General Chat

Afternoon all
Well not a great day, heavy showers and still windy and chilly too. managed out to the bins very quickly and nearly got caught in a heavy shower!

Just been having a good tidy up, shredded bits of paper in the basket. Small load of washing and tumbled that.

Making a prawn tagliatelle tonight or I was until I realised, I didn't have any more tagliatelle pasta, so using penne instead. Lots of garlic, mushrooms, onions plus seasoning and a tub of philly for the sauce. Found 1/2 a large naan lurking in the freezer too so that's my dinner all sorted.

Home alone again once more until next Wednesday so very quiet here. No post again and I'm waiting on a birth certificate too Thats been despatched but still not got it. Hoping to get some new info so I can make some more progress.

Hope everyone ok and well.

Florence in the hebrides

Afternoon all
Well, the scaremongering locally of a huge storm with 80 mph winds never appeared! It apparently flew by us and hit a different area, not sure if it reached you Joan?

Yes, it's fairly breezy but a bright sunny day and quite pleasant.

I did also make a huge jacket potato last night Joan with lots of grated cheese and baked beans. The skin was lovely and crispy and very tasty. Think it might be pizza, chips and a side salad tonight, quick and easy.

Did a huge pile of ironing as daughter had loads including her bedding, so all up to date now.
All my craft stuff arrived yesterday and looks fab. Can't wait to make a card perhaps at the weekend and see how I get on.

Ordered something for my dad from the RNLI online and it arrived but was broken :-(I emailed them straightaway, and a replacement is being sent but with the post so sporadic, I'm waiting ages for things and just trying to get sorted.

Definitely sending gifts early this year with the strikes.

Hope everyone looking in is well and ok.

Florence in the hebrides

I am annoyed about the bad weather as well. We have booked a spa afternoon at a local hotel. They have a rooftop garden as well as the large inside part. It also includes afternoon tea in the restaurant. It is going to be raining all day which means we will have to give the outside a miss. I know it sounds odd going outside in October, but 5here are heated cabanas and very warm outdoor pools which are lovely even in cold weather, but not rain.

I have started on an autumn clean of the house. I have two larges fridges and two tall upright freezers, so I gave those a thorough clean and sort out this morning. I am just going to take it slowly and give each room a deep clean, rather than the usual weekly quick clean.

I hope you get your water sorted quickly Joan. Are you having to buy bottled water to drink?

EEk!!! I have just seen the local news and tomorrow a deep storm is hurtling towards us tomorrow with winds of 80mph!!! No wonder its almost flat calm here now...all very eerie.

Morning all
Oh dear Joan, never rain but it pours literally, does it? Wow £200 sounds a huge amount to pay out. Hope you get it sorted soon.
I guess you were not one of the lucky postcode lottery winners then in Seaton who won loads? one Batchelor guy who is elderly ,won something like £78k x 2!!! Mega rich and single lol I have only ever won a few £10 prizes nothing major.

Well, I have put the bins out again as it's a bit calmer now but still breezy. It was very wild last night and did keep me awake until about 4am when it went down.

I'm waiting on a few things in the post but nothing arriving and the postman, I'm not seeing him. These continuous strikes have really messed up everything. My niece was 18 on Saturday and she hasn't got my card yet...so annoying!

I have ordered some card making things to create my own xmas cards for a few people (not everyone lol) so can't wait to get started.

Ann, I think is away to Cornwall so hoping she's having a lovely time.

Linda, hope everything ok with you all after the jags and the children ok.

Joan, need inspiration for tea tonight as I'm all out of ideas. So, what are you having?

Right better get cracking on some housework, time is flying by today and I haven't done anything except the bins!

Florence in the hebrides

Afternoon all
What an awful day! Daughter was being so organised first thing. She had hoovered, mopped floors etc and put out blue & green bins ready for tomrrow as it was a nice morning. Fast forward to an hour ago.

The wind is now picking up at 40mph and going up later even more so....Im on my own til tomorrow and decided the bins need to come back until the morning when the wind subsides. I donned waterproofs etc and battled with my stick to drag the bins back to their station. Oh my, I came in and was blooming soaked from the knees down.

Having said that, I'm dried off now and it's really hosing it down so am glad the bins are safe for tonight.The grass cutters came first thing and gave one last cut, was so lucky it was dry then.

JustGinnie, so sorry to hear your sad news. It's hard when you were only talking to them the day before just like my mum with the stroke.

Has your sister a property to sell? All you need to do is appoint a solicitor and they will apply for probate and deal with all that. The time consuming albeit easier stuff is sorting all the utility companies and the bills etc. Ive had to open accounts in my name until mum's flat is sold as you can't leave the accounts in the person who has passed open.

We have nearly emptied mums flat now so it will be ready for estate agent to value very soon. But emptying all her things takes ages. Did your sister have any of her own family?Children?

Anyway it will all work out in the end, you just need patience!

I did win on the lottery on Sat eve but the jackpot lol just £8 and a free ticket for wednesday, so sorry no party....yet :-D

Oh my the wind is getting worse, wouldnt be surprised if the electric went off, its dreadful.

Right off to make a cuppa and fill a flask just in case.

Hope everyone else is ok
take care

Florence in the hebrides

Hello all, hope you are all well.
We are still busy sorting out things re my sisters estate but we will get there . The thing is the rest of the family expect me to do it all as I am the youngest . I have told them I won't and have engaged a firm to do all the legal stuff and it will be paid for out of her estate so in effect out of their inheritance.
I received more bad news this week, my only maternal cousin died suddenly of heart attack . I had only posted her some info she wanted that same day and had been chatting on line to her the day before. Another shock for us. My family is getting smaller too quickly.

On a better note our weather is being good atm so not having to put the heating on yet and am still able to dry washing outside.

Take care all.

Afternoon all looking in.
Well, it's still pretty wild here and terrible heavy showers. Daughter & I managed out for 10 mins to secure and move some flowerpots as more gales forecast tomorrow.

Did a lot of tidying up today and also made a chicken curry for tea with naan bread, poppadom's, homemade tzatziki and coconut basmati rice... Its all ready ,except for naan and rice which only takes a few minutes. Can't wait and I'm starving today.

Bingo went well last night and was full to the brim with people so well attended. I won a prize in the children's raffle but on closer inspection it's really for a 3 yr. old so too young for my nephew. Never mind I shall give away to someone. I thoroughly enjoyed being out and I also saw & spoke to a few people too.

The clouds here are huge, those big, white clouds that look like giant cotton wool. I expect they are full of rain waiting to drop on us.

The lottery tonight is £20,000,000!! So, I bought a few tickets and fingers crossed. If I win big, I'll come down south somewhere and we can all meet for a huge party on me :-D :-D
Well it's nearly time for tea so off to put on the rice.

Hope everyone else safe and ok

Florence in the Hebrides

We have had a lot of rain, but not the storms.

Esme had a really large egg lump on the back of her head yesterday, it has gone down since yesterday, but still looks very sore. She hasn’t gone to school today as she has needed pain killers all day. There has been lots of “ Ow, my head hurts’.

Morning all.
Well, was well and truly woken today by the sound of severe gale force winds! Was hearing this banging noise and eventually had to get up & investigate. It was one of the bins that had broken free of its usual place and had been blown around a corner and landed outside my bedroom window. It was banging against the huge heating fan thing that provides the underfloor heating.

I summoned my daughter poor lassie and made her go outside to retrieve the bin before it did some damage. A few flowerpots had been blown too and 2 were cracked so lost those but was actually nothing growing. The rest were in shelter so all ok.
Wind was up at over 60mph but should come down later to about 35, so still breezy. No ferries again!

Hopefully still going out to the charity bingo later on fingers crossed.

Linda, poor Esme, hope her bump has gone down and she is feeling ok now.

Joan, Hope your bins are where they should be if you have this storm or maybe its heading towards you later on?

Not sure what to make today. something light as we are heading out at 5.15 so will have to be an early tea say 4.15PM.

Its still horrendous driving rain and stormy winds so def not going outside yet lol

Hope everyone else is safe and ok

Florence in the hebrides

I love them as well Ann, I can’t just have one, I keep picking at them.

My poor daughter was supposed to have a whole day of on line meetings today, but mid morning she got a call from Esme’s school to say that she had fallen and hit her head again. When she did the same thing a few months ago, she had a huge lump. They had to go to the hospital and were there until about 4 pm. Apparently it isn’t as bad as last time, but they gave her some ibuprofen and paracetamol on an empty stomach, so of course she threw up just before she was due to see the consultant.
Eventually they let her go and they have stopped at McDonalds on the way back and bought a new toy, so she can’t be that bad.

I too put the heating on low in the evenings now.

so the diet is going to suffer Linda with both girls cooking. I love chocolate brownies.

I used to make an All Bran fruit loaf which always turned out well. I haven’t done it for ages. Cakes are not allowed on my diet really, but Esme likes baking, so I end up eating them.
Eve has cooking lessons at school this year, she arrived home with chocolate brownies today.
It is very autumnal here, I have had the heating on on an evening for the last few days, the girls need to be kept warm.

Afternoon all
Oh, my what a horrid day here. Raining, damp and foggy all at once! It's chilly too.
Last night I put the heating on for 4 hours including the bathroom and bedrooms and those rooms haven't been heated since April just to give them some warmth as don't want any dampness to develop.

Well daughter came last night and went off again today for appointment or something elsewhere so not back until tomorrow.

Ironed my super Kingsize duvet plus Kingsize fitted valence sheet and crikey it took me ages. The backs of my knees were so sore. But all done now and chilling on here sitting down.

I'm so excited as on Friday early evening, I am going out with daughter and a neighbour to a charity bingo evening. I so can't wait to get dressed up and put on me lippy. I was at one before and it was a lovely evening and met some people too hadn't seen for yonks. The neighbour is taking and bringing us home so no taxi fayres in sight although, I want to give her £10 towards the petrol as think that's the least I can do for offering to be the driver.

As I looked round, I just got the fright of my life. neighbours' cat is sitting on my windowsill outside the lounge eeek! He thinks this is his house and had formed a friendship with me...bless him He's mewing away looking at me and wanting in as it's raining, aw <3

Watched a very interesting programme last night on BBC! Scotland about the CalMac ferries. It was suggested that the contract to Fergusons shipyard had been rigged! I did enjoy watching John Swinney (dept 1ist minister) squirming in his seat when the evidence was out to him lol We shall see what comes out of it.

Well feeling tired so not doing anything else this afternoon that requires using energy lo except making a coffee :-D

Hope everyone is ok

Florence in the hebrides

:-D :-D :-D Andy's mum, I only think in pints lol

I still have scales that have ounces and grammes but still work in Imperial measures!
But daughter doesn't understand my recipes as shes young and was trained at school in grammes. If the grammes were an exact conversion of ounces I wouldnt have a problem but they are not.

For a 1/2 pound of butter, where the markers were for 2oz, it was easy but the equivalent is 453 .59 g so divide that by 4 to get the 2 ounce equivalent is 113.39 grammes. What a palava!!

Florence in the hebrides

Our village shop sells Graham's milk and I have just looked at the label. It says it comes from farms all over Scotland to the dairy at Bridge of Allan, which is near Stirling. I don't buy it very often - there's nothing wrong with the milk but it comes in litre bottles, unlike the supermarkets which are mostly in pints. A litre is smaller than my usual 2 pint bottle, so it doesn't last as long as my brain thinks it should! :-(

Morning all
Still another wet & wild day here with no ferries again! I'm glad I'm still stocked up with last week's delivery.
Had a nice hot shower and washed hair so feeling all refreshed today and also slept through from 1am-8am! yes, I actually got a full night's sleep without waking up and that doesn't happen very often.

Linda, I hope you & hubby are feeling a bit better. I do remember my 2nd jag made me feel awful for a couple of days and then it passed.

Yes Joan, you can buy Grahams milk here in local shops. I think it's produced locally in Aberdeenshire somewhere so maybe not available down south? But glad for you the milk was ok. I actually think it was the shop and not you and they probably left it out of the chiller too long. By the time they sold it, it was on its way out, I'm sure.

Daughter coming home this afternoon and within 10 mins, her bags etc will be emptied and covering the floor plus the washing machine will no doubt be on full blast! However, I miss her company sometimes and it's actually good to share a meal with someone.

So glad it's not bin day today as I feel the gale is more severe just now!

Hope everyone looking in is ok

Florence in the Hebrides

I have never heard of that milk Joan, it must be a local one.

We are not feeling well today, we both had our Covid booster yesterday and feel achy and tired now.

Eve had hers on Saturday and she had a very high temperature for twenty four hours. She was well enough to go to school today, but she is tired, so after finishing her homework, she is snuggled up in bed with her water bottle and her iPad

I know I was making fun of the problem but there is a serious issue with the huge gaps that are being proposed.

What will happen if one misses the collection? Most of us will have done that at some time, holidays, hospital (hangovers ;-) ). The wait for the next collection would be nigh on impossible.

Florence yes the memories do usually make me smile, they are good memories/