General Chat

Good morning everyone.
Here near to Hastings it is another cold, grey and damp day and the wind is howling around my turret flat. I have started to tidy out the wardrobes etc and now have to think what do I need or want to take back home with me.
Some of the clothing I will take to a charity shop as i am unlikley to need them back home.As for the books I am really mot sure what to do with them, take them home or give them to a charity shop?
I bought a simple mobile phone just before i went home recently. Well if this one is simple what would I d if it was a complicated one! I used to have a very plain flip top phone but sadly it has died. I do not need the internet etc I just want a phone where I can call family and friends, top up easily and that is it!!!!
today I should g to the Bank and to the Letting Agent to finalise when I leave and when the agent will come to look around. I think I have a deposit with them as well ......hmmm I must check that today because it would be very helpful.
Has anyone else had this swine flu? I cannot believe how debiltating it is. I have had about 6 hours sleep which is quite good for me but still feel tired and do not fancy anything to eat or even drink.
I just feel so lethargic, maybe I should just give myself a good talking to.

I wonder if anyone has realised that this will be the 900th posting? A very big thank you to everyone for keeping this alive.
I think I have said enough for the morning so will now sign off and cme back soon to see who else has been on here this morning,

Have a good day and look after yourselves

B

Good morning all

A very damp grey day here this morning. OH has however toddled off to golf. This afternoon I have to remember to collect prescriptions, go to the optician for an eye check and we also have an appointment to update our wills, last done about 25 years ago. Other than that the morning is free. I am trying to sort my FH paperwork, managed to condense three medium 2 ring binders into one larger one so far. Only another 8 medium ring binders to sort. It is all the bits of paper that I kept 'in case' that were taking up space. That and copies of IGI marriages, births etc which I have now put onto a spread sheet. I do need to make space in this room of mine somehow. And it has become more urgent with the need soon to clear the room to lay a new carpet. This one having been worn out by my wheely desk chair rolling around on it. It was a cheap carpet, we need to get a hard wearing cord one in here now.

I do hope that you will get over the flu soon Bridget, you could do with your strength back now. I suspect you were not able to 'nurse' yourself through it properly while worrying about your job.

Good morning all
Blue sky here in Spain - sorry !! We are certainly having some fine weather temp yesterday was about 17 deg. and I did not have any heating on at all yesterday.
This weekend I will be booking up flights to UK - my sister is off to Australia for 5 weeks so I shall be looking after my mom for almost 3 weeks. Eldest son and wife are doing a week and my cousin who also lives in Spain is going over to do the first 10 days. Youngest son has booked days off either side of my visit so he will pick me up from airport and spend a few days with his grandma too.
Today I intend to 'play' with one of my Christmas pressies - Hallmark card studio - perhaps my homemade cards will look a little more professional with the aid of this cd. Will let you know but don't hold your breath.
Have a good day and a good weekend if I don't get on until Monday
Take care all and hope you will soon be feeling better Bridget. Hope your OH is feeling better too.
Love Mary xx

Mary
Blue sky in Spain,,,Hmmm but what else would we expect at this time of the year? I expect that your Mum is looking forward to seeing you again and how helpful your family are, with so many helping in one way or another, Just what family life is all about,
Hallmark Card Studio, not sure that i know much about that. Do you make all your own cards for family and friends, and if so what an artistice person you must be.
Ann, it sounds to me as if you have rather a busy day ahead of you although by the time you read this you will have finished all the running around I would imagine.
Mentioning wills has just made me think that perhaps OH and I should think about this as well. we will not have much cash, they all had their share when they needed it but we do own the house, have some valuable old Moorcroft and many 1st editions of books some of which have to be kept tucked away and about 80 are also very rare as we used to be avid collectors.
One of the things I do miss in Spain is going to decent car Boot sales at the weekend, but it is a small price to pay for all that lovely sunshine and the relaxed way of life.
My heating is on but I still feel very cold and a bit shaky, so have added a cardigan and am sitting on my bed with a mug of soup waiting to cool down and I have my lap top with me. just as I was writing that last bit about 7 or 8 gulls flew in and have settled on the window ledge and are making quite a noise so maybe they know something that I don't know...more bad weather perhaps.

Did anyone ealise that we have now gone over the 900 postings..what an achievement. we must look out who manages to make the 1000
Thank you everyone for making this happen/

If I am still awake in 16 minutes i can say Good morning everyone and then maybe i can get some sleep!!!

OK I got the time wrong so I am watching the snooker on the TV and waiting for it to be 1 minute after midnight sooooo
it is now 1 minute after midnight so off to bed now and hope I fall asleep

Morning all
Hope you managed a good nights sleep Bridget. I was awake around 6 am - tossed and turned had a few words with hubby and must have dropped off and woke with a start it was 9.30 am. That is so like me stay awake in the early hours then go into a deep sleep when I should be getting up.

No Bridget I would not say I was artistic but when we bought this computer 8 years or so ago I had watched loads of programmes on tb about card making and I thought I could do that. I had always found cards in Spain (should say English cards) were not very nice and expensive so that is how I started making cards. Very amatuerish but I really enjoyed making them - perhaps with the aid of this new cd they may improve loads. haha - will have to wait and see. Not produced anything yet just trying to get used to it. My problem is I don't do instructions and just fumble my way around - then can't remember how I did something!!!
Oh well I will perservere.
Flights have been booked I go 3rd March and return 22nd March - flying into and out of East Midlands as youngest son is picking me up and dropping me off. Flights cheaper to East Midlands - much more expensive into Exeter which is obviously nearer - but will help out with his petrol money etc.
Well hope you all have a good weekend
Take care
Love Mary xx

Good morning Mary
Rather nice to know that someone else on here has a slighty different sleep pattern.
I normally go to bed quite late and survive wery well on about 5 possible six hours for months and months and the quite suddenly I sleep for about 10 hours and then off i go again. I remember that when my eldest child m now 39 was a baby i complained to my mother about hissleep pattern or should that be NON sleep pattern she laughed out loud and said well he takes after you!!
I am interested n how you get on woth your cards as surely there is nothing nicer than a personal card. I have never made cards bu sooo agree about cards in Spain and I also think that the nicer cards in the UK are also very expensive. So I may jsu have a go, I used to do a lot of cross stitch and embroidery but my eye sight let me down but I do have a good magnifyer so when I go home I will see if can find it.
Well it is another grey, damp, windy day her, I can hear the wind whipping around the building, that is because I am in the attic, and it is also raining. the sort of rain that doesn;t look to bad and then yiu find that you are drenched.

I must go out today to buy a few essentilas and to top up my mobile and also to buy some batteries for the hand set of the house phone, plus some milk etc.

Do have agood time catching up with the family and isn't it nice when children can start to run us around instead of us having to run them around. I mustn;t complain my lot are great,

Take care

B

well everyone must be very busy today as I should but it is the getting motivated to start that is my downfall. I am usually so tidy except with paperwork but I just can't get going today.
OH called earlier and he is coming over in about 10 days time and I am delighted , I will move out of the flat and go to stay with some close friendsin Norfol and we will meet there... so in two or three weeks we shall be together in Peniscola Yipppeee

hope everyone is well and having a good day.

Nudge

Well it was lonley on this thread today but I simple thought that everyone must be very busy just as i should have been.... Had a lovely call from OH who told me that he should be in the UK on Tuesday or Wednesday next week and then when we have visited a few people we will go home. oh Joy of Joys. My eldest son who lives in Barcelona is going to travel with him and that is great for it is a long drive otherwise.
I have started the deep clean, sorted out the desk and thrown away a lot of papers , must buy a cheap shredder, cleaned the kitchen including the oven etc but have not finished cleaning all the cupboards and cannot reach the the top of them as there are no steps here.
still have to do the two bedrooms, the sitting room and the bath room.
I am sure that it is easier to clean a large room than it is a small room
I hope that everyone is well and maybe there will be some messages by tomorrow evening.

Sleep well and take care

B

Trying to sort out which clothes to take back and which tio put in the Charity shop, same with some shoes.
People want to come and view on Tuesday so I better get going again.
Have a friend coming at 11 am tomorrow so we can go out for lunch which will makea change for me.

where is everyone? I am beginning to think that I must lead a sad life at the moment as I seem to be the only one posting but I know you will all be back so fingers crossed I shall be back this afternoon.

Good morning Bridget - or should I say afternoon
Been doing some housework and washing this morning hence my absence and yesterday me and hubby did absolutely nothing - did not even unlock the front door. Spent the day listening to cd's, reading and watching a little tv. Perhaps that was why I had another sleepless night.

Glad to hear your hubby and son will be with you this week and that you will soon be back home in Spain. Bet you can't wait.

Enjoy your lunch.

Take care
Love Mary xx

Hello,

Things have been rather hectic for me for the past week or so. I have been accompanying my brother to Port Elizabeth every day where his wife is in The Rehab Centre again having suffered another stroke. She is much better but will not recover to the extent she was.

The last three days have been very, very hot indeed and I have been absolutely exhausted when I arrive back home. To-day is a bit cooler thank goodness. Have just had lunch so must be off to do the dishes and then the patient's laundry.




Val.

Hello Bridget,
Sorry I missed posting on here yesterday, was sorting out a few bits and pieces and did a couple of very simple sccrap book pages of the older Grandsons, then watched TV most of the evening, dancing on ice and Countryfile, part of Antiques Roadshow.

This morning I took another couple of carrier bags full of books to two charity shops in town (went on the bus while OH was at golf). Once I have got the books down to a more manageable level I can start on a couple of cupboards and the sideboard.

How lovely to hear from you all and now I feel a bit guilty for sounding so peevish, I apologise, You ahe=ve all been busy one way or another,
Mary in Spain how i look forward to doing much the same when I finally get home which I think will be in about 12 days time, just to sit,relax, read with music in the back ground and Jet and Joealways ooking after us/

Val so sorry to hear about your sister in law, and I hope that she makes a good recovery, is she being well monitored when at home and is she on any medications?

AnninGlos. Well I am not quite sure what the srap books are. i mean I used to keep scrap books which had postcards in of every place I went on holidy to and I used to write something about the holday as well....I wonder where they are now???

Books and yet more books. I seem to have gathered a lot of books since I arrived here and I will have to take them home as some were Christmas presents , birthday Presents etc

Tomorrow I am going into Battle I mean the place battle not that I am going into Battle!! A friend I have made whilst working here is coming out to lunch with me and we have been asked if we would write Policies and Procedures fo a family who need to update those they already have, Now this is NOT going back to work because we can do these from home email them and discuss any changes that the family may want...pays quite well.....
However we do not have to do it if we do not want too.


I now have to go and see what clothes I want to f=take back with me and then put them away. I need to buy some of those magic clothes containers which you can let the air out fro them and they become very flat...I hope someone knows what I mean..I think Argos sell them so going to have a look.

Finally I must ne feeling better because I had some pasta with real tomato sauce which was delicious and I have been fine so maybe just maybe I am over that awful flu!!

Bye fo now and take care

Hi Bridget, enjoy your lunch with your friend and good to be able toe arn a bit more without going to work.

the clothes bags I have seen in the pound shop, various sizes.

Scrap books that we do now started in America. They can be various sizes but I use either 12 x 12 or 8 x 8 (inches) We use a backing paper and a photo or photos then decorate the pages. They look very attractive and make nice memory books.

now i shall know what everyone is talking about.

I am going to search Argos in a minute as I have been told that the quality of these clothes/ bedding etc bags a very tough and last a long time. i will let you know what I find.

no local argos has these bags in stock...so I will have to buy some cheaper ones, I cannot believe what I have gathered whilst here, however bedding is so much cheaper here especially in the supermarkets and I am recycling some of the clothes I no longer needs, but if anyone remembers Imelda Marcos, she who had so many pairs of shoes, well I have been having a b...dy good try at matching her.I will need a large bag just for the shoes!!
Enough for now as I finish my cup of tea and have to pack the bedding into some bags just to makeit tidy.

I must be getting better as I have the energy to do some of this even if I have to take some time out after an hour or so

Good job you are not flying home then Bridget. If you drop the car off in Amserdam how do you get home? Or do you mean you will have two cars here?