General Chat

Morning All,

Days like today are bound to bring back memories AnnG and some sorrow. Our partners are such big parts of our lives, I can only imagine that it must be like finding a new way of life without them. It's good to have happy memories though and to remember them.

I think I'm going to stop putting any bread out for the birds. I noticed the gravel at the edge of the fence between it and the patio had been disturbed by something like a mouse burrowing to get under the fence to next door a few weeks ago. Standing further along near the feeder yesterday, the other side of the arbour it was clear that something much bigger had disturbed the slate chippings making a much bigger hole under the fence!! :-0 I don't want to encourage rats as there may be some with the ditch behind the bottom fence.

OH's car was collected for repair this morning and the courtesy car left. What a loud man, but he told us about his collection of vintage cars which was interesting. He has an Austin A35 like I used to drive the van version of and a 1962 Vauxhall Cresta like dad had once. Next we are popping to shop for a few bits in the courtesy car as OH hasn't driven an automatic before!

Thinking of you today AnnG and sending love <3

Morning Anng and all,

Its 12 degrees here and as dull as dishwater. Really miserable dos'nt make you want to do anything but go back to bed.

I have some things to sort out today so don't worry if I don't coe back at some time today.

Good morning all 11 degrees out there, such strange weather for January.

A day of memories for me today good ones except for this actual day. 3 years now since I was left to carry on on my own. Miss him every day <3 <3 <3

I'm pleased your ferns did'nt get the crew cut Vera. Make sure when he realises he did'nt cut them back you're in so you can keep an eye on him. Hope you get to sleep ok tonight.

I hav'nt felt hungry this evening so I may just have a bowl of cornflakes that should keep the hunger pains away.

Pc says its 11 degrees but it feels much colder than that. It strange weather we are having lately.

Laughed at Mr. Hackett ............

Evening all

Not a bad day for weather today. It's been a bit chilly but it stayed dry with a mixture of sunshine and cloud. I did the Big Garden Bird Watch and I think you're right AnnG. The birds are deliberately staying out of sight. I did log several but not as many of anything as we usually get. The biggest surprise was that there wasn't a single pigeon or collared dove and there are usually plenty. I'm usually moaning about the mess they make. They group under the bird feeders and wait for the little birds to drop bits. I'll put my results in as the RSPB need to know what doesn't appear as well as what does.

Mr Crewcut didn't get as far as the ferns yesterday as he got distracted by the epimediums. I don't mind that as you are supposed to cut them back mid-February so he's only a week or two early. We've got 2 big patches and by the time he had done those he had probably forgotten the ferns.

Ann, I hope your OH gets on well at his eye appointment tomorrow and whatever the optician saw isn't too serious.

It's nice to know Skinny is still around AnnG. I think we're all getting quite attached to him. I often wonder if Jane's Thomas is still around. That cat was such a character and could have been the twin of my old Molly. They were both hunters and both prone to leave half a rabbit lying around.

Your dinner sounds good Mel. We do like a Sunday roast though I must admit I am not a great fan of roast beef though OH likes it so we probably have it every 4-6 weeks. We had lamb shanks today with lots of veg. I surprised myself by managing to eat all my shank. Lamb is my favourite but I'm not a big meat eater though I do enjoy my veg. I did a fruit salad with cream to follow.

I'm glad your eye test was OK Mandy. That'll be 3 of us with new glasses now. I hope you don't have to wait too long for your cataracts to be done. 3 months doesn't sound bad; I am sure it's much longer than that round here. The optician has been telling me for 4 or 5 years now that mine are the slow growing sort and still aren't ready to be done. I just wish they would get a move on and grow a bit quicker. Perhaps I should try a squirt of Miracle-Gro in each eye, lol.

My cousin rang a short while ago to tell me her husband died in December. He had been in a home for over a year and was quite poorly so it wasn't unexpected but it is still a shock when it happens. Sadly, as we get older it happens more and more frequently.

I have been quite droopy all day as I had a dreadful night. For some reason I just couldn't sleep and eventually at 5 am I got up and made myself some hot milk and took a tablet with it. I went back to bed just before 6 and slept till about 9.30 but I've felt out of sorts all day. I'm also struggling to get warm. The heating is on as normal and I am wearing several layers but I've also had to put my warm dressing gown over the top and I'm still a bit chilly while my hands are frozen. Well, things could be worse - I'm still here to tell the tale so onwards and upwards.

I hope you are all free of aches and pains and all get a good sleep tonight.

Afternoon All,

The PC says it's 10 degrees here just now, but it seems colder, even without any breeze. It was sunny earlier, but still didn't feel any warmer.

I get my specs a week tomorrow Mandy, which seems quicker than in the past. I don't think they are as busy as before the pandemic probably because some people are managing longer with their old glasses due to the cost, especially just after Christmas. One of my eyes is worse than the other, but they didn't say whether my cataracts were any worse.

I'm glad Skinny has turned up to say hello AnnG and it's good to know he is ok. I expect he has been watching the changes in your garden from a safe distance, but came to see if you were back once it was quiet again. When a previous neighbour across the road from us had her back garden massively changed, the 3 cats decamped to the top of our shed and arbour to sunbathe in the daytime where it was less noisy. The 'buildings' subject for your group this time was a good one as there are so many interesting buildings once you look closely. That's one of the things I like about photography and painting.......it makes you look more closely at everything.

I'm glad you are beginning to feel better Vera, but I had a chuckle at Mr Crewcut with the secateurs! :-) I think his brother, Mr Hackett, lives here as he has no finesse with the secateurs. lol.

I look forward to seeing BIL's photos of your LTT's Mel. I think they are one of my favourite birds. It sounds like he is limbering up for the mowing season now and has made a start before the grass gets longer and harder to mow. It's good your washer is nice and steady now as well. Edit, you posted before me and I see you had a lovely roast dinner at your neighbour's. How nice not to have to cook too!

I shall do the chicken thigh casserole with the addition of mustard and horseradish sauce again as OH described it as delicious. The slow cooker is a boon with being able to throw everything in and leave it a few hours.

While OH was out yesterday, someone drove into his space on our drive then turned right fully onto the gravel area under our windows leaving deep tyre marks. There is plenty of room on the drive where OH parks to reverse up to turn round without going on the gravel at all, not that they should even be driving up our drive. A huge DPD van reversed up our drive behind my car to turn round last week so it looks like we'll have to stop this somehow when we change the front garden. It was a big van doing the same that knocked the corner of our neighbour's wall down last summer. They can park on the wider road 70 feet away, but it seems they won't walk the extra distance.

An early start here tomorrow as they are fetching OH's car to be repaired for the 2nd time. Not sure whether the courtesy car will be the same and automatic. Neither of us have driven one before, so it should be interesting!

That was nice Mel. no cooking for you this evening then. Meal sounds lovely.

Back from my neighbours where I had a beautiful roast dinner of beef, carrots, parsnips, broccoli amd a big yorkshire pud followed by profiterrolls. Took up a bottle of wine which went down very well with Hazel but Jonathon had a french red for Christmas and he had that.

Have to go and corn the chickens now.

Afternoon all,
Nice sunny day but cold, it was frosty again first thing but not as white out as yesterday.

Anng Skinny probably heard the men working about in the garden the other day and came to see what they were doing to his second home lol you'll have to be careful you don't shut him in the shed .
We had one of next door neighbours cats go into our shed a few years ago,she had said she couldn't find him could we check our shed we didn't know he had gone in but our dog Toby knew he was in there he started sniffing ,so I call the neighbour and said I think he's in here come tound and call him out as Toby had scared him .

Oh dear Vera I said you need to hide those secateurs from Mr Crewcut :-) how bad is it do you think they will servive lol

Ann shame you missed getting to the Regatta shop before it closed down .
Yes eye test went OK get my new glasses next week but he did say my eyes had deteriated and my cataracts had got worse ,he said there's a three month wait for cataracts .

I came out of the shed having taken some stuff down there, and there was Skinny sitting waiting to say hello. He didn't stay long but at least we know he is ok. That is the first I have seen of him since early December.

I did'nt do it and I have had loads of birds today and yesterday.

BIL came again and mowed outside the wall and the back field where the chickens are and the two front lawns outside the bungalow. He did'nt pick up the cuttings but the worms will take those down. The blackbirds and thrushes are all over it looking for grubs.

sun is shining now. I had a go at the bird watch but as usual they have got the message and very few birds visited.

Morning Anng and all,

Its dull and dreary here this morning and pc says mostly cloudy and 9 degrees. Just the kind of day when you want to go back to bed and sleep through it.

Nothing much planned for today but I want to try and finish my new Tudor mans boots and then I an get on with something else, Iv'e only the soles to do but I don't think these ones have gone as good as the last pair I made on Gwain.

Good morning all 6 degrees here and still very gloomy looking at 8am. Roll on spring.
Nothing planned for today maybe a bit of washing. Still look over my shoulder for my Mum when I say that on a Sunday. If it is dry might take a few bits from the garage down to the shed. Trouble is that part of the garden is a bit muddy as Jake skimmed the turf to put in the bottom of the planter before they left last Thursday. so it is ready for paving tomorrow.
I do have some books I can take down to Irene's ready for the book stall next weekend and have chicken breast to put in the slow cooker. Then I will maybe make some cards as my stock is running low. :-)

Vera hope your eyes feel better and you feel more 'with it' today. But take it easy and watch that crew cut man if you see him disappearing with secateurs in his hands.

You take it easy Vera and have a restful day.

BIL cam ethis morning again and he is out cutting back brimbles that reach out over where he mows. He has taken some pics of my Long Tailed Tits and said he would send them to me so I can show you.

7 degrees here and fairly bright with intermittent sunshine. The main thing is that the wind has dropped to a slight breeze so it’s more pleasant outside. I just had a wander round the garden and the winter aconites are all opening up. They’re such a cheerful yellow colour that they make me feel spring’s on the way.

The hellebores are looking good as well. I happened to mention to OH that a couple of big ferns were nearly covering a dark red hellebore and a couple of small plants a neighbour gave me last year. Stupid me! He is now going to cut them back “a bit”. Help...I think Mr Crewcut is about to strike again.

AnnG, I hope you send us some pics of your garden when Jake has finished his work and you’ve got things as you want them.

Mandy, stop tormenting us with thoughts of jam puffs. My tum is rumbling now.

I managed to get more sleep last night and I am feeling a bit better today so hope things are improving at last, though I still feel some pain. I am completely drained and hardly doing anything. I checked over some geraniums I lifted and potted up last autumn and gave them their first drink of water since I lifted them. They will be fine for a few weeks now. I didn’t have time in November to pot up all the others I lifted and they just got shoved bare rooted in plastic troughs in the mini greenhouse. Goodness knows if they will survive. I am pleased with the cuttings I took. 2 or 3 didn’t survive but I’ve got 15 good, strong, rooted cuttings.

Apart from a few tiny jobs, that’s all I’ve done this morning and I feel shattered I can’t stop yawning. I don’t think I’ll be doing much this afternoon.

O you are awful.......indulging in lovely cream pastries. May have a go myself today as I have some cream.

Suns out here too and my car was white this morning and I have just fed the wild birds and chickens and the air is bitter even though the suns out. Its 6 degrees here.

Morning all,

Nice bright morning here a little bit of sun at times and we had q very sharp frost the car was so white I thought if had snowed .

Not a lot planned for today just gave the kitchen sink a good clean and the glass door of the washing machine as that scales up a bit with our water, cooked a piece of Gammon in the pressure cooker so that's what we'll have tonight probably with salad and I might make a couple more jam puffs .

Morning all,

Very grey here this morning and there was a frost last night before I went to bed and as the sun went down we had pink and blue sky to the east so I thought we may have had a nice day today. Pc is telling me its a record high and its 6 degrees.