General Chat

I have the same problem Anng. I bagged a lot of stuff for the charity shop just before lockdown and its stuck under the ironing board in the uti room. I keep falling over it. I have three bin bags in there to go too.

I have varnished one of my bits of jewelry and done a little bit of painting of the back of one of the oak leaves. Fed the chickens and bantams and am now thinking of going up the hsop. I like to leave it later as it gets busy early and we have to queue.

Afternoon Everyone,

Same sort of day here as everyone else has, but we went outside after the washer was on after changing the bedding. OH was weeding on the front.....we seem infested with that very short black grass and he's determined to eradicate it. I made a start by building a couple of slate steps up the back of the waterfall to make it easier to get to weed without getting shoes muddy and trampling it in the gravel. I need to build others round the sides too and we have the rocks and slate to do it. The plants I will get will grow between and around them to help the 'look'. :-)

Vera I have already had something emailed from the research centre for me to look at and return comments. I find it interesting to see what they are actually doing and for this email is a matter of seeing whether things are understandable and make sense or could be worded better, that sort of thing.

I made some Gipsy tarts yesterday (first time) and think I should have put the full amount of sugar in them (which I tend to cut down in everything) as I think they should have caramelised and were too runny. OH has polished them off though!

We had ready meals today and I added a sachet of frozen veg to my chicken hotpot while OH added baked beans to his cottage pie. I feel like the day has gained 'hours' with not watching cooking so will be doing more shredding this afternoon.

I hope your mouth is less sore Mel and your and AnnG's shoulders soon feel better.

Afternoon to you all,

BORED TO TEARS. I have been reading most of the day. Ros is down the greenhouse, pricking out seedlings. She has passed a fair few COSMOS onto Estelle, who helps getting materials for her.

I hope I am not repeating myself here. It seems that the various Ambulance crews who are in and out of Northampton Hospital, have heard that Ros is making these "SCRUB BAGS" and they are asking if she can make some for them. I expect the word has got out from HELEN, the nurse, who lives round the corner, and works in the CANCER WARD. Estelle has been round with YET MORE MATERIALS, so the sewing machine, will be working overtime again shortly.

I expect SALLY will be asking for some bags, for her Ambulance Stations. I think she runs THREE. So how many staff that is, I am not sure. I have tried ringing Simon, but goes straight to Answer Phone. I expect he will ring over the weekend.

I have rubbed in more TESTOS. GEL this morning, after my shower. It is certainly more pleasant having it this way, rather than those injections. I would never have known about this, if I hadn't asked the Doctor, for an alternative to the INJECTION. It's a very true old saying "If you don't ask, you don't get"

As we have so much chicken over from dinner last night. Eos is going to do a CURRY tonight.

Ros has done all her ironing, from the washes she did yesterday.

We have a nice bit of beef for tomorrows dinner. I will sort out the veg tomorrow, but I might make the yorkshire pudding, and leave it in the fridge overnight . These so called experts say it's better, when left overnight. So I will fry it. !!!!

No lunch today, but we did have some part baked rolls, with Marmalade this morning. Very nice they were indeed. So I think I will get a COT and a cream slice, thatI speed in the fridge earlier. yum yum.

STAY SAFE my dear friends. xxxx

Afternoon all,

Sorry haven't read any posts i have a nasty old tummy bug so not feeling to good at the moment will be back when i feel a bit more with it .

O Mandy thats horrid and I hope you get over it soon. Nothing worse when the weather is nice and you want to get out and do something. Rest up and get better soon. <3 <3 <3

Oh was talking about Sandwich Spread a couple of weeks ago so we bought a jar. I don't think it tastes the same as it used to. Its much more vinegary now. We had it in our ham and cheese rolls at lunchtime and it was better with something else but I don't think I will be buying it again. I used to take it to school in my sandwiches when I was little. It must be eaten though as I don't like to waste food.

Anyone remember taking sticky buds to school for the nature table and putting them in jam jars of water to watch the buds open into leaves? I was thinking about that the other day when I saw the horse chesnut trees out with their candles of blossom.

What things did you take for the nature table?

And Ros thought she was going to give it a rest for a while. Tell her she mustn't overdo it Frank.

Oh dear Mandy. Where on earth did you pick up a bug if you have not been out? I hope you will feel better soon.

Mel, yes I think we took stcky buds and catking and in the autumn different leaves, conkers and acorn.

I did try sandwich spread some time back I thought it tasted pretty much the same but was not as keen on it as I was when younger.

Afternoon All
The sun is shining and it is really warm when there are no clouds.I did get out this morning with James for a drive and we went around some very pretty and old villages .One of the villages was on Escape to the Country yesterday !!

AnnG how lovely of your Daughter to send both you and your neighbour flowers :-D

Mandy I hope yout poor upset tum doesn't linger.Haven't you had a few of these recently ? Just sip water and eat nothing for 24hrs.

Crikey Frank.Ros is in high demand I see .She will need a new sewing machine at the rate it is being used now.She has been amazing with all the scrub bags and all the other things she has made.I hope she gets some recognition at the end of all this.

Ann,what are Gypsy Cakes? I think I have heard of them but have no idea what they are. I keep thinking of making scones but havent got around to it yet.I eed clotted cream first so that will be on the next Tesco Order :-DI also need some more Strawberry Jam. Chris made 2 Sourdough loaves yesterday.They are delicious but he said such a faff to make.Not sure how keen he is to do it again :-D

Tonight it is Ham Egg and chips for Chris and I.James is doing his own ..some kind of Thai curry. I got a lovely bit of Brisket from the Butcher so will do that in the Slow Cooker tomorrow.I dont know how to do it yet so will have to look up an easy recipe.

My next door neighbours have been tiling the roof all day.Honestly I dont know how they do everything themselves .They have finsihed one side (our side). The noise has been relentless though with banging and drilling.I can here a drill or something going now.. Gina the wife has been up on the roof all the time.She is like a little Whippet and in her mid/ late 50's . I can just picture me and Chris attempting what they are doing NOT :-D :-D The reason they are dong all the work is that the insurance people refused to pay out after the fire.I think it has gone to the Ombudsman .It has been 6 months since the fire.

We had our Tesco delivery last night and the chap who delivered was Bob our old Postie :-D :-D He is such a lovely chap. I missed him terribly when he gave up being a postie .He would do anything to help anyone. He once helped jump start my car and another time when I had locked myself out of the car he drove to Chris's work to get me the spare key from Chris .That would have put him way behind time on his round.

I dreamt last night that I was married ot Boris Johnson :-S :-S :-S....What was that all about.

Sorry you have a nasty tummy bug Mandy. Just rest up like Mel says and sit it out with sips of water till tomorrow. I hope it soon passes and you are back to your self again.

Mel, OH likes the pastes and I ordered some for him with my last order. He likes the Bloater one best but no-one seems to do it anymore. He doesn't like the fact you can't get the small jars now and that they are much taller jars. He usually ends up with some to throw away. I used to like the chicken one on sandwiches. :-)

My friend has had just 1 bantam chick hatch and it is so cute cheeping away. She is going to try and get it some chums for company. :-)

Good idea to keep your car batteries charged with a small run AnnG. I managed to get a click and collect slot at one of the small garden centres for Monday so that will be a short run for OH's car. They have coned off the car park so only one car can be loaded and you stay in your car apart from opening the boot to lift your goods in........good social distancing. I couldn't get any geraniums but I got 24 plug plants for baskets and pots and 36 mixed pansies so that will be a splash of colour. :-) Their limit of £20 is much less than the £50 limit at the other garden centre and our plants came to £27. That was a nice surprise getting the flowers and for your neighbour too!

The Gipsy tart just uses evaporated milk whisked for 20 mins with demerara sugar Jane till it is very thick. You pour it into a pastry case and bake on low heat for 20 mins. I think it should separate out into a caramel at the bottom with a mousse type top, but my caramel bit was too runny. OH said they reminded him of banoffee pie! I had to chuck my bread out today as it was mouldy and I was thinking I would have to look up a recipe to make some sort of bread without yeast and use baking powder. Then I remembered I have half a dozen slices in the freezer and they will last me till our delivery in 8 days time. OH's half and half bread is fine and he has plenty.

Frank how can you be bored with all the things there are to do or that need doing. Have you started on the next part of your memoirs yet? I'm still hoping to read them and am sure the others are too! I enjoyed the Genealogy email but couldn't open the other!!

Frank, you are awful....but I like you :-) Remember that? I think it was Dick Emery. Both videos opened fine for me and I had a good chuckle. Ros is becoming quite famous. Her sewing machine must be smoking by now with all the work she does. She is so good to make all these things. She puts me to shame.

Oh poor you Mandy. These tummy bugs can really drain you. As the others say, stick to water for now and just rest as much as possible. Sleep if you can. I hope you feel better very quickly.


I think you probably did need a bit more sugar in your Gypsy Tarts Ann. I’ve never been a fan as they are so sweet, the same reason I don’t like Banoffee Pie.

As for Sandwich Spread Mel, you can keep it. I am sorry your shoulder is sore. AnninG as well. Hope they both get better soon. I’ve never played any online games, boring old wotsit aren’t I? I do remember sticky buds at primary school. We lived opposite our school and had a privet hedge at the front. My mum became the main provider of food for the stick insects. There was always some small child at the door asking for privet. Does anyone remember the Flower Lovers League - I think that’s what it was called. You bought a daffodil bulb in autumn and nasturtium seeds in spring, grew them in a pot and on a set date took them to school to be “judged”. I think if you took in anything at all you got a certificate.

I’m pleased you got a little drive this morning Jane and hope you’re feeling a bit better now. I hope all the noise from next door hasn’t given you a headache. I wonder why their insurance wouldn’t pay.

My get up and go has definitely gone today. I just can’t seem to put my mind to anything. I’ve been up for getting on for 12 hours and don’t seem to have done anything much. Our son’s stepson emailed today to say they had a family quiz with some of dil’s family last week and are doing the same tomorrow and asking us to join in. The trouble is they are doing it on Zoom which I have heard of but never used and, at the moment, I don’t much lfeel ike getting to grips with it.

Left this for a moment to look at the cooker and the roast potatoes are very brown and the chicken in a sauce has stuck to the pan. B@@@@r it. I’ll tell OH it’s a dish called Egyptian Chicken and he’ll think it’s meant to taste burnt. ;-)

Going to dish up now.

Yuk I hate evap milk.......... my dad loved it and there was always tins of it in the cupboard. I actually used it to feed my baby as they used it in the hospital and I could'nt stand the smell of powdered milk so was happy to use Carnation.

Nice you got out for a little drive around with James and visit some pretty villages.

Poor ros thinking she was going to have a rest from making all the scrub bags and her machine will be going like the clappers again I suppose.She dos'nt like to let people down does she? Oh had an idea the other day. He said he could get 100 ponytail bands (the sort that are knitted) for a fiver and they would make good ties for face masks.

I have been in the garden all afternoon. First I strimmed all round my shed and then round all the trees in the orchard. Then I cut some dead off the apple trees and then cut down som e brimbles. Pulled most of the ivy off the big ash tree and now I feel knackered.

Steak rolls for tea and a nice bottle of white greneshe.

Where's our Gill?????

Ah Vera I must remember to call any chicken mishaps 'Egyptian chicken' in future!! I don't like banoffee either or anything with banana unless it's just sliced in custard. I think it all stems from eating my first banana after the war with the skin on!!!! Well no-one told me you had to peel it first. :-S Zoom is quite easy to join if someone else has set up the meeting Vera. I used it for the first time last week and have suggested my beading friends could meet up once a week on screen. You just click on the link they send you near to the arranged time and your picture pops up on the screen with everyone else's and you and they can talk to each other. The host will end the session so there's nothing to do yourself.

I can remember us having sticky buds at school. I still wonder why they are sticky? We used to take catkin twigs and pussy willow too. Peas in a jam jar with moist blotting paper wrapped in a circle inside and watch the peas grow. We had old sinks filled with soil at junior school and some of us had a quarter each to make our own miniature garden.

Sent some pics of the garden on the 1st May.

Thanks for the photos Mel you have some lovely flowers in your garden. The wisteria is beautiful on that wall.

Vera not like you to not have any get up and go. Hope it is back tomorrow.

Sounds like you have done well with the plant order Ann, should give plenty of colour.

Ideal milk we had to use to feed a five pound premature foster baby we had in 1966. He had to be fed every two hours a very small amount. It was very difficult and that was through the night as well. Looking back I am pretty sure he should not have been put out for fostering as he was not very strong. Still he was ready for adoption poor scrap when he was six weeks old. He went to a couple from Ireland.

My son was only 5lb 3oz when he was born. He was 6lb 5oz a week later.

Morning all,

Woke early this morning with cramp in my right calf (sp) oh jumped out of bed and came round and rubbed it for me but it was agony. It still hurts and I can't walkk properly.

It started raining last night and its still raining this morning that fine stuff blowing in the breeze.

We grew runner beans in a jar with blotting paper round it and you put the bean between the jar and the pink paper. I wonder why school blotting paper was pink? I don't remember having to take them back to school but can remember having to draw it in our nature books. I loved nature study at school.

With all the strimming yesterday both shoulders ache today so its good its raining so I shan't be tempted to do more today.

Hope you all slept well or better than usual and feel more rested this morning.

How's the tum Mandy? better this morning I hope so take it easy for another day.

It would have been my gran's birthday today. She would have been 125 today.

Morning Mel, Morning all

A little cloudy here today but the sun is just managing to get through. OH's cut the lawns this morning and is now watering the pots.

I spoke with the doctor on the phone the other day, much safer than having a face to face appointment and she's decided to double my meds, I've not been sleeping very well, but since the increase in my meds I've finally had a couple of good nights sleep. I was so groggy yesterday and had a headache, so I decided to stay away from the screen so my headache wouldn't turn into a migraine, I didn't fancy a migraine lasting a few days. Luckily it stayed as a headache but didn't go until it was time for bed. Thankfully I'm okay today, still feeling a bit sleepy, but I'm sure I'll get used to the meds soon.

The headlight bulb went yesterday, so OH had to put a new one in. I managed to do a bit of housework and then we both moved a few pots around in the garden. The little garden I did down the side needed attention as the grasses had died, so they went in the bin and we hunted around the back garden for replacements plants, it looks nicer down the side now but still needs one or two more plants to fill the gaps. I'm sure we'll find some in the garden at some point, but that'll be a job for another day.

Sorry to hear you had a bad tum yesterday Mandy, I hope it feels better today.

Love all the pictures of your garden Mel, the Wisteria is massive, I love Wisteria. Sorry to hear your shoulders ache, you can rest up today if it's raining and let mother nature water your beautiful plants.

I see Ros is in demand with her sewing Frank, lets hope the sewing machine doesn't play up again. Did you find out what the problem was in the end?

I've never heard of Gipsy tart before Ann, it sounds quite nice.

I know how you feel about all the knocking and banging next door Jane, we went through exactly the same thing with our neighbour. I hope it's finished soon so you can enjoy some peace and quiet. Your trip out with James sounded nice and relaxing.

Has anyone tried Sandwich spread in mash potato it's delicious, my mum used to do it when I was a child. I forgot all about it until Sandwich spread was mentioned on here. Mum used to make it with lamb chops and baked beans.

Going to drink my cuppa now, I made it a while ago so I hope it's not cold.

I just let my coffee go cold Gill Drank it now though.

A mostly cloudy day today although we had a flash of sun earlier on so OH did some tidying up in the garden. Our brown bin collection is back this coming week so we will be able to get rid of the full bin and some of the esxtra stuff in the shed. We are allowed to put a strong bag of garden rubbish next to the brown bin as well.

We had brunch instead of breakfast this morning, two fried eggs, fried bread and bacon and very nice it was too, especially as I didn't cook it.
It strangely feels like a normal Sunday today here. Just prepared the veg for Sunday roast tonight, broccoli, sugar snap peas roast and steamed carrots, roast parsnips and potatoes, courgette may creep in there if I remember to do it later and roast chicken. And strawberries and ice cream to follow

Mel, take it easy today then strimmers are very heavy and can easily hurt your shoulder and upper arm.

gill it will probably take a while to adjust to the new meds so don't overdo things. Hopefully in the long run you will feel better.
I wonder why the grasses died they are usually hard to kill. Did they rot? Are you sure they were dead and not just dormant?

Mandy I hope you are feeling better today. But how strange to pick up a tummy bug when not going our or seeing anyone, normally we blame the children for tose.

Jane hope you are OK as well, what a shame you have been having trouble with reflux, is it one of the meds causing it? Hope you manage to eat ok today.t

I've got a bit of a headache again, I'm wondering if it might be the double dose of my meds that's causing it. Having said that I suffer from Hayfever, so does OH and he's cut the lawns so it's probably that. At least I'm sleeping better now which is good.

The grasses hadn't been watered for a long time AnnG, with them being down the side where we can't see them, we'd forgotten to water them and being in pots on a concrete base they couldn't get any rain water from the ground, plus they were pot bound, a couple of them we couldn't get out of the pots to throw them away. All the grass's, apart from one were white, with no signs of any green, not even small shoots. The one with signs of life has now been moved into the border and had a good drink. We find the roots go through the bottom of the pot slightly and into the ground so it should be okay. The other's were past helping. At least I got three pots I can now use for other plants that need re-potting once I can get hold of the compost to do the job.

The clouds have gone here and the sun is out, the lawns look lovely and I've just turned the water feature on, so it's nice and peaceful and calm. I'm going to have a drink outside and get some fresh air, I've taken a Hayfever tablet so I'll be okay.

Vera.... This is what our son had to say about Tesco slots when I asked him (He takes a while to reply!).

I think the slots will be different by area as each is serviced from a local centre. But I think the process for booking is the same.

I can’t say for certain but I’ve found that going in too early doesn’t work. The slots seem to show as unavailable even after 12 (they don’t list by hour, just one line saying all gone). To make it work I go on about 11.57. Entering the groceries section I get put in a virtual queue. When I get through to the ordering part, about 12.05 usually, then mostly there are slots. No idea why it works but it mostly does!

I think sometimes people drop slots and odd ones open up, but that is fairly rare as far as I can tel :-) :-)