General Chat

You have had abusy week Vera na dI'm pleased you found a holiday in the end and it will be nice to see more of Viena. Lets hope this time you both stay well and can enjoy it. There is so much violence and shouting in films and tv programs lately nothing is enjoyable. I hate the swearing too.

Pc is telling e there's heavy rain soon so I am pleased I have done the chickens and don't have to go outside anymore.

Better get my dinner on now.

Can I have them too please as I did'nt get them either.

Sunshine all morning then it clouded over and rained its still cloudy again now but we had some sun this afternoon and its not cold out.

Been doing some painting today thought I would rest the old knee and tidied some of the miniatures around and had a damp dust so feel like I have done something today at least.

SIL phoned this morning and she's in Surrey and said it was raining there and why had I got sun when she had'nt. We had a long chat as the daughters wedding is in August and she wanted to know what wine for the table.

Must read Vera's post.

Sent Anng's photos on to you Vera

It’s been raining hard all day here though it seems to have stopped at last. It hasn’t felt very warm either but I think we always feel colder when it’s grey and damp.

You do all seem to have been in the wars with problem knees and backs and everything else. I hope things are a bit better now for everyone. I use the Deep Heat pads as well and nearly all supermarkets and chemists sell them. I wasn’t very happy with the last lot I bought as they didn’t seem to stick very well and kept falling off. I wondered if the company are saving costs by using a lower quality adhesive or whether I just had a dodgy pack. If you use them Mandy, read the instructions. If you are over a certain age you shouldn’t put them directly on your skin. A friend of mine never reads instructions and put a patch straight on to her body and actually burnt herself – luckily just a slight burn. If I want one on my back I wear a lightweight vest and keep it in position by tucking it in my pants – there, now you know all my intimate secrets, lol.

That was lovely to find a bracelet you liked AnnG. That will be something special for you. It sounds as though you are having an enjoyable time. I didn’t get your rhododendron pictures either. Mandy, could you send them to me too please.

Annx I was interested to read about your scam email as a friend showed me one on her phone this morning and asked me what I thought about it i.e. was it genuine. It was from UKTV which she does use and appeared genuine. It seemed to come from a genuine email address and gave an address, phone number etc but there was a link to click on. I told her to find the phone number for UKTV on a different piece of equipment, then ring and ask them if they had sent the email but on no account to click on the link until they confirmed it was from them. I’m not sure she will take my advice though.

Well, we have had a really hectic few days. We’ve managed to get to all our appointments on time and had our day trip to the National Space Centre AND managed to catch a film at our little local theatre and book a week’s holiday. The holiday was all done on the spur of the moment. We’ve been dithering about for ages – where can we go, when, don’t want to drive miles, need somewhere that isn’t isolated but want more than just beaches and so on and on and on. In the end I was so fed up that I said “I need a holiday and if we can’t agree I’m booking something even if it’s a caravan at Cromer!” At that OH suddenly said that he would like to go back to Vienna and try to have the holiday we didn’t get when he was taken ill there. I went online but couldn’t find the type of holiday we would enjoy so we managed to get to our favourite independent travel agent who have tailor made things for us before. The upshot is that we have a flight from our nearest airport and a decent hotel in the centre of Vienna. We’ve booked for a week. Last time we were going on to the Lakes area for a second week but you may remember we had to be flown home with OH in a wheelchair. We decided not to push our luck this time but just have the Vienna week.

The film we saw was The Great Escaper with Michael Caine and Glenda Jackson. We thought it was very good and it was a joy to see a film that wasn’t all violence, swearing and sex. It was great to see something where the whole cast actually acted instead of just shouting dialogue at each other.

I also enjoyed the National Space Centre much more than I expected. There was so much there that it was hard to take it all in. Our group also had a pre-booked slot to see the show in the planetarium and that was something else. I’ve been to the London Planetarium and also a very good one in Holland but this was really sensational. I really can’t describe it but I am really glad I saw it.

I have just seen the time and realized OH will be expecting a meal at some point in the next hour or so and I haven’t even started it yet so I had better get a wriggle on.

Thankyou for sending them Mandy. It's odd I never received them as I noticed AnnG had sent them, but I couldn't find them in my in box etc or in my spam. Anyway what a lovely day she had with all the sunshine and the Rhododendrons looked beautiful. It reminded me of Trebah Gardens in Cornwall and being amazed at the size and amount of them there.

I got the parcel posted and we got some of their nice rolls while we were there, egg and cress and tuna with red onion for me and I know one of OH's was corned beef and tomato, but can't remember the other. He sneaked a sausage roll in the basket as well. I wanted to call in the bathroom place on the way back to measure something and had some paper and a tape measure with me, but OH went a different way back didn't he and neither of us realised till we were nearly home. Maybe tomorrow.

I've sorted OH's car insurance having searched for cheaper quotes but it looks like he is best to stay with his current insurance this time. Although it is double what it was last year, it is still cheaper than elsewhere. Some quotes were over £1000 !!! That person denting his door while he was parked won't have helped and he had to pay the £350 excess then as well.

Has anyone been watching The Piano? The ten year old chinese boy was fantastic and he was so excited to meet Lang Lang and get his autograph. He kept saying he was so happy! :-D

It's been raining nearly all day here. I don't know whether to be glad it's softening the soil to get the weeds out, or disappointed it will make them grow faster.

It hasn't stopped raining all the morning and some of the showers have been quite heavy and its been pouring off the gazebo canopy, shame we can't collect it somehow ,lovely rainwater ,I did fill my watering cans from the overflow tub and that's now filled up again

Mel thats good your knee feels easier just be careful what you do today .

Oh goodness Ann you don't want to be going over backwards in the garden be careful .
Thanks I'll have a look for some of those heat patches when I go to collect our tablets .

Sent Anng's photos Ann .

Morning all,

I woke at 10.50am and am sittinghere with my coffee. Pc says 16 degrees and knee is a lot better this morning after a good nights rest. I shall just take it easy today . It did a lot of clicking yesterday evening .

Morning All,

Dull and dry again here but only 13 degrees and the PC says heavy rain in an hour!
I just nipped out and dug out a couple of feet of weeds, but when I tried to do some higher up I nearly toppled over backwards as my knees are still recovering from yesterday's effort, so I'm sticking to the lower weeds for now. As OH said it's not the time to be needing hospitals.

Well we seem to all be the walking wounded one way or another. The heat patches I've found best are Deep Heat Mandy. They are more expensive than some, but are better and just one on all day makes a difference, especially if you need to go out. I'm sure Boots would have them and I know Sainsbury's have them too. I was a bit dubious they would work when Jane told me to try some, but they do help a lot. I hope the rest has helped your back, but as you say just move it carefully so as not to set things back. Could you please forward me AnnG's Rhododendron pics as I'd love to see them?

Oh Mel I know what that feels like with knees, so give it time to recover or it will take even longer. It's a shame we can't take ibuprofen because of our other tablets, but we can use the gel on our knees. Just move it slowly for now, although you probably have no choice!

What a lovely idea to use the money to buy a silver bracelet AnnG. Every time you wear it you will remember the surprise find of the money T had left. It sounds like you are getting out and about and I'm glad the cold hasn't been bad enough to spoil your outings.

I have to go to the post office and shop soon as I need to return a parcel. We had no bin collection on Tuesday or yesterday, but they have just arrived so that will save phoning them.

We've both had emails and texts to say our new passports are done so that was much quicker than expected.

I had my PC locked with threats of losing all my info on there yesterday afternoon. It had a box for me to sign in to my google account and gave windows technical support number for help. It all looked very authentic with the right logos and no spelling mistakes and I couldn't close any of the windows, so I asked OH to google the support number for windows on his PC and it was different, so I was sure it was a very convincing scam. I rang our pc support people and they confirmed it was a scam and said to switch my pc off with the off button, then switch it back on which I did and everything was back to normal again. They remotely checked my pc for any malware and said it was clean as a whistle which was good to hear. All I'd been doing was looking at a site with old photos of this area.

Better get changed ready to go out as OH will be finishing his phone call soon.

Morning all,

Very wet morning here we were going shopping so will see if it eases up later as if did yesterday not going out in the rain when we don't have to.

Mel hope your knee is a bit better today and everyone else's aches and pains have eased .

Don't worry I got my stick out and I have the walky chair oh bought me. Its a bit better I think and I made sure I took my Jointace tonight as I may have forgotten the last couple of nights.

Sounds as if you could do with some crutches or a stick to take ths weight off the
knee Mel.

I don't think so Mandy!! :-0

I am trying to fancy something for dinner but I don't know what I want. Probably end up with egg and beans on toast if I can get it to the tabel.

Oh no Mel I missed your post ,take it easy and rest the knee and I hope it soon eases for you .
What a lot we are, we all seems to have aches and pains of some sort do you think we could make a fit person between us lol

Side feels a little better after resting it ,I have had a very lazy day there's so much I want to do but it means bending or stretching which I'm trying to avoid doing for a day of two .
Ann I shall have to get some of those heat patches and try them ,do you get yours from boots?

The rain eased up by the middle of the afternoon and we did have a little sun so I went and sat out as it was warmer out than in .

Anng you said you wanted a piece of jewellery so it's good you've found something .
Those photos of the rodadendrons are beautiful.

Iv'e ttwisted my left knee and it dos'nt half hurt. I am hobbling around onn myhair seat thing and I can walk ok if I bend my knees but only very slowly.

Soiunds like you had a great day finding the bracelet you wanted and nice too that it was bought with money from T and Lyn. Something to treasure. I wear a silver bracelet oh gave me money for for a birthday years ago and never take it off. Its very plain and just a round band that crosses over with a stone in a round setting at each end. They are my birthstones.

Had a little shower of rain this morning as I saw drips coming off the roof over the patio but it can't have been much as the road looks dry.

Done a bit of painting this morning and then had lunch and now I am going to wash my hair but first I must put some food out for the wild birds as they have cleared the feeder completely and the bird table.

Dry here but grey skies. Warm though. We have been to Cockermouth as SiL had a dentist appointment . Daughter and I went for a coffee first then wandered through the town. When I found that money of T’s a couple of months back I decided I would spend it on a silver bracelet. I also had some money from Lyn for Mother’s Day and Easter. Today I found a pretty Celtic bracelet so I am pleased with that.
After the town we drove to Lakes, a large department store and bought a few bits. We were home by half past twelve. Still sniffly but this cold has not been too bad.

Morning All,

Dull but dry here so I went out and got another small humper full of weeds out of the middle bed and gravel edge. It will be easier to do some of it when we've had a bit more rain though as it's hardly penetrated the surface. It's starting to look a bit better out there now though. I noticed a naughty squirrel hanging upside down on nextdoor's birdfeeder and he was still there when I came inside. I don't know how he managed to keep hanging upside down so long without the blood rushing to his head. I also cleaned the worst off the PVC garage door and window, but need to go over it again with some cleaner, but I'd had enugh by then though so came in for a flop and drink. OH is catching up with some work and phone calls and then we are eating out . He's out again later, so I hope to do some tidying and sorting in here as paperwork doesn't half build up quickly and it gets used as a dumping ground for things that haven't got a home! I need to look at some quotes for OH's car insurance as well. There's aways something that needs doing isn't there. What happened to retirement and pipe and slippers? :-D

Ouch Mandy, your back has protested at the bending. It's having to bend and hold the position while screws are put in that makes it worse as well. You will just have to take it easy for a while, no choice is there till it's a bit easier. Those heat patches are good if you slap them on where the pain is.

Morning Mandy and all,

Not nice when that hapens is it Mandy you just wish you had never helped I hope you feel better soon so take it easy now for a couple of days.

14 degrees here and pc says partly sunny. Well is is quite bright at the mo and there is a tad of blue sky between the clouds.

Got my covid jab on Friday so that will be out of the way for a while.

Need to do some ironing and wash my hair today I think and get tidied up a bit.