General Chat

It was raining when I got up this morning and it’s still raining :-(. How much more water can there be up there?

I hope the doctor will give you more of the tablets if you find they are helping Frank. I’m glad you enjoyed your meal with John and Caroline and hope the Toby is good tonight. You go and enjoy it while you can. The way things are going we might all be in total lockdown before too long. I do miss having a meal out now and then but I am not totally comfortable with going out. I am however fed up with thinking about food and cooking it. OH does cook our main meal once or twice a week but I usually have to tell him what we’re going to have.

Good to see you posting Gill. Putting the shopping list on the phone sounds a brilliant idea as Sandra is obviously confident using a phone.. I hope you can get your damp sorted out without too much expense.

AnnG, you’ll need to get your skates on in the morning for T. to get to his scan on time. I hope it goes well for him.

Mandy, I did smile at your Max shredding your cloths. I bet he thought he’d done something good and was waiting for you to praise him. As for those Norwich students, what were they thinking of? I don’t know how true it is but I read that they were actually supposed to be shielding as a couple of them had shown symptoms of Covid19. Oddly enough, I was reading only last night in a book written a few years ago that teenage brains are only 80% fully developed and are at the stage of seeking pleasure all the time. You wonder if some of them are even 80% developed!

Mel, do take care with the wiping down. You don’t want to make your back worse.

Well, I went for my X-Rays. I went straight in and the radiographer took several, twisting my foot this way and that. She then had a look at the pictures, came back and pressed various bits of my foot, asking “Does this hurt?”, so I asked her what the X-Rays showed. She was very careful NOT to tell me. All I could get out of her was that a radiologist had to look at it but she was treating it as a matter of urgency and my doctor would have them tomorrow afternoon. So I hope he will phone me late tomorrow. If not I will call the surgery on Thursday morning.

My foot is aching like mad with all the pulling about but I am determined to keep my hair appointment this afternoon. In fact seeing the time I had better get a wriggle on. OH will drive me and drop me outside the hairdresser and then sit in the car park till I ring to say I’m ready to be picked up.

Well I have had an energetic day. First I walked round to the post office to post the two packets I had. then when OH was resting on the bed around mid day I did a half to three quarters of an hour in the garden. I trimmed off four hanging baskets of all the straggly bits and left just the tops f the baskets as there are still flowers on them. I empties another basket that had gone over and replanted a non hardy scented geranium into a plastic tub from a ceramic one and put if in the conservatory. then, after lunch, for what I think must be the first time in about 50 years, I cut the lawn. It was getting long and I know it was worrying OH so I did it. Luckily some time back we bought a very light weight mower and it is very easy to use. I was quite pleased with myself for doing a reasonable job.

Vera, I hope the news about your foot is not too worrying and it can easily be sorted.

Gill good that Sandra is still enthusiastic about learning everything. does she go to the shop on her own from yours? Do you have a shop in walking distance. That would get her used to doing it on her own. sounds as if youa re doing well with her though.

Mandy, naughty Max and I bet he was so pleased with himself too.

Frank, pleased that you enjoyed your meal out and hope you also enjoy todays as well. Good that the pills seem to be working, I hope you can be given more.

Mel, that heated jacket sounds a good idea. Clearing out a cupboard I found something OH bought me some time ago. it is moulded to your back like a large shaped cushion with a bubble like surface and is battery driven. It massages your back. So OH has used that but his favourite is the wheat bag heated in the microwave.

Annx that was a lovely thought of your OH to part with the vintage car, a lovely surprise present.
Yes we will have to be up really early and he will have all his clothes to hand to put on. I don't know how we are going to get it done but we just have to hope all goes to plan. Probably won't sleep tonight thinking about the morning.

I do hope FG's daughter gets her scan re-booked soon and all is well.

<3 <3 <3 Jane xxx

You have been busy AnnG. No chance of doing anything outside here. It’s still raining.

Got my hair cut and booked my next 2 appointments. The hairdresser said she stopped all socialising a while ago so she can reassure her clients that she won’t be bringing infection into the salon and she has lived alone since she and her partner split 3 years ago so she won’t be picking anything up from him. It must be a bit lonely for her but it’s her livelihood so I suppose she will have to do all she can to keep the clients coming and the business running.

When I got home a receptionist from the doctor’s surgery rang to say the doctor wants to have a telephone conversation with me tomorrow morning about my X-Ray results so they seem to have been rushed through. The doctor I spoke to on Friday is now on holiday for a week so it will be a lady doctor I have never heard of. She isn’t on the list of doctors on the surgery website so I expect she is new. I asked the receptionist twice to repeat the doc’s name and still didn’t get it but it sounded foreign so I hope she doesn’t have a strong accent. Anyway she will probably ring between 9 and 9.30 so I’ll know more then.

Time to start preparing food again if we are going to eat at our usual time of 7 o’clock.

I do hope everything will be ok with your foot Vera and hope you will be able to understand what the doctor is saying. Its hard when people have a strong accsent and your trying to hear and not taking in what they are actually saying. Thats what happened to me when I rang about the order that did'nt arrive, both were foreign voices.

Anng you have been busy in the garden. I did venture out to feed the chickens and my fish and picked a couple of apples in the orchard came in and ate one. I like to say I have eaten an apple off each of the trees. So far I have had a bramley, beauty of bath, laxton and a russet but also brought in two golden delious and two more laxtons. I ate a laxton and it was wonderful. Tomorrow I shall have a golden delious.

I went up the orchard to pick up a white pot that had blon up there as in the dark I could see it and it was annoying me.

I need to take one of my heucheras down the shed and knock it out of its pot as I think it may have vine weevils in it. I have already saved this one before and have three in water waiting for them to get more roots.

Pizza tonight for dinner with chips so nice and easy.

Hope everything is okay with your foot Vera, at least the doctor is ringing you quickly so it should be sorted soon.

Yes AnnG, Sandra goes to the shops on her own and buys the food she likes, she cooks her own food and cleans up after herself, she also washes her own clothes and runs the hoover around occasionally. Her social worker asked me to let her do all these things for herself, so now I feel redundant lol. She's a quick learner but takes a while to get through the jobs as she's always on her phone.

No I don't know Will's phone number Mel, we keep in touch on FB and he messaged me. We decided we may meet up in the future if things ever get back to normal again l! Yes I missed Frank as I didn't send my post for a while with getting lunch. I am wondering what the dead chewy mix is like!!! lol.Eyeballs and worms???? I think Coxs are my favourite eating apple, but I had a Laxton Superb tree at my first married home and I liked those. Bramleys can't be beaten for cooking though.

It sounds like the pulling around didn't do your foot much good today Vera. At least the doctor is getting back to you quickly now. so you will soon know what you did to it! I miss our daily meals out and even the simplest meal needs some thought, preparing and watching and decisions made.. I shall do a little 'hooray' when I can get back to not cooking as often!

I expect the doc will issue you with more tablets Frank. I had them at first and was told they take weeks to get fully into your system. I think I had them for about 6 months and was then weaned off them. I was working full time and living on my own then and remember having to pull onto the hard shoulder of the motorway on my way to a visit once till I started to feel better. They are no joke are they! I hope you have a nice meal tonight and that Ros has got her bulbs planted.

Gill that shopping list idea sounds ideal for Sandra. That's a nuisance about the damp proof course, but it may not be too expensive to do depending what the problem is. Did you get the overfilled boiler sorted? I seem to remember seeing something that said to bleed a radiator till it drains off the excess water if happens, but maybe that's what you did. Is Sandra happy staying in this time she is with you and with wearing a mask when she shops? Put your feet up and make the most of being 'redundant'. lol. :-D :-D

AnnG you have put me to shame today with all you have done! You did well to get the lawn under control again and it will stop you know who looking wistfully out of the window at it till he is much better and able to do it. Good idea to have his clothes laid out ready for the morning. You need things that are easy to slip on and off don't you.

Evening all,

It's been dry here until late afternoon when we had a little drzzle ,we even had a little sun when the hairdresser was here this morning ,i haven't really done much at all today ,i did hoover round and our meal was nice and easy we just had ham salad with a jacket potato .

Vera that was good the receptionist ringing you so you can hear from the doctor and find out whats happening with your foot ,i hope it's nothing to serious and they can help to get you walking better again .

Ann that was a lovely of your OH sending the model cars to William i bet his face was a picture when he opened the package :-D nice to know he's doing well since having the pacemaker fitted.
Hope you have a better nights sleep tonight .

Gill i hope you can get the damp problem sorted out before the winter sets in ,hopefully it will be easy to fix.
It's good Sandra is getting to grips with how to do things ,i bet she's excited about getting her own little place .

So you have to be up with the lark tomorrow AnnG no going back to sleep ,hope goes ok .

Mel the heated jacket sounds good hope it helps to ease your back .

Frank hope you enjoyed the Toby meal and you managed to have a ride out with Ros to the hospital .
Ros is going to busy getting all those bulbs in .
That's good the tablets are helping ,so i hope you can get some more from the doctor soon .

Love to Jane ,hope she can manage a hello when she feels she can <3 <3 <3

Morning all,

We have lovely sunshine and blue sky so I hope it stays like it and it will be a nice change from the showers we have been having.

Backs still crook but I am still getting about and doing things. I need to get some washing in today as the baskets been filling in the last few days.



Vera is it today your results from the x-ray? I do hope they are good and there's nothing seriously wrong. I think you should have gone to the doc sooner realy.

Hope Anng got T going this morning and was able to get to the appointment in time.

Oof that was an early start and so dark too at 0630. Anyway we were both up on time and OH seemed to get a move on and was dressed and shaved and downstairs having his weetabix soon after seven.

Annx he won't have 'easy' clothes and is still in his corduroy trousers, short sleeved shirt and sweater that he would normally wear. The only things he has a problem with are his socks and shoes.

Anyway we were at the hospital early, luckily Cynth knew a way round from here that was going in the opposite direction to the school traffic which was nose to tail for about two miles. Horrendous and I do wonder how many of those could actually walk. Trouble is in the two villages here there are five schools at least plus a couple of pre-school/nurseries.

For once there was a very 'on the ball' receptionist who picked up from the computer that OH had the scan today and chest X-ray in two weeks. She went and asked and they fitted the chest X-ray in this morning so no appointment now in two weeks which has saved us another taxi fare (£10) and Cynth another trip.

We had a coffee in Costa while we were there and were home by 0945. Just got the physio this afternoon now.

Vera if it is results today I hope all is well with the foot.

Morning All,

Well I slept like a top (wonder where that saying came from?) last night thank you Mandy. I think you got more done than me yesterday.

It sounds like your OH's hospital trip this morning all went very well AnnG which is good and another trip saved too by the 'on the ball' receptionist.

The washer is on again with bedding in, but it looks overcast outside which is disappointing as the forecast was sunny spells and I wanted to take my camera out later. Maybe it will brighten up. I need to start sketching my homework painting today on the 'autumn' theme. I'm keeping it very simple and small, but need to practise some ideas on scrap paper as well, as we have to demonstrate what we last week. I also need to order a couple of more suitable brushes on line too. Hubby has lots of his work to do so I shouldn't get many interruptions! :-) A 'stick in the oven' chicken and leek bake for lunch with cauli, broc, beans and carrot and a jacket for OH so not too time consuming.

It's a nuisance how we all keep getting bad backs Mel. Just be careful what you do so as not to aggravate it. I like the sound of your warming jacket.

I hope Vera doesn't have to wait long for the news on her foot from the doctor.

Annx seeing about your painting and you mentioned cards. If you want to put your painting on a card the best way is to paint the picture on your normal watercolour paper then stick the picture (cut to size of course) onto a plain card blank. the card blanks would tend to 'leak' the paint through to the inside of the card if you painted directly onto them.

daughter made some Christmas cards from a robin she painted by photocopying the original.

Morning all

It poured all day yesterday and a good part of the night. Earlier this morning it was dry and there was even a gleam of sun from time to time. Didn’t last though; it’s raining again now.

It sounds as though you had a good trip to the hospital today AnnG, and it’s great that
T got the X-Ray done at the same time. When will he get the results? I hope you don’t have to wait too long. I always think the waiting is the worst part.

I’m glad you slept well Ann. It makes such a difference. I also slept quite well after a couple of very sleepless nights. I did have a funny experience though. I think I must have been dreaming and been on the point of waking as I was sure I saw a small white haired lady come out of our en-suite with an armful of towels. She was smiling and dressed as I remember older ladies in the 40s and 50s in a flowered overall. I immediately sat up and put the light on and then felt very stupid gazing round an empty room. It was very vivid.

The doctor rang spot on 9 am. She turned out to be English so I could understand her clearly. I apparently have a displaced fracture which has started to heal. She is referring me to the fracture clinic and said they will probably ring today or tomorrow with an appointment. She thinks they will possibly take more X-Rays and then decide whether to support my foot in some way or to operate on it. I didn't expect that!

Yes Mel, with hindsight, I should have got help sooner but hindsight’s a wonderful thing. I didn’t think I could have injured myself seriously just stepping up a kerb - I didn’t even trip. After the first few days it has seemed to be improving daily and, although it’s sore, I haven’t needed pain killers. We’ve also had it drummed into us that in the current situation we shouldn’t ring the doctor or go to A&E unless it’s essential. However, as OH says, we’ve learned our lesson. If anything like this happens again we’ll deal with it straightaway.

Our friends are coming for a cup of tea this afternoon. This is the couple who won’t go in anyone else’s house or have anyone but us in their house. I think we keep each other sane. We’d hardly see anyone if we didn’t meet up and the two husbands also get on really well. It will cheer me up to have company today.

Hi All, I am having these horrible panic/anxiety attacks again today, so won't be posting about things.

Have been trying the Dr but permanently engaged, as usual.I need more tablets. They don'y open again until 2.30. So will try then.

Frank OH is having the same problem trying to ring the surgery. was engaged and he was 5th in queue so he stopped. Now, no answer Think they shut for lunch these days.

Vera result in 7-10 days. goodness how could you have fractured your foot just stepping up a curb? Hope it doesn't mean an op for you.

enjoy your tea and natter this afternoon.

I wrote a great long post and did a Frank, touched something and lost the bl**dy lot.

Thanks for that tip about painting cards AnnG. I think acrylic used thickly might work, but I was thinking watercolour and that uses a lot of water. I might try your daughter's idea of printing as well.

Oh Vera that would have been a surprise you didn't want from the doctor! To be honest I think I would have left it a while like you did too, as I was always spraining ankles years ago. I hope they can line the bones up and strap it up for you without needing an operation. I would ask about a bone scan being as it was caused so easily. We are still not mixing with anyone else and only one of my friends seems to be being as careful as us so I won't accept any invitations yet. It's good you have this friend you can trust and be able to enjoy a cuppa together.

OH has had an email from Severn Trent Water which may be a scam. It looks quite genuine, but they are saying that being as our water meter is inside we should send them a reading or they will need to call in the next few weeks to read it. This is ridiculous as there is a plastic thing on our bungalow front wall that they slot something over to read it. They have been reading it ok for the last 20 years!!! The email has been deleted needless to say.

One of the older (over 80) governors at one of OH's schools has died. He resigned in June due to health and had suffered with prostate cancer for a few years, He was a lovely old chap, always cheery and we often bumped into him and his wife on our lunchtime meal jaunts as they went to some of the same places.He was a real gent, friendly and polite and it is a shame we won't be seeing him anymore.

I hope you manage to contact the doctor to get some tablets Frank. Maybe the lines are busy with people asking for flu jab appointments as not everyone books them online. Just be careful moving around when you are having any attacks as they can make you feel spaced out and dizzy and we don't want you falling.

annx yes that looks like a scam so good you deleted it.

Acrylic might be OK but even the stamping ink or coloured pens bleed through the card s

Physio went ok. T drove his car there, takes about 35 minutes I went with him. Physiotherapist was the male owner this week still only £30 for half an hour. He felt further up his spine and what he thinks is the problem is. either side of your spine is muscle protecting it when anything threatens the spine (jarring, jolting etc) the muscles immediately tighten (I think what I call a spasm). I think the idea is to loosen the muscle up (or something). he has a few exercises to do, don't know what they are yet. And a suggestion the wheat bag when hot is placed vertically on his spine. another half hour appointment next Tuesday afternoon.

Anng nice T managed to get his x-ray today and as you say it will save you money and Cynth a trip in the car too. T likes his wheat bag so good that the chap told him to use one. I use one on my back or knees when they are cold. With the back trouble at the mo I have been putting it on my back and vertically too. Back is easing a bit today and I stood and did masses of ironing this morning. The washing dried quickly in the cold east wind and was ironed and put on the airer in the uti room.

Vera I do hope you don't have to have an op and they can strap it up for you instead. It does seem funny how you could do it by just stepping up a kerb but our bones get brittle as we get older. Nice to have a cuppa with some safe friends. Breaks the days up.

Ann you could also get those frame cards and stick the watercolours in them so they have a frame. I have done that in the past.

Frank I hope you managed to get through to your doctor for more of those pills.

Edit wrote this ages ago and did'nt post it.

Good morning all sunny and 5 degrees at the moment. sitting here with a cup of tea, not yet dressed, wondering what the day will bring. will the beat be up our down? Who knows? Better get dressed BBL