General Chat

Ooh, you can have a shopping splurge Florence :-D

It is odd AG how the tiles look so different in different areas. In the downstairs loo, they look very dark, but he has started in the bathroom as well and they look much better there. I think the downstairs ones will look better once the walls are painted, at the moment the walls are white in there which is too much of a contrast.

I have been playing with my new watch. It says my heart is fine , the oxygen level says 97% which is a bit low., but it is measuring it on my wrist. I do have one of the finger sensors, so I will check it with that as well.

I have horrible hay fever today, so I will go and look for some tablets in the medicine drawer, although they will probably be out of date

Afternoon all

Grrrr another thick foggy day!

But on a lighter note......we completed the property sale and I have just received my monies. Its all a bit surreal and like winning the lottery I guess.

Anyway, its been a slog but now can take a chill pill.

Got my clinic consultation in Edinburgh all booked but now to book flights and hotel.
Earliest appointment is 28 Jun! I just hope i fit the criteria to get the laser procedure.

Linda, glad Sylvia replied to you and that she is ok. Quite relieved as when i suddenly realised she hadn't been on here for a while, all sorts go through your mind.

Oh dear, having an ECG on your watch means you will be looking at it all the time! Hope you're not a worrier.

ArgyllGran, your garden sounds and smells wonderful but yes those ticks can lead to Lyme Disease if you dont get them out so one does have to be very careful indeed.

My sinuses are really bad today and have given me a bit of a headache. if the fog would clear and I can get fresh air, i'm sure that would help.

Florence in the hebrides

You are so lucky to have such a hard-working, willing, and multi-skilled OH, Linda!
You seem to be a great team.

It's hard to tell from a sample tile what a bigger area will look like.
It's the same with paint or wallpaper - a whole wall looks very different from a sample or test area.

Another very warm and sunny day here. In fact, it's much warmer outside than it is in the house.
The grass is drying up nicely, so I'll cut it later, when it's cooled down a bit.
I'll still have to be well covered up, though, trying to avoid the ticks which infest my garden, and the whole area.
Almost every time I go out into the garden, I find two or more ticks on me afterwards.
Pinhead size, but potentially dangerous things.

The garden smells wonderful at the moment, with bluebells, azalea and "Montana" clematis all in bloom at the same time. Always the best time of year here.

I heard back from Sylvia and she is fine. She had her daughter staying nearby for a few days, then it has been unseasonably hot, so she can only use the room where her computer is in the evening. She said that she is also having lots of trouble getting onto GR, but will be back when she can.
I normally use Chrome as my browser, just a historical thing as I have lots of bookmarks in nice little files. If I try to import them into a better browser, they don’t look the same, so I just stick with Chrome. From time to time, I have real difficulty getting onto GR. as well. I use my iPad most of the time and it has Safari preloaded, so I use that for GR and never have a problem, but I use Chrome from everything else.

I gave up on my old watch and ordered a new one last night, it is arriving in the next half hour which is exciting. It has an ECG built in which I am not sure is a good idea :-
I will have to order a new strap as I don’t like the default ones Apple Watches come with. I like my current metallic strap, but I think that it will be too small for the new watch.

OH is putting the tiles on the downstairs loo, I am not sure I like them, but it s too late now. :-(. He doesn’t seem very happy about how it is going, even though he has done lots of tiling in the past. Luckily there are very few to do down here. He has the bathroom to do next, so isn’t looking forward to that.

Oh ty Linda, hopefully she will respond.

Poor Esme but its amazing how she manages bless her.

I have sent Sylvia a message Florence, so hopefully she will see that.

Esme just had an ENT appointment as a follow up to her hospital stay recently. She had a perforated eardrum on one side and an infection on the other. She had to go back to the ward last week and the doctor thought he could see a small hole in one eardrum. That turned out to be wrong. As part of her condition she has excessive amounts of wax in her ears, so she goes to the hospital regularly where they try , usually in vain, to get her to let them hoover her ears. This time, when they looked, the doctor said that the hole was actually a grommet which she had fitted a long time ago. It must have been buried in the wax for a good couple of years, but had come to the surface :-S. They managed to hoover it out, but still couldn’t see her eardrums, they needed the big hoover, but that makes a loud noise and Esme wouldn’t let them do it. She doesn’t like loud noise and like lots of autistic children, she has ear defenders when she needs them.
Her ears are bunged up with wax all the time,but she manages really well despite that.

So glad your lunch went well ArgyllGran and a fab amount raised. And you didn't have to cook either....bonus :-D

Linda, hope Esme got seen and all was well..

I have just realised that we haven't seen Sylvia posting since the 2nd May when she had her Covid booster. Just now on the BBC website, I'm seeing wildfires in Canada but not sure which part she's in. I really hope she and her hubby are well and ok.

Sylvia, if you can message to say you are all fine, that would be reassuring, you are missed on here.

Florence in the hebrides

That was a good amount to raise AG and a nice social event to go to.

Esme is at another hospital appointment with her mum, they are intending to collect Eve from school at 5pm as she stays late on Thursdays for choir. so I am on standby in the hospital appointment is running late. I hope that they will be out of the hospital on time, so fingers crossed again.

Well the crossed fingers didn’t work, they haven’t gone into their appointment yet, so we will have to pick Eve up

The charity lunch went well. It was a village affair in aid of Christian Aid.
About 40 people turned up, and we raised over £700.

Four kinds of lovely home-made soup, and a good selection of sandwiches - also a cake stall and raffle.

I've brought home some left-over chicken sandwiches, so that's tea sorted! I'll add some salad.

It's a lovely warm sunny day, but the grass is still damp, so no grass cutting today. Hopefully tomorrow or at the weekend. It grows so fast at this time of year.

Well, another busy day today. I had intended to go to Slimming World, then to the supermarket as we had run out of toothpaste. I was also going to Curry’s to have a look at the colour of the Apple Watches as my current one keeps switching itself off.

That was the plan any way before my daughter rang and asked me to collect her from the garage. She said last night her all singing, all dancing car was insisting that the rear left tyre pressure was low. This morning she went to a petrol station and pumped it up and reset the system, so they were all fine, but very soon it said it was low again. As she was near the Volvo garage she left it with them to check, so I had to pick her up. They can’t find anything wrong with the tyre and think it must just be a software glitch, so OH took her to pick it up.
I did go to Curry’s , but they were totally useless, probably a good thing as I had another go at sorting my current watch out and fingers crossed, so far it is behaving.

The electrician was supposed to come this afternoon to install the Google Nest thermostat, but he turned up at eleven so that is now in. I just need to mess about with the settings, I will do that later.

The new dining chairs arrived this afternoon, so OH has put them together. I would still have preferred ones with wooden legs and blue leather seats, but we have given up and gone for black legs.

We also planted the tall Red Robin in the new trellis planter and added it to the other two. It is blocking the view of the neighbours even more. One of the tomatoes in the green house was flopping over because they hadn’t been tied up yet, so OH constructed a frame and I tied them up. I also planted out a couple of courgettes in the garden.
It is still only mid afternoon, so I think it is time for coffee

Well its still foggy grrr but if it lifted it would actually be quite warm!

Enjoyed the visitors and we all chatted about this & that. They said my house was lovely and my garden with all the pots was beautiful so that was a lovely compliment.

I have now washed up the plates and cups etc and contemplating doing a basket of ironing as its full up???

Actually, yes I will and then wont have it hanging about over the weekend. And its only 3pm so be finished in an hour.

How's everyone's day going so far?

Florence in the hebrides

Morning all
I'm up bright & early as Tesco coming this morning and then my visitors later'

Its bright but a bit overcast just now so not sure what kinda day it will turn out to be!

ArgyllGran, hope the lunch goes well for you today and i am sure you will be kept busy so your day will fly by.

Linda, since my little Red Robin plants have gone outside, they are now doing very well and have grown a little, so Im pleased for that.

Well plenty to do but off to the shower first and then to be busy.

Have a good day all :-D


Florence in the hebrides

You've had a satisfyingly productive day, Linda.
So have you, Joan and Florence!

I don't feel I've done anything very much today!
It's been mainly grey and damp, so not conducive to gardening.

I take part in a Pilates class on Zoom on Wednesday mornings, so there was that - but the afternoon was spent at the computer, with emails and genealogy.

Tomorrow I'm helping at a charity lunch in the village hall, so I'll feel more as if I've done something after that!

I am glad that everyone has had a good day.
I have been out and about all day. I left at nine and drove for an hour to a retail park near where I get my hair cut. I went to Marks and managed to buy three black t shirts, all different designs as they didn’t have three of the cheapest ones in my size. I also got some new undies.
I then went to get my hair cut. Then I went on the search for a tall Red Robin plant to put in the extra screening trough I had bought. I couldn’t get one, lots of small ones, but no tall ones, so I drove close to where I used to live and tried a couple of places there, to no avail, so I just had lunch in a garden centre.
I dropped a bag full of framed pictures which we don’t have room for to a charity shop where I could park outside, then I went for coffee with my old neighbour.
On the way back, I called in at a nursery near here where I knew that I had seen some Red Robins and managed to get one. I also bought some Surfina plants to add to the baskets in the greenhouse.

Glad you had a productive day in your garden Joan. I have washing out still as its warm and sunny with a little breeze keeping the midges at bay.

it will be another mammoth task of watering all the pots a bit later on as the plants are crying out for a drink bless them.

Hope you found something to have with the sausages Joan, i just had cheese on toast!

Coffee time then off outside again

Florence in the hebrides

Hi to you all.
It's a lovely sunny day for us, it's warm but not too warm that I can't manage to do some outdoor jobs.

I have done to weedkilling through the gravelled areas, & given the sheds the 2nd coats that was needed to be done, however there are a coule of areas on the P shed that I can't reach witout using the steps, only need the small steps but I wobble a bit on them so our daughter will finish off what's needing doing tomorrow if the weather is ok.
There's not much to do.

I have had to water some of the newest plants as they were rather dry & I have tied in the stems of the 4 new Clematus that I planted up last year, there on flowers on them already which surprised me, being so new I didn't expect any flowers just yet.

Linda the new house is coming along nicely now that the painter has gone, everything you have told us about your purchases etc sounds really nice.
You & your husbad have done really well to get things sorted out, especially as you have so many other things to do helping your family.

Florence, I hope you have a really nice day tomorrow, with your visitors.

Sausages for my tea today, just not sure what to have with them, lol.

Joan.

Afternoon all

Well the fog has finally lifted and we have a gloriously sunny and very warm day here.

My Hollyhocks did recover actually in the fog but now the sun has come out, they are wilting and they are in a sheltered corner so not in direct sunlight??? So not sur what i can do for them?

I may be getting visitors tomorrow one of daughters friends plus her mum which will be lovely but I am busy tidying all the dribs and drabs that collect here and there, not my clutter! Anyway the lounge is all spic & span, dusted and vacuumed. Kitchen is also looking tidier too. Just the bathroom to clean and hallway needs a dusting as the 2 book shelves really do gather some dust.

I have Tesco coming between 11-1pm with lots of goodies and hoping they will be here after 2pm, so that works out well.

Hoping anyone else looking in is having a lovely day too.

Florence in the hebrides

I looked online at the Windsor chairs as I have 6 and did re varnish and rub down awhile ago but thought about replacing them. Argos used to sell them in pairs for about £60 but when I looked at some, the price has rocketed!! I would like 8 chairs in all because I can fit 8 easily and 10 at a squeeze round my Kitchen table. We have 3 odd chairs from the bedrooms anyway as spares if needed.

So maybe I shall just buy a pair and perhaps re sand the 6 and re varnish them. actually couldn't see them in Argos anymore so maybe they don't sell them?

When I first moved in 2017,I bought the 6 ft pine table and 6 Windsor chairs from a lady for £50. What an absolute bargain as the table and chairs were solid and well made. So in a way, i'm loathe to part with them. Shall see if i can find a matching pair of chairs and give the others a bit of a makeover.

Just decided to ake a cauliflower cheese bake with cattots and onions and a breaded fish. Once i cut up the cauliflower, there wasn't as much as I thought as it was quite a small one. Anyway all cooking just now and wont take long.

Linda, hope you enjoyed you lunch. You seem to have lots of nice places to eat in close by. Was outside for some fresh air as the sun is out although still foggy! But i felt the midges were lurking in the shadows just waiting to pounce, so we didnt stay out long.

Florence in the hebrides

Sorry Florence, we don’t have any sun to send. It has stopped raining thank goodness.
We did have a very nice lunch in the furniture shop, strangely we got there at lunch time :-D

We have given up on our dining chair wish list, so I have just ordered some on line which I hope will be OK.

Afternoon everyone looking in.

oh my the fog is awful and its very wet but the plants outside have sprung to life and have taken well, so I am pleased with all we did yesterday.

We decided to crack on with making more candle centrepieces. I had 6 left in the box and have just finished clearing up. This batch of pine cones was a little disappointing as a lot were quite small with less bigger ones and so we have now ran out...again.

I also needed another 6 red pillar candles so I have ordered some and then these will be the last ones.

My poppies, I have grown from seed are in a pot on the window in the lounge and now they are really growing well. They will be going outside but not until this dreadful weather has passed.

Linda, hope you have a nice lunch :-D

It all sounds as if your house is now coming together finally.

Joan, hope you are having a better day and that the sun is shining so at least you can sit outside with a cuppa and listen to the birds.

If anyone has the sun, can you please send it up here pronto :-D :-D :-D

Florence in the hebrides