General Chat

Poor you Mel. You are having a rotten time. I hope tomorrow will be a better day.

It’s not been bad here today. It was misty first thing but then it brightened up though it’s still a bit nippy in the breeze.

I did a bit of potting on this morning. Then we had a very early lunch as we were going to our little local theatre to see a screening of the ballet Cinderella from the Royal Opera House. It started at 2 pm and we left home really early because of the problems with road closures. We had a gift voucher for the tickets plus a bit of money to add and I still had to pay as I booked over the phone. I needed to leave time for that as well. Of course we drove straight there without a problem, paid at the box office straight away and still had half an hour to kill. So we had a short walk along a wooded path by the river. The birds were singing their little hearts out and it was lovely.

The ballet was superb. The lighting, staging, costumes, everything seemed perfect. You don’t think of ballet as being funny but the scenes with the ugly sisters were hilarious. I know seeing it on screen is not quite the same as seeing it in the flesh, but to travel to London and buy the cheapest seats at the Royal Opera House would have cost us well over £200, probably nearer £250. Our two seats this afternoon cost us £32.

OH has just made himself some cheese on toast so I think I might go and get myself something now. I fancy toast with scrambled egg.

I have had another one. I bent down to do a bit of weeding in one of my pots and it went all down my cardy and on the patio.

Is that something that you often get Mel?

Just had a run out for coffee at Maryport. Not nice at all today. Very grey and overcast and cold so we just went to the cafe and then drove home. We did detour round Maryport itself to avoid the traffic coming the usual way because of the diversion for roadworks.

Just had a nose bleed.

Thanks Anng.

Awful, those days Mel and they don’t stop. They do get further apart. It is when you have time to think then keep remembering little things. Just relax and get absorbed in something. Tears help, it will pass.

Morning All,

Pc is saying partly sunny and it was at 7.23am but its ckouded over ow and the sky is grey. I too wish we could have at least two days in a row of nice weather as you feel so much better when its bright and I always seem to get on well on sunnier days.

Nothing planned for today and I know BIL is not coming till next Thursday.

With any luck I could have the other mower back on Tuesday god willing.

Not having a very good morning this morning as I keep getting tearfull.

Good morning all. Yesterday was lovely today so far is grey and feels cold. Wish we could have two nice days in a row..

I see the sheep and lambs are back in the field next to this house.
No plans yet for today, just hope it warms up a bit.

It was fairly sunny this morning but it's raining again now. I hope it was dry for you AnnG and that you enjoyed a walk at Siloth.

I've had a busy morning and feel quite shattered now. On Thursday, thinking it was Friday, I took a large piece of beef brisket out of the freezer to defrost for Sunday. Last night I remembered we will be out a good part of Sunday and I won't have time to cook and eat a full roast dinner. I'm not with it at all this week am I. So first thing I prepared potatoes and broccoli and put my beef in the slow cooker with some other bits of veg and we will have it tonight.

Then I cleaned out the freezer. A couple of days ago OH opened it and some chunks of ice fell out - quite a lot of ice. Everything seemed to be working normally and we haven't seen any ice since but I thought it would be a good idea to get everything out and clean it just in case something had got blocked and it had stopped self defrosting. We have another freezer in the garage so I shoved everything that would start to defrost quickly into that freezer. It was crammed to the gills. I'm surprised I managed to shut the door. Anything that didn't absolutely need to be in the fridge was taken out and that was stuffed full of everything else from the freezer and OH warned not to open the fridge. It took ages to really clean out and check everything and we could find nothing wrong at all so I think whatever caused the ice must have corrected itself. Then the freezer had to drop down to the correct temperature again and all the food be put back I couldn't believe how long it all took but it's another job out of the way for a little while.

AnnG, I don't think I said what plants were delivered the other day. There was a hosta and an agapanthus and they will both go in pots. I love agapanthus and have several pots that I have had for years. This one is quite small so may not bloom for a year or two. Then there is a yellow helenium with a brown centre and a pink salvia. As it happens we had just taken out two grasses so they have been put in those spots. Next was a sedum and I had a handy space right next to a little group of 3 sedums I already had. There was a very dark hollyhock - they call the colour burgundy black. That was the hardest one to find a spot for but we moved a pot that can go anywhere and put it there in a sunny area next to a light willow green coloured fence. A small white dianthus with a pinky red centre has gone where we lost a plant over the winter, in a narrow border between a very low wall and some paving. The last one was tiarella and that has been put where we have recently taken out our tiny pond.

I am very impressed with this company. Their plants arrive beautifully packaged and look really healthy. Everything we had delivered in January is doing well and I am now already looking forward to our July delivery. Of course I have no idea what daughter paid. I suspect they might be quite pricey.

Sun has come out again now and computer is telling me it is raining on and off. Enjoy the rest of your day and sleep well tonight everyone.

The sun shone most of the time that we were at Siloth and we had a pleasant walk along the promenade. There is not a lot to do there, it is just a very unspoiled old fashioned seaside town. We had a pleasant lunch in a cafe we had been in before, daughter and I had all day breakfasts which were really good. Got home after 2pm and spent the afternoon reading.

Still nice and sunny here and 11 degrees now.

Enjoy Siloth and tell us all about it when you get back.

Good morning all, weather yesterday was quite good, dull in the morning but a lovely sunny afternoon. We left my bracelets wupith the jeweller and then had coffee in a large out of town store. Came home for lunch as daughter finds snack lunches difficult being on a no carb diet, very few places have alternatives to sandwiches, panini etc. spent the afternoon reading.
Vera did you say what plants came this time, I expect I missed it.
Don’t these roadworks cause a lot of inconvenience. At home we are almost boxed in by them. And now, here for the next five weeks a road is closed which means all traffic is diverted past daughter’s house. This part of the road is 30mph and none of them stick to that.

Mel you had a bad day didn’t you? Hope today is better.

Probably going to Siloth today to walk by the sea. So far we have clear blue sky no clouds.

Morning all,

A bright and sunny morning here this morning but how long will it last I ask myself? Whats it like with you lot? Pc says mostly sun ny and 5 degrees at present.

Hope you all slept well.

I wonder if BIL will come today? questions seem to be the thing this morning?

Right must get in the shower.

What a horrid day you had Mel but nice that people did stop to check that you were OK..

It's good that you can get your bracelets repaired AnnG. So few jewellers seem to have trained craftsmen/repairers on the premises these days. Everything has to be sent away so it's good the one in Cockermouth could help.

I hope you enjoyed your crab Mandy. I wish I could eat shellfish. Poor OH doesn't get much either as I can't eat it.

The day started bright here but got dull and then wet again this afternoon and there is such a cold wind still. This morning we spent half an hour deciding where our new plants could go and then OH planted six of them out. The other 2 will go in pots. While he was busy outside I did a bit of h/w (boring!!!) then we had an early snack lunch so I could get to the hairdressers. OH usually gets lunch and I said I would have a banana sandwich - I got a pate and pickle sandwich. Why are men so selectively deaf?

OH had an errand in town so said he would drive us in. Because of the road closures at the moment we had to drive all round the outside of town. Then we found the car park was choc-a-bloc. We just found a space right over the far side. We parted company there and arranged to meet later in the tea shop opposite my hairdresser. I popped in the bank first and just made it as apparently they are now closing at 2 pm. I am wondering how long it will be before they close altogether. Barclays and HSBC are both closing. Half the shops seem to be closing as well. Our lovely little market town will soon consist of charity shops and coffee shops.

After my haircut I met OH in the teashop and we had a drink and as we had to pass Tesco on our all-round-the-outskirts trip home we popped in for a few bits.

As I try to have at least one fish and one veggie meal each week I thought I'd try a new recipe I'd found for Leek and Egg Bake. As it was the first time I had made it I weighed and measured everything and stuck to the timing given in the recipe. Let's just say that if I ever make it again it will be considerably adapted. There will be less butter and either more leeks or another veg with it and I will use my own timings. It was OK but really not worth all the effort. Do you other ladies find it a problem cooking nutritious and tasty meals without serving up the same old things?

My son's step-son got married today. I'm not sure if I can say he is a step-grandson as his maternal and paternal grandparents are still alive but we have got to know him well over the past years and are very fond of him. We were invited to the wedding but had to turn down the invitation. It would have been a very long drive and an overnight hotel stay needed but the venue was really in the middle of nowhere so we would probably have needed long taxi rides between our hotel and the venue etc. However we have been thinking of them all day so here's to B and his lovely bride C, wishing them a long and happy marriage.

Good afternoon all. Just a trip into Cockermouth this morning. Two of my bracelets broke last year and our local jeweller wanted to send them away for mending but he was really reluctant to mend them. The jeweller here has mended things for me before.. although one is silver and the other is gold plated they are not valuable but have sentimental value. They will let Lyn know when they are mended and she can collect the .

After that we had coffee in a local large department store/garden centre then a good look round. I bought a couple of baking trays I needed. Back home then for lunch and stayed in reading all afternoon.

O and what I made yesterday in my clay was mushrooms and plumbs a couple of white carrots and six mini apples.

I am making a tudor feast.

I forgot to mention that while I was waiting for Stuart Ed cmae past and also asked if I was ok. Then Em came past and also asked. She had the boys with her s was taking them somewhere. So all in all that was three lot of help offered.

Somuch for a good day on my miniatures. I did'nt have any bread so decided to go to the shop today and get a loaf so COULD HAVE SOMETHING TO EAT. tHIS WAS late after lunchtime. Got in the car and backed up and hit the blimmin ladders oh had left up the side of my car against the block wall which edges the lawn. Having backed onto it I had to drive forwards again to go back. Drove up my road and put my belt on in the carpark as usual and went to drive out but the stearing seemed to be pulling to the left so stopped at the crossroads to take a look. Yes you've guessed it I had a flat tire. Thank goodness I had my phone with me as I sometimes forget it. Rang Stuart but he could'nt come right away but after a while he arrived with a jack in his land rover. He had asked me if the spare was pumped up ok and I told him It was a bit down. He took it out of the boot and it only had 10lbs in it and shoudl be 34lbs luckily he had brought a bottle and an airgun to which he pumped the tyre up tookk the other off and put the spare on. Took away the tyre to mend if he can but I may have ruined the wall of the tyre in which case he will get me a new one, These things are sent to try us arn't they? A couple of young men in a large van came past and asked me if I jknew if the road was still closed and I said I did'nt but the sign was flat on its face in the road so they went down anyway. A little while later they came back and stopped and asked if I was ok. Told them I had a puncture and they were going to change the tyre for me but I told them Stuart was coming so off they went. I thought how nice of them. Then I went and put the sign back up. back to the car and a yellow delivery van came along and stopped and asked if I was ok and I told him I had someone coming. So I had two lots of men asking if I was ok. Was'nt that nice? Then Stuart arrived and then I felt safe. He took the tyre to see if it was just the valve as I had bent it when I hit the wall and turned at the same time.

So I eventually got to the shop for bread and came home and had some toast with the egg I dented this morning after dropping it.

At 11.50am I was outside and there was the most enormous bang. Still not found ut what that was.

Morning all,

Sunny here but the black clouds are building ,I must keep an eye out for my bedding on the line as we should have some showers later .
I nipped out to boots early to get our tablets as when I called for them on Tuesday they didn't have some of them in ,they still didn't have one of Colins so that means another trip up next week ,fish stall was there so I got another crab we really enjoyed the one we had last week .
I made a lasagne for tonight so thats ready for the oven later and now I'm having my coffee .

Mel what have you made with the clay ,is it still your little minitures .

Vera sounds as if you enjoyed your time with your daughter and granddaughter, nice to have a catch up and a good laugh .
I see you have your next delivery of plants so you'll be busy planting ,just watch your back .

Anng you had a good spend up in the shops i see and enjoyed your cathedral visit too.
Fancy having the sleet and snow must have looked nice on the mountain tops .

Morning all,

Dull and dreary today and evrywhere looks wet so its been raining in the night. I hav'nt been out yet as I overslept. I was up just after 7am. and the heating was'nt on so I went back for half an hour and woke up at 10am! I must stop doing this and stay up when I first wake.

If I know I have to get up the postvan I get up if I don't I lie in. Not sure if BIL is coming today or not or maybe tomorrow.

I am now ging to look and see what my polyclay looks like now it baked.

You seem to have had a good day in Carlisle AnnG. Our son was at uni there and he always said if it wasn’t raining in Carlisle it was about to rain. I remember freezing at his July graduation because I had taken a summer dress and jacket to wear, and I really needed thermals and a thick winter coat.

Your swan is doing well with 7 eggs Gwyn. I wonder how many ours will have. I seem to remember our pair were a week or two behind yours last year.

Lots of memories for you today Mel ?? (EDIT not sure what the question marks are doing there. It was meant to be a heart)

We had a lovely day with our daughter yesterday. Eldest granddaughter was able to get there too and it was great seeing them both. There was lots of chatting and lots and lots of laughter. The work that has been done on her house has made a huge difference and it now looks like a home instead of a project. I had expected to leave daughter’s around 4 but we didn’t leave till nearly 7 pm. in the end.

While we were there our next lot of plants that she had ordered for us at Christmas arrived. 8 outdoor perennials for us to find just the right spot for. We did have to laugh as they included a hosta. We have taken out all our garden hostas and given them away, some to our daughter, and we still have 11 in large pots. The last thing we needed was another hosta, lol.

Today we met friends for coffee in our nearest garden centre. We usually meet in town but roads are still closed or dug up and we have to drive all round and come into the centre from the other side of town. I’m having my hair cut tomorrow so I shall have to get into town somehow.

OH has just brought me a glass of wine as a pre-dinner drink. I think that’s a hint to start cooking so it’s Kitchen, here I come.