General Chat

Hi Everyone

It's a long time no write!

First of all, OH and I went on retreat to St.Columba's in Maybury, near Woking in Surrey, with some of our church members and some from St.John's Wood Church.
The subject was 'Angels'. We had a really pleasant relaxing, quiet weekend, and the food was really excellent. We met a lady with an unusual surname, Pain, the same as my great-grandmother, but on checking discovered we weren't related, unfortunately. Our friend Pauline who had organised the weekend had a nasty turn, and we arranged to take her home. OH made sure she was OK at her home and later in the week we got a lovely Email saying that we had been her guardian 'angels'.

As we were having the week off work OH had arranged to meet a Facebook friend in Wem, Shropshire (165 miles away from us) - I was thinking to myself who would drive that far to meet someone (who wasn't even a relation) . Well as it turned out we had a great time with the family (they had four children - two girls aged 13 and 9 & two boys aged 3 and 2) and the house was noisy and love was all around! I have little experience with children and OH has done a bit of babysitting, but this opened our eyes to family life. At the end of the second day when we were leaving, we arranged to make sure we would come again (going next month). We also found a lovely hotel in Wem. The Old Rectory - we checked in and were told we had been upgraded and discovered our room - wow - four poster bed, Jacuzzi, colour TV et al. All for £95. ...... and the breakfast - outstanding!! It was really hard going back to work after that - but all good things must come to an end.

Our cat Fluffy has started to lose his fur, so OH has made him a delightful orange woolly to wear to keep him warm. He certainly has perked up and is almost back to normal, getting heavier and brighter each day, it is so heartening to hear him purring away and scoffing his food - we just can't wait for him to be 100% again.

Must stop now - off to do the flowers for the church again this weekend (St.Luke the Healer) so I have to find some nice red flowers.

Trust everyone is well, keep posting the news, so interesting to read,
Keep warm (Berona keep cool) and safe - prayers for all

Lots of love
Gerard <3 <3 <3 :-)

What has happened to everyone?

Hope you are all busy and keeping well. We are having strange weather patterns - just as the rest of the world seems to be having.

Yesterday was 'cardigan' weather - to-day's forecast is for 36c! Talk about mercurial!
A week ago, we had snow in places where it has never snowed there before at this time of the year. No wonder many people are picking up colds, flu, etc.

Berona

I have intended each day to write on here. In fact I thought that I had written a couple of times but they are not on here so must be wishfully thinking!!!.

I have been fairly busy but not hard work. We have tidied the garden and bought a few new well established plants for the top terrace. Thrown out those which looked as if they were dying, having tried to keep them and put away the pots we are not using. I wanted some colour not just greenery and it has worked well. Put away all the parasols etc and it is looking good.

I am trying to keep the house clean and tidy all the time....a little difficult with the dust blowing in and Jet & Joe in and out all day,however we do manage .
We had a French couple view recently and they have been viewing for ......... 18 months......!

Christmas Cakes have now been cooked and in a few weeks I shall put the Marzipan on them and the icing and then decorate them .

We will be at our Local Bar for Christmas Day, there is usually about 40 people and lots of fun as well as superb food, followed by music singing and having a good time. I must remember to stay sober!!!!

My grand Daughter who is 12 emails me several times a week telling me about her school work, outings with friends and when she is still upset about her terrible burns about 14 months ago.....some children are still rather unkind but she also has some very good friends.

I hope that everyone is well and happy but for those who unwell or who needs a little bit of comfort I think of you in my prayers, which are at various times of the day...could be morning. Or when having a coffee and I am watching the sea or even when cleaning!

Hoping you are all well

:-)

Morning all

Well i am all pavked to go over to my daughters later as we r goin to Hasting for long weekend tomorrow after grand daughter Caitlin comes out of school. Weather going to be dry but very cold. So winter clothes have been packed.

Had a great time in Skegness with my sister Babs last week. Weather was warm and sunny there all week.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~to everyone Take care

Hazelx

Where has the time and months gone, try to get on the site once a day, but often cannot..been busy doing ......? Just getting on.....our Bridget has been in hospital again and had a double mascetomy and has just been given the all clear today, so thoughts have been caught up with her and the future.

regards Jan

Good morning everyone, from a chilly morning in my part of Spain. Last night we went out to do the quiz which OH does every fortnight and just before we left home the heavens opened once again and the rain was torrential, thank goodness we do not walk there!

We had 25 people attend which made a good game as we try to have tables of four people. The team that I was with came second loosing first place by 2 points.

TreeHunter, you certainly get around. Skegness last week and Hastings this week, but what joy to see the family, I miss being able to do this, but thank goodness for Skype!

Jan. sorry to read that your Bridget iwas back in hospital but what fantastic news that that she has had. I will still keep her in mind when I have my Quiet Time.

It is pitch black outside and it is nearly 8am. I can hear the birds twittering, and the noise of a few boats going out to catch some fish......I must say I could not do their job. Other than that it is peaceful and quiet. Jet & Joe my Cocker Spaniels are still sleeping and all is well,

I wonder what is everyone's favourite time of day and why?

Well enough from me for a few hours or until tomorrow, so bye bye for now



:-) :-) :-)

Is everyone asleep or just busy?

We have had awful high winds in the last 48 hrs. The garden has been almost destroyed by the wind. However after a few hours we have some order and almost back to normal. It is almost 13.00hrs and the sunshine is helping.

Lamb in the oven, veg all prepared so looking forward to lunch.

B

OH DEAR. Where is everyone?
Hope someone adds here soon.

:-(

Sorry Bridget, I have been busy making Christmas cards although I di read the thread earlier. Hope you have managed to get your garden back into some order after the high winds. Winter seems to have arrived here with dark days, colder weather, and, like you, some windy weather. No doubt all the leaves will come down now and that will be more work in the garden.

We, too, had high winds in the last couple of weeks and two of my big pots were blown over and spilled out. One of them was my Strelitzia (Bird of Paradise) and the other was an Orchid. I have been giving them Tender Loving Care ever since.

Our temps are getting hotter, although up and down at the moment, but Summer doesn't officially start until 1st December. We didn't seem to have much Summer last year, so let's see what we get this year!

We (in the UK), put our clocks back last night. So we are now on GMT.

I would like to think that the clock stayed like that, and we did not have to put it forward again next Spring.

Have been watching the news about the bad weather approaching the east coast of USA. Apparently Manhatten is under threat and make people are being evacuated from the (rather wide-spread) danger zone.

I have cousins in Nwe Jersey, haven't been to their home, so don't know if they are in a danger area or not.
Will be keeping my fingers crossed that no harm comes to people. And that they all have safe homes to go back to.

Raining here at the moment and 45 degrees outside, so rather miserable. But could be a lot worse.
Some places in Scotland had snow yesterday (or was it on Friday?).

Have slowed down again this past week, but luckily, I have not come to a complete standstill.

Have been transfering some of my tree on here to A---ry. Checking everything as I go, so it is taking some time..

Hope to go to Extend (exercise) class on Tuesday and then to Relaxation on Wednesday. Just hoping that my energy doesn't get too low.

Last Monday evening went out with my sister, brother-in-law and one of my brothers, to celebrate my brothers (61st) birthday.
I can just about remember my mum come home with him in a taxi! It was wet, cold and dark then too.
Anyway, we went to a Chinese Buffet Restaurent. (One of those all you can eat places).
It was lovely, very busy and lots of food to choses from. It was all fresh as the demand was high.
The icing on the cake was that there was a young lady playing the piano for much of the evening. A real treat.

Jan, best wishes to "your Bridget" special thought from yet another Bridget (it is one of my three forenames!)

I hope that everyone is okay looking forward to hearing from you all on this thread soon.

:-) :-) :-) Tess

Tess.... you will need to update! When I saw you had 45 degrees, I thought "my goodness that's hot for the UK!", until I calculated and realised you must have been talking in farenheit!.........You WERE talking in farenheit, weren't you?

It wouldn't surprise me if you were not - with the weather being 'most unusual for so many years' everywhere in the world.

Berona, yes it WAS farenheit.
Will try to update with Centigrade temp. later.

Hurricanes and earthquakes (albeit thankfully nobody injured), so many places worse off than here.

Today it is a typical autumn day, damp, not too cold, fairly bright and slippery leaves all over the pavements.At least it is not raining.

Had four stitches out of my leg this morning, and right ear syringed. Nurse was my favourite one, very gentle and thoughtful and didn't feel a thing with the stitches. Hate the syringe but at least my hearing aid is not whistling now.

She also got the results of my blood test (August) which I had not got because it is such a pain to get them - phone up a separate place between certain hours - of course we kept forgetting.

Anyway, it was all very good she said. Cholestrol 4, sugar 5.1 (she said normal is 3-6), Thyroid fine, iron very good. so that killed 3 birds with one stone. Leg still sore but trousers not catching on the stitches now. She remarked on how need the wound was and I said I think he was practising cross stitch.

As somebody on the welsh thread said it sounds as if I have had a full MOT. Always good to know various things are ok and I was a bit worried about the blood sugar with daughter having recently been diagnosed type 2 diabetic.

Tomorrow if the weather is ok we might go to westonbirt to see the autumn colours so fingers crossed for a reasonable day. :-)

Good evening everyone!
We have had vicious wind followed by sun and then back came the wind and rain....all very weird....
However we now have lots of new plants in three different colours and mature...I am fed up loosing the younger plants. The three different levels of our garden look good and interesting. In fact a neighbour rang our bell so I went up 12 steps to see if she was a friend visiting only to find that I did know het by sight only. Between us we managed to talk about the new pots as well, as she was going out to buy more pots.

OH has been busy putting up new mirrors in both bathrooms and they look splendid, the taps have also been taken out and new very smart taps in place......No we have not extra money to splas out but a fabulous shop has gone into liquidation and selling wonderful furniture bath rooms and kitchens etc. we have been looking at these taps and mirrors and today they reached a cost we could not let go......

Well time for a snack and some coffee so bye bye til tomorrow

Bridget :-)

Bridget, it sounds you are emotionally ready to leave Spain. I hope that you find a suitable buyer for your house soon.
Berona temp. in UK at the moment is 43 degrees F

Rather tired this week, didn't manage to get to the (new) relaxation class yesterday, but hope to go to a Deaf Awareness Class tomorrow.

Had been convinced that a Scotish cousin was coming to my neck of the woods tomorrow (2nd November). Now I find that he and his wfe (neither whom I I met) are coming on 22nd November.
Had even got it marked on my Calendar..... :-S!
Had told the Deaf Awareness people that I would miss the first class because of meeting cousins.


Now I am wondering if I am supposed to be doing something else??? :-S

This is what happens when I get over tired, my brain decides to go to sleep, and I miss things! (or forget things and or get mixed up!)

Have got a couple of first cousins and thier families in New Jersey. Near Point Pleasant Beach.
Daughter of one of them is recovering from an op. We haven't heard since the Hurricane hit the area, but believe that it is because they are without power at the moment.
I am keeping my fingers crossed for them all.

Hope that everyone is okat,
Take Care,

Tess :-)

P.S. I nearly signed my name as Bridget! Although it IS one of my (THREE) forenames, I don't usually use it on its own.

Come back brain all is forgiven.

Berona, just checked on a different web-site.

In Birmingham UK it is 5 degrees C. At the moment.

Quite a bit warmer inside though, thank goodness.

Off for a hot drink, after I have emptied the dish washer and put the clean stuff away.
Feeling lucky to have electricity at the moment.

I don't envy you your temperatures at the moment. Ours was forecast 35C yesterday, but we had cloud which kept it down.....but still no rain. Even when it rains in inner Sydney, we don't seem to get it here on the outskirts of the city. The inner part of the city is closer to the coastline and seems to get more rain than we do - although the distance is only about 20 miles. Nevertheless, it was very humid - which doesn't do my ankles any good....I don't recognise them in humid weather.

Good evening to you all.

The last few days have been a bit of a disaster....we are with one of the most known providers in the World and our comp just stopped suddenly and without any awarenes that it would happen......could not check emails, look on here, do any ancestry work etc.
Could not send messages to my granddaughter and the telephone went down as well

Finally, at 19hrs today. After threatening to write in our local newspaper we were listened too. The young girl in the shop was working very hard for us but the company kept ignoring here. Then a Spanish man who we know well joined us and managed to speak to a higher employee by telling them that he would write about the lack of attention etc and also report them to the Mayor......this approach had an amazing result.......15 minutes later all was resolved and when we arrived home .....lo and behold our computers were working!!!

We have written a letter saying how good the young lady was patient, helpfully and should be awarded at least a letter from someone senior and our friend will also ensure that she is recognised in the local paper.......

We have had our kitchen revamped by having all the cupboards, and the large door leading into the store room painted white......I cannot believe how much larger the room looks. The kitchen is open from the dining area and it makes me feel good when sitting at the table and seeing my lovely new kitchen

Well that is about all for now, I feel rather tired today so goodnight everyone

Bridget :-) :-)

Pleased to hear that you finally got your internet back Bridget, we are so lost without it aren't we?
Nice of you to write a letter thanking the young lady though, not often they get praised.
It has been fairly cold in the wind here today but about 8-10 degrees in the sun when sheltered from the wind. We went into town but didn't buy much, just had a look round the food and craft market held the first Saturday in the month at the docks, then a wander around the M&S outlet shop where I bought a sweater. Got home to find a red card so that is two Amazon packets waiting for collection next week at the depot. It happens every year when we order Christmas presents but we can't wait in all the time for the post. :-)