General Chat

*grabs David, and scarpers for the weekend, for a trip in the Tardis*

Ah there you are Cherry, thank goodness you have brought in that tea-towel, you can help with the washing up!

I too have been to Leicester, but many years ago. When I first returned to England after my holiday in Spain, I had to go and stay with an Aunt in Northamptonshire.

There was no shops worth talking about there, so I used to go shopping in Leicester. There was a square in front of the Town Hall I remember, with fountains, I wonder if it is still there?

I too would have expected to see mannequins garbed out in royal robes. There has been such a lot of news about King Dick, that I expected there to be a grand exhibition. Still maybe they will add other things in the future.

So.........................as you have not eaten sufficiently, pull up a chair and we will dine.

Pass the roast potatoes dear.

Auntie Petunia

there was so much traffic whizzing in every direction, Petunia dear, I was too busy watching out for the Little Green Man to notice much else so I cannot say if the fountains are still around. I didnt really get a "sense" of my surroundings. All I can tell you is that the R-III exhibition is next to the Guildhall and right opposite the Cathedral, a short walk along from the BBC building.

Yes hopefully at a later date the exhibition will be expanded. I'm hoping that now they have confirmed DNA evidence, from Anne of Yorks descendants, that they will take DNA from the little bodies found in the White Tower, to see if there is a match. At the moment the ID of those young bones is up in the air but it would be nice to know for sure if they are the long-lost Princes in the Tower.

*eyes the dinner table*

dear me, is that all the roast potatoes we are having? Not a very large serving is it, not that I am one to complain. And that is a very small dish of cabbage, and not much mash, and hardly any mushrooms or green beans or carrots or cauli.

Are we back to war time rationing dear? I hardly think that a few dishes of vegetables are going to see me through the night until breakfast. Oh dear another midnight feast is on the cards .....

..... especially the way I drop food everywhere when playing patience :-D

aha !! if you google for Images / Leicester fountain in front of town hall, some modern pictures appear which suggest the fountain is still there and still working.

Preens!!!!

I keep hearing about binge drinkers. Where can I buy bottles of binge, and what does it taste like?

Now, in preparation for your next birthday Petunia dear, I shall make you a birthday card, the same way I make my headgear and clothing. However as I dont have your address to send it to, I shall pop it through your letterbox.

Good afternoon dears. How kind of you to offer to make me a card dear. You have six months to finish it.

I don't know where you can buy binge to be honest. Is it in bottles or cans? I imagine it is pleasant on the palate, because so many people seem to do it.

Have you seen the window boxes dear? The ones at the front of the house are starting to bloom. What is the first plant to come out I hear you ask....................Petunias of course!!!!!!

Ah, I shall now sing that Old Tyme Music Hall favourite.................She Sits Amongst The Cabbages and Peas........................

Yes dear I did notice the window boxes, and have to confess I didnt recognise the plants growing in them, I thought it was weeds. Still - a rose would be weed if it grew in the wrong place.

"she" also sits amongst the cabbages and leeks ....... my word that song raised a furore when it was first released, the censors had a field day.

Oh, she sits among the cabbages and peas
With a pretty little peapot 'tween her knees
She's a whiz at shelling peas
So she sits and shells with ease
Till the pretty little peapot's full of peas.

Oh, she sits among the cabbages and peas
And she talks to all the little bugs and bees.
They climb up her legs and arms
And all round her other charms.
They see lots of things nobody ever sees.

Oh, she sits among the cabbages and peas
With her little dress away above her knees.
All the boys that pass her way
Stand and stare and wish that they
Were that pretty little peapot 'tween her knees.

Oh, she sits among the cabbages and peas
And the little birds are singing in the trees
Waiting till she falls asleep,
Then fly down and take a peek
At her pretty little peapot full of peas.

Oh, among the cabbages and peas she sits,
And her pretty little dress so tightly fits
When she stoops to take a pea
That's the time that you can see
That she's got a pair of very lovely hips.

Oh, she sits among the cabbages and peas,
But one day she felt so very ill at ease.
She was sitting on a hole.
In that hole there was a mole.
It's no wonder that she felt so ill at ease.

In best Marie Lloyd voice.............................

Come on........................sing up.......................all together now!

Oh Mr Porter

Lately I just spent a week with my old Aunt Brown,
Came up to see wond'rous sights of famous London Town.
Just a week I had of it, all round the place we'd roam
Wasn't I sorry on the day I had to go back home?
Worried about with packing, I arrived late at the station,
Dropped my hatbox in the mud, the things all fell about,
Got my ticket, said 'good - bye' "Right away." the guard did cry,
But I found the train was wrong and shouted out:

Oh! Mister Porter, what shall I do?
I want to go to Birmingham
And they're taking me on to Crewe,
Send me back to London as quickly as you can,
Oh! Mister Porter, what a silly girl I am!

The porter would not stop the train, But I laughed and said "You must
Keep your hair on, Mary Ann, and mind that you don't bust'."
Some old gentleman inside declared that it was hard,
Said "Look out of the window, Miss, and try and call the guard."
Didn't I, too, with all my might I nearly balanced over,
But my old friend grasp'd my leg, and pulled me back again,
Nearly fainting with the fright, I sank into his arms a sight,
Went into hysterics but I cried in vain:

Oh! Mister Porter, what shall I do?
I want to go to Birmingham
And they're taking me on to Crewe,
Send me back to London as quickly as you can,
Oh! Mister Porter, what a silly girl I am!

On his clean old shirt-front then I laid my trembling head,
"Do take it easy, rest awhile" the dear old chappie said.
If you make a fuss of me and on me do not frown,
You shall have my mansion, dear, away in London Town.
Wouldn't you think me silly if I said I could not like him?
Really he seemed a nice old boy, so I replied this way;
I will be your own for life, Your imay doodle um little wife,
If you'll never tease me any more I say.

Oh! Mister Porter, what shall I do?
I want to go to Birmingham
And they're taking me on to Crewe,
Send me back to London as quickly as you can,
Oh! Mister Porter, what a silly girl I am!

Sing up at the back, I cannot hear you!

I do so much admire and like this new portrait of you, Petunia dear, pray tell who painted it?

Was it Munch? or Picasso? or Banksy?

or Les Graffiti Artistes who hang around the garages with cans of spray paint??

Right, we are nearly ready for the opening of the new private maternity hospital in the South Wing. All the equipment has been delivered, with the exception of the stethoscopes. They are being warmed up, I am told.

Mayhem, Disorder, Chaos .....

my work here is done !!!

:-D :-D :-D :-D :-D :-D

Ta-ta my chooks !

Sing up at the back I cannot hear you!!!

You really wouldn't want to hear me sing Auntie Petunia .................................. I'm tone deaf :-(

CC I thought you were far away for the weekend, staying in a tardis I do believe. ;-)

Oh no, has CC left the fold already?.... I have been missing and seem to have missed CC ~~~~~~~~ toodle pip.

Then again, I might be totally wrong and she will be back :-)..

A birthing wing indeed... Yikes, no wonder CC departed. One crying babby is more than enough, a wingful, I cannot imagine the noise :-S. Perhaps Teresa could move in and be Matron?? Lesley has experience with babbies, she could help out too. Me?, oh no sorry, I am too far away to take a shift or two ;-).

Petunia, another photygraph, a rather doe eyed young gal. Very pretty...

Speaking of photygraphs, I have the official wedding pics. If you would prefer not to receive an email, please do let me know. I shan't bombard you then, :-D

After a full long weekend toiling in our garden, it is time to return to 'work'.... We have been pruning over grown trees. Probably the wrong time of year but too bad, tis done now.. OH also attacked the bamboo one silly neighbour planted, said Bamboo has run riot and was blocking our afternoon sun... Last time I set poison on the bamboo and ended up killing my beautiful flowering Cherry tree.. Oops,

I am to be shorn again this morning so had best rattle my dags and get a move on.

Toodle,

~~~~~~ to all
Susan

#waves a lace-edged hankerchief, and uses another to wipe eyes, and blow nose#

Goodbye Cherry dear, goodbye.

Cherry has packed her trunk, like Nellie the Elephant, and has left Motie Towers. She has taken all her boxes from the South American river company, her books, her CD's and all her china.

We will miss her.......................sobs.

Lesley dear, I have told you before, woe betide you if you contradict me dear, David is mine! By the by, how is that little bundle of joy of yours? Well and blooming I hope.

Susan dear, I should be delighted to receive the photographs of that very pretty daughter of yours, and her beau.

Cherry may have left, but Bertha is still with us. I shall have her out spit spot. Trying to turn my home into a Nursing Home..............I will not have it.

So...............................if there is anyone from our silent watchers who would like to join us, please do. We do not bite, and you will be welcomed with a cup of refreshing tea, and a bikkie or two.

I look forward to receiving you.

Auntie Petunia

Oh I didn't realise CC was saying cheerio, so long, I'm out of here :-S hope this is not The Last Goodbye :-(

I'm free to help out in maternity as soon as winter arrives ..................................... do you think the babies can wait till then :-D

Me please I would love to see the wedding photographs ........................................ ........................my turn to get the lace edge handkerchief out.

Now my Dear Dear Auntie Petunia do you really begrudge a slip of a gal such as myself having a pinup? albeit a pinup of YOUR man.

Our bundle of joy is just that :-D I do have to ask how I ever coped with three fruits under two and a half :-S now I find it sooooooooooooo hard to cope with one under one :-(

How are you Teresa .............. has FTE returned to the seven seas yet with her cases bulging with new purchases :-D

Well I must say dears, it is very quiet at Motie Towers!

I no longer hear warbling along to Les Mis, or as I like to call it................The Glums. There is no tippy toeing around less I knock Whimsies off the shelf, and of course the food consumption has gone down!

I know I still have Pat-trish-aaaaah here with me, and dear Mrs Berry and her daughter Holly to provide us with the food. And of course there is Octavia, Georgianna and Beatrice who pop in on a regular basis, but I had got use to Cherry messing up the place, and causing general mayhem.................aaaah well!

The Parlour has been very warm today, and I had to close the curtains to keep the sun at bay. The sun was playing on the curtains, and casting a very strange organge light into the room. I swear I saw the eyes on the full size carboard cutout of dear David, move..........................oh dear, did I say that out loud?

I have contacted the Home for Old Soldiers and Sailors, and mentioned that they might like to open an Annexe for Bertha and her pregnant ladies. They agree that if I was willing to stump up, they would be willing to make some land available. In the meantime, they will make one of the men's ward available for her ladies in waiting. I think it will be nice for the old fellows to see the new ones, and it will give them a lift of spirits. Make a change from the bottles of rum they think we don't know about!!!!

Take care dears, and the offer is still open to our silent watchers......................


Pip Pip
Auntie Petunia

Oh Petunia, we shall miss CC and all the trouble she caused, err, I mean fun she brought to each day :-).

I think a birthing unit in an old folks home is a marvellous idea, don't ask me why though.. One little suggestion, separate refrigerators perhaps?. Can you imagine the ruckus should the bottles get mixed up?.. You would have Children's services on your case in a jiffy. I wonder if a baby can tolerate rum in its milk???

Lesley, do you have twins?. I am trying to do the maths and I can't make it work?
My youngest siblings are the same age for three weeks each year :-D..

We have such high winds today, I am not a fan of the wind, especially not during the night. By the time I get home from work this afternoon, the trees should be bare of their leaves. :-(. I will chase them around the garden with my rake. We use the word garden to describe our whole 'section' , not just a particular 'garden bed'..

We are off to the big smoke on Saturday to watch the oval ball game. Our All Blacks are playing France. Must look for my hat, gloves, scarf, thermals :-(. Why do we do it?. One of our local lads is now playing for your Lions. :-).

~~~~~ to Teresa, hope all is well dear.

tatty bye Petunia and Lesley, have a lovely evening

Susan

No twins for me Susan .............................. our eldest and second eldest (the one with middle child syndrome) are one year apart all but one day then I had a rest and waited 16 months for the third fruit :-D my brother's wife beat me though :-| she had twins then another eleven months later.

Is there any chance you can wave a Hello Auntie banner at the rugby match :-D that way we'll be able to pick you out in the crowd.

Auntie Petunia will the babies born at the Home for Old Soldiers and Sailors have to wear mini uniforms ................................... how cute.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ To Teresa <3

Good evening dear Ladies,

Ooooh dear Upsidedown Susan, you are not a fan of the wind! Neither am I dear, I find a little bicarbonate of soda, or a little peppermint does the trick dear.

You are being shorn AGAIN dear? You really don't like your hair long do you? I find that I cannot wear my hair too short dear, it sticks up all over the place. But your gamine cut really does suit you dear.

Strange to think that you are going into your Autumn/Winter dear, we are only just getting warm weather.......................at last.

Have a lovely time at the Rugby dear, will you do the Hakka?

Lesley dear, you do make me smile. Little uniforms for the babies, whatever next dear? I think there may be some little Babygroes that we can stitch badges on, and wings, and suchlike. What a wheeze!!!

I have nothing but admiration at your childbearing dear. Three children within quick succession. Pin a medal on that lady!!!

I do hope that dear Teresa is not working too hard. I know she does funny shifts.

I hope the sun is shining on the righteous dears.

Toodle Pip
Auntie Petunia

Petunia, I may or may not perform a Haka..... depends on how many vino's I consume prior to the match :-D.. Do you think if I suck a peppermint loudly I will perhaps not hear the 'wind'. One can be a little too close to the action doncha think..

Oh my Lesley, you were a very busy young Mum weren't you. !!. There a re three and a bit years between mine, with one lost in the middle. I always thought I would have like four children, silly misguided girl I was back then ;-).

I must say it can be a bit chilly around the old lugholes after a shearing but one muddles on through because one is too vain to don a hat :-S.I can't be doing with messy hair, one of my pet hates. Hair flattened to my scalp is not in the least bit becoming..

My male fruit has arrived home to accompany us to the rugger. He is a font of knowledge on the game (yawn),. I just go for the day out ;-). He and his papa can talk all the rugby they like, just give me a vino and sit me in the corner. We get to ride the train out to the stadium. So what you say, so yes I say. Trains are a novelty here, not like you people ride trains. Which might I add, I love.

OH has just walked in the door, best go and feed him.

I used to be able to knit bootees, not sure I still have my kneedles or else I would be knitting up a storm for the new babbies... Probably the old soldiers are a dab hand with a needle and thread?. I could provide the wool, after all, we have three million sheep here, all covered in wool, though they probably need their coats for a few months yet. ;-).

Have a lovely day today and a pleasant weekend.
Susan,
kamate kamate

Dear Ladies,

Susan dear, I have not downloaded the photos yet, as I have not had time, but I will set aside tomorrow morning to look at them properly. I do so love a wedding, and the previous photos showed your fruit to be a very pretty gel, and her handsome beau.

I too used to knit bootees, I had a pattern that were like shoes, very dainty they were too, but a bit tricky. I am not a natural knitter ladies, I cannot do anything else except knit, whereas my Mama, could knit, hold a conversation, chew a toffee and read a book at the same time.

Have a lovely weekend ladies, and I hope you enjoy whatever you do.

Auntie Petunia