General Chat

Afternoon peeps.
Yes Joan like you a lovely warm & sunny day here but breezy(as always lol) It was flat calm last night hence the midges but they are away now with the breeze.
Its always the evenings when the wind drops in summer which is too late to do any garden work.

I have stripped, washed, dried, ironed and remade daughters bed plus all the clothes ironing. My feet are quite sore so sitting with a well earned coffee for awhile.

Tomorrow we are in for some heavy rain so im not going to water the plants again today as did it last night anyway.

I may make chicken and rice tonight with a popadom. Its quick and very tasty and all in 1 pan so less dishes to wash lol.

Linda, I was watching a programme last night with Paul O Grady at Great Ormond St Hospital and one of the patients a little girl like Esme got Botox injections into her feet as she had Cerebal palsy but what a difference they made. She was running and riding her bike afterwards so i hope they help Esme too.

Right, I need to finalise Tesco order as its coming tomorrow between 11-3 and I have just remembered a couple of things not on the list.

Enjoy the sunshine if you have it :-D

Florence in the Hebrides

Ooh Linda, wonder if Esme caught an infection from the swimming pool water?

The whole experience sounds dreadful. Hope they never go back and maybe stick with centre parcs next time.

I think in general Butlins centres have had their day and the buildings are old and probably in need of redoing?

Hope the cream clears the rash up soon.

Went outside to water me plants with a few plastic jugs and didn't hang about as the dreaded midges are out....flat calm!

Florence in the hebrides

I suppose that they think you are going to attack their babies Joan. For several years, we had a nest in a shrub which covers the wall near the front door. The birds weren’t overly keen on us using the door. OH took the nest out and poked the twigs out when he saw them starting to build it again. They moved elsewhere which was a good thing given how many parcels we seem to get these days.

Day one of the school holidays is done only another five and a half weeks to go. We stayed at home today as Esme has an odd rash on her hip, it looks a bit like a fungal infection to me.My daughter rang for a phone appointment first thing and sent a photo in. The doctor rang back at lunchtime and cream which covers both bacterial and fungal infections. The prescription was supposed to go electronically straight to Boots, but OH had a problem getting it, as it hadn’t transferred. He ended up going between Boots and the doctors twice. In the end they had to write an old fashioned paper prescription and he finally got the cream. Hopefully, it will sort it out as it is spreading.

She had a great time at Butlins, we have lots of videos and photos of her dancing at the shows. The others weren’t keen, I asked Eve if she preferred Butlins or Centre Parcs, she just looked at me as if I was mad and said. Centre Parcs. My daughter and SIL were very unimpressed by the standard of the place. They said that it was very poorly maintained. SIL got a stomach bug on the second day, so thinks it could have been food poisoning. The restaurants were very over priced and the food was poor.
They went to the big swimming complex on Sunday, but said that it had an awful smell, a bit like mould which they were trying to cover up with sprays.
It is a shame because Esme loved it and wants to go back, but they said that if ever did go back, they wouldn’t stay on site again.

Afternoon all

Just pottering about and tidied daughters room as she has gone this morning and wont be back until next week. The wake is on Thursday and funeral on Friday. Still finding it hard to get my head around. She was 66(not 64 as I thought) and far too young.

Daughter is not mentally coping as was very close to the lady so lots of mumma hugs been given over the weekend.

Aside from that sad news was outside looking at my plants and like you Joan & Linda, the roses are exceptional this year as our my fuchsias. They are beautiful and plentiful for a change. Deheaded a few flowers earlier so all look nice and tidy now. I hate a scruffy garden filled with dead flowers.

My carrots have grown hugely but unlike potatoes that have flowers how do I know when the carrots are ready??

Hall carpet all done yesterday and lady coming this afternoon at 4.30 for the old one so house is now back to normal thank goodness.

No more accidents ladies, still a bruise on my arm but that's taking ages to fade.

I finished making a birthday card for a friend next week and then have a few August birthdays and anniversaries but i'm organised for those already.

Joan, hope the swallows don't attack your hair. Take something in your hand, a stick to scare them off if they get too close to you. You will be glad to see them fly away.

Well last of the laundry done, I managed to hang out some....without falling lol Im doing well today!

Florence in the hebrides

It is nice to have plants which have been passed on. I have a bush which my dad moved twice to different houses, then I brought it here. I also have rhubarb which is a bit of a family heirloom. On the patio, I have some of my mums planters, she told me to take them away during her last illness, so I would remember her when I watered them.

It has been very quiet over the weekend while they have been away. They will be back late afternoon, they have to stop somewhere to buy “ pretty dresses” for the girls as they are going to a wedding next weekend. I don’t think Eve is keen on pretty dresses anymore, shorts and a t shirt are more her thing these days.

It is very windy and chilly here. I wore a thin dress to go to slimming world and miraculously had only put half a pound on. As soon as Ingot home, I changed into trousers and a jumper

We have had a lovely warm day here a bit cloudy at times but no rain thanlfully as we had plenty yesterday. Been out in the garden tweaking plants and one of my new rose bushes has about fifteen blooms and some small buds as well , it is a really pretty deep pink but only a slight fragrance but can't have everything . When my sister died last year we brought some of her potted plants here and left them in a corner to wait to see what was in them, some have some pretty flowering plants and others different bulbs , daffs, tulips etc . Now I know I can decide where to put them as the ones that are toxic to pets will go in the front garden away from our dog who likes gardening . (digging )

Hope everyone looking in are having a good day .

Oh that was nice Linda, glad you enjoyed.

Having a very quiet day today as got sad news this morning. A cousin who I was good friends with(but my ex's cousin) died suddenly last light in her kitchen aged 64! Cant get my head around it at all, just so very sad :-(

Florence in the hebrides

It isn’t sunny here :-( It has been raining heavily through the night and hasn’t stopped yet.
We went out for Sunday lunch using a voucher my daughter gave us last Christmas. It was for three courses, plus coffee at a country house hotel, the type with stags heads on the wall. The food was lovely, so I am over full. I dread to think what the scales will say tomorrow :-(

Afternoon everyone
Glorious sunny day here and fairly warm at 17 degrees just a stiff breeze which is a pest as my long hair was all over the place and couldn't see where i was walking outside! But I didnt trip thank goodness.

Linda, I slept until 5am and drifted off til 9am and then got up. My side feels better today, def no cracked rib just a pulled muscle.

I have been working on my grandmothers family tree( her dad side) so difficult as her maiden name is spelt with many variations so taking longer to find births, marriages etc. But I have made some headway today.

Have no idea what to make for tea tonight. Yesterday, I made a mushroom carbonara, so quick and very tasty.

8 mushrooms sliced
1/2 onion finely chopped
1 tub of cream cheese(any)
spaghetti- However much you like.

I lightly fried the onions and mushrooms in some sesame seed oil with black pepper and some worcester sauce and some garlic puree(opt)
Added the cream cheese until melted.

Cook the spaghetti and drain
Put the cheese and mushroom mixture on top of spaghetti

Really tasty and enough for 2.

I think toasties will do me, not that hungry today.

Hope Joan, AnnG & JustGinnie are all doing ok and anyone else

Florence in the hebrides

I hope that your ribs are feeling better today Florence and that you haven’t broken one.

I have been cleaning and tidying up for most of the day. I need to buy yet another large plastic box to keep the toys tidy

Esme FaceTimed earlier, she has been having a great time. She did the Skyline dance class earlier and really enjoyed it. They went to the arcade as well and amazingly Esme won the jackpot twice. You get tickets from the machines when you win, they took a video of hers coming out, it took fifteen minutes. They had an enormous pile. You exchange them for prizes. She had a couple of reasonably decent things. Normally they lose money of course, but that is what arcades are for

I got a video tour of the apartment, it s a bit Hi-de-Hi, not quite Centre Parcs standard, but then it is far cheaper of course. As long as Esme is enjoying herself, they can put up with it for the weekend

Oh dear Linda, not so good for them.
Hope your eyebrow is ok. You were very lucky it didn't burn you. When soup splashes, its red hot, you have to be so careful.

Just sat all evening watching me soaps and Doc martin. Daughter already texting saying "they had a falling out." More worry for me but nothing I can do, but still worry for her as she is very vulnerable. She had a bad hypo at teatime as well but her bloods are settled now thank goodness.

I'm ok but feeling my left side of me ribs tonight, i probably pulled a muscle earlier.

Think an an early night for me as feeling quite tired tonight if only I could sleep the whole night!

Tomorrow is another day as they say.

Goodnight

Florence in the hebrides

I just got a text from my daughter, she said Esme is having a great time, but “Generally though it’s quite grim here, it’s definitely seen better days.The chalets are all made of wood and the one we’re in (which is the most expensive) definitely has rotting floor joists. It feels like a really ancient house with uneven floors”

Oh dear Florence, you are being accident prone, I hope your leg isn’t bruised.

They left at lunchtime, so I went to Tesco this afternoon, then I have been making three batches of soup for the freezer. I was using the stick blender on the last lot when it splashed out. Some of it landed on my eye just below my eyebrow. My glasses stopped it landing on my actual eyelid thank goodness. It is very sore, but it could have been worse.

I usually do the cleaning on a Friday, but I have left it until tomorrow, so I can have a really good go at it. I freeze any food left from the dinners I cook, so we are going to use them over the weekend. It will save me having to cook and free up some space it the freezer

Morning all

Well i have some time to myself as daughter decided on the spur of the moment to go away until Tuesday. I woke with a headache so actually having some peace & quiet will be fine.

I started tidying after she had gone and went to open the lounge window. I turned round and promptly tripped on her bean bag tray which she had left on the floor and I didnt see it. I went for a flyer but luckily fell onto the sofa! My poor left leg took the brunt and i burst into tears, partly with shock and partly with pain.

Oh my goodness. don't know what's happening with me lately, dropping things, knockings things and tripping up. Problem is, I cannot lift my left leg over obstacles as it doesn't bend so that's how I tripped over the tray.

So sitting for a bit just now as I was all shaky but I feeling better now.

Its dull and overcast and looking like rain soon so my plan to repot a plant is on hold for now. But it may clear up. At least it's not 40 degrees here, no way could I handle that!!

Linda, glad the birthday girl had a nice day. We always went to Pontins for our summer hols but thinking back, theres noway I would walk to the dining room in my pj's lol My mum made me enter the donkey derby and I fell off before it moved.

We went to Camber sands, Bracklesham Bay and others. I guess for the era..70's it's what you did with families back then but nowadays, not for me. It was very regimented with a daily programme of activities and we rarely left the camp to explore the local town etc.

Enjoy your peace & quiet whilst they are away though.

We have cleared the bookshelves and 5 boxes are sitting on the sofas full of books. The bookcases are now in daughter's room. Busy day on Monday as its bin day, grass cutters will be here at 10.30. Carpet fitters at 9.30 so an early rise for me.

Got lots more rosebuds about to open, about 20 so this year really "has been a good year for the roses"(Elvis Costello)

Well better go and see if the laundry is ready now.

Florence in the hebrides

In the late sixties and early seventies we went to Butlins several times, usually with another family so four adults and four children. We had a great time. But it was a different age, simple pleasures pre all the technology we live with now. I don’t think I would enjoy it now.

I don’t have any trouble reaching cupboards, I thought that I must have shrunk a bit, but I had my height measured a few weeks ago during a medical and I was still 5 ft 7 and a half

Esme really enjoyed her birthday yesterday, we went to the local Italian restaurant after school, then had cake at home. She got lots of presents of course and is very fond of the huge blow up unicorn,

I went to a funeral this morning, someone from the cinema who was eighty six, a really nice chap. It was in the church just a couple of hundred yards away, the church was really full. We didn’t go to the wake as we weren’t that close.

I can hear my daughter clattering around upstairs, she is packing. They are picking Esme up after lunch at school and they are going to Butlins until Monday. I must admit that Butlins is somewhere I have never wanted to go to, we usually go to Centre Parcs every year, that is more to my taste

Esme loves the Skyline Gang and watches lots of you tube videos.They are the Butlins children’s entertainers, all singing and dancing with costumes and wigs so that lots of different people in the different camps can do the same routines. She has two of the costumes. They will be going to four shows and she is signed up for a dance class. I don’t think Eve is terribly enthralled by it, but there is swimming and other activities, so she will probably enjoy that. It is a shame that the weather is going to be so bad over the weekend. On the bright side, it means we get a few days to ourselves

Tomorrow, tomorrow, there's always tomorrow, it's only a day away la la la :-D

Goodness me Florence you have been in the wars recently, the first bruise / lump sounds as though it was nasty, & now your toes have suffered, lucky not to have one broken with a can landing on it.

I can't get to the higher shelf in my kitchen wall units either & have to use a wee step,
It's just a one step with a rail & so useful, not at all high but enough for me to rech items without any effort or likelyhood of falling.
I have 2 of them one of them stays upstairs to help e reach the top of windows.

The weather has brightened upnow but it's too late for me to go into the garden, too busy dealing with our meal, oh well maybe tomorrow, LOL.

Joan.

Afternoon all
Its fairly bright and sunny here but not overly warm There is quite a breeze too.

Happy Birthday to Esme Linda bless her, hope she has a fun day and you have a nice day with eve and your friend too.

Joan my bruise expanded but the lump has subsided. It is now various shades of purple & yellow! It still hurts if i knock it .

i had 2 minor accidents. One involving a tin of daughters pepsi max. I was in the cupboard above and accidently caught the can which fell and landed on my toes.....ouch is what I said lol So 2nd toe is bruised and black looking but thabkfully didnt break. Then trying to get a tin of beans down with my grabber and it slipped and caught my big toe which has a matching bruise.

Honestly, I'm a walking disaster but daughter was away in town and I couldnt wait until 5pm before she would be home to help me. The problem is I can no longer stand on a chair so getting things off higher shelves can be a problem. I have resorted the shelves several times putting things i use more on the bottom but what I wanted was on the top.

Daughter facetimed me from the garden centre and has bought a nice plant with pink flowers??? Not much left now with all bedding plants gone. Lots of roses in pots at £14.99 each!!! The roses I bought earlier were all around £7-8.

Anyway I have been busy emptying all my books from the 2 bookshelves so just the bookcases to move now then all ready for carpet in hall on Monday.

Argyllgran, thanks for the onfo. The tin just has a date without best before or use by. Im thinking if I open it and use in the breadmaker, it will be ok but once opened as its long past the date, it might not be ok to use some other time?

I'm very funny with milk anyway and can only take a splash in my coffee and if this upset my stomach, i'm thinking I could be quite unwell so have decided not to use it.

Think we bought it during lockdown for emergency use but never used it!

AnnG, the original lady didn't take the carpet but re- advertised and a man came that very evening and took it away. As for my bruise, yes maybe I did it in my sleep, as its still a mystery and still sore.

Joan, its annoying when that happens with the rain as yesterday, i took scissors', a little bag and me stick and went out to de-head but as soon as i stepped outside the rain started. However, luckily it didn't last too long and I managed to get out and tidy up the pots. Hope your rain clears away soon.

Well better wash up me lunch things and put away the dishes and then coffee time.

Florence in the hebrides

Edit; Just been told, we are have another viewing on sat for mums property so fingers crossed :-D

Good afternoon, though it's not that good as far as the weather is concerned.
Started off bright & sunny but not for long, by the time I had dressed the sun had gone & dark clouds were looming, had some rain about an hour ago but stopped now.
Really fed up of it, just when i think it's safe to go out on comes the rain again, aAnd so it's yet another day indoors.

Mince & Tattied for tea today, & seeing as I can't get outside & so I have plenty of time, I might make YKS puds to go with it.

I hope Esme is enjoying her birthday Linda, & you have a lovely day out with Eve & your friend.

Florence, how is your bruise, I hope it has started to fade & not bothering you.

Joan.