General Chat

Is it a national supermarket? If complaining to supermarket management doesn’t help, see if you can find out who the caterers are, they are often National like ‘Compass’ they should display contact numbers in the cafe. If not the Supermarket May help.

It's owned and run by supermarket staff.The lady serving is the managers wife!It's actually classed as a Nespresso bar not a cafe...

It seems a lot of places have let their service go downhill.

Another place I was in for lunch,got my order wrong so I politely pointed it out and requested it be changed.staff member snatched the plate walked away in a huff as if it was my fault.
If i had dared treated my customers rudely making them complain,I would have been on a warning or worse.but we took pride in our work then and in today's society something is lacking in the standard of service ,yet no one seems to care and if we dare to complain,we are made to look stupid.

Florence in the hebrides

My local Tesco always has lots of assistants in the isles doing the online and click and collect shopping. They get in the way a bit, but are very useful when I can’t find something. I do community shopping for the elderly. People who don’t have an computer so can’t do their own online shopping ring the community care office and read out their shopping list. The office then emails the list to the volunteers, we go and do the shopping and deliver it for them. It is sometimes difficult when they ask for a thing I don’t normally buy myself and I can’t find it, but there are usually plenty of assistants around these days, they are always helpful

Good morning all quite bright here this morning. Have to settle down again now after a lovely break with son and family being made a fuss of and celebrating the first birthday without my lovely OH. This house seems very quiet now.
First job if it stays dry will be to cut the lawn, then a general tidy out there, I did see that two lovely cosmos I planted the week before I went away have stopped flowering. Need to look at them but I don't think it has rained much here so maybe they just need watering. I also have my tesco delivery due 11-12.

That made me smile Joan when you said on line shopping had taken over the store. when my on line shop is short of items I blame store customers for taking precedence. what I think it is at the moment is there is a general shortage in all stores because of the lack of HGV drivers so goods are not getting delivered to stores. this is caused by drivers having to self isolate after being in contact with someone who tested positive, and drivers having left when furloughed in the first lock down and not returning to their former jobs.

Hello to everyone, a dry day here but a little cloudy, garden is still looking good . OH is busy doing something to his fish pond so he'll be outside most of the day. Quiet day for me then. lol.

I have had problems recently getting shopping both on line and in store which I assumed was a problem with deliveries to stores. Always something going on lately .We have some small local shops that are quite good but are more costly but I am ok with that if the produce is good.


Enjoy the rest of Sunday.

Good evening peeps
Ann a belated happy birthday to you and so glad you were bale to enjoy it with your family post covid.

Yes the shelves are depleted here in some areas. No tins of diet coke for 6 weeks and toilet rolls are quite short in supply too. Think this problem is widespead all over the uk.

I put out my bedding today as was bright first thing but suddenly looked up about an hour later and noticed the rain lashing at my back door!! i could have cried as kingsize duvet was probably dry enough to tumble. Anyway left it on the line and was windy and another shower came.
Eventually left it for a while and then decided to take it all in and tumble...what a hassle!

It feels like summer has gone for good and we are well & truly in the Autumn. Children went back to school last Friday so their holidays are over.

Had a lovely piece of fish for tea. Its sole,in a box lightly dusted as opposed to breadcrumbs or batter and a splash of black pepper.Did garden peas and a bowl of salad.Was so delicious and quite healthy...no chips in sight lol

Quiet week as daughter away til wednesday so home alone. Gonna restart some family tree research and also i have a scarf that didnt get finished last xmas!!!

Have a good week everyone

Florence in the hebrides

Afternoon peeps.
Its a showery grey day and a little chilly too.
I put out the bins last night for collection today and strangely they have not been emptied. I tel the depot and lady said, a few drivers off sick and on holiday so they are very late. if not emptied by 3pm ring us back. Well still no sign and never in 29 years has a collection not taken place.

Didnt sleep to well last night as my head was throbbing but its just now im feeling tired so think i will chill on the recliner for an hour and see if that helps.
Hope all ok with everyone else.

Did anyone hear if Barbara is ok or has she left maybe?

Florence in the hebrides

I think Barbra said she was taking time out a while back, around the time you started this thread Florence.

Oh right Ann. Oh well nevermind. Everyone is welcome on this thread.

Another wet and awful day here. My grasscutter has had to cancel and hope tomorrow may be a better day.
Feeling everybone in my body aching today but best not to sit too long. A huge pile of ironing needs doing and some cleaning as well.

Whats everyone elses weather like today?

Take care
Florence in the hebrides

Good morning peeps
Daughter bought a longer hosepipe and last night after tea decided to christen it. She watered all the plants and some dry bits on the lawn which are quite brown. We have had hardly any rain and there is still a request to conserve water.

Feeling pleased with herself she came indoors and we sat to watch the tv. About 9pm, there was a terrible noise outside so we got up and looked out of the lounge window and.....it was bucketing down lol.

My nanna use to say, wash your windows and it will rain!
Had my annual Echocardiogram yesterday and am so pleased to have good news. My heart is apparently beating beautifully and the repair all in tact except for a tiny leak which is normal. She said she wouldnt need to see me for 2 years and that my repair might last my lifetime!!!

Oh wow, was amazed as the surgeon said he would see me back in around 10-15 years. Makes such a difference to get good news and really lifts the spirits.

As for my numb leg, its gone down below the knee and i cant weight bear on left leg. I actually think my knee is completely shot and needs replacing, the pain is awful. So got a tel appointment on wed am with my GP as i honestly cannot wait til Sep to see the surgeon so shall see what she says.

Dull overcast day here but actually very warm around 18 degrees. I can see the mist on the hills and think my little "friends"...the midges are out!

Plenty chores to do inside and a mountain of washing from daughter. Ill just take my time and get through it all.

New bathroom scales came and oh my! So both of us are on the 5 2 diet and see who loses a stone first starting today.

Hope everyone else looking in ok.
Take care and enjoy the weekend,

Florence in the Hebrides

Afternoon all, such good news about your heart Florence <3. I only said to my OH earlier that we will have to water the pots and lo and behold it is now raining :-D :-D

Pleased you had good news Florence, hope you get something sorted for your knee.


I had to phone the appointment line about OH as they said if you hear nothing by 17th phone this number, only to be told they have his referral and he is on the list but could be a long wait , I said weeks long she said oh no more like months. Any problems see your GP.

Weather not good today so have been doing a tidy up on my family tree. Looking at some hints on Ancestry and nothing new yet.
:-) :-)

Take care all.

Just Ginnie, what is wrong with your OH if thats not being nosey?

Joan I have drawn a diagram of my garden as its a blank canvas and rectangular..well just. Im thinking ahesd to next spring and wondering what hedging i could use? Something fast growing, doesnt mind the wind and will give some shelter to plants below it. Any suggestions?
Hebes sprang to mind as a lot grows here very well in sorts of weather but just wanted something different.

Glad you got a new toy, hope its working well with the pruning.

Florence in the hebrides

Hi Florence, OH is diabetic and suddenly had a big problem with extremely high blood sugar levels and the test haven't shown any reason as to why it happened . At the moment the only thing is a bladder problem and that is the app. he is waiting for. Liver and Kidneys are fine and his blood levels have now dropped back down . The only thing different he had done when it happened was his covid jab but no evidence that it had anything to do with that.

Florence, around here many people have escallonia hedging. It is evergreen and very tough and salt tolerant, which is essential on a windy coast like ours.

I prune it in May, July and September, which will give you some idea how fast it grows, although that depends a bit on the weather. If you don't cut it, it has pinky/red flowers in August.

Thanks Andysmum. i just looked it up and wow its really pretty and i think very suited to this climate. Its about £30 for 5 plants so shall have to do some calculations about how many and where it will go.

JustGinnie. my daughter is a type 1 and just sometimes depending how she feels, her bloods can rise without any reason.Mood swings, hormones etc.

But last year, i was on oral steroids and ended up in hospital 2 days. In the ambulance they checked my BS and it was 19!! Asked me if i was diabetic and i said def not.
It was the staff nurse on the ward who went through the admission form and she asked what meds i was on.It was then she said oral steroids raise the BS and noone had ever told me.
Daughter is also on anti depressants and painkillers for her neck which can also affect her BM.Is he on any meds?

The other reason is where the background insulin is not suffiicient and sometimes needs tweaking but im sure his diabetic clinic are on top of his readings.

When daughter was first diagnosed, i had a book to record her readings 4x a day from her machine...took forever doing that.But now she has a disc in her arm and the readings are sent direct to her diabetic centre which is great when wifi is working! Hope you get to the bottom of it soon.

florence in the hebrides

Thanks Florence, OH is T2 and has been monitored quite well until Covid struck and everything changed. He has been diabetic for over 20 years and he used to have to check bloods every day then they changed to 3 times a week then they stopped issuing the monitors etc. and now the checks are done 3mthly . He did buy his own monitor and strips as they aren't available on prescriptions now. ( In England).


Hoping it stays dry as have put a line of washing out and another in the washer. Fingers crossed. :-D

Afternoon peeps.
Well its a beautiful warm & sunny day here, so i think summer has actually returned. Its glorious for a change. Not that i can do much really. But i took a fork and a pair of scissors out to the front and weeded some of my pots. Bits of grass and moss has crept in and i managed to remove it so a little job done well.

My garden i roughly measured walking and its 48ft long and 28 ft wide in new money about 12.7 m x 8.48m. I have looked online at the Escalonia and also a purple Hebes. Im thinking that i could plant alternatively on the 3 sides? My grass cutter is hoping to carry on working through the winter with weeding and other gardening jobs for people. So if i do decide to order all these plants, then i would give him the job of planting them for me. That solves my problem of not being fit enough but also gives him some work. Hes just gone self employed this year and trying to establish himself. He does a good job of mowing my lawn and is quite quick and also very tidy. he comes every 2 weeks.

So plenty to think about for later on in the new year/spring.

I have ordered two large planters for the front and 2 hydrangeas to put in them. Both will be in a corner either side of the front door which is quite sheltered from the wind. Lovely pink & blue colours.

Joan re the drs etc...i feel exactly the same. Sometimes since my heart surgery and the strokes, i feel unless i ring for anything, they never check on me. Its like contact us if you need us but otherwise we wont bother you. Its not very reassuring. i feel im out on my own and noone cares at times.
My leg is now completely numb down to my toes and yet i have to wait until wed to speak to GP. Also the surgeon sent me home and said ill see u in 4 weeks and that was it! I can barely walk, the shower was difficult climbing into the bath as leg is soo heavy and no feeling.

You are right, the service has gone downhill. They expect you to come to the surgery and when you tell them you are incapacitated, they just say, surely someone can bring you? I dont have a single person that can take me and they are very reluctant to visit me at home.

i do worry if the health service will ever be the same again. I hope your OH does get seen to but such a worry for you.

Well i think a cuppa is needed. Im back on the 5 2 diet and since Fri, I have lost 3lbs. So i am delighted.Had my bowl of special K for lunch with orange juice and will finish up my veggie soup for tea with 2 small brown slices of bread. Boy am i starving! But it will be worth it.
Since lockdown etc and not able to exercise, think we have been eating for comfort & boredom a bit too much.

Hope everyone else enjoying the good weather. Take care all and stay safe

Florence in the hebrides

It's been a lovely day here and I have managed to clean the kitchen windows and OH has done a bit of painting .on garden table. G/son has said he will clean the inside windows so I shall be able to see out lol. I can reach the outside because of the decking but can't reach the inside because of the worktops.

I doubt if our NHS will be as it was, I think that the government would be happy to let it become private health care. Don't know about Scotland though although it sounds very similar to how it is here. The staff at the hospital nearest to us are brilliant but it's the top dogs that make the decisions and I don't think many of them know how people struggle sometimes. It's an ' I'm alright Jack don't care about you' society sadly.

Better move and get the meal sorted or OH won't be happy.

:-D :-D

Hello all, Years ago after my partner was burgled, he decided to plant a hedge instead of the small fence separating the garden from the field beyond. He deduced that the burglars (never caught) must have come in via the fence while he was at work. I showed him escallonia and pyracantha and he planted them alternately. Add some mahonia and holly which self seeded and we have a good deterrent which shelters the garden and stops anyone coming in. Sadly it faces the wrong way to get the full glory of the flowers but the birds love it and like the berries it produces. It needs looking after so it doesn’t get too leggy and stays dense at the base but well worth doing. Good luck with whatever you choose, Florence. Btw. The mahonia has a lovely scent when in flower.