General Chat

Yes, looked at a dead person.
As a child and young teenager I never was taken or went to any relatives funerals. I must have been about 20 when I went to my first funeral which was my grandmothers in 1975. but I never went to see her in the chapel of rest,
since then I have now attended many funerals of relatives and friends, but still not wanting to see the deceased person before the service, then in 1999 my mum past away and I realised that I not only had to support my father in going to see my mum but I wanted and needed to say goodbye to her and I would never have forgiven my self if I had not gone.

After seeing mum a whole weight lifted of my shoulders and I realised that when the time comes that my dad passes on he's in his 80's now that I will be able to say goodbye to him. After Seeing my mum I felt very proud of myself.

Have you ever been asked to make the decision whether you want to be buried or cremated?

I have straight hair. In fact it's so straight that just to be perverse my favourite uncle always nicknamed me curly. I used to dream of curls but whenever mum tried to give me some, or later I tried myself they'd always gone in half an hour. My hair won't hold a style unless it's permed and even then it's hard work. I did once go for one of the eighties big hair curly perms, but big hair wasn't in it. My hair is very fine but it seems I have a lot of strands. So the curly perm made me look like a primped poodle. Had that grown and cut out as soon as possible. I was never able to grow my hair past my shoulders either. I suppose being fine it's also weak though I've always tried to look after it well. Now it's short and straight but orange - to match my car! My daughter and her friend persuaded me. I'd never had my hair coloured before, then my husband bought the car for me a mini convertible and the girls said when I put the hood down I'd have the same colour soft-top. They went on about it for a joke and they were going to get their hair coloured together - one platinum blonde and one almost black and in the end I said you book it I'll do it. Thought I'd only keep it till it washed or grew out but I liked it and now every time I go the hairdresser plays with different effects.

Have you ever done anything you never thought you would?

Our garden was just like a mountain when we moved in32yrs ago,,just wild grass.
My maternal grandfather born in 1880 was a keen gardener , huge garden with veg of all sorts, fruit trees apples, pears, plums, glass house for toms cuc and lettuce, soft fruit raspberries, strawberries, rhubarb( ugh) and his special plot for his beloved roses.
My dad also had a big garden, and he grew his own veg, whatever we liked.
He worked 9 to 5 but maintained his garden growing most of our veg and fruit.
Hubby had no background like this when we moved in, but we also have a large garden (third of the size of my grampas')and I couldn't see it go to waste. 100ft by 50 at the back, front is smaller and has perennials and shrubs only, I have a flower garden at the end of my patio at the back .
With quite a bit of hard work on both our parts, we now have a large veg plot with flowered borders at the back, and a large lawn.
Hubby grows every veg we like,and at the moment since my dad died is also planting his garden with our fav veg( the soil is must finer and fertile there )
The finer soil is better for carrots .pots... well basically most things.
We have clay soil which has been well fertilised over the years but is still heavy and holds water. ( Me--Garden freak for picking the veg and admiring the flowers, it's now hubby's full time hobby )
Just give what you like a try.

Do you have straight or curly hair ?

I love my herby ones the best, like rosemary, sage and lavender.

Has anyone else started growing veg for the first time this year and how have you got on?

I've never had the space before and I've had some things go really well and others not so hot.

All of them .lol...no I don't mind the ironing, my hubby has a shirt every day for work I can do it in under 5 mins !

What's your fav garden shrub ?... I 'm looking to take 2 conifers out (hate the things) and replace them with perennial shrubs.

Yes we do and I'm so glad as we have a lot more windows and bigger ones than in our old house. Our bedroom window is a dormer too but our window cleaner brings a foolhardy youth with him who's willing to clamber and stretch a bit from the balcony outside our daughter's room which helps with the height he needs to get to. Otherwise I'd said I'd do that one. It's got two side openers and a central fixed pane and with my long arms it wouldn't be too much of a problem, but I'd not get round to it very often and they come once a month.

What housework chore do you hate the most? For me it's ironing (especially when I'm in a bad phase of hot flushes).

Summer ..what summer we get !

Do you have a window cleaner ?

(We have a dorrmer bungalow. he won't clean the windows at the front! no flat roof so I do it myself with a struggle ) )

Usually I like to consider the bigger decisions. And we discuss annual holidays because although neither of us like beach holidays (although we do like seaside places) and prefer to investigate places more, we may have different ideas of where we'd like to go so we have to decide where we're going to head for. But we often get up in the morning, look at the day and take a day out on the spur of the moment. Or we might suddenly decide on some project in the house or garden and get down to it.

It's windy here today and the leaves are beginning to fall. Do you have a favourite season of the year?

Country walks as we have always had pet dogs and both OH and myself were brought up in the country/seaside.I couldn't stand living in a city..


Do you ever do anything on impulse or do you need to think it over first ?

Very often my parents and both side of grandparents, 2 uncles and aunts are in the church cemetery about 5 miles away, grandparents graves are next to each other ! My cousins live away so I always put flowers on them.
My hubby's rellies graves are about 2 miles away, maternal grandparents, father, stepfather, and mother.
Don't know where hubby's paternal grandparents are , his uncles are still alive but difficult to get hold of. I must try to phone the one at different times of the day. My hubby has no interest in genealogy or where the graves are!
His father died when he was 11 months old and it was me that found out where his burial plot was and had a headstone put on it. His mum and dad were estranged when he died.

Do you like going for country walks
, or do you live in the city ..?

I only knew my maternal grandmother...she died when I was 10.

both parents died 1995 and 2003

how often if ever do you visit a relatives grave?

Well my 89 yr old aunt had an illegitimate son . brought up by his grandparents until they died, and then lived with us since I was 5 and always thought of him as my brother, although i was always told he was my cousin.He tells me he always knew who his mum was and it's openly acknowledged now since he was 60. They have always been on good terms, always have been we all used to holiday together as as a family, but now he takes her out shopping and has her to lunch a few times a week.Unfortunately his children never knew her as a nan.Her son , dil and grandchildren all call her by her first name!.. where every else calls her auntie.! Is that a black sheep or just the norm? He was born in 1942.
He's never been treated as one :)) He's my brother to me and a woolly white sheep!!


Do you have parents or grandparents alive..? I only knew my maternal grandfather and paternal grandmother..

I have two beautiful granddaughters of 6 & 9 years of age. After having 3 sons, they are truly a blessing.

Have you discoverd any "black sheep" in your family tree ?

often and they are usually crazy lol

are you a grandparent?

My husband is really good, I am hopeless at anything practical. My skills are more academic although I 've been told that I'm a good cook and home maker but never ask me to rewire a plug.


Do you remember your dreams the next morning ?

I can knit quite well - I had an Aunt who could knit for England who taught me, but I only make something when someone close is having a baby. I taught my son and daughter when they were children but I'm not sure they'd remember how to knit now.

How skilfull are you or OH at DIY?

Not really,but once walked of the toilets in Debenhams with my dress tucked in my knickers,there was a queue, and someone thankfully pointed it out to me and we all had a laugh!

Do you knit ? it's something I've never mastered ..or perhaps not wanted to!

I've been able to swim since I was seven being brought up in Hastings, Sussex, most children could swim at an early age. We went to the local swimming baths with the school once a week but it was my Dad that actually taught me. I could never dive though.

Have you ever had an embarrassing moment that still makes you cringe when you think about it ?

Hard one !

I have A level Art and Pottery separately, I've no access to a kiln now although I have over the yrs joined local pottery classes.
I still draw and paint.
I''ve sung on stage since I was 5 and singularly and as as group have won many prizes. But I could not do karaoke for the life of me....Strange!!
Still love them all.

Can you swim ?

...I couldn't until I was 20..made sure my children could at an early age !

I worked for the local Arts Centre and Theatre for 26 years so I like anything to do with the arts, unfortunately I havent any artistic talents. Although I come from an Artistic family, two of my paternal uncles were artists one was also a sculpture .My brother got his PHD in Art History and now lectures on the subject for ACE study tours mainly on trips to Europe, America and Russia.

Which of the arts do you like the best ?