General Chat

Good morning chit chatters.

Well yet another sunny but windy day . No rain now for several days and whilst this is a nice change, some of the plant pots outside will need watering as are very dry!

My night out last night proved very lucky for me as I won a line and a goody bag.
When I opened the bag later at home, there was a candle which smelt of toffee!! It was salted caramel & pistachio, a large bath bomb and.... a bottle of Drambuie. Sadly i don't drink so it will go into the cupboard until someone has a special birthday or I can donate to another raffle etc.

The evening was well supported this time with around 60 people and the caller was so entertaining we were in stitches.

I also saw a few friends and caught up too which is always a bonus.

Today, I have been cleaning away the walls above the cooker and work surfaces. The toaster was full of crumbs which went everywhere when I tried to empty the trays underneath so that actually created a mess lol. I've also been wiping down all the cupboards. They are never dirty but little splashes here & there need wiping off.

Linda, it must be exciting designing your own kitchen from scratch. Glad the plasterers have finished so that's another job off your list. As for your garden, it almost sounds like a blank canvas so you can plan whatever you like. At least you don't have a "jungle" of weeds etc to remove.

Joan, hope you are keeping well and hope you have been able to go out in your garden where it will keep you busy.

The shredding basket is looking at me as it it's overflowing but I don't have the interest for that today. daughter can do that tomorrow if she's bored lol.

Right off to get a coffee and then get the vacuum cleaner out.

Have a good day all

Florence in the hebrides

I am really pleased that you are feeling better Florence.
Your garden renovations sound good Ann, even if they seem to be on a mission to kill your plants. The new garden here is much smaller than the old one much to OH’s satisfaction as he was getting weary of keeping on top of a large garden. To say that the previous owners of this house were not keen gardeners is a bit of an understatement. The front garden is just a square of grass with not a single plant in it. The back has a rockery with a few straggly plants in it and the rest is just grass. There is a narrow border next to the fence, but it doesn’t have any plants in it. We will have to take it in hand and design it as low a maintenance space as possible.

The builders finished plastering the last if the ceilings today thank goodness. They will be back for a couple of days next week to paint them and do another couple of outstanding jobs.

The kitchen designer sent his plans last thing this afternoon, it is very clever to be able to see the mock ups of what it will look like. I can already see things which I want altering, so we will go in to see him next week and have the changes made. I dread to think how much it is going to cost, never mind, we can’t take it with us

:-)

Lol, I should have put it a bit clearer sorry if I confused you.

People think when you inherit property its a great asset which it is once its sold and you get the proceeds but whilst you own it or are an executor, all the bills have to paid until the property is sold and its a costly business even though the property is empty.

We did get 6 months exemption on the C Tax but I have just paid the last one for this year. Its 2 years in Jul since mum passed. Not sure where the time has gone!

Just waiting for daughter to come home and then its teatime before getting ready to go out at 6.30. Hope one of us get lucky tonight ;-)

I might have known there was a simple explanation!! I'd forgotten you have two houses at the moment. :-) :-) :-)

I did have to chuckle at that. :-D :-D :-D Andy's mum.

Down south both the drinking water and waste water are all under Southern water but there are standing charges for each! But even though no water has been used because the property is empty, they still charge.

Yes my own bill like you is included on the C Tax bill.

Florence in the hebrides

Andysmum, this isnt my bill for my house but for mums flat down south :-D :-D

Florence, why do you get a separate water bill? Ours is part of the council tax. Also, I am very intrigued as to how you manage not to use any "drinking" water - where does the water for your shower come from? :-S :-S

Hellooooo yes Im here everyone.

Yesterday i was ill all day as had woken with a really bad migraine and was feeling sick. i also had auras in my eyes so couldn't see that well either.

I felt so retched, I couldnt do anything but sit and rest with my shawl as was shivery and dozed on & off all day. managed to sip some water but no coffee and didnt risk taking my meds either for fear of sicking them up .

However by the time i went to bed, pain was easing and I managed a good sleep but never got up til after 9.30am! I was just having me brekky when daughter said we got a visitor. I was mortified as was still in my dressing gown but it was my good friend whom i had asked to call this week to witness my signature on some documents.

I said, excuse my attire :-D She just laughed and said doesn't matter and at least we know each other very well. So we sat in the kitchen and signed all the papers and had a natter. Before I knew it, it was nearly lunch time eeeek. So hot footed to the shower and washed hair and now I do feel so much better and back to normal which is just as well as we are off to a small charity bingo tonight in another village a few miles away and looking forward to going out.

I have hung my clothes out all ready for later so organised etc.

Well Linda, you really have your hands full. Im not sure how everyone would cope with all that you are having to deal with. As it's Friday, make sure you have a glass of something later and chill out if you can.

I have just received the latest water bill as they are only sent twice a year. Zero water used yet 2 sets of standing charges, one for drinking water, one for waste and been charged £45.00!!! I tel and spoke with a very helpful young man who explained even if no water is used the chgs still stand sadly. However we are still £105 cr because last year there was a huge burst in the area and they gave all householders a credit of £250 so really shouldn't be complaining.

Ann, whenever tradesman come, they always seem to do the jobs well but as for clearing up it's almost as if it's not their job! My old electrician was great at his job but if you offered him a coffee first, he would sit for an hour and then start his job. But when he had finished one day, there were bits & pieces of wires all over and he said "sorry about the mess, but you are probably better at clearing up than me."

If he hadn't been such a good electrician and fairly cheap I would have made him clear up.

My appetite isn't quite back to normal so I think a jacket potato is all I shall have for tea as its dry and non greasy so may settle my stomach.

Any Apprentice fans on here.? Watched it last night if only for the entertainment :-D

Joan, hope all's well with you and you managed to get the Pension sorted out.

Another beautiful sunny day without any rain all week but its very windy and bitterly cold so very deceiving looking out the window.

Well I have 2 phone calls to make so now its after 2pm, I shall try again.

Have a good weekend all

Florence in the hebrides

Goodness Linda it is hassle upon hassle when you move these days. Technology was supposed to improve things but when we last moved 32 years ago we didn't have half the problems that people have now.

It is lovely and sunny here at the moment but very windy which is not pleasant for gardening. Having had the two men team here yesterday pressure washing two patios and redoing the wooden edging on three places, I have just spent half an hour in the garden, I cut the small piece of lawn that is left but it was well trodden by their big feet and, as it was already damp the grass is a bit flattened. Still I tidied it up. Then I went round the garden picking up my tools they had borrowed and not put away and discovered a bit behind the smaller patio where all the gunge has been swept by the water onto my slate hosta bed and that is also where they moved pots to and have not put them back. so an email has been sent to prepare them for what needs doing when they visit to finish off the patios with sand next week. They are very good and have done a lot of good things in the garden but they seem good at the hardware heavy stuff but not the more delicate jobs. they are self named (I think) landscapers but not plants men. Still they are willing and work well, don't take lots of breaks etc. And the garden is mich easier to manage now.

Hopefully your new house will be gradually coming together Linda.

I wonder where Florence is? And hope Joan is OK.

No one around?
We had quite a day out yesterday. OH had to go for his eye test, so we changed branch to the centre of Harrogate, luckily he didn’t need new glasses.

We went to a specialist key cutters and got another two keys for one of the garage doors, we had tried in a more ordinary place, but they could do them.

We then drove to a retail park about forty minutes away to spend a small fortune on lots of light fittings. To be fair because it was an outlet store, they were cheaper than they would have been. I also bought a complete set of new pans. My current ones are not compatible with induction hobs which we are going to have. That is sad because the old set had a twenty five year guarantee and I have only had them about twenty’s years :-D They are still going strong, so my sister is going to have them.

We then went to look at a large bathroom show room in Harrogate- talk about footballers wives- we decided that the silly prices were not for us. I think they decided that we were not their type either. So now we have contacted a local plumber to see if he can help. No one ever phones you back though when you leave messages.

I chased up the bathroom company yesterday as well as they haven’t sent their design yet. Apparently they were short of staff last week and have been at a trade show this week. All very well, but if they don’t get a move on, we will be looking elsewhere :-(

The most annoying thing for this morning is the council tax. There were several different district councils in North Yorkshire but in the middle of last year they were all amalgamated into one super authority. When we were moving I went in the new website and filled in the change of address form for the council tax. Even though they have amalgamated they are still working in their individual departments. We got an invoice for the new address to cover us from the day we moved in until the new tax year starts in April.They wouldn’t answer their phones, so we just paid it.
In the middle of last night, I suddenly realised that in effect we have already paid for this time at the old house because the bill was paid in ten instalments, so we should be getting a rebate. I rang up the old place and they answered straight away. I was amazed when she said that they have no record of us having moved. If I hadn’t realised come April they would have been taking payment by direct debit on the old house as well as the new one. The woman sorted it out and was very apologetic about the fact that the different council systems can’t “ talk” to each other

I hope everyone is well

Well, lunch was very nice, apart from the fact that OH was seduced by the scone of the day. He is boring and usually has soup, tea and a scone. As well as normal sultana scones, every day this place always has a different speciality scone. Today it was rhubarb and ginger, so he tried that, but wished he hadn’t :-S
We ordered the footstool, I had taken the paperwork for the original order, so it was very easy for them to find the details and match the leather and base to the sofas. The saleswoman was muttering away and said something about giving us a discount. When we looked she had taken off a managers discretionary discount of £178, which just shows how much mark up these posh furniture shops make. Even with that taken of, they will still be making a good profit. It will take eight to ten weeks to arrive as everything is custom made in Norway. I think the original sofas took twelve weeks.

We then went to a nursery to look for some evergreens to put in some planters which I have bought which have trellis up the back. It was quite a good place, a little family run business, but unfortunately they didn’t have what we wanted, but we will go back again. We bought the plants from Morrisons of all places., I had seen them yesterday, but needed to measure the size of the planter to make sure the pots would fit in it.

Good morning everyone lt is dismal and drizzling here.
The builders are plastering the kitchen and utility room this morning, so we will have to go out for lunch- what a hardship :-D. We did have lunch out yesterday as well, but that was Morrisons cafe, so that doesn’t count.
Today we are going to look at a plumbers showroom which has a bathroom display. We need to find a new toilet and vanity unit for the downstairs cloakroom as the current ones need to come out before the new flooring goes in in a couple of weeks. All the bathrooms need redoing, but they are a little bit further down the list. At the moment they are all a very fetching peach colour :-(

We are going to a very nice furniture shop which has an excellent cafe, quite posh food, but we are worth it :-D
A couple of years ago we treated ourselves to two new Stressless sofas, but didn’t buy a foot stool as it would have been in the way all the time. Here there is room, so I am going to gulp at the ridiculous cost and order one so I can get my feet up high. At the moment I only have a little cane topped stool which is too low.

Joan, I always consider a trip to the supermarket a joy not a chore as its when I meet lots of people haven't seen for awhile and we get to blether awhile. My daffies are not quite out yet and yes I hope the wind doesn't bash them here too.

One of my friends has offered to give me a day out soon to town. So love it when we do a "road trip". No pressure of time either. We wander, browse, have lunch somewhere and lastly do the shopping. A change of scenery is always a morale booster.

This Friday my neighbour is taking me to a charity bingo a few miles away . Love bingo and its for a good cause too so whats not to like.

better go as I can here my phone ringing..

Morning girls. A dry day for us but rathe dull & chilly.
from the windows I can see lot's of Daffies almost ready to bloom, hoping the wind doesn't get up & flatten them which is what usually happens.

The Snowdrips have been lovely, still flowering well & many of what were just clumps are now touching each other & making a nice white carpet.
My hubby loved Snowdrops as well & always looked forward to seeing them come up each year, sadly he didn't get to see them this year.

No plans for doing anything in particular today, just a general tidy round but to be honest the house doesn't need it.
Shopping day tomorrow which will get me out of the house for a wee while.

Joan.

Morning all.

Another lovely bright sunny day but still very breezy.

Names, that's a good idea for Joan re a knitting group maybe in the future? I know its still too soon just now but further down the line.

I'm staying put today and not venturing anywhere!

Hoping everyone well today and hope you have the sunshine.

Florence in the hebrides

Joan, unless you were going back to an old group it is probably too early for you to join something entirely new. But it might be worth looking to see if there is a craft or knit & sew group to join when you are ready.

Hello Linda, good to hear from you. Crikey, you really do have it all going on at once don't you.

Re your bed, when I bought a new bed, although it was firm but comfy, i decided to put the old duvet on top of the mattress and that made it very much more comfy and in the winter very warm.

Was busy this afternoon as home alone and cleaned all the window sils in my bedroom, bathroom etc. Was beg to see little bits of green along the seals but its all gone now. Stripped off my bed too so a job well done. Gutted out a few drawers too and found some bits for the charity shop.

Now ready to re start another family tree that hasn't been looked at for 2 years so plenty to keep me occupied for awhile.

Ann hope you got back safely and all went ok?

Coffee time now and then see what's on the tv.

I am glad that your grandson is on the mend Joan and that you have found someone to sort your problem out Florence. It makes such a difference when you get through to a sensible person.

I am still battling away on my list of address change, but am almost there. The renovations are continuing, the builder didn’t come until lunchtime today, but he plastered the main bedroom and en-suite ceilings this afternoon. They will be dry enough in a couple of days to move back into. We have been in one of the spare bedrooms for the last two nights. The first night was dreadful because the bed is rock hard and I couldn’t sleep. OH likes it, but I like my nice soft mattress Last night, I took our King size duvet and folded it to make three layers which I slept on. It was lovely and soft, so I had a good night.

Yesterday, we had someone come to give us a quote for new French doors to replace the very old sliding aluminium ones which have been in since the house was built. We also had the burglar alarm man because the patio doors have two sensors on them. One for if someone breaks the glass and one for if the doors are opened. The sensors will need taking off when eventually we get new doors, but more urgently the wires will be in the way of the new flooring. So we are going to have a wall sensor instead.

This weekend we need to go and have a buying binge for new light fittings. There is only one ceiling light in the house which will be used again, we need new ones everywhere else . I have seen some on line which I like and are quite reasonable. That particular company has an outlet shop on a shopping outlet park not too far from here, so we will go and look.

I need to chase up the kitchen designer tomorrow because he said it would take him a week to week and a half to do his design and that time is up tomorrow. We are spending a fortune on the house, but we knew that we would. The price we payed for it reflected the fact that it needed modernising.

Hi Florence, well that's good news for you, you must be very reileved.

I have done my letters, all done by hand, only 6 to do but sad ones to inform those concerned about my loss of Jack, difficult to do but had to be done as they wouldn't have seen the his death announcement in the newspapers.

There might well be some cluubs for the OAPs etc, but i'm not able to go to things like that, I don't live close enough to the town or the village..& I would have to ask daughter to take me there & back every time.
I am not one for socialising in that way, both Jack & I were never ones for that sort of thing, never went into pubs either, we were more that happy with just each others company.

My main hobby is my Crosstitching which gives me a lot of pleasure, I can & do knit but not as often as I used to when the children & grandchildren were babies/toddlers.
Just waiting for the weather to get warmer then I can spend some time in the garden, patiently waiting for our Swallows to return, even though it will sadden me to think Jack isn't going to see their return this year.

Joan.

Good morning all looking in.
Lovely sunny day but pretty chilly and very breezy. I was going take a short walk around to look at all my pots and get some fresh air but really it far too windy and I might fall over .

So I have a good result. I was given another number for emergencies and so decided to phone it. The lovely lady said she could help me and so she did.

Neither of the grants are repayable as both outside 10 years. she said the original conditions were recently changed so nothing is repayable, She will email me later today confirming this information and that she will inform the Land Registry to remove the charges against the property.

So relieved and how lucky was I to get such a helpful lady who not only knew what she was doing but dealt with my enquiry on the spot and didn't say she would look into it and tel me back. My faith in Customer services has been restored. :-D

So as soon as I get her email, I can them email sol together with the other info i had to get and hopefully this will get us another steep closer to completion.

Joan, so glad your grandson has gone home and hopefully will be back to full health very soon. I still write a few letters although not by hand. I type them on the computer as much quicker and then email one to Australia as no cost and quicker.
But it does pass the time.
Have you got any other hobbies other than your cross stitch? I have a friend whose granny crochets blankets for different care home where she lives. Friends donate balls of wool for her to use. The blankets are put to good use and the granny feels appreciated plus it keeps her busy in the evenings.

Are there any social groups nearby you could join for senior citizens like a lunch club once a week? Just a thought.

My geraniums are really growing so fast, I cant believe the growth speed. Is this normal? Also i trimmed off all the dead leaves off my Amaryllis but now, a green shoot is growing again but not sure if this means it will flower again before xmas. I had stopped watering it as thought like most bulbs, they are dormant until the next season? Anyway I have given it some water and shall see what happens.

Not sure what to do this afternoon as I have already vacuumed the whole house and swept floors, all the paperwork now completed too. Maybe go through some drawers in my bedroom as haven't done that in awhile!

Ann, hope your journey went smoothly and you got on ok today.

Shall look in later

Florence in the hebrides