General Chat

I thought GR had everything sorted? I just got the dreaded error message again and had to get here via Google then do 100 pages at a time once more!!! Will it ever end?

Carmel has got an MRI scan due at Coventry Uni hospital on Friday August 9th in conjunction with her next head injections. Then this afternoon we had a phone call from the Chronic Pain Unit at the George Eliot Nuneaton to offer her a date of August 8th for her back pain procedure. She asked if it would be advisable as she was having the MRI the following day and they said no, she probably wouldn't be fit enough to go for the MRI. So they will call maybe a week or so later and offer her another date for the back procedure. Things always seem to come up at the same time in our lives, no wonder we write everything on calendars, in diaries and put them in my phone.!

We watched the 'Family' programme on TV the other night with Nicky Campbell & Divina McCall. What a result, I think the chances of finding the brother and sister, then eventually their mother must have been odds no bookie would want to take on.

Good work on the scratch cards Jane, well done. If (BIG 'IF') we get a small win on the lotto, say a tenner, we usually have scratch cards or a lucky dip or so, but we never win anything.

I'm glad your adoption worked out so well for you Jane. Carmel's sister over in Ireland adopted a girl after having her first girl child then knowing she couldn't have any more. We'll she couldn't have chosen better than Lesley, our niece. She is actually more of a daughter to Vera than her birth daughter. Blood isn't always what it's made out to be. We also have another friend down in Dorset who adopted a girl and the relationship has been so strong all along. I do love a happy ending. (I'm filling up :-\)

OK, I've had a busy day today doing 'indoors' things so I'm off to joing Carmel in front of the TV. Let's hope I don't doze off while WDYTYA is on LOL.

I think we all feel we 'know' each other well enough now after all these years of chatting on the thread to tell a few things that maybe we wouldn't have talked about in the early days.I think it is nice that we can :-D

Well I have had a very productive afternoon.I am ashamed to say I have filled a garden refuse sack plus another half full all from my bedroom drawers.Most of it is old toiletries ,creams,nail varnishes and just general junk that has been stuffed in rather than be chucked out.The half full bag will be full tomorrow when I clear drawers and shelves in the en suite.
I found quite a few things too that I had no idea were there.
The first baby cot duvet cover that Hannah had,and some muslin cloths that I used to put over my shoulder for baby sick !!! we call them muckies :-D
Hannah's first curl that was cut.
Both of Hannah and James's baby record books .
The Facts of life book that they both had.
and then the best thing was I found the lost earring (remember I lost it months ago) It was the one from the pair that Fitz and his OH gave me for my 50th .I am so happy to have found it :-D :-D

So I feel very pleased with myself for finally clearing out all that mess.

Tomorrow we will be looking after Meg .Poor thing will feel the heat as it looks like it will be about 30 deg.I will make sure she can lie under the fan as she has such a thick coat of hair.Her owners are going to London for the day to see War Horse at the theatre.Rather them than me in that heat.

Fiona seems like we have had the same idea having a bit of a clear out lol.

I wonder if Ann is cool enough at the cinema :-D.It will either be stuffy or freezing with air con.

Frank you have been unlucky with heavy rain........Still nothing much here.I just don't understand it.We have had big heavy black clouds and very dark at times but then the clouds just seemed to have floated off somewhere else lol

Dinner tonight is Pork Steaks,and a huge pan of roasted peppers,courgettes ,red onions,mushrooms,leeks,and charlotte potatoes.(with plenty of fresh thyme)

Do any of you buy Lottery Scratch cards?.I very rarely do but I bought 2 at the weekend and won £20 and another today and got £3.Not bad eh!

Ann you are right .I do feel so grateful for being adopted.Most of my birth siblings went into care.The one sister who was alive was separated from the boys.They went to a boys home and she went to a girls.How dreadful that must have been.
I know Joe (one of my B Brothers) says the only home he remembers was the childrens home,and he never had an answer from B Mother as to why they were in care.I think they must have been living in poverty and maybe when I came along it was just best for me to be adopted and the others taken or given into care.One girl had died from TB and Meningitis just the year before I was born.I think she was 7.
But then B Mother moved to London after my birth and had 2 more.Peter and Melanie.Neither ended up living with their mother.So that is 8 children with 6 different fathers and none stayed with her.!!!!.

Well I can actually see some blue sky :-D :-D.First time today.

Hi everyone,what a rainy old day it's been here. I was looking out at the sky at 5.15am again this morning (I have this arrangement with our bathroom LOL) and it had all the makings of a pink background with long stringing clouds as the sun hit the horizon well out of might sight. It was fascinating watching it change as I stood there. Who would have believed that by the time I got up again at 7 it was rain rain and more rain!

I was reading your reports on lack of love or anything else on the part of either your mother or father. I never gave it a thought but I must have been very lucky with my parents. My Mum was absolutely lovely, can't say a bad thing about her. My Dad was moody, when he was in a good mood life was great, but a bad mood - well, just stay out of his way. He wasn't violent and didn't shout, it was just 'something'. When he was like that, my Mum would just shake her head at me behind his back as if to say - "just keep quiet, I'll deal with it". But he wasn't averse to a cuddle, he would take me interesting places and he had a good sense of humour - at the right time. He never changed, but I have to admit he did leave me a great legacy of being able to look after myself, have good manners, and always treat others with respect.
Mum was a 'people person', never happier than have folk visit, entertain my brothers friend, (when Dad was on his shift work) but always in the background. She was never happier than when other people were happy. I still miss her after all these years, but I'm sure she's looking over me. I just regret that she died a year before I met Carmel, I would have loved for them to have known each other.
All I know is that they both did their best for my brother and myself. Dad worked continuous shifts on the railway (Stratford & Temple Mills, Frank will know them - LNER/BR) Mum also worked, and they managed it all between them.

That really is a lovely pic of you Ann, very glamorous.

I can't believe a parent would say such awful things to their child, it's a wonder you have turned out a lovely caring 'normal' good humoured person, no thanks to your parents. Why on earth did they have children in the first place, well I guess there was no birth control then.

Alfie still sits on the router and the base of the iron but gave both a miss in the hot weather.

I don't think it will be sun bathing weather in Spain, we are not going anywhere near a beach. Daughter has booked a villa in Alcala La Real, Jaen about 40 minutes in land from Granada and 30 mins drive from where her dad lives. He hasn't met Harry or Chloe yet so she wants him to see them I told her she had better warn him I will be going too. Haven't seen him or the village in over 20 years......should be interesting.......she said she would tell him just before we go as she doesn't want him getting too excited :-0

I obviously haven't got very green fingers as all my stuff is way behind everyone elses, loads of toms all green, no sign of a cue or a pepper not even any flower on the peppers.

As Jane said David, some things are not meant to be, at least you have Ellen. Know what you mean about who's next, when my mum died I felt like I had moved up the ladder just one rung away from my brother who is perched at the top. You saying about your aunt Jane reminded me of one of the tales my mum told me, I do miss her stories about the family, my gran had five children and her sister didn't have any so she gave her one of her daughters, but the daughter was so unhappy away from all her siblings that eventually she went back to my gran.

Missed you there David,

I think I have said before I/WE are always here for an ear bending, if you have something to get of your chest.

From what I can remember, my Dad was from a family of 13 and my mum a similar amount of brothers and sisters. I only knew one uncle JOE and Aunt HETIE on my Mums side and one aunt Annie on my dads side. I never knew my dads parents, and only knew granny BAKER on my Mums side. Never went to any funerals on either side of the family.

I was born in 1938. My Grandmother died in 1954, my father in 1958 and my mother in 1980.

It's so nice that you have good memories of your family. Unfortunately I only remember my mother as very good supplier of necessities in life, but when it came to love and affection . she was way down the pecking order. I can never remember sitting on her lap, having a story told to me at night, or anything where affection came into life.

I must say in her defence, she had two sons in the front line of war and her husband , even though to old to serve was still very much involved in the war effort. Which left her with a daughter of 16, and five children ages one to eight to care for throughout the war years.

My eldest Brother was on the MTBs in the channel, and was torpedoed 4 times. As a stoker he was the last out of the boat. On one occasion he was able to tear the ENSIGN from the mast, which my mother had to her dying day, tucked in amongst other treasures to her in a draw in her dressing table.

When you mention SKELPED, I take it that what we called a good hiding. My mother certainly knew how to do that.As we got older my Father would dish out the punishment, and that was a rather wide trouser belt, that was laid, or should I say thrashed across your backside. Hidden from any prying eyes at school, and in those days you never said a word.

I have just unloaded memories that I thought I would never reveal

I'm off before I go on and onnnnnnnnn

Oh Ann, you are getting your nickers in a twist. !!! It's very bad of the nurse not to go and look. There must be more than one in the surgery. I think I would have spoken up, there and then. "DON'T MESS WITH MR. B " As it happened, the last time I had my bloods, and pressure done, she had to go and find a machine, no big real :-P :-P

Well, I can't believe the amount of rain we have had today. It would rain for an hour, then ten minutes break and start again. The sky overhead is so black, I think we are going to get another downpour . In fact it's just starting.

What a lazy day we have had. I read for a while and had a few zzz. Hope it won't stop me sleeping tonight. Ros has been doing a big jigsaw The dinning room table is covered She has one of these jigsaw cases, that you do the jigsaw on, then you can zip up and keep it for another day but then you have to put all the pieces in the box that you haven't used and start again.

Hope Mel had a good day out today. As I said there are so many nice places to go, down there.

On my own tomorrow, Ros is off to her "STITCHERY DO" at the new Scout Hut tomorrow 9.30 am to 3.30 ish in the afternoon.

Fiona, Madam keeps all family greetings cards. I don't treat them as being so important. Perhaps it's a girls thing.

I have (WELL Ros did) have a sort out of two of my cupboards. She has TWO black bin liners full of jumpers, shorts, T shirts and anything else she doesn't think fits op I won't wear again. They will go to the Air Ambulance, when we next get a bag through the door. If they don't come soon, the lot can go to another Charity shop.

My Ann, you were a little cracker when you were younger How many years ago was that taken. ???

I was born at the tail end of WW2 and for a for years we lived in one room in my GF's rented house. Money was scarce and Father often worked awy.
Then with 2 younger brothers it must have been very difficult for my Mother.
Sometimes under stress she had a temper and I got skelped more than once,but always for disobedience.She was a lovely woman and is still missed.
My Father died June 1990 and Mother died January 1994.
Mother was part of a big family,so I have cousins,somewhere.
I have a neice and a nephew but last time I saw them was at Mother's funeral.

Funny things funerals. They hit us all in differant ways ie shock,grief,anger,remorse,what if?
As we get older we must sometimes wonder,who's next?
I know they are inevitable. I've made a will.Talk to GOD at least once a day.

There's people would call you demented for that. You coannot win.
Nice to have people to communicate with on this thread.

hi Everyone,

Dull day and coolish, been out for usual coffee, after lunch started to clean out bedroom cupboards, Why Oh why do I keep every birthday , Anniversary, Mothers day cards from people, to many cards cluttering up the cupboards have gone through them and just kept close family cards and a few friends ones. also have all my old nursery books with old routines and information, have thrown them out, also counted 20 funeral service leaflets of folk who have passed away that went to my church, hard to part with them to many memories (put them back in cupboard for another day :-| :-(

OH getting on with green house has all most completed the glass panes in roof, not allowed :-D :-D to speak to him while he is fitting the glass Too distracting, yesterday i ask a question and he turned round hit his head on the metal frame :-| :-| Grrrrr,

Frank I had a bad night last night too.......didn't get off to sleep till gone 3.00am and had to be up to go to the surgery at 7.30am. Told OH I might be nodding off in the film!! The last time I nodded off in the cinema was when Jurassic Park was on. I wasn't very well with a chest infection and OH always laughs and says it took dinosaur roars to wake me up!! lol. It is funny weather today, still humid, I really don't know what to wear for the best in the cinema. :-S

Afternoon All,

Yes Jane, I couldn't even imagine saying such cruel things to a child. Hearing these things must make you glad you were adopted!

I would be married and age 24 in the new pic. We had one wall in the lounge a bright orange that was trendy then. lol. I'm wearing a favourite dress too. It was midi length and had a black, gold edged bodice that laced at the front with gold cord so you could pull it tight like a corset!! I loved it and wore it no end. :-)

I did my monthly BP check last night and did a few readings as 2 seemed a bit high. When I went for my blood test this morning I asked the nurse if she would mind checking it in case our digital thing at home was faulty. The district nurse said she couldn't do it, but the other nurse that was with her in the room could. Well, the other nurse said there was no BP machine in the room and shrugged her shoulders, saying she didn't know where there was one, so I would be best to book another appointment with a nurse! :-S I was flabberghasted as surely she only needed to pop in one of the other nurses rooms and ask to borrow one. Also, are the surgery profits so important they won't buy enough to go round?? I was quite cross about it, so I am now going to take our BP monitor to the chemist nextdoor to them tomorrow and ask them to check my BP with their and then my monitor. They are certainly more helpful.

We nipped into town earlier......in the rain......so OH could pop into his bank and then had a look in the R*nge and a few shops. We are off to see the film in a couple of hours and there is a little cafe there where they do nice jacket potatoes so we'll be having those first. ;-)

They have been doing more excavating where they found Richard 111 and have removed a stone coffin with a sealed lead coffin inside it. They think it may well be older than Richard's burial and to lift the stone lid alone took 8 men.

Bit quiet here today !
It is so humid now ,and we've had just a bit of rain.Not a lot and not enough to do the garden much good.

I've just dyed some trousers and shorts in the machine as they were faded .Black.
I always worry that there will still be some lingering dye in the machine even though it had had a couple of wash throughs.I must make sure the next load to go in is a dark wash :-D
Going to watch Doctors now and then sort these drawers out

Morning all/Evening Kim,

Funny old day here to Jane, Quite a breeze and very cloudy. Had rain earlier and it looks like we could get more.

Had a lot of cramp in both legs last night. Hence not a very good night. I could have easily turned over and gone back to sleep.

Ros has the ironing to do this morning, and she is doing a curry for tonight, so I am redundant. Anyone need a HANDY MAN today ??? You will have to collect me :-D :

Postman just called FOUR envelopes from Cancer research, three from BT broadband. They (the postmen) must have so many to deliver, he just pushed then through anyone's letter box's till they are all gone. What a waste for that Charity.. Ros has a standing order for CR each month, as both her M & D died with it.

They did pester us with phone calls, asking for bigger donations. Once I had told them they should be grateful for what we give, and if they continued to pester. I would cancel the monthly D/D. I never hear from them !!!

I have just received TWO KILOS of Pontfract Cakes for Ros, She eats a few every night.. !!!

I'm going to get my book and sit and have a read, and perhaps a few zzz in the conservatoty.

Going to Rosemoor with Chrissy today as the boys have gone fishing together. Boys day out and they are bringing fish and chips in for dinner.

Hav'nt caught up with your posts yet but thanks for the pics sent William and Frank.

Morning/Evening All
Internet still really bad here so it will be hit and miss as to whether I get back on.

Oh Ann,what terrible things for your parents to say.I'm lost for words (that doesn't happen often lol) Love the new pic.How old are you in this one?

I have so much rubbish stuffed away in drawers upstairs ,so I'm going to turn them all out and fill the skip up a bit more :-D

It's funny weather,brightish but with a very light drizzle.

Hopefully I get back later.

Frank, that brought back a memory.......sitting at the bottom of the garden where no-one could see me and hugging and cuddling my pet rabbit with her little face pressed against my cheek. It was so comforting to have that warm contact. Similar phrases are etched on my memory too...HAVING YOU RUINED OUR LIVES and I RUE THE DAY YOU WERE BORN and my mother saying it was a PRISON SENTENCE and she couldn't start LIVING till we'd gone! I know all parents say things tongue in cheek, but these were said very forcefully in anger.

Maureen, you will be out sunning yourself again on Thursday then! Which part of Spain will you be going to.......not Marbella I would think!! How is little Alfie doing these days? OH still mentions that photo you sent of him sitting on the router where it was warm.

Have just spent 20 minutes DELETING POSTING. there must have been 15 or more. So much for genes sorting out the troubles !!!

I still enjoy a good western too. We were wondering whether to see the new Lone Ranger film with Johnny Depp. It doesn't have great writeups, but neither did Wyatt Earp a few years ago and we really enjoyed that. We are going to see the film Tuesday in February tomorrow. It is set in 1913 so there should be some nice old motors in it! I think it is about 2 men who fall in love with the same woman.

We had to get a new kettle today, but the base of the old one is ok so we've saved that as it fits the new one. Gawd knows what bin we should put the old one in as the jug bit is plastic......the rest metal!! OH can decide that one!

I was thinking today that there are no ladybirds in the garden, yet there were quite a few in the spring. We had hardly any of the red spiders that we usually get and I haven't seen any flying ants either, no little black beetles from the oilseed rape either? Did the winter or all the rain earlier in the year finish them off?

No rain here today though even though it was forecast from lunchtime. Have to be up early tomorrow ..........blood test for my thyroid again.

Evening all,

Apology from Genes, and they say it's all sorted now. We will see !!!

That was a bargain Will. when I think the time Ros spent doing the tapestry for the village,.hours and hours. You just can't put a price on it.

Glad you had a nice time Mandy. That poor woman, reminded me of when Ros and I took her Mum and Dad with the boys to Cornwall. We were sitting on the beach, the boys were climbing on the rocks, when a massive wave came from nowhere, crashed up the beech and swamped everything. Mum was sitting in a chair and the wave went right up her bottom. The portable radio, all the blankets and food went out to sea on the wave, I had the job of going down the beech and recovering everything. Everybody around us were in the same situation. You had to laught about it afterwards. :-D :-D :-D

Will, earlier I watch Michael Portillo on his train rides about Britain.. This week he was in Great Yarmouth. Back in the late 1800s they completed the railway to London. Yarmouth would catch 125,000 tons of Herrings a year. The train would bring the fisher women down from Scotland and down the East coast as the Herrings moved south. The railway would then transport the fish to Market in London. The fisher woman could gut a Herring every second. They tried a machine but it was a lot slower. !!!

Ann, I know how you feel. Ros could never understand why I always wanted cuddles, and affection. Never once in my like did I hear my mother say "I LOVE YOU", but remember very vividly her saying "I DREAD THE DAY GOD PUT BREATH IN YOUR BODY" I know they had hard times living through Two Wars. but so did many others., but didn't have that terrible attitude towards their children.
I am pleased to say, that can never be said of me.!!

David, Like a lot of my friends, they weren't blessed with children, but were very happy as they were. I am sure you are both very nice people, with or without children. There were times when all parents thought that the children were a pain in the backside, and what were they doing having them !!

Oh I see you need BED TESTERS, then Jane, lol after all the family sleeping in it, it might soften up for you. :-D :-D :-D :-D

Mel, did you have a good day out??

Ros came home loaded with "CHRISTMAS PRESENTS" they went into Homesens# and there was a big sale. She bought presents for our old neighbours children, Jan's granddaughter, one of her daughters, Julia and Harvey, and a couple of others. The games she bought for the old neighbours boys had been reduced many times from £20.00 down to a final price of £3.00. At those prices, she can go again.

Well off for a couple of beers and a bit of telly.

See you in the morning. God bless all.

I used to love Westerns too. In fact I still like a good one. I think Glen Ford was one of my favourite but of course, Big John is watchable any time.

Not much on TV tonight. It's always everything or nothing. I might do some ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ's on the couch instead! :-D

I'll look that place up Ann, I don't know that direction, but if Carmel has a good day - the weather has a good day - and I have a good day - well, we just might find our way over there. We have some friends over the other end of the Narborough Road we are overdue to see too. They took us to a lovely park near them one time.

Evening All,

Has the font changed on GR??

I always try to think kind thoughts David......but not of my Father. He wasn't protective at all, frankly he was an arrogant, controlling bully with a vile temper. (well, that's what a counsellor told me!). A protective father has your best interests at heart .......mine didn't. Back to thinking nice thoughts now! :-)

Was it Manolito in the Ponderosa......I remember liking him.

Jane, I like a hard bed as long as the surface is soft!! It seems to help my back. :-) What a palaver if the mattress has to be changed!

Mandy it sounds like you timed everything well! That poor lady soaking her bag, I hope nothing in it got ruined. I think all the fresh air at the sea does make you sleep well.

I wonder if Mel did the train ride? OH and I like to find little rail trips when we are away. You see different things then and get right into the countryside.

OH was really glad to get rid of the monitor today, but slept better than he expected. His arm was all pink where the armband had been, so it must have squeezed quite tight.

Frank, your beans are way ahead of ours, I've only picked about half a dozen. The tomatoes are in full swing now though and the one I thought would be yellow is red now. I did look to see if there was an assembly service for the garden furniture, but couldn't see one. I think I will email them though and see what they say is the best way to put the table together.

That little picture was a nice find for you William. If you ever want to go, the place where the little model village is at is Ken Bailey Garden Centre, Wistow, Leics. It's on the left as you go into the covered over part after the tills. It's easy to miss so just turn left there and it is down a path. There is a little tearoom there as well.

OH gets migraines occasionally and I was reading out a new treatment to him this morning.......a blast of ice up your nose!! He smiled at me in disbelief and then said 'I shall be alright then as you sometimes give me frosty looks and get up my nose'!! :-S :-S