General Chat

Morning all,

Dull and grey here this morning but dry and its 9 degrees with afternoon rain. Something to look forward to even if its not different.

Need to do some ironing today and pop the hoover round.

I ahve some new mods to take out too but I don't know if I am going to be able to mkae these anymore as they are really fiddley.

Good morning all, very grey again and 5 degrees. Dry so far. Hair appointment 12 o'clock today so hoping it doesn't rain. Otherwise nothing planned. I did get three letters done yesterday and have a couple more to do so maybe that is today's project.

Mel last year I grew Charlottes, Jazzy and Maris Piper. I didn't grow pink firapple (not heard of that one).

I had to go back and check I had not noticed I had put chatting instead of chitting. Made mechuckle too so I left it. But they are not in the conservatory Mandy they are in the spare bedroom.
Ann I think most of my curtains are on the small hooks, although it is a long time since I have taken the curtains down to see.

Yes Vera if it is not muscle pain the gel probably won't help. what about heat pads do they help.

Gosh Annx thats interesting. I'm back to the 1500's too but can't seem to get any further back. Trouble is with a name like Hannabuss there are so many spelling of it.

I too laughed at the potatoes chatting, it put me in mind of the advert on the telly saying people throw away about £80 worth of food a month they buy and don't eat. Where the strawberry is going bad and it says " sorry I can't help it".

I did'nt grow potatoes in my bags last year but I may have another go this year as Anng did the pink firapple last year and oh and I used to grow those and they were a favorite out on the barrow when we sold the veg by the road.

Yes I did do the chilli for Stu tonight but somehow I had put my phone on flight mode and I could'nt make of recieve calls or texts. Stu had rung me to say James had a bad cold and Abi too and he thought he may be coming down with it so I told him not to come but siad if he had'nt eaten he could come and get a take away which he did I just passed it to him out the front door and he went off happy knowing he had'nt got to cook for himself after all.

Hope you al sleep well tonight and that Annx foot is better and Vera gets more sleep and her oh is improving still and he still has quite a few days on antibiotics.

It turned cold this afternoon again so I too stayed in the warm. I was going to clean the hen house out but decided not to.

Afternoon All,

We have had the fine drizzle much of the day too and it's been very cold. We were going to go to Morrisons at Hinckley to get a few things and have some of their poached eggs they do so nicely, but when we got up to do OH's first eyedrop at 8.00am we decided against it as he'd had a bad night with his head pain he gets at times and had needed to take the stronger painkillers and I wasn't keen and was still weary too. We went back to bed and then the landline rang, so up we got again only to find it was a scammer!! OH even got a scam on his mobile later, supposedly HMRC. We got up then and I went to the shop while OH walked into the village for his walk and to collect two CD's he'd ordered online.

We had a chicken and mushroom stirfry for lunch. I cooked the skinless and boneless chicken thighs in the slow cooker yesterday so they were really tender and hadn't realised till I looked it up that you could use quite small amounts of liquid in the slow cooker. Once they cooled overnight, the fat solidified and I scooped it off today.

Thanks for the video Mel and it will certainly stop me wanting any more although I mostly have the 90% sort now. I did have a small box of Ferrero Rocher at Christmas but won't be having more of those! I did see a programme a while ago that said some cocoa was contaminated as they dried the beans next to busy roads with all the pollution. What are you cooking for Stu?

AnnG it is good to try out a few varieties of potato like that and have them in different containers too as I would be bound to get them mixed up. We have a Dunelm at Hinckley where we may go tomorrow now, but I have a dilemma as I'm not sure if I should get the pinch pleat or pencil pleat wire hooks instead. I still think the little plastic ones may be best though as I can adjust the curtains up or down a bit depending what row of thread I hook them through which I can't with the big wire ones with prongs.

Vera I'm sorry your OH still has pain but hopefully the antibiotics will soon bring more improvement and it's a shame your back is playing up now too so I hope you soon feel more comfortable with the wheat bag. Good news on the car though and the car will be nice and clean when you get it back.

The sewing up of all the clothes for the Rabbit must take a while Mandy, but we'll be looking for a handbag now! Yes the foot isn't right yet, but is far less painful thankyou. I'm still using the gel inserts as they make such a difference. You've reminded me I had a chuckle at AnnG's chatting potatoes too!

Rootstech sent me an email the other day showing two famous people I am supposed to be connected to. They have one ancestor different to what I have, it is a different brother and I wasn't sure which was right myself but the ancestry going beyond is the same anyway. My father's family history is very unusual as there are gipsies with fancy names like Ambretta and Spizella on his father's side and industrious business owners going back to Sirs on his mother's side. It is this side that links me to the late Queen Elizabeth 2nd with shared ancestors in the 1400s making me a 14th cousin. I had only got back to the 1500s so must look up these other people.

Evening all,

Oh it's been a cold day again ,we went shopping a bit earlier this morning as there was no school traffic ,we did wonder if the traffic would be busy though as our new Lidl opened today but it was quite quiet ,the old store is near our Tesco's and we had to go there to get petrol , and they were stripping the old Lidl's out already , Aldi was quiet so we soon got our shopping and home again for a nice coffee to warm us up , it's one of those days we're I can't get warm .

Vera I hope your back soon eases with the wheat bag ,your OH might not feel the full benefit of the antibiotics until he's had the full course of them and the sitting about probably isn't helping his joint pain if he's use to being more agile.

Ann that was good OH's chest xray was clear and most of the blood tests were OK too hopefully once hes had the next test it will help them sort out his treatment plan .
Is your foot better now .

Mel enjoy your meal with stu tonight ,did you make the chilli .

Anng I did have a giggle about your potatoes "chatting " in the conservatory ,I had a vision of them saying to each other are you going to be mash or chips lol , goes to show how one letter in a word can change the whole sentence and I type words like that all the time ,or this tablet does . :-D

The wind came up after lunch and we have that very fine rain that blows everywhere in the wind making everthing wet.

Can't get motivated to do anything at present just sitting here dozing.

Got up once in the night and it was still dark so went back to bed but just lie there awake till8.10am when I got up but now I could just throw myself on the bed and fall asleep but I can't cos Stu is coming.

I expect others are busy Mel.

We haven’t had any heavy rain today but lots of drizzle and it’s still very cold.

AnnG, I have offered to walk to our nearest chemist and get something like Ibuleve or Volterol but Mr Independant said no. To be fair to him his back problem is more to do with a joint that was damaged donkey’s years ago and the rub in creams work best for muscle pain. More of a problem are other pains in his body which are caused by the infection. He thought all the antibiotics might have eased them more by now. The pain is slightly better and he still has antibs for another 10 days.

The car is sorted out at last. The company are very busy and are having problems getting 2 drivers available at the same time. The car is out of the workshop and in a compound and they are happy to keep it there until we are ready to collect it. We’ll get a taxi there which they will pay for. We’ve told them it will be a couple of weeks and they said if we can give them a few hours notice they will bring it back to the workshop and give it a good clean ready for us. So that’s another worry out of the way.

Would you believe my back is giving me gyp at the moment. OH is watching the Winter Olympics and seems settled so I am going to lie on the bed with some pillows and a wheat bag against my back.

I hope you are all OK and enjoying whatever you are doing.

Where is everyone?

Good morning all. 2 degrees here and wet so a day indoors pottering. I do have some actual letters to write so that will take a while (and eat into my stampt supply. Bathroom need cleaning and a small wash to do so better get started. Pleased OH is slowly improving Vera but hope his pain soon gets better, is that his back? That will make him miserable as it is a horris pain. Would ibruleve help?

Morning all

It’s not very warm and it is very wet - again (sigh). I could really do with a bit of fresh air and OH is okay to leave for a short while but I don’t fancy a walk in the rain. OH still has some pain and is definitely not himself but he is eating and sleeping well now so seems to be on the mend.

Not sure what I am doing today. A shower and hairwash first I think, then a bit of h/w. Might bbl.

Morning all,

Brightish mornng at the mo 4 degrees and pc is telling me to expect three rainy days in a row starting tomorrow.

I do hope Vera's hubby is improving now he's meds are kicking in and that Vera is getting a bit more sleep now things are settling down. Have you heard anymore about the car ?

Take a look at this for those of you that like your chocolate!.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zb8EZ-fAMfs

If M &S have a curtain deoartment they might sell hooks Ann. Have you got a Dunelm they should sell them.
A nuisance that OH has to have yet another blood test. But needs must!

Mandy I love the thought of your rabbit having a handbag.

Pleased that OH is making progress Vera. It will be slow but that is fine and he will know when he feels able to move on a step.

I grow second earlies, last year Maris pipers didn’t do so well so I have dropped down to two types no as many potatoes. Charlottes in the
Lanter and Jazzy in a potato tub. Both that did fairly well last year. However it all depends on the weather of course. They are chatting in egg boxes.

I am only going to grow on lot of seeds for tomatoes, the rest will be plants.

Afternoon All,

A chilly morning here and only 3 degrees and a cold wind but at least no rain. It's only 4 degrees now and is colder still tomorrow.

I popped to the shop while OH walked to the newsagent to hand in the newspaper vouchers as part of his walk but he didn't go far today as it was so cold. I forgot my magazine while I was out, but can get it tomorrow.

OH then had a phone call from the hospital rheumatology nurse with his blood test results and all were good except one and they want him to have another blood test to check that as it could affect what treatment he has. His chest x-ray was clear, so that was good as if he had ever had TB he couldn't have the treatment they plan as it could be reactivated.

I'm glad your OH is getting a bit better Vera and showing interest in reading again, but as you say, it will take time for him to recover. Staying in the warm and resting for a while will help. It's good the food delivery was complete with no subs this time and it's a shame you still need to sort the return of the car. You'd think the garage would bring it back for you with what's happened.

The thought of new potatoes is lovely AnnG and I used to like chitting them ready to plant. I used to stand mine in egg boxes. I must grow something in pots this year as I missed the toms and courgettes last year. I must sort through my seed packets.

We pay our water, gas and electric and some other bills by direct debit too as it is easier, but not the insurances for the house or cars as I shop around for those each year. I should shop around for broadband too, but dread the thought of swapping that at the moment and it going wrong!

I've been watching some of the Winter Olympics and enjoyed the dancing and snowboarding, but nearly every time I switch the tv on it's curling which I find quite boring in comparison.

My curtains for in here to keep the summer heat out have finally arrived, but I forgot I would need curtain hooks so I need to have a think where to get some locally other than resorting to online. I wonder if M&S have them?

I've done a wash today too Mandy. I don't know where it all comes from. Yes I thought the right one went home in the pottery too and you could tell ahe knew she was going home as well. It was a shame as the foxglove tubelike flowers and painting of them were good, but naturally they were a bit too heavy for the stem to support. I'm not sure I've got the strength for wallopping those big lumps of clay on the wheel, but I would really enjoy doing the decorating.

Bitterly cold here too that wind goes through you and I only went out to the shed .

Vera the sleep will do him good I expect he didn't get much in hospital as there's so much going on and just as you drop off they wake you up to do something .
I'll have a look in Roys for those toms ,I quite fancy having a go with the darker skinned ones .

No Mel not yet ,head and body are joined arms are on but I have the legs and ears to sew on and then dress her ,I've knitted the dress but it's not sewn up ,then I need to knit a hat and I might give this one a handbag .

:-D
Thank you for your concern folks.
The rain has only just started as a heavy drizzle, so no need to get the shipwright genes working on that ark yet.

Like the rest of the country, our ground is very wet, but we are nowhere near a river or lake, so although we are technically considered in a flood risk area, it has never actually flooded. We are on low-lying land and some house insurance companies like to up the premiums a lot, some won't even consider our postcode and some others are more lenient and go by previous local records.

I'd agree regarding direct debit. No need to keep remembering to pay bills by a certain date, just let the bank settle it for you. Most of our bills are paid that way.
So much easier.

There was a bit of sun this morning which turned to drizzle and the rain is supposed to get heavier later. There’s also a strong and bitter wind. iPad says the temperature is 4 degrees but feels like -6.

OH is making slow progress but it is going to take a week or two before he’s anywhere near back to normal. He made us a sandwich at lunchtime and I noticed him pick up his book just now which is a good sign. He normally reads a lot but hasn’t wanted to look at a book for at least 5 days. I haven’t yet received any response to my email to the car people about getting the car back If I haven’t heard tomorrow I shall have to ring again and hope I can get through to someone who knows what they are talking about. Tesco came 10 minutes early and I was well pleased. It was a big order as I was restocking the cupboards and fridge but there were no subs and nothing missing.

AnnG is right Mel; direct debit is much easier than paying by phone and you are still in control as you can cancel it at any time. We pay most of our bills that way.

What variety of potato did you get AnnG? I used to like Maris Peer which I think were second earlies though one year I did main crop King Edward’s. I’ve still got the big square bags I used to grow them in but no space to do it at this house.

Mandy, one year we grew a little tomato that I think was called Chocolate Cherry Tomato. The skin was a dark purplish brown and we did well with them. They had a lovely flavour too. They might be worth a try if you see any seeds.

I hope Gwyn is not waterlogged. If you are likely to be flooded, perhaps you should start building an arc Gwyn.

Time to go and prepare some dinner for my dearly beloved and then I’ll wake him as I see he has dozed off over his book.

Mel why don't you pay the water bill by direct debit, saves having to remember to pay it.

I went to the garden centre, and we had a coffee then both got our potatoes. I only got 6, 3 for in the potato bucket and three in the large planter by the shed, Have to put some more compost in there before planting them to freshen the soil up. Anyway they are on the spare bedroom windowsill chitting.

we were not out long as friend is out this afternoon so needed to get back. I have not really done a lot else except sort out and get rid of old seed packets and read the paper on line and mess around on facebook. Oh I did start to do my order for Saturday with Tesco. I have had the haeting on low, it is still inly 5 degrees and feels quite chilly indoors. Bitterly cold wind out.