General Chat

Good afternoon to you all.
Lovely bright sunny day here today, slight frost first thing & it's a bit chilly even though the sun is out, I did venture out into the garden earlier & planted up the last of my new wooden planters that our eldest son made for me.

So that's 4 lovely Clematus all nice & cosy, they are quite big plants & I can see new buds appearing on the current stems so fingers crossed they will survive the winter.
I am really hoping they spread upright & sideways to cover the old wall at the very top of the main / best part of the garden.

Our 2nd son arrived last night having travelled up from Northumberland, he stopped in at the hospital in Aberdeen spending 3 or 4 hours with his dad.
Our 3rd son who lives in Aberdeen was also visiting his dad at the same time so the 2 brothers spent the hours catching up with each other & their dad.

It was lovely seeing our 2nd son, it's been a while with him living in Northumberland, we chatted & laughed mostly about the times past when the 5 children were growing up etc.
He's on his way back home now after spending some more time at the hospital this morning with his dad.

Well I best go & have a tidy round, re make the spare bed etc.
I hope everyone is well & that the weather is nice, take care.

Joan.

Enjoy your supper Joan sounds yummy :-D

Hi Florence,.
Our daughter has reached lanark & is now settled back with her hubby & 2 small boys, she was a start when here, helped me greatly & spent a lot of time with her dad.

Our 2nd son set off from Northumberland this morning, he's coming on his own, he phoned at about 4-00pm to say he had reached Aberdeen & was on his way to visit his dad, he is going to bring me a fish from the chippy when on his way to me, yum.

Not sure how long he is staying but I don't think it will be for very long, I'm not bothered just so long as his dad gets to see him, sone will most likely call into the hospital again when he sets off for home.

Sounds as though you are going to have a lovely Christmas Florence, you are sooo well organised, well done.
I was always well sorted at Christmas time but not bothered with it much since all the children left home.

Joan.

Afternoon all.

Joan, lovely to hear from you. Very brave of you to do that long journey and i'm sure it lifted hubby's spirit to see you and also for you to see him too.

Terrible food he's getting! We are very lucky here in our hospital as portions are generally very good and the menu has a good choice.

I really have a dislike for staff that don't smile or attempt to say hello etc to the relatives, there is no excuse for that. Did they say how long he may be in there? I'm guessing your cottage hospital is more local to you? Here's hoping it wont be too long.

Well the weather here is just dire and getting worse. i wondered if our power would go off but not yet! How long were you off for Joan? Hope your daughter had a safe trip home. Nice you got a bit of time with her and you had company.

Linda, poor Eve, not well again. Must be so many bugs going round just now. Hope she feels better before xmas.

Put my daughters presents under the tree today and a few things in her stocking lol but couldnt find her xmas card anywhere! I had to go and move things in my wardrobe until right at the back it had slipped behind a box. Thank goodness as I begun to wonder if I had actually bought her a card :-S :-S All sorted now anyway.

As for tea tonight, might just have a cheese and onion toastie as not terribly hungry but need something.

Well better draw the curtains and put the fairy lights on as just realised how dark it is!

Florence in the hebrides

Hello to all.
Sorry to hear that your knees are painful Florence & having your appontment cancelled.

Well I went to visit my hubby yesterday but I didn't enjoy the journey to the hospital, it's about an hours drive & mosty dual carriageway & I was soo nervous, our daughter tried to assure me re the speed but it made no diffeence to me, the number of cars that were costantly whizzing past didn't help either, my hands went numb whilst gripping the seat belt, not a nice journey for me at all.

When we got to the hospital daughter dropped me off at the entrance whilst she went to the multi storey car park, then we had a rather looong walk to get to the ward where my husband is.
I had to climb the stairs (too scared of lifts) some 4 floors & then along a really long corridor & not a seat in sight !

I found hubby in quite good spirits, though he didn't look at all comfy in his bed, slumped over to one side, we had to help him adjust his position, the room he is in is very small,I MO, like a cupboard with a window !
There was hardly any room to get round the bed & the chair I sat in was not great, my legs were in need of a foot stool but none to be had, ended up with my feet resting in the framework below the bed !

3 nurses came into hubbys room to do various things only 1 of them had a smile on her face & spoke to me nicely, the others were rather abrupt both in what they were doing & how they spoke to all of us !!
As for the meal hubby had chosen I couldnt believe how small the portion was,2 tiny Roast potatoes, a thin sliver of Pork, no veg because he no longer orders them, he says they are not cooked properly!!, the portion of Veg Soup he was given wouldn't have satisfied a small baby, IMO, served in what resembled a plastic baby sippy cup!

We spent around 4 hours with hubby but had to leave around 2-0pm as I was needing to get back home before it got dark. not nice having to leave him but it had to be done.

Our youngest daughter arrived from Lanark on Firday, & she visited he dad on arrival in Aberdeen before coming to me, she was back in Aberdeen again on Staurday & stayed with her dad for most of the day before coming back to me.
This morning she headed off for Aberdeen once again calling in to see her dad, she managed to stay with him for a couple of hours before heading off for Lanark.

The power went off at breakfast time today before we got the toast & tea made so she had to leave here without anything substantial inside her.

I am very glad I managed to get to see hubby but I'm not going to be able to do the journey etc again, fingers crossed that he night at some point be moved to the local Cottage Hospital.

Not a bad day here today, bright, sunny & flat calm, but a bit chilly, no garden jobs done again, lol.

Hope everyone is well, take care.

Joan.

Oh that is a shame Florence, just what you didn’t need. I hope your knees won’t be too painful over the holidays.
We went to my daughters yesterday afternoon so OH could help put the fence up. I helped Esme wrap all her presents up, we then hid them in a cupboard in the house, she was very pleased with herself.
Poor Eve was ill again. She had been off fit two days last week, but had gone back for the last couple of days. They had gone out on Sunday morning to the Santa special on the North Yorks Moirs steam railway, but by the time they got home ,she was feeling very ill, so had to go to bed. We did a Covid test, but it was negative

Afternoon everyone looking in.

Not a happy bunny!!!

Got a tel call from outpatients at 10am saying my appointment for tomorrow has been cancelled as "Mr Bone man" has been taken unwell. My appointment will be rearranged in the New Year.

Whilst I hope the gentleman isn't seriously ill and recovers, It means, no injections in my knees which are now very painful as its 6 months since the last jags which have worn off. Nothing I can do about it and there is no other dr that can do these injections either, you have to be specially trained to do them.

So just have to plod on as you do.

Awful day, very windy and brrrr and some showers too and of course.....bin day lol :-
D :-D :-D :-D
Anyway they have been and bin safely secured back in its base.

Home alone until tomorrow evening so a bit of peace & quiet and the tv to myself whoohoo!

Hope everyone else is ok and if you are travelling out & about, take care as some awful weather and floods about. Don't think there is any chance of a white xmas here,

Florence in the hebrides

I'm pleased to see that your boiler is OK now Ann.
A house gets really cold if there is no heat at all going through it. Good to see that it was easily fixed and not costly too. Now you won't have to worry about the weather over Christmas.

Our local schools have all broken up on Friday, which is earlier than some years, but Kent works on a 6 term system now, so some breaks are longer and some shorter than in previous times. The junior school, where I volunteer returns for the new term on 2nd January.

It was really still, first thing this morning, but by late afternoon there was a really chilly wind blowing. Daughter drove me a short way out of town to hand deliver some cards and the wind coming off the sea was really cold..... We were glad to get home in the warm.

Yes Florence boiler ok now. If it happens again I know now how to fix it, it was very simple and no charge.

Afternoon everyone looking in.

AnnG, hope you got the boiler fixed. Yes sometimes at the back of my fridge, there are icicles and I have to use a cotton bud to clean the drainage hole but still don't understand why it ices as my setting is always at 3 and less than 4 years old.

Linda, I see about Eve. Yes the private schools do have a longer break. My tesco order was ok last time and so far the lists look ok. Think the freight ferry has sailed overnight bringing supplies but the rest of next week is looking quite iffy on some days.

Made 2 dozen mince pies today and a fair few gone already lol

Light tea tonight as still quite full from last nights meal so maybe a sandwich will do me.

Joan, thinking of you and your family and hope hubby is doing ok.

Right off to be busy in the kitchen, back later on

Florence in the hebrides

Good morning all. 8 degrees here, at least something is on my side. hopefully the boiler man will be able to fix the problem when he comes this afternoon. If he can't I will come home to a really cold house in the New year.

Florence strangely, up until now the veg which is under the bottom shelf has not frozen. It is very strange because although it is a larder fridge (No ice box), at the moment the back wall of the fridge is like a freezer with ice on it. I have checked that the drain is not blocked but it really does seem like the thermostat is just not working.

Florence, Eve goes to a private school, so they have much longer holidays than the state schools, that is why she has finished early

I hope the ferries bring all your shopping Florence, this is not the week for them to be delayed as all the delivery slots must be booked up. I went to Tescos this morning and did a large shop, but I will have to go again to get the fresh stuff for this weeks meals. I haven’t planned the menus yet, I was just getting non perishable things

Evening all

Linda, that's quite early for them to be breaking up. Children here don't finish until next Thursday.

AnnG, re your fridge, I have noticed that when my large salad bowl is full, some of the carrots and potatoes on the bottom get frozen?? I thought maybe its because it's too full as when I empty it down, the problem goes away, it's very strange and mine is less than 3 years old.

The weather here has been dire today, wild, wet, windy and just abysmal. No ferries today or tomorrow. Just hope they are running on Tues as I have my Tesco shop on the 20th to finish off my xmas food shopping etc.

Nothing strenuous today, just usual chores etc. I had a lovely tea tonight for a change, salmon en croute with carrots, peas and potatoes. Haven't had that for donkeys and really enjoyed it.

My neighbour is popping in tom afternoon for coffee and mince pies, so looking forward to that.

Joan if you are looking in, hope you are looking after yourself too and taking care outside in the garden.

Right coffee time now

Florence in the hebrides

Good afternoon all.

I had a nice walk round Knaresborough yesterday morning, there are some nice independent shops there.plus a Zillion cafes. They all seemed to be busy even at this time of the year. After my walk, I went to Morrisons and bought a carrier bag full of tins for Esme to take to school to donate to the local food bank.
In the afternoon, I went to her school fayre. We bought a few small bits from the stalls, but there wasn’t r
eally much for her to buy for presents for her family. So we bought loads of tickets for the tombola and she won quite a few prizes. Some of them will do for presents, so I have wrapped them up and Esme is going to write the labels when we go over tomorrow. Four of their fence panels blew down in the last storm, so OH is going to help fix them.
Eve has finished school now, but Esme has another week to go, she will have massive tantrums if she realises Eve is at home and she isn’t. That happened last week when poor Eve was ill and couldn’t go. I am going to take Eve out for the day on Wednesday so that she can buy her presents, not that she has any money - it is a good job I have :-(

Hello all. You and hubby are both missing each other Joan but it is good that you have been able to go out and do your shop and also to put in some plants. It will be company for you to see your son today. I hope hubby starts to improve well enough to let him come home where you can feed him up a bit.

Florence, glad that you enjoyed your shop and the school concert. Also well done on winning a raffle prize.

Linda hope the fair goes well. you will be glad to get home again I think. Glad the girls are both well enough to be in school today.

JG Hope your OH continues to improve, it sounds like a slow process. Hope he is well enough to enjoy Christmas.

Florence you mentioning your fridge reminds me that when I come back from daughter's I have to get a new fridge. I think the thermostat has gone on mine, it suddenly thinks it is a freezer on the bottom two shelves. Things started freezing when left on those shelves and nothing I do lowers the temp. It is not actually cold enough for a freezer, It is about 0 or -1 but some stuff still freezes so those shelves are now kept empty. Luckily with going away I have run the food in there down and actually emptied it and threw some stuff out that was lurking at the back of the top shelf taking up space. It will keep the butter ok while away otherwise there will not be much left in there.

Good morning all.

Aw Joan, so glad you posted with an update on hubby. Poor thing, he's missing your lovely home cooked food I'm sure. Well he is in the best place and getting whatever attention and medication he needs and really hope he will be back home again very soon.

Its still windy and rainy here and I have 30 spring bulbs to put in one of my big black tubs but its too wet to go outside. Your plants will look great Joan in your new planters I'm sure. A friend bought me an Amaryllis for my birthday and its already growing in its pot on my lounge table.

Linda, hope you have good a shopping day out and the girls xmas fayre goes well.

My dad is sort of ok but he has a chest infection and dr has prescribed him antibiotics. He has so many tablets to take, he says he rattles! His pain has gone now and he's more settled. He seems to be sleeping throughout the day which he needs but he isnt use to dropping off!

JG, hope all is continuing to be good with you hubby and the exercises are helping him.

Forgot to say, last night's school concert was lovely. Saw lots of people and had catch ups. I even won a prize in the raffle. A bottle of Merlot and some Ferrero Rocher chocs which was a bonus. However didn't sleep well and was up at 2 and 5pm! EEk what do I have to do to sleep all through the night these days?

So today. need to tidy up as there are all sorts of things on the kitchen table from yesterday that need a home and the fridge is a bomb site as I hastily threw things in when I came home from town.

Of course, there is a pile for the washing and drying to do so plenty to keep me busy today.

Shall look in later but for now take care all

Florence in the hebrides

Good morning girls.
Sorry not to have shown my face for a few days but nothing much to report about anything really.

Hubby is ok but when we chat on the phone he sounds tired & weary, it's now a week since he went into hospital, our daughter has visited him every day & she tells me he's settled well enough but the meals are dreadful ! though he does like the soup & orders that when it is on the menu.
It's going to take some time before he is allowed to leave the hospital.

Our weather is better in so much as the rain has stopped, had a couple of nice sunny days but it's rather chilly, I did gett 2 of my Clematus planted into 2 of my new planters, I am thinking I might manage the other 2 sometime today as it's a nice looking day, the sun is shining & calm, we'll see how the day goes.
Our eldest son is coming over today & no doubt he will find something to make himself busy.

I was out to Morrisons yesterday, it wasn't too busy considering it is very near Christmas, got my Christmas cards in the post as well, we have only received 6 cards back so far.

Linda, Knarsborough is a lovely place, rather pretty in parts, or at least it was back in the day when I was last there, lol, which was back in the 60's, lol.

Hope all is well with everyone, How's your dad doing Florence, & Ginny, I hope your hubby is improving.

Best go & look out for our son, I like to greet him at the door, lol.
Bye for now, & THANKYOU everyone for thinking of both me & my hubby.

Joan.

Oops, sorry Florence, I got it wrong and thought that you were going out today, not yesterday. It sounds like you enjoyed yourself even though it was tiring.

I am having a lazy start to the day. Both girls are at school, but as their parents are here, I didn’t have to get them ready this morning. I am going to go out in a while and have a. Wander around Knaresborough as I don’t know it very well. I will then go to Morrisons as there are a couple of bits my daughter needs, but mainly I will fill a carrier bag with tins so Esme can take it to school on Monday as a donation to the local food bank. After lunch, it’s the school fayre, I will go straight home from there and see how OH has been coping in my absence.

Evening all
Well a busy day for me! Of course it was chucking it down and blowing a hooley lol however the rain lifted for awhile and I managed round a few shops.

I treated myself to a lovely black necklace with matching bracelet so chuffed with that. Managed to get one of my best friends a birthday card and present for January so thats all organised.

Treated my friend to lunch and had lovely veggie home made soup and bread with a coffee, really enjoyed that too.

Did a big food shop in the big supermarket but come 2.30pm, i had had enough so finished off pdq and got home by 4pm.

Put all the shopping away, had a coffee and before i knew it, it was 5.45 and i was off out to the school xmas concert. Just home a while ago and although i am very tired, it was a lovely evening and....I won a bottle of wine and chocs in the raffle so was dead chuffed.

I hope I sleep well tonight.

Still no word from Joan ! Have to say it's very worrying. Hugs coming your way Joan
<3

Glad hubby is getting on Ok JG, baby steps at first.

Right in need of a coffee now.
Nite all

Florence in the hebrides

I am pleased that your hubby is doing well Ginnie. I am worried about Joan as well.
I managed to go shopping in Harrogate today. I bought a few presents and some things for myself.
My daughter should be home by about ten pm. Normally I would have driven home in the dark, not something I relish, but I am staying until tomorrow. It is Esme’s school Xmas Fayre from 1.30- 2.30 tomorrow, so I am going to go to that. I am hoping that she might be able to find a few things on the stalls which we can wrap as presents for her parents and Eve. Last year I managed to take her shopping after her carol concert as I was allowed to take her home after that. We stopped at a retail park on the way home and she chose gifts. She kept the secret and her mum was so surprised on Xmas day. I can’t do that this year as her father is coming to the carol service as well, so the fayre is my only change to have her on my own.

I hope you enjoy your shopping tomorrow Florence despite them bad weather