General Chat

Oh Ann how reassuring to hear from someone else who can become so worried and a complete wreck at the thought of driving! In the UK I can normally drive anywhere but driving in Europe has beaten me for the last 6years and I can understand that at times OH sometimes gets frustrated by it. I have promised myself that I will start driving locally, before the holiday crowds start to arrive just to see how it goes, this would let OH have the chance to have a couple of pints whilst watching West Ham in the local bar!

I do feel that he deserves it. I will let you know if I can manage it or not.

Today the sun has taken sometime to come through but at last it is here and the sea is a beautiful shade of blue. I can hear some birds tweeting but cannot see them. Everything is so still and peaceful here which is why we like living here. That is not to say that we don't have fun and once a fortnight about 8 people came around and we all watch a film, have a supper together and the obligatory drink or two and often several couples will stay over.

I am not yet ready to start writing every early morning as I used to but with the enormous support that I have had from my family and from so many people on here I feel that each day aim improving.

Have a good day and I hope that the weather is becoming more clement for everyone.


Hugs to you all for the way you have kept this thread and me jogging along

B

Now that you are at home with your husband and your dogs Bridget things will slowly improve, take things a day at a time. Lovely to be back in your own surroundings.

It is now 7.30pm. and after another scorching day it is a now little cooler. We had a bit of thunder and a few flashes of lightning and a few drops of rain, enough to wet the grass and the plants. I have absolutely no energy when it is so hot, maybe that's an excuse hey? Went out to buy a new ceiling fan for the bedroom but the only ones available cost R800 which I thought was too expensive, so will go through to Port Elizabeth next week and get one there.

Have an enjoyable evening all.


Val.

a quick good morning whilst i have a coffee. i am a little better now so will be back today to write some more. to dark still to write about what i can see, so bye for now
bridget

Today the weather has been a very mixed here in Peniscola. When I woke at about 6am the sky was a mix of everyshade of blue you could imaginge and the Castle was swathed in bright sunshine. I made a cup of coffee and sat on the Veranda, (had to put my UK dressing gown though as it was not very warm) and at that moment I knew that I was back home for good. I did not linger although i did have time to try and remember all those who are in despair, have a concern about themselves or a family / friend and those who have lost a loved one.
I then went to my comp and sent w a personal letter to my 4 natural children and to my 2 step children and explained exactly what I have experienced in the last 6 months and whay i had not been able to share this with them.
OH my goodness what amazing and heart wrenching replies i have had so far from three of them. It has certainly taught me just how much they care, how understanding they are and have been and what a great family I have. I am also very close to my eldest neice and I also sent her a soimilar message. All I can say is that I haveprinted these replies and if I EVER feel down again i shall take these out and read them to myself.
Well enough of my ramble. OH and I went food shopping today and when we left home the sun was shining brightly and we only drove about 4K when we reached the supermarket and the sky was grey and the mist got deeper and deeper, by the time we got home we could hardly see a hand in front of us, the roads, pavements etc were/are still very wet and the forecast is for this weather to last for 2 or 3 days.

Oh well I shall not have any excuse for not fifnishing the spring cleaning,

Time to stop now so i hope someone manages to see this thread soon

Take care
B

How lovely to have those letters from your children Bridget. I think we all underestimate how much our families think of us. We know how much we love them and don't stop to think that that love is returned.
It is good to see you settling back into your 'life' again. Well done you.

Well, you are a long way from Sandrock now :-)

You are back home and that is good, and I am so pleased to read about the letters and about how all is well :-)

Anninglos & Joy
Thanks for the replies wich are much appreciated.

Today the weather was very poor this morning I could not see the sky for the heavy mist and it was very damp everywhere, when i had my first cup of tea this morning. So instead of starting the house work I went back to bed and played some games on my Comp!!! It was very relaxing and made me smile because I haven't done that for a very long time. Of course it also meant that I could not sit outside and contemplate as I used to, so whilst OH was downstairs on his comp later in the morning I
made some tea and sat and thought about as many people as I could remember and sent positive thoughts for them all.
I did mundane things such as the ironing, made a light lunch and then we listened to some music.
So all in all not much to write about today. The sun has just peeked through whilst I have been writing but it is still chilly outside and the sky is still grey.
Not sure what to cook for our evening meal so am thinking of a pasta dish as they are so easy.

I have dropped from an awful size 22 to size 18 in the last few months and when i put on a pair of my new size 18 trousers this morning they are also to big now! Perhaps I will be able to be slim by the time the 2 weddings in May and June. I have not been dieting and have 3 meals each day a breakfast, usually egg on toast or a bacon sandwhich or a bowl of fresh fruit, haven't bought biscuits for ages so do not have any with my tea or coffee, then I have either a main meal or a light meal at Lunchtime or in the evening. I still eat a little chocolate but as I prefer the 70/80% I have never eaten a lot of chocolate, Cheese has been my downfall, I think,

tonight we shall have Pasta, last night we had Sausage casserole, and the Yogurt. I must say I feel a lot better for the weight loss but please do not worry because I will not be writing about it too often.

Has anyone an idea for our next thread project as we used to do??

Bye for now as it is nearly time for me to do the ironing whilst watching one of the afternoon programes. Val, how is your friends wife getting along?

Heelo everyone I hope that you are all having a good day.
I am beginning to feel more like my old self but have been told not to worry if it doesn't last and aI take a down at sometime as it is all part of the process.
Wel I have been wondering what subject we could write about as we used to do.Has anyone got any ideas?

Today the weather has been somewhat mixed, from grey sky and sea to sun and grey sea!! It isn't cold for the time of the year but looks dismal because of the Grey factor.
Business in Peniscola has certainly been affected due to the recession and many shops have closed, some of the supermarkest within 10 km are suffering very badly and one wonders what will happen next. I hope that the summer brings a good crowd of people just to help the economy.
The phone hasn't stopped ringing since I arrived home from friends we have made, mostly English but some Spanish saying have I reall retired for good and so pleased to hear that I am back.

Well this message is just typical of my state at the moment, rather scrambing from one thing to another But at least I am back.

How about writing somethong about Valentines Day.... I have few thought going around my head now so give me your suggestions as wel and then we can decide.

I am going to make some coffee but will peep in again later this evening

Best wishes to you all

Bridget

.

You asked for thoughts on Valentine’s day Bridget. I am old enough not to worry because I won’t get any cards, but young enough to remember the anticipation of wondering if the postman was going to bring any.
In my memory trunk (a large cabin trunk), I have an old fashioned scrap book full of cards that my OH sent to me when we were a lot younger. That was before he decided that it had become too commercialised and he stopped buying cards. After a few years of me buying and not receiving I decided to join him so now there are no valentine’s cards on our mantelpiece.
A few years he has managed to get a bowl of miniature daffodils in flower for Valentine’s day, but I don’t think the weather has been kind to him this year.
I really don’t worry about the lack of a card and I wouldn’t want him to buy flowers this time of year because I get annoyed when the price goes up. After 54+ years you realise there is more to romance than a card with a heart on. He is thoughtful and kind, demonstrative sometimes and I know he loves me still. He does the ironing, cleans the floors, sometimes cleans the bathroom and cloakroom, he does the gardening and cleans my car. He loads the washing machine and dish washer and empties both. I’ll settle for that and I wouldn’t change him for somebody who thought romance was buying a flowery card once a year. Oh and this year valentine’s day is on a Monday...... golf day!!!

Oh Ann
I really enjoyed reading thois posting of yours as to a very large extent these are the same thoughts as my OH and I have but when we married 18 years ago He wanted to show the children that a card or written message was simply a pleasing ting to do provided that love was constantlky being shown in exactly the way you have discussed. My OH I have known since he was 14 and I was sixteen, with both married others and he divorced his wife after 16 years and gained custody of his children, very rare then. I divorced 18 years ago this month and OH was there for me in all practical ways, taking the boys to cricket, swimming etc as he is part of the previous husbands large family fo cousins aunts etc.

No one was more surprised than me when he told me we would get married and I said "Ok, yes IThink that is a great idea". All six children were delighted and still are.

So I understand completly what you have written and if I had to choose between a once a year card and a real loving husband who helps just as you have described, who shows his love throughout the year, in good times and bad times, in sad times and happy times, then I am standing there with you.

Bridget

Thank you Bridget and I am pleased that you finally found happiness.

Thank you Ann

Nearly eleven am here and the sky is pale gray and the sea is much the same. The trees and bushes are all very still and the silence is broken by the sound of a dog who lives further up the mountain. My two charmers are on the balcony with their noses pressed up to the metal work and i cannot see what they are looking at but something has caught their eyes.
I just heard some birds twittering so maybe the weather is improving...oh my goodness just as I was writing the word improving so the sun came through the clouds and back again so maybe we are in for a pleasant afternoon and my two have decided it is better to be indoors again!

I am going to research St Valentine today, just for fun and if there is anything worthwhile i will post it and if not I will try to find some interesting topic, in my opinion that perhaps we can discuss. If anyone else has some ideas please do post your thoughts, also wondering if anyone has read any good books recently and if so please share them with some sort of revue, I love reading revues and then reading the book to see if I agree. Also Please please post so subjects or ideas we can discuss as we used to. Hmmm, i am beginning to sound like a school teacher...no offence to teachers intended.


Have great day everyone
and I look forward to hearing from you all.

Bridget

The Villa in Italy by Elizabeth Edmondson

This was a book I found hard to put down. Within the main story of the mystery as to why four people are summoned to the Villa Dante by the will of Beatrice Malaspina, there are several other stories.
I found the whole book very intriguing and I was trying to solve the problem myself before I reached the end of the book so was totally engrossed. Why were they all there, how did she know them, what clues were there to follow?
As well as the good story line there was plenty of historical interest in the book together with the descriptions of the villa, its gardens etc and the surrounding area. I loved it and look forward to reading more by this author who was new to me.
Incidentally, because I read it on holiday, my daughter also read it and she too enjoyed it.

AnninGllos
Thank you for your views on The Villa, did you buy it or was it from a library? I am going downstairs in a few minuets to find a book to read and i will report back which book I have chosen.

May take me a while as I have been out with OH and we shopped and then had a four course meal and I had two very large G&Ts!!

I bought it on Amazon but it would probably be available at a library too. She had written at least three good books. Another good one be her is The Frozen Lake, set in the North of England, another one about family intrigue.

Where is everyone? Please come back and send some messages.
I never did get to go downstairs yesterday but will do so today and will tell you what I have chosen.
The weather here today is much the same as previous days so I am hoping that the skies clear by late morning and we have the same lovely warm sunshine as we had yesterday,

I am going to pick some of the oranges today and then peel them and place them in a jar and cover them with Brandy, in about 4 or 5 months they will be delicious for those who like Brandy, which I do not, We also have a glut of Lemons this year so if anyone has any suggestions as to what I could make easily and fairly quickly please let me know. Maybe we could start a new topic from this message, so let us all know asap.

I store the rinds of citrus fruits and dry them then in the winter when we have the wood fire on i throw some onto the flames and the aroma is magical as it takes me back to my very early childhood when my grandmother Lived in a very old house in a place called Fingrinhoe in Essex and I used to stay with her quite a lot.. She also taught me how to use a treadle sewing machine, and how to do cross stitch.

i wonder if anyone else has similar memories.

Well bye for now everyone, hope to have some replies when i peek back latter today.

The last of our visitors left this morning, things have been quite hectic.

I agree with your sentiments about Valentine's Day Ann, far too commercialised and after 53 years I appreciate someone thoughtful and helpful throughout the year.

I don't read nearly as much as I used to, I enjoy biographies, autobiographies, historical novels and stories which are based on fact.
My daughter is an avid reader, we started taking her to the Library when she was still very small and encouraged her to read. She cannot walk past a bookshop without going inside. I have found that to-day many parents do not encourage their children to read and I think that is such a pity.

Bridget, it certainly is very nice to be able to go out and pick fresh fruit. Our lemon tree died and the new one we planted hasn't borne any fruit yet. P We also have an orange tree and a grapefruit tree . I love fresh grapefruit and we make marmelade using all three fruits. I make lemon curd quite often , and lemon drinks are nice.

I had a Singer treadle sewing machine which belonged to my mother-in-law but I always started it in the wrong direction and then the cotton would snap.

My sister-in-law is doing well at home and my brother is managing fine with the exercise, occupation therapy and speech programmes . Thanks for asking Bridget.

Back to all the things which have to be done!!


Hope everyone enjoys their day.


V al.

Hop

My Mother had an old hand driven singer which I believe is still in my daughter's loft. However one of the school machines was a treadle, I couldn't get on with it very well.

No fresh oranges and lemons here unfortunately. (I wish). However we do get fresh lemons and sometimes avocados in Tenerife.

Val, when I was little there was no free library but in town there was a small shop that was packed with books. For a fee, I think a penny, I would go in and get a book, I was in there at least twice a week. It was called the Beacon library, long gone of course but I loved books. My parents would buy me a book or two for Christmas and my Mother always complained because I read them too quickly. I also like to read Enid Blytons Sunny stories.

Orange and lemon marmalade would be lovely with your fruit Bridget. And lemon meringue pie (Mmm! can taste the tangy lemon now.)

Good morning all
My grandma had a Singer sewing machine which my mom inherieted. When my sons were little I borrowed it and used to make them trousers and also made myself a few dresses and skirts. When my mother in law died she had a hand Singer sewing machine which is here with me in Spain . The spring had gone on the tension wheel some time ago and we found a shop in Gandia and bless the man he repaired it, gave me a packet of needles and charged us 50 euros - 25 euros parts and 25 euros labour - so the old lady is back up and running.
Bridget you could make lemon curd - my friend in France made some last weekend and said it was easy.
Friday is market day here in Oliva so shortly I will have a walk down the town and see if there are any bargains. But Oliva is the same as Peniscola Bridget - folks are feeling the pinch and this also shows on the market - some stalls are more like jumble sales and I cannot be bothered to delve in and see if there are any bargains.
Have a great weekend everyone
Take care
Love Mary xx