General Chat

Afternoon all

Nice and sunny so we're sitting out in the sunshine, just had my hair cut so that's a job out of the way ,did a little shopping in town this morning ,went to the bank and then in specsavers to get Colin his hearing aid batteries and some more eye drops .

Tomorrow is hospital appointment in the morning for Colin, it's just a check up for his hip ,it will be three years since it was done ,he had the usual check up after a year then the surgeon wanted to see him again after two years ,it will be xray first then sit and wait to be seen .

Vera at least all the bits and bobs are on one table :-D and I bet OH knows where every thing is so he can lay his hands on just what he wants .
I wondered what the tennis ball was for :-D

Ann it's not very nice seeing how quickly some people move on to another relationship after losing some one and as you say five months is not very long is it .
Yes all lit up here now like a Christmas tree :-D we just need to adjust the sensor a bit so it picks up movement down near the shed .
Soot free too ,in fact we gave in and lit the fire last night it was so chilly.

Frank they make some nice little solar lights now and they look good in the garden lit up at night ,we have four little bauble lights hanging on the side they look pretty when they are lit up , we also bought a solar light with a censer on to go on the little shed .

Son should be coming later with some stuff we have ordered to polish up the wood burner ,it's got quite dull looking so we hope this stuff will blacken it up again .

Easy meal for us tonight Ham ,egg and chips ,only because there's ham that needs using up .

Hope you remembered to get everything you wanted this week Mel ,do you go with a list ?

Getting a bit chilly now so time to go in .

Afternoon Everyone

We are just back after a really lovely day out.The river trip was so nice as te sun was shining and there were plenty of water birds to be seen. Black tailed Godwits,Herons, Egrets,Cormorants and others I have no idea what they might have been. I need to sort through my pics and will send some later.
We had planned to have lunch at a Pub nearby but it was closed due to a private function so we went back to Snape Matings and had lunch at the Pub there . Then did soem shopping in the really good shop there. I bought 6 new mugs, and some kitchen stuff. A JosephJoseph Colander ,some stainless steel bowls, Kitchen Scissors and a new Meat Knife. They do furniture and all sorts of lovely stuff there but it is all extremely expensive.
Got back to the cottage and saw Pauline the owner and her crazy dog Dotty :-D. I was glad we saw her as we havent been able to work the ice maker in the freezer so she came and sorted it out for us. Now we have plenty of ice cubes for our G&Ts :-D :-D

I have just had and still have Dotty dog here with me . She is a Sprocker . Springer x Cocker and is just so lovely I want to take her home with me :-D. But I don't think Thomas would be too impressed :-D In fact she would be far too crazy for our quiet household.

3 years since Colin's hip !! that went fast Mandy. Hopefully all will show up good with the Xray. I am finding my hip a bit of the stiff side ,but after climbing over and back up the Shingle Ridge and getting on and off this boat today(that was a bit awkard) but I was helped on and off well. At least I didn't go A over T like I did on the punt in Cambridge :-D(Annx :-D :-D)

We stopped off in Wickham Market to get some milk and a couple of bits and when I got to the till and took the milk out of the basket I realised it had been leaking badly. What a blooming mess.My shopping bag that had been in the basket was a pool of milk. Trust me to pick the dodgy one. Shopping bag now washed and outside drying.

It is looking very cloudy here now .Chris is reading his book outside . Dotty has gone.I just said the word Squirrels and she was off like a rocket :-D

Everything on one table Mandy - you must be joking :-). He always MEANS to put things away and then something will distract him and whatever he’s holding goes on the nearest surface. He can never find anything because he never knows where he has put it.

I should have explained about the tennis ball. It’s part of his physiotherapy regime. However it doesn’t need to decorate the table. About 2 paces away there is a unit with some deep drawers. He only has to drop the ball into a drawer and take it out again next time. I have asked him about the umbrella. Apparently it was in the car when he took it in to the body shop yesterday so he thought he should bring it home but it apparently didn't occur to him to put it in the cupboard where it usually goes. Good job I love him or I would have murdered him by now.

I hope Colin’s appointment goes well tomorrow.

Vera, Chris could murder me too. I am a bit like your OH and all my things are always left on the big coffee table . Not only there but spread all over the place. I have never been a tidy person .Sadly James is a bit like me in that repsect wheras Chris and Hannah are totally the opposite. I am bad at putting my clothes away in the bedroom and still can pile things up just like I did when I was a teen LOL . It does drive Chris mad sometimes which I can understand really. But it is just the way I am and like you he has had many years of trying to get me to tidy things away but it always seems to fall on deaf ears :-D :-D

Saying that Chris is tidy you should see his things spread out here at the cottage !!! There are 2 tables in the main room .On one is his laptop,a radio ,camera, newspapers,some kind of earphones ,and on the other table is Binoculars , loose change, his man bag,and a pile of reading matter. He wouldn't be like this at home.

It seems to be getting a big dark here and I am wondering if we might have rain on the way. The air feels very still too. Loads of Swallows around :-D

I've given up trying to train my OH Vera. I did wonder about the tennis ball and as for the umbrella I can't really say anything about that as I have one on our living room table. I normally put it away but recently every time I do it starts to rain, so I gave up and left it there. I was thinking of putting it away when I read your post but a pile of black clouds have come over and it's gone really dark so I imagine it'll rain again soon. OH tends to put receipt's everywhere especially on the microwave and of course the living room table, so I'm always clearing those away otherwise they'd stay there forever. I was right it's just started raining. :-(

I've had our heating on today it was really chilly first thing and I couldn't get warm. It didn't take to long to warm the place up so the heating was only on a few hours.

It's three hours of football tonight, Sandra isn't happy so is going to take herself off and watch something else on the other TV. I'll do some more of OH's tree while the match it on, then watch something I like when it's finished. To be fair OH normally watches the TV in the dining room but it's not very comfy on the dining chair and like I said I can do his tree while he watch's the match, so it's no bother him watching it in here.

It sounds like you're having a great time away Jane, apart from your hip being a little stiff. I hope it feels better soon. The owners named their dog just right "Dotty" if she's as mad as you say. I love those type of dogs, they can be so funny sometimes. I did smile when you said she ran off when you mentioned Squirrels. Love the photo of her, she looks like she's posing for it :-D The boat trip pictures look lovely and all that wildlife, I can see why you had a lovely relaxing time.

5 months isn't very long Ann, I can understand why it must of been a shock to see it. I suppose people are different and maybe he felt it was time, although I don't think I could have another relationship that quickly, or even ever if anything happened to my OH.

OH and I are feeling much better now Frank, we both had an early night last night and slept right through so that's helped. I have felt a bit cold today but I think that's the weather, it's been a bit breezy and the air had a nip in it. Warm enough in the sun, but our living room is north facing so no sun comes through the window. Our sore throats are almost gone so that's good.

Going to check on dinner now, so OH has eaten and all the clearing up is done before his match starts. Then I'll crack on and do some more of his tree. I think I've added around 1500 people for him over the last few months, I had no idea how big his family was when I started and think it's going to take me a while to finish everyone. Good job I'm enjoying it ;-)

The squash was very tasty so I shall do it again. I decided on 200 degrees for about 3/4 of an hour.

Vera, I wondered if your OH sat at night squeezing the tennis ball with his eyes closed to help him chill out! :-D He does seem to get rather a lot on that table. Mine seems to brook the trend and is a tidy freak really (plenty of other shortcomings though). He's out now and I just looked where he works on the dining table. No pens or papers lying about, all lined up in file holders etc. Even his laptop mouse is neatly placed on his mouse mat. I'm glad he never leaves clothes around. At night his washing goes in the bin and clothes are put away. He usually reads several books at a time so they are neatly squared up on his bedside drawers. There's no logic because I hate a picture being crooked yet he can't even tell. I'm tidy inside drawers and cupboards with storage boxes for everything whereas he isn't, but am untidy with papers everywhere in the study! The downside is I daren't touch or move his things as I feel the 'evil eye' upon me and know he will get up to check I've left them in the same position. There's even a fuss if I take anything out of his car door pockets. Well they say opposites attract!! :-D

Glad you enjoyed the river trip Jane and didn't entertain everyone with a repeat of your previous performance! :-D It's good you got a bit of help with the 'on' and 'off' moments as they would be a bit tricky.Dotty sounds like a lovely dog and full of beans!

That's more peace of mind with your illuminations in place Mandy and I don't blame you lighting the fire last night. It was chilly here too and we had the heating on just to take the chill off.. I can't believe it's 3 years since Colin had his hip done! That went by quickly and I hope his checkup is fine and that you don't have to wait too long.

You're all set for Thursday now then Frank and hopefully at a favourite eating place.

I hope Gill is feeling better now.

Yes Mandy I take a list with the things I don't usually buy like oxo cubes etc. I don't put the salad stuff and veg on it as they are things I buy every week. Todays list had Morrisons one side and Lidl the other. Don't think I forgot anything this week but time will tell.

Well I went out in a polo neck cotton long sleeved top and a button up to the neck cardi as it was chilly here when I left and I was'nt sure if it was going to rain. When I got into Bideford at Lidl the sun was shining and it was baking. I did the Lidl shop and when I came out it was even hotter. I had to take the cardi off and put a sleeveless on I had in the car. I was a bit cooler then. I don't like to be without something looser over these polo's as it shows my tummy up!!

Oh had been naughty while I was out and mowed the orchard and now he can hardly move. He's walking with the walker again sitting down and then standing up and leaning on the work surface. He dos'nt know what to do with himself. He dos'nt want any dinner either. He did manage a doughnut and a coffee with a couple of cocodemol and I am hoping they will so him some good. Its his hip again. I told him when I went out to be good and he went and did that...... :-( :-( :-(

Might your hotted up wheat bag held on his hip help Mel? He sounds as if he is in a right state. Hopefully the tablets will help, but he's going to have to listen to you and pace himself with these jobs. Would he see the doctor as he really needs to be sure just what's wrong with his hip or maybe he's already done that. I have one of those tummies too! lol.

I'm not really looking forward to tomorrow's craft class. I'm taking my wool felting to do instead of the peg weaving which I don't fancy and haven't got enough ribbon/cord etc to use anyway. Then I didn't want to take my latest project to work on as I need concentration and quiet for that. So I cut out some more felt and decided on something else, but could I find one of my bags of wool I needed! I'd almost given up when I found it in a box on it's own! Then OH came home from his meeting and noticed he'd left the garage light on since yesterday and it's the second time in a week that he's left it on. I think we are both losing the plot!

Morning all

It's pouring with rain here so the gardens are happy.

Sorry to hear about your OH's hip Mel, hope the tablets worked, maybe it's time he saw the doctor, he's had pain on and off for a while now. Do you have a bath, maybe a nice soak would help if he can manage to get in and out okay? Isn't that always the case, you put something warm on then realise once you're out you needed something cooler. It was lucky you had something in the car to change into.

I see you found your bag of wool in the end Ann, what are you making today? I hope the weather is better than here when you go out.

I did really well on OH's tree yesterday so I hope I have another good day today. I'm hoping to have the bulk of it done by Christmas. OH is really pleased with it and was surprised at how many more people I've put on it this year.

Well, OH enjoyed his football in the end, Kosovo scored first and some of the commentators comments were really funny with things like "Well that wasn't in the script" At one point with his comments it was more like a comedy act than a football match and had me smiling almost all the way through it. At least England won in the end so that pleased OH.

Going to get a cuppa then have another look at OH's tree. It's become a bit of a routine now. :-)

I am reading the thread so staying in touch with news but the internet here is awful so I can’t add a lot.
The squash sounds lovely, would it work with butternut squash Annx?
I think we are all different when it comes to grief. We were surprised, not shocked, when our daughter met her second husband so quickly after her beloved Jon died and also after his wife had only died five months before. Jon died Christmas 2014 and they got married, in August 2018 having been together for well over two years. It was no disrespect to their lost partners it was just because they both needed somebody and happened to find each other.

We are both moderately tidy and equally moderately untidy, we do put clothes away but where we sit in the lounge is a little bit cluttered.

Morning all,

Raining here this morning and dull with grey sky.

Its house work day but I don't feel like it at all. Oh could'nt bring the shopping in for me yesterday so I had to do it in stages myself and take bags out with me to put some things in to lessen the weight but this mroning my poor hands are aching and so are my toes!!!! I keep wiggleing both hoping they will feel easier and I think my hands are. O well onwards and upwards as they say.

Glad you found your bag of wool Ann and its just as well oh went to that match otherwise the light in the garage may have been on for longer. Its not something you notice in the day when you go out.

AnnG we know you look in on us and we don't mind if you don't commet on the posts. We just like to know your there.

Good morning to all you LITTER LOUTS LOL LOL I feel if you can't leave things lying around at home, where can you do it. !!!!

So nice for you ro see all the wild birds Jane, and pleased you didn't go A over H getting in and out of the boat. lol lol That could have cause a few laughs, and you with a RED FACE lol

U can honestly say, I have only eaten Sweet potato. (ROASTED) Marrow and things like that just don't appeal to me. I know Tony next door loved STUFFED MARROW.

It's Ros's birthday Thursday WEEK. I just have to confirm with Lewis that he won't be working, then I can book the table. As no one will commit to where they want to go, it will be left to me. I know Conrad loves Indian, but again I know Ros doesn't. So it's Chinese or English, as we are going to the Greyhound on Sunday, we won't want to go back there on Thursday.So it will be down to either out favourite at Billing, or an old Favourite "THE WOK INN" in Northampton.

That little dog seems to be well named Jane. It's so nice when dogs are so friendly. I often think about getting another, but think I am too old, to be out walking in all weathers to excersise her/him. Little "ABBIE" next door goes ballistic when she sees either Ros to I, and always has a little wee with excitement. She is a little darling.

Gill that is one VERY BIG TREE your OH is going to end up with. I can imagine, if I could trace all my DADS and MUMS families with all their children, grand children etc etc. I think mine would be close to being as big as yours. Dad was one of TWELVE and Mum one of THIRTEEN. All the families, are spread across the WHOLE WORLD. So in honestly I just wouldn't know where to start. I do go back to the 17 hundreds with both families also with Ros's. So I think I have done enough.

Ros has to go to the little Private hospital near Kettering this afternoon at 2.00 pm. Carolyn has offered to go with her. She will be seeing an orthopaedic surgeon, regarding her latest MIR scan. I expect we will get the same answers as before. THERE IS NOTHING WE CAN DO FOR YOU. !!!! Just keep taking your pills.

It seems I was a nuisance in bed last night. STROKING ROS'S BACK. I was asleep so knew nothing about it. But was reminded by a very bad tempered Ros this morning. She got up and sat in the lounge until 4.00 am. Makes a change for it not to be me.

Morning All,

Suns out after a cloudy start so the washing's blowing in the breeze. I didn't go to the class this morning as we both had a bad night without much sleep. It seemed boiling hot in the night and made us feel badly.

I think the butternuts might be too small to stuff AnnG. The patty pan one I used was the size of a side plate and pie shaped so you could remove the lid to fill it. The moisture couldn't escape so became the gravy. I think you could do the same mix with chopped up courgette or butternut though in a casserole dish.It was his need to put it on the internet so soon that shocked me, when I would have been thinking for quite a while that it might not work out and that I was still grieving and vulnerable. Also it made me wonder if he really had ever stopped seeing the other person. Within a few days of the funeral he had moved into another place which was much further from where he works, supposedly to another flat and I know he left a lot of things behind as he said he expected the council would charge him to remove it themselves. I can't help suspecting he moved in with this woman he was seeing before, in which case he would know her well and with my sister having passed away, would be ready to say he was in a relationship. I may be totally wrong but you know what it is like when you have an instinct about something, especially when you know a person's past! It is lovely though that things worked out so well for your daughter and that she didn't have a long period without finding someone special.

I hope there is something they can do for Ros Frank. Best wishes for her results. You could always get a rescue dog that's an old codger and doesn't need more than a walk around the garden!! lol. :-D :-D

Ann it is a bit suspicious if he actually moved so quickly, it may have been more sensitive not to broadcast it so soon. Daughter made sure all hers and Jon’sfamily knew eforegoing public and had his familys blessing evenhis ninety old mum

Frank good luck for Ros's results and I hope there may be something that could be done for her apart from keep taking the pills.

I have done some washing but the rain is very fine and the wind is blowing it all under the covered patio so I can't put it out!! Sky is still grey and I did wonder if it may brighten up this afternoon and the sky is brighter buit still the rain blows in the wind.

I think it will be an ironing afternoon after I have washed up the lunch things. I shall take my story in with me and listen to that.

Evening all,

Another lovely day here ,we had a small shower as we came home from the hospital then this afternoon it's been nice and sunny so we've been sitting out again making the most of it .
Surgeon was pleased with Colin's x rays nothing has changed so that was good and he has to go back again in two years time .
We also called in to the ear clinic as we had been ringing to get an appointment for Colin to have his ears sucked out but every time we ring they say they are waiting to set up a new clinic ,so as we were there we went in and luckily there was a cancellation for the end of the month so that's all booked in now .

Mel poor OH he does put his self in pain doesn't he by doing to much all at once ,i hope he's feeling a little better today and can move about a bit easier than yesterday,is he still going in the hot tub ? and has that helped at all?
Your dream catcher is pretty i like the oak leaves with the acorns .

Still working on the tree Gill ,hope your both feeling better today too.

How did Ros get on at the hospital Frank ? i hope they can help her ,there's new things being done all the time so they might be able to do some thing i do hope so .

Ann i was quite hot last night too and kept waking up ,you wouldn't have been able to concentrate at the craft place today if you had gone with having a bad night ,i hope you both sleep better tonight .

Oh Jane she's a nice little dog ,i bet she loves meeting all the people that stay at the cottage and i bet everyone wants to take her home :-D

We had some Barnsley lamb chops with leeks, carrots, peas and almost the last of the runners for lunch today. I decided some home cooking will get me back on track with my diet.........too much temptation out there. :-( We went to a garden centre this afternoon and had a coffee and read and they have lots of their Christmas baubles and Santas out already. I could have boxed OH's ears when he started singing 'I'm dreaming of a White Christmas' on the way home. :-S

The local paper says they are planning to build a massive rail freight terminal about 4 miles away that will be the biggest building in the county and have 800 loading bays and they project will create over 1000 jobs. Imagine the traffic all that will create in the area. Then, as if that wasn't enough for the poor roads to contend with, next to it they plan to build 4,000 new houses! -S

Mandy whenever you say Colin's ears will be sucked out I have to chuckle. He was lucky to get that cancellation though and good news on his hip. Will he have to keep going back every two years or is it just for a while till they are sure everything is ok?

good news for Colin then and he was lucky to get the canselation for his ears to be dealt with.

Roast loin of pork for tonight but I could'nt be bothered to pick the runners so we have sprouts and carrots and potato bakes. O and a bit of stuffing for oh and homemade apple sauce.

Sounds tasty Mel especially with home made apple sauce. What you have made is lovely with it being made of some natural materials. OH is out at a meeting, but a chap came to the door a while ago to quote for the fence. He's a huge chap in height and width and he put the fence up for us when we first moved here. He was here ages chattering away and was telling me about being broken into when he was alone at home in the early hours. While he was talking up the garden I kept flicking flies off me, only they turned out to be midges and I have a nice set of 7 fresh bites on my neck, face, arms and legs now. They are itching already.

Morning all,

Another dull and dreay miserable day here this morning but its not raining at the moment. The two deer are up the garden taking a sieta on the front lawn.

Ann The little wreath is not made out of anything natural but the base ring I made out of Wisteria last year the leaves and acorns are artificial. How are the bites this morning. I bet they itched in the night and this morning. You'll have to take a antihistamine.

Must do some hoovering today and clean the bathroom and little loo then I may craft.