General Chat

Oh dear Mandy, what a horrid shock for you. Quite apart from the cost of the damage and all the hassle, it's the thought that someone has invaded your home. While any crime is terrible at least you can see a reason for someone to steal, to get the goods or the money, but I can't see why anyone would just want to cause damage. Sending you a cyber (((((((hug))))))).

Jane, I hope your friend is comfortable and being kept free from pain. Even if she doesn't want to see anyone she will know that she's in your heart and mind and will be comforted.

I was just going to write that it has been sunny but breezy here today when I realised it was raining, so I've just dashed out to get the washing in. I got soaked before I had got half in so I have had to leave the rest out. It'll have to go in the dryer later.

I've had quite a productive day. Changed the bedding, did 3 loads of washing, finished last week's ironing, dusted and vacuumed all the upstairs of the house and have done several silly little jobs that I have been putting off.

OH did a couple of short drives at the end of last week but I was with him to take over if necessary. Today he went off on his own. It was only to pick up a friend from a garage about 5 miles away after friend took his car in for a service but I was a nervous wreck till he got back. Isn't that stupid? I know he wouldn't have gone if he didn't feel able and he doesn't really want me nursemaiding him but I can't help thinking "What if..." He has just gone out again to take friend back to the garage to pick his car up.

We are both going to a short talk tonight on the Black Death in this area. It doesn't sound very cheerful but I have heard this speaker before and he is very good. It's only a couple of minutes down the road from us so OH feels he can make it too which is good. There's a way to go yet but things are beginning to get back to something like normality and we are getting a bit of a social life back.

Forgot to say I love the deer photos Mel.

EDIT: Had the error message indicating that my post hadn't gone but when I checked it was there twice!! Is GR having one of its mad moments?

I have not been able to get on from after I posted this morning and only got on now by logging in separately from my book marked way in.

Mandy what a horrid experience. Why, when they break in to steal do they vandalise for the sake of it. I wonder how they got over the wall from the other side if they needed the seat from the garden side.. do you have your garden things, pool etc insured?

Vera, good to see you getting a bit of social life back.

Got to go and sort out why I couldn't get on hopefully back later.

You are right Pippin, they haven't gone back here yet either. I asked OH as he does clerking at several schools since he retired so knows. The schools round here do have earlier half term holidays than elsewhere though and the next county has different summer holidays too as it causes parents problems when they have children at school in both counties!

Vera, it sounds as if he is doing a lot better now and it will help if he feels his independence coming back with going off in the car on his own......as long as he's careful doing things like getting in and out of the car! I would enjoy your talk you are going to tonight. I like anything like that.

We watched a prog about Ada Lovelace we'd recorded last night. I've been interested in her since we found a memorial to her in the nearby church at Kirkby Mallory. She lived at the hall there with her mother as a young girl. Sadly that disappeared and Mallory Park racetrack is on the land now.

We were lucky we got the washing out and dried early this morning as we have had several heavy downpours since. Mr O opposite was at home and was washing the car in purple marigolds while it was raining. It wasn't dirty that you could see either. The Police helicopter was circling over our bungalow and the field behind for about an hour which it often does when something has happened on the motorway.

I was hoping to get on the garden to plant a few things but there's no chance now it's sodden. I've been looking for a little local magazine I picked up when we were at lunch last week, but suspect I've chucked it out. Someone was advertising the 6 foot long raised wooden trough and cover, still all boxed and it was about half price. It's just what we planned to buy to go where the raised beds are. :-S

Afternoon Everyone
Thanks for all you kind words regarding my friend Sue. It is just a shock as things have happened so quickly. Her Daughter said that the Drs were trying to decide if there might be any suitable treatment but it seems that this cancer is so aggressive ,I am not sure if time is against her.

Ann I did send a card last week .The idea of a letter is a great idea,but I would worry she would realise it might be a goodbye letter (if you get my meaning). I did find a photo of the 2 of us aged 18 and 16 when we were living and working in Athens. Both in very short mini skirts knee length boots and midi coats :-D That was the winter in 1972. How long ago !!! and how young we were :-D We had plenty of fun on our days off even a bit of mischief LOL If our parents only knew what we got up too they would have turned grey :-D

Pippyn, Chris was here yesterday when I was so upset but I was outside on the phone and James just happened to be beside me .So he didnt know about the call until he came outside and realised something was up. I do have 2 lovely supportive men in my life.

Mandy I am sorry you have had the damage to the pool and the wall. It is good though that you reported the break in as you have a Crime Number. This would help if you make a claim on your insurance .I take it the pool is now now longer useable. Do you know if it was just your place targeted ? I would have thought Max might have heard the intruders.Or is he one of these dogs that will sleep through anything :-D It was probably as someone else said people trying to get some things to sell to feed a drug habit. I hope that it hasn't spooked you too much and that you will be able to sleep tonight. <3

AnnG ,it won't be long before you are off again will it
:-DThis time to much better weather :-D. Glad you enjoyed your few days.

So OH is driving Vera :-D.. This is brilliant. I do understand how nervous you must have been though . But it sounds as though you have no need to worry now. It will have done him good to know that he doesn't have to rely on you for the driving now. Bit like Chris and Me :-D. It is so good just get in the car now and drive wherever I need to on my own :-D I can shop without him looking at everything I get and saying "do we really need that" :-D :-D

The weather has mostly been good today other than a huge downpour earlier. Chris had been cutting a hedge . He managed to cause the electric to short out on the oven ,the house phone ,washing machine and doorbell when the wires came loose or something on the hedge cutter. But all is back to normal now :-D

Mel the pics of the Deer were brill :-D

So it is a new tumble dryer then Gill. That makes sense ot get a new one if having it repaired will cost as much.

Frank, fancy droping your trousers in front of the nurse :-D :-D :-D Good that she was happy that you have put on a little bit of weight,and also good that you have made an appointment to see the Doc :-D How long have we all been saying you need to do this !!!. :-D

I need to phone a friend now as she will be wondering where I am . I should have rung her at the weekend. BBL

O my goodness Mandy what a thing to have done to the pool!!!!!!! Did'nt Max bark????? Where's the guard dog when you need him? Its good the other shed was locked but its so horrid to think someone has been into your space. I know I don't like being up the potting shed on my own now since we had the break in years ago.

I hope it will be covered by the house insurance and you may be able to get new for old???

I have had a busy day. I started to strip the bed an dget that washed and I knew oh wanted to go and get petrol for the mowers and then just as I fed the chickens before going Di turned up so we had coffee and a chat and she left a bit earlier than normal so we could go for the petrol.

We then went to Hatherleigh for that and came back and had lunch. Then I made the bed and oh went mowing the top field. He's getting it ready for the dog show on the 26th.

I did the washing up and then watered things in my shed brought down the box from up the top and finished off the bed just as oh came in and asked if I wanted a hand. Typical. It takes me ages to do the bed as its a king size and I am only 5' 2" and if he's in he holds one end up and can give it a nice shake and get it over the bed in one go whereas I have to walk round and round it to get it on properly.

So many post to read.

Our children don't go back to school till the begining of Sept either. I think that must have been wishfull thinking Ann.

Also its not a shell for the unicorn horn its material. I did think about using a shell on some other things I have in mind.

There was me wondering how you managed to fix the shell Mel. Silly me. Yes it must have been wishful thinking as you say. Still it won't be long will it! That happens to me with the bed changing too. I can't hold the duvet up very easily to shake the stuffing down on my own and getting the fitted bottom sheet on means going from one side to the other, much easier if there's two of you, but where is he when I need him! He says shout him, but then doesn't hear and walking about looking for him just aggravates my knees at times, so I struggle on like you.

Yes, I did think it would have to be a carefully worded letter Jane, but you are right in that she may have felt it was a goodbye letter. Difficult one isn't it, but sending a nice card would show you are thinking of her. :-)

No we didn't hear a peep out of Max but it was down the garden where they came over the wall so if they stayed that way he wouldn't have heard them .
We do have insurance for garden things but at the moment Colin has been putting patches on as it is fairly straight slashes so we're hoping that will hold ,we'll know tomorrow when he tops it up if they will leak or not ,we did think about claiming but by the time we pay the excess and then they will put the insurance up next year we decided to leave it ,but if it does leak we might change our minds .
The copings on top of the wall Colin can do ,but it's just the thought that some one has been in our space ,the place where we have the children and sit out and that he must have had a knife as the cuts were so clean so it wasn't done with a screw driver or any thing .
Nothing on next doors CCTV but i did mention to the policeman that there was CCTV on the church but we don't know if it spans out over to our wall .

Sorry not to comment on any of today's posts but i haven't been able to settle to do much today i have felt quite jittery and on edge .

Mamndy we all understand so don't worry about commenting on th posts. It would be great if they were on the church CCTV. Will you ask the church warden if you can look?

I have washed my hair and ironed the pillow cases and t shirt for oh and now I am starting dinner. Lamb chops new pots and long beans from the garden and a couple of mushrooms for oh. I'm not bothered about mushrooms.

It's not surprising you are on edge Mandy, it's a very unsettling thing to happen. I wondered with excess to pay if it would be worth claiming on the insurance. I hope Colin's repair on the pool works. I wonder if they were after the pool as it sounds like they were trying to empty it with taking the pipe off? Maybe it was just to cause you problems though with them cutting it as well. Yes they were obviously carrying knives weren't they. I know when I used to find things like chisel marks on the window frames at my old house when I lived on my own I was nervous afterwards. I think we need to beef up a bit on security here since they built the little estate nearby. I've noticed the 2 bungalows opposite leave their outside lights on all night since the hot tub on the little estate was stolen and they used our close.

CCTV cameras are not that expensive OH has put four of them round this house.
Annx early September before schools here go back. No hope of getting in the garden here until it dries out a bit.

Having terrible trouble getting on here but if this get through Good Morning all.

I keep getting the Error Pageand can't even get on to customer support.

Mel

Morning all

I'm getting the error page, had trouble signing in I've had to press post date to get to the end of the thread which makes reading the posts difficult as they're all back to front.

It's raining here so if Genes lets me I'm going to do more on OH's tree. He's at the dentist having the tooth out that the surgeon broke when he had his op.

Hope everyone is okay, I'll send this now incase there's more problems and try and get back on later.

Tried and tried and am thinking of giving up. I see Gill has managed to get on here this morning but there seems to be no way I can. I have tried everything.

We have a nice bright morning here and the Bull Finch has been in the orchard this morning packing about on the grass.

Its shopping day so I better get on as I want to get out early if I can.

Have a good day all.

Anng I have emailed you.

I am a bit confused Mel as you are actually on the thread saying you can't get on..... but I can see that you ARE on!. I couldn't even access GR for a while, ok now so I am whizzing around before it goes off again. I have emailed support.

Good morning to you all,

Mandy, there are to many of these incidents going on around our area too. These YOBS, DRUGGIES or what ever you call them, are not normal human beings . Why go out to vandalise things when they can't get what they want. Put them away for a VERY LONG TIME. As you say, if you claim on the insurance, it will cost you more than the damage.

Yes Jane, from what you say, James and Chris are very considerate men, and are there for you when you need them.

I am going to attempt to put the steps back on, that go out of the conservatory. I'm fed up with asking people (who I would pay) and they just ignore your request. Why say "YES" they will do it, when they have no intention of doing so.

Pleased to hear your OH feels confident enough to drive on his own Vera. Time will tell, for how far he feels comfortable to drive, without you being with him.

I have a very sore bottom this morning, I had forgotten about the injection yesterday, but I soon remembered when I was in the shower washing myself. !!! No bruise, just a dull ache. Louise, is always apologising as she is injecting me, as the Testosterone (sp) is so thick, it takes a long time to inject.

Ros has a slow puncture in her rear tyre. I had to get the tyre inflator out this morning and blow it up. We will have to go the the tyre place tomorrow, and get it sorted.

The girls have gone shopping this morning. As Ros didn't do a shop on Saturday, being she went to Milton Keynes. she has quite a list to get this morning. She is getting me a Meal for one, so it will save me cooking just for myself.

A little brighter today, and I think warmer. So lets hope we are going to get a good September.

Ros's bracelet arrived this morning, and will be winging it's way back to the owner. It is nothing like described and is barely 7 inches long, where it is advertised as 8 inches. It just won't go round Ros's wrist. Why on EARTH do people describe something that it isn't. ??

A nice quite day, and of course evening, with Ros going out tonight. Lets hope I can find something worth watching on T.V. if not my book will be on hand.

I hope you all enjoy your day, and will try to get back later. xxxx

Oh dear, some of you seem to be having real problems with Genes. I had a couple of error messages yesterday but everything’s fine today, touch wood.

Frank, do be careful tackling those steps. You don’t want to put your back out or slip over. It is irritating when workman or friends say they will do something and don’t do it. Could you have one more go at tying someone down to a definite date? You’re not having much luck with Ros’s bracelet either. I hope you find something soon that Ros likes and is in your price range and turns out to be as advertised.

I hope you are feeling a bit less twitchy today Mandy. I do understand how you feel. Some years ago my car broke down and I had to leave it on a grass verge. When OH came home we went out so he could tow me back and I could see that my car had been moved along the verge a bit. Someone had tried to steal it by hot-wiring it. I felt really uncomfortable getting in the car and kept thinking someone I didn’t know had been sitting in the driver’s seat in MY car. I hope the patches Colin put on have sealed the pool OK.

The talk on The Black Death in this area last night was really good. The speaker is superb. He has no notes and so talks direct to his audience. He is very fluent and has a good clear voice so everyone can hear him. Although he is serious about his subject, he also adds a lot of humour so his talks are usually interesting and entertaining.

This morning it was a dental check up for both of us. Nothing to be done apart from a clean and polish so that was good. I hope your OH’s extraction was pain free Gill and everything went OK.

OH is making mutterings about it being turned 1 o’clock so I think he wants lunch. Have a nice afternoon everyone.

Hi again,

Well I have done the steps. What a job. Ros bought a tub of sand and cement mix, all I had to do was add water and mix. Easier said than done. !!! Once the water hit the mix, it was hells own job to mix it. I used a stick, and then a trowel. After a fair bit of time I managed to get it mixed, I cleaned down the steps with a stiff brush to get rid of any bits, then poured water over them as directed. The mix went on quite well, then I had to relay the slabs. They were so difficult to get into place, being that they were HEAVY. Anyway all done and dusted !!! I just have my aching arms and back to contend with. I was going to have another shower, but don't feel I can be sure that I would be safe doing so. I will wait until Ros is at home.

Ros is going to look around the Jewellers she uses in town, to see if he has anything she likes, for her birthday. If not, it will be back to the drawing board. lol lol.

I made myself a toasted Ham sandwich ,with a piece of cake and a coffee for lunch. Now I think I will try to have a few zzzz while everywhere is quiet.

See you later.

At last I have got to the last page and read your posts.

I too hope the patches worked on the pool Mandy so clin has mended it so you can still use it.

Vera your talk sounded interesting and I ee you enjoyed it so thats good. Always nice when you can hear the speaker well and with a bit of humour too. No dental treatment for you both then Vera. Thats good more money saved.

So Frank you have been a naughty boy and done the steps yourself. If they come loose again you have nobody to blame but yourself. I hope they are ok now so don't go treading on them for a day so they dry out properly. Hope the aches go soon and the sore botty.

Anng I managed to post two post but got the error page both times and could'nt read the posts others had done. I went to General chat in the end and saw my post had gone through. Thanks for reporting the Error Page and I have too.

Afternoon All

Frank it sounds like you have the job done now with those steps.. Take it easy now for the rest of the day. A shower can wait until the morning. :-D
Vera I would have enjoyed that talk on the Black Death :-DIt must have been very interesting.
Hope the tooth came out easily for OH Gill this morning and that he isn't in too much discomfort.

Mandy fingers crossed the patching up on the pool will hold out at least until the end of the school holidays and the children will still be able to have plenty of fun in it.
Shame again Frank that this second Bracelet was not right. Hopefully Ros will find something she likes. You have done your best :-D
Touch wood I have had no problem with the Error thing !! .. It seems strange that some do and others don't.

It has been a lovely day here so far,washing drying nicely on the line. Chris has done another hedge this morning and has now gone for a bit of a snooze. He was beginning to seize up. He stripped off his top and I gave him a brush down to get rid of all the bits of cuttings stuck to him before he got in the shower. Being such a hairy person it is not easy to brush everything out :-S I have been and had my eyebrows tidied and tinted this morning.Normaly it would take me 5 minutes to get there,but with our road shut and having to do the country roads it took 20 mins !!!. I am hoping that within a few weeks the road will be open again.It has been closed since April 17th !!!!!! They refuse to give any compensation to us residents :-S :-S There is a very strong smell of tarmac today plus all the noise from the machinery . That started at 7.10am

Lovely day here, and this morning a lovely surprise as both our granddaughters arrived unexpectedly to see us! What chatterboxes they are!!! They bought a cake so we had that and sent them off with some runnerbeans for our daughter!! They went away very happily!!
Goodness Gill, fancy the surgeon breaking your OH's tooth?!!!!! I bet that's going to cost the hospital a pretty penny in compensation!! His dental treatment + stress etc I would imagine!!
The extra long arm for the hedge cutter has arrived so we're going in to collect it, then OH can reach the top of the hedge and that will be that job out of the way! The hedge cutter has a saw attatchment too, so it's a useful tool - apparently!!!