General Chat

Another very warm, sunny day. Got to make the most of it as the temperature is supposed to be dropping quite a bit over the next few days and particularly nights. The forecast is for it to go down to 1 degree during Sunday night. Brrr...

I decided this morning would be a good time to give the fridge a thorough clean. It's a lovely fridge, a big American style one, but it's a real pain to clean. You can't just take out a few shelves and wipe them over; everything has to be practically dismantled and then all slotted back together again. It takes ages. Really it's too big for us now there's only 2 of us and we don't have people staying the way we used to, but it is a nice fridge and looks good because it matches the freezer.

Apart from showering and washing my hair I haven't done much else today. I've got a pile of ironing and I feel I ought to be gardening while the weather's good but Sainsbury's are due to deliver between 2 and 3 so I don't want to start anything I'll have to leave when they come. There's 1 sub today that's OK and they haven't got the tea I wanted and I said no subs for that. We like Yorkshire loose leaf tea. I wish you could put notes about subs as you can with Tesco. For instance I buy their own brand of prunes in juice. With Tesco I can put a note to say they can sub with other brands in juice but not in syrup. With Sainsbury's you can only say sub. or don't sub.

I can hear the beep of a van reversing outside so that's probably them now. With luck it won't take long to unpack and put everything away. I sure am glad I don't have to go through all that rigmarole of wiping everything down anymore.

I suppose we should say thank goodness for the NHS it would be expensive if you had to pay for all those needles Mel.

Morning Anng and all,

Anng you asked if I have anymore visits yes i have one tomorrow and my shingles jab just after so lots and lots of nasty needles tomorrow and I am only just getting over the last lot today.

Its a grey morning here and 13 degrees amd cloudy I do hope it brightens up today as we get used to the nice weather and then it goes again and we're left with dark skies and rain and wind.

I am ready for them this morning, Im dressed and have my teeth in just got to do my hair.

Good morning all very misty this morning and 13 degrees. Bedding in the wash, hoping for another gardening day, if not I shall probably start making my Christmas cards.

Vera, yes I am getting there slowly. Trouble is, it is so slow that when I think i have finished I will have to start another round from the beginning as the weeds don't stop growing. Unfortunately my garden bin is almost full to the top so that will put a brake on it.
I have located quite a few pots with soil in them down the end of the garden, I know that some will have bulbs in them from last year. Unfortunately when the lady over the end fence sent a man round to help clear the ivy (it is her fence), he moved a lot of pots without asking so I have no idea until next spring which have bulbs and which have old, probably dead, hostas.

Mel, it does sound as if soon your water problem will be solved which is good. Have you got any more visits for acupuncture?

Oh dear Mel, you have had a rotten day with the water people digging holes everywhere and your needles hurting and leaving you with an achy arm. Hopefully your leak is sorted and the needles are doing some good. I must have been lucky as I never found acupuncture hurt at all, just tingled a bit where the needles went in.

I quite like the sound of those No Bake Cookies. Is it an easy recipe Mandy?

I hope your Tesco delivery has turned up now AnnG. You seem to be getting well ahead with the autumn jobs in the garden. OH did a little bit of clearing up outside today and I managed a very short time out there but that's all. Between a shrub and the fence I came across a pot with several 3" high shoots showing through. I do remember putting it there in the spring when last season's growth had died off and I put a plastic label in it to remind me what it is. Unfortunately I didn't use an indelible pen and the name I wrote on the label has worn away. Looking at the shoots I think they must be muscari or squill or little miniature iris. I'm guessing it's iris as that is the earliest to bloom but I might have a surprise when I see what flowers I get.

Son rang at lunchtime to see if we are free the weekend after next. He is going to arrive at ours late on the Thursday night and then on Friday morning take us up to Yorkshire for the weekend, bringing us back on Sunday afternoon. It's a heck of a lot of driving backwards and forwards for him but our kids don't like OH doing long drives any more. I'm really looking forward to it as it means we get to meet our little great granddaughter at last and also see grandson's house that he and his partner moved into in August.

It has been a beautiful day again, it's hard to believe we're into October. It's still 23 degrees here now. If the forecast is right the next couple of days will be a little cooler but still good and then Thursday the temperature is going to drop by quite a bit. That will come as a shock. I'm getting used to it being like summer.

We had some roast pork yesterday so I had better have a think what I am going to do with the remains of the joint tonight. I'm off now to delve into the fridge and see what else I can put with it. I'm getting a delivery tomorrow but haven't had one for nearly 3 weeks so the cupboards are looking a bit bare. There might not be much in the fridge. I wonder what OH will think to a cold pork sandwich for his dinner ;-)

I see I am repeating myself. Hav'nt the foggyist whats for dinner tonight as I was going to cook a load of mince today for the freezer.

Tthe waterboards guys went at 4.11pm they have put a meter in outside my old stables where the ground was really wet so I have water and they are coming back tomorrow to check if they have done the leak as they may have done it when they put the other meter in. We will see??????? I still have holes all over the place and Iv'e got a big board thing under the big arch where the asda lorry will come through tomorrow. I hav'nt done a thing today but I did see Val and Phil up the top and had a look round the barn conversion. Its only finished on the outside so far but they will have the inside done suring the winter.

Had at least 12 or 13 needles today and ache like anything when I came home but took some painkillers and its gone off a bit now.

Back from the docs and ache now as I had at least 12 needles today and possibly another one or two after she had taken some out. It hurt again today and is still hurting at the mo. I have taken some painkillers.

I have holes al over the garden out the front and have seen where the water is coming through where the ground is very wet. Have taken the two lads up a drink, one had a coffee and the other one had soup. I had the rest of the soup for my lunch and now I am going back up there to see how big the hole is now!!!!Ralph from the big house is mowing out the back of me thats the first time he has cut the bit that backs on to me since the funeral.

I wonder if the tree roots have attacked the pipe Mel.

They are digging holes all out the front and have found a pipe that goes right under my big hawthorn tree outside the potting sheds.

Sky is clearing here and was on the loo when there was a knock on the door!!!!!!!!!!!! I had to shout out to wait. I could see bright green jackets so I knew who it was. Yes you've guessed it it was the waterboard men come to see if they can find the leak. I had no teeth in and still in pj's and no hair up.

Anyway I have to go and have a look to see what they have found as there is a very wet patch outside the old stables.

good morning all 13 degrees and a bit grey ad misty. weather forecast promised this mist but did say it would clear. I hope it does because it is so much easier to spend time gardening if the weather is pleasant. I spent about 3 hours out there yesterday and go a lot done but there is still more to do to finish getting almost ready for winter. I can't clear a lot of the pots though because the annual bedding begonias are still looking great, strangely a lot of honeysuckle is in full flower as well. Tesco delivery is now due between 4 and 5 (after being cancelled yesterday).

good luck with the needles Mel.

Morning all,

A very dull and grey moisty morning here not sure if its been raining a bit and its cold.

Docs today for another session of needles so I shall probably ache when I get back if its like lst time but I shall put up with it becasue it seems to be working sometimes and other times it dos'nt so I will take the good with the bad if it is making a difference. Iv'e just more of less got up and typin g at the mo I can feel a niggle so need to take something.

He still could'nt fit the new UV and he has made a small leak on the old one so now I have to have a bucket under it. I wish he had never messed with it or bought a new one and I had had NIck back down to sort it all out on the old one. He's gone now as he has to go back to work today and he said he could'nt find his strimmer extension lead to do his strimming so I lent him my cordless strimmer with the charger and a new spool incase he needed it. He also took the two cans I used on my car to refill and he will tell me how much I owe him.

Morning All,

Another lovely bright sunny morining here. It makes such a difference when its nice.

BIL is here and I am not properly dressed.

good morning all. Your garden is so big Mel I bet there are always hedgehogs in there somewhere hiding :-D

I get so used to just seeing the invoice when I log in that it was quite a shock to get one saying delivery cancelled. OK, luckily it does not affect me too much, I have food in for today and have manged to get an alternative slot for tomorrow. But I was thinking how inconvenient if I was expecting visitors. Just shows how things can go wrong. They don't give an explanation, just an apology but I do feel they should offer something for the inconvenience

i HAVE SEEN A HEDGEHOG IN THE GARDEN TONIGHT AND TRIED TO GET A PIC.

mY PHOTOS HAVE ALL CHANGED SINCE i DID AN UPDATE. i WISH THEY WOULD'NT KEEP CHANGING THINGS AS i USED TO BE ABLE TO GET STRAIGHT INTO MY PICS AND TAKE THEM AND PUT THEM ON THE DESK TOP TO SEND NOW i HAVE TO CLICK ON ONE AND THE DESKTOP AND PRESS COPY HERE.

I am not typing that lot again.

I am off to bed soon. see you in the morning.

Mandy no bake cookies sound a good idea. have you tasted them? are they nice?

So Jake's hours are very reasonable then Mandy. 7 until 4 is 9 hours minus an hour for lunch five days a week is a 40 hour week. Can he get home for lunch?

Sounds like we have all been busy in the garden then. It is 21 degrees here breezy but not a strong wind and quite a warm one too. I have done over two hours in the garden, two this morning then about half an hour this afternoon. I cut the lawn, emptied a pot and refilled it and planted it with a fern I bought. Weeded odd parts of the garden and cut back a lot of Ivy, honeysuckle and variagated holly. there is still a lot to do out there and I have 6 pansies to put in but can't make up my mind where to plant them. I came in as my back was complaining. Hopefully I can do a bit more tomorrow.

Vera hopefully they are taking extra care of your car so it will be worth the wait. Although it sounds as if they are dragging theeir feet a bit.

Mmmm those cakes sound rather good.

Warm and sunny here today. I think it's about 23 degrees at the moment which must be some sort of record for 7th October. It was chilly first thing and there is a breeze but it really is a beautiful day.

I got out to do some gardening early this morning and stayed out there for about an hour and a half, deadheading and weeding and clearing a couple of troughs. Our garden and all the pots seem to be moss magnets. It grows and spreads everywhere. All the garden books say you must improve the drainage but our soil is already fairly free draining and I always use crocks in the bottom of pots and mix the compost with plenty of grit.

I don't feel as though I have done much else today but I have spent quite a while doing those silly odd little jobs like paying a couple of bills online, shredding some papers, filing various bits and pieces and so on.

OH rang the car company yesterday morning and was told the car is now in for spraying and they would ring back later. They rang about 6 pm and told us the car won't be ready till Tuesday or Wednesday. I am not impressed. I had an appointment early on Wednesday that I have had to cancel in case I can't get there. Friends have said to ring them if we need lifts anywhere but I don't want to take advantage so will only ask if it's for something more important like a hospital appointment. I am sure the car people will do an excellent job, they have a very good reputation, but they could certainly do with some training in time management.

Someone asked me a while ago if our neighbour was still giving us his home cooked cakes. Yes, he is but not on a regular weekly basis anymore. We hadn't had anything for 2 or 3 weeks but this week we have had 2 lots. On Monday we got Mocha Choc Chip Cookies and yesterday we got a large chunk of Guinness Gingerbread. They all went down a treat.

Well, I suppose I had better get on with something though I don't feel inclined to do anything much. I think I am getting very lazy in my old age. I look at jobs to be done and think "I'll do that tomorrow" but tomorrow never seems to come ;-)

Afternoon all,

Little bit of sun here but also lots of cloud with a good breeze and not cold .
We've had another morning out in the garden bagging up the compost from the cucumber pots ,Colin did the bagging up while I washed the pots.

You asked if Jake had Sundays off Anng yes he does and he gets an hour for lunch .

Vera that sounds like a lovely trip out yesterday shame you got held up coming home but it was better than getting held up on the way there and shortening the day out .
I've seen a picture of Prince Phillip's and the Queens burial place when they showed the funeral flowers placed on it and I thought it looked like it was in a smal room with people walking past the doorway .

Mel do you think the needles are helping your arm ,it sounds as if it was a bit painful last time ,does she put the needles in the same place each time .
I can remember Colin having acupuncture when his hip was painful but it didn't really help as he needed a new hip .

I have just made some no bake cookies for the family ,I saw it on line and thought they might like them ,I might make them a sponge too ,they are both busy at work and they do like homemade cakes .