General Chat

Afternoon all,

Sun's out at the moment but we've had a lot of cloud this morning and a few spits of rain but not enough to wet the bedding I had on the line ,thats now all dry and folded .

Ann I hope OH gets on ok at the hospital today and doesn't have to hang about there to long with all that's going on in Leicester such a shame this has all flared up again just as shops and business were getting ready to open up again ,if it's a restaurant just think of all the fresh stock that will get wasted although I suppose it would go to the food banks but the business will still have to pay for it and it could mean the end for some of them.

I hope all those who think it's all over will think again ,it is still out there and this goes to prove it .


Colin has been making the first veg trough ,I have to say it looks quite big now it's made up but then it's no good if it's to small, he thinks he has enough wood to make three so we could always have the next two a little smaller.
Yesterday was wipe down day and I always feel tired out after that, I think it's going in to get it and then the wiping down ,I must admit Mondays seem the best time as it's so quiet and I don't have to watch other people to much .
I got some veg plants yesterday from Ali , white cabbage ,red cabbage, cauliflower and broccoli so they can go in the trough once it's been painted .

Jane hope your feeling less grotty this week and managing to eat a little <3

Hi all, Just to let you know all is well here, apart from me feeling like I want to curl up in a corner, on my own, and be left alone. I am feeling so down.

Ros it at the hospital for 2.30 appointment, then going to our local doctors, to show them her arm. It looks really sore, and I'm sure it shouldn't have been damaged like this from an angiram (sp) I can see a claim coming up.

Trust you are all well. xxxx

Nice one Frank and it did make me laugh.

Frank she had one before and the arm did bruise like that did it? I think she should have gone sooner and shown him then.

Done all the wiping down and he came just at lunch time when I was boiling the eggs so lunch had to wait but I did'nt wipe all the bags down so I still have that to do now.

Frank thanks for the funny

I hope ros can get something to ease the soreness of her arm, If it is right then surely she should have been warned to espect it.

Mel, I feel tired just thinking about all that wiping!

Hope G has got on OK at the hospital, no Ann so far.
And Gill and Vera must be busy gardening. It has been cold here most of the day although the temp has risen from 15 to 17 degrees now.

Jane I hope you are coping ok this time and not feeling too grotty. <3 <3

Afternoon All

Love The Lady on the bus Frank :-D :-D :-D :-D Hope that Ros got on ok at the hospital this afternoon.They will have had a good check on her poor arm.It does sound like she must have had quite a bleed for it to have been so badly bruised. But I think you said that it was possible that might happen hence her taking her overnight bag in.
It must still be very sore.

Ann how has OH got on with his appointment today? I hope he managed ot get there and that it wasnt cancelled due to the Lockdown in Leicester.

I have been fine this last week and not sleeping like I did the week before . Mel it is a week tomorrow I go for the next lot of Chemo and cold cap :-S

A couple of early cards arrived this morning :-D :-D. They are waiting on the mantlepiece until the 6th. It is Fitz's Birthday on Thursday so tomorrow he is going to pop up for a glass of wine and some cheese and biscuits.Hopefully we wont be rained off.If it does rain then he will have to sit one side of the lounge and Chris and I the other with the patio door open for airflow.

On Sunday Hannah has arranged something for my birthday.It will be a picnic somewhere where we have out own space with indoor/under cover if needed and a toilet.I have no idea where this will be.At least the weather looks ok that day and fairly warm :-) it is something to look forward to :-D :-D

How are the veg beds coming along Mandy? Ours are collapsing as they are all rotten now.But hopefully they will hang on a bit longer.Chris is very miffed.

Time for food I think.

Good to hear that you have felt ok this week Jane hope the next session is as good. Enjoy your time with Fizz, and I hope your surprise picnic is fab. <3

a PICNIC SOUNDS JUST THE THING FOR A SUMMER BIRTHDAY. i HOPE THE WEATHER HOLDS AND YOU GET A NICE DAY. Sorry did'nt mean to shout!

It will be nice to see Fitz for cheese and biccies and a good natter. Hope the next lot of chemo will be as good as the last if you don't feel so tired.

I wonder where these troughs of Mandy's are going if she is planting cabbages in them??? I had a thought that they would be on legs?????? Like Jane's herb trough and out of the way of Max? I now want to see a picture please?

It’s been a very grey day here. We’ve only had a couple of short showers but haven’t seen any of the yellow stuff so it hasn’t been very warm at all. Looking out of the window now the sky’s the lightest it’s been all day.

No, AnnG, I haven’t been busy gardening today. I’ve had a bit of an “off” day really. We both had a bad night and that’s really unusual for OH. At one point we were both laying on our backs – I was awake and I think he was in that stage between waking and sleeping and was dreaming. He suddenly flung out both his arms and landed me such a punch, right on a boob. I yelled and he jumped a mile in the air wondering why I was shouting. He then decided to move into another room and give me some peace but I was so wide awake by then that I got my book out again. My head has been funny again today as well. It’s not very painful but I’m woozy and a bit disorientated. I know lack of sleep makes me worse but I am also wondering if the dosage of one of my tablets needs adjusting. The doc decreases and increases the dosage depending on what I tell him at my annual review. Because of the situation with the corona virus and doctors’ appointments I missed my last review. I’ll see how it goes for a week or two and if I don’t improve I might ask if I can have a telephone consultation.

It’s good to see you posting Jane and I’m pleased that you aren’t feeling too bad at the moment. Your birthday picnic sounds fun. I wonder where it will be. Enjoy your wine and snacks with Fitz.

I hope Ros got on OK at her appointments today. Her arm does sound sore but didn’t the hospital say it could bleed a lot? Hopefully the doctors have been able to reassure her that all is as it should be. I’m sorry you’re a bit down Frank. I expect it’s a combination of not being all that good yourself and then worrying about Ros. Keep your chin up, things will get better soon.

Btw, could somebody forward me Frank’s latest funnies please. Sometimes I get the bits and pieces from Frank and sometimes I don’t. I’m not sure why.

I hope your OH was able to keep his appointment at the hospital, in spite of the Leicester lockdown, and hope all was well. Maybe people in other areas will now be more careful so they don’t get locked down again, but I somehow doubt it. We have got off fairly lightly in this area and I think people round here have generally been more sensible. I haven’t even seen groups of teenagers together. We have a large field, known as the rec., at the bottom of our road and often in the summer the youngsters gather there in the evening for an hour or two but they haven’t been doing that for the last few months.

I bet you were glad to get the wiping down finished Mel. I don’t bother with wiping the bags. I gather them all together in a corner of the garage and hope that any germs will have disappeared if I just leave them there for a couple of weeks.

You’re all set up with your veg then Mandy. How big are your troughs? The veg you’ve bought all take a bit of room. I hope you have lots of success with them. When I had a veg garden in our old house I always did well with cabbages of all sorts. Broccoli was a bit hit and miss but generally OK, but I never could grow a good cauli.

Time to call it a day I think. I’ve been looking at the print on the screen for too long and my eyes are going a bit wonky again. I hope you all have a good night tonight.

Morning all,

Another grey day here for the 1st of July but its not raining and its breezy but I hav'nt been out yet.

Just had a phone call from the doc and they are putting me on more antibiotics and this time its 4 times a day. 3 a day was bad enough to keep tabs on and I suppose I shall have to have them food and I'm already like a pumpkin on matchsticks. Interestingly though he told me his son had one on him two days ago which he had to remove. He said that ticks are getting on people a lot round here with all the deer and foxes about so he bought a proper tick lifter.

anyway enough of me how are you all this morning? Hope Vera feels a bit more like herself this morning and that everyone had a reasonable nights sleep.

I must'nt scratch it but its so nice if I do, just a little scratch..............

Morning all

The sun is trying it's best to come out but there are a few clouds still around from the rain we had in the night, at least it's dry, but very warm. OH is going to water the pots outside now incase it doesn't rain again, they still need watering with the canopy of some of the plants going further out than the pot it's in. The rain doesn't water those ones, so he said he might as well do the lot.

Pleased to see you're less tired now Jane, how nice to have a special trip out to look forward to for your birthday. I hope the weather is nice when Fitz arrives, then you can sit outside for your cheese and wine soiree LOL. I posted your birthday card a couple of days ago, so one of them maybe mine.

I hope all went well for your OH Ann. I noticed on the news last night shops and pubs won't be opening in your area on the 4th July like the rest of England. Almost 1000 new cases, most of them children, who they said couldn't catch it, let's hope they don't pass it around and make matters worse. They mentioned on the news that people might travel out to go to pubs and shops, if they do that then the virus will spread to other areas. It's quite a worry, at this rate the whole country will end up back in full lockdown again. At least you don't need to worry about click and collect for your roast dinner now, I assume they'll deliver again if they can't open to the public anymore. I hope things improve by you and shops and pubs are allowed to open soon. I posted your birthday card, at the same time as Jane's, so I hope it's arrived okay.

Sorry to hear Ros's arm is still sore Frank, how did she get on at the doctors? I hope you're feeling less down today.

How did Colin get on with the trough making Mandy, have you planted them all up yet?

Did anyone watch Alan Titchmarch's programme "Grow your own" I watched the last one yesterday and the veg was massive, I liked the look of the huge cabbage, it looked quite pretty, it had to be planted in such a big area though, as it was still growing.

I've put the end of a leek in some water to see what would happen and it's starting to grow, normally that bit would of been thrown in the bin, it's surprising what veg you can grow by putting the ends you normally throw away in water. I didn't have a container to put the leek in so used the plastic cup like thing that was on my shoulder of lamb, it's just the right size to hold it in place and to think I was going to throw the plastic bit away. I noticed yesterday there's a tiny little shoot starting to grow right in the middle of the leek and signs of roots growing in the water, so I must of done something right LOL. To keep it white I'll need to cover it at the bottom to block out the light, not sure what I'm going to use for that though, but I have plenty of time to think about it. We have finally got some tiny toms growing on our tomato plants, so hopefully they'll be enough time for them to grow and ripen.

I missed your post Mel, try not to scratch, it might make it worse, I hope the antibiotic work soon. I didn't realise ticks went on people, it's a bit of a worry if it's happening a lot. Do you have a tick lifter incase you need it?

I'm okay today, I spent a while this morning moving my climbing Fatsia, the one I did from a cutting last year, it's grown so much it was almost hitting the roof of the bay window, so that's been moved into the front room as the ceiling's are higher there. We're going to re-pot it and put it in the garden once the weather brightens up. Apparently we're due for high wind over the weekend and the plant isn't very stable even though I've put a cane in the pot, so it might be best to wait until it's less windy before putting it outside. I'm quite pleased with it and never thought it would grow so big. Unfortunately I caught one of the tiny new leaves right at the top and knocked it off, but there are plenty of other new leaves so it shouldn't do it any harm.

Yes, I meant to say I hope Vera is okay today and she had a good nights sleep.

Good morning one and all,

Yesterday evening, I just couldn't settle, so I started to make the Sheep S pies for today, one for us and one for Val. Chopped up the massive onion, Why she buys them so big, I will never know. Anyway, I browned the mince, added the Onion, garlic and boiled baby carrots, all chopped up. Stood and cooked that, while having a couple of beers. Very nice it was to. !!!

This morning I have cooked it a little longer, while I boiled the potatoes and mashed them. I always put granted cheese over the top, so I gratted the chesse. and spread it over the top. I picked a load of Rhubarb yesterday also. So I have trimmed and stewed all that down. Ros loves it, where as I can take it or leave it.

Ros has just taken Val's pie down to her, with a few sticks of Rhubarb, so she's set up for meals for a couple of days.

Horrible WET morning here, we had rain in the night, and more this morning. Ros has decided to change the bed this morning, and wash the towels. So we have sheets drapped over the airer in the conservatory to dry. She has just had a right old job, getting around the dryer, to get to the door, so she can put the towels in the tumble dryer, in the garage. NOW IT's raining again.

When I asked ELIXA what the forecast was for today, she said THUNDER STORMS AND lots of rain. FLAMING JULY NOW. !!!! lol lol

Glad you ae feeling a little better Jane, may you continue to improve. xxxx Do you know where Hannah is taking you for your Birthday, or is it a surprise. ??? I do hope you enjoy it.

Jo and Ella are coming to Bedford this weekend to see her Father, who is 70 this week. It looks like she may well pick us up and take us down to Deven for a few days. So I will alter our lunch time slot at the TOBY, from 2.30 pm for TWO, to NOON for FOUR. If we are ready and packed we can go straight off from the Toby.
I believe KERRY (Jans other daughter) is going down to Devon later in that week. So we might get a lift home with her, or Jan will bring us home.

So it's another lock down for Leicester. I hope it won't affect Ann to much, as I know you live on the edge of Town. Take care anyway. xxx

Where on earth has the morning gone. ?? I had better see about getting a coffee and something to eat. No Breakfast again today. Naughty boy, I hear Mel say. !!!!

Stay safe all, I will try to get back later. xxxx

So no lock down for you then Frank.

I don't know where the morning went either. I hav'nt done much! Had 6 eggs today so full production for the first time since I had the new hens with the old 2. One was broken but it still counts as six.

I had cornflakes for breakfast. I don't usually eat in the morning till lunch time but have to get used to it as the new antibiotics this time are 4 a day with food.

Good afternoon. I had not realised you were still having problems with your arm Mel, I thought the antibs had cleared it for you. Hope the next lot work finally then and, do not scratch. Did you know if you scratch it makes you itch more?

Bright here at the moment but it was a bit squally earlier on.

Gill Watering those pots certainly takes up a lot of your time doesn't it?
You gave me quite a fright saying you had posted Ann's card. I had to rush to the calendar but I see you have sent it really early. Phew

Vera, I do hope that you are feeling better today, you do seem to have had a lot of off days during the lockdown, maybe your medication does need adjusting. No doubt you are like me and can't bear the faff of doctors appointments etc, even in non virus times.

Frank it will be nice for you both if you do get a trip down to Devon and back, you are ok now you can have an overnight stay, maybe it will lift your mood a little. But I did think Conrad said not until the drive was finished. Is it done then?
Dinner tonight sounds nice, we have sausages.

Annx I do hope you are OK and G too after his appointment, you last posted on 29th.
Looking at the line drawn on the map to denote where lockdown is, I think you may have just about avoided it. But has your hairdresser? I do hope so after waiting all this time for an appointment.

I see Gloucestershire is one of the places at risk and maybe goucester in particular. We have had a spike of 5 cases after the rate had dropped a lot. But then what do we expect? If we go back two weeks we had BLM marches and vigils, shops opening and huge queues and mobs of people in Primark and other shops, Lovely weather so a mass exodus to the beaches. There were bound to be more cases and that is not going to change after the pubs open. It annoyed me when I read that people in Leicester said they would just drive out to other shopping centres and pubs outside the lockdown area.

This morning we drove down the M5 (that was an adventure, 14+ weeks since we drove down there) to Dobbies. No coffee of course but, as they have meanwhile had a refit and changed everything round it was all a bit confusing but interesting. They have got ris of all the concessions but the Works which felt strange but there were lots of things to look at and not many people. As it is a huge space it felt very safe. They didn't seem to have many hand sanitizers but we carry our own anyway and the trolley was disinfected for us.
Managed to get three more small pots of herbs and a few other bits I wanted plus I did creep into the Works and buy some paints. :-) :-)

It really seems so silly to me how they can shut down one area it should be complete lock down again for the whole country and a fine if you are caught outside your area or with other people in a crowd.

Its turned really warm here and much brighter with a little watery sun.

Oh's tool chest have arrived and we have been getting them on the base he made but we have a roblem with the bottom draw which won't shut properly so he's trying to sort that out and see what the problem is. At least with these two tool chest it means I will have a clear kitchen corner when he has all his tools in the drawers......I hope. He has so many tools and part of it is my fault because I buy them for him for presents. He made a base for them to stand on with wheels on so he can wheel it out of the garage to where he is working. The only thing is I hope he puts the tools away after he has used them and not leave them lying around like usual. I am always putting thing just inside the garage that he has left out in the rain.

May go up the border for a bit of digging now as we have a nice easy dinner tonight of quiche and salad but first I must make his orange jelly with manderine oranges in. He bought me a punnet of raspberries with the shopping and I sat and ate them out of the pack last night and did'nt save him one so he was quite cross!!

We still hav'nt heard from Ann. Hope they are both ok.

Afternoon All,

Here I am at last. I lost a post yesterday and had a Beginner's Photography session next in the evening. It was 1 of 5 and I had to give up on it halfway through as I wasn't enjoying it. The teacher had a very strong Italian accent and spoke very quickly and she kept moving too far from her mike I think and that caused her voice to keep breaking up as well. I let them know this morning that I shan't continue. It is all free so no loss of money. I do wish I could get on one of the chap Richard's courses as he took things at a slow pace ad was very clear on his taster sessions.

Thanks for all your concern about OH. They texted OH yesterday morning to make sure he would go for his appointment Jane as his was an urgent referral and also classed as essential travel into the city. They couldn't find anything to concern them and think it might be to do with his reflux and said to carry on with no food in the evening was a good thing. He'd already had an xray and blood test results that were clear. He did wonder how they would do it with his mask on, but they numbed his nose and throat and used a tube through his nose. He was most impressed at the arrangements and said there were single spaced out chairs in the waiting room and plenty of sanitiser. He said a chap in full PPE wiped every inch of a pushchair with a child in. Car parking was free and the pay machines were taped up so that was a bonus. He said he kept his hands in his pockets but other folk were leaning against the counter tops and putting their hands on them which seemed silly. I still wonder if it is hay fever and will try and see if it happens when the pollen count is high.

We are waiting for the council to issue the postcodes affected by the new lockdown as we seem to be on the edge, although our village isn't listed! They have done the areas according to wards and have said they will fine tune it to postcodes very soon. The centre of the village is half a mile from us and that isn't included. It is just my hair getting cut or not that would be a disappointment, because, as Vera says, we wouldn't be going into all the shops for a while yet. My hair salon is ok too and half a mile further south from us. Also my hairdresser's village isn't affected either so she can still work. I think leaflets in other languages in the city may help some who have arrived in very recent years but we have 26 languages in the city and ethnic minorities who settled here in the 70s and later have children and grandchildren who all speak english so you'd think they would be clued up. There have been several gatherings in the city a few weeks ago and several large parties with drinking. One place where up to 400 young folk have been gathering, drinking and partying recently in numbers up to 400 is Saddington reservoir. They parked all over the verges so people couldn't get through without turning their wing mirrors in. It has been said that they know they are at little risk themselves and either don't realise they could be asymptomatic and spread it to others including their families or they just don't care as long as they can have a good time. I just don't get what is great about drunken partying, but I suppose I am old! I wouldn't have liked it when I was young though. Get a bit tipsy and giggly yes, but you neither look or sound good or are safe when you are that drunk.

Thank you very much for the pickle recipe AnnG. OH has found my reserve of jamjars, the ones I told him not to throw out and I can add anything else I need to make some to my delivery on Sunday. :-) That must have been great going down the M5 and with a bit more speed than the local pottering we have all been doing. It must have been nice to go into the Works too, OH misses that with browsing the books and I like the paint and craft section too. We do the same as you with our delivery bags, then use them as bin liners. On that subject, I am finding Asda are always sold out of the antibac spray, so I have ordered it on-line. I have noticed the cherry blossom one seems a bit cheaper and have ordered that for doing the bin lids and parcels we want to open straightaway. It means I can keep the unscented ones just for the food delivery wipe down.

Gill, the pub that did the Sunday lunch delivery is about a mile away and outside the lockdown so they will still open so we are back to click and collect and I suppose being food it would still be classed as essential travel to go there if we are included in the lockdown. I think it is all getting a bit confusing now and we need to know whether we are in or out now as must others all around the boundary. I'm sure that as well as people travelling from the city for shopping they will be travelling to visit the county pubs too. Of course with the easing and other places all opening it means there will be more traffic everywhere and harder to spot people going against the advice. :-(

Jane, how nice that H&G are organising a surprise venue and picnic for your birthday! You have a very thoughtful daughter who comes up with some great ideas. :-D I must see if I can order some treats with my delivery on Sunday as it will be the last one before my birthday. Remember me to Fitz and I hope his wife hasn't had any lasting effects from the virus.

Mel that was a nasty infection from that tick bite. I hope it's the same for you, but I have found some of the stronger antibiotics better on the tum! I know just what you mean about extra meals so you can take them as my first meal is usually lunch too. I have to write down the times to take them if I have them now and tick each one off!

Frank I did laugh at the last emails. :-) I hope Ros has something for her sore arm now. They must have bruised it very badly.

I had to laugh at your bedroom antics too Vera and hope you aren't too bruised. You will have to start wearing a Madonna pointy, tin bra in bed if it becomes a regular happening!! :-0

Gill, I have recorded and been watching Alan Titchmarsh too and thought I might try that with some leeks I have. Kitchen roll middles would be good to keep them white.

Colin is doing well with the troughs Mandy. Are you going to paint them a colour? The veg will do well in them but keep the butterflies off if you can!

Better stop now as I must have more that made up for not being on here!

Glad all is OK Ann with you and also with G. does he not eat at all in the evenings? I would wake up hungry if I did that. And I get reflux occasionally as well.
What a shame that the photography class was not any good, nevr, mind at least it was free.
I have seen somewhere today that the police are going to be able to fine people travelling out to pubs and shops £100 a time was mentioned. The thing with the young people knowing they don't suffer badly with it is that they can't be sure. they should realise that some young people have been very ill and have suffered continuing problems afterwards. And also many of those young people are Asian and would seem to be more at risk. Stupid young people. I think it would have avoided a lot of this if they had been able to go back to school and uni and back to work for those of working age. As it is they are paid to be at home and think it is one long holiday. I feel sorry for the older people there who have been following the rules.

In the works I did buy some acrylic paints, just cheap ones to experiment so, if I find I like them I will buy some better ones later.

There isn't many days between Ann's and Jane's birthdays AnnG, so I always post them together. Have you tried your acrylic paints yet?

Pleased to see all went well for your OH Ann, that must be a weight off his mind. Yes, the Alan Titchmarsh programmes are well worth watching. The inside of Kitchen rolls is a good idea to stop the light going on the leeks, thank you. I didn't realise parts of Leicester weren't in lockdown, I thought it was the whole area, so you'll be able to go out and collect your food now.

So you're off to Devon for a while Frank, enjoy yourselves and be careful you don't have any falls this time. I hope the weather is brighten when you go, it's been raining here this afternoon. Luckily it stayed dry this morning while OH cut the lawns again, they seems to be growing really fast at the moment. How are your lawns now, any improvement?