General Chat

That is the last day of Inara sitting we had her from 0800 to 6.15pm she had her moments but on the whole was really good. Daughter, OH and myself took her out for coffee, then we drove to the beach where she played on the sand and pebbles. No castles as it was not warm enough to stay still for long, Rhône Head is an estuary and the wind was quite strong, even though the sky was blue with clouds and the sun shone. It is a beautiful beach with sand dunes behind and across the water, which goes out a ,one way and comes in very fast, you can see all the central Lake District mountains. We took her out for lunch to a hotel and she ate pizza and ice cream, being very good waiting for the meal. She had a play on the swings and slide afterwards then we drove home and she played quite well all afternoon until mum and dad arrived home. They had been house hunting.

Jane we are here until next Thursday but from Sunday will be here on our own with the two cats as daughter and SiL are going on holiday. Inara is going with her Mum to visit relations in Devon.

Mind you don't inflame Chris with those loose knickers Jane!! :-0 lol. You won't want any setbacks! Good idea to have ones that won't catch on dressings, even if, like Colin you will be glued together.

Vera I'm so glad you are home now. I've been quite worried with your predicament as I know how worried I would have been so far away from home. What a shambles the assistance was at the start and you must have wondered if it would be the same this end. Thank goodness all went well here though. You did well with the driving too so now you can just take it easy and OH can hopefully start to improve.

I had a look at the felting stuff on Amazon Mel and was surprised it wasn't very expensive. I have some Amazon Vouchers from my Barclay Freedom points so can use those to order some. :-D I bet your toadstools looked good. Home grown Strawberries are the tastiest......yum yum!

Gill I hope your tooth soon settles down. It will be best having it out if it's going to be troublesome and it only takes a few seconds to be done. Well it wouldn't be hard to guess Sandra would like the PINK Flamingos, bless her! It sounds like she had a great time and enjoyed seeing the predators!

Ros doesn't have an easy time what with one thing or another does she Frank. I hope this new, not very nice treatment, soon kills off those bugs causing the bladder infections. It's good she loves her garden to help take her mind off these things. It sounds like a bit more food is what you need to put some weight back on......... If only I could give you some of mine I don't want. :-S Perhaps adding a glass of milk each day would help if you like it? We can't have you dropping your trousers can we. That's good you found it was the loose lead causing problems with your computer. Yes, Conrad helped Lola and her pups when it was needed most so good for him for taking them on. I bet it seems quiet now with them gone though.

My radio sound has gone wonky. There are only 2 sound levels now, either crackly whispering or deafening, blow your ears off, booming with nothing in between! :-S

I had my hair cut and coloured this afternoon, 2 and a half hours! We did chat a lot though and she always washes it a second time after cutting so you don't get itchy bits of hair going down your neck.

Good evening all

I have read all your posts but I will try to respond properly tomorrow. At the moment I am so tired that I am thinking of going to bed. It’s been quite a day again.

We rang our doctors practice this morning and got a quick emergency appointment but it meant driving to an outlying surgery. They have 5 and we can go to any of them. So a quick dash to get there in time.

Doctor sort of agreed with the Austrian diagnosis but said to stop the medication OH had been given as they weren’t used in this country and he didn’t need the steroid anyway. She has put him back on anti inflammatories and 2 strong painkillers. He hates taking pills but I am insisting and I think he is walking a little better tonight.

Doctor is also referring him to the Spinal Unit at the hospital just as a precaution and to be sure there isn’t an underlying problem that hasn’t been diagnosed.

What with dashing out to stock the fridge and cupboards, dash to the chemist for the medication which they hadn’t got ready, do the washing and answer a constantly ringing phone now word’s got around that we are home, I am shattered. So night, night. Sweet dreams.

Morning all

Dry here at the moment, OH is watering the plants with not having much rain lately, but now he's half way through a lot of black clouds have come over, so they may be watered again thanks to mother nature if it rains.

You had a busy day yesterday Vera with all the dashing around. I'm pleased to see your OH is walking around a little bit better so he's heading in the right direction now. Good idea to have a good check up just to be sure there's nothing else that needs seeing to, plus it'll put both your minds at rest. Hopefully today will be less hectic and you can both relax. You must both feel better now you're home and finally stress free from the insurance. I hope you both had a good nights sleep last night and feel more refreshed today.

How is Ros this morning Frank? I hope the antibiotics are starting to work and she's feeling a bit better. They take a while to start working but at least she's heading in the right direction to clearing up the bladder infection. How are you feeling today, no more aches and pains I hope.

That was lucky having those points you can use on Amazon Ann, it's nice to learn new things isn't it? I need to colour my hair again, but it can wait until I feel better. Yes, Sandra had a great day and can't wait to show her gran (my mum) the photo's when she visits later. The antibiotics don't feel like they're doing anything at the moment, even though they probably are, I woke up with a bad headache at 5am so got up and took some pain killers and another antibiotic. The swelling has gone near my eye so I'm going to keep an eye on it and if it gets any worse the dentist told me to go to A&E to have it lanced. Hopefully it won't come to that, but I won't leave it if it does get worse or it could effect my eye sight. I'll see how I go over the next few hours. OH has got his pre op tests this morning so I'll see how I am when he returns home and go to A&E if I feel I need to then.

My headache has gone now and my tooth isn't as sore today, just a bit of swelling around my cheek and left eye, so I assume the antibiotics are doing there job, even if it is slowly. I can't believe I'm saying this, but I'm looking forward to having the tooth out. I'm going to book the appointment today for next Tuesday, if the infection hasn't gone by then I can always cancel it. I don't fancy going on my own and it's not fair asking Sandra to come with me as she's terrified of dentists, OH said he might not be able to walk to the dentist with me after his op and my legs tend to go a bit shaky so I don't want to walk back on my own, even though it's not very far, so this way I can have the tooth taken out and have OH with me should I need help walking home.

Sandra was ever so good yesterday while OH took me to the dentist. I was expecting her to still be asleep when we came home, but she had tidied up for us and run the hoover around......bless her. She then gave me a big hug, she's so thoughtful. The hoovering really needed doing and I'd planned on doing it when I got home, so when she told me she'd done it I was so grateful, as I really didn't feel up to doing it myself.

Morning all,

I'm pleased oh is walking a bit better Vera now he is home and that he has seen a doctor and had more advice on further treatment. Lets hop ethye get to the bottom of his problem this time around.

Gill I was wondering if these headaches you have been having over the last few months were anything to do with this bad tooth you have. Good the antibiotics are starting to kick in and the swelling is going down now. I meant to ask you how Sandra shows her nan the pictures she has taken at the zoo? as you said before you don't know how to get them on your pc? Hope it all goes well with G's pre op tests today.

Ann they are very small amounts of wool but they go a long way to start you off. I must admit to not wearing the leather finger thing and did prick my finger a few times and it does hurt!!! If I can find them I will take a pick of the toadstool I made but my sdvice to you is to watch a few things on needle felting on You Tube as you pick up some handy hints with the different people who do it.

I had another go at making the little Christmas tree mum used to make when she did a stall for the Guisde Dogs for the Blind. She found the pattern in a magazine and each tree takes almost a whole pack of crepe paper. I tried a couple of times before over the years but I think I may have got it right this time trouble is I have used yellow crepep paper as that was the first one I found in the paper box. All I have to do now is get a small flower pot and cement a cane in it to assemble the tree and make a star for the top. Takes a long while to stitch all the layers together which is what I was doing yesterday afternoon after being in the garden.

O I meant to say its the longest day today!!

Good morning Gill and all,

Vera, I bet you met yourself coming back yesterday, dashing here there and everywhere. Pleased that the Dr has prescribed hew medication. Lets hope it works, and he is felling much better soon. A check up at hospital is never a bad thing. If there is any problem, they will find it.

Those lamb shanks with all that Veg, was just too much. We could have fed at least three other people. The meat that was over, I put on a dish for ABIE next door, she loves lamb. I gave it to Tracy this morning.

I didn't hear from Barry last night. I know he is coming to Jean across the road later today, so he might find time to do my lawns. I will then book a couple of hours for him to do some weeding in the garden and my Veg Patch.

New nickers for Jane then I hope they aren't the "PASSION KILLER TYPE" I know you are going in hospital soon, but what is the actual date.?? I am sure from all the people I know that have had hip replacement, all will be fine and you will be skipping around the lawn before you know it.xxx <3 <3

Simon rang this morning, he is looking forward to the meal on Sunday. He is going straight to the Restaurant, as it's on the way to coming here, which seems a waste of time. He or Sally will decide who won't drink, where as I have no such trouble, as I can't drive and Ros doesn't DRINK.

Harvey bought me a kit for tracing your ancestry for Fathers day. As I did one the other year through Ancestry, I will let Ros use it, and see if we can trace anymore of her family history.

That little Angel and felt work looks very, very, nice Ann, you are so clever and have the patients of a SAINT, to do all that intricate work.

After my complain to the restaurant about Sunday's C@@k up, I thought I might have had a reply with an apology, BUT NOTHING. I can't see me going there for some time to come.

Valerie Barker said that Roger and Sue went out with her, Tony and Val, for a meal on Wednesday evening. Sue is very ill with CANCER. After the meal, driving home, Tony said to Val, WHAT ON EARTH HAS SUE DONE WITH HER HAIR ?? Valerie them informed him, that she now has to wear a WIG, as she has lost her hair. I can't believe the mentality of that MAN. !!!!

So as Ros, stays away from gardening today, I have told her we are going out to eat later, and she can sit and take things easy for a change.

When she went to WHYVALE (sp) on Wednesday with Carolyn, she said that it's now trading as "DOBBIES" so it looks like there has been a sell out. I believe DOBBIES are a big seed supplier from Norfolk. So changes on the way.

No rain here yet today, but there is plenty of clouds around.

Ros has just taken over the bathroom for a shower and hair wash. So there goes another hour at least. ;-) ;-)

I hope you have a nice meal out today Frank. Why did'nt you put the rest of the lamb and veg in the freezer to have another day? It would have saved you another days cooking.

Oh is fiddleing with some wood out by his workshop shed and I think he has made me a box for my sweet peas. When the men did the leak they moved the sweet peas twice or three times and they have split the bag they are planted in. He is out there now painting it. How he thinks we are going to get the bag and the peas in there I don't know. I was going to put gaffa tape all round it and then at the end of the season chuck the lot away.

Frank I think Jane goes for her op on 26th June so only 5 days now.

Its Di's birthday on Midsummers Day, the 24th and I only have a couple of things for her this year. I seem to have bought her all the things she needs for gardening and hav'nt been around the shop so much this year to find things.

Well all my efforts didn't work. After drying most of her hair, and putting her rollers in, Ros went to drape the towels over the chairs on the patio to dry, and said I just want to do a bit of weeding.

That was that, 4 hours later she has come in. She has changed and just having a COT before we go out to the local Hungry Horse. They do a reasonable meal for a reasonable price, so we are always satisfied, and the staff are always very polite and helpful.

Thanks for that Mel, I knew it was before the end of the month, but not sure what date. I know that Fitz is having his done around the same time. So a pair of old CROCKS together.

We are off now, so see you later.xxxx

Afternoon All

Frank,my op is next Thursday(27th) and Fitz is the day before. Mandy I do remember now you said that Colin was surprised to find his wound was glued and not stapled :-D
I hope I have the same.

My pants are rather Bridget Jones size but not too ugly. They are called Flexifit from M&S and hav e to be probably the most comfortable pants I have had. Long gone are the days when I had pretty sexy pants LOL . I have been back to M&S again ot day to take back some trousers . Came home with a bra, and top and another top from Next :-D Because I had spent over £40 in M&S I could buy a box of beauty things (moisturiser,fragrance spray ,and other things for £15. Rather than a normal price of £110 !!!! To be honest I wouldnt pay that but for £15 I thought it was worth getting. All mini sizes so handy for putting in my toilet bag next week :-D

My Sister is so excited. The rescue dog they are having from Spain will arrive in England on the 13th July,so he will be with his new forever family then :-D. He is called Mikey at the moment but Janice and Larry are changing it to Jorge.He will have a wonderful home and have 2 other doggie companions .I just hope it doesnt take too long for him ot settle in.The problem is they dont really know the circumstances as to why he is a a rescue boy. He is a funny looking thing :-D. I think I have a pic so will send it on.

Gill,that was nice of Sandra to do the hoovering and tidying up for you.I am glad that your painful tooth is settling down so quickly.
This morning at 7am I was woken by such a noise from the works going on .I have no idea what machinery they were using but it sounded like a million Magpies all clacking :-S :-S.It went on for so long I was glad to get out and go shopping as it was driving me mad.
Last night Thomas came in covered in that sticky long weed.It was hanging off him.He looked from the back like a walking hedge!!!!!!!. His feet were black too so lord knows where he had been.I had to keep chasing him to try and pull all the sticky stuff off . Got a lot of his fur too :-S

Hope OH is beginning to feel less pain now Vera and is able to move around a bit more. Also I hope the appointment for the Spinal Unit wont take forever to come through.

I can't believe it is 6 oclock already and the longest day too. I seem to have got nothing done today :-S I will get James's dinner now as he will want to be off as soon as possible to go down to Jess. I still dont really know what is happening there other than they are still trying to work through things.It is all a bit strange and James doesn't really talk about it .
F&Cs for Chris and Me tonight.

Good evening everyone

I may be doing several short posts rather than one long one tonight as I am trying to cook a meal and do a dozen other things at the same time.

Frank, I hope your aches and pains are easier today and that you enjoy your meal at the Hungry Horse. Poor Ros’s treatment for her bladder problems doesn’t sound very pleasant but it will be worth it in the long run if it clears things up once and for all.

Gill, I was sorry to hear that your tooth is playing up again. You have been through the mill lately haven’t you. I hope the antibiotics are getting to grips with the pain. It’s a shame that Sandra is so frightened of the dentist as if she is only taken when she has problems she is likely to become even more terrified. Perhaps she will get used to you going for check ups and treatment and coming back OK and one day will go with you. It’s good she had fun at the zoo. Does she like the apes and monkeys? OH sponsors an orang-utan at Monkey World in Dorset. If she would like it I’ll send her a picture of Amy, our adopted “daughter”.

AnninG, hope you are still enjoying your holiday in the Lake District. You probably need a rest after your time with Inara. She sounds a little darling but tiring. I can’t believe she is 3 already. It only seems a short while ago you were telling us of her birth.

Oven has now heated up so I must put the dinner in and get the table laid. Back later

Good afternoon all I haven’t read back yet
Lovely sunny day here but a few more clouds a bit further north and a bitterly cold wind.
We were up at 0730 as we left here at 0830 to drive to Lakeside, Newby Bridge to catch the firs boat up the lake (Windermere) to Bowness. We have had the freedom of the lake tickets today. So we caught the MV Swan the largest boat on the Lake to Bowness, got off and walked around by the Lake before catching a launch, a much smaller boat to Brockhole the LD visitor centre, where we had coffee outside on the patio in the sun sheltered from the wind. Tony and I also shared a large scone. It is quite a climb up from the lake to the centre but the gardens are lovely and those who care to can ride the zip wire. We next caught another launch to Ambleside where we walked the short distance to the Waterheas hotel where we had lunch. And we had a voucher for a free drink. So daughter, Tony and I had a glass of wine d SiL had a beer. Then Tony and I had fish goujons in a ciabatta roll, fries and coleslaw but it was a huge amount as the rolls were too large so I left half a roll but ate the fish and Joe helped me out with my fries. Daughter and SiL had sausages in a roll with fries and coleslaw. After lunch we took a few photos by the lake, three of them had ice creams, I was too full. We then caught The MV swan all the way back to the end of the lake at lakeside picking up a full load of people on the way at Bowness who were obviously on trips that included the lake cruise to lakeside where they picked up the steam train to Haverthwaite. There were a lot of foreign people on this trip including Japanese and Germans. It was really cold on all the boat trips outside on the boats so we sat at the front inside. It was a good day out. We have done it many times and choose Fridays because they discount tickets on that day.

Evening All,

A nice sunny day today and NO RAIN. :-)

I hope you and Ros enjoy your meal tonight Frank. Ros sure sticks at doing her garden doesn't she. I know if had a shower I wouldn't want to bother going out to do the garden after. Yes The beaded thing did need a bit of patience, but I need to get me a proper craft light as having cataracts doesn't help you find holes in small beads! It will be good if you can book Barry to get the garden jobs up to date for you. What a shame about Sue having cancer. I think we all seem to know families affected by it. Tony has never heard of TACT by the sound of it.......he never learns does he. Another of our Wyevale garden centres became a Dobbies on Tuesday. We were only there the Saturday before as well and there was no sign there was to be a change.

Mel, I have been saving Pinterest videos of felting this afternoon, but looking at some youtube ones as well is a good idea so thanks for reminding me about them! The lady whose house we do beading at has found some felting needles that are her hubby's from out of her loft and has given us a few each as she says he won't ever use them again. My friend who made the felted lamb picture with flowers on it has framed it for her little niece to have on her bedroom wall and it looks really nice. She'd felted some white, curly knitting wool to mix in for the sheep's body and it looks quite realistic. Your tissue Christmas tree sounds interesting....looking forward to seeing it. :-)

Vera, it sounds like you have hit the ground running since you got back, but getting your hubby checked out properly is a good idea. I hope he is in less pain now.

Gill, I think there comes a point with toothache that no matter how much you dislike the dentist, you just want to get it over and the tooth out!! It sounds like the antibiotics may have started to work. I know when my cheek swelled up it took a few days to go down. It would be good if you could get an appointment before your OH's op as it would be one less thing to think about. If the worst comes to the worst though perhaps your mum could go with you or you could get a taxi? I know with OH when he had his hernia repair that once the local anaesthetic wore off he was walking quite gingerly to start with for the first few days!

It will be a very early night for me tonight as I hadn't had a wink of sleep last night by 5.30.am. The young Magpies were back then, clog dancing on the roof and in the gutters!! :-S

Gill, hope the antibiotics soon ease the problem so you can get rid of that tooth. Obviously the infection has been hanging around all this time ready to flare up.

Vera is OH any better today? Hopefully the new meds will work.

Frank I was going to say the same as Mel, why didn’t you freeze the left overs?

Jane I have not seen those knickers, they sound comfy. Hope your sister’s new doggy friend arrives safely soon.

Back again for a couple of minutes.

Ann, I think I hate you :-(. You are just too talented. I can’t believe that was your first attempt at wool felting and as for the fairy......I love her. She is so pretty.

Mel, I’d be interested to see your crepe paper Xmas tree. You are all so clever.

Mandy, how did Colin get on with being glued together after his op? Did he find it comfortable? I think my brother would have loved glue after his latest op in March when he seemed to have dozens of staples and some of them were very difficult to remove.

Jane, your big knickers sound real passion killers :-D. They sound comfy though. Not long to go now for you and Fitz, then you will both be free of pain.

Gill, I forgot to say earlier that I hope OH’s pre-op went well.

Dinner will shortly be ready so I am off again. Might be back later.

Edit: Sorry Ann, that was meant to be a smile by my comment about hating you

Here I am again. I keep turning up like a bad penny.

The new painkillers and anti inflammatories seem to be helping. OH hates taking them as he thinks if you mask the pain too much you could inadvertently do more damage, as pain is a warning. But sometimes they are necessary and this is one of those times. Every half hour or so he gets out of the chair and walks about as much as he can manage. He is much more upright and, though they are only little steps, he is walking rather than shuffling.

I think I have been running on adrenaline for the last few days. Now things have calmed down reaction has set in and I have felt very tired and a bit down all day. I can’t seem to get myself moving to do anything very much. I did a bit or ironing and a bit of deadheading and a bit of this and that but couldn’t settle to anything. Over the weekend I must tackle the claim forms for the medical expenses we have paid and hope to get something back for cutting our holiday short.

Think I’ll have a bath and watch something on the iPlayer. Hope you all have a good night.

Just sent an update on the Blackbird chicks taken tonight.

Morning all,

We have a nice sunny start to the day here with lovely blue sky and just a wisp of cloud.

Egg delivery to do this morning and get the paper.

Ache today after all that strimming yesterday, hands wrists arms shoulders and hips apart from that I'm fine........ :-S

What are you all up to today? Anything nice like going out somewhere?

If its as nice in Dereham as it is here I know Mandy's G children will be round to go in the pool.

Good morning Mel, and all you others, xxx

It's one thing after another. Yesterday after Ros came out of the shower. It decided to come on on it's own. She had the doors to the shower open and the shower head facing the open doors, so everywhere got soaked, including Ros. I went in and pulled the cut off cord beside the shower cubicle. There was no way I could work the shower, from the controls on the unit. I now have to pull the cut off cord, to start and finish the shower. I have been looking at new showers this morning. (MORE EXPENSE)

I was in bed before 8.30 last night, my body just aches everywhere. I have also starting to get chest pains, when I least expect them. So I think I must get to see the Dr. to check everything is O.K.

Ros spoke to Conrad last night, he is missing LOLA something terrible, Jan is back over this week, and she is going to see the puppies and LOLA in there new homes. I personally don't think thats a good idea. Let them settle in their new surroundings, and don't remind the dogs, who they are.i'e Conrad and Jan.

She also spoke to Harvey and Lewis. Harvey now has the other kitten (FLORENCE) by what he says, she is half the size of WINSTON, who plays with her for a while until he gets fed up, and goes off by himself. Their other TWO cats, stay well clear of both the kittens, enough to say "what are they doing here"

Barry was at Tony's last night at 7.30 pm cutting his lawn. Ros went out to ask when he can do ours. Tuesday. So I will try to do the lawn edges, so he has a clear run with the mower. If he has time I will see if he can do a bit of garden help to Ros.

I'm pleased to hear your OH is managing to get around a little Vera. The say time is a good healer lol lol.

I bet the lake district is beautiful at this time of the year. I loved passing through there after being on holiday in the highlands, and when visiting my Niece in the Boarders. How are the family enjoying living there AnnG.??

We are very naughty, but we never save leftovers, for another day, except MEATS. I often think back to the days when you were glad to eat leftovers, as you couldn't afford to waste food. Bubble and Squeak was one of my all-time favourites, with bacon and a couple of eggs.

Ros has gone to meet Martine for their Saturday catchup, and get a few bits from Morrison's. I will just be sitting reading my book, and minding my own business. !!!

I trust and hope you are all well, and find this weather very agreeable, I hope you all enjoy a pleasant day and the weekend. I am going to get a coffee and sit outside for a while.

Bye for now. xxxx

What a nuisance with the shower Frank just as the weather turns warmer too and you need more showers when you've been gardening.

Oh is out mowing and the Blackbird is singing and Robby has been warming himself on the tyre of oh's mower and the female pheasent is sunbatheing. I think all the birds are glad of a bit of warmth at last.

I have the steaks out of the freezer and a nice bottle of red to go with it and we shall have potato bakes with it again tonight, asparagus and tenderstream brocc with mushrooms for oh.

Shall have to see if I can find some cement to make the bottom of the little crepe tree and stick a cane in it to thread the tree on and then make a couple of stars to go on the top.