General Chat

Hello all, nice clear but chilly day here. We have been to Christchurch. Had a coffee in town then found the large priory church whic was interesting. After the church we walked to Christchurch Quay and watched people feeding the many pigeons, swans and ducks. Being Sunday there were a lot of people out and about., next we walked past the old mill up to the town again and went and had a breakfast for lunch. Very busy and took a long time to appear but it was very nice when it came. I chose the veg version and had veg sausage, egg mushrooms, tomatoes, hash browns, beans and fried bread. We then we’re ready to go back to the car which only cost just over £2 for four hours. On the way we detoured down ducking stool lane and took photos of the ‘ducking stool’ empty as no witches around.
I did take some photos but can’t do it to the group on my IPad. Maybe if somebody volunteers to forward them for me..??

O Mandy he is great. Still cloudy and cold here 9 degrees and pc says warming trend over the next few days! I think St lukes little summer may be coming.

Yes Anng I meant the other Ann ,it's the Alan Titchmarsh's programme which is on Sunday mornings .
Enjoy your walk hope it keeps dry .

Good morning all. Quite bright here and dry but feels chilly. I think we are going into Christchurch later for coffee and a walk around.
Vera at least you have got your geraniums in. I did take in my basket of Ivy leaf geraniums before w came away but the rest are still out. I am hoping they will survive until I get back.
Mandy not sure which Ann you are referring to but I don’t even recognise the programme you referred to so it can’t be me.
I wish I was too young for the Covid jab.

Morning Vera ,morning all,

Little sun this morning but now clouded over .

Vera have a rest today and then try and do a little tomorrow so you do a little every other day don't over do it .

Just booked our covid jabs for November they are on sons birthday so we shouldn't forget, I didn't think I could have one as last time it was only for the over 70's but the letter said 65 and over so I'm pleased thats sorted just got the flu one to book at the doctors now ,we could have had both done together as it said flu and covid or just covid could be booked but my nephew had the two together and was quite poorly after so that put us off a bit of having the two together.

Ann did you say you had sent a photo into Love your weekend or did I dream that, I looked last week when the photos came on just in case ,the only thing is time you read the name the photos gone so if you've sent one give us a clue what it is so we know what to look for :-) the new series started last week.

Morning Vera and all,

Very grey out there today and pc says 7 degrees. Nothing planned for today here either but I must have a tidy of the kitchen incase the boiler man comes tomorrow to see to the leak.

I went out in te garen yesterday and cut some fine grass to make witches brooms out of and when I got back in my finger was sore and I looked down and ikt was bleeding. I have a quarter of an inch split near the base of my right hand index finger. That is a sure sign to me thats its going to get very cold as this always happens to me my skin just splits open on my hands.

Good morning

Sunny but very cold this morning. Glad you arrived safely at your holiday home AnnG. As you say, nowhere’s perfect but I’m sure you’ll be able to manage for a week or so. Enjoy your stay.

I emptied one big pot of geraniums in the garden yesterday. There were only 3 plants in it but they were enormous. I’ve cut them back and put them in individual pots in the mini greenhouse. I’ve also taken some cuttings from them. I don’t think they’ll root but you never know. I would have liked to do more outside but my back was hurting and later it poured with rain. I did a bit of cooking instead but standing chopping veg and stirring things on the stove didn’t help my back either.

I haven’t got any plans for the day. I’ll just see how much it warms up and what I feel like doing.

It actually rained most of the way but has been dry since we got her
Of course nothing is perfect and there are several minuses here. Besides having two kitchens neither us well provided for with oven trays etc. and one huge oven is so weird se are reduced to using the small side oven. There are lots if expensive glasses but are on such high cupboard shelves that a lot of people would not reach. Then there is a dangerous small step between the dining room and kitchen which we have all tripled on so far.. and the T. Is via intr net and the internet reception is iffy we had to watch strictly via I player to get a good reception

It actually rained most of the way but has been dry since we got her
Of course nothing is perfect and there are several minuses here. Besides having two kitchens neither us well provided for with oven trays etc. and one huge oven is so weird se are reduced to using the small side oven. There are lots if expensive glasses but are on such high cupboard shelves that a lot of people would not reach. Then there is a dangerous small step between the dining room and kitchen which we have all tripled on so far.. and the T. Is via intr net and the internet reception is iffy we had to watch strictly via I player to get a good reception

That was a great welcome pack Anng and a good journey down now a nice dinner this evening and you've started your holiday.

Annx my top decking is really mossy and I too think its because of all the rain we've had this year. I did'nt get it pressure washed but BIL did manage to eat two large bowls of homemade soup with bread. I have tried puttig salt on the decking but that dos'nt work and I can't keep boiling kettles but I do for the weeds on the patio as I can't put any weedkiller down anywhere near the ponds. Its good you have found some more people through the DNA and were abe to help someone too.

Picked about the last of my beans and have 3/4 of a lb. so they will go down well with a dinner or two. Cut some of the leaves off a few strawberry plants and thats about it for today.

May have salad tonight don't know yet.

Oops I missed you there AnnG. Glad you are there and all unpacked now. The Lodge sounds very nice. We prefer them to cottages now and only had one bad one that was next to lakes and we were plagued with mosquitos. Yours is quite big with four bedrooms isn't it as the one we have been to for years has just two bedrooms, one ensuite, a utility and big kitchen, dining, lounge area. It sounds like you will be very comfortable for your stay and what a good welcome pack! I look forward to hearing about your travels. :-)

Afternoon All,

Lost a post earlier so trying again. It's been a nice sunny day here so hpefully AnnG had a nice journey with a stop for lunch on the way. I can remember being squeezed in a corner of our previous car when we hd a big load for the tip!

That's good your sn got his car back ok and shouldn't have to pay Mandy. My goodness fancy a burst main causing all that trouble and people queuing for 4 hours! Imagine you food all defrosting in that time. Your Spring bulbs you've planted will be lovely after the Winter.

Vera and AnnG I had to laugh myself at me trying to get the stockings on! I had another wrestle with them today and even though they are the least tight ones equivalent to the ones for flying they are so hard to get over your heel and stretch up your leg. In fact stretching them so hard to get them up, they flip out of your hand and you are in danger of knocking some teeth out! They don't seem to be working but I'll carry on with them for now. I wondered whether the flight ones tend to drop down few inches as these do after wearing them for a while?

Gwyn that is interesting about your meal cooked by the college students. The Domestic Science College here was providing meals you could go to their restaurant for before the pandemic. I hadn't been but a few friends who went said how good they were. I wonder whether ours is doing takeaway meals? I'll have to check. :-)

I hope they managed to squeeze you in the car AnnG! I used to be squeezed in our old car surrounded by bags of rubbish for the tip before we had the garden bin! I hope you had the sunshine for your trip and enjoyed a nice meal on the way.

I think badges for the PAs is a good idea Vera. Apparently they are supposed to explain their role to you but ours didn't! I have found my DNA matches useful in confirming some links to my tree that I couldn't be sure about. I've also helped someone who was a match to me and was adopted to find which family in my tree she was likely to be related to as her surname was the same. I have all sorts in my tree from Knights to gipsies who were always in trouble with the law, highwaymen cousins that were transported to Australia, generations of hatters and I'm a direct descendant of Early Quakers who settled in Pennsylvania. Plenty of coal miners from Wales and farm labourers too. No murderers as yet though! The only thing that bothered me a bit was all the marrying of cousins in the gipsy families!!!

Mel the chemists round here have an awful job getting our medications. Sometimes we have had to go 3 times while they try to get some and they've told us they spend a ot of time ringing round to try and get things. One medication can have tablets from 2-3 manufacturers and we can't specify a particular one. They never have our tablets made up ready to collect anymore either and I think it's because they rarely have everything we want in stock.
Our drive is getting mossy at one end. I think it must be all the rain we have had this year making it so damp. It's the shady part.

Hello all we got here ok, traffic heavy but no problems. All unpacked now. This is the largest lodge we have had so far. 4 bedrooms, two double one with two single beds and one with one single bed so sleep seven. Dining room two kitchens, lounge one utility room, two large shower room/toilets both next to a double bedroom..
And a large welcome pack, Prosecco eggs, milk, chocolates flowers, orange juice. Seems very nice for the three of us anyway.

Yes it was good you did your shoping the day before Mandy you would'nt have wanted to get stuck there for hours on end.

BIL has been and gone never looked at the mower but helped me do the pond filters. I hinted I needed the top decking by my pond done but there was no response. Its so mossy I have never in all the years we've had that decking seen so much moss grow on it.

Suns out now so I think I may venture out and see if I can do something out there.

Son finally picked his car up late evening ,he went to customer services and registered his number plate with them and they said it would give him a days exemption so hopefully he won't get a parking ticket .
Some people were stuck in the queues for nearly four hours trying to get off the car park ,it was all caused by a burst water main and they put extra traffic lights up beside the normal traffic lights so traffic just kept building up , I think the police were called but that didn't seem to help either ,so glad we did our shopping the day before .

Morning all,

You'll be on your way now Anng but safe journey ,hope you have a good week together.

No frost this morning and everywhere seems really still with no wind .
Got a bit of hoovering up and a bit of ironing to do and then I think its just a restful day after a busy few dayx in the garden .
Might finish off Bumblebee today .

Morning all,

Wishing you a good journey and a safe one Anng. I am sure they will make room inthe car for a small one so you won't get left behind.

No frost this morning but it was very misty which seems to have cleared while I read Vera's post and drank my coffee. Pc says 10 degrees amd partly sunny so hopefully another nice days.

Talking of Gerainiums over winter, years ago mum used to put them bare rooted in paper carrier bags (yes remember those with the string handles) and put them in our loft of the bungalow. It was well lagged as dad was a builder and then pot them up in the spring.

Safe journey AnnG. The forecast is for slightly warmer weather next week.

Good morning all, got a fast moving hour or so now while we sort everything out, pack up the car and hope there will still be a seat for me. clothes a bit of food and Christmas presents for two+families.
Leave here about 0945. only about 2.5 hour journey altogether but breaking it near Winchester for lunch in a familiar (to us) garden centre. Hopefully BBL if Wifi is ok there.

Like most of you we had a cold night and woke up to some frost though it wasn’t as bad as I was expecting. Later the sun put in an appearance and it was quite pleasant out though I was glad of my warm jacket.

I think you’ve mentioned those college cooked meals before Gwyn. It’s a very good idea – they get a chance to practice their skills and you get a decent meal at a reasonable price. I hope you are getting somewhere with your puzzling DNA match. I think the DNA story is fascinating but I am always a bit wary of doing a test as you never know quite what you will find out!! I do know someone who discovered the man she had called Dad wasn’t her father and, because of other discoveries that were made following on from that, there was sadly a rift in the family.

I hope your son has managed to retrieve his car and get it home by now Mandy. I hope he doesn’t get a fine but if he does I think he should appeal.

I’m glad OH has managed to see a doctor and get blood tests done Annx. The doctor is clearly trying to get to the bottom of his problems but it is a bit concerning that the PA said no further action needed. It doesn’t give you a lot of confidence in his judgement, does it. I think I read somewhere that the government are now saying that they must wear a badge that says they are a Physician Associate and make it clear that they are not doctors. Those stockings sound as though they are a bit of a struggle. I know it isn’t funny for you but my imagination worked overtime and I had to smile at the thought of you becoming a contortionist to get into the things and no doubt saying a few choice words as well. Btw, I frequently make overnight oats and I enjoy them but you have to experiment a bit to see how you like them best. I use a screw top jar and put in the amount of oats I want, pour in some milk till I just reaches the top of the oats and add 2 or 3 spoonsful of Greek style yoghurt. I am naughty and add just a very little sugar as well. Give it a good stir. If I’ve got something like blueberries I stir in a handful of those too, but quite often I’ll use frozen fruit and put some in a bowl in the fridge overnight to thaw. In the morning I just put my oats on top of the fruit. I quite like mango or cherries.

Mel, you have had a frustrating day. I hope tomorrow is better for you. I had another terrible night but have managed to get through the day reasonably well. I got the ironing done at last and also went into town to pick up these other glasses I need to have and also got my tabs. The pharmacy was hectic with people queuing for flu and Covid jabs and queues of people waiting for their meds. The GP surgery had reissued my script and sent it to the pharmacy as they promised but it hadn’t been made up so I had to wait. I was glad I got them as I took the last of my bp pills this morning.

I wasn’t very successful using Mandy’s method with the geraniums last year. I put them in a plastic mini greenhouse which is behind the garage and they may not have got enough light. We don’t have a shed, we use half of our large double garage but it has no windows so no natural light. I don’t have time to lift and pot them all up individually but OH has managed to put 2 large troughs of geraniums that were down the side of the house into the conservatory. When my back feels OK and I have time I’ll cut them back and tidy them up a bit and they can stay there till the spring. There are still 2 large pots in the garden. I might try and get the plants lifted and brought into the conservatory as well.

I think this post is more than long enough so it’s time I said goodnight. Sleep well everyone.