General Chat

Morning all,

Trust you all had a good nights sleep. Another lovely morning but we have had frosts at night but they don't seem to have hurt any of the plants.

We all know what Gill will be doing today don't we? Hope she gets on ok with her watercolour painting.

I was lying in bed this morning watching the rainbows on the ceiling and oh came back to bed. He said to me "its not as cold as when we were kids and got dressed under the bedclothes, do you remember that?". He had turned the little rad on for me in the kitchen bless him so I got dressed by that.

Now did'nt I tell you that I did the bedroom the other day when I changed the bed. WEll the next thing he said to me was "Can you see that big cobweb over your head?" I could'nt as I did'nt have my glasses on but then I did see it and it is about four foot long from the pelmit to somewhere in the ceiling. I could'nt have missed it the other day or I would have walked through it. I shall have to take my soft broom in there and sweep it down. I do need to wash the window sills anyway of some fly and spider poo.

O vera I do hope its the right one this time and you don't have to waste any more water. I hope you reported it to the Anglian Water as they shoudl reduce your water bill a bit.

Love to Jane. Loved the photo of you all dripped up.

What are people like Vera. Made me laugh and I loved mum.

Morning all,

Another lovely sunny morning after a very sharp frost the car roof and windscreen what thick with Frost.
I think I over did the clapping last night one of my fingers is all bruised nearly all the way round .

Vera fingers crossed they have the right part this time .

Mel I can remember getting dressed under the bed clothes in the winter some times mum would warm my clothes by the fire .

Jane nice to see you all dripped up ,how did you manage did you need the loo .
Any news on Fitz's OH ?

I kept out of the way while the gas man was here but OH tells me it was a different chap this time and, yes, he did have the right part. No more water running away outside :-D BUT OH has just checked in the cupboard where the tank is and says there appear to be some very slow leaks in there now; both ends of a flexible hose and where this valve thing has been connected. OH said it is only a tiny bit of water at the moment. He's wiped it away and is shortly going to check whether it was just a bit of residual water or whether things are still leaking. If they are, it will be another call to British Gas. I must admit I am getting fed up with it now. It was bad enough wasting water outside. I don't want it dripping inside the house.

good morning all, the sun took a while to come through as it was a bit misty but it is a lovely day out there although only 7 degrees.

Thank you for the video Vera, very funny but as I said on the email I think I will pass.

Glad he had the right part. maybe the small leaks will seal themselves, sometimes they do. Although not very good to leave a job with something leaking is it?

Mel, strange how cobwebs suddenly appear, little monkey has been working over night to produce that.

Neither of us slept well last night, first time for quite a while. Strange as we swopped out usual G&T for a couple of cream sherries and my stomach is a bit yuk this morning.

Mandy hope your finger soon feels bettter. In our village next week on Thursday at 8pm it is "Torches to the sky and cheer". do you know if your grandchildren clapped last night?

Perhaps it's just a little water leaked where he did the repair ,if you wipe it and tie an old piece of rag round you'll soon see if the rag is damp if it's still leaking ,fingers crossed it's just water from the repair .

Yes AnnG they clapped :-D theres talk in the town of doing another on Saturday night this time with the song What Have You Done Today To Make You Feel Proud by Heather Small.

Son just rang and said that the High School that the two oldest go to have done a sanitary pack for each family of children at the school so they collected it and it has tooth paste, tooth brush,deodorant, razors,shaving foam,body wash, body cream,and ladies products ,how nice was that .

That was a good idea Mandy and I hope they appreciate it. Maybe you broke a vein with all that clapping and thats why your finger is bruised.

Vera I hope its not another leak but as Mandy said it may just be from the repair. Do what she said and iif it is leaking make another call.

We have that cold east wind today but the suns shining and its lovely and bright but there are a few stripes of thin cloud out there today.

Afternoon all

Boris Johnson has been tested positive for Covid 19, he has mild symptoms and is now self isolating and working from home.

Another sunny day and yet again next door is out, at least he's just sanding by the sounds of it today and so far it's been reasonably quiet, so I managed to sit outside and have a drink without the constant noise, which was nice.

I made a mistake on the Flamingo pinks and it looks like there are more than 5 different shades Mel. There are other colours as there are flowers and leaves around the bottom bit.

It says DMC in front of each number, I assume that is the make, but I doubt it would really matter (I could be wrong) so long as the colours are right. eg. pink, blue, yellow etc...

The colour Ref's are, (All starting with DMC)

310 Black
602 Pink (Looks like cerise, or light purple)
604 Pink (Slightly lighter pink than above)
726 Yellow (pale)
818 Pink (Very pale)
967 Pink (Salmon colour)
987 Green (Dark)
989 Green (Slightly lighter than above)

The next 5 are all different shades of light pink
3340 Pink
3341 Pink
3705 Pink
3706 Pink
3708 Pink

I'm a bit confused on the next colour as it looks pink in the book, but has the same number of 310, which is the same number as the black.

158 Black
355 Pink
581 Pink

Another 310, this time blue (looks like it's being used as a French knot for the eyes)
666 Pinky brown, also being used for french knots, for the middle of the flowers
989 Green (This is used for back stitch)
310 Black (Also for back stitch)

There's a lot of colours and that's just for one of the patterns. Thank you for your kind offer of looking to see you if have any of the above colours, or anything close to them. Let me know if you'd like something for them and towards the postage. Thanks.

I haven't caught up with all the posts yet, so will catch up with them in a minute, my washing machine has just finished so I need to sort out OH's uniform for him.

Thanks again Mel, for your kind offer and for the water colour paper. Don't take any risks going out at the moment though, your OH is right.

Oh dear Vera, lets hope the leak in doors has stopped now, you don't want a leak in the house. I'll keep my fingers crossed everything is okay.

I've had a look around for something to use as a board but I don't have anything suitable Ann. My trays are metal and are a bit rusty on the bottom so I don't want to use them and the only plastic one I have has been in the greenhouse so long it's bent so that's no good. I found a film last night so recorded that, I will watch it later when I've finished the washing.

I was surprised to read you had to wet the paper first Mel, but it said if I don't then the paper will wrinkle. I've tried water colours before and didn't wet the paper first and it wrinkled and looked a mess, so I don't want to make that mistake again. I'm going to alter a couple of nighties, I'd planned on doing them but forgot all about it, so that'll keep me busy for a day or two. So at least I'll have something to do for now. Have you got rid of the big cobweb now?

Oh dear Mandy, I hope your finger heals soon for you, at least you did it doing something kind and thoughtful, not that it helps with the pain though. How nice of the school to do a sanitary pack for each family of children.

Yes, I smiled remembering getting dressed under the bed covers to. :-)

Sorry to hear you both had a bad night's sleep last night AnnG, I hope you both have a better one tonight.

Going to get a drink now and a sit down before carrying on with the washing. BBL

Just to let you know we are both O.K. Hope all of you are as well. xxxx

Afternoon All

Oh my goodness so many posts today !!.I have not gone through them all yet.

Love the pics of your pretty plants Vera and loved the funny video. I have no thongs just Bridget Jones pants LOL I do hope that the bit of water coming from the tank is nothing more than a dribble that has stopped now.

I did my clapping in my bed last night for the NHS workers .I was too tired to stay up and stand outside.Not that anyone around here would have heard.I did find it very emotional seeing everyone out doing their bit and supporting all the brave workers.
I thanked the Nurses yesterday for their commitment .It was a long day again for me as I was hooked up from 10am until just before 4pm. Luckily the blood transfussion finished before the other one so once didconnectd from that I was able to go to the loo :-D. I just made sure I didnt drink too much.

Today while James was on the computer doing his presentation for the interview Chris and I went for a little walk down the lane.It was the furthest I have walked in ages ,so I think the blood has given me a bit more energy.The wind was a bit biting but it was lovely to just get some good fresh air.

Me have you managed to order your oil? You dont need ot be without that right now as it is going to get a lot colder.

Gill you are going to be busy with all your kits and craft :-D. I have been doing my cross stitch today but am having abreak now as I was going cross eyed !!.

Frank, I do hope that Conrad is ok out there in Spain and being all on his on in self isolation.He doesnt even have the company of dear Lola now. (I think it was Lola)
I am sure Simon and Sally will be ok on the boat although it is quite a confined space for them to both be in.

James and I went through the big freezer earlier to just see what we had meat wise.I will not be ordering any more meat for a while !!!!!!. We have so much and I had no idea how much chicken we have. We shall all be clucking soon. Deboned Chicken tonight with roast potatoes and roast carrots,parsnips and leeks.

I tried to ring Fitz at lunch tme to see how his OH is today but got no answer.I will try again in a bit. last night when I spoke to him she was worse again :-( I just hope she is ok,as it is very worrying.
In fact I think I will try again right now. She didn't have a good 60th did she.

Well I have looked all through my silks and they were mums but she has taken all the blimmin numbers off of them. I have no black and no blues. How big is this thing and why did it not have the silks provided. Was it sealed in its box?

You are talking about much more than I have as I say I did send Mandy a lot some years ago.

I looked at mums watercolour paper and it is all tobacco stained so it not any good. It was all kept in the lounge in an open bookcase and she smoked such a lot.

Oh has bought himself a hair cutting thing and has just shut himself in the bathroom with it. I am expecting him to come out with no hair on his head at all.!!!!!! :-0

Here I am back again like the proverbial bad penny.

Thank you for your advice about the leaks. I appreciate your help but didn’t pass it on to OH as he might have felt insulted that we thought he couldn’t test for leaks, having been an engineer in the water industry. He could probably have done some repairs himself but if he did that he would invalidate any guarantee on the work. Anyway he rang BG again about 11.30 and the chap was back here at 12.45. It’s all fixed now and there are no leaks inside or out, touch wood. That’s 4 visits in 5 days. So much for staying in isolation! OH has been round and taken the meter reading as instructed and has to take another one in 2 weeks and send them both in to Anglian Water.

I decided to get my allowed bit of exercise and a couple of food items at the same time by walking across the recreation ground at the bottom of our Close and round a couple of roads to the tiny little Co-op that is in a cul-de-sac there. There are seldom more than one or two people there; the car park only holds about 6 cars. Today there must have been a dozen people in there. They had taped areas leading up to the checkout but people had to pass close to each other in the aisles. I waited for a couple of people to come out before I even went in and I used a sheet of kitchen roll round the basket handle so I didn’t touch it but I didn’t see anyone else bothering and the only people with gloves were the two checkout women. Some people also have a funny idea of “essential food shopping”. My basket contained a bottle of milk, a loaf of bread and some frozen fish (though I did succumb to a pack of 2 iced buns). The man in front of me had chocolate bars, crisps and 2 bottles of wine. If they are essentials, I dread to think what his non-essential items are.

This afternoon I’ve tidied my mini-greenhouse by getting out all the pots of plants and cuttings etc., getting rid of half a dozen cuttings that failed to survive, tidied up the other plants and given them all a good watering. I’ve also tidied up several pots of herbs.

I bet being applauded as he left work gave your OH a lift Gill. Everyone likes to be appreciated when they are doing a difficult job. It sounds as though you are finding things to keep you occupied and next week it will start being a bit lighter in the evenings. I always find that cheers me up a bit.

The sanitary packs from your grandchildren’s school is a nice idea Mandy. I hope your finger is looking less bruised now. Do you think you burst a little blood vessel with all that clapping?

I’m sorry to hear you didn’t have such a good night last night AnnG. I hope your tum has stopped feeling yukky. Will it be back to the G & T tonight?

I am glad the extra blood has given you a little energy boost Jane, though be careful not to overdo it. I hope James’ presentation went well and he gets the job. It is worrying about Fitz’s OH isn’t it? I hope she is feeling a bit better today.

I hope OH’s selfie haircut turns out well. At least you usually have long hair so won’t worry about having yours cut. I am dreading mine growing, I won’t know what to do with it.

Well, I had better go and see if the fish I bought has defrosted and decide what to do with it. Enjoy your evening everyone.

JAMES HAS GOT THE JOB :-D :-D :-D :-D :-D

Oh well done James :-D :-D i bet he's over the moon ,so pleased for him Jane

Congratulations on your new job James :-D :-D

Thank goodness no more leaks now Vera :-D

Mandy I though tthat was a lovely gesture from the school to hand out those Sanitary packs to the families .Very useful things .

Yes we are over the moon for James. It has been a long time in coming . He will have to be working from home though which will be odd t obegin a new job.But I am sure it will be ok.

Evening All,

Another sunny day and warm earlier, so I went in the garden and filled 3 humpers with more prunings and OH transferred them to plastic sacks. I also tidied up the pots of various mints and lemon balm and watered the seeds. I seem to have caught the sun on the tops of my arms and chest. OH thinks he may have overdone the soil shifting so left that today and carried on withith his notes, He has found out how to do his video conferencing on his laptop ready for Monday's virtual meeting, but we still need to plug in the new phones.

OH rang the doctor this morning to check they had sent the prescription for his changed medication to the pharmacy that they said they would do at the beginning of the week.....no they hadn't!! They said they would do it straightaway, but will he have to wait another 5 days to collect it? He hoped that it would be there this afternoon with our other things to collect, so we went to the pharmacy this afternoon. The queue was well spaced but right across the car park again, so we turned round and came home and will try again on Monday. OH runs out of one of his tablets on Tuesday. This practice of on line prescriptions means you are tied to one pharmacy now.

You could put some cooking foil over the metal tin Gill and scrunch it over the ends to keep it in place. You could even use clothes pegs to hold the watercolour paper in place. I had a chuckle at your 'two drips'. lol.

How did his haircut go Mel? I use a hair trimmer to do OH's so you could do it for him and give him a Mohican! lol Am I right in thinking the old silks you used to get were much shinier than the ones you get today?

Vera that was a great video and made me laugh too! Your garden is looking very nice with lots of plants in flower. I like your seat to perch on among them. What a shame about this new possible leak though. I hope it was residual like you thought it might be, otherwise it is a nuisance to keep having to get people in.

I hope you manage to contact Fitz Jane. It is very worrying if his wife was worse yesterday. I bet she never anticipated her 60th would be like this! Let us know when you get more news.That's good if the transfusion gave you a bit more energy and you managed a walk down the lane for some fresh air.

I did a bit of HW this afternoon and played some games on the Wii and did my cycling to nowhere! It was a bit hot for it in the conservatory though.

That was thoughtful of the school Mandy. Are the children getting fed up yet or bickering? It must be hard with 5 to keep occupied. Do they have a garden to play in? That would help while the weather is fine.

I have missed a few posts while writing mine!

First, congratulations to James on getting the job! :-) This was the one he wanted isn't it. Yes, it would be strange starting a new job working from home, but it won't be for ever and at least he won't need any new clothes for it yet! Do a lot of people work for this company compared with where he was before?

I see the leak is all sorted now Vera thank goodness! :-D Yes we saw people passing close to each other on the pavement when we went to the pharmacy. This morning while I was dressing I saw the daughter of a neighbour opposite had called and they were all standing far closer together than I would have done. I still think some haven't got the message of why it's important to keep social distance.