General Chat

I hope that your ribs are feeling better today Florence and that you haven’t broken one.

I have been cleaning and tidying up for most of the day. I need to buy yet another large plastic box to keep the toys tidy

Esme FaceTimed earlier, she has been having a great time. She did the Skyline dance class earlier and really enjoyed it. They went to the arcade as well and amazingly Esme won the jackpot twice. You get tickets from the machines when you win, they took a video of hers coming out, it took fifteen minutes. They had an enormous pile. You exchange them for prizes. She had a couple of reasonably decent things. Normally they lose money of course, but that is what arcades are for

I got a video tour of the apartment, it s a bit Hi-de-Hi, not quite Centre Parcs standard, but then it is far cheaper of course. As long as Esme is enjoying herself, they can put up with it for the weekend

Oh dear Linda, not so good for them.
Hope your eyebrow is ok. You were very lucky it didn't burn you. When soup splashes, its red hot, you have to be so careful.

Just sat all evening watching me soaps and Doc martin. Daughter already texting saying "they had a falling out." More worry for me but nothing I can do, but still worry for her as she is very vulnerable. She had a bad hypo at teatime as well but her bloods are settled now thank goodness.

I'm ok but feeling my left side of me ribs tonight, i probably pulled a muscle earlier.

Think an an early night for me as feeling quite tired tonight if only I could sleep the whole night!

Tomorrow is another day as they say.

Goodnight

Florence in the hebrides

I just got a text from my daughter, she said Esme is having a great time, but “Generally though it’s quite grim here, it’s definitely seen better days.The chalets are all made of wood and the one we’re in (which is the most expensive) definitely has rotting floor joists. It feels like a really ancient house with uneven floors”

Oh dear Florence, you are being accident prone, I hope your leg isn’t bruised.

They left at lunchtime, so I went to Tesco this afternoon, then I have been making three batches of soup for the freezer. I was using the stick blender on the last lot when it splashed out. Some of it landed on my eye just below my eyebrow. My glasses stopped it landing on my actual eyelid thank goodness. It is very sore, but it could have been worse.

I usually do the cleaning on a Friday, but I have left it until tomorrow, so I can have a really good go at it. I freeze any food left from the dinners I cook, so we are going to use them over the weekend. It will save me having to cook and free up some space it the freezer

Morning all

Well i have some time to myself as daughter decided on the spur of the moment to go away until Tuesday. I woke with a headache so actually having some peace & quiet will be fine.

I started tidying after she had gone and went to open the lounge window. I turned round and promptly tripped on her bean bag tray which she had left on the floor and I didnt see it. I went for a flyer but luckily fell onto the sofa! My poor left leg took the brunt and i burst into tears, partly with shock and partly with pain.

Oh my goodness. don't know what's happening with me lately, dropping things, knockings things and tripping up. Problem is, I cannot lift my left leg over obstacles as it doesn't bend so that's how I tripped over the tray.

So sitting for a bit just now as I was all shaky but I feeling better now.

Its dull and overcast and looking like rain soon so my plan to repot a plant is on hold for now. But it may clear up. At least it's not 40 degrees here, no way could I handle that!!

Linda, glad the birthday girl had a nice day. We always went to Pontins for our summer hols but thinking back, theres noway I would walk to the dining room in my pj's lol My mum made me enter the donkey derby and I fell off before it moved.

We went to Camber sands, Bracklesham Bay and others. I guess for the era..70's it's what you did with families back then but nowadays, not for me. It was very regimented with a daily programme of activities and we rarely left the camp to explore the local town etc.

Enjoy your peace & quiet whilst they are away though.

We have cleared the bookshelves and 5 boxes are sitting on the sofas full of books. The bookcases are now in daughter's room. Busy day on Monday as its bin day, grass cutters will be here at 10.30. Carpet fitters at 9.30 so an early rise for me.

Got lots more rosebuds about to open, about 20 so this year really "has been a good year for the roses"(Elvis Costello)

Well better go and see if the laundry is ready now.

Florence in the hebrides

In the late sixties and early seventies we went to Butlins several times, usually with another family so four adults and four children. We had a great time. But it was a different age, simple pleasures pre all the technology we live with now. I don’t think I would enjoy it now.

I don’t have any trouble reaching cupboards, I thought that I must have shrunk a bit, but I had my height measured a few weeks ago during a medical and I was still 5 ft 7 and a half

Esme really enjoyed her birthday yesterday, we went to the local Italian restaurant after school, then had cake at home. She got lots of presents of course and is very fond of the huge blow up unicorn,

I went to a funeral this morning, someone from the cinema who was eighty six, a really nice chap. It was in the church just a couple of hundred yards away, the church was really full. We didn’t go to the wake as we weren’t that close.

I can hear my daughter clattering around upstairs, she is packing. They are picking Esme up after lunch at school and they are going to Butlins until Monday. I must admit that Butlins is somewhere I have never wanted to go to, we usually go to Centre Parcs every year, that is more to my taste

Esme loves the Skyline Gang and watches lots of you tube videos.They are the Butlins children’s entertainers, all singing and dancing with costumes and wigs so that lots of different people in the different camps can do the same routines. She has two of the costumes. They will be going to four shows and she is signed up for a dance class. I don’t think Eve is terribly enthralled by it, but there is swimming and other activities, so she will probably enjoy that. It is a shame that the weather is going to be so bad over the weekend. On the bright side, it means we get a few days to ourselves

Tomorrow, tomorrow, there's always tomorrow, it's only a day away la la la :-D

Goodness me Florence you have been in the wars recently, the first bruise / lump sounds as though it was nasty, & now your toes have suffered, lucky not to have one broken with a can landing on it.

I can't get to the higher shelf in my kitchen wall units either & have to use a wee step,
It's just a one step with a rail & so useful, not at all high but enough for me to rech items without any effort or likelyhood of falling.
I have 2 of them one of them stays upstairs to help e reach the top of windows.

The weather has brightened upnow but it's too late for me to go into the garden, too busy dealing with our meal, oh well maybe tomorrow, LOL.

Joan.

Afternoon all
Its fairly bright and sunny here but not overly warm There is quite a breeze too.

Happy Birthday to Esme Linda bless her, hope she has a fun day and you have a nice day with eve and your friend too.

Joan my bruise expanded but the lump has subsided. It is now various shades of purple & yellow! It still hurts if i knock it .

i had 2 minor accidents. One involving a tin of daughters pepsi max. I was in the cupboard above and accidently caught the can which fell and landed on my toes.....ouch is what I said lol So 2nd toe is bruised and black looking but thabkfully didnt break. Then trying to get a tin of beans down with my grabber and it slipped and caught my big toe which has a matching bruise.

Honestly, I'm a walking disaster but daughter was away in town and I couldnt wait until 5pm before she would be home to help me. The problem is I can no longer stand on a chair so getting things off higher shelves can be a problem. I have resorted the shelves several times putting things i use more on the bottom but what I wanted was on the top.

Daughter facetimed me from the garden centre and has bought a nice plant with pink flowers??? Not much left now with all bedding plants gone. Lots of roses in pots at £14.99 each!!! The roses I bought earlier were all around £7-8.

Anyway I have been busy emptying all my books from the 2 bookshelves so just the bookcases to move now then all ready for carpet in hall on Monday.

Argyllgran, thanks for the onfo. The tin just has a date without best before or use by. Im thinking if I open it and use in the breadmaker, it will be ok but once opened as its long past the date, it might not be ok to use some other time?

I'm very funny with milk anyway and can only take a splash in my coffee and if this upset my stomach, i'm thinking I could be quite unwell so have decided not to use it.

Think we bought it during lockdown for emergency use but never used it!

AnnG, the original lady didn't take the carpet but re- advertised and a man came that very evening and took it away. As for my bruise, yes maybe I did it in my sleep, as its still a mystery and still sore.

Joan, its annoying when that happens with the rain as yesterday, i took scissors', a little bag and me stick and went out to de-head but as soon as i stepped outside the rain started. However, luckily it didn't last too long and I managed to get out and tidy up the pots. Hope your rain clears away soon.

Well better wash up me lunch things and put away the dishes and then coffee time.

Florence in the hebrides

Edit; Just been told, we are have another viewing on sat for mums property so fingers crossed :-D

Good afternoon, though it's not that good as far as the weather is concerned.
Started off bright & sunny but not for long, by the time I had dressed the sun had gone & dark clouds were looming, had some rain about an hour ago but stopped now.
Really fed up of it, just when i think it's safe to go out on comes the rain again, aAnd so it's yet another day indoors.

Mince & Tattied for tea today, & seeing as I can't get outside & so I have plenty of time, I might make YKS puds to go with it.

I hope Esme is enjoying her birthday Linda, & you have a lovely day out with Eve & your friend.

Florence, how is your bruise, I hope it has started to fade & not bothering you.

Joan.

I am always awake early Ann, the radio comes on at seven, but I am always waiting for it. I don’t get up until much later as I doze and look at my iPad.
We were up at 7.20 this morning for the birthday girl, I thought it would be much earlier, but she slept in. We all came down so she could open her large pike of presents, There is also a huge blow up unicorn in the lounge, just what we wanted :-D

I am taking Eve out today with my next door neighbour. We are going to do a historic walking trail around old Hartlepool. I have done it before and it is very interesting The German navy shelled it in 1914, destroying lots of houses and killing lots people

Linda Happy birthday to Esme, It doesn't seem possible that she is ten. The same age as my eldest Great Grandson. I hope the botox works as with their being no wound problems afterwards it must be much better for her. Maybe the next time she will remember that it was not so bad and won't be frightened, which will make it easier on Mum and staff.

It is fairly bright here this morning although there are rain clouds around. I woke up early and couldn't get back to sleep so am early on here. Probably before everyone else is awake.

Esme’s Botox went well. It has to be a general anaesthetic because apparently it is very painful and they have to keep absolutely still. While she was out, they also took two skin tags off, one just under her eye and one on her nostril.
They only did one leg and it will be a while before they know if it has worked. If it does, they will then do the other leg. Her leg wasn’t even sore, she was jumping around dancing to the tv when she got home. She had two large white plasters over the puncture wounds and she didn’t like them, so her mum swapped them for small plasters, but even they had to come off at bed time. She had a runny nose and that was making the little wound on her nostril sore. She took Katie her best doll with her. Katie went into the theatre as well and when she came out, she had one arm professionally bandaged because apparently she has a broken arm.
By this morning she was fine and has had a good day at school. Tomorrow is her tenth birthday, so she is very excited about that. It will be party day at school. She is taking money in and they order pizzas for the class. She also has balloons and a birthday cake, plus party bags for the other five children in her class. They make sure the children have a good day,

Re the dried milk - I would think it's OK to use.

Is that a "use by" date or just "best before" ?

From a Google search:

Dry milk retains quality for a couple of years if stored properly. Even if it's a year or two past its date, it still makes sense to give it a go. More often than not, prepared milk will be just fine in terms of taste. Nonfat dry milk retains quality for longer than a whole-fat one.
https://www.canitgobad.net/can-powdered-milk-go-bad/


Powdered milk can go bad, but it takes awhile. Most manufacturers recommend using powdered milk (also known as dried milk) within 18 months, but this is really just a "best by" date. According to the USDA, powdered milk can be stored indefinitely. An unopened package is probably still usable for 2 to 10 years after the printed "best by" date. Some survival stores sell nonfat dry powdered milk labeled with a 25-year shelf life.
But the shelf life does depend on the type of powdered milk. Nonfat powdered milk lasts longer than powdered whole milk or buttermilk, as fat is less stable. As such, nonfat dried milk is preferred for long-term food storage. If you are looking at the label of dried whole milk, you will want to use it up soon after the "best by" date.
https://www.thespruceeats.com/does-powdered-milk-go-bad-1388298

The tin of Marvel dried milk is dated Mar 2021 but is sealed so anyone know if it would still be ok to use in the breadmaker or indeed still use it? Does it go off?

Afternoon everyone.

After doing some ironing, i was so hot & bothered so decided to venture outside as it was dry but breezy.

I started de-heading some flowers and weeding some of the pots. Was getting on quite well and then daughter came out and said" mum ,look at the sky in the distance."
It was so black and thundery looking so quickly finished off and now indoors waiting for the heavens to open.

Yesterday, I went through my cookery book shelf and removed all those bits of paper with recipes on and wrote them in my recipe book. So huge pile of paper to be shredded but now the shelf is tidy and got rid of 3 very old cookery books which I think came from a charity shop years ago!.

But in tidying, I found my breadmaker recipe book from the new machine & the previous one so maybe going to make something later on.

Linda poor thing. Esme was obviously terrified and found the whole thing upsetting. I hope she is settled today and all went well?

Well the rain hasnt come and the black clouds are moving away :-S Was so expecting a clap of thunder but glad there wasn't.

Not sure about tea tonight. I'm hungry but just fed up with food lol. I have exhausted all my usual recipes so who knows.

Hope everyone well today

Florence in the hebrides

Good morning everyone. It is a nice day here . I went to my slimming class and miraculously had lost a pound. I wasn’t expecting to given the naughty meal out we had fir our anniversary
I took Eve to have he r ears pierced this morning, she was very apprehensive, but is pleased now it is over.
Little Esme has had a general anaesthetic this morning so she could have Botox injections into her Achilles tendons. She has had two major operations to lengthen then before, this is supposed to be instead of another operation. She wasn’t happy about having it done, she was working herself up into a right state last night. She stayed in a Premier Inn opposite the hospital last night as they had to be there so early. I don’t think her mum got much sleep. She was shouting at the nurses telling them she was angry and tried to kick one nurse this morning. I am sure they are used to it, there isn’t much you can do with a child with severe learning disabilities.

It is all go today as we are also having major work done on the Beech hedge which runs along the front of our front garden and between the gardens to separate us from the house next door. The hedge continues along the front of their garden as well. We are having the height reduced to two metres. It has encroached quite a way into next doors garden as they have never really kept on top of it, so they are having to have more work done than us. There is also a maple tree on the joint boundary. OH has taken quite a few branches off the bottom over the years. The neighbours haven’t, so the tree is growing right through the hedge on their side. They decided to have theirs cut, so it made sense to have it all done at the same time. OH cuts it twice a year and for the last few times has been saying that he was going to get someone to do it as it is such hard work.

Well another wet day. Its been gale force winds and torrential rain since yesterday and no let up!!

I didn't even get dressed today!!! Shock of horrors as never done that before but wasn't going to venture outside or get any visitors so didn't see the point.

I made some cards earlier with geometric shapes, something different from what I had been doing.
pizza and left over salad today as couldn't face a huge meal.

Joan , your poor pan! I once left carrots boiling with plenty of water and went off to take a tel call in my bedroom. I came down smelling something burning and realised there was no water left in the pan! Well & truly black. I cleaned it several times but couldn't get the pan back to the way it was before.

Linda, what an unusual collection of rubbish in your haul today. never surprises me what people just chuck out.

Anyway just chilling on here for the evening and watching tv at the same time lol.

Florence in the hebrides

Vinegar certainly works.
Put in enough to cover the burnt bits, bring it to the boil, switch off and leave it sitting overnight.
In the morning the burnt bits just lift off - at least in my experience!