General Chat

Good idea.

Suns out here now but pc still says 4 degrees and cloudy.

Good morning Mel and everyone. Being picked up by a friend for coffee later. She did call on her way back from swimming to take me to hers but her email to warn me had not arrived so I was not ready. She will come back later.

I prefer to stick at the puzzle on my own for now Mel. may get her involved later.

Morning all just lost a post again.

Dull and dreary this morning and 3 degrees and cloudy on the pc.

A little at a time with the jigsaw Anng and it will soon be done. Perhaps Cynth would like to help you if she comes for a coffee.

What a good tip Gwyn. I’ve been thinking that I might start doing jigsaws again. I haven’t done one for years but I used to enjoy them.

Our garden looks a bit of a mess at the moment as we’ve left quite a lot of dead stems and foliage on plants to help protect new shoots coming from underneath. The blackbirds aren’t helping - they keep digging in the earth in my pots and throwing it everywhere.

It’s been quite a busy day today. First thing I rang the friend who has recently lost her husband. She is nearly 90 but until very recently you would have put her at 70. She had some mild dementia but the loss of her OH has really made her dementia 10 times worse. It was a very difficult call as she couldn’t stop crying and in between sobs was telling me things that I knew were wrong. Thankfully she has some family living nearby and they are looking after her well.

After that I tackled the ironing and a couple of other jobs. After lunch OH and I went to our nearest supermarket. I only go if it’s really necessary. I’ve got a delivery on Friday but my cousin and his wife, who we haven’t seen for 3 years, are coming to lunch tomorrow and I needed some bits and pieces. It wasn’t busy and everyone seemed to be masked. I’m not sure whether my visitors are expecting a light snack or a full blown meal with wines etc so I’m going for something in the middle. We’re having soup with crusty bread, followed by cold gammon, vegetable quiche, baby potatoes and salad. I haven’t done a pud but if they want something they can have cheese and biscuits or cake. I cooked the gammon for us to have hot for our meal tonight and it was one of the best we’ve had for a long while so I hope it’s as good cold tomorrow.

As you’ve all said, it hasn’t warmed up all day and I’m feeling just a little bit chilly now. The trouble with underfloor heating is that it takes so long to respond if you turn the thermostat up or down. I think I’ll go and find a thicker jumper.

Keep warm and sleep well tonight.

Oh clever you Gwyn! I had never thought to sort the jigsaw pieces like that to make them easier to find. I thought it was freezing when I went out earlier, but see we are due snow in February now. I sometimes do the timed online jigsaws, at least the puzzle of the day one. Are the bulbs near you in flower now? My Snowdrops are still in bud.

An early night for me tonight I think and see if I can be up earlier tomorrow. Apart from cutting OH's hair, getting lunch and nipping to the surgery I haven't done a lot today. Now his camera on his laptop has started playing up he wants to get his new laptop in action tomorrow, so no doubt I shall be summoned to help.

Gwyn a good tip thank you.

My garden bin has been empty all January, I cut things down ar the end of last year and there has not been anything needing doing so far this year. Ours is collected all year as well. It has been bitterly cold here, much too cold to work outside. And so dark as well.

What a lovely jigsaw picture AnnG, but I can see how it would be challenging.

Are the pieces regular shapes ie. with 2 prongs and 2 insets?

If not, I find it a help once I have colour sorted to then sort all the ones with a prong facing to the top...or 3 pronged pieces etc, so I only only have to look over fewer possible pieces to find a match.

I haven't done an actual jigsaw for ages, but most days complete at least a couple online, setting myself target times to complete them.
I quite like selecting from places I have visited, when choosing on the Search section.

Chilly day today, still but dry, so at least we have been able to put plenty in the garden bin ready for collection next week. Our bin is collected throughout the year, apart from a gap over Christmas / New Year, so once they resumed collections after staffing problems due to Covid, we make sure we put something in the garden bin each fortnight.

And as for the sky! Mel says to follow the stems but even that is harder said than done as they are on both sides and artificial light hides the different shades of the sky.

Gosh that does look a difficult jigsaw AnnG. I see what you mean about the woodgrain and the dog's fur doesn't look easy either. It's a shame Charles is so busy now and not getting back to his local customers. As you say you need to get someone you can trust with them coming inside.

Mandy it sounds like you had a good workout cleaning those tiles and the rest of the bathroom. I'm useless at thinking of presents for these occasions, but would be more than happy with a garden voucher myself! :-D

No they weren't as good Mel , all the usual ones weren't in it altogether as they usually are I suppose with covid they had the distance thing yo deal with.

I don't think the new country showdowns are as good either I like it when they go to the farmers markets with the cheeses and fruit and veg .

I'm watching that too Mandy. I did'nt think the new ones were as good as past ones, what did you think?

Afternoon all,

It's really cold here today even with the heating on and a nice fire it chills you to the bone, I had to go to town to get Max a new dog tag his had worn through and was nearly off the collar ,I also got a diamond wedding card just need to sort a present now any ideas welcome, otherwise it will probably be a garden centre voucher .

We have given the downstairs bathroom a good turn out ,we washed all the tiles and had the light down to clean ,when we turn the light on now in there it seems much brighter .

Time for a cuppa and a bit of Father Brown although it's a repeat.

Slept like a log last night and we didn't wake till 9.30am and that was because the phone rang. Cloudy and dull here, just 2 degrees.

It seems to be lots of bad news lately. One of my beading friends found that her neighbour who is a good friend had passed away unexpectedly in the night. She has to have an operation soon, but was at hospital having another investigation when he was found.

Next job is to go and collect this big sample jar from the surgery that's taken over a week to come despite the nurse there re-ordering it several times.

I've started clearing old medicines and face creams in the ensuite now, 2 shelves done and some out of date things to hand to the chemist to dispose of when we next go.

OH is ready to go so I'd better get changed. BBL.

Morning all,

Not very nice here this morning , grey skies and very cold. There was a frost last night but when I went out at 12.30pm it was gone. earlier my car had been white and then it was'nt very strange.

Big wipe down today so I must get ready for it and oh still has al this old pc on the work surface so I hope he is going to move it before the hsopping comes as thats where I put it to wipe it down.

Hope you all slept well and are feel foot lose and fancy free this moning!!

See you later.

Love to Island if she's looking in and Frank too.

Good morning all, another dark morning here which meant when I went back to sleep around 0530 I didn't wake up until two minutes to nine so am way behind now. Not that I have anything planned today and I have got the bedding in the wash but I would rather wake up a bit earlier.

Ann, If your puzzles are as 'busy' as mine I would hesitate to suggest you start on them. I am, or used to be, quite good at doing them but this one has me really frustrated. I just have to keep having half hour goes at it and reckon it may not be finished by Christmas :-D

I just need to find a reliable carpenter to make me a new loft 'door' as mine is not easy to shift and T didn't get round to fixing it. Charles is now not very good at getting back to me now he has this big ongoing job in London. He seems to have given up on his local customers. As it is an inside job, being on my own it has to be somebody I can trust.

Yes, we never had a proper sort out since we combined our 2 homes AnnG and then added MIL's stuff to ours a few years ago. Knee pain limited what I could stand and do the past few years but now they seem a bit better I'm determined to keep at it! :-) Like you, the loft is still beyond me getting up there at the moment, but OH is going to bring things down at some point and we will sort that as well. My jigsaws are all 1000 pieces and you do need to spread them out as you say. You are making me want to make a start on mine now, but I must get this hat I've started knitted first!

I do the online puzzles sometimes too Mel. I have started to do the daily Wordle puzzle as well.

I meant to say before that Michael Portillo starts a series on BBC 2 at 4.30pm. It's Coastal Rail Journeys this time and uses drones to get some good scenic views.

The trouble is 1000 pieces in the small box it came in means you can't easily look through them so pieces have to be sorted out into other containers.

You are certainly finding a lot of stuff Anne. Is it a long time since your lasy clear out. When T died I cleared a lot of my stuff as well as all his but I am sure there is still more of my stuff to clear. I know there would be if I could get up in the roof.

I used to do the same pieces in the box bottom and picture proped up so I could see it. I do sometimes do the online jigsaws.

Afternoon All,

Temperature has disappeared off my PC but it feels quite mild and no frost this morning.

Yes it was nice to drive and see somewhere different for a while AnnG. When we last visited the ruined church (it has no roof or very much wall left) it was mostly a pretty and well kept garden with wild flowers too. They still hold some services there as far as I know. I've noticed some of the jigsaws now are in much smaller boxes than they used to be in, so that is probably why some of them have a picture folded up inside the box as well as it being a good idea anyway. I never used the lid for the pieces and used to stand the box lid on edge with the picture facing me.

I sorted another low cupboard in the bedroom yesterday and had a great surprise! No I didn't find the flashstick, but I did find my eternity ring which I had noticed was missing a few months ago!! :-D More shoes for the charity shop as well, some only worn once for weddings, but my knees won't take high heels now, so why keep them.

Your OH is good helping the man sort his electric and now his phone bills Vera. I think things are so unecessarily complicated these days with all the different plans etc. It's the same with appliances. I only use 3 programmes at the most on my washer and usually just 2 on the dishwasher. They asked a repair engineer about it on a tv programme and he said most people don't use many programmes on things and that it just made machines harder to repair.

Mel, I don't know if it is the norm now but inside my jigsaw box there was a copy of the picture so somebody obviously caught on to how you thought. I wouldn't say I am getting on I keep finding an odd piece that fits but have yet to find a good run of pieces. I shall have another go this afternoon.
Just had cynth on for a chat as we had not spoken since Friday.Next job is to give the bathroom a clean.