General Chat

At last I feel well enough to be. Ack on here, I big THANKS to anyone who as posted on here.

Daughter and I are in fairly frequent conversations. This is working well for both of us.

So far I have not enjoyed this year but trying to be more positive for the second half of the year.

My last calamitie is that the Revenue Office sent me messages to say that I owed them a very large amount of money, well into the £15000s !!! The shock just about killed me.....however a great husband plus my good good friends helps me with all the necessary phone calls and 3 days ago the RV admitted it was their mistake and within an hour all the money was back.

It has been suggested that I should sue them but I simple do not have the strength to even consider it. I cannot wait for 2014,

Today the sun is shining, friends are here watching the Rugby match re Ireland, J&J are sitting by me as I right this.

Many thanks to those who sent private messages just asking if I was ok.

I will add more about the 'letter' I must be up to and see if I can think of fun things to write.

Bridget in Spain :-) :-) :-)

Hi Bridget - glad that you are back and sorted.

Hi Everyone - Big Weekend for OH and me. 10th Wedding Anniversary yesterday and on Sunday we are renewing our vows in church. Missed out on the church the first time. We shall be doing it in front of the normal Sunday Congregation, so lots of people will be there. We have bought the wine and collected the cake this morning.
Some of my family that I haven't seen for ages are coming many miles (from Sheffield, Reading and Eastbourne) just to see us, we can't wait, but we will have too!

I was up to K:
K is for knowledge - it is important to keep on learning

OH and I are not working next week so I might be on here a few more times

Lots of Love and Prayers for all
:-) <3 :-) <3 :-) <3

Good morning to everyone. The sun is shining, the birds are twittering, Jet and Joe are still asleep as is OH and all is calm.

I think I am up to K so here are one or two items stating with K.

Kale. Kale is hardy and tolerant of poor soil and is very easy to grow. It is colourful with various shades of green and purple. It is a delicius in the winter and brightens the garden and my children used to enjoy it because it was not just Green.

Kohlrabi. Another exotic food with lots of goodness. Eat the swollen stem in salads or stir-fries. Always choose to buy one when it is not larger than a tennis ball, also easy to grow.

Kites. How I loved my kites when a child, my father hellped me to learn how to get it to rise way above me and how to bring it back, drift with the wind and smile at those watching. My favourite place for launching the Kite and then allowing it to sore up, around and down was in Frinton on Sea along the promenade.....such happy days.

L.. London. How I love London, and I have watched it and lived in it for many years and have missed it since I now live in Spain. London is always awake, shops, clubs, theatres, and the people from all parts of the world enjoy being there. OK, at times sad and awful things happen but is this not so anywhere in the world? London is cosmopolitan and this is what makes it so special. The great fun song, "Maybe it's because I am a Londoner" is the song that reminds me of the east End which is where I was born.

Life. Secret of a long life as said by Sir Malcom Sargent.
When asked,"to what do you attribute you long life' he replied " to the fact that I haven't died yet".

:-D :-) :-D

A quick note to say that we move out of our home tomorrow for about 10 weeks, we did this before and the financial side was excellent. The house will be occupied until September a few days before we set off for the UK.
We will live in a friends home, the friend who has gone back to the UK permanently , she is pleased that we cheek her home is in good order each week and have arranged to have the garden checked every two weeks.

I hope to be able to add each week in one of the restaurants or bars.


Please help to keep this ongoing


Thanking you all in advance

Bridget

:-) :-) <3 <3 :-D :-)

Sunny here at the moment. Washing is on the line blowing in the breeze. Meanwhile waistline is expanding rather rapidly, really must get the hang of these diet things.

The olants that I got from the garden centre are all doing well. In fact tomatoe plant has now got some tomatoes on it! :-D
Will be going to another garden centre in at the end of the month.

I have three grandsons, a seventeen year old, (I haven't seen him for a while) He is at college and at the weekend is busy doing his own thing. He recently organised a sleep out (in tents) for young people in his area.

The younger two, who are here most weekends are eight and nine years old.

The nine year old E is small for age, his younger brither, aged eight is (very) tall for age, around six inches taller than his brother.
They haven't been here the last couple of week-ends as there has been athletics at the Alexander Stadium (where they do their gymnastics). Will be here for a week in the summer holidays.

Have had my hair cut (short) and on Monday (1st July) had some bright colours in it. I call them red, orange and purple, but apparently they are flame, bronze and mauve! The couours are covering most of my white hair and are very bright. Get a few funny looks and stares when I go out.

Started attending a falls prevention workshop a couple of weeks ago. Now rather tempted to get a stick and a grabber.

The grabber will be useful for picking up (light) stuff that I have dropped/knocked on the floor. Also useful for mopping up small spills.

Next week the talk is by a podiatrist :-0 I will have to hide my feet as my favourite type of footwear (worn in all weathers) are "Scholl type", open toes and heels with a raised heel, somtimes small platform soles. But I will probably pick up one ot tweo useful tips.

Also had my eyes tested recently, and I don't need new specs!! :-D

This was great news as recently I have been paying £300. + for them.

Might even be able to splash out on some BMD Certs.

Bridget, I hope that things continue to look up for you.

Gerard and OH, you will now have some more good memories to file away in the happy memory file, following the service for your 10th wedding anniversary.
Hope that you have photos to go with them. Remember to write notes down for prosperity.

Will have to come back with some K's

Tess

Let's be honest Bridget - Kale and Kohlrabi are really Cabbage and Turnips that cost a bit more :-D

My L is for London also - I have lived here for all but two years since I left college in 1965 and in my present place since 1979. So handy for Football, theatre, Cinema, Shopping, and sightseeing, as well as where most of the work is!

Really looking forward to the Ashes Cricket, only a week to go now.

OH and I had a really good time at our Wedding vows renewal - she had a few friends, but I was surprised by my nephew and niece with their mother and her partner, they had travelled from Sheffield, Reading and Eastbourne just to be with us - wonderful, and we had a wonderful lunch after the service with a long chat.

We had a week off work and a great rest. Back to work this week.

That's all for now
Love and prayers to all
:-) <3 :-) <3 :-) <3
Gerard

Well I thought I was remiss for not being on here for three weeks, but it seems nobody but me has been on here for three weeks.

Perhaps the thread is finally dead, which is sad, but all good things must come to an end I suppose.

Love and prayers to all
<3 <3 <3 <3
:-( :-( :-( :-(
Gerard

I just spent about 10 minutes writing on here and then it would not go onto the thread! I will be back sometime today...please do not stop posting on here. My reasons for not being on here will be explained latter today.

Bless you all

Bridget in Spain

:-)

Gerard and Tess

Thank you for keeping this thread alive...I am delighted because we have managed to stay together through easy and difficult times.
My good news is that my daughter is back home and is happy and managing very well.
My grandson is living with her and intends to do so all the time he has been awarded a place at college starting in September / October I cannot recall the name of what he will be doing but it is a 3/4 year course.

Granddaughter still in hospital and daughter has given me the ward phone number so will try to talk to the staff today and hopefully be able to say hello to my granddaughter.

The weather here in Spain is not as hot as previous years but still quite hot....read in some newspapers that the temps if England has been very hot indeed !

Well that is all for now, and I hope we do not loose this interesting post.

Such good news Bridget - I will keep posting every now and then, I just thought everyone had lost interest.

<3 <3 <3
:-) :-) :-)
Gerard

Thank you Gerard. How is your family tree these days?

I need to go through mine on both places......too hot to do much

Bridget

34,375 Relatives on the tree now - everyone connected by marriage - no matter how tentative.
It's great when you get celebrities on your tree.
I have Jill Ireland (actress) married to David McCallum (the man from U.N.C.L.E) and also to Charles 'Death Wish' Bronson, I have Fred Pontin famous for Holiday Camps and recently Rick Wakeman the keyboard player from 'Yes'. I work on different sections each week, updating and going further back in time if I can.

Off to work now for a couple of hours - too hot 32 degrees again!

Back again soon
Gerard

Sorry I haven't been chatty lately. No good excuses, just a biton the miserable side.

Hot here, like a lot of places in the UK. Makes sleepling at night a little difficult and energy levels during day time extra low.

However, I am still trying to get to grips with my "garden" (rather a misnomer, I'm afraid).

Managed to mow some of the lawn, but as the grass is very long, it has taken me ages. Alos growing a tomato plant, whech now has quite a few (small) tomatoes. Have been trying to dig a hole to replant (from pot) an Achillea "Desert Eve Red" as well as some sunflower seeds, some black grass. Need to dig up some nettles. but perhaps I shall chop them down first!

Grandsons (aged eight and nine) saw my new red, orange and mauve hair for the first time at the week-end. The eight year old A. wants his hair dyed and the nine year old E. likes the orange, as it is his favourite colour.

They will be coming again on Friday evening and staying for a week (or so). Have been booked in to do gym lessons mon-Fri.
Luckily their dad, my son, will be here as well, so all the care won't fall on me.

I am also trying to lose weight, have lost about half-a-stone (over several weeks) need to lose at least another thirty pounds and could do with loing forty.
Gerard, it seems that I may be related to John Selwyn Gummer (but please don't tell anyone). I certainly have an ancestor with that surname, from the same area as his Gummer ancestors. So far I haven't proved the link, not sure though that I want to.

I have a little over two thousand people on my tree on Genes. A lot less than that an Ancestry at the moment.
I like to go back as far as I can and then work my way down the tree again taking in all the siblings, with their marriages, children, grandchildren etc.
Wonderful to see how families spread out and how work differs over time (and place)

Hope that you house let is going well, Bridget.

take care everyone,

Tess

Good morning to you all. It is a calm, bright sunny day here.
We have reasantly one of the new apartments slightly higher than our house, we are on a hill, and yesterday he invited us for a snack and some wine. He is a profesional musician and it was interesting listening to my husband and this chap discussing classical music.

We look forward to seeing him again just before Christmas.

We move out of our house late today or tomorrow morning ready for the next people who will be having their holiday here.

We are looking forward to my stepson and his three children being with us for 3 weeks. This is the lad who fought so hard to gain of his children.

Tess, I also have my family on Ancestry and sometimes I wonder when to stop.......How many people are second aunt 6 times removed etc I simple do not know.....people's views on this subject are welcome to comment.

Well time to feed Jet and Joe, walk around the garden, etc...such hard work!!!

Bridget

L for Lucky Bags (remember them from childhood) and L for laughter. (the best medicine)

L for leaves, changing colour in Autumn.

L for Letters ( the postman used to bring them)

L for Lamp and Lantern and Light

But most important -
L for Love <3

\prsceful here at the moment, waiting for sond and grandsons to arrive.

I am hoping that I will be able to interest them in gardening - especially as my tomatoe plant has over a dozen toms. on it.

Will be going to another garden Centre on Wednesday. Hope to have dug out an area ready for planting stuff that I buy.
Still rather hot here at the moment. Hoping that next week it will be slightly cooler (or that there is a cool breeze) but dry most of the time.

Also trying to lose weight, which is difficult when I am getting in food for the boys (most of it fattening).

Will try to get back to this thread during the week.

Hope that everyone is well

Hi Everyone

Another week or so gone by - nothing really happening at the moment for me - weather is too hot - finally got permission to build our new fence in the garden - but everywhere there seems to be expense .

Need a new toilet - new fence - redecorate two rooms - and the garden needs a lot of work. Must keep smiling.

Trust everyone is well.

Love and prayers to all
<3 <3 <3 <3 <3
:-) :-) :-) :-) :-)
Gerard

Bought five new plants at the garden centre but they are still in their pots.

Grandsons went home in the early afternoon. I wasn't able to persuade them to do any gardening this time. Have cut down a few weeds, but not much else this week.

Althought my grandsons (A + E) were manily in theirs dad's care, I have been extra busy with extra shopping, cooking, washing adncleaning.
It was lovely to see them though, they keep me amused.

Raining (again) now, far too wet to do any gardening.

Went into Birmingham City Centre earlier in the week with my son and A + E.

Son and I saw too men advertising "The Naked Truth" Well, to be honest I saw the naked upper torso (back view) of two men, as they were led away. They were surrounded by people taking photos. Aas they were outside a major book shop I just wondered if there is a bokk called "The Naked Truth" out at the moment, and if so, were they advertising it! :-S :-S :-S :-S
Grandsons were too busy doing other things to notice what else was going on :-) :-) :-) :-)
Will be going back to my tai Chi in the week, hoping that this will help me to loose weight and tone up (at the moment I am very flabby :-()
Gerard, I know what it is like - having a long list of things that need doing to the house and home. I run out of money and energy. Try not to put too much pressure on myself to get things done. Other wise I get overwhelmed.


Hope to be back with cheerful news soon,

Hope that everyone is well,

Tess

I haven't been on here for ages, but have caught up on all your news. didn't summer take an age to get here, and now well it will soon be over. Spent most of this year planning a long holiday to uSA, but have had to cancel due to OH having to
have emergency surgery, just awaiting biopsy now, keeping everything crossed,, that it isn't that C word......hope insurance dibs up easily !!1

Have a good Bank Hol

Love Jan

Jan, sorry to hear about your OH's emergency op. Hope that everything turns out ok and you are able to rearrange a holiday.

Some of my American cousins came over to Ireland at the beginning of this month. I wasn't able to see them at all but they did meet up with other cousins living in Ireland.

I eventually got round to planting the new plants in the garden, but don't really know what I am doing. Most of them are doing okay but it looks like the Blue Hobbit has died. I am keeping my fingers crossed that it may sprout up again next year. If not I'll think about getting another one.

Spending more time in the garden in an effort to get fit. Going ok but taking up a lot of energy

To anyone who hadn't seen my garden before it still looks like a mess with a lot of nettles and weeds. But I know that there has been an improvement.

Haven't done much with my tree recently - I just don't know where the time has gone!

Off to do some filing (aka rearranging piles of paper). Hoping that I might be able to bin quite a lot..,

trying to think of a treat for myself if I manage to sort out (at least) one HUGH pile.

Hope you are all okay,

Tess