General Chat

Hope you enjoyed your ginger bicycle Vera Lol. (And my IPad changed ginger to finer but I may have put an f instead of a g.

There was a cold wind down by the water but ok if I kept walking and I was concentrating on taking photos.

Heard this afternoon that youngest great granddaughter started walking today she is 16 months old.

Step granddaughter 7 months pregnant is moving today. So stressful for her, everything gone through she has the keys but the seller has not finished taking stuff out of the house.

Has your plumber been Mel? I hope you are now all sorted out.

You’ve done well today AnnG. Was it cold out walking? I only walked around town but there was a bitterly cold wind blowing and drizzling all the time. It was really unpleasant and I was glad to get home.

We went into town as it was market day and I thought the good veg stall there might have better stuff than the supermarkets where the veg and salad shelves are half empty. I was right, they had plenty of good quality stuff but what a price. Medium sized caulis that were 65p not long ago and tiny sweetheart cabbages that were 50p were now both £1.99!

I had another restless night but when I eventually fell asleep I slept till 9 am which is very late for me. I’m still sitting here yawning. I don’t think this dreary grey day is helping much. Somehow we always feel livelier when there’s a bit of sun and blue sky.

Our son rang a couple of days ago and as we were chatting he mentioned that they had agreed to take on a 5 year old rescue tortoise. Apparently its name is Terry but they are changing it to Teddy. He made me laugh as he said his 3 girls have told him that the tortoise is likely to outlive him and his wife and they each want him to rewrite his will and leave Terry/Teddy to them.

OH is sitting beside me ostensibly reading but really watching the back of his eyelids. Dinner’s in the slow cooker so nothing much to do there, but I think it could be time for a cup of tea and a ginger biccy so I’ll go and put the kettle on.

(IPad doesn’t like the word biccy. It wants me to have a ginger bicycle with my cuppa :-D)

I had a really good morning, physically and mentally. I had thought I was past being able to get to the quays and docks on my own, in my mind it was too far to walk but it was fine. I wanted to get some photos of the docks for photography and I did that, then walked round the quays and they now have Fat Face and Weird fish. and I got a Weird Fish zip up jacket. They only had two colours rose red (more like brick red to me) or stone. I opted for the red as wasn't keen on the stone colour. I like their clothes but wouldn't pay full retial price for them.

M&S had loads in including Cargo trousers but, Of course not in my size Legs are tired now as I must have walked over 2 miles all together. When I got in the bus station the 94 was just about to go and no 97.8 in so I got the 94 and that meant a bit further to walk but I was fine

Has your plumber been now Mel?

Morning running behind at the mo plumbers coming and I hav'nt fed the girls yet.

Good morning all.

As the others have said Gwyn. That is so sad for two children to lose their Mum at a young age. I am sure that the funeral was even more sad than they usually are.

Vera You have come up with a good solution to the 'what to do to celebrate the Diamond Wedding' question. A good solution for you both. I am sure there will be disappointed members of the family hoping for a good get together But it is what you want and it really does sound lovely. Who wouldn't like a good hotel room with a sea view. I am sure that, knowing the occasion, the hotel will look after you well. I am not sure if you have said when it is? Is it soon?

Another grey day here and colder at 4 degrees at the moment. Not sure what I am doing, I slept well but still woke earlier than I would like at 6am. I might go into town.

It is so sad when children lose a parent at a young age. I hope the husband has lots of support and the children are surrounded by love. My now dil was widowed young and left with 2 little boys. She did a wonderful job of bringing them up on her own. The boys were in their teens when she met and married my son.

On to our Diamond anniversary: OH originally suggested something like our golden wedding “do” when we had our siblings and partners, our children and partners and grandchildren to a special lunch in a local up market restaurant. There were 20 of us in a private room. But I pointed out that we are all 10 years older, we have lost my brother and OH’s bil and the rest all live a long distance away and would have difficult journeys and have to book overnight accommodation.

After much discussion and turning down of various ideas I suggested a couple of nights away by ourselves. We don’t want to be driving half the day to get there so thought we’d try Cambridge which is only an hour or so by car. We both like the area and there is plenty to do there. The problem with Cambridge is parking but OH found 2 hotels that offered valet parking. They were both expensive but it is a special occasion. I turned one down as, although it was pricey, it had no character at all. All the bedrooms shown in pictures on their website had identical furniture and the dining menu seemed to comprise things like burgers and fish and chips. I felt a Premier Inn looked as good at a quarter of the price.

The other hotel looked better and OH rang them to book. Then when he asked to book the valet parking he was told it couldn’t be reserved and it was pot luck whether they would have a space available or not. That was not acceptable and going by public transport isn’t an option so back to square one.

Then OH found a hotel on the outskirts of town that seemed to have everything we wanted. Unfortunately they don’t respond to calls or emails so clearly don’t want our custom or perhaps they have closed down.

I think that was the point when I suggested egg and chips in the kitchen but we thought further and the upshot is we are going to Aldeburgh for 3 days/2 nights. OH has had a chat on the phone with the hotel of our choice and they have been more than helpful and put together a package for us. They are giving us a nice room with a sea view, a cream tea and 3 course candlelit dinners on both nights for an all in price and there is adequate parking. It isn’t cheap but we’re only going to have one diamond wedding.

Of course we would like to celebrate with our children but we have other family events happening this year so will be seeing everyone then. Just after our anniversary one of dil’s sons is getting married though we have turned down the invitation to that as it is too problematic for us to get there. However in May we are having a weekend get together with OH’s siblings and partners at his youngest sister’s home in Stockport. As 2 of his nieces and their families live in the area we should be able to see them as well. Then in July the big annual family gathering of my family is at our son’s home in Yorkshire so we will see the world and his wife there.

I’m going to look at the crossword in the paper and then read for a while. I’m hoping for a better night tonight and hope you all have a good night too. Sweet dreams everyone

Done some ironing and shut the chickens in and now I am going to wash my hair.

I am having a salad tonight with egg and maybe salmon but I am going to be naughty and have a cople of new pots with it.

Been quite bright here today with showers but just now the sun was out and then it hailed. I went out to see if there was a rainbow but I cold'nt see one so perhaps hailstone don't make a rainbow?

Poor little chicldren losing their mummy so young Gwyn. I too was thinking about you today.

O my boiled eggs done. :-D

Thank you Vera.
The funeral was earlier today and the chapel was packed, - standing room only for some.
So sad to see 2 young children lose their Mummy so young <3

The weather has been gloomy here, so I hope it's been better for Ann viewing more snowdrops.
Have you told us your plans for your special anniversary. ? I will have to check back and see what you have arranged. I look forward to hearing about them beyond the original egg and chips idea.... although I used to love it if we had that as children, probably because we were very much a meat and veg in some form family and it was a lovely change.
At the moment we are trying to add more fibre to our meals in the hope that my next blood test review shows that I have lowered my cholesterol. We still have unopened boxes of biscuits and chocolates from Christmas, so it won't be them adding to my levels. The one thing I do miss is cheese. I have really cut down on that and try to keep to no more than a small amount once a week. ... The really low fat varieties don't really appeal, so I make sure my 'allowance' of something like Cheddar is only a meagre amount ;-)

I can't believe I have lived here for almost 31 years and never been to that park near Stroud. Stratford park. It is huge  with an arboretum, walks in the park and lake a walled garden and a very good museum.  I thought we were just going to see snowdrops but they were really only viewed as an  afterthought. they were pretty but nowhere near as many as we saw last week.  The museum was a real surprise as it is very comprehensive with lots to see I think the gardens will be pretty in the summer, as will the lake. One thing I didn't realise was that there are a lot of fossils to be found around Stroud. Which is nowhere near the sea of course.

Our one mistake was to choose to go at half term, although in the museum the children were very well behaved as they did their treasure hunt for pictures and things. But when we went to the pub (Brewers Fayre) it was heaving, no problem getting a table but behind us there was a table with a couple of adult females and about 6 children (they didn't sit still long enough to be counted. I guess al under about 8/9. They were noisy, jumping and running around, climbing on the table and the women just ignored them. At times we had trouble hearing ourselves talk.

  Fish and chips (two main meals for £9.95 was good value, nicely cooked and too many chips as usual.

Anyway I was picked up at 0930 and got home at 3pm so it was a really good day out.

I spent the morning doing lots of little jobs, things like descaling the kettle, checking over the cuttings and plants in the conservatory and generally sorting out a few bits and pieces. I’ve been a bit shivery all morning so I’ve just had a nice hot shower and put on a thicker jumper and I feel much warmer now.

I hope AnnG had some dry weather for her snowdrop trip out today. It’s been wet and dreary here all day so neither of us have done anything in the garden. We have one flower bed planted with lots of daffs and they tend to all open up about the same time. They look glorious at the moment. They are not very tall and quite a deep yellow and really cheer up a grey day. I can't help but smile when I look at them. Whoever named this variety February Gold picked the perfect name for them.

Thinking of you this week Gwyn as you attend your friend’s funeral while remembering your dear OH <3

Morning all,

Grey and drizzly here too and it doesn't feel very warm ,I've just stopped for coffee as I've been giving the shower a good clean ,we always wipe it down after a shower but it still needs a good going over to get rid of the scale ,it seems to really build up on the glass screens .

Hope it stays dry for your trip to see the snowdrops Anng.

Right better get on and get the bathroom finished.

Morning girls,

Had a lie in this morning and answered a survey on ebay first thing. Its 7 degrees here and pc says mostly clody and there is some sun but we have also had rain as the windows are wet.

Still waiting for this man to come and pick up the mower and I am not dressed yet so I better do that quickly incase he turns up.

Hope Vera slept better last night.

Morning AnnG and all

I hope it stays dry for your trip out. It’s drizzling and grey here. IPad says it’s 6 degrees but feels like 4. I haven’t got any plans for today. I did hope to do a bit in the garden but I’m not going to be outside in the drizzle. I’m a fair weather gardener :-)

Good morning all. I think it rained a bit overnight but it is only 6 degrees at the moment. I am hoping it stays dry as I am going with friends to see more snowdrops today. Up early as being picked up at 0930. However, I did sleep well for six and a half hours. didn't dream quite as much last night too.

Mel mine didn’t smell so maybe it was the oil. I use the light olive oil not the virgin olive oil. I did chips tonight they were not crisp on the outside, were soft in the centre and were not insipid looking. So I will have to have another go.

I’ve tried thinking of black velvet Mel and all sorts of ways of relaxing my body. The thing that usually helps me most is slow breathing in through the nose and out through the mouth. Reading is usually good for me too. It seems to relax me and as soon as I feel my eyes beginning to droop I put the book down and let myself drift off.

.i’ve got about 15 cards so far and I’m saving them up to open on Friday so I don’t know if yours has arrived or not. I’ll let you know as soon as I open them. Post does seem to be arriving here pretty quickly now.

O I meant to say about Mandy's lovely animals. Her knitting and crochet is so good and her choice of colours. I hope we will get a pic of all of them together before the girls choose which ones they want.

I have got mince mash and green tonight all out of the freezer so nice and easy to pop in the microwave.

Been up the post van and [osted a parcel. Shopping arrived not long after I got back but I had left the box outside incase there was a que at the van.

Did a little casting and a little bit of picking up fallen sticks in the garden from under the big ash tree. Brought another small window box of daffs up to the patio and cut down the clematis thats in a pot on the patio. It has rooted into the cement so I can't move it but it does well there and its only a small flowered one. I wound it round the post last year and it worked well as it can get into the washing line and if I don't see it it gets broken off if I try to get it off.

Hope you get a better sleep tonight Vera, try just thinking black. Are you collecting up your cards. I'd like to know if you have mine yet?

Anng I watched The Hairy Bykers on youtube useing an air fryer and he used olive oil so I did but I am going to try sunflower oil next time and see if thats any better and I will use the big pan not the small one so they are not so crouded. It ponked a bit on the first use so I hope that soon goes away as I did'nt like the smell.

Just had a cuppa so I think its about time to start the dinner now.

Afternoon everyone

Not quite such a good day as yesterday. It’s been cloudy with a bit of sun now and then and it’s been a bit cooler as well, but at least it has stayed dry. I had a dreadful night. My mind seemed to be whirring around double time thinking of all sorts of things - family history, books I’ve read, even what to have for dinner today. I ended up reading from 3 am till 4.30 am, eventually falling asleep some time after 5. I was still up by 8 o’clock but my head’s aching now.

It’s been a bit of a frustrating morning as well. OH had to pick up his new glasses so I went with him to do a bit of shopping and collect my meds. At the pharmacy the assistant looked for my stuff and couldn’t find it so checked the computer and told me I had collected my meds on 8 Feb. which I knew was wrong. She then said I had come in a week early and would have to come back next week. I queried this so she checked again and told me she was wrong, I was 2 weeks early! I stood my ground so she looked in her drawer again and there were my meds. The date on them said 8th February which means they sent the prescription to the doctor for signing off too early and they were the ones who got their timing wrong, not me.

I need some new underwear so next I popped into Roy’s and they had the Sloggi pants I like. They usually come 3 in a box for about £30 but, as a bonus, these boxes had an extra pair so I got a box. On the way home I realised I stupidly hadn’t checked the size. When I did I found they were 3 sizes too large so back we went to Roys. They happily changed them for me and we came back home. When I went to put them away I found that everything was held together inside the box with a security tag so I have got to go back yet again to get it removed. Grrr.

Mandy, isn’t it annoying when your washing ends up on the ground? I hate it when it’s hanging around on airers. We seem to have had washing draped round the house for weeks so I was really pleased to get 3 loads dried outside yesterday. Yes, we do have a lovely group of ladies here. We all help each other when necessary and still have lots of laughs together but we are all getting older now and getting more limited in what we do and where we go.

Our club meeting was OK last night but the 2 lady speakers could have done a better job of talking about India. They had lots of slides to show but they could have been put in some sort of order so that one led naturally on to the next one, or perhaps they could have had some sort of theme running through the presentation. Instead it was more a case of them saying each time This is a picture of such and such, giving you a minute to look at it and moving on to the next, totally unrelated, slide. Maybe I am too critical.

OH and I are apparently down to do the teas next month and I now have a programme at last.

I’d better get our dinner organised. I took some sausages out of the freezer this morning and am not sure whether to have them with chips and beans or mash, veg and onion gravy. I think I might go for the mash and veg tonight.