General Chat

Good morning

It was raining first thing but it has just brightened up a bit. However the computer is telling me it is going to start again any minute.

It sounds as though your granddaughter enjoyed her 21st birthday AnnG. Belated happy birthday to her. One of my granddaughters was 21 at the beginning of the month as well but didn't have a big celebration. She was finishing up at drama school and off to work in the Isle of Wight for the summer. Enjoy the rest of your time with the family.

I should think the girls might enjoy making friendship bracelets Mandy. I have a vague recollection of one of my granddaughters making them when they were younger.

I have just tried out my new iron. It seems OK so far though it is a bit heavier and a bit larger than my old one. I think it is just a case of getting used to it. I thought of you Mel and your problem with an iron as the instructions to this said in two different places that it should never be used with an extension lead. I don't know why not as plenty of other appliances can be plugged into an extension cable. In fact my iPad is charging on one now.

I'm now going to check when I last had a grocery delivery as I seem to be running short of several things. I usually have a delivery roughly every 3 weeks and I am sure I shouldn't be due another one yet but, if necessary, I'll get an order in as I don't want to keep popping to the shops for a bit of this and a bit of that.

Have a good day everyone in spite of the wind and rain.

Morning all,

Dull cloudy and raining here this morning and Percy Pigeon is in charge of the big trailer up the top by the fig tree. Its probably got water in it and he's had a bath. Pc says heavy rain and 14 degrees so I don't think I hsall be going out there doing much today. I have moles come up on the top field again.

No sooner am I up than I start itching its driving me crazy.

Morning all,

Dull morning here but dry so far ,I have washing out so must keep an eye on it as we should have rain by lunch time.

Oh Vera what a time you've had the last few days but the main thing is no one was hurt and the car can be repaired ,you were very lucky you didn't get a shock from the iron ,it's a but frightening when something happens like that shame it ruined a good cardi though.

Anng glad you arrived OK, good job it wasn't today you had to travel on the news they were saying about all the traffic on the roads today ,so many people travelling over the weekend off on their holidays .

Mel it sounds as if doing a little bit hasn't been to bad for your arm but don't over do it ,hope you haven't got any more bites .

I ordered some pretty cord for making a few friendship bracelets so I have been having a go at those ,I thought if the girls come its something they might like to have a go at.

Oh black old clouds about out ths front better see if my washing is dry .

Good morning. Sleepy house this morning party went off well about 25 twenty ish year olds, so much energy but great to watch them dancing. Son brought me home about ten as he had to go back and help clear up at 11.30. I didn’t hear them come in and I slept quite well.

Yes I got here with son at 3.30 he got to me at just after 1pm traffic was heavy but no hold ups and the journey was about the same as usual. This evening we have granddaughters 21 st party. In a small hall just 25 friends and us. The room here is dominated by large floating balloons eight of them including a large 21. They have just gone off to prepare the hall.

The sun is shining and it has been dry all day at home and here.

Afternoon all

I expect AnnG is at her son’s by now. I hope the journey was a good one and the weather is kind to her this week.

You must taste very sweet Mel. All the insects want a bite of you :-). Those itchy bites can be really irritating. I expect it’s a bit annoying never knowing when your bil is going to come, hard to plan anything, but he does seem to be very good in giving you lots of help. Even though you want to get on with things in the garden you need to be careful with that arm; you don’t want to make it any worse.

I’ve just done about 30 mins in the garden and am now having to sit on the bed with pillows behind me. I know from experience that these muscle spasms do get better eventually but it seems to take longer to recover each time it happens and there’s lots I want to get on with.

This morning we took the car to the body repair place near Colchester. Their on site estimator has just left the company but a very knowledgeable lady came and took lots of photos from all angles which she will email with a report to an estimator at another site. She said we will probably hear from him on Monday. Of course they won’t know till they dismantle the car whether there is any structural damage but it is unlikely. The car is driving completely normally. Anyway we will wait for the estimate and then make a final decision whether to bite the bullet and pay ourselves or whether to let it go through insurance.

We went from there to Tesco’s and bought a new iron. Then when we got back I rang the dentist to make an appointment for her to look at my missing filling. I said the tooth wasn’t painful at all but eating was difficult because my tongue is really red and sore as it is rubbing on a jagged tooth all the time.. Receptionist had a word with the dentist and they have fitted me in for Tuesday so not long to wait. We’re getting there. Now I just need to decide whether to replace my cardi or not.

When we got up this morning we saw our travellers had gone and I was told they were moved by the police yesterday afternoon, which is very quick. But our parish council is left with the bill for damaged posts and broken locks, barely 9 months after the last lot of repairs.

It hasn’t rained so far today but it is looking very black and ominous now. The forecast for the weekend is not looking good and tomorrow we are going to a British Legion tea at the visitor centre by the river. I suppose they will move it to the indoor room but it’s not going to have the same atmosphere as tables by the river. There is very little parking there so we will probably walk down. I hope we don’t get drenched.

Sending a wave ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ to Mandy and anyone else who occasionally looks in or posts. I wonder how our Gill is getting on.. Enjoy the rest of your day and sleep well tonight. “See” you tomorrow.

Morning all,

Anng I have one on my left wrist thismorning nd on my left leg and they itch like billyio.

Did wake till 9.38 for the loo. I seem to be sleeping right through the night lately but it could be to do with taking a co-codamol at night so my arm dos'nt hurt.

Its 16 degrees here with a high pollen count and PARTLEY SUNNY. sKY IS GREY NOW IT CHANGES SO QUICKLY.

Sorry caught my finger.

BIL may come today but I never know till he actually get here cos he dos'nt ike to be tied down.

good morning all dry and clear so far, too early to judge what it will be later as it changes so quickly but it is 10 degrees. I have until about 12 to get ready so plenty of time. I am a bit like you this morning mel, I have a bite on my side must have been a mozzie in the room last night.

Have a lovely week Anng and safe journey.

All I seem to have done today is pick up and load the big trailer and not much else. I don't know where the day has gone and now its just dark.

Yes Vera he will collect me about mid-day He won’t stop, just turns around and drives back. Well I make sure loading the car takes a good few minutes. It is about a 2 hour journey. He has a big car and he is a steady driver, drives a lot.

Yes it will be good to see them, they will look after me. Not as comfortable as at daughters where I have a large bedroom and an E suite, lots of empty drawers and a wardrobe. At son’s I have a very small room filled with the double bed a large chest of drawers with all drawers full of stuff that should go to charity, no wardrobe, nowhere to unpack anything and piles of outgrown toys and games everywhere so I live out of the case. But they are easy to live with I just have to bear with it. And this time 26 year old grandson is back living at home so I will be sharing the bathroom with him. Love him to bits though. Granddaughter us 21 today, she is the baby of that generation.

Is your son collecting you AnnG? Is it far to travel? Have a safe journey and a lovely week away.

You asked about our prang. There was no other car involved and OH couldn’t have been doing more than 5-10 miles an hour so it’s hard to comprehend the level of damage. It is the whole of the nearside. The car is a Volvo and they have a very solid frame so nothing was pushed in towards me. No problems with whiplash and I doubt if I would have felt it if my back hadn’t already been bad. We were telling friends over coffee this morning and they could hardly believe it as OH is a good driver. As you know he is always ferrying friends and neighbours about and they all say they feel safe with him. It was just a freak accident. For various reasons we may choose not to put it through insurance even though we know it will be costly. It’s going to the Volvo place that does our servicing and MOT in the morning for them to take a look and give us an idea of price.

I remembered about your iron Mel. Like AnnG, I iron very little but there were a couple of shirts of OH’s and a couple of tops and a pair of cotton trousers of mine that definitely need an iron. I’ve got an old one in the garage which works perfectly well but weighs a ton so I will probably go and get a new one.

As for our travellers Mel, the police will eventually move them on as they did last time but it took quite a while. That is all that will happen but if we had broken down posts and broken gates and locks we would be charged with criminal damage or something similar. This is an even bigger group than last time. Our rec is used by local dog walkers and they will stay away until they are gone and parents aren’t letting their little ones use the children’s playground while the field is full of travellers. According to the newspapers this is probably the same group that the police have just moved from the grounds of a primary school.

I managed to get into the garden for 45 minutes this afternoon and did a bit of deadheading and watered some of the pots with a feed in the water. OH will give the garden a water with the hose later. I think I’d better start thinking about dinner now. It’s shepherd’s pie tonight. We haven’t had that for ages.

Its clouded up a bit here now but there is still blue sky up there. Its 18 degrees and pc says partly sunny.

There was a big bang about lunchtime and when I looked out of the kitchen window there was lots of smoke to the north and I knew my neighbours were away so I took the car up to have a look. It was the builders having a bonfire during the day and a nice day at that when there would be lots of washing out. Then I spied the library van in the carpark so went and told Julie to wait as I had'nt got my books with me. She was having her lunch and I had already done some toast for mine. Went back up with my books and got them renewed and she gave me a website to sign a petition to keep the mobile libraries in Devon. I have just done that. When I got back to my lunch my toast was like a load of leather but I had buttered it so I ate it anyway. I had to put marmite on it to get my teeth to chew it.

Since then I have had a parcel delived of dolls house stuff and two things are badly broken and they were the two things I wanted.

EDIT Wrote this an hour ago and the postman came so I did'nt post it!!!!!

Well I have finished packing. I also did a wash load so I don't have a load to come back to. I watered two gardens first thing as Cynth is away. And I then spent half an hour cutting back a rampant Jasmine and an equally enthusiastic variegated ivy. so the garden bin is almost full. still plenty to do out there but I did cut the lawn on Monday so it is sort of tidy out there. I have accepted it will never be pristine. As long as it looks presentable and I like it I am not going to fuss over it.

It was nice all morninf quite sunny ans 17 degrees. However we have just had a shower.

probably not here Mel as I very rarely iron anything. so I hope it is not something else instead.

Morning all,

Nice bright morning again today and it looks all misty moisty out there.

Funny thing is that my arm feels better today so far after a day in the garden so perhaps it did me good staying off the pc and using it a bit and not sitting around all the time. There is a down side though I have been bitten several times and so itching a lot. I must admit though it was worth it to see the garden looking much tidier. What with BIL cutting the grass and me cutting down the docks round the apple trees and some of the ivy hanging down from one tree and the stuff round the steps to the caravan.

Going back to Vera and her iron do you remember me saying I had trouble with my iron a few months ago. Mine did'nt actually catch fire but it melted the plastic around where I plugged it into the extension lead so I threw that out and BIL cleaned the plug on the iron off and it works ok now. So thats two of us now so you others may have to be careful cos theres bound to be a third.

Good morning all, packing day today. It is only 10 degrees here so a lot cooler but bright. Yesterday afternoon was lovely but I was inside at the meeting. That was very interesting and complimented the visit we had to the backstage tour of the same theatre a few months back.

Oh goodness Vera, that was a chapter (or two) of accidents. If it was the passenger door that was damaged I assume you were OK except jolted but I hope you didn't suffer whiplash. was it just your car involved? Anyway that is going to affect your insurance. and, worse, I assume it needs repair so will be a major inconvenience. And then the iron, wow! sounds as if (except for the expense of the cardigan) you were lucky you didn't get a shock. Was the iron old?

However, besides all that it sounds as if the funeral went off OK and you had lots of chats with friends/relatives.
And today is another day.

Mel, should you really be doing all that gardening /hard work with the aches and pains you already have, It only seems to be making it all worse. Could you find anyone local that you could pay to do all the cutting back?

O Vera if you saw it on the telly you would say it could'nt happen in real life. What a shame about your cardi.Are the travellers aloud to stay for so many days? or can they be shifted by the police?

I have just done another hour in the garden so goodness knows how my shoulder is going to be tonight but I thought I may as well get on with something while I could move.

Chapter 2

After breakfast we started for home and had a good journey back. I thought Good, yesterday was a bad day but everything is going well today. Spoke too soon didn’t I.

First I find travellers have moved on to the rec at the bottom of our Close - AGAIN. It’s not that long since they were last here and the damage they caused then has only just been repaired and now they have damaged the posts round the field again. They don’t seem to consider that we have to keep paying from our taxes as we are apparently “rich” and they are poor. So how come their caravans are all being towed by modern, expensive vehicles. I have some sympathy with the real Romany people or even travellers who are prepared to do some work where they can and abide by the same laws as the rest of us but this lot seem to think they’re entitled to do as they please. Rant over.

Well I thought nothing else can go wrong now. Ha, blooming ha. I thought I would do the ironing. Just ironing the second piece and there was a loud bang and a small flame coming from where the lead goes in to the iron. I quickly shut the power off and blew out this little flame but thought I could still smell burning. Then I felt my wrist getting hot. The dratted thing had set light to my nearly new pale blue lambs wool cardigan. I managed to put it out before it actually burnt my wrist but the cardi can’t be salvaged.

After that I plonked myself on the bed with my iPad and started typing these posts. I haven’t even thought abou tonight’s food. OH might get a pizza and I’m not sure what I’ll end up eating. I hope you’ve had a better time than me over the last couple of days.

Sorry you are still in pain Mel, and now itching as well. I hope it eases up soon. Perhaps the Voltarol will help. I can’t remember but are you on tabs for high bp? If so, check with your surgery if it’s OK to use Voltarol. I was told not to take any anti inflammatory drugs while taking bp tablets and that included creams and rubs.

AnnG, that house sounds worth a visit. I’ve got a feeling it might have been on TV at some time. I shall have to google it.

Well now, yesterday. What a day! We arrived at the church nearly an hour early having left plenty of time in case of holdups. Some family were there already having done the same as us. It was a nice service, both wife and daughter of the deceased speaking, but it was such a long service. The priest had a very quiet voice and a bit of an accent and I hardly understood anything he said. I didn’t know any of the hymns either.

Service ended and we all had to make our way to the crematorium a few miles away. I won’t bore you with all the whys and wherefores but we were the last to leave and because of several things happening at once our car had an argument with a brick pier and the brickwork won. The whole of the passenger side of the car is badly damaged and it is clearly going to be a very costly repair.

By the time OH had sorted the car and we got going again we were late arriving at the crem and were going to wait outside, but one of the undertakers quietly opened a side door and we were able to slide in the back without anyone realising.

Next we moved on to the reception. We were following our son and as we were going up one way other guests were passing us in the other direction, all shaking their heads and looking puzzled. Eventually son reset his satnav and we turned back in the direction we came and after driving in a large circle got to the right spot which was only a couple of miles from where we started. We never did find out what the problem was but at least we were all in the same boat.

The reception was lovely. Plenty of good food and lots of chat and a constant stream of photos and videos of the deceased. By now my back was killing me particularly as the incident with the car had really jolted me. I didn’t tell OH as he was angry with himself that it happened and I didn’t want him feeling guilty because I was in more pain.

Around 5.30 we went to our hotel, had a wash and brush up and a little rest before going to find some dinner at around 7.30. I just had a main course and a glass of wine, OH had a starter, a main and a pint of beer. All was going well till my tongue seemed to touch something rough and jagged. I had lost a large filling. My tongue is sore and getting an ulcer now so I shall have to ring the dentist in the morning. That was really the last straw and I was glad to get to bed last night.

I didn’t sleep well but we were up early and I went to shower first. The water wouldn’t run away so I lifted the drain cover and the thing was absolutely clogged with hair which I had to clear out. When we went down for breakfast I took this hair, wrapped in a tissue, and complained at reception. It was a basic room but at £120 a night it should still be properly cleaned, They were very apologetic and are going to take it up with the head of housekeeping there. It’s a chain and I am a “club member” so as recompense they have added a number of reward points to my card. As we probably spend one night every few years in this chain I never get enough points to do anything with but being a member gets you a very slightly reduced rate and a few perks like late checkout etc.

I’m going to post this before I lose it and then continue on another post. You’re getting half a book today ;-)

Just come in from the garden and BIL just gone. I have cut down loads of brimbles from the box hedge and some of the fig and roses on the south facing wall BIL brought the big trailer round and we picked it all up a whole trailer load piled high. I hope I am not going to suffer for it later on but if I do I will take a pill. I'm starting on the front next.

When he drove in and parked he parked right on my mollis all along the front of the bungalow so now I am going to get a drink and see how much he destroyed.