General Chat

Good afternoon
Another grey, wet, miserable day. It’s 7 degrees but as it’s so wet and looks so dark out it somehow feels colder. I did sleep a bit better last night so that’s one good thing.

I’m not that much younger than AnnG but I don’t remember British Restaurants. That might be because we very seldom had even a cup of tea out. I do know about the Lyons Nippy. We lived in a London suburb and I have a faint recollection of going into central London on one occasion and eating in a Lyons Corner House, possibly the one on the Strand. The only thing I can remember is my father looking at his plate and saying “They must think I’m a rabbit”. He had ordered a salad and it came with exotic things like grated carrot! To my parents carrots were something you cooked in a stew. Salad was ordinary green lettuce, cucumber, tomatoes and beetroot from a jar and was usually served with tinned salmon when visitors came to tea.

Around 1956 or 57 a friend and I ventured on our own into a Lyons Rea Room and I picked up a what I thought was a slab of ice cream from the glass fronted counter. When I sat down and started eating it I couldn’t quite work it out. It was cold but definitely not ice cream. It was soft and set but not quite blancmange. I had just had my first taste of chocolate mousse.

Well, today has been completely wasted. We left home at 9.30 for OH’s hospital appointment and got there about 10.05 am. We had been told to park in Car Park A which is the largest car park at the front of the hospital. It was choc-a-bloc and we were just going to drive out and go to the car park near the eye treatment centre and walk back when I spotted a space. Tbh, I wouldn’t have attempted to put our car in there as it was really tight but OH jiggled back and forth and got it in. After climbing up stairs and walking through endless corridors we found where we were meant to be and went up to reception. By now it’s almost 10.30, OH’s appointment time. A somewhat harassed reception lady then told us that all the computers were down and we had a choice of waiting and hoping they would be up and running soon or going home and being sent a rebooked appointment. OH asked if she had any idea how long the wait would be likely to be and she said it could be 5 minutes, it could be 5 hours. She then spoke on the phone to the IT department and they told her that they couldn’t fix it and had sent for Openreach. OH said to her that he was having a physical examination that didn’t involve using a computer at all so couldn’t that go ahead and was told that without the computers the consultant wouldn’t even know his name, let alone anything about his past history. It seems that if there is a computer outage the hospital grinds to a halt as absolutely everything is now computerised. At that point OH decided we could be there all day so we came home and are waiting for a new appointment. We got back at about midday, having had a 40 mile round trip and all the stress and frustration to achieve nothing.

Next job was for me to ring the opticians and ask about my glasses. They said it would be about a week and they would call me when they were ready. It’s now nearly 2 weeks and I have heard nothing. I rang the local number for our branch and got a recorded voice with numbers to press. I pressed the relevant number and the phone rang…………and rang………..and rang. After several minutes I put the phone down. I’m about to try again. I really don’t want to have to ask OH to drive me to town again, pay a parking fee and walk up to the opticians just to ask if my glasses are ready yet. What happened to customer service? You can tell I’m cheesed off, can’t you.

I’m trying to think of something more cheerful to end this post and I thought of one good thing that happened today. We used to get quite a lot of blackbirds but for the last year or two have hardly seen any. I know the blackbird population has been badly hit by a virus. Today I saw a male and a female blackbird in the garden so I’m really pleased about that. I also saw a dunnock which I haven’t seen for a while either so I’ve got something to smile about.

Morning Anng and all,

Its 5 degrees here this mroning but when I went to bed last night there was a very heavy frost and it was still there when I got up in the night for the loo but gone when I got up this morning.

Anng I am not quite old enough to remember British restaurants after the war but I know it was a treat to go to a Lyons and yes the meringues were huge but I did'nt like the cream in the middle. I did'nt like real cream or the fake stuff when I was little. Didnt eat cheese either but loved my milk.

Good morning all 4 degrees so colder again this morning. very grey out there I think it is supposed to be showery today here.

Mel, I am almost sure that I did go to Lyons corner house might have been as a child post war as my aunt lived in Acton London, Mum's sister and we used to visit. I can also remember going for tea to a big department store in Portsmouth, may have been Handleys, also post war. I think poached eggs on toast was on the menu. But possibly tea and cakes too, Mum liked a creeam cake. And yes I knew what a nippy was,

I used to like Cadena cafes/shops and favourite was a meringue, in my memory they were huge. and also eclairs.

At the other end of the restaurant, cafe eating scale. Anyone else old enough to remember the British restaurants during and just after the war? I remember going to one with Mum in Portsmouth and my memory is of the smell of cooked cabbage!! :-(

Really Annx I thought everyone knew what a Nippy was. You must remember Lyons corner houses. I can remember going with mum and dad to a place in London and having a tea with sandwiches and a dish of various cakes and dad would always have the cream horn.

Do any of you remember the cafe's you used to go in and pick what you wanted from glass fronted cabinets. I always remember the jellies and fruit perhaps because thats one thing I would eat. I did'nt like cakes as a child, the only thing I would eat was a sticky bun or an iced bun. I think these were Lyons Tea Rooms.

Evening All,

A bright, sunny day here, but I was still not able to do much with this foot and didn't want to risk making it worse till I've taken OH on Tuesday. I suspect he may need more lasering which isn't pleasant. I have just pottered about looking at all the jobs that need doing today, but they can wait a bit longer. The food delivery came this afternoon and for once the four subs were all ok.

I need to ask Openreach to move their triangle sign if I can catch them tomorrow. They have put it on our narrow single lane road just at the point where I need to pull over as far to the right as I can in order to turn a sharp left into our drive and miss the corner of our bungalow without knocking the neighbour's wall down on my left! They've put it at the worst possible point along there and it is weighed down with heavy sacks so neither I nor OH are in a fit state to be trying to lug them about. There are no street lights down this end of th e close and our neighbour's wall has already been knocked down once with an Amazon driver's van.

Speaking of Amazon, I had a parcel come yesterday lunch time and the driver rang the bell and although OH was at the front door almost straightaway he found the driver pulling our bins from the side of the bungalow to put the parcel there. He saw OH and handed him the parcel and just ran down the drive without moving either of the bins back in place.

I prefer Swede to Turnips as well and it does keep well but isn't easy to cut up. I often buy the frozen swede and carrot mash from Asda now as you just take out as much as you want to microwave and no peeling or slicing. I liked it and started to eat it more when I found it has less carbs than potato and about half the calories. I don't mash it with butter anymore though like mum always did withour Christmas dinner.

AnnG when I got my powerbank I seem to remember you mentioning yours. I must check mine and top up the charge.

I think you are probably right Vera, as the Union we had at work often made a fuss and trouble when most of the staff weren't interested. There should be another two photos in your spam. OH has to book another blood test tomorrow as it is six weeks since he had an additional tablet to take for his cholesterol after halving the dose of the original one.

Mandy I was really glad I remembered where the heel insterts I had were as they have made quite a difference, yet they are so comfortable you forget they are even in your shoes.

Well I've learned something Mel as I never knew what a Lyons Nippy was till I looked it up!

Vera the charging cable is about the same length as yours and the bit that goes into the power bank is not a very tight fit and falls out easily. A bit stupid really.

It hasn't been a very nice day. It was dry first thing, then we had drizzle, then much heavier rain for a while, back to drizzle and now it's raining on and off.

A few years back we went to a "do" on St Andrews Day and were served haggis, tatties and neeps. I expected neeps to be turnips and was surprised when we got served swede. That's when someone explained to me about them being called Swedish Turnips. I don't really care what they are called because I don't like either. If I'm given swede in someone else's home I do try to eat at least some of it out of politeness but I find it quite sickly.

I hope you can drive OH to and from the hospital on Tuesday without too much pain in your heel and your knee Annx. Rest it as much as you can before then. Yes, I saw that piece about one of the unions saying teachers should be able to take time off to go to Glastonbury. I wonder how many teachers have actually said that or is it just the boss of a rather militant union spouting a lot of nonsense? There are a lot of very dedicated teachers out there but some union leaders seem to have no compunction about disrupting the children's education. It just makes me so cross.

Good job Amazon told you that you had already got a powerbank AnnG. We senior citizens all have these forgetful moments. I knew exactly where ours was but do you think I can find any booklet that came with it? All I seem to have is the unit itself and a silly little charging cable that's only 3 or 4 inches long.

I've done washing, changed my bed and sorted out a Tesco order for delivery on Tuesday, done some filing and managed to fit in a shower and hairwash as I won't have time in the morning. OH has a hospital appointment for a procedure and we will need to leave by 9.30 am. His letter from the hospital said he should be fine to drive home afterwards but I will go with him "just in case". In an emergency I would drive home but it would be difficult without proper glasses and I would have to concentrate hard and strain my eyes so much I'd probably end up with a migraine. Hopefully OH will be fine.

I am still not sleeping much so am keeping my fingers crossed for a decent night tonight. I hope you all sleep well too.

Well I checked the swede dand I think it must have ben very old when it was delivered as it was not very nice so will go in the compost. I seem to remember not cooking it because I didn't like the look of it. I like it mashed with butter and pepper and I do sometimes addit to mash for cottage pie.

I really think my brain needs a re-set!! it is too overloaded with stuff to remember. After reading about power bank a few days ago I decided I should do that so asked daughter the best one to buy, she found one on Amazon and this morning I put it into Amazon ready to order and a note came up. You last bought one of these on 21 January 2025. Errm! I came off amazon and checked in my top desk drawer which is where I keep chargers etc and there is was, still in its little net bag with the charging cable still all coiled and wired together and obviously not charged up at all. I do now have vague recollections of discussing it with daughter but had no memory of ordering it. so it is charging now. It doesn't tell me in the little booklet how long the first charge takes. I guess it could be quite a while. :-S

Afternoon all.
I'm like the rest of you regarding which veg is called a swede.
OH, having a Scottish mother would sometimes call them differently though.

I'd agree with Mandy that a swede can be fine for ages, if it's been in a cool place. We only recently finished one which was bought pre- Christmas.
We like it just cubed and cooked and served plain like that or in stews/ casseroles or we sometimes mash some into potato, as a topping for a cottage pie.
It's a good stand-by veg. for winter months.
I seldom buy turnips, in fact I can't remember when I last did, - probably if I bought one of those mixed fresh veg. stew packs that you sometimes get in supermarkets.

It's dull and dismal here, but into another month makes it a bit nearer Spring.

Thanks Mel , we've always called them swedes ,I never buy turnips as they are quite peppery but mum use to buy them .
Anng your swede might be OK if it's been in the cool they keep for a long time .

Very fine rain in the air now I could feel it on my face when I went out to the bin .

AND HERE'S WHY.

Do you know your swedes from your turnips?
Some people call a swede a turnip because, historically, swedes were introduced to Britain as "Swedish turnips," a term that became shortened over time, particularly in regional dialects. While they are distinct vegetables—swedes are larger, yellow-fleshed, and purple-topped, whereas turnips are smaller, white-fleshed, and faster-growing—they belong to the same Brassica family, leading to interchangeable usage in places like Cornwall and Scotland

I call it swede and can never understand why some people call it turnip as you say two complete different things and tastes to my mind. I think they are both the cabbage family.

Gosh where did January go?????????????????????????

Pinch and a punch and all that. :-D :-D

Gosh I must have missed that post from Anng about what she had for lunch. I had posted so when I posted again about BIL coming thats how I missed it. Thought it was strange for her not to tell us all what she had. The lemon tart souded nice, very refreshing.

Morning all,

Dropped off again after getting up for the third time in the night at 7.23am and woke at 10.15am. Its a dull grey dayand I think its that very fine rain but Iv'e not been out there yet.

Not read your posts yet so better see what you had to say this morning.

Thank to Annx for the email.

Yesterday I made one of my dolls house dolls into a Lyons Nippy.

Good morning all dull with a few brighter patches and drips of rain 7 degrees. February already. Nothing planned for today.

Mandy that is an ongoing argument isn't it? I call the large orange coloured veg swede and the small white veg turnip. I love swede but dislike turnip. that reminds me the last order I had a swede but they had sent me a huge one even though I asked them not to so it has not been cooked and I bet it has gone off.
February is full of birthdays for me so I had better consult the calendar.

Morning all,

Not so bright this morning but it's dry .

Ann that was good you thought about putting the gel inserts in your shoes ,hopefully each day it will be a bit easier and you'll be OK to drive OH to the clinic on Tuesday

Anng your meal you had sounded nice and made us think we haven't had scampi for a while so I might get some this week .

Just a lazy day for us today ,I don't have much to do for our meal tonight just a few veg to ho with rest of the meat pattie .
Yesterday we had swede and when I was cutting it up I thought how some people call it turnip but turnips are smaller and white where swede is bigger and pale orange , whate do you all call the swede ? Swede or turnip .

Evening All,

Chilly but sunny here but no rain till late afternoon so OH got soaked at footie.

The hobbling when I got up was less today but I sent OH to the shop as it still wasn't great this morning. I looked up about strapping the foot this morning Mandy and realised I have had reactions to the adhesives in the past, so looked at what else might help.Thankyou for suggesting it though as it hadn't occurred to me to try that. It did say rest the first few days is crucial and doing the exercises regularly should help. It also mentioned the heel gel inserts for your shoes, so I fetched those I use in my trainers to help my knees and put them in my shoes and it has certainly reduced the pain which is good. I could also use the ibuprofen gel for my knees on the foot if necessary. I'm hoping the foot will be much better by Tuesday as OH has an appointment at the Hospital eye clinic again and needs me to drive him there and pick him up afterwards, as the hospital use really strong eye drops and he can't drive. The appointment is mid morning so the worst of the traffic should be over, but goodness knows what time I will be picking him up. Before when going to the private hospital last year, my left knee played up for weeks after with all the clutch work and traffic jams and the foot is on the same leg! lol.

Your lunch with your friends and bus trip sounded good today AnnG and the meal sounded very well organised for a large party. I'm fancying some scampi myself now. :-)

Mandy I like those media units like your son is making and kept a photo of one I saw online in case we did it in the future. It tidies away all the cables and plugs too and those long electric fires are very effective. Yes, like you we get given appointments with the nurses usually and the doctors mostly work part time now??

Vera, OH checked what aspirin he has and feels better about the shortages now as he has more than he thought he had luckily. He's picking up the remainder on Monday now. We have the same bins as you, but we can put glass in the recycling bin, I wonder how people living in terrace houses that open onto the pavement will manage with all the bins too. Everyone is supposed to use them from this April as part of the govts 'Smpler Recycling Initiative.' Most of those living in those houses have at least one car and many of the streets are reduced to one lane down the middle with cars parked on pavements both sides of the road round here, so where should they put their bins for collection? Understandably it's illegal to put them on the pavement where they can be an obstruction, especially with cars on the pavement too and local authorities can issue fines, but what else can they do. In England it's illegal to drive on pavements, but not to park. It all seems mad to me!

Now OH says teachers are wanting time off to go to Glastonbury! How many just want more time off work and wouldn't go and the rest of the country's employees will be wanting the same won't they?

Off to bed now so sleep tight everyone. PC says expect 5 rainy days here!

Mel, Have a look at Ann’s post at 14.47

All very nice then Anng but you hav'nt told us what you had???