General Chat

Thank you Liz ! I think that you might be right, at least she was enjoying herself more or less to the end. She was very close to her granddaughter whose party it was, she absolutely adored her Nan.

The Craft Fair that you missed sounds very interesting, I would love to go to something like that. Liz, lets hope you'll make the next one.

It's been one of those days today, I'm afraid, I haven't been able to settle to do much at all. We are just going over to see Jennie and Michael, so I might feel a bit better when I get back.

I hope everyone else is okay. Speak to you all later on.

Love, Sallie. xx

Hi all, you are a cheeky lot lol

Huia, sorry poor Phil was scratching, maybe they washed his clothes in different products to the usual ones, to make him itch - hope it can be dealt with whatever the cause as it could cause infections if he breaks the skin when scratching.

It's been very cold and wet here this weekend so haven't been anywhere, o.h. just left me sleeping or I would have gone out as there was a Crafts fair on at a church that I keep missing, they show how to do felting and other things, last time we went they had some sheep in the churchyard and showed how the wool was used, inside, along with some wonderful craft things people had made, including cards. I bet all the lovely bluebells are spoiled, it even hailed at one point, and there were several fetes on that must have been washed out.

Sallie, I am sorry to hear about your cousin, how sad for all the family but especially the granddaughter who was having the party, she must be very upset bless her. Had it not been on that date, passing away just after a nice get together wouldn't be so awful in a way, would it cos you would know the person was enjoying themself to the end and saw lots of friends and family. She wasn't very old either, so everyone must be in shock.
May she rest in peace.

take care all, hope the weather brightens up again soon - it's so cold here we have the gas fire on.

Lizxx

Thank you all for your condolences. It's been such a shock, because yesterday she and her hubby was down in another cousin's, in Cardiff
to a 70th Birthday celebration lunch, and then they went home early to Bristol because they were going to their granddaughter's 10th birthday party. She was fine yesterday, so you can imagine how shocked we all are.

Sylvia, hope the gales and storms won't last too long there. The weather isn't too good here today, it's been windy with heavy showers and also cold. It's nice to be at home with the fire on.

Jean, are you still busy doing your cards, if you can keep awake after last nights antics next door to you. I'm thinking the same as Mo, and wondering if she's still alive. I only hope that the little one is alright.

Mo, like Roly , Alun doesn't like going to Dunelm either, as long as I know what I want and the part of the store it's in, then he's okay. I'm never able to have a look around though. He never seems to mind going to Hobbycraft, but then he can look for things for his railway modelling. I didn't feel like going there today as it's the other side of Nottingham, and couldn't be bothered going that far. I must be getting lazy in my old age.

I've spent a good bit of time today on the phone speaking to several members of the family, so I'm now going to have a shower and put my nightclothes on.

I'll speak to you all tomorrow.

Love and best wishes to everyone. Sallie xxx

hatches duly battened down!!


lots of power outages in and around southern BC ............ we're still OK

oh

meant to answer Mo


the Opera company sent around renewal notices for next season's subscriptions 2 months earlier than usual ............. in March


so we have already renewed!!



Now, I really really wish I could find one of those petitions against this new tax, so that I could sign it!!



Not that it will do one damn thing (knowing politicos), but I'd feel better for having registered my opposition to it!!


I reckon it will increase our grocery bill, as well affecting hair dressers, phsios, dentists, and presumably gas and electricity, etc etc.

I am going to keep an even more detailed list of our expenses than I do currently, at least from now and for the first 6 months to see how it affects us.

I'm thinking that it could possibly add between $25-50 (ca £10-25) per MONTH to our normal expenses.

I know that we are not in tight straits ........ but it is annoying. And what about those people who are on very small fixed incomes??



s
xxxx

Batten down the hatches Sylvia,you could end up in the land off oz,with dorothy and to-to.
I know what you mean about the weather though. As children we were taught,never cast a clout till may is out,but that does not apply these days.
We can never tell one season from the next.

Love Mo xxx

Sallie

so sorry to hear of the death of your cousin. xxxx



we had gale force winds and heavy rain early this morning. I woke up about 5 am and lay there listening to it all.

We still have high winds, and are under a gale warning, but the clouds seem to be lightening with the sun trying to shine.


it's more like November or December than May!!




sylvia
xxx

Oh, Sallie, I am so sorry I didnt mention the loss of your cousin,my condolences to you and your family...

love Jean xx

Sallie,I am sorry to read off the sad loss off your cousin. In this day and age,she was not very old to pass away like that. Had she been ill prior to her passing.
And yes Sallie you and I are like little tea pots. I know where my handle is,
but I am not sure about the spout. lol
Dunhelm sell such a wide variety off things don't they Sallie. I wish I could go there on my own,I never get the chance to look around properly,when I have Roly in tow. I think he is afraid I will spend to much.
Jean,are you sure that the girl next door is still alive,and it was not her screaming for her life last night.
It's a good job I wasn't up there or she would have been.
Just goes to show what sort off company she keeps,such inconsideration for other people. But then they leave,and she is the one that has to face the consequences.
I hope you all get a better nights sleep tonight.
Love Mo xxx

Hi Ladies and Mo, we had a lousy night again with the neighbour from hell, well not so much her its the folk that drop in... we were woken at 2.34 with loud voices which got louder and louder, mostly screaming and banging doors clomping up and down stairs, thanfully no music, Then Jade the young woman seemed to get very angry and sceamed at them to go home and threw someting which hit the wall with a mighty crash, then it went quiet, we havent seen hide nor hair of anyone to day but it wont be forgotten. we shall see the letting agency and make sure we wont be messsed about ....I dont think the baby was there, but you never know....talk later bye for now...

Love Jean xx

Hello Girls,

I think some of you must have gone into hibernation, or like Ann, gone on a nice holiday. I needed some white card, so we popped to Dunelm this morning--- as usual spent more than I intended. Still if we had gone to Hobbycraft or the Range, I would probably spent a lot more.

Sylvia, so glad you enjoyed the opera. As you say, it's lovely to see the young people making their way in the world. The new steps that are in the theatre certainly sound as though someone could have a nasty fall. Whoever designed the steps, couldn't have given safety a lot of thought. Although, if Canada is anything like Britain, you would have thought that the Health and Safety would have been on to them. Hope MJ's tummy trouble is better.

Mo, it certainly looks as though you and I are the teapots in our houses. I love my cup of tea---Alun is a coffee drinker---- I don't know how he can drink the stuff, give me tea every time. While I've been writing this
message, we received a phone call from one of the family in Bristol, telling us that my cousin died suddenly today, she was 68. We were always very close as a family, both her and her twin sister used to come
down to Wales to stay with us, and I always went to Bristol to stay with them for a week during the summer school holidays. Although it's been a shock for the family, at least she didn't suffer.

I'll speak to you all later, I need to go and make myself a cup of tea.

Love, Sallie.xxx

Cooee everyone.
Where are you all today. It's very quiet on here again,and I don't mean just this thread,it seems to be every thread.
Sylvia,we have got one off the heat pads that vibrates,it's supposed to help relieve back pain. It's fine all the time you are using it,buy when you switch it off the pain returns.
So pleased you enjoyed the Marriage off Figaro,at the theatre.
And what a bonus,the company offering to save the people 7% charge.
Did you take advantage off the offer. Anyone who is a regular theatre goer
should use the chance to save.
And the saving off £200 on your next trip was brilliant. It must be your weekend for bargains.
I will pop back later,to see you all. Love Mo xxx

Hi all

I've had several hot water bottles leak on me in earlier days ........ but I still have one hanging in the bathroom closet, and use it several times during the year. I've even been known to use it on a hot summer's night .................... when my back acts up! I also sit in my chair with a hottie tucked between me and the chair back or side (depending on whether it's back or hip that hurts most).

I did buy an electric heating pad, but it just wasn't the same, and didn't seem as effective.

Sorry not to have called in, I've been a bit busy the last couple of days.

We now have the tickets for our trip to NS at Christmas, we're going both ways by train, and saved about £200 by booking before May 1st, when the new tax took effect for services that will not be used until after May 1st. We've also managed to get the cabins that we prefer!

We went to the Vancouver Opera last night, the first time I've been this season. I don't find the seats in the Theatre very comfortable at the best of times, and with the hip and back problems of the last few months, well ....................!

Actually, the theatre has been renovated over the last years, with it being finished over last summer (can you say Olympics??). Result is some rearrangement of seats, one whole row eliminated in the section we sit in, new seats (which actually seemed a couple of inches wider than the old). Many of the changes I liked ........... but I did find it rather strange that the stairs leading down from the "gods" to the cross walk out of the auditorium in our section were wide enough for 2 people abreast ............... but narrowed right at the bottom so there was only room for one person AND there was a railing which made one make a right angle turn onto the cross walk. Seemed rather dangerous to me!! I found the seats a little firm .......... and was very uncomfortable when I woke this morning.


The opera, Marriage of Figaro, was very good! All the leading people were young, and Canadian born or Canadian based ......... and included a couple that OH knew from the university student opera group that he sings with. Nice to see them graduated, and making their way in the world.


It was quite funny ....... the Director of Marketing came in front of the curtains just before the opera was to begin. The appearance of a "suit" most often means one of the singers has a problem. In this case, he announced a) the Vancouver ice hockey team was winning 5-1 in the first game of the second round of play-offs, with about 2 minutes to go .............. wild cheers from the audience. and then b) the Opera Association was offering a deal ...... that new tax was applied from May 1st, but if anyone went to the Subscription Table in the foyer during the evening, then they would not be charged the HST (in other words, the oepra would absorb the 7% charge). Even wilder cheers!


It's raining here ..... but it isn't a bank holiday!!


sylvia
xxx

Hi my lovelies.
Oh Huia,the things that we did as youngsters. I had to laugh at the escapade with the peanuts. I bet your mum and dad were not amused,when they got home,to be faced by the fire chief. LOL
Have they told you why Phil is scratching. Could he be allergic to any off his medication. I know he has to have simple soap,but I bet they have bathed him in something else,causing the itch. Poor Phil.
Have you put yourself on a diet Huia,only you said you had Pumpkin soup,for your tea.
Dump the scales mate,they only frighten the life out off us. I have not weighed myself in years,and refuse to do so. As long as my clothes still fit me,and I don't have to buy bigger sizes,I will forgo getting on them at any time.
We all probably could do with getting more excercise than we do,but lets face it,the older we become,the more aches and pains we get,and we feel less inclined to do any fitness excercises.
Thats why I admire Marie in OZ,she is such a determined lady. She does her water aerobics,and goes to the gym. No wonder she has been so successful in losing weight. I just wish I could be as focused as she is.
Now we know why Liz liked our firemen Huia. She likes to leave the electric blanket on,and sets fire to her homes to attract them. LOL
Ooop Hi Liz,hows your day been. Did you get to the bluebell woods.
My nephew is home from the hospital,and should get the results off his MRI scan on tuesday.
The specialist seems to think that fits,could happen after brain surgery. she does not think he had a bleed.
Well lets put it this way,both Liz and I can speak from experience where
brain bleeds are concerned. With both off us having OH's who have had them.
I dont know about your OH Liz,but Roly never,(fingers crossed) suffered from fitting after his bleed.
Sallie. Liz and I never went back to the maypole,I was to cream crackered,
and Liz was busy entertaining.LOL
It's the Dickens Weekend in Rochester,where they dress up in the costumes off the era. With lots off street entertainment,and Fagin and his
little thieves out on the rob.
The only problem is,that the real thieves are out picking pockets as well.
There are always lots off thefts when ever they hold these occasions.
We don't bother to go anymore,it's all old hat now to us.
Plus I aint got no money for them to nick. lol ah shame.
I wonder where our Jean has got to. JEANNIE, get out from under those cards,you can't hide from me,I know your there somewhere.
Hows you my honey ((((((((HUGS +LOVE to you both)))))))))
I hope Sylvia is O.K,as you said Sallie she has not been on for a few days.
It may be the after affects off that long train journey though.
Cooeee Marie,have you come out from under your bed clothes yet.
I hope you are enjoying the sun Ann,and feeling nice and relaxed.
I hope Debbie and the children are o.k. I am wondering if they have gone away for the weekend.
I think I will have to give Marilyn,a reminder to pop in and say hello to you all.
I am going to make a cuppa now,so I will speak to you tommorrow.
Seems to me that Sallie and I are the teapots in our houses. lol
Love to all. Mo xxx

Thanks Sallie, I have only top ups to do now although I am going to try and do some novelty ones, so watch this space...

Huia, sorry to hear Phil wasnt as alert as he has been I suppose each visit will be different, hope you manage to shed some weight, I will join you , so you have to eat properly though, no eating stuff that is not good for you, we can spur each other on...it must have been hard listening to the singing and not being part of it, I know I missed it when the breath ran out...lol.....

Liz I have sent you a p.m.

Mo, the bump on head should improve things greatly.....I wish we had thought of that before now, could have solved all the problems we have with you, precious...lol....lol...might improve the darts, give Eve a tap on her head too....

waves to all our absent friends ~~~~~~~~ X ~~~~~~~

Love Jean xx

Hi Everyone,

Huia, the hot water bottles seem to be a much better quality now than they were when we were younger. I know that they keep hot a lot longer during the night than they did when we last had one.
So pleased that you enjoyed the choir concert, apart from the soprano soloist, it's a shame that she wasn't a lot clearer. Do you think that she might hace been vervous? Sorry to hear that Phil wasn't as alert as he's been on your recent visits. Let's hope that he'll be more alert on your next visit to him.

Mo, I hope that both you and Liz haven't gone back to dance around the Maypole again today, and got tangled up in the streamers. I hope your head is better after being knocked with the tamborine. Ha! Ha!
I was wondering if you have any more news of your nephew. I really hope that it's something that can be put right with medication.

Jean, I've sent you a PM. You are a very clever lady, the cards are brilliant.
Have you many more to make? Hope you've had a quiet weekend from your neighbour. I'm just going to make some tea, and then I'm going to do some cards.

Liz, hope you are feeling better than you've been. Enjoy what's left of the Bank Hoiliday.

Sylvia and Debbie, we haven't seen you for a while. I hope all is well with you both.

Marie, hope you are okay and that it hasn't got too cold there, yet.

Julia, we haven't heard from you for ages. Is everything okay with you.

Ann, hope you and T had a good journey to Tenerife. Enjoy yourselves in the sun!

Marilyn, long time no see! Hope all is well with you.

Off to make our tea now, so I'll see you later.

Love and best wishes. Sallie.xxx

I forgot to say, Phil was awake but busy scratching. I wouldnt say he was alert at all.

I returned to Papakura for the choir concert. One of the pieces they did was a world premiere. It was written specially for the occasion by a New Zealand composer. When it finished I stood to aplaud him and so did another woman in the audience. I thought being a world first it deserved it, but most of the audience stayed seated. I wasnt so keen on the soprano soloist, her words are rather indistinct, but there was a male alto soloist who had a beautiful voice and the tenor and bass soloists were also good. I didnt eat too much at afternoon tea. Came home and opened a tin of pumpkin soup. I used about quarter of it, added equal amount of water/milk mixture and heated it, then dunked fingers of bread crusts in it for my tea, followed by a banana. Having weighed myself yesterday and got a horrid shock at how much weight I have put on I must control myself more (and get more exercise!)

Huia.

Again, when I was a teenager, mum and dad had gone out and my 2 sisters decided to roast some peanuts. They forgot they were in the oven until they smelt them burning. My youngest sister threw the oven door open and yelled because they burst into flames. The other sister who was a girl guide promptly shut the door and turned off the power. The flames went out, but she phoned the home number of the fire chief who had taken her for some badge or other, to say what had happened and thought it was out but should it be looked at? He came around on his bicycle and was here when mum and dad got home. No fire engines up the drive :(((

Huia.

I gave up on hot water bottles when I was a teenager. I woke one night and, horror! I thought I had wet the bed. In the morning I found the h.w.b. was empty. I no longer trust them.

Huia.

roflmao Oh you lot, you are so cheeky and as for Huia, wll my friend, you know me so well lol

Wouldn't want hunky firemen round here tho, they would show o.h. up lol and I am not sure how he would react to seeing them here when he got in from work, or waking up to them making a racquet downstairs, or would that be me lol?

Actually there are two subjects that inter relate if there is such a word lol

Huia mentioned her electric blanket, and by the way, do take care, Huia, going to sleep with yours on if it isn't the sort you can leave on.

I may have told this before so please bear with me.

When my son was about 6 and just before we had the modernisation done on the house we had moved into, it was really cold as there was no central heating. Therefore I had him sleeping in with me in the kingsize bed and I had put the electric blanket on before he had his bath so it would be warm for him to get into.

I went upstairs and thought I could smell burning. It was an old house with the wiring needing updating so I was walking round sniffing everywhere and then I came to my bedroom and realised the electric blanket had started smouldering. I quickly pulled out the plug from the socket and had a look. There was a hole about the size of a 50p piece and it went through the top sheet, and duvet cover, but had barely scorched the actual duvet. It had also scorched the bottom sheet, mattress cover and made a hole in the mattress. Had I not smelled it in time there would probably have been a fire. I damped everything down and then wondered if any of the mattress filling would be still smouldering and a danger later on. I was thinking fumes when we were asleep more than flames really. I rang the fire service on their ordinary number and they said that due to rules and regs I had to redial on 999 and get them out to check. Really all I wanted was one fireman to check it out but had to have the full quota and a fire engine too. Asked them not to use the siren as my neighbour had a baby a few days old and didn't want him woken, meanwhile my son had got in the bath I had run for him, so there he is sitting in the bath in this house with old decor and few carpets cos we were waiting for the building work to start, and several firemen running up my stairs. One of them said to my lad, hope you haven't used all the water lol, but bless them, they checked very carefully and said all was ok, and off they went. I was just so embarrassed I didn't take advantage of any of them lol, what a nana!

It's feels odd thinking of poor Huia and all our friends down under getting frosts, we are still possibly getting some but at least we are heading in the direction of summer, thank heavens. It's chillier this evening and I have put a lovely woolen cherryred blanket back on, it stops any draughts sneaking in if o.h. pinches more than his share of duvet as this house doesn't have any heating and has a few draughts too.
He took the car for work on Sat am as it had been raining all night and was still raining when he went, so he wouldn't cycle. It certainly spoiled my plans to get out and do some errands as he was working till 6pm so I got up when he went and did a few chores and put his workstuff on, there was more than a machine load but it means not much to do later, and wouldn't you know it, the weather was glorious. Anyway I went back to bed and forgot to set my alarm and apart from a couple of loo visits I slept till quarter to 5!!! Had to get up and out before he got home, just to the supermarket to get my lottery ticket and some bits and bobs but gives him a chance to get in from work and unwind.
Lazy evening watching Britain's got talent, I thought Simon was pig to some of those people, they need a bit of support and compassion, even if they aren't very good, they shouldn't have to listen to him slagging them off. I really don't like his attitude lately and feel sorry for the girl he is marrying, if he gets round to it, and even more sorry for any kids they have. I bet he would be the first to jump on someone if they slagged off a child of his just for having a go at something.

Anyway girls, I haven't been rolling on the floor with any firemen, mores the pity lol and Mo, have you been peeking, you know how hard it is for me to get up once I am down on the floor lol

Mo, I hope your nephew will be ok and no more fits. H has been through enough.

Sallie, I will be ok, just my fm and cfs pulls me down at times, I want to do so much but haven't the energy. I was never this bad before I started spending time here, I blame it all on the planes going over, lol

take care all, enjoy the rest of the weekend, tho the forecast isn't too cracky. I have my brolly and wellies ready, there are several bluebell woods that we know round here, which are open to the public, so depending on weather might go out or might stay here today and do some gardening and then go out tomorrow.


Lizxx