General Chat

Afternoon all

Misty here this morning, then the sun broke through and it stayed fairly bright for quite a while. Now we are back to grey cloud. It's apparently 10 degrees but it certainly doesn't feel like it.

I'm glad your journey to and from the hospital wasn't too fraught yesterday AnnG. At least you have some buses that cover your journeys. I've kept my bus pass but I don't know why as I rarely get the opportunity to use it. I used to occasionally go to Ipswich by the one-an-hour bus but that got changed to a bus every 2 hours and the 9.30 am bus is now 9.15 am so bus passes can't be used. The next one is 11.20 and takes well over an hour as it goes round various villages. Once there you don't have time to get something to eat and do a bit of shopping before having to get a bus back. I accepted the lack of public transport when we lived in a rural hamlet but now we live on the edge of a town of 25,000 people. I wish we could use our car less but all the time we are safe to drive we will have to continue to do so.

The overcharging in the Co-op is odd Annx. I hope it is inefficiency rather than a fiddle going on as it's horrible to think that the assistants may be dishonest. I always ask for a receipt.

I slept quite well last night so got up with a bit more energy this morning. I hoovered through and did the ironing and several odd jobs. Dinner is all prepared. I had a wander round the garden earlier and thought I really ought to do some work out there but the ground is sopping wet and I get discouraged as it's not the garden I planned. I try not to say much to OH as I know he is trying to help but he will plant things in totally the wrong spot and chop things down at the wrong time of year. He's a hands-on sort of person so never bothers to google a new plant and find out how you are supposed to look after it which is why I now have another dead plant in a pot in the garden. When I googled to try and find out why it died I found it should have been brought inside for the winter. Ignore my moans, I think I'm just in a bit of a grumpy mood today.

The Ladies Association AGM yesterday went off OK in the end. The expected fireworks turned out to be damp squibs. The "difficult" people are 3 ladies that I know reasonably well and they were sitting at our table of 6 so it could have been embarrassing. One of them was going for treasurer and had been nominated by one of the others but she withdrew at the last minute so it didn't come to a vote. She is one of our coffee group and I would have voted against her which could have been awkward. The other one of the three ladies had been put forward as secretary. Very diplomatically and without naming names the chairman announced that a nomination had been received by a non-member and the committee didn't feel that it was appropriate but wanted to see what we all thought so we voted on whether we could take nominations from non-members and there was a nearly unanimous "no". I was amazed to find the lady wasn't a member. She had been on the committee at one point and had resigned a couple of years ago. She has been to some meetings since then, though not every one, so she must have been coming as a visitor. In the end the existing committee were voted in en bloc.

Things got more jolly after that as glasses of prosecco came round with plates of finger sandwiches and cakes. Hopefully all the unpleasantness will now be forgotten.

I have just seen the time. I must go and get my casserole in the oven. You'll be glad to see the back of me with my moaning about buses and gardens. Here's a smile to end with :-D :-D

Ann I don't make the dolls themselves. the moulds I am making are of Clarice Cliff things I made back in the 70's when I sold my miniatures to shops. I also sold them at the market in bideford when there was a shop in Butchers Row and I did the market twice a week with our plants.

Lol I have made good use of the bus pass since I reached 60, at first we just got half fare then after a couple of years it went to free. T and i used to go to town more or less once a week. for me now I find it easier to catch the bus into Gloucester or Cheltenham than walk to Tescos, although I rarely buy groceries in town. It has been a glorious day here once the fog lifted, sunny and warm with blue skies. The bus times have been a bit iffy but still better than most people have. This morning the 0948 was said on my phone to be delayed to 10am and sure enough that is when it came but, being late and with a trainee driver it was a slow journey as there were queues at all the stops. Still I was not in a hurry. coming home when I got to the Bus Hub there were a lot of people waiting as the one due to go before the one that just came in didn't run, or at least it shuts its doors and went off empty so it could catch up time so then ours which luckily was a double decker was full. so full that I actually had to ask the young girl teenager to move her bag off the outside seat so that I could sit down. She actually did it with a good grace. She was actually sitting in the seat that says to give up your seat to anyone with mobility problems so she didn't have a choice really. The young man in the seat across the gangway took a lot longer to move his bags but gave in in the end. then when the person got off he sat with his foot in grubby trainer on the seat.

I had a coffee in town with a cinnamon whirl, while I read the free Metro paper I picked up on the bus. Then I walked down to Gloucester docks and had a good wander round with my camera taking photos of the boats and buildings as we have a 'reflections' project coming up in a couple of months. I crossed the canal basin and walked down past Gloucester college, pausing every so often to sit in the sun and people watch. I walked as far as Llantony Priory and realised that although I had always looked at it from the tow path and I had never been close so I walked right round the grounds reading information and taking photos and then I went into the visitor centre. I felt like a tourist but it was really interesting and the information was well presented. Back then to visit the Quays shopping centre where I had a traditional (can't say Cornish) pasty and a coffee for lunch, then into M&S where I bought 'Jeggings' and a shirt top before walking slowly back to catch the bus home and I got in at 3.15PM, Back ache from carrying my bag etc and legs and feet ache but happy. I did take my folding stick but didn't use it. That is heavy to carry as well.

Mandy yes I wonder how Vera's AGM went.

Called round the village garden centre after the shop this morning. I was a bit late going, so the garden centre carpark was well full with an uphill walk from the bottom spaces so I didn't stop. I went to see if they had any Camellias and spotted some very pretty bright pink ones from my car, so I might pop back early on Friday and see what else they have as well. I need to get cracking in the garden soon and dig out what plants I want to keep from the narrow border next to the drive as some re bulbs and replant them round the back or pot them up for replanting elsewhere on the front.

I stopped the man coming onto our drive this morning by parking my car at the bottom at the side of OH's. I'll do it tonight and tomorrow and see if he gets the hint. Probably not, but worth a try first.

Mel the water in the pond must be really cold so not a nice job to do. I didn't realise you made the figures in moulds too. I've managed to clean the glass oven door, the microwave, hob and sink. The kettle needs doing as our hard water leaves deposits around the top and down from the spout as well as inside it, but that can wait till tomorrow now.

I've sorted a toilet for the ensuite that is higher than the current one but not too long or wide as our ensuite is tiny and the all important quick release seat that is soft close and will be easier to change than the current one in the future when we are doddery. lol.

It 11 degrees here now. Washing blowing on the line and the suns still shining.

I have done the big pond filter and am just going to hoover the kitchen and diner, put another coat on my new moulds and do a bit of drilling on some miniatures.

Morning All,

No fog or frost here and it's 4 degrees so a bit better than for Mandy and AnnG.

You must be hankering after bus trips now AnnG! lol. Why not take advantage of your bus pass and pop into town. :-D Although I haven't been on a bus for years I still keep my bus pass, just in case the cars are out of action and I have to be somewhere and OH is out. Handy for ID too.

I thought it might be a fiddle going on Mandy. So many people don't bother with a receipt and pay with a watch or card. It leaves things wide open for people to be overcharged if they buy a basketful. I don't know how they balance the till takings against stock, but it just seemed odd. It was a different assistant, but they were both new in the past 6 months.

OH is out again today at Grantham. I would have gone with him to be dropped off at the retail park, but it sounded like he would be at least 2-3 hours so a bit long for me to hang around. I might go tomorrow as I might find something he would like for his birthday.

Morning all,

Misty morning here but no frost that I could see ,I think it should be dry til just after lunch then we might have a few showers, I think I heard our weatherman say we are getting half an hour of daylight a week ,before we know it it will be time to alter the clocks.

Anng you are getting a taste for bus rides now lol I use to like going on the bus to Norwich you could look and see all the lovely gardens if you sat up top on a double decker .
Glad yesterday went OK did they say how long you had to wait for the results .

Ann thats not very good getting overcharged at the co op ,there could be a fiddle going on ,has it been the same girl on the till .

I keep wondering how Vera's meeting went and if it all got a bit heated

O you popped in just before me Anng.

Morning all,

Nice bright morning here and its 4 degrees and very frosty.

I have to do the dustbin today and get it out for tomorrow as they come so very early so must do that today. Apart from that I have some ironing to do and some wshing so that shoiuld keep me busy for an hour or two.

Hope you all slept well especially Anng after her day yesterday. I had a funny dream abpoujt someone coming to take two motor bykes away. One was a Matchless and had an orange tank and the other was a Honda and had a crome tank and there was two men standing outside the bungalow looking at them and they both had trilbys on and stripped suits. Then I woke up.

It looks as though I am going for board domination Lol!!!

Good morning all 0 degrees here and freezing fog, so pleased I don't have to go out to work, I would have been at work over an hour now. Sun is trying to break through, just hope the fog lifts. I was thinking of going into town. (just in case I didn't have enough bus trips yesterday. :-D

Slept well, hope everyone else did too.

A good thing was I could use the bus pass. Taxi would have cost about £30 all together

No appointment for surgery until they have seen the photos Mel. Apparently the photos will help inform them what to do.

No appointment for surgery until they have seen the photos Mel. Apparently the photos will help inform them what to do.

I'm pleased your home safe and sound Anng. What a lot of walking you have done today you should sleep well tonight but what a nuisance with the buses and just as well you left yourself a lot of time. have you got your next appointment for the surgfery yet ?

I have been up and got my recykling box back down here and took up my long handled secs to cut some of the willow down but some are so thick I need to take up my super dooper leccy ones to get through the thick branches. Well it was a little bit of gardening............ they are all stored away now in the airy workshop.

Well done AnnG I'm glad you made it ok and found some helpful staff to take you where you needed to be. I find hospitals very confusing despite their attempts at signage and those corridors are so long to tramp along, especially if you take a wrong turn somewhere. The traffic sounded as horrendous as here when the children are being picked up from school and people are finishing work. Still you did it and know the routine for another time. Hopefully the results will be through soon for you. Now you can have a rest and relax.

It actually worked out very well. I checked the bus times for 1.05pm just after 12 and that bus appeared to either be very late or cancelled so I caught a bus to Gloucester at 12.50. I was going to wait at the hub and catch the 205pm but (I am spotting a trend here). The departures board was a bit ambiguous so, as a bus came in - the 1.35- I got that one it was a very comfortable double decker not a Stagecoach bus, a coach bus so I got to the hospital at ten past two. Took a while to circle the very large campus to find the entrance I needed, then a lovely volunteer lady showed me the way through the Warren of passages to the medical photography suite which felt it was down in the dungeons. My appointment was three fifteen and I was forty minutes early. Not many people in the little waiting room, just two and when nobody else came in the young man photographer said he would fit me in. The actual photographer was no more than fifteen minutes and I was out, helped back through the maze by a young lady from the office. So I was at the bus stop thirty minutes before my appointment time 14.45. However traffic obviously delayed that bus which had to come from central Cheltenham town. Probably school traffic too as we didn’t see a bus for thirty minutes and this was an older large coach which was very full. Traffic was horrendous and the inward journey took more than fifteen minutes longer than the outward, stopping and starting and almost gridlocked in Gloucester. School time again of course. Got into Gloucester travel hub at 4pm and my bus pulled in at the same time. Not a lot of fun as it was obviously Churchdown schools bus and I am walking in the opposite direction to the kids. Got on the bus and left immediately but again it was stop start until we cleared central Gloucester and crossed the bypass. Got home at 4.30. So, it worked, I would do it again if I had to, it would be better at about an hour earlier though. But I am tired as I seemed to walk a long way.

That's good you sorted the bus times AnnG and have the backup plan for taxis if needs be. Hopefully you shouldn't be long at the hospital with them just doing photos this time.

I hope you enjoy your lunch Vera and I hope the AGM goes well without too much fuss from those that aren't happy. It happens with most groups I expect.

Because of covid our Co-op stopped issuing receipts unless you asked and it has continued since. We ask and noticed a little while ago that we'd been overcharged,. They refunded on our payment card. It's happened again this morning with a different assistant and OH noticed 2 charges for his Times newspaper. He went back and there was no apology and the girl gave him coins this time instead of refunding on his card. This seemed strange and maybe an attemt to hide the error, so if it happens again I will mention it to the manager in case something dodgy is happening. It may just be their system though.

Back to the bathroom catalogues now.

Its come over a bit grey here now just as the washing machine is finishing.

As it is only photographs Vera not the actual removal I will be fine by myself.

Our weather is like Mandy's; it's wet and grey with showers promised on and off all day.

I've washed some bedding and am just going to have a shower. We have to have an early lunch as it is the Ladies Association AGM at 1.30 pm. What a silly time. We're expecting a few fireworks as one little back stabbing group are trying to oust the current committee so it could be an interesting meeting.

I hope you don't have any problems with the buses AnnG. Will you be OK coming back by yourself or is someone picking you up?