General Chat

Morning everyone

Still windy here but not nearly as bad as yesterday. It’s lovely and sunny and a good day for drying the washing but my back is giving me gyp so I can’t be bothered to hang it out. It is supposed to rain soon anyway so I have the tumble dryer going, stuff hung on the airer and shirts on hangers draped round the bathroom and en suites.

Thursday evening I went online and ordered a couple of birthday presents and some cards from The Museum Collection. Friday I had an email saying they had been dispatched and would arrive in 3-5 working days. We were out Saturday morning, came in just after lunch to find a card saying Royal Mail had tried to deliver so now I have to go to the depot to collect it. I’m pleased it has got here quickly but don’t understand how something that is coming some distance and is supposed to take at least 3 days gets here in 1 when an urgent letter posted 1st class to a nearby town took 5 days :-S

Gill, I agree with the others. Your bungalow can’t possibly be Band G, unless it is a lot larger and more substantial than I thought. It’s difficult to work out where a house should come in the bands because the original banding was based on the value of the house in 1991. Then extensions, improvements etc get taken into account. To give you an idea our house was built in 2009 as a five bedroom place. Two bedrooms were knocked into one by a previous owner but I think it is still classed as having 5 bedrooms. The rooms are all quite large and we have lots of mod cons such as double glazing, underfloor heating etc. etc. Our house is in Band F so unless your bungalow is bigger than our place you can’t be in Band G.

Don’t rush to offer to buy Sandra out. I think you said at one time that you are mortgage free but there could still be all sorts of legal ramifications. For instance there may be different rules depending on whether you are joint tenants or tenants in common. You must get advice, proper professional advice. Some solicitors will give a half hour consultation free of charge to people on lower incomes. Citizens Advice can probably help you there. Whatever you decide, proceed with caution. Don’t rush into anything, take your time. Remember the old saying “Act in haste, repent at leisure”.

I hope Jane has seen her consultant by now and the news is good. Sending lots of good vibes her way <3

Vera, so annoying when they give estimated arrival and then it is earlier than you are told, especially when it involves a trip to pick stuff up from the Post Office. Even tracking is not always right as something I was tracking was due to arrive on the 9th-11th and that arrived on the 6th. Luckily it went through the letterbox .
Recently one letter I posted and one packet I received, both posted second class arrived in one day so don't know what is going on.

Sorry you are still suffering with your back, have you pulled a muscle? I know when I have back problems I rarely know what has caused it. could it have been potting on in the cold garage? Hope it improves soon.

OH has now decided to return to B&Q with the shelf to return it as he also needs to get a replacement post for one that was forming a trellis arch in the garden. It looks as though it is going to rain again while he is out. I declined the pleasure of going.

WE've been clearing out the loung. At last I am getting stuff up the loft.

Its still windy here but the suns been out most of the day and I have a pile of stuff, mostly boxes and paper to burn but we keep getting short sharp showers too.

I hope Gill was able to get in touch with SS today to see if what Michelle did was right or not to see if they can make it so Sandra comes home to her parents. I bet SS dos'nt know that Micheal is without a job and Michelle only works a few days a week.

I don't blame you for declining the pleasure AnnG! lol. I just got asked if I fancied driving OH to a briefing meeting in Lincoln this week and quickly declined too. Much as it would be nice in theory, the weather doesn't look good, I will be the one finding parking after dropping him off, wondering if I will make it to wherever the toilets are, too hilly for my knees, finding my way back to pick him up after and not having a clue how long he will be. Doesn't sound so much fun after all!

After freezing rain when we came out of the carvery, we had hail and now it is snowing!! We sat in the little alcove we usually go to for lunch, away from everyone else although there were only a few people in and he was fine. He's managed a few quips today so must be feeling better and I cut his hair when we got back as he was feeling a bit scruffy and now he says I've taken all his strength. He's just started with a migraine now and has gone to lie down but these visual ones are without the headache so hopefully it will go off in half an hour, although you still feel tired after.

Yes we have a utility, ensuite, conservatory and garage, although our bedrooms are very small and I imagine are smaller than Gill's. I don't know if it applies elsewhere or when it started from, but here if you extend your property, they don't change your property Band now until you sell up and then it is reassessed for the new people moving in! You can tell if a property you intend to buy might have an increase in the banding by looking at the Band listing for the property. I think they put a red asterisk next to the band if there have been alterations that may increase the banding, something like that. I don't know if it works the same if you decrease your house value or whether they consider a reduction straightaway. An example would be Gill's property having the garage taken down. I don't think Gill's place can be in Band G either.

Good thinking Vera about the ramifications with ownership and joint tenancy and tenants in common. You can be jointly liable together for the whole or liable for just your share, so professional advice is so important as you say. Sorry your back is still giving you gyp. It's so annoying when these things stop you getting on. I too have had a parcel recently arrive a few days sooner than the given date and luckily we were in when it came.

Better go and get OH a COT now.

Sometimes Annx they either think we are very gullible or we love them so much we'll do anything for them :-D :-D Not a day here for driving for pleasure.

Glad you had a good lunch without frightening the other customers away. I have only to hear a cough now and I wonder where the person has been recently. In fact it is difficult to avoid being paranoid about crowds. And seemingly no end in sight *sigh!

Does he think your name is delilah then :-) :-) Hope the migraine soon clears, see what happens when you cut his hair!

A nice young(ish) man has just been to assess the leak situation. It is, as we thought, the flashing which he says was probably not put in correctly (27+ years ago). So he is coming PM Wednesday to fix the leaks and to clean the algy off the top of the glass roof which he says will cost £80. I thought that was quite reasonable as it included the cost of replacement flashing and sealant. (And stops OH keep saying he is going to clean the roof!

Hi everyone

Another tearful day, I just can't stop crying and the thought of OH working nights isn't something I'm looking forward to.

OH got a phone call and has an interview for a carers job tomorrow morning so we're hoping her gets the job as we have no income at the moment and are relying on our savings, which won't last long.

I rang the carers allowance people today so my allowance has now been stopped, if Sandra does return to us I'd have to make a new claim.

I've had second thoughts about ringing SS as I don't want to rock the boat at the moment and upset Michelle and Michael. I'm hoping they've kept to their promise and bought Sandra a mobile phone so she can ring me if she wants to. I got the impression off Michelle that Sandra wanted to ring me but Michelle told her that I might be asleep as I was on meds now. I take one tablet at night, so I don't sleep during the day. The one good thing about the meds I'm on is they're good to keep migraines away, which I'm really thankful off as I'd of probably had a migraine by now with all the stress I'm going through.

Michelle said she's going to the one stop shop (benefits help) this morning to try and sort out Sandra's benefits and then to the Citizens Advice about her adoption so they can order a new birth certificate for her. I think they need that to open a new bank account for her and so that Sandra can access the account she has now.

I finally rang the people about being anxious today and spoke with a lovely woman, I cried a lot when explaining everything to her, but she was brilliant and said there was no need to be embarrassed as I told her I was. The call was to register with them, she asked me what meds I'm on and then told me someone would call me in about a month's time. I think it's that long because it will take a few weeks for the anti depressants to kick in, so they'll want to assess me again then, before they can offer me further help.

So that's where I'm up to on the phone calls.

I had a look at last years council tax bill and you are all right I'm not in band G and don't have to pay anywhere near the amount mentioned on the government website, so at least I don't need to worry about my bill being around £2000 dearer now. It's still quite a lot though but unfortunately it's one of those bills that has to be paid whether we want to or not. I also found out we're in council tax band C. I'm expecting the next years bill next month, ready for the new financial year. There are rumors our area is going up quite a bit, but I'm not going to worry about it right now as I have enough on my plate to deal with.

OH has nipped to the shops as I hadn't thought about buying food and we'd ran out of a lot of things. He seems to be more practical like that which is good as I'd forgotten all about food and I don't think 2 spuds are going to go far.

I still haven't caught up with the posts, I'm ever so sorry, but I did notice that Jane had an appointment this morning, so I hope all went well for you Jane.

I hope the weather isn't to bad for everyone, it's been really bad here and we even had a few flurries of snow, which of course set me off crying again as I ran to Sandra's bedroom to tell her, then realised she wasn't there. It's so quiet here now and I hate it, but I suppose it's something I'll have to get used to.

I wish I could forward my life six months and see how it ends up.

OH's back from the shops now so I'll go and help him unpack the shopping. I'll do my best to catch up with the posts when I can.

Well what a long day it has been . I finally got in to see the Consultant about 12.20.The reason everything was so behind was becauseone of the Consultants was off sick. One of my Chemo drugs is going to be reduced a little more to see if it will help lessen the Tinnitus and a few other side effects.As for the Magnesium that made me feel so ill ,if I do need it it will be given via a vein.
After we got home I had a quick bite and then James drove me over ot Rushden Lakes ot M&S to get some food. it actuallyl SNOWED !!!!! Huge flakes but wet ones so it didnt settle at all.

Vera I am sorry you are suffering with your back.Hopefully with a bit of rest it will soon be much better.
I havent read the posts yet today as I prepared dinner when I got back from M&S and then have just had a shower and hairwash as I wont have time in the morning.I have to be at the hospital for 9 and with road closures around here it will take for ever to get there.
Hannah started her new job today. She is popping in on the way home with some magazines for me that her friend gave her.I hope they are good trashy ones LOL .
I have packed my back ready for the morning. Slippers :-D(cant keep my shoes on all day)that would drive me potty.IPad ,crossword pad, phone,kindle and colouring.That should keep me out of mischief. I think Fitz is going to try and come in to see me for a little while.I did say not to worry if he can't. Ann his new hip is fine as far as I know although he still hobbles about ,but I think that is the arthritis in his back.My new hp is good especially now I have lost weight :-D.I am becoming a right slim jim .I would like to stay as I am now if possible.

Can't wait to hear how Gill has got on today.

Mandy I will wish you a very Happy Birthday for tomorrow now just in case I dont get on here tomorrow.Hope you have a lovely day <3

Evening all,

We had lovely sun this morning and then hail and rain which turned to big flakes of snow this afternoon every where was quite white until it melted with the wet from the rain ,we popped out to get Eggs and son wanted a sack of potatoes and we then called and got the childrens fruit which we didn't get on saturday as we didn't go out .

Jane thanks for the birthday wishes for tomorrow ,what a wait you had today ,that's good that they are going to lessen some of the drugs so you shouldn't feel so bad .
Lots of retail therapy needed then with losing lots of weight :-D
It must be lovely to have Hannah living closer ,i hope she enjoys her new job,i expect she will be popping in a lot now .

Gill there's nothing wrong in letting the tears flow you've had a very upsetting time and your in shock .
I hope all goes well tomorrow with OH's interview ,is it a night shift he'll be doing then ?

Ann that's good OH was feeling well enough to go out today and your getting the quips again so you know he's feeling better not so good he has a migraine coming on ,i hope that's gone now .
I had to smile at you wanting his PJ's and had a vision in my head of him stepping out of his PJ's with you standing with scissors in hand ready to cut them up LOL

Vera that was strange dream ,i wonder where i had scuttled off too :-D
Hope your back is feeling easier now ,perhaps you did some thing to it when you were potting up your plants did you have to lean over to do them ? you said you got very cold so perhaps you got the cold in your back .

AnnG that sounds a good price to have the leak sorted and to get the roof cleaned too it will save your OH climbing about trying to do it .

Mel i see you have been busy sorting and making room for the new table ,have you found any treasures while sorting i see the Christmas presents have been
found :-D what a good job you looked in the bag or they could have been off to the charity shop .

We're out to lunch tomorrow with son and DIL and then in the afternoon the children are coming for birthday cake .

Jane thats good news if they reduce your meds a bit and it makes you feel better. Don't forget your lunch and snacks tomorrow or you will be getting hungry. good luck for tomorrow and I hope Fitzy pops in to keep you company for a nice long while.

We have had hail and rain and still have high winds today but no snow here wet or otherwise.

I have discovered a nasty draft through our bedroom window. I thought I could hear the birds chiruping the other morning and with this wind blowing its quite noisy. They are double glazed windows too and its our fire escape one that opens right out if needs be. I shall have to have a look at the rubber round it.

AnnG thats a good price for the cleaning and the flashing so lets hope it works ok. A neighbour had a lot of trouble with the flashing leaking on her conservatory. They said in the end it was the way it was put up.

Going to get something to eat now.....sausage snadwiches that'll do us as I am so tired I don't want to do anything else.

Good luck tomorrow Jane once again. xxx <3 <3 <3

No Frank again......................................................

Jane All the best for tomorrow, hope the time doesn’t drag too much. Is it sometimes the same people on the same day? Hope all goes well and good they are removing the stuff that made you feel grotty.

Mandy have you made your own cake for tomorrow.

How is the tidying up going Mel? You will have so much space.

Gill we pay our council tax by standing order do you pay the full amount up front?

Good luck to OH for the job. It will be good for you to have some money coming in.

I hope the time goes quickly for you tomorrow Jane and that Fitz makes it to sit with you for a while. It's good they can reduce the med that gave you the nasty effects. It sounds like you have everything ready you will need and I hope your slippers are nice and cosy! :-D I have to have slippers on inside to feel relaxed. I hope Hannah got on ok in her new job today.

Spot on AnnG! OH would have liked being dropped off at the place he has to be in Lincoln and not have to find parking himself and get soaked walking if it rains! He used to like me going to footie and dropping him off for the same reason. I did used to like these trips when I could walk further as I would drop him off and go and visit different garden centres or places of interest. He used to travel much further then too and once I visited Cragside House which was very interesting. I'm not keen on finding my way around strange towns anymore with all the traffic either, Switching lanes isn't very easy and there's always someone sitting on your back bumper.

Yes Mandy.....the quips are coming back! lol He was ok to go to his meeting after the migraine vision disturbance went and said there was another chap there with a cough and he said his started before Christmas!!! He had been told that it was 100 days cough. :-S

I was wondering if anyone baked you a a cake or whether you made your own. I'm sure it will be very nice anyway!

I think I should finish the applique tomorrow. It is hand stitched so there are a lot of edges to stitch around, more than I realised. Do you still have the things you made Mel? It would be nice to see a pic of them if you have. Mine is a VERY basic little picture and my stitching is quite.....er rustic. :-) I hope you fix the draughty window. We have one in the study and have to press the hinge end tightly closed from outside.

What a long wait you had today Jane. It’s good the chemo dosage is being changed. That should mean you don’t have such a grotty time after it. I hope all goes well and the time doesn’t drag. If Fitz can spend a while with you the day will pass more quickly and I expect he’ll make you smile. He certainly sounds a real character.

Mandy, I have a confession to make. This afternoon I found your card still sitting in my handbag. I have now posted it 1st class in the hope that it will arrive tomorrow but I don’t have a lot of faith In the postal service round here, so my apologies if it is late.

On the subject of cards, I have received yours today Mel. Thank you. I am saving any cards I get to open on 24th.

I hope you get your window sorted Mel. You don’t want draughts at this time of year. Last year we got a draught through the study window and found the seal between the panes had got a hole in it. We got a glazier in, he took it out, put in a temporary pane of glass, got a new one made and then fitted it and charged £100. We didn’t think that was bad at all as it wasn’t a standard size and had a bit of decoration at the top and there wasn’t a local company to do it so he had 2 trips to a company at Norwich as well.

That looks a good price for your work AnninG and you haven’t got to wait very long to get it done. If he does a good job I should make sure you keep his name on file. Good handymen are like gold dust round here.

Good luck to your OH for his interview Gill. Is it general shift work or would he be on permanent nights?

I went to collect my parcel this afternoon and OH insisted on driving me in case I made my back pain worse. The only thing that made it worse was him bumping over the speed humps by the Royal Mail depot but he meant well so I couldn’t complain. The tape had been ripped off the box so it was open which was a bit worrying but everything I ordered was there and undamaged.

I’m not sure what I have done to my back but I think it’s a muscle strain of some sort. I suppose I could have pulled something while I was potting up but I didn’t have to do much bending or stretching as I was doing it at a waist high work bench. I might have got cold though I was wearing a jumper and an old gardening jacket. Anyway I have been taking Ibuprofen today and when I collected my parcel this afternoon I popped into Tesco which was nearby and bought some heat pads. If it’s no better in the morning I’ll get OH to put one on for me.

That’s enough about my aches and pains. I hope Frank is OK and we hear from him soon. Sleep well everyone.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MANDY :-) :-D :-) :-D :-) :-D :-) :-D <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3
21 again!! Have a lovely day.

<3 <3 <3 <3 HAPPY BIRTHDAY MANDY <3 <3 <3 <3

Be spoilt rotten today and enjoy yourself whatever you do. Have a wonderful day. xx

sunny so far and OH out in the garage mending the pole that was bracing an awkward fence panel that snapped in the gale. Obviously didn't rain last night as we are drip free this morning. I have a wash load in then we will go round the shop for the paper.

Annx hope the applique goes well today. Will you be framing this one?

Vera ouch, speed bumps do hurt when you have a bad back don't they.
Yes I must make a note of his number for future use if he does a good job. He actually called half an hour before he said he would so brownie points for that too. :-D :-D

Morning all,

We have a sunny morning with clouds in the sky moving quite fast in the wind.

My new work tables come today so by the time I come home from shopping oh should have them up and in position. I hav'nt touched my craft stuff since I baked some bits on Saturday or Sunday.

Thinking of our Jane today and hope she has Fitz for quite a long time to keep her occupied. It must be such a long day when you just want to get home and back in you're own surroundings. She should feel better after it this time if they are reducing the meds a bit. I thought she would have a progress report again when seeing the consultant but I expect she will have to have another scan for that.

I have three cards put away in a little pile.

Morning :-D
Happy Birthday Mandy .Enjoy your lunch out later and your Birthday cake with the children <3 <3 <3

I am now all hooked up to my jungle juice and have been told I have to come back again tomorrow to have this magnesium drip.Will have to be here for 10am and shall be here for several hours .So That will be 3 days on the trot here :-S :-S. Hey Ho ce la vie.
I am working my way through a lovely bag of Jelly Babies .They are M&S ones and really fruity :-D :-D I brought an egg and mayo sandwich pack of crisps banana and a Kitcat so have plenty to keep me going.I haven't heard from Fitz so not sure if he will be coming in or not.I think he will though.Hope so.
It's very busy in the unit today. Nurse wants to talk something through with me
BBL

Morning Mel and Jane. Good to have the new tables Mel, no stopping you then.

Jane have you got a chair with your name plate on it? sounds as if you are well stocked with food, hope fitz does come to visit as it must be so boring just sitting there all day.

<3 <3 <3 HAPPY BIRTHDAY MANDY, HOPE YOU HAVE A GREAT DAY <3 <3 <3

Morning All,

<3 <3 :-D HAPPY BIRTHDAY MANDY! :-D <3 <3

I hope you have a nice day and some nice cards and presents. I bet the little ones will help you open any! :-D

I could fancy your snacks too Jane! What a bind being there again tomorrow, especially after the delay in being seen yesterday, but c'est la vie as you say! I hope Fitz makes it as it will break up the time a bit for you.

A bit of a thoughtful morning for me as it is a year today since my sister passed away. She always enjoyed a bit of retail therapy with me though, so after lunch we are going to Nuneaton to do just that! :-) She'd be smiling at that and wouldn't want me to be moping. Nice to think of her, but in a happier way is healthy for me as I don't want it to become a day I dread.

Good luck to your OH with his job interview Gill.