General Chat

BIL came just as it was getting dark and I was burying the big fish. It must have weighed 12 pounds at least. He did'nt even stay for a coffee but I sent him home with a quarter of my Christmas cake.

Then I did'nt pay him for the diesel......blast he gave me the bill too.

It seems ok this morning Mandy but I can't urn off all the other rads as some don't work any too stiff for old hands they need a mans hands.

BIL not appeared. I could have done with him here to help me retrieve the rabbit trap. The fox had taken it right into the top garden among the brimbles so I had to get up there and cut down a pasth to where I could see it and they had got it under a big branch off an old cherry tree. How they managed to eat as much of the rabbit as they did I do not know. I emptied it out and flung it up where their hole is. I thought they had fourt hard enough to get at that dinner they deserved it.

Then I came down and raked a lot of the branches that had fallen off the big ash tree and off some of the snowdrops and then needed a drink so I came in at 1.13pm so a good couple of hours doing some sort of gardening.

Its so nice when you see the birds feeding through the window. Iv'e had the LLT's and masses of sparrows, the Wagtail and the Woodpecker and the robins and they have emptied the peanut and fat sticks feeder so I had to put more fat sticks out and another fat ball.

Think I will get something to eat now as the thought of Vera's dinner has made me hungry. Its years since I have had a bit of brisket.

Afternoon all,

It's only 3 degrees here and no sign of any sun .

Mel I'm taking Lansoprezol, today the indegestion has eased so I'll see how it goes .
Colin said with your rad ,turn the heating on, turn all the other rads off that you have on so it puts all the pressure on the rad your bleeding and that should help .

Family came this morning ,its Lewis's birthday tomorrow so he had his presents a day early can't believe he's going to be 9.
Don't know yet what we'll eat tonight might be salad as we seem to have a lot of ham and salad stuff in the fridge .

Morning all

It’s dull and cold with a breeze from the north making it feel even colder. Apparently we’ll be getting sleet later. Oh good, I can’t wait.

I had another terrible night so my eyes keep wanting to close this morning. I didn’t dream much last night, just lay awake for hours on end. I think I fell asleep sometime after 4 am and woke at 7.30.

It might be worth seeing your doctor Mandy. He’ll maybe give you a check up and perhaps order blood tests.

We had a thank you card in the post yesterday. It was from OH’s great niece, 17 this month, thanking us for money we sent her at Christmas and telling us what she had spent it on. It was such a pleasure to get a nice, handwritten card instead of the usual texts or emails.

I’ve got a piece of beef brisket slowly pot roasting in the oven and later I’ll fill the oven with vegetables to roast - potatoes, parsnips, carrots and wedges of cabbage. There’s a shop bought lemon meringue cheesecake defrosting and a loaf cooking in the breadmaker. Now I’m wasting time drinking a cup of tea and watching the birds who are out in force this morning. There are lots of goldfinches and I’ve seen blue tits, a great tit, a robin and a couple of greenfinches. There are blackbirds throwing all the earth over the path as they try to find insects, also pigeons and collared doves. The biggest surprise was a magpie who flew down and had a drink from the bird bath. We hardly ever see magpies round here and that’s the first one I’ve seen in the garden in 10 years.

Well, it was morning when I started typing but I got distracted by the birds and now it’s afternoon. I’d better go and sort out my veg and see how the bread is getting on.

sunny here and 5 degrees.

O they had Beaworthy up and now its right and its 2 degrees.

You got in just before me Anng. Your warmer there than here.

Morning all,


Brighter this morning but pc says cloudy and 0 degrees. Not been out there yet so we will see just how cold it is when I do. The car looks all moisty as if there was a frosty but there was'nt any when I got up at 245am.

BIL is supposed to be coming today so I better get a wiggle on.

Good morning all A bit brighter out there this morning, not so overcast. But still only 3 degrees. PC says it will get to 5, oh goody almost summer!!!

Slept well last night went back to sleep at 7 and woke at 9am, good job nothing important planned for today, just a long list of smallish jobs.

Mandy I thought you were on Omeprazol my doc doubled my dose when I was getting heartburn and indigestion from the painkillers I was taking.

Well I have done the rad three times now and its still burping.

I can't get into Channel 5 iplayer which is annoying as I wanted to see the Madam Blanc Misteries. It keeps tell me about a code and to reregister and all sorts. Why do they have to keep changing things?

Evening all,

The day started off sunny then went downhill, its trying to rain now just fine rain but the sort that clings to you.
We've got on well with the jigsaw today we must have done a good third of it and I expect tomorrow when dil comes she will put quite a few bits in she's so good at finding the pieces .

Anng thats a good start with the meeting numbers ,I'm sure as the word gets round a few more people will join up .

Ann thats a good idea making the fleeces into a draught excluder, our front door has a slight draught near one of the hinges but we have a nice thick curtain up so don't really notice it ,it's only if your hand goes near the hinge you can feel it .
So your friend used a pot of wax to break the ice lol that certainly got people talking .
Is sky your behaving now .

Mel thats lovely the little Robins are waiting for you to feed them each day ,they soon get to know don't they.

I too had an odd dream ,mine was that someone or something had brought a rat in and Max was sniffing at it but the next minute it had gone and I said has he eaten it ,but it had gone beside the fridge and was now a tiny little bedraggled kitten ,I tried to go round to next door to ask her what I should do with it and I couldn't get round there as there was a huge lorry tipping out some shingle ,then I woke up.

Yours was an odd dream Vera but they seem so real at the time though don't they.

I think I need to go to the doctors as I'm having a lot of indegestion with so much heartburn it's getting really uncomfortable and I find it a job to know what to eat ,I do have a little gavescon after meals but it's not really helping ,I'm also tired all the time and have been tired like that since I had covid .

It sounds like they didn't quite finish off the polishing then Mel. It must be annoying as you say. My ttongue is always straying to the tooth I broke in half biting a mince pie 3 years as it is quite rough. Maybe the bit of air that came out was all that there was. You will soon tell if it stays quiet now.

They are not so much sharp as rough. Its the front three you bite with my tongue keeps finding them and its annoying. I don't think I could file them down at all as they are the ones I bite with they must have done it when thye put another skin on the top plate mending the break thye next but two teeth is like it too. They need a polish not a filing down. I am hoping the toothpaste will do that for me over a few cleans or it will be out with the extra fine grade sandpaper.

Well I tried to do the rad but it had'nt gurgled since I turned it on and when I did it hardly any air came out but at least it was a bit.

That's great you have some people wanting to join in AnnG and I expect once the word gets around a few more will join.

It's not surprising you couldn't remember reading the book. Your mind must have been all over the place at that time. OH keeps records of all the matches he's been to, the dates and where the ground was. he's very interested in the grounds and buildings with the old architecture and tries to find new ones to see.

I've planted the snowdrops but they are very snug in the pot, so it's good it's only a temporary home for them.

I meant to ask how your teeth are now Mel and wondered if you could file a little off the sharp bits.

I have just sat around today apart from going to the shop and hoovering the kitchen and diner, empty some wast bins and feed the wild birds (twice) and the chickens. I have a pair of Robins round by the chickens and I keep a tiny jar of fat sticks and sunflower kernal in my pocket and they are both waiting for me when I go round there sitting in the holly tree. Sometimes they can't wait and are down before I have enough out for them.

The rad in the kitchen dos'nt have the usual bleeding point its supposed to be self bleeding but if I want to do it I have to find a big screwdriver. I have bled it before so know how to do it. I may just go and find one now as I need to turn the heating back on as its getting cold and dark.

Have found myself a my kind of film to watch on the telly tonight so I started it to see if I was going to like it and I do so htats the evening sorted.

Right lets find the screwdriver.........

The meeting went off OK. Strangely though out of the 13 there, There were three of us from the photography group. And four of us from the group of 6 U3a members who have formed the group outside of U3a that go on trips to museums, cathedrals cinema etc. In fact there were only 4 that I didn't know to speak to. We are going to meet on the last Saturday in the month so the next meeting is 24 February. I suspect once we have had a few meetings other things will come of it.

when I got back I walked down to Irene's with 8 books that I have read in the last month.
When at daughters I read a couple of books off her 'books to read' shelf. One I left there and one I have just finished. I always keep a spread sheet of books read, dating back many years. when I entered this one up (Into the Water by Paula Hawkins) I saw that I had read it before. I had no idea, no memory of the plot or characters at all. I checked and I read it in 2021. I wonder how many other books I read in the months following Tony's death that I didn't take in at all?
It is still only 3 degrees here, very grey and very cold so the heating is on 45 minutes early.

Afternoon All,

It's 7 degrees here now, positively balmy. OH has still wrapped up well for the match at Solihull though as it will get cold later. I hope he manages to find somewhere safe to leave his car.

Our old front door was draughty from the letterbox AnnG, but there's none with the new one. The UPVC back door has rubber seals and is fine. The culprits are the 2 doors that open into the unheated conservatory, one from the lounge and one from the kitchen. They were ok till we changed from carpet to hard floors which has left a slight gap under them. We could fit more brush strips on them, but want to change the doors once other work is done, so my homemade excluders will do for now.

The new U3A group idea sounds like a really good one as it is easy to become isolated when you are on your own. Some people I've known won't go on their own to anything, and some people who go with a friend to a group don't seem to mix and just talk to each other, so it's easier to break the ice if you are all in the same boat so to speak. That's just reminded me of friend I made who used to come to the beading group when I started there. She had a brilliant way of breaking the ice with any newcomers that joined. We were encouraged to wax our beading thread before threading our needles. Her pot of wax was different to ours and for some reason when she started to wax hers it would make the loudest, rudest noise and set everyone off with the giggles! I hope the idea goes ahead.

I thought the same that your radiator needs bleeding Mel. As Vera says you should have a key that fits the top end, but turn it slowly and hold an old cloth underneath as water will start to dribble once the fizzing of the air stops. So you are a cobbler today then and making some boots for the Tudor man! I look forward to seeing him when you have finished him. :-)

Two of you had strange dreams last night. I lay awake till about 2.00am, which is good for me, as too often I'm awake all night, but I then slept through till 8.00am. I don't often remember dreams, but they are usually what OH calls anxiety dreams. I get lost in a strange place at night or am out and need a toilet, but when I find one it is overflowing.

Yesterday I discovered a pack of snowdrop bulbs I'd forgotten to plant, so my next job is to pot them up and put them in the conservatory till they have flowered, then I might have a better idea where to put them in the garden.

Good afternoon all

I had the strangest night. I turned the light out about 11.30 and went straight to sleep but woke at 12.15. From then on I woke at 15 minutes past the hour right through the night. I didn't miss a single hour till I got up at 8.15. In between all this waking I had a continuous dream. I was apparently spearheading some campaign (don't know what campaign). I had to get some important legal letter delivered but neither I nor a great hall full of people with me dared go out as we were being watched. So I employed 2 primary age schoolchildren to deliver this letter. Their names were Colville and Danny Bryson and they wore a grey school uniform with a red and silver striped tie. They delivered the letter and got safely back to the hall but I have no idea what happened after that. Weird or what? I can't usually remember much about my dreams but this one is clear as daylight.The only thing I can relate to anything that might have been in my mind is the name Bryson. I have recently re-read a couple of Bill Bryson books.

I've given the downstairs cloakroom a spring clean this morning and washed a load of towels. I've also watered and tidied up some indoor plants and repotted one of them.

Your possible new U3A group is a good idea AnnG. It's so important to keep social connections going when you are on your own. I hope if anything happens to me my OH will carry on going to our Thursday coffee meet. Pre-Covid we used to meet on Saturday as well. We have a couple of divorced ladies, a couple of widows and a never married lady in our group and they are the most regular attendees. I hope you can get it up and running.

Mel, it sounds as though your kitchen radiator just needs bleeding. I expect you've got a radiator key and it will only take a minute to do. With the weather getting colder you'll want the radiator giving our its full heat.

OH has just yelled lunch is ready. He gets it pretty much dead on 1 pm every day. At least he does if it's just a sandwich or similar. Funny how I always get it when we're having something cooked ;-)

Morning all,

Woke at 8.20 for the loo and turned the heating on and popped back in bed wile it warmed up. Fatal woke at 10.29am so I am sitting here talking to you lot with a nice cup of coffee.

The rad in the kitchen needs some attention as it has indigestion I can hear it tummy gurgling as its the first one off the boiler.

Just the shop to do today and perhaps I can get on with my little man. I have to finish his boots today he needs them soling.

Dreamt I was with oh last night telling him about Zeus.

Good morning all. slept really well last night, up but not showered or dressed yet. Being picked up at 1045 to go to the local community centre for the meeting of people interested in a new U3a group MOTO (Members on their own). To discuss ideas for meeting for coffee and chat on Saturdays. the worst days if you are on your own are the weekends. Even if you go out everyone seems to be with somebody.

Ann well done for upcycling, luckily our front door doesn't let in any draught. with the old door we did have an excluder, in fact if necessary I still have one, I have not got rid of it as it is one with a golf saying on it. We also used to have heavy curtains but that fell down the first year I was away after Tony died and I have never had another one put up.