General Chat

Jane glad you liked the photos. We have loads of roses out they are really early.

Good luck with the scan, really hoping that you are wrong with your fears, I wonder if worrying and nerves can stop you feeling able to eat.

I will be thinking of you. Will you have to wait long for the result. <3 <3

I hope you managed to eat your dinner Jane. Good luck with the scan and the Echo. It’s natural for you to be worried. Fingers crossed that everything is OK but whatever the outcome you WILL get through it. You’re stronger than you think. I’ll be thinking of you. Sending you love and hugs <3 <3

Evening All,

I had not heard of a cock's egg before Mel. Fancy them making a racket because an egg was laid! So you have been working on your border again. It's been nice in the sun here but chilly when the sun went in.

Vera that was good not getting any substitutes. Good idea to have a break after getting the frozen stuff put away. You can leave me some of those Guylian chocs on my doorstep as I love them! :-D I hope you anjoy your family quiz!

Gill I see you are keeping busy which is good. That's the trouble with solid walls and condensation so I hope this time your efforts work. It might be worth reading up on dehumidifiers as they take moisture out of the air and one could be useful in the winter months.

Your scones looked very tasty AnnG and your garden has lots of flowers out. I love the colour of the rose.

I hope you soon get news from your scan tomorrow Jane. It must be a worry each time. It was good to have a drive round the villages again and nice to see all the colours of the gardens.

We had chicken breasts with bacon around them today and roast potatoes with broccoli, brussels, carrots and beans. After lunch I managed to mix some white paint I found with a bit of black to make grey and I sat and painted the tiny drawers I mentioned yesterday. It needs another coat tomorrow though. Then I planted my french beans in another old plastic tub that was destined for the tip. I wrote up my photography notes from the sessions then I made a lemon cake. I tried to do a lemon drizzle on top, but think I let it get too cold before putting it on as it didn't drizzle! I might scrape it off as it seemed a bit too sweet for us when we tried a piece.

OH has been looking at his footie programmes on line and one from 1912 is valued at £750 and he has some even older than that.

Anyone remember the little tins of Yeoman paste with the plastic lid you put on once they were opened? I found one of mine with a few tacks in when I was searching for the paint this morning and will send a pic. I think it must have been from the 60s or 70s.

We have a dehumidifier going every day Ann and it collects quite a lot of water, unfortunately it doesn't really stop the condensation in the corners, so every now and then we have to wipe the walls down, if we catch it quickly enough that's all we need to do, but if not then we have to re-paint the walls. The interior walls are okay it's just the outside ones because they are cold and the inside of the bungalow is warm. We've decided if ever we move we're going to buy an insulated property with a cavity wall and treat ourselves to a nice gas fire, we miss our gas fire and the electric ones cost a fortune to run so we don't turn ours on anymore.

Love the pictures AnnG, those scones looked delicious and your flowers are so pretty. Sorry to hear your back is still giving you problems, I hope it eases soon for you.

Good luck with your scan and echo Jane, when do you get the results? I'll keep my fingers crossed for good news for you. I'm sure everything will be okay.

So you're been busy with all the wiping down of your food today Vera, it's such a boring job isn't it, but has to be done to make everything safe.

Good morning, some sun some cloud here at the moment but warmer than lately as it is already 13 degrees outside.

Just put the slow cooker on with breast of chicken cut up, mushrooms, onion ans courgette in a tomato sauce, probably have it with pasta tonight.

Not sure what I will be doing today, back still painful so probably not a lot. Maybe dust the bedroom.

Morning AnnG and all,

Nice bright and sunny day with blue sky and white clouds.

Sorry your back is still bad Anng give it a nice rest today and don't overdo it with house work. A little dusting and thats all. Do you think it maybe due to the fact your not walking as much as you used to? Both you and hubby walked quite some miles during the week.

Ann I have never heard of Yoeman Paste before and certainly don't recognise the tin but what a wonderfull find and with tacks in too!

Morning all

It’s a beautiful day here; sunny and warm with a slight breeze. I’ve got two full loads of undies and shirts on the line, bedding is in the machine now and then I’ve got a load of towels to do. Where does all the laundry come from? There are only two of us after all.

We’ve also turned our mattress at last. It’s a very heavy king size mattress that has to be turned over and round and it’s definitely a 2-Man job. It’s been a long while since we were both free of back or neck pains at the same time but today we managed it. Hooray :-)

I’m sorry to hear your back is still giving you problems AnninG. There’s such a fine line isn’t there. If you don’t move enough you are likely to seize up but if you overdo it you make the problem worse. Can you self refer to physio in your area? Last time my back was really bad I did that and they emailed me advice and a sheet of instructions for some gentle exercises which was very useful. I hope you start to feel more comfortable soon.

OH wants to turn our heating off today. We have underfloor heating through the whole of the downstairs and the most efficient and economical way of using it is to turn it on in the autumn and off in the spring but it invariably turns cold again as soon as we turn it off. We have a couple of electric heaters to plug in if we need them in the evening.

The family quiz was good yesterday though we didn’t do very well. It was organised by dil’s 10 year old niece (helped by mum) and she did a good job. Our problem was she had rounds on TV, Films, Disney and Music and it was all modern stuff. As we don’t watch a lot of TV, rarely go to the cinema and are not into pop music we were a bit flummoxed. Not too good on the Sports round either. Thank goodness for General Knowledge and Food and Drink ;-). It was good fun though. Our 17 year old granddaughter is organising next week’s quiz

It sounds as though the washing machine has just finished so I’d better get the sheets on the line.

Thinking of you Jane <3

Edit: forgot to say that I had never heard of Yeoman Paste either Ann but it’s a great find.

Ooh, well! We have just been out!!! We went to the local garden centre, it was all very well organised, only two people from family or group allowed in together with a trolley between them. some people not able to recognise what an arrow pointing means and some wandering away from the one with the trolley and becoming a bit of a contact hazard but mostly ok. It seemed really strange, the first time in 8 weeks we have been beyond the end of our drive. (except for when OH drove the car round the block to charge it up).

Mel, I think just mainly sitting and not walking doesn't help to free the back up, it actually feels as if it is more a muscle strain than actually a disc problem as it hurts more when using the muscle to stand up or sit down, bending over doesn't hurt. Hopefully walking round the garden centre will have helped a bit. Strangely though my feet hurt in my trainers as that is the first time I have not had slippers on in 8 weeks as well.

Jane, thinking of you and hoping all goes well. <3 <3

glad you enjoyed the quiz Vera, not good when questions are from modern TV programmes that you don't watch though. When is it your turn to set the questions? Or have you had your turn.

Afternoon all,

Bright and breezy here today ,nice sun shine so e sat out and had our coffee when we came home from shopping ,this was the first time i had to queue at Aldi but only for a couple of minutes ,i got two hanging baskets and another hanging bracket in there as i have a few more plants i can use in them .
We called and took fruit to the children,i got it out of the boot and stood the bag on the path ,son came out first and then the children one at a time just to say hello and then went in ,we kept in the car but it was so nice to see them for five minutes .
Oh Jane i hope the scan will give you some good news ,you must keep your chin up, i'm thinking of you <3

AnnG your scones look nice and your garden is looking good too the rose is such a pretty colour ,i took some photo's of our roses today but if i send them i'll have to send them one at a time as i don't know how to send several together .
The yellow one has lots of buds ,the white rose out in the front garden is full of buds too it will look a real picture when it flowers ,but it's such a shame it only flowers the once .
It is nice to go out beyond your four walls and it sounds as if they were very organised at the garden centre .


Ann that looks an old pot i've never heard of Yeomans paste either and i see it was made in Kings Lynn too .
The cake looks really good and you do need to pour it on the cake when it's warm so it soaks in ,was it icing sugar you used as it looks quite grainy on top like caster sugar.

I often wonder where all the washing comes from too Vera with just the two of us .
So you didn't do so well in the quiz with the questions being modern ,i wouldn't know much about Films ,Disney or Music either .
Oh goodness that must be a job trying to turn a king size mattress ,we have a job some times turning our mattress and it's only a deep double so you've done well to do yours between the two of you .

Might sit out in the sun shine with my book now .

Good afternoon to you all,

What a day I had yesterday. Got up with every intention of trying to do some little jobs around the house and garden. I started by preparing the veg and meat for dinner. Made the Yorkshire pudding and cheese sauce,even mad the gravy. So that left me free for the day.

First thing I did was to fall A@@e over head going down the back lawn. So well pleased with myself, I managed to get to my feet, and sit on the chair outside the greenhouse. That was all my good intentions out of the window. Managed to get back indoors and into my armchair. There I sat, reading the paper and my book. Around 4.00 pm I put the oven on, to heat up. When I put the meat in the oven I caught the back of my hand on the HOT SHELF. So a nice burn, went straight under the cold water. I have a nice burn showing now.

Once the meat was part cooked I put the Yorkshire round the meat and put the parsnips in the oven. We ended up having dinner around 6.00 pm. Later I sat having a beer, when I got HIC CUPS. No way would they go away. I tried the blast of water trick, blocking of my nose and ears, while Ros held the glass. Still stuck with them. I ended up being as sick as a pig, by sticking my fingers down my throat. NOT NICE, but it always works. !!!!

Ros has decided to clean the carpets where we tread. GREAT until she put the water and cleaner in. When she depressed the lever to wet the carpet, nothing happened. So good old muggins had to strip the bottom down, and clean the Blooming thing. Now all working, and I am now cleaning the carpets. It was bunged up with fluff from the last time it was used.

I started this post ages ago. So will sign off and see you later. xxxx

Gosh Frank you've had a day of it. I hope you're not bruised after the fall. You have sone some good jobs though. I have never stuck my fingers down my throat to make myself sick. I don't think I could bring myself to do it.

Vera a good job done by the pair of you turning the mattress. I hope you don't suffer any aches after using muscles you don't usually use. You may sleep better tonight now.

Thinking of Jane and hoping she gets on ok today and its good news for her. Sending lots of (((hugs))) and kisses and wishes. oxoxox <3 <3 <3

Mandy it must have been nice to see the children even if it was from afar as it were.
I had noticed the paste tin came from Norfolk too and thought you would have seen one before. Even you have been to a garden center but I hav'nt yet. My cue plant I bought down the shop gave up the ghost after I put it in its big pot. Wehn I pulled it up it only had a few roots so not a good buy that one.

AnnG you devils going out for the first time in weeks. Did you get what you wanted?

We got a couple of things on the list Mel but not all no, they have not had time to restock yet and had obviously got rid of or lost all early bedding plants. It was mainly things like lawn seed and tomato feed and garden string and a block of fat for a bird feeder we got all that.

Afternoon all

It's been cloudy here all day, not cold though or wet, just very cloudy with a bit of a breeze.

I hope you're okay after your fall Frank, like I keep saying take more water with it lol ;-) ;-)
It sounds like you've been very busy, you'll sleep well tonight.

Love the pic of the cake Ann, I've never heard of Yeoman paste either.

I bet it felt good going out after such a long time AnnG, you're braver than me, I'm staying put for a bit longer, just to see what happens now everyone is allowed out a bit more. Mind you I don't have anywhere to go anyway, so it's not bothering me. I was wondering what would be at garden centres and if any plants would of been looked after. I might take a look in a few weeks depending on what happens with the Virus of course, they may of had time to restock by then.

How nice to see the grandchildren Mandy, it's sounds like you did it so everyone stays safe, I bet they were pleased to see you both.

I see you've managed to flip the mattress over now Vera, it'll feel much better tonight, I know ours does when we do it. it's like having a new mattress. I hope the next family quiz you have, you can answer more questions.

I hope all went well with your scan today Jane, I've been thinking of you <3

Just had a phone call off OH's friend, one of the care homes OH applied to has contacted his friend for a reference, so that's good news to tell OH when he gets in from work later. We were starting to think he hadn't been successful in any of the jobs. This one was ages ago when he took the application form to them, they don't rush themselves do they? Never mind it's a step in the right direction as OH only has one week left in this job, so needs another one quickly.

This is the first chance I've had to sit down all day, I've been that busy. I've stuck the insulation down for the hundredth time, well it feel that amount, I've propped some heavy books up against it to hold it in place, hopefully it'll work and can be painted tomorrow. I've also sorted out all my craft kits and put them away as they were all over the spare double bed. I've sorted out some cupboards, dusted the living room and done some washing. I'm going to make myself a cuppa now and have a sit down for a bit.

Oh goodness Frank i hope your ok after your tumble in the garden ,it seems you always tumble as you go down onto the lawn ,is there a bit of a slope there or uneven ground ?
And now you have a nasty burn too ,what are we to do with you :-)

Gill you've been busy ,that's good about the home contacting OH's friend for a reference ,i expect they are all behind with things like that with all thats going on at the moment they must be so busy keeping their residents safe ,fingers crossed OH hears some good news soon .

I sat out with my book this afternoon while Colin sandtexed the shed ,he said that's right you can sit there and make sure i don't put the paint on upside
down :-D
We thought we might go to the tip on Wednesday as when we came past the tip from shopping today there wasn't much of a queue ,we have a few tubs of garden rubbish .

I didn't think about them being so busy Mandy, that would explain why it took so long to make contact with his friend for a reference, I should imagine his boss will have heard something today to, I wonder what she'll say, with her not wanting OH to get another job. I really hope he gets the job though, it'll be one less thing to worry about.

You made me smile when you told us what Colin said about you making sure he didn't put the paint on upside down lol :-D :-D :-D I hope it's not to busy when you go to the tip on Wednesday.

I wonder how Jane got on today, I've been thinking about her all day. Hope it's not to long before she has the results.

Evening All,

It's been much the same as yesterday here weatherwise, but I sat and finished painting the drawers and they are in place now as they dried very quickly in the conservatory.

Mandy I just used ordinary (granulated sugar?) like you have in your tea for the cake drizzle. I think it needed more lemon juice as well, but it was a bit crunchy by this morning. After I saw the scales this morning and 2lb put back on, I froze a third of it!! lol :-0 Your Roses sound lovely and colourful. I bet it was nice to see the children and for them to see you too, even doing it safely.

Oh Frank, you need to do something to make things safer for you. As mum would say when I was young ' you'll break your neck next time!' Was it the same place you fall with the laundry basket? I hope you don't have too many bruises. Like Mel I have never stuck my fingers down my throat and couldn't do it. I hate being sick and have only been sick once in the 34 years since I met OH and that was once too often!

Gill I hope you can get on with your painting tomorrow. I think the fumes painting my little drawers this morning gave me a headache, but it's gone now so get the windows open tomorrow. Fingers crossed your OH will get the job!

I'm itching to go to the garden centre AnnG, but we are waiting a bit longer, although the infection doesn't seem to be rising with the easing. We wondered if the garden centres might struggle to restock if they rely on imported stock,say from Holland. I haven't been in any shops since a week before the lockdown and OH has only been in the chemist. When we did go to drop off our prescriptions or to the chemist, it felt like being naughty! lol. We are waiting till the rush for the tip is over before we venture there. We did think about taking our bags of shredded paper to the smallholding and leaving them by their gate as they may be running short.

Oh Vera, the quiz would have stumped me too with questions on those subjects! Let's hope your grand daughter has some easier ones when she does it. I remember well wrestling with mattresses. Our current one has instructions not to turn it over, just end to end which is a lot easier. It is a really hard orthopaedic one so maybe it is because of the construction.

Is anyone else finding spiders are back a week after you dust the webs away? We seem to have more than usual this year and those horrid tiny red mite things are swarming over the white PVC and coming into the conservatory.

We are watching the Egypt progs we recorded a while ago about the Valley of Kings and looking for undiscovered tombs. We have found it really interesting.

Morning All,

A right old grey day here this mroning as thats what the sky is. I had got used to the lovely sunny days and last night we had that fine mizzle in the air. Not really enough to wet everything but still make things wet . The leaves look a little fresher but the ground still looks dry so it did'nt do any good there. Hav'nt been out yet so don't knwo what its like as to whether its warm or not.

Ann we watched the programs about the Valley Of the Kings and they were very interesting. Your set of draws looks nice for its coat of paint now you have something to put lots of bits in.

Fingers are a bit achey today after an afternoon up the border pulling more weeds out and crumbling the earth.

I do so hope Jane got on ok yesterday as I keep thinking about her. Sending love and wishes.<3 <3

Got a bit of a funny tum this morning and I don't think I should have eten so much blackberry and apple crumble last night after dinner.

Gill hoe oh is successful with the job application. It must be good his friend has been asked to give him a reference even if it is a while since he applied. Good luck to him and I hope its what he whats if he gets it.

My sons birthday today...................he will be 51.

Good morning all, sunny here at the moment and 17 degrees although the air still feels a bit cool to me. OH is actually in shorts and I left him mending the pocket of another pair. He strengthened it (because the material is rotten, by ironing on two pieces of material with bonding tape. won't last long but kept him occupied.

Ann, as I said on the email the drawers look really smart and I love the owl. I found it very liberating visiting the garden centre and, because it is a small one I never felt threatened by anyone, it was all well marked out and some parts closed off both indoora and out and the two till were a long way apart and enclosed behind screens. And only saw two people in masks as well.
I am like you, I have a phobia of being sick and, also like you have only had one bout in over 30 years so no way could I make myself sick. I even hate reading about it.

Mandy, as I said in my email the roses are beautiful, lovley colours.

Mel, I can't eat roo much acid like blackberries and apple it would upset my tum so that is probably your problem.

Afternoon All
The sun has at last come out after a very cloudy morning.We have a Rose in bloom now :-D others are not far behind.
Loved your Roses Mandy.
Ann I too have never heard of Yeomans paste.You did a wonderful job on the little drawers.They look great. I always use icing sugar to do a drizzle .

The scan was over and done in no time yesterday.It was in the mobile unit in one of the car parks.I will hear the results when I next have my telephone consultation in 2 weeks.

Gill I am keeping everything crossed for your OH and hope he gets this job.It would be such a relief to know that he has employment again.It does sound hopeful.

Just going to have a little lunch now

Afternoon to you all, Where has the morning gone. ??

Was awake early, but managed to drop off again until 9.00 am. I felt Ros get out, so I knew it was latish. As I walked into the kitchen, I kicked something. It was a glass dish,under it was A BIG SPIDER, that you could have ridden round the room. Ros saw it when she went in the kitchen, and grabbed the first thing that came to hand. She said it just sat there looking at her. !!!! :-P :-P :-P

Be careful with what EMAILS you reply to. There is one from T.V. LICENSING saying you have over paid, and to give them your details, if you don't do it within 24 hours you won't get it. I guessed it was a SCAM but rung T.V. Licensing, who confirmed it is a SCAM.

Yet another fall yesterday evening, I went to water the front garden and the pots down the drive. Changed over hoses and went to water the bottom Veg patch and greenhouse. All done, so I thought I would do the side beds, as I walked from the gravel to the lawn I tripped on the log surrounding, that keeps the gravel off the lawn. I ended up half way up the lawn on my knees , still holding the hose. No damage done.but a bit of a shock.

Cottage pie for tonight, I have made a small one for Valerie. so will save her cooking. I have minced the cold beef from Sunday, onion and carrot. with a sauce mix,plus garlic Lea Perin sauce, and a dash of brown sauce.

Ros popped into Tesco about two hours ago, where she has got to, I do not know. She couldn't stop off anywhere, unless she is sitting in her car, chatting to Valerie.
I will give her a ring.


See you all later. xxxx