General Chat

No its mine and the stand. I have done it in memory of my dad and now mum and oh.

oh must not have taken it in when you said it before. I assumed as you were looking for it at the church it belonged to them.

Morning all,

The sun is just trying to shine out the back but its very grey towards the north and pc says 4 degrees and cloudy so it dos'nt seem like its going to be as nice as yesterday was.

Like I said before its my stand and ringwhich I have made for the church for over 25 years. I used to do a big garland over the door too but I can't manage that now. Sheila has offered to pay for the new candles and spikes from church funds.

Better get on as I want to get to Holsworthy for the candle spikes and get this ring out of the way.

Good morning all still dark outside so no idea what the weather is doing, I was awake at 0700 but didn't want to go back to sleep as I am going out at 10 oclock. So got up, I am not showered or dressed yet though.
your poor neighbours Vera, they do seem to be really poorly. Id he really in need of hospital or do they panic and call the ambulance. I suppose the paramedics must know he is ill enough to be taken in. He certainly gets good responses from the NHS. I hope he will soon be well enough to come home.

Good that your OH got the blueberry re-potted, at least you won't have to lift it.

Mel, what a performance. Do all the bits you need belong to the church or are they actually yours? worth grabbing them when they have finished with them and putting them somewhere safe.

What a pain of a day you have had Mel and now you’ve got to go out tomorrow. Send us a picture of the wreath when it’s finished please.

Covid can leave you feeling really tired for quite a while Mandy. It’s tempting when you are an active person to try to keep going but you must rest as much as possible. You don’t want to be exhausted at Christmas.

It’s nice that you had a good chat with your friend AnnG. I didn’t enjoy PE and games either and I got very artful. In the second year at grammar school when I was 11-12 I was quite poorly and missed a term of school. Even when I was back at school, for a while I had to go to the hospital twice a week for injections. The teachers were very sympathetic and I soon learnt to play on it. it’s surprising how often I had a stomach pain or felt sick when a PE session was due ;-). I was still getting away with it when I was 16-17 :-D

I’ve got a few jobs done today but not as much as I hoped. At least I wrote a few more cards and bought 2 more presents. OH repotted one of the blueberry plants and will do the other tomorrow, weather permitting.

I had a bad night last night and didn’t sleep much at all. Around midnight there were very bright lights outside and lots of clanging and I knew immediately that it was an ambulance next door. Poor neighbour is back in hospital again. He never seems to be home for more than a few days at a time. Wife is unwell too and was seeing a doctor today. She doesn’t drive and I felt we ought to offer to take her but we can’t drive her around every time her husband is out of action, so she got a taxi. I felt a bit guilty but made up for it by collecting a shopping list from her and going to Sainsbury’s. She’s now stocked up for a few days so won’t need to go out in the cold.

It really is cold now. I don’t think it’s got above 4 degrees all day and it’s supposed to drop to -1 later. Winter is here folks.

Yes Mandy we know that you always have something on the go. Are you knitting anything at the moment?

Oh Mel you have had a day of it ,I bet as you've now started making another one the other one will come to light ,it's probably been tucked away ,when they've finished with it you'll have to go and get so you have it for the next year.

Today I haven't felt as tired even though I had a bad night so hopefully I'm now on the mend ,it's a horrible feeling being so tired everything is an effort and to be quite honest I really haven't done much at all lately just been sitting in the chair and that's like me I'm usually on the go .

Iv'e had a terrble day. I went down the church to get the stand with the ring on it and the stand was there but not the ring. Then I thought I must have brought it back on its own but I have looked for it everywhere and its not to be found. I have had nearly the whole shed out where I store things and where I usually put the spiked candle holder on the pot on the windowsill they were'nt there either so it must have been tidied away when they cleaned out the bell tower. Thank goodness the stand was there. I looked in both my big boxes of flower arranging stuff and no candle spikes but I found one in the tray of ribbons. Had to ring the florist in Holsworthy, could'nt find the number and could'nt remember the name of it!!! did eventually so rang them and they have the candle spikes so she has put 4 away for me. I need 5 but have one.

I did do the foresty bit for some fir branches I use and found a branch down so I cut that up and brought that back. Since then I rang Sheila our reader and she is going down the church tomorrow to see if its been put in the shed as I can't get in there as the key is kept in the vestry. So I have started to make another one. I have to wire part of a cross in the middle of the hole in the wreath ring so I can put oasis on it for the middle candle and thatas as far as I have got. I now have to go to Holsworthy tomorrow to pick up the candle spikes and its going to be busy cos its market day.

Not done anything else.

Lovely and sunny here blue sky and white clouds 6 degrees and I wonder how long it will last?

Still waiting for the shopping top arrive............then I cna get on. I need to go up the church to get the advent ring stand and I hope its still there otherwise I will have to start from scratch.

Morning girls,

Nice brightish morning here and wjhen I got up for the loo at 7.33am there was a frost but not as hard as it was the other night. It 3 degrees here at the moment and pc says mostly cloudy.

Shopping comes today and I have two subs which may both be going back. One if the red dinner candles I ordered for the Advent Crown in the church and the other was subbed custard slices instead of chocolate eclairs. I hate custard slices so they will be going back and not sure about the candles I better take them just incase I can't get any anywhere else as I have to make that over the next couple of days to have it to the church for the first Sunday in Advent so they can light the first candle. I had ordered red ones but they have sent cream.

Morning all,

Nice sunny morning and I don't think there was a frost .

Mel thank you for your Christmas card it has just arrived .

Had a bad night I just kept waking up dropping off again and then waking again ,I did have a sleep just after tea last night as I am just so tired all the time .

Anng yes we've both had all our jabs ,sounds as if you had a nice chat yesterday with your friends

good morning all. not raining (or snowing) at the moment but very dull with a threatening sky 4 degrees.
Nothing planned for today so present wrapping I think. slept ok last night.

Had a good chat with my friend yesterday afternoon, she stayed about 2 hours so passed the time nicely. She was telling me about her time as a PE/music/swimming teacher. She is quite small, in height like me and it is difficult to imagine her a PE and games teacher. We certainly don't have that in common as I hated PE and games. :-D

Not really Anng I just did a bit of drilling and painting of my miniatures and then Angela came to deliver the news letter and we had a chat outside in the cold.

Vera you said in your post that you had an inspiration for a present for your step grandson and his wife but you did'nt tell us what it was and I am dying to know!!!!!!!!

Mandy its so good you are both on the mend now and hope the tiredness soon passes as I know it can go on for ages after you have got rid of the virus. Lets hope its not too long with Christmas looming.

I posted some cards today but still have lots to write so I will be interested to hear when any of you get them. I think I have done all on the thread but I could be mistaken.


The wind here has been so cold today and raining with it most of the day. The chickens are paddling in a mud bath in their run. I still miss old banty and have to go down to open the shed up for Jenny Wren to go in there to find flies and spiders or she shouts at me and goes all around the shed looking under the overhang and chittering away.

good afternoon all. Well I was supposed to be going to Slimbridge this afternoon. It was a lovely sunny morning and 8 degrees but by 12 o;clock it was pouring with rain and had dropped to 6 degrees. So, no Slimbridge. One friend from over the road called in for a drink at 11am so that was the chance for a good chat. and the friend I was going to slimbridge with is coming for a cuppa around 2pm so no present wrapping today.

Pleased that you are feeling better Mandy, Is that the first time you have had Covid. have you had booster vaccs?

Vera you are slowly getting through the present buying. And good that you had a good nights sleep last night. I slept reasonably well but not as good as I have done.

Mel hope you found something interesting to do. :-) :-)

Good morning Mel and all

It's grey, cold and wet. Apparently the temperature is going no higher than 6 degrees today. The computer is telling me that rain will be starting in an hour but it's been raining since I got up at 7.30. A glance out of the window is much more reliable than all these fancy apps.

I had a good night last night and slept from about midnight to 7 am without waking. I can't remember the last time I slept like that and am hoping that tonight will be the same.

I've changed the bedding and done 3 loads of washing. Some is on the clothes airer and some hanging around the house but the rest has gone in the dryer. I try to only use it for towels as it's so expensive to run but occasionally I feel I have to use it.

I didn't get any cards written yesterday so must get some done today and must get the presents for grandson and partner and the babe wrapped so they can take them home with them next weekend.

My friend with Covid tested clear yesterday though she is far from 100% yet and her OH is still positive. She is a bit fed up as she had a pre-op assessment a couple of weeks ago, was supposed to have an ECG last week and have an operation today. Now it's likely to be a few weeks before she has her op as they have to start the process all over again and won't do it till she is back to her normal level of fitness.

I hope you and your OH are feeling better Mandy.

I'm just about to order a present for our step-grandson and his wife as I had a bit of an inspiration for them. I try and get something a bit different when I can but I get a bit fed up as OH leaves it all to me. His excuse is "You're much better at it than I am". My response is "You need more practice then" ;-) Talking to friends it seems that it's nearly always the woman in a partnership that remembers birthdays and sorts Christmas gifts.

Better get on, lots to do. Have a good day everyone.

EDIT Must have been typing while you were posting Mandy. I'm glad you are on the mend now but take it easy.

Morning all,

Raining here and very dull .
We are on the mend now but it certainly leaves you very tired and when I try to do anything it takes forever as I have to keep having a rest ,still got a cough .
We both tested again yesterday and there was a very very faint line ,reading on the website it does say that you can go out after five days if the symptoms have eased but I don't think we'll be doing that until we're sure we're OK.

Morning all,

Quite bright this morning but it has been raining too pc is saying high winds today and
9 degrees.

Not sure what I am doing today so will see how the day pans out.

Hope you all slept well and that Mandy and oh are on the mend by now.

O dear Vera what a mess to have to clean away and I hate the smell of thinners. When I was looking for some varnish for my miniatures they all seemed to use thinners to clean the brushes so I kept clear of those. You can't get the watercolour varnish I used years ago which you clean the brushes out with meths which I can just about stand the smell of.

Brrr - it was a very cold night and we woke up to quite a heavy frost. It’s been a chilly day as well and now it is all drizzly with more showery rain promised for this evening..

I don’t seem to have done much today apart from cook our Sunday roast dinner. We had a huge chicken that I decided had resided in the freezer for far too long. It cooked beautifully and was very tasty but it was so big I think we’ll be eating it all week.

AnnG, I try to keep a record of what’s in the freezer in the garage. I don’t bother with the one in the kitchen as I’m going to that all the time and can see what’s there but I have an exercise book for the outside freezer and mark what goes in and out. So why, when I occasionally do a ‘stock take’ does my book never tally with what’s there? I know OH sometimes forgets to tell me if he takes something out, which doesn’t help.

This business of forgetting to tell me something nearly led to murder being committed yesterday. I went into the garage to find my Christmas wrapping paper, climbed on the steps and found it sealed in a black bin liner on top of some cupboards, so I climbed down and plonked it on the white painted work bench while I put the steps away. Picked up the package and found it, and now my hands, covered in white paint. I had to carry it in and drop it across the sink and draining board in the utility, so splodging them with paint, and try and cut away the messy bin liner without getting paint on the wrapping paper inside. Dear OH had a tiny bit of paint left from a job he had been doing so repainted the bench and forgot to mention it!!! I had to clean the sink, draining board and me with cellulose thinners so the uti stank and I washed my hands so many times to get rid of the smell it’s a wonder I have any skin left. I did make my feelings known to OH and he has been ultra nice to me since then, lol.

Both my kids have phoned today and I’ve had a nice chat with them which always cheers me up. I also had a couple of glasses of wine with my roast chicken so I feel quite mellow :-) :-). I’m now going to try and write a few more cards. Have a good evening and stay warm.

raining here now. I have done a bit of admin on here, answering emails etc. And I have also done the stock check on the freezer. and bagged up a few things for the food waste bin that seemed too old to eat. Present wrapping this afternoon.