General Chat

Morning All,

Sunny and bright here as well, but the PC is saying -1 degree and my car bonnet is sparkling with frost. I slept well too and got up in the night just once.

I thought your Christmas tree was uprooted or snapped off with the wind Mel as I never knew it was in a pot all year. I thought you used to replant it back in the garden after fetching it in Christmas. Yes I meant Aaron and the name Adam with the same initial who did work here recently popped into my head for some reason. Did you show your BIL the painting I did from his photo? I know you said he wanted to see it.

Mandy our outside tap is a bit awkward as the pipe to it has to run along the wall to it about a foot and the brackets hold the pipe so close to the wall you can't wrap anything around it. We found the firm, tube radiator pipe lagging with the split side pushes over it and holds well but I think one of the workmen getting water or the window cleaner may have knocked it off and being so light it blew somewhere out of sight and then the recent bad wind must have moved it again down the side of the path. We use one of the polystyrene box covers you can get over the actual tap, but first OH would likely have made a wooden box like Colin. I'm the same as you and like to be doing something else while I watch tv. OH doesn't understand it, but we ladies like to multi task. :-D

Yes AnnG, OH was stunned when he saw the pipe as he'd looked around near the tap for it. Mind you this is the man who opens a door to the kitchen cupboards and shouts me because he can't see what he wants and it's right at the front under his nose! I think I need to do some washing and H/W today as well. OH has found a local match that hasn't been cancelled so I will get more done more quickly while he is out.

Morning all,

Nice bright sunny morning but the sky looks dark out the front , it was snowing in the early hours when I got out for the loo .

Glad your OK Ann ,that's sods law finding the lagging after buying more ,Colin made a little wooden box to go over our outside tap ,he has some sacking he wraps round the tap first then put the box over that .

Yes Anng my fingers need something to do while watching the television in the evening , I might hang on until next Thursday as Aldi will be having wool in.

Mel thats a shame about the apple tree , Colins brother always used applewood for his wood turning it has a lovely grain, he's made some nice bowls and wooden fruit .

Hope Gwyn was OK down her way with the storm .

No I didn't mudle you up, it was a slip of the finger. I did know I was talking to Vera. I have corrected it now.

Morning Anng and all,

I have a snow warning this morning on the pc and its 2 degrees.

Anng I think you may be getting me muddled up with Vera as I haveno family coming today or any other day in the near future.

Its good you slept well so did I.

Good morning all. Gosh Mel, up late last night you must be feeling better. That is good. A shame to lose the apple tree, I am sure a lot of people have suffered the same fate with the storms lately,

It is -2 here and a frost on roofs but not a very hard one. I slept very well, got up a couple of time but went straight back to sleep. strange as i really only pottered around yeaterday so didn't seem to use a loot of energy. Just washing and H/W to do today.
Hope you are enjoying the family Vera.

Mandy you will have to get out as soon as it is dry and not icy and get some wool. Or order some on line. those hands will be getting restless.

Ann So pleased that your absence was not because you were unwell. How spooky to find that cover for the outside tap when you had just bought a new one. reminds me I must get one for one of my outside taps, Jake seemed to lose the one I had. Although Oliver (plumber) did say the pipe to that one would not freeze as it is very short.

I did'nt lose the Christmas tree its in a big pot and just blew over on the road down to my shed. The apple tree was one planted in the orchard years ago before mum was here. I had seen an old record book of this garden and they sowed Chrysants on my birthday but I can't remember what year it was. The garden was owned by a man whose relly lived not far away from here but has since moved The surname was Osbourne.

I was wondering who Adam was? or did you mean Aaron? Yes I shall ask him if he wants the wood as apple wood is one of the best for burning.

I'm pleased you're both ok and been busy.

Evening All,

We are both fine thanks and the tummy ache was gradually ok by last night. I think it must have been a bug.

We had a little snow overnight, but it was all gone by mid morning and the roads were all clear and dry by then. I don't see why they needed to close the senior school up the road today. The fields along the main road are flooded again.

I saw a fox shoot across the road on my way to the village this morning and haven't seen one around here for years. The Red Kite was flying low over the garden again at lunch time. I think he'd seen the bird activity round the feeders.

As OH had a meeting to go to, he talked me into going to the builder's merchants the other end of the village for lagging for the outside tap pipe. When he got home later he wanted me to go outside with him to fit it and as soon as I stepped outside the backdoor round the side what did I see but the lost bit of pipe lagging that OH couldn't find lying on the gravel next to the path!!! He swears it wasn't there before so goodness knows what had happened, but we fixed it back on anyway. I told him our garage was probably so full because of duplicates of 'missing things' we'd gone out and replaced over the years. :-D

I've booked our eye and hearing tests, but they are trying to get you to book them online now which is impossible to do them for two of you to follow on from each other and then I got cut off on the phone and it took a few attempts, but is all done now.

I'm not one for hats either, but I do wear my furry trapper hat if it's really cold or a whte one I knitted years ago. Once I take them off they've flattened my hair though and I'm too hot wearing one in shops so look a bit of a mess then. The bobble one is a pain getting in and out of my car with the bobble too, probably worse with it being a low roof!!

I was wondering if you would be making more things soon Mandy. It's a good time to buy some wool with the sales on as well.

Vera you are going to have a busy weekend, but your grandson has done well to be able to fit all the visits in. The little dogs are going to love all the attention aren't they. I hope you have a lovely time together.

AnnG I have to soak my feet now to rub off the hard skin and my toenails are more brittle now and when I cut them partway through the rest breaks off and can be crumbly. It gets more difficult to cut them now and varnishing in the summer is hard so I will probably need to find a chiropodist before much longer.

It's a shame you lost the Christmas tree and your favourite applet ree Mel. Was the apple tree big or a newish one? Sounds like more work and wood for Adam.

Where is everyone today? Hope you're all well. I am really worried about Annx ass its not like her not to post at some point. I hope they've just been really busy. Vera I think has company.

That was lucky then

Do you remember I said I had posted my cousins card to Ohio without a stamp? got it mixed up with the ones that had stamps on. Well she has just emailed me to say it arrived today and no charge was put on it!! I think thats great.

Its the new Father Brown today at 2pm. I shall watch it tonight on iplayer.

I do hope Annx is ok and G too. Hope they've not got the flu.

suns out now.

Morning girls,

I have a very dark morning but there is a bit of blue sky I spied out the bedroom window. It 5 degrees and pc says cloudy. The wind blew my Christmas tree down the old one that we used to bring in each year and I am sad to say I have lost my favorite apple tree in the orchard, my American Mother.

Not been out yet to see if there's any damage up the driveway and as I type its just started raining again.

Morning Anng ,morning all,

Just a bit of rain in the night but no wind ,its raining a bit now and really dark .
Nothing planned for the day really I thought I'd give the bedrooms a hoover and dust .

Yes hope Ann is OK and hasn't had anymore tummy pain .

Sounds as if your going to have a busy weekend Vera with all the family coming to stay ,have a lovely time with them .

Just having a cup of tea and looking at the television at all ths people affected with the storm .

Good morning all. very dark still and looks very wet as well - what I can see. Not going anywhere today. Bedding (mine is in the wash. Bedding, guest room is waiting for the next wash and another clothes wash after that. still a lot of odds and ends to put away from my break
Vera, enjoy your visitors, try not to do too much or you won't enjoy the visits.
Mel hope you enjoyed the tray bake.
My chiropodist just cuts and files my nails and clears the hard skin. no extras like cream but good to get the nails cut. My nails suffered when I was in my 50s and got athletes foot from a swimming pool we were members at, They never recovered and the nails are horrible so I never have 'pretty' feet. But it is comfortable once they are cut and he only charges £27.


We didn't see Ann yesterday, I hope he tummy pain didn't get worde and she was just busy. <3

No Vera tray bake just for me with a bit over for tomorrow. I could'nt eat all I cooked.

There's things blowing around out there now its getting a bit wild.

The winds just hitting us now with rain too.

Evening everyone

It's been a dreary and very cold day with a little bit of drizzle but I haven't seen a sign of the promised heavy rain and possible flooding. In fact both the computer and my phone are telling me it's raining heavily now but, looking out of the window, I can't see any rain.

We went out to Tesco this morning as I needed some shopping and I've been busy since we got back. The reason I wanted more shopping was that grandson rang last night to ask if he, his partner and our little great granddaughter could come on Saturday and stay overnight. As my daughter won't otherwise get to see them she and the dogs are coming too. It is hard on grandson as both his parents naturally want to see him and their granddaughter but as they are long since divorced they live separately and his paternal grandmother likes to see them as do we, so that's 4 places they have to visit in the course of a weekend, and they are not all close together. This time they are staying at his Dad's Friday night and ours Saturday night, fitting his other grandmother in for a couple of hours on Saturday morning and meeting his mother here. What a palaver!

After we were back from Tesco we had a late lunch and I set to and sorted out beds. Daughter will go in my room and will bring dog cages with her so they will also sleep in that room. They are used to doing that. I can't really organise that room till Saturday morning as I will sleep in it till then. Grandson and partner will sleep in a twin bedded room with little one in her own toddler air bed between them and I will go downstairs with OH. When littl'un is a little bit older she can have a bed put down in the study but she's too young to be on her own in case she gets up in the night. I don't have stair gates and I'd hate her to fall downstairs. When the house was built there were 2 bedrooms downstairs but they were knocked into one and turned into a bedroom with a dressing area and an en-suite before we moved in. That's now OH's room since I moved upstairs. Luckily all the rooms are a good size so plenty of room to move around even with air beds down and dog cages in place.

I'm like you Mandy. I know I should wear a hat when it's cold but I hate them. I have a lovely oatmeal coloured pull-on hat in a cable design that a lovely lady, long since dead, knitted for me. Every winter I put it on for 2 minutes and then push it to the back of the drawer again. I have another hood type hat with long ends that act like a scarf and I have worn that a couple of times when it's really been bitter but not so far this year.

How are you feeling now Mel? Much better I hope. Your tray bake sounds nice. We are just having egg, chips and beans tonight. OH is cooking that. He's a bit inclined to undercook the ovenchips but no-one can spoil baked beans and he's a dab hand with fried eggs. He seems to get everything thoroughly cooked but still have runny yolks whereas by the time I've got all the white of the egg to cook properly the yolk is going hard.

I bet your feet feel nice now AnnG. I always enjoy having mine done. She charges £45 but is a hundred times better than the one in town who charges, I think, £39. According to friends who go there, all he seems to do is spend 10 minutes cutting the toe nails, whereas mine does a thorough check of my feet, even checking the pulse, discusses with me any problems she can see and advises on how to deal with them, cuts and files nails, creams my feet and even puts my socks back on for me.

OH has just brought me a glass of wine which probably means dinner in about half an hour so I'm going to shut the computer and go downstairs. I'm getting a bit chilly up in the study anyway as I haven't put heating on in here. I hope you all sleep well tonight. Stay warm and cosy.

Not sure what colour Mel but I need some wool so not sure when I'll get that , have you got Stu coming for a meal tonight or is the tray bake just for your meal .
Are you feeling better ?