General Chat

Afternoon All,

Phew it seems hotter than ever and so still. The ground was wet at 8.00am this morning when I opened the doors, so we must have had a drop of rain but it soon dried. A lorry turned up further up the close at 7.15 am and made a right old racket unloading building materials. Then a team turned up making a loud noise digging and repairing the tarmac where the cable repairers had been. Then a rubbish clearance van turned up and went nextdoor and now a car alarm went off and when I checked it wasn't mine I saw a tyre van parked on another neighbour's drive and their boot up. Then all that clattering when a wheel is changed and new tyre put on started up. To think we thought it was a quiet close when we moved here, well it did used to be!

I see we are due an even hotter heatwave from the 10th August, so I need to get my desk fan down that uses ice before then.

OH's croaky voice has got much worse today and his nose is runny, so the covid test might be used tomorrow. He didn't come inside the doctors with me when I went for my MMR jab this morning, so as not to spread his germs particularly if it might be covid! I need another MMR jab in a fortnight and the nurse thinks I need another tetanus jab as I had only had 2 a couple of years ago, but she will check and txt me. When I came out OH had moved the car to a shady spot when someone else had moved their car and stood outside behind the car. Another chap shouted that he should have brought his deckchair! He's been hotter than me today and flopped watching tv most of the day.

It sounds like a fungal infection is right Mandy if the cream is helping Colin already. It's not surprising with this hot weather. It must seem as if it's one thing after another for you both lately. I had to look up those African wash cloths as I'd never heard of them, but they do sound good. I had a back scrubber brush delivered this morning as I'd thrown away a plastic strap thing I bought with scrubby plastic bits to do your back. It was too short and getting it in position I kept twisting my shoulder. Those cloths look longer though and I expect you can put them through a wash as well.

Good idea to wash your winter teddy fleeces Mel as they'll dry quick in this heat. I ought to wash some pillows, but can't face wrestling with pillowcases just now.

I have to use non bio for washing Vera. OH has such funny skin! He went outside in his shorts for just 10 minutes the other day when the sun was out. An hour or two after he'd been inside he came and showed me his legs and there was a solid line between pasty and a bright red rash (photosensitivity not sunburn) where his shorts ended. It happens to his feet if he doesn't wear socks too and his middle, yet his arms are fine uncovered and go quite brown.

I even got one of those dog cool pads last year to try on the bed Vera, but the blooming thing was so heavy I got 10 times hotter getting it onto the bed, so I had to send it back! :-D I leave small windows open in the bedroom and ensuite at night and this year have left the bedroom door and door to the ensuite open about six inches after reading it helps the air to circulate from cooler areas and it might be working as I've slept ok up to now this time. I hope I haven't jinxed it now by saying that! lol.

I've just washed some tops so better put them on hangers on the line. They should dry quickly.

Vera Asda pay the refunds back into my bank and I am glad of that because I don't know how to do coupons on an online shop.

I have been trying to clear the top of the big pond as there is always stuff coming up which I think the fish suck of the sides.I so want it to look nice when the family come

There's no let up in the weather. It's 26-27 degrees again, not much of a breeze and our thunderstorm warning was withdrawn. There hasn't been a drop of rain though we might, only might, get a light shower this evening. 3 or 4 weeks ago I was complaining that there was too much rain, now I'm moaning because there isn't enough. Never happy, am I?

Some of our group have gone on a day trip to the Bedford area where they are having a 2-hour boat trip on the Great Ouse. It might be quite pleasant out on the river on a day like today.

I didn't sleep much last night because of the heat and ended up falling into a proper sleep around 5 am. That meant I didn't wake up till 9 which put me all behind. I had to try and time a tablet I have to take first thing but mustn't eat for a while after it with breakfast and shower/hair wash and getting out by 10.30 am. I feel as if I have been chasing my tail all day.

I didn't complain to Sainsbury's after my delivery yesterday as someone in their admin must have realised things weren't right and emailed me with a refund of £8.25. I'm dithering whether to make my other complaint as I don't specially want a refund but I think they ought to know. It's all to do with packaging that looked as though it had been deliberately opened and torn in the process. As the contents of the package was vacuum packed and undamaged I will keep it but the picker should never have sent it in the order. I also feel Sainsbury's are a bit artful in that they don't refund the credit/debit card you have used to pay. Instead they send you a voucher which has to be used on an online order so forcing you to shop with them again.

I'd better go and raid the freezer to find something to cook for tonight. I struggle to eat much in very hot weather but OH's appetite is as good as ever so I need to give him more than a small salad.

Hope AnnG had a good journey.

22 degrees so going up.

Washings o the line and I used the liquid today as it was all very thick fleeces and I did'nt want that mess in those as they are what they call Teddy Fleeces. Getting them ready for the winter.

I have one of those annoying poppy ears this morning. Have had it a couple of days this week on and off. I don't really need to wear a hat today but thats what I do inthe winter. Its my left one the one I don't sleep on.

Pinch and a punch.

Morning all and have a safe journey Ann and enjoy your time away.

20 degrees here at the mo and pc says partly cloudy. We had a few drops of rain last night before I went to bed but nothing to do any good I think as everywhere is bone dry here this morning.

Had a lie in as I hav'nt had to get up for the post van.

It's been another hot one here again ,we sat out and had coffee after popping to the
Coop for the tele book and then on to tesco to the hole in the wall to get some cash.
On the way back I managed to park in town and popped into boots for our tablets ,I had a word with the pharmacist as Colin has had itchy fingers ,he had antihistamine tablets and tried e45 itch cream but that didn't really help so she said it might be a fungal infection and suggested hydrocortisone cream ,he's put one lot on and said it feels a lot better .
Just done some watering as I don't think we'll get any rain and the pots soon go dry and then the water doesn't go into the soil just runs off .

I meant to say has anyone used one of the African wash cloths ,I sent for some from amazon and I love them in the shower ,I usually use one of those scrunchies in the shower but these wash cloths are brilliant as they are long and you can hold them over one shoulder and do all your back in the shower and your skin feels lovely after .

Have a safe journey Anng and have a lovely holiday .

Yes it feels much hotter here today and airless. I've had to put a strappy top on with my shorts today,

Gwyn you are right about smells. I used to hate that stale, oily smell on buses as a child. Cigarette smoke at work or in the cinema when it used to be allowed would give me awful migraines and I wouldn't eat out anywhere busy when smoking used to be allowed in restaurants, Even now going into hospitals where people smoke at the entrances I hold my breath as I walk past. Mum would never smoke in my car because of it. Hubby used to sometimes smoke those thin, black cigars when I first knew him, but soon stopped when he thought it might be me or the cigars!! This talk reminds me I read that insects don't like the smell of Lavender, so I must pick some from the garden and see if it will keep the pesky flies out that are a nuisance this year. It's since they mowed the field.

It is interesting our different washing practices. Annoyingly my machine doesn't have a 30 degree cycle, which lots of fabrics advise, but does have 40 degrees as well as 20 degrees and hotter ones. What I do is do some washes on 20 degrees but add laundry wash to disinfect it. I use vanish sometimes and washing up liquid on stains. Spits of grease on cotton get dabbed with a special cleaner for it. It was doing a 40 degree wash that I have trouble with the pods sticking to the clothes Mel.

I have my MMR jab in the morning and still don't fancy it as I've read about side effects up to a fortnight later. OH seems like he either has hay fever or a cold/covid starting since yesterday. His eyes are puffy, he has a headache starting again since one he had during the night and his voice sounds awful, but no sore throat yet. He wasn't entitled to the last covid booster, so is less protected than I am. At least we have a covid test I got a little while ago and I will test him if the hay fever tablets don't seem to be helping.

I hope you have a good journey and a lovely time AnnG and will have some photos for us of the wedding when you get back.

23 degrees here now and its been hotter but we are lucky really as being between two sea it seems to keep it cooler sometimes.

Anng I posted your card today as I did'nt know you were going early in the morning, sorry I meant to do it yesterday and I put a first class stamp on too.

I have been faffing with the ponds again today. Cleaned my pond filter out and then had the big pond scimmer on as there was loads of green fluffy stuff coming up I think the fish have been sucking it off the sides so after having the scimmer on nearly all day and fishing some out with my little net I gave it a blanket weed treatment again hoping that will kill it. We will see once the pond clears again as it goes all misty with this stuff. Iv'e just fed them and am about to go and do the chickens corn and then do my salad. Iv'e had it soaking in cold water since late morning. Now what shall I have with it Tuna or salmon????? Iv'e some nice coleslaw with cheese, beetroot, celery, cue, toms and spring onions and I may boil an egg.

I usually use Fairy powder but thought I would try the liquid but never had the measuring thing to put it in so used the top of the bottle but not sure if that was enough. I don't like to put it in the draw as I think when the drawers out and you pour the liquid in and then push the draw in you're pushing it over the liquid Anyway thought I would try the pods. Perhaps they are better on a hotter wash as I usually use 40 and no spin but then do a drain and spin as my machine won't do a 1400 spin on a coldish wash.

Thanks Vera, It is 28 degrees here PC says it will be 29 and mostly sunny.
I never use consitioner these days.

Back again. Sainsbury came a bit earlier than I expected but everything is now sorted and put away. I will be emailing them later with a couple of complaints but I won't bore you with those.

Re. detergents: Like AnnG I always use Persil non-bio liquid. It's a bit pricey compared to some detergents but I find it the best all round one and I buy 2 or 3 when I see it on special offer somewhere. We have a Farm Foods shop near us and they often have giant sizes at a very good price. I never use Vanish or anything else with it and only use conditioner for the odd woolly jumper. Things like towels get a longer, hot wash but everything else gets a short wash at 30 degrees and it all seems to come up clean and fresh.

It's now 27 degrees but I've just been out to the garden and it feels a lot hotter than it did earlier. The weather app is telling me it is cooler than yesterday. I was wondering why we British discuss the weather so much. I think it's because we never know what to expect so any change in the weather comes as a surprise.

OH is supposedly watching Olympics but I suspect he is watching them with his eyes closed

In case I don't post again before you go tomorrow AnnG I hope you have a safe and comfortable journey. Have a lovely time while you are away and tell us all about the wedding when you come back.

I think it's just very slightly cooler than yesterday but it's still 26 degrees and, like Gwyn, we have a yellow warning of thunderstorms.

That's a shame about the pod outer not dissolving properly in the wash Mel.

Oops Sainsbury's have arrived. BBL

It is 23 degrees here and humis.
For many years I have used Persil non biological liquid. Had to use that or similar when daughter lived at home as she is allergic to bio washing liquids. I use the little cups and put them in the machine but only use about half the amount suggested and add vanish powder to the cup. If daughter is here when I do washing (which is very rarely) I omit the vanish.

I have nothing extra on my hair, nothing after the wash and conditioner before cutting and no spray afterwards.

Better crack on Daughter is at Hilton Services so about an hour and a half away,

Thank you Mel and Mandy for sharing photos of your garden.
Lovely to see the results of all your hard work.
I don't know how you keep going some days Mel with so much ground to care for, but you've done really well with making the tree area neat and tidy.
I really like Mandy's high troughs. What a lovely display of geraniums. The lilies are doing well too. What strong colours :-D

Laptop is telling me it's 24 degrees and partly sunny. We have a thunderstorm warning for later, so that might cause some problems, if the rainfall is too heavy onto hard baked ground, so it doesn't soak in easily. :-0

Washing load finished and ready to hang up.
Interesting isn't it how we all favour different products.?
For years I have used a Tesco washing powder suitable for colours, but now I think it may have been discontinued, so I am going to have to change to pods or liquid or a different powder altogether. I have one box unopened, then it will be 'all change'.
Like Mandy, I often target stains with washing up liquid, especially if they are greasy, but I rinse the area well before putting the item into wash.
I use Vanish on top of my powder in the drawer too to remove general marks.

Mel
Do you have a handwash programme on your washing machine?
I have used that successfully on mine many times without harming the garment.

Another thing I do is lessen the spin speed of a normal wash, but when the programme finishes, I take everything out, fold all the clothes and respin on maximum speed (1400) to get more water out.
By doing this and using fabric conditioner, I almost never need to iron anything if items are shaken out and dried correctly.
I know Mel in particular can't cope with particular smells, so we all do what suits our individual circumstances.

Morning All,

My hair sticks up like that after I've slept on it AnnG and it didn't used to do it as much and I don't always put hairspray on. My hair is more wiry now and shorter than it used to be so I think that must be the reason with mine. I hope you get all the bits and bobs done today. I always worry I'll forget something.

Mel I'm glad I'm not the only one that has happened to with those pods for the washing. I don't use them now, but it's hard to find the tablets I used to use, so I've sometimes got the big bottles of liquid like Mandy. I'm the same and guess how much to use instead of putting those measure pots in the drum. :-)

I slept well and need to pop to the shop today. I need some coleslaw to go with our jackets with cottage cheese and salad today and other bits that take my fancy. Hardly any sun breaking through here and 21 degrees so quite pleasant. I flung all the doors and windows on the back open at 7.30am to cool the bungalow.

Toodlepips for now.

Morning all,

The sky looks a bit hazy here this morning but the sun is shining and it feels very humid .

Anng do they put hair spray on your hair after a cut ,it might be that that's made it stick up this morning, I don't have hair spray on now as I find it makes my hair quite stiff and I have fine hair .

Mel I've never used the pods I use to use powder but now I use the liquid and I like that better than the powder the piwder was making the dispenser draw quite rough and hard to clean now I just pour the liquid in the drawer don't even use the little plastic pot things that you put straight in the washer .
Plus I find you can add just what you need and even pour a drop on a stain although I like to add a drop of washing up liquid on any stains .

Must do some ironing now before it starts heating up .

Morning girls,

Another nice morning here in deepest Devon. Its 18 degrees and pc is saying Mostly sunny but thunderstorms too. So I really don't know what that means whether its jus thunder and no rain or if it will pour down and ruin all the garden flowers.

Hae a bit of hand wshing today and then I will see how the day takes me and how hot it gets. Washing dried well yesterday and I remembered to bring it in before the dew came down and got it ironed. I had a bit of trouble with the washing yesterday. I tried the new Fairy pods for the first time. All was fine and the washing smelt nice but when I put one of my vests tops on the line I noticed a huge sticky something on it. It was the outer copating of the pod which had'nt disolved but made a dreadful mess of a favorite coloured top. I put it under the tap right away and it seemed to come out but when I took it off the line it was very stiff so its gone back in the linen bin. I wondered what on earth it was when I saw it.

Good morning all. I got up when I woke as I didn't want to go back to sleep with the window cleaner coming around 9-9.30. Have to be up tomorrow too at this time as we leave early. It was another hot night although maybe not as hot as previously. I slept quite well. Isn't it annoying when you have your hair cut then sleeping on it makes it all stick up. My hair is wiry and very strong so I looked like a relative of a hedgehog this morning.

13 degrees here (0630) and feels very humid. Got a small wash to put in but other than a general tidy not a lot to do today indoors. some bits to do in the garden. fill watering cans for Cynth etc.

It sounds like you have spent the day with the pump Mel, but at least it is working now and won't need you to dig into your pockets for a repair. I hope it was shady where you had to work.

OH has been fine today apart from being tired all day, but this heat is tiring anyway. The thermometer in here is still reading 28 degrees so it's hotter than yesterday. Yes, the cramp made my leg sore this morning and I was walking a bt more carefully with it, just in case it started again but it didn't. It must be annoying in your fingers like that when you are doing your miniatures. I used to drink soda water for the quinine years ago when I used to get leg cramps, but I have to avoid quinine now I have thyroid issues. For the same reason, I also can't have calcium within 4 hours before or after my thyroid tablets either, as it can stop my medication being absorbed. So no milk, cheese, yoghurt or broccoli till lunchtime. It's lucky I'm used to mostly not bothering with breakfast and it's a brunch with poached eggs or a small english rather than cereal with milk.

It's late for me so I'm off to bed. Sleep tight everyone if you can.

Yes I did Anng I could'nt beleive the little Speedwell flowers had those tiny white bits sticking out of them.

Not done any gardening today but did do some water gardening. It all started with me getting stuff out of the scimmer which is attached to my pond pump. It did'nt seem to be sucking stuff in it very well so I had the inner basket out which is a so and so to get back in in the right position and when I had it still seemed not to be working properly so I had moved the stone in it to a different place and I think it somehow got under the flap that lets the water into it. Anyway I turned it off and when I turned it back on the pump was'nt wrking I gave it a shake in and out of the pond and I could hear it whirring so I turned it off and on again and still nothing. B*m I thought I shall have to take all the fence down round the pond and get the pump pout which I did. There are umpteen cable ties keeping the netting over the franmework and round the sides so off they all came and I took the pump apart and put it back together and tried it again..........still nothing. Out it came again and I took it right apart this time and plugged it back in to see if the impeller was working which it was so I put it all back together again put it back in the pond squirted it with the hose and still nothing so I thought. Pulled a lot of weed out and dead stuff while I had the fence down and looked round to see water coming out of the infill pipe so the pump had started working thank goodness. I thought I was going to have another bill from the pond man. I just had the bill for the loo and that was £156.

Anyway now I have completly bored you with my fatefull day I hope G's migraine is better now. Dos'nt your leg ache all day after having cramp. I did say the other day I was woken with it a couple of days ago. Last night I kept getting it in my index finger and thumb on my left hand and the finger shot out straight and the thumb and I had to push them both back down. It happens soemtimes when I am holding tiny things to paint. I must admit I drank quite a lot of tonic water last night to stop it. Oh always drank it for cramp and it works a treat as it has quinine in it. Same with bitter lemon I think.

Its still 22 degrees here now at 7.14pm.

I better get some dinner on, sweet and sour chicken tonight, I like that followed by my fruit again I have some nice pears come today and cherries and grapes or I could have a nectarine.