General Chat

Morning all/evening Kim.

Like Jane, I must get showered and shaved (not you Jane) lol. but get on, Conrad and Jan will be here about 11.30. So must git my finger out. :-D :-D :-D

Morning all

Sun is out today but very windy and cold, going to have a lazy day today, I've been so busy lately looking after Sandra and trying to sort this place out with a few bits of decorating here and there.

I had to take all the silicone out from around the double glazing the other day and replace it. We have horrible plastic window sills which were here when we moved in and the silicone which had been put in between the sills and the windows had started looking awful, so now I've replaced it all, it looks much better. I've also painted my bedroom, the bathroom, the kitchen and sorted out Sandra's room over the last few weeks, although hubby had to do the ceilings they were to high for me. So I've decided to take it a bit easier today and start my Christmas cards. Luckily everything else for Christmas is done so it'll be nice to sit and relax for a day.

Sandra is still asleep, I thought, if she felt up to it, we might watch some Christmas films off the planner. She likes Christmas films so I've been recording some for her, ready for when she feels up to watching them.

Yes Mel, colds can hang around for a while so I thought a quiet day in front of the fire watching Christmas films might cheer her up. There isn't much you can do when you're not well except wait for it to pass and keep warm. She doesn't normally get ill but when she does she gets it bad, bless her.

Poor Cockle being left out in the cold, good job you noticed and put him safely back in. How are you getting on with your wreaths, it nice to know people are asking about them. Am I right in thinking you sell them. You mentioned a shop, which is why I asked :-).

Going to start writing my cards now before Sandra wakes up, she's been sleeping in a lot over the last few days so I just leave her until she's ready to get up. Sleep seems to be helping her.

BBL

They aren't here yet, so I thought I would pop back.

I've cancelled my hospital appointment for today. Will go 14th Jan 2015

Had a horrible TAX REMINDER this morning. It must be paid by 31st Jan 15. A merry Christmas to them too :-D :-D :-D :-D

Good idea Gill, keep her in the warm, they do say "Sleep is the best cure" Enjoy your films. What does your OH do for a living ??? I might have missed it if you had mentioned it. !!

Nice bright cold morning here. I fed the birds this morning and all the suet sticks. So they must be hungry.

Have been told we must order flowers for her Godmother who lives in the I.O.M. We send to her every year. So I had better do as I am told.

Just come in for a coffee and to read the posts.

Gill I sell my wreaths down the local shop. I used to supply two shops the one in the village up th eroad and one is Sheepwash a few miles the other way but I hav'nt done that shop for a few years now as I don't have the time to make as many as I did whne mum was alive and we had the cleaner. Mum used to do the dinners when I was making much to oh's discust...........................

I tried to send a hedgehog video this morning but the pc just turned itself off. I think it was too much for it and I think oh may have made them a bit longer so I can see more of what goes on. At the mo the camera is still not taking videos only still pics and I hav'nt put it out for a while now.

Have done a lot of wireing this morning and came in for a drink and to do some flowers ready to go in the rings.

I made myself a small moss ball and put it in a funny flower pot I have. It looks quite good as the pot is quite tall.

For those of you that like country matters there is another book out called Landlove which is similar to Landscape which I have a sub for. Landscape comes out 7 times a year and I am thinking the other one may be the same. Nice projects to make in both of them and cooking too. Landlove is all about the countryside.

Clouds seem to be coming over here so I have the washing on the clothes horse indoors as I can't be bothered to keep taking it in and putting it back out again.

Well I have drunk my coffee and just have enough time to wire some flowers before lunchtime. Oh has mussles in a tomato and chiritzo sauce so I shall have a cold sausage sandwich and save the rest of the cold pork for tomorrow.

Morning All,

Yes lovely sunshine here as well. :-D Now I'm wishing I'd done another load of washing!

I see you are just about straight again Jane with curtains up now too........you seem to have a bit of a green theme going on with decorating your lounge and bedroom. I think the thingys you were on about for the poles are called finials. I need a new lampshade for one of the bedrooms. It started out white, but has turned a grubby looking cream now. :-S I just want a simple plain one........my sister would be getting a chandelier if it was her choice, but that would be too much dusting for me!! LOL. Thank you for your card, I love it!

I loved your ecard too Frank and enjoyed doing the jigsaw at the end!! A great idea! OH wants to get his SA tax sorted before Christmas.......guess who he has delegated it to and named his Accountant!! :-S It started with him asking me to help him, but it will probably end up being like that. After giving him strict instructions about his record keeping (just like being at work again!!) hopefully it shouldn't be too time consuming!!! He keeps being recommended and approached by other schools, but just agrees to help out in an emergency as he doesn't want more work.

Got slightly further with my Romany ancestry the other day. Apparently it is thought my gt gt grandfather was born in the Somerset/Devon area, so I need to explore that now.

No Frank, I don't think I mentioned my hubby's job, he is a carer in a residential home in our village, he only started in June and is loving it. There's one resident there who has took a shine to him and she tells him off if he has a day off, but in a funny way. She sounds lovely.

He used to work in a garage labouring but he said the cold got to him in the winter. He was in a hit and run accident when he was 15 and as a result his spine is twisted so when it gets to cold his back and neck play him up and he can hardly move, so this job suits him much better. It's a warm environment and the people are really friendly, plus it's almost on our doorstep.

Mel, it's nice that you can sell your wreaths and have the shop nearby. Pity you couldn't send the hedgehog video, maybe it'll work if you try again later. The book Landlove sound interesting, I like things like that, little projects and cooking.

Oh no a TAX REMINDER Frank, that's the last thing you need right on Christmas, or any time of the year really :-) :-).

Sandra had a good sleep and has not long woke up, she must of needed it and she said she is feeling a little better today. She wants to go to a little Christmas carol singing thing which is on at our local library tomorrow afternoon, so she might be saying she's better than she is so she can go.

I know how much she was looking forward to it and as luck has it her dad is only working in the morning so he can take us all in the car, that way she won't have to walk in the cold. That's if she's fit enough to go, shall have to see how she is tomorrow.

I've written all the Christmas cards for everyone and will post them tomorrow, all being well with Sandra. If she's not fit enough to go out I'll get hubby to post them for me on his way to work on Friday.

Just going to start watching the Christmas films with Sandra now.
Pop back later

Lovely hand painted card to save from Maureen has arrived! :-)

Today it is 50 years.............

Since I passed my driving test!! :-D :-D :-D :-D.

I remember I wore my navy blue fringed bell bottom jeans with bells on the sides(with paper stuffed in them to stop them jingling in my test! ) and a black anorak lined scarlet. When I saw the examiner with a severe military moustache and little cane tucked under his arm I thought I stood no chance, but I was wrong thank goodness. I took my test in a maroon Ford Anglia and was so scared I could hardly keep my knees still from shaking doing the 3 point turn.

What is 50 years???

Too quick of the mark Mel ;-) ;-)

Ann I can't remember what car I passed my test in, I think it might have been a HORSE AND CART :-D :-D :-D That's almost 60 years ago. I then bought a 1947 Ford Prefect with four doors, Very posh the other Ford was the Popular but with less features. Not that the one I had had any to speak of. The faster you went the slower the wipers went. There was no heater, PAS or any comforts. A blanket was the required accessory in the winter. I examiner was most surprised by my driving skills, little did he know I had been driving without a licence for some time

Gill that's good for your OH to have an inside job, especially with a bad back. Will he get anytime of over Christmas ??

Getting colder now, so heating is going up a notch and I must feed the HOG.

The girls have gone off to Milton Keynes to look at the shops (MORE EXPENCE) !!

Give me strength!!! I've just written the equivalent to Tolstoys War and Peace when the computer locked up, froze or whatever and I had to reboot and lose the lot. Now, I've lost the will to live and will have to re-compose myself to dish the dirt with you.
Does anyone else have 'one of those days'?

I'll just quickly for now say that I received a lovely snail mail card from Frank yesterday only to find another lovely on-line Jaquie Lawson one from him today. Much appreciated.
Sorry I missed out on chatting up Gill first but I hope she realises that you are only on the look out for a free holiday in the Wirral next summer :-)

I'll get back later when I've taken my pills and calmed down a bit and retrieved the computer from the flower bed outside my window !!!

TTFN

No Frank, hubby has to work Christmas eve and Christmas day so we've decided to have our Christmas day on Boxing day instead. It's going to be strange not having Michelle here (our youngest daughter) It'll be the first Christmas without her and not having hubby here either is why we decided to have it a day late.

My mum is coming round on Christmas day, otherwise she would be on her own, so Sandra, mum and I are going to have a small roast and open each other's presents on Christmas day, but the rest of the presents between hubby, Sandra and I will be opened on boxing day when we are all together, then us three will have our Christmas dinner, then it's off back to my mum's as my sister and her family will be there.

Bit of a strange Christmas this year but if we didn't do it like that then hubby wouldn't get a Christmas at all. Sandra doesn't mind, she said she would get two Christmas days which she is happy about :-D :-D :-D.

I loved the e-card you sent Frank, Sandra loved doing the puzzle at the end. She is definitely feeling much better now, just a cough that doesn't want to go, so hopefully she'll be fit enough to go to the carol singing at the library tomorrow.

Sat down to watch the Christmas films off the planner but we had seen them before so ended up watching 60 minute makeover with Peter Andre. Sandra loves that program and I had a few of them on the planner so we are making our way through them.

No cooking for me tonight, I made a beef stew yesterday and there's enough left over for the both of us tonight, so I've just popped the oven on to re-heat it and will have it after another 60 minute makeover, it's a bit early to eat but Sandra said she was hungry, it will take a while to heat up so should be ready by the time her program is finished.

Loved the photo's you sent Mel and so did Sandra
BBL

I took my test on a Wednesday I think the 13th Dec so mine is 47 years this year. I had never thought how long I had passed my test before!!

I had time off work to take mine and said I had a dentists appointment. Passed first time. My examiner had a fawny brown raincoat on and looked extremly stern.
Took my test at Buckhurst Hill, Frank knows it.

My test was in the car I learnt on. a two tone blue Vauxhall Victor owned by my driving instructer who was the dad of my friend Linda. A lovely man who was very patient.

Glad you liked the deer pics Gill and Sandra.

Don't know what to get for dinner tonight..................as I had'nt got anything out of the freezer!!

Have finished 5 rings now and there is another half done so I brought some greenery in to do some wireing indoors as it has turned really col dout there tonight. I can make some bows and wire some flowers too.

I don't think you had to take a driving test years ago?? I am sure my dad said he did'nt take one or was it my grandad? My grandad on dad's side used to do private car hire for a couple of people inbetween his building business. I remember his chaffuers hat hanging in the garage and somewhere I have a book where he used to write down about this old boy he took out and he had to stop somewhere to buy him chocolate and that was put on the bill too.

Do you know I can't even remember taking my driving test !!!.I think it must have been about 1973..I do remember my first driving lesson though.My legs were shaking so much (like yours Ann) I could barely keep them on the pedals.It was through Plymouth City Centre ,which I thought was a bit mean for my first lesson.When the lesson ended I couldn't get out of the car for a while until my legs got back to normal :-D

I take my hat off to your OH Gill.There aren't too many men as carers in Residential Homes and I think it is so important that it is not all female .Sometimes when it comes to personal care an elderly man may much prefer to be bathed /showered/toileted by a male carer.In every care home I have been visiting the poor men are surrounded by women !!!!!..I think it is lovely that the lady has taken a shine to your OH.My Mum would no doubt have been the same. :-D

Thank you Maureen for your beautiful masterpiece .It will be kept with your previous cards after Xmas :-D
Thanks Ann and Pat too for your cards.I have all my GR friends cards on a little table together :-D :-D

I have just realised my washing is still out so I'll whip it in right now.It will need to finish off in the tumble dryer

I see that the northan part of the country has a lot of snow.

Are you ok Fiona????

My Christmas Wish For You
My Christmas wish for you, my friend
Is not a simple one
For I wish you hope and joy and peace
Days filled with warmth and sun

I wish you love and friendship too
Throughout the coming year
Lots of laughter and happiness
To fill your world with cheer

May you count your blessings, one by one
And when totaled by the lot
May you find all you've been given
To be more than what you sought

May your journeys be short, your burdens light
May your spirit never grow old
May all your clouds have silver linings
And your rainbows pots of gold

I wish this all and so much more
May all your dreams come true
May you have a Merry Christmas friends
And a happy New Year, too ..

And another specially for Jane.


My Snowman Friend
The Snowman is my friend!
I call him Mr. Frosty-Face!
He brings us so much fun,
With black coal eyes, and carrot nose,
With a smile for everyone!
If we play Ring-a-Roses,
Then all our friends join in!
But, when the game is "Statues",
He always knows he'll win!

When I talk, I know he'll listen
to every word I say.
I can shout, or knock his hat off,
And he'll never run away!
But, when the weather's warmer,
Then Frosty-Face must go
Until the next time that he comes
With winter's ice and snow.

Awh thanks Mel :-D <3