General Chat

Hi all
Yes home now and my stuff unpacked. No washing done though as no tumble drier and daughter and SiL here until Tuesday so can’t have washing around the house.

Hoping drier will be looked at again Tuesday.

We saw baby great grandson yesterday, five weeks old and he is so cute. Had a long cuddle. Also saw eldest grandson’s house. Such tiny rooms,two up two downs and a fair size kitchen and downstairs bath and shower off the kitchen. Victorian terraced straight on the pavement suits him on his own. He had the boys there when we popped in. But today we, grandson, ex granddaughter in law and the two great grandsons (8 and 11) met up at a garden centre to exchange Christmas presents which daughter will take back on Tuesday. It rained hard down there but when we got as far as Swindon the sun came out and is just going down.

We had a lovely week with good weather, it only rained overnight and today so can’t complain.

Afternoon All,

Wet and windy here too! Some quite heavy rain in the night, so I'll see tomorrow if it was enough to bring the floods back. We've had the heating on for a few 10 minute bursts today. That's enough to get the radiators red hot and then it stays warm enough for a couple of hours.

I hadn't thought about the Squirrels expecting a bad winter with them being so busy filling their cupboards Mandy! I hope they aren't as well. Yes, what picture is your jigsaw that you are starting?

I hope the cake defrosted nicely Vera. Cakes freeze very well don't they and it should be fine after a gentle defrost!

Mel thanks for the photos which are very good. I wish I'd made more effort to see the Northern Lights now as some locals got some good shots that were in the local paper. A lie in is a nice treat when there's no-one coming.

I expect AnnG is home now and probably has a wash done already! I hope the weather for travel was better than here, although the rain has been less than last night.

We had an easy bought chicken and bacon pie today with cauli, carrots, green beans, parsnips, red onions, peas and gravy. Otherwise a lazy day, but I need to pay a bill now and gather together the beads for this pendant as I want to make a start while we watch the 'All Creatures' we recorded.

Mandy sent the pics.

Morning all had a good lie in this morning as there was nothing to get up for. Just sitting here with my coffee on this very wet and windy morning.

Pc is telling temps may reach a high of 20 degrees today and its 15 at the mo. I knew I should have clean the girls out yesterday and I did'nt. It was'nt windy or wet now it will have to wait again.

Enjoy your coffee and cake hope it defrosts ok Vera.

What jig saw did you pick Mandy?

Grey and wet again. It’s quite windy as well today. Friends are arriving at 11 am for coffee and cake which hasn’t defrosted yet so I need to finish off the defrosting in the microwave. We’ll have an early evening dinner today but I want to get the veg done before friends arrive so need to get on.

Safe journey home AnnG.

Morning all,

Bit dull here this morning but dry ,we had a bit of drizzly rain late afternoon yesterday.
Just a lazy day for us today ,we did get a jigsaw out so might start that .

Anng I hope you have /had a lovely day with your great grandson not sure if it was yesterday or today you were meeting him .

Ann the squirrels are busy hiding the nuts this year ,hope it doesn't mean a bad winter .
What a nuisance the company have to come back again to do the door , nothing is organised properly these days, it must be covered in ths guarantee though so they should have to put it right .

Mel bil might not have looked at the mowers but he helped with the ponds so he did get something done for you ,I suppose he's thinking the mowers won't be needed much now so he can sort them in his own time .
I'd like to see his photos of the buzzard and northern lights.

I had written that ages ago.!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Ann oh had a net over the big pond but I think he used it to cover the top of my pond.

No I had'nt ridden Little Red when I bought him. I had had a dream of what my pony would be like and when I saw him he was just like in my dream. He was £100. He used to come to the PDSA's Christmas party for the animals as his stable was about 200 yards down the road from there where I worked when I left school.

I too had a headache after my jabs and I don'y usually get them but I have felt much better today and the suns been out all day but now its getting cold. Still not eaten yet since two slices of toast this morning so I better raid the freezer.

Afternoon All,

It poured with rain during the night, but it's been lovely spells of sunshine today. I did think about going to Swinford with my camera as there are some lovely trees there that would be looking good with the leaves turning, but decided by the time I got there it would probably be dull again.

A man and 2 youths turned up after lunch yesterday to do the door, but only fixed a new door strip as no-one had told them about the door sill needing replacing and they hadn't got one on the van. :-S They are going to look into it and will get the company to arrange another appointment, but confirmed the door will have to come out. So another day of thumbtwiddling to look forward to from 8.00am in the morning. No-one rang beforehand like we were told they would either. I just hope they don't refuse to do it as we were told it had been agreed to do the work over the phone and I have nothing in writing.

I was off my food and woke with a headache on Thursday and yesterday Mel and put it down to a bug. My jabs were a week and a half ago. I hope you soon feel better. Can't you cover the pond with some fine mesh or plain net curtain when the leaves are coming down? How is your smaller pond doing and have many of your baby fish in there survived? You must have quite a few now if they have bred the last few years. Did you ride the pony before he eventually became yours then Mel? I still miss mine. He was always pleased to see me or the titbit I would have and was a great comfort as well as a means of escape for a sad teenager. Yes I would like to see the pics please. :-)

Mandy there were two Squirrels at the same tree yesterday. One was burying the nuts in the flowerbed in the grass verge so they will get fetched out when the council whip the plants out soon. I used to find buried peanuts when we first moved here.

How interesting to see a great grandson AnnG and seeing the generations unfold. You have managed to do a lot in the past week. I hope it's fine for your trip home again.

I hope your head is better now Vera and that you got all your shopping at Sainsbury's. Fancy your OH digging up your Sea Holly you carefully nurtured! They don't learn do they and I'm not surprised 'words' were said.

BIL has sent me pics of a Buzzard and the Northan Light from Barnstable if you would like to see them let me know.

BIL turned up and did'nt do anything with the mower but he helped me sweep leaves off the decking up to the pond filter shed and we did te filter and he got the top filter out and cleaned that. then I started to get the big net into the pond to fish out lots of leaves it was so heavy he had to take over and empty it on the lawn we did it a couple more times so at least some of the leaves are out of the pond now ready for tomorrows big wind which will blow more down and into the pond. He also took off the roll of wire that was hanging outside the filter shed which I keep banging my head on when doing the scimmer. I swept all the leaves off the back shelf up towards the end where he swept them onto the decking and then on the grass. So quite a bit done outside today I just have to pick up all the leaves off the grass and dump them in the leaf mould bag. He also took away two huge pc boxes to go to the dump and a petrol can to get new fuel for the mower. I think he added and addative to old petrol and had been using that in the mower so when he gets the fresh petrol I am hoping the mower will work ok.

Suns still out here and we had a sit on the long bench by the pond with our coffee soaking up some vitamin D. I do feel better today and I had painted a barrel before he came . I had some toast for breakfast and think its about time I had something else to eat and take my pills. I will say this though if I don't take my pills at lunch time I seem to get more done. I do take one in the morning with my coffee.

Good morning

It's not too cold but is very grey and very wet so nothing will be done in the garden today. OH did quite a bit yesterday and the garden bin, which was emptied on Wednesday, is nearly full again. I did discover later in the day that, without saying anything to me, he had pulled up and binned some sea holly that I had nursed along from a couple of tiny cuttings I was given and which had done well this year. Words were said!!

I developed a migraine so didn't get my shopping yesterday which means I'll have to go out today. I was going into town but I've decided it'll be a quick trip to our nearest shop which is Sainsbury's. You are right about the veg sometimes looking past its best Mandy. There is a family business that have 2 big stalls of fruit and veg in our local market and the stuff is usually very fresh and good quality, though expensive. The market is there on a Saturday but I really don't feel like driving to town, trying to park and then traipsing round the market in the rain, particularly as I will still have to stop at Sainsbury's to get milk.

I hope you are feeling a bit better today Mel.

t will be lovely to meet your great grandson for the first time AnnG. I hope you have a good journey to Portsmouth and don't get caught up in the possible crowds that Gwyn mentioned. I didn't know there was a Great South Run. It doesn't seem to be as well publicised as the Great North Run which we usually have on the TV.

Right, better get on or I won't get to the shops today either.

Morning all,

Suns coming up and burning the mist away its 12 degrees and pc says mmostly cloudy. This date is the first day I had my pony all those years ago and I still remember it. He was MINE at last I had my dream.

I wonder if BIL will turn up today? and try and do something with the mowers. We'll see. I hate having to wait to see if he's going to come and he never ever leets me know what day or even if he's coming and I have asked and asked him to text or ring but no he just turns up when he wants to.

I hope you soon feel better, Mel.

AnnG safe journey to the hotel.
I hope you don't meet too much traffic heading to Portsmouth for the Great South Run. That usually draws quite a lot of people.

Hope you feel better tomorrow Mel, maybe after effects of the flu jab??

I thought I said We are having a night in a hotel near Portsmouth tomorrow and going to see the new great grandson. Maybe you missed it. So going home on Sunday.

Mel thats probably the reaction from your flu and covid jabs ,they can give you cold like symptoms and make you feel off colour ,hope you feel better tomorrow.

Safe journey home tomorrow Anng. Sounds like you had a really good time away and saw lots of places.

Mandy I did'nt cook in the end I did'nt feel too good. I was going to cook chicken mini fillets to make a chicken and broccoli plate for the freezer but did'nt in the end. I think I have a cod as I keep sneezing and have had a bit of a headache which unlike me.

I did'nt watch All Creatures last night so am going to see it this evening.

Friday 18 October very Misty first thing but it turned into a beautiful day and we drove to Lymington. We didn’t want to go far with needing to pack this afternoon. I had no idea which way we would go so was surprised to be driving through New Milton. Could have been embarrassing as I have a pen friend who lives there but I am almost sure that she is in Portugal at the moment.
We walked right through the town from where we parked near M& S food shop. I had forgotten it was hilly but it is a long time since I was last there. Lots of boats of course at the quay. And trains seemed to be quite frequent. Nice to see so many people sitting enjoying the sun.

We had lunch in the ship. Daughter and I had pork belly and scallops with broccoli, carrots and dauphinoise potatoes plus apple sauce and a lovely gravy, then we shared a very good and quite big apple tart tatin and ice cream. SiL is not often hungry mid day so he had chicken salad sandwiches and chips and a beer. Daughter and I had a white wine with our meal and we then had a cocktail each she had a espresso martini and I had a chocolate orange martini. It was a slow walk back up the hill to the car. Back then to pack.

You certainly filled your day yesterday Anng ,oh it will be lovely for you to see your new great grandson ,hope you can get a few cuddles in .

Mel what did you cook this afternoon something for your meal tonight or something to freeze for when Stuart comes .

We had a good morning, we got the canopy down and packed away I did have to leave it in the sun for a while as it was quite wet with the heavy dew .
I got a couple of cuttings potted up a Geranium and a hydrangea and have got the seed from Gwyn in a tray .
I watered the toms in the greenhouse the toms are still ripening well so I'll leave them for another couple of weeks .
I got two lots of washing out and they all got dry so they are all away in the airing cupboard, never got round to hoovering but I can do that in the morning .

YOu certainly crammed a lot in yesterday no wonder yu slept well last night. Sounds like you really enjoyed it. It will be so nice to meet the new great grandchild and perhaps give her a cudle.

Not done much this morning I did go up the post van with the two little parcels and had a natter to my neighbo0urs who were coming back from their dog walk on the way out and then when I stopped at the shop for some rolls and bread I saw Sheila our reader so we had a few words between car windows till someone came up behind me so I had to go.

I'm going to do some cooking this afternoon but just having a sandwich now.