General Chat

Good morning Vera and all. Sunny here and 5 degrees. I did have vague plans to go on the bus to town, been putting it off since Christmas, first weather, then buses not running properly, shortage of drivers and then virus infections went up in the area but really no excuse now. Until, in Dobbies yesterday we realised it was half term and there were children everywhere. So I have decided to wait until next week. I do need to go as I have to do something about my EE phone contract. It is joint with T and while it doesn't really matter, I don't really want to have to keep checking his phone. and I think it is costing me more being joint. (I do get to use any data 'he' has not used though. and I have a quite large gift card to use in Pandora. I was hoping to get to son's February March then I could have used it in M Keynes. But so far first work has prevented the visit and then DiL has had a really bad cold (not Covid) and I don't want to catch that.

Anyway hopefully next week I will go in to town. :-) :-)

Good morning all

It’s bright and sunny for a change and 4 degrees. I haven’t any particular plans for today apart from a Tesco delivery this afternoon and a bit of research online to find some information for a friend.

Like everyone else I have been wondering about Mel’s project. I’ve got 2 ideas but they are probably both wrong.

Ha ha ha ha ha ha..... got you all wondering hav'nt I?

I did have one to start with Gwyn but some things she said don't fit I think so will wait and see now.

I've made a guess about Mel's project, but only from odd clues, so it will be interesting to see if I'm right on 'reveal' day.

How odd Vera, maybe a sort of administrative poltergeist.

Pleased that you are half better, was it something you ate the day before do you think?
Yes, do let us see the earings please.

Annx Mel also mentioned doing the ceiling a while back so that is even more confusing

Don’t know what happened there but the paragraphs on my post have all come out in a different order. That’s not how I typed it :-S

It’s been a combination of sunshine and quite heavy showers today. The wind had dropped this morning so OH put 2 of the bird feeders back out but I think it’s picking up again now. Our recycling and garden bins go out tonight so I hope it doesn’t get too breezy. We have to put our bins on the recreation ground at the bottom of the Close and it will be a nightmare if they get blown over.

OH walked by the river this morning and said there were a lot of trees down and broken branches and debris everywhere. He had gone into town to collect my earrings which were ready. I am delighted with them and even OH said how much he liked them. I’ll send a photo.

Your seeds sound good AnnG. I like cornflowers and nasturtiums provide a nice splash of colour over a long period.

Tomorrow is the anniversary of my Mum’s death. She was only 58 when she died, not all that much older than my daughter is now. I think I miss her more now than I did when I was younger.

I mustn’t start getting maudlin. I think it’s time for a cuppa and biccy and then I’ll watch something on iPlayer.

I wasn’t too well yesterday. My back and my insides were both playing up at the same time so I didn’t go to our Club meeting yesterday evening. I felt a bit guilty as it was Club people who gave me such a lovely day on Sunday but it couldn’t be helped. My neighbours were dithering about coming with us before the pandemic started and have been humming and hawing since it reopened in October. Just before 7 pm they phoned and said they were coming. OH wasn’t going to go without me but I told him he would have to take the neighbours now they had finally decided to give it a try. Poor man had 10 minutes to gulp down a sandwich and a cup of tea and get himself ready before he had to go out. Having dithered for so long, the neighbours enjoyed it so much that they have decided to join.

OH came back with more cards and presents for me. People are so kind. I’m not opening anything till Thursday. I did have to sort one present out as it was a lovely pink orchid in a ceramic pot. It was difficult to find a suitable spot where it could get light without too much direct sun and heat. Eventually I put it on a sideboard in the hall. I only hope I can keep it alive as I’ve not been very successful with orchids in the past.

My “inner works” are OK today but my back’s still giving me gyp, just when I want to get on with lots of jobs in the house and the garden. It will get better in its own sweet time I expect.

I hope the wind your way isn't on it's way up here Gwyn. It's very still here at the moment. How nice if there is a Robin nest being built nearby.

Your seeds sound interesting AnnG, especially the maroon Cornflowers with white bits. I gave up on Nasturtiums after I moved here as they didn't do very well. Once the pandemic hit us I tried them again in a packet of mixed colours and they did really well in my pots. I even kept seed and grew some last year and they were even springing up from between the slabs, However the resulting flowers were mostly a disappointment. They had cross bred between the colours and most were a pasty, pale and dirty looking peach colour. I'm getting fresh seed this year.

The lasagne was good but was too big for us so I split and saved a third between us to freeze for another time with some garlic bread and salad. Thank goodness OH washes the regularly used pans after lunch each day as it's the sort of thing that sticks to a glass dish. Now I still feel like doing nothing, but must start a tidy up in here. I can't go walking as the bin hasn't arrived yet.

I'm intrigued about your project Mel, especially now you are saying about dressing it now you have finished painting and yes..........you do keep us in suspense!! lol. It's nice you are getting more eggs now and the new ladies sound right at home now.

I did get the wipe down done earlier today as the driver was earlier so that was good.

Ann I have finished all the painting on my project now and now have some gluing to do and then the fun bit dressing it all. You will never guess in a million years what it is......
I like to keep you in suspense, naughty ar'nt I?

Well it may be Twosday but I had another three eggs this morning. There's me been trying my hardest to save four eggs for Sundays big breakfast as oh like three scrambled and along come 6 in two days. The littlies are surely laying now and theier eggs are very welcome. Oh said yesterday that those two eggs from the new girls must have cost me £40 at least. I don't care they are two lovely little girls who now rush out the gate to get to me in the morning and afternoon and present themselves to me as though I am a cock bird by crouching down and getting in the way. They are hard to move when they are like that especially when you have a bucket in one hand.

I have washed up all the lunch things and got soemthing out for dinner tonight to make oh a curry and now I am going to get back to my project while I can.

That will be lovely if you are right Gwyn, baby Robins are so cute all round and fluffy.

Last year was the fisrst year I planted cornflower seeds as opposed to the previous year when they appeared in a packet of wild flower seeds. I was not going to scatter seeds again this year but then I remembered how pretty they were and how long they lasted. I have clue dwarf plants and then a packet of mixed clours and one of a sort of maroony purple clour with white flecks. Not seen them before so thought I would give them a go. They all go directly into the ground. The nasturtiums are orange. Strangely they don't always do well in my garden.

Lovely choice of seeds Ann.
They are 2 of my favourite summer flowers. The cornflowers always remind me of my Dad, as he loved them.

The wind is really whistling again now having picked up strength during the morning.
It was calmer earlier in the day and I was watching a robin in our garden. He seemed to be collecting bits for nest making, then flying off and returning quite quickly, so may be a nest will be nearby... I do hope so.

Just bought 3 packets of seeds at Dobbies but it was a good trip out and chance for a chat over coffee. seeds are two different cornflowers and nasturtiums. They had all their plug plants in but, even though I would normally buy some and start them off, my conservatory is too cold for them at the moment. We are going down again next week so may see if I get a few then if it has turned warmer.

No I have not shown the photo to them. Will have to sort it out and show them when I next see them.
We had a very heavy shower but were inside and the sun is shining now.

Was interrupted in the middle of my post Mel, so missed yours. We are 11 degrees here. I hope you manage to get the wipe down out of the way quickly so you can start painting your project. :-)

Morning All,

Slept well and the wind has gone at last. I was up early as I'm expecting delivery of my new kitchen waste bin today. Still not a large one but it's a bit bigger than the one with the wonky lid. Our bin fills more quickly now we don't eat out.

I am getting fed up of thinking up different meals now, so to use up some of our home made tomato sauce in the freezer and pasta sheets I've had for a while I have done a lasagne for lunch and it is in the oven. I did a combination of recipes and put mushrooms in to bulk it up a bit and make it less fattening so it will be interesting to see how it turns out. It's a pity we don't have any crusty, french garlic bread to go with it though.

Our bin stayed upright AnnG! Today is a memorable date then with all the twos in it. I'm sure you will see something to tempt you on your trip to the garden centre with a friend. They will be stocking up with more plants now. I meant to ask you (and keep forgetting!) whether you ever showed the photo of the painting I did of 2 of your friends walking ahead of you among the fields to the 2 ladies in the photo? I would be interested to know their reaction to having been painted if you did. :-)

Well another place became available on the painting course that I wanted to join in April. They sent me an email this morning and half an hour after when I saw it, someone else had booked it ahead of me. I rang to make sure and apparently there are 11 of us waiting for a place. As I've bought a few video courses from a site that is closing so they were reduced by 75% of the cost, OH has suggested I set aside a morning each week to do one as if I was still on a zoom course. It will keep me practising and I thought it was a good idea so will see if I can do that.

The sun's out now, but rain is forecast so I bet it will be gone by the time we've had lunch.

Morning Anng and all,

Raining here and a bit windy too 9 degrees so not that cold.

Yes I noticed the date twoday too as my shopping comes twoday so big wipe down for me this morning.

BBL as he is only two stops away.

It doesn't take much to get us excited these days does it

Social media is awash with excitement as February 22, 2022 approaches, the date all numbers will line up to give the 2.22.22 date.

Users online have dubbed it Twosday, and it just so happens it falls on a Tuesday

Good morning all. woke up more than once in the night and then was awake really early this morning.9 degrees out there but very grey and looks like rain later again. all being well off to Dobbies this morning with my friend for coffee. I am sure there should be something I need but I can't think of anything.

brave going for a walk in the wind yesterday Annx but maybe it was not as windy were you were as it was here. It calmed down about 4pm and we put the bins out. I noticed nobody in the road had put them out until then. They are still standing anyway so must have been ok over night. Good job you both woke when you did then at least you got the bag collected.

Evening All,

We both overslept this morning, so OH had to nip out with the charity bag in his dressing gown! It disappeared later so it was collected ok. It was very windy though so he had to put it next to the tree behind the trunk so it could be seen.

We went for a short walk by the ice house again today. My word, despite the digging of a large pond near the river, it had flooded the fields both sides of the road on the way in the car. We avoided the tall trees on our walk and it was blustery and blew us about a bit.

Those deer have a taste for your Lilies don't they Mel. One of our Camellias is in flower but the wind has bent it over. Fancy seeing the Buzzard as well. It sounds like you are doing well with your project.

Vera it sounds like the 'birthday bash' was good and I would have enjoyed your main course. The cake with sparklers sounded good too.

It's a good job you had your torch chrged ready when the lights started flickering Mandy. We lost the internet for a short while earlier. At least you don't have to wait long for your blood test results and it's good they do these checks to make sure the statins aren't causing any problems. How are you getting on with the new ones now, any better? I booked my thyroid and blood sugar blood tests today. You got a lot of HW done. I did some washing and cleaned the glass in the hall door, those little panes take a while doing the edges. I expect a lot of trees have come down. An old schoolfriend has sent me a picture of her flattened fence all down one side of her garden.

It's a while since I was a babe AnnG ! ;-) lol. I see what you mean, but don't those extra years start to creep on fast as you get older, especially as 2 have been added on with covid! I hope you found the red bulb and got it replaced. It's our bin day tomorrow too so I hope OH has put them where they won't fall over.

I have just had three deer inthe garden and one jumped over the fence into the top garden and the other two ate my day lily leaves onthe border. Came in to get the camera and as I looked out the back door down at Prickley Bottom the big beech tree has a huge Buzzard sitting in the branches. I am hoping he's watching out for the baby bunny I have seen round the back of the bungalow.