General Chat

Hello everyone,

We have had some sunshine today although it is very cold.

I have been busy going to appointments just recently , Drs and hospital and some none medical ones. Still got the dentist, opticians to go. Also need to book for my hair to be cut. We have had all our jabs now thankfully.

Gosh it sounds like very hard work moving all that soil Florence.

Linda I hope your mouth is less painful now,

Has anyone heard from Joan.? I do miss her tales of the garden.

Hope you do well at the Christmas fare Florence .

Take care all.

Afternoon all
Just having a break from a mountain of ironing that needed doing. i have 1 huge duvet cover to do and thats me done for today.

Sun is shining and not a bad day at all and no wind!

Been sorting things out for the first fayre on Saturday but.....where on earth did we put the 2 black tablecloths???? I had the runners which are red & sparkly but no tablecloths.. They will turn up somewhere i guess.

Hope everyone looking is is ok today.

Hope your bruising is fading Linda and you mouth is getting better.

Right last bit of ironing and then coffee time yay :-D :-D

Florence in the hebrides

Afternoon all
Windy day here and showery too!
I watched the Cenotaph service this morning and there was an amazing lady of 104 being interviewed by a BBC news reader Sophie Wentworth I think?

She didn't think she had anything interesting to say and this was her very 1st time at the parade bless her.

I saw Kate & Sophie in the balcony together minus Camilla as she's unwell but the ladies were looking very smart as per. Gordon brown looks so thin now too.

Anyway this afternoon my friend and neighbour came round at 2pm and we had a good natter over coffee and biscuits and she has just left which is just as well as its chucking it down now!

My ankle wellies have been dispatched so should be here soon and will let you know if they are any good.

Hope everyone is well today

Florence in the hebrides

Oh yes, I meant to say -
I have a pair of ankle-height welly-type boots - they were from Aldi , one of their special offers, so not available at present:

https://www.aldi.co.uk/ladies%27-ankle-wellingtons/p/828549770071800

Looser and easier to get on and off than full height wellies, and more practical than clogs for gardening.
Not fleece-lined, but plenty of room for thick socks as well as my wide feet.

Amazon has lots of similar boots - some vastly more expensive!

They make ankle height wellies now and several stores sell them including some supermarkets. Daughter requested some last year, when people were trying to think of gifts for her.
I haven't worn my Wellies lately, but they are really great for keeping my feet dry and cosy in the winter. I bought them in a garden centre many years ago. They were a bit more expensive than regular Wellies, but they are fleece-lined and have already seen me through numerous winters.

OH chopped the tops off ann old pair of wellies so they are just ankle length, they are easy to slip on, that might be a solution if the ones you ordered don’t fit.

Morning all
Its a very still and grey day here which always makes me think, there will be a storm on the back of it!

I went online today and have found what i hope will be a solution re my wellies. They are half wellies, wide calf made by Dunlop. Fairly cheap so my expectations of them are not high but....if they just allow me to get around the garden when I need to then, they will be ok I think.

Yes, midges and stones are a problem here too, hence I prefer taller wellies but I read with amazement that Hunter/Huntress have ceased trading !!! I phoned a local supplier who stock all things farming and was where i bought my last pair over 20 years ago for £42! Was expensive back then but well worth it for the quality and comfy.
However they said nope they don't stock anymore so not likely i would find another pair anyway but they wouldn't fit so no matter.

here's hoping what i found will did the trick.

Tesco now coming 3-4 so I'm going to whip the hoover round and tidy up a bit, laundry etc My calf is still sore so nothing too energetic today.

ArgyllGran, hope your granddaughter enjoys the trip to Glasgow.

Linda, clogs would not be suitable for shifting the soil as I was standing in the middle of it and where it rained was quite"muddy"

Have a good day all whatever you have planned

Florence in the hebrides

I have those as well, Linda. Very handy for just popping out briefly into the garden .

However, for active gardening I wear wellies, as bits of earth or tiny pebbles seem to find their way in under my feet at the back of the clogs. Also, if I'm walking in wet grass, the heels of my socks get wet !

Ticks are another consideration in this area, unfortunately. They're less likely to find their way onto my legs if I'm wearing wellies - though even wellies don't completely deter them.

Another grey cloudy day here, but dry so far, so I may get something done in the garden this afternoon.

Daughter and grand-daughter are away to Glasgow today, to an open day at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland, where gr-daughter hopes to study traditional music when she leaves school.

Oh dear Florence, your poor legs. I suggest buying some waterproof clogs. If you google them,you can see what I mean, you can buy them online, but all the garden centres sell them. I bought some from our local garden centres because I need to walk over the wet grass to get to the greenhouse where I grow my salad leaves. They had two types, so I tried both on and for once the cheaper ones fitted best. They have been great, I keep them by the back door and just slip my feet into them , as they have low backs they just slip off as well. They keep my feet perfectly dry while I go to the greenhouse or to the bins.

Hi Lyndi
No I dont have one but part of the problem is my left leg has fluid in it and also, i cannot bend it so that made it even harder to remove.

I was chuffed getting them on as its been 3 years since I last wore them! My happiness has been short lived but it helped me greatly. I have found an old pair of soft suede walking boots at the back of the wardrobe although whether I can get them on is another matter

Tomorrow is another day!

Have you tried a welly boot remover Florence? I had one years ago, but not put my wellies on in years so haven't used it recently. They probably have improved models now.

Afternoon all
Well the wind died down overnight and turned out to be a very pleasant day. So Late morning I went outside and restarted the shifting of the soil. It was much harder at times as it had rained on some of it and that soil was cloggy!

I did stop for a break and came in the back door as I had my wellies on, sat and had a drink. Then i made another 4 trips to the flower bed. it is now 3/4 full but I felt a little dizzy so i stood for a minute and decided I had done enough.

I came back up to the tunnel and put the cart away and then tried to pull the tarp over the remaining pile of soil and secure with stones.

When i came in, I tried to get my right wellie off and developed cramp in my right calf!!! Omg was so painful, i was crying! I sat trying to hold my leg and gently massage until the spasm subsided but it was several minutes and pure agony. The boot eventually came off but i couldnt stand properly only tip toe as my calf was far too sore.

I struggled with the left leg even moreso as the claf had swollen up and I struggled badly to get that boot off too. Im covered in various bruises now all over my legs but I will not be wearing my wellies anymore as i will not struggle like that again with noone to help me!

Anyway into the shower i went and washed my hair. Im all dried now and sitting with a hot cup of coffee and a choccy biscuit.

I have my tesco order to finalise so shall get on with that in ahile.

Linda, you sound like you have done 2 rounds with Frank Bruno and hearing about your experience reminds me why i changed my mind now and not sure I will be reconsidering an implant any time soon.

Sylvia, poor hubby!! I hope you can perhaps get out for awhile somewhere with him just so he gets a change of scenery.

Right chill time and feet up, I need it!

Florence in the hebrides

Oh dear Sylvia, it must be so difficult for you when your OH isn’t settled. Is your OH allowed out if the unit? I suppose you would need someone to accompany you if you can’t take him yourself. Giving your statements will be difficult,but it is good that your daughter will be there to support you.

My face is still swollen and the gums are sore, but I have stopped taking the Ibuprofen and have swapped to paracetamol, but I am trying just to take that before I go to bed . I don’t like taking painkillers and do without them if I can . Last night, I thought that the side of my chin was dirty and tried to rub it off, only to discover that it was actually bruising. The dentist did mention bruising, but I assumed that would be on my top lip. Both sides of my chin are bruised, but he right side where the implants are is worse.

I usually go to Esme’s school bakery on a Friday, but I had to tell her that I couldn’t go this week, which was disappointing for her. Normally after school she FaceTimes me and we play schools via the video. It keeps her occupied until her mum finishes work. We haven’t played since my dental work on Monday, but last night her mum had two online meetings, so she needed Esme to be quiet and not disturb her, her daddy had to go and pick Eve up from school as she stays late for choir, then take her onto her piano lesson, so he wasn’t going to be there. So I played with Esme for over an hour. She asked me why my voice sounded funny, but understood about my swollen mouth. Talking for all that time was hard and the stitches in my gum were sore , but it kept her happily occupied until her dad came back.

I hope your weather has settled down Florence, so that you can get on with your soil moving.

Up and down days here, both weather-wise and personally!

Had a long chat on the phone with my daughter yesterday, she will be visiting us for 3 days in 2 weeks time, so that will be good .................... but OH asked if that was when he would be "released from here" :-(

Daughter and I have each to provide yet another statement for the Crown prosecutor, this is to update how things have affected us, and will be presented in court at the sentencing hearing in January for the guy who assaulted OH. He has pleaded guilty, so we won't have to actually attend court. Thank goodness!

Morning all
Well when I saw the sun streaming through my front window this morning, I thought oh great they got the forecast wrong. Wrong!! It may be dry but there is a gale blowing and its far too windy for me to work outside unless i want to be blown over.

However, I'm expecting some parcels today and then i can wrap some more gifts so plenty to do indoors plus usual chores. I've got bedding to iron which I left on Monday but not sure i'm in the mood for ironing today somehow.

I wont spoil it but the new episode of Shetland last night was brilliant and it left a cliff hanger so have to wait now until next week.

names, I have over 13500 DNA matches and although its been awhile since I did the test, everyday, I get new matches but when i messaged people, some dont even bother to reply!! It's incredibly annoying as why would you do the test and then not want to know if you have found a new cousin etc???

Anyway, I have a cousin who I messaged and he is helping me solve a mystery so I'm waiting patiently to see what he comes up with.

Hope everyone is having a good day

Florence in the hebrides

It’s so annoying when you run down a list of your new dna matches and you see a surname you recognise then it hits that you are looking at the wrong list. So if you are in yours then the name is from your OH’s side and vice versa.

Tonight new series of Shetland on BBC1 9pm :-D :-D

Morning all

Glad you face isnt too painful Linda, but you will have to be careful you don't get a draught in your mouth so you will need to stay indoors for a few days yet

So sadly, its foggy. wet & windy which was not the forecast until tomorrow. So I really cannot get outside unless I want to get soaking wet and catch a cold! i live in a very small place and many people of my age group work Linda. Im the only one out of all the people I worked with who has retired and really retired early due to my health. Im only 63 in December!

Its supposed to be better on Fri/Sat so shall have to wait & see how it goes. Just tomorrow its promising gale force winds which is a blooming nuisance but thats how it is here, the weather can change so quickly!

Daughter has gone now until next Tuesday so at least i can try and clear the place up. She ordered so much stuff online and last night after we got home, the lounge looked like Santas grotto!! But she sent a lot of the stuff back. Shes a bit of an impulse buyer!

Thankfully the AGM was all done & dusted by 7.30, the quickest one ever lol. Mainly because noone had any questions or gripes unlike in previous years. There is an ongoing project to discuss but there will be a separate meeting for just that.

There are 17 stalls for their xmas Fayre on the 16 Nov so here's hoping the public will all turn out an support it.

I just got a DNA match which is interesting as the surname is that of my half brother( his fathers family)of which I have no blood connection to???

Imagine if i am related to my 1/2 brothers family via the DNA match :-S That would be something else wouldnt it!

Off to be busy and see what i can find about the match.
Shall be back later on.

have a good day all

Florence in the hebrides

Oh goodness Florence, that sounds like very hard work. I think that I would have paid someone to move it for me. I belong to lots of the local Facebook groups and it is easy to find someone willing to do small jobs, usually for cash in hand .

My face is very swollen on the right hand side, they said it would swell more over the first few days because of the bone graft. As long as I keep the Ibuprofen up, it hasn’t been too painful, although it is sorer this morning.

OH has my cold, but he seems to be a bit better this morning. That is good because another thirty Hawthorne whips arrived yesterday, so he needs to plant them. Only about ten of the original hundred failed to grow, which is a pretty good success rate. He will replace those with the new ones, the others are for the bottom of the garden to fill in gaps in the hedge where we have removed the final ivy which would have choked the hedge.

that sounded hard work Florence. I hope you are not too stiff tomorrow. I am sure it will all be worth it when finished and you can be proud of your work. That was not kind of your daughter if it was her choice to get home later.