General Chat

Morning all,

Not too achey this morning as I thought I may be. Its a beautiful day withy blue sky and one very wispy white cloud like a feather floating on the breeze. Its 16 degrees and pc says sunny. BIL says we have this weather till Thursday. I hope it last a bit longer.

The water board sent me another threatening letter yesterday and said to pay it immediately the outstanding balance is now £1,242.94.Honestly they don't know what they are doing they must have a clue I can't have used that much water since February. Its not my fault they hav'nt sent anyone down to fix this leak yet. They are threatening a debt collection agency. They need to get their act together and realise there must be a leak. You would think I was filling the lake up at this rate. Don't these letters always come on a day when you cannot get in touch with the water board. I shall be rining first thing in the morning as I am finding it very worrying.

Good morning

It’s promising to be a hot, sunny day. In fact it looks as though it will be a hot week.

Castle Douglas seems a lovely place AnnG. Are you there for the week? It’s good to see some independent shops rather than the chains and it sounds as though you have had a good spend up. I’m unusual among my friends as I really hate shopping and rarely buy anything new for myself.

You’ve been busy clearing brambles and thistles Mel. I don’t know how you manage it all with your bad arm and dodgy hip. Is the arm feeling any better lately? I am going to try to do a bit more outside before it gets too hot but I’ll be lucky if I can do an hour’s gardening before my back tells me to stop. Thank goodness we’ve only got a pocket handkerchief of a plot now.

Apart from gardening I have no other plans for today.

Good evening, I thought I had posted this morning. Mel was BiL in the RAF if he worked on Chinooks?

Had a good day, weather was lovely blue skies and sun. We went to Tescos to buy food for the week we had a good shop in Castle Douglas buying several Christmas presents and clothes for ourselves. Really I predded bit the choice of clothes in individual shops, not chains. Also very impressed to find at least three really good butchers and a great shop selling all sorts of alcohol and things like curry paste and garlic butter and other garlic provisions from the garlic farm on the Isle of Wight. Apparently Castke Douglas is the food risn of D&G.

Spent the afternoon on the patio overlooking the loch in the sun with time spent in the hot tub.
Last night was a fantastic sunset tonight’s was l little more subdued.

Just come in from an afternoon in the garden. I cut off all the brimbles sticking out of the box hedge and pulled up all the nettles sticking out too. Two wheelbarrow loads. I also started to get the ivy off the big ash tree but my arm started aching so I gave up.

I also did the pond filters today and must remember to turn the scimmer off.

BIL cut all the lawns and went at 6.30pm and I am just having a cuppa before going in the shower.

O you must have popped in while I was taking this mornings pills Mandy.

Morning all,

We had a beautiful pink sky at sunset last night so I was hoping for a lovely day today and it has delivered. We have sunshine and blue blue sky.

I wonder if BIL will turn up today?? He said last week it would be this weekend so I expect he will come later on. It was his first week back to work agfter his eye op and he only does a 4 day week. He checks aircraft engines before they are aloud to fly. Quite a responsable job I should think. He used to work on the big shinuck (sp) helicopters.

Its so lovely to see the sun after all the dark and rainy days we've had lately.

Morning Vera ,morning all,

Lovely blue sky and sunshine here ,just a few jobs to do and then I'm going to sit out and make the most of the lovely weather as it should get hot next week and will be to hot to sit out .

Vera that sounds a lovely birthday gift I'm sure she will be pleased to have wine and nibbles on her birthday .

Anng could you get a chair by the hot tub to hold onto while you get in ,it's a pity they haven't got a rail or something for those that need to steady themselves to get in and out ,I'm sure you'll love it when you get in .

How are your bites this morning Mel so far this year I haven't been to bad for bites I usually get some overnight .
Sounds as if the scimmer is gradually getting the pond clearer if it's gone from green to brown .

Better get my washing out on the line I think the washer has just finished .

Good morning

It’s fairly warm but overcast today. The forecast is for it to be like that all day but I don’t mind the lack of sun as long as it’s dry. I want to get a bit more tidied up in the garden if I can.

Our friends arrived for a cuppa with us at 2.30 yesterday and didn’t go till nearly 6 pm. They have had a very stressful time lately with family problems and Illness so I was glad they felt able to relax a bit with us.

I suddenly realised that OH’s sister will be 80 this week so I spent the evening online looking for something to have delivered to her. There were some lovely afternoon tea packs and lots of gifts with chocolates and sweet things but she is diabetic and needs to be very careful what she eats. Eventually I came down to a choice of 2 things: a wooden box with a bottle of a quality red wine and various packs of savoury nibbles or roses in a ceramic planter. In either case she’ll have the wooden box or the planter to keep once the contents have gone. I asked OH to choose and he opted for the wine and nibbles.

Apart from a bit of gardening and a Sainsbury delivery after lunch I’ve no plans today. I hope you all have a good day and the weather is being kind where you are.

We actually left at 1140 and got to Gretna at 1245 where we had a table booked in Pizza Express for 1.30. As we had time to spare we went into M&S where I found some trousers I had been looking for £10 cheaper. This is an out,et mall. Lunch was good and afterwards we visited Sketchers, for trainers and several shops daughter and son in law wanted to go to. We eventually got here about 5.30. It was 22 miles down the Cumbrian side of the Solway Firth and 80 miles up this side because the road winds inland more.

It is a really nice lodge. Daughter has already been in the hot tub. It will take a bit longer for me to get round to that as it has no hand rails to help you in and out.

We had a brightish spell a while ago but its now clouding over again. Pc says 18 degrees and mostly sunny.

I have two bites on the inside of my left arm and they are itching like crazy.

Had the scimmer on on the big pond all afternoon as I am still hoping to clear this water. The green has gone but now it just looks browny.

Good morning

Very wet and dreary here. According to the weather app on this IPad it’s 19 degrees and feels like 22. Yeh, right, in Cloud Cuckoo Land perhaps. It’s true I haven’t stepped outside in the rain but it is freezing in the house. We’ve both put warm jumpers on. This is when I miss our old house as I could just pop the heating on for an hour if it was needed, but that’s not practical or economical with the heating here. I can do it upstairs where we have normal radiators so perhaps we should turn the house round so our living areas are upstairs. I can just see OH’s face if I suggest that.

I still talk about our old house but it has just struck me that we moved in here 10 years ago this month. I can’t believe how quickly that 10 years has gone.

It’s been a morning of h/w. OH hoovered round all the downstairs while I dusted everywhere and cleaned the downstairs cloakroom. I also did a few tidying jobs and prepared tonight’s meal. We have friends coming for coffee and cake this afternoon and they often stay for a long while so I wanted our dinner ready to cook as soon as they go

AnnG will be well on her way to Scotland now. I hope the roads are clear and the weather good for them.

Better get on and sort out a cake for us to have when our friends come. Have a good day everyone

PS. Just having another blooming cloudburst. It’s bucketing down again :-|

Good morning all, very cloudy but 14 degrees so not cold. Setting off from here about 11am. Stopping at Gretna for lunch. We can’t get in until 4pm anyway so will have a look round the discount shops at Gretna. Have a good day all.

morning all,

Dull and cloudy again here but pc sasy 18 degrees and cloudy so I expect it to be warm when I step outside the door.

Just choked myself on my pills

Thanks Mel. I see that Annx had sent AnnG's pictures to me but for some reason I hadn't received them. I bet you're ready to put your feet up now after all your faffing about this afternoon.

Congratulations to your daughter and sil on their 5th wedding anniversary AnnG. My son and dil have just celebrated their 7th. It doesn't seem 7 years since we brought son's girls back with us after the wedding so the bridal couple could have a week to themselves. The girls were 10, 14 and 16 then. Now they are young ladies of 17, 21 and 23.

Vera I have sent on the photos.

Not been back long from Holsworthy. Bought a long sleeve top in the Factory Shop and a present for Di for Christmas in a shop in the square. went to Mole valley for chickens food and what a todo as their tills were down so you had to pay by cash and go round with a member fo staff who wrote you out an invioce. I had'nt cash so had to go back into town to get some out as I wnated corn, pellet, wild bird food and peanuts and I bought a small oyster joint and came out nearly fifty quid lighter. Was dying to get home so shot off and half way home I relised once again I had forgotten to go and pick up the chickens food. It was all such a faff and the road I usually take is blocked off cos someone knock the bridge down at Dipper Mill so a long way round and back. I feel like I have driven to Scotland like Anng is going to do tomorrow. Safe journey you lot and congrats on daughter and SIL's fifth anniversary.

I am now going to make myself a nice cuppa as my tongue is hanging out.

Mandy your rabbits are breeding as fast as mine!! Can we see pics when they are done please?

Afternoon all

Yesterday and today have been a bit hectic though I don't seem to have done anything more than usual. I just don't seem to have had a moment to myself.

Today has been dry so far and was sunny this morning but is overcast again now. It's beginning to feel a bit chilly in the early mornings so I think autumn is on the way. Can you believe it's 1st September tomorrow? This year seems to bv rushing by even faster than usual.

I was getting on well with garden jobs but didn't manage to get outside yesterday or today. We have been picking a few tomatoes every day. They seemed to be late starting to ripen but now we have more than enough. One I had this year was called a chocolate tomato. Its a cherry tomato with a very dark purplish brown skin so I assume that's how it got its name. It's really flavoursome. Of course, it tastes like tomato but has just a slightly different tang to it.

Mandy, you are going to be busy with all those rabbits to knit. You must feel as though they are breeding.

It sounds as though you had a nice day yesterday AnnG. I hadn't realised you were going on to Scotland tomorrow. Safe journey.

Could someone send AnnG's photos on to me please. I would love to see them.

Good afternoon all. Yes Mel that was a very relaxing morning yesterday. Today is daughter and SiL’s fifth wedding anniversary. We have just been out to a lovely pub for lunch I had scampi, salad and triple cooked chips and then daughter and I shared sticky toffee pudding. My low carb diet doesn’t seem to be working this week. I will put on all the weight I lost.

All packed now. They both have hair appointments first thing but we can leave later as there is not a long journey to do.

Mandy you are going to be busy until Christmas.
You must have missed where I said we are going to Dumfries and Galloway for a week I think.

Afternoon all,

We have a lovely sunny day here with just a few fluffy clouds in the sky ,got the shopping done this morning so all stocked up again .

Thanks to Ann for sending Anng's photos on ,I was looking at the lovely view from the window I didn't notice the little cat sprawled out on the window sill until I looked again .
Nice place Anng to sit and enjoy your coffee .
I didn't realise you are going up to Scotland Anng so safe journey tomorrow.

Oh Mel a rainy day for you then so maybe you can do a bit of crafting.

One of my neighbours wants me to knit her some of the little rabbits ,I have 6 girls and 3 boys to do so that will keep me busy for a while ,I have got 2 girls and a boy that I had knitted a few weeks ago so 6 more to go .

Morning all,

Dull and wet this morning pc says 13 degrees and rain.

Nothing planned so see how the day goes.

Lovely pics Anng look like you really enjoyed your day yesterday.

The sky was blue and the sun was shining when we got to the Armathwaite hotel. Daughter and Si
L went off for their swim, I walked round the grounds of the hotel and down to look out over the Lake. I didn’t go right down this time but sat a wile looking at the sparkling water and the lovely mountains and hills in the distance. I then went into the hotel lounge and had coffee and home made cookies while I read my book. After coffee I found a seat in the sun until daughter came to meet me . Walked round and met the car for the journey home.
Bacon sandwiches for lunch. That blew the diet. Then they went off to see a friend who they are he,ping with probate and I started to sort things for the Scotland holiday starting Friday.