General Chat

Afternoon All,

Sunny here and 14 degrees. I didn't sleep so well last night and got up to see what the door banging at 3.00am was. It was people up the close coming home from somewhere.

Oh yes Mandy, I could do with a flame gun for the gravel and drive! lol Don't give me ideas as OH would run a mile if I was waving one of those around. :-0 :-D How many jars of picallili will you make today?

The Sheep's Head Roll doesn't sound a bit appetising Gwyn, so I'd give it a miss as well. It reminds me of when I used to buy half a pig for the freezer when I was first married and cooking tongue and also making brawn. The process and smell in the kitchen would put me off eating it. I still have the Mrs Beeton book I bought with greenshield stamps when I first got married. It is falling apart now though, but I still use it at times.

Yes the lavender pics were lovely AnnG, but a shame they didn't have much smell. Come to think of it our bush didn't smell much this year either.

Is the old mower just a bit unreliable Mel or is BIL not used to it yet. I remember how disappointing it used to be when mowers conked out. Poor chap getting attacked with all those thorns too. It must be impossible to keep them all under control though.

Mandy, Thank you for the photo of Maisie and the shoe collection. No wonder you couldn't resist making all the different styles. Good luck with the cardigan, I hope it works out well this time.
Mum used to dry lavender from the garden and make little bags of it to hang on hangers for the wardrobe and to put with clothes in drawers. Everything was natural fibres back then and so was more prone to moth damage.

Afternoon all,

15 degrees here so not to bad and we've had some sun .
I made my piccalilli this morning and made a stew for later now I'm going to have a another go at Maisies grey cardi and hope I can get it right this time .

Anng I suppose the Lavender needs rubbing with your hands to release the oils then you'd get the aroma of the Lavender.
My nanny always had a Lavender bag in her chest of draws and wardrobe .

I have sent a photo of Maisie and I tried to get her curly tail in the photo you have to button her french knickers round the tail :-D

Morning all,

Sunny and bright this morning and 12 degrees by the pc and expect partly sunny skies
9 and feels like 6.

Got arm ache after cutting all those brimbles out the plum tree on the top wall behind the caravan. I also took some off the forsythia and walked futher along the border and down the west wall cutting as I went and they were up high some of them so I expect thats why.

I have a little bit of steak for dinner tonight which I shall have with tomatoes and maybe a jacket pot. Certainly don't fancy the sheep's head roll I'd rather have bread and pullit as mum used to say.

good morning all 6 degrees here, that is the lowest yet. Tesco this morning last week he was 15 minutes early, bet if I am prepared he won't be this week.

Mandy I think the hot weather had taken a lot out of the lavender as it didn't actually smell that strong unless you got down really close to it. Yes I have a large lavender in front of the house and several small ones growing in the gravel out there too which all flowered beautifully this year. and that one does smell strong. It is very old, over 30 years as it was here when we moved in. I don't think the hybrids have such a strong scent.

Good morning all

9 degrees at the moment and a clear sky, though no sun yet.

Thanks for the lavender pictures AnnG. The fields look lovely. Mel, have you tried deleting AnnG from your list of contacts, leaving it a while and then putting her back as a new contact? Maybe that would unblock her so that you could receive her photos.

Sheep’s Head Roll? It sounds delicious. I’m thinking of having it for next week’s Sunday dinner. On second thoughts perhaps I’ll stick with roast beef ;-)

I’ve no special plans for the day though I might do some washing instead of leaving it for the next few days when the painter is here.

Ann I now have a picture of you with the big guns out lol A flame thrower :-D

Lovely photo of the Lavender Anng the smell must be amazing ,you had some Lavender in your front garden didn't you .

Mel thats good BIL got the mower going ,his poor head will be sore those old brambles pull at your skin .

Oh I think I would give the sheep's head roll a miss too :-0 one of the first cookery books I had was a Marguerite Pattern and its got a loose cover on that has got very tatty now but I did use it a lot when first married.

I thought it better to take the toms than let them get thrown away if it had been earlier In the day I would have taken some up to the community shop ,I do hate waste .

Raining again now buf we did see a little sun for a while .

BIL came and got the od mower going so mowed the back and down by Prickley Bottom and then did the front lawns with the newer mower . I went out and started cutting down the fern by the steps off the patio and was going to carry on cutting the mollis off and was filling the trailer as the old mower pulls that. He went to do the front grass and suddenly he was walking towards me. Where's the mower? I asked and he said its done it again and konked out up the top. So I now have a full trailer and nothing to pull it with. I nearly asked him if he could empty it for me before he carried on mowing but did'nt. He had also had an arguement with a brimble cutting the top lawn and had blod all over his forhead and brow. I said I would go up and cut them off and by this time the old mower was going. I went up and cleared the plum tree on the wall of brimbles and carried on along the border and down the side so now I have to go and pick it all up in my wheelbarrow but I am tired now so having a sit down before going out there again.

Gwyn I don't blame you giving a miss on the 'Sheep's head Roll' but it did make me laugh. I have some old books of hers that mum had and there are some good recipes in them but I don't think they are as old as the ones you have been looking through.

How strange that both you and Cynth are going to the IOW in the same month. ~At least you can water her plants while she's there and hopefully she will water yurs when she gets back and you go!!

Could someone please send me the pics of the lavender fields, thanks.

You'll be sick to the teeth of tomatoes soon Mandy but it was nice to give some to yur sister on the way home. I used to sive some of mine and make tomato juice.

Well better go and pick up these cuttings.

Thank you for the lavender photos AnnG.... What a bee heaven that must be.
I love the rich colours contrasting with the creamy white and especially like how the land gently undulates highlighting this.

Mandy, What a shame you had to unpick your work, but like you, I would want it to be right. Maisie is going to be so smart.
That was a bonus getting the spare tomatoes. The school where I help sometimes has spare fruit and veg. on a Friday, but as they have quite a few animals, nothing goes to waste if nobody else wants them
Talking about no waste, I have been reading some wartime recipes in a set of books I bought in a charity shop yesterday. They are by Marguerite Patten and she states that no food must be wasted. She even gives suggestions re. what to do with the oil from a tin of sardines.
I might try some of the recipes, but will definitely give the 'Sheep's head Roll' a miss :-0

I have sent (I hope) the two lavender photos that I showed at photography. Both got good comments and no criticisms for once.

That was a surprise bonus getting the tomatoes Mandy! You can blitz some to freeze to do sauces with and I bet your sister was glad of some too. OH often says overordering means leftovers are given away at the schools he goes to. Sometimes it is easier to start again when knitting goes wrong.......I should know the times it has happened to me. ;-) lol It's good you have the buttons now and it sounds like she will soon be finished. It sounds like we are all either vaccinated or booked in now. My shoulders are still a bit tender but nothing much.

Afternoon All,

It's saying 15 degrees and rain coming here! It was lovely and sunny earlier so I did my 1 lap of the park. OH burnt the rest of his old papers and did a bit of weeding while I was out. I've weeded another small patch but the creeping yellow clover is becoming a problem and spreading everywhere. If the weedkiller we put on the gravel in the front garden doesn't start to work in a week we will have to bring the big guns out! I can't remember what I used at my old house to get rid of it, probably something that is banned now.

Lavender fields are something I've always wanted to photograph AnnG, so I bet the photos you took were good, especially blown up on a big screen. My word you have worked hard today so a rest now is a good idea. We've managed without any heating yet, but next week's chill that's forecast will probably change that.

Vera watch your back moving things around ready for the painter. As you say, grandfather clocks like to stay put! There's nothing wrong with magnolia, at least it goes with everything. Our bedrooms and study are creamy shades with the porch pale grey, lounge is white with end walls a pale mushroom, and white with 1 grey wall in the kitchen. It's the white woodwork that looks shabby now, the walls are still ok. At least you will be freshly painted ready for Christmas which is nice.

We had a second visit by a squirrel in the centre rockery this week. The little beggar is digging up my alpines to bury peanuts from next door's feeders! We haven't started putting peanuts out yet so it's not ours.

Best finish the food order now and I might clean the kitchen floor while OH is out.

Afternoon all,

Sunshine here at times and it doesn't seem that cold today ,we went to Jollies and got dog food and then on to get the children their weekend fruit they have that instead of sweets ,before that I dropped off some of the tomatoes to my sister .

We have our flu jabs booked at the docs for about ten days after our booster jabs so thats sorted .

Vera doesn't every where echo when you empty the rooms but you'll be nice and clean and fresh when it's all done .

I have cut up some Marrow and Cauliflower ready to make some piccalilli tomorrow I normally add some cucumber and you can add onion but we really like the marrow and cucumber so I just did them this time .

You've had a busy morning Anng so a rest and maybe a read sounds good , how strange you've both booked IOW for the same month it would be even stranger if you'd both booked the same place to stay.

I had my buttons come today so I can now put Maisie together , I started her little cardi and had got quite a way with it when I noticed the pattern was wrong on the front edge there was no way to take it back as I had to put markers on the needles and once I had got so far some they could be taken out but then taking it back I wouldn't know where to place them again so I pulled the lot out to start again :-(
No way could I leave it like that as I knew it was wrong .

I shall hang on before buying then Vera.

I think I shall rest this afternoon. I did a load of washing which is in the airing cupboard now, did the online shopping list, Mowed the lawn which despite the drought is now thick and fresh and green. I then tidied and cleaned the greenhouse which was full of spiders' webs the clingy type ugh!!! and then cut back a large euonymous which covers one bit of the greenhouse if allowed to grow too much. I have cut one of the plants right down, it will grow again. Might have a go at the other plant another day. My back started to pull a bit so I shall have some lunch now and read the paper which Cynth got for me.
Yesterday daughter booked our holiday for next year for 1st July to the Isle of Wight. Then found out that Cynth and her friends have booked their holiday to the IOW on 15th June. How strange, neither of us had mentioned it.

No, AnnG, I haven't read the Raynor Winn book yet. I'll wait till the library have got it in or the kindle edition comes down in price - at the moment it's £9.99 for kindle.

We've been clearing our rooms this morning ready for the painter on Monday. It looks so bare everywhere without books, plants and pictures and you can't move in the spare bedroom or the conservatory..

Good morning all, quite bright and a glimmer of sun but only 8 degrees. Not got the heating coming on yet, it looks as though it is going to get colder earlier so I want to keep the heating off as long as possible. I have turned it on low a couple of evenings but kept it down at about 15 on the thermostat

Vera. thanks for that book, I have not seen it advertised. Have you read it yet? I will keep an eye open on the book stall down the road this month she often gets new books brought in.

Morning Vera and all,

Not so bright here this morning but its only early so it may get better later on. Its saying on the local one 13 degrees and mainly sunny. On the pc it says cloudy.

Good morning all

11 degrees at the moment and it looks as though it’s going to be another grey day. We’ll have to start clearing the lounge ready for the painter. We’ll push all the furniture into the middle of the room tomorrow night and he’ll just cover it over but there are two wall cupboards that aren’t coming down because they are simply too heavy. They contain good glassware and I want to clear them out just as a precaution against breakages. It’s the same in the hall which has a heavy sideboard with the best china in and a grandfather clock that doesn’t like being moved. Loads of pictures, wall sculptures etc to come down as well so it’s going to be a busy weekend I think.

I’ve been sitting up in bed with a cuppa but I’d better get up and get started. Have a good day everyone

Gosh Mandy, you’ll be having tomato soup for the rest of the year. All the painting will be in the same boring magnolia which is much the same as the colour we have now. I’d like a bit more colour but OH likes his magnolia so I have to put a bit of colour in with pictures, cushions etc. Last time he decorated the bedrooms he did agree to a pale green on some bits of wall as, with sloping ceilings and odd shapes, you can do some bits in a different colour

AnnG, I keep meaning to ask you if you know that Raynor Winn has another book out. I know you quite enjoyed The Salt Path and The Wild Silence. The new one is called Landlines and is the story of another long distance walk with Moth.

Mandy that was the dwarf one that I bought. It is a pretty one.

So best to have the flu jab in the left arm then.

Subject today Ann was landscapes I managed to get two good ones T the lavender farm we went to in July and one at Abbotsbury and I have looked at so many photos this afternoon that I can’t remember my fourth. We take four photos on a stick and they are shown up on a screen.