General Chat

Evening All,

A cloudy day with bits of sunshine here today but no rain. I slept quite well and was up early to go to the hairdresser. Then I called at the shop for some bits and the paper on the way home. OH had a call and has his hospital appointment a week tomorrow. I'm pleased it is at Market Harborough and not at city hospital. It is on the way I go to see Fitz, is right next to the entrance and has it's own small carpark which is free, so is far less hassle than going to the city hospitals.

Well Mandy stirred me into action with sorting her freezer and I went in the garage yesterday and had a good sort out too. Some things were two years old, some with no date on them! The bin men came this morning so it was good timing to do it yesterday. Luckily being frostfree there was no scraping to do. Now I need to do the same with the freezer section of the fridgefreezer inside.

I am lucky in that I get 2 months of most of my meds, but one has gone out of kilter somehow and ended up on a different date. Also when the surgery adds another long term thing they don't seem to sychronise it so all your meds are ready for repeat together. Our surgery used to have your meds prepared in a paper bag ready for collection, but they don't anymore, so you have to wait ages while they do it, which means more queuing.

Oh Gwyn what a surprise to see the Narcissus so advanced! I do love them and the scent they have. You will have to keep an eye on them to see when they are fully open.........before Christmas at this rate.

You've managed to get lots done Vera, so be careful not to upset your back! I hate these newer mattresses that are so heavy to move and have vowed my next purchase will be lightweight. We couldn't even move the bed in another bedroom to plug in a light without emptying the drawers. Maybe we should have hammocks! :-D I hope the cake turns out ok.

That's good you have the new dryer installed AnnG and have been able to test it. I expect being a new one, it probably is more efficient than the old one and will use a bit less electricity which is a bonus. It's a good guarantee for it at 10 years as well. Grundig was a well known name I remember too. I hope your Geraniums take ok. They will be a nice addition to your garden next year if they do.

Mel were the leaves still too wet to use the new hoover thingamyjig? It's good to have a lazy day sometimes and I expect you may have done more with your miniatures.

Your appliances have done well Vera. My Grundig tumble drier was 8/9 years old but it was used consistently 2/3 times a week. I never hang anything out now although Ibdid used to. I do remember Grundig record players etc. I think in the past I have had Hotpoint appliances. There did used to be a lot fewer manufacturers of white goods to choose from. Now there are loads.

I associate Grundig with radios so I think we might have had one when I was a child. I can't keep up with all these different manufacturers who are forever changing hands. Grundig has been owned for sometime by the Turkish organisation that owns Beko and part owns Indesit/Hotpoint. I think there are 3 or 4 different part owners of Hotpoint and you are right AnnG. Whirlpool own the European arm. I've had Hotpoint appliances since we were first married and never had a problem with any of them, but it seems to be the luck of the draw. My washing machine and tumble dryer are both about 10 years old and my dishwasher about 5 and none of them have ever needed any attention. I've probably jinxed it now and they'll all break down tomorrow, lol.

Gosh, that is early for narcissus Gwyn. They must be in a very sheltered spot. You've reminded me I must get my bulbs out from where they are packed away and decide how many we are going to use in the pots. They do make a lovely display in their pots in the garden but they take such a long while to plant up. As you said Gwyn, it is lovely to have such a good social group here. We've always helped each other where needed but the problem is we are now all growing old at the same time. 2 of our ladies and 1 man have sadly died in the last 2 years and 2 other ladies are in dementia care homes now. My OH is very good about driving people to hospital appointments etc but he is one of the older ones in the group and, though he seems fine at the moment, he won't be able to go on driving for ever.

What a two and eight at your pharmacy Annx. You certainly shouldn't have to go 3 times to pick up your meds. I've noticed that our pharmacy is employing a number of young people rather than the middle aged staff they used to have and some of them don't seem to understand the system in use at all. Gwyn is lucky to get 2 months at a time. Our surgery will only sign off a 28 day prescription. The only time we can get two months is if we are going to be on holiday when the second lot are due.

I had a good night last night. I hope you have a better night tonight Gwyn. My back is still painful but I can't sit around doing nothing. That's just not me. I'm managing with just an occasional pain killer. I've washed the sheets and pillow cases that I didn't do yesterday though the duvet covers will have to wait. I've also done various odd jobs round the house and I've made a cake from the recipe Mandy sent me. Mandy, I didn't put in the optional Greek yoghurt but I did add another tablespoonful of milk as the mix seemed to need a bit more liquid. I decided I'd try it at 150 degrees on my cooker. I cooked it for an hour, put some foil on the top and did it for another half an hour, then tested it. The centre was fine but there was a little spot near one side that was still a tiny bit sticky. That might be to do with my floor being uneven so the cooker slopes slightly backwards. I turned the tin round and gave it another 15 minutes. We haven't tried it yet but it looks and smells good.

yes, pleased with it. If I could have got another one I would have stayed with Grundig, I have to say, together with my Bosch washing machine and dishwasher I have been very impressed with the make (even if it is German). As the tumble drier was being sourced for me which worked out to be a very convenient was for me to do it, I went with hotpoint. My one reservation was that Hotpoint are owned by Whirlpool, the company that owned all the appliances that caught fire. But Paul assured me that had all been ironed out.

I remember the name Grundig too. My brother had a Grundig tape recorder, the old spool to spool sort.

No I hav'nt made any Christmas themed miniatures this year but have sold a collection of Christmas bit in a job lot and need to put another one on there.

Grundig is a name I hav'nt heard for years ad it took me right back to my younger days. I can hear dad saying that word I think we must have had some appliance with that name, a telly comes to mind and a radio.

So you're pleased with the tumble dryer then.

One item missing on my order but no subs.

Gwyn that really is early for narcissus isn't it? I know you always see those few early but surely not in October. what a topsy turvey worls we live in now.

Tumble drier arrived, was installed and old one removed by 0930 and already one load dried and it seems good. Another load in now. I did a wash to be ready for when it was installed, not a large one but big enough for a good trial. first through it was a large bath towel took about the same time as the Grundig.

All I have done other than that is take 8 geranium cuttings, pot them on and they are in the conservatory.
Arms were only painful one day after and mainly only the one I slept on. Both are fine now.

also did some admin bits on the computer including registering for a free 10year guarantee for parts for the tumble drier. 10 years being a bit optimistic (for me not the tumble drier).

Good morning all.

I too had a strange night and have been awake for hours. I'd obviously had enough sleep for a while, so unwillingly stayed awake, after a bathroom visit, but it's not enough sleep to see me through the day :-|
AnnG, I hope your arms are getting more comfortable. I had my Covid vaccine on Saturday and it's been painless.
I trust your new machine arrives and works well. With gloomier weather here, I know you will put it to good use.

Annx , I hope your pharmacy buck their ideas up and become more efficient. It doesn't sound very helpful if you have to keep going back and still have poor service.
I've stopped trying to fathom out how our system works.
The repeat prescription process is actually not too bad and the doctor signs for 2 months supply of tablets at a time. The pharmacy is less than 50 yards from GP surgery, but the request is zapped up to Maidstone electronically for it to be made up at the 'hub' there, from where the prescriptions in sealed plastic bags are sent to the various pharmacies within the county by van, including our local one many miles from the hub. For some reason, one of my repeat tablets are never included in the plastic bag and are dispensed by the pharmacy,popped into a paper bag along with the 'hub' package for me to collect them.
How this saves any time or resources beats me :-S

Vera. Hopefully you will have rested well after your really busy time and now have less pain.. You got a lot done, maybe too much in one go, but there is a great temptation to just get on with it, when you see something wants doing, I think it's great that you have a thriving social group there. How lovely. A good chat together does wonders for one's well-being.

Mandy, You did well defrosting your freezer.You will be all ready to tuck away any extra foods for the festive season. Do you freeze any of your baking?
We have a chest freezer too and I'm sure there are probably some forgotten items in there, which need using up.I prefer fresh vegetables, so may be a soup-making session is called for here to make use of the few items of frozen veg.

Mel, No you don't need another Robbie requiring food :-)
Are you making any Christmas themed miniatures this year?
Will you make the Advent wreath for the church again and then the individual ones you usually make?
I remember last year, I think it was, the birds took most of your holly berries before you could use them. There seem quite a lot of berries on the holly trees around here this year, but we don't have so many hungry birds as you do!

Yesterday, I was walking in our local area and was surprised to see that the early narcissus in one garden already had leaves about 10 inches high. I was even more surprised when I looked closer and saw that there were large flower buds formed on some stems:-0

Morning Anng and all,

Grey old day again here its 13 degrees and I am hoping it may brighten up a bit today. I don't like these dull dreary days it dos'nt make you want to do anything just sit around indoors.

Shopping comes today and my driver is Robbie!! I hope he dos'nt want mealworms too its bad enough with my resident two who fight so I don't need another.

Slept quite well but lay for a while before dropping off again after a visit to the bathroom.

Good morning all hope you all slept well. I had enough sleep but brain seemed to think I needed a five minute rest from sleeping every hour/two hours, very strange.

I have Paul coming with my new tumble drier this morning, he is picking it up first thing and will be here at 0900. so I am up and dressed to get a good start on the day.

Vera you obviously overdid things by changing two beds at once. That is one of the most tiring things I do, changing my bed, so much more difficult doing it on your own.

I could have done with a bit of your sun today Mandy. Here it started grey and drizzly, then around lunchtime it got greyer and the rain came down. It’s rained on and off ever since. I did 3 loads of washing but half of it had to go in the dryer and the other half is hanging around the house. We changed both the beds completely this morning so I’ve got sheets, pillow cases and 2 king sized duvet covers still to be washed but I’ve got plenty of bedding so I’ll wait for a good drying day before I do them.

I intended to make Mandy’s Manor House cake today and took a block of margarine out of the freezer yesterday so it would defrost and soften ready but I’ve run out of time. I’ll try and make it tomorrow.

My back is aching badly at the moment, probably from bending over the bed and changing the duvet, so I am resting it with pillows and a wheat bag behind me. It’s a bit awkward typing this on my knee while leaning back against the pillows so I am going to shut down. Enjoy the rest of the day.

Yes I can reach the bottom Anng ,I scraped the ice from the sides and scooped it up with my little dustpan into a tub ,there was peas and chips and other bits I had dropped out of the bags as I take a bowl down with me to fill .

Clouded up here and it feels cooler now the sun has gone .

Ann Yes they could be done at different times but it is more convenient to get it out of the way. Hers is apparently still sore and she has a bruise

That was a pain about your meds, sounds like the staff need a bit more training in where to look. Maybe by next time they will know.

Mandy could you reach into the freezer. I never liked our chest freezer as I couldn't reach the bottom of it.

Chicken thighs in the air frier Mel. ( fillets, no bones in). Try 200 for 20 minutes. But check after ten, it depends on your air frier so it maybe it could be 190 for 25 minutes and, of course depends on the size of the thighs. sometimes with the air frier it is trial and error. And always write down what is a success. Have you got a meat thermometer? Handy to have as you can double check if cooked through.

Afternoon all,

We have had lovely sunshine until just after twelve when it began to rain but that didn't last long and ths suns out again now.
We went over to the school in thd car as son had a lot of wood for Colin , the nursery is having new flooring put down and all the rads and heating pipes taken out .

Yesterday I had a good sort out in the chest freezer ,I have to say there was a lot I turned out that was very frosty but I need room for Christmas bits so that was a good job done and the bin goes out tomorrow for Wednesday.

Ann our aldi has those hard plastic / glass doors on all the veg and salad and meats , cheeses I find that you have to open the doors to see as the lights shine on them and you can't see what's on the shelf ,they also get very wet and run with condensation.
I have started a christmas goodies box ,I buy a few extra bits each week .
Looking forward to seeing your beading ,I've nearly finished another gnome just got some flowers to sew on his hat .
I've got another crochet gnome book coming this one has some small ones in as well as the bigger ones .
When you mentioned the yarn bombing it reminded me that the poppies have been put on the pill box there was a photo on fb ,I must get a photo next time I go out .

Mel thats good you've changed your appointment you don't want to be driving home alone in the dark , you might be better going early and going to to Lidls first , by the time you come out of the dentist it will be getting on .

Mel the wings were cooked at 200 at the time it said on the packet (they come in a packet.

Thighs, I will look back and see what I cook them at and let you know (I am upstairs and that info is downstairs),

Afternoon All,

The horrid fiine drizzle has arrived here too, but it should have been dry till after lunch. We managed to drag ourselves out of bed to go to Aldi early and, as usual, bought more than we planned! We got a few Christmas things with long dates, like a box of Fox's biscuits, OH's Turkish Delight and a box of Ferrero Rocher for me. (I like the handy polythene boxes they come in and am using one for my cable chargers). I got some non bio liquid for the washer and other food so the fridge is crammed now! The shop hardly looked any different, but has new chill shelving clear plastic doors that are better than the plastic strips it used to have.

We called for the last of my meds on the way back (3rd trip for them) and the older staff seem to have been replaced by youngsters who don't seem very organised at all. One girl spent ages on the computer checking what meds I still needed and after another 10 minutes I heard someone behind a screen say that it wasn't this village, so it sounded like they had wasted time looking in the wrong place. Eight other people were served while I waited and the only 3 seats were filled with people waiting for Flu and covid jabs. One lady asked for more chairs but they couldn't find any. My knees were really aching by the time they found my meds and I was on the verge of saying I'd come back in ten munutes and go and sit in the car for a while. OH had the same trouble getting his last meds too, so I think we'll ring before going to collect them next time. It's a good job we make sure we have some extra so we don't run out. As we drove out of the village they were putting up a Halloween Yarn Bomb!

Yes Mel the stamps on things are just read by a barcode reader now and don't have any franking marks. I suspect they would get some kind of alert if a barcoded stamp had been read before. It's a good idea to change your dental appointment now we have the darker nights, especially with your narrow, unlit roads. Road markings, if any, are poor and you can't see potholes. I rarely drive at night now, unless just along the main road. Our lanes have so much traffic and the headlights are so bright nowadays, they dazzle.

It's funny how the jabs affect us differently some years and different to each other, but I wouldn't fancy having them both in one arm like your poor daughter AnnG, although I expect they could be done at different times. You were up earlier than me this morning too. I don't seem to have benefited from the extra hour at all.

Better put our salad lunch together now and sit with OH to do the wordwheel and try and do the cryptic crossword afterwards, :-D Then I might start beading.

I had had a huge tomato, beans, 3 bacon, egg and two slices of toast for a late lunch.

What temp do you cook the chicken in the air fryer? is it the same for thighs?

That was not a lot for your evening meal Mel. I would not have slept if I had had that small an amount. I had the ready to cook (Tesco) chicken wings in a sweet chilli sauce that I could cook in the air frier, with broccoli, cauliflower and jacket potato. It was very nice. I have put on 1.5 pounds since before my holiday but that is good considering the three cooked breakfasts and the three meals out.

It is drizzly rain here now which is a nuisance as I wanted to cut a few more bits back to fill the brown bin which has to go out this evening.