General Chat

Mel, it is a BT handset but I am not on BT I am on virgin but they (I think with cable use a BT line). Jake would not know the first think about land lines, very different to mobiles. His Dad might but I doubt it. I probably need to buy a new set and then figure it out with daughter in May when they are next here.

Morning Ann and all,

Dull today but I don't think there's much wind and pc says 12 degrees and mostly cloudy so no change there then.

I don't think anyone is coming today so I hope I have a peacful day today to get on with some HW or miniatures if I feel inclined.

Ann could you not ask Jake when he comes about your phone. the younger ones seem to know everything about things like that. Is it a BT phone?

good morning all 11 degrees again and dull but dry. haven;t seen if the wind that was up yesterday has dropped.
Just reading about all the cars that had to be pulled out of the mud yesterday at Cheltenham races. Strange as I didn't think we had much rain here overnight tuesday.

Mel would the phone still make that noise if it was on silent? I suppose it probably would. Just to add to my stresses my answer phone seems to be on the blink. The hand receiver has not worked for a while now I think batteries need charging but try as I might I can't find how to get at the batteries. Then yesterday the phone rang and the answer phone 'lady' didn't kick in. Luckily I was sitting there so as soon as the call appeared to have finished I pressed play and that was the hospital message which played OK. So that is something else that needs sorting and it would not be necessary if they read the instructions that they should have which says to text to my mobile. The phone handset in my office is still working.

Vera I hope M is now home or due home today and that she is OK.

I had just got myself sorted this morning and settled down to do some miniatures when the postman came. Then I fed the chickens and came in and opened the parcel that was left on the doorstep.Sorted the parcel of the things I wnated and then Richard the bee man turned up he wanted to take the fret saw thing so we faffed around looking for the extra belts that I did have at one time before BIL cleared some stuff up in the workshop. Do you think we could find them......no. Anyway he got the thing in his car after a struggle of getting it out of the workshop on the sack barrow and he paid me. He had his two little yorkshire terriers in the car Milly and Charlie and said his land over Black Torrington was so muddy he could'nt walk them on there. I said well give them a good run in the garden they can't do any harm. We walked all around with them and Charlie decided he was going to bark like mad at the chickens so we did a detour from them round Prickly Bottom and up towards the top arch. There was a rabbit in the trap there but the dogs were running in the orchard and then back to us when I called them. Walked back down the garden and He put the dogs in the car and left.

I had just sat down when I heard another car or van. It was the delivery of another parcel and the driver was going backwards and forwards and had got himself right up against the little brick wall round the west lawn I stood and watched him hit it with the front wheel and then the back wheel several times and then he actually got it right and in a position where he could drive out. By this time I was standing out there watching him and he got out and came round to the back of the van and I said to him "you have just hit my wall many times and you have kncked bricks out, why could'nt you have bcaked into the space next to me car and then you could have driven out easily. Tis a big van, he said in a foreign accsent. No room he said so I told him the adsa driver can turn his lorry round there. Anyway he tried to put the bricks back and then gave me my parcel and told me the van was rented and he had already paid out £4000 odd this year!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Well after that I came in and settled down to my miniatures again when another car came down and this time it was Em wanting eggs and bring me the fabric softener I can't get in Asda and the only one I can stand the smell of. Took the money I owed her off the eggs and had a word with Sam who was in the car and then off she went.

Corned the chickens and that was my day not getting anything done but I am £350 better off so I suppose thats the one good thing thats happened today.

Moan over now Vera how is your poor friend M today and is V coping ok on his own. I hope M is more comfortable now and it was a mild stroke.

What a nuisance about your appointment being cancelled at such a short notice. Such a shame when you had yourself all geared up for tomorrow. I do hope they don't keep you waiting too long for another appointment and like one of the others said perhaps Cynth will be able to go with you at a later date. Sending love <3

Mandy no the phone is still doing it but it has'nt been quite so many times today. Em said he hubby has no internet at his work and its been loike that since Saturday same as Shebear Shop. Its just done it three time since I have sat here typing so I think its time to turn the phone off now till the morning. It makes the same sound if I get a message which is so annoying, it does it when it can't get a signel too.

Back again now and I’ll have another go at posting.

That appointment cancellation must be so annoying for you AnnG, particularly as you have been getting yourself all psyched up to go tomorrow. Still, as Mandy says, maybe Cynth or your other friend will be free to go with you when you get the new date, so it might turn out to be a blessing in disguise.

I hope you have managed to get your phone sorted Mel. It’s only when these gadgets go wrong that we realise how much we rely on them.

Thank you ladies for your concern for M. I spoke to V, her husband, this morning and he left her a bit more with it late last night and there was a possibility she might be home by tonight. He was going to see her with their son at 2 pm so, of course, I sent love and a message that she wasn’t to worry about coping when she was home as all her friends would rally round and help. Then later this morning I was amazed to get a text from her, telling me she was feeling a lot better and was having an MRI scan today. Then around 6 pm I had a phone call from her. I think she was a bit confused as she appeared to be trying to FaceTime me but she hates FaceTime and never uses it. I think she had probably tapped the wrong keys on her phone. Her face kept swimming into view and disappearing again and I could hear her saying “Are you there?”. In the end I cut her off, waited a minute and then made a normal mobile phone call to her and that worked fine. Over the course of yesterday afternoon and evening she had a series of TIAs (mini-strokes) but the doctors aren’t yet sure what caused them. She has had 3 different scans today and will have more tests tomorrow. She has a heart problem so it may have been something to do with that plus she has lots of other things wrong with her. She is shortly to have a shoulder replacement op, followed by 2 replacement knee ops. I think it very likely that all the stress she has had over the last couple of years and worries over her OH’s health has just got to her. She won’t be allowed to drive for a month after she comes out of hospital which worries her as her OH isn’t allowed to drive at all because of his health issues, but I’ve tried to reassure her about that. She has several friends, including us, who will get her and her OH to doctors, hospitals or just out for a coffee.

OH took me to buy the new iPad he promised me for my birthday. I’ve gone for the updated version of the one I already have. My current one is a 1st generation iPad Air and I’ve now got a 5th generation one. I gulped a bit at the price but OH seemed very calm about it. I’ve had the old one for several years and it is in constant use. Now I need to tidy up all the stuff on my old one and get rid of anything I don’t need and then work out how to transfer everything to the new one. I’ll save as much as I can to the Cloud so I can just download everything to the new one. I’ve also been told that, if I have Bluetooth, I can just put the old and new one together and everything will automatically transfer but the man in the shop said my old one might be too old for that to work. I’ll probably end up accidentally deleting everything and tearing my hair out. Watch this space!

Coming back from buying the iPad we decided to stop in town for lunch at a local fish restaurant we like. I had grilled haddock with baby potatoes and pan-fried veg. It’s always fresh cooked and the helpings are generous. My veg consisted of onions, mushrooms, green beans, tenderstem broccoli, mange tout and asparagus. I struggled to eat it all but it was delicious so I didn’t want to leave any. The trouble is the main course there fills me up so I never get to try any of their deserts.

I thought it was supposed to be warmer today but there was a bitter cold wind. At least it stayed dry. It would be nice to see a bit of sun tomorrow.

Time to close the computer down I think. I feel like having a nice wash with some really warm water, getting in my pjs and fluffy dressing gown and settling down with a cup of tea and the crossword. I hope you all have a good night.

Evening All,

Another chilly day, despite the PC saying 12 degrees. OH went to the periodical business breakfasts at one of the councils early this morning. He didn't find it as useful for him as some, but the bacon butties made up for that I'm sure. I decided to go to a garden centre and treated myself to a vegetarian breakfast which was really nice. I wanted some ericacious compost, but decided to wait till OH can come with me as they didn't have the small bags there. I had a good look at the plants and there were some nice Azaleas and young lettuce plants too. Not sure I will be growing much in the greenhouse this year though if we are altering things. I was going to get my car washed on the way home, but remembered they keep forcasting snow so thought I'd hang on.

My new contraption I ordered with my voucher for £15 for joining the topcashback site came today. It has a rechargeable, small, spinning head with various end scrubbers, brushes with different shaped ends for cleaning and an extendable pole to save bending and climbing. I'm trying it out on the bath tomorrow.

Oh how disappointing AnnG! I remember having my hysterectomy op cancelled a few days before the date. I didn't know whether to be worried about the delay or to assume they can't have been too concerned it was serious. Maybe the date of your new appointment will mean a friend is free to go with you though which would be nice.

Vera your poor friends. I hope it was mild if it was a stroke and that M will soon be home again. The worry won't have helped V's poor health either. It might be useful to get their son's number for the future in case you need to contact him, but you have probably already thought of it.

Mel that was lucky your tooth came out and will save the dentist taking it out. Less expense too. I did think about taking something to sit on, as I did that after my hysterectomy with a cushion in a plastic carrier bag. I have a foam beading mat that I keep in a nylon carrier bag now that I could take. The other problem with their chairs sagging and me not having long legs is that the rail under the thighs is really hard. When you are short like me chairs can be a problem anyway and be too high for my feet to reach the ground, so a hard rail really digs in. You should see all the settees we have to try out!!

Is your airfryer quite big Mandy as I'm not quite sure whether I could get a whole chicken in my single drawer one. I wish I'd had one with the removeable partition that some have now. I suppose I could remove the legs though and use those for another meal. It would look suspicious if I took a tape measure with me to the Co-op wouldn't it! :-D

Got part way through a post, had to take two phone calls, one after the other and when I came back my post had disappeared :-|. I’m busy for the next hour but will try to get back later.

Gwyn I have had twelve to fifteen BCCs back in about 2010 I had the first two close together. For those I was referred to the.Maxio facial team (they were on my abdomen just under my breast) they were removed by Oncologist registrar by general anaesthetic.. all the rest, including one on my face (cheek), were removed with local anaesthetic by dermatologists.

Mandy good to cook the chicken in the air frier.

Evening all,

It's been a very grey old day here and I didn't think it was any where near being milder like they said it would be I fact with the wind it felt quite chilly .

Ann that must have been funny with the creaking seats ,i think i would have hardly dared move incase the chair collapsed lol ,the meal must have been good if there was no room for a pud , glad you both enjoyed it .

I was going to say hope all goes well tomorrow Anng but I see it's been cancelled , now you'll have that wait all over again again ,I hope you soon get another appointment though ,perhaps on the next one one of your friends will be available to go with you .

Mel thats annoying about your phone ,hope it's sorted now if not perhaps your bil could sort it for you .

We had cold chicken and salad tonight ,I cooked the chicken in the air fryer the other day as it was a small chicken ,I gave it 45 minutes and turned it over half way through, I had a look after 45 minutes then gave it another 15 minutes and it was cooked OK

Shopping day tomorrow so I'd better get a list sorted ,if I didn't have a list I'd come home without half the things I need .


Vera that sad news about your friend M having a stroke ,I hope you've been able to find out how she is and that it wasn't a bad one .

Oh Ann, I am so sorry to read this.
It's awful to have something like that cancelled so late.

I've been thinking about you being referred to ENT and wonder if that's because dermatology deal with the initial appointments, then you are referred on to the appropriate department.
I first saw dermatology at our hospital,then was put under the care of the maxio-facial team, when I needed an operation on my cheek.It was a consultant from that team who did follow-up appointments and then my operation.

You have to believe this. After getting worked up about the appointment tomorrow, it has been cancelled. Message was on the answer phone but no way could I understand the garbled reason for cancellation. I have to wait now for another aPpointment. So fed up now.

Vera I Just remembered that yesterday I meant to say I was sorry to hear about your friend M. Have you heard any more about how she is. I hope it was a mild stroke if that is what it was, it seems they already have enough to deal with.

Morning all,

I too slept well last night. Its 11 degrees here too this morning but no rain and no sun either. Not been out there yet to see what the winds like.

My phone has been telling me there's no internet connection all yesterday evening as it keeps going TRING and so I had to turn it off last night when I went to bed hopeing it would be ok this morning. No such luck its still doing it and its sooooooo very annoying as most people have that as my number now so I can answer whenever I am in the garden.

Good morning all 11 degrees here, it is early so is still dull but looks dry.

Out to lunch today at the local pub which does cheap meals. Hopefully it will take my mind off tomorrows visit. So just got the morning to find things to do. I did sleep quite well last night.

Your meal out sounded realt nice Ann and it filled you both up with no room for a dessert must be good. I had a friend who cold'nt sit on hard surfaces and she made herself a foam cushion htat looked like a shopping bag with handles and she used to take it everywhere with her even to church. I thought it was a great idea. I can just imagine you two sniggering at the creaky chair and saggy bottoms. You naughty pair.

Hope you sleep better tonight all of you. <3

Your meal sounds nice Ann, glad you enjoyed it and OH too.

Yes I am sure they will always refer to ENT. It says Thursday is to discuss surgery options , I only remember-read that today and my mind is in overdrive thinking what the options can be. None of them pleasant I am sure. Having had so much experience of ops in various places. One of the biggest concerns is after care, not being able to wash my hair to keep the place dry etc. seems daft but all adds to the stress. T used to help me with all these things. It is a steep learning curve.
Anyway I will know more I hope on Thursday.

Yet another wet, dreary day. OH offered to do the hoovering and dusting for me this morning so I spent the time doing all the odd jobs that I keep putting off. That's a few more things out of the way.

I'm pleased you and OH enjoyed your meal yesterday Ann. It sounded delicious and I did have to smile at the thought of you squeaking every time you moved. Perhaps you should take your own cushion next time and the restaurant might get the idea that it's time for some new seating.

I hope your tablet review went OK Mandy. Our doctors used to review my meds every 12 months but that went by the board with lockdown. The pharmacist did my last review and I couldn't really discuss anything with her because she didn't have all my medical history in front of her. I was due another review last November but neither the doctor or the pharmacist have mentioned it.

Gosh Mel, your tooth must have really been loose to fall out. At least you won't have to worry about the dentist taking it out now.

Around 5 pm we had a phone call from one of the ladies in our group telling us that our good friends M & V, neither in good health, were having an afternoon cuppa at her house when M suffered some sort of stroke and was in hospital. V went in the ambulance with her but he has quite severe health problems himself Luckily their son only lives 4 or 5 miles away and has gone to the hospital so hopefully he will take V back to his house overnight. As you can imagine I am concerned and a bit upset. I also feel helpless as I don't even have a phone number for the son and I don't want to contact V at the moment as I feel that might add to his stress.

Evening All,

Still more rain today and it's felt colder than it says it is. Thanks for your birthday wishes for OH Mel. We had a lovely meal yesterday at a Pesto restaurant where we've gone before. Oh my, I was hoping they'd had some new chairs or reupholstered them by now but NO. They are old chairs with a few different designs and I've yet to find one I'd describe as comfy. I found the best one I could, but it was a bit wobbly and let out a noisy creak when I had a necessary fidget to try and get comfy. Try as I might, it was very obvious whenever I moved and we got the giggles. In the end OH said he was going to feel as if he was on the Titanic having his meal with all the creaking going on! I sat on my jacket in the end which was a bit better. There was no-one sitting near at first so I got my phone out to get a photo of some of the seats, but I only got a poor shot as some people came in then and OH said I could hardly explain I was taking photos of their saggy bottoms!

They were doing their usual 3 menus at 3 set prices with about a dozen choices on each and you pick a mixture from all 3 menus if you wanted, choosing 3 items altogether. We both chose a crepe stuffed with mushrooms in a delicious sauce with a splash of cream, sprinkled with a tasty cheese crumb and baked in the oven to make it crispy. OH had 2 fishcakes with his and cubed potatoes crusted with cheese and I had a skewer of chicken breast wrapped in parma ham and a dish of roasted vegetables that included red onion, red, yellow and green peppers, finely sliced parsnip, carrot, courgette and swede. We also had garlic bread which was bigger than usual, so we had no room for a desert after.

I just did a bit of HW and sorted the fridge today having got up late after still being awake at 3.00am.

AnnG, just a thought, perhaps they always refer BCCs on the nose to the ENT people who may have more expertise with having a good outcome with anything with the nose. I hope you can find someone to go with you though as it does help take your mind of things.

Mandy our doctors hardly ever seem to see us to do reviews and just extend the date they are due. I do get annual glucose blood tests and ones for my thyroid though. I hope your results are good and that your tablets are ok for you now.

Another visit from your granddaughter to look forward to Vera so that will be lovely. I would have had your sticky toffee pudding and put lashings of custard on it!

Off to watch Terry playing the Joe 90 tune now. I remember that programme.

:-D :-D :-D

O I see now, silly me