General Chat

A warm welcome from a sunny but chilly Essex

First I must apologise to Teresa for whatever reason I have started to spell your name Theresa :-S I am soooooo sorry :-)

Secondly I have just received a letter from our hospital trust saying my breast screening x-ray was clear :-D :-D :-D sigh of relief :-D :-D :-D

BFN
Lesley x

CC would that be the famous German company that begins with a G and ends with L ?

aha, there you are Petunia dear. No, the cruet pieces are nothing to do with Wade Whimsies. They were made years ago, by a company in Germany, which is why these cruet bits are collectables now.

Parcel Farce. Very good. I shall remember that. It is high time that Royal Mail was privatized right across the board. The service they offer might improve.

Such a pain your back seized up the way it did. I do empathise as I was in a similar situation not long ago. Perhaps you should rest in your room for a little longer, and forget the Ice House. Mrs Berry and I know where you are, when you are resting in your room, and can plan accordingly.

Dear me I am getting colder, I think I should apply the poker to the fire and stoke up the logs. It must be cold out, as the cat has come home and is currently curled up on my bed, and where I am supposed to sleep is anyone's guess. That cat is She Who Must Be Obeyed, or She Who Must Not Be Disturbed.

Susan I am sorry - I found your email and it slipped my mind I owed you a Thank You. The photos are lovely, and may I say the Mother of the Bridesmaid outshone the bride!!!

Good Evening Ladies

Oh my oh my tis freezing this evening :-( take care if you are out and about early in the morning Ladies I fear it will be very icy :-|

CC What a palaver Parcel Force caused :-S lucky your neighbour saw the delivery man/woman.

Susan it is a new series of Mrs Browns Boys, I know his/her sense of humour isn't to every ones liking but I find it hilarious :-D I have read the live show is going to Australia in 2014 sorry there wasn't any mention of New Zealand :-(

I am sorry to hear you jarred your back Auntie Petunia :-( I hope you have fully recovered........................our middle fruit had occasion to visit one of those Ice Bars, how she enjoyed herself, she has some beautiful photographs of her and her partner looking like Eskimo's :-D

~~~~~~~~~~~~Theresa I hope you are okay. x

Good evening dears.

Have you missed me dears, I have been prostrate since Saturday, when I made the mistake of trying to help someone.

As you know I carry the weight of the world across my shoulders, helping here, distributing there. But never underestimate the weight of a 5 litre tin of paint. I really only carried it only a short way, but I forgot my deportment, as went lopsided, and pulled a muscle in my back. Jarring followed, and walking around holding onto furniture. La de dah, what a life!!!!!

However the application of hot water bottles, and gentle stretching has eased it somewhat. Plus Cherry dear stoking the fire at regular intervals, the heat has done it wonders.

Parcel Farce dear, I am sure you will agree. Are your cruet pieces part of your Whimsie set dear? I am not au fais with china dear, as you well know. I do hope you have taken possession of them by now.

Dear Upsidedown Susan, thank you for the lovely photographs. Again, what pretty gels and dashing young men. And you do not look so dusty yourself!!!! Aaaah shoes, one cannot tell what they are like until you have trudged around in them. You should have sent them to me dear, I would have taken then back for you. No one refuses me when I go into shops dear. I have the Evil Eye!!!

How are you in the wilds of Essex dear Teresa and Lesley? I hear snow is returning to your part of the world. We had a few flurries on Monday, and will get more on Saturday. But it is still horribly cold!

I am very envious of your fruit Teresa being in warmer climes. I could do with some sun warming my bones.

I shall try and venture out tomorrow dears, I have to visit a dear friend of mine, and we are to partake of afternoon tea at somewhere called The Ice House! What larks!!

Pip Pip
Auntie Petunia

oh yes I nearly forgot - I have a Tale To Tell.

I'd ordered something from Canada - two old cruet pieces, now classed as collectables, and no UK seller had these items and I particularly wanted these pieces and none other (long story), so I decided to pay the Canadian seller to ship them to me and selected International Express Tracker, which cost me an arm and two legs, but I didnt want these items to get lost in the post.

First of all, the package got held up at Customs. I should have had it by the 10th at the very latest. Today, after the regular postman had bin and gorn, I went into the kitchen, not expecting anything else today. A short while later I thought I'd better check the porch in case there was any junk mail to be suitably disposed of. I found a Parcel Force card, saying they'd tried to deliver an international parcel. I phoned Parcel Force and asked if the driver was still in the area and if so could he come back, or else I'd collect from a post office. She said she'd check and call me later. She phoned back to say the driver couldnt return but he would leave the package at X post office by 4.30 and I could collect it after 4.30.

So - I trundled out in the gathering gloom and bitter cold, and got to the post office by 4.40, to be told the driver had been and gone, and taken my package away with him to deliver to me at home on his way home. Well I was spitting nails, because there was me at the post office, as previously arranged, while he was ringing my doorbell. I drove home like a bat out of hell, knowing I'd miss him. I was all geared up to phone the Parcel Force office again and complain, but my lovely neighbour saw me and said he'd left the parcel with her.

Now, do please tell me where I went wrong - what part of "you can collect your package after 4.30" am I too daft to understand?????

Ah well - all's well that ends well, and I have my order. And very nice it is to :-)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~ to Lesley.

Jacket potatoes would go down a treat,
To wolf two down would bring some heat.
I'd put grated cheese on mine, melted over,
And then I'd feel like I woz rolling in clover :-)


Susan my washing machine is repairable - all the idiots need to do is supply a new drum and fit it, my warrantee covers for that. If I didnt have the warrantee, then I'd have to buy a new machine.

The cat we used to have, liked hanging on to forearms, to bite and scratch. It was just "cat play". MFH encouraged her. I discouraged her. I do hope your scratches heal soon.

I never see any feral cats, but I dare say the farms further along the highway have their share of them. I frequently end up with a feral kitchen though.

Feral felines with a litter will hiss, and possibly lash out, because Mama has to protect her kittens (as she sees it). I cant say I blame them, for not trusting humans. Present company excepted, some humans can be very unkind to animals, as we all know. Feral cats can be half-tamed, if you can catch them very young, say 8 to 12 weeks. But even domesticated cats will always retain a degree of wildness - as any cat owner knows!!!

Head out of North London going north, and the landscape becomes almost rural. A few miles along the highway, there used to be a dairy farm. One year [a few years back] there was a bad thunderstorm and lightning struck the ground in a field - and an entire herd of dairy cattle was electrocuted. Obviously the farmer lost his livelihood that day, but he'd have been insured. I felt more sorry for the poor animals. Terrible way to go.

Lesley,
grin and bare it springs to mind..... Hope Mrs Browns Boys was as funny as usual. Is it new episodes?

CC, do you have to replace your machine or is it repairable?. What a nuisance for you. I have done the ironing this afternoon... I have even ironed my sheets :-S. Rod, own back and all that... Though nothing beats crisp fresh sheets. We have a feather topper pad and that is loverly to sink into.

I am sporting a plaster on my forearm this afternoon, the puppy thought she might like to play with my arm :-(. My fault for letting her. She also proceeded to shred a towel that was outside, an old one, very entertaining to watch. She is quite precise :-) I am amused the way an animal uses its paws like we use our hands... Very cute.

At work we have many feral cats about. One, no more than a kitten, has had its own kitten and is living at the back of our workshop... We are feeding the mama biscuits while she is nursing a kitten. I can't bare to think of the Mama going hungry. I spotted the kitten today, its face totally covered in a cobweb. I couldn't get to it to clean the face. Later I saw the Mama and she hissed at me... Oh dear, not sure what sort of life these cats lead, but it is out of my control. We did use to feed one of the cats, it would come in out of the cold during the day but never let us get close. I don't know what happended to that cat. There is a lot of big machinery about :-(. sighs ***

Time to cook my dinner.

~~~~~ to all, calls to Petunia, "where are you dear, are you ok"?

Susan

I have just driven along my road Theresa and it's clear of snow but if it freezes tonight it will be like a skating rink in the morning........................we don't get gritters :-(

CC I had homemade tomato soup and jacket potatoes for dinner....................... that warmed me up a treat....................I am know lazing on my chaise longue in front of a blazing fire....................sheer bliss :-)

The fact that your feet were hurting doesn't show on your face Susan :-D

Must dash Mrs Browns Boys is about to start on the TV

nine weeks??? ooooops
*redfaced* :-S

Forget Mother Nature - the seasons are due to the tilt of the planet. Yes of course you already knew that !!! *goes to teach grandmother how to suck eggs*

One thinks one will soon be sick of the sight and sound of talking heads expounding possible names for the new Royal Baby. If a girl, I predict that Diana will be one of the middle names. And possibly Carole or Catherine. Or, even Philippa. But, the first name will be Elizabeth. I feel in my water that Camilla will not be one of the considered names.

If a boy, I expect that George Arthur Charles Philip Andrew William Bertie and Edward, will be among the names seriously considered. Anne broke the mould with Zara, but William & Catherine will I think feel obliged to be more traditional.

I had to do some ironing today. :-( We still do not have a working washing machine, so I have a binbag full of towelling; and tomorrow there will be another binbag full of bedding ....... MFH said he would take it all to his Mama, cos its too far to drive to Offspring's home in bad snow conditions.

I got quite warm earlier and breathless with it. No, not that. It was chopping up all the logs, for the fire. Petunia ran out of coal, and the coal man has refused to call again. He is terrified of Pat rish aaaah.
*throws another log on the fire*

What an image I have of you CC, struggling up the garden path...... You did make me chuckle. Where is Patrishaa indeed?
By the by CC, I did say nine weeks, not months :-D....

I am sorry to hear of your struggles to keep warm ladies, nature must have a reason for winter, blowed if I can see it. For every thing there is a season I guess...
Luckily our winter is not as severe as you have to suffer.

FTE's adventure sounds lovely... I know a young person who is working on a super yacht in the Carribean. It all sounds very glamorous indeed. In fact some of the stories we hear of how the other half live are quite obscene, perhaps I am a little envious?

Hello Lesley, the dress I bought in London :-). I also bought shoes to go with it, in Oxford Street to be exact. They are going in the bin. Ruddy things nearly crippled me :-P. I still have sore feet..... They look lovely - that is all......

I see on the news, the royal baby is due July. I trust you are all rushing off to buy a souvenir mug, tea towel, tshirt, pen, and what ever else takes your fancy.. No??

I should get myself into gear and ready for work, I am trying to avert my eyes from a large pile of ironing.... It will still be waiting for me when I get home :-P.
No super yacht lifestyle for me :-(,

Have a pleasant evening

Susan

*struggling down the garden path with a log tucked beneath each armpit, and six logs balancing on top of head, while waving to Lesley and Teresa.* I feel like one of those African natives toting large water jugs on their heads .......

Where on earth is Pat rish aaaah when one needs a servant. I mean, member of staff.

the snow is falling thick and fast,
heralding another wintry blast.
I knew we were in for another freeze,
my joints are complaining, especially my knees.
Will pass on the soup, thanks, Lesley dear,
I have some spuds to cook and mash here,
I need something "more solid" inside my tum,
followed by tinned apricot and yogurt, oh Yum !
Its been a busy day but all chores are done,
And after dinner, to a warm bed I shall jolly well run.
:-D :-D :-D :-D :-D

Good Afternoon Ladies

Oh dear what a chilly day it is, hot soup anyone?..................... No snow yet and hopefully Theresa we wont get very much when it does arrive, MOG said the gritters are out already :-|

Thank you for the photographs Susan they are beautiful and I'm loving your dress :-) only 9 weeks 5 days before the next happy event :-D

Auntie Petunia and CC I hope you have a good store of logs so as to keep the fires burning at Motie Towers :-)

Stay warm everyone Susan stay cool.

Lesley

Oh no the snow is falling :-(

Do keep warm Ladies, I'm assured that one can still purchase thermal undergarments, full length petticoats and many layers of jumpers. I have been warm all the time owing to my Hormones ;-) It gets a bit much however when FTY and OH keep muttering about being cold. Tutttty tut.

Now did I see you all last night at Blandings castle :-D we waited with bated breath, OH, FTY and I. It did not disappoint but I did think Lord E was a single man when I read the books. Maybe I was mistaken, it was many moons ago. FTY was a great fan of Jeves and Wooster on television when he was a very young fruit. He used to chuckle and would watch it back to back until the devils x box made an appearence :-
However all is well and he watched Blandings on I player and said it was almost as funny as Mr Jeves and Wooster.

Susan what lovely photos, such a lovely venue for the wedding and sun as well. I don't think we have seen any sun since 2011 or thereabouts| :-( My frond is to be a MOB this year and next year. She is very excited.

Halooooo Lesley, have you got the snow plough to the ready? That hill will be a bit of a difficult thing to drive up :-| I will have to get a speed up and hope not to slide down again :-D

FTE is heading towards the Caribbean and then orff towards the Americas, I will keep you posted.

Orff now to carry on stiching :-D


Teresa



PS
I was at paid toil yesterday so did not see FTYs devils football game. Can you believe they won 7-2 maybe if I stay away they may win a bit more :-D

~~~~~~~ to Susan nz
Nine months is not that long to go dear. A lot can happen in nine months !! :-D :-D :-D ;-) ;-) ;-)

*hogs the log fire and rubs hands together, to warm up*

brrrrr and grrrrrrr. Oh dear me Petunia dear, how much colder it seems to have got. Again. Perhaps a cup full of dear Susan's warmth would not go amiss. Sorry dear? What was that dear? Move my bloomin' what ????? Have you been watching My Fair Lady again dear?

I was watching a program last night, with Ken Follett the author, expounding the details of the Black Death. Apparently, this ghastly disease has never quite died out, yet fewer people seem to catch it. Also, the main strain around today, is the same strain which decimated the worlds population in the 1300s. His theory is, that the people who survived the Black Death in the 1300s gained some immunity which has been passed on to their descendants thru DNA.

One wonders why there is no genetic immunity against measles, whooping cough, chicken pox, polio, mumps etc.

Queues. Many years ago, when I was a young mother (sigh) I took my Offspring to Baker Street, to visit Madame Tussauds. There was SUCH a long queue, I quaite despaired. Like you dear, I am "too good" to stand in long queues. I've never been able to stand still for long periods of time, because of my back. We slowly walked away and I saw The Planetarium, so in my wisdom I said "Let's go in here instead". There was no queue for the Planetarium. When I went to pay, I discovered I could also pay to get into Mdme Tussauds and gain access via a link door inside the Planetarium. And so, that is what we did.

Well if the newspaper reports of this Kate painting are accurate images, then I can only say the artist did not do this lovely lady any justice. I believe it was painted when she was suffering the worst of the morning sickness, but even so she is much prettier than depicted. Still, the lady herself said she was very pleased with it - of course, she was probably being kind.

MFH is connected to a 19thC north-east Society Photographer. This man had three shops in County Durham at one point. Some of his photographs survived and are now on t'internet. MFH's great grandfather worked for or with this photographer for a short while, presumably because of the family connection, but GGF was by trade a Mariner. GGF had another brother who was also a Mariner. Both GGF and this other brother, married sisters. There was a fourth Mariner, not related to GGF and his brother but presumably a close friend of theirs, who married another one of the sisters. The daughter of one of the sisters, married the son of another of the sisters ie they were first cousins. Talk about : Keep it in the family.

There was an artist of the same surname who settled in Kensington and painted many portraits some of which can also be found by Googling. We have no evidence that this artist is related to the Mariner brothers, but, the cousins who married, got married in Kensington, all the way from County Durham. Perhaps their respective parents did not approve because of the kinship, so they eloped? But why Kensington - why not Gateshead, or South Shields, or Newcastle. Was this painter a relation, and sympathetic to their romance? Ah, speculation can open up so many theories.

Forget the tennis raquets dear, I suggest SainsCo carrier bags and snow chains.

I am so sorry to hear that Pat rish aaaah has been caught mooning. Clearly this young man with cooties is a bad influence. Stop her listening to his records, at once.

So - who is going to apply for The Position Of The Year? If I was sixty years younger ......... But, working for The Royals is never a well-paid post although the staff do receive free meals and uniform while on the job. Then there are the perks of unwanted gifts from wealthy Sheikhs. The Queen once remarked, One does not have Servants, one employs Staff. I look at poor Patrish aaaah, and I wonder what the difference is .......

Hello Ladies and peeps,

Tis Sunday evening here, we are returned home, somewhat weary after a very long day of travelling home. We attended a wedding where my fruit was a maid to the bride. What a picture they all looked. I was so very happy and proud yesterday. I have come home with so many flowers, donated to me by the MOB. She is sick of the sight of them I fear. I am totally in love with the bouquets. The MOB is a florist :-), she did a sterling job.

I am not far out of my bed, I shall return when I can think straight - no smart comments pahlease :-D......

9 weeks and 6 days until I am the 'MOB' :-S

nighty night,

sleepy susie

Good evening ladies,

A very black and cold night it is too!!!!!

Pat-trish-aaaaaah got the old tuk-tuk out this morning, and gave it a quick buff over and oiled the wheels, and changed the tyres to thicker ones, and generally made it cold proof for our outing this morning.

Well, as you know I am a patron of the Arts and we headed off to the Tate Britain, to see the last knockings of the Pre-Raphaelites showing therein. Dear oh dear, there was a queue of at least 200 hundred people waiting to get in! I am sorry dears, but I am no used to lining up with the hoi poily and as much as I would have liked to see those wonderful oil paintings, there was no way I was going to stand in line. If they cannot get me straight in, then they miss my custom. Tutty tut. I shall probably have to wait another 10 years to see it, but there you go!!!!!

I too seem to suspect my ancestors missed the Black Death, the Plague, the Great Fire and the Blitz! What luck eh? How sad you would be not to share my pearls of wisdom, that fall so readily from my lips. Preens.

I shall be visiting the National Portrait Gallery next week to see the new painting of Kate. I shall give you my opinion when I see it. She is such a pretty young gel, I think some of the criticism is a little wide of the mark. The photo in the newspaper looks alright to me. By the by, did I tell you an ancestor of mine has portraits in the Gallery. He was a famous painter dont you know. Oh, I did tell you? Well I am just reminding you again.

In the meantime, I am sorting out a couple of tennis racquets from the attic to attach to my feet should the snow become too heavy. Well, when I say I am sorting them out, of course I mean Pat-trish-aaaaah. Sighs.

That girl has too much time on her hands. She is becoming all mooney over some little lad called Harry somethingortheother. He of a popular beat combo, whose hair looks as if it has been caught in a wind tunnel. I shall send the nit comb over at once.

Now....................for the new 5 onlookers..................please come forward and present your calling call at the door, we like visitors who can indulge in a little light conversation. Your card will take pride of place on the mantlepiece. Come on in, it is cold outside.

Toodle Pip
Auntie Petunia

*pokers up the coal fire to a roaring blaze*
I do so agree with you Petunia dear, and I would venture to go further - Snow, Ice, and Frost.

I have my winter drawers ready, all decked out with fragrant lining paper. Oh - you didnt mean those drawers Petunia dear ..... *smooths skirts down*

I shall treat the hamster to a few extra nibbles, and fill his cheek pouches. How very fortunate that hamsters do not eat chocolate or there would be none left for him. Or her. I never did determine how one determines the gender of a hamster. Some of them have a nasty habit of biting the hand that is holding them and I prefer not to pick them up.

Thank goodness the screaming hordes have returned to school, now the midwinter break is over. Having seen a few prime examples in the local Sainsco, one can quite understand why some hamsters eat their young.

How reassuring to hear that Beatrice is a little better. Alas I came a near-cropper when I hobbled to the bank today. A stupid woman barged into me from behind, shoving me into railings, and one shoe nearly came off. And did anyone ask if an old lady with a walking stick and an artificial hip was all right? No, of course not. London life ........ pah !

Descended from Royalty? Well, MIL's Mamma's maiden name allegedly derives from an Ancient Prince of Wales, and my Grandmamma's Mamma's maiden name is the same name as an 18thC baronetcy. I may even be descended from that medieval King Edward who was very, very friendly with the ladies. However I would not presume a connection. These Aristos are so prone to scandalous liaisons, as are the Royals - mon Oncle Marcel (of Belgian and French ancestry) was allegedly descended from a Belgian Royal on the wrong side of the blankety-blanket; but this might just be a family fairy tale although it is one I cannot debunk. I've debunked several family fairy tales, to my delight.

All I do know for sure is, my ancestors survived the Black Death which is why I sit here today waiting for 2038. :-D :-D :-D :-D

Good morning dears,

What a chilly one it is. There is snow in the air, I can smell it coming!!!!!

Three weeks of chill are heading in our direction. Winter drawers on I think, plus the liberty bodice with rubber buttons. Ugh, I do so hate the cold weather.

I shall have to give the hamster extra rations for him to go faster and power the generator. My poor pension does not run to heating 24 hours a day. We shall have to go to the scullery and sit around the oven while dear Mrs Berry does her baking.

Ah, families. One never exactly knows the truth, does one. One little mistake is brushed under the carpet, and never sees the light of day again. I too have a lady who vanishes into thin air. Such is the deafening silence. I fairly soon discovered she did not have the first name I thought she had, and it went downhill from there. Hey ho. We are not to blame, but it is a stumbling block.

However, on the other side of the family, I dont need to tell you we are descended from Royalty. On the right side of the blanket as well......................Preens.

Beatrice is a little better, and hobbling around on a stick now. So I think I can return home, and see what pandemonium awaits me. Sighs.

Pip Pip
Auntie Petunia