General Chat

I think I used wallpaper because in the early 1970's, mum had wallpaper in every room and the hall so there was always bits left on a roll. Buying coloured paper like wrapping paper was far too expensive.

We then had to put a label on the front with the subject, class and teacher's name.

We were also given a rough note book but only 1 per term. You good write notes, draw/doodle what ever you wanted. But if you used up all the pages before the term ended you had to provide your own notebook.

I had used bacofoil on occasions to wrap a gift when i didnt have any wrapping paper and just put a bow on the front. It always got noticed how "different" it looked lol

My chicken, throw it all together is just about ready now so better see to it.

I went to a Covent school and one nun used to drive us up the wall whilst she very slowly peeled each piece of sellotape off the wrapping paper around presents.

Was that so that the paper could be reused, Names?

My mother was a great one for reusing nice wrapping paper.
When we cleared the bungalow (I was a grandmother myself by then ) we found tucked away wrapping paper from my 21st birthday :-) :-0

When parcels came through the post tied up with string, that was carefully unknotted and stored in a special place and the paper smoothed over and also kept for future use.

Exactly Gwen. Once the sellotape was off she would then fold and smooth the paper and only then would she look at the gift.

I think all gifts were recycled. I can still remember the mothball taste of chocolate the nuns brought on a visit to my poorly brother. Must have been nearly 70 years ago.

I think much of that mindset was a hangover from wartime rationing.
My parents were the same - and therefore so am I, to some extent.

Why throw away something which is in good condition and can be reused?

And now it's trendy - "saving the planet" !

Good morning from sunny Yorkshire. It has been really good weather for half term which is just as well as I have been out and about every day. Today I have a day off to recover thank goodness. I have a horrible cold, but have just had to get on with things despite not being on good form.

On Wednesday, I took Esme to Lightwater Valley for the last time this season. They had special Halloween events and shows which were absolutely excellent . Esme had a great time , but it was very tiring as we were there for much longer than normal to see all the shows. They do have a Fireworks event next week, but it finishes very late, so we aren’t going to it. The park then closes for the winter, so I will buy her another season pass next year and our visits will start again.

Yesterday OH and I took Eve out for the afternoon to do a scarecrow trail around the town. There were twenty four hidden scarecrows to find. It took us two hours including a cafe stop. We found them all and handed out sheet in as there is a prize draw. On Sunday we are all going to Mother Shiptons Cave to use the family voucher which Eve and I won on a treasure trail a while back. Esme didn’t want to come, she said that she was too tired to go out and wanted to stay at home. Oddly she made a miraculous recovery in time to go out trick or treating.

When they lived in London, they always made a huge effort to decorate their house. We usually went down for Halloween, so helped. They had a projector which projected dancing ghosts on the front windows, a smoke machine, speakers in the garden amongst the gravestones, decorations and lights etc. They weren’t able to do that this year as the barn conversion they now live in is down a long private track and there are very few neighbours. They actually came and parked on our drive and walked around our area where there were plenty of houses to visit. They really missed doing up their own house and didn’t think much of the standard of decorating in the houses they visited, so have decided that next year they are going to decorate our house and make it the best in the district :-( It will be fun though, so I don’t mind.

I remember the wall paper covering for books as well. These days if they have to cover books, they usually just buy the coloured plastic covers. or use the sticky backed plastic. For some odd reason, even though she is in year ten ( fourth form in old money), one of Eve’s science teachers told them that they had to decorate their chemistry exercise book with scientific symbols or drawings. Eve who doesn’t do things by halves printed out a huge number of tiny pictures and covered both the front and back and inside covers. I bought her some sticky backed clear plastic to cover them so they wouldn’t rub off in her school bag.

The first of the fireworks displays starts tonight. The town one is actually in the cricket club just a few hundred yards from here. I don’t think the girls are going to that one as there are more in Harrogate next week. We should be able to see tonight’s display from our bedroom windows, so can watch it in comfort

Well, that was a good firework display, we had a perfect view from our bedroom windows.
We had an even better view of an idiotic bloke walking his dog off the lead in front of our house. The dog shot off when the fireworks started, it went down the path at the side of our house into the woods. He obviously called for reinforcements because more people appeared looking for it. I assume he had missed all the advertising about the event. Poor dog must be terrified, but if he had it on a lead while walking down the road, it couldn’t have got away.

No one around?

We had a nice afternoon yesterday visiting Mother Shiptons Cave. The weather was kind, no rain and fairly sunny for a November day. They had a special Halloween event with actors dressed as witches, so Esme really enjoyed it.
We had dinner with them and spent the evening there. We watched Strictly while my daughter was trying to sort out a problem with my laptop.

You have such a lot of entertaining places and events to go to in your area, Linda!

Hallowe'en was pretty much a non-event in this village, this year.
There are very few young children living here at the moment, and the teens don't bother with it. I didn't hear sounds of anyone going door to door.


[ADDED: A neighbour has told me that she had 5 guisers - but they were pre-arranged! ]

There won't be anything on 5th November, either, apart from one or two people letting off a few fireworks in their gardens, perhaps.
There used to be a big public firework display and bonfire in a neighbouring village - a spectacular affair to which crowds of people went from miles around - but, sadly, some years ago the insurance and H&S requirements became too complicated and expensive for the volunteers who ran it.

I usually watch the rockets from the school firework display explode over the houses opposite. For the first time they seem to have moved it so could see more of the shorter fireworks due to the layout of the area. Many of the rockets were now difficult to see as the were much more overhead and almost behind me. Also much quieter with no mortar bomb rockets shaking the house.


Even more surprising was that it started on time.

Although it is not very nice weather, it is dull with low cloud, only 10 degrees and quite dark indoors, it is good gardening weather so I have spent an hour out there, only coming in when my back started to twinge a bit. Maybe I will go out there again after lunch although my garden bin is already almost full and it is another week before it is collected. Yes, it does seem good for the girls Linda that there is so much going on for them to enjoy. and a willing Grandma to take them most of the time.

Afternoon all
Grey and overcast here but dry and chilly. My joiner turned up on Saturday and set to work building the triangular raised bed for me at the bottom of the garden. Its nearly finished. So earlier daughter & i went down the garden to have a look and its perfect for the plants I am going to put into it. The 2 escallonias, the red robins, little beech tree. holly plant. Then along the front of the box i have lots of bulbs to plant. Blue bells, mix of tulips, daffs and some others. I have so many now, I cant remember
all the names!

So when we came back in we set to work on wrapping presents for one family of 5 and that took ages . Its actually made my neck ache and that has caused me a headache but we are finished now, thank goodness and looking forward to a bowl of my lentil & veg soup along with a hot crusty cob,

On Halloween evening, i had a box of sweeties incase any guisers came but noone did. So i left the tub out until last night but no callers. There are only about 4 children up the rd who are under 12 and no other teenagers around now.
I heard about 3 small bangs last night and that was it. So very quiet this year. im sure the tub of sweeties will get eaten over time lol

Glad your grandchildren Linda have lots of entertainment to amuse them close by.
i did see on the news though that in Edinburgh there were problems with fireworks again this year. Dundee was awful last year with bricks thrown at the police and cars set on fire????

They should ban fireworks being sold to the public now as its really got out of hand. Theses hooligans just use it as an excuse to cause a riot.

Well im starving so an early tea tonight.

Florence in the hebrides

Your garden sounds like it is coming in well Florence. We are just starting to think about how to design both the front and back of ours. The back garden is in a slope and is just grass, so OH is going to buy a rotovator and remove all of the grass. We will have some steps put in on the first part of the slope and paths put in. One half will be turned into a veg patch and the rest into flower beds . It will take a long time to sort it out.
I am just about to go out for my dental op, so am not looking forward to that. I am having two teeth removed and two dental implants put in which involves drilling into the bone to put in posts. I will have a temporary bridge attached to those, so there will be no huge gap, the appointment is for two hours. I will get the stitches out in a week.
I am expec it to be very painful for a few days :-(

Afternoon everyone looking in.

Linda, i had considered a dental implant after i had to have the 3rd tooth upper right removed. The cost was about 2K if i remember but...as you just said, drilling into the bone put me off and was told it would take awhile to have those teeth made and yes like you a long appointment to fit them. i decided to postpone for now but with you If i remember its your front teeth so more visible than mine.

Hope all goes well for you. have plenty of painkillers at the ready too!

Well my raised bed is all finished and he made a super job of it. So hoping the ton of top soil will come tomorrow and then i can begin planting up so plenty to keep me busy.

its been a dry day and felt mild but the 2nd time i popped down to see the raised bed, i left my hodded jacket off and was standing talking...as you do but realised quickly i was getting cold and my hands were frozen. So a bit deceptive being outside.

Now sitting indoors with a hot cup of coffee and going to rest awhile as feeling quite tired. i shall need all my energy tomorrow to fill the large containers with the soil for transporting down the garden many times but daughter is only here tomorrow to help so fingers crossed it comes.

No wrapping today as my head is still sore, not a migraine but i think a sinus headache which is similar but nowhere near as painful.

Hope all's well with everyone else

Florence in the hebrides

Good morning. I am being really lazy and blaming my teeth :-)

The appointment wasn’t as bad as I was anticipating. It took one and a half hours in all, but taking the two teeth out and putting the two implants in didn’t take too long. The worst thing was having the injections beforehand. Some were in the gum and they were OK, but several went into the roof of my mouth and they were very unpleasant.
The biggest chunk of time was taken up by altering and fitting the temporary bridge . If you are just having one implant, they usually leave a gap for three months before they fit the new crown , but I have two missing teeth right in the front of my mouth, so couldn’t leave the gap empty.
That meant a very long complicated procedure, but it is over now. I have five stitches in the gum which will be taken out next week. It is swollen and sore, but not too bad. I am taking ibuprofen and have managed to eat some scrambled egg and a soft bread bun torn into tiny pieces. Apparently the swelling will get worse over the next few days because of having a bone graft, but a few days discomfort will soon be over and it will be worth it

Good afternoon all. 10 degrees here very dark and grey and cold too but dry.

I hope your sinus headache eases soon Florence, good idea to take it easy today if you know you have a lot to do tomorrow, conserve your energy.
Linda that all sounds painful and I have had injections in the roof of my mouth, yest really painful. Glad that bit is over for you lots of soft food for a couple of days, soup maybe tinned rice pudding if you like it and, as you say scrambled egg, melt some cheese into it if you like cheese. Hope the pain soon eases and the swelling as well.

afternoon all

Oh Linda, poor you! But I bet you are glad its all over now. Keep topped up with pain relief and as Ann said, just eat lots of soft food for a few days.

Later last night, I had some dry bread as that helps with a headache but it also occurred to me that i was possibly dehydrated and when i thought about what i had drunk during yesterday, it was actually not that much eeek! So i managed a litre of fluid during the evening and an ice lolly and ice cream and by the time I went to bed, my headache was away.

When we are so busy we don't always stop to drink as we want to get whatever job we are doing done don't we?

Anyway i got up before 9am, showered and dressed and no tel call about the top soil! But then around 11.30 a chap came with a truck to ask me where I want the soil tipped. Oh gosh, all happened so quick and I hadn't got the tarp organised or nothing as didnt actually know he was coming.

So anyway, he helped me cover the drive with the tarp secured with some stones and various flower pots so it wouldn't fly away! He tipped the soil and I paid him and he said, there's actually nearer 2 ton there but no extra charge. What a lovely chappie. He's very good friends with my joiner so i'm guessing he asked him to give me a bit more which was very kind.

So i got my cart and 2 huge tubs with handles. Got a 3rd one and my trowel and set to filling them. I placed them in the cart and when the other tub was 1./2 full, tipped that into the 2 tubs sitting in the cart. 3/4 full and it was quite heavy. So i pulled the cart with one hand and stick in the other and off I went down to the new raised bed at the bottom of the garden.

Yep it was hard work as to lift and tip was a job in itself. Anyway, must have made 20 trips back and forth and shifted 1/2 the soil. The mist started coming in and I felt it was cold in the wind so that was it. Put everything away in the polytunnel until tom.

Daughter was supposed to come home to help at 2,30 but now wont be home until 4.30 so i was not amused at doing it all on my own.

My fingers are aching and my knees too so now back indoors in the warm with a large coffee and choccy biscuits. I will carry on in my own time all week until its finished as daughter is going away for a week!!

That aside i have to go to an AGM with my neighbour tonight at 7pm and hope it wont drag on til 11pm last one year!!

Well better go and have another shower now as my hands and nails are looking shabby lol

Hope everyone else looking in today is well and ok

Florence in the hebrides

that sounded hard work Florence. I hope you are not too stiff tomorrow. I am sure it will all be worth it when finished and you can be proud of your work. That was not kind of your daughter if it was her choice to get home later.

Oh goodness Florence, that sounds like very hard work. I think that I would have paid someone to move it for me. I belong to lots of the local Facebook groups and it is easy to find someone willing to do small jobs, usually for cash in hand .

My face is very swollen on the right hand side, they said it would swell more over the first few days because of the bone graft. As long as I keep the Ibuprofen up, it hasn’t been too painful, although it is sorer this morning.

OH has my cold, but he seems to be a bit better this morning. That is good because another thirty Hawthorne whips arrived yesterday, so he needs to plant them. Only about ten of the original hundred failed to grow, which is a pretty good success rate. He will replace those with the new ones, the others are for the bottom of the garden to fill in gaps in the hedge where we have removed the final ivy which would have choked the hedge.

Morning all

Glad you face isnt too painful Linda, but you will have to be careful you don't get a draught in your mouth so you will need to stay indoors for a few days yet

So sadly, its foggy. wet & windy which was not the forecast until tomorrow. So I really cannot get outside unless I want to get soaking wet and catch a cold! i live in a very small place and many people of my age group work Linda. Im the only one out of all the people I worked with who has retired and really retired early due to my health. Im only 63 in December!

Its supposed to be better on Fri/Sat so shall have to wait & see how it goes. Just tomorrow its promising gale force winds which is a blooming nuisance but thats how it is here, the weather can change so quickly!

Daughter has gone now until next Tuesday so at least i can try and clear the place up. She ordered so much stuff online and last night after we got home, the lounge looked like Santas grotto!! But she sent a lot of the stuff back. Shes a bit of an impulse buyer!

Thankfully the AGM was all done & dusted by 7.30, the quickest one ever lol. Mainly because noone had any questions or gripes unlike in previous years. There is an ongoing project to discuss but there will be a separate meeting for just that.

There are 17 stalls for their xmas Fayre on the 16 Nov so here's hoping the public will all turn out an support it.

I just got a DNA match which is interesting as the surname is that of my half brother( his fathers family)of which I have no blood connection to???

Imagine if i am related to my 1/2 brothers family via the DNA match :-S That would be something else wouldnt it!

Off to be busy and see what i can find about the match.
Shall be back later on.

have a good day all

Florence in the hebrides