General Chat

Morning all,

Anyone got snow ? it's coming down here ,started off just fine stuff now we have really big flakes and it's so cold what a change from yesterday when we sat out and had a cuppa in the sun.

Not a lot happening here Colin is going to carry on with painting the walls here in the conservatory he's done one coat one end and is going to give it a second coat and then move down to the next bit .
Tried to order new blinds from Dun elm and one lot were out of stock so I'll have to keep an eye out as to when they are back in stock ,we want them all the same ,at the moment we have roller blinds but we thought we'd have some vertical ones this time ,we have two big eight foot windows and they were the one out of stock, they had them for the other three windows

Good morning Just cloudy and 6 degrees here, I think the bad weather for us might be tomorrow, as you say Mandy a shame after the lovely day yesterday but at least it looks as though you are getting on with indoor jobs, maybe a good thing if it is not hot if Colin needs to work in the conservatory.

Did all your rubbish get burnt mel? Our bin day is a day later this time because of Easter so maybe I will look around to see if there is any more garden stuff to fill it.

Previous to last year Easter Monday we would often go to a huge flea fair at Malvern showground. All these stall holders and market sellers must be feeling it the last two years and if that is their only way of making money I wonder if they had any financial assistance like those who were furloughed? I bet not if they had to produce proof of earnings.

Morning Mandy and Anng and all,

Grey cold and very windy here and 7 degrees outthere. As you other two have said such a drastic change from yesterday when we were working in brilliant sunshine. I'm pleased we got done what we did as its a good start on this years gardening.

I watched Midsommer Murders last night and thought it was a good one.

Wonder how Gill got on inthe garden yesterday?

Anng don't know how much of thebonfire burne away as its outside the wall so I shall have to have a trip out there to see. Will let you know later on.

Could'nt get on here first thing as oh was looking through the Asda order and he takes ages. All I know is he has put on 8 cans of soup.

Phil Pheasent turned up yesterday afternoon late limping very badly. The last time I saw him he was fighting another male pheasent. He came down the orchrd and I gave hime some corn but he left a lot of it. When I woke up this morning and looked towards the chicken run as I do each morning he is laying on the grass upside down I think and stone dead. I shall have a better look when I feed the girls. So sad as he was a good cock bird to his harem of hens and always called to them when he found tasty food.

Oh Mel poor phil You will miss seing him around. maybe he has passed on to his successor where to find free food.

I always watch (and re- watch and re, re- watch) Midsummer Yes it was a good one and a lot more scary than the originals were. do you prefer the old ones or the Neil Dudgeon ones Mel. I love the old ones and find them quite relaxing as they are policing in a much gentler way and with a lot more humour. But I like the newer ones too because they make you actually pay attention or you miss a clue.

I also watch re-runs of Morse and Lewis as well. Comforting in a way. I did watch last week the recordings I had made of Death in Holy orders and thought they were good.

It has brightened up a bit now but still only 7 degrees so an indoor day I think maybe even (whisper) HW!!!

Ah that was a quick change, sleet coming down now.

Morning all

Yes, Mandy, we’ve had snow as well, just a couple of showers. According to the weather app on my iPad it’s 4 degrees outside but feels like -1 :-(. I’m glad I haven’t cut down some of my plants like penstemon yet as I think there are some cold frosty nights ahead.

I was droopy Lil yesterday with another bad migraine and I am still feeling the effects so will be limiting screen time today.

Stay warm and enjoy your day whatever you are doing.

EDIT sorry to hear about poor Phil

Moring all :-D

So Mandy has the decorating bug too :-D

AnnG, I know what you mean about market stall holders, I'm glad I'm not still working freelance, I wouldn't have a penny due to the industry I was in closing due to covid. It will take a lot to recover.

Poor Phil :-( At least he had a natural life - unlike the ones round here which are bred for the Corporate Johnnies to shoot in the name of 'team building'. It's horrible when the guns start in the autumn :-(

Had a big day yesterday - two hours tea drinking in brothers garden :-D I was ready for bed at 8 but stuck it out until 11 and slept for 10 hours! :-0
I missed the 8am snow flurry but saw the 9.30 one - all a bit feeble thank goodness and now we have sunshine.

I don't think I'll be in the potting shed sowing seeds for a few days yet.

Happy Monday all

No snow here Mandy, we have lovely sunshine, OH is taking some more of the hedge to the tip. We don't have any space as the hedge seems to have taken up more space after it was cut down than it did when it was in the ground. We're having our gas metre put in on Friday and also some workmen are coming here on the same day to do a quote for the chimney to be taken out in the kitchen. I'm going to ring the solicitor on Tuesday to find out when Sandra is moving into her flat as she's not heard anything. I spoke with her yesterday and she wants me to ring the solicitor as she's not sure what to say. I hope I can hurry things along for her.

Congratulations to your great granddaughter in law AnnG, I hope all goes well for her pregnancy. I don't know what type of hedge we had, but it wasn't made up of conifers which made the job easier to do. I surprised myself cutting it all down in just a few days and hopefully it won't be long before it's all been taken down the tip.

Sorry to hear about poor Phil Mel :-(

Happy Monday to you to Island :-D :-D You slept well last night, it must of been all the fresh air you had in your brother's garden.

Hope you feel better soon Vera, I've woken with a headache so I'm limiting my screen time as well today.

Yes, the Sky app on my laptop will come in handy if ever the Sky dish is blown out of line Ann, it's worth having and doesn't cost anything as it's linked to your Sky subscription.

We had a heavy sharp shower of sort of sleety rain and then the sun came out so I went and fed the wild birds and the chickens and looked at the poor dead pheasent and the good news is I don't think its Phil, hooray. When I fed him yesterday I noticed he had lost his white collar feathers and this one has them all so maybe its one he had an argument with. Oh said it may have flown into the chicken wire on the run and broke its neck as I can't see a mark on it.

Your going to have a lot more trips to the tip with all that hedging Gill. Much more than the pampas grass so good luck with it. What were the leaves like on the hedge. It could have been privit, box or the small leaved honeysuckle which forms a dense hedge if clipped regulary. Have you just cut it down and now need to dig the roots out?

It looks like from the pics I sent you that it could have divided the garden from a veg patch. Have you got any kind of shed at the bottom of the garden?

Suns out now and blue sky and 16 degrees!!!! Oh has gone out to see if he can do anything before he gets cold.

Forgot to say Ann, I don't think the trench space goes to a point, it's still wrapped up but looks straight at the end. It very narrow so will make digging easier around the other plants in the garden we want to keep. There's no room down the bottom of the garden as the hedge cuttings take up all the room. As we were cutting it down we had to put the cuttings behind us so it still goes the whole length of the garden and then a bit more nearer the bungalow and is piled at least 8 foot high. At least the bit nearer the bungalow is cleared as OH is working from there towards the back of the garden.

Because there's so much rubbish we thought it would cost more to have someone else get rid of it all and we need to keep an eye on our money as we don't have much left over after buying this place, so we don't want to waste any of it. We have so many other jobs that are more important to pay for we need to be careful we spend it in the right places.

I think you might be right Mel and the cats are a bit miffed we've taken their play area away lol. ;-) I'll be glad when all the hedge has gone then we can see our plot of land properly and start to plan what we're going to do with it. I've noticed lots of plants I've never seen before so it's quite interesting watching everything come up. The Tulips in the front garden our neighbour told us about are starting to flower and we have a clump of snowdrops in the middle of the front garden which I'm hoping to move over to the side to make some room for the drive to be extended.

No the hedge isn't prickly AnnG, although there were a few prickly plants in the hedge row, they've been taken out along with the hedge now. Once all the rubbish has gone OH will dig out all the roots or we'll end up with everything growing back and we'll have to take it all out again. So quite a way to go until it's all completely gone. it's not very warm today but at least the sun is still out and it's not snowing. We did have some frost the other night and with us not having any central heating yet, it still very cold. At least we have a heater and we've put the electric fire in the hall which seems to be keeping most of the cold away.

I'll be glad when the gas metre goes in and the chimney has been taken down in the kitchen then we can have a boiler installed. We can start making our place into a home then, instead of a shell which is what it's like now.

Well Mel, not that far away from here but certainly a different world today, it is very dull and cloudy here and has dropped down to 3 degrees. I have not ventured outside at all.

sorry you are under the weather Vera from yesterday's migraine. What a shame they can't find something to stop those, they seem to wipe out a lot of your days and must be so frustrating.
Gill hope your headache soon goes too. I would not expect much to have been done by Sandra's solicitors over the past four days with it being a bank holiday. Solicitors are not known for their speed with house selling/buying.

Mel, that is good news hope you see Phil again soon to confirm that.

Missed your post there Mel, I'm pleased it's not Phil, but it's still sad to see a dead bird. The leave were small on the hedge, I've tried Googling it but there's so many pictures of different hedges I can't seem to find the right one. It was evergreen but that didn't help me find it either.

Look up this

Lonicera nitida

It has very small leaves.

I have seen Phil down the garden laying in the sun in a sheltered spot down by the bantams on the lawn behind the little wall that runs down there. He is laying on his left side and the right leg was the one he was limping on when I saw him yesterday.

Sent a couple of pics of him.

Pleased he is still around then Mel

Lovely pic of Phil Mel, he looks bright eyed and bushy tailed, if that's the right way to describe a bird lol :-D :-D I'm so pleased it wasn't him you found and hope his leg improves soon. OH said he saw a pheasant when he was here painting before we moved in, I haven't seen it yet. I've never seen one so it'll be nice to see if ever he fly's by.

I Googled Lonicera nitida and it is that type of hedge, the green one though,not the gold one. The middle of it was completely dead with it being left for so long so most of the branches were easy to just snap off, although I did push down on a branch and it sprung back and hit me on the top of my shoulder so that's a bit sore at the moment, I wouldn't mind but it's the same arm I fell on and cut my elbow. What am I like, I'm not safe to be let out lol :-D :-D :-D

Thanks for finding the right hedge, I did try to Google it but just couldn't find the right one. OH is still taking rubbish down the tip and has taken almost a third of it now, so he's getting there slowly. I mentioned the snow to him and he said we did have snow first thing, but not much. It was nice a sunny when I got up, be it very cold and the wind is howling around our back garden again. I see I'm going to have to plan the garden very carefully so it's not like a wind tunnel, or we won't be able to sit out and enjoy it when it's finished.

Thanks again for finding the right hedge Mel <3

gill you could do as we did, make a trellis to grow stuff up and that will form a wind break. In fact I have more than one trellis that T built.

Poor 'not Phil' :-(

When I corned the big girls there was one little pheasent feather by the latch on their gate. I looked up and there's a BIG dent in the wire netting so it must have been where Poor 'not Phil' hit the netting which killed him.

The fox could'nt have been around last night as it would have taken it.

Mel, sorry but it's the 'thank goodness it wasn't Phil' I was referring to, not the manner in which 'not Phil' met his end.