General Chat

ve a nice savoy cabbage in their hanging feeder so that will keep them quiet



GIVE UP.

Good morning AnnG and all

You beat us all to it again AnnG. I hope the chiropodist treats you gently. You’ll be walking on air when he/she has finished.

We had a lot of wind and rain again yesterday and it looks as though it has rained overnight. At the moment it’s cloud with the odd gleam of sunshine but at least it is supposed to stay dry.

Yes, it’s good to hear that Gwyn’s swans are still going strong. I wonder how many cygnets they will manage to raise this year. Keep us posted please Gwyn. The cake at our friends’ diamond wedding recently had a beautiful pair of swans decorating the top. When I asked why M had chosen swans rather than the more usual hearts and flowers she said “because swans mate for life”. Wasn’t that a lovely thought?

Your seeds sound a bargain Mandy. I’m all for no frills stuff as well. Most products still have far too much packaging which only ends up in landfill.

I have got so fed up with taking it easy and not doing much that I think I overdid it yesterday. While OH was walking to town and back and seeing the doctor I thoroughly dusted and hoovered the lounge, hall and bedroom and prepared our dinner and in the afternoon I dismantled a flower basket I had for my birthday that was overcrowded and impossible to water properly. I’ve potted the 5 plants up individually. By the time late afternoon came I was in pain again so today will be a more restful day.

Time to get the day started. I’ve had my morning cuppa but not dressed or had breakfast yet. Have a lovely day whatever you are doing.

good morning all. It is a beautiful morning here, wonder if it will last, it really does look like a spring morning. I have the chiropodist appointment at 11am. First in 18 months, not looking forward to it, he has a lot of catching up to do!

Gwyn, each year I look forward to hearing about your swans. do hope they stay safe and manage to rear their babies ok. keep us posted please.

do hope that Frank is ok, strange he has not emailed you at all lately Mel, sounds like he has given up the computer. Wonder if he has ever used his mobility scooter.

sending a ~~~~~~ to Island, no doubt she is studying seeds etc and gearing up for the garden.

Gill, if you look in, hope all is going well with work on the bungalow, we would love an update.
<3 :-) :-) :-)

That's true Mandy........I like not paying so much and getting 'no frills' stuff and it is easy to find instructions these days as you say.

Yes It must have been uplifting Gwyn to see the swans are back and nesting again. It's good they are protected from dogs now too. Just the other side of the main road and by the old packhorse bridge that crosses the river Soar here we see a pair of swans. It does flood badly there though, so I must see whether they find a high place to nest this year.

Gwyn it will be lovely to see the little ones on your walk and watch them grow ,it's good they have fenced the nest off so any dogs don't go near but I bet they would give the dogs what for if they got to close .

Ann thats good OH is now covid free a few days and hopefully you will be too.
Yes I was surprised to see the seeds through the door it was 89p second class and it said 3 - 5 working days ,the seeds are in foil envelopes no fancy packaging nothing to say when and how to plant but you can soon look that up .

Been raining here since about four o'clock .

Yes I did tell the seller and they gave me £4.7p off. It was very well packaged and in a plastic box on a card and wrapped in bubble inside that so how it got broken I don't know.

I will take some pics of my tetes tomorrow.

Lovely to see the swans on their nest. They mate for life and we used to have them on the river as you went into Bideford and we'd look for them every year when I did the market but they hav'nt been there now for some years. I used to miss them when I went to Bideford shopping.

Not done much this afternoon just fiddled a bit.

It will be nce to go to the lake district Anng right time of year to go too as things should be starting to grow well than.

A trip to the Lake District is great for you to look forward to AnnG. Chance to get the garden shipshape before you go.........once it dries out again!

I think I was probably like your friend and the virus hadn't multiplied inside me enough to show up on the tests at first. It seems it might take a couple of days before it shows up. OH got his second negative today so he is all clear now, despite his lingering cough. He spoke to another person workwise this morning and she and her daughter both have it now.

Thank you for mentioning that company you got your seeds from Mandy. I haven't ordered any yet so will have a look tomorrow. It was a good saving as you say and a quick delivery. I bet Lewis is looking forward to decorating his hat. It would be lovely to see him in it too! :-)

I have managed to get the temperature back on my PC! A lot of searching, but it was switched off so that was the reason it didn't show! I obviously did have a version that had been updated and had it back again. OH's worked from the start when he switched his on.

Well, better do the food order now!

Evening everyone.
I loved the pictures of Vera's Spring flowers and was really surprised today that some of ours also have 2 flowers to a stem and that one stem has 3 flowers.
We thought they were single tete-a-tete and were new this year. There are some still to flower, so watch this space........

A fine morning here, so after a bit of garden tidying, I walked to a local waterway to see if I could see the swans. Sure enough, they were on their nest, which they have built on last year's site. The word locally is that she has 3 eggs so far, so it will be lovely to watch their progress.
They are only about a foot from the footpath, but someone (Countryside Project?) has put a protecting fence up so that dogs are kept at least a short distance from them.
They return to the same spot every year though, so they must think it's an OK place to rear their youngsters.

Probably just as well to not go in to town Vera. Another day not doing a lot hopefully will help your back.
Ann hopefully you will soon test negative. One of the ladies at my meeting had Covid a couple of eeeks ago. She tested negative two days running. She is on some trial/survey thing so tests regularly. There was no reason for her to not believe the test and she was shocked when she tested positive and she had been out the day before to meet her friend.
Mandy yes I will be there fir Easter.
Mel good that OH has mended your ‘thing’ for you. But have you informed the seller that it was broken?

Afternoon all,

It's been nice and sunny but now clouded over a bit ,did get all the washing dry as there's quite a blow out.

Ann I ordered my seeds yesterday from Premier Seeds Direct they came a few minutes ago and it was second class postage I ordered them on too.
I spent nearly 15 pound and I priced them up on another seed company and they would have been 37 pound so that was a very good saving .

Mel I shall look out for the post, Lewis is coming for the day tomorrow to decorate his hat.

Anng a trip to look forward too then ,will that be for Easter

Vera probably for the best not going into town you don't want to aggravate your back if its now beginning to feel easier.
Lovely little daffs they brighten your day seeing them bobbing about in the wind don't they ,I had some doubled flowered ones last year but they are single this year .

Nice easy meal tonight I have roasted a piece of gammon this morning with a honey and mustard glaze so we'll have that with salad and mashed potatoes.

Mel, I hadn’t seen it before but I read something on Gardener’s World website last night that said they can have up to 3 blooms per stem. I am surprised at how tall they have grown, at least twice as tall as most tête-à-tête. They were a present on my birthday, two pots of tête-à-tête daffs and one of grape hyacinth. I’ll plant them in the garden in the autumn.

Very dull and breezy here now. Rain is on the way.

Vera I have one three flowered stem and thee two stems in the pots of flowers Em bought me for my birthday and a two flowered stem on my old daffs of tete's. If you have any john innes no. 3 give them a top dressing of that and maybe next year they will do the same.

Bought something off amazon and it was broken but oh soldered it together for me this morning after my feeble attempt to do it myself. He did use his soldering iron though and not my battery one.

I must now do Asda's order for next week so no crafting done at all today.

Afternoon All,

It's windy here again and dull with a few spots of rain earlier. The Windows 11 I installed from a prompt on my PC was obviously an older version that didn't have the temperature icon as I've seen that they have put it back on the new versions. How annoying that they even took it off!! The operating menus on the pictures now are driving me mad as you seem to have to go through extra menus to do things now and at first you have to go through them all to find things that were straight in front of you before. As soon as I get familiar with it they will be changing again won't they. :-S

We used up the old tests yesterday and the newer ones are easier with just the nose test and more liquid to drop on the test strip. I am still positive and OH can't do his just yet as you can't do the newer tests till half an hour after eating.

I agree about these dark tv programmes AnnG. I expect they think it creates atmosphere, but it's a bit extreme and for too much of a programme sometimes, like going back to the days of black and white tv! No happy ending as you say.

Vera wise choice not to try walking with your OH today! Just try some exercises instead. I am frustrated at not being able to do my short walks now I was just coping with them so much better, but like with you it would be silly and exhausting at the moment. That is an unusual Daffodil in your photo. Do you think it might not be a Tete a Tete and got mixed in with them by mistake? If you had them flowering in the same pot last year, were any like this one then? It is rather nice though isn't it. :-)

Mel, that's handy your OH has a retreat to the caravan. It means you can get on with things! It's a nuisance when things don't stick like that but at least the glue gun did the trick for you. It sounds like you are nearing the end of the project?

I'm going to look at some seeds on line next. I fancy growing something new this year as well as the usual things. :-)

Still raining here and windy. I did manage to walk down to the post box when It was just spitting a bit. It is free book stall weekend. I had three to take back and got four more. When I checked them when I got home I had read one of them so that can go back on sunday. good job I went when I did as it is raining harder now. So that means the garden will be a soggy mess.
4 weeks time covid and petrol allowing, I will be in the Lake district.

Morning AnnG, Mel and all

It’s about 12 degrees here and sunny, but it feels a bit cooler as there is quite a breeze. I didn’t go into town with OH as I hadn’t mentioned it to him and when he got up he said he was going to walk. I know he would have got the car out if I asked but I didn’t want to stop him getting exercise while he still can.

There’s no way at the moment that I can walk a mile and a half each way and walk around town as well. Having a shower exhausts me! Poor old girl ;-). I have just showered and washed my hair. Now I am going to dry it and then try and dust through downstairs at least.

I hope OH has had a second negative test Ann and that you are feeling less like you are full of cold.

Enjoy your day everyone whatever you are doing.

Raining here now Mel and 10 degrees.

Morning Anng and all,

Raining here this morning and pc says 10 degrees. Its a bit windy too, they say we are in for a windy weekend I think.

Did Mandy post yesterday?

Nothing to report yet so I hope the others slept well and sorry Anng did'nt. I was out like a light the min my head hit the pillow and up once for the loo and fast asleep again till I got up.

Sending love to Frank and Island and where's our Gill? <3

Seems to be a habit lately of me waking before 7am and not getting back to sleep so I get up. Does make for a long day though.

good morning all 9 degrees here so fairly mild again, slept badly last night so a tired day ahead I think

Ann no happy ending there then. Not bad but I do wish they would lose this obsession of filming everything in the dark, such a strain on your eyes.

So you enjoyed your meeting Anng even if it was a little noisy at time. You must be getting used to being on your own without chatter around you so notice more when it happens.

Are you talking about the tv program The Housse because I watched a little of it by mistake and think I may enjoy it if I watch it on iplayer although it takes me a bit of time to get used to the back and forwards clips like most of you.

I have only done one thing today I stuck something together with all purpose glue and it did'nt stick so I wiped all that off and tried wood glue. Blow me if that did'nt work either!!!!!! so out came the glue gun and that worked thank goodness. I had ruffed the two sides up a bit to give it more bite. Done a little more to it after that so I am getting there but I did'nt think it was going to take me this long to get it finished.

Oh has been up the caravan most of the day so its been nice and quiet down here.

Pasta tonight so nice and easy.