General Chat

Good morning all, got a fast moving hour or so now while we sort everything out, pack up the car and hope there will still be a seat for me. clothes a bit of food and Christmas presents for two+families.
Leave here about 0945. only about 2.5 hour journey altogether but breaking it near Winchester for lunch in a familiar (to us) garden centre. Hopefully BBL if Wifi is ok there.

Like most of you we had a cold night and woke up to some frost though it wasn’t as bad as I was expecting. Later the sun put in an appearance and it was quite pleasant out though I was glad of my warm jacket.

I think you’ve mentioned those college cooked meals before Gwyn. It’s a very good idea – they get a chance to practice their skills and you get a decent meal at a reasonable price. I hope you are getting somewhere with your puzzling DNA match. I think the DNA story is fascinating but I am always a bit wary of doing a test as you never know quite what you will find out!! I do know someone who discovered the man she had called Dad wasn’t her father and, because of other discoveries that were made following on from that, there was sadly a rift in the family.

I hope your son has managed to retrieve his car and get it home by now Mandy. I hope he doesn’t get a fine but if he does I think he should appeal.

I’m glad OH has managed to see a doctor and get blood tests done Annx. The doctor is clearly trying to get to the bottom of his problems but it is a bit concerning that the PA said no further action needed. It doesn’t give you a lot of confidence in his judgement, does it. I think I read somewhere that the government are now saying that they must wear a badge that says they are a Physician Associate and make it clear that they are not doctors. Those stockings sound as though they are a bit of a struggle. I know it isn’t funny for you but my imagination worked overtime and I had to smile at the thought of you becoming a contortionist to get into the things and no doubt saying a few choice words as well. Btw, I frequently make overnight oats and I enjoy them but you have to experiment a bit to see how you like them best. I use a screw top jar and put in the amount of oats I want, pour in some milk till I just reaches the top of the oats and add 2 or 3 spoonsful of Greek style yoghurt. I am naughty and add just a very little sugar as well. Give it a good stir. If I’ve got something like blueberries I stir in a handful of those too, but quite often I’ll use frozen fruit and put some in a bowl in the fridge overnight to thaw. In the morning I just put my oats on top of the fruit. I quite like mango or cherries.

Mel, you have had a frustrating day. I hope tomorrow is better for you. I had another terrible night but have managed to get through the day reasonably well. I got the ironing done at last and also went into town to pick up these other glasses I need to have and also got my tabs. The pharmacy was hectic with people queuing for flu and Covid jabs and queues of people waiting for their meds. The GP surgery had reissued my script and sent it to the pharmacy as they promised but it hadn’t been made up so I had to wait. I was glad I got them as I took the last of my bp pills this morning.

I wasn’t very successful using Mandy’s method with the geraniums last year. I put them in a plastic mini greenhouse which is behind the garage and they may not have got enough light. We don’t have a shed, we use half of our large double garage but it has no windows so no natural light. I don’t have time to lift and pot them all up individually but OH has managed to put 2 large troughs of geraniums that were down the side of the house into the conservatory. When my back feels OK and I have time I’ll cut them back and tidy them up a bit and they can stay there till the spring. There are still 2 large pots in the garden. I might try and get the plants lifted and brought into the conservatory as well.

I think this post is more than long enough so it’s time I said goodnight. Sleep well everyone.

I have just about had it with today........................................

Did a wash first thing and got that on the line and a BIG pot of veg soup on the stove. A good start I thought to myself but then everything went wrong.

I went down the shop for my scripts which should have been there yesterday afternoon, no scripts. Fed the chcikens and the birds and fish and thought I would put together a job lot for Ebay but was waiting to see if BIL was coming today. He did'nt turn up so huge pot of soup and no BIL to feed. Had a bowl myself and then thought I better go up the docs to see if they have my scripts as I hav'nt had one for a few days now. Well the lady explained to me they could'nt get the one I had asked for but woud I take the Bisoprlol instead. I said yes and could they order my usual ones ready fr next month. She said they can't order them if they are out of stock!!!!! How silly is that? anyway now home again after taking my neighbour some eggs and they onlky had a twenty pound note and I had no change with me so they will pay me when they have got change.


I must put Annx and Anng on my posts so they know who I am taking to.

Now the sun has gone in and I don't fee like doing anything now but I must get the washing off the line before it takes up the damp.

Yes Gwyn I have thought of that loved it there when I last went many years ago. New forest area was always family's go to place for days out in the car instead of going away on holiday. Just hope it stays dry. :-)

Good to spend some time... and money :-D together AnnG.

If Beaulieu is on your list to possibly visit have you thought of nearby Bucklers Hard too.?
Quite picturesque on a sunny autumn day

Good afternoon. Had a good long morning at the Quays. Money spent by all of us of course, lots to see (and buy) When we came to leave the multi storey the ticket machine wouldn't take the car number more than once. So we drove to the exit and daughter used the phone and they just opened the barrier. They think the car number must have been auto entered incorrectly. Just hope there are no repercussions from that.

I can just visualise you struggling to get those stockings on Ann. :-D
I think my geraniums will be taking a chance until I come back on the 20th.

Got caught up yesterday trying to find the link with a DNA match. :-S
It's all a bit of a mystery, so more work needed.

No frost here, but it was certainly nippy first thing. Lovely sunshine has warmed us a bit gradually.

I hope the blood tests give OH some answers Annx. The pain must be hard to cope with, when he is so busy.

Mandy, I do hope your son is not fined for something quite out of his control. He was bound to try to get back to work.

This year's agapanthus seeds are only now just starting to open. If anyone wants fresh ones, just say :-)

We looked out hoping to see the northern lights, but there was only the slightest hint of colour perhaps, certainly nothing like the lovely views online. There is too much light round us though.

Tea / meal this evening cooked by college students training to be chefs :-D
Before lockdown, they ran a restaurant and trainee waiters would serve us, but now it's run as a take-away service. We select our choices from the online menu earlier in the week, then pick up on a Friday. It's a very reasonable proce for a 3 course meal, so we sometimes buy a meal,which is always delicious.

Yes, he was lucky Mandy. It's all the jabs being done taking the nurses' time up. I think they must have to do it if it's really urgent though, but who knows with how things are. He said he never even felt it done today, so that was good. He said the nurse said they are getting a lot of people just not turn up and some of the appointments are half hour long ones, which isn't fair as they could do three 10 minute appointments in the same time.
So your geraniums are all snug in their winter quarters now! I have only grown gladioli once I think so don't know what you do with those in winter either. I hope the Agapanthus Gwyn sent grow ok. A FB friend sent some pictures a friend who lives in Hunstanton had sent her of the Northern Lights this morning. I was surprised how vivid the colours were. Will there be another chance tonight I wonder. I have never seen them.

I put those blooming stockings on this morning! What a job it was with my bad knees trying to bend them enough to reach and then trying to straighten my leg pulling them up! Even OH couldn't manage to help much. They feel a bit tight round the tops but otherwise they feel ok. I think the wraps I have seen that adjust with velchro might be better, but I'll see how things go.
Oh your poor son having to leave his car and walk. I don't think they should charge him as it wasn't his fault he couldn't leave the carpark. I suppose he will have to go back after work to fetch it now.

Son messaged to say he was stuck in Tesco's carpark absolutely gridlocked because of a burst water main further down the road, some people have sat there an hour and a half and still haven't moved ,so he left the car parked there and walked home at he has work ,he'll probably get a parking ticket now as you can only stay on the car park for three hours :-0

OH was very lucky to get that appointment then Ann ,let's hope he soon gets the results back so he can get treated .
Yes my plants looked very bedraggled but soon picked up and I had a lovely show of flowers ,this morning I got them all together in a tub and an old washing up bowl and they are all tucked away now for the winter ,pulled up my Gladioli bulbs and put them in a bucket I must see what I have to do with them as to cutting off the long leaves or leaving them to die off and then cut them ,I planted a few little mixed daffs in the troughs and picked all the toms off the tumbling toms which I had outside .
Tomorrow I'm going to sow some of Gwyn's Agapanthus seed in a big pot.

I looked out last night for the northern lights as there was lots of lovely photos on fb ,the sky did look a bit green at times and there was little flashes of colour at times .

Morning All,

No frost here but condensation on the front windows so I knew it was chilly. Lovely sunshine and dry now though, so the shower towels are on the line drying.

Mandy, I found that method with the geraniums worked well too when I did it, although they looked a bit bedraggled by Spring. Mine kept flowering so I just cut them off.

I'm getting confused which Ann Mel is talking about?

OH has managed to get an appointment for his blood tests this morning as mentioned in my post yesterday, but it was a lucky cancellation and they told him the next appointment available would be in November. He's quite sore from the pummeling and moving his leg about yesterday. He said he had really jumped when she found a particularly sore spot.

I've had my laptop upside down and given it a shake in case debris is affecting the No6 on the keyboard and was amazed how many bits fell out. Fingers crossed it will have disldged something causing the problem.

Have you tried green fried tomatoes Mel? I kept meaning to but don't have any toms this year.

AnnG I hope it is sunny where you are as it will be nice at the docks if so and you managed to go.

I feel peckish, as I didn't eat much yesterday and OH won't be back till late lunch time ,as he he going from the docs to a school to have a chat with someone, so I might have some porridge soon. Has anyone tried doing those overnight oats? I haven't as yet as cold oats, even with fruit, don't appeal somehow?

Morning all ,

Very frosty here shed roof is white ,so glad I got the Geraniums in the greenhouse yesterday ,today I want to get them out of the pots and all stored together in a tub with just a little soil on the roots they stored well like that last year and although they looked like very poor plants when it came to planting them its the best year I've had with them loads of flowers ,I just store them in the shed on the bench so they get just a little light and don't water until the spring .

Morning Ann and all,

Been a frost here too and at the mo its 3 degrees but the suns shining so that has to be good. I got up and the window was all moisty so I knew we'd had a frost plus it was blimmin cold out there last night.

I had'nt shut the little greenhouise up so I expect all the toms are ruined but I dar'nt go down there if the decking is frosty or wet it so slippery.

Good morning all, a bright morning but 0 degrees at 0730, and there is a very light frost on roof tops. Winter is certainly on its way. Oh and geraniums are still out there too. Not sure I will bring them in, always a bit of a trial to look after in the conservatory but I will have a think about it.

We visited the large independent garden centre for coffee and a long lol round. They have Edinburgh wool there so managed to buy two waistcoats in different colours which look good with trousers. Then bought some things for presents.
After lunch at home we spent the afternoon with daughter crawling around on the floor trying to get the spare TV in my office going. It looks as though it doesn’t support ITV any more as it doesn’t have HDbut she managed to get BBC on it again which is something.mthen while searching for info on my zvirgin contract there flashed up an offer to change the contract and pay about £20;a month less as they have deleted a few sports programmes from my contract as they have not been watched. So that was good.
Tomorrow hope to go to Gloucester docs.

Evening All,

Yes we had some thngs to sort out yesterday. I had an almost sleepless night and then OH had a migraine so went to bed after lunch. In the afternoon we had a horrendous downpour and you could see the rain running down next door's roof and then spilling out of the gutter. Our drive was a big puddle outside the door and under the car. Luckily the rain had stopped by the time we went for our flu and covid jabs in the evening. We had the lovely nurse who did all my other vaccinations in the past few months and even OH, who hates needles, barely noticed her do his. She told us she had done 45 people in 5 hours! No sore or hot arms, just a slight ache lifting them today.

Today OH managed to get an appointment with a doctor this afternoon, who spent half an hour with him, listening and examining him. She thinks there are two issues as his hip is swollen and thinks something else is causing the pain across his abdomen and back. He couldn't tell me more, as he spotted someone who could let him in the school where he was ringing from and had to go! So much for the Physician associate who wrote 'no further action!'

This morning I decided to go to the Factory Shop and the usual shop after my shower, as OH had arranged an online chat with someone at another school as someone had recommended him to her. He is quite loud, so it's hard to concentrate and I couldn't hoover or do anything noisy, so a trip in the sunshine to give the car a run was a good alternative. Well the flooded fields are back again after yesterday's rain. Goodness know how much worse it will get with the hundreds of houses they plan to build. had a good browse and they are stocking up on things to keep warm now winter is nearly here, heaters, lots of throws, extra warm nighties and tops and even things with crystals in to put on your windowsill to soak up moisture! All I ended up buying was some fat balls for the birds, but I had a long chat with a lady who has hedgehogs in her garden. Lunch was an easy salad and jacket potato with reduced fat cottage cheese.

I now have another tech problem to sort as I can't watch youtube unless I disable my adblocker. I had a quick look at how to do it for a particular site, but it seems to be for a different browser, so that's something else for me to sort out. In the past you could just click on the symbol for it to switch it off while you watched something, but not anymore. OH is out tomorrow at 11.30am so I am thawing a meal I made with lamb mince in it to have with rice when he gets back.

Good idea to get your geraniums in before the frost Mandy. I was sad I lost mine last year as they'd made good sized plants and filled a pot on their own. Oh 'Bumblebee' sounds an interesting one to make! How did the gammon recipe turn out?

Mel that's good Stuart will be able to fix your grill cheaply for you. As Mandy says it is nice to have someone cook a meal for you and I expect he appreciates it too.

That can't have been a nice journey for your daughter and husband with all the rain AnnG. It's good they are with you for three days and hopefully the journey back should be better by then. It's been a long time since OH and I went toDorset, but I remember us visiting Thomas Hardy's cottage as he is one of OH's favourite authors. We visited the Swannery while we were there too. I expect there are many Swans there this time of the year with all of this year's youngsters.

It must have been lovely to see all those photos of your little great grand daughter Vera. I can't believe she is 14 months now and on her feet if a little unsteady. Where did that time go! I hope you get your tablets ok tomorrow. Just don't be tempted to overdo it with your back.

That was a good turn out at the coffee morning Vera. Nice to see so many of them and have a good chat and catchup. Be careful with that back if it has been a bit easier. Hope you get another good nights sleep.

Mandy how's the Bee coming along? I have a little greenhouse full of green tomatoes as I did'nt get htem in till late. The one plant I bought (a Shirley) Has loads on it so I think I may be making green tomato chutney. The one Sungold plant never fails and I have had lots from that which are ripe and they are still ripening.

Yes I hope Ann and G are ok and am wondering if G got an appointment as I think Ann said he was going early to see if he could get one. Hope he was successful as her can't go on like that in pain all the time.

I bought a bit of braising steak while I was out so I can make a nice meat pie and some bacon offcuts for a leak and backon pudding. It was nice to look in a proper butchers again or at least look at the meat you were buying instead f having it chosen for you at a certain weight. I bought just enough for what I wanted.

I'm having beef stew and dumpling mealk for ne tonight with extra veg.

8 degrees here at the moment.

Evening all,

It's been a colder day here ,we've had sunshine and showers most of the day.
We went shopping and when we came back I got my Geraniums in the greenhouse and a few of the cuttings I had in pots as frost was mentioned for the next couple of nights and I don't want to lose them as they all flowered so well this year .

Hope Ann and OH are OK and just busy as I don't think she posted yesterday.

Mel your doing well with your things on ebay , sounds as if Stuart enjoyed the meal you made ,always nice when somebody else cooks I think you enjoy it much better than when you've cooked it yourself ,good he's sorted your element out for your cooker .

Vera glad your back is gradually beginning to feel a little better ,you did have a full coffee meet today ,nice to have a chat and a laugh with friends .

I expect Anng has been busy too with her daughter and sil there helping with a few jobs before she goes away .

Afternoon all

Dull with a few showers earlier. Now it’s getting colder by the minute. It’s going to be a chilly night. Like Mel, I slept well last night. At least I got about 5 hours which is a fairly good night for me and I feel a bit better generally.

This morning we went to our Thursday coffee meet and nearly had a “full house”, 10 of us. We were all so busy chatting that it was 1.30 before we left. This afternoon I’ve tried to catch up on several little jobs that have been left while I have felt unwell. Knowing how cold it is supposed to get tonight I have picked the rest of the tomatoes and spread them along the conservatory sills to ripen up. I can’t believe how many tomatoes we have had over the last 6 weeks. It has certainly been a good year for toms. I’ve also brought into the conservatory a couple of small agapanthus. One I’ve grown from a bit that had broken off another plant and the other one was given to me. Neither has bloomed yet but maybe next year. I still have some ironing to do but my back is aching now so it can wait another day or two.

I’ve got a couple of emails and a birthday card to write so I’d better get on with those next. Have a good evening ladies and stay warm.

Been to Holsworthy to post the parcels just got back. I bought some more of the Bon Mamon fruit fools two packs of strawberry ones treated myself and some peppermint creams in another shop.

Put some things on Ebay this morning and got a bid on one already.

Where is everyone?