General Chat

Thanks for passing the message on Mel. I haven’t heard of anyone else affected either. It must be very frustrating for Annx’s OH if he is missing online meetings.

I’ve managed to do some deadheading and to scrub out one of the birdbaths as there is a bit of a breeze so it’s not too uncomfortable but it is still very hot, about 26 degrees. I put my phone down on a surface and when I picked it up again the screen showed a thermometer and the word TEMPERATURE. It said I wouldn’t be able to use the phone until it cooled down. I’ve never seen that before. I’ve also prepared tonight’s veg and done a bit of admin. and some general tidying up. I’ve been trying to remember what else I did and it’s just come to me. I stood chopping mint for ages to make mint sauce to use through the winter. You pack small jars with chopped mint and then pour on a prepared vinegar and sugar mixture to preserve it but it takes a lot of mint and a lot of chopping to fill one jar, which is all I’ve done so far. I do it every year and every year I say never again but when in the winter we have lamb and I have a nice fresh tasting mint sauce to put on the table it seems worth it.

My neighbour phoned last night to tell me that she and hubby would be away from this morning until Wednesday night so we’ve now got 2 gardens to water, and she has an awful lot of pots.

School broke up yesterday so my daughter is now officially retired. She has taken early retirement so she can spend time with her partner while she still has him. She said she has so many flowers that her house looks like a florists shop.

I’m now going to sit up on the bed with the fan going and rest my back while watching something on iPlayer. It’s too hot to do much else.

It sure must be I read about it in todays paper they rekon it will be four days before its put right but I bet it takes longer. Must be so frustating for those needing money out and the tills in supermarkets not being able to take cards.

Thanks Mel, she is the first person I know that has been affected. That must be frustrating.

Just had a message from Aannx she says she has no internet at the moment here's what she said.

Hi Mel if you are unaffected by this global IT issue can you let everyone know I don't know when I will be posting again as we have no interenet since it happened.

22 degrees here, very threatening clouds but no sun. I have done a wash load and have just spent 45 minutes in the garden cutting back high rambling rose branches, ivy and honeysuckle and a bit of general weeding and tidying. And a tidying of the tomatoes which have plenty of green tomatoes on all of them but none ripening yet. Brown bin is three qharters full.

I actually must have got enough sleep even though I kept waking because I was hot. I don't feel particularly tired today.

Today is both my Granddaughter and step Granddaughters' birthdays. One in her 20s the other in her 30s.

I like the water not wine Vera.

I have a sausage casserole in the slow cooker today with lots of veg, onions,tomatoes, leek, beans, mushrooms and chipo sausages in a sausage casserole sauce. Should be enough to do three meals if I put two inthe freezer.

Raining here and the temp has dropped to 18degrees, want to come down here Vera?

Good morning AnnG, Mel and all

Sorry to hear that you had a bad night AnnG. I hope your leg isn’t hurting too much at the moment. I did get a bit more sleep last night though the heat kept me awake quite a lot. It’s 21 degrees already and is supposed to get to 26 which is a bit cooler than yesterday but still a bit hot for me. Not sure what I’ll do today; that will depend on what I feel I can manage in the heat.

Have a good day all, whatever you are doing. Keep cool and drink plenty - water, not wine ;-)

Morning girls,

Its 18 degrees here too and pc says mostly cloudy so I think its going to be another hot one today. Grey sky right over. We had a sprinkling of rain last night when I went ot I could feel it on my face when I turned the skimmer off on the big pond.

Not sure what to do today will see how the day progresses and how I feel if its not too hot.

Good morning all. didn't sleep that well it was a a very hot night and my leg hurt with moving around to try and get cool. It is 18 degrees here already, Nothing planned for today, probably just drift through the day as it will be too hot to do much. although hot it is very grey, no blue sky. Yesterday evening I sat outside until 7pm and it was cooler and beautiful. cynth had friends there for the weekend and I could smell barbecue. In the end I went in because there were too many memories out there on my own

Those stories should be written in a book Vera so funny but it brings her to life.

It is hot here. I walked down with two carrier bags of stuff for Irene I intended to be there and back before it got really hot. I went about 11 o’clock and I was glad to get back. Too hot for gardening and no inclination to do housework. I did strip the bed and wash the bedding. And I have got salad stuff ready for this evening including potato salad made with my potatoes.

I actually slep quite well under just a sheet, it was hot though.

Oh it’s hot. 29 degrees at the moment. We had lunch outside under a large canopy in the shadiest bit of the garden but couldn’t stay out there for long. Did any of you get much sleep last night? I certainly didn’t even though I lay on top of the bed with the fan going all night. If the temperature doesn’t drop much tonight I’ll be going downstairs where it’s cooler and trying to get some shuteye in a reclining chair.

AnnG, I’ve seen that £2 anywhere fare advertised but sadly not round here. As to my prescription I can’t work out what has happened. The newest tablet has been amalgamated with my old prescription, including all the instructions about taking it with one of the other tabs. But I also have a separate script with just that one tablet. Even then I’d have understood if I’d got that tablet twice, once with the amalgamed script and once from the other script, but I didn’t get it with the amalgamated one, though I got everything else on there. It appears to have come on its own a week later. I don’t think I can sort it out over the phone so I’ll have to trek down to our practice’s main surgery the other end of town and talk to the pharmacy team based there.

Re. Bisto. I hadn’t realised the company had hiked their prices so much. I knew it had gone up a bit but I was still getting the big pack for about £3.50. Now I’m wondering if the Co-op and Roy’s were using up old stock. I couldn’t get it in the Co-op recently so they may now have cleared their stock. I’ll look in Roy’s next time I’m in town.

Talk of gravy browning brought back memories of an aunt I adored. She was my Dad’s sister and I looked very like her so people often thought she was my mother. We were very close. She could however be a little ditzy at times. On one occasion we were there for dinner and, being polite, didn’t comment on the interesting tasting gravy. Later when clearing up the kitchen auntie found the gravy browning in the cupboard but sitting by the stove was a bottle of Camp coffee, lol. It certainly browned the gravy bur didn’t do a lot for the flavour!

There are many instances of auntie’s daft moments. I’ll just give you one more to give you a laugh. I wasn’t there on this occasion but was told the story by my father and 2 cousins who were. Again it was a mealtime and they had all eaten the main course which was cleared away and aunt appeared with a large apple pie and jug of custard. She asked my Dad if he would like some. Being one of his favourite puds he of course said “yes please”. She cut a large piece and put it in front of him. The conversation then went something like this:

Aunt: Now help yourself to custard
Dad: I don’t think I’ll pour custard over it
Aunt: oh dear, what’s wrong with it? Is it lumpy? I’ll go and make some more.
Dad: The custard is perfect
Aunt: Then what’s the problem?
Dad: You haven’t given me a bowl!

Rest of table collapses in laughter. Auntie had put a very generous helping straight down on the table in front of Dad. She was the loveliest person you could imagine with a very good brain but she was often doing ten things at once and could sometimes be a touch “dozy”.

Of course, there was also the time when…………no, no more of her exploits or I’ll still be here at midnight.

BIL is here.

As to Bisto I noticed the price increase as it was always quite a cheap item so was surprised when I saw the rise. I did buy one in Asda this week and it cost me £2.60 for the small size. I did'nt look at the size when I ordered it but the one in the cupboard I had before is a 454g ( 1lb) and the one I got is a 200g so under half the size of my previous packet.

Morning all,

Was awake at 7 something and watched the mist lift whilst laying on the bed.

Beautiful morning and it 18 degrees already so I think we are in for a scorcher today.

I too would'nt recognise Colchester now. I used to go quite regulary when I had the shop in Boxted and lived in Alphamstone. I still have the chairs I bought in Colchester year ago.

The following is from May 2023 (and the complaints started in Feb 2023.

THE food giant that makes Bisto gravy has hit shoppers with price hikes of up to 76 per cent to protect its profits.

I presume we have not really noticed (Or I haven't) because many of us doing on line shopping don't always take in the price when ordering. Bisto is produced by premier foods ltd,

Good morning all sunny here and already 14 degrees at 7am. looks like another hot one. probably should enjoy our summer while it lasts.
Vera shame you don't have stagecoach then. they have their faults but the £2 single fare to anywhere has been very successful over the past six months. It must have increased the number of passengers as they have extended it. /And on the whole, the buses do seem to be better used, It must get some cars off the road.

What a muddle with the prescriptions Vera as if it is not enough hassle having to take medication in the first place. It sounds as if the problem lies with the surgery who have not married up the two prescriptions.
Pleased that you had a good day out in Colchester. I don't suppose I would recognize that place now.

Gosh Mandy that is a huge amount for Bisto. I wonder what has caused that? something to do with the product or the production?

No Stagecoach here AnnG. The town is served by 3 or 4 independent companies. I'm not sure of the cost to Ipswich but I think it's quite high. When our car was out of action last September and I had to get the 9.15 bus to town, no more than a mile and a half, it was £3 single ticket, and I think it may have gone up since then.

Eek Mandy, at that price I'll learn to like the granules! I thought it must be a very big pack of Bisto Powder at that price but when I looked it is the normal 454g pack and only a few pennies under £10.00. I was buying it from the Co-op for about £3.50. I've just worked out that for £10.40 I can have 4 small packs from Tesco and get 800g for my money. I think that's pricey.but it's better value than the Amazon pack.

I picked up my scripts today and there's another muddle. I have got all my tablets but in 2 separate lots with 2 separate prescriptions. They should have both been ready for me to pick up on Tuesday. Apparently one lot was there the previous Tuesday. Then one prescription says I must telephone to organise a review of my tablets as it is very overdue, but I have already had the review. The other prescription says my next review is due 26 June 2025 which is correct. Two of the tablets have to be taken together. How am I supposed to do that when I am now apparently getting one a week later than the other one. I shall have to go and see the clinical pharmacist at our main doctors' surgery and try to sort it out with her so I get everything together every 4 weeks as it should be. We had a really good system here and it worked like a dream till about 2 years ago when our GP practice decided to "improve" it. Nothing but problems ever since :-|

After that we met our friends for coffee as usual. 9 of us turned up today. We all had to put cardis on as the air conditioner was blasting out freezing air so we had a choice of sweltering outside or freezing in.

A quick sandwich and it was off to the dentist for her to look at the damaged tooth on my metal plate. Apparently I need 2 of the 4 teeth replaced and I will be plate-less for 3 days. We have so many different appointments and visits coming up that I've put off having it done for a couple of months. I've picked a week in September when we'll be back from our holiday and we have a clear week. We do go to a private dentist so I knew it would knock a hole in the bank balance but the cost isn't going to be nearly as bad as I thought.

Annx, I am sure you would enjoy The Mousetrap. We enjoyed it very much but, if I am honest, I am a bit puzzled how it has stayed in the West End for 70 years. It is typical Agatha Christie and not that special as a play. I think people are still going to see it because of all the hype that surrounds it now and all the secrecy about not telling anyone who hasn't seen it who the murderer is. OH and I both guessed correctly early on. Having said that, it was extremely well staged and well acted. The only cast name I recognised was Todd Carty. I remember him in Byker Grove and in the early days of Eastenders before I gave up watching it and he was a very young man then. He must be 60 now, at least.

We went into Colchester early and had a wander round some of the side streets, then had lunch in the theatre bar/cafe before the matinee performance so it was an enjoyable day.

I thought OH was making some tea about an hour ago but I think he's been distracted and forgotten so if I want a cuppa I'll have to go and make it myself. I hope you all managed to stay cool enough to get a good night's sleep. My fan will be working overtime.

Mandy the buses do have air on, not sure it was switched on.

Vera who runs your buses? Is it stage coach? If so all trips are held at £2 each so if you really wanted to go before passes are accepted it would not cost a lot.

Anng I think most of our buses have air conditioning, it must have quite uncomfortable sitting in the stuffy bus ,when I use to go to Norwich with dil we use to make sure we sat on the side of the bus that was shaded from the sun ,it was drivers side coming home and the other side going .

Vera I just had a look and tesco and morrisons both have Sarsons gravy browning in a bottle but I'm sure there use to be gravy browning in a little yellowy box .
Now had a look for bisto on amazon , are you sitting down ....over 9 pound for a big box :-0 :-0