General Chat

Evening All,

I hope you had a good trip to see your brother Vera. I expect he was pleased you went and its good he is recovering well. Nice that your OH could go too this time.

OH's knee has a bit of a lump where he banged it but it's not as bad as he expected or it sounded. He was back in the garage this morning making more space and sweeping up as he went . We got some more plastic boxes to put things in yesterday, so at the moment we can at least walk down the middle!!

Jane OH is like you with loving baths and wanting there to be one when we go away. I did used to like them for a nice soak, although I would feel weak with no energy after, but now I stick to showers which I love. It's good you were able to manage your first one without needing help. I think your break will really do you good and help you unwind as it is a lovely place. At least James can look forward to his trip with Hannah now and start to see what opportunities there are for him.

Gill, I bet your front garden looks even better with the neighbour's new fence in place. I can imagine it could be a bit tricky to see when your OH reverses out of the drive though. He needs a little periscope on the roof. :-) How nice of the workmen to help you with the fence and to take the rest of the concrete post out. Don't get any dirt where you hurt your hand. The savlon should do the trick.

Oh Frank how annoying for Ros to get the wrong day! We've all done it though. Oh it's horrid when the shower runs cold, makes you gasp and jump as you say. I hope it isn't going to do that every day now! :-0 We started going out for Sunday Lunch after we did a couple of Car Boot sales when we moved here to get rid of our surplus things. It does soon become a habit Frank, especially when there are places nearby that have nice food and reasonable prices. It does save a lot of time and work as you say, but I still think you can't beat a tasty home cooked roast.

A friend at beading gave me a lovely big pattipan yellow squash today. I an going to cook it a way she enjoys which is to slice the top off and scoop out the middle, discarding the middle bit with seeds. Chop the middle flesh and fry it with onion, mushroom and bacon. Cube some cheese and stir it through the mix and fill the squash case and bake it in the oven. :-)

I know I need to get more up to date with new technology and I had read about this, but what a great idea! When OH called at his friend's brother's yesterday, when he rang the doorbell they were out at a shop nearby. The brother was able to see who was at his bungalow door through an APP on his phone and could speak to OH to tell him he'd be back in 10 minutes. What a useful thing to be able to do! I see that the name 'Alexa' for girls has dropped in popularity now there can be other Alexas in the house!!

Ann I have seen that APP on the telly advertised.

Our Echo is near the telly and sometimes she answers what they say on the telly. Its like having a parrot back in the house the things she comes out with. she will turn the Christmas lights on on the tree and the ceiling ones and the kitchen light and the heating so I don't have to keep getting up to so these things.

Been watching a silly film on Prime. Think I will give this one a miss and watch Gardeners World and then bed.

Annx We have that app on OH's Ipad and phone and can see who is around the house when we are not there. Mainly for security. We also have numerous plugs and Alexas around. However it has caused a bit of a problem when we had the new router as they are all Wifi. The one that connects to the phone he just can't get to work now. Can you imagine if you have a child called alexa. What you have to do is change the name on the device. This is possible I believe., It is not connected to the door bell though so that is a thought.

Morning all,

Not a good one today as it very windy and pouring with rain.

No eggs to deliver this morning as I am only getting one a day and I baked this week using two so I shall have to email Emm so she can get some elsewhere.

Going back to alexa or Echo in our case it upsets her if the leccy goes out which is a pain and if you lose the internet for any reason she has to wait to connect again and sometimes we have to unplug her to get her going again.

F1 today so oh is fiddling with the telly.

Good morning to all you lovely people.

Was awake half the night again, would you believe I sat eating PORK PIE at 2.30 am Just felt a bit peckish.

I picked up a BUCKET full of windfalls yesterday evening, while watering the greenhouse and pots around the pond. I have stood coring and peeling loads this morning, they are in a BIG saucepan, stewing down. I have a few to give to Pam next door. This apple tree this year seems to have so much fruit, I will soon have to get my PICKING NET out and get to the ones high up. The neighbours will be well supplied with cookers, I hate to see them ROT away, rather than give them away.

Carolyn was late picking Ros up for her eye scan. Shoppe she managed to get it done, even though she was late. I will put the "FLAGS" out when Carolyn turns up on time. ;-) ;-) ;-) ;-)

The decking next door is going to be HUGHMONGOUS (sp) The son has put THREE BIG STAKES IN THE LAWN. They are so high above the patio level. To me it looks like the decking will slope back towards the bungalow, so when they come out, they will have to WALK UP. Most strange. !!!! I just hope Val will be able to cope with it.

I have been watching the morning programme with the guy who use to do the news round on children T.V. (can't think of his name) He is spending a lot of time on the Isle of White. It's somewhere I use to go with my ex and children years ago. I might see if there are any cheep coach trips in the Autumn, and take Ros there, as she has never been.

You are off to Yorkshire aren't you Jane. ?? Is it the place where the TRAVELLER'S hold their Annual Horse fair. I remember something being said about it. I hope all of those who are away or going away have a nice restful time.

I spoke with Simon yesterday, they are just back from two weeks on the Narrow boat. I asked if he and Sally would like to meet up for Lunch on Sunday (I can alter the number of diners) Unfortunately they have two weeks of washing, gardening etc to get done today and tomorrow, before returning to work on Monday, so they are unable to do so. It would have been nice to have a catch up.

Funny sort of morning here, breezy with a lot of cloud. So I might be better off staying at home, instead of risking getting wet, walking to the pub.

Still trying to sort out this bracelet for Ros. I can see me sending it back and starting again. All this seller keeps on about is the size of Ros's wrist. It's the size of her hand that the bracelet has to go over, her wrist size really doesn't come into the equation.

The shower worked O.K. for Ros this morning, so hope it behaves when I go in there in a few minutes. I was thinking of having a stroll to the pub, but I see there is football on BT sport at 12.30 Southampton V Man. UTD. So I might as well stay home and watch that.

Have a pleasant afternoon, will try to get back tonight. xxxx

Perhaps Val's son is doing a slope up to the bungalow if Val has to go in a wheelchair so she can go out and get back ok.

Afternoon All
Cloudy and windy here .It is quite dark in the house.

Ann, I think I would quite like that thing where you can see who is around your house.But how do you know? Does the phone beep or something to alert you?

Frank, it is Suffolk we are going to . Yorkshire was where we should have gone back in June but had ot cancel. Appleby I think it the place you are thinking about with all the travellers annual horse fair. We stayed there a few years ago but left just as all the Travellers and Horses were beginning to arrive. I am glas we left when we did though as it would have been mayhem !!!!

Hope Ros got to her appointment ok this morning. She doesn't need a second wasted visit. This decking sounds a bit odd with a slope !!. I am sure that Val may have problems :-S

Well the barrier is down on the road now and there is a new road lay out just along from us. I thought oh great I can drive up the road now BUT oh no you can't as it is still closed off at the top of Cranford road ,so I had to do a 3 point turn and go the long way again to Tesco :-| They really need to make the signs clearer.

James was exhausted last night after what must have been a very difficult day. But this morning he seems fine and has got cracking on the job search. I suppose now it will be a relief in a way . No more worry about going into the job but he can now fully concentrate on looking forward.

Mel only one egg? Is that unusual? How many of your girls actually lay? Hope the rain stops for you. I dont think we are forecast rain but it does look a bit suspicious .At least I got all the washing done yesterday :-D

Vera I am so pleased that your Brother seems to be recovering well from his latest op. That must have made you feel good :-D

Remember my homeless man Steve? Well he was in Tesco this morning and my goodness what a difference. He looks amazing.He gave a hug and thanked me for being so kind to him when he used to sit outside the Co-op. He said that staff and customers raised money for him to help him get some accomodation (how good was that) so he is settled now in a little flat in town . I think he still has a way to go with getting stronger,and he had 3 months in hospital after a spinal operation that became infected. It was just so lovely to see how well he looked and it did bring a little tear to my eye :-D :-D. A happy ever after story :-D
Mandy have you seen Nicko lately? I think you said last time you saw him he too was doing well.

I can see tiny spots of rain on the window .

Afternoon all

Sunny at the moment but we had a real downpour of rain earlier.

I've never bothered with Alexa, never really thought about it, but I do like the advert, especially when he says "I said Bingo not Flamingo" lol. Sandra couldn't stop laughing when she first saw it, with the man running away from a Flamingo. I can't remember the man's name but I think he's one of the presenters on Top Gear.

How nice of everyone to have a collection to help Steve. I love a happy ending to Jane. Good luck to James on the job hunt, I hope he finds something he likes very soon.

Pleased to hear your OH's knee isn't to bad Ann. Yes, the front garden does look much better now the new fence is up and will look even better once OH paints the concrete posts brown.

It sounds like your busy with your apples Frank, your neighbours will love the ones you pass onto them. When we had a big apple tree I passed some onto a local lunch club and OH gave some to his friend for her horses. We're like you and didn't want any going to waste. We don't have the tree anymore, but I do have a smaller one in a pot which gives me enough apples for Sandra and I. OH doesn't like apple pies, so I just have enough for us two, with no wastage now.

OH has taken the wood off the concrete posts so they look much better and he's going to sand the old paint down and re-paint them in brown to match the new fence in the front. I must admit it looks so much better than the broken fence that was there and the front garden is less windy now which can only helps the plants.

OH is managing to get out of our drive, he goes out forwards and edges out slowly so if anyone is there they can see him. When the weather is less unpredictable he's going to jet wash the drive and all around the bungalow. Since he's painted it white the ground looks very dirty so really needs a good clean.

When I looked out of the window today it was so nice to see no skips around, it makes a nice change after looking at them for almost a year :-) :-)

OH and I have just moved a few pot plants around, so I have 5 Sedums in the long border at the back now, they are just starting to go pink, so will look lovely in a week or two.

It's as black as your hat here, so I expect the rain anytime, in fact it's just started.

No sign of Ros and Carolyn. I know they were going to Spec. savers for their eye tests, but I thought that was one o'clock time, I expect they decided to go somewhere. It's a good job I am not relying on her to pick me up from the pub. :-| :-| :-| and to have walked home I would have got soaked.

I had my lunch around mid-day. A nice try of seafood, with a roll and butter. I had to use Ros's sweetness in my coffee, as I used what sugar was left for the apples.

Football looks like ending in a draw. I turned over as it was like watching paint dry. !!!

expect it will be a Takeaway this evening, but at the moment, I don't fancy anything. Perhaps around 7/8.00 I might feel different.

It looks like Steve has fallen on his feet alright. How nice of the staff and customers to do that for him. Yes, I wonder how Nicko is doing, now you mention him Jane. Pleased that James is being positive, I'm sure things will work out for him.

I am bored to death sitting around with nothing to do. I don't feel like reading, and T.V. doesn't have anything on that appeals to me. NEVER SATISFIED AM I. ???

Jane I get one egg a day from one of the new girls but the other one only lays now and again. There is an old one who lays but her egg shells are so soft they usually break so I have to throw that one away. I did get one from her this week that was'nt broken and managed to get it indoors without breaking it so I broke it into a bowl and used another one for making the quiche earlier in the week.

Hope James find a new job soon and as you say he can concentrate on it now he dos'nt have to worry about work anymore. I bet he was shattered when he got home yesterday but it sounds like he is more positive today and brighter in his aspect.

How nice to see Steve and find him in good fettle. Fancy everyone helping him to get a little flat and he's gone through a nasty op too. Do you know if he has any family? It must have been great to see him after so long. I know you used to get him a sandwich and coffee sometimes.

Vera it must have been so nice to see yourbrother in better spirits after this last op. I hope he has a speedy recovery now and he must have been really pleased to see you and hubby.

Gill you're all busy as usual. I have seen that advert and thought of Sandra when I saw it. She must have thought that was extremly funny, bless her. I must get something off for her I got from Morrisons. The lady on the customers services desk saved it for me for her but I missed her the next week as I was later and the desk shuts at 5pm so had toremember togo there first this week.

I really don't like this post date posts being all upside down but at least I can get to the last page quickly. I'm still having trouble getting on here.

Steve, the homeless man never begged . He was given permission from the Co-0p to sit outside. He was living in a tent then and the poor chap always looked a wreck. He is such a nice freindly and polite man. Mel I think it all went downhill for him when his marriage broke up. I know he has 2 boys and I believe he does see them. He often spoke about them.Yes I would get him a coffee or sandwhiches. Once when I asked him if he needed anything he asked if I would buy him a deodorant :-(. He would have a shower at the local swimming baths .

I just managed to knock a glass tumbler off the edge of the patio table . Glass everywhere :-S. James heard it and came down to help me clear it all up. He got the cordless hoover out to suck up the small bits.I was only leaning over to wind the handle on the parasol to get it down as it sudddenly got really windy and caught the glass with my elbow. Chris has picked so many Runners it has taken me forever to string them. Now what am I going to do with them all!!. I have never been that good at freezing them as I find they come out a bit watery. Advice please would be good :-D

I am surprised at how well James seems to be today. I can just see in his face he is more relaxed.He went for a hair cut at 8 this morning too.

I watched the last of Gone Fishing last night.I shall miss this now on a friday night. . Does anyone watch 'This Country'
it is so funny. Lots of effin'and jeffin' though so those of you who don't like loads of swearing it's not for you :-D I think they call it a Mockumentary . Just my kind of humour :-D :-D.. Fitz loves it too :-D

Evening All,

I just spared you a long post as it went to the 'home of lost posts' when I caught a key.

Had a chuckle at your Echo parrot talking to the telly Mel. :-D It must be nice not having to get up to do everything as you say.

I see you have the APP as well AnnG. It is a good security thing to be able to see who is at your door when you are away. Our nextdoor neighbour watches their CCTV when they are away as well. Hopefully these things may put off some would be burglars as more people get them. I hate packing to go away too and start about a week before I go with the essentials and underwear. It's anticipating the weather as you say and I never seem to wear a lot of what I take. I've never quite got the knack of the 'capsule wardrobe' I'm afraid. where a few items make lots of different outfits! lol.

It's good that James' mind is free of the old job now. A positive of him not being happy there is that he won't be moping about losing it! It's good he is keen to get on with finding another. :-) It's such a shame about your friend and must be just awful to know you aren't going to get better. Good news about Steve though when you bumped into him at Tesco. How nice he got the helping hand he needed to get a flat and appreciated your kindness to him. Poor chap having to have a spinal op too. I hope things keep looking up for him.

Frank you'd think the seller would realise it was the hand that would matter with a bracelet you push on! A friend at beading had nice new bracelet on yesterday. It's one with magnets in and she said they put it on for her in the shop and she couldn't get it off!! I said what if you needed a scan and that she would have to get it off then. So, we all had a go at unclipping it but just couldn't budge it!! It looks like she will have to go to a jewellers to get it off now.......or the blacksmith!!. :-S :-S

I see your hubby is getting very attached to his paintbrushes Gill. :-) I bet the front looks even better with the brown posts now. Just like you, we lost the 2 skips from the 2 neighbours opposite yesterday and it looks better out on the front. We all need these things to get our jobs done, but it's nice to see them go. The same chap collected both and stacked one above the other which I haven't seen before. We don't have Alexa either. I think it's good, but that article in the paper about people in foreign countries hacking into them, listening to conversations and even watching children's bedrooms has put me off. I think I would have a job to persuade OH anyway as he isn't into gadgets at all unless it's something he can't manage without. He's never used the SatNav I bought him, but uses the one in his friend's car.

I wonder if Mandy's pool has been left alone now? The children round here went back to school yesterday, so it has been quieter.

Evening all,

To many posts to catch up on ,we have had Katie here and have been out and about ,one day we went to the coast and yesterday we had a good day clearing away the pool to the tip ,the insurance is all paid so we can now start to look for another pool hopefully they will be selling then off so we can get a bargain .

Children all go back to school on Wednesday ,i bet there will lots of sighs of relief :-D

Ann that magnetic clasp ,is it one of those that you have to slide across and not pull apart ? could she not go back to the shop so they could undo it for her ?

I hope James can soon find his ideal job ,maybe a bit nearer home so there's not so much travelling for him .
Jane that's brilliant that Steve has a nice flat and has got settled now ,i haven't seen Nicko lately but the last time i saw him he was settled in his little place and seemed happy enough , it's nice to think that we did our little bit to help .

Tomorrow we are having a nice day of rest :-D don't think we will be late to bed tonight and hopefully tomorrow we will both feel more with it .

It's good the insurance paid Mandy and as you say there may be some reductions this time of the year. :-) It sounds like you have been kept busy so a rest will be good. The magnets were spaced along the bracelet and it's one for arthritis I think? The clasp was one of those long ones with a hinge one end and the other end presses and clips down, like on some watches that are on a bracelet.. She got it on holiday so can't go back to the same shop where she got it.

Evening all

It’s been a funny sort of day here. This morning was warm and sunny, this afternoon was overcast and several times looked as though it was going to pour but never did, a couple of hours ago it got really windy and now it is a beautiful calm evening.

Jane I am glad James seems calmer now. Sometimes when you have been worrying about something like redundancy there is a sort of relief when it actually happens. He can now concentrate on job hunting and I am sure something will turn up for him soon. That was a lovely story about your homeless man. It warms the cockles of your heart :-) (I wonder where that expression came from?)

AnninG are you away now? I keep losing track lately. Was it Tenerife you were going to again or did I make that up? If you are away I hope you are having a lovely time.

That decking does sound odd Frank but perhaps when it is finished it will be fine. You are not having much luck with Ros’s bracelet. I know what you mean about the hand measurement. If the bracelet is the bangle type without a fastening then just measuring the wrist is no good. I have a thin gold bangle that is plenty big enough for my wrist but is just too small now for the widest part of my hand.

Gill, tell Sandra that as far as we know Amy is fine. We saw her on television the other day but it was a repeat of an old programme so she is several years older now. I hope your OH’s tooth is feeling a lot less sore.

How is your OH’s knee Ann?

I managed to spend a couple of hours in the garden today. It’s beginning to look a bit tidier at last but I do miss OH doing his share out there. He is willing to do a bit but I won’t let him risk it until after our break in Jersey. We go 3 weeks today and at the moment he will manage it fine. We’ll just have to change our habit of walking a lot and do more by bus.

OH is doing so well that he drove to my brother’s and back yesterday without any ill effects. He has had to change the position of the seat as he found his usual seat position uncomfortable. It’s a bit of a nuisance as the seat was right for both of us but now we have to keep changing it as I can’t comfortably drive with the seat in his position. Still, it’s good that he could manage quite a long drive.

My brother looked better than I had seen him for a while and was in good form. He’s certainly not out of the woods yet but is much improved.

One bit of good news - our claim on our travel insurance has been paid in full. I thought they might try to knock it down a bit but all they have deducted is the excess, so I am well pleased. The odd thing is that we haven’t had any notification and wouldn’t have known it had been paid if OH hadn’t gone into our bank account online and seen the money had been paid in.

OH is watching something billed as an action comedy. I haven’t seen him even smile yet and it just seems to me to be a load of noise. I think I’ll have a go at the crossword. Hope you all have a good night.

You can buy clasp openers Ann that might get it open .

Mornig all and white rabbits, a pinch and a punch and all that.

We have a nice sunny morning here with great big white clouds and some blue sky.

Now where did August go???????? It no sooner began than it went just like that. This year is passing so quickly it only seems like a little while ago we were wishing everyone a Merry Christmas and now here it is approaching again.

Grey clouds have just been blown over and now its raining. How does it manage to change so quickly?

Morning Mel and everyone

Sunny here at the moment but it is very changeable.

Dinner all prepared ready to cook a bit later. We’ve got roast lamb studded with garlic and rosemary, roast potatoes and parsnips, carrots, cauliflower and broccoli, then local strawberries and cream.

I’m just going to make a cuppa and then try to get another hour working in the garden.

Morning all

We've just had a massive downpour of rain, I was in the greenhouse at the time and boy did it come down, it was like being in a car wash. At least the outside of the greenhouse is clean now,, so that's a job we won't have to do, I've never seen it so clean. ;-)

Thanks for letting me know about Amy Vera, I'll let Sandra know. Pleased to see your OH is managing longer trips in the car now. When I used to drive we had to keep altering the car seat position as OH is about a foot taller than me so his legs are longer. Good idea not to ask him to do to much before your holiday, the last thing you need is for him to make himself poorly again. I see your brother is doing well, that must be a nice feeling for everyone. Pleased to see the insurance have paid out in full, that will come in handy for your next holiday. Fancy them not letting you know though. Never mind at least you have it now.

I see the insurance have paid out for your pool to Mandy, I hope you find a bargain, it's the right time of the year for one on swimming pools, so at least the timing was right, although I'm sure you wish it had never happened in the first place. Let's hope they don't come back again.

Talking of Flamingos Mel, the light up ones mum bought for Sandra aren't working properly, they keep flickering really fast so OH and I have advised her not to put them on, we're worried it might lead to fits. I mentioned they were broken to mum, but she can't remember where she bought them from, so Sandra is very disappointed now. We're going to see if there's anything we can do to light them up for her rather than the way they are now, that way she can switch them on via a plug and they won't flicker anymore. I was thinking of using some fairy lights but I'm not sure if it'll work. I can try for her and see what happens. I won't say anything about you sending her a little pressie, it'll be a lovely surprised for her when it arrives. Let me know when you post it so I can keep an eye out. Thanks.

Oh dear Jane, knocking a glass over, be careful you don't end up with tiny bits of glass in your feet, you know what it's like there's always one or two small pieces left behind, even if you think it's all been cleared up. Just make sure you keep something on your feet for a while. Pleased to hear James is more relaxed, it must be less of a worry for you now seeing him more positive.

I see you're still having trouble trying to find a suitable bracelet for Ros Frank, I really hope you find one before her birthday. Who'd of thought it would be so difficult to find the right one.

I also hope your friend can find a way of taking her bracelet off Ann, I did smile when you mentioned a blacksmith lol. I didn't know the likes of Alexa could listen into your conversations and spy on you like that, what a horrible thought. I believe smart meters are similar and can also harm your health, which is why we keep refusing one each time our energy supplier tries to make an appointment on our behalf to have one installed. I don't even have a modern phone, mine's an old fashioned Nokia with a green screen, but it does what I need, so why buy a new one. To be honest my old phone has outlived all my family's modern ones, so they mustn't make them to last nowadays.

OH still has a bit more painting to do but it shouldn't take to long to finish. He needs to put another coat of paint on the kitchen ceiling and another coat of paint on the gate post outside where the old fence was taken away at the side of the gate. Then he'll paint the concrete posts, he couldn't do them the other day with it being so wet with rain, so that'll be done next week now.

Once all that is finished he's going to re-paint the red bricks on the corner of the bungalow as he caught them a bit here and there with the white paint when he was painting the peppledash, so he still has a bit more to do, but just small jobs, then he'll be finished. Mum's friend doesn't want her new place decorating until next year so he's got plenty of time to finish our jobs off.

I'm waiting for the weather to improve so I can put the screening up, down the side of the bungalow. It's to wet and windy for me to do it now and I've still got ear ache, so I don 't really feel up to it at the moment anyway.