General Chat

Happy birthday to your daughter in law Mandy.
Yes lovely and sunny and says 15 degrees but that wind is taking the temp down.
Oh that is sad that the boys father doesn't want to know. Your niece will have her hands full now. I hope she is able to cope OK especially as she is grieving too.

Beef sounds nice. I could just eat that.

I have just potted on my tomato seeds. They are a bit small but were not looking too happy in the seed cells as it is so warm they were drying out. If I lose them that is too bad but they were not going to survive in the mall cells.

Afternoon all,

Nice sunny day and we went to sons to take dil her presents, the sun was really warm in the car but there's still a bit of chilly wind that's catches you in the shade .

Got a piece of beef in the oven and all the veg is done so just having five minutes .

Gwyn that was nice to get the family meal and time together yesterday .

Thank you everyone I think we're still in shock about Anna , we all thought she would have at least a couple of months to make memories for her boys but it wasn't to be .
She doesn't have a partner, the boys father doesn't want to know so my niece is looking after the boys .

Did a huge post and lost the lot as I forgot to copy and paste it.

When I got up for the loo while it was just light there was frost all over the lawns. Its 12 degrees here now with the sun shining but pc says windy tomorrow.

Gwyn that was nice to have a family meal together and glad son got it in before his shout.

BIL is coming today so I better get in the shower before he arrives. Getting up late has put me all behind but I did have a wonderful sleep.

Good morning everyone.

Mandy, I was so sorry to read of the passing of your sister's grandaughter. What a tragic event for all the family. My condolences to you all.

AnnG,
Around 6.30 seems to be my natural waking time lately, so I get up and make a drink and start my day. If I've been quite busy, I do find myself nodding off during evening TV programmes sometimes, so I probably do need a bit more sleep really.
Earlier bed time doesn't seem to work for me, as I wake after a certain time and then have had a few hours, but find it difficult to go back to sleep,so enough to keep me going, but not enough to see me through the next day.
Why do we do such random thinking at such times.?
Once I start thinking in the night, about what I am doing in the morning, eg. don't forget to post that card, on the way to school, my mind is in 'awake mode' and sleep becomes harder.
I actually try not to bother about it.
I don't drive, so I'm not a danger to anyone on the roads and am fully alert to walk, wherever I want to go and carry out normal activities, so it's not really a problem. It's probably more a case of not being able to cram so many things into a day, as I could, when I was younger.!

It's feeling chilly, but the sun is trying to shine through, so hopefully if it gets a bit warmer, I will go in the garden and get some more in the bin, before tomorrow's collection. Laptop is saying it's 4 degrees, at the moment.

Yesterday, we managed a family roast dinner meal together. We had thought to go out somewhere, but son was on call for work, so it would have been awkward if there was a 'shout' and he had to head off suddenly, so we opted for a home cooked meal prepared and made by my 2 daughters. Son joined us, when he was free, parking the fire car just outside and we had a good family time together, before he had an alert and had to rush off, just after 5 o'clock.

I think we have some hot cross buns left, so I think I'll have one for breakfast. I do like them to have a definite spicy taste and not be too bland. I'm not keen on all the fancy flavours. Traditional are the ones for me :-)

Good morning all a bit grey here and only 3 degrees but I think it is supposed to warm up later.

Another good nights sleep but awake at 0645 so decided not to go back to sleep then and got up.
Those are three talented young ladies Ann. I imagine they are quite popular locally for performances.

Mel that dinner sounded lovely, I bet you enjoyed that. and an egg from em too, lucky you.

Oh Vera, I thought my list was difficult to prioritise, that workload sounds horrendous. Is there really nobody else in the family/group who could share the load. I hope it will soon ease off for you.

That was great Annx,I enjoyed that.

Dinner was lovely and Aaron brought it down for me as Winnie was having a paddy. I had lot of lamb,carrots, broccolli and roast pots with stuffing which I did'nt like. Never have liked it much but oh used to love his stuffing with any dinner really. Gravy vame in a little jug to pop inthe micro and I put the dinner in the oven for a while tatoes seperate.

Oh Vera it was overwhelming just reading what's going on for you at the moment, so it's not surprising how busy you have been. I hope you manage a restful read finishing your book and a good night's sleep.

It doesn't sound like an easy road to your tip with the big vehicles using it too so it's easy to see why people would prefer the appointment system. Our tip is half a mile away on a small industrial estate. It used to be a doddle driving round the edge of the buildings on a tarmac road to it before covid, but now they have put steep humps at intervals and big lorries have started parking all down one side of the road or leaving their trailers there. which means one lane is mostly bocked with parked vehicles. It's not been too busy and no queuing the last couple of times we've been, but we went early in the morning. I can imagine a bit of gridlock with only the one lane passable, so expect it will be appointment only there as well before long.

Mel that was your good luck then that Aaron's guests couldn't make it, so you have a nice roast dinner! A nice surprise egg from Em too so that was good. You tube is listed in the Apps in the SKY menu on our tv so we don't sign in to anything. Yours is clearly different. Did you have to sign into it before it went wrong?

Terry did a livestream for easter tonight and I noticed, as his wife panned around his studio with the camera, that amongst a few things he has pinned to one of the doors in his studio is the christmas card I painted for him last christmas, so he hasn't put it away.

Speaking of Terry, if you like 40s music, the lovely Duchy Darlings called on him playing on the Elton John donated public piano at St Pancras, after they were on the morning news recently. If you haven't seen them, they are a trio of lovely young girls who sing a three part harmony. When I say young, one is aged 15 and the other two are aged 13. This is the link if you want to hear Boogie woogie Bugle Boy of Company B.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hNbNgWJwv4E

Em came round with a lovely big dark chocolate Lindt egg for me so that was a nice surprise. I fiddled with my miniatures and had some late lunch and BIL and SIL called in so I made them a drink and asked SIL how to get youtube on the tv. She said you've got it on there, I just watch as a guest. I tried to log into it and messed it all up but by this time they had gone home.

Then I came back to the pc and could'nt get youtube on that and I must have clicked on something and now every time I go into anywhere I have to sign in or accept cookies. Its driving me barmy. First I lost firefox so I turned the pc off and on again still the same.

Anyway I just rang next door to see if they were in as I have a little egg for their little girl and they were just finishing their lunch and asked me if I would like a roast dinner. Of course I said yes please so I am going up in a mo when they ring me. Aaron said they were supposed to have people coming but they could'nt make it.

It’s been sunny most of the day but, although the wind has dropped, it is still very breezy and quite chilly outside. I sat in the conservatory with a cuppa after our lunch and it was like an oven so I opened the door and it wasn’t long before I got cold and had to close it again.

It seems as though many of us are having bad nights now. It’s a pity that leg pain is waking you AnnG. It will be a good idea to speak to someone at your surgery when you get back from MK just to try to find out what is causing it and get a bit of reassurance. Perhaps we’ll all get a better night tonight.

Mel, I wasn’t sure whether kio food was some special chicken preparation or whether it was a typo for koi. If it was koi pellets I’d try and judge by eye what seems the right amount but underfeed rather than overfeed. If it all gets eaten quickly then you can always give a little more next time. I can’t remember how we used to feed ours – my memory is getting quite bad these days. Are there any guidance notes on the pack?

Annx, after Covid the local council ran a sort of survey on whether they should keep the appointment system for the tip and the response was a big majority vote to keep the system. Our nearest tip is up a narrow, twisty lane and it used to be a nightmare at busy times. There is some sort of oil company in this lane and farmland beyond it so you would get heavy farm vehicles or tankers trying to come past the queue for the tip and the only way for them to get by was if all the cars reversed back down the lane to the bottom. With an appointment there are usually only 1 or 2 cars waiting to go in and you never have to wait more than 5 minutes. You rarely have to back up but if you do one car can usually find enough of a space to pull in whereas a whole queue of cars can’t. It works much better for us.

AnnG – I am prioritizing what needs to be done. H/W, gardening etc are getting left. All I am doing is washing because we need clean clothes and shopping and cooking because we need to eat. The last week or two has been quite unusual. Our friend’s funeral and house clearance are being organized by his sister but I have been acting as a sort of liaison between her and our very large, extended family. Where possible I have been doing a group email to about 20 rellies and asking them to pass on all the information to their own families, otherwise I would have to send about 60 emails every time. Without going into details that are private to other people I have spent nearly all week sending and answering endless emails and phone calls which all take time. Our dil was also very unwell at a time when both our son and dil’s son were away from home. She managed to drive herself to her doctor’s surgery and was sent straight to hospital. She had an overnight stay and then had to go back after a couple of days for tests and scans with the upshot that she is having an operation on Tuesday. As you can imagine we have been worried about her so more phone calls and emails. I won’t bore you with all the rest of it but I have needed to do something to help a cousin who had got in a bit of a pickle and also give a little help to someone else who has had to go to Addenbrookes hospital every day as her OH has been having treatment. That has mostly involved message taking and sending on. Not arduous at all but time consuming. Written like this it doesn’t sound a lot but I have spent hours on the computer which hasn’t done my eyes or head much good but I think I’ve dealt with the bulk of it and it should get a bit easier now.

I gave myself a little break on Thursday and went for coffee with our friends and I am having a restful day today. I made a double size stew yesterday so I didn’t have to prepare and cook much today so all I have done is a tiny bit of ironing, changed my bedding and reheated a stew with a few little potatoes and cabbage. Not quite the roast lamb and spring veg with a lovely dessert that I would normally do on Easter Sunday but it was tasty and filling.

Now I am going to go and read. I’ve been trying to finish the book I am reading for several days and I only have a couple of chapters left so I am going to try to finish it before OH decides it’s time to eat again.

an yes I realised you got my legs condused -easy done :-D :-D :-D

T never bought me an egg. He always said Easter Eggs are for children any more was just the businesses making money.

I have just remembered I meant to tie up a rose down the garden and forgot. So better go and do that before it rains.

Afternoon All and Happy Easter,

Sunny here with about five minutes of rain earlier, but it was really windy in the night and was rattling our fence. I took ages to get to sleep and was just about to get up and take a paracetamol when it started to subside! I woke about 5.00 am for the toilet and didn't go back to sleep again.

How sad for you and the family with your sister's news of her poor granddaughter passing away Mandy. You don't expect your grandchildren to pass away before yourself. It's such a shame and so upsetting.

I see you had a restless night Mel. It gets light realy early now too and I wonder whetherthat wakes us too. Your window dressing sounds lovely and cheerful. I saw where someone had cut a few twigs of catkins and put in a vase and hung little easter eggs on them. I thought I might do the same another time, but decorate the little polystyrene eggs to hang as real ones would be too tempting and we shouldn't have very much being prediabetic.

Vera like AnnG says you need to pace yourself and just do what's most important. You don't want to end up with one of your 'heads'. I hope your OH's back is soon better too or he won't be able to do as much in the garden for a while. My OH is no better. This morning he walked up to the village to watch a match, but found it had been cancelled despite there being nothing online about it so he came back. I was trying to sort the veg for lunch and typical, he interrupts asking if I still needed the kettle, so I told him yes. Then he said he'd noticed I hadn't placed it back on it's stand, so I had to explain then that I needed more of the water to top up the steamer and it was heavy to keep lifting and guiding it on and off the stand. By then I'd lost the plot of what I was doing. It's his tidy mind again!! Then he went out in the back garden and was snipping some wayward bits off a shrub which was fine, but next time I looked he was trying to pull out a six foot fence post!!!! :-0 We've removed some rotting trellis between the posts along the path and will change the design along there as we do jobs and one post was loose and leaning that we removed ages ago. But this last post was bugging him (tidy mind!!). Anyway he insisted it wasn't hurting rocking it to and fro, but I reminded him he hadn't started more physio yet and wasn't able to do the upper back exercises he was given. What are they like eh?!!

I got your legs mixed up didn't I AnnG. Lots of things it might be as you say, but a good idea to try different positions with it. I read the other day where a mother of ten children in America spends £1000 on eggs and gifts for her children every year and wondered the same about affording it. I had just one easter egg as a child and that stopped once I was aged sixteen and working. OH's mother always bought us easter eggs though.

Mel, I assume it won't be wasted? You can still use the feed? Too late to do anything about it now. Unless you can find anyone to buy it off you.

I have just spent an hour in the garden, planted my 6 potatoes in the big planter, then weeded and cut back ivy along one bed, re-positioned some pots and ornaments on the gravel. come in for lunch now. Probably done enough for today. I actually had to water my pots that have plants now growing in them, Geum, Salvia, Heuchera and sedum.

Oh Mandy how sad for you and your family at such a normally happy time. As Vera says it always seems so much worse when somebody young dies.. Her poor husband and of course, her parents and your sister and brother in law. What an awful disease this is, and it seems as thouth this time it crept up on the family. Please accept my condolences to the whole family. <3

I have just opened a new sack of kio food and its a lot smaller pellets than the last lot so either I have ordered the wrong size or they sent the wrong size. I bought this last year when I thought I was getting low so no returning it and I have two of these sacks, one I have now put in the bin and one I keep sealed up for later. Its going to make it difficult to judge just how much to give them now.

How sad Mandy and at a time that will always be remembered. They say God takes the good and its been that case with me all through my life. My condolences.

I am so sorry to hear that Mandy. It’s so sad when such a young person passes away. Do I remember rightly that she had young children? Her husband must be devastated. My condolences to you and her family <3

Just heard that my sisters granddaughter with the brain cancer passed away last night ,she had been having headaches again and went back into hospital yesterday

I am sure Mel when I was young (a long long time ago) you could only buy hot cross buns Easter week. and probably only the day before Good Friday. and I had forgotten, you are right, they had peel in them. And in my case, one Easter Egg was all I had from my parents and a new pair of white gloves for church.. I have just seen a photo on face book of my Great great nieces easter egs, a large pile of quite big eggs and lots of presents etc, just like Christmas. And this is a family that doesn't have a lot of money. I think most of the eggs must be presents from friends. How do these young people afford them they are relly expense.

Morning all,

Nice sunny morning and 8 degrees and there's a lovely blue sky ,still a bit windy ,it woke me up about two o'clock it was really gusty .

I remember making Hot Cross buns years ago and they were lovely on the day but the next day you could have used them as door stops they were so heavy and hard lol I don't know where I went wrong but I never bothered to have another go .
There are so many different ones now even cheese ones .

Yesterday we went to sons and we gave them some money for the grandchildren, it was nice to have a chat, Chelsea was making a cheesecake and it looked lovely when she finished it, she put some strawberries in it.

Not a lot happening here just need to repot one of my plants this morning ,I'm doing roast beef tomorrow, we're out sons again tomorrow as its dil's birthday .