General Chat

Enjoy your scallops tonight Frank.

The two new hens were out in the run this morning when I went to feed them but they soon went back in the house. I did feed them in the house again today but I may leave it out tomorrow so they have to come out to feed. I have the water container by the house door so they can see it and get to it easily.

I have taken a pic of the three Fairy sleepover sets I made and yesterday I finished 5 paper cones that hang on a tree with Christmas past pictures on them. I downloaded them from the internet as a free pattern but I lined them in cardboard to make them stronger so it took quite a while to make a pattern and then cut out 15 peices of card.

Still trying to hobble around the bungalow.Very uncomfortable to do so. I thought trying to walk around, might help to free up whatever it is that's hurting my foot. but so far without much success.

I have been watching Nat. Geo. It's all about the UPABANGO RIVER.(ap) Very, very interesting, it just shows how nature manages to survive in such conditions.

Nice to see the new girls are settling in Mwl, even if they are not venturing out of the house. I'm sure they will mix in when they are ready. xx

Still very windy here, but it seems to be keeping the rain away. Forecast doesn't seem that good for the rest of the week.

What can I have with my SCALLOPS tonight. ?? They are in their shells with the sauce all around them. I have some cold new potato's that I could either fry or warm up. !!

I wonder what goodies Ros will bring me back today, if any. She usually finds some fishy bits, that she knows I like. BLESS HER. <3 <3 <3

Frank the new potatoes fried would go down well with the scallops I think, especially with the cheesy sauce. Maybe some peas for veg?

Very cold here today with heavy showers. We managed to avoid the rain when we nipped out this morning. Went to a retail park in Cheltenham for a look round Hobbycraft and noticed that where Patisserie valerie used to be in the Next shop there is another up market coffee shop called 'Ground Coffee'. quite expensive but really nice coffee and delicious cake which we shared. we then got a few bits in Sainsburys that we needed to tide us over until the big shop Thursday OH attempted a bit of climbing rose pruning but got rained off so is disgruntled indoors now.

Evening All

Ooh Frank your poor foot sounds really painful. I wonder what has caused it. Fingers crossed it will be ok by tomorrow and that it doesnt keep you awake tonight.
I hope Ros enjoys Calendar Girls. We go to see it on Thursday afternoon.

Mel the dumplings I have are Aunt Bessies. Straight from the freezer and plopped onto the top of the casserole :-D. I can't really see me making them somehow.

AnnG that was nice to find a nice new coffee shop and you enjoyed it plus the nice cake :-D. I rarely have coffee . I might have a mug at coffee time at home sometimes,but prefer Tea or even just water.

I hope you managed to make some headway today with your tree today Gill. Shame you couldnt make a start on the planter.Maybe tomorrow.

Deboned Chicken ,tray of mixed peppers, mushrooms and red onions and sweet potato wedges for dinner tonight.
Frank, I think as AnnG said fries potatoes would go nicely with your scallops
:-D

Evening all,

It's been quite a nice day ,got two lots of washing dry as there was a nice blow ,just had a little shower of rain but stopped at the moment .
We both had our six month check up at the dentist this morning all fine for another six months ,Colin just had to have a tooth filled ,he had the filling come out a couple of weeks ago but decided to wait ashe knew we had an appointment and it wasn't painful.

Shame you couldn't do anything on Sandra's garden today Gill with it being a nice sunny day ,have you looked on Pinterest for some ideas ? i bet Sandra carn't wait to get it all done and looking pretty .

Sounds as if your new girls are getting braver Mel with them coming out into the run ,if they are hungry they'll come out .

I wonder what you've done to your foot Frank ,can you remember if you had knocked it the day before ,i hope it soon feels better .
I love fried up new potatoes ,i bet they went down a treat with the Scallops .

So OH managed to get a little done in the garden AnnG ,i pruned my yellow climbing rose last week it had got so lanky so i cut it back quite a bit so i hope i haven't over done it .

Jane i hope your not to stiff today after your bout of physio .
How is Chris's leg after his fall through the bench ?

So OH has found the Mince pies then Ann :-D is he good and only has one at a time or like us and have to have two :-D

You have reminded me I really need to make a dental appointment Mandy. I have already had 2 reminders :-S :-S. At least you are both sorted now until 2020 !!!

I'm not too stiff now but if I have been sat down for too long it takes a while to get moving. I think Chris's knees are not too sore but he did give them a bit of a bashing .

Nothing takes my fancy on TV tonight other than Eastenders so I think it iwll be an early one for me. I was up at 4am today clearing up cat sick in the bedroom :-S :-S
Thomas sat looking at it as though to say "what the heck is all that" !! That was my thought too. There had better not be a repeat performance tonight.

Evening All,

Another mix of sun and showers today but not cold enough for heating. I'm hoping the sunny forecast for tomorrow is right as the first load is in the washer now.

Still no Downton Abbey as OH had a really bad night with the acid reflux he gets and this time was the worst ever. Needless to say doing all the wrong things like eating too much and in the evening, including 2 of the mince pies Mandy hasn't helped! After a night spent sitting up, he only fancied a tiny lunch with a bit of turkey today.

AnnG I wish we were as disciplined as you and could share a piece of cake! :-0 These posh coffee places are springing up round here too and all of them seem to be busy all day. We've noticed that the garden centre cafes have crammed in more tables too and a few have extended their car parks to cope.

I wonder what you did to hurt your foot Frank? I hope it feels better with a bit of rest. I have had a quiet day too as OH is at his second meeting now. It will be nice to have Biggles keep you company again soon. :-D

I'm glad you liked the little tree I made and Sandra guessed the little beads are meant to look like lights! I have a small tree covered in icicles I put on the drawers in the hall at Christmas and thought it would look nice next to that.It's good you keep finding things to add to your FH tree. I must make a start again soon. :-)

Good your visits to the dentist are over Mandy. I've said it before, but you can't beat that feeling as you walk out of the door! lol.

It's good progress Jane if you are ok without your stick now. I know I would find one quite cumbersome as I do with a walking pole. Has Hannah started her new job yet and, if so, is she enjoying it?

It sounds like the new girls are settling in Mel. You have got a lot done with your crafts.

Better pack my wool felting stuff for tomorrow now. I think we may be getting a visit from the education co-ordinator but it isn't certain.

Ann I don’t think we are particularly self controlled. Often I couldn’t eat a whole piece of cake to myself especially the one this morning that was very rich but beside that one not very big piece was £3.60.
Oh I get acid reflux no way would I eat one mince pie in the evening let alone two. Hope he is ok tonight.
Jane I only have one coffee a day, daughter drinks loads, doesn’t drink tea and has coffee black.
Mandy I don’t think it will hurt if you cut off a lot of the Rose.

Frank do you think you might have laid on your foot last night and your arm as well?

Gill did you get on Ok with the tree? You do work hard on it.

Evening all

Oh dear Frank, your poor foot. What can you have done to it? Fingers crossed it will be better after a night’s rest.

Jane, it’s a horrible job clearing up after a cat has been ill, but to have to do it at 4 am must have been miserable. We were very mean to our cats and shut them in the utility at night. It wasn’t that mean really. The boiler kept the room warm and OH made a little shelf a few inches off the floor and they had nice comfy beds on that and they had litter trays, food and water but at least they didn’t disturb us in the middle of the night. You seem to be doing well after your hip op and I am sure the physio must be helping, even if you do ache afterwards. OH is still doing his exercises and rolling around on a tennis ball. Keeping up the exercises is the only way to full recovery.

It sounds as though Daisy and May are getting used to Hotel Mel if they are starting to venture out a bit. You will have to send us a photo of them.

It’s a shame you can’t get on with Sandra’s planter Gill but it’s given you a bit more time to spend on your tree. I am not surprised your contact has made a few mistakes - we’ve all done it. It’s frustrating when you can’t find the right information isn’t it, particularly if you are looking for a common name. My grandmother was a Smith so I know all about common names.

I’ve had one of those days when I don’t seem to have achieved anything. I was up by 8 am but faffed around till 11 when I decided to go into town to buy a birthday present and do a bit of shopping. Couldn’t find anything I wanted and didn’t see a suitable present. As I couldn’t get to the doctors’ on the days they were doing flu jabs I had put my name down at the pharmacy. They had said they would ring to give me a date but I had heard nothing, so I called in to enquire. I was told they were working their way through the list and would definitely ring in due course.

I got home at 1.30 only to be told by OH that they had rung and given me an appointment for 3 pm today! So I had to go all the way back again. I wasn’t best pleased but at least I have had the jab now.

I had one bit of luck. I popped into M & Co. and they were selling off the last of their summer stock. I found a pair of bright red lightweight trousers in my size. They are a bit big on the waist but I have lost a bit of weight this summer and will probably put it back by next spring/summer when I’ll want to wear them. If not I’ll move some buttons over. OH’s comment was “They’re a bit lairy (sp)”. He liked them better when I told him the price - £5 :-D. They were originally £28.

I am on the iPad but am getting a bit of a headache so I think I am going to close it down for tonight. Sleep well everyone.

Thanks for the photos Mel. What a strange thing that egg was, perfectly formed without the shell. do you know which girl laid it? Not getting her share of grit do you think?
The sky almost looked like a mackrel sky in the first photo, more ominous in the second.

Love all the bits you have made, hope they sell. the coned tree hangings look fiddly to make. love the little hat too. you have busy fingers!

dull and drizzly here this morning, we have the joys of the Tesco shop, would do it tomorrow but hopefully it will be dry so OH can get a game of golf in. Looks like the best day this week.

Morning AnnG and all,

Once again we have sunshine out the back and grey clouds to the north front facing and a rainbow. There's a bit of wind so it should soon blow it away.

The cones were a bit fiddley to do with me lining the insides with card as you had to get it just right so they would fold up. Being three sided too they were a bit hard to find the best place to attach the ribbon hangings.

The egg did have a shell of sorts as I said it was in the nest a little way from the egg with a sort of slimy skin attached.

Enjoy shopping day AnnG. I have done mine for the week!!....

Will probably start something else today after a bit of housework.

Oh has just turned the heating on fo the first time this year to make sure its all working properly. It will take the chill off the house. We shall only have it on for about half an hour.

How our Frank this mornng? Is the foot any better?

I have just taken a couple of pics of the new girls and will send them now.

~Done it~

The new girls look happy and they are in good condition as well Mel. Are they settled now?

Good morning to you all,

The foot is back to normal, thank goodness. Ros seemed to think I had GOUT in my foot before, so it might have been that. That is a form of ARTHRITIS isn't it. ??

I was in bed and asleep by 9.00 pm last night, woke at 4.00 for the loo, and back to sleep until 7.30 am. So I had an excellent nights sleep. I feel quite limp, and sleepy this morning.

Ros and the girls had a meal in one of the big chain breweries last night. (Just can't think of the name.) Anyway they all had Sirloin steaks with all the trimmings, with a drink for £7.60 each, which that all thoroughly enjoyed, and said what good value it was.

Calendar Girls was very boring in the first half (Ros's Opinion) but livened up after the interval. She said they were home around 11.00 pm. I didn't know the tickets were so expensive £44.00 for a seat in the stalls. I hope you enjoy it on Thursday Jane, new you going with Fitz ??

Thanks for the photo's Mel. That EGG did look strange, but it was edible, thats the main thing. The clouds were very strange, did it clear away ??

I fried the new potato's to have with my Scallops, and I had a pot of PRAWNS with the shells on, to go with them. What a treat. !!!

Nice bright morning here with sunshine and clouds. Theres a bit of a breeze, but not cold with it.

It's my grandsons 30th Birthday today. I have left a birthday wish on FB, not that I know if he will see it. I do wonder how the three boys are, and where they are living. Simon hasn't any contact with them either. That daughter od mine is certainly something else. I wonder if I will ever hear from her in my lifetime. :-( :-( :-(

Liver and Onions tonight ,with mash and peas. It will make a nice change, from roast meats and veg. I have chicken fillets out for tomorrow, which I will casserole. Talk about thinking ahead. !!!

Have a pleasant day, whatever you are doing. xxxx

Frank, tuesday is steak day at Wetherspoons so it was probably there that they ate, sounds about right for the price. glad you enjoyed your meal, it sounded really nice. Just my sort of food. And pleased to hear that your foot is ok now. And that you had a good sleep.
What a shame that you don't hear from daughter or grandsons, so sad when there is a split in the family.

O I'm pleased the foot is better today Frank and that you had a good nights sleep and enjoyed your fishy dinner. That was expensive for the tickets for the show but I expect Ros enjoyed the meal afterwards anyway. A good night out then in all.

Did I tell you what the chickens are? I can't remember but if I did'nt they are Columbian Blacktails the same as my old ones. They are coming out more now but still being picked on by the old ones if they get in their way.

Washing machine just finished and I put it on the line and it started raining. B last its been quite sunny this morning with a few light showers but now its clouded right over. Sods law I suppose.

I have cleaned the little loo and washed the dustbin out. tied up the bin bag so thats ready to go out for tomorrow. Washing is on the line under cover so I hope it drys a bit as there is still quite a breeze.

Luchtime now and we are having Cornish pasties....... :-D :-D :-D

Hope you enjoyed your Pasties Mel, We have just had Pattie on toast with COT for Madam and COC for me.

The new girls look very nice Mel, did you say they are just the age for egg laying. How long do they lay for. ??

Yes, AnneG. it was weatherspoons they went too. To be honest I didn't know there was one locally. Will have to try it one of these weeks. The saga of my Daughter goes back many years. When I was in the motor trade, her car packed up. She came to me for help, I was able to give her a car that I paid for. Within weeks she was back on to me asking for money for a holiday. for her and the children. She and her husband were on a BREAK. He was having an affair with a waitress. I was not able to afford a holiday for Ros and I that year, so there was no way I was going to help her. She took TUT and never spoke to me from that day. So yes, I do miss not knowing her and the children whereabouts, and if the children are married and I have Great Grand Children.
Still very breezy here, but certainly not cold. I have just been out to the bins, and thought how mild it was.

Got my book on charge. so nothing to do for now.


;-) ;-) ;-)

Afternoon all

Thanks for the pictures Mel. I have never seen anything like that egg. I showed it to OH who spent much of his childhood on a farm and he had never seen the like either. Amazing! Even though I am a real wuss where chickens are concerned I thought Daisy and May looked cute. I am sure your handmade bits and bobs will sell well. You are all so clever with your hands. I am the original Miss Fumblefingers.

I am glad your foot is feeling better Frank. I wonder what the problem was. Perhaps it was something to do with arthritis or perhaps you had just lain awkwardly and put some pressure on it. Ros's theatre ticket was pricey but sadly these days they are expensive, even in the provinces. We love theatre but don't go very much these days because of the cost. If we wanted to see something in the West End, by the time we had paid for train fares, seats and maybe something to eat, we would be saying goodbye to between £200 and £300. I am glad you enjoyed your scallops and prawns. They wouldn't have suited me as I am allergic to shellfish and the tiniest bit makes me very sick with terrible stomach cramps.

Talking of theatre, I think I might have enjoyed the show you saw in London Jane. One of my favourite musicals is Rent which wouldn't be to everyone's taste either. I've seen it 3 times now, all amateur productions but all excellent. The next thing we are going to see is in Yorkshire and is the local operatic society junior section's production of Tommy, The Who's rock opera. One of my granddaughters is playing Tommy's mother, the only really big female part in it. She is 17 now and has a wonderful voice. Last year she played Mimi in their production of Rent and the year before she was Fantine in Les Mis.

I hope OH's acid reflux has calmed down now Ann. Tell him to keep off the mince pies, or at least to eat them in the morning and give them a chance to be digested before he has to lay down. Does he have anything he can take for the problem?

It hasn't been a bad day here today, mostly overcast with a bit of sun here and there and only a few spots of rain. I should have been doing a bit more gardening but we have been talking about replacing some things in the house so decided to see what we could find. We were looking for a new vacuum cleaner, lightweight with a detachable bit to do the stairs, a new desktop computer, and a new sofa. What did we come home with? 5 large pots of violas and a china giraffe with an imitation succulent plant in its back :-D

Well, I see I have written half a book again and it is about time I went and did the bit of ironing that needs doing and sorted out something for tonight's meal. I had thought we might have our main meal out at lunchtime but in the end we only had a quick sandwich so I shall have to get something a bit more substantial.