General Chat

It is very cold in the wind out there. The wind has picked up since earlier.

Hope you can find the wool Mandy. What colour are you looking for, or is it what you can get.

Morning Anng,morning Mel,

2 degrees and sunny here still a bit blowy but nothing like yesterday .

I want to go to town and see what wool I can get to crochet this Elephant he's going to take a lof of wool ,the pattern says 4 balls and how it reads they are 200gm balls so thats a lot of wool ,I know I'm not getting the wool it's saying as they are 8 pound odd a ball so I'll have to see what I can find .

Morning Anng and all,

Much calmer here today and the suns just coming out out the back but the front is dark and grey. Pc says 1 degree and rain /snow !! O its just changed to raining now with the umberella.

Just the shop to do today and an easy dinner tonight with a nice bottle of rose' so perhaps I can get some of my project done.

Hope you slept better last night Ann and everyone else.

Tums rumbling so I need my coffee.

good morning all. dry out there and seems a lot calmer says temp is 2 degrees so also a lot cooler.

We lived in Clifton near (9miles from) Bedford from 1981 to 1992 so were a bit closer to your part of the country Vera. We did drive out to and around Suffolk a couple of times.

I lived there from 1983 to 1991 when we moved down to Devon.

Yes, ladies, of course I appreciate OH and am thankful I have him. I just wish he would occasionally stop and think for a minute. When I get a bit cross it’s usually anxiety. When I saw him he was cutting back a plant, kneeling on the ground under the branches of a tree hanging over from next door. I could hear the branches creaking in the wind and could visualise one landing on his head at any minute. He did tell me later that he had been hit on the arm by a bucket that he had put down and the wind picked up and threw at him.

I had forgotten that you lived in Suffolk in the 80s Mel. We moved there in 1986 and my Dad came to stay for a few days in April 1987. He was taken ill while with me and was sent into hospital in Bury SE and was still there at the time of the storm. After about 4 days we managed to get in to see him and on the way back we saw lights on at The Manger pub. You might know it. Knowing they did meals and having lived on cold food for a few days we were delighted to see they had power and went in. You can imagine our disappointment when they said they didn’t cook on Mondays. When we explained the lovely landlady went and cooked us gammon steaks. It tasted wonderful and I’ve never forgotten her kindness.

My memory, which used to be really good, is letting me down a bit lately. I have found my earrings because I suddenly remembered what I had done with them. Although I haven’t worn them for a long while I took them and another pair to the jeweller recently to show him a couple of styles I liked. They were still in a little polybag in the one handbag I hadn’t looked in - the one I have been using. I’m pleased I remembered where they were but cross that I didn’t remember to put them away in the right place when we got back from the jeweller.

The wind seems to have dropped quite a bit now so hopefully it will be a quiet night. Sleep well everyone.

Ann have you tried the chump joint of lamb yet?

I'm pleased you are all safeeven though some of your men have been outside..

The wind dropped a bit this afternoon so I went round and corned the chickens and bantam and I had to undo the doors onthe chicken house to put food and a drop of water in there for the morning just incase its still very windy.

The leccy went iut this afternoon and I got up to trow the switch in the cupboard but before I coudl get there it came back on so it was'nt up. This happened four times and then it happened again but did'nt come back on and it had knocked the switch out in the cupboard.

I did a little craft this afternoon but not much but it was a big bit I finished.

Vera I was in Suffolk in 1987 when the big wind hit. WE were stuck in our village and had no power for over a week. We had a woodburner then with a big pot you could put over the fire so we had tea and toast done on the WB and in the evenings I cooked dinner in the pot and jacket pots in the fire. I also had smash in the cupboard and we had lots of things in the freezer we could make dinners of. We had to be quick inthe freezer getting things out but it was all ok. My son had fixed up a car light bulb to a battery and we had a battery radio which we listerned to. Plenty of dog food and cat food in as we had the pet shop then. I had a young girl who lived just ioutside the shop and she came in and did the animals for me till we could get out of the village.

Waving to Island hope your ok~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ <3

Ah, you are right Mandy. I think that was how we saw that the box was now poking out of the soil. Two Pine trees are down a couple of miles away and 2 othert rees at a village where a friend lives. I think it said one had crushed a car. I've told OH he'll have to go out and hold our Pine tree up as it was swaying like mad earlier. I've said for a while we should maybe take it down now as it is much higher than the bungalow and the builder cut down a lot of the other trees like it at the bottom where the new houses are. They used to break the wind so to speak but now there is only our tree and one other at the bungalow diagonally opposite. They both had something wrong with them 3 years ago and shed a lot of needles so I hope it didn't weaken them.

What a shame you can't find the earrings Vera, just when you have an occasion they would be perfect for. I am hoping to find a white gold chain I have somewhere before I go to Luton Hoo, as I want it for a nice pendant. It's good you managed to contact M&V. I didcovered my OH went out earlier to screw our panel and the front sidegate back after moving them for the fence to be done. I thought it could have waited, but no, he did it while it was on his mind, which is a good point, but he could have ended up with roof tiles on his head.

The wind has died right down here now, so I hope it has moved on.

Vera, how lovely he wanted you to see the daffy. He is a treasure but I know that you know that. :-)

Mandy. Oh yes you are right, it had not clicked with me. I am sure that is going to be the final eviden

I'll tell you what I'd do with him Vera - let him get on with it and be thankful he's there.
You did ask.

Our friends were out this morning. They are very Covid conscious and M realised they were almost out of flow test kits which they use all the time. With a funeral to go to tomorrow and this birthday lunch that has been arranged for Sunday she wanted to be sure she and her OH were negative and so went into town to get some more kits. We will also test before the funeral and the lunch to keep other people safe but I wonder how many people there will do the same to keep us safe.

I'm sorry your ankle's not good today AnnG. I hope you haven't made it any worse moving your heavy pot out the front. Rest up and try not to walk too much at the moment.

We're like you Mandy. The wind has really ramped up here too, although the lunchtime news said it would calm down a bit after about 3 o'clock. It seems worse than ever at the moment. The funeral tomorrow is at a church in town but the wake is in a village 3 or 4 miles away where they have lost their power. If lines have been brought down it may not be restored by tomorrow. In that case instead of warming up after the service with a hot cup of tea or coffee it might have to be a large brandy. I hope you've still got leccy Mel. It sounds as though it's been on and off a bit for you.

When I said that if our leccy goes everything goes I had my mind on heating which is gas but needs electricity for the pump etc. It had completed slipped my mind that, like Ann, I have a dual fuel cooker so I have a gas hob and could at least produce hot food and drinks.

Had a little break here to dash out to the garden to rescue a large, double sheet of fleece that had been over 6 pots of agapanthus. It was held on each pot with half a dozen large pebbles and had some tiles pinning it to the ground and it escaped the lot. I just saw it flying around the garden. Luckily I caught it before it disappeared over the fence.

Earlier this afternoon I couldn't find OH and then caught a glimpse of him outside apparently gardening! Am I married to a complete madman? He came in after a few minutes and, when I asked what on earth he thought he was doing, told me I had said that morning that I wanted some dead plant matter cut down so I could see the daffodils from the kitchen window. I didn't mean today!! What would you do with him?

I seem to have lost a pair of earrings. Goodness knows how they have gone missing. They are a small neat black pair with a matching pendant and I thought I would wear them to the funeral tomorrow. I have the pendant but the earrings are nowhere to be seen. I've even gone through every handbag I possess in case I have taken them off at some time and slipped them in my bag. It's annoying as I particularly liked that pair but haven't worn them for ages. Well, at least having a hunt around means the charity shop has gained two necklaces that aren't my style and have sat in a jewellery box since they were given to me a long, long while ago.

OH is watching Winter Olympics so I think I'll go and make another of our endless cups of tea and check on the stew we are having at around 7 pm.

When Liam threw the spade didn't it land in the ground next to the box.

The wind has ramped up here now and there are two trees down ,one has brought down a power cable but didn't knock the power out but they were worried as there was horses in the field with the live cable ,the other tree down is the other side of town on a country Road .
I read the buses are very limited, only one leaving Norwich to come into town about 4 o'clock and that's not travelling on the a47 because of the gusts it's coming back through the villages instead .

Ah yes, I remember that was in the box now all her bits she took. Well Lium won't be digging it up he threw his fork away.

I just had to go out to the front of the house, I had forgotten I had a pot standing on a wooden plinth over a small drain cover. The pot which has not broken was on its side so I have moved it (it was heavy) over so it is sheltered by the garage wall.
We have apparently got a couple of trees down hear here.

Well I just did a huge post and it disappeared and all I got left was

s we had one this morning while I was cleaning the bedroom windows, yes I did a bit of housework this morning!!!!!!!!!

I had said that we had a hail shower this morning while I was cleaning the bedroom windows and one just now as I was typing. We had three leccy cut out this morning but it only knocked the trip switch out but that knocks the solar count off for a while and the sun was well out then too.

I am going to send this now incase it disappears again.

We made sure we had a gas fire and a gas hob with an electric oven here, so if the electric went we could still keep warm in one room and still cook something. These appliances will have to go along with our gas boiler once they ban gas though and we'll be in the same boat as everyone else and totally dependent on electric. :-(

Yes AnnG, Leanna's ring is in the box plus I think other momentoes she kept from the other killings. Once that is found her game will be up and I think that is what she went to the allotment for...... to retrieve it. That's a nuisance your ankle has been playing up but a good idea to support it till it starts to feel better. As you say, you may have stretched muscles that are not used to it with doing things in the garden. I woke yesterday with the pain I get sometimes over the top of my hip and buttock. It stops me in my tracks and I'm sure it is tight muscles with my knees stopping me doing much exercise. The hip joint itself seems fine with walking and standing and no different to the other side. That must have been awful when the substation flooded.

Vera my mum's 6 foot high wall blew down in the 1987 storm and I remember lots of trees came down including at Kew. I wonder if your friends M & V were outside in the garden moving things to safety when you rang? I hope you've heard from them now.

It's quite sunny here but it is still blustery and we keep getting showers of rain.

I have had one grandson and one grandson's wife emailing to check I am ok and have been on line chatting to daughter, they don't have any snow, just rain.

Hope your pots etc remain safe Vera. Yes I would be the same in a power cut. "007 was our worst year when the main sub station flooded. and the Severn Trent water failed. We had no water for a week and no power for several days (can't remember how many. although we have gas heating it needs electricity to run it as well. We were supplied with bottled water but it was pretty horrible. I have filled a flask in case the power goes off.
Hope M&V are OK Vera.

Afternoon Wind-Watchers

We went onto a red warning this morning but they were saying that it will be at its worst late afternoon. I'm not sure how much worse it can get. I took the bird feeders down first thing this morning and put one or two loose things in the garage out of the way, but now I am wondering whether our two smallish trees are going to stay up. OH says "Don't worry, they are still too small to do much damage to the house if they do come down" - oh good, that's a consolation then, I don't think. We have had one large, heavy terracotta pot containing a guava bush blown over and that was already pushed against a very low (3 brick high) wall for support. Luckily the pot didn't break so OH has wedged it into a corner and we're hoping for the best.

I hope none of us lose power. Way back in the big 1987 storm we had no power for 5 days and it was a nightmare. We did have an open log fire in our living room so we could heat that room but in this house we don't have anything like that. If the power goes, everything goes. I expect some of you are in the same position.

I am a little concerned about my friends M & V. I have rung them a couple of times as we are travelling together to a funeral tomorrow and we need to arrange times etc. I am not getting any reply but I can't think they have gone out in these conditions. M is more cautious than me. I am hoping they have just popped to their next door neighbour for a coffee. I'll try again after lunch.

Take care, stay in and stay safe.

Still very windy and blustery showers but also some sun and 7 degrees and yes a red exclamation mark too Mel. everything still standing at the moment but I don't think we have had the really strong gusts.

Ann I wondered about that box as well, I can't remember what is in it, is it Leanna's ring?

My ankle is really bad today, can hardly walk more than a few steps without it really hurting. I am sure it must be arthritis. Maybe I over did it yesterday with housework and cutting down the shrubs, not like walking as you tend to twist your feet/legs while getting round the plants. It almost feel like a sprained ankle. I am actually wearing my outdoor ankle boots as they give more support. I also think I have had a strange diet for the past 2 weeks since my tooth broke and I couldn't/can't eat foods like some veg that need good teeth and a lot of chewing. As it is getting easier to chew I hope my diet will get back to normal.

Morning Mandy Anng and all,

Blowing a hooley here at the moment and the pc says a sun with a grey cloud on it and a red exclamation mark 9 degrees.

I have to go out to feed the chickens and bantam but thats all I shall be doing out there today.

Just having my first COC then I shall get on.