General Chat

Good morning all. Up and dressed ready to see daughter off on their journey home. Washing in and dish washer emptied an early start to the day. Slept well. Lots to do now getting straight after the holiday. And then plants to go in and garden to do. But got to go easy with that as my back is better don’t want to start it off again.

Ann yes he is definitely full of beans definitely his father’s son.
Yes I have plenty to do tomorrow. Back has eased a bit. Hope it continues to tomorrow

Vera have you read any books by Fiona Valpy. I have read two lately and really enjoyed them. The Cypress maze and The sky beneath us?

Afternoon All,

It's been mostly dry here today with a couple of short gentle showers and a bit breezy.

What a lovely little boy your grandson is AnnG, so smiley and don't babies have lovely cheerful outfits these days. He looks full of beans doesn't he. :-) I hope ypur back is soon better as there is always plenty to do when a break away is over.

Oh Vera, thank goodness we didn't get your sheets of rain and thunder. It damages all the plants when it rains that heavily. I managed a few handfuls of weeds as I walked round the garden earlier too. Rather than keep tramping to the wheelie bin, I leave little piles on top of any flat rocks and Mr Tidy picks them up and puts them in the garden bin when he spots them. I managed to plant up the front wall pots with the fresh plants too, but will put them on the wall tomorrow. I worry the driver bringing the food might catch them and knock them down as there is only one screw holding them.

Mel I love coffee and walnut cake and will have Vera's walnuts, but no icing on mine please. I had visions of you with a white face with the iciing sugar, but I think I've done the same with my food mixer in the past. We find snail shells on some of our flat rock edging. I don't know what bird smashes them as we don't get Thrushes anymore.

Well done getting the exercise bike dismantled Mandy. I think it took us a couple of attempts to get ours in bits, but yours will soon be gone. I don't know if you or anyone has Nat Geo, but the David Attenborough film Ocean is on Channel 5 at 8.00pm. It wqas on in the cinema a while ago and OH said it is supposed to be good. I hope the bandage has helped your knee. I find the Ibuprofen gel helps mine a bit. Mine have been worse than usual this past week and wondered if the wet weather is making them worse.

Asda still have me blocked on their site with my usual browser, despite me chasing it up. so I am still having to use one I don't like for now. Mel do you find they say there are substites sometimes, but then the right things arrive with your order?

I've done some chicken thighs and veg in the slow cooker and it's cooling down. I added some frozen spinach which I didn't realise was very, very finely chopped. I think all the liquid is a green colour now.....not sure what OH will make of that! I also did another wash, but might be able to hang it outside tomorrow.

O yes done some washing and it now needs to come in.

Just come in from the garden. I have pulled loads of ivy off the fence at the end of the decking where my little greenhouse is and pulled it from both side now I need to sort out the Albertine rose there. Its smelling lovely at the moment. I have put string round the canes for the beans on the decking, just a few in a BIG pot, fed the toms and the flowers on the patio. Fed the fish and the wild birds and the pheasents. Thrup the female comes with me to the garage after telling me she wants her supper by coming on the patio to me and she knows she's not aloud up there so I have to go and get her some corn.

Hav'nt eaten yet!!!! am just going to do egg bacon toms and beans followed by a slice of cake and maybe some fruit and cream. was going to make a fruit jelly but I forgot getting lost int he garden. I'm sure I have done something else today too but can't think what.

It has stayed dry here despite the promise of showers. I have fed/watered the times atoes but not done anything else as the pots have all been well watered in the past two days.

Just having a chuckle, I never really taught daughter to cook. She did learn a lot at school though. However her late husband loved to cook and did it all so she didn’t need to do it. After he died she was on a steep learning curve and does very well but it all gets written down that has increased since the Air Fryer everything is written down so when I am cooking anything new in the AF I consult her and she tells me how to do it. So we have come full circle she is teaching me. Incidentally my Mum didn’t teach me to cook, she passed on recipes and explained when asked but goodness knows what she would have made of Air Fryers.

Just absolutely tipped down with rain here it went over so dark and now the suns trying to get out .

Morning girls,

Nice morning at the mo and its 14 degrees but at least there is some sun with the clouds.

Lovely photos Anng is'nt he lovely love his shirt with the tractors on. He looks a happy chappy. Sorry you have a bad back and hope it eases so you can look around the garden centre for your plants.

I have just watched a lovely Thrush batter the life out of a snail on the little wall by the road down to the banty house. She actually wiped it from side to side to get the last bit out. I often get a mas of snail shells down that bit of the garden it must be a favorite anvil.

Don't know what I am doing today so will just see how the mood takes me.

Morning all,

Nice sunny dry morning but I think it should cloud over later, I have just hung some washing out as there's a lovely blow so hopefully they will son dry, its quite chilly but it is still fairly early .

Anng hope your back soon eases for you and you can manage to get all your plants ,lovely photos .

My knee is still painful so I have put a stretchy knee stocking on this morning see if that helps .

Vera well done to your granddaughter what a lovely job to be working at Disney World Hong Kong I hope she has a fantastic time .

I have sent a couple of photos, let me know if you have not received anything.

Good morning all. The sun is shining and it is 8 degrees. I didn't have a good night and am less than impressed that i have developed a very painful back. I seem to have pulled (or something) the muscle on mylower left back. One I have pulled before. Hopefully it will ease soon. a result of sittin 4+ hours in the car and then several hours here just talking and watching Cassian. We are going to the garden centre this morning so that I can get plants for my pots etc so I will have to hope it eases. Also have quite a busy week ahead.

I have uesed Ibruleve but usually Deep heat works for me. I have not used that in deference to my daughter and son in law as it is not a nice smell for other people.

O Vera thats wonderful. What a great chance to get spotted I wish her all the luck in the world (Disney World) I'm sure she'll have a wonderful time and an interesting country to work in.

The cake was well worth the mess. I made it with a sponge mix from Asda and you add 10 tablespoons of water so I did a tablespoon of coffee in a tablespoon of hot water and 9 tablespoons of water. The frosting was 1 and a half tablespoons of coffee in a tablespoon of hot water 100g of butter or marg and 225g of icing sugar. I used decaf coffee Azera Americano. I took a pic so will send it tomorrow.

Save me a bit too please Mel. I'll have mine without walnuts. I did have a little chuckle at you making a cake and spring cleaning the kitchen. Thanks for the idea of coffee cake as I have to make a cake for a coffee morning next Saturday and was wondering what to do. I must go through my recipes and see if I can find a good coffee cake one.

AnnG, I am sure you enjoyed your grandson and family visiting and the baby sounds a bundle of energy.

We had quite a bit of thunder though no lightening, and the heavy rain went on for some while. It's all calmed down now and everything has a new-washed look.

I've just had a text from one of my granddaughters telling me that she has been offered a 10 week contract with Disney Hong Kong to sing as Cruella de Vil (the baddie in 101 Dalmatians) in their daily shows. I don't know all the ins and outs yet but it's decent money and good experience and who knows what talent scout might spot her? I could see her name in lights in the West End yet ;-)

Mel are you all white too?
I like coffee cake.

Vera we had a terrific rain storm no thunder and lightening though. Grandson waited it out until the rain eased off a bit and they got home OK

Cassian was very good but does like a lot of attention He is not crawling yet but sits and bounces up and down, very energetic and on your lap he is still jumping up and cosmic. Lovely to see him, and Mum and dad of course.

I have just finished making a coffee cake and never again. Cake was ok but when I made the frosting it covered the kitchen in white dust. I used butter but if I do venture to make it again I shall use the soft marg.I covered the bowl with a clean dish cloth but it still managed to get out so the cloths gone in the washing machine with other things. Now all I have to do is clean all the windowsill and plate rack as I am sure its managed to get up there too.

I must admit it does look good. The postman told me he liked coffee cake and hated walnuts so I shall give him a chunk when he comes on Monday. May put walnuts on my bit and cherries.

Vera we had thought of that but nobody seems to want them now I suppose they like going to the gym, it's all in bits now a few bits have gone in the bin so we'll gradually get rid of it ,as you said Ann it's the fly wheel that weighs the most ,no way would we have got that whole bike down the stairs

Steady rain here but not that heavy ,its a shame when it really drops out of ths sky as it bashes all the poor plants about and breaks bits off .

My goodness, we've got the thunder and rainstorm now. It's coming down in solid sheets of water and I've just been reading that red hot poker plants don't like to be in soggy soil. I might be losing my plant to root rot then :-(

It rained quite heavily while we were having lunch. There are weather apps on my phone, my iPad and my computer and they all say different. One of them has a storm warning for this area but at the moment it doesn't feel or look stormy. After we'd had our sandwich and cuppa I used the most reliable way of judging the weather - I put my nose out of the door. I decided it was OK to do a bit in the garden so I got some deadheading and a bit of weeding done before the next shower.came.

I might go and look at the paper for a while now or do the crossword before I have to get our dinner ready.

The flywheel makes those exercise bikes really heavy Mandy. We took mine to bits during the pandemic and put a bit in the bottom of the rubbish bin each time to get rid of it It was in the conservatory though and we certainly wouldn't have got it down any stairs. I remember Jane trying to give hers away but no-one would take it. I have a treadmill that I think may be hard to sell or give away as well. I've done a wash as well but haven't hung it out as we keep having showers.

It will be nice to meet up with your grandson AnnG. Does he have far to travel to see you? You may have said but my brain isn't reliable.

I only carry half full watering cans now or my back or knees soon hurt, but I can probably poke the spout between the trellis a bit lower down. I think OH would struggle with his back and neck, so we will get the hose out if needs be. At least the beans have had plenty of water today with all the rain.

We've been chucking a few things out, some plastic cartons I'd saved as I used to store beading materials in them, but, as usual I kept too many. The same with a pile of jamjars. An old soft cool bag that now has a replacement has been wiped down and used to store things in in my car boot instead of a tatty cardboard box. My car didn't come with a spare wheel, but I bought one and keep it in the boot and this bag fits at the side of it better and has nice carrying handles to lift it out when it goes in for service or MOT. OH joined in and has started a pile of cardboard boxes and things for the tip. I have filled the basket I bought yesterday for under the sink so that is nearly straight now. I can't believe how much kettle descaler I've bought, then squirrelled away and then obviously couldn't find!

Like you Vera I should do something outside, even if i's just replanting the front wall pots in the greenhouse, but I'm getting a COT while I think about it first. ;-)

You say your cold Vera I have put my fleece trousers on this morning and a thin polo neck and a cardi.

BIL was here when iI got back from the shop and he's doing the UV light thingy, rewiring the two pin plug to a normal three pin.