General Chat

I've had another look Vera and I think there are definitely two, but I think it is a frog that has latched onto a toad! If so, the frog has a moist, smooth skin and the toad underneath has a dry, warty skin. Also the frog's eyes are more on the sides of it's head than the toad's, giving a greater field of vision. I may well be wrong though, but the frog could have come across the toad in the roots. I know frogs will latch onto fish like Koi and suffocate them by trapping their gills, so they do make mistakes!

It sounds like the anniversary dinner was a great event, but it's good there were three choices on the menu as I don't eat anything smoked and I dislike beef! The icecream would be nice though. It's good when there are choices as a wedding we went to once just had beef, so OH had a double helping by adding mine to his.

It's good there aren't long delays for your cataract operations, but it's sod's law the covid jabs are on the same day as your OH's. I must get my eye test booked now OH is happy driving again.

Evening all

It’s been a slightly hectic weekend so this is the first chance I have had to post. We had a lot of overnight rain and it rained quite heavily this morning. It’s been dry since about 11.30. but it’s been dull and cloudy with just the odd gleam of sun. My computer also says 2 days of rain starting on Friday and says it is 12 degrees. My phone says it is 13 degrees and raining now.

Mel, I am not at all surprised that your back and hips have been aching. It must be tempting to keep on going when you have such a lot of land to keep under control but please be careful not to overdo it. We don’t want you crocked up and in pain.

Why is everything so complicated these days Mandy? I hope your son can put your plastic box together for you. Whenever we have anything that needs self assembly there’s always something like an important screw missing and you need a degree in double dutch to make sense of the instructions.

I looked up the Dracula dahlia AnnG. It’s very pretty. I generally like those single flowers better than doubles. I won a double called Dalina Maxi Salinas in a raffle last July and it did bloom well all summer. OH has just replanted it in a pot so I hope it’s going to do well this year.

You seem to be getting somewhere with your bathroom now Annx. Is your front door lock still functioning OK for you?

I hope Gill and her OH are OK. She wasn’t feeling very well when she last posted.

I am feeling a bit grumpy today. OH saw the optician on 17th and was referred for a cataract op. He was asked if he wanted to go to the hospital in Bury St. Edmunds or the private clinic there that the NHS will fund. He said wherever it could be done quickest. Yesterday he got an appointment to have it done April 9th, just over 3 weeks from referral to op. Mine will be done at the hospital (I had no choice) and may or may not be done before my next appointment in September. Added to that our next Covid jabs are booked in for 9th April so tomorrow I’ve got to walk up to the surgery and cancel them and try to sort out a new date.

Yesterday we went to the diamond wedding anniversary dinner. It was a lovely event. The couple bought each other new wedding rings (the wife’s had had to be cut off a while ago). Our local vicar and his wife came and he blessed the rings and the couple renewed their vows. Then it was dinner which was delicious. We had earlier all been given a choice of 3 items for each course to pre-order. I had a sort of smoked salmon mousse with trimmings and sourdough toast, followed by roast beef with all the usual trimmings and veg, then I chose mixed ice-cream. I’m not really a lover of roast beef and when I saw the huge plateful I was given I thought I would never get through it and I did give some to a friend, but it was so tender and flavoursome I ate all the rest. There was plenty of water and red and white wine on the table and fizz for the toasts. Then, of course, tea and coffee, mints and individually packed cookies with white and silver icing. When we got to the coffee stage a duo that had been setting up started singing and a few younger people got up and danced. After a few songs we had to leave as we had a taxi booked but it was a thoroughly lovely few hours.

Now to my toads. Mel I think you are part right but not completely. Mel said that in my photo the toad looked big because it was, in fact, two. One was on top of the other. I had got down on my hands and knees and hadn’t seen 2 but looking at the photos again I am sure Mel is right. Well spotted Mel. However, there is no sort of comparison measure there to show the size and we had seen these creatures separately. One was BIG and the other was VERY BIG. Mel also thought they were frogs, not toads. I know toads are usually “warty” but not always. I have checked this out. My main reasons for thinking the creatures were toads are: (1) their location. They were in the earth, in the roots of a large shrub and a good way from any water. Typical of a toad but not a frog. (2) Their general shape – they were much more squat and chunky than your normal frog. (3) The clincher for me was that they didn’t leap or jump but sort of crawled across the surface. A frog that’s disturbed will almost always jump. Here ends the lecture. I might be right, I might be wrong. Either way I’m pleased I saw them and grateful to Mel for her comments as they made me double check my conclusions.

My posts just go on getting longer. My excuse today is that you’ve got two days’ worth in one go. Enjoy what’s left of the day and sleep well tonight.

Ann the first couple of times we visited the hulks which must have been in the 1990s as we were cycling along the tow path. I can remember the hums were skeleton boats above the ground. The last time we visited could be 15 to 20 years ago and we were surprised at how few whole parts of ships could be seen. In the film there were a couple of new ones again. Fascinating that it is ongoing.
Yes green Shrewsbury bit was interesting. I remember the river there as we busied T’s brother when he lived there when in the army.

Afternoon Everyone,

It's 11 degrees here, but no gardening either as we had heavy rain last night and everything was soaked. It was misty earlier but has just been dull since. We are due two rainy days starting Friday Mel. I think it must be a new feature as well.

Three Buzzards have been circling in the field which has upset the Crows who have been watching them from the trees carefully and mobbing them when they get lower.

The hulks were intersting to see with bits sticking above the surface AnnG and you would have enjoyed nice scenery with your walks in the area. The Severn Bore brings a lot of fish in and so many different birds feed there in the mud with the river being tidal. They started the programme in Shrewsbury and showed Charles Darwin's home where he was born which I didn't know/remember despite having read his books. I see you have found some hangers now to get rid of. We seem to accumulate a lot too and they get in such a tangle! I resort to rubber bands round them sometimes. I think we need to get rid of at least a few of our cardboard boxes. The recycling bin is always full to the brim so we'd best take them to the tip. I also need to take the four bags to the charity shop, as I've put them in the ensuite at the moment and they will be in the way when the fitters come this week.

I agree instructions are often hard to fathom too Mandy! Hopefully your son will soon have the box put together and it will be handy to store things and keep them dry.

I'm off to clean the bath now!

No gardening for me as it is sort of damp in the air type rain and really dark. I had a couple od gardening jobs lined up but am not encouraged to go out there. Not really done much today. I did dive into the back of a corner wardrobe (thought nobody would find me if I fell in. I found a large (I mean large) carrier bag full of coat hangers, some really thick heavy ones so they have all gone in the general waste bin. I had no idea that they were in there. I think hangers breed in this house, I still have loads of them in various places.

Morning girls,

Cloudy here this morning too and it did rain in the night and now its 10 degrees. Pc is telling me to expect three rainy days in a row starting Thursday. I'm sure thats new as I don't remember seeing things like that last year on the pc.

Slept well but must have overdone it yesterday as the back was paying up last night and the hips kept givving me gip. I had a wheat bag on it last night.

Edit forgot to post this.

I have just cut back the huge Hydranger from out the front door I hav'nt done it for a couple of years and now I hasve a huge trailer load to shift.

Morning all,

Very cloudy here today ,there was thick fog when I looked out in the early hours but it had all gone when we got up about half past seven .

We got the box out to put together yesterday but soon put it away when we saw the instructions ,son will soon put it together for us next time he comes , years ago we would have soon put it together with no problems but now we can't seem to get our heads round these instructions ,why do they make things so hard to understand.

Yesterday I couldn't seem to get the motivation to do much I sorted out what seeds I have in my seed tin and we just need some sun gold seed and we thought we might get some new runner bean seed ,we usually save some from last years beans but I don't think they were to good last year so we thought we'd buy some.

I made a nice trifle yesterday so there's enough for today but I haven't decided what to cook for tonight ,no roast this week thought we'd have a break from a roast, better get ths hoover out now .

Good morning all. slept well and finally woke just after 8, late fot me lately. very dull here and dark indoors, rained overnight so that probably means no gardening today, I hate it when everything is wet and soggy. It is 9 degrees so not cold which is something.
Ann yes one reason I got that Dahlia was because of the foliage colour and also the smaller flowers. Tony used to love growing dahlias, had loads of them but they were always the very large flowered ones. Lovely flowers to grow in the garden, not suitable for containers.
I am pleased that you enjoyed the Clare Balding trip along the Severn. I thought I had recorded all hers but don't seem to have done. I am sure that they will be repeated somewhere sometime though so I will watch for them. I liked the bit around the Hulks and down to Sharpness as that is where T and I would often walk when we were much fitter. More recently we covered the canal footpath further back towards Gloucester.

Came in as it was getting dark and I could'nt see very well in the shed. I potted on a couple of plants and sowed my Sungold seeds. Sived some leaf mould and mixed some in with the potting compost and put the rest in a bag for the next lot I mix up. Just been pottering about this afternoon and Em called in for a dozen and a half eggs and we chatted for a while.

Afternoon All,

Slept well again, but I think I've got into the habit of waking early now between 4.00am - 6.00am, but it could be the lighter mornings. I seemed to twist a muscle in my side as I got out of bed, but I've been careful and it seems to be ok again now. I decided to give the garden a miss in case I made it worse.

That is a pretty Dahlia AnnG and not too tall for containers either. It has the reddish foliage too and I always found when I grew the Bishop of Landaff with reddish foliage it didn't seem to get earwigs which is good. You have been busy so I'm not surprised you are tired! I watched the Claire Balding prog about the Severn this mornig and it was very interesting and I learned a lot. I'm looking forward to watching the other eoisodes now.

I've been to the shop and saw a dead rat in the carpark! Yuk!! :-0 It was at the far end furthest from the shop and may have come under the garden fences of the houses, but I suppose the shop may put down poison as a precaution with selling food. The Cherry blossom seems to have suddenly bloomed and the trees looked lovely.

I've heard from the other bathroom fitter and he is coming next week now so it will be good to see whether we can actually do what we plan to do. I've done a wash and finished sorting all 4 drawers under the bed and the 4 drawers under the 2 built in wardrobes each side of the bed, so will start on those small wardrobes next. I can't believe how many clothes I have, but of course they don't all fit me and I'm not good at throwing out the ones I think I may wear one day!

Mel how many books at a time do you borrow? I stopped using our local libraries once they became childminding places where parents dropped them off and left them until closing time. I used to use the PC's for FH till I got my own, but young, noisy boys had started using the library ones to look at inappropriate things by then and were running around them to each other and trying to outdo each other with what they were finding.

OH has gone to a local match and has been lucky with the weather as we've had no rain that was forcast.

Mel you did a lot yesterday so it's not surprising you are achey today. I remember shopping after work on a Friday, then cleaning the house through and doing a wash on a Saturday morning and still having energy to drive into the city in the afternoon to look round the shops. After a night's rest there were few aches as well.

Time for a COT now.

Spent quite a lot of time out in the garden but not a lot to show for it. I planted a Dahlia (Dracula) into a pot. Weird thing I had to look on line to see which way was uop!! So that is in a big tub, then two oldorata begonias (trailing) in a basket, and two double begonias in a tub and five crocosmia in a large tub. I also dug out some of my garden compost and sieved it to mix with bulb fibre for those pots and tidied up the bottom of the compost bi where ivy had crept in.
I weeded and cleared the pots on the patio but can't do much else there until Jake has finished Monday. Apparently riley spent Friday making me a new birdhouse to replace the rotten one I have to be taken down on the list. The one tony made a long time ago is a double one and he has made the same it was supposed to be for sparrows but they prefer next doors guttering to nest in.

I have also made the bed. And now I am shattered.

Bed stripped and bedding in the drier. had an eggy breakfast then planted into larger pots two very sickly looking geranium cuttings and planted out into a tub,a grass that a friend gave me. back started to ache so will potter indoors for a while until that eases, I was bending over the pots, always makes my back ache.

Morning Anng and all,

Rained here last night and its cloudy this morning and gloomy and it 11 degrees pc is saying expect three rainy days starting tomorrow so that not promissing is it?

Slept well and I can't remember if I got up in the night for the loo or not!!

Nothing but the shop for a few bits planned for today. I may text BIL to make sure he's not coming and then take my library books back and see what else they have that I like.

definitely only 4 in mine Mel. but that is fine and the seeds were bigger than the others I planted.

Good morning all, quite bright but a lot of cloud this morning.and 9 degrees. sunny at the moment and no wind so I am hoping that it will feel warmer.

I think I put 6 in each packet Anng. I could'nt beleive how small the seed was from such a huge tomato.

Vera good all was well with your eyes. I feel I should be giving my conservatory a good clean too.

Mel I realise that yes I have planted your seeds I was thinking they were from another friend. I shall have to look and see if I had some from her. I had four of yours.

Oh isn't it lovely to climb into nice smooth sheets and pillowcases that smell fresh! I need to do a bed change tomorrow.

Some good news about your eye then Vera, but you had a long wait like OH. It's a good job you did speak up or goodness knows when you would have been seen. OH sometimes has to have 2 lots of the dilating drops as his pupils refuse to widen. It's the same routine as with you, drops, eyetest then scans, then see the consultant. I hope you don't have to wait too long for your cataract operation. I keep getting reminders about my overdue eye test, but have been waiting till OH had less appointments I have to drive him too, also to give him a lift to take his car in. I wonder if they will do mine now after refusing last year, despite the hospital saying the previous year they were happy to do them when I was ready. It's good you have virtually finished cleaning the conservatory and the kitchen window pane replaced as well.

You must have needed that nap after not sleeping well last night Mandy. Yes OH told me there would be no soaps tonight and of course he will be watching the football too. I might watch the Agatha Christie I recorded and the River prog AnnG mentioned after her day out.

Good news about your eye then Vera but what a wait. Its just as well you butted in on the next person being called or you could have sat there for ages longer. I hope you get a good nights sleep tonight you've earned it.

Mandy glad you are sowing the seeds I sent and Vera too. I need to get mine in and see if I have any Sungold seed as thats always my favorite.

Anng have you sowed any of the big tom seed I sent you?

Not managed to get much done today but I do have a lovely clean bed for tonight.

Evening all,

It's been quite a different day not much in the way of sun and a lit cooler .
Yesterday we went into the garden I did some more weeding anx cut the grass and Colin got the wire brush on the fence but we didn't start any painting .

Ann thats good thd scan was much better than OH thought ,now it's a waiting game for the results which isn't to long to wait , he must be pleased that his eyes are getting better though and he doesn't need to go back .

Anng thats a nuisance having to wait again to get your jobs finished off but they have made a good start by the sound of things .
I bet there's a lot of people in the same boat as Cynths friends ,so are they staying the whole weekend with her now or is it just a stop over for the night .


Vera thats good news about your eyes and good job you spoke up or you'd have sat there for ages which uou did ,you'd have thought she would have seen you sitting there all that time as she called others in before you .

Your all getting your tom seeds planted I must get mine sorted ,I did buy the tumbling toms and have Mels tom seeds she sent but I need to get some of the little yellow sun gold seeds .

It was haircut day today and after lunch I sat to watch ths news and went sound yo sleep must have had an hour but I didn't have a very good night last night ,I was still awake at gone twelve .

Football on tonight no Emmerdale or Corrie and red nose comic relief on bbc1, I have recorded the new Bergerac but I think Colin will watch ths football.

There was a beautiful sunrise this morning and it has been a sunny day but with quite a gusty cold wind. At the moment the computer is telling me it’s 13 degrees but feels like 8. Now the sun has disappeared I think it feels even colder.

I’m pleased that OH’s scan was less of a problem and more comfortable than he expected Annx. At least he should get the results in a few days. It’s good that he doesn’t need to go back for his eyes. That’s one thing fewer to worry about.

You all seem to have been very busy. You always have lots to do on your land Mel; I don’t know how you keep up with it. Did you get your fence painted Mandy? I need to have a good sort out of wardrobes and drawers as the two Anns have been doing. My excuse is I have been putting all my energy into cleaning the conservatory. I have got round most of it at last. There’s really just the skirting board and floor to wash but I’ll probably leave the floor until the overwintering plants finally go outside.

We’ve both been doing a bit of gardening today. OH has been going round the garden clearing lots of moss from the beds. As he was going round he noticed a low branch from a viburnam had touched the ground and rooted. He dug it out and it had such a good root he has potted it up and it can go to one of the local plant sales. As he was digging it out a couple of large toads appeared. One quickly disappeared but the other went and hid in a corner by the back gate. I’ll have to send you the photo I took. It was awkward to get a shot of him as he was right up in a corner but I managed to get something. I tidied up a couple of troughs of geraniums and got some seeds planted. I’ve planted the seeds from Mel’s big tomato, some Moneymaker toms and some Gardeners’ Delight cherry toms. Both these were from old packets of seeds so I hope they germinate. I’ve also sown some dwarf antirrhinum seeds, again from an old packet. I have a very old electric propagator so I’ve got trays of seeds in that in the conservatory. The room gets cold overnight but the low level heat in the propagator keeps the seeds warm enough.

There was a ring at the doorbell a short while ago and it was our glazier to say he’d finished a local job he was doing and wondered if it would be convenient to fit the new double glazed pane in our kitchen. It didn’t take him long and it’s so nice not to have to chase a tradesman up all the time as we had to do with the plumbers.

It’s a nuisance Jake couldn’t do your work AnnG and now has to come back on Monday. It’s probably not his fault but irritating for you as it means another day messed up. I hope Cynth was pleased to get her unexpected visitors but disappointing for them not to get to Salzburg. It must be heartbreaking for anyone flying off to get married abroad or to visit a sick relative. I am wondering how much flights from other airports will be affected as a lot of planes will now be in the wrong place. 11 of our close family members are flying to America tomorrow but on 4 different flights, 3 from Gatwick and 1 from Manchester. I hope they all manage to get there and meet up at the house son has hired for a week or so.

The visit to the hospital was a real pain yesterday but the result was good. On the way to the hospital a huge estate is going up (on good productive farm land), and a new large roundabout is being constructed. There are long delays there but no other easy route round so we left loads of extra time. We joined the queue about 400 yards from the works but the traffic lights must have turned green just as we got on the queue and they stay like that for quite a while to give time for a lot of traffic to get round the narrow driving lane winding round the edge of what will be the new roundabout. The upshot was we arrived at the hospital about half an hour before my appointment time. I hoped we might get seen early but no such luck, though I was called in exactly at my appointment time.

I know the routine well by now. First room it’s vision tests with and without pinhole lenses and pressure tests, dilation drops and anaesthetic drops. Then it’s waiting in another area for scans. I’ve never waited more than a few minutes for the scans but I sat there and sat there. People were coming to the waiting area and getting called in while I still sat there. After 40 minutes I had had enough and when the nurse put her head out to call someone else in I interrupted and asked if I had been forgotten. She said she calls people in as their notes arrive with her. Mine had never arrived! She dealt with the chap she had just called in and then went to find out about me. Apparently, some dozy nurse had taken my notes to the wrong place. If I hadn’t spoken up I’d probably still be sitting there. As I knew the procedure the scans only took 5 minutes and then I had to go and wait to see the doctor. By now it was almost 1 pm and the morning clinics had almost finished so I got called in quickly. Everything seems to have stabilized and stayed stable and the swelling has gone right down so they are now willing to deal with the cataract in the bad eye. I don’t know how long I will have to wait but I am definitely on the list. The doctor said they would see me in 6 months whether I’ve had the cataract surgery by then or not. I had barely arrived home before my appointment for next September was texted to me.

The journey back was a bit slower and we didn’t get any lunch till 2.30 pm. My eyes were blurry and very sore and I had to wear dark glasses for the rest of the day so couldn’t post yesterday. My bad eye is still a little sore but otherwise I’m fine today. I should think you all have sore eyes now f you have read through all this lot. I’m looking forward to a good night’s sleep tonight and hope it’s the same for you.