General Chat

Good morning all on here. no sun here so far, grey sky and 11 degrees.

florence that has often puzzled me. can you explain the thinking behind not eating meat (i.e.mammals) But eating chicken.please? Is it more of a taste than moral thing?

anyway, you had a nice afternoon which is good. good to get a change in the what has become, boring day to day life of 'keeping safe'.

And two lovely surprises. Your move is working out well after all the worry of it. :-)

Evening peeps.
Liz dont ever feel you have killed this thread if noone replies. Sometimes, i havent been doing anything much for a couple of days so tend to post when i have something to tell etc...
Today, myself and daughter went to town as there was an open day on the harbour front with stalls, live music etc. Overcast but the rain held off. Bought a couple of raffle tickets and some craft things for xmas pressies!
The queue for food was so long, we grabbed a table where we sit normally in the square and daughter ran to the chippy lol and within 10 mins came back with a very nice fish & chips.
We met one of her friends too as her hubby was working and she was on her own..lovely lass. She said im her 2nd mum!! nearly made me start crying when she said that, was really flattered.

So we did have a nice afternoon although the town was heaving with tourists so was wary of being in a tight crowd of people but we were able to space out. Got the 4pm bus home and have to say, i am exhausted. My leg and back ae very sore.

Still no word back from GP, but im staying put now as pain has crept in and im uncomfortable.

Had a lovely surprise yesterday. First a young man called from the local community hub with a welcome pack, a bottle of merlot and a box of biscuits. There are some spaces in the community polycrubs and at £25.oo a year!! You get 1/4 of the polycrub plus a raised outdoor bed to grow potatoes etc. Its 5 mins in my car up to the tunnels.
My old boss tel saying they had a long overdue retirement gift and could she drop it off after school. So she appeared about 4pm with a lovely ceramic planter filled with various plants, was a real surprise. She apologized for the delay citing covid etc...

Anyway was very lovely getting surprises :-D

Liz, i dont eat any meat as such but chicken and fish. I always say, i dont eat mammals and chicken are fowl lol

Hope everyone enjoying their weekend.
Stay safe all

Florence in the hebrides

Thanks Ann. No, we are never satisfied but I understand why you would rather not be alone. Life is very unfair. I am glad you had visitors but it makes it hard to see them leave. Best plod on day by day till more visitors can make it and do as much as you feel up to when you can. It is very overcast and chilly here today.

My son was supposed to have his already postponed balloon flight today but I expect it’s postponed again. It was a birthday gift from his fiancée. She loves to treat him!

Hope everyone is ok and the weather will bright enough up over the rest of the weekend.

Lizxx

I will bring it back to ;life Liz.
I have not been on the thread for a while as I had daughter and son in law staying for five days. So lovely to have company but they have gone home now and sadly I am on my own again. (we are never satisfied Liz).
It was a good week and they got me out and about, shopping and to garden centres and for a walk along the canal.
I have stripped their bed and the bedding is washed and in the drier. (They left at 0700 this morning.
It is very grey and dull here this morning and only 13 degrees. I have housework to do, a lawn to cut and probably lots of cutting back to do as well but not inclined to go out in the garden until it warms up a bit.

So sorry, I seem to have killed this thread?

Wish you hadn’t described your meal Joan. I am feeling really hungry now. Florence, you made me laugh - you described your chicken sarnie and then said you don’t eat meat lol. Lots going on in my life atm hence not posting much. I am very tired and depressed and so much to deal with, my partner’s mobility and memory are worse so I am having to do most of clearing and selling his father’s house as step mother died in Feb. Found out today that my youngest brother’s wife has been an alcoholic for last 5 years (we see little of each other as don’t live close but kept in touch with emails and calls). She is now hospitalised and will die if she doesn’t stop drinking! I was never close to her. They chose not to have children but always had dogs.
I am desperate to live alone but complicated situation means it’s not easy to make happen. Oh for a lottery win

Well what a change here too. Been foggy most of the day and very damp so i had to close the windows as feeling chilly.

I bought a dress in MandCo last week but didnt realise there was a split in the front right up to my thigh lol..A bit too much exposure for my liking. So this afternoon, i painstakingly unpicked both sides of the seam and then tomorrow will get my sewing machine running and resew it up. I pinned it for now and looks absolutely fine. It is black & mustard with some beige. Looks like big leaves etc. No zip and stretchy and its fits lovely. I did buy the necklace some time ago which is fab as it actually covers some of my scar.

I had my bowl of greek yoghurt and fruit for lunch and really need something more for tea but there is some left over cooked chicken and salad so going to make a sandwich to fill me up.

Ann glad you have the sun now but could you send it back as we were just beginning to enjoy a taste of summer lol.

Joan , i dont eat meat, but your evening meal sounds delicious, hope you enjoy.

Florence in the hebrides

Forgot to say. dr tel this morning and is getting a 2nd opinion about my xrays, will keep you posted on that.

Afternoon everyone :-D :-D <3 <3

The sun is finally out in Wales at last! In fact it is quite hot now, hope all are well <3 <3

Afternoon peeps
Liz, lovely to see you posting again. How have you been? Thanks for the advice re the hedging. I am drawn to the escalonia and the hebes. My grandma used to have lovely bushes against a wall like Buddlia for the butterflies and she had 2 holly bushes as well. Her garden was full of wildlife. No fences but traditional stone walls 6 ft high so was very private.

Its another beautiful day here today and the plants will need a another good soaking tonight especially the fuschias and roses..

Just a cold salmon salad tonight and some fruit.weighed myself again today and another 1lb gone. Mustnt weigh again now until monday and see then how its going.

Washing all dry and ironed and housework up to date so feeling a long afternoon until i went into cupboard and emptied a few folders of....yes more blooming old bills.I thought i had got rid of them all and yet these are from 2015 onwards. So I have filled a huge carrier bag waiting to be shredded but...i have some empty folders now so a good result.

Hope everyone else enjoying some Vit D and long may it last.

Florence in the hebrides

Hello all, Years ago after my partner was burgled, he decided to plant a hedge instead of the small fence separating the garden from the field beyond. He deduced that the burglars (never caught) must have come in via the fence while he was at work. I showed him escallonia and pyracantha and he planted them alternately. Add some mahonia and holly which self seeded and we have a good deterrent which shelters the garden and stops anyone coming in. Sadly it faces the wrong way to get the full glory of the flowers but the birds love it and like the berries it produces. It needs looking after so it doesn’t get too leggy and stays dense at the base but well worth doing. Good luck with whatever you choose, Florence. Btw. The mahonia has a lovely scent when in flower.

It's been a lovely day here and I have managed to clean the kitchen windows and OH has done a bit of painting .on garden table. G/son has said he will clean the inside windows so I shall be able to see out lol. I can reach the outside because of the decking but can't reach the inside because of the worktops.

I doubt if our NHS will be as it was, I think that the government would be happy to let it become private health care. Don't know about Scotland though although it sounds very similar to how it is here. The staff at the hospital nearest to us are brilliant but it's the top dogs that make the decisions and I don't think many of them know how people struggle sometimes. It's an ' I'm alright Jack don't care about you' society sadly.

Better move and get the meal sorted or OH won't be happy.

:-D :-D

Afternoon peeps.
Well its a beautiful warm & sunny day here, so i think summer has actually returned. Its glorious for a change. Not that i can do much really. But i took a fork and a pair of scissors out to the front and weeded some of my pots. Bits of grass and moss has crept in and i managed to remove it so a little job done well.

My garden i roughly measured walking and its 48ft long and 28 ft wide in new money about 12.7 m x 8.48m. I have looked online at the Escalonia and also a purple Hebes. Im thinking that i could plant alternatively on the 3 sides? My grass cutter is hoping to carry on working through the winter with weeding and other gardening jobs for people. So if i do decide to order all these plants, then i would give him the job of planting them for me. That solves my problem of not being fit enough but also gives him some work. Hes just gone self employed this year and trying to establish himself. He does a good job of mowing my lawn and is quite quick and also very tidy. he comes every 2 weeks.

So plenty to think about for later on in the new year/spring.

I have ordered two large planters for the front and 2 hydrangeas to put in them. Both will be in a corner either side of the front door which is quite sheltered from the wind. Lovely pink & blue colours.

Joan re the drs etc...i feel exactly the same. Sometimes since my heart surgery and the strokes, i feel unless i ring for anything, they never check on me. Its like contact us if you need us but otherwise we wont bother you. Its not very reassuring. i feel im out on my own and noone cares at times.
My leg is now completely numb down to my toes and yet i have to wait until wed to speak to GP. Also the surgeon sent me home and said ill see u in 4 weeks and that was it! I can barely walk, the shower was difficult climbing into the bath as leg is soo heavy and no feeling.

You are right, the service has gone downhill. They expect you to come to the surgery and when you tell them you are incapacitated, they just say, surely someone can bring you? I dont have a single person that can take me and they are very reluctant to visit me at home.

i do worry if the health service will ever be the same again. I hope your OH does get seen to but such a worry for you.

Well i think a cuppa is needed. Im back on the 5 2 diet and since Fri, I have lost 3lbs. So i am delighted.Had my bowl of special K for lunch with orange juice and will finish up my veggie soup for tea with 2 small brown slices of bread. Boy am i starving! But it will be worth it.
Since lockdown etc and not able to exercise, think we have been eating for comfort & boredom a bit too much.

Hope everyone else enjoying the good weather. Take care all and stay safe

Florence in the hebrides

Thanks Florence, OH is T2 and has been monitored quite well until Covid struck and everything changed. He has been diabetic for over 20 years and he used to have to check bloods every day then they changed to 3 times a week then they stopped issuing the monitors etc. and now the checks are done 3mthly . He did buy his own monitor and strips as they aren't available on prescriptions now. ( In England).


Hoping it stays dry as have put a line of washing out and another in the washer. Fingers crossed. :-D

Thanks Andysmum. i just looked it up and wow its really pretty and i think very suited to this climate. Its about £30 for 5 plants so shall have to do some calculations about how many and where it will go.

JustGinnie. my daughter is a type 1 and just sometimes depending how she feels, her bloods can rise without any reason.Mood swings, hormones etc.

But last year, i was on oral steroids and ended up in hospital 2 days. In the ambulance they checked my BS and it was 19!! Asked me if i was diabetic and i said def not.
It was the staff nurse on the ward who went through the admission form and she asked what meds i was on.It was then she said oral steroids raise the BS and noone had ever told me.
Daughter is also on anti depressants and painkillers for her neck which can also affect her BM.Is he on any meds?

The other reason is where the background insulin is not suffiicient and sometimes needs tweaking but im sure his diabetic clinic are on top of his readings.

When daughter was first diagnosed, i had a book to record her readings 4x a day from her machine...took forever doing that.But now she has a disc in her arm and the readings are sent direct to her diabetic centre which is great when wifi is working! Hope you get to the bottom of it soon.

florence in the hebrides

Florence, around here many people have escallonia hedging. It is evergreen and very tough and salt tolerant, which is essential on a windy coast like ours.

I prune it in May, July and September, which will give you some idea how fast it grows, although that depends a bit on the weather. If you don't cut it, it has pinky/red flowers in August.

Hi Florence, OH is diabetic and suddenly had a big problem with extremely high blood sugar levels and the test haven't shown any reason as to why it happened . At the moment the only thing is a bladder problem and that is the app. he is waiting for. Liver and Kidneys are fine and his blood levels have now dropped back down . The only thing different he had done when it happened was his covid jab but no evidence that it had anything to do with that.

Just Ginnie, what is wrong with your OH if thats not being nosey?

Joan I have drawn a diagram of my garden as its a blank canvas and rectangular..well just. Im thinking ahesd to next spring and wondering what hedging i could use? Something fast growing, doesnt mind the wind and will give some shelter to plants below it. Any suggestions?
Hebes sprang to mind as a lot grows here very well in sorts of weather but just wanted something different.

Glad you got a new toy, hope its working well with the pruning.

Florence in the hebrides

Pleased you had good news Florence, hope you get something sorted for your knee.


I had to phone the appointment line about OH as they said if you hear nothing by 17th phone this number, only to be told they have his referral and he is on the list but could be a long wait , I said weeks long she said oh no more like months. Any problems see your GP.

Weather not good today so have been doing a tidy up on my family tree. Looking at some hints on Ancestry and nothing new yet.
:-) :-)

Take care all.

Afternoon all, such good news about your heart Florence <3. I only said to my OH earlier that we will have to water the pots and lo and behold it is now raining :-D :-D

Good morning peeps
Daughter bought a longer hosepipe and last night after tea decided to christen it. She watered all the plants and some dry bits on the lawn which are quite brown. We have had hardly any rain and there is still a request to conserve water.

Feeling pleased with herself she came indoors and we sat to watch the tv. About 9pm, there was a terrible noise outside so we got up and looked out of the lounge window and.....it was bucketing down lol.

My nanna use to say, wash your windows and it will rain!
Had my annual Echocardiogram yesterday and am so pleased to have good news. My heart is apparently beating beautifully and the repair all in tact except for a tiny leak which is normal. She said she wouldnt need to see me for 2 years and that my repair might last my lifetime!!!

Oh wow, was amazed as the surgeon said he would see me back in around 10-15 years. Makes such a difference to get good news and really lifts the spirits.

As for my numb leg, its gone down below the knee and i cant weight bear on left leg. I actually think my knee is completely shot and needs replacing, the pain is awful. So got a tel appointment on wed am with my GP as i honestly cannot wait til Sep to see the surgeon so shall see what she says.

Dull overcast day here but actually very warm around 18 degrees. I can see the mist on the hills and think my little "friends"...the midges are out!

Plenty chores to do inside and a mountain of washing from daughter. Ill just take my time and get through it all.

New bathroom scales came and oh my! So both of us are on the 5 2 diet and see who loses a stone first starting today.

Hope everyone else looking in ok.
Take care and enjoy the weekend,

Florence in the Hebrides