General Chat

Mel your Tudor man has really turned so well ,lots of hard work gone into making him and theres so many fiddly little bits you've made for him ,he'll be hard to part with .

All the best for your hospital appointment tomorrow Anng hope it goes well <3

Yes best wishes for tomorrow AnnG. Did I miss it or did you manage tso sort a lift or is it bus or taxi? You should have more idea what to expect once you have been to the hospital.

Mel your Tudor man turned out well didn't he. I like his hair and hat and thought the boots must be tricky to get fitting snuggly. Will you sell him?

Thanks for lettng me know you can freeze baked beans.

Yes Anng good luck with you hospital visit tomorrow hope it all goes ok. Let us knw when you get back. Sending love. <3

Thanks for the photos Mel. I can see just how much work you've put into your Tudor man and it's been worth it because he is a verry handsome fellow.

I really just popped back on to wish AnnG good luck with her hospital visit tomorrow. I hope it all goes well for you.

I have a few standby tinned things, but buy things that are cheaper say in a pack of four. OH has tins of Sardines and Mackerel for his bones, but I hate the smell, so no kissing when he has those! :-D

Oh I like a tuna jacket Gwyn, especially with a bit of red onion and a sprinkle of cheese!

I use those microwave rice packets too Mandy. They are handy as they are so quick. Our newest arbour and trellis at the top of the bottom fence both need painting this year. I must get a colour chart now you've reminded me.

Well done on finishing your Tudor man Mel and yes, you can freeze baked beans as Asda sell frozen breakfasts with baked beans in them. It isn't me having Windows 11 that's the problem. It's the browser being updated with a new layout and the problem is with ME and my poor old brain that keeps forgetting the changes. I have Edge and Internet Explorer, but like Edge as I have an adblocker on that to stop the adverts. Edge was recommended to me by a PC repairer and I see that Techradar have voted it overall as the no 1 2024 browser with Firefox just behind at No 2. It seems different browsers have their different strengths in different areas! I also like the built in Artificial Intelligence Edge has. I've found things on some of my ancestors by using it that I've seen nowhere else. It writes letters or poems on any topic for you and will tell you about places or give recipes, anything really. OH has used it for some stock letters he has to send and was surprised how good they were with a bit of personalisation added. I just asked it to write a poem about computer updates and this is what it said:

Computer updates are a necessary pain
They interrupt our work and cause us strain
But they also fix the bugs and improve the features
And make our devices more secure and sleeker

So next time you see a pop-up on your screen
Asking you to restart or install something
Don't be annoyed or frustrated or mad
Think of the benefits and be a little glad

You certainly seem to have a gremlin in the works Vera. I get that on my phone sometimes and I don't always look at what comes out so have to go back and do it again.

I HAVE FINISHED HIM!!! Will send pics.

We’re all different aren’t we? I have lots of frozen veg but the only tinned veg I have are baked beans and tomatoes. I have one or two bits on standby but I won’t stockpile. The only time I have a lot of anything is when something I would use normally has a really good offer on it e.g. I do buy 24 cans of baked beans at a time because I can get them at Farm Foods much cheaper if I bulk buy.

It’s been a day of sunny spells and light cloud but there’s been no heat in the sun and hardly any breeze so I didn’t bother to hang the washing out.

We’ve had Windows 11 since it came out and have had no problems with it at all. It’s the browser, not the operating system, that closes the sites you have open and you can download any browser you want. Our computers came with Edge installed but, like AnnG, we prefer Firefox so use that as our default browser. Familysearch send me lots of emails about new records they have put on and other things but I have never had one about possible ancestors. I have never put a tree on there and both my parents had common names so it might be difficult to connect me with anyone specific.

Annx, you are nearly right about “turtle” granddaughter. It was her sister who was visiting. Our son has 3 daughters. The eldest one came this weekend, the middle one was the turtle watcher, the youngest is about to do A-levels. I know it would be easier if I called them by name but I am very wary about giving too much information on an open site. Can you believe it was the summer before last that the middle one was “turtling”? Where has that time gone?

I’ve had a really busy day today, changing beds, washing and catching up with jobs and finished a while ago by giving the work surfaces a thorough clean. We’re always wiping them down but they seem to get greasy and smeary so from time to time I move everything off the surfaces and employ a bit of elbow grease to get them really clean. Then I make sure the stuff that goes back - microwave, kettle, pot for cooking utensils etc, etc get a wash as well. It seems to take ages so now I am having half hours rest before sorting out tonight’s dinner.

I’m going to post this before I throw my iPad across the room and stamp on it. It’s having one of those days when it doesn’t like the words I use so it changes them. Turtling I can understand the change but what’s wrong with gone. Why did that get changed to honey and why change anyone to anything? Grrr....

We have spoken about hard to open jars but today it took me ages to open a small tin of tuna and sweetcorn. Single portion size. It had a ring pull and they always used to open easily until the last few months. I tried fingers and I tried three different things meant for ring pulls. In the end I managed to get a tin opener to open a smal bit then could pull it open. It is almost as if the tin is made of harder material

I too have noticed that there is little price difference between large and small tins of baked beans, so I buy the larger one like Mel, then use the extra for a lunch later that week. I used to buy broad beans, but haven't done so for ages. I never buy butter beans, but do buy chick peas to include in recipes or to make into humous.
We eat tinned tuna fairly often, maybe with jacket potato or a tuna pasta dish.

I've heard of tinned Brussel sprouts, but never seen them... or fancied them. I can't think that they would be improved by the canning process, so would not buy them.

I meant to say about the tinned sprout s too and forgot. I have never seen them in the shops and can you imagine the smell when you open the tin!!! yuk. They would also be like school dinner ones cooked to death I should think. I do buy red kidney beans for chilli, I have a tin of potstoes, baked beans, curried baked beans, mushrooms sweetcorn and the usual Tuna in small tins and pink salmon in small tins plus various tinned fruit and rice pud.My paternal nan started me on tinned food when I was first married in 1969 and gave me a whole box of tins for the store cupboard. I have kept it up ever since. I must admit to buying full sized tins of baked beans as they are only a few pence more thean the small tins and I pout them in sealed containers in the fridge. I wonder if they would freeze???

It has been so cold here today with an easterly wind or southeasterly it still only 6 degrees here and has been raining. A miserable old day right through.

Still not got round to doing the rest of the Tudor man so I am going to do that now.

I don't understand Family search now they changed it some time ago. It was always very good and you could look things up pre 1837 and I found lots of info on marriages and baptisms for my tree. I do wish they would'nt keep updating things its like Ancestry they have changed all that now too.

As for the pc I too am still on Windows 10 as oh asked if I wanted 11 but I said no. I can work this one just about and did'nt want to have to learn how to use the new version. Ann seems to be finding this out with all her tabs closing everything down. I like to go from one to another and back again.

I meant to say about the sprouts Ann , I should think they would taste quite strong after being tinned and I wonder what the colour of them would be like ,I've never seen them in shops .
I like to have some tins in the cupboard ,baked beans ,tomatoes ,tinned potatoes not my favourite thing but Colin will eat them , sweetcorn,butter beans ,tuna and tinned fruit, I like to have the packets of rice too that you can heat in the microwave.

We got the wood as they had buy one pack get one half price .
Ann ,I have some trellis on the old wood and a couple of the small hanging brackets for baskets so that takes the plainess off .
Now we need to pick a colour to paint the wood ,my boxes on the first bit of wall are dark grey and the wood and trellis on there now are just stained a brown colour .

Lovely sunny day but there's black clouds looming .

Ann, ah yes I forgot the mushy peas and also the petit pois peas for emergencies and butter beans and kidney beans so I have more tinned veg than I thought.
I joined Family search as well years ago but don't hear anything from them.

I resisted downloading Edge as I prefer firefox which I have managed to retain so far but I am still on Windows 10.

Morning All,

A sharp frost here this morning but it's been bright sunshine and is 8 degrees now. We were up at 7.30am and showered. OH has gone to a Standards Committee meeting and I wents to the chemist for my meds (they were open today!) and got some postage stamps as they are going up in price in April. Popped to the shop next and came home. Did a wash, sorted some rubbish for the bin and got our salad ready for lunch and got a COT. I mooched up the garden and I was wrong about which Camellia died in the summer. It was the one I least liked, a sort of dull pink, but the pink and white striped one I thought I'd lost has a few flowers opening.
Ernie has been kind every month this year so far, but I wish he'd add a few noughts on at the end. :-D

Ages and ages ago I joined familysearch site, but hardly seem to use it now. Anyway, lately I've had emails from them with suggestions of ancestors I might be related to and they are always right. I don't think I have ever put any of my tree on there, but others may have put eg my parents or grandparents. They seem to have drawn on a 'world tree' now and have linked members to famous people in their family history. I got an email last night that does this with my ancestors. For each famous person they connect you to ( five at the moment ) they show the family tree for both of you and all the ancestors for both of you going back to the ancestor that connects you. It's said we all go back to famous ancestors in our past somewhere, but it is interesting and surprising to know which ones are in our ancestry! All of mine are from my father's maternal side.

AnnG I buy mushy peas and keep a tin of potatoes like you, but rarely have any other tinned veg. I don't mind some french beans , but OH hates them! I buy chopped toms, baked beans, butter beans and red kidney beans. The lamb shanks were ready to cook in a mint gravy. I used to buy fresh years ago and cook them in the pressure cooker, but it's nice to have quick and easy things these days. You don't even see them to buy in supermarkets anymore. That was kind of you to accompany your friend back to her road.

I use the Microsoft Edge browser and in their latest update they changed the screen layout. Before you could open many windows at once and close each one by a click on the X in the top RH corner. Since the change, there are tiny thumbnails for each window on the LH side. It means you open and close windows by clicking on these thumbnails now. If you forget, like me, and go to click the top RH corner like before, it just closes every single window you had open, not just the one you are looking at, so if you have a half written post, then open say your emails and then close your emails the old way by clicking the top R, it closes the GR window as well. It drives me mad as I'm so used to doing it the old way. I don't know what was wrong with the old way either!

I had some of those decorative blocks in a wall at my previous house Mandy. It's a good idea to cover them to make it more private now more people walk by. you could always hang some pots on the wood if it's strong enough and make it a feature if you wanted to.

Better get lunch now as OH is back.

Good morning all.
A second day dry and with bright sunshine.. a real surprise :-0 :-D

The back garden, which is the one needing attention is so wet underfoot being on clay that it will take a while before I can safely tackle a lot of the jobs out there.
A few more days of dry weather would help in time for next week's garden bin collection.
AnnG
Thank you for the photos of the recent improvements in your garden. The men have done a good job and I like the way the slabs lead you round to another part of the garden. I see the seat ready for you to sit and admire all your lovely plants, when they grow. ;-)
Mel,
Thank you for forwarding photos taken by b-in-l How clear they are!
I particularly like the owl with outstretched wings and love the lighting in the harvesting photo.
I hope you pain eases after the painkiller. It must be so difficult each day, when you want to do so much.
Your little Tudor man is nearly finished then? What is the next project, a companion or something quite different?

Ann, I do seem to remember seeing the sprouts years ago but have never tried them. Most tinned veg is ok but some french beans are better than others. I rarely have tinned now as not many do small tins. I do have tinned sweetcorn chopped tomatoes and baked beans fairly regularly and also keep tinned mushrooms and new potatoes in the cupboard for emergencies.
Yes it is hard for my friend she is in her late 70s and the chemo has hit her hard. She lives on her own too but is a very independent person, rarely will accept help. Although I was going back from the book stall when I met her walking down to it. It was her first time out for a week so I asked if she wanted me to turn round and walk with her. she accepted the offer so I stayed with her until we got back to her little road. She was a bit wobbly but managed ok.

what new layout causes you problems Ann?

I enjoy brunch occasionally. I like lamb shanks too, were they fresh or ready cook?

I had a couple of shorter than I like dates on two ready meals so I had one last night and will have the other tonight. Delivered Saturday (2nd) they were both for the 4th. I didn't notice until the driver had gone as it was pouring with rain and I didn't want to keep him hanging around. And I couldn't be bothered to contact Tesco.

Morning all,

Suns out here and we had a sharp frost too .

I just had a look at my Amaryllis and the short stem has 6 flowers there's 2 little green Buds in the middle .

Ann yes I had the Chateau book from son and dil for my birthday ,I've read the other two and this is the latest ,I saw it in tesco before Christmas and didn't buy it in case I got it for Christmas.

Beds stripped and I'm wondering if I can hang them out but there not a lot of wind so not sure they will get dry out there .

We want to go to homebase this morning to get some wood Colin wants to put some new wood up on the wall ,we have a row of those decorative blocks that you can see through running along near the top of the wall ,when Colin built the wall not so many people walked through on the path then now there's more people they can see right into the garden so we like to cover them.

Morning Anng and all,

Dull and miserable here this morning and pc says cold weather and 6 degrees and rain which it is doing now.

It dos'nt make you want to do anything when the weather is like this. I have some washing to do but it will have to dry indoors as the rain is blowing across the patio.

The only plan I have for today is to finish my Tudor man as I only have his belt to do and he's then done.

Hips bad this mroning so I have taken painkillers.

good morning all 0 degrees and a hard frost but the sun is still shining, it shone all day yesterday. Up early as I had a message via Cynth, yesterday that the window cleaner would be hear around 0830. Otherwise no plans for today.

Yes Vera I had an hour out there today, first time since it was done because it was too wet yesterday. I was able to see today that it is all coming together. Quite a few empty pots out there but they will soon get filled.
So pleased granddaughter made the journey ok. Gosh I didn’t realise that she had not driven on the motorway. That took confidence then. Lovely that you had a nice time with her.

Evening All,

It's only been 1 degree here most of today and last night was really cold. It's been sunny though which was nice. I lost my first post I did this morning. I just can't get used to the new layout.

Thanks for the pics Mel. I hadn't seen those lid looseners before so will keep them in mind if my new one doesn't work. It should arrive this week. I was caught in my 'scruffs' yesterday when the man just dropped in on us to do the window. He's always rung first before. At least I was dressed though, but I had to scurry and move things out of his way in the bedroom. He seemed to open every door in the bungalow to find the toilet, including the study which is the shameful dumping ground for everything that doesn't have a home. I must have a tidy up in here!.

Your Amaryllis is a delicate pretty pink Mandy and so many flowers on it. The carnations are pretty too and I like your book!!

We had some lamb shanks for lunch today with the last of the roast potatoes from the freezer with parsnips, brocc, cabbage and carrots. The food delivery came 15 minutes early this afternoon, which was good, and Liam, the driver this time, knows our routine now. There were 5 subs, 4 of which had to go back. There were some quite short dates so I'll have to plan what we have to take account of it. I must have been half asleep doing the order as I managed to order a GIANT bottle of tomato sauce that won't fit in the cupboard, tall tins of toms instead of small, instead of one lot of apple juice I ordered a pack of four and misread OH's tiny writing where he'd added 5 lots of orange juice and I'd only ordered 3.

We occasionally have a brunch too AnnG, including on Sundays. It's just what you fancy sometimes. Your poor friend having cancer return after all that time. I hope she soon gets stronger now she has finished her chemo.

It sounds like you had a nice catch up with your granddaughter Vera, but a shame you found the route to your daughters was flooded. I may have it all wrong here but is this the granddaughter that went to help with the turtles?

Has anyone else seen the tins of sprouts I mentioned before? I'm going to look closely at what else they have in their tins next time I go.