General Chat

Good morning all. At the moment it is sunny and 8 degrees. Will it last I wonder? Still it is nice to wake up to sun after the rain of yesterday and the garden centres will be pleased.

I am pleased that you felt better again yesterday Ann. I think a 5 hour journey is as long as my legs can take, although we do have a couple of stops in that time. 8 hours would not be good. I do remember, when we used to live in Bedfordshire the journey to Cornwall would take 7 hours., but I was 35 years younger then and more flexible.

Vera, hope Granddaughter arrived safely. Have a lovely time.

t still a few more to do I did'nt realise I had so many.

Just lost the lot!!!!!!!!!!!

Vera it will be nice to see your granddaught and her partner and its good they only want to play cards and games and slop about. It will make a nice break for all of you, good chat and company.

I have cl;eaned out the two tray on the Strawberry barrow and I only have a few more to clean up and gravel so thats a good job out ofthe way.

The Sparrowhawk flew round the box hedge and up the orchard just now so he's still hunting. I expect it has young but I wish it would go somewhere else.

My knees are bad today must have been all the bending to scrap the drive yesterday so I hav'nt done anymore today but walking back and forth is'nt good either.

Ann glad you are feeling better today. Take it easy for a couple of days to get back into the routine. Like the idea of Windowsill Bay, ha ha I have that ever year.

Better see whats for dinner tonight as I am feeling hungry now.

Afternoon All,

More drizzle then rain here, so still no washing done! Tomorrow looks dry with sun and cloud and 17 degrees so I will put a load on tonight.

Yes it was a holiday to remember for all the wrong reasons!
I feel fine today Mandy so hopefully whatever it was has gone. I popped to the shop with OH this morning and got some large potatoes to bake and to have with tuna and salad. Our nearest Aldi doesn’t seem to have many plants, just one tall rack of petunias at the moment, so I’ll have a look next week. I hope you are feeling ok again and not too tired. I meant to ask how Jake is doing and if he is enjoying work now he’s settled in.

I was worried it could be a bug and that OH may get it AnnG, and we needed to be able to travel home, so I kept away from him as much as possible and lots of handwashing. At least there were 2 TVs there and it was warm and cosy with feather duvets and comfy beds. We both decided the seats in this car are much harder than in the previous one. Journeys taking 8 hours are not good for either of us, as I have an auto immune condition that can often make sitting really uncomfortable anyway, especially if there are potholes, and OH has a condition that can cause numbness and tingling in his thighs and arms due to nerves that trap. What joy it is getting these afflictions to put up with as we get older!
I think you could well be right about WFH and people not being restricted to going away on weekend days anymore, as it does seem busier on the roads altogether on weekdays now. I just mentioned what you said to OH and he agreed as well.

Vera I think windowsill bay will do nicely for us the rest of this year too! I liked the sound of your recent meal out, especially the cauli cheese and caramelised onion tart, which sounded very tasty. The Sticky Guiness Cake sounded nice too and how lovely of your neighbour to still bring you samples! His grandchildren must be getting good at making cakes too, I hope you have a nice weekend with your granddaughter and partner who sound very easy to please and are happy to just enjoy your company. Have you thought about skylight blinds to help keep your bedroom cooler? Have a google as they may help if you could get a supplier who fits them as well. One of our bedrooms is baked by sun on two walls and gets hot at night, despite having cavity wall insulation. I open the ensuite door and open that window to help as well. I read the other day that it’s a good idea to leave the bedroom door open at night so the air can circulate but I haven’t tried it yet.

Mel, nice pics of the birds and it’s many years since I saw a Goldcrest. You get such a variety of birds in your garden and I remember your feeders from when I called to see you that time. I said to OH afterwards that your feeders were like having a tv outside the window with all the activity going on.

I’ve just about caught up with paperwork now and realised I hadn’t ordered our prescriptions so that is done. Better get the washer going now.

I think we had our summer over the last 2 days, now it's back to normal, cold, windy and VERY wet. In fact it's rained non-stop all day, some of it quite heavy.

We're ready for our visitors. Mandy it's just one girl and her partner. One of her sisters was hoping to come as well but with a weekend job and studying for A-Levels which start shortly, she couldn't really get away. Hopefully we'll see her during the summer. The two that are coming are 23 and 27 so don't really need looking after. I asked them if there was anything special they wanted to do while they were here and they said they just want to mooch about, play cards or board games and chat so that's easy to organise. They won't be here till late tonight as they will drive down after work and I expect they'll stop for a coffee and bite to eat on the way. I am looking forward to seeing them.

Been in the garden most of the morning and just come in for a break, coffee and a Kit Kat.

The suns out here and its been a lovely warm morning (sorry Anng no rain here) I have been outside in just a cardi and sleeveless fleece. I have potted some of my strawberry plants and want to get the tray washed out so I can put them all back on the barrow.

Knees are playing up today after yesterdays scraping the moss off the road outside the bungalow. I may have another go at that later on so I think I shall take some painkillers and see how I get on.

I did a tiny bit of painting this morning too. I have also been up the post van this morning.

Anng I like those coloured leaf geraniums. I have one I v'e had for years and try to get a cutting or two to keep it going. It was bought at a plant sale at a local afternoon tea thing Erics did and I know who it came from too.

Pc says 13 degrees and mostly cloudy and we have some clud but sun too.

I am thinking of tasking the Wren nest out of the filter shed as the swallows have been in there and don't seem very happy with it on their original nest they hav'nt touched the other two up there on the same ledge.

It has rained all day so far. It didn't affect us as we went to the local garden centre, had coffee then had a good walk round and then had lunch (fish and chips, beautifully cooked but too many chips and a large helping of mushy peas which i had to leave half as well as some chips. It was frustrating not being able to buy plants but I did get three of the coloured leaf geraniums which have gone home with my friend to put in her greenhouse. I did buy a tumbler tomato plant which I am going to put with mine grown from seed on a window sill in the house.

Thank you for the bird photos, Mel.
I don't think I've ever seen a goldcrest. Lovely to see them collecting like that.

We used to see a lot of wagtails here, but not in recent times.
House martins used to nest under the roof at the apex of a house across the road, but they too haven't been seen here in recent years.
I think we have far too many seagulls muscling in and the smaller birds don't have so much chance.

Morning all,
Very grey morning here when I went out to the bin you could feel a very light drizzle in the air but now I think its a little heavier rain as the ground now looks wet .
We had planned to do a little in the front garden but looks like it might be a day inside.

Vera I hope you enjoy your weekend with the girls if they can stay the extra day that's a bonus.

Enjoy your day out Anng .

Better get my coffee we were up a little later this morning I think because it was so dark first thing and we didn't realise the time .

good morning all it is 8 degrees here and raining which is a shame as I am off out later with my friend and it will probably be to a garden centre now. If it had been dry we might have gone to slimbridge to see the swans etc.

Ann, that was not a holiday to remember, it seems that even if it had not been wet you would not have been well enough to go out. Very disappointing when you don't get away much. I hope you are feeling better now and it was not a bug that your OH subsequently developed. I think traffic to holiday areas does seem to be heavier pre weekends than it originally was. And I think that is because so many people are working from home. And that doesn't mean they actually have to stay home 'have lap top etc can travel'.

I often do mention when I am away from home but neighbours are always alert to the fact and are keeping a watchful eye. I do try to remember to not say the dates actually going and returning though,

Vera, pleased that you had a nice day yesterday. your lunch sounds really nice, I do like cauliflower cheese, that meal was a good veggie choice. I guess the veg would have been too underdone for me. I like them done a fraction more, mainly because my teeth can't cope with solid veg these days. If you don't get on again I hope you have a lovely weekend with your granddaughter.
Could you sleep without the blind down on the window or would you wake up as soon as it got light?
Better get dressed now as friend will be here at 10 to pick me up.

Morning all,

9 degrees and cloudy and its really dull outside.Was awake so thought I would get up as otherwise I would sleep till about 10am.

Sitting here with a nice COC and my nose is streaming.

What a nightmare you had with the journey down to Cornwall Ann. Such a shame when you look forward to soemthing and the weather lets you down but here is Devon we had quite a nice week via my diary.

My goodness Annx, it sounds as though you need a holiday to get over your holiday. I hope you are both feeling better and a bit more relaxed now. You're probably wise not to advertise in advance that you are going to be away. I don't think we'll need to worry about that as we haven't made any arrangements for a break of any sort this year. As a friend of mine always says, we'll be staying at windowsill bay (and you'd be surprised how many people ask where that is).

Mel, I've only ever seen a goldcrest once and, sadly, that was dead. We found it just by some glass doors in our old house. It hadn't been mauled in any way and there were no feathers lying around so we think it must have flown into the door. It was such a tiny bird and such beautiful colours.

I had a better night last night though I still kept waking up very hot. That's the problem with having a room under the eaves; the heat rises to there and has nowhere else to go so it stays in that room. It's not even easy to sleep with a window open. There are 2 windows and they have roller blinds. If the windows are open the blinds rattle like mad. I've looked at curtaining instead and that would be OK on one window but the other is set between two sections of sloping ceiling and there is no easy way to hang a curtain. When it's really hot I either open the skylight in the en-suite and leave the door into the bedroom open or I have to put on a fan.

I've had a nice day. There hasn't been a lot of sun but it's been very warm and dry all day. I've mostly been wearing 2 jumpers but yesterday was warm enough for a cotton shirt and a jumper and today I was able to go out in a very lightweight blouse and a cotton cardi. It was our friend M's birthday yesterday so today 7 of the ladies went out for lunch to celebrate. One of them drove M & me to the pub she had chosen where we all had a really nice meal . I was in a veggie mood so I had a cauliflower cheese and caremalised onion tart which sounds odd but was delicious and it came with a huge plateful of new potatoes, carrots, cauliflower and peas with a jug of gravy and a pot of onion chutney. I didn't use the gravy but made inroads into the chutney and the veg were cooked just as I like them. The problem was that it was such a big helping that I couldn't get through it and I hate wasting food. All the meals came up together and they were all piping hot. Everyone seemed to enjoy their food.

We didn't have desserts because we all went back to M's house for tea and cakes with lots of chat and laughter. We all see each other so frequently that it amazes me that we still find so much to talk about. When the party broke up I decided to walk home although there was a lift available for me. It's probably less than a mile from M's house to mine, it was a comfortable temperature and I am not getting much exercise at all lately. Although it was only a short walk I enjoyed it though my back was aching when I got back. I must try harder to fit in some more walking. I badly need the exercise. I must work off the calories I've just put on by eating a large slab of "Sticky Guinness Cake" which our neighbour made yesterday. He's still bringing us goodies from time to time, bless him.

Tomorrow will be hectic as I've got a few things I must try and do as well as sorting out bedding etc for granddaughter and her partner. I'll give them my room as it is easier to give visitors their own shower etc. as I can use the one in OH's room but it does mean I have to clear anything I might want over the weekend out of my room. I'm also not sure how long they are staying as granddaughter said they would stay for the weekend which usually means they leave Sunday, probably after a midday brunch. But I only realised a day or two ago that Monday is a bank holiday so maybe they will stay till then. Well, I'll find out when they get here.

Right, I'd better go and let my dear OH know that I still exist, as I've hardly seen him today. I hope you all sleep well and, in case I don't get online for the next couple of days, I'll wish you all a good weekend.

Just come in from the garden doing some tidying on the front of the bungalow raod and as I walked up the steps onto the patio there was the little Goldcrest fliting about. I have managed to get a couple of pics but they are not very good.

Oh Ann that didn't sound a relaxing holiday for you both with all the traffic and weather so bad and then to cap it all off the loo trips ,I hope your both feeling better now your home .
It's best not to advertise when your going away you never know who's reading posts on here .

It's been a really lovely day here again I started off in a long sleeve top but after sitting out putting the little greenhouse up I had to get a short sleeve top on I was so hot .
Not sure I will get the plants in tonight as we might have some storms overnight and I don't want the plants knocked about if the wind gets up .
Ann the plants were selling well so I wouldn't leave it to long before you go to your aldi to see if they have them in .
I want to see if they have the Geraniums in again this year as they were good plants ,I was hoping they might have some trailing Geraniums in.

Afternoon Everyone,

We got back from Cornwall yesterday and I didn’t mention us going till we were back, as this is a public site anyone can look in and we didn’t want any occasional browsers finding out our house is empty!

We went on Friday and what a journey from hell it was with so many roadworks and traffic at a stop start crawl for miles (5 lots I think OH said), 50mph limits in places, a lane shut due to a car breakdown, then a go slow with a car in a ditch. It took 8 hours to get there and normally it would be 5 hours!! Some roadworks (without a single worker in sight!) won’t even be completed this year, but why start them at the start of the holiday season? We spent the next day recovering, then the rain started. Sunday we had a nice Sunday lunch and a ride around a few pretty villages. Monday it rained all day and, I had to pay visits to the ‘white friend’ like Frank used to say. Tuesday was windy and rained heavily all day and we stayed in and I was happy to be close to my ‘white friend’ in case, but was ok. We were worried about the journey back, knowing the nearer the weekend we left it the worse it might be with the Bank Holiday coming up, so we decided on Wednesday and it was better, more like a normal journey. More ‘white friend’ visits when we got back, so I’m wondering if it was bought sandwiches I had on the two occasions, but I feel ok again today after a good sleep. That ended up being a short break and we think the fuel we used getting there would have got us home as well normally. Neither of us are keen to go back any time soon and decided we have seen most of what there is many times now. A change to some places with easier or shorter journeys we think.

Lovely sunshine here and I looked at the Hostas this morning, expecting them to be bare of leaves, but whatever was chewing one seems to have lost interest and left it alone now and it is recovering. Plenty of weeding needs doing now!

Mandy it will be good to get your little greenhouse up for your plants. It works really well and I think that’s what I will get when I get rid of my glass one. Thanks for mentioning the Aldi plants. I might pop and see if ours has them in. I always remember getting those pink Geraniums you said about a few years ago and they were really good. I have recorded the prog now, so thanks for saying about that too!

AnnG that lovely ship must be like a village inside and I would certainly get lost with my poor sense of direction. Yes, it would be good if you could get your lawn cut before going away. At least you have less of it to cut now and less of it to grow while you are away which is good. I must get some washing done!

I’m hoping the mop on a stick will be good for removing condensation on the inside of my windscreen as well, as it seems to often get it in the winter. Gwyn I’m still deciding where to keep it! It might be in the porch cupboard as you are right about all the clutter we end up with. My car has a big spare wheel sitting in the boot as well as the air pump, a cool bag, scraper, plastic sheet for putting plants I buy on and endless shopping bags that need sorting out. Lol

Mel the sunset pics are gorgeous colours. I hope that Sparrowhawk doesn’t hang around just as the Robin might have chicks. At my old house one used to sit in the tree next to the bird table. Could you get a pc hub to plug in with more sockets?
I think I will have an egg custard and COT now.

Robbie has been taking one or two worms off with him this morning so I am wondering if he is feeding his wife or a baby soemwhere in the box hedge. He still flies to the same place the orchard side of the hedge.

Glad you're ok Mandy we do all worry about each other you know.

Wonder if Vera had a good sleep last night?

Not seen Willie Wagtail anymore today with his offspring. They usually nest under my solar panels. I should think its nice and dry under there and maybe a bit warmer too.

I am now going to do some casting.

Afternoon all,

I'm OK thanks just trying to catch up with lots of garden jobs and then tired out at the end of the day so we've had some early nights .
Been shopping this morning and Aldi had bedding plants in so got Pertunias, Lobelia and bizzi lizzies 1.89 for ten so a very good price and I've had them before and they were lovely plants .
Called into Roys and got some slug gel to put round the hostas as I see the ones in the front have one or two tiny bites so it needs nipping in the bud before they munch the lot ,also put two bags of clothes into the salvation army clothing bin at behind Tesco's.

There's a nice little programme on in the afternoons at four o'clock on channel 4 called Narrow escapes it's all about people living and working on the canals ,we record it and watch it later its a nice little programme.
We want to see if we can get the little green house up this afternoon and then I can get the plants I bought this morning under cover .

I hope that old sparrow hawk has moved on Mel don't want him getting your Robins.

I had forgotten to check which vaccine we were given this time. We always have had Pfizer with all the originals and boosters but just found that this time it was Spikevacc which used to apparently be Moderna.

Must have had a better offer I suppose.

Still 9 degrees here and cloudy its been raining a bit and all I have done is feed the robin and the fish. Must go round to the girls. I saw Willie Wagtail feeding baby on the edge of the pond so went to get my camera and dad had flown away. I waited but then baby went onto my pond edge and still dad had'nt come back so I gave up as baby had gone behind some plants. I did get a pic of the chick though.

No we didn't hear from Ann or Mandy so hope they are both OK. Not raining here now but looks very threatening. at least we didn't get the thunderstorms they had south East.. 12 degrees.

No Ann either???? Hope they are both ok.