General Chat

Here I am again, today we have about 4" of new snowand it's really cold.
Colleen has just taken gareth to be checked out as he had a head injury at school when he ran into a concrete wall, usually padded by mats, one had come loose (or he lossened it) and G ran into the metal frame which supports mats on the walls in the "sensory room". Large goose egg and a graze. Just another quiet morning!!
Unbelievably I have had a very cordial 10 minute conversation with my kids' father this morning, as he wants to attend David's next concert. How a month can change things. This is so much healthier for my /our family.
basically I am nudging this thread so we don't become lost over Christmas.
Believe it or not, Colleen plans to invite her father and his wife to celebrate Christmas with us this year. Oh my, I never thought I'd see the day!
Life is full of surprises and blessings, today I don't even have to search for one!
Stay warm in the snowy weather, thinking of you all.
Group hug,
Mary

Thank you Joyce I was feeling like a captain left on the ship LOL. Speaking of Captain where is Our Carole?
You'll appreciate the antics ofToby in the snow, Iget a great deal of funfrom watching our old Rosie in the snow, as a corgi her legs are decidedly too short for the depth of snowfall we traditonally get.
we received some generosity today, when we were presented with about 20 bags of dog food, some for the big boys, senior for Rosie and puppy food for Ginny.
A friend looks after the wildlife rescue here and was given dozens of bags of dog food, which she uses for the raccoons. As she is currently low on coons she offered to give us some of the food. This will save us a HUGE amount of money between now and the spring..
Big boy Dudley and his pal Gareth have gone with Mummy to the Santa Claus parade in Port Colborne tonight, where miniMary is again twirling her baton in the parade.
Gareth is definitely some better, though time will tell. He is still having his outbursts of excess energy, but they are less frequent. He's still not at the optimal dose for his age.
have a good night all.
hugs
Mary

Oh bless you Mary, no we have not deserted you lass. Maybe hibernated for a little to recharge our batteries especially those of us caught up in the present artic weather conditions in the UK, in my area we have had lots of snow, whiteouts, black-ice, etc to contend with....personally I have not been too badly affected and not had to contend with driving conditions or rail travel to get to work..I have earned the right to be a bystander and watch other poor souls struggle as best they can...... my only but hilarious adventures have centred around taking Toby, the pooch, out for what I can only describe as
total madness on his part...sinking up to his tummy in the deep snow, leaping around like a spring lamb, running circles around me then desperately trying to find a tree or bush, as all dogs do, lol.....I have an excellent pair of snow boots so was able to keep my balance, thank goodness..
But I have had problems with shopping, my delivery from the supermarket was aborted on the 25th November, next delivery time available being the 6th December...so here I sit with just bread and water to sustain me until then...as if ......my daughter has been bringing in 'food parcels', bless her, my place is lovely and warm and I am sitting here chatting away to you, what more could I ask for xxx
How is Gareth getting along now with his recently new medication, I pray that the little fellow is benefiting which in turn will benefit your whole family.
So what plans have you for the coming festive season, does everyone want to do something different and you just sit back and then get them organised, or what! I myself will be at home and have plenty of food prepared to feed the family as and when they appear.......that's of course if it stops snowing and food is delivered lol... I have thought of doing research on leg transplants but realise that might be an option in the future, I would like to think so. I celebrated my 79th birthday in October and reckon that my body parts had stood me well so must not complain.
Just you take care lass and thank you for all your chatty postings which I enjoy reading very much xx

To my little sis Caz, am thinking of you all the time and send loads of love and kisses to you, please take extra special care of yourself lass xx

Also love to my pal Deanna , often wonder what you are getting up to, knowing you that will be everything! xxx

And Dutch, thanks a bundle for your christmas card which was the first to arrive this year xx

To to rest of the folks I know, hope life is being kind to you all xx

Love

Joyce xxxx

Where is everyone, please tell me you haven't all recovered from A&D now and left me here . . .
Mary

What else would he be doing with them Sharron I ask myself.

that meal sounds tasty but definitely not a slimming one.


Yes, must have been a feudian slip Lol!!!

There's a Freudian slip if ever I saw one.Poor pub.They always give themselves away don't they?

Sorry Ann,that was wicked of me.

I hope Carole is having a good rest and recouperate and not letting her mother get the upper hand again. Poor girl must feel wrung out.

Oh dear,I am uncomfortable.Made a lentle stew today and it was a bit moreish.
Copied a Mrs Beeton recipe for pudd'n.This sounds really dull but it is very yummy.You make currant dumplings with SR flour,suet and currants,no sugar,and boil them for twenty minutes.Then you eat them with melted butter,sugar and lemon.

Then I wonder why I can't move.

The old man ate the stew but had no room for the dumplings so it was evidently not foreign muck then.
He had been stuffing himself with prunes for reasons you won't want to know about so was probably pretty full anyway.Even though he had told me yesterday that he didn't want any prunes.The dried apricots he was not going to eat were disappearing one at a time so I can only hope he was eating them.

Glad you enjoyed the singing Mary. Can your family not cope without you for one day. Poor pub.(or should that be pup?) bot her fault she wasn't taken out, who was supposed to have done it? No brownie points for them.

Has anyone heard from carole, we haven't seen her for a while and I have sent a PM but not had a reply. Is she away does anyone know?

It was absolutely amazing I must say. There he was in the front row on the stage,tuxedo and bow tie, their choir plus a brass band, joined later by the Highland pipe band. Poor Dave was sitting right above the bell end of the tuba so found it a bit noisy LOL. Up the tiered sides of the huge theatre were other choirs, various types, ages, etc. Totalling 1000 voices. It was wonderful, the audience were able to participate in several of the numbers. I'm so glad I made the effort to go.
Then I came home at noon today, walked in the house and lost the calm with which I had driven for the previous 2 hours. Apparently the puppy hasn't been taken outside regularly - as she is when I am home all day - and the stench remained. She's now in disgraace in the little cage. I've cleaned a bit and discovered that part of the smell was NOT the dog, but the pipe under the kitchen sink has developed a leak again and there's mould in that there cupboard. I am allergic to mould so I am going to have Megan bleach out the cupboard later. Then I have to find a plumber.
Hope you've all had a good weekend, sending hugs to those who specially need one today.
Mary

Hope you enjoyed the singing and seeing baby boy all spruced up Mary

Sharron that's right, when it's pressing i can cause quite an uproar doing the job properly, but for some reason, when the pressure isn't on, I just cannot tackle it. Any excuse to avoid facing it. Why I just don't open them when they arrive is a question for the psychologists I suppose. The house really overwhelms at times. This is one of those times.
Ok I'm off till tomorrow afternoon, off to watch/hear my 'baby boy' sing his heart out. I am so happy he has discovered the joy of singing in a male voice choir. can't wait to see him in a tuxedo and red bow tie!!!!! He who only wore jeans and baggy shirts for years . . . never thought he would clean up so well LOL
Stay well.
Mary

Oh please girls, it's bad enough with doolally o.h. without passing another difficult man on for me, holiday or no holiday!

Mary, so sorry about your roof, I know how worrying these problems can be, as I had similar last year or was it the year before, as soon as you think you are getting somewhere something else comes along to take the money and cause difficulties.
I am fairly brave with the brown envelopes but procrastinate about so much else so can empathise, but hope you manage to get rid of a few over the next few days.

Hating the cold weather and my new haircut too, what is wrong with hairdressers? I told this new one I went to that I wanted my bob cut with the sides longer than the back, not upwards or straight round, but lo and behold, when she had finished blow drying it, it was the opposite to what I wanted and a lot more cut off than I had asked for. I have to take off my specs when it's being done so hard to see what they are doing till it's too late, but why can't they understand when I explain so carefully and tell them I was unhappy with the last place cos they cut it wrong!
At least it's tidy now, if a bit short but I look so old and haggard with it longer than just below jaw length, in fact I could have almost been Gillian McKeith's twin this last week with the long straggly hair and I couldn't live with that picture in the mirror every morning!

Take care all, stay warm, those in the cold and stay cool those of you in warmer climes

Lizxxx

Mary,I am the same.I think I may have lost the last little bit of work I had, and it was the World's jammiest job too,because I could not send the results back on the computer. I quite enjoyed sending them too,but just could not make myself do it until it was really pressing.

I think it is something to do with having too much to do,or at least think about and organize.

Had an urgent letter from the hospital this week.The old man's Warfarin blood test was no less than a month overdue.I forgot to book it.

Ooh that sounds expensive Mary, and as if it is going to be quite a job, I hope not. Enjoy your son's singing tomorrow.
Wow, clever pup to realise that the oldie needed water. Instinct I suppose. I meant to comment earlier on your retirement gift. Your clock sounds beautiful Have you managed to put it up out of reach somewhere, it would be such a pity if it got broken.

Ben, well done on passing your first aid re-exam. And good luck with finding the American info you need.

Yes Liz, be a gem (that we know you are) and take Sharron'swheelie champion for a holiday, I canjust visualise him helping you sort papers,. I amgetting bad again, anoth basket fullof unopened envelopes, so maddening that i cannot get a handle on this issue, it's panic aboutwhether allbills can be paid I expect. Newest issue isthat about half the shingles have come down off one large part of my roof (I mean the roof of my house) and wood exposed. Someone offered to help yesterday but that fell through as the pitch is so steep.
Currently waiting for call-back from the insurance company, to seewhat they can do to help.
I am taking a day off tomorrow, my son is singing in the annual Welsh male voice choir Christmas concert tomorrow evening, so I am heading tomorrow afternoon to visit them for 24 hours, come back on Monday in daylight. His father has a fabulous tenor voice (though his background is Scottish LOL) and seems he has inherited my love of music and his Dad's talent, plus the Welsh blood must also be responsible. So nice to see him more content now, shedding the accumulated anger of 30+ years, finding contentment in his music again.
Hugs all round, concerned about some people who seem to have disappeared from here, miss you.
Mary

Yes Liz, be a gem (that we know you are) and take Sharron'swheelie champion for a holiday, I canjust visualise him helping you sort papers,. I amgetting bad again, anoth basket fullof unopened envelopes, so maddening that i cannot get a handle on this issue, it's panic aboutwhether allbills can be paid I expect. Newest issue isthat about half the shingles have come down off one large part of my roof (I mean the roof of my house) and wood exposed. Someone offered to help yesterday but that fell through as the pitch is so steep.
Currently waiting for call-back from the insurance company, to seewhat they can do to help.
I am taking a day off tomorrow, my son is singing in the annual Welsh male voice choir Christmas concert tomorrow evening, so I am heading tomorrow afternoon to visit them for 24 hours, come back on Monday in daylight. His father has a fabulous tenor voice (though his background is Scottish LOL) and seems he has inherited my love of music and his Dad's talent, plus the Welsh blood must also be responsible. So nice to see him more content now, shedding the accumulated anger of 30+ years, finding contentment in his music again.
Hugs all round, concerned about some people who seem to have disappeared from here, miss you.
Mary

You could still have him for a while Liz.Aw go on,you know you want to.

Mary, Ginny will be worth her weight in gold, she is already doing lots by helping Minimary and now helping your old lady too, bless her.

I got K a digital photo frame last Christmas or maybe the one before, and he liked it, I think it will be nice for you to use once you sort out the pics, K has lots of his scanned, I want him to do mine soon. At least if you are doing the pics or typing for Megan's boss, you are resting yourself a bit.

Sharron, it was your family I was thinking about for Channel 4, you and your Dad sound like a real comedy act. Hope the hangover went quickly. That'll larn ye, as we say in Norfolk, well I don't cos I am not quite that broad but it's a well known Norfolk saying! Ben, you will know that saying I expect, glad you are doing so well, nice to see you posting.

Haven't seen Tinkerbelle posting for a while, hope you are ok Carole.

Take care all
love
Lizxxx

Well done Ben, so exciting isn't it?

Now Sharron, don't you dare bring TV crews here, I am def not Superwoman.

Spent the day typing out gluten-free recipes and making ingredient lists from therecipes, for megan's boss, who now has to have special labels on her GF products at the bakery - to identify every wee pinch of ingredient in each item. She was having a breakdown over it so I heard myself offering to type for her (she who types with 2 fingers!!). Have about 15 of the products now sorted and I sat down most of the day, that is a first.
Now tonight I've heard we may get snow tomorrow and I stayed inside all day instead of finishing sorting the mess outside. Hopefully one day I'll get it right.
my corgi has had a bad day, lying at my feet looking morose, think she had a seizure this morning, you'd think I'd be used to seizures wouldn't you?? well I am NOT used to dog seizures,she's almost 16 y/o so perhaps it was a small stroke, as she's very lethargic since. Funny part was that the new puppy earned a few stripes today, I brought the corgi her water bowl and she just couldn't lap into it,so the pup licked at the water, then licked the old dog's mouth, and tried to push her head into the bowl. i was absolutely stunned at how perceptive she seems to be.

I received a new toy for my b'day, could someone please come and help me sort it? It's a digital photo frame, which runs continuously - once I figure out how to download photos, or perhaps I should say once I scan all the photos whichare currently in 2 large storage boxes. What a nightmare, think my family are trying to get me organised before I leave it all to them to sort LOL.

have a good night all, hugs to those who are hurting in any way, and remembering those especially dealing with profound sadness this week.
Mary

Hi all

I passed my First Aid re-qualification exam yesterday.

My family tree is coming on well. I am getting closer to finding the death of my 3xgreat grandfather in America. I have just found that His brother Nathan Musgrave who lived in America as well died in 1905 aged 68 so I hope to find an obituary to see if it mentions Thomas.

Civil reg began in PA in January 1906 and little info is online that is why I still cannot find Thomas's death and all I know was he died inbetween 1900 census and 1910 census.

Ben

Well I don't want to see Mary on TV.I can feel quite inadequate enough without seeing Superwoman at work.

Rather than put him on Channel 4 I will have him delivered to you so that you can have the full benefit of his entertaining qualities.Maybe he could get himself there in the wheelchair.Keep him amused for a bit.

I have a bit of a hangover today. Problem is I drink pints, on average about one a month.I was telling OH I had only had a couple of tablespoonsful last night and he said it was probably about two and a half measures so served me right. Easy to come unstuck isn't it?