General Chat

Yes Ann, up here as we go towards summer we get the longest daylight hours. In mid June 23 hours and really at midnight, its still only twilight. By 1am its starting to get light again. Bit of a pain though when you wake up to sunshine at 3am and think its time to get up lol.

40 mins weeding is plenty for one session. Its still chilly and bending using back muscles in the cold is hard. My bulbs are slowly showing themselves and a few new buds on the hydrangeas I bought last autumn. We are always behind the rest of the uk here with flowers etc. I once still had roses blooming in December but they didnt flower until very late in the year.

Still the sun has come out but I've noticed its "breezy" now and its bin day tomorrow so hoping it wont be a gale...

So hope Joan and her family are well and free of Covid.

Off to be busy and stretch me legs as sitting at the comp too long means I get very stiff.
I think shall make sweet & sour chicken for tea with basmati rice and I've 1 naan bread left until Tesco comes next Saturday.

Will look in later.

Stay safe

Florence in the hebrides

Well it is so warm here in my garden, (12 degrees and a light warm breeze. I cut my lawn and then sat on the patio finishing my book from 2.30 for half an hour. It has been a beautiful day but I believe we have bad weather forecast next week.

Afternoon all.
Had a major senior moment this morning. Showered and washed hair...all ok there.
Dried hair and then picked up what I thought was my hairspray can and sprayed left side of hair before realising it was actually a can of Sure Pink deodorant!!!! Well upside was my hair smelt quite lovely lol. In my defence the 2 cans of similar size stand next to each other on my chest of drawers...

Binmen were very late today and it was still breezy. I put out the full black bin at 10.30 and waited until I saw the lorry coming before putting out the organic bin full of carboard as it was very light. The lovely man saw me with my stick and without asking offered to put both bins back in my fenced enclosure. I thanked him and smiled. So lovely not to have to ask for help as he offered probably seeing as I had my stick.

But not all binmen are so helpful! hats off to this chappy though.

Its quite chilly and light drizzle now, sun came but has gone to bed!

Off to make a sandwich for lunch and then sort out the freezer and the fridge to make some space for next delivery.

Hope everyone ok

Florence in the hebrides

Good afternoon all from a sunny but breezy village.

It's really lovely to see the sunshine and has lifted my mood. I went outside to inspect all my pots and around the back and they are all where they should be. A few green leaves appearing now and some bulbs have shot up too. But it is quite chilly so didn't manage more that 10 minutes without a jacket.

But now I am a bit down as the postie bought me a letter from local hospital and my eyes lit up as waiting on appointment re injections for my knees. Eagerly opened the letter and read my appointment date is.....1st may at 9am!!! 3 blooming further months to wait and also dont think Patient Travel operate before 8am so I shall have to check that and possibly request another time. That will also mean putting it back no doubt. Anyway, nothing I can do about it but carry on indoors.

Just feeling a bit isolated today as not seen anyone for ages and on my own until Saturday.

Joan, calling Joan. I do hope you are ok? Cant help worrying about you when you havent been on for awhile. Give us a wave if you are ok.~~~~~~~waves to you :-D

Been updating lists today on computer, accounts etc and phone numbers as its been ages , 2 years i think since i last did it.

Lunchtime now. Have a good afternoon all

Florence in the hebrides

Good afternoon all. Florence to make it sound better 1st May is only two months to wait not three. And hopefully it is the spring months so maybe fine weather will help the time go more quickly.

Yes, worrying about Joan. I wonder if her internet is down. If you are reading this Joan please let us know that you are OK. <3 <3

Oh Ann 2nd major senior moment this week lol yes of course its 2 months what was i thinking doh! I managed to get through and outpatients offered me 11.30 and on the same day so Im happy for that.

Dithering over what to make for tea, just cant decide. Im not really that hungry so think cheese toasties might be just the ticket.

Florence in the hebrides

Aw Joan, so sorry for you. So glad you made contact though so we know you are both ok.

When you get your shopping on Thursday, will you be able to do a bigger shop to restock the cupboards etc? Ive been on my own since last Saturday and daughter not coming back until Friday. I too have been depleting my freezer and have just 4 slices of bread left now. I did have spare loaf but we used it up.
My own appetite hasnt been great either.

Its very hard when you are totally dependant on others. I have found it hard since last July and giving up driving was like cutting off my legs!!

I try & busy myself with different things. I bought a pair of pinking shears and went through all the old xmas cards and some others cutting them into tags. They look better with the crimped edge.

I also sanded down daughters wee table and the brushes arrived today. Just waiting for the white spirits to clean brushes before I start varnishing.

But its just having human contact that's so hard. Just a change of conversation or some news etc that I miss. I do find just coming on here daily is like a conversation even if there is not much happening.

Sending you some hugs and hope things brighten up for you and you feel better soon.

You can always just give us a wave instead of a natter Joan <3

Florence in the hebrides

Good morning from a very grey, wet and depressing Thursday!

Yesterday was really a beautiful sunny, spring like day. I managed outside and did a good inspection of all my flower pots taking in the fresh air albeit very cold air!! Yes it was chilly but was lovely to see the sun.

However when I woke about 7am today, I could hear the wind & the rain, so back to normal weather then lol

Tesco coming today instead of Saturday between 11-12pm. Daughter managed to swap the slots without duplications this time lol as shes not coming back now until maybe a week of more.

Last night my son who lives with his father tested positive for Covid. He works in local supermarket. There is a huge outbreak here just now and several huge clusters. Daughter and her dad are still negative but until they are all clear over there where she is(about 50 miles from me) I dont want her back here putting me at risk.

So I did a bigger than usual online shop and have plenty now for 2 weeks or more.

Everywhere else im hearing the numbers have gone right down but here it's the opposite. Of course kids have been back a week after half term and no doubt many were away!

Have some ironing to do later as will wait until after Tesco have been.

Have a good day all

Florence in the hebrides

Well we have been blessed with another day of sunshine and blue sky. There was a light shower awhile ago but it has passed. I went outside with recycling rubbish in just a cardigan and wasn't too bad so roll on the Spring!

Still waiting for my varnish and white spirits so i can make a start on daughters bedside table. Said it was being delivered today but postman been & gone & no sign of the items :-(

Think I shall strip my bed today as Im up to date with washing & ironing now.

Hope everyone else keeping well

Florence in the hebrides

Hello all, We have a sunny afternoon which is great but still chilly. We have been getting our seeds ready to do . the mini greenhouse is up again and the trays and pots have been sorted out from OH's shed. We have the mini daffs out in the front garden , there are only planters and a narrow flowerbed there as the rest was done with slabs to take Ds car..

Sorry to hear that you are feeling unwell Joan, it must be difficult at the moment for you and OH . Hope your daughter will be able to take you shopping as you may feel better if you have company and able to be out if only for a shopping trip.

Florence hope your brushes etc turn up soon so you can make a start on your project.
I am thinking of doing up my 2 small chest of drawers. I did the 2 in the spare room about 3 years ago , covered the drawer fronts with patterned paper and painted the sides and tops with furniture paint. A bit of upcycling that worked and I still like. Just want the weather to be a bit warmer as I like the window open when painting.

Ann have you been able to do more in your garden, it always sounds so pretty when you speak of it.

Take care all and have a good weekend.

Ginnie.

Good afternoon. Good to hear from you Joan. did your daughter actually develop covid I assume, if not, she will be available to help you now.

Ginnie I have seeds ready to plant and seed trays and seed compost ready. I also have twenty plug plants ready to pot on to be ready for the baskets at the end of the month. the garden is full of spring flowers, Tete a Tete daffodils, Helebores, snowdrops a few dutch iris, crocus and a few primulas it does look very spring like.

Caught the bus into Gloucester this morning. First time since way before Christmas. Only about 10 of us upstairs, all wearing masks, not too many people in the shops and the majority actually in the shops wearing masks, including most of the sales staff except M&S.  Had a coffee but not in M&S as they were crowded in Boswells in the Markey Mall no queue and tables well spaced. Bought just a top in M&S, sale, fairly thin, the ones I can wear on its own or under a sweater. And a half roast chicken that is heated either in the oven or microwave.

Anyway my main purpose was threefold. Draw cash, did that.  Go to Pandora and spend the gift card I had for Christmas, which I did. I got a lovely little lady bird, rose gold body and silver wings and on the back it says hope has wings! I thought that was rather apt. I also bought another ring to centre the two charms. (might get another charm later now I have seen all the ones they do). Had a lovely girl serve me and she put the charms on the chain for me.

Next I went into EE, to get my late OH taken off the phone contract. young man started by saying that if I contact them on line they will send a form to complete. After chatting a while he said 'unless you have the death certificate with you' Which I did. so he then did it all on line for me and now I just have to wait up to 5 working days for them to contact me and if they don't to go back in and see him again. So that is done.

I was a very productive morning and it was dry and sunny and about 8 degrees.

Joan I can empathise re light bulbs. Luckily bedroom and lounge/dining room have wall lights that I can reach and change but ceiling lights I can’t reach. The main light in the bedroom went over a week ago, I have to wait until there is a male in the house. Very frustrating.

Evening ladies if you are still up.
I had a productive afternoon albeit a late one. I decided about 4.30 to plant up lots of seeds in trays. Some were flowers, lobelia, nasturtium's, pansies, marigolds etc plus beetroot and peas plus sweet peas.. In all i did 20 trays! They are now all sitting on my garden box just inside the back door. My back is actually sore from bending in and out of the compost bag but was a good job done.

Sorted out mums new mattress as well and thats being delivered to her next Wednesday and she actually said thankyou for sorting it!(long story)

Joan broth or veg soup & crusty bread is fab comfort food so hope you enjoy.
I have no idea when I will next leave the house except beg of may for hospital.
Somedays I really do get down especially when daughter away like now for another week.Havent spoken to anyone recently. Im so glad you managed to get out and do your shopping, what a relief for you.

Ann one of my lights flickered today in the kitchen and if it goes, i cannot stand on a chair to replace the bulb so I will be stuck too. I suppose bedroom isnt so bad as I have 2 lamps but kitchen at teatime needs a light once sun has gone down.

Hoping I can start varnishing the table tomorrow.The next project will be the 6 dining chairs 1 by 1. So that will keep me busy for awhile.

Off to bed now as feeling quite tired.
Goodnite all

Florence in the hebrides

Good morning all
Florence, the trouble with planting all those seeds is when it comes to time to pot them on as they will soon outgrow the seed trays. Hope daughter will be there to help you when you reach that stage.

Are there no community groups in the area with, maybe, somebody who could give you a lift to town and help you shop. We found, due to lockdowns and Covid, several of these type of groups were formed with volunteers happy to help. Maybe they have all gone back to work now though.

Morning all
Ann If a friend could take me to town with them I cant stand for any length of time with my leg the way it is. Last time, daughter was with me & we took a taxi there & back...£80 no less on a Saturday but I had been standing too long and in the supermarket near the end of our shop, i took a big dizzy turn. Was awful with people looking. They did get me a chair and water and eventually it passed.
The turns are so random! Im still waiting on test results from consultant!

I have pots just outside my front door so can take 1 in at a time and transfer plants once they are big enough. To be honest, probably only half will take. Many were free packets from the gardening magazines bought last year. But we shall see.

Post been & gone and nothing for me today but my friend will get the white spirit in town this afternoon and then pop it round later so I shall have the evening and tomorrow to varnish.
Not sure when daughter coming back as her brother has the virus!!! Shes not feeling so well today but tested negative.I dont mind the peace and place is tidy with just me here.


Its actually quite a nice sunny day with little wind and not too cold. I ventured outside earlier for fresh air and was quite pleasant.

Joan I'm sure the broth will be very tasty...the chef always gets a taste before anyone else lol.

I do struggle at times now wondering what my future holds.
In 2 years I have gone from working everyday and totally independent, driving etc and helping others to total dependency on others for getting out etc.Its hard to get my head around how quickly my life has changed in such a short space of time and Im only 60.

It just goes to show how things can change when you are least expecting it.

However, I can do quite a lot for myself, shower, wash, dress etc and cook & clean in my own time so I am grateful for that.

Well my stomach is rumbling so lunch is calling, a smoked salmon salad sandwich to finish up whats left and a coffee.

Haven't decided on my evening meal yet but fish & chips from the freezer sounds a great idea.

Enjoy the rest of the day peeps.

Florence in the hebrides

Evening peeps.
Well its was very bright day but oh my soooo cold. The grasscutters came to look at my back lawn & front just to estimate the time it will take. The local community company will do it for me for £10 as im over 60 and disabled. Really good of them and a very cheap rate too.

I stripped my bed again today and cant wait to get into fresh linen. Always love the first night.

Son has tested negative so all being well if its the same tomorrow, daughter is coming on Wednesday. Made a lovely smoked pepper mackerel pate for my tea with a side salad, was very tasty.

Hope all is well with everyone

Florence in the hebrides

Morning all,
Chilly and breezy here but dry. Did the beds yesterday and managed to get all the washing dry out on the line. Ironing also done and put away. Having a cuppa and nosy on here before I get the vac out . Our neighbours are drilling again, nice people but love DIY at least they keep it to the day time. :-)

At the moment I am looking for 2 sofas, ones that aren't too big for our small room some of the ones I have seen are much bigger than the ones we have now more like a 3 seater than a 2. There seem to be a lot of these 'snuggle' sofas around which are really just xl armchairs. Will just have to keep looking.

Ginnie

Good morning peeps.
Its a bright sunny day but it is very windy and extremely chilly outside.

The seeds I planted on the 4th March have nearly all sprouted!! Im so surprised as its only just a week but very pleased with the results.
I finished daughters table with the correct oil based varnish. The water based one was dreadful and gave no shine. So I re-sanded the top and re-varnished and now it looks lovely and shiny. I have already sanded a kitchen pine chair and that's ready to varnish later.

Only trouble is, I found after about 1/2 hour my finger joints were aching when sanding. I think it's the arthritis in my joints so will have to do short bursts rather than 2 hours say all at once.

Still waiting on hospital results! I telephoned on Wednesday as it was 3 weeks since I was away, left a message but nobody tel back. Going to ring again at 9.30 today and see what the situation is. My anxiety levels are bad with the waiting and worrying!!

Hope everyone ok. Joan if you are looking in, hope all is well in your corner?

JustGinnie, I have been waiting for a 3 seater recliner we ordered last year but it was out of stock and has never appeared yet. My local sofa man said he had chased and chased but nothing coming. We have a 2 seater recliner and my leather office chair but if I was to get visitors, I dont have a large comfy sofa for them.

All these discount shops DFS, SCS etc look good until you look at delivery charges and for us folk so far north, it's as much as £150 between 2 delivery companies so for now, we shall leave it and carry on as we are.

Right off to telephone hospital.
Have a good day all

Florence in the hebrides

I'm not sure where in the Hebrides you are, Florence, but maybe Care & Repair Scotland can help you with small jobs around the house.

28 local authorities in Scotland have branches, including in Stornoway, and on South Uist and Skye:

13-15 Francis Street
Stornoway
Isle of Lewis
HS1 2NB
Tel: 01851 706121 (option2)
tighean.co.uk

Cothrom Offices
Ormiciate
South Uist
HS8 5SB
Tel: 01878 710200


Morrison House
Bayfield
Portree
Isle of Skye
IV51 9EW
Tel: 01478 612035
https://www.lsha.co.uk/handyperson

The services provided vary from one area to another, but it might be worth asking.

Here in Lochaber we have the Lochaber Handyperson Service, which is a subsidiary of Lochaber Housing Association, and they'll do all sorts of small jobs -
including changing light bulbs! - for anyone over 65 (home-owners and private renters, as well as Housing Association tenants), and disabled people of any age.
The service is free, although a contribution towards parts or materials may be asked for.

They won't do anything requiring a skilled tradesperson, so it 's really just DIY type jobs - but SO useful.

https://lcr.org.uk/our-services/handyperson-small-repairs-service/

I'm about to ask them to clear out my roof guttering, which overflows when it rains -
so it's done that a lot in the last couple of months!

Thanks Argyllgran
Im out in a village some distance from the town but thanks for the info. I do know of them from others who have used them. My daughter managed to stand on the chair to change the lightbulb so we are all sorted now.

I do have a local community development company who do things for pensioners/disabled so if i need something, i could ask them for help. To be honest, I almost feel Im not old enough to access some of these services as I am only 60 but im getting my grass cut 2 weekly for £10 each cut as I am registered disabled so that in itself is very good of them. They are also giving each household in this area £150 towards their fuel or food bill, how generous is that? They are a registered charity and make money from the wind turbine they installed. The income from the electricity generated provides grants and facilities for the area.

I tel the hospital and spoke with a secretary as the one I wanted wasnt answering the phone so i rang another. She could only say that no letters or reports have been sent yet and she would email the person asking her to contact me. I haven't heard anything yet and it's now Friday afternoon and the lady in question finished at 1pm!

I varnished one dining chair this morning but shall leave it until next week before I start another as daughter complaining about the smell of the varnish!

It's still a dry day but freezing cold and quite windy so the heating may have to go on about 4pm today.

No idea what to make for tea. Daughter away in town and out for lunch so no big meal for her. Think pizza and chips with peas will do, yummy.

Florence in the hebrides