General Chat

Liz I too think Ian is doing the sensible thing having the radiotherapy earlier rather than later although 40 minutes is quite a way to go every weekday for 7.5 weeks will you be going with him ? I had radiotherapy just after finishing the chemotherapy and I think it was the same length of time but only had to go to The Royal Berkshire in Reading not that far away although the traffic is always very bad. Good news about your teeth and being congratulated on their condition by the hygienist.

Frank pleased to hear Ros is eating well and good that you cook nice meals for her,I'ts a pity about your own appetite though, sorry to hear she is feeling uncomfortable when sitting down

Chatsworth is in the heart of the Peak District we used to visit the amazing gardens every time we went to our caravan which was about 6 times a Year for a week. Haddon Hall and Crich tram museum both places well worth a visit and lots of other places also plenty of scenic walks. I hope Jane & Chris have a lovely time there with good weather.

So Victor Meldrew has decided to be pleasant again Gill but only because he wants something done by the sound of it, crafty old devil, he has got a cheek hasn't he? I hope your OH gets a good result from having his BP monitored.

I haven't done much today apart from speaking to my eldest SIL on the phone for well over an hour, I was waiting for the plumber to come and fix the kitchen Tap, which had to be replaced with a new one the time I was given between 8 and ! but he got held up and came about 3.15 I pay a small amount each month to Home Serve so it didn't cost me any extra.

Thanks Anne, actually the hospital is about 17 miles away but it takes about 40 mins to get there as its all back roads apart from about 5 Miles of dual carriageway. I shall go to start with, but hopefully he'll be able to take himself sometimes. OH has to have a CT scan not an MRI, I tend to muddle the two!!
Have just had along chat with L and she sounded quite relieved that we're taking then bull by the horns so to speak, so that's good too.
Think it may rain tonight - hopefully!!

Oh dear Mel, the poor bird, like you said Nature can be cruel sometimes. So you have a sparkly bathroom now, ours could do with a deep clean on the grout, or even fresh grout. The tiling was done just over 10 years ago and there's only so much grout cleaning you can do before it needs updating.

I hope Jane and Chris have better weather than us, it's been raining here and it's very dark and cloudy. It sounds like you might be getting the rain soon Liz.

Yes, that was my thought Anne, Victor Meldrew being nice because he wants something. The last time he was nice he wanted us to take down a very large tree and only complained about the rubbish on his garden after we'd finished taking down his tree. Like you said crafty old devil. We're not doing the gap on his side until everything else is finished and even then we might not bother if he has another go.

That was good having your tap changed with no extra cost. We used to have an insurance plan like that but hardly ever used it so cancelled it to save wasting money. OH can changed taps and jobs like that so we didn't see the point in having the insurance in the end. It's handy though if you can't do these jobs yourself.

OH and I are going to have fun when we go to bed tonight.........HOLD THAT THOUGHT the BP monitor he's wearing beeps every hour and it's quite loud so I doubt we'll get much sleep. The nurse told him to put it under his pillow but I doubt it'll make much difference. At least it only goes off every two hours after 11pm so we'll wait until then to go to bed. Not sure how much sleep we're likely to get so we'll probably be like zombies tomorrow.

OH is happy, England has just won the football, he mentioned the football to the nurse so she will know why his BP might be up for a couple of hours. She said he wasn't the first man to tell her that today.

I'm just having another go at my family tree until Eastenders comes on.

I had to wear one of those some years ago Gill. It took my BP every hour!! Ok in the day , but the night was 's bit disturbed'!! I've never done it again as I've got my own BP monitor, so I take it at home for a few days every few w months and take the results into the surgery.
We're now in bed as we're both a bit knackered!!

I'll let you know how much sleep we got tomorrow or later if I give up on sleep Liz. I just hope OH will be okay when he takes the monitor back, I'm not sure what happens after that, he might need to go on some tablets for a while. To tell you the truth I'm quite worried about it all. Hope you have a good nights sleep.
Night Night

Oh Gill please don't worry too much. I've been on pills for high BP for the last 25 years(!!!) All that happens if your BP is persistently high is that you are put on medication to bring it down, the GP will monitor you as he/she sees fit and alter it accordingly if necessary. It's really no big deal and can be easily kept under control without any problems at all. It is important though as HP can be serious if left untreated. Is your OH having a cholesterol test? Again there are pills to keep that under control which OH and I have been on for years too! Hope the monitor didn't keep you awake!!!
Must go to breakfast, two pieces of toast and marmalade + a lovely cup of ground coffee! With a boiled egg only on Sundays!!!

Morning all,

The weather here is just the same as yesterday and the day before, wet dull, grey and generally miserable. What's it like with you lot?

Shopping day today so I shall be off to Morrisons to do the weekly task.

Yes how did you all sleep Gill? Hope you got some good rest.

Although we haven't had a lot of sun for the last couple of days the weather hasn't been too bad. With Ascot starting today I hope it doesn't rain but it's not unusual for ladies day to be a wash out. The main roads will be extra busy around here for the next few days because of the racing.

Gill sorry to hear you have been worried about your OH's blood pressure as Liz says it is easily managed with tablets. I also have my own monitor which when ever I go to the surgery I take my readings in, my diabetic Dr has taken me off the tablets now but I still take tablets for high cholesterol.

I too take pills for blood pressure as does oh and for cholesterol. I think most of us on here do Gill so don't worry.

I'm off now so be back later this afternoon.

Afternoon all,

Try not to worry Gill i too take tablets for high blood pressure and so does Colin I'm sure your OH will be fine .

I see OH has decided to have Radiotherapy Liz ,get that over and you will be able to go away and have a nice holiday ,i hope all goes well for him.

Nice and bright here this morning ,son came and cleaned out the back gutters and also cleaned the facia boards and the upstairs windows for us ,after they went home i cleaned the bottom windows ,there was lots of moss in the gutters and the birds keep chucking it out onto the patio ,Max keeps bringing it in doors making a mess.

I have a chicken in cooking we will have that cold later with salad and new potatoes.

Hope Ros had another good night and managed to get in the shower .

Afternoon to all my ladies.

Had n excellent nights sleep last night. I got out once during the night, and at 7,00 this morning. I felt so tired I went back to bed, and slept until the phone rang, and Ros bought me a COT that was 9.15. I got straight in the shower and got dressed. Carolyn came and picked us up at 10.30.

X ray was in and out within 30 minutes, the waiting room was very quiet for a change. I then stood outside for 30 minutes waiting for the girls to pick me up. We then went to Tesco's Ros sat in the coffee shop, while I did the shopping. I then joined them, and had a bottle of water. When we got back to the car I was as sick as a pig. Just water I am pleased to say.

Tony has bought my plate back, £25.00 for the repair I gave him an extra £5.00 for petrol and he is taking me to the hospital again for my eye appointment later this month.

Ros is being picked up this evening for Mother's Club. They are going to a Canal side pub at Stoke Bruerne. She will be able to sit outside while the main group go on a Treasure Hunt. I Will have a nice quiet night in doors.

Martine has just come over to see Ros, and bought two MASSIVE Bouquetes (sp) of flowers. I am not sure if we have enough vases to put them in.At the moment there are 5 vases full of flowers, around the bungalow.

No rain here even though it's very overcast.

Your tea/dinner sounds nice Mandy, I think I might roast a chicken tomorrow.

I put the lunchtime news on at 1.00 pm. and notices that on the min stations there is Football, Tennis, and Racing. thank goodness for Nat.Geo.

I expect Jane and Chris will be finding a lot of places to visit while they are away. Lets hope the weather stays fine.

I too take tablets for high BP and cholesterol. I just pop them in my mouth every morning with my others.

Ros has bought a dozen Runner bean plants, I will get those in tomorrow. The slugs and snails have eaten most of the ones we put in.

Time for a cuppa, so see you all soon.

Well Surprise Surprise ..It's only me :-D :-D :-D I did decide to bring my laptop in the end,but will not be using it much as I don't want to be glued to it (I do enough of that at home :-D).

Glad you and Ian made ot choice to beging his Radotherapy sooner Liz. Hopefully it will all be done and dusted in time for your trip to Austria for the wedding.

I hope the bleeps from the BP moniter weren't too disturbing Gill. Fingers crossed OH's BP isnt too high .Mine has crept up a little the last few years but not by much.
Ros seems to be doing ok which is really great Frank, and your house must seem like a florists LOL

Anne to people around you make loads of money by letting out spare rooms when it is Ascot? I know my Sister says that happens down there for the Cheltenham Gold Cup .She says she could have made a bomb if she had been able to do that. But with children and then Grandchildren taking up all the beds she missed out :-S

Oh Mel I would have hated to see that bird dragged off like that :-( I hope it didn't have babies left behind to feed !.

Well here we are . Chatsworth House today .Wow what a place that is . The house it self is quite overwhelming really and difficult to take everything in properly.It was so hot in there though I was glad to get out in the end for some fresh air. (glad I took my hand flappy fan) . We then sat out and had a cold drink before I got on one of these buggy things for a ride around the gardens.( I would not have been able to walk) Chris had a wander around the gardens on his own for the 40 mins I was 'on tour' :-D. The girl driving the buggy was excellent in describing everything and telling the history of the various things in the grounds. Lunch there and then a visit to the Chatsworth Farm Shop . OMG what a farm shop that is. Going back again on Saturday on the way home :-DI think I am going to make space in my freezer for the lovely meats I will be buying :-)
Yesterday was Market Day in Bakewell(LIvestock Market too). It was absolutely heaving there. We managed get a table outside at a Pub in the town and had the biggest plate of Fish and Chips I have ever seen. It was so good. But I felt really sick afterwards.I think I had just eaten too much :-S. We will go back and have another visit to Bakewell as it wont be as crazy as it was yesterday. Must find the Bakewell Pudding Shop :-D We did pass it .

Our cottage is blooming marvellous. I love it but it is a bit too modern and blingy for Chris's taste. He says it is like a New York Chic Apartment !!!! Has he ever seen one?
We have Hugo Boss Bath Towels !!(I brought my own bath towel :-D) Not a cobweb to be seen here !!!!!. The date on one of the cottages says 1553 . It was a farm which was then sold off, then it was a craft centre that didnt do so well ,and now it is holiday accommodation . ~I love the ancient outside but also love the really up to date and modern interior . I have spent holidays in rather musty smelling old cottages with uncomfortable settees ,cobwebs so this for me is heaven :-D :-D..
It is looking a little back over the way now so don't know if we might be in for some rain this evening. We won't be going out again now as I have done enough walking for today.
Will send a couple of pics.

Jane lovely to hear from you but didn't expect to see you on here just yet but pleased to hear you enjoyed your visit to Chatsworth and Bakewell both lovely places.
Good photo of Bakewell's weir brings back many happy memories

I would imagine some people are taking advantage of Royal Ascot to let out spare rooms but I don't know anyone that does. The weather here has come out hot and sunny after a dull start ideal for the Fashion at the race course.

Enjoy the rest of your break :-D

Evening all

Sunny here after a dull cloudy start to the day, it's still pretty warm though so can't complain.

Thanks everyone for letting me know about BP tablets and that's it's nothing to worry about. OH's never been through anything like this before so it's all new to us. He said he has to phone the surgery in a week for the results but the doctor will ring before then if it's urgent and he needs to see Hubby. OH took the monitor back around 5pm today.

Mum came round today with my sister and told us that only six family members went to my cousin's wedding and that the wedding was very weird, I'm glad I wasn't invited now. I thought it was just OH, Sandra and I that weren't invited, but now know that wasn't the case.

OH slept okay last night, I kept waking up but that's not unusual for me so I kept an eye on OH who happily slept right through the night. He said he didn't feel his BP being taken apart from 7am this morning because he was starting to wake up. He got up to the loo then went back to sleep for a further 2 hours. So all in all not a bad night for him. I'm shattered so think it'll be an early night for me tonight.

Nice to hear from you Jane, I wasn't expecting it with you being away, it sounds like you're having a great time. Love the picture you sent.

Pleased to see you had a good nights sleep Frank, you must feel so much better for it. You were quick with your X-ray, it makes such a change, normally if you have an appointment you vary rarely go in on time, well, we don't anyway, they're always running late.

That was nice of your son to do a few jobs for you Mandy. I know what you mean about the birds throwing the moss all over the patio, they do it here too. OH cleaned some away above our kitchen door today. The nurse told him not to do anything heavy while he had the monitor on so he's been doing some small jobs that needed doing today. I think he'll be glad to be back to normal tomorrow though.

What a lovely picture from Jane and nice to hear from her too. It sounds like they are enjoying their time away already.

Did the hsopping and got back quite early today as I only went to Morrisons and left earlier so was home before 4pm. Then I had a fiddle in my shed and swept the cobwebs down and swept the shelf off.

So the moniter did'nt really stop oh sleeping then Gill. I bet he is pleased he has'nt got to do another night though. Sleep well tonight Gill to make up for last night.

Oh has gone off to bed . He has been mowing most of the day. It cleared up here just after I went out and was sunny in Bideford when I got there and still sunny here when I got home, in fact I was quite hot and had to take my shirt off and went out in the garden in just my vest t shirt without my arms covered. I have to keep them covered because of the midges and horse flies.

O dear Frank does that mean you won't have any of the beans I grew last year? You should have put some slug pellets down. X ray all over now then? when will you get the results? You only had those teeth this year Frank they should have mended them for nothing they did mine when they broke. Oh said you should have stuck them with super glue. Thats what he did once!!

Morning all,

Guess what? Its raining again this morning so I suppose that rules out gardening for today. I hope it clears up like it did yesterday but if not I have a few jobs I can do in my shed. The windows need cleaning for a start. I did sweep the cobwebs down yesterday and one spider got quite cross and hid under a flower pot saucer but when I moved that I grabbed it with the cloth and threw it out of the door. I expect its back in there today and it was a big one too. Big juicey body and legs!

How did you all sleep last night? I went out like a light what with shopping and doing stuff int he garden when I got home I was absolutely worn out. This morning my hands are giving me a bit of jip. I think its lifting the heavy bags of shopping from the trolley to the boot as this happens most weeks.

How's Ros this morning Frank? Did she enjoy her night out with the girls?

Morning Mel morning all

Not sure what the weather is doing here, it's quite cloudy but the sun is trying to come out, it was forecast to rain, but so far it hasn't.

Sorry to hear your hands are giving you jip Mel, have you thought of buying one of those shopping bags on wheels it would save you having to carry so many heavy bags?

I slept much better last night and feel the benefit of it today. OH is at his mates for the day so I might catch up with some programmes I've recorded with Sandra and also have another look at my family tree.

I took the quote round to Mr Grumpy next door and he said he couldn't give us his half of the money until Friday so there's nothing we can do at the moment regarding the new fence. Plenty of other jobs that need doing though in the front and back gardens so we won't be bored. I hope he keeps to his word and does pay half as all the plants have been removed from the boundary and it looks very open and bare between the two gardens.

We've decided to put some flag stones down by the front door, along the path instead of the loose stones we have now as they are getting kicked all over the place. I think it's the postman as he's now cutting through to next door instead of walking round. I suppose it makes sense for him to do it but it's making a right mess in our garden.

We were lucky as one of our neighbours was having a new drive done so has given us almost 60 flags. Once the front is done we've decided to put a pathway in the secret part of our back garden as it's just soil and gets very muddy and slippy there. So plenty for us to do while we wait for Mr Grumpy's half of the money.

We daren't buy the fencing and do the job in the front incase he changes his mind and doesn't pay us. (I wouldn't put it past him) The materials come to over £200 so it's only fair he pays half when it covers his side too and he's not doing any of the hard work himself, we're doing it all, so he's getting a good deal, I think. I suppose we'll just have to wait and see what happens on Friday.

Gill can you imagine me getting my weeks shopping in a trolley on wheels!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!I come out of Morrisons with a small trolly with eight bags piled in it and only have to lift them from the trolley into the car. I can only put two bottles f cider in one bag and the eight pints of milk on top of that in carrier bag then another Morrisons bag on top of that and so on.

I was just wondering if the fence that side is yours or his?

Not a bad morning here, cloudy and warm but no rain. OH has an eye test at 10.45, he has one once a year as his mother had glaucoma, then he's off to Waitrose to get some shopping; we've got M to supper tomorrow so will need some beer for him and some other bits and bobs. I must make a list!
Mel, perhaps you could ask one of the chaps at Morrisons to help you lift your bags into your car? I know at our Waitrose you only have to ask and someone will certainly come out and help.
Gill, if you're worried about any medical problems you can always go onto the NHS web site. Its really helpful in explaining just about everything! I've found it invaluable over the years for all sorts of niggly worries as you get correct information which you don't always on other medical sites.
Better get on with that list as OH is just off and I don't want him forgetting anything!!

I got my Cook's Notebook out to start the cake I make for Christmas and read the little note thats printed on the bottom of the page and it took me back to childhood. This is what it says.

There is good dripping toast by the fire in the evening. Good jelly dripping and crusty, home baked breas, with the mealy savour of ripe wheat roundly in your mouth and under your teeth, roasted sweet and crisp and deep brown, and covered with little pockets where dripping will hide and melt and shine in the light, deep down inside, ready to run when your teeth bite in. Butter is good too, mind. But I will have my butter with plain bread and butter, cut in the long slice, and I will say of its kind, there is nothing you will have better, especially if the butter is an hour out of the churn and spread tidy.

Richard Llewellyn

I wonder how long ago that was written?