General Chat

Thank you Ann I'll get son to get some tomorrow when he goes into boots .

Afternoon All,

What a miserable day here today. Drizzly rain, dull and quite chilly. We got my car fuelled at last this morning and a visit to a nearer garden centre afterwards. OH talked me into a vegetarian breakfast (I think that's why he wanted to come with me!). They won't swap breakfast items at this garden centre and I won't have sausage I won't eat, so the vegetarian one with two eggs is a better option. I particularly wanted to look at their wool, but they only seemed to have very large balls and nothing a colour I fancied.

Mandy, if it's any help, online it suggests the liquid iron is better tolerated. I don't know but suppose if it is by injection it bypasses the tummy and intestines where it can cause irritation and so problems. See what your GP says anyway, but I suspect she will want you to keep taking some iron medication, either a lower dose or injections. If you keep needing the loo, if it hasn't been suggested, it might be an idea to get some packets of rehydration salts from the chemist to replace what you lose when you have to keep going! Dioralyte is one make.

Vera, it was your turn today with a surly assistant then! How rude to not even say thank you for a donation. The young girl at the pharmacy was much better. We had a good assistant serve us at the Co-op today. She asked if we'd like her to pack our bag, which most don't, and packed it quickly and properly with the right things at the bottom of the bag and nothing squashed or upside down.

I'm with you about mealworms in the fridge......no thank you! My ex BIL kept roadkill in the freezer as he did taxidermy and that would have put me off as well.

Our Robin still comes for the dried mealworms and the Magpies if they can hang on long enough to get at any!

AnnG I will send a pic of the plastic pots we bought. It'd not a brilliant one as I took it at the garden centre so I could show OH.

We have a new problem with our Hostas in pots, or at least with one of them up to now. Yesterday I noticed about half a dozen leaves lying on the chippings around one of the pots. I went out and had a closer look today, thinking they had fallen off the plant for some reason, but no they hadn't. Apart from one or two holes that I thought was the snails, nothing else on the plant or the other ones has been eaten. Something has just chewed through near the base of the leaves and let them drop. I'm wondering now whether relatives of baby Bugs Bunny that ate the Violas last year are coming in the garden? He never touched the Hostas last year, but I suppose they have different tastes like us.

No call yet .

I use to buy the dried mealworm and the pigeons always cleared them up before the little birds had a look in, I don't think I could have the live ones in the fridge though.
Well my tea was interesting three cream crackers and a banana.and lunch was the same .

I'm waiting for some different blood pressure tablets they should be in boots and son was talking to a parent at the school that works in there and she's going to get them ready in the morning for him to collect.
When he went in the doctors to get me an appointment last Friday the lady on the desk had just told the woman in front of son that there was no more appointments but he knew the lady as one of the parents from school and she said leave it to me ill get her in , not what you know its who you know .

Vera if the young girl was only 16 or so perhaps she's not allowed to handle any drugs and can only use the computer and that's why the other assistant went and got your meds .

I’m back again.

I had also wondered if you meant live mealworms Mel. I’ve only ever had dried ones but I’ve stopped putting them out now as none of the birds touch them, even if I soak them in water. In fact the only thing our birds will eat are sunflower hearts and occasionally they will peck at fat balls. I don’t think I’ll be buying live mealworms and I definitely don’t want them in the fridge. I had enough of that when my son lived at home and kept live fishing bait in the fridge.

I hope the doctor rings you back Mandy. You might have to be persistent if he doesn’t and keep chasing him up. I’d forgotten about iron injections. At the age of 12 I used to go to the hospital twice a week for those and I also had them regularly in the later part of my pregnancies but that was a very long time ago and I had completely forgotten them.

We went into town this afternoon and delivered two large sacks to one of the charity shops. I think we met the twin of Annx’s surly lad. I waited outside while OH went in with the bags. When he didn’t reappear I went in. He said he didn’t think anyone was around but from the angle I was I could see someone in the back watching him so I loudly said I would ring the bell on the counter. The person in the back moved forward. I couldn’t tell whether it was a him or a her - maybe “they” identified as something else. He/she said “Fought you was looking round. Didn’t know you ‘ad bags”. OH explained we had just brought in some donations at which he/she said “OK”, grabbed the bags and was gone. Not a smile, a thank you or anything.

Then we went to the pharmacy. What a contrast. I was greeted by a little girl who came to my waist and had the biggest smile. She looked about 9 and reminded me of my youngest granddaughter when she used to play shops. I wondered if she was a child of one of the assistants but she listened to what I had come for and operated the computer fine and another assistant went off to find my meds. While she was gone this little girl grinned at me non-stop - in fact, it was just getting a little embarrassing when my meds arrived. On the way out I saw a notice asking for applications for apprentice medical counter assistants so I reckon she was the first and was probably about 16. If she keeps her smile and nice attitude she’ll be an asset to them.

I’ve been rambling on again haven’t I. Better leave you in peace now.

I will stick to the dry ones Mel. Your birds are spoilt :-D
gosh that was quick for your card. Well done your bank and your post office delivery. I am convinced that we only get two or sometimes three deliveries a week. I am not the only one who thinks this.

Yes I buy the live ones online from Livefoods direct and I have the mixed ones. It a lot of fiddle really to sort the sizes out and grow them on but my little Robin and Wren love them so I try to just give them to them but the Dunnock has seen where I put them too so I have too chase him away sometimes. I keep them in plastic boxes in porridge or bran and they have slices of carrot for a bit of water. When they chnage into bugs and then beetles I keep those seperate and they lay eggs which I have to sive and put in a clean box with fresh porridge but this time I have some bran so I may try that for them to lay their eggs in. I keep them in the shed in the summer and the ones I am feeding in the lounge as its pretty cool in there and if its too hot they go in oh's study which is north facing. You can keep them in the fridge so they last longer but my fridge is too full now I am on my own I have to keep the tatoes in there or they start to sprout.

By the way my Robin won't touch the dried ones.

You know I said the postman had come? he brought my new card so its a shame my shopping was'nt comeing tomorrow. I have done Asda and now I need to do Ebay.

Mel, do you mean the meal worms you buy are live ones? I only buy the dried ones, not seen live ones.

Mandy, hope the doctor does ring you back, it is worth speaking to somebody.

Just rang the doctors to see if should stop the iron tablets and the receptionist said she would leave a message for the doctor and when she heard from her she'd ring me back .

Don't worry about not commenting on the posts Mandy we just want you to get better. Sounds like you have had something to eat today. I always gave my son Rich Tea biscuits if he was unwell, they are good for an upset tummy. Also drink boiled cooled water NOT tap water.


Had to write two birthday cards for a friend and aunty Joy and the postman came just as I had finished writing the first one so I asked if he could wait and he said that he will come back after doing others post. I rushed to get the second card done and do you think I could find the first class stamps. I know I had bought osme with birthdays looming. I found some 2nd class from Chirstmas so they had to go on and just in time as Tim drove back down the drive. He's a good young man.

Been sorting out my mealworms for the Robin and Wren. I buy mixed ones and pick out the tiny and small ones and grow them on. Some are so small when they arrive the birds would'nt even benifit from them so I feed them on poridge and they have sliced carrot.

Good morning all

Wet and grey and only 7 degrees. I'm getting fed up with this weather now

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Came on to do a post an hour ago. Then Tesco arrived early with a delivery which I had to unpack and put away and it was 3 weeks worth of stuff plus some extra I bought as the products were on good offers so it took a little while.

Now OH is calling that lunch is ready and after lunch I have to go into town to get my meds and I'll take the opportunity to take another bag to the charity shop, so I'll have to hope to come back later. Have a good afternoon everybody.

Morning all,
Been raining here this morning and it's really chilly .
Tummy still playing up but I have to wait for the stool result had cornflakes for breakfast and went to the loo, just had three digestives and a banana as I need something inside me .
I am reading the posts but sorry on not commenting on them .

Good morning all 8 degrees here already so a bit warmer than the past few days. slept quite well last night. Nothing planned for today though except I need to continue with cleaning the three piece suite in the lounge.

Back to the lad on the till Ann. Maybe he was not usually on the till and had been sent there for a doing something wrong (i.e. a punishment) so was sulking. Or was overdue a break. You need to go back to see if he is still the same. Anyway you got your pots. what sort are they?
Well done Mandy for managing to eat a little. Hope you feel better today.

Morning all,

Suns out and it 8 degrees and pc says cloudy. Asda have sent me a message to say they have cancelled my order as they can't take payment But theres not a lot on the list this week and I can get milk up the shop. The only thing I shall miss is my meals for one as I usually have three of those a week as they are quick and easy if I don't want to cook.

Hope you all had a better nights sleep last night and that our Mandy feels a bit better this morning and gets in touch with the doc to get this mess sorted. You can't go on like this Mandy.

Anyone doing anything nice today?

That's very true Mandy. They can be difficult, heartbreak years for girls and boys can't they and who knows what other problems he might have in his life. It was just such a contrast to see OH being his usual smiley, chatty, upbeat self getting just a surly response from him and no eye contact.

I hope you enjoyed your nice bit of dinner. :-)

Oh I see what you both mean now ,heads a bit slow on taking it in :-) yes Ann a lower dose might help too.
Perhaps it was a girl that had upset him :-)

Just had some fish fingers , mixed veg and a tiny bit of mash .

Ah you slipped in there Vera with me being slow sending my post with OH's interruption! I'm glad you are both on the mend now, so be careful not to set things back.

Would you believe it, OH takes a bottle of water with him to matches then comes home with it untouched! He even has one of those hewee bottles in the car if he's desperate, but it's unused. He drinks plenty at home like you say when he isn't travelling, but he won't drink at home for ages before he has a meeting, and sets off so early due to the traffic. He can use the school's toilets before he comes home but he says he can't walk out to the toilets when he's writing the minutes during a meeting and some meetings go on for over 2 hours, then he will be driving to another meeting so won't drink again for the same reason for the next meeting. :-S. It's why he won't eat in case he will need a toilet during a meeting as well. When he chaired his own meetings before he retired he made sure they all had comfort breaks.

OH had a word with our neighbour whose corner of her wall was knocked down by the Asda man who parked on our drive. Another bit of her low wall further along the road has been broken now by someone else. I can't believe the huge lorries that come down our narrow bit of road though and they don't slow down.

Mandy how awful for you having all this trouble and not feeling well. As AnnG says, it does seem like the tablets are a problem now. I wonder if your GP might suggest lowering your dose to see if you tolerate them better? It might take longer to build up your iron levels, but worth it if you feel better. Best wishes and yes keep sipping some water. :-)

Vera has reminded me about clicking on links in these emails Mel. She is right and scammers can download malware to your computer by you doing it. If in doubt I'd sooner wait a few days and just see if a parcel turns up. The worst that could happen is they could send it back. It sounds like you just have a bank card to pay for things with? We each have both a credit card and bank card so we can always pay or withdraw cash with one if we lose the other. There is no interest to pay on a credit card as long as you pay it by the date on the statement and you get more payment protection for goods costing over £100 with a credit card than you do with your bank. You can set yourself a low spending limit on a credit card too, so if it is stolen thieves can only spend up to it. It's just a thought, as sometimes the risk of having something extra is worth not having the risk of the problems that can be caused otherwise. Any more white eggs today?

We used one of our 30% off coupons at a local place we sometimes go to today and had scampi with chips and peas. OH had a rocky road icecream sundae and I had the raspberry trifle cheesecake which was very nice. Then, as we were halfway to the garden centre with the pots I liked, we carried on there and bought them. I know it was raining and a dull day, but what a sullen youth served us and he said 'have a nice day' in such an unsmiling way, as if he only said it because he'd been told to. As soon as we were out of earshot OH made me chuckle when he said 'I bet he's a hit with the girls!'

Yes there's a lot to sort out AnnG and you are in limbo and unable to do anything till you know a date and whether your stitches will be out by the time you have your holiday at your daughter's. You have achieved plenty today so that must be satisfying. I planned to do more today, but I just asked OH what he'd decided about one of his savings that was maturing and he panicked and checked it and tomorrow is the day, so he's passed it to me to sort out as he is busy with work stuff! So I have my PA hat on now.

I think what Vera and I mean Mandy is that there is probably more than one make of iron tablet. Maybe a different ‘make’ would not upset your tummy. It is the extra contents in the tablets that can cause problems. I have also heard of people having injections if they can’t tolerate tablets.

Pleased OH’s neck and shoulder is improving Vera. Sounds like you need another day taking it easy. Maybe you tweak your back in your sleep which wakes you up. I had a better night but still not a really good one.

I don't think there's anything else I can take instead of the iron tablets so I'll just have to see how it goes and if I keep getting tummy trouble I will have to go back, but I have to wait for the stool test result as she wondered if I was losing blood .
We should drink 2 litres of fluid a day and I really thought we were with all the drink we have but tummy trouble means you have to have a lot extra drink as your losing a lot of fluid .

Oh dear Mandy, that doesn't sound good at all. It does sound as though some of your problems could be from the side effects of the iron. I'm sure you have looked into it but, if not, the NHS site has quite a lot of info about the side effects, how long before and after food you should take the pills and what foods you should and shouldn't eat with them. Do let your doctor know how poorly you are feeling as he may be able to change the pills or make things easier for you. I hope you feel better very soon.

You've done lots of h/w today AnnG. You are putting me to shame. I've done washing and a bit of general tidying but not much else. OH's neck and shoulders are quite a bit better today and my back is beginning to recover again though I am still being a bit careful how I move. I don't think I slept very well as every time I moved in the night I woke myself up so I feel very tired today and keep yawning away. I can understand that thinking about your op and your holiday with daughter doesn't help you get a good night's sleep AnnG. I do sympathise with you about missing your daughter. Of course I do still have OH and I'm grateful for that but I miss my kids and grandkids too as I see very little of them.

Your OH must eat and drink when he's not at home for meals Annx. There was something in the paper today about older men not drinking enough because they are worried about the lack of public toilets. Mine drinks gallons of water at home but never thinks to take a bottle out with him. It's good that OH was able to have a word with that fellow using your drive all the time. Fingers crossed that he now uses the road to turn round.

I hope your new card comes quickly Mel. In the meantime do you have another card you can use for Asda or was that your only card? It must be annoying that every time bil comes another bit of the mower gets broken. On the other hand, if he didn't come you would be stuck trying to cope with all that grass on your own which would be very difficult.

I see time is getting on again and I have a couple of phone calls to make so better get those done next. I hope everyone sleeps well tonight.