General Chat

Welcome Captain Pugwash

Are you our Captain Pugwash in Pe....ola? If not you are still very welcome.
as you have been reading this for sometime you will know that we talk to each other about virtually anything and support and help each other whenever it is needed.
Virtually any subject can be discussed and commented on from the inspired to the mundane.

Sop far this morning I have checked my emails, made my first cup of coffee for the day, can hear the birds singing and chirping so believe that the weather is improving, cannot hear the rain pelting against the walls, windows and in the pool, but have not opened the shutters yet. Now one cannot be more mundane than that,

To every one else I hope that you will all send a welcome to Captain Pugwash and to encourage him /her to write back and make him/her welcome.

I wonder if this person is simply awake at night or do they work at night....?

To every one else I look forward to reading your daily input

Bye for now

nudge

A very warm welcome to you Captain Pugwash and I hope we will see you on here again.

It is overcast here to-day, the garden service has just been to cut the grass - not that there was much to cut because of the drought - and I love the smell of the freshly cut grass. The sea is very quiet to-day.
Hope your weather improves Bridget,.

Had my BP checked this morning, not too bad so will not concern myself.

I will say goodbye for now as the doorbell has just rung.


Val.

Val

Thanks for the quick update and for letting us know that your BP is OK.
I also love the smell of newly mown grass, unfortunately we do not have grass in our garden for several reasons, it is very difficult to keep the grass here looking like a tennis court, 9we had wonderful lawns in the gardens of our previous house in a place called Frinton on Sea in Essex, but here it is coarse, costs a fortune to maintain and often in the summer it becomes burnt.
So we have tiled areas with lots of beds for flowers and dozens of pots. Our hedging is on one side and at the bottom of the garden, the other side is a rather nice white wall with a beautiful balustrade. (I would say that because we built it! We have a gardener who cuts all this twice a year and in April or May, not sure which yet he will visit to reduce the height of the palm tree and remove all the pods and I would like it to be reduced in height this year as well, but will have to wait to see how much it will cost.

Hope the person at the door was a nice surprise!

It looks as if everyone has been busy today and that includes me!

Goodnight everyone, I will be back tomorrow and the rain has stopped!
21.25 hrs Spanish Time

Hi all, thanks for the welcome.Not the Captain you know Spanish Eyes, I'm female and from the UK. I'm a night person, dont function well in a morning, much better in the evening. I'm retired (just wonder how I found time for work) he he. Do all the usual things that need doing round a house, and the rest of my time is taken up with card making,knitting and sewing, and of course my kids and grandkids!! Weather here dull also but at least not wet!! Take care all.

Morning All,

Good news for my brother this morning is the culprits have been caught, with some of the stolen items still in their possession. We are very surprised that they were caught so quickly.

Bridget here is another smile for you - last night I was working at a computer in my daughter's workshop, my husband came in to change the fluorescent tube in the light which was just above my head, well there I was minding my own business when there was this mighty crash and both the tubes came crashing down on me! The light fitting had broken,
at first I wasn't too impressed but after a while I saw the funny side of the situation.

Things are very quiet so there is not much to write about - even mundane things!

I will look in again later if I can as we are having internet problems again - a break in a cable somewhere between Cairo and Alexandria.


V al.

Going out for a St. Patrick's day lunch and afternoon. Will tell you all about it later.
CaptainPugwash
Welcome to our thread, we look forward to reading your messages and I fully understand about being more of a night person than day person.!!
Val, I am sorry but I had to laugh at the fluorescent light escapade! Hope all is well now.

11.22hrs Spain

Very tired so will not be on here for long tonight.
We had a great time meeting up with people we have met since living in Spain. Had a fun St.Patrick's day, a bowl of delicious homemade soup with veg, lamb and pearl barley as its base with home made bread, followed by Gammon and potatoes (a true Irish necessity ) and lots of veg,.
Lots to drink and then of course the crac started. (crac is the word used for good conversation, discussion etc).
So not much to say except have a good night and maybe we will have some more postings tomorrow!

21.10hrs in Spain

Hello Everyone. Sorry I haven't been on for a while. OH is improving every day is now going for short drives which is a very good sign. Weather not too bad here in Wiltshire. After suffering from painful joints in different parts if the body for quite some years now our new family GP has finally told me what the diagnosis was and at last I don't feel as though I am the only one who has this kind of arthritis. Dr has put me on a course of steriods to see if they will calm down the swelling and pain I have been suffering in my hands and feet over the last couple of months.

It has been very interesting reading the stories about housework in days gone by we really don't know how easy we have got it now with all the gadgets we have. When I was growing up in the 60's and 70's my parents did not have many mod cons and we had to do the housework with a sweeping brush and scrubbing brush. They did have a washing machine but it had a tub and a mangle we used to put the clothes through to wring them out.

Last weekend went to Bedfordshire and spent some time with my oldest son and my daughter (separately) lol, youngest son at work so wasn't able to see him.

Got to go as it is now 23.47 here in the UK.

Hello all, hope you are all well. Not much to tell you today I'm afraid been out and done some grocery shopping, and thats about it. Mind it has been a beautiful day blue skies and sunshine and warmer than of late. Long may it continue. Was thrilled earlier though have managed to keep a Stephanotis growing through the winter (bar a few leaves that went yellow and dropped off), well in watering it today on close inspection it has has flower buds. A 1st for me, am very proud!!! Not known for my houseplant /gardening skills he he. Good night to you all, hope you have a good day ahead of you all. Penny

Good morning everyone at 06.50hrs in Peniscola Spain. I cannot hear any rain but the palm tree is having some good fun swaying around, I can here some twerping by the birds but cannot see them flying around and the sky looks very grey. However it could turn out to be a really sunny day as it was yesterday. I have had my first coffee of the day and just made another. I have reverted back ti my quiet time in the mornings when I sit quietly and try to say a prayer or positive thoughts for all who are sick or having a difficult time for either themselves or for friends /family. It is amazing how therapeutic this can be for me and I hope for those who have had the special thoughts for. I first started to do this every morning when I moved here from the UK. I felt that I am very fortunate to have lived in some delightful places in the UK and now I was in an entirely different place but with an amazing, beautiful environment and that we do live in a beautiful world. Now just to let you all know I am NOT a saint, but sometimes I am in awe of our world. I found myself one morning thinking about my very young great niece who I write about on a different thread, about how my only daughter has fought so hard to put her life and her children's life back on the right track and has done so well, she is one in a million. how my 5 boys are all in work, they have had their ups & downs but are valuable citizens of this world and care for each other and finally how lucky I am to be married to a man who is kind, generous, fun, and who shows he loves me.
Jacqueline and Captain Pugwash good morning to you both. Jacqueline I have added you to my special thoughts this morning. It must make life quite difficult at times to cope with your arthritis and is such a nasty condition to have, so I do hope that your new medication works for you.
I was one of those ladies who had a combined washing &mangle and I thought that I was the bees knees. My mum had a machine which did the washing and had a mangle on the top...oh what nasty things mangles could be at times, I caught my fingers in one OUCH!! Pleased to hear that you had a good time seeing your daughter and one of your sons' I do miss seeing mine sometimes but they are all scatterd around the UK or in Holland and Barcelona.

Penny, you really must have green fingers to have had such a success with your Stephanotis, I have never achieved this, in fact most of my indoor plants seem to die so now I only have green leaf type indoor plants!! Most of us live with what we call mundane lives but we still chat away so never worry about not having something to exciting to tell us about although excitement etc can be very good fun to hear!!
Val We haven't heard from you yet today but I am always delighted when I look on here and see that you have kept up with our message board. I hope that the people who robbed your family are dealt with appropriately. I do not know what the legal system in your part of the world is but no one should steal from someone else let alone break into their home. however we do hear that the penal system for the indigenous non white people in A are not treated well but I have no personal experience so you are the only person posting who could explain what happens. Well I have rambled on this morning so promise not to do this every morning!!

have a good day everyone , I will look again later today

Bridget

07.40hrs Spain

I'm here! Have just been to the Home Affairs Office to apply for a copy of my parents' marriage certificate, what a nightmare. I was told "it';s off the system" because it was so long ago. So I asked the clerk where I should apply for a copy as even if it was off the system the records must be somewhere, she just shrugged her shoulders and said she didn't know. I did, however, apply for my fathert's birth certificate which could take three months to get. After i was back home and had had a cup of tea, which believe me I needed, I thought I would phone their office and speak to the perso in charge. This person fortunately knew what she was talking about and told me that I should apply at their office and they submit the application to Pretoria, but I might have a long wait. So I will go back next week. I did as her to have a word with the lady at the desk.

My brother will be going this morning to identify the items which were stolen. Prisoners on the whole are not treated too badly these days, they can study at state expense while incarcerated, they have television available, cellphones and probably things of which I have no knowledge.
There is no hard labour, prisoners have the right to vote. . I must admit that in my opinion prisoners should lose the right to vote. Then there are the organisations like The Prisoner's Civil Rights Union. They are admitted to Private Hospital should they need medical treatment.

I didn't know what Stephanotis was so googled to find out and I see it is a type of Jasmine. When we lived in East London we had a beautiful Jasmine outside the dining room, what a beautiful scent.

We had a little rain during the night which was lovely, it is rather humid to-day.

Peniscola sounds like a lovely place Bridget. I have only lived in the Eastern Cape anbd then in only three towns.

Nice to see you posting Jacqueline andfCaptain Pugwash - keep it up. Nice to hear that your OH is improving Jacqueline, may he continue this way.


Oh, I must tell you what happened yesteday - I was making a stew for lunch and it had been on the stove for about 15 minutes when off went the electricity. Our Municipal workers are digging and delving all over the place looking for water pipes which may be leaking, they are using a back-actor for the digging, and they damaged the electricity cable to our house, well after numerous phone calls an electrician arrived to repair the damaged cable, but he had no tools! 'We lent him a hacksaw and a knife, when he had rejoined the cable he covered the join with insulation tape, so this necessitated another phone call to the person in charge of the department who then sent someone back to do the job properly and enclose the join in a proper junction-box.

Enough of life in South Africa for today, before I bore you to tears.


Val.

Hello all, hope you are all well. Beautiful day here in my part of the uk, lovely sunshine if a little chilly still. Again not a lot to share with you all, have been out to lunch with friends very nice it was too. As for my success with the stephanotis I think it's a total fluke, dont know quite how I've managed it but thrilled that I have!!!!
Just a bit of a downer for today, could I please have some positive thoughts for a friend of mine, Jo went in hospital as a day case to have a small procedure on her leg that turned out to two op's, and so far three nights in hospital. Poor lass is so low.
Well til tomorrow night, take care all. Penny

Hello, it is 8.55 a.m. here and a bright sunny day.

Will be going out a little later for tea with friends as we usually do on a Saturday morning.

I have twwo Ponytail plants which have outgrown their pots which I am now going to put into the garden, I hope they will grow well there. I have aleady changed the pots twice which is why I have decided to put them into the garden.

I am hoping that my daughter will make supper of us to-night, she makes a very nice Bobotie, this is a Malay dish and typically South African, served with yellow rice.

Have a good weekend whatever you will be doing.



Val.

Hello to all. I haven't posted on this thread for a long time but I received such a nice invitation from Bridget to return to it, that I decided to pop in firstly to thank her for the invitation and to re-introduce myself.

I live in the western suburbs of Sydney, where temperatures seem to be getting higher each year. Where I am, we don't seem to get much rain any more. Whilst Sydney city still has 'downpours' - they quite often miss where I am and I'm less than twenty miles from the city.

I may not post at the same time as you do because of the time difference. At the moment, my part of the country is 11 hours ahead of UK but when you move forward 1 hour and we move back a week later, the difference will be 9 hours - but I'll post anyway. We'll catch up somehow and I'm looking forward to getting to know you all.

How delightful to come on this thread and find so many new messages, thank you every one.
So from the beginning. Val how interesting to read about the trip to the home office and what a lack of information the person on the desk had! You were right to telephone when you arrived home and I hope that you certs arrive safely. What is a pony plant? Does it have a perfume.? My garden is looking fresh with the bougainvillea, the roses seem to have survived the winter, fruit trees are producing so much I am beginning to wonder what to do with it all!

Captain Pug Wash, we all have days when we think that we do not have much to say or contribute but it is rewarding just to read others daily comments and suggestions for topics. So if there is a subject, funny story, or normal activity that you like or think would make us laugh, cry, have a view about etc then post them on here. Often we only have mundane things to say but at least we are saying them!

Verona. Thank you for coming back on here, we all need a break sometimes. Is there any one else we could ask if they could pop in again? It is good to know where people live, I mean which part of a country they are living in. My husband has family living in Sydney I must ask exactly where they live.

I nearly went to Sydney when I was in my early 20s. But was persuaded to marry my boyfriend. We were together for 24 years and then sadly went our separate ways. Very happily married for the second time, will be 18 years this July .

Sun is shining, the sea is glimmering and Jet and Joe are laying in the sunshine. I still have a dreadful cold, eyes watering, coughing etc so going to make a fresh lemon drink to sooth my throat.

Bye bye for now

Bridget

10.49 hrs Spain

Still coughing, still have headache, still feel hot one minute and cold the next!! Can't you just tell that I am not a good patient !!!

OH cooked late Breakfast and then I was able to persuade him that I can be left alone, I will not even contemplated let alone do anything silly. He has gone to watch his football Team, West Ham United on the TV in the local English Bar. He is then coming back to cook dinner which he has already prepared, the meat is marinating he has peeled all the veg and cleared up after himself. I have very strict instructions NOT to do any more work today so here i am on this thread. I must try to look at other threads and see if I can make any comments.

Bye for now, do not forget that it is a special full moon tonight so try to take a look. there is a thread all about it .

15.12hrs Spain

Hello All nice blue sky and sunny here in Wilthshire. Went shopping in Frome this morning and that was enough for the OH now watching his football and rugby in between sleeps lol. Hospital appointment on Monday to see the Rheumotologist, at least the steriods are starting to work. Bye for now. Oh and please call me Jackie, only my mam ever called me by my full name usually when I had done something wrong.

Hi Jackie, where in Wiltshire do you live?

My grandfather came from Mere and it was his story and the amount of paperwork, all originals that he gave me that set me off on the occupation of Ancestry,

Bridget