General Chat

Plumbers still here I have just given him a coffee and ginger nuts.

Ouch!!! Vera, I almost jumped myself when I read that. Oh how painful for you. I hope it settles down soon and you lose the black spots.

Yes it was a good meeting really surprising that in Ottawa they can't so anything in the garden until april then it is all systems go to get everything planted and the speed at which things grow. No need for a greenhouse as, as soon as the snow is gone things rocket up because there is no spring weather it is instant summer. Apparently it took some getting used to.

I don't like February either with the memory of the aftermath of tony dying 29 January and his funeral 12 February. I have never liked the first 2 months of the year anyway.

Good afternoon all

It was a really cold night with a heavy frost. It's sunny now but very cold. It's apparently 6 degrees but certainly doesn't feel like it. February is my least favourite month anyway. It's still winter and can often be quite dreary and it is a month of sad memories for me. Both my parents and a very dear aunt died in February and 8th Feb two years ago we had my brother's funeral, much restricted because of Covid, and snowbound.

I am sorry about your leak Mel and hope your plumber can fix it without it costing an arm and a leg. When we had a leak last year we didn't even approach our insurance company because we knew our policy said that we had to contact them to organise a plumber. Fine if it is a small leak during the day but we had water pouring through our hall in the early hours of the morning. Luckily we have a semi-retired plumber on the corner of our road and he came in at 4.30 am and stopped the water running and then came back to fix it next day It took another couple of visits after that to get the job properly completed. He put it through his company, now run by his son, but charged us mates rates so it didn't cost us a lot.

Sorry your sciatica is playing up again Island. I hope it starts to improve soon.

It sounds as though your gardening group went well AnnG.

Unfortunately my injection yesterday didn't go so well. I had the brief sight test that comes first. I have to wear my glasses and with the other eye covered read letters off a chart through an open plastic implement and then with it closed but with pinholes. I thought that nurse usually puts in 3 lots of drops but she only did 2. Then I went for the injection and another 3 lots of drops were put in as usual. I thought I could feel the needle being twisted on the surface of my eye but it was only a sensation so I didn't say anything. Then the needle went in. I yelped and jumped as the pain was excruciating. I then had to keep still while it was completed. The "nurse injector" said she put in plenty of anaesthetic and couldn't understand how I could feel it. I think that somewhere along the line a dose of the anaesthetic had been missed. Needless to say my eye was very painful all yesterday. Today it's just sore and watering and I still have black spots dancing in the air in front of me. It's a bit surreal. The doctor had said he would see me a month after my third injection and yesterday afternoon I had an emailed appointment to see him 4 weeks today so the admin side seem to be on the ball.

I haven't written about our diamond wedding plans as I said I would because they have changed again. At this rate we'll be having egg and chips at our kitchen table :-)

I've got a couple of emails to do and then we must have lunch as I have got Sainsbury's coming with a food delivery. There are 2 things missing that I didn't want subs for and 2 subs, one of which will be going back.

i am knackered now, Just walked down to charity lady with a few charity bits and two quite large books, one cookery and one gardening. Then across the park and down through the woods following that muddy path right down as far as the camp boundary, a few birds and one squirrel but no bulbs of any sort except a few daffs in someone's garden. then meandered through the houses and up the road to Mary Rose Avenue, along there to Innsworth lane through the path and back home. I reckon that could be nearly 2 miles and my legs ache now. I was gone about an hour and walking all that time.

Morning Anng and all,

Really frosty here this morning too. Its 2 degrees now and the suns out so it will soon burn it away.

I went round by the end of my shed yesterday and spied under a roll of plastic netting stuff I had little iris reticulata flowering a a pot so brought them down to the patio but managed to knock one flower over but I can see them now so a little bit of colour on the patio by the fairy fountain.

I have the man coming to do the leak today so have to get tidied up a bit and hoover the kitchen so I better get on.

Good morning all. Another frosty one and 0 degrees at the moment. I slept well, must have been all that chair shifting for the meeting yesterday. Woke at 0630 but had not got up for the loo in the night.

Nothing planned for today. If the sun comes out I might do a bit of tidying in the garden, Walking round it yesterday I noticed how tiny the crocus and snowdrops are this year. Very noticeable with the crocus as they are normally really big flowers this year they are tiny. I am not sure now what to do about them I wonder if they will recover back to normal size next year if we have different temperatures this year. But I also wonder was it the earlier heat last year, the tremendous amount of rain or the hard frosts?

Vera, hope your eye is not giving you too much pain.
Island hope you managed to sleep ok and that your pain is easing.

I have also been to see Les's internment up the church late afternoon. Lovely flowers and I could smell the lillies when I came through the gate at the side of the church round the back way.

Island have you tried sleeping propped up with a pillow under your knees? I used to find that worked for me years ago.

I have had a terrible day. The plumber came to have a look at where I suspected I had a leak and yes I was right and its rotted two floor board that were over the pipes. There are four pipes down this hole between the little loo and the dining part of the kitchen where I sit at the pc. I have been saying my poor old knees are always cold when I sit at the desk. I rang the insurance Co and they said I can't claim for it as I have called a plumber in. If I had rung them before I called Chris they would have done the job under my insance and it would'nt have cost me a thing. Now I shall have a bill from Chris but he is also having a go at my heating. He is going to flush my rads through and cllean the tank out in the loft.

Any pain is horrid but worse if it is consistent. <3

Yes Ann. It's really painful this time and although it eases it hasn't been going away. It starts when I get up in the morning. I don't think it's temperature related as I get it when it's warm too. It seems to me to be positions I sleep in and I can't do anything about that. Slightly propped up with pillows worked for all of one night but that's all. :-(

Oh dear Island is it your sciatica? Does the drop in temperature affect it? Hope you can get relief from it soon.

I've been in zombie mode all day due to painkillers - rather more brain numbers than painkillers. The 'war wound' has been back since Monday and is not being kind :-(

Lonely little thread today.

Just finished our meeting and gathered up ten cups etc for the dishwasher. We had a really interesting talk by the daughter of one of our members. I got it wrong before, this was her daughter from Canada not the one from New Zealand. She chatted about her life living in Ottawa, She is a keen gardener which makes it all the harder for her that the garden is usually under snow from some time in October until April. And not snow like we know it but really deep snow. she had photos on her Ipad to show us photos of the seasons through the year. Surprisingly all the plants buried under the snow usually pop up again in April but all our spring flowers, snowdrop, daffodils, tulips etc all come up at the same time together with other plants that flower her in May and June etc. But interestingly by June they have all caught up with our flowers. And the spring flowers only last a couple of weeks. In the winter months she does dried flower arrangements instead of the fresh ones she doen in the flowering season.

Morning Anng and all,

its not such a nice morning here as it cloudy but dry so I guess thats one good point. Perhaps the sun will come out for a bit later on.. I can see a little bit of blue among the grey cloud and its 7 degrees.

Enjoy your gardening group today Anng and I am sure the she will understand there's not a great deal to see in the garden at this time of year.

I better get on as I am not sure when the plumber is coming to look at this leaky pipe I have in the little loo. I told him when he put the new shower in for me that I had a tiny leak in there cos I can hear it. He assured me I had and as he turned away I saw he had a hearing aid in his left year.

Good morning all. one of those slightly stressful days when I have ten people coming for our gardening interests group. and to add to it a bit one of those ten is the daughter of one member a horticulturist from N Zealand to chat to us. (Here on holiday). Just hope she doesn't want an intensive tour of the garden. It is definitely not at its best. :-) :-)

Hope all goes well tomorrow Vera and that your migraine completely clears.

We will keep thinking positive thoughts Gill for you and fingers crossed all will be ok.

Oh dear Gill, you are going through a stressful time at the moment. It sounds as though you are getting Sandra sorted out. I hope the Council have her marked up in some way as a vulnerable adult. Does she have a social worker she trusts that she would show “official” letters to? I hope your cancer test results are good and I will keep everything crossed for you. I know how hard it is not to worry yourself silly (I’ve been there twice myself) but try not to let your imagination run away with you. Sending you a little hug <3

Thank you for the photos AnnG. It was good to see the cathedral as I don’t think I have ever been to Gloucester. I had seen the Knife Angel on TV but I imagine it must be breathtaking close up and I would like to see it, so i did a bit of googling and it is going to be in Ipswich in August. We’ll be trying to get along to see it there.

I didn’t post yesterday or earlier today as I’ve also had a bad migraine which started Monday evening and is only just clearing. My brain is still full of fog and I keep doing stupid things. I managed to lose a sock between the hall and the landing and I haven’t found it yet. Then, instead of putting my hairdryer away in a cupboard in the bedroom I tried to put it in the little medicine cupboard in the kitchen and wondered why it wouldn’t fit in. Doh!

OH had a letter today from Boots opticians saying he was due for an eye test so he rang the number given which seemed to be a central appointment office. They said the first available appointment at our branch was 6th March. As he was in town anyway this afternoon he popped in to the optician’s to see if there would be any. chance of an earlier appointment. There were appointments available and he is going on Sunday morning. Talk about the right hand not knowing what the left hand is doing.

Speaking of eyes I have to have another injection tomorrow morning so I might not be using the computer for a couple of days. I hope this might be the last one but I won’t know until I see the consultant in March sometime.

I’ve been looking at the screen for long enough now. I don’t want to start this migraine off again so I’m signing off. Sleep well everyone

Thanks AnnG, I know I shouldn't worry about the results but OH had the same test last year and it came back positive, he had to have a procedure in hospital and I'm worried the same will happen to me. OH is okay now, so that's good, but it doesn't stop me worrying. That's why I've kept myself busy lately with all the DIY jobs around the place, to help take my mind of it and I thought I was okay until two days ago when I started feeling anxious.

Yes Sandra mentioned she was special needs but they didn't seem bothered. All they're interested in is getting the money she owes them. I think that sort of behaviour is very disappointing, I thought people were suppose to help.

Gill we are all here for you. That is enough to cause anyone stress. Maybe you could get Sandra to let you see any official letters she gets so you can explain them. Has anyone explained her problems of not being able to read and write properly to the council. It may be they could send somebody to see her instead of writing or phoning.

Hope all is well with the cancer test results. Try not to stress until there is something to stress about. :-)

Hi all

Love the photo's AnnG, the knife Angel looks amazing.

Thanks Mandy for your advice about levelling the garden, I'll mention it to OH when he comes home from work tomorrow. The garden is very uneven though so how confident he'll feel driving a digger I don't know, but he might know someone who can help or maybe the hire company may have someone who can drive it for him.

Feeling a bit under the weather at the moment I've had a migraine for the past two days, probably stress as I have a few things on my mind. Needless to say the hall isn't quite finished as I couldn't take the noise of the drill and other noisy machines. My head started feeling a little better this afternoon so we may have the hall floor finished tomorrow as OH is off work tomorrow night so will have more time after he wakes up in the afternoon.

Sandra has got herself in a bit of a pickle with her Council Tax and she's had a court letter so I've been helping her with that the last few days Sandra made a call today to the Council and has been told they can set up a payment plan when she's paid next week. Luckily it's three days before they send the bailiffs round.

She can't read or write properly so when she received the first letter about her arrears last August she ignored it which is why it's ended up going to court. She's been told that she doesn't have to attend court now she's been in contact with them, but she's not very good at understanding people so I'm not sure if she's got it right. The payment plan should be set up before her court date so no doubt it'll all be sorted just in time.

I'm waiting for the results of a Cancer test I had done on the 29th January which is due within the next week, so that's not helped my stress levels either. I suffer from anxiety so my anxiety levels are sky high at the moment. Hopefully I'll be okay when I get the Cancer results and I know Sandra's okay.

Sorry for venting I hope you all don't mind.