General Chat

Hi to William and Carmel. <3

Delivered the 6 rings down the shop and now I have to start all over again.

Cold here but I think the breeze has dropped a bit but it has come over very dark.

Frank just to put you out of your misery and suspence. I am buying oh a new pooter for Chirstmas and he is buying me one. Mine is really playing up again today and he wants to get everything off of it incase it crashes.

He has just come in with something to do with the pc so I had better post this before it dies on me.

Oh has just called me to come behind him at the sink slowly. Our Long Tailed Tits are back feeding just outside the window.

Afternoon all,

Ros went to visit her old work pal this morning. She is 97 and when she went to the hospital regarding the CANCER. The doctor examined her and VERY BLUNTLY pointed a finger into her face and said "YOU HAVE BOWEL CANCER" No tenderness or sympathy. So Ros got it wrong this morning, but she has a catheter fitted so that's why she thought is was cervical cancer. This poor woman was so distressed by the Doctors attitude, her daughter has written to the GMC about him.

Hi to our new poster. Yes I remember both oranges and apples came in tissue paper. We use to collect them, and my granny would use them in her outside loo !!!
We bought some Satsuma's yesterday with the leaves still attached. Ros said they were the best she has tasted this year. I don't eat fruit, or sweets, as they were never available to me as a child. (POOR OLD ME !!!) AHHHHHHH

Have you got all your decorations sorted now Jane ???

Mel, I wasn't being nosey, but you did leave us in the dark.!!!! When I worked for Conrad and Jan in Uppingham after I retired. They bought THREE of us a laptop each. I replaced mine a few years ago. Touch wood this one is still going, apart from my "G" keeps working loose.

Just 4.00 pm and all the lights are on, Shortest day next weekend, so lighter evenings to look forward too. ;-) ;-) ;-)

I hope you all have had a good day. I'm off for a cuppa, and a bit of NAT GEO for an hour, before starting dinner.

Afternoon All

Must say a big thank you to Pat & Mandy for lovely Christmas cards,

It's bitterly cold up here, but we have been lucky so far, ground is still to wet for the flutters of snow to lie, stays on the grass but not paths or roads, mind you some folk are having it bad especially up in the Highlands,

Sofia's Nativity was great, lovely Christmas singing by all the children taking part, and of course Sofia was a great Shepherd and remembered the 3 lines she had to say :-D :-D

We are off to buy the real Christmas tree tomorrow, OH has this whole weekend off, but will be working Sat & Sun of next weekend ,

Better go and do a food shopping list for tomorrow ,hoping we can squeeze time to go to The shops sometime,

Hi all

Spent a lovely day chatting with my mum and sister and they came back to mine to see the village scene I'd made and the Christmas tree now it's all decorated. I'd also made lots of Christmas scene pictures and framed them a few years ago so they were all out as well.

My mum had already seen all the things I'd made but it was the first time for my sister as we normally meet up at mum's and stay there. My sister said it's given her some ideas to do around her place. She split with her partner and moved closer to us a month ago, so now she's having to start all over again, but like she said she can make it the way she'd like it now and can make her place all Christmassy like I've done.

How are you all getting on with your Christmas decorations everyone, not long now to the big day.

Am I going to be called ill Frank if you lose your letter "G" :-D :-D.

How awful that doctor was to Ros's friend. Poor woman, I don't blame her daughter for writing to the GMC

Sandra said to say thank you Mandy for her Christmas card she loved it.

I bet you loved watching Sofia in her nativity Fiona and hearing her say her 3 little lines. <3

You won't know yourself Mel when you get your new pooter, I bet you can't wait for Santa now :-D :-D :-D.

Did you manage to take any photo's of the long tailed tits, what a lovely sight that must of been for the two of you.

It sounds like you're busy with your rings Mel, how many have you got to make?

We have had rain, hail and then some snow, it's bitterly cold outside so I'm glad to be home where it's warm. None of the snow has stuck it's to wet but the way things are going we might see a white Christmas this year, which will please Sandra. She's been wanting it to snow and stick on Christmas day for years so she's keeping her fingers crossed.

Off to make dinner now

Evening All
Just a quick one from me today.
I have been felling a bit yucky today and had a dicky tum this morning.So we haven't been out for lunch.
It must be all the excitement of Christmas lol..I have got the tree done even if it was in fits and starts.Put some more lights on some twig things with red berries and that is in the window in the porch.Another garland in there kept falling down and I was getting grouchy with Chris so I just said leave it for now.
Janice and Larry will be here about coffee time tomorrow morning.I hope I buck up a bit by then.I'm doing Roast Beef with everything for the evening.I think about 5pm we are going down to Fitz's for a quick drink and to see the tree and all the decs.I must remember to take some pics :-D
I must read todays posts as I haven't had chance yet.

Evening All,

I can just picture the children in the plays singing their hearts out. Being in a Nativity play is very important and exciting at their ages.

Well that's you and me fixed up with new pooters this Christmas then Mel!! :-) I was going to have a laptop with a really big screen, bigger than my desktop one, but settled for one about the same size in the end as I wanted to be able to take it away and use it in bed! My desktop was a high spec one in it's day, but things have moved on so fast that the new laptop should leave it standing. I also wanted to have a dvd drive as well so I can use the wii and play cds etc. I have had a lot of trouble getting into my emails at certain times the last couple of weeks. It will be nice to have the letters T,A,H, and N again as these are all worn off! :-S. I said to OH it will be a game saving all my files and photos to transfer though.

I bought OH a 3/4 length waterproof anorak for footie (Xmas present) today as we found one with deep enough pockets for football programmes!!! LOL. I seem to have kitted him out for footie now what with shoes, hat, anorak and satnav!!

We called at MIL's after. FINALLY they have been to the docs about FIL's dizziness and falls and it seems she got a bit of a firm talking to from the doctor as he told her she should have called the out of hours doctor when it happened. The cause was what I thought it might be, very low blood pressure, so now his tablets have been changed. She said yesterday she watched him struggle back up the road from the newsagents with his walker and thought he wouldn't make it back, so we asked for the umpteenth time why not have the paper delivered, but we know they won't. FIL was given the new Alzheimer's test doctors are being paid to give to elderly people now and it involved him being asked lots of questions. MIL said the doctor had told her to shush when she tried to help him answer the questions!! She is so used to answering for him!! Unsurprising after years of not being allowed to think and answer for himself, there is some impairment (not surprising at 93.) so he is to go to a clinic near where they live. MIL said she saw a cooker she fancied this morning and so went back in another taxi to order it this afternoon rather than wait till they went again next week. The old one is only just 2 years old so OH asked what was the matter with it. Nothing apparently, but it had needed 2 repairs while it was under warranty so she said it must be sub standard!! LOL.

That was a bit thoughtlessly blunt of the doctor with that old lady Frank. He could have done it in a better way than that.

Hi AnnC, I remember those squares of tissue around the satsumas, even the tissue smelt of oranges. :-)

Another lovely card from Fiona today......thank you. :-) There's quite a little group now. :-)

I hope it isn't the pine scent affecting you Jane. :-S Hopefully you will feel better soon. Looking forward to seeing pics of Fitz's tree. I must push on with tree and house decorating tomorrow as the roofer will be here Monday (if it's not raining!) and we are out on Sunday to see the Maggie Smith film, My Old Lady. I've been looking for artificial berry twigs today to decorate a plain artificial wreath I bought last year. Nothing much around and what was was very pricey. At this rate I think I will be doing it with real variegated Holly twigs out of the garden and some fir cones. I also got some battery lights for the mirror garland.

Oh no Jane, I hope you're not getting the bug Sandra had, keep warm and dose yourself up with some medicine. Hope you'll be alright for tomorrow.

Glad to hear you FIL got his medication changed Ann. Low blood pressure can be serious but at least he's seen the doctor now so should be feeling better soon.

Everything seems to be expensive nowadays either that or you just can't find what you're looking for. I hope you managed to find some artificial berry twigs but if you can't the real variegated holly twigs sound just as nice.

I'm not very good at arranging flowers, my mum tried to teach me years ago but they never looked right, so I left it up to her.

She made some table decorations for Prince Charles when I was a teenager and would only trust me with the wiring of the flowers lol. I don't blame her I really wasn't that good.

I should just mention it wasn't for Prince Charles personally it was for a function he was going to and she did them for the people who owned the function room he was at.

Because I wasn't very good at flower arranging, she would do my flowers and I would do her cakes. So it worked out good for both of us. ;-) ;-).

Enjoy your film on Sunday, Maggie Smith is such a good actress.

Hello to Ann C, I'm new to the thread as well and everyone has made me very welcome. They're a great group of people, very friendly and funny

Oh Gawd Ann I despair with your MIL.I wonder if the good talking to by the GP had any effect !!!!.Probably not in the long run :-S
I do feel lot better tonight just really tired now.Ann I think I will be having a Zirtec daily while the tree is up :-SI think I had to do that last year.
I'm sure I will be back to normal tomorrow
:-D.I
shall be off to bed shortly .I really want to finish a book on the Kindle .
Night Night xx

Cor here I am at last as it has taken oh all day to put my pictures on another drive and other files off my desktop. Loads of hog pics and videos. Poor old thing is so old it needed time to do it but at least it did'nt turn itself off while it was doing it otherwise oh would have had to start all over again.

Thanks to Mandy for the card and I had one again for mum from her friend, my aunty Joan who is now 93. I hav'nt the heart to tell her mum passed 4 years ago. I did tell Jane her daughter when she asked us down to Essex for aunty Joan's 90th birthday party but she must have forgotten too.

Jane I hope you hav'nt caught something of what James had the other week. You must be ok for tomorrow for when Janice and Larry arrive. Please take some pics of Fitz tree's again this year as they were so nice to see last year. I really miss my thatched cottage at this time of year as it was always so nice to decorate all the beams with festive branches of greenary, holly and lights. Think I shall have my ceiling lights on tonight which will go with my 12 cards I have hanging in front of me at my pc desk where I can look up at them and enjoy.

Ann what a good job the doc told MIL off for answering for oh. It is about time somebody told her to hold her tongue and let the man speak. As to wanting a new cooker after only two years, well...........but I do have a good laugh at what they get up to and the way you tell it :-D :-D :-D

Good you have Gordon all decked out in arm gear for his footy. I did the same with oh with his fishing and woodturning last year with warm fur lined boots and lined trousers.

Can't you just get some good branches and put red berries on them for you ring??

I don't know if I will be able to put my holly and berries up on the plate rack this year as there are so many plates on it now. They were all put away last year because we were going to do the kitchen up and I have other things on one shelf which means there are more plates on the others.

Di called this morning with my pressies but I had to ask her to wait a min because I had her pressies in the kitchen unwrapped. I had to whisk them away before she could come in.

Fiona you must have enjoyed seeing Sophia in the play and very good of her to remember her three lines. Wish I had grand kids here I could watch in their plays. Maybe if little George next door is in any I will be able to see him and then little Sam when he is old enough for school.

Lovely frosty sunny morning here. We are supposed to be going to yet another 'Christmas Fayre' this afternoon, at the RNIB Pears Centre nearby this time.

The doctors thing with Carmel I was talking about yesterday concerned her 'good right eye'. For about 19-20 years now she has had macular degeneration in her right eye leaving her with peripheral vision. At the time nothing could be done about it so she has coped, with my help when she is out and about (kerbs, glass doors, bad paving, that sort of thing). Anyway, mid November she woke after an afternoon nap saying she couldn't see properly out of her good eye and had double vision. It looked like someone had punched her in the eye actually. She wouldn't go to eye casualty that day but as she had a midday appoint at Uni hospital Coventry the following day at the headache clinic, she agreed to go early and attend eye casualty. After tests and a special camera scan we had to go back to this consultant who wasn't very clear, was abrupt but finally said her right eye now has the start of macular degeneration, which, as you can imagine was a shock to both of us.
Cut to this week, we wanted to go to our own doctors and learn more detail but it wasn't until we phoned the hospital Monday that they faxed the report to our doctors surgery. So we had the appointment to see our doctor yesterday, but he said that it was 'dry' ARMD, which can take some time usually to cause problems, whereas if it had been 'wet' ARMD it would have been far more serious.
So there isn't any treatment (been reading it up on the net) but diet and certain vitimins can slow it down. But would got us was that when we were at the hospital, the consultant told us now they can operate on macular degeneration since four years ago, but in Carmel's case she is too old now.

Sorry, to lay all that on you but I feel better now I've got it off my chest, we haven't really seen any family or anybody to talk about it. They are all too busy with their own lives and of course since little Grace's Mum and Dad split up, we seem to be out on a limb.

Anyway, I hear Carmel up and about, so I'm off to do brekky.

TTFN

Morning all, Evening Kim,

Sorry to hear you are not on top form Jane. Conrad bought back a stinking cold from Spain, and YES he has passed on to EVERYONE. All of them in Devon and Ros and I are full of head colds. So no going out for me today. Ros has gone to meet Martine, and get some odds and sods. We don't need much, as we will be away from next Sunday.

Poor Carmel, would she be better with a white stick, so that people would know she has sight trouble, and help her if needed.

Harvey and Julia are coming up Monday to bring Ros's Christmas presents. I have told then not to buy me Birthday or Christmas Presents, as I won't accept anything from them. NOW, Ros wants me to be all nice when they come. NO WAY, I will be going out for the time they are here. I will not be classed as a "child beater "by anyone, and for them to get away with it. I know you will say "Life is too short" But I have been badly treated by my own children, and now Harvey. I just can't stand anymore of it. I will concentrate, on Lewis and Conrad. The other three can just disappear from my life, together with their families. I have done everything to bring the children up in a proper manner, and to be treated like this is breaking my heart. So I won't be hurt again. Now I have the problem getting Ros to understand how I feel. SORRY, but it's off my chest now. THANKS.

Thanks to Gill & Ann for lovely Christmas Cards :-D :-D

Thanks Mandy for my Christmas card, did you post them together, I only ask because Sandra's arrived yesterday and mine today, funny how the post works ;-)

Hello everyone.
Well I haven't had a minute yet today to get on here.I only have a few minutes now before we go down to Fitz's.
Janice and I have been out shopping.I bought a pair of nice long leather boots.The last pair of long ones I had was when I was 18 !!.Then we went to the Garden centre as Janice wanted to get some lights like the ones I have.it was heaving there.
I have dinner all ready to get going when we get back from Fitz.The Beef Joint was cooked this morning so I just need to whack the Potatoes and Veg in to roast and heat up the Beef and gravy,
Now I just need to change my top and we are off.Probably won't be back here again tonight .Must dash now

Afternoon all,

We had a visit this afternoon from some old friends, they have been here for nearly three hours. We have caught up on so many things, the time just flew by.

Now got to think what we are having tonight. Indian/Chinese. I think it might be Indian as we had Chinese on Wednesday.

Thanks Will for your card. Nice little drawing of the church.

Had an agreement with Ros, I will say halo, but won't be to sociable with Harvey and Julia.

Going to sort out a meal now.

we managed to buy a good tree this morning in the first garden centre we went to , OH did a bargain with the fella who was outside selling them,
the man wanted £50 in cash for the tree and OH said if it's that price I will have to go inside and use my credit card cos I only have £45 in cash the tree man said done , 1 tree sold for £45 , It's a good one, doesn't shed any needles and we measured it against Daniele who is 6ft 4" and the tree is a bit taller and very full which is what we wanted.

Couldn't get Sofia & Matteo out of the garden centre , they loved all the moving polar bears and penguins, and sparkly trees,
Every time I started to walk Matteo kept shouting GRAN GRAN look Penguins. his little eyes were wide open with a cheeky grin. This is the first time he has really noticed and seen all the Christmas fun, last year he was only a year old and in his buggy fast asleep.
<3 <3

You're very welcome Frank, nearest I could get to your area. I thought it would be nice to give them an airing as Christmas cards.

We went to the Christmas Fayre but I'm afraid it wasn't very exciting, we just won a jar of sweet piccalilli on the bottle tombola. Carmel doesn't like it but I love it. It's one of those things I can taste before I even open the jar! The one we went to last Saturday Carmel had a pounds worth of tickets (five) and ending up winning SIX prizes - luck of the Irish!!! Me, I didn't get anything. But I do have a wonderful wife LOL

Carmel's eye is playing her up today and is painful. I can only advise eye baths and using the dry eye drops. It will probably be okay tomorrow I hope.

Try and post more rubbish now. Hope Ann and Jane are okay, would have sent them cards but I don't have addresses.

TTFN

Hi All,

This is the first time I have been on the pc today as oh was doing something with it this morning when I got up and it took ages as usual. Then I started wiring things for the rings and went up the shop.

The car is playing up a bit,. I keep getting lights come up for skidding and engine problems, a pic of a car with a spanner across it. Yesterday I lifted up the boot lid and it came down on my head, I was not amused...................Today I opened it and it stayed up!!!!!!!! so I shall have to be careful loading anything in it and expect it to come down on me.

William so sorry to hear about Carmel. Mum had that and she had injuections in her eye as she had a bleed on the retina. Shirl is having the same thing I think. Mum was 85 when she started having the injections.

Thanks to Gill for the Christmas card which arrived today.

Frank I am glad you have sorted it with Ros. Now keep your cool and just be pleasent and take yourself off in another room.

Oh is full of cold and I had to get him sucky sweets and cough stuff when I went up the hsop. He is now on the whiskey.

Probably get him a chilli for dinner and I will have a couple of boiled eggs as even cooking chilli lately gives my indigestion.