General Chat

Good morning all,

RAIN AGAIN HERE. Ros is just going to pick Jan up from the hotel to take her to get her nails done. Conrad will come here.

Jan has left all her sun tops and swimming costumes in France, so has to go and buy some new bits for there Holiday, Tesco has a lot of the things she needs so Ros will take her there after the nails.

We all had a very enjoyable evening. Carolyn and John picked us up at 6.30 we met Conrad and Jan there. The meal, as usual was faultless. Steve (the Manager) greeted me with a very strong hand shake, and the staff were very attentive. As I am not eating very much, I just had the starter dish, of all the ribs, Prawns, chicken Sata, Prawn toast, seaweed, chicken wings. Squid, the list just goes on. The rest of them had the middle dish of Crispy Duck and pancakes, followed by their main courses. While I sat just watching them tuck in. !!!!

We were home before 10.00 pm and sat watching her soaps until I went to bed.

Lunchtime the girls will ring, when they are finished shopping and we can meet up at the "Greyhound" for lunch.

Jans daughters, their children and a lot of the family from Torquay, are going "GLAMPING" to Southampton area. There will be over 25 of them. I hope the weather is better for th=em than it is here or it will be a TOTAL WASH OUT.

Must get on and get showered and dressed as Conrad won't be long before he is here. We won't be doing anything, as this rain will stop any outside activity..

Have a "NICE DAY" everyone. Might see you later. xxxx

Morning all,

Gosh Frank that was some meal they all had and you only having the starter but I don't think I could have had anymore than that if I ate prawns or prawn toast. I may try the chicken though as I like satea but the squid is definately a no no for me. I don't eat any seafood only fish and then only smoked haddock, tinned sardines and tuna and salmon and smoked mackeral O and tinned pilchards. I like those on toast for lunch sometimes in the winter.

It raining here too this morning and its very dreary and dark. I hav'nt seen the forcast but after yesterday which was anice day with a breeze this is awfull.

Today I plan to make a couple of steak and kidney pies. One for dinner and one for the freezer. so I better get the meat on or it won't be cool enough to put in the pies.

We've spent the morning battening down the hatches as the weather is getting progressively worse!! OH went out to a few bits and pieces and is now unpacking and putting away! I've stewed some plums and prepared courgette for the freezer! A friend called yesterday and took a whole lot with her to make plum gin!
Our Grandson has a school project that he must get finished before the beginning of term, so he's bringing it with him tomorrow. As the weather looks so awful it will be something for him to do!!
Frank, OH and I couldn't have eaten a quarter of your delicious sounding meal!! I don't think any of us could, even our son who can eat for England! Still, it does you good to go out, and see family!
OH has made a COC, so have a good weekend, keep dry, warm and safe!

P.S. It's now raining and blowing hard! As you say Mel it is AWFUL!!!

Just the same here Pippyn.

Frank is it the sme with you?

Dos'nt it always seem to rain in the school holidays?

Afternoon all

Raining here, I've not long woken up I can't believe it was almost midday when I woke up. OH and Sandra were both up before me and Sandra said to her dad, "What are we going to do, should we wake mum up" I've always said they'd be lost without me. When I got up Sandra was watching one of her programmes in the other room and OH was reading a book.

The weather turned out nice yesterday so OH managed to finish painting the outside of the bungalow. It looks great and is another job out of the way. Next job sorting out the bathroom ceiling, the paint is starting to flake again with the damp in there. I suggested to OH to use the paint he bought for the outside as it's designed to stay on in wet weather, so hopefully a bit of steam off the bath won't harm it. He can only try and you never know it might work.

Sorry to hear about Colin Mandy having a fall, hope he's not to sore. He was lucky it was just a bruise. It sounds like you've had fun with Chelsea staying and have a bit of time to recover before Lacey arrives. Pleased to hear Katie had a good time to. Hope you can get the rust stain out of Colin's shorts, it sounds like Mel might have the answer.

We used to paint everywhere white Ann, but decided to do something different and put a stone coloured wallpaper on our living room walls, it looked cosy at first but now it feels dark with it being a north facing room, so we're going to paint it white again. I have a few cushions on the spare bed which look nice but wouldn't put any on a bed that's being used, like you said they'd end up on the floor where you could trip over them if you needed to get up in the night. When we used to sell houses we'd put cushion on beds, but that was just for show. I didn't like the black bedroom the woman did, apparently she decorates her own house like that, it must feel like a cave and the pink living room, what was he thinking of? Still, I'm looking forward to watching next weeks, when I think they have to do rooms in a hotel.

Poor James, Jane, he doesn't really know whats going on at the moment does he? At least he's earning like he said so can put a bit aside for the future.

Hope the weather isn't to bad for your few days away AnnG, it'll be nice to see your family and get out and about with them.

It sounds like you needed to batten down the hatches Pippyn with all the wind, I hope nothing is damaged and the wind blows away soon.

What a big meal Frank, I don't think I'd of even been able to get through the starter let alone anything else. Pleased to see you all had a good time.

So it's pie making day for you today Mel? Good idea to make two and freeze one.

We've got a steady stream of rain, but no wind thankfully, I really don't like wind when it's strong, especially at night when you can just hear it but can't see the damage it causing. Hope it's not to bad for everyone.

Afternoon all,

It's been dry all morning ,we've just had a few spots of rain but it didn't come to much and now the suns out again .

Frank that was quite a feast you all had last night ,the starter dish you had sounded more like a main course :-D
Hope you all enjoy your lunch .

Mel are you and OH speaking today ? i'm sure a tasty pie will break the ice :-D
I've got the rust marks off the shorts with some stuff i bought in the DIY shop it's HG some thing or other i forget the name now but it worked a treat .

Have a good weekend with your Grandson Pippyn ,it sounds as if the weather is rough your way if your battening down .

Gill you must have been tired to sleep that long your body must have really needed the sleep though .
More painting !! you do keep busy you make me feel tired just thinking about it :-D

I have now finished all the bits i need to put the unicorn bag together so i'll probably get that finished over the weekend .
We made hair scrunchies when Chelsea was here the other day that was until we ran out of elastic :-D

No let up in the weather here in fct the winds stronger now than it was this morning so you are lucky Gill only having the rain and no wind.
That was a great sleep you had and you must have needed it to sleep that long.

Mandy I'm pleased you managed to get the rust stain out and how is Colin this morning. Not too achey I hope and I bet he has a lovely bruise. Its just as well he did'nt hurt his new hip. I did'nt know they still used scrunchies Mandy. How many did you make in the end before runnin gout of elastic. You'll have to buy more now. Can't wait to see this unicorn bag.

Oh just told me the wind was only supposed to be for three hours so lets hope it stops soon.

Good afternoon all. We had seen that the weather here in the Solent coast area was going to be dry for the morning but rain was coming in at 2pm. So after a very good breakfast we drove to Gosport and parked the car. Walked down to the waterfront and caught the ferry across to Portsmouth. The big aircraft carrier Princess Elizabeth was in and we had a good view of her as we crossed the harbour. There were several yachts going out heading towards the Isle ofvWight where it is Cows week. We had a coffee in The Spinnaker tower cafe then had a look round the shops. Got a few bits in Boots and a reduced long sleeve top in the M&S outlet but we didn’t think they had such a good selection in there today. Watched the Wight Link car ferry go out, goodness they are huge boats.

Back then across the ferry to Gosport and a look round some of the shops buying a Tbsjirt and cotton sweater in M&Co in the sale. By now it was spitting with rain so we drove to Stokes Bay for lunch at Pebbles fish and wine bar. Had a lovely lunch if (sorry Mel) calamari, battered king prawns and two types of bread, one was olive the other was very light and was yellow coloured so I guess saffron. It was tapas sized dishes so just right not too heavy and we had a glass of white wine...... Pinot Grigio with it. We came out of Pebbles at just gone two and true to the forecast it started to rain heavily..
we decided to drive out to Monk Hill at Hill Head where there is a free car park. Parked and sat looking through the rain at a very rough sea. Then drove back to the B&B to read. And write this.

Frank I am guessing that starter you quoted was not all for you but a sharer. It all sounded very nice.

Gill although we will see my sister tomorrow and our Grandson and family on Sunday any getting out and about will just be the two of us.
Good that you got the bungalow finished.
Our lounge walls are white with a hint of pink. They don’t look pink but the white has a warm tinge to it.
Mandy looking forward to seeing the bag when finished. Hope Colin can sit down ok today.
Mel a wet afternoon an excuse to do some craft work.

Anng not when you are making a meat pie or 2 should I say.

I think the wind has finerly dropped a bit but its still raining and I have to go and corn all the girls so I shall have to get wet. I think this is the first day for a looonnngggg while I have worn a hat.

May just have a peep at my craft though when the pie is done.

Enjoy your stay away even though the weathers bad today it may be better tomorrow when you see the family.

It sounds like you're having a great time away AnnG, sorry I thought you were seeing your family the whole time you were away, it's nice to have some couple time though and also see family so the best of both worlds. I smiled when you said you watched the rough sea through the car window as we have done that in the past when we lived near the sea, although we did have to move the car back a bit as the sea was hitting us. I wouldn't want to be on the sea when it's like that though so you were lucky to get back before the weather changed.

Are you and your OH speaking yet Mel? How did you get on with your pies, I've just spent some time making a chill con carne for tonight's dinner, it'll probably before enough for tomorrow to, or I might freeze it for another day.

It sounds like you have nice weather Mandy, we've still got the rain but at least the plants are happy. It's been quite cold so I had to put the fire on earlier. Pleased to see you have got the rust stain out of Colin's shorts, he'll be pleased. In was thinking could you put his phone in some rice that is suppose to dry it out, it might be worth a try before buying a new one. I'm looking forward to seeing a pic of the unicorn bag when it's finished if you take one. Yes, I had a brilliant sleep last night, I've never slept that long in my life, so I must of needed it. I think with having a shore shoulder and foot and not sleeping very well lately it must of all caught up with me. Thankfully my foot is better now and it shouldn't be to long before my arm has healed properly to. So with a bit of luck I'll start sleeping properly again. It was a nice feeling not to wake up tired for a change.

Lol Gill I would not have wanted to be out on the open sea when it was that rough but, although choppy it was fine on the ferry. From 1956 (I know, way before you were born probably) until 1961 I used to travel across that stretch of water going to and from work five days a week and the ferries were rickety crafts compared to the modern bigger ones. I don’t remember a single day that they didn’t sail, fog gales, rain, thunderstorms, snow, ice. You name it. And one of those old boats also went to Dunkirk.
Yes it has been a good day.
Mel hope you didn’t get blown away when you went to the crooks.

It’s not too windy here, more like a stiff breeze, but it is quite chilly and still raining. According to my weather app it’s going to carry on raining till at least 2 am. There’s a family party this weekend and several people are camping. My son, daughter and some of the grandchildren are camping tonight and tomorrow. I hope they don’t get blown away. We won’t be going as I don’t think OH is ready for a night away yet.

That was some meal Frank. I’m not surprised the starter was enough. I like Chinese food but have to be very careful as I can’t eat shellfish or molluscs and, even when I check, the chefs sometimes forget that they’ve thrown in some oyster sauce or similar.

I hope your pies have turned out well Mel. I am getting very lazy in my old age and nearly always have shop bought pies now. I’m the same with cakes these days as well but I did make a banana loaf this afternoon to use up some squashy bananas. Haven’t tasted it yet but it looks and smells OK.

I’m glad you are enjoying yourselves in spite of the weather AnninG. It will be nice to see some of your family and have a catch-up.

You must have needed that sleep Gill and I expect you felt better for it. I am so jealous of people who sleep well, my OH included. The night before last I decided to take one of my sleeping pills. These are supposed to be pretty strong and addictive and I have to sign for them as a controlled drug, so I only take them when I am desperate. Anyway I took one at 11.00 pm, lay down and expected to drop off fairly quickly. At 2.30 am I gave up and made a cup of tea. I think I eventually fell asleep at about 4.30 and was still awake before 8. Never mind, I must be getting enough sleep as I am still functioning.

I’m looking forward to seeing your unicorn bag Mandy. It’s lovely that you could spend time making things with Chelsea. Did she take lots of scrunchies home with her?

Thanks for telling me about your Dyson cordless Ann. My current vac is a Dyson and so was the one before that. I’ve been pleased with them. I need to do a bit of research and check out what’s available.

I had a letter from the claims company dealing with my travel insurance. Talk about the left hand not knowing what the right is doing. I followed the instructions on the claim form to the letter. It said if I hadn’t already paid the excess to the doctor I had to enclose a cheque to cover it which I did. It also said payment by bank transfer is quickest but if I would like a cheque I should say who it should be made out to. Today’s letter says they will deduct the excess from any money they pay so they will destroy the cheque and they only pay by bank transfer and not cheque so they need my bank details. In spite of the fact that they have all the original doctors’ reports and medical information they have also contacted the medical assistance company for more information about it being a medical emergency. I think they are trying to find a loophole to get out of paying.

Time I had our dinner in the oven or OH will think he isn’t going to get fed tonight.

Afernoon All actually it is evening now so Evening All :-D

It seems we all have this horrible rain now. It hasnt let up all afternoon here and no sign of it easing up.

AnnG you have got a lot in today !I have never been to that area.I think I have a Birth Sister who lives in Gosport.

Frank you must have been full after that food last night.All you had was all I would not like .What is happening for the party on Saturday. Are Sally and Simon putting on a meal or a buffet?
Vera that was nice OH was able to go with you to meet up with your group of friends. He is doing so well now isnt he :-D
Gill what a good sleep you had !!!! That is almost unheard of you sleeping that long.You obviously needed it.
I had quite a disturbed sleep last night as I think works must have been going on again on the slip road on the A14 .I got so frustrated that in the end I had to shut the bedroom window completely .That was about 4am. There is just no peace here at the moment . All the machinery starts up at 7am up the road and it is loud :-S

I have just sent a pic of Larrys cake :-D

mandy how is OH's sore botty after his fall? Shame about his phone going in the wash.At least it was just a pay as you go one and not a Smart Phone. That would have been very expensive to replace that!. Good you got he rust out of his shorts. I have several HG cleaning things and find them all really good.

The wind seems to have got up a bit now and we have a steady rain .

Sounds as if you managed to do some things before the rain set in AnnG ,hopefully tomorrow will be better weather for you .

I hope they do pay out for you Vera after all you went through ,they are quick enough to take your money but when it comes to paying out they keep you hanging on and it's not like it's just a few pounds it's a lot of money you had to pay out .
Chelsea went home with about six scrunchies ,two for Katie and two for Lacey :-D

Oh Jane just had a look at Larry's cake :-D it's a beauty , some body has worked hard on that, i love the cycle on the side .

Colin only has a small bruise ,i was expecting him to be black and blue going down like that ,he said its not to sore it's just when he sits down that he feels it .

Yes, 1956 is way before I was born, 10 years before AnnG, I think I'm the baby of the group, apart from Sandra who is in her 30's. You wouldn't have travel like that these days, if the weather is to bad most modes of transport come to a stop. It must of been a lovely way to go to work each day. I think the rain has finally stopped, it's been pouring down all day.

Oh Vera what a shame the weather isn't very nice for the camping trip for your family, I'm sure they'll have a nice time though, despite the weather. Sorry to hear you haven't been sleeping very well even with a sleeping pill. I don't normally sleep very well either so I know how you feel. I hope all goes well with the insurance, it's sounding like they are trying to find a way of not paying you. I'l keep my fingers crossed that's not the case and you receive a payout soon.

I feel for you Jane not being able to sleep because of building work, as you know we've had work going on for almost a year now with the neighbours jobs and next door being done. I was only saying to OH it's like living on a building site with all the noise over the last 8 months. The five years are almost up with Michelle's bankruptcy thing on the deeds so we can have them changed around Christmas this year, we are thinking of making the move we've been talking about for a while when the deeds are sorted. I think we'd just like somewhere a bit quieter and a detached property, somewhere we can call our forever place. This is why we're starting to freshen up our place ready to put it on the market early next year.
Love Larry's cake, I used to make cakes like that. The swan was amazing.

I see you have the weather we've had all day Mandy, at least it's late in the day and you had nice weather earlier. How nice of Chelsea to make two scrunchies each for Katie and Lacey as well as making herself a couple.

Evening all, The wether hasn't beed very nice today. It rained all day, We had a nice lunch at one of our favourite eateries, everyone cleared their plated,

Conrad dropped us back home around 3.30 pm and set off back to Devon. He was suppose to ring uswhenhe got home, but we haven't heard from him yet, shoppe everything is O.K.

I forgot it was Sally's 50th today, and just rung her. That have their friend over from Ireland and her Grandchildren staying, so she is as happy as a pig is S@@T.

She is looking forward to her Party tomorrow night. Thank Gawd it's inside. I can just imagine what it would be like outside. Simon is having a PIG ROAST, so hope it's under cover.

I'm not long before I am in BED, I feel totally KNACKERED.

I just love the cake Jane and like the two little duck on the pond, one bottoms up. Whoever m ade that should be very proud and I bet it cost a lot. How nice to recieve something like that.

Its rained all day here and the wind has only just died sown but not gone entirely away. Why is it always like this in the school holidays? I think I have said that already.

I was going to cut the flowers for the church today as I am on flower duty tomorrow for two weeks but I was'nt going out in the wind and rain for anyone today if I could help it. I shot round to do the big girls and then bantams and that was enough for me.

That was nice making two scrunchies ech for her sisters as well as herself Mandy. I am pleased you managed to get the stain out of Colins grey shorts so thats saved a bit but about the phone I really don't knwo. I have heard something about putting it in rice somewhere before so it may be worth a try before buying another one.

Meat pie was luverly with savoy cabbage and new pots. Our favorite Maris Peer and I always put onion and carrot in the pie too. There was enough gravy to freeze half for the other pie and both are safely stowed away in the freezer for next week if I need a quick dinner.

I have just looked at my plates on the plate rack around the dining area and they have fly muck on them. another job that needs doing but I find it hard to reach them as they are over the desk here in the corner. I think its a job for tomorrow after doing the church flowers and the shop and egg delivery.

Vera don't they muck you about these insurance people. You stand fast and tell them you want your money back as soon as possible please?

I have heard from the water board this week and they say we are too late to claim for the water leak and that we have to pay the bill they xent us. They have sent another one for £700 and something. Oh still says he is not paying it.

Good morning to you all,

That water bill has been going on some time now Mel, Isn't there a arbitrary branch called OFFWAT or something like that, that you could ask for HELP.

After being on here last night, I went to bed to read, but not for long, I soon got my head down and asleep. I woke at 3.07 am. and clocked watched until 6.30 am when I got up.

Quite a nice bright morning apart from this WIND. When is it going away ??

Most of the day alone, as Ros is off to Milton Keynes with the girls to some BIG HOUSE with lots of material and designs. So I expect something will be coming home with her.

I have found a bracelet for Ros's birthday, which I paid for this morning, should be here next week. So that's a job out of the way.

Alls well this end,not doing anything to speak of, I hope you all have a good day. xxxx