General Chat

Would you believe there is yet another change of plan. Grandson texted early this morning to say his sister, the granddaughter in Edinburgh, is now able to come as well so she was on her way to him in Yorkshire and he would drive the rest of the way, but it will be late afternoon when they arrive. It meant a quick rethink of the sleeping arrangements but we are all sorted now. It was short notice but I am pleased she can come as I haven’t seen her since June and goodness knows when we’ll next meet up.

We both popped out first thing and got the extra bits we wanted but we were back here before 9 am. Stifado went in a very low oven at 11 am to eat around 7 pm and OH and I enjoyed the soup for our lunch and are freezing the rest of it.

It’s been sunny all day but the frost hasn’t cleared much. It’s still white everywhere but we haven’t had any snow, though the yellow warning is still in place.

Going to have a quick shower now while I’ve got the chance.

I have printed off a couple of copies of the robin to put in my made cards box to remind me to use it next year.

thank you Mel for your card yes could easily be re-usable next year.. Gwyn I would like to send you a card if you would message me your address, however it is entirely up to you but you feel part of this group now.

Gwyn yes the rented trees have been going for some years now. seems a great idea if you want a real tree.
It is a beautiful contrast when you come upon the window suddenly, especially if you are not expecting it. I am regretting that we have not made more effort to get out into the forest in the past 30 years since living here. it was always going to be 'later'. so pleased that we visited a lot when we lived in Lydney in the 70s though.

Mandy please keep the snow over your way, none here so far still only 0 degrees though.

I am making the bows and wiring the 4 Christmas roses indoors but still have to do the holly berries and some hedgehog holly so that will be done in the shed and its quite warm in there this mroning with the sun being out and the ring was not frozen so thats good.

I have knocked off the fingernail on my left hand opening the bird food tub and now I am having trouble typing and picking things up. Wildies are all charged up with food as are the big girls. I just have to thaw the bird bath but have put a bowl of water on it for now.

Oh I see your going to finish the ring off indoors now Mel that will be better for you.

Morning all,

We had a light snow shower last night and a heavy frost this morning so it's a bit white in places ,we've just had quite a heavy snow shower with big flakes but now the suns out and there's lovely blue sky .

Mel have you got a little flask you could take with you into the shed so you could have a sip of a hot drink to keep you warmed up while your doing your ring .

Anng the robin photo would make a lovely Christmas card ,your photography group will enjoy looking at the photos from yesterday I'm sure .

Vera I hope all your visitors arrive safely and you all enjoy the get together .

Gwyn we saw the bit on the television about Christmas tree renting ,I expect its pricey but it helps to keep the tree going for the year and how lovely to have the same tree again each year .
Did you enjoy your Haggis .

Coffee time now so I'd better get the kettle on .

Thats it all of you keep warm and I shall too as I am going to do the rest of the ring in the kitchen. I hav'nt been out to the shed yet but suspect it could be frozen, the ring I mean.

Its -1 here and pc says mostly cloudy.

Thank you Ann for sharing the lovely photos. How amazing it must be to come across the striking stained glass with it's rich colours amidst the tree outlines.
The little robin is just great and so sharply in focus that it would indeed make a lovely card.
It's not an area I know, but wish I realised when we lived over your way, that I had ancestral links to The Forest of Dean.
I saw a report on Breakfast TV about a place in Cheltenham area which grows Christmas trees and actually rents some out. One customer said he had rented a tree some years ago. His children named it Spike and they all look forward to meeting up with the same tree each Christmas, the tree having been nurtured in the meantime by the oiginal growers.

We have a yellow weather warning today for cold temperatures and 'potential for sleet' according to the local BBC news. There was light frost on the roof tops, but not enough to freeze the bird bath. Daughter, working from home was at an online meeting earlier and later told me that her colleague had said they had snow falling in Maidstone. We tend not to get so much as that area as we are more towards the coast, which tempers our weather a bit.

I don't have to go out today, so will busy myself indoors :-)

Good morning all. another hard frost last night brightish here but cloud cover. I am home all morning but out this afternoon to photography group.
Mel it is really cold for you to be working out where you do the ring etc. Hopefully you will finish soon. would it help to take a hot water bottle down with you to warm up your hands?

As Vera has said the robin would be great for a Christmas card but a little too late for this year. I will have to remember that I have the photo next year.
Hope all goes well with your visitors and all the lovely food you have planned for them Vera. It is hard work having visitors as we get older, no matter how much we love them. I am sure it will be worth it to you.

Mandy, glad that you managed the walk to town, that will have boosted your morale a bit after being so poorly.

The forest was pretty awesome despite the leafless trees. all the leaves on the ground and the bracken gave it colour. I have known it in all seasons from spring to heavy snow and always loved it. That visit was the first for many years as we tended not to go that was since we lived here. with the stained glass window it does seem to have more of an impact without leaves on the trees to distract down the path, although there are conifers near, out of sight of the photo. It really needed the sky to be brighter or blue to reflect the light through it, the longer that you look at it the more you see. It was definitely worth the trip

Morning all,

The suns coming out and the wind has dropped and there is a frost but it should'nt stay long I hope.

Went to bed early for me last night at 11.10pm and arose at 8.12am having got up once for the loo at I don't know what time.

It will be back to the wreath ring today and I wonder what day BIL will come as I never know.

Hope you all had a good nights sleep and have woken refreshed for the day ahead. My arm hurt yesterday evening and I think it was all the wiring for the ring and it still aches a bit this morning.

Your pictures are lovely Anng and I too love the closeup of the Robin.

Still have tiny flakes of snow now and then and its bitterly cold out there.

Enjoy your Haggis and neeps Gwyn. Did'nt I hear somewhere you can cook a swede in the micro?? which makes it easier to cut up.

I did'nt post this but it is still snowing and raining I think too. Its not settleing thank goodness.

Evening all,

It's been really cold here and like Vera we woke to everywhere really white ,snow showers had been mentioned for today but it's stayed dry and sunny .
Vera it's nice to hear about the meals your serving ,it's a long while since we had Stifado ,when we went to the Greek Islands it was always a favourite served up in the little pots with the lid on .

Anng lovely to see the photos with all the leaves off the trees everywhere looked so bare but then the stained glass panel gave a lovely bit of colour ,lovely close up photo of the Robin too.

Oh Mel your poor hands ,have you got any fingerless gloves you could wear or would they catch on the greenery and wire .
I think the cream candles will make a change from the red and they will stand out better than red .
You asked if I'm knitting anything ,no nothing on the go and it's the first time for a long while that I haven't made anything for Christmas .

Gwyn I hope you've enjoyed your Haggis and Neeps ,I have never tried Haggis but we do like swede but as you say it's a devil to peel ,I saw a recipe for swede soup so I might give that a try sometime.

I did walk into town today and got a few christmas presents so I'm a bit happier now ,its also Katie's birthday next week so I wanted to get a card for her incase the weather turns nasty and we can't go out .
I was only saying the other week that we had several banks in the town and blow me today thay have said the Halifax ,Barclays and could be Lloyd's are closing after Christmas.
We had curried parsnip soup at lunch time so as we weren't that hungry tonight so we have just had a sausage sandwich .

We woke up to a white world this morning. At first I thought it was snow but then realised it was a very heavy frost and, boy, it was cold. I expect you all had a cold night as well. The coldest spot in the country apparently was Thetford which is about half way between Mandy and me.

We got out fairly early this morning and got all my shopping and my neighbour’s bits and then met the “gang” for coffee. When I got home and unpacked I found, even with my long list I had still managed to forget a couple of things. OH said he’ll pop out in the morning for me. After a quick lunch I stood preparing tomorrow’s meals which seemed to involve endless cutting and chopping! We’re having a warming soup, carrot and ginger, with sandwiches and cake when they arrive at lunchtime so carrot and onion chopped, garlic crushed and ginger grated. It just needs throwing into the soup maker with some stock. In the evening I’m doing stifado, a sort of Greek stew, but it needs to go on the lowest oven setting or in the slow cooker for about 8 hours so I need to be ready early. I’ve got 4 big onions all thinly sliced and all the other ingredients to hand so I can just assemble it and shove it in the oven. It’ll be a pick and mix buffet Saturday lunchtime and a Turkish takeaway Saturday night, then I’m doing Chicken Chasseur as an early Sunday dinner so they get a hot meal before their journey back. Now I’ve thoroughly bored you with my meal by meal account.

After all this I went to wrap the rest of the presents to go to Yorkshire. One needs 3 AA batteries and I knew OH had bought a large pack a short while ago. When I looked for them I found he had picked up AAA by mistake and we already had a pack of those, so AA batteries is now on his shopping list for the morning as well.

I enjoyed seeing your photos AnnG and, as I said in my reply, the robin would make a good Christmas card. The hospital is doing more than keeping my neighbour alive as in between his spells as an inpatient he leads a fairly normal life. He’s driving and is out and about. He gardens and they go away for short breaks and they are always out for meals. However it does seem that his bad spells are getting more frequent.

I hope you managed to deal with your swede Gwyn. Enjoy your haggis and neeps.

I’ve found time to post this as I am having a little rest on the bed with a wheat bag on my back. All that standing at the work surface preparing veg has really made it ache again but I’d better get up and sort out something for us to eat. One thing’s for sure, it will be something quick and easy.

Thank you for your card, Mel, which must have arrived in the lunchtime post.My first one this year.

There was no frost here this morning, which quite surprised me, but boy was it cold out and there was dampness in the air, which added an extra chill.
I seem to be seeing more birds this week.I expect they are all looking for extra food. Yesterday we were visited by a lot of long tail tits, which don't often frequent our garden. Lots of blue tits were around too, but no recent sightings of our robin.

What a good neighbour you are Vera, but take care of yourselves too, so that you can enjoy your visitors.
I hope the weather allows their journey.

I hope Mandy and her OH are soon fully fit, as I can imagine that such busy people will be so frustrated if they keep having to rest.

Ann
I love to read about your walks and visits to places of interest. They sound lovely. I will check your e mails in a minute.

Mel,
That must be such a cold job gathering foliage for your Advent ring, but what a lovely thing to do in memory of your loved ones. You seem to be getting on well and I'm sure it is greatly appreciated in the church. You have made me think about whether I should make something for our local little church. Services are very limited now there. After this Sunday, the 1st Sunday in Advent, there is no service until 23rd, so the candles won't be lit each week......

Saint Andrew's day today, so we are having haggis for our meal this evening. It always seems to take ages to prepare the swede to go with it, as it's so tough to cut :-|

3pm weather check! We have tiny balls of snow falling.

I have the dome in the middle and the green and yellow fir round the edge but my fingers are so stiff and cold I have come in for a warm up once again and I still hav'nt had anything to eat so I think its an early lunch now.

I have fed the chickens and had a good wash and went and picked a load of yellow fir and ivy flowers and leaves but by this time my hands were so cold and the winds bitter out there today. I had to come in and warm up by doing the washing up. I wiped the eggs and now I am hungry.

Still have cards to write and I must get on with this advent ring but could'nt face the cold shed till I had warmed up.

Vera don't go overdoing it take it slow and steady. I hope your neighbour is better soon and he poor hubby but he is in the best place if he has to have these blood transfusions. Its so sad when two people like that are struggling but you are a good beighbour to the both of them.

Right something to eat I think. :-D

Good morning all. Don't go overdoing it Vera with all the shopping, wrapping, bed making and cooking. and if you don't have time to come on here we will 'see' you after the weekend. Hope you don't get snow to throw a spanner in the works too.
Your neighbour is fortunate in that the ambulance comes fairly quickly, although unfortunate of course to be so poorly. It sounds as if they are just keeping him alive. A worry for her and good of you to get her shopping. I hope she gets over her infections soon and do mind she doesn't pass anything on to you.

Mel good luck with making the ring etc. do you enjoy making it? don't forget a photo. I hope to send a few photos of my trip out yesterday. that will be later as I am not dressed yet. We had a a hard frost last night and the roofs are all very white this morning it is -1 degree here at the moment. Not cold indoors because the heating is on and I am snuggled in my thick fluffy dressing gown. I slept well last night, must have been the Forest air, I have more presents to wrap today. getting there. I want to finish so I can put my decorations up.

Morning all,

Dull, dark and dingy this morning 0 degrees and pc says cloudy.

Slept well and must get ready fr the day and see if I can get this ring done and out of the way.

BBL

I got your card today Mel. Thank you very much. Your trip to Holsworthy wasn't wasted then. It's always satisfying to have a bit of a spend-up.

AnnG, I think my neighbours must be on some sort of vulnerable list as they never have to wait very long for an ambulance. Husband definitely has to be in hospital when he is taken ill. He very often needs a blood transfusion and is usually in for 5 or 6 days till he is stabilised. He has got to have a transfusion again this time. The wife saw the doctor yesterday and has 2 different infections so, apart from feeling lousy, she can't go in to see her OH. I am going to do a bit more shopping for her tomorrow as she forgot a few bits yesterday and I have to shop for our weekend meals anyway.

It's been a busy day. I've done a bit of housework and OH washed the floors for me. I washed towels and got all the bedding ready to make up the bed for grandson and partner. I'm putting them in my room as it's more suitable for a cot and it has an en-suite and I'll go into the spare room. I've written more cards and wrapped 6 presents for grandson to take back to Yorkshire for me. There's still another 3 to do tomorrow.

Tomorrow will also be busy as I have quite a lot of shopping to do for me, plus a bit for my neighbour, and we are supposed to be meeting friends for coffee. That will take us till lunchtime and then I want to spend the afternoon doing some cooking.

Grandson is arriving lunchtime Friday and my daughter and partner are coming up about 5.30, so will have a meal with us and stay for a couple of hours. It's the only time that suits all of us as, of course, daughter wants to see the babe, her granddaughter. I think it's going to be a busy weekend so I am not sure whether I will get online much over the next few days.

It's been really cold today and the frost hasn't cleared from cars and roofs all day. At the moment the computer is telling me it is -3 and there is fog. We also have a yellow warning of snow and ice, though I don't suppose there will be more than a few flakes round here. I hope it doesn't get too bad in Yorkshire or grandson might have to put off his trip down to us.

Take care everyone if you are out and about as roads and pavements could get slippy. Stay warm. I'm off to fill a hotty and heat my wheat bag to lay against my back.

Went to Holsworthy quite early and had a good look around after getting the candle spikes. Ended up buying lots of Christmas presents in Mole Valley and thougherly enjoyed spending some money.