General Chat

I grew up in a very small West Wales village called Angle. I suppose you could say it was on the end of a peninsula. You went down a hill to get into the village and up a hill to get out. Both ends of the village was the sea, my father used to go cockling one end and I would go swimming the other.

We had a church, a small school, a lifeboat and one shop. I had a wonderful time there and I have such great memories of it.

She has to look early as we need two bedrooms preferably both en suite. The one she is looking at is a lodge with nice grounds and a hot tub. It is close to the dales so will be fine for us driving around. I can manage a couple of miles although it is good I’d there is somewhere to rest. I looked it up and it sounds fine to me and not too far from where daughter lives.

Goodness AnnG, your daughter is quick off the mark with holidays for next year. I have been to Skipton though not for a good few years. It was less than 10 miles from where son used to live and is probably less than 20 from where he is now. I don't remember a lot about the town except there was a very good fish and chip restaurant there. It's funny but I've never thought of it as a holiday place but I can't see why not. There are lots of nice places within easy driving distance of Skipton. I'm always a bit wary of recommending places as everyone's taste differs but the towns of Harrogate and Knaresborough aren't too far and there are places like Harewood House, Bolton Abbey and RHS Harlow Carr not far away. There's lots of lovely countryside and rivers but you do need to be able to walk a bit to really enjoy it. I can't manage a lot of walking now and I suspect that might be true of several of us on this thread.

I like alliums too but they do produce seedlings by the million. We had several and OH got very stroppy when he spent all his time in the garden pulling up seedlings. Then one day 3 or 4 years ago I opened the lid of the garden bin to see lots of bulbs. He had to admit he had dug up the alliums and got the sharp side of my tongue in return. I rescued some of them and replanted them in a trough down the side of the house. They don't do quite so well there but they don't spread everywhere either. When they have finished as flowers and have the big brown seed heads which are very decorative I cut some of the stalks and put them in a couple of narrow topped vases in the conservatory. I sometimes give them a quick burst of hairspray which seems to stop them dropping too many seeds over the conservatory window sills.

My knowledge of tracker is from Devon T’s dad.

Ann when you buy Allium the packs of 50 will be very small ones. I had some with such small heads they looked like stalks. Those with fewer in will be larger.

I thought the same about the public not knowing what the codes meant too AnnG, but perhaps the reason is written somewhere too as Mel seemed to know her parcel delivery was refused. I suppose if the post office get us to write the whole return address it saves them time looking up the postcode. I must start doing it properly now and it will help when you don't get an answer to something to have some idea why, at least some of the time.

Your daughter is on the ball with researching holidays for next year and finding some new places to visit! All I know about Skipton is that they have a Building Society!

I did like our Choisya and may get the smaller green one to plant. I only want shrubs that are evergreen so there are no leaves falling on the gravel. Thr left hand border is nearly all evergreens and also smothers the weeds.

You got on well at the eye clinic then Vera and won't have to go so soon next time. OH has to have drops in both eyes for his eye tests as his pupils don't open enough and he can't see properly for ages afterwards and needs sunglasses on. I'm not surprised the bright lights triggered a bad headache afterwards. That's a good idea to try rhubarb in a pot Vera. I might do that too as I'd like to keep a bit of it. I saw a sauce made from it in the past to go with I think pork and that may be less sweet, so I could try it and freeze some. OH is always eyeing up our patch and asking if he can cut it back as it is huge now.

I'll have a look on line at the Alliums Mandy as it sounds like you get a lot for the price. The factory shop we go to has sold them before so I might take a trip there next week. I like them as they stand out when they are in flower and inbetween other plants. I was looking at the cut gladioli in the shop today as they look nice in a vase. Will you replant the bulbs again with the ones you have flowering in the garden now?

Had to laugh, just had an email from daughter. She is working on our next years holiday, May or June. She is looking at Skipton. Not an area I am familiar with.

Well I got a little of my get up and go back as I had a good hoover and dust in the conservatory so I've done a little this morning.
Still raining here so the water butts are getting a nice top up.

Ann funny you should mention Allium bulbs as i saw them advertised in the lidl leaflet on line ,they were 3.99 a pack and I think it said 5-50 bulbs and there was two or three different colours ,not sure if it's a good buy as I have no idea how much they usually are in the garden centres but I thought I might get some for the front garden ,my Gladioli are now flowering ,the pinky coloured ones have done well but I only have three or four of the red ones .

I bought a couple of bunches of Gladioli from aldi this week ,I gave dil a bunch of pinky red ones and I had purple ones they are now opening out .

I have never seen that about where to write a return address I do know not to write it in the centre at the back of letter of parel and under my post code I write 'from' as I think a machine picks up the post code on the last line of the address so the word 'from' prevents that.
Those codes are all very well if people know which code is relevant for the parcel returned.
Vera I go to the ENT clinic on Wednesday at three o'clock
Glad all went well with your appointment.

ann we used to have a huge Choisya in the front garden, it went when we had the front done with brick paving.

We were up late too Mandy and my get up and go seems to have followed yours. It was pouring with rain and has only just stopped, so I got a soaking going to the shop. For about the 5th time in as many weeks and in the same place, the side of the main road was being dug up and extra traffic lights there, so a huge queue of traffic both ways. As you say the rain will be good for the garden and it will help OH get more weeds out after the bin is emptied next week

Yes AnnG it was a shame about the show as I had all my entries for each class decided on and ready in plastic sleeves. I drove past the carpark going to the shop this morning and, as supected, I couldn't spot any empty spaces, even before the show opens. It only has about 40 spaces. Never mind, I will keep my eyes open for any other shows. I expect your itchiness now is signs of healing, which is good despite the irritation. If the dressing is claylike I expect they will soak it to soften it to remove it. We had an enormous golden Choisia in the flower bed before. It was about 20 years old and just wilted and died with the hotter sunmmers. Two things I want to add are michaelmas daisies and some allium bulbs which are in the garden centres now. The Squirrels don't seem to bother with allium bulbs I already have, but they do go for tulips so I can't have those. I'm suspecting OH has dug up and thrown out all my pink Chionodoxa from the front garden. I wanted to keep those, but I expect he thought they were more grape hyacinths that did need to go. The subtle differences in bulb leaves pass him by.

OH has gone 48 miles to a match today. Now he's started following a team that replaced his old one I expect there will be more matches a distance away. At least his cars are always ones that are frugal with fuel.

Back to the subject of post I hadn't realised that your return address should be written at the bottom, righthand side on the back of envelopes.

Time for a COT next. :-D

Good day everyone

I expect we all have similar weather; grey and wet and not very warm. At least yesterday’s wild wind has dropped.

Your tomato soup and sauce sound good AnnG. We’ve just picked the first few of our toms. I bet they all ripen in the next few days so I end up with a glut just before we go away. I expect I’ll be quickly trying to turn them into sauce to freeze. I’m not a fan of tomato soup. I hope everything is healing up nicely under your dressing. I’ve forgotten when you said you have to go back to the hospital.

You are having problems with getting your parcel delivered Mel. It certainly sounds as though it’s going to a collection point and the number would be needed to make sure it goes to the right person. I hope it arrives safely now you’ve included the line of letters/numbers. I guess they are the identification code. Little tacker was a new expression to me as well. Perhaps it’s a West Country expression. I would have said I hadn’t seen someone since he was a nipper or since he was knee high to a grasshopper.

Surprising what you find when you start sorting cupboards and drawers out, isn’t it Mandy. It’s good that you found your son’s premium bonds and I did laugh at his comment about not buying his Range Rover yet. I think my get-up-and-go has eloped with yours. I can’t seem to rouse myself to do anything much. We both need our get-up-and-go to get-up-and-come-back, lol.

What a shame you aren’t entering anything for the village show Annx but I can see how difficult it would be with parking etc. Is there anywhere else more suitable locally where it could be held and, if so, could you mention it to the organisers? The venue and parking could be putting a lot of people off attending. Your OH is doing well with getting your garden cleared. You will have to let us know what you decide to plant. I’ve been wondering whether rhubarb would do OK in a very large pot. We like rhubarb, it freezes well and makes nice jam with a bit of ginger in it but I don’t have space for it in the garden. However I do have a very large pot and a half barrel not being used at the moment. Like you, I cook it with orange.

Well, my visit to the hospital went OK yesterday. It was very quiet in the eye treatment centre but apparently most of the doctors were on holiday. The result was that my eye is stable which they are pleased about (as am I) as I haven’t had an injection for a year and there is little sign of swelling now. However, with this condition there can be problems with blood vessels which is why they want to keep seeing me but the doctor I saw said I needn’t go back for 3 months. My eyes were very uncomfortable for the rest of yesterday. They were blurry and sore and I couldn’t bear the light on them so was in dark glasses till I went to bed when I developed an horrendous headache, probably caused by all the bright lights I had shining in my eyes during scans and examinations. All the tests are done on both eyes – I think they use the good eye as a comparison. Anyway I can see fine today and don’t need the dark glasses though my eyes still feel very sore. The hospital are quick off the mark; I had only been home about half an hour when I got a text and an email giving me my next appointment for 20th November.

OH has called out that lunch is ready so I'd better get this posted.

Afternoon all,

I just found this online which is useful to know.

'When a parcel is returned to the sender, the post office often adds letters or codes to the address to indicate the reason for the return. These letters or codes help postal workers and the sender understand why the parcel couldn’t be delivered. Here are some common reasons:

Incorrect or Incomplete Address: If the address is missing information or is incorrect, the parcel can’t be delivered1.
Recipient Moved: If the recipient has moved and there’s no forwarding address, the parcel will be returned1.
Insufficient Postage: If the postage paid is not enough to cover the delivery, the parcel will be sent back1.
Refused by Recipient: Sometimes, the recipient may refuse to accept the parcel, leading to its return2.
These codes ensure that the sender can correct any issues before attempting to resend the parcel.'

Morning all,

Dull dreay and raining here this morning, not a heavy rain just nice and steady which will soak into the garden nicely , I think it should be dry later this afternoon.

Mel it does sound as if that shop is a collection point for people to collect their parcels from bit like the lockers they have in morrisons where you can collect your parcel from ,perhaps they wouldn't except it as it didn't have the numbers on so they wouldn't know who's parcel it was , fingers crossed it works now you've added the numbers .

Don't know what I'll be doing today ,there's lots of jobs I could do but at the moment I don't seem to have any get up and go it seems to have got up and gone , I had a job to wake up this morning and we were later getting up which seems to put you all behind for the day .

Ah, I wonder if that is some sort of post box address (i.e. a shop in a village that receives mail on behalf of others in the village) which may explain why they refused to sign.

As to the letters on the address I have never seen that before either. I left them all out of the address when I first posted it but was wondering if its a sort of PO box thing as the first line of the addess is H**** Lane Stores. Anyway she still has'nt got in touch with me so if it comes back again I shan't be sending it anymore.

Morning all from a dull and dreary Devon,

14 degrees here and looks very wet out. Had a little rain yesterday evening but not much and now I think its going t o rain all day here as pc is saying light rain.

Just the sho to do today and then the rest of the dya is mine.

What you lot up to?

Good morning all, drizzly rain, dull and 13 degrees. Slept OK in the end until just before 6am. I hope all the weird prickly sensations under that dressing mean it is healing ok. Nothing as bad as an itch or tickle where you can't scratch!

I too couldn't make out what the row of letters was on Mel's parcel Ann. Maybe Mel can explain.

What a shame that you can't get to enter the show Ann but it does seem as though it is not very convenient. Maybe that is why there were few entries the past two years. Perhaps somebody should point it out to the organisers.

Well done your OH for clearing all that garden space. Off you go now, to buy more plants to fill it. :-D

I went to bed half an hour ago but my nose blocked up and I couldn't breath so go up and came into my office. It is clear now, I bet it blocks up again when I lay down. Strange that!

Hope Vera's eyes are not to blurry and she has not developed a headache.
Better have another go at going to bed.

Evening All,

I’ve never, ever heard the expression ‘little tacker’ so I wonder if it is a southern expression. Mel it might be a good idea to look at your account online and see just what you do get with your new contract so you don’t miss out on anything as you must be paying for the service the man offered as part of your package. It sounds like it was a good job you went back to BT, because as far as I am aware, if you have a new sim card you usually have a new phone number and lose all your contacts. We asked to keep our phone number when we changed our phones, so kept our sims. I don’t see what a line of letters has to do with the parcel going? Why was it refused to be signed for, did you get the address wrong? I wouldn’t pay more postage and send it again without finding out the reason or you could just be out of pocket again.

It sounds like you have a few more poppies in you Mandy at least till you run out of wool! It’s good to help people as you say and they are going to look great when they are all tied on. You will have to see if you can get a photo to show us. The book of knitted gnomes sounds good as well, something to enjoy making when the nights are drawing in. It’s good to have a sort out of bulging drawers isn’t it and my pants drawer is like that now. Several pairs need chucking, but I keep wearing those on days I don’t go out anywhere. lt Doesn’t matter if the elastic goes then! Lol.

AnnG I bet your tomatoes with onions and basil did smell lovely. I like them with oregano too. It’s good to have been able to use them up and not have to waste them. It should help your legs to keep pottering about in the garden shouldn't it, but you don't want those branches near your face without a motor clycle helmet on! Did you manage to make some cards? I think it helps to do something absorbing while you are at home all day.

I wonder how Vera got on today and hope her eyes aren’t too blurry.

Well OH was out early weeding/clearing a lot of the bottom border which had a lot of brambles from the field and he has cleared behind the side of the shed where the water butts are and behind it. I can start planting the end of it up now as there is a big space where we took a shrub out that had died a couple of years ago. I think our Rhubarb can go now or at least two thirds of it, as we haven’t used any the last two years. I add orange juice when cooking it, but it still needs so much sugar added it isn’t good for our blood sugar levels we both need to watch now. It’s moved home with me three times.

I got all my entries for the village show ready yesterday, but after looking at the website today and the booklet with entry form in, I’ve decided not to bother. All the sponsors seem to have stalls selling their own goods there as well and there look to have been very few craft entries in the last two years (I didn’t even know there had been shows then!). I think the little carpark will be packed and there’s likely to be a cricket match too with all the players parking in the same carpark as well as all the visitors to the show and the stalls and there isn’t other parking near enough for me to walk. It opens at 1.00pm, but even if I was early enough to get a parking space, the presentations don’t begin till 4.00pm and I couldn’t stand around all that time and there are no seats. If I managed to move my car to come back later, there would be no parking spaces by then. Straight after the presentations all your entries have to be cleared or they dispose of them, so I couldn’t even wait to come back to collect my entries till some had gone and the carpark was clearer. It is a shame, but maybe the council will start holding their shows again next year. They were much bigger and had a café where I could sit and was where I won the Chairman’s Cup that time.

BIL has gone and I feel really sleepy. I picked up lots of dead branches and twigs off the big Ash tree just before he mowed the orchard. Now he has taken one of the pairs of steps so he can cut his hedge.

I also picked up all I had cut off the thug rose and put it on the big trailer and he wheeled it round to where I have my bonfire as I never seem to get up the top outside the wall to light the other one.I have posted the parcel again but still not heard from the buyer. I did'nt have a very long line of letters on it so I am hoping its going to go this time I always send them signed for now and this parcel was refused to be be signed for.

Sauce ready to go in the freezer now. It tastes really nice. I added a teaspoon full of sweet chilly sauce to it.