General Chat

BIL has been and fitted a new strip light in the filter shed as one of the green bulbs had gone that kills the green.

I am going to have a little go at the garden now before lunch.

11 degrees here now and sunny and I am just back from a walk to take stuff to Irene, I then went on round the park to the next estate and back via estate roads and the adjacent main road. I suppose it was about a mile. Had a coffee now off to potter in the garden.

We have a Christmas Box shrub near the front door that has a nice scent early in the year, but now it's got bigger the perfume is overpowering. I find Hyacinths the same. I remember years ago, when we had a platform of railway sleepers up the garden with a wooden chairs and table combination on it, I planted some lovely, yellow achillea in the border behind. I've just asked OH what they smelled of, as I could only remember it wsn't nice and his answer was 'rotting meat!!' We also used to have a tall Iris with flowers that smelled of germolene.

I've cleaned the fridge out and am resting my knees with a COT now before lunch is ready. OH has fetched the first wash in and put most of it away and put out a second wash to dry, looked at some of his work and is in the garden doing some weeding. His BP seems fine with the home checks, so he's glad about that.

Morning Anng and all,

Gosh dos'nt time fly, a year old it only seems like a coupl;e of months ago you were saying you had a new step great granddaughter.

9 degrees here with a high pollen count. The other day I went out in the garden and could smell the laurel which is not really nice as I can taste it.It runs right up the east side of the garden and really wants a bit of a cut down. Its all in flower. The magnolia looks great at the moment too.

Just one little parcel to do up today and I think I will try doing some painting.

Morning All,

I'm early today as I lay awake from 5.00am so decided to get up at 7.45 am and get some jobs done! The slow cooker is on doing some chopped pork with onions, carrots, swede, half a parsnip with a dash of mustard and horseradish in the gravy. The washer is on again and the veg for lunch all prepared.

It's gone up to 8 degrees here AnnG and the sun is trying to come out so I might go in the garden like you and start some weeding for a short stint. I noticed the garden bin has a bit more space now it has settled a bit. Happy First Birthday to your little step great granddaughter. She will probably be crawling or standing now and copying words. After words for mum and dad I think my siblings soon learned 'NO'! lol.

Good morning all 7 degrees, dry and patchy sun at the moment. Nothing planned for today (That seems to be the story of my life at the moment. Probably some tidying in the garden. and I do need to walk to the post box to post Easter cards. At one time they would be timed to arrive at Easter but these days can't rely on the post office to do that.
My Little baby step great granddaughter is a year old today, that has gone really fast.

Got back at lunch time and have had a banana sandwich and a jam doughnut with my pills and a glass of water.Mandy te cat cave is wonderful and I am sure it will be well used by the cat. Did you say you had made it for someone? I do hope your blood test shows something up that they can put right for you its so horrid when we don't feel right and worrying too.

Yes Ann just think of us all as we will all be right behind you giving our support and love. <3

I had a good spend up and now I feel better. I did the library thne went and bought my new telly handset and some peanuts in the pet shop and back to the car. Then I filled up with deisel and went to Waitrose where I boughtmy self some nice un dyed smaoked haddock, some pepermint creams and a small pack of shortread.

Its 7 degrees here and I have a very cold biting wind and pc says partly sunny but the suns been out all afternoon and most of the morning.

I think I’ve said before that our OH’s must be related Annx :-D. I’m sure DNA testing would reveal a common ancestor.

We’ve had the heavy rain and hail as well, then sun, now it’s come over all black again.

My muffin recipe uses butter Mandy. I have got a good chocolate cake recipe that uses oil and when we grew our own veg I used to make a spiced courgette cake with oil. Both those recipes said corn oil but I used sunflower oil as I’ve usually only got that and olive oil. I’ll take a pic of my muffins in a moment so you can see how they came out. Well done to young Lacey. It’s lovely to hear of the grandchildren’s achievements.

My phone just pinged and it was a text supposedly from Evri who can’t deliver a parcel and I have to click on a link to confirm my address. Strange that it came from a weird hotmail email and they don’t know my home address but they have my mobile number. I deleted it straightaway but it’s easy to see how people are fooled as a couple of days ago I was expecting a parcel from Evri. I would have been suspicious anyway but another person might well have thought it was about something they were expecting. I hate these scammers.

Afternoon All,

Well it started sunny here, then Mel must have sent her absolute downpour of rain and hailstones up here!! lol. It was shortlived, but OH wasn't impressed I'd got him to put the washing out as he got soaked fetching it back in again.

I'm sorry you still have these horrid heads Mandy and I know it's very unpleasant when you feel so dizzy. It's good you held Colin's arm as you wonder if you will faint when they happen. I hope the test results come soon and will show a cause so it can be sorted for you. I love the cat cave and when I show OH I bet he will ask if I can make a bigger one for him! lol. Edit: Well done Lacey for getting a certificate for her writing about the cat. She must be so proud to have received it.

AnnG I can understand you missing T being with when you have these hospital trips and it is stressful having to sort out transport and when they cancel like you have had to and not hearing well either. I know in the pandemic when I had that mass and had to go on my own for the appointments and scans I didn't like it. My knees hurt if I walk any distance at all and I tend to get lost in hospitals or areas in them I don't know which means more walking and, like your T, my chatterbox of an OH does keep your spirits up in circumstances like that. With all the traffic these days it does mean having to set off early too so you get there on time. Just try to keep busy and remember we will all be with you in spirit and would help if we lived nearer.

I'm sure your OH and mine are related Vera with their shared characteristics! :-D Mine forgets the end of his jacket sleeves hang lower than his arms, so at meals his arms are like fishing trawlers with his sleeves below like the fishing nets scraping the seabed of anything in the way on the table like knives and forks that end up on the floor. He laughs at my lack of spatial awareness when I walk out of shops and turn the wrong way, but he's no different himself when sitting at a table. :-D

Councils seem to be putting their prices up as well as the council tax Gwyn. I've read that some councils are not only charging for their gsrden bins but are adding yet another charge for collection. I think it could lead to more people having bonfires instead, which won't help pollution. We are in a smokeless zone, but I didn't realise for long time that it only applied to what you burned on fires indoors and not outside.

Well done Lacey. I love the imagination of these children.

Oh yes Anng you don't want to miss being called .

I meant to say our Grandaughter Lacey has been given a certificate for an original piece of writing that's been selected for publication in a young writers Anthology called Through their eyes ,she had to write a poem from someone or something else's point of view , she wrote about the cat.

Mandy I don't usually take a book to read as I need to concentrate on hearing my name called.

Thanks ladies I hope the blood test shows something as I hate feeling like this ,doctor did say it could be long covid but I hope not as that can last a long time.

Yes Anng we'll all be with you in sprit so look round that waiting room and you'll see us ,do you take a book to read while your waiting to go I .

Just had a little rain ,clouds are very black but whizzing along in ths wind .

Vera does your muffin recipe use sunflower oil ,when I made those muffins for the family that recipe did and I've never used it in cakes before ,usually use marg or butter .
It's all muffins now ,years ago they were called buns lol

Thanks Vera I shall be looing for all those spirits around me when in the waiting area. :-) :-)

7 degrees here as well but there's a bitter wind making it feel much colder.

I agree with AnnG, Mandy. The cat cave looks great and will be popular I'm sure. Cats like to be able to see but feel enclosed and a bit hidden at the same time. I'm sorry you feel poorly and hope your blood tests can pinpoint your problem and you can get some treatment.

OH's leg is still giving him trouble and seems to be a combination of muscle and nerve problems.

I thought we had used up all last year's blueberries but I found a pack lurking at the back of the freezer so I'm going to take a leaf out of Mandy's book and make some cakes. I've got all the ingredients out ready to make blueberry muffins after lunch.

I'm not surprised you feel a bit down AnnG but keep your pecker up. We'll all be with you in spirit for your hospital visit even if none of us can physically come with you.

It is great Mandy I hope the cats don't fight over it. Max looks comfortable.

Sorry you are not feeling well. Let us hope that the blood test reveals what is wrong.

Wind is quite strong now and it has been pouring with very cold rain. Still 7 degrees so not got any colder.

Morning all,

Very cloudy here and windy ,I got up for the loo at 4.30 and the top of the car was white
Not feeling so good today ,yesterday I didn't feel to bad when I went to the doctor's for the blood test but in the afternoon I came over so dizzy I had to hold on to Colin to walk ,I do hope this blood test shows what's wrong .
Not doing anything now I've just put a sausage casserole in ths slow cooker and will turn that on later .
Ann you asked about the crochet cat cave ,yes its all done I did take a photo but with my funny heads I haven't got round to sending it so I'll do that now .

Gwyn if you could find anywhere in the area that sells mushroom manure you could try buying a few bags and just digging it in to the soil.

Yes it is the chasing around and having your wishes ignored that causes stress. I think all these young people in admin at the booking office must have cars or live in town.

Not only do I not have a car but our whole village has been at the mercy of having a huge new cycle path constructed for the past two years. I am sure if you googled Churchdown cycle path it would have something to explain. This cycle path is the width of 3/4 of the road and the road has been narrows to just wide enough for a car and double decked bus to pass.

I am so pleased that I have friends on this and other threads to support me. <3

Morning all,

I'm pleased some of you have nice weather as its 7 degrees here and pc says light rain but it thundering down and I've had hailstones too this morning.

Yes got a nice lot done with BIL yesterday and he's such a help. I have to get my library books back by Monday and they are open today from 10am till 1pm so may take myself off there today. I am not going to Torrington but Holsworthy. Wereas I never had to pay for late returns with the mobile library I have to with Holsworthy so I better get my skates on.

I do feel for you Anng and hope it all works out well with the buses. Its a shame one of your friends can't take you. You need moral support at times like this and I quite understand your feelings. Think positive you will get there in the end and we are all thinking of you and wishing you well. <3 <3

Good morning all. A brilliant widespread blue sky to start our day here.

Ann, I do feel for you and if I lived nearer, I would willingly come with you on Monday, - not that I could drive, but we could chat about other things.
I totally understand what you say about not fearing the actual appointment, but feeling overwhelmed by the admin. in the background.
I know when I was being investigated a couple of years back, I was getting appointments from one department overlapping with others, sometimes in completely different hospitals and it was THAT that caused me most anguish trying to sort them all. Thank goodness for my lovely consultant / surgeon who said that I didn't need to attend at a different hospital for yet another scan, as the team had already decided the course of action and he would speak to them direct.
Hopefully all will go smoothly with your journey and you will get to your appointment with no problem.

I hope everyone has a good weekend.
Mel... Are you aware that postage price increases after next weekend, so if there are any small parcels almost ready, it might pay to post before then.

We might get in the garden to put something in our garden bin before Monday. I had an e mail last week to say our garden refuse collection will cost £60 for this coming year, so I aim to have something to collect each fortninght, to make it worthwhile.
The ground is cold and wet and we are on a clay band through our back garden, so the soil is poor. It could really do with digging out to some depth and replacing the heavy soil with something lighter, but that's too big a project for now.