General Chat

Hope you and the family will have a lovely holiday in Whitby, have a good journey and take care.

Love, Sallie xx

Hello all, from me on Good Friday morning. Yes, Jean I opened the email half an hour ago. I look at my emails at least once a day. I love that tune, and our choir has sung it in a concert.

Phil didnt really take part in the party. He kept trying to fall asleep, chin down on his knees. I kept waking him up. I did sing along with one or two of the songs, but didnt know them all, or didnt know the words. There is absolutely no sign of Phils memory stirring, even when he looks at me, which he rarely does these days.

I must get on and do some cleaning, the cobwebs are making it difficult to move around the house!

Huia.

Have a great Holiday Debbie and family, tell us all about it when you get back


love Jean xx

Hi Ladies, just popping in to say "hi" and "goodbye". We are off on the boat tonight to the UK for 18 days and I will have no electronic equipment with me, so I will have to take some time to catch up with you all when we get back.

Our boat was due to leave here at 9pm, but it's delayed now til 1.30am, so we'll have to get the children into bed then wake them and hope they go back to sleep. The crossing is the 9½ hour slow journey. Yuck. I hate boats.

Our weather has been absolutely awful the last 2 days but today was glorious. All sailing has been disrupted and they are now trying to play catch up.

Driving up to Leeds from Portsmouth on Friday, then 2 weeks in Whitby from Saturday, so I am really looking forward to it.

Thanks for asking but my cold has nearly gone and I feel a lot better now.

Just quickly, Daniel did well in his race in Manchester a couple of weeks ago - he came 55th out of 397 boys who finished the run, so he was pleased with that. Last Saturday he won his race against Guernsey. No training now for 2 weeks, and then a race in North London- Barnet Copthall on April 24th once we get back home.

So I shall wish you all a lovely Easter - not too much chocolate, and I look forward to reading all the news/gossip when I am back. Take care.

Debbie xx

I say saucy Jean,my old nan taught me well. The only difference between
her and myself,is that nan would have the old copper boiler out,first thing on a Monday morning,to do the whites. And she would use the little bags off blue that you could buy back then. The scrubbing board,for grandads collars,and cuffs. And the mangle out in the yard.Before that didn't they have a poss,I am to young to remember that off course. lol
These days,on goes the washing machine,and it does it all for us.
But you cannot beat getting into nice clean bedding,can you.

Hi, folks, I have been crafting all afternoon, glad you liked the card Sallie, I would love to be nearer to you it would be so nice to share our hobby, but we will have to manage Of course i will help you in any way I can, but I cheat a lot you know....lol... my decoupage is already done just pop the various parts out and stick them together, usually I fiddle with the card and add some sort of bling, Btw Have you seen the flexi peel offs, they are brilliant you can put them on any shape they are thinner than the straight ones and round a circle they look very proffesional... I got mine off Create and Craft, but I also got some of the craft site on e-bay...the only problem with decoupage is the postage cost, an ordinary stamp wont do, you need to take them to the p/o and they will tell you how much to send, I got some expanding envelopes especially for them....


well old mother riley you have been busy, I usually wait until summer is well and truly in, well I mean twice a year to change the bedding is enough ,don t you think? mind you we are probaly not as dirty as some folk. nudge...nudge ,,,wink,,wink... rofl.....xxxxxx

I sent some e-cards to Huia, and Marie, but dont know when or even if they see them...

Sylvia, I havent got your e-mail addy sorry but I do wish you a Happy Easter .....


Pie and mash for tea I think, J does it really well..... lol....



hugs for all our lovely friends (((((((((( X ))))))))) on here.....


love jean xx

Sallie,I have packed a bag off energy up for you,I hope that it helps you,more than it has me today. I now feel absolutely cream crackered. I knew I should not have done so much,but it was getting on my nerves.
We have both had this flipping virus thing,and I wanted to wash the germs
out off all the bedding,and put another fresh lot off quilt covers on.
The bedroom windows have been open wide all day,to get rid off the germs that may have been laying about.
Like you we are not doing nothing grand over the weekend. So I may be on here a bit more,to amuse myself. lol
See you tonight. Love Mo xxx

Hello Girls,

Huia, it looks as though the Easter Party went well--so pleased that Phil was awake and able to take part in the festivities. You usually find that there's too much food at any celebrations, I know after our 40th Wedding Anniversary there was loads of food left, and also after the evening do for Jennie and Michael's wedding. Michael's dad took some of the food home so that he could feed the wildlife in their garden.

Jean, thank you so much for the beautiful card that we received today, the post didn't arrive until 2-30p.m. I just can't get over how good it is, you are very clever--I wish we were living nearer each other, so that I could pick up a few tips from you. I hope that doesn't sound cheeky, as it isn't meant too.
How are both J and D? Hope they are both well. I'll be thinking about you for the 15th, hoping that all goes well at the clinic.

Mo you are good, doing the two lines of washing today. Could you please send some of your energy to me, with a little bit of enthusiasm tucked in.
I really must get myself get going again. Are you and Roly doing anything special for Easter? We are just staying at home, as we have a things to do, so hopefully can get them done while Alun is off for four days. I'm sure we'll have Jennie and Michael, as we usually do--it would be nice if Richard and Christie could come up for Easter, but they can't afford to. Both Alun and I were disappointed when they told us, as we haven't seen them since Christmas, but we understand the situation.

Love to Debbie, Julia, Ann, Liz, Marie, Sylvia and Marilyn.

Speak later. Love and best wishes. Sallie xxx

Huia,it sounds like it was a lovely time had by all,at the Easter Party.
It was lovely to read that Phil was awake and able to take part in the proceedings.
Did you join in with the singing,and dancing. I bet that if you did it probably jolted Phil's memeory,back to the good times you shared.
Jean,you get along and get your BP checked,before I come up there and smack your BTM,you naughty girl you. Luvs ya really.
Fingers crossed for you for the 15th,for your Glaucoma test.
We have a lovely day here today. I have managed to get two lines off bedding,washed and dried. Just waiting for the machine to finish,with the bath mats.

huia keep looking at your e-mail....

love Jean xx

I went to the Easter Party today. Phil was on his feet walking around (after a fashion) when I arrived. One of the carers sat him down so I could sit by him. There was a man with a guitar and recorded music, and he sang, and the carers were dancing with some of the residents. One of the female residents was good at picking up the moves that her carer was doing, hula type etc. After the entertainment we went through to the dining room and filled a plate with our choice of food from the vast array on the table. When I returned to the dining room later it looked as if nobody had touched anything, there was so much there.

Huia.

After my last post I remembered another reason for giving up choir was the fact that I have been having increasing problems with holding the folder of music. I injured my left hand (ball of thumb) when I had a fall many years ago and it has been getting quite sore, presumably arthritis. Last year it was very bad in the cold wet weather, I was wearing mittens all the time, even in bed. I cant hold anything heavy. I dont know if I would be confident enough to sing all the songs from memory. Usually I dont need to look at the music in a concert but if I dont have it there I am scared of having a 'senior moment'.

Huia.

Hi, everyone, I woke up to snow this morning ,but thank goodness it didnt stay long but has gone quite cold now, and wet... I have been doings some more cards trying new designs and sorting out the scrapbook papers I have boxes full of them, so I have cut some up and made cards which I will tart up a bit, I keep finding stuff I forgot I had, packs with card in and templates too there is one really lovely set but no instructions, I will get J to help me work out how to do them, he used to be a Draughtsman so is used to reading graphs and such like, glad you liked it Mo... Sylvia, you have reminded me to go and have my B.P. checked I dont go as much as I should, but the medication I take seems to do the job , its always o.k.
next thing in April 15th is the glaucoma clinic , always get a bit tense when that is due, I have awful fear that my eyes are not good, but they are usually o.k. now ...so fingers x

Sallie, how are you, hope you are feeling better , I am going to take pics of my cards so will send you some, see what you think...it will be a little while yet though. I will tell you when I do them...

Huia, I was upset when I had to give the choir up, couldnt breathe properly, still struggle, so I can sympathize with you. lets hope you can find a daytime choir....

Happy Easter to everyone hope the weather bucks up...

Love Jean xx

Hi all


Just a quick posting, as I eat a sandwich for early lunch ..... I have to go to the doctor's early this afternoon. He wanted to check my bp before we went away. It's been bouncing around a little. Plus I want to make sure I have enough of the painkillers for our trip.


Mo .......look for Fanny By Gaslight!!!



What surprised me about the cat was that it was a CAT that was doing the checking, and the male cat at that! J said he seems to use his little cry to say "please stop the noise", and he's figured out that J&M are the ones who can stop MJ's cries!


s
xxx

Hi All,

Mo, I hope you are feeling a lot better today. It's a cold day here, we did the weekly shop earlier on today, so it was nice to get it over and done with. Alun has been home from work about 2 o-clock, every day this week. It's been nice to have him home early. Richard still hasn't got a job, and it's not for the want of trying--he applied for ten jobs on Monday and nine yesterday. The late at the Employment Office is very impressed with the amount of jobs that he's applied for, but as Richard told her, at the end of the day he still hasn't managed to get one.

It's been quiet on here over the last couple of days, although a lot of the other threads are the same.

Love to all our friends on here, and hope that you are all well.

Love and best wishes . Sallie xxx

Hi everyone.
Huia,I can understand your frustration,with your old choir. There is nothing worse than,people who do not take their commitments seriously. And after
all it is a commitment,when you agree to join a pastime like you all did.
It would be lovely if you could find a day time choir,as I know you really enjoyed your singing.
I don't know if you have ever heard off a woman called,Barbara Woodhouse. She was very famous over here,for her work with dogs. She
had her own programme on the t.v,teaching people how to train their dogs.
She died many years ago now,but she was so well known way back then.
Did Phil work at Wembley greyhound stadium.?before doing his National Service.
Sylvia,is Viv still doing looks ups for people,only I have not seen her posting for a long time now. Not long now till you see young Matthew. I bet the pair off you cant wait.
I know our Jean is clever at her card making,but I did not realise just how clever,till today that is. Jean it is absolutely fabulous,thank you so much.
How are you all at your end off the country. Have you had any snow yet.
We have escaped it at the moment,so fingers crossed that it will bypass
us.
I hope that Liz is o.k,as we did not hear from her last night. Or should I say,
this morning. You are definately a night owl Liz.
When did you say that you have got the OH sons wedding. Did you get your outfit sorted out. I hope you stung OH for an expensive one.
Sallie,how are you and Alun keeping. Has Richard had any luck yet with getting a job.?
My son has still not managed to find new employment. He is still insistant on doing bar management. But his licence no longer covers him for this area. And that means he would have to move right away from here,and he can't do that because off the children.
Hi to Marie,Debbie and off course Ann for when she gets back from her holiday. Oh and not forgetting Marilyn.
Love to one and all. Mo xxx

Oh Mo, dont you know what the expression 'bring a plate means?' I thought everybody knew that it meant a plate with food on.

Actually I dont miss choir, apart from the social aspect. I have trouble hearing what a lot of the conductors are saying as I sit at the back. My hearing aids are no use as they are not selective. And a lot of the choir members do not 'do their homework' in between practices so we have to go over stuff again, or they miss 2 or 3 weeks and we have to re-do stuff for their benefit. I always learnt the music at the beginning so I could just get the expressions the way the conductor wanted, but s/he was always spending time teaching people the basics. I got rather bored. Now if there was a daytime choir of people who do their homework I could join that.

With regard to dogs and new babies, perhaps it depends where the dog is in the heirarchy of the family. I enjoyed watching the programmes where that Victoria somebody would help families who were having problems with their dogs. It was always the owners who were the problem with the way they treated their dogs. At least Phil knew how to train dogs. He spent about 2 years working in the greyhound kennels at Wembley then did his National Service with the War Dogs Training School.

Huia.

Hello girls.
Sylvia, animals behave strangely sometimes. When my first grandaughter was born,we sent our daughter into the house first,and we sat in the car. The reason we did this was because they had a dog,and it had been their baby since being a pup. When we entered the house,the dog tried to grab the baby from our arms,and was going absolutely potty.
We ran from the house with the baby in our arms,and so did our daughter.
Her partner was given the option,off either the dog or the baby and our daughter.
It took him three days to make his mind up. He was ringing us up late at night crying,that he did not want to get rid off his dog.
In the end,he came to his senses. But we could never understand,how he could put his dog before his child. He was not a small animal either,and he could have killed our grandaughter,had he got hold off her.
Liz, I am so surprised that you and Marilyn could draw breath,when you met up. Did you know that she is flying back home on Monday. I wonder how long it will be before her next holiday. She's such a lucky so + so.
I bet she will be back in your neck off the woods again very soon,baby sitting.
That's enough from this gabby cow,I could talk for England I know. lol
Sallie the filming from our local precinct,has not been aired yet. I watched it tonight,thinking I would see my friend.
Yet another day stuck in the house for me. Still coughing and sneezing all over the place,head still throbbing. I am going stir crazy. Apparantly this is a virus thats going around locally. Trust me to get it.
Keep your chin up Sallie,keep fighting the depression. Don't forget we are all here for you,and for Liz. Should either off you need to off load,or shout at anyone,yell at us,we have broad shoulders,and can take it. You don't need to tell us what the problem is,just that you need a diversion,and we will try our damndest to divert your mind off your troubles.
Hello our Huiathebird. How did the Easter Party go. Was Phil awake and alert. When you said that you had to take a plate,did you mean a plate full off food,or just a plate to eat off.
How sad that you gave up the choir. You used to really enjoyed going. But I can understand your not wanting to get home to an empty house.
Well it's very quiet at Jeans end today. I hope that they are both o.k.
Ann should be enjoying her holiday,as they have gone abroad I believe. So
their weather should be good. Not like here in the U.K.
A big ((((((((Hug to Debbie and Marie))))))))))))
Speak to you tommorrow night. Best wishes to you all. Love Mo xxx

Huia, sorry I had forgotten that you gave up choir last December. I hope all goes well at the Easter party, and that Phil will be awake and alert, as it will be so much nicer for you.

Having read both your and Sylvia's post, it just goes to show how good the pets are with the new members of the family. Like you, I was worried to start with, as Tammy had been our 'baby'
for nine years, the day we got home from hospital I let her sniff Richard and lick one of his legs, and she was fine with him. We had no trouble with her, not even when he was toddling. She was a lovely natured dog! It was good that Phil's dog knew that he mustn't harm your son. It's a pity you didn't take a photo of son's legs sticking out of the kennel and also the pleading look on the dog's face. Of course the first thought was to make sure that your son was safe.

Well I must go and make us a cuppa now! Speak soon and take care.

Love, Sallie.xx

Sally, I decided last December that I would not go to choir any more unless they were doing something extremely exciting, or were really desperate for second sopranos. I didnt enjoy coming home to a cold dark empty house at 10 pm each week.

Tomorrow (Thurs 1 April) Phils hospital is having an Easter party. 'Entertainment, Raffle, Afternoon Tea. A plate would be appreciated.' I will go, I just hope he is awake and more or less alert. At the Christmas party he just slept.

Phil had an alsatian dog at the time we married. When our son was born a year later I was a bit worried but the dog was fine. Then one day I saw the dog sitting at the far end of his chain looking up at me pleadingly, and our sons feet sticking out of the kennel! I dont know if he had crawled in there to get any bones the dog might have tucked away. Son was only 12-15 months old at the time. I was so relieved that the dog knew that he mustnt hurt him.

Huia.