gap is really small between two of the shelves. So that's my day sorted. I thought it wouldn't take long to do our bedroom but there seems to be more in there than the whole bungalow put together ;-)

What is everyone else up to today?

Morning all.

We have bright sunshine at the mo and its showing up all the dust on my desk so I had to go and get a duster to clean it off. I must wash the glass doors to the lounge too as they are showing dusty and dirty where the sun is shining through.

Slept well last night and hope you lot got a good few zzzz's in.

Jane no I couldnt get to the woodshavings in oh's garage as I could'nt move the sack barrow with two bags of cement on so I thought I would go round the other way. I tried but he had put more stuff there so he could get all the lagging in there. Once some of that is out and I can get the sack barrow out then the chair with the grinder and a reel of electric cable on it I should be able to get to the shavings.

O gosh I wish James had run one of our foxes over and killed it. They do make quite a bump when you hit them. I hit a badger one night coming home in the dark. You can't see them till you hit them as they are the same colour as the roads and we have no street lighting.

Winds gone here too.

Jane that tree would'nt last five mins in the wood burner it is so rotten. It looks like its nearly paper already. Why on earth had'nt they done something about it before? Shame it came your way. Its made a mess of your fence too.

I had another little go at my tree again last night and I put osme info in and saved it but when I went back to it it had all gone . This happened three times. I wanted to put this chaps death in in 1892. He died in the workhouse. Went in on 11.11.92 and died they next day.

I had to put all his death things on his daughters notes. It took it ok on her details.

Oh got some boards down in the loft today and more lagging.

James was home really late from work tonight and on the way home he hit a big Fox and killed it :-(.. He has a big hole in the bumper on his car and is worried incase any damage has been done underneath the car as the poor Fox got caught underneath.
He is looking really quite shaken up :-(. He did stop to check and it wasnt a pretty sight.Needless to say he hasnt had a lot of dinner.

Frank, Lewis is just at the age now where he is enjoying life as a young man. Enjoying Uni life and meeting new friends. Grandparents and Parents will not be his first thoughts at the moment. I think all youngsters of that age are guilty of 'forgetting'to keep in touch . Bacon Sarnies and lunch will go down a real treat :-DHe is going to love that :-D
I think I shall be off to bed shortly.

Blooming soaps on, DOOM AND GLOOM. Thank Gawd normal life isn't like this. !!!

Won't know about Lewis's beard until he arrives tomorrow. I just hope it's designer stubble, and the fase (sp) will pass, as often does with youngsters.

Glad you OHs eye is not needing hospital treatment. You can sit there Sooooo Long before being seen. Last time I had to go to A & E was when I had gout, and had to sit for nigh on two hours.

I hope your OHs back starts to improve Gill. It can be so painful, as I know only too well.

How did Chris get on with the Neighbour Jane ?? They will have a job finding tree surgeons at this time to remove it. I see on the news there were lots of trees down around East Anglia. I haven't been out so don't know if there is any damage locally.

Carolyn messaged Ros this afternoon, saying she is cleaning the house in Tenerife, and trying to find where things are. It's not her house ANYMORE. so why is she concerned ??

I am not feeling up to PAR this evening, and have been biting at Ros over the trash she watches on T.V. Needless to say it hasn't gone down well. I think an early night with the Radio might be the answer.

See you all tomorrow.

I've been working on my tree today too Gill, on my mother's side. There are some big families between 10-14 children each, so it takes ages just to enter the descendants of one child and so many are named after brothers and sisters, grandparents etc that you think you are duplicating what you have already done! lol. I noticed that after mum's 3 year old sister died (long before mum was born), one of grandma's brothers named his next child after her. I've also found more twins. They are on both sides of the family.

As you say, you won't forget to sort your books tomorrow! That's another job I need to do! No wonder your poor OH has had such pain with his back if a disc had moved. Hopefully he's on the mend with it now if it's slipped back as the doc thinks. He needs to be extra careful for a while, he doesn't want it to go again.

OH has had trouble with his eye today. It was red and scratchy when he woke up and after lunch we'd just decided he needed to let the nurse at the surgery have a look at it when it seemed better. Then a bit later it was worse still, but seems to be ok now so he must have got something in it. He'd tried washing it out as well. We really didn't fancy a trip to the Emergency Eye Clinic at Hospital so he's really glad it seems ok now.

I see what you mean Jane about the tree, after seeing the photo you sent. Just a thought but if you're neighbour doesn't do anything about it, which of course he should, but if he doesn't could you use it for your wood burner, or isn't it the right type of wood? It'll probably need drying out first, but by the looks of it I don't think it would take that long as it already looks quite dry and brittle. I hope it's sorted soon for you and Chris isn't to stressed about it.

How lovely for your OH Ann, having a biro pen made for him, it sounds really nice.

So Lewis is turning up for his bacon sarnies tomorrow then Frank? It'll be nice to see him again. I expect he's been busy with his friends and just lost track of time. I was only thinking this morning how we're more than half way through January already. It won't be long before it's spring again.
I assume you meant you're putting the ROASTS in the oven not the ROADS lol. That would be a very large oven you have if you can put roads in it LOL. Your meal sound lovely, pleased to see you have your appetite back again.

I got a message on Genes from a tree match and have been looking into my side of the family tree today. The problem with that was I've been on it all day. The time just flew by and before I new it, it was going dark. Needless to say I completely forgot about all my books I took out of my wardrobe and put on my bed this morning, so Sandra has just helped me move them into the living room so I can sort through them tomorrow and OH and I can get into our bed tonight. At least I won't forget them again as they are staring me right in the face LOL.

We've just had hailstones, the wind has calmed down now but the weather has turned very wintery. Hope it doesn't go to cold.

Evening All,

Sounds like the weather was rough your way Mandy. Like Frank we both had a good night and slept through it! Just a few empty bark chipping bags had blown up the garden, but we saw a lot of signs had blown down when we went out including the 'For Sale' sign for the builders house and bungalow.

Jane, what a shock to find that tree across your garden this morning! It's lucky it didn't happen in the day when you might have had visitors with small children playing near there. The neighbour only has himself to blame by not dealing with it properly before. I hope his insurance policy covers fences etc, but it is still his responsibility as you say. Is it the neighbour on the side where they want to knock the bungalow down? Poor James must be fed up getting a cold now after just getting better from the bug. I hope Georgette is ok too and not as poorly today as the Aussie flu can be nasty. I expect 'nurse' Fitz is busy fetching and carrying for her. :-)

Frank I expect Lewis is very busy these days with Uni and his social life. I think we all had a spell when young when we wanted to be among people our own age most of the time. I think it would be more upsetting if he wasn't mixing and enjoying himself. Our neighbour that recently moved out and the neighbour next to him both had all their grandchildren living abroad so have seen very little of them. At least you will be able to spend some time with him soon and young men are always be ready for bacon sarnies!! :-D Has he kept his beard he was growing?

OH has a gift someone made for him for a favour he had done. It's a lovely biro pen with lovely grained, varnished wood! I said I would have it if he didn't want it........that's not going to happen though! :-S

Afternoon all.

The long lost grandchild rang this morning LEWIS. We haven't spoken to him for ages. Being 19 he has better things to do, but I know it upsets Ros. He is coming up tomorrow. 10.30 am for BACON SARNIES and he will say for lunch. CHEEKY MONKEY. I know Ros will spoil him, and no doubt give him some money for petrol to help him out with the cost of getting to University.

Pork Loin, Roasts, and onion and mushroom sauce for dinner tonight.I did most of it the morning after me shower. Have just noticed the time, so have put the roads in the oven. Just the pork to cook, and heat the sauce.

Stay warm.

Well we havent been able to tell our neighbours yet about their tree as no-one is in. Chris keeps looking out to see if there is a car there and when there is hewill go round with photos that he took. I am sure it is their responsibility and we wouldnt be surprised if he says he will cut the tree up !!! Rather than getting someone. But that will take forever. Chris will not be doing the job. We mentioned our concern some years ago and Rob took some big branches off . Waste of time really as the wole thing was rotten.There is still a fair bit still up which will now be even weaker and could still come down. It is a big tree and looks like we have a dead Elephant or Mammoth lying on the ground LOL . I hope he isnt going ot be difficult about it and also the fence will need repairing . I can see Chris is getting a little stressed about going round. He is doing a bit of pacing !! They are just a very odd couple and not the easiest of people to deal with .Chris I know will be very diplomatic wheras I might put my foot in it (which I have done before) . A couple of panes popped out of the Summerhouse and also a rotten fence panel at the bottom has gone. So Chris had to go and buy a roll of that red plastic fencing stuff to block of the gap so their dogs cant get through. That is their fence too !!!!.

I hope OH's back will settle Gill without him having to go to a back specialist. I am pleased that your neck is not so bad today. Like you say you might have slept in an awkward position which has given you a crick.

Sally is good to do this walk in the night Frank. Lots of training in progress :-D. Everyone (younger) seems to be doing walks /half marathons and Runs. My 2 Nephews and Niece are doing a half Marathon in March. Michel thinks he might have bitten off a bit more than he can chew LOL.

I saw it was pretty bad around your way Mandy with the Gale.Are schools closed because of damage or power cuts?
At least it is al calm again now :-D

How are yout girls today Mel? Did you manage to get to the wood shavings today?

I must get dinner on the go now. Traybake Chicken and Rice.

Well we've had rain hail and sleet since I last posted and the winds up a bit.

Morning all

It's very busy on here this morning. I might not be online today or over the next few days as there is a new telegraph pole going up opposite us, so I should imagine when they connect the telephone wires we'll have no phone line for as long as it take for them to do it. OH had a word with them this morning as we've had no letter to tell us what is going on, but they are just putting the pole up so didn't know when it was all going to be connected. Hopefully if the phone is going to be off we'll be informed, but if not and I don't let you know, you'll know why I'm not online. I shouldn't think it would be off for long though, we just don't know what day they'll be connecting it.

Everything is okay here Mel, our screening and pots are all still in place which I'm really surprised at as the wind was so strong it kept waking me up. I even asked OH to check the roof tiles as it sounded like the wind was blowing into the loft above our bedroom. He can't climb up to look but said everything looked okay when he checked it from the ground.

Sorry to hear about the tree falling into your garden Jane. How big is it, hope it hasn't caused to much damaged. Like Frank said your neighbours insurance should cover any damage. Hope it's sorted soon. How is James today, he's not having much luck lately is he? Hope he's feeling a little better now.

So you slept right through all the bad weather then Frank. At least you got some sleep so that should make you feel better. How are you getting on with reducing your alcohol intake. Hope things are still going in the right direction for you. It'll be nice to see Simon and Sally again. Hope the weather isn't to bad when they're training for the Marathon.

The weather must be pretty bad your way Mandy if the school's are shut. Is it your grandchildren's school's closed?

I've just emptied one of my wardrobes, I used it more as a cupboard and have lots of books in there so I've decided to go through the bungalow and collect all my books and put them all together so I know where they are if I need them. The problem with sorting out books is you want to have a quick look at them, but it's not quick at all once you start looking LOL. Not sure how long it's going to take me to sort them if I keep reading them. They are all over my bed at the moment so they'll need moving before we go to sleep tonight.

My neck is starting to feel a little better. I think it was the night I finally slept all the way through so I must of been in the same position for hours which has made it a bit sore.

OH went to see the doctor yesterday who sent him for a blood test and X-ray. She said he had had a slip disc but she thinks it had moved back into place. She also told him to stop taking the anti-inflammatory tablets as they wouldn't make any difference. He has to go back and see the doctor in 10 days for his results and depending on what was on the X-ray she might send him to a back specialist. So even though it was easing a bit he is still in quite a bit of pain and won't be doing anything for a while, as he can't do any heavy lifting or bending at the moment.

Off to get a cuppa now, see you all later.

Mandy must have popped in as I was typing and I missed her post till I read Franks.

Suns out here and the wind has dropped and its quite warm in the sun.

Its good you had a full nights sleep Frank. I hope you feel more with it after your shower.

Oh is up the loft.............