General Chat

Asda was running late and the driver did'nt turn up for work this morning so it came at 2.15. I am now wiping down when I could have been up the border.

Not sure if the lexus has an electric brake. It is (although only had very few miles on the clock as the demo model) last years model. The lane sensor just twitches the steering wheel which spooked daughter the first time she drove it on the motorway, she is used to it now and they don't, as far as I know, turn it off at all. Although they actually only use that one for longer distances using the electric one for shorter distance driving.

with phones and batteries, I make sure mine is topped up before I go out but our buses now have charging points in all seats and I am always very careful about where I use my phone. If I have to check it while out, I make sure I stand with my back to a wall and try and stay alert. Not that mine is that desirable it is quite an old Iphone, was daughters before I had it. she has the latest model mainly because she also uses it as a camera and it has three lenses I think.

I am shattered no and not even half packed I have sorted stuff out for packing and have actually just done load of ironing of tea shirts and trousers/crops etc that have just come out of the cupboard. The T shirts I decided to wash to freshen them up.

anyway I have stopped for a rest as ironing made my back ache. I have also watered the greenhouse.

Morning anng and all,

When I got up for the loo early the sky was a deep purpley grey so I went back to bed and woke to sunshine. The weather is realy strange lately is'nt it.

Yes its half term this week. Em told me on Saturday and I can hear the boys playing football in the garden. I used to hate shopping on school holidays but it dos'nt affect me now I don't go out much or far.

Ann I don't think the chicks of Wagtails have much of a tail in the nest and at the moment they are only short but they are wagging them. I watched four baby sparrows sitting on top of the bird feeder yesterday and mum was picking up bits off the groud from the hanging feeder and stuffing it in their beaks then she went for seeds off the weeds jsut behind my car and two followed her and two stayed on the feeder pole. They do make me laugh and I lose a lot of time watching all the chicks with their ugly mugs. The baby Wagtails like my pond to sit on the wood that holds the netting and yesterday Robby came through the netting round the edge so must have gone in there for a drink or a bath in the weed.

I have three flowers out on my bulb this morning.

Good Morning AnnG and All,

Raining here and was raining last night too so no walk I planned while OH is on zoom this morning. It's only 10 degrees too so cooler than yesterday. It will be good for the garden though and soften the soil tohelp me get on with some planting.

Yes, the car is not huge but is bigger than the old one (aren't all cars getting bigger!) and was very smooth and comfy to come home in. You are right about how some drivers drift out of their lanes on the motorways AnnG. Some cars make a beeping noise, but this one vibrates the steering wheel instead! It only happens at over 40mph which is good, but I think it is most useful on long motorway journeys so I expect it will be switched off otherwise. I'm not sure it is a good idea to have so much electrical on new cars though as all these things drain the battery which will matter more with electric cars and also can go wrong. The handbrake that works itself without being touched spooked me a bit and will take some getting used to for me. I can imagine OH then driving my car and forgetting he has to pull the handbrake on, so there are drawbacks. This isn't the top of the range model either. I would miss the CD player on mine as it is all flashsticks to plug in or stream now. We will have to adapt though as new come along or we will get left behind. We still don't have the internet on our phones and don't need it really, but it's becoming the only way to pay in some carparks and with having to use APPS to do things. It all makes for more stress in some ways, what happens if your phone battery fails , needs charging or gets stolen when most of your life is geared up to using it? New developments and inventions move at such a pace these days.

I need to order a new seat belt protector for my neck in the new car as OH forgot to remove the old one. Seat belts always seem to catch my neck! I have some phone calls to make, house insurance to sort and now my own car insurance to start looking at so better make a start. At least there's no pressure with my painting this time as it is half term and no class this week. I've done the veg ready to go with some chicken breasts for lunch, but have no idea how long OH will be on zoom, so it will be a late lunch anyway in case it drags on.

It's looking a bit brighter outside now.

good morning all, dry here so far but we did have heavy rain around 5/6pm last night which saved watering the garden. I had already done the greenhouse.It says it is 9 degrees at the moment.

Your new car sounds all good Ann, was it nice to travel home in? Daughter and Son in laws new car ( well about 6 months old now has the auto thing that keeps you in lane. they found it spooky when it corrected them on the motorway but it is actually good for that I suppose.Watching from a passenger when on the motorway there are quite a lot of cars that could do with that feature. I am sure that you will get used to all the new features but these things do get more difficult as you get older so best to get used to it while still younger.

Evening All,

Well we never got the forecast rain so I could have washed the bedding, but it's been quite chilly here, despite some patchy sun.

Oh Vera, what a shock it must have been to find you were locked out. At least you managed to get it sorted......at a cost though, and managed to get to the party. It sounds like it was a good job you fished out some extra layers for sitting in the gazebo, but it must have been nice to have a chat with each other.

We now have the new car and I must say they were really nice people at the garage. We were there over an hour and a half sorting everything. We were shown how everything works. A lot of techy stuff I'm sure we won't remember! It has stop, start and straying from your lane warning but you can switch them off. An electric handbrake that operates itself when you stop and start, but also can be switched off. A really good thing is under the speedometer it shows you what the speed limit is wherever you are. The boot level can be raised and things stored under it out of sight which is handy when the back seats are folded to transport bulky things. OH loves it which is most important! My car is a dinosaur in comparison! We didn't go to Dobbies with not knowing the area and in a strange car, so will go to one that is more local this week if we can, although if they are busy like AnnG found we shan't bother.

That's good you got your lawn mown AnnG. There's more rain due here till Thursday according to OH. The weather has been quite changeable this year so you are best to pack a bit of everything as you say.

That's good the baby Robins have fledged now Mel and that the mother managed to feed them with offerings from Mel's food bank. Now you have some young Wagtails. I wonder if they wag their tails in the nest??

We ordered F&C when we got home which were nice and saved getting anything. We both feel shattered now and are having an early night.

Well I got the lawn cut this morning then did a few odd jobs around the garden and house. Starting to work out what to take on holiday, not easy with this changeable weather. Should be used to it as our timeshare was always a week in June so it is a selection of short and long sleeves and a sweater a couple of coats. fleece and wet weather and maybe a pair of shorts (in case it is hot!!!)

Just been to the garden centre with my friend and it was heaving. OK it is half term but there were no children there just adults. (Maybe it is all the teachers!) Anyway it was good to have a catch up and I did buy a new medium size watering can and 6 petunias for a couple of empty pots. I could have bought more but not worth it when I am not here to look after them. Hopefully there will still be stuff left when I get back.

Rained this morning so it stopped me doing things in the garden but I did manage to sort out my iris in a pot its a Sibirica and had a rush growing in the pot and three orchids. I only potted on and took the rush out and gave it all fresh compost.

Fed the wild birds and did a bit of craft once it started raining then did lunch.

I keep nearly dozing off now and oh is watching the back of his eyelids but the suns out now.

Morning Anng and all,

cloudy here this mroning and 11 degrees and pc says sunny.

O Vera what a todo with the lock and an expensive afternoon out but it sounds like you enjoyed it even though it was cold and you were a bit late. Bet you were glad to get home and warm up.

I keep meaning to tell you my shed Robby's wife babies are out of the nest so she managed to raise them all on her own. Now we have the baby Wagtails to watch. There are three of them and the babies sit on the netting on my pond. I managed to get a coupl of pics of them and will send them later on. We seem to have another robin from over the woods behind us so there are now three coming for worms and fighting the others off. In flight bundles all around. When I put worms down I have to put three lots so everyone gets a chance at an easy feed for the babies.

good morning all dry and clear so far 9 degrees and I don't think there was a frost last night. May be able to cut the lawn if it stays dry. Quite a few bits and bobs to di this morning then seeing my friend this afternoon as she is back from her holiday.
Vera pleased the surprise party went well even if it was a bit chilly. Lucky there were gazebos to keep you dry, if not warm.

Ah, those locks. we have similar except ours, in the past have allowed us to lock and we have not discovered the key was left in until we got home. Strangely the twice it happened we eventually managed to get the lock to open but I don't know how as T did it. I do know it took a long time.
But the worst was in 2018 when we were staying in the flat in Spain. We knew we had to remove the key but this time we all four came through the door, son in law last and he had not removed the key (I think we all thought one of the others had done it. We remembered the minute the door shut. It was a Spanish holiday. We had to get the owner of the flat to call a locksmith (Spanish) because we don't speak Spanish. he arrived about 40 minutes later and it was quickly opened.I don't think it cost as much as you Vera but it was 4 years ago (about £50 I think).

You’ve been busy with your hanging baskets Mandy. They will look lovely through the summer. Begonias are reliable plants aren’t they? I always buy a load of the little ones as they provide colour in pots and troughs right through the summer and don’t seem to mind if they are a bit wet or a bit dry.

Yes Mel, we used to call the spring growth on chestnut trees sticky buds. I had forgotten that. Your pot of Brachyscome plants will look pretty with all the colours.

Shame you couldn’t get your lawn cut AnnG. It hasn’t been the weather for it so that’ll be a job for another day for you, but you got some garden jobs done today. Like you I am hoping there won’t be a frost tonight but the forecast is for it to get down to 3 degrees here.

Your tomatoes are well ahead of mine Ann. Are they in the greenhouse? Mine are now in pots outside but I don’t think they will be flowering for a while yet. I hope you enjoyed the chocolate rabbit head. OH never buys me an Easter egg but my daughter usually does. She did this year but forgot to bring it when I saw her on Easter Saturday so, unless she has eaten it, it’s still at her house.

We have had quite a day. For a start the weather has been horrid. Cold with a north east wind and rain on and off, including a couple of very heavy showers, more like cloudbursts than showers. I decided I would need warm clothes and didn’t want the wind blowing round my back so I had several layers, a rarely worn vest, a light weight but long sleeved top, a lambswool cardigan and a warm fleece. Oh, and I stuffed a cagoule in my bag as well.

Our friends M & V were picking us up in their car at 12.45. They arrived on time but I hadn’t heard them and came downstairs to see the front door open. I looked out to see M & V and OH sitting in the car waiting for me so I rushed and put on my shoes and fleece, dashed out of the door, slamming it behind me and then went to lock it. I couldn’t turn the key in any direction and realized a key must still be in the lock inside which meant I couldn’t open the door or lock it properly. It’s a security lock so you can’t use anything to push the key inside out of the lock. It was a pain but the solution is to go round the back and unlock the back door, come through the house, take the key out of the inside of the front door, then go out again and double lock the door. OH had locked the back door and always takes the key out of the lock and hangs it on a peg. For the first time in the nearly 9 years we have lived here he had left the key in the lock so we had the same problem with the back as with the front. You couldn’t make it up!

At that point we had a cloudburst so I had to dash back to our friends’ car and try and sort something out. We told them to go without us as we could get into the garage for shelter while we sorted something but they wouldn’t leave us. So we sat in their car in the bucketing rain while I tried googling on my phone for local locksmiths. I found a company at Colchester that said they had locksmiths within about 20 minutes of where we live so rang them and they said someone would contact us within 30 minutes. After about 15 minutes I had a text from a chap saying could I text my exact address and postcode and he would be with us in about 20 minutes, which he was. With the right tools he had the door open in about 2 minutes without damaging the lock. We then paid him the Sunday call out charge of £99 and were at last free to get to the party, somewhat late.

The hostess had managed to borrow some gazebos and set them up in the more sheltered spots in the garden so we didn’t actually get rained on but gosh, it was cold. Her house backs on to fields and there was a cold wind howling across them. It was quite funny really as everyone was huddled in fleeces and anoraks and the hostess’s son kept us all constantly supplied with hot teas and coffees, but no one was moaning and the birthday girl was pleased with her surprise party as she thought her family hadn’t bothered to do anything for her birthday.

We got back a couple of hours ago and I am only just beginning to warm up. It’s been quite a day!

It did stop raining but the lawn was too wet to cut so I tied up the three sweet peas and weeded round them. I then cut back two early flowering clematis which were reaching for the sky I had armfulls of the stuff and I know it will be just as big in a months time. The brown bin os almost full now. It is 13 degrees, no wind but a real chill in the air hope that doesn't mean a frost tonight.

It's been mostly sunny here but still only 13 degrees and quite breezy. I did my walk but forgot to take some bread which was annoying as I wanted to tempt the Moorhens again and see if I could get a photo of the chicks taking food from the mother's beak.

OH has hoovered round and emptied the hoover and I cleaned the microwave and fixed supports for the canes around the cues and put ties around the tomatoes. They are doing well now and starting to flower. I also did a bit of weeding as I spotted more of that horrid creeping clover in the middle bed. Some plants are taking over, so I turfed out an alpine pink I didn't like. I'm hoping the rain comes our way so I can get some planting out done next once the soil is less hard.

Mandy that is a lot of baskets you have planted. How many more do you hope to do? Begonias are good as they are quite drought tolerant and come in such lovely colours. They will look beautiful when they are in place and in flower. Yes you have some nice roses I remember seeing pics of. We noticed that nextdoor's roses look really good this year.

The new plants you have put in the container are a nice colour combination Mel and will look good. I thought for the second time that we had lost the Princess Diana clematis,but OH says he saw it is emerging from the Camellia again like it did last year.

OH has finally got out his last easter egg to have! It is a Thornton Rabbit and he has given me the head!! lol.

Now the house insurance needs renewing.........there's always something isn't there.

We've had thunder since 2.15pm and its raining now too. I was going up the border this afternoon after the grand prix but I don't think thats going to happen now.

Well tesco were early and friend on time but the minute she left it started to rain and is still drizzling so looks like the lawn won't get cut today.

I hope it brightens for the party Vera but I know in Suffolk you can get that very cold easterly wind so wrap up well and enjoy your afternoon at the surprise party.

We used to call new growth on conker trees sticky buds. The other thing that used to stick in our ponies manes and tail was burrs from the burdock plant, they were really hard to get out with their hooks on the end.

12 degrees and sunny at the moment now ind. a bit annoying as I want to cut the lawn but with both Tesco and friend coming I doubt if it will get done. Maybe if Tesco had one of their early days, but it doesn't usually work like that.

Not little balls Mandy long strips of greean about up to two foot long. look on line at goose grass. that is the one.

enjoy the garden party Vera.

Morning all

It’s cold, grey and we’ve just had some rain :-(. It is not garden party weather. I’m certainly going to need that fleece, if not an anorak and umbrella! I hope it’s better in your neck of the woods.

I’d better shower now and decide what warm clothes to put on. Enjoy your day.

Morning Girls,

Quite bright here this mroning and lots of cloud inthe sky but some blue patches too. 11 degrees here and pc says sunny.

I took all the plants out the container Em gave me for my birthday and put four Brachyscome plants in it, two white a mauve and a magenta. Its on the patio now. I tied up the sweet peas and the clematis in the pots and the one by the end of the patio as that was getting out of hand.

My roses are out and their flowers look bigger this year too. I was only saying to oh that they have done well this year. In fact everything seems to be doing good this year flower wise. My one disappointment is the clematis mum took a cutting of. Remember I sent pics of it last year, it flowered and flowered and had buds this year and then clematis wilt and died. I have cut it back a lot but I don't think its going to come back. Normally I would'nt bother and just take it out but as mum took the cutting and was successful I am loathed to part with it.

Morning Anng, morning all,

A few black clouds about and there been a little drizzle but the Suns trying to show itself ,I hope it stays dry so we can get outside but it's not very warm in the wind so we shall see how it goes .
Yesterday I planted up six hanging baskets ,I have some more to do but I'm waiting until I can find some nice begonia plants for them .
The roses are a picture this year ,the pink one is so much better than last year the flowers are much bigger and the flowers on the yellow one are huge .
I think the plant you were talking about yesterday is what we call Sticky Bud ,little balls that use to stick in our cars fur and I'd have the job if trying to pull them all out .

No family coming today so if I can't get outside I might get some stitching done.

Hope it stays dry for your garden party Vera doesn't look as if its going to be very warm so you might need that fleece.