General Chat

Last night I was trying to get a young magpie out of the conservatory, tonight baby blackbird and baby bluetit are having flying lessons in my garden.

It was very cool this morning when I went into town and I wore a light jacket. The sun did eventually come out but the was and still is a strong wind, especially down the docks. I had a really nice day walking around the docks taking photos of boats and occasionally sitting in the sun. I did also go into the Quays and M&S where I bought some lightweight cotton navy blue trousers. I also bought a shirt in Mountain Warehouse. Then, when back in town I bought a pair of crops in Bon Marche. Finally got home (not having had any lunch) at 2,15pm.

Still no sun and only 14 degrees but there is a bit of a breeze now so the washing is probably drying OK. I did a little bit in the garden this morning but I am having to be very careful. After doing quite a lot outside on Saturday I spent a lot of Sunday in pain. It doesn't do to get carried away and work for too long as Mandy's found. I shall just have to do half an hour at a time.

I rang the docs about my repeat prescription and got a very helpful receptionist. I pick my meds up at a pharmacy in town but she told me to speak to the pharmacy in the main doctors' surgery (there are 5 surgeries) and they would sort it for me. So I rang them, they looked me up on the computer and said no problem, they would reissue the script and it would get sent straight through to my pharmacy as usual. That's great but I don't understand why it was stopped in the first place. I think they may be trying to stop people misusing medication and taking tabs when they don't need them but the docs don't write scripts on repeat unless they are needed. I've no problem with the staff at the docs or the pharmacy; they are all lovely, it's the system that seems a bit wacky.

Must go out now to post a birthday card for youngest granddaughter who will be 17 on Friday. I think I'll need a thick fleece or jacket.

O Mandy I missed your post this morning. Take it easy today andhopfully it will be better tomorrow. Trouble is you don't realise how much your back moves by just raising an arm of clearing your throat etc.

Vera hope the sun comes out later for you to dry that washing. Its full sun here with a chilly breeze so a good drying day.

Just getiting ready for the shopping which is arriving today.

BIL has turned up and is in the garage sorting out.

Sorry to hear your back's sore Mandy. Try and rest up today.

I've washed a load of bedding and just been outside to hang it on the line and it's not very nice out at all. It's just grey with no sun or breeze so the washing is just hanging there. I was surprised at how chilly it felt as well.

Have a good trip into town AnnG. I've got to ring the surgery and find out what is going on with my meds as the pharmacy said when I collected my tablets last time that I wouldn't be getting any more. As I have had 3 items on repeat for 21 years and the consultant neurologist said I would be on them for life I don't see how they can just be stopped, particularly as I am not due another review until November. Why must everyone change a system that is working extremely well? The way our doctors and pharmacy worked was great till they "improved" it for the "convenience of patients" by introducing an Automatic Batch System. I'll ring the surgery this afternoon when the phones are less busy and see what they have to say.

Better get on and do some ironing now - my least favourite job. As I hate ironing I do the minimum to keep us looking clean and tidy so there isn't much to do.

Morning all,

Bright and sunny again today and we have wall to wal blue sky pc says 10 and sunny.

Fell asleep at the table last night so got myself off to bed. I was watching the Chelsea Flower Show. I washed half the decking and the west wall of the bungalow yesterday and got myself soaked my trousers were so heavy they were taking themselves down so I came in took them off and hung them on the line to dry out.

I also did some moulding and some casting so you couild say I had a good day at everything.

Mandy take care today then protect that back.

Morning all,

Dull day here lots of cloud not sure if we should have sun today I can't remember seeing the weather forecast yesterday .
My backs not to good today I think its all the potting up I did yesterday, I just bent over to pick up the laundry basket and boy did it shoot a pain in my back so I'm having an easy day ,no going for the wood over the school or going to the tip with the garden rubbish .

Yes its odd how the swans are behaving and I heard on television that the bees are swarming earlier this year and they didn't know why , perhaps these things know something we don't.

Anng enjoy your trip to town ,don't spend too much .

Vera sorry you had a bad night ,have a easy day and hopefully you'll have a better night tonight.

Good morning all. I had a reasonable night but woke early so on here early.
I wonder if the strange weather is affecting the Swans, it has been unseasonably warm when maybe they are used to cooler spring weather but that high number of eggs is strange Gwyn.
Yes I remember the Forts on the hill, can't remember which was/is Dryad and which Nelson though and I had not realised that Nelson was being used again but what a good idea and how appropriate the use is. Before we were married we once walked from The George inn on top of the road running up the hill from Cosham across the top of the hill and down into Portchester. I don't think I could do that today.
I envy you your visit to Portchester castle.
Mandy you had a busy day as did your son and DiL. I bet it is nice to see the gazebo up again.
All being well I am catching the bus in to town this morning, I have done a lot in the the garden so feel I am, for the moment, on top of it. :-) :-)

Good morning all

I had a bad night and gave up trying to sleep a while ago. I feel very tired and lethargic this morning.

I have no plans for the day. It looks as though it’s going to be like yesterday - a few sunny intervals and quite breezy but it should stay dry.

Your swans are behaving strangely Gwyn. I haven’t been down to the river to check but OH saw a pair with some cygnets further down the river than the usual spot we see them. They might have been “ours”.

Evening all,

We've had another day in the garden , this morning son and dil came and put the gazebo up for us they can do it so much quicker than we can it would have taken us all morning to do but within 40 minutes it was all done ,I just have the little lights to go round ,they also put the brackets on the gazebo for the hanging baskets to go up ,I planted them all in yesterday so they hung them up too.
This afternoon I potted up my cucumbers and some tomatoes and got them in the greenhouse now I feel really tired
It's been a bit cooler here today we have had a little sun this afternoon after a cloudy morning and we even had a little drizzle first thing .

Gwyn I think its a swans nest of multiple occupancy :-D it will be interesting to see how many hatch .
Half term here too so dil is off school this week ,she is now on a contract with the school so is giving up her evening job at the doctors ,it will be much better she won't have to be turning out in the dark to go to work in the winter .

In the morning we have to take the garden rubbish to the tip and call at the school as son is in grass cutting and he has lots of wood for Colin to cut up for the wood burner , there's pallets there that can be cut up the school have all their paper come in bulk on the pallets .

Mel, You were asking about the swans.......
I really don't know what is going on this year. It was some time ago, that I saw 7 eggs in the nest and that number stayed steady for a while, then suddenly there were more eggs, - in total 9 eggs, but they were often left for long periods of time with the eggs totally uncovered and sometimes no parent swan in sight.
I was last near the nest last Friday, when a friend and I walked that way. The female was sitting on the nest with the other swan swimming a short distance away. When we returned on our way home, both adults were standing up close to the nest and we could see 12 eggs!
Your guess is as good as mine as to whether any of the eggs are viable and will hatch this year :-S

It's a lovely sunny day here, but with a very strong easterly wind blowing, it's quite chilly, if one is out for any length of time.
We've had some lovely weather, while the children are on their half term break. Our local primary are off this coming week too, so I have another week to myself, before I go back volunteering.
This weekend was busy. On Saturday, my elder daughter took me to Hampshire to Fort Nelson, which is on the hill ridge north of Portsmouth. Ann, like myself will remember this building as derelict, but it now houses items for the Royal Armouries and at the moment, an art installation, - Standing with Giants, in remembrance of 255 Service personnel and 3 civilians lost in the Falklands conflict. This takes the form of lifesize metal silhouettes standing all over the parade ground and on the outer ramparts overlooking that. Many ships sailed out to war in 1982 from nearby Portsmouth, so there has been a lot of local interest.
Afterwards we went to nearby Portchester Castle to tend family graves in the churchyard there.
It was such a warm day, the first this year when I could walk in short sleeved top all afternoon.

I am just thinking about lunch myself as I have been pressure washing the sid eof the bungalow and the decking.

Its only one degree higher here at 16 Anng.

You've got a nice lot done this morning. I have put a coup;le of coats on some moulds this morning, done the chickens and wild birds.

It is really windy here, very gusty, the temp has just crept up to 15 degrees but it was very cloudy and quite cold earlier. I decided to sort out my T shirts and sweaters etc and move the T shirts to where the thick sweaters were. So there is a nice tidy cupboard now as I went on to sort the long sleeved T shirts and tops and the camisoles (all in the same wardrobe type cupboard. and them I walked down with a large carrier bag full for charity and to post a card. when I got back I spotted some weeds needing pulling up in my jungle front birder so pulled those for the garden bin. I have also changed and washed the bedding. And now I shall start to think about lunch.

I wonder if Gwyn has seen the swans lately as we hav'nt had a report about them for a while now.

Morning Anng and all,

Beautiful morning here and its nice and sunny with a clear blue sky as far as the eye can see. Pc says 12 degrees and sunny and as its a holiday I expect all the kids will be down the beach.

I should do gardening today too Anng but will see how it goes as HW needs doing too.

good morning all. sunny here and 9 degrees, bedding in the wash. Strange night of sleeping and waking, can't get back again to sleeping for at least six hours without waking. I suppose added up it was enough sleep.
Nothing planned for today so probably more gardening although I should do a bit of housework. Hmm!! Sunny so far out there unusual Bank Holiday weather.

Morning all,

I was up with you two at about 5am something but went back to bed for a lie in as its Sunday and woke up at past 10am. Must have needed the sleep.

Nothing pllanned fro today but do enjoy the gardens Anng.

Good morning Vera, pleased to see somebody else was around early. And good to see that you were able to get some garden jobs done. I have bulbs in pots but I do tend to leave them in their pots and just move the pots to their summer place at the end of the garden, it has always worked for us. but I do have plenty of space to keep the pots out of the way.

Enjoy your face time with your granddaughter.

It is 17 degrees here so looks like being a warm day later, however when I went out to water the baskets it felt cold as there is a chilly breeze. difficult to know what to wear as the village where the gardens are is where the canal is and is open to the River Severn in the distance so if there is a breeze it could be chilly.