General Chat

A quick message.
First I am pleased that most people seem to be healthy...must be summer weather.

I am having trouble with myUK pension payment. Have the dates for this each month been changed. My pension normally are in around the 4th of each month. NONE this month !!!

Any advice would be a great help.........if I try to talk to someone in the bank they are all in India!!
this is now my only income and I am very worried. I can only get on the Internet when I am out.i will stay out for a couple of hours.

We are renting our house for 2 or 3 months but the people are there but not put the charge money into my husbands account........thisis supposed to be dealt with the Agent who is a friend of us!!!

Ann I have the basic iPad but it has so many features that I cannot see anything re the newer version that most people would use.

Only a few weeks ago I discovered all sorts of extra items to down load for a few pence or free.

Bridget

Hope this

thanks Bridget we have bought them now and are pleased with them so far. When you use them in UK how do you get on line? Do you need to be somewhere that you can access wifi?

The pension date has not changed as far as I know, not heard anything. However NatWest bank had a big problem recently when nothing was being paid in because somebody doing a software update wiped all the information by mistake, if this is your bank you need to contact them and find out what has happened. I suggest you ring your pension people rather than the bank, they will then tell you if it has been sent to the bank, if it has you will have to ring the bank. Hope you can get it solved.

Bridget, I hope that your pension has come through now, it can be rather worrying can't it.

I was rather young when I lived in Penang. Went (by ship) in feb 1953 and returned around July 1955 (by plane, with two overnight stops).

During that time we lived in Penang and Tiaping. Although I do have quite a few memories of that time, I don't really know which were in Penang and which were in Tiaping. Except that is for the natural pools/swimming pools, up in the hills near Tiaping.

However now have sad memories of Penang. In feb 2003 I went back to Malaysia for a holiday with my brother. We stayed in different places, but the day we got to penang, we got an urgent message from home. Our mother was critically ill in hospital. We booked the next available flight home, but Mum died before we got to the UK.

Of course that doesn't stop malaysia being a beautiful country.
The great thing about that holiday was that I was able to contact a school friend that I had met one our second stay in the country (April 1958 Oct 1960) What a great day that was, I had lost contact around 1962-3. How lucky I was that she had an usuall surname, and her brother and sister-in-law still lived in the town where we met.

As you will see, I am on the internet again. Big smiles this end (at last)
Used my son's lap-top earlier in the week, (thatns J.) Got a Dongle on Tuesday. Tried to connect it and FAILED!!
In fact I wiped out the internet connection to the lap top too.

Was really miserable yesterday (what's new?) Today I got the courage to phone my internet provider again. Don't know why I get so het-up about it. After all I'mnot going to get the cane for being naughty, not even going to get detention, lines or a telling off.

Anyway spoke to a lovely vey patient young man today, and he has sorted it out for me.
Out tonight, but will be back on computer (a lot) over the next few says.

Bridget..hope you get things sorted out soon. I haven't been on here for a while, I have been soooooooooo busy, the weeks just blur into one. This week not much better !!. And the weather....well, its dry here in sunny Norfolk, but rain forecast ugh....already dreaming of winter, at least you know that the weather is going to be ghastly !! I have been shopping on line for winter clothes....how depressing, but necessary ! We are opening our garden for a garden party this week and it looks like it will be a wash out ...but I hope it will be at least fine/dry... Hope the rest of your weekend is good

Regards Jan

My big news is .... It isn't raining! People in the UK will know how often and how much it has rained over the last few weeks. It seems that the rainfalll has broken all sorts of records.

So good to see some blue in the sky.

My sad news is that my lovely aunty Kath died last saturday (14th July) aged 102. A wonderful lady, She had an open mind, an open heart and opened her home to us all. She also had a great sense of fun.

Will be going to her funeral on Thursday. It will be an eand of an era.



Jan, I hope that your garden party went well and that the rain stayed away. It sounds exciting. You must have been rather busy. The Queen of the Night looks great.
The grass in my garden is really long now, and going to seed. My energy levels have been too low to mow it, and of course it has been raining such a lot, that the grass is always wet. See, I am full of excuses.
Just a thought, I wonder if it is all thses excuses that are weighing me down? I put on a stone very quickly this last few weeks.

Bridget, I hope that your pension has now come through and is up to date. Have been too low lately to check mine properly. Maybe I should get off my B---side and go and check.
I haven't got an IPad have enough trouble trying to work my computer and my new Smart TV. Just about getting the hang of recording and then watching programms.


I'm looking forward to the Olympics. Will anyone else be watching?


Hope that everyone is okay and that the reason that they haven't posted lately is that they are too busy having fun.

Have a good sommer everyone,


Tess

Well it seems ages since my last update - OH has just had her 37th Birthday and we celebrated this weekend - Cinema and a Pizza. We also served at Church - I got to carry the Cross and OH carried a candle!!

We also did the church flowers yesterday and got lots of compliments today - a most pleasing result.

Still doing my two hours cleaning work on weekday evenings - so rewarding - not necessarily financially! So I have spent several weeks feeling more useful again. The weather has improved the last few days so I might have a go at the garden again over the next couple of weeks.

I'm not really a fan of the Olympics and there will be a bit of disruption travelwise - there are a few cars and coaches parked close by and we have a practise venue just up the road too. At least the Emirates Stadium is quiet this month. I just hope East London benefits a lot after the games, although I doubt if the locals will be able to afford to use the venues!

Hope everyone is well - looking forward to new news
Gerard <3 :-)

Back again ... we have been hot and sunny weather in the UK for the last few days.

Perhaps one of the reasons there haven't been many posts over the last few days. Everyone is outside enjoying the sun.

Gerard, I hope that you and your wife enjoyed celebrating her birthday. What film did you go to see? Would you recommend it?

Bridget, I hope that you are now getting the rent through to your husbands account. Are you stil planning to sell up and home back to the UK

Hope that everyone else is well.


Yesterday I went to the funeral of my wonderful aunty, Kath. She died on 14th July aged 102.
Her funeral was well attended by people who loved her. She inspired love.

This really was the last og an era. She lived through two world wars. In fact three of her brothers serve in the first world war, and all survived it.
Born well before women had the vote, she fought for the rights of all.

Tomorrow I shall (if up to it) be going to a birthday party of my great-niece, she was two yesterday.

Tonight I hope to watch The Opening Ceremony of the 2012 Olympics. As long as I don't go to sleep.
Will anyone else be watching?


Tess

Tess good to see you around again, I think people are not on the boards because the heat makes everyone lethargic. I am glad I am not an athlete, awful to have to compete in the ehat. I will probably watch the opening ceremony although I am not a sports fan and won't watch anything else.

Two ends of the scale then Tess, Farewell to your lovely aunt and starting life for your lovely great niece.

Gerard, glad that your OH had a good birthday.Oh to be 37 again another year and I can reverse those numbers. :-D

Jan, hope the opening of your garden went well.

Hello all. Can't let the thread get too far away from the front page for long!
Yes, I did watch the Opening Ceremony and thought the presentation was fantastic. The choreography, lighting, etc. were a credit to those responsible for it.

I have to admit that I didn't get up early to watch it (we are 9 hours ahead of UK time where I am), but I did record it and watch it within a few hours. .. Our Australian swimmers have had a lot of bitter disappointments. They usually excel - but not to be, this time. I felt sorry for our 'best' who was pipped at the post by 1/100th of a second. That's less than a blink of the eye!

Glad to know you are having a real summer after all. Our winter is not up to it's usual standard. July-August is our coldest part of the year, yet we have had temperatures (occasionally) of 17 to 20! Of course, we do have days when it is more normal for this time of the year (12 to 16). When that happens, the fact that the day before might have been 20, makes the drop back to 'normal' feel even colder than it is.

Hello to you all and a big THANKS toeveryone who helped me. I now have my OAP back after 3 months! I must say thay wedo not have UK papers where we lives owns not aware that there had been a massive breakdown with the group I a with...

Still away from home but i will be on line once a week when in town..


Looking forward to being at home again.

Best wishes to you all

Bridget in hot hot Spain


:-)

Thanks everyone, yes the garden party went well, though it was hardly sitting in the garden weather, instead I had ladies sitting everywhere in the house, and they went round the garden in between the showers !!

Since then have been so busy, not time to look or do anything on here....so forgive me. Also have taken up Tai Chi once a week, its sooooooooo good. Here we are in August and hardly any summer egh...!!!

Have a lovely weekend, watching the Olympics
Jan

Hi Everyone

Well 25 Golds and possibly more to come - to be honest I am pleased for the athletes, but I have very little interest in the Olympics (wherever they are held) - some of my friends are really up for it - OH and I totally indifferent!.
We are more worried will our bus to work be affected!
Bridget - so glad your pension is sorted - finally got mine sorted this week backdated to May (very pleasing for the bank balance) - but I am still doing my two or three hours in the evening (so rewarding - not necessarily financially!)

How are those twins?? - talking of twins my great niece Jessica in California is expecting twin boys shortly - all is going well.

We are still doing the flowers at church as the regular flower lady is still on holiday - again so rewarding.

Think of you all as always keep well, warm (or cool), dry if possible and happy of course
:-) <3
Gerard

Good afternoon to everyone. We are moving back into our house on Monday which is earlier than expected but the gent and his family own a business in France and it looks as if it is going to fail in the next few days.........however we have been asked if we could let the house again and we have said yes......extra income always welcome and it would pay for our visits to our family...

Thank you to each of you who have kept this board alive, it means so much to me, who knows I may even meet some of you one day.

Well the rain has stopped so time to hang a out the washing.

<3 :-)

Bridget

Watched the Olympics + + + Loved it.

Started to go out and about again a bit more this last few days. Bus routes in Birmingham City Centre have changed. Quite an adventure getting on my usual bus to see where it will take me.

Managed, on a different day and a different bus, to go to Birmingham Central Library. The Huge new one should be opened September 2013. A little further away for me, but will try to get there at least a couple of times to check it out.

Still sunny at the moment, rain promised for tomorrow. This afternoon I'm going to my new exercise class. Only the second time I'll have been.
It really suits me as most of it is done sitting down.

The decoratng has come to a standstill. Son was doing it for me and has done all the prep. plus some of the painting. Has strained his shoulder, so will be trying to get someone else to finish it.

Looking forward to putting furniture back in the right place (or even the right room).

Garden is all overgrown again, now looking for someone who can help.
I reckon that I will be making a lot of phone calls in the next few days.

Hope that everyone is well.

Tess :-D :-D :-D

Birmingham UK. We got rain!

Good morning to everyone from sunny Spain, this week the top temp has been in the high 80s and it looks as if it is going to stay that way!

Not sure if I have mentioned this before but...my eldest son, in his 40 s has decided to get married........I really thought that this would never happen. The marriage will take place just outside Barcelona and a lot of his longstanding friends are going to be there. The downside is that the news was quite sudden and so his brothers and sister may not be able to be there. The have had their holiday allowance and the cost from both England and Iteland is around £1000, if only eldest son had given earlier notice I guess that more would be attending.

We will be there and then we will visit family and friends in the UK, I think we may be there for almost 3 weeks. I am looking forward s to seeing them all.

Well that is about it for now, so enjoy your day

Bridget

Hi all

I have come home for few days rest as been looking after grand children, back over there tomorrow again for i dont know how long for. Be glad when schools go back.

Also my son Duane has had a break down so in hospital and getting the help he needs. I hope to go see him tomorrow.


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~to all Take care.

Hazelx

Hazel, sorry to hear about your son, Duane. It's good though that he is now getting the help he needs. I hope that he improves considerably very soon.
My son is rather down at the moment. Not serious enough to go to hospital but needless to say rather worrying. It is difficult to know what to do for the best.

Bridget, enjoy your son's wedding. It is a shame that his sibs. will probably be unable to attend. Any chance of taking some cardboard cutouts or photos on a stick, just little ones should be okay (or am I being foolish?).


A cousins family were going to (or near) Barcelona during the London Olympics. They were not worried about pick-pockets, as we had been told (in the media) that the pick-pockets were coming over to London and would be working overtime!

We have got sun at the moment, so washing in the machine, with a lot more stuff waiting for their turn.

Gerard, I hope that the buses were not too badly affected by the Olympics and you were able to get to and from work okay.


Take care everyone,

Tess

You name it, it has happend....Two funerals,....birthdays.....just getting through each day.
Surprise party for my son in law tomorrow, then a BBQ on Sunday with friends.....have cooked loads for Surprise party but won't have to cook on Sunday. !!!!!!!!!Yipee/............

Have taken up Tai Chi...on Fridays...love it...very relaxing, and interesting, that you think it is gentle, but you do feel you have had a work out of sorts...

Have a lovely weekend everyone...gonna be hot,hot,hot here in rural Norfolk

Regards Jan