General Chat

No I haven't Mel. That is the one thing that's good about not having Chester lol

My bedding is in the machine too :-D.So it will be all nice and fresh tonight.I'll be putting the same set back on.

I just had a bit of a shouting do at James :-S.Told I'm fed up with the main bathroom looking like a tip and that he is living like a pig in S***.I was told to keep my hair on !!!!!!.....My Dad used to say that a lot .(when Mum had a go about something )Nag Nag Nag :-D :-D.

Still waiting for the sun to come out .I don't think it will be too long as it is gradually breaking through the cloud.Hooray!!

Jane you hav'nt done that for a while!!

Frank you must learn to keep yourself under control when you have those injections!! As Jane said, poor Ros............................

Forgot to post my last post again. Just came to the pooter and it was still there. Think is may be losing it!! :-0

Off to strip the bed now and the sky is now blue, o happy days. We've waited a long while for days like these. :-D

Morning All and Evening Kim,

It was a bit cloudy whne I got up and there's a chilly breeze today but the sky is now clearing and the sun is shining and the washing machine has just stopped.

Oh has gone back up the borderto dig out more switch from under the magnolia Stellata.

Saw two hedgehogs last nightat what I thought was 12.15am. On coming in I glanced at the cooker clock and it wa 1.05am!!!!! Bl**dy watch had stopped. Another job to go and get a new battery for that.

Must sow some more lettuce in the tunnel and spring onions and beetroot. Also need to put my short beans in were they are going to go.

Must get washing on the line and get another load in. The trouble with nice weather is that you wear a lot more cloths!! One lot on and then a cooler lot and so on.

Morning/Evening All

No sun yet :-S.Just cloud.I think it supposed to be nice by lunch time .Fingers crossed.
Ooh Frank what did those injections do to you ;-) ;-)..Poor Ros lol
I hope that knee holds you up ok today.We have several of those supports knocking around here.

Chris is at the Dentist ,then when he gets back we will get the lounge curtains back up.It sounds so echoey with them down.After that I'm going to go and see if I can get a couple more summer tops.
But now I have the job of poop scooping (from Meg yesterday).Lovely job :-S

Gawd Frank, those injections weren't making you frisky were they! ;-) What a nuisance the knee letting you down like that. It sounds a good idea to wear the support it a bit till it's a bit stronger again. I don't envy Conrad in that heat, I don't think I would be able to get any work done if I was him!!

Yes, there is only Chris who hasn't had the lurgy at Jane's...... yet!! Last night when I spoke to her the cough still sounded quite bad, so they must all be worn out with it.

I feel really tired now so am off to bed........nice not to have to be up early tomorrow. :-) Nighty.....night x.

Knockout roses.

Rose Breeder, Bill Radler, has revolutionized the way we think of roses. With the creation of The Knock Out Rose, many say that he single-handedly brought rose genetics from the 20th Century into the 21st Century.

The Knock Out Rose, Radler's first commercial success and a 2000 AARS winner, has broken all records for sales of a new rose. Today The Knock Out Rose is the most widely sold rose in North America.

The Knock Out Family of Roses are easy to grow and do not require special care. They are the most disease resistant rose on the market. They have stunning flower power with a generous bloom cycle (about every 5-6 weeks) that will continue until the first hard frost. All of the Knock Out Roses are self-cleaning so there is no need to deadhead.

The Knock Out Family of Roses are winter hardy to USDA Zone 5 and heat tolerant throughout the entire U.S. They thrive in almost every area of the country. In the coldest regions, they will need winter protection.

If unpruned, The Knock Out Family of Roses can easily grow to be more than 3-4' wide x 3-4' tall. A once a year cut (to about 12" above the ground) in early spring (after the last hard frost) is also recommended for maximum performance.

The Knock Out Family of Roses can fit into any landscape. Plant them individually among shrubs, annuals and perennials in mixed beds and borders. Plant them in large groups to create a colorful hedge. Plant them along a foundation to provide a bright border. Want some more ideas? Check out our Knock Out® Family photo gallery to get inspired.

Research and development continues each year to find new members of The Knock Out Family of Roses. To assure that these new introductions meet the standards set by the original Knock Out® rose, all test varieties are evaluated for several years in a wide variety of climates and growing conditions at locations around the country. Only a fraction of the test varieties will meet the Knock Out® standards and will be introduced.

Evening all,

I will start with this mornings mail. A letter from the Drs. asking me to ring to make an appointment regarding my blood test. So like a good boy I rang. Told the receptionist, and she looked it up. AH she said. IT'S YOUR TESTOSTRINE LEVEL It's very low again. A voice from the other end of the lounge declared. YOU ARE NOT HAVING ANY MORE OF THOSE INJECTIONS. I am speaking with the doctor on Monday.

It's been a very dismal day here, no sun till after 4.30, then cloudy, and finally clear blue sky's. Lovely evening here now.

Ann, How on earth did you keep a straight face with that chap in the surgery , was he a vagrant ?? or a local. I think I would have ask him to leave the surgery till his appointment was called.

Yes Will I knew you were at the hospital this afternoon. Glad Carmel got the all clear for 6 moths. Ros has the same complaint, and has to stay away from spicy foods, or it gives her hell.

Ruby, Can't help with the Roses, but oh how I would love to have those humming birds in my garden. Whenever (not very often) I go to a zoo, I am always amazed at the tint little things, and how beautiful they are.

Jane I think you lot should go into quarantine , till you are all over the LURGY. I can just see an outbreak in Kettering General, caused by you lot lol lol.

Bloody knee let me down again this evening, I went down the lounge like a steam train, trying to get my balance. It's now strapped up in one of those knee supports.

Conrad managed to SKYPE us tonight. It's very hot out there, up to 30 degrees, and his office is a porta cabin, with no AIR CON. that will be fitted within two weeks.
Jan also skyped this evening and Ros Jan and Conrad had a three way conversation. Marvellous what technology can do.

<3 Happy Anniversary Mandy <3 Frank will be drooling about you getting a crab. :-D
That was kind of you to offer help William and much appreciated I'm sure. Good news for Carmel that things are under control.

I meant to say that there was a notice at the physio clinic saying 68 people didn't attend their appointment last week. Disgraceful isn't it and not showing any appreciation of our free NHS or thought for others that could have had their appointments. :-S

Shirl what a disappointment and after you have psyched yourself up as well.

Ruby, how wonderful to have those beautiful little birds come in your garden. I would be out with my camera trying to catch their fast little movements. I like the sound of those yoghurt places but haven't seen any here. :-( I looked at the Crookneck squash, but haven't seen those here either. Is this what's up with your roses Ruby? I hadn't heard of it before.

http://thedailysouth.southernliving.com/2013/04/21/is-knockout-rose-down-for-the-count/

Mum and dad used to take my brother and sister to Drayton Manor park in the 70s. It had fairground rides then and animals and was near Tamworth I think. As far as I can remember I've never been there.

Well, the waterfall is working well now with a bit stronger pump!! :-D :-D The electrician had put the connector on rather than a plug because its smaller to hide and you can actually submerge it in water so is completely safe. Now I can finish off putting a few more plants and chippings at the bottom to hide the pipe and cables and it will be another bit DONE!! We had a good old chinwag for hours as usual and he is chuffed with some Banana Custard Verbascum I gave him last year. He refused to take any payment and is retiring at the end of this month, but I'm sure he will be happy to carry on looking after us!! :-) He loves the little waterfall so I'm going to make him a surprise 65th birthday card with a photo of the waterfall on it!!

We finally have a clear blue sky......bit late in the day though.It started to shine about 3,30 but then disappeared again .I think it is supposed to be a cracking day tomorrow.I have no plans to go anywhere.We will just get the curtains back up in the lounge in the morning,and then I don't intend to do anything much other than a bit more weeding and chill :-D
Chris has the Dentist :-S,and I'm hoping thatJames and Jess might take themselves off somewhere.Although Jess now has the lurgy :-S.She has started coughing and blowing her nose.
We could probably make a musical with all our coughs, sneezes ,nose trumpeting,and sniffing. :-D :-D

Well this is a new one on me. I have just had a phone call from a chap in Italy who was asking if I ate Italian food. Yes says I but only anything without fish or prawns in it. He said he was doing a promotion for Olive oil and asked if I used it to which I replied yes. then I asked if he was selling something and he said "of course" to which I said Goodbye.

Been shopping and then watered the tunnel.

Shirl at least you got a reprieve from your injection for a while. Shame about the biop what a nusiance having to go again. They must think we have nothing better to do than rush off hither and thither to appointments.

Hqave taken a couple of pics of my bearded iris's and still waiting for one to come out to see if it's a different colour.

Oh is waiting for dinner so I better get it started. It is chicken curry so won't take long to do. Cheating with a tin of curry sauce! I have pomps too though. That should keep him quiet.

He has done loads of work in the garden today. Mowed the back lawn and the fronts and strimmed round the edge of the back garden and pond. He put in my bunny rabbits and asters this morning after digging out a load of twitch and bindweed from the top border. Yesterday he dug it roughly with the digger so he could get it or most of it out.

Goodness me I have missed lots of posts today.
Shirl ,sorry you had to miss your eye appointment ,and that you have to have another biopsy done .bit of a Bummer as we say :-|

Ruby how lovely to have Humming Birds.I would love to have them in my garden.I just love my birds.What are Knockout Bushes??? Never heard of them.Have not heard of the Yoghurt places either :-S

William that was really kind of you to give the lady your number.Hopefully it will give her peace of mind to know she has someone she can call on in an emergency.

LOL Ann an interesting time in the waiting room then :-D :-D.At least you know know what the trouble is in your side.Hopefully the exercises will do the trick.

Mandy ...I just knew you would buy a Crab :-D :-D.Glad you had a good day out on your Anniversary ...HAPPY ANNIVERSARY <3

Frank !!.Poor Ros having you land on her like that.I hope she is not too battered and bruised !
I hope I haven't missed anyone out .
Meg has just gone home and now I need to get dinner on the go.

Afternoon everyone,

We've had a lovely day out , Sheringham first and then on to Wells ,had a good walk round both places a nice lunch and bought a Crab for our tea in Wells but we're both still full so that's gone in the fridge for tomorrow .

Just going to have a nice cup of tea and a rest ,hubby's nodded off already !!

BBL

Frank, 'traveller' Will was up at the George Eliot with Carmel for the mouth clinic this afternoon! The specialist is pleased that her lichen planus is under control and we don't go back for another 6 months now. We were leaving the clinic area and on our way down to the pharmacy to collect her scrip's and cutting through the plaster room area when we heard our names called. It was our friend Nuala, in her dressing gown, in a hospital wheelchair, waiting to go in and see the fracture specialist. What a tale she had to tell - she fell outside her garage on Bank Holiday Monday and lay there half an hour before a neighbour found her. Her severely disabled husband was indoors unaware of what had happened. When the ambulance arrived they had to transport both her and her husband as there was no one to look after him. Social Services were called in and a place was found for him until she can get home and be well enough to care for him again. You're talking about folk in their 70's, so not an easy time. I made sure she had our phone number with the instructions to call if she needs anything at all, no arguments.

I thought of a couple of things the kids used to say when they were very very young. Our grandson couldn't say funny and would say '"you are gunny". My daughter used to get mixed up between spiders and flies and would say "There's a flyder, cull it, cull it." Now she's all for saving wildlife!

HI ALL -----------
TICKED OFF,- ALL SET TO HAVE EYE INJECTION THIS MORNING AND WAS CALLED OFF Dr ILL----- AND MY Dr RANG NEEDS AN OTHER BIOP LAST ONE WAS TO SMALL TO GET A RESULT ON :-( :-( :

WILL POST LATER SUNNY HERE

Afternoon All,

OK Frank, mum's the word!! ;-) Goodness fancy you squashing Ros like that.......I hope she wasn't dozing when you crash landed........I think if I landed on OH like that he'd need rescussitating.

I like the sage colour too Mel, but this colour is Wild Thyme. Your meal out yesterday sounds nice. I'm famished just now, but am waiting for the electrician to come to do the pump. I managed to get the new, bigger pipe in the right position at the top earlier with the rocks back as they were. If I hadn't the electrician would have wanted to do it and it was a fiddle to get just right the first time. I have a feeling he might not be here till late now and I wanted to go out later! :-S

I went to see the physio this morning and the verdict is that I have strained where a rib joins the spine. I have exercises to do and to go back in a month. While I was in the waiting room, various people were coming in, some on sticks, others with walkers so I felt a bit of a fraud. Anyway a chap probably in his 40s came in using his stick and went to reception. He was under 5 ft high and obviously had a few health problems by the way he walked and he was covered in those small lumps all amongst his beard and over the back of his hands like I have seen before on a tv health prog. (It made me feel a bit silly about bothering that the physio would see the zit on my back that came up overnight!!) Anyway, he was a bit dishevelled and had slits across the back of the thigh of one trouser leg and had many badges on the front of his jacket. He sat himself on a seat in a row that ran along the side of the room and proceeded to rummage noisily in a big plastic carrier bag he had. Out came another plastic bag which he peeled back equally noisily to reveal a thick sandwich which he proceeded to eat. After a few chomps, while he was looking around, a big piece of the sandwich fell off unnoticed, bounced off the floor and went under his seat. When he went to take the next chomp, he stopped, as the bit of his sandwich he was going to bite was gone! He looked in disbelief, then on his lap and the seat next to him, then looked at the rest of us as if to see if we were eating it!! Puzzled, he managed to leap to his feet to look around the floor and then he spotted it under his seat. Without any hesitation he snatched the piece up in his hand and transferred the whole of it to his mouth in a blink!!! I know hospitals are cleaner these days............ but you could see the carpet was a different colour under the chair!! I don't know if it was 'hairy' but next thing he was glugging down a bottle of squash out of the noisy bag. I was carefully pretending to read a leaflet while this happened and trying to keep a straight face. It's a good job OH wasn't there or it would have been harder. :-)

Hello to you all,

I feel prompted to write as I have just heard my first hummingbird of the season. I was out on the deck and It buzzed around me - I didn't actually see it, but I knew it was time for them, so I came in and put the kettle on to make their sugar water. I must get the feeders out. They give us so much pleasure every year. They are so amazing. They come right back and hover around where I normally hang the feeders, so I know that some of them were here before. In the winter they go down to Mexico or even further south, yet they are so tiny.

Graduation season here. High schools and colleges were last month. Yesterday I went to 7 yr. old grandson's graduation from second grade - they are now out for the summer. Tomorrow I will go to 5 yr. old G.G.D's graduation from Kindergarten. Yesterday, as a treat, we went to a frozen yoghurt establishment for dessert. I don't know if you have them, but you help yourself from about 24 different flavours (Those machines where you pull the handle), and you then add any toppings you want - at least 30 different items; nuts; m&m's; cherries and so on. Then you add syrup if you want. I had hot fudge. Lastly, you put your bowl up on a scale and pay accordingly. Nice for a special treat - very popular with the little ones.

I picked my first squash a few days ago (yellow crookneck), and more yesterday. I only have two plants, but they are beautiful plants and full of blooms. I want to ask you about Knockout roses. I know you are all wonderful gardeners! England has the most beautiful gardens anywhere. I had three bushes of Knockouts and have had to dig two of them up because they became deformed. Apparently it's quite commonplace here. Do you have the same problem at home? I don't do well with any other roses because we have to constantly spray - there are so many bugs ready to attack.

Gurt is a lovely word - well used in Wiltshire.

Have a good day Frank and all !!!!!!!

Morning all/Evening Kim,

Come on OWN UP who's pinched my sunshine. as you say Jane you can feel the dampness in the air. But it does look a little brighter out there.

Poor old Ros, She was lying I bed this morning, I went round her side to open the curtains, lost my balance and fell back on the bed. Well not the bed on HER. My hand landed on het chest and my bum on her BAD LEG. She was not a happy bunny.

I opened the patio door this morning and the little robin was sitting on the step, I think he might have been waiting for some food. Ros has bought some more suet blocks, so will have to put on out.

Ros gets that SAGE colour to do our fence in, it seems a very popular colour, as a background to all the shrubs and plants.

ANN, MUMS THE WORD. What the eye doesn't see the heart doesn't grieve. lol

She has just put out a line of coloureds so just hope it brightens, and not turn to rain.

I wonder if "TRAVELLER WILL" will be out and about today. He must know all the places around there for a cheap lunch, or afternoon teas..

Jane our friend Carolyn always has a dog from someone in the village, when they go away for weekends, she had two like us, but never replaced them, like us. She loves to "babysit" when she's in the Country, she misses not having pets

How many babies to we have Mel, any names been given ??

Our new neighbours decided to cut their back lawn yesterday afternoon. It's not as big as mine, but I bet they stopped and started a petrol mower at least 18 times during the mowing.. I was trying to relax and read my book, and kept thinking THANK GAWD that noise has stopped, then it would start again.

Nothing planed for today. I suppose Ros will plant up the little planters with the latest purchases.

"Have a nice day" as our American cousins would say.

Morning All and Evening Kim,

Another day of wall to wall blue sky here. We have been sitting out by the pond feeding Robby mealworms and the kestral flew through the garden very low and into the trees in our hedge. Not a bird around at the mo.

Morning/Evening All
Lucky you Fiona.No sun here I'm afraid,and I can feel a very very fine rain in the air.I think we may get a bit of sunshine later.Fingers crossed :-D.
Looks like I will have meg all day as the Grandson and his girlfriend have gone to Drayton Manor.I have heard of that but don't know where it is.It will be easier to just have Meg here rather than keep popping down to let her out.Plus it will be nice for her to have company.She is so good and quiet and either just has a mooch around the garden or sleeps.

Dusting for me now :-S

Thanks Ann
I painted my wishing well in Forget me not blue from Cuprinol shades, it has lasted well, painted parts of my bird table too but not so good on there will need to redo that.

Another lovely day here, meeting friends for coffee, then lunching with Katherine and doing a bit of a shop.

BBL