General Chat

Afternoon All
It is certainly April showers today :-S. Not nice at all and dark too. Lucky Mel and Gill to actually get the sun :-D
Crikey Frank, that was a couple of weird dreams last night LOL Getting into trouble as usual :-D :-D

The card I ordered has been despatched so should be here in the next 2 or 3 days. It has to be signed for !!!! which seems a bit strange just for a card.

Did you get hold of your roofer Gill? I am waiting to hear from our plumber who is due this week to do the service on the Hot Water Cylinder . As usual he hasn't got back to me yet to say which day :-S
I have prepared most of dinner. Not a lot to do ,just Cauliflower Cheese, Cubed Potatoes to go in the oven with Sausages. Mash for James as I have a pouch of Onion and Shallot Gravy which he loves and that will be good with the mash.I'll do peas for the other veg.
It is Janice's Birthday today. I doubt they will have been out for lunch or anything as I expect they will have had to have the children again .I know she cant wait for them to back to school :-D
Brrr ! I feel a bit chilly ,but have a short sleeve jumper on ,so I am off to get something a little warmer.

Afternoon you lot. !!!

Still a dank old day here. I had to put the lights on at 3.00 pm It 's not suppose to be dark till after 7.00 pm. Blooming weather.

Mandy, I really don't know where these drams come from. I haven't been watching any weird programmes on Tele, and I can't remember ever going to PADDINGTON Station lol lol

Ros is putting a note in the village "Round and About" begging for more Wool for these Muffs she's making. When Harvey was up, he took one back for the ladies Mother that he does all the work for. She is in a home where lots of patients suffer with Dementia. He is expecting a flood of orders, once the others sees her's. lol lol Carolyn and Martine together with Ros are getting through mass's of wool.. A lot of it came from Women who have it over from knitting projects.

All I have done today is shower and shave and prepare dinner for tonight. I am half way through my latest book, which I am enjoying very much. I will have to get more of this same author from eBay The prices are very good for 2nd hand books, and they will be passed on to Tony, who in turn will pass them on and on. Then they go to the Charity shop, and no doubt start another journey.

Jan rang this morning saying Conrad had tried ringing us all day yesterday, but got no reply. WE WERE HERE ALL DAY. The phone never rang once.

I haven't spoke to Simon yet about if he can get time off for the funeral. I have spoken to my SIL Fran and Susan her daughter, and they have both said they understand if we don't make it, as it's a long way to go for a ten minute service. I will ring him later to see what the score is.

Ros has just gone to the Drs. She has another water infection. I will be glad when they get this operation sorted out, so she can get back to some normality.

I didn't get to see the card Jane, but I suppose us men don't go gooey eyed over such things. lol lol

Really not looking forward to my dinner tonight Pork in an onion Gravy, with potato's, Cauli, Broch, and boiled Parsnips. Roa can always eat a good dinner, where as I tend to eat a little, and throw the rest away.

Enjoy the rest of your day. See you in the morning.

Dull old morning and now raining quite hard!! Went shopping directly after breakfast and we were back here by 11.15! Talked to M as he had rung while we are out!, walked Cas, then homemade soup for lunch. We've spent the afternoon finishing watching 'Tess' and now it's a COT + piece of cake!!
I've got cards too from when we got married Mandy, and the cards/baby book from when M was born till he was five!!! makes for amusing reading 53 years along the line! I didn't have a book for L, and any cards seem to have disappeared! :-(
Gracious Frank, you did have a wierd dream!!

I have my cards from our wedding and ,the cards when the children were born and a ton of condolence cards for MUm and Dad, Plus Mums cards from her 21st and all the letters she and Dad sent eacother before they were married. I am sure my 2 will not be that bothered about having all these things after Chris and I go :-D. They all sit in boxes somewhere! Then there ALL these photos! There are many more still to uncover :-S

Frank there are going to be a lot more people soon enjoying all these Twiddle Muffs that Ros and friends are knitting. Does she sew things inside the Muffs as well as the outside? Sorry to hear she has yet another infection. No news yet as to when her op will be? It cant be doing her bladder any good to keep getting so many infections and then all the antibiotics she keeps having to take. Come on NHS get Ros her op !!!!!!

I dont know why you didnt get the pic of the card Frank.Its just a card lol I do notice when you sent me emails they come through on my old email address ! I will send you the right one as I dont use the BT one any more. It is the iCloud one.
Big clear out of the ensuite tomorrow as Chris will be decorating it later this week. I have so many old bottles of shampoos,shower stuff and a load of other things that just need ot be binned. MInd you Chris has enough in there too that I am sure he no longer uses. I did say he had to get his toothbrushes and all the paraphernalia he has for his teeth sorted.It does my head in.I think I shall go and find a separate pot for all his.(or maybe a bucket :-D)

I wish I had lit the fire now,it is so gloomy.But it isnt cold enough and now the heating is on
There must be someone new living down our road with 2 gorgeous Boxers. BUT I did notice the chap today going up the road with a Poo bag that obviously had contents,and on the way back he didnt have it. There are no bins along this road so I know he has flung the poo bag somewhere :-| :-| :-|. I can never understand why people do this. If they have picked it up they can carry it long enough to put it in their own damned bins . I know it is not nice to have to walk around carrying a bag of doggy doodoos but when you have a dog and take it for walks that is what you have to do. There, I have got that gripe off my chest.
On a nicer note I am looking at a lovely vase of Rainbow Tulips I bought yesterday.They are just beginning to open and look so pretty. Tulips are my favourite flowers at this time of year :-D

Message from the Plumber to say he will be here tomorrow around 4.30.. I shall wait and see and not hold my breath :-D

What an afternoon. We had lunch and I thought I would make some scones with the mixer and wash up everything together. First of all I measured out the flour and then I put a third of a teaspoon of bicarb in instead of a half a tsp. Then I put in the next thing salt i
half a tsp but I had used the third of a tsp measure so toolk a bit out. The the salt and rubbed in the marg turned the mixer on. It went lovely for a while and then I turned it up a bit faster. Click went something and smoke started to come out of it si I turned it off at the plug. Disgusted with it I threw the contents of the bowl in the dustbin. Oh came out and turned it on again to which it bellowed white smoke. Just as well he was a fireman!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! He took it outside to cool off.

I started again as I usually do with a clean bowl and ingredients and mixed it all up by hand and in the oven they went. Took them out when they were done and then oh comes out and tells me a new motor for it would be about £40. I said "Is it worth it?" throw the thing away. He has now taken it all apart and thinks it could just need a new motor and he has £10 off the next thing he orders on some sight he uses.

I had cleaned off the work surface in the kitchen and was just thinkinghow nice it was not to have things all over it and now it has a dead mixer laying on it all in bits...

I am right cheesed off but I have some lovely homemade scones to have with jam and cotted cream and a cuppa now. :-D

Sorry Mel I did have a chuckle there :-D. Would it not be easier and quicker to just buy a new mixer.At least you ended up with some scrumptious scones and best of all CLOTTED CREAM :-D I haven't had proper (what I call proper clotted cream for ages)
I can get it in Tesco but it is the tiniest pot. Hardly enough for one scone :-S

I am hoping the rain is stopping now .It looks like it could be. Thomas really needs to go out.
Has anyone seen this new game called Speak out( I think that is what it is called) You have to put this thing in your mouth and try and describe what you are saying? I did see it on tv the other day . I have a video clip of Hannah doing it !!!! Gareth says he is going to buy this game and will bring it here when they come to stay next month!! It looks hilarious but not sure about shoving this big plastic thing in my mouth.

I think most people would take a smoking electrical appliance outside!! I can remember whipping a smoking hoover outside years ago- the smell and noise were appalling!!
Jane, I've got a suitcase full of maternal family photos from about 1870!! Grannies and aunts etc as well as old letters, postcards, me as a child, my parents wedding, and goodness knows what, as well as my paternal wartime stuff. No pics of my mother's first marriage though, just the church but not of them, which is a bit sad and odd. Also modern pics in a big box!! Ian has the same but mostly when he and his siblings were children in India, Eritrea, and other far flung places where their father was posted! No personal letters on either side, I expect they were destroyed! Both of ours are quite interested in family history so we've divided them as best we can.
Easy supper, chicken korma and rice!!

Mel i had to chuckle to when you said you had a dead mixer laying on your work
top now :-D and after all the work you did on it to get it all spick and span too, i expect some thing had seized up in it as it hadn't been used or a while.

Jane i looked at that game but i was put off after thinking about not being able to swallow properly and the dribbling LOL

Frank couldn't Ros get some cheap knitted sweaters from the charity shop and pull them out there would be quite a bit of wool from them to use for the muffs.

Max is fast asleep on the sofa and his tail is wagging :-D :-D so he's happy to see some one in his dreams .

Mandy I told Gareth I would have bibs for us all (because of dribbling LOL :-S) I am quite looking forward to this game really :-D. Not sure that Chris is. I think a few glasses of wine might make it even more fun :-D :-D

Liz it sounds like you have far more boxes and cases of pics and letters than me !!!. I love it when I start looking through everything but it is so time consuming! and it means I get nothing else done LOL
Max sounds like he has been having some good dreams(not like Franks :-D ) . Thomas has taken the plunge and gone.I did have to give him a little shove .He was sat by the litter tray just looking at it ,probably with legs crossed .

Good evening all

It has rained here all day and quite cold to start with.

The internet has been down all day but we had a letter a week ago saying this would happen as it is being updated we have Virgin Media for the tele and internet.

Jane what a pretty special card for Hannah and Gareth and a lovely keepsake to keep for the future. I have never heard of that game but it sounds like good fun and different. Our hairdresser another Mandy has two Hungarian Vizslas, they are lovely dogs but quite large.

Mandy, Max must had a lovely dream if he was wagging his tail our Boxers often used to grumble in their sleep as well, if only our pets could talk.

I have a lot of family photos from my Mum's side but I wish some of them had been written on the back to identify who the people are. I haven't looked at them for a long time.A lot of old postcards, ration books and several diaries from when my mum was a teenagers. I have so many photos from the boys were babies and all their school photos plus all of our boxers.

Mixer all packed up in a box redy to go to the dump. Its much quicker to do it all by hand and not so much washing up. I have a small hand mixer which I have used many times but its not as good as the one I had years ago.

Don't start on family photos. Mum threw most of nans out. They never got on. I have a few postcards to nan from grandad when she lived in Buckhurst Hill. I have seen the address on census too which makes it all come alive in your mind. I also had my baby book but goodness knows where that went or my sons for that matter. I know I did'nt fill much of it in as you never seemed to have the time when you had to deal with a new baby and I worked in the evenings too with mum selling dresses, coats skirts and blouses etc. Son was put in his carrycot and taken to work with me and brought home in his carrycot and put in his cot from there. Three times a week. He even had a cot at mums and playpen etc so I did'nt have any trouble in that score. My dad bathed him and put him to bed in his cot and I wrapped him tight in a blanket and put him in the car and took him home and he rarely woke up. It was just normal routine for him. When he was bigger we lived three bungalows up from mum so dad came over to ours to baby sit as hubby was on the lorries at that time and away the nights I worked.

Morning all

Raining here today. I've mis-placed the phone number for the roofer so I'll have to have a good look around today to see if I can find it. The plastic OH put up in the loft seems to be working so that's something, but it can't stay like that for long.

I'm going to take another look at my family tree today to see if I can find anymore American relatives. It's not easy researching America when all you have are names and not how they are all related to each other, plus no dates of birth. There are a few records on familysearch but they aren't always reliable as I've recently found out. All I have to go on really is an obit where it states some people he was related to but not which children go with which parents, or even who each person was married to, so it's a very long process and very confusing sometimes. I've been on this part of my family for weeks now and don't seem to be getting very far with them. I'm just hoping the other sister's stayed in the UK.

I can't get to the last page so did the post date thing, but everything is back to front so I'm not sure what order to read everything in.

I did notice that you have had to throw away your mixer Mel and after all that time you spent cleaning it too. The same thing happened to my mixer, I thought it was on fire and panicked a bit. Poor Sandra was in the bath at the time so I ran to the bathroom saying the kitchen was on fire, she came running out with a towel around her. OH was out at the time so I rang him and he came home straight away. I was shaking like a leaf for ages after. Luckily it was just a lot of smoke but very scary at the time. I was in a house fire when I was about 12 years old and all those memories came flooding back. Not something I'd like to go through again I can tell you.

Well, I'll get this posted and hope it goes through. I'll try and get to the end of the thread again later. Hope everyone is okay.

Oh dear! another dreary day! OH has been to have his blood tests this am, so that's that excitement out of the way!!
Anne I know what you mean about very old photos not having names/places on them. My granny and my mother had named some, but not others! I've managed to put names on a few, but I'm just not sure of all of them! The more modern ones are easily recognisable, but even so they need labelling as future generations won't know who they are! I didn't finish the baby book either! I filled in all the birthdays but after L was born, day to day happenings ceased to be recorded except now and again for both of them! I wish I had now, as what I did do makes for 'interesting' reading!!
I'm going to clean Cassie's teeth this morning. I've done them once or twice and she was a really good girl! The vet said to do them twice a week if possible, and bearing in mind how awful Millie's teeth got as she grew older, I shall try and persevere!

Good morning to all my ladies,

What a terrible day it was yesterday. :-| :-| :-| Ros had to go to the doctors at 4.30 pm and it was bucketing it down. She has another water infection. When the dr. dipped his stick in the sample, he said "IT LITE UP LIKE A CHRISTMAS TREE" What that meant I don't know. lol lol She also went on to Tesco, so caught . the afternoon traffic and didn't get home till 6.30 pm. I was having kittens wondering where she was. !!!

Having gone through a divorce, everything we had of the children etc. said with the Ex. So I have nothing as keepsakes from their childhood, other than a couple of photo's.

Our KENWOOD was a wedding present from Ros's Aunt and Uncle. Touch wood after almost FORTY YEARS it's still going strong, and used WHEN and I mean WHEN she makes cakes. lol lol.

That game sounds as though it could be dangerous, if someone swallowed whatever it is you put in your mouth.

Gill You had better find that ROOFERS number, with all this rain, you need to make sure your rook is safe.

Spoke to my sister last night. Her son Paul is taking her to the crematorium early for the funeral, as she will be in her wheel chair, and will need to be in there before people start arriving. Not somewhere I would like to sit and wait. :-| :-| :-|

Conrad rang last night also. He is looking out for a VILLA to rent while we are visiting. Jan is going out this week, so I expect she will CHASE him up a bit. Roa asked him where the best place was to get our EUROS. He said "CONRAD" Just get yourselves out here, and everything will be looked after. No way is he going to pay for everything while we are there.

Simon also rang this morning. He will have a word with Sally to what she thinks about us going to the funeral. It's such a long journey, and as the two families are not on speaking terms, there won't be an actual WAKE. He was separated from his wife for ELEVEN YEARS. even though not divorced.

No plans for today, other than sort out dinner. I did see that Ros has bought some Tesco Finest ready meals, so that could well be the answer for tonight. lol lol. That will leave me with my book. !!!

Have a good day whatever you are doing and stay safe. xxx

Morning all,

Got on here in a round a bout way at last. I have to go through the pages if I can get on General Chat so I can read your posts. If you have gone over a page and I need to go back to see what you have posted I get the Error Page and have to start all over again.
Its getting a real pest now.

Raining here too and has been on and off all night I think. I had a dreadful night and just could'nt go to sleep. Oh was talking a lot in his sleep and I was trying to work out what he was saying just to keep me occupied. It was 20 past 5 when I last looked at my watch and I still lay there for a while and could'nt get comfy. Needless to say I woke at 2 mins to 11.

Not a good start to a Donkey Day but at least I don't have to cook a meal tonight as oh will have a curry and I shall have something else quick.

Afternoon All
Another miserable day here too.At least the rain has stopped for now but it is a bit misty.

Gill I hope you have found the number for the roofer now.If not would he be on the internet and you could get the number that way ? At least no more wet is getting through for now.

Frank, I am sure they will understand if you are unable ot get to the funeral. It does sound such a long trip just for a very short time there.
I know what the Dr meant when he said the dip stick lit up like a Xmas tree LOL . Poor Ros must have a lot going on with the water infection.I hope it soon clears up again for her .

I bet Cas's teeth are gleaming now Liz after a good brush :-D.. Talking of dogs.My Sister's daughters dog Bently a Frenchie fell down the stairs yesterday and they thought he had broken one of his legs :-(. But the Vet says it isnt broken but badly strained and so it is all strapped up. He noticed that Bently had an abscess around a toe which must have been painful and that might have been the reason he fell. Finn was the only one at home when it happened and he couldnt get hold of Mum or Dad so guess who he called? Yes . Janice ! So it was Janice and Larry who had to get Bently to the Vets. On her birthday too. At least she had an enjoyable meal with the family in the evening.

Mel you had a busy time working when you were a new Mum. You were very lucky to have your Mum and Dad there to help out. . That is what I missed when I had my two. I had no family near at all. We have no photos of Chris as a baby or a little boy which I think it terribly sad. Not even a pic of his Mum who died when he was 3.

Gill ,that must have been terrifying for you to have been in a house fire.Was it a bad one? I hope you or anyone else was hurt in it. I have heard of quite a few food mixers that have gone up in smoke. I bet if I dragged my old one out from the back of the cupboard it could well do the same!. MInd you it hasn't been used very much.
Some of you here will remember when my shopping bag caught fire . I had unpacked my shopping as I always do on the worktop and hob .But one of the knobs for a ring had moved and turned on the front ring. I chucked Chester out in the garden and somehow managed to get the burning bag in the sink .The flames were pretty high ,and boy it was scary. I was just moments from calling ther fire brigade .
Juat had a letter throught he door to say there has been some vehicle crime in our road in the last 24hours. I expect someones car has been stolen or broken into on a driveway. Thankfully not here.
Lunch time now. I fancy an egg on toast :-D

Hi all, I am after some help again. For some reason I have lost the "little airplane" thingy that you click on to reply to emails, or send emails. WHERE DO I FIND IT. It just disappeared !!! I can't send a email to Conrad or anyone, so hope one of you can help. PRETY PLEASE. xxx

Ros has been busy painting the kitchen cupboard doors this morning. Everywhere stinks of paint and white spirit that she used to clean the bushes.

Still not really got bright today, it's not cold and here is hardly a breeze here.

I have had my head stuck in my book most of the day, except when getting my lunch (SEAFOOD COCKTAIL) I know Jane would have loved that. lol lol. and making tea for Ros. I have managed to get her to sit down now, and she is knitting !!!

Goodness Frank, I've no idea how to get the send arrow back or why it might have disappeared! All I can think to do is to ask Google and see if it comes up with a solution. Sorry I can't be more helpful!
Oh Jane! No photos of Chris as a baby or little boy? that, and his mum dying when he was so young is really very sad :-( yes the teeth are sparkling!! and the owner is fast asleep!! Lucky the leg wasn't broken!! Your sister seems permanently 'on duty'!!! I was the same as you when M was born as we lived in Cornwall then and it was 7 hours to Oxford!! When I had L my parents lived 4 miles away but my mother worked part time for my s-father, and to be honest I was pretty independent. (boarding school, and living in Cornwall/Dorset for three years I guess) and while it was lovely to see parents I didn't really want any help other than baby sitting now and again! Not sure that they would have wanted any more than that either! L on the other hand would have loved us to be closer but we were both working when our three G.C's were very small, and being run ragged in our spare time was a slight concern so we kept a reasonable distance!!
Frank, we've just watched a lovely programme about Patagonia! Well up your street, so if you come across it it's well worth watching! COT time, steak and chips for supper and another fascinating day comes to an end!!

Frank I wonder if you turn the pooter off and then back the little arrow might come back.
Oh the smell of paint. I have that to look forward to.In fact I shall be moving into the spare room tonight for the next few nights. I am quite looking forward to it actually as I might have Thomas as a bedmate :-D. Trouble is he sleeps right up at the side of the pillows and he is starting to moult :-S

The Plumber hasn't appeared :-S and no message :-S :-S. Why am I not shocked lol

I feel so bad for Chris with him not having any photos of him as a child or His Mum and Dad together . He did have a Sister too but after his Mum died she ran away as I think she couldnt cope with the pressure of having to look after Chris while their Dad worked. She was made to leave school at the age of 15 to care for him. Her name was never mentioned again :-( :-( :-(. I did suggest to Chris a few years ago we could try and trace her but the reply was a definite NO. I think he felt abandoned by her(which he was) but it must have been so hard for her,and I know Chris's Dad wasn't the easiest of people . But for him to lose his wife and then the Daughter must have been unimaginable .
Was Cas a good girl again having her teeth cleaned? I was totally useless at trying to clean our dogs teeth :-S There is no way I would attempt to clean Thomas's :-DI dont even know if cats teeth are supposed to be cleaned.

How did Donkey Day go Mel ? Was it to Bideford Morrisons?

My oven is pinging .

Hasn't it turned warm ?? I have had a T shirt and long sleeve shirt on today, as I am going to the pub to watch the football. I got so HOT this afternoon I stripped to the waist. I have just been to freshen up, and put my shirt back on and now I am baking hot again. The heating came on just now, so I have turned that off !!!

I will try turning everything off while I am out. and see what happens. WHO KNOWS ???