General Chat

Sorry everyone, not to join in properly this week. I have been very busy (for me) and am still rather tired. Just seemed to have loads of distractions etc

Last Monday evening (25th Oct) we went out to a real ale pub for my brothers birthday.
Had a good time, as I haven't done a "Sunday Roast" lately, I had roast beef, yorkshire pudding and all tthe trimmings. While my "birthday brother" had a mixed grill.
We also joined in the quiz, came 6th out of eithteen, so not too bad.
All-in-all we all had a great evening.

try to be back tomorrow.


Tess

Marie, ahve just gone on Yahoo to look for Hayward "Coat of Arms" and found one!
I am pretty sure that you could find one on Google too.

Well worth a look.


Tess

I googled my maiden name a couple of days ago and was shocked to find a lot of people had one of my dad's photos on their flikr pages. The photo had been used in a book (with my permission) a few years ago. I didnt expect it to be copied so freely by other people.

I also found a couple of pieces that I had written on these boards several years ago, so be careful what you put. I also googled my married name and found some things there that I have seen on google before, plus some that related to a different person with the same name. I googled Jeans name but what it came up with was somebody in America and when I tried Liz (our purple one) it came up with several, some of a person elsewhere, but the FB page might be hers.

Must start getting my dinner now.

Huia.

Mo, I've just sent you a pm. I forgot that it was your darts night tonight, hope that you and your team will win---keeping my fingers crossed for you. GOOD LUCK!

Hope everyone else is okay, I haven't been on here for a week, what with one thing and another, still most is sorted now, thank goodness.

I might look in later.

Love to everyone. Sallie. xxx

Hi everyone

Fall is here ..... our clocks don't go back until next weekend, but it was awful dark this morning! Plus the rain pounding down.


haven't said much about the kitchen, 'cos not much has been happening since they were delivered here last week, and filled up rooms other than the kitchen!

Anyway, the cabinet maker is coming in a couple of hours ....... he and OH will then install them in the kitchen!

No sign yet of the countertops ....... but we will be able to get the electrician to come and install that new electricity line for the dishwasher.

Went to buy drawer and cupboard handles yesterday afternoon. I'd spotted one a couple of weeks ago, but we needed 24 and they didn't have enough in stock ....... but found another one we liked

OH picked out 24

Went to cash desk, service guy pulled out one and ran it through the scan, then clicked x24

OH used his M/c to pay the bill

Got out to the car

OH gave me the bill saying "spent a lot today"

I looked at the bill

hmmmmmmmmmmm

24 x 128 mm handles @ $10.95 each


I thought we'd picked 96 mm handles @ something like $2.79 each

Back to the store

Sorted through the bag (with a store helper)

OH had picked up 23 x 96 mm PLUS 1 x 128 mm

Find 1 more 96 mm handle

Line up at Return Desk


All refunded and re-calculated

Bill drops from $280+ to around $70 something



whew!



sylvia
xx

Good evening ladies.
I can't stay long, as I have got darts tonight.
Sallie I am such a creature of habit, and you have got me of to a T, remembering where I will be tonight.

Sylvia, I had to chuckle at you and your OH's antics with the cupboard handles. It sounds very much the sort of error we would make. But it's so easily done love.
And surprising at how many we need to buy isn't it. We take it for granted, when we have them in situ,and forget how many we have,till it comes to changing them.

Well I have got to go now. I hope you are all well. Love Mo xxx

Hi Mo!


and at that ............... we only needed 22, according to OH's count

But we decided to buy 2 spare


This morning, I realised there is a long glass-fronted door to a triangular cabinet built into one corner

................. yep, neither of us remembered that one!


Latest "problem" ............... OH decided to begin installing the handles


all the drawer fronts are actually double thickness


the provided screws are too short!




Good luck at darts tonight!!



sylvia
xxx

Hi Sylvia, I love your account of buying the handles. You certainly cheered me up reading about it.

Do you know when they will finish it? I'm sure it will be worth the wait, it will be lovely to have a new kitchen.

Hope everything is okay with J, M and MJ. Did OH manage to pick up M's degree for him, after all the messing about he had to do?

I expect you and OH are looking forward to Christmas, especially since it's MJ's first one. I'm sure that it will be wonderful.


Marie, we are all alright here, thank you for asking. Although I've had a bit of a down week, with one thing and another, but things are mostly better now.
I hope all is well with you and your family, too.


Tess, it looks as though you all had a good time for your brother's birthday.

I certainly fellt hungry when you told us what both you and your brother had to eat, sounds yummy!



Huia, are you still working at the Hospice Shop?
Pleased that you had a good few days at your son's, well apart from locking yourself out. The main thing is you were able to get a locksmith so that you could get back in.

Hope that Phil was awake when you last visited him, and that you managed to have a bit of a walk around with him.


Mo, I hope that your team won tonight.


Well girls it's nearly time for bed, so I'll say goodnight to you all.

Speak to you all tomorrow.

Love and best wishes to everyone. Love, Sallie. xxx

Where has everyone gone? Apart for Ann and Jean, who I know are both on holiday.

Ann and Jean, hope that you're enjoying your week away.

Ann, I expect the weather is a lot nicer in Cyprus than it is here, it's wet and miserable.


Jean, I hope the weather is better in Llandudno for you, than it is here.



Just been reading Liz's thread , telling everyone that she is now a step-grandma. I hope that both her and her OH will get to see the baby soon, so that they can give her a cuddle.


Mo, when is your next grandchild due? Sorry, I know you told us, but my memory isn't as good as it use to be.lolol!!

How did you get on at darts last night? I hope your team won.

Hope everyone is okay, I might look in again later on.

Alun has just made me a cuppa so I'd better go and have it.

Love, Sallie.xxx

Good evening all, and Mrs Teabag Sallie LOL

Well what a day I have had. I have been christmas shopping up at Bromley. And now I am shattered. I don't know how I managed to carry it all home on the train.
I have wrapped most of the things already, and will go into Chatham on Thursday, with any luck, and buy the rest of the presents that I need.
It's such a job to know what to buy the children, especially with their ages ranging from 7 to 23.
The two youngest went through the arg*s catalogue, and wrote down a few suggestions, so that was a big help.
But buying for the eleven of them is no mean fete.
Sallie we won last night 4-2 in the team games,and 3-0 in the pairs.
Oh and by the way, our new baby is due on the 20th of January.

Sylvia, this kitchen is becoming the bane of your life LOL.
It appears to me that the way the kitchens are made, and installed over there, is totally different to here.
When my son goes to visit a new customer, he arranges everything, from the cupboards, work tops and door+drawer fitments the whole kit and kaboodle. He then does all the fitting himself, including the gas and any
electrics that need to be done. He does of course have to be qualified and insured, to do all of this,and he has to be gas safe as well.
He has been doing this job since he left school at 16, and he is now 42, he has clients, that return to him every time they move.
I am so proud of him, considering he left school without taking any exams what so ever. He was one of those boys, that had no interest in schooling at all, and would play truant rather than attend school.
We used to take him to school, and they would take him into class, he would get his registration, and slope of out of school before they realised he had gone. Oh boy what a problem child he was, but he has made his father and I, really proud of him over the years. And his kitchen business is thriving. His wife looks after the showroom for him during the day, whilst
he is out on fits, and his eldest son, is now going into the business with him.

Oh my lord, I have been waffling on for ages, sorry about that girls.
I will speak to you all tommorrow. Love Mo xxx

Mo, first of all, just want to say well done to you and your team on winning last night.

Oh Mo it must cost you a fortune having to buy for so many at Christmas.
At least you've made a start on buying presents, I can't seem to get my mind on anything to do with Christmas at all yet.

Jennie rang me this evening, her and Michael had been out this afternoon and bought some Christmas presents and like you have also wrapped them up.
I think I'd better shake myself and start getting some things, otherwise it will all be last minute.lolol!!


Mo, hope you get a good nights sleep after your shopping trip.

I'll say goodnight now, take care everyone.


Love and best wishes. Sallie.xxx

Hi Mo,you should be proud of your son he has done well good on you.
I know how you feel about the Xmas Shopping I am in the same boat with 12 Grandchildren its a worry.
Hi Sylvia as Mo said what a stuff up,it is done differently here, I went to the Kitchen Cabinet shop,they came to my place and designed the the kitchen around the space I had then I chose the color the doors and the handles also chose the bench tops it was made at the factory then brought to the house and installed,all done and dusted.
I hope the next post you are able to tell us that it is finished to your satisfaction, it seems to be such a long time since you told us it was being done I do hope it is ok when finished.

We had quite a cold day yesterday I went to Gym and had a good workout at class I have sore muscles to-day.
I have to do some shopping to-day & Pay some bills. My winter electricity almost doubled in cost even though I only used the same amount of power as the year before, the cost has risen and they tells us it will rise again.

My daughter Kathleen had a visit with the Neurologist yesterday he has upped her medication as she has had more headaches which means she needs a stronger dose., she still has some memory loss.She seems to be coping better, however she is worried that she will lose her job before she gets well enough to go back to work.

The page had started dancing so i must say hello to Liz Debbie.
Jean and Ann I hope you are enjoying your holiday .

Huia have you been having the rain that we have been experiencing I have had to turn the heater on as it has been cool after the rain.
Sleep well ,
Love Marie

Hi Mo and everyone

We're having some nice weather ... a break in between rain storms!!

We have several ways of having kitchens done. One is like yours ........... go to a place, and let them do everything ...... and that can be anything from one of the superstores, to Ikea, to a "little" man like Mo's son.

Then there's every computation, up to literally doing everything yourself (except possibly the plumbing and electrics unless you have your "ticket").

It depends on how much of a hands-on person you are

The way we are doing it is actually a popular one................. you (or a "little" contractor) in charge, and putting everything together yourself by going round the stores (or as many as you can take!) and searching out the tops, cabinets etc. Then having individual craftsmen and tradesmen do the jobs

Using Ikea or Home Depot is actually very popular ............... several people have said that Ikea's cabinets are often better made than many of those made by supposed "craftsmen". And they will do all the installations if you want

J actually suggested that we go to Ikea after seeing their work compared to specialty cabinet work at a show for architects .......... but we decided to go with a "little" local craftsman who has taken early retirement and just does jobs that he wants to ..... and that has turned out to be lucky for us, see a little further down!


The installation for the cabinets began yesterday, and I went into a complete meltdown in the evening while OH was out. Put myself on Librium this morning .......... I still have a few left from the days when I used to use it as a muscle relaxant. Yes, I KNOW I shouldn't use it as a tranquillizer, but ......................


The major problem was that something must have gone wrong with the measurements that J did. We did buy a new oven after she'd done them and although we double checked the measurements, and Sid the cabinet man, did another check ....... all of us forgot to check the OVEN's measurements!

So Sid installed the cabinets along that side and

.............. the oven and oven door handle overlap the drawer and door of the cabinet by about 7".

OH had to go out to a dress rehearsal about 4 pm .................. and everything just got on top of me when I went into the kitchen to make my dinner ...... the mess in there, the mess in the dining room and the mess in the living room ... plus this problem.

I'm afraid he is not very good when I do this ..... he's very much of the "Pull yourself together, woman. Smile and everything will be good".

Anyway this morning, I took pictures, he measured, and we sent it all to J.

The result from her was the solution we had thought of for ourselves!

The cabinet maker can reduce the width of the sink cabinet by about 3" from 36" down to 33" wide, and hopefully the electrician will be able to move an electrical box behind the stove to one side, that would allow us to move the oven back by about 4".

The electrician comes late Wednesday afternoon.

We might be left with the fact that the oven door handle sticks out 2¼" and MAY still interfere with the drawer ................. if so, we'll have to open the oven door before we can open the drawer!


The countertops were delivered early this afternoon (Tuesday), and we just had to unwrap 2 of them to see what they looked like ......... we put them in place. And they look great!




Take care everyone


sylvia

The electrician is here right now ...... he does these little jobs on his way home from bigger jobs.

He's just put in the dedicated line for the built-in dishwasher ..... and helped Iain move the dishwasher into place

Now he's working on the 240v box behind the cooker ........ it sticks out about 4" so the stove can't go all the way back to the wall, but he has cut into the wall to inset the box



yesterday's surprise in the kitchen


remove part of the wood veneer panelling .................. to find the bottom part of a window opening!


It's on the other side of the archway from where we found a door opening many years ago!



We had already decided that we will try painting the wood veneer rather than taking it all off ..... as we didn't know what we would find underneath it!




The counter tops look really really good!!!



s
xx

Our vehicle failed its warrant of fitness yesterday :((( so I am going in today to get a couple of things fixed. I hope they wont cost too much. Hope to see you all later on - probably your morning as you will all be asleep by the time I get home.

Huia.

Huia, I hope the repairs to your vehicle doesn't cost a fortune. Did they tell you what needs doing.
Well you know it wont be the radiator thats for sure,as you have only just had that fixed.

Sylvia, thank goodness all the snags are being sorted out now. What colour counter tops are you having. And also the cupboard doors.
I know you have probably told us, but thicko here has forgotten.

Marie, what happened to Kathleen. I know she was not to good, not so long ago, but I cant remember what the diagnosis was.
Surely they cannot sack her from her job, if she is legally of work sick.
I am not sure of the rulings on this over in OZ.
I know that when Roly had his brain bleed, he was paid for so many weeks, by his works company, then he had to go over to SSP( statutory sick pay) paid by the health service.
They could not sack him, but the crafty devils, made his job redundant. By doing that they could not employ anyone to do the job he had been doing, prior to his bleed,and they got out of it that way.
Mind you he had been of work for a year by this time.
I hope that Kathleens problems are sorted by the increase in her meds.

Well, our Jean should be back from her holiday tommorrow. Lets hope they both had a nice relaxing time.

I am not sure how long Ann is away for though. Do any of you know.

Wheres our little teapot got to, I wonder. Sallieeeee cooeeee, wakey wakey.

I hope Tess is o.k, hiiiiii Tess.

I dont know what the weather has been like, in the rest of the U.K, but here in Kent, it's been blowing a gale all day.
I am sitting here, listening to the wind blowing down the chimney. Oooh it sounds so spooky.
I am just glad I am not watching a scary movie.

Speak to you all again soon. Love and best wishes Mo xxx

A message via Dutch from Caz, to say she is sorry but she can't respond to pms etc as she can't get on the internet.

Sallie, I am not a step nan, not married to o.h. and very unlikely to get cuddles anytime soon, o.h. has decided he might drive to see the family one Sunday, I have told him that I think his son just means him to visit for the day not the weekend so o.h. said Oh I have been thinking I might go one Sunday. I asked if he would go on the train as he usually does as he has never driven to theirs before but he says no, he will drive, that's a round trip of 90 miles which he will struggle with I think in his current state of health. I also pointed out that his son said a lot of people were 'booking up' to visit so he may not get a Sunday for some time yet!
He was saying I will go..... no mention of me going along tho so sod him!

Lizx

The repairs cost a bit over $300, so lately I have spent about $1150 on the vehicle. The re-licencing (sp. doesnt look right) was almost $600 as it is now considered to be a commercial vehicle, and the Accident Corporation Charges were the largest part at over $400. Oh well, at least my vehicle is now roadworthy. I hope there wont be any other nasty surprises for quite a while.

Off to bed now.

Huia.

Sylvia, getting your kitchen done to your liking sounds very complicated. But it also sounds like you will have exactly what you want. Well done to both of you on you sterling efforts. Was amused by the buying of the handles.. Something to look back on and laugh.

Huia, pleased that your vehicle is now roadworthy. Now you can drive round with peace of mind. It certainly sounds like you drive quite a lot.
I failed two driving tests nearly forty years ago, and have not been behind the wheel, since the second failure.
Luckily public transport is quite good here. I can also get a special bus for people who find public transport difficult. (I use it mainly to go shopping)

Liz and Caz please send my love to Dutch. I hope that she is now feeling better.
Liz, I also hope that you get your cuddles soon. You may well find that the number of visitors to the baby drop off soon. So that you don't have to join a queue.. I hope that you are feeling well in yourself and not worrying over things that you can't change.

Jean, hope that you enjoyed your holiday, remind me please, did you go to Llandudno ? I want to know all about it. Haven't been there since 1984. Used to buy freshly made doughnuts for my son, most evenings.

Mo, hiii to you too. Have just been rather busy recently, then suffering from brain fatigue when trying to come on the boards. Able to read entries but not so good at writing anything.
Trying to have a lazy day today, hoping to do some catching up on line.

Ann, hope you enjoyed (are enjoying) your holiday. Just when do you find time to do your scrapbooks, hanmade cards and reading for the GR group? You amaze me.

Hello also to Sallie, Marie and anyone else I have missed


Tess

Hello girls.
Liz, we can give you all the cuddles him indoors wont give you.{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{BIG CUDDLES FOR LIZ}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}
It's so good to hear from you after all this time. But I am sorry that nothing at home has changed.
Why oh why wont your OH's son just tell him the truth, he is obviously not really welcome there. I am afraid that if I received the treatment, that he has been getting, I would get the message,and not bother with them.
A 90 mile round trip, is not that bad love. As long as he has a good feed up before he leaves,and then remembers to eat before he returns, he should be o.k. Just ask the son to give him something to keep him going on the return journey.
It is a shame that he is leaving you out of it all though, but, you may become a grandmother in your own right soon enough love.

Huia, thank goodness the vehicle is now roadworthy,as you need it for your own independance,and going to see Phil.
Why is it that it is now considered to be a commercial vehicle, if it has never been one in the past. Surely nothing has changed,within the vehicle, to warrant this. I suppose it's government legislation.

Tess, I know what you mean about brain fatigue. There are times when I really dont feel up to doing things, but force myself to do them or else they will never get done.
There are times when I just wish my OH would do the meal, instead of relying on me to do it. If it was left up to him, we would starve, the house would be a pig sty,and the clothes would be stinking in the wash basket.


Sending loads and loads of love to Joyce, can't wait for her to start posting again.