General Chat

Oh dear Vera and you were so well prepared what a nuisance. I hope you soon get your heating back. And that your floor is worth all the hassle.

Oh no Ann that was annoying when it was the very one you wanted to hear and get some tips on .

Mel that was good you got the ring all sorted and how nice its in place for a wedding ,how nice was that to come home to hot soap for lunch .

Oh Vera i hope you don't have to wait to long for the heating to be fixed ,it sounds as if the chap was well organised doing the flooring ,has he finished today or has he got to come again tomorrow .

The wind seems to have really got up here i looked out the front window and the christmas tree went over to one side ,we did tie it to the hanging basket bracket to stop it going over one way but it needs some thing the other side too to stop it going the other way .

The banks are making us all use these 'one time pin codes' Mel. I sometimes have to wait for a texted code when in the middle of paying my Asda bill since a few weeks ago. I wish there were some courses to help those of us that weren't brought up with it. That's good you got the Advent Ring done and what a great surprise to come home and find your OH had made some lovely warming soup! that would never happen here....... it would just be a COT! :-D

Oh no Vera, of all the times for the valve to go! Is the floor heated with water heated by gas then? I had assumed all under floor heating was electric. Hopefully it won't be too cold over the next couple of days and that they will have the valve in stock. I hope you have an electric shower and I bet you will be glad to get warm and straight again now.

Mandy I love the elf with his face masks! You are clever! I love the startled look in his eyes, goes so well with the masks. lol.

It was good the elf has big ears to old the mask on :-D

Well, I never knew I was so influential. The best thing for Joe to do is wear his shoe with a nice fluffy, stripy sock and he’ll garner lots of attention.

Our man worked till he finished just before 7, 10 hours with one 40 minute break. If we’d known he would finish in a day rather than the two booked we could have had the gas people tomorrow. Never mind, it’ll just mean an extra day without a shower.

You’ve worked hard to get that advent wreath done so quickly Mel. It’s hard to believe that yesterday was Advent Sunday and tomorrow it’s December. Another year nearly gone but I expect most of us will be glad to wave goodbye to 2020. I hope you got your TV licence sorted.

It’s good you put a smile on OH’s face with your kit-kats AnnG. Little gestures can mean a lot when you’re feeling down. It must be so hard on you both not to be able to see each other and with no firm treatment plan set up. Your daughter sounds just like mine. Mine has had 2 husbands, neither any good at DIY. She has done just about everything in the house and garden, including getting up on the roof and repointing a chimney. We have a photo of her in the early days of her first marriage with her head under the bonnet of her old car while her husband stood by in a pristine white shirt handing her a tool. She is on her own now and has completely refurbished her house. She must take after her father who can turn his hand to anything and does all the household maintenance. She certainly doesn’t take after her cack-handed mother.

Ann, what an unexpected find you had. It must have been lovely to realise you still had your photos and to have a wander through them but, like Mandy says, time can slip away so quickly once you start looking.

I’m looking forward to seeing the gingerbread house Mandy and the elves masks. They must be tiny.

Frank, what a lovely thought to order flowers for Ros, you old romantic. She will really appreciate it. I think I’d be suspicious if I got flowers from my OH. He has lots of wonderful qualities but no-one could call him a great romantic, though occasionally he manages to surprise me. I’m sorry your ribs are still painful but I am afraid ribs do take a long time to heal. Btw, you will be careful inviting people in for drinks won’t you. We aren’t supposed to meet any other household indoors so technically you’ll be breaking the law, but I’m more concerned about you picking something up from them. You don’t want to be poorly and mess up your Christmas even more than this pandemic already has.

Does your OH have a quieter time when he’s working nights Gill? I was talking on the phone to my granddaughter on Saturday and she has recently done a couple of night shifts. She was telling me that she is starting 3 months of nights this week. That seems a lot for an 18 year old. I asked her if it’s easier on nights and she said it’s a bit quieter but as it’s a dementia care home a lot of the residents are inclined to wander around at night and need a fair bit of attention. Rather her than me but I am proud of her for sticking at the job when she had hoped to spend most of her gap year travelling.

I see Ros has got her tree up and is starting to decorate for Christmas. We don’t do a great deal these days but we always have a real tree. We don’t usually put it up till a few days before Christmas but I might do it a bit earlier this year to make it all seem a bit more cheerful.

I think I’m going to have to give this thread up (not really, lol). I sit down to write a few words and before I know it half an hour has gone by and I’ve written reams again. Memo to self: Must stop writing posts and start writing cards.

Sleep well everyone and sweet dreams

O great Mandy. Is that my elf? Masks are good and Lewis will chuckle his head off as it was him who wanted to know if they would be wearing masks. <3 <3 <3

Yes he's yours Mel ,I was talking to DIL and she said they now have to think of naughty things for them to do ,there will be five elves this year.
I told her she should have one come first with the mask making sure it's covid safe for the others to come :-D

They could break the biscuits in the biscuit barrel.

Unroll the toilet roll.

Mandy look on pinterest for 100+ elf nightly tricks.

https://www.pinterest.co.uk/joycezblandford/elf-nightly-tricks/

Morning all,

Pinch and a punch for the first of the month and all that. Quite a bright morning today with sone sunshine and blue sky with a few clouds.

BIG wipe down day today and I am not loooking forward to it. I have two subs for things I was buying for Christmas, sweets and ones ok but I ordered milk choc carrots and sprouts and they are sending white choc coins instead which will be going back.

Plenty of Fieldfares and Blackbirds in the orchard and rabbit outside the bedroom window with two squirrels chasing each other. Willy Wagtail on the decking and Robby asking for worms.

Hope you all slept well. I have one wreath to make for Phyl and one for Em so may start those this afternoon if I feel like it.

Sun shiney here for the white rabbits.

Lucky you to have fieldfares Mel. I think our dickies birds must be feasting in the woods. Our problem with putting food out for the birds within our sight is Rattie! and a certain little dog.....

I have a new toy to play with today...... I'll share my first attempts.

Happy day all

Its arrived then Island!! Have fun and will await the results...........
We too have problems with Rattie but we try to keep them down.

Shopping arrived and I am just going to start the big wipe down. Sent one sub back but kept the other as it was much bigger than what I ordered and its in a snowman.

Suns still out and its not a bad day no wind.

Afternoon Girls, Not much to report. Ribs still waking me during the night. But this morning I managed to keep asleep until 9.00 am. Very late for me.

Yes Mel, Lovely bright sunny day. I have only been to the garage freezer to get something out for tonights dinner, It's very cold even without the wind.

Lewis is coming up on Friday to bring back my watch. He has taken two links out of it. He is going to put up the outside Christmas lights while he is here. It will save me asking Johnathon. He does so much for us, whenever we need him.

Ros is out the Carolyn this morning. Just popping to Tesco for odds and ends.

I have a visitor coming tomorrow at 11.30 to see what help I need around the house/garden, to stop me having these falls. I expect rails and grips where they think necessary. I will just wait and see what she says.

We will be very careful when Denis and Pam come round. I know they are careful anyway.

We have a funeral to attend at 2.00 pm tomorrow at a new Crematorium in Wellingborough. I have found the post code, so should find it O.K. There will be no going on to anywhere, so it will just be there and home again.

Haven't heard anymore about Maureen across the road. The son's car hasn't been today.

I think I will get a coffee and catch the News.

See you later. xxxx

Sun comes and goes this morning but it is breezy and quite cold. Our house is beginning to feel a bit chilly now so it will probably be freezing by tomorrow when the gas man comes. I only hope he can fix it right away and we don’t have to wait for a spare part. OH remembered our big hot water tank has an immersion heater so he put it on for an hour this morning. We had forgotten it because we have never used it. At least we have lots of hot water now.

Yes, Ann, the underfloor heating here is water heated by gas, though there are other sorts. A leak could cause us very serious problems but OH assures me that the only way you would get a leak is if you drilled right down through the floor into a pipe.

I am pleased with our floor but the room does look a bit cold now so we will definitely need a couple of nice rugs to warm it up a bit. I think they will have to wait till after Christmas now. OH is moving the furniture back and is managing very well on his own.

Our floor layer has just called with a wood floor cleaning kit for me. Some spray stuff and one of those mops with a big rectangular microfibre head. It was nice of the company to send that as a complementary extra as we weren’t expecting it.

I’ve got a Christmas cake in the oven. It’s a Mary Berry recipe that my brother has made for us before and it has lots of apricots in it. All the fruit has been soaking in brandy all night and the kitchen smells wonderful :-). I don’t marzipan and ice it as none of us are keen and we don’t usually even cut it till after Christmas but it’s nice to have something to offer anyone who calls. OTOH who is going to be calling anyway in the present circumstances?

AnnG I hope you get some positive news today. Thinking of you <3

Better get the furniture mover some lunch now. Have a good day everyone

Certainly has Mel :-D Great service! I haven't unpacked it yet.

Rattie nested in one of our garden seat cushions last winter. They were pretty old anyway, but...... :-| I'll be making new ones for the spring - which will overwinter indoors!

I don't think Scruff read his instruction book - this JRT is no ratter!! He'll sniff for them but he's never rooted one out. He's more of a cat man.

Afternoon all,

My goodness first day of December and it's nice and sunny but freezing out there in the wind ,we had to go out and upright the tree as the wind was so strong last night it blew it over on the lean ,it's tied up so can't go right over but now we've tied it on the other side too.

I'm wondering what this new toy is you have Island, looking forward to seeing your first attempt of using it .
Vera you'll have to get your thermals out ,I hope the gas man can sort it quickly for you tomorrow , at least you have hot water .

Mel something coming in the post for you .

I've sent everyone's Christmas cards, can you let me know when they arrive please.

Sandra's walked to the village, I think she's bored being stuck indoors. I hope her back doesn't play her up when she gets home. I suggested she waits until her dad gets up later and he'd take her to the shops, but she said no as he doesn't get up until around 3pm and it was to late for her. Her back was just starting to get better so I hope all the walking doesn't make it sore again.

Just going to watch a Christmas film while OH's in bed and Sandra is out. Hope everyone's okay.

good afternoon all. It has been a lovely sunny day, frost first thing but not too cold out and no wind. I just walked to the house where they have the book stall to leave a couple of bags of stuff for charity. The couple there recycle all sorts, I have a long list of things so I check on there and take all sorts to them, used batteries, egg boxes, anything, they have a prospective home for it all.

Hopefully Gill the walk will do Sanra's back good.

OH eventually phoned at 1pm. He was annoyed because daughter being worried, as I was that he had not phoned since early yesterday phoned the ward and they sent somebody from the office who woke him up and told him to phone me. so I am in disgrace now. He has phoned twice since and the last time I was upstairs and needed to get to the phone downstairs as that is the one I can hear best on. Wonder I didn't break my neck.

Had a little potter in the garden. I think, as OH said he was getting rid of the current dahlias for next year (this was before he was ill), I am not going to bother lifting them so they will either rot or grow next year. Then he can buy new.

Just got all my cottages down so I will put them up tomorrow. I couldn't decide but then I thought it will be nice for daughter and will cheer the palce up. I won't bother with the tree though as it is a so and so to put together. I will just have a few ornaments.

Good to hear from you Annf as I was getting worried as you're usually the first on the thread in the mornings. So in the bad books for getting daughter to ring whilst T was asleep. Never mind I expect he knows you were worried.

I have spent all afternoon on the phone to my bank trying to pay this bl**dy TV licience and have just managed to do it after chatting to various automated phone calls and then eventually got through to speak to a REAL person, Oscar, who was very patient with me and talked me through everything and arranged for me to do it online in 5 mins from his conversation. It went through straight away. He knew I had been trying to pay it over the last three days. It was the fraud squad I went through to so they do keep a good eye on your account which pleased me no end. He did ask me for a specail password I made when opening the account and for the life of me I could'nt remember but he gave me a clue and that did it. I told him I had never been asked so many questions and he said it was for my own safety. He even asked how old I was next birthday!!!!!!! They also say they will never ask for your personal details over the phone but he asked me quite a lot.

Anyway all done again for another year thank goodness and just have to wait for it to come into my inbox. I have filed the letter confirming payment away.

Worn out now so I think I will shut the chickens in and make a cuppa and watch Tipping Point before starting all over again on dinner.

What a busy day :-(

Oh dear AnnG your on the naughty list then ,it is a worry when you don't hear from them ,they know whats going on but you sit at home wondering and waiting

Debenhams going now :-( i think they said the Norwich one will be open until the new year to sell off the stock ,its quite a big store ,such a shame and all those jobs gone .

Mel that's good you got the TV licience sorted in the end ,how easy it use to be doing it at the post office why they stopped i don't know .
Did you see i said i've sent you some thing in the post ?

Just heard Lewis Hamilton has tested positive for Coronavirus and won't be driving in the race at the weekend. Not sure who's going to take his place. I see Romain Grosjean escaped the crash with minor burns on his hands, he was very lucky.

That's good about your TV licence Mel, I pay monthly without stopping so I don't have to do it every year, I wouldn't have a clue what to do online.

I heard Debenhams were closing down Mandy, it's such a shame.

I think the walk did help Sandra's back, although when she came in she was going to go out again. Thankfully she decided to wait until tomorrow. Pleased you've heard from your OH now.

It sounds like you had lots of nice smells in your kitchen from the Christmas cake Vera. When I bake cakes they don't last 5 minutes before they're gone, so you do well to keep it as long as you do.