General Chat

Good morning everyone.

Mel, our local primary school starts back today. I don't know about secondary schools.

Vera, I hope you've had a better night and have managed to get some rest. I can understand how you want to get on with things and have that sense of achievement, but it's judging the fine line of keeping mobile and yet resting enough so that your back recovers some strength that is so difficult :-S
I hope your pain eases, so that you are able to enjoy your mini-break.

Lovely to see Ann's pictures of the Spinnaker and views from the top.... an area I know well. I could just make out the castle walls surrounding the church where we married... but only because I knew where to look ;-)

What a lot of work went into the yarn bomb!
What a lovely 'gift' to the area and what a shame that not everyone respects that.
I've seen some examples around the country, but nothing on that scale.
Thank you for sharing.

Can imagine that Mandy's son and grandchildren are all ready for the new term. It can be an expensive time too. I saw a feature on a TV programme earlier about some mums having set up uniform swap shops in their area to help families and stop clothes going to landfill.
I'm amazed just how much people throw in the bin. I would much rather give it to charity or donate for recycling.
Thinking back, all our clothes were made of natural fibres and would pass down the family and perhaps eventually end up as cleaning cloths, when it was beyond wearing.

Morning all,

Cloudy here this mroning and pc says mostly sunny and 16 degrees The other local thing says its 18 degrees and has a cloud with rain drops on it.

Forgot to get Sheila some apples yesterday so I may pick some today and ring her as I am not sure where in the village she lives. Then I suppose its back to sorting.

So what are you lot up to today? and when do the children go back to school? it must be soon now.

Vera, double decker trains are a bit out of my zone but I wonder if they still have bendy buses in the west end?

Mel, the first time I saw a baby swallow I thought it was a tiny fluffy toy someone might have put on the rafter as a joke. Dear little thing just sat very still on its own - first to venture out of the nest.

Did I mention I spotted a little frog hopping on the garden path last night? The pond's been dry for a while now so I'm pleased that at least one little hoppity has survived to feast on any slugs.

Sent the pics can someone forward them to Anng please?

Thanks for the cyber smiles Vera.

I have had Sheila here this afternoon for tea and biscuits, yes I made the Anzac biscuits this morning and they are just as good as Em's.

Then Chris turned up and we sorted the hymnes and other bits that was needed and I chose his bin bag. Standing joke! They have only been gone about half an hour and then I went to feed my fish then had a look in the filter shed to be greeted by three tiny beaks in the swallow nest. Came back to the house and got my camera and looked up the orchard and the fox is sunning itself up there again. Went and tried to get pics of the swallow chicks and four heads came up. Took lots of pics but not sure if I have the four of them but I will send them once downloaded and they may be a bit blurred but there are a couple of clear ones. They usually leave in September but I don't think these new chicks will be ready by then but I do hope so.

Oh, the days of being able to take the pace. - staying up half the night, stumbling out of bed early in the morning, catching the train by the skin of my teeth and just about getting to work on time. Then doing it all again the next day :-D

That brought back another memory. People don’t usually believe me when I say that from when I started work in London in 1960 till I married in 1963 I often travelled on a double decker train. I mostly travelled on the Dartford Loop line and never saw these trains on any other line. I remember the upper deck was very confined and airless. I did google once and was told we couldn’t have such trains in the UK because of the loading gauge and thought I must be going mad as I distinctly remembered them. I’ve just had another look online and there were 2 trains running on the Charing Cross to Dartford line from 1949 till 1971. They were an experiment and weren’t overly successful so they were withdrawn from service. Did any of you ever see them or travel on them? I feel quite honoured to be “one of the few”.

Thank you for your sympathy Island. Last time my back was very bad, worse than now in fact, I saw both a doctor and a physio and they were able to rule out spinal injury. The doctor said muscle weakness with severe muscle spasms and the physio put me on a set of exercises, some to just generally keep the back loosened up and some more specific to my particular pain. It took a long while to recover but it doesn’t seem as bad this time so I am groaning my way through the exercises and optimistic that it will improve quickly. I can’t take anti inflammatory meds like ibuprofen, naproxen, diclofenac (in Voltarol) etc because they don’t mix well with other pills that are more essential.

That’s more than enough about my back. You all have your problems and pains as well and I hope you are all having an ache free day. It’s always good to end with a laugh but I can’t think of a funny joke to tell you so I’ll send you all a cyber smile instead :-D :-D :-D :-D

Mel, it must be a throwback to dim and distant 9-5 days when I could take the pace. Stayed up late so not to miss out on anything then a scramble for the tube to get to work for 9 (more like 9.30 lol) Then came the freelance days when any thought of routine went out the window.

Poor you Vera, I feel for you having been a back sufferer in the past. Do you need to see a professional? My dad swore by Volterol.

Thanks for forwarding the yarnbombing kind person. It's come a long way since it's stealthy origins. There's some wonderful work there, worthy of exhibition status.

Good afternoon everyone

I had a poor night again but made myself get up at 7.30 and get some jobs done. I stripped my bed and got a load of washing done. OH remade the bed for me and, bless his little cotton socks, he did some ironing for me as well. That was such a help as standing at the board and pushing an iron up and down is about the worst thing for my back.

After that he wanted to fill the car up at Tesco so I did a little bit of shopping there. It’s the first time I have been in the shop since the very first lockdown and I couldn’t remember where anything was. Then we went into town to pick up my meds. I had asked for them a week early and they were all there and ready for me.

I’ll be resting against the pillows again this afternoon as my back is telling me it’s had enough for one day but I’m pleased I’ve managed a couple of jobs this morning.

Me too Island. Went to bed at 1.09am.

Morning Anng and Mel. I find the later I go to bed, the earlier I'm up :-S Bed at well after 12 last night, up at 7.30 this morning.


I wouldn't have minded a look at the yarn bombing Annx. What's going on? Come on. stop being so silly.

Morning Anng and all,

No I'm here having a cuppa. Well for today the local is showing 18 degrees and cloudy with rain drops on it and pc says partly sunny and 15 degrees so which is right I ask myself?

Sheila is supposed to be coming today but I can't remember if its this mroning or this afternoon. Silly me. Pat called in yesterday, she lives in a big farmhouse and told me her son turned their big chest freezer off cos he was saving on electricity.

I did'nt get my baking done yesterday as planned so I am hoping to do it today.

Good morning all hope you slept well. you were up late Mel so will probably sleep in this morning.

As i said in the email Ann the yarn bombing was fantastic. so much work and imagination went into it. what happens to it all I wonder when it is removed from show. Seems a waste to just put it out of sight somewhere.

It is 14 degrees here and my heating has come on, must check the thermostat as I thought I had it very low.

going out for coffee with a friend this morning.

I like cripsy fat too and at the weekend I did it in the micro for quickness so cut all the fat off and fried it up which was much better.

The yarn bomb was really great and I loved the jelly fish and the coiled shell, the three ducks taking off and everything really. What a lot of work was put in by all and imagine how much wool was used all to good effect. Great great great well done all who made the things.

Hope the backs better before its time for you to go away Vera so disappointing to have to cancel when you have looked forward to a little get away. Sending love and wishes it gets better soon. <3

Yes I rang later at 1.30pm Vera and the queue was only 3 then. The results were normal which surprised me as I thought they might need to up my meds again being as there is a bit more of me again now! So sorry your back hasn't settled down yet. I hope it soon does so you can enjoy your upcoming break.

Yes the dog was on a lead and the man was standing watching it sniff and anyone could have guessed what would happen next! The barge with the characters inside was placed on the grassy bank behind the low railings that run either side of the brook. It's a pity no people were along there when it happened. AnnG there are hundreds of articles in the yarn bomb spread around about half a mile. Some are in the trees but the elephants and horse would be too big to raise up high enough!

What a game getting away and home Mandy! They have been closing and gritting some of the roads round here after all the heat melting the tar but OH keeps saying about different roads closing, sometimes for weeks, and it affects him getting to his meetings on time. OH likes his bacon crispy! :-D

Evening all,

When I looked out first thing this morning the ground was wet so we must have had a shower in the night ,it's been a nice sunny warm day I nipped to town and then did a few jobs ,this afternoon Colin had a blood test booked so off we went and because our high street was shut because of some sort of power cut over the weekend and them digging up the road the traffic was bad ,we managed to get over the traffic lights and got into the carpark at the doctors but coming out was another matter ,big queues and it took ages to get home .

Oh yes Bacon Butty for me too Ann but the bacon must be very well done ,I like it crispy no sloppy fat on it .
Oh that's naughty letting the dog wee on the yarn bombing .
Have a lovely time tomorrow at your lunch with Fitz .

Oh dear Vera rest up as much as you can and I hope the pain soon eases up so you can go on your trip .

Bacon baps Mmm! nice. As long as the bacon is not overcooked, I hate it when it is hard.
What a shame you didn't have a camera ready for that man and his dog. How disgusting and such a shame for the person the crochet belongs to. However, I think I would not have left it low enough to be in the danger zone knowing what people are like. (some of them).
Hope you have a lovely lunch with Fitz.

Vera, Oh no, something else missed, what a shame to mis the lunch. It does sound painful, did you do anything that could have started it off again? Although maybe you twisted in bed, turned awkwardly. I hope it eases for you to go away as planned. Where are you going?

My next break is first week in October to Cornwall. That was the first week offered for the flu/covid vaccination so I had to go for the following week.

Afternoon all

Ann for my part you can keep your bacon baps but OH would have enjoyed one. How thoughtless of that chap to let his dog wee all over the yarn bomb :-|. I wonder how he would feel if someone spoilt a project he had laboured over. Enjoy your lunch with Fitz tomorrow; you’ll have plenty of catching up to do. Would you be better ringing for your blood test results later in the day when the morning phone rush has calmed down? Our surgery say to ring between 2 pm and 6 pm for test results.

It’s fairly warm and quite breezy but I haven’t put my nose outside. In fact I am back in bed at the moment so haven’t gone to the birthday lunch as planned. My back has become so painful again and I had no sleep last night. The only way I can get halfway comfortable is with pillows criss-crossed against the wall behind the bed and with my back pushed into them. I won’t stay in bed after today as all the advice is to try and keep moving. I am just hoping it will improve quickly as we are due to go away for a week on Saturday and I desperately need this break. When we had a week away this time last year OH could barely walk more than a few yards so we were very limited as to what we could do. In June he was unwell again and we spent 2 nights and 1 day in a hotel room before giving up and coming home, so I’m beginning to feel the gods aren’t smiling on us.

That’s enough of my grumps. Tomorrow’s another day and things might be brighter then.

tHE BACON SANDWICH WOULD HAVE PUT A SMILE ON MY FACE TOO.

Sorry did'nt mean to shout.

Shopping arrived and I sent back two things three big jars of hot dogs which they sent instead of my usual ones by Herta and an iceberg lettuce which oh used to like instead of the romain hearts. I had to remind him about the refund anmd he did it but when it came through from asda it was only for the hot dogs and not the lettuce so I had to go back into asda and do another refund.

Must put the washing on the line now its finished as its been in there a while now. I have taken a leaf out of your book Ann and washed my winter coats so they will be all nice and fresh for when the weather turns colder.

I may do those biscuits today and have a day off of clearing up and cleaning.

Afternoon All,

Nice sunny day and not too hot with a bit of breeze. The washer's on and nearly finished.

After a quick shower we went and posted the pastels. I was sitting in the car while OH waited in the PO and I was looking at one of the yarn bomb subjects I hadn't seen before. It was a barge with Rosie and Jim and was really good. Next thing a man with a SHih Tzu walked by and let his dog sniff it and wee all over it!! I just wish I'd had my camera with me. Some people just couldn't care less about the nice things others do.

When we got back I took my car to the village car wash, but the new gang there don't seem as particular and I had to point out the back of the mirrors and noticed the wheels weren't properly clean when I got home, plus I think they charged me a pound too much! I stopped by a rubbish bin coming back to empty some bits from my car and noticed the shop there sells all sorts of hot food now, so I went in and treated OH and me to a hot bacon bap each. That put a smile on his face when I got back.

I tried ringing the surgery for my blood test results and was 27th in the queue so will try again later. I expect everyone is trying to book their flu jabs now.

I need to see if any of my nail varnish is still any good since the pandemic next, otherwise I will just use the clear stuff I use for beading. I feel I should make some effort for tomorrow's meal. I usually store it in the fridge as it keeps longer that way, but with the pandemic I needed all the fridge space so it's in a drawer now.

Morning all,

Bright and sunny htis morning and pc says mostly cloudy and 14 degrees.

Shopping is coming today and only a small order but they still managed to give me two subs, an iceberg lettuce instead of the romain hearts and a jar of hot dogs instead of my Herta packs and seeing those on the list I ordered two lots. They will both go back as I don't like iceberg lettuce much either.

I better put some things away today as a friend is coming round for coffee tomorrow.