General Chat

Evening All,

Dull here except a bit of sun while we had lunch. A nice and rare surprise was a flock of long tailed tits visiting the fat balls on the feeder. The Robin wasn't happy at sharing 'his' fat balls and kept flying at and disturbing them. We had a change from a sunday roast too and had toad in the hole with new potatoes, veggies and an onion gravy. It was as well it was something quick as we were up late today, but I slept well for a change.

Thanks for your photos AnnG and I love that pretty crocus with vivid light mauve with orange centres! You have lots of spring flowers looking good and you can see the impact you are making with your tidy up and getting things trimmed back how you want. You put me to shame with what you get done, I need some of your energy! lol.

Mel careful what you attempt if your knee and hip are playing up. No scrabbling about in low cupboards. It was perhaps as well you had visitors as it stopped you doing too much today. I expect SIL was impressed with your makes, as we are too.

Mandy we often find parking away in a quiet spot seems to attract other cars parking next to us. It's the same when we choose a seat in a cafe. I said to OH last time that we must have magnets attached to us. Schools hold far more events these days than when we were young. That was a lot of F&C ..........were some for your son too? I'd have had to get me some as well! lol. :-D Your DIL is doing well to do the course as well as her long days, but it will be worth it to be able to work with the younger children as well. Jake will be growing in confidence the more he learns, especially dealing with the public and serving them now. He's ahead of me as I wouldn't know how to use a till!

Our food delivery came today and I'd ordered too much bread so the driver took a loaf back with him and refunded it. Once everything was packed away I realised a pack of sandwiches was missing from the order, so asked online for a refund. For the first time ever they refused the refund, said it didn't meet their criteria!! When I asked the chatbot what the criteria were it said they didn't divulge their criteria and said it was to prevent fraud and save costs. Well it certainly wasn't helping my costs to pay for something they hadn't delivered! :-S I decided to look online for complaints against Asda and was horrified!! People who had not had their delivery at all, but because a driver had clicked they had delivered were being refused refunds, other people with missed items on their order couldn't get refunds. They were saying customer service was awful, being cut off in phone calls, unable to understand the english being spoken, things that were promised just didn't happen even after repeated calls, the online complaints form seems to be ignored as does the email. I decided to check when our delivery pass expires and it is the end of March, so not long to go and I have clicked for it not to renew and we will go elsewhere. It appears that Asda wants to blame their customers if orders or items go missing, rather than look at their side of things and what might be happening. I don't want to risk be lumbered with the cost of a whole order that doesn't arrive!!

An early start and shower tomorrow as my glasses should be ready and I won't have to wait ages if I'm early, as they don't do appointments for collection and any adjustments. I'm hoping they will be much better than what I'm wearing as it's a few years since I had a change of prescription.

I did a roast chicken in the week Mel so the sausages will be a change for a Sunday, we finished the last of the chicken in a curry yesterday .
I just went out to the bin and it feels really chilly now but the sky is so pretty with ths sun going down, nights are pulling out ,I think the weatherman said three minutes each day .

Sausage beans and mash sounds good to me Mandy I am sure you will enjoy it all the more for not having to stay and watch a roast cook.

Its got a bit brighter here now and I can see blue sky here and there but its a bit late we could have done with that earlier on. At least the rain has stopped for a while its still 10 degrees. and pc says cloudy.

Afternoon all,

Not so sunny here today yesterday was a lovely sunny day, I nearly hung some washing out as there was a lovely blow but by the time the washer had finished and I had finished doing some other jobs it was a bit late to hang them out .

Anng thanks for the photos of your garden lovely to see the flowers all out and the start you've made on the clearing and weeding .

Ann thats good OH got his car back OK, its so annoying when you get damage done to the car even if you park well away from others parking you can be sure there'll always be someone who comes and parks right beside you when there's loads of empty spaces on the car park .

No Gwyn I've no crafting on the go at the moment, I did try and sort out my material box as I've loads of fat quarters and I mean loads there must be over fifty or sixty maybe more so I mustn't buy any more for a while .

We nipped down to see son and family this morning as they didn't want to turn out after having a busy week at the school ,yesterday son had two lettings one in the morning which was a fish and chip lunch so he had to go and get nine big boxes with the fish and chip orders in and after he had to go in and tidy up ready for a magic show late afternoon and then clear up and locked up when that finished at seven .
Dil is now doing a course to become a teaching assistant so she has a lot of studying to do ,this is a course so she can work in the nursery at school she has to have that to work with the younger ones but she's OK to work in the other classes ,she does the breakfast club and the afterschool club so she has a long day .

Jake is now serving in the butchers ,I asked what his biggest sale has been and he said eighty pound and he said he must have taken about four hundred pound yesterday

Not at all cold today I really should do something in the garden but I didn't have a very good night I was still awake at gone twelve and had fidgety legs so I feel tired today so I'm having a rest this afternoon and being lazy with our meal tonight it's just sausage beans and mash.

The chickens did'nt get done as BIL and SIL arrived and did'nt leave till 1pm. We had a good natter with a coffee and she looked at a lot of the things I have been making. They brought me a Sunday paper something I hav'nt had for years and 4 pints of milk and a pasty and a sausage roll so no cooking for me today.

It good you have managed more in the garden and filled the bin up ready for collection. You are way ahead now for the new season in the garden. Good to get the accounts out of the way too.

Well the bin is almost full now, I cleared another but of the garden near the conservatory. cut down one of the buddleias to February height and the other two I cut the easier to cut branches and will get Jake to cut the rest to the same height with his saw. I also cleared a lot of ivy from the fence where the greenhouse used to be. And covered the planter with some membrane stuff I had in the shed after clearing away where (I think skinny) it had become a de luxe cat's toilet.

I also did the accounts balance for two months as they were not done at the end of December when I was away.

I think that is enough gardening for today. it has brightened up a bit and is now 12 degrees but I have a few birthday cards to make.

Thank you AnnG for the lovely flower photos. You have quite a lot of colour already in your garden and I can see the fruits of your labour with the cleared areas.
You are doing well. Like you, we try to have something in the garden bin, when collection day comes round, just to make the fee worthwhile.

Morning Anng and all,

Its about the same here this morning dull cloudy and 10 degrees. Got up at 8.30am turned the heating on for a bit and went back for a lie in. Did'nt fall asleep just waited for the hosue to warm up a bit. Hip still really bad and left knee.

I just wish we could have a bit of sunshine which always makes you want to do things. Its pretty calm out there today and as I did'nt get to do the chickens yesterday I think thats a job for this morning.

Good morning all cloudy and 10 degrees here at 8am. Hoping it will stay dry so I can get out into the garden again and do a bit more before the brown bin needs emptying.
Nothing else planned for today Although last month's accounts are waiting to be balanced. Strange they always get put off even though I know they need doing. :-D

The snowdrops have spread a lot since I moved down in 1991 but there were a lot there and mum's boyfreind dug a lot up and gave them away. Oh planted some up by the caravan and they have just started to spead now. I don't like them cut down till June as they set seed.

That museum trp souded really great and just my kind of thing. School trips while I was at school usually took us to Epping Forest for a toadstool hunt to see how many different ones we could find. I did go with my son on a school trip to the Victoria and Albert museum in London which was a lovely look around but keeping the children in check too. The only foreign trip was in secondary school to Norway and mum would'nt pay the £33 for that so I have never in my life been abroad or had a passport in 75 years.

As to other treasures in the cupboard I found a smell tin of Breakfast Tea my friend bought me when I lived in suffolk. Its a pretty green with roses on it. Not much tea left in it so that went in the bin and I washed the tin. I also found a pack of sponge mix dated best before 2015 and a pack of soup mix dated best before 2013. There's bound to be other things when I do the bottom of that cupboard but the sponge mix came from there.

Don't know what to do for dinner??? may have a burger I think or salad.

Afternoon Everyone,

It was a warm night here and is 14 degrees now. It's been patchy sun today but is dull again now.

These wakeful nights are a pain aren't they Vera. I didn't sleep till after 3.00am and was on the verge of getting up and taking paracetamol, when OH woke up with with zigzags and flashing lights and got up to take migraleve! OH mentioned Anglesey Abbey to me the other day as we haven't noticed much in the way of snowdrop gardens opening round here. I think Anglesey Abbey would be too big for me to plod around although it seems to be one of the best places for snowdrops. I might look at some of the NT places as we are members and I bet some of those have snowdrops. t's a good idea to do some sprucing up with your cushions and then your chairs. Doing these things can give the place a new look when they are smartened up.

OH said Mel's snowdrops looked like they were at a stately home! :-D How much have they spread since you've lived there Mel?

Gwyn the car seems to be fine after a few local trips and OH has gone to a match at Corby today, so a longer trip. He's being very careful where he parks though! The museum trip with the children sounds interesting and you must get to see some things of interest yourself going with them on these trips. The only trips I can remember going on at primary school were nature walks, but I enjoyed those.
We still have some 'stores' accumulated during the pandemic and are trying to use some of them up each week. I want everything back in the cupboards again!

Buddlias make a lot of growth don't they AnnG. You have reminded me that we have a bag for the charity shop. I keep hanging on thinking there is more to go in the bag, but there's usually something else once the bag's taken to the shop anyway. We use those garden humpers too. I mix compost in them and have small ones for weeding, I even keep a clean, shallower one inside to give my feet a cool soak in the summer!

I'm glad some of you have had some sun cos I hav'nt seen it at all for two days. It is warmer at 10 degrees and the fish are swimming around and that tells me its warmer.

Not done a thig today just can't get going but I should go and clean the big girls out. May do that before it gets dark.

I have done the pond filter which has had a really good juggle around as I turned it on to clean it when I fed the chickens this morning and forgot about till not long ago when I fed the fish again.

I have started to make a new mould for a new style Bartman jug I have made. It has only had one coat at the mo.

I took some books down to the charity lady and also a waterproof coat and trousers that were in the garage hung up. they were Tony's gold clothes and in very good condition. I have also done a wash and in the wash were two more ex golf coats, both of which fir me and will be good for nipping out to the shops or an extra holiday jacket.

I came back from Irene's and went out in the garden I intended doing some more buddleia cutting down but instead got side tracked into completely clearing and weeding the large bed outside the conservatory where all the helebores and snowdrops are in flower. Hopefully you will get photos later.

Sorry to read that you didn't have a good night Vera. That and a headache must make you feel rather low. Be easy on yourself and I hope you and your OH manage that outing next week to see the snowdrops.
You asked about our school outing..... We went to a museum. Travelling was an adventure in itself for some of them, as we went upstairs on the public service bus, whereas most get ferried everywhere by car these days.
At the museum, we had a talk by an archaeologist and then in small groups the children handled and discussed the use of Anglo Saxon style artifacts. We looked round the museum and had another talk about the bronze-age boat found when a new underpass was being constructed. It is 3600 years old and preserved and on view in a special section of the museum. Later the children made a clay mask following the design of the Sutton Hoo helmet.
All very interesting and great fun... :-D

AnnG you seem to have several good garden centres in your vicinity. Lovely to visit and very tempting things to purchase, I'm sure ;-)
I hope the sun shines so that you can garden, as you want.

I wonder what other 'treasures' Mel will discover in her cupboards. Daughter and I were saying that we must tweak our menus to use up a few things in our cupboard. We don't mind if for example tinned goods are just past their best before date, but we wouldn't make a meal to share with others using them. What we eat is our choice, but I would only offer food to others, which was well in date.

I hope Ann's car is trouble free and running well after it's repair.

Any knitting projects or other crafts on the go, Mandy or are you too busy with jigsaws in the winter.? I always think of you if I see new crafting products in Aldi.

Right, I must hang up the washing and then perhaps go for a little walk.....

Good morning all

It’s quite mild and the sun is just showing its face after a cloudy start to the day. I really ought to be in the garden but I just don’t have the energy after another really bad night. I slept from about 4 am till 7 am and feel very frustrated as I’m again left with a headache and no energy. OH knows I feel a bit down and has just asked if I would like to go to Anglesey Abbey but it’s really too late to go now. We might try and get there on Monday, weather permitting.

We collected the seat cushions for our dining chairs yesterday and are pleased with the job they’ve done. We have some kitchen chairs that have seats covered in faux leather and that’s all worn so we are going to get those re-covered next. The shop has a nice dark green faux leather that I think would look good. They are not cheap but they do a good job and we like to support local businesses if we can.

I’d like to completely rehash our kitchen/diner but it’s a big L-shaped room with lots of cupboards and drawers and work surfaces and would cost us an arm and a leg to redo it completely so I’m trying to perk it up a bit. Once the chairs are done I’ll probably look at new blinds and maybe a new sink.

I’ve done nothing this morning except sit here yawning so I had better find something useful to do. Sun’s gone in again now and it’s looking a bit black in one direction. Fingers crossed it will blow over.

Good morning all I was up late this morning, slept well and slept in!! 11 degrees here now, washing in. Garden later I think if the sun is still shining. Tesco this afternoon 4-5.

Morning all,

Dull with rain in the air and its 10 degrees and dark but it feels warmer out than in.

Just the shop to do today for bits and I don't know if BIL is coming this week so will see how the day goes.

This week seems to have gone really quickly to me.

You had a good look round then Anng. I love the buckets with the handles and use them a lot in the garden and in the house.

Its been really dull here all day not a tiny glimpe of the sun at all but not much in the way of the wind and it feels warmer at 10 degrees now. It must have been warmer as the fish were swimming around a bit and took a little food today. When its really cold they just stay in a group by the outlet of the filter.

I started to have a kitchen cupboard out this morning and hav'nt put it all back in yet s I need to chuck some stuff out. I found a bag of caster sugar I did'nt know I had and it was'nt a solid block but all nice and soft like when you first by it. I also had a big drum of salt crystals and the bottom was metal and had gone rusty so that went in the bin. There are jars of turmeric, cracked wheat, and pudding rice which will either go in the bird food (the wheat) and I shall cook the rice for the girls and chuck the spice. I also had 5 empty little sharwoods sauce jars in there I keep for putting mustard seed and almonds in and other things so they need a wash before fill those up.

Nearly dark now but not quite, the evenings are surely drawing out now.

The sun has shone all day here but it is a bit breezy temp has reached 12 degrees so very spring like. I had a good trip out with my friend. In the end we visited three garden centres. The first one is a large Blue Diamond one where we had coffee, the second, almost next door is a small family run one with a very nice little restaurant where we had quiche and salad for lunch, the third was our local butterfly garden one as I want to try a few onions this year in the new planter and they sell onions by weight loose so I could buy a small handful of two different sorts One red, one white. I didn't buy much as it is a strange time of year just bird seed and sugar free bulls eye mints .in one a plastic two handled 'bucket' for weeds in the second and the onions in the third.

Then I had a doctors face to face appointment sent me by email (after asking by econsult). And it was not a convenient day so to avoid trying to phone reception we called in and an extremely pleasant young lady managed to get me a different date although not until 22nd. As it is for something I have already put off longer than I should 2 more weeks won't matter.

I haven’t put my nose outside yet but it looks quite a nice day. From the window it looks quite breezy so it may not be as warm as it looks.

Thanks for the pictures Mel. The snowdrops look lovely. I am wondering if I can persuade OH he would like a trip to Ickworth or Anglesey Abbey in the next few days as they both usually have good displays.

You are very good to help so much at the school Gwyn. Where did you go yesterday? School holidays do seem to come round quickly these days and to last longer. I’m sure we only got 2 days for half term and one of those was sometimes a bank holiday Monday.

We went for our usual coffee with our group of friends yesterday. 10 of us turned up this week. The 3 men are somewhat outnumbered but they sit and chat together. Apart from that not much happened yesterday though I seemed to be busy all day. Now I must tidy myself up as we have to go to town to pick up some new seat cushions we have had made for our 6 dining chairs. The old cushions have completely disintegrated so I can only get them out of the covers in bits and can’t put fresh covers on. They don’t owe us anything having been bought in1987. I suppose most people would buy a new dining set but we still like this set and apart from the seat cushions it’s in excellent condition. It’s a very traditional style from Ercol.

OH is telling me he’s ready to go so I’d better get a wriggle on.