General Chat

Still blowing a gale here at Lee, hard to stand up or even get the car door open. But five miles down the road at Gosport it was not quite such a strong wind and we crossed the harbour on the ferry no problem. Surprised to see that the aircraft carrier Wuenn Elizabeth is in harbour, still can’t get over how big she is. We watched the huge French car ferry come in across the front of our ferry and we hardly moved, Inexpected the ferry to rock in the wash.

I need to get packed shortly as we leave tomorrow. OH turns the lights on and off with Alexa in the evenings. Had to warn the neighbours.

You were lucky then AnnG. I really thought it would be far to choppy. You can't pop your head outside here at the moment without almost being blown away. Thomas has taken sanctuary in the Summerhouse .The rain is definitely on the way now.
I didn't know you can use Alaexa for lights!. Do you need a special app do do that? I just use ours for music.

Glow in the dark washing line!! What next !!!!!!! I hope you find what you are looking for Mel.

Fish and Chips from the Freezer tonight. Garden Peas from last years crop and Cauliflower Cheese .

Just seen a Red Kite fly really low over the back garden

Gill, I would try and get registered with a dentist if I were you. It would worry me if I wasn't as you never know when you will get toothache. I hope you aren't still in pain, that Bonjela you rub on helps.

Mel, not even a crumb for me and Mandy then!! :-S :-S You'll have to make a bigger one next time. ;-) ;-)

It sounds like the secret may be out Jane! I watched a Crow trying to fly today and thought 'as the Crow flies' wouldn't have the same meaning today with the wind blowing them off course.

It was good the ferry was ok today AnnG so you could go on it. I was forgetting the big ones would be much more stable.

When I came back a while ago, little Fleur was on her walk with the neighbour and spotted me driving down the close. She kept looking back, then sat at the bottom of our drive. As soon as I got out of the car she was trying to race up the drive to me, so I went and gave her some fuss. The neighbour said he has got her used to waiting at the kerb when told now and that he can let her off the lead in the field down the road and she comes back to him when called so that's good progress.

Good evening all

Windier than ever today so wouldn't want to venture out at the moment.

Jane so we have to wait 2 weeks for your news, I hope it is what you are hoping for.

Good that you could make the trip to Portsmouth on the ferry AnnG Hope the weather didn't change after you got there, have a safe journey home tomorrow.

Gill I hope your toothache has eased off but as the other's have said you should register with a dentist

I can't understand parents letting their children run riot anywhere bur where people are eating is really bad. We could never take our three out to eat because of Mark being hyperactive due to his Aspergers but in those days children weren't catered for like they are now but my two Grandaughters were always well behaved when they were small. Mark was born in 1963 and his condition wasn't understood then like it is now..

Make do and mend I remember some mums doing sides to middle with bed sheets,
I take after my Mother who never did sewing apart from sewing the odd button on .
I don't think my family had a practical bone in their body, fortunately Peter could turn his hand to anything as can Paul and Richard .

Oh my word the weather is awful here the wind is really blowing and the rain is so bad the garden is flooded in parts.

I'm surprised the ferry was running if it's anything like the weather we have here AnnG, maybe it hasn't reached you yet. I hope it's not to bad for your journey home tomorrow.

I always ask OH to take the bags to the Charity shop straight away Ann while I get on with the next bit of sorting, otherwise I'd probably go through them again and change my mind on a few things.

I must admit I did enjoy the sewing bee this week and wouldn't mind going to a charity shop to see if they have anything I could make into something for Sandra and I. I loved the net curtain dress with the lovely blue underneath, that was Sandra's favourite too and the pink patterned material we both liked as well.

So there's no spare slice of cake for anyone, it does sound very tasty, I love those types of home made cakes, especially with a nice cuppa Mel.

I've never seen a glow in the dark washing line before Mel,, what will they think of next. What size do you need? We bought a 20 metre one from Rightway, I don't know if you have one by you, it's a hardware shop and sells pretty much everything. I must admit my last line was longer but when I tried to buy one the same size they didn't seem to sell that length anymore, but I find the one I have now is long enough, even the roofer from next door said I had a long line, I'm surprised he noticed as it's green so doesn't stand out. Funny the things people notice isn't it?

I have a spare 20 metre line if it's long enough for you Mel. I can post it to you on Monday if you can't find one. I use wooden pegs and they are fine on it. Let me know if you'd like it. <3 <3

How nice to see the Red Kite Jane, I was a bit worried about a Blackbird earlier, he tried to fly from our garden and got blown right down towards the back fence, then disappeared behind the conifers, I hope he didn't hurt himself. OH just laughed. To be honest it did look funny, but I was more concerned whether he was hurt or not. The female that was with him must be the one who was building a nest behind our screening in the hedge as she flew there, she looked a lot thinner if it was her, so I was wondering if she's laid some eggs, or is it to soon for that?
I was thinking Hannah might be pregnant to and that was the news, but I'm sure you said she wasn't having children straight away, I'm sure we'll all find out what the news is when the time is right :-) :-)

I was thinking it might be the beginnings of an abscess to Jane, I hope it's not to bad over the weekend and I can go to a dentist on Monday. I'm not registered but there is one at the bottom of the road so I could register there. I'm terrified of dentists after a bad experience as a child, I had to have a tooth out and he held me down, it frightened me and I've never got over it. I have seen dentists since then but we moved and I never registered with one here. One did say, although I'm a bit panicky I'm okay once I'm in the chair, that made me laugh, but I'm still very wary of them.

I've just Googled the Goose Down paint Mandy, it looks very nice, is that the one you're going for or haven't you decided yet? How nice to have both girls staying, they love staying with you don't they? Enjoy your day of rest.

How strange to lose £20 off your phone Frank, I would look into it as it's a lot of money to lose. Did you have your key lock on, maybe that's why you are low on credit. OH didn't have the key lock on when he borrowed my phone and he had sent random messages to almost everyone in my phone, none of them made any sense but it cost me over £8 and he hadn't even taken the phone out of his pocket. I said his bottie was sending them LOL. So next time he borrows it, he'll need to be more careful, but I suppose it's easily done and might of happened to you.

AnninG we have Echo who turns on and off the heating , kitchen table light. and the ceiling lights which I have a plug in so it turns the fly catcher on. We had a Elexa but oh bought me this one as it has a screen and gives you the time and the latest news goes across it and I can view my pictures on it too. In the winter at Christmas she turns the tree lights on and off for me so I don't have to bend down and unplug them.

Gill if you do have an abscess you should go to A&E as you will need to take antibiotics before the dentist will do anything ,

I missed your posts Ann and Anne.

How lovely little Fleur wanting to say hello to you Ann. She sounds such a lovely little thing and doing well with her training to.
I've been using some Bonjela which is helping and of course the pain killers. I'm hoping I can get through till Monday then I can nip to the dentist at the end of the road. I think it takes a week to register, but if it gets to bad I can always have an emergency appointment through the hospital, they make appointments for you. The pain killers seem to be working for now so I don't want to waste the hospital's time over the weekend when they are at their busiest unless I absolutely have to and it's not to bad at the moment.

My girls were like your granddaughters Anne always well behaved in public, I think it's the way children are taught and if parents allow their children to do what they like, then the children are going to do it aren't they? It is dangerous to run around when there is hot food and drinks being served, you'd think the parents would care more about the safety of their children, not to mention other people. I was brought up in a very strict way and would never even think of running around being a nuisance as a child, let alone do it, if I did I would certainly have known about it when I went home. I think parents of today have a more relaxed way of bringing up children then when I was younger.

Gill this line I have is really skinny not like the one I used to have with polythene string running through it. I had a spare at one time but oh used it to tie to the pond pumps and various skimmers in the two ponds etc. When he did the cover over the patio he took my old ones down and he has brocken on of them. Now I have them straight across the patio from end to end whereas before they went to the central pole. If I have washing on the first one I can't get to the back ones and the washing makes me feel shut in.

What colour is the one you have please?

Gill swill a bit of whiskey aroud your tooth if you have any that should help.

With all these pots Mandy, you could end up with 50 shades of grey on the walls. LOL. :-D I must admit I do like the fresh clean look of the latest paint colours. It sounds like all the girls like staying over with you, but it does mean you have to be on the go a lot while they are there and it must be tiring as you say. Poor Max must be ready for a rest too as I expect he is on the go once they arrive. :-D

Try not to worry about the dentist Gill as they usually just give you antibiotics first and if it's ok and settles then and doesn't need filling, you won't have to have anything more done. If it's wobbly, you may have got a tiny bit of food stuck down the side of the gum that's caused a bit of infection. You could try a mouth rinse with salty water.

I feel so weary this afternoon I've hardly done anything! I think an early night for me as OH is quite happy watching footie on the telly.

Morning all,

We have some blue sky and clouds and there's this yellow thing up in the sky. Anyone know what it is? Its still very cold though. Our bedroom windows were all stemed up this morning so I know it must have been cold outside. Not so much wind today either.

AnninG will be coming home today. I hope they had a lovely few days away and I see they were ablel to do the ferry trip and it was'nt choppy.

Wonder where Gwyn is and hoping she is ok.

O I meant to ask Frank did Ros get your phone sorted for you yesterday?

Morning Mel, morning all

Sunny here today but still damp from yesterday, at least the wind has died down now and it's not raining, so that's good. My garden seems to have survived and no pots were blown over, so we're pleased about that. Plus no rubbish blew out of the skip onto the front garden.

The washing line is green Mel, I've just taken a look at it and noticed a website address on the label. http://www.jameslever.co.uk/ I don't know if you might find what you want on the site, it maybe worth taking a look, if you can't find what you want and want mine let me know and I'll post it to you. Mine looks plastic and is quite thin, I use wooden pegs as the plastic ones I've got are a bit loose and I have to push them down a bit to stop them falling off, but looking at the site it looks like they do all sorts of different ones.
I don't like whiskey so don't have any in, my mouth doesn't seem so sore today, but I'm expecting it to play up again once I have something to eat. I hardly had anything yesterday, just a couple of sandwiches which took an age to eat and then I ended up in a lot of pain, so I'm really surprised it's not to sore this morning.

Did you watch the F1 qualifying yesterday Mel. I couldn't believe it when they said Charlie Whiting had died suddenly in his sleep. It's not going to be the same without him, he started all the races didn't he?

I didn't think of a salty mouthwash Ann, I'll try that. I'm just pleased it's not as sore as yesterday, well, so far anyway. I did laugh when you said to Mandy about the 50 shades of grey on her walls lol :-D :-D :-D Hope you had a good nights sleep and feel better for it today.

I found lots of new people for my family tree yesterday, so I'm hoping I can find a few more today. Going to have a cuppa first.

Now its raining and oh is out doing the chicken house roof.

Gill I think the line you have is the same as the one I have already but htanks for that offer.

Gill has the washing line you have got a poly core or a wire one please?

Morning All

Sunshine and cloud today.The lawn has had its first haircut :-D Chris will scarify it tomorrow.Lots of moss :-S
I am having a hot sweat after having a bath and then swabbing the decks.So a little sit down while the floors are drying. washing nearly ready to be hung out.It should dry nicely today.

Gill my Sister always swears by Oil of Cloves when she has a tooth ache.But I think Ann might be right as if your tooth is a bit loose there might have been a bit of food trapped and setting up the inflammation.A salt mouth wash is always a good idea.

I found the last of the Christmas cake just now .It still looked ok but I have binned it now.There wasn't much left. I would have put it out for the birds but it smelled really strongly of Brandy,and we dont need tipsy birds :-D

I hope AnnG has a good journey home today. At least the weather is better than it was on her way down.
There is a recipe I might try for dinner tonight. I'm not doing a roast so thought I would give this one a go. It is Sausage,Sage and Mushroom Pasta. I have to squeeze the sausage out of the skins and then break up the meat in the pan. There is cream, lemon zest,tomto purée,chopped parsley and grated Pecorino . I will do Penne Pasta as I havent got Spaghetti. Nice Basil and Tomato flat bread to go with it :-D

I think I need a Piriteze .My face is getting itchy .It will be the cut grass .

Good morning to you all, My you have been busy NATTERING. I have looked at the posts and they seem to go on forever. lol lol

What a day to remember. SIXTY ONE YEARS ago today I was dragged off to do my National Service. As I left home my Mum and Mrs Jones across the road, stood crying. I did turn round before turning the corner, and they we still there waving. I got to Liverpool Street Station to catch a train to Bedford. There were Lorries waiting for us at the station to transfer us to Cardington (where they have the AIR SHIPS) We were only there for a week, for injections and "KITTING OUT" We were then transferred to Altringham, Cheshire. for square bashing. then to Devizes, for trade Training. He got posted to Huntington and I to OLD CATTON, Norwich.A lad I met at the Station Keith Childs. was to become a good friend, and helped my mother on many occasions, when we were home on leave. He had the use of his Dad's Vauxhall car, with the Crome groves down the bonnet. We spent the first six months together. BUT he always called to see how mum was when he was home, even if I weren't. We stayed friends until I moved up here in 1964.

I feel absolutely shattered. I seemed to have slept well until 4.30 am but that was the end of it. I laid trying to get off again, but a complete waste of time. So I got up just after 6.00 am. By the time Ros showed, I had done the Vegetables and prepared the Leg of Pork. For the life of me I couldn't find my Stanley knife to cut the skin for CRACKLING. So I used a very sharpe Carving knife, which thank the Lord, it didn't slip, so is ready for the oven. I have made the Apple sauce, Cheese sauce and the Yorkshire pudding. So already for the off later this afternoon.

Ros is in the garden again, putting in MORE PLANTS that she bought on Friday. About 15 years ago I did away with the grass border out on the path. I put down a lining and covered it in gravel. Over the years the dirt from the rain etc. has allowed the weeds to grow through. It's now an absolute mess, so I am going to remove all the stones and lay turf again.

Lynn who lives next door but one to us is moving next Thursday to a smaller property round the corner. She has a SKIP on her drive, so I will ask if I can put the gravel and weeds in it, before it goes. It will make life a lot easier, not having to find somewhere to DUMP it. NO NOT FLY TIPPING. ;-) ;-)

I'm not even going to mention your news Jane. !!!! You are a silly girl mentioning it. You know you would be questioned about it. Whatever it is, I hope it will make you and Chris happy people. I see, they are jumping to Hannah, might be something to do with JAMES. So GIRLS sit back and be patient <3 <3 <3 <3

Horrible blustery wind again, when oh when will we see the back of it ?? The forecast says we could have 20 degrees by the end of the week.

Glad that AnninG had a nice few days away. I am thinking of asking Harvey if he would take us to France, when he goes in July. He won't fly so drives down and brings Julia back three weeks later. It would be a ice break for both Ros and I. Julia was made redundant in January, but it's not official until May. She of course have a nice settlement. She is thinking of flying to to the Caravan later this month and staying there until Harvey goes down in July/August. There is no worry about Harvey and Lewis looking after themselves, as they are both capable of cooking meals.

Conrad wants us to book flights to Spain in May/June so we can go and see him and Jan, who will be flying out around the same time.

I have been waffling on again this morning/afternoon, so I will give you a break. I am going put some old joggers on and go and see if I can help Ros. Stand by for her to FAIENT LOL LOL

We have had a massive HAIL STORM, so Ros dashed in doors, and is now enjoying a COT that I made her.

A bit more BAD NEWS, Our neighbour who lives on the corner of the close, passed away last night. He has been ill for some time, so it is a blessing in some way. !! He has been in a nursing home in Gayton for some time, as his wife just shouldn't handle him. He would get up at night, and go walkabout in the village. I am not sure how old he was, but I would imagine in his 70s.

I am just about to sit in the conservatory to watch Millwall V Brighton and Hove Albion. K.O 2.00 pm. I will see how it turns out, if no good, will go into lounge and sit with Ros.

Afternoon Everyone,

We've had sun, rain and now more sun. The wind is far less though which is good. I slept like a top and feel more perky today!

Frank I think what may have happened with your phone is that your number has been disconnected through not using your phone often enough. I know with my PAYG phone that I have to make at least one phone call or text every 6 months or they will disconnect me. I don't know what happens with any credit left on it though and I would have thought they would warn you about disconnection before doing it. That's a shame about your neighbour passing away. Good idea to ask to use the skip for your unwanted gravel. ;-)

We had to sit elsewhere at the carvery as someone was already at the table we usually sit at, but the girls then came and moved us and our cutlery and drinks to it as soon as it became free, which was good of them. It was a disappointment to find there was no lamb today though and belly pork in it's place. Too high in calories and fat for me so I had the turkey and OH had mostly beef. The chef said they are going to ring the changes with the meat each week so I expect we just won't know when the lamb is on now. There were two naughty children quite close to us today as well, so lots of racing about, tantrums and shouting when they were told to sit down, threats of being taken to sit in the car leading to screams of protest and bigger tantrums, wrestling with mummy and nanna and being placated for a few seconds by being promised to go to MacDonalds on the way home. All this at the tops of their voices, adults as well. So much for a nice peaceful lunch and chat, OH kept rolling his eyes and, as we were nearly finished, we left soon after!!

We called in the factory shop after and noticed they had the nice trays with rubber spots so your plates don't slide on them. Ours are Leslie Joseph? ones and were quite expensive but these were only £4 each. I might get a couple next week as they are so much safer to use and carry things on.

The tall side gate one side of the front of our bungalow where we keep the wheelie bins has either had the catch screws fall out with all the wind, or someone has either forced it or tried to climb over it as the top bit is rotten and was broken too. Another job to add to the list!!

We called at OH's bank on the way home for him to pay a cheque in at the wall. I wish my bank would get modern, so I could do that instead of having to go when they are open . :-S

I better order me some more dagger beads to finish something now. OH is watching footie while he is doing the ironing. :-)