General Chat

Good morning.
Well I was about to say that we have a nice day here, nice & briight as the sun is shining, & very calm, the temp is up as well, however as I started to write this the sun has vanished & it has gone quite dark, with what looks like a wintry looking sky !
The nice morning didn't last long.

Re the power cut & getting to the torch, I don't have any pockets in my clothes Florence, lol, I can't do with them especially in trousers, bulky even before anything is put into them.
When buying clothes I just don't buy them if there is a pocket. !

Fish & Chips for tea, fingers crossed the power stays on for when I need to make them !

Do take care if out & about, looks like the weather is going to turn nasty......again.

Joan.

Oh dear Joan, being on the stairs was probably the worst place you could have chosen to be for a power cut. We get lots of power cuts here and there are no street lights, so it is pitch black at night.

There do seem to be some bad flu bugs around Florence. I was talking to my brother last night and they cancelled Xmas for the second year in a row because of illness. His son lives near him and he has had a really bad flu type virus. He has been in bed for about ten days only got up yesterday for a couple of hours. He had taken two weeks holiday and had plans to do all sorts of things, being so ill wasn’t one of them. My brother caught it , he has a hacking cough as well as the high temperature, his wife now has it as well. They were all supposed to be spending Xmas day together, but they cancelled the plans and froze all the food. Last year they all had a vomiting bug, so postponed Xmas day for two weeks until they were better.

My daughter, SIL and the girls stayed in Liverpool last night. They went to see grandpa who is in a care home there. He will be one hundred in March . He has to have thickener in his drinks now, but he still enjoyed the cider they took him. He has a few lucid moments, but they are very rare now, so he may not have known who they were which is very sad.

Oh, the sun has suddenly come out from behind the dismal clouds, I hope it stays s it has been so dreary

Oh dear Joan, glad you are ok. When its wild and windy and we have had power cuts, after dark, I always have my small LED torch in my pocket as getting caught out suddenly is not funny and can cause you to trip over!

If my tel had rang at 12.30 am, I would have thought my dads taken a turn or worse and would not have been amused for electricity company ringing me at that time of night! How inconsiderate. Why ring to say its been restored when of course you would know that doh!!!

Both daughter & I were feeling a bit off this evening so took out temps, Hers was 38.2 and mine 38 so on 100! I also started coughing again tonight so i hope we havent got the virus my son has although he doesn't live with me. he is really not well and has lost 1/2 stone. Aches all over, no appetite so isnt going back to work until he feels ok.

She is going to be staying with him over new year and leaving here tomorrow. She's going to get him some Lucozade sport and some ice lollies. Thing is, he has never been off work sick in 6 years! So he must be bad.

Linda, fingers crossed for an offer. Hope you dont have Eve's bugs but you were in the house with her so quite likely.

Well I'm off to make a hot drink as been feeling so cold and shivery all day and my back is cold too even though I have my dressing gown over my legs at the computer.

Nite all

Florence in the hebrides

Good evening.
Well a much better day for us today, brighter dry & MUCH calmer after yesterdayts terrible storm.
Our daughter took me for my usual Thursday shop at Morrisons this morning, I didn't need much & as it was still early we decided to pop round to the local Cottage hospital to see my hubby, (24 hr visiting) he should have been having the mid morning cuppa (10-00 ish) but when we got there he was about to be taken for a shower, we stayed a few minutes & then left them to it, daughter went back this afternoon to take him a couple of things.
So much easier having him closer to home.

I got a bit of a shock last night when in bed, sleeping.
The phone was ringing & as it was 1/2 past midnight I was worried, thinking it might be the hospital !
It was actually the power company informing me that power had been restored to my area !!!! this call was some 8 hrs AFTER our power had been restored, as you can imaging I was not pleased to get a useless automated phone call at the time of night !!

The another incident came earlier this evening I was on my way upstairs when the powere went off ! it was pitch black & I didn't want to move, eventually I made my way back downstairs & groped my way into the living room to get the torch, I couldn't see a thing & it took me a time to get to the torch.
Once I had the torch I lit the candles & said a few choice words, 2 minutes later the power came back on.
I have enough to deal with without things like this happening so often,

Linda, I do hope someone comes along soon & snaps up your house, you are also having a rough time of things what with the house & your busy times helping with your family.

Just had sandwiches for my tea tonight, I couldn't be bothered making a full blown meal, I will be making Fish & Chips tomorrow so that will more than compensate for todays light meal, LOL.

Joan.

I was just watching the news about the mess the storm has made in Scotland , so I am pleased to find that you are safe Florence. I too hope Joan is OK.

My son went home this morning, he sent a text to say that he had got there safely. OH went out walking, it was extremely muddy and rained a lot, so he wasn’t happy.

I had a house viewing booked in this morning, they had just left when the estate agent rang up to say there was someone else in the office who would like to view as well, so they came round. They both seemed to like it, but only one couple had buyers for their house, so I m not hoping for an offer.

I have a cough and my chest feels very night, so I think I have Eve’s bug

:-(

Afternoon everyone.
Well its dry, calm but very brrrrr. However, I ventured outside this morning to plant 30 small spring bulbs I had bought ages ago and when i took them out of their netted bags, they were sprouting! So all planted in the large black tub that has been emptied of last years bedding plants so just perfect.

There are bluebells, miniature hyacinths and narcissi plus some others i'm not sure of their names, But the tub will look pretty if they all grow.

Grand clean up today and washing tablecloths etc. Actually got them out for an hour and dried them a bit before into the tumble. Fridge full of leftovers for tea but only 1 triangle of the caramel cheesecake left as that proved popular yesterday and 1/2 my berry crumble left.

I'm seeing on the SSE power track map, hundreds in Scotland without power . So hope Joan isn't one of them else she will be cold. There was loads of snow on the A9 south of Inverness and loads of cars etc stuck yesterday, was terrible.

Also was a lot of flooding in Scotland too!

Hope everyone is safe & well and keeping warm.

Florence in the hebrides

Good bits of news, Joan and Linda!
Good to know your buffet went well and was so much fun for everyone, Florence.

One of my neighbours' bins blew over today, too, and now there are clumps of sodden Christmas paper all over the place.

The lid of my compost bin blew away in a westerly gale last week. It would have been nice if today's easterly had blown it back again!
No such luck.

Linda, just seen your last post. Thank goodness squirrel is out and back where he belongs and def not in a wood burner!

Afternoon all.

Aw Joan just seen your post. How wonderful hubby will soon be nearer to you and you can then go and visit him <3

It has been an horrendous day with winds of 60-70 mph and torrential rain. when my visitors arrived at 12,30, we had to close the inner doors and then the loft trap blew open with the draught but friends son who is 6 ft 3 managed to sort it out.

They all enjoyed the buffet and tbh there's not a lot left but what is will do us for lunch tomorrow. We had a couple of general knowledge quiizzes that daughter organized and we all got a "booby" prize.
Was hilarious, one got a bauble of my tree, one got a toilet roll, some got a packet of biscuits etc it was all soo funny and we all laughed :-D :-D

So dishes all washed and away and now sitting as im feeling sore from all the standing in the morning and bending for the oven! Friends asked if this was going to now be a regular xmas buffet and they are coming next year :-D :-D :-D

You never know it may be!

neighbours bin had broken free and was blown down the back garden. he then had managed to retrieve it but I have seen it again against the fence and now its pitch black so who knows if it will still be there tomorrow.

AnnG, you got a good bargain there in the sale. Glad you are having a good time away.

ArgyllGran, I often call myself the wild Woman of the West as my hair is right down my back and i did cut it recently but it has grown already.

Linda, something tells me the squirrels days are numbered after reading Gwyns post sadly. but it cant remain where it is and has to go by whatever means.

Power didnt go off here but had all my xmas lights around and candles. However its still howling so every chance it could still go off. Glad Joan you got your power back.

Take care everyone out & about

Florence in the hebrides

Oh, that is good news about your husband Joan, especially as you will be able to go and see him regularly. I hope you are warmer now

Squirrel update, it is out. It went into the trap, so they took it outside and released it. My daughter looked into the legal side. It is fine to trap them and release them in situ. It is only illegal if you trap them then take them elsewhere and release them.

Hello again.
Well it's been a horrible day, high winds & absolutely chucking it, it is still very windy 7 still pouring down.
At 12-15 the power went off, it has been sooo cold in my house without the heating & even though I had 2 fleecy blankets & a duvet over & all around me I was cold.

We were told the power would probably be back on at around 10-30, that really upset me as I was already nithered, not sure how I would have coped if we had to wait till so late a time!

Thankfully the power came on at about 4-30, thank goodness, it's going to take a while for the house to heat up properly.

Good news regarding hubby, just before the power went off I got a call to say he was going to be transferred to the local Cottage hospital sometime this afternoon, I was very happy about that but the weather was & still is atrocious (sp) not the best of days to travel some distance.
Still waiting to here if he has got there yet !

Joan.

We saw that as well Gwyn. It must have come down the chimney, there is a cowl on, but it has gaps so obviously isn’t squirrel proof. Our next door neighbours just put in a wood burner. They took off the cowl which is the same as ours and put a much more solid looking one on.
The latest news is that the trap is inside the wood burner, but the squirrel is show no interest in it

Blowing wildly here, but it's dry.
Daughter is just back from meeting a friend and taking a walk near the coast. They checked to see where the tide was first, but it was far enough out so that the wind didn't blow spray at them. She said it wasn't too cold, just blustery.
I'm staying indoors ;-)
Joan, I hope hubby can be moved nearer home, so that you can then visit him. It's good that you can have a chat together though.
Aryllgran
I hope your cough gets better soon. Mine starts up if I go into different surrounding temperatures. The more one tries to stop coughing, the more the tickle develops :-|

I hope the squirrel situation is resolved soon, but sadly, I think it's days are numbered.....You are not allowed to cause suffering to an animal but......
(Copied from online......)
The grey squirrel is regarded as an invasive non-native species following its inclusion under Schedule 9 of the Wildlife and Country Act 1981. Under Schedule 9 of the WCA, it is illegal to release a grey squirrel into the wild, or allow one to escape, without a license granted by Natural England. This means if you trap one, you are obliged to humanely dispatch it.

The family will want to check where it got in too, to prevent another squirrel getting in.

Good afternoon all. Very wild wet and windy here today. We just drove out to local Curry’s for daughter to look at computers with her youngest son who works in IT. Then to Asda to replenish the food cupboard. The three youngsters eat well!,
Now the three of them have gone out and peace reigns for a while. I did manage to get a top in Asda reduced from £9 to £5.

Hope the squirrel problem is soon solved and that hubby soon gets his move to the local hospital Joan. I assume they are waiting for a bed to become vacant.

ArgG. Good that the cough seems to be better. Son in law
S daughter works in a care home, she was supposed to come over today to see us but two days ago she tested positive with Covid.

Very wet here too, and blowing a gale earlier, though it has died down now, thank goodness.
The wind was from the east, which is very unusual for us.

The cough seems to be improving slightly today - fingers crossed..
I'm glad it has coincided with this week, when there are absolutely no social events, and I can just cough at home without disturbing or infecting anyone else!

Next week I'll be going over to Edinburgh to attend a funeral, and I would have loved to fit in a haircut before then, but haven't been able to try to get an appointment because of the cough - and probably impossible at short notice at this time of year in any case.
I'll just have to go looking like the Wild Woman of the West!

The rain is horrendous here as well Joan, it has never stopped since last night. I went out early just to get weighed, 1.5lbs on :-( Not bad really given al, the naughty things and alcohol I have had over the last few days. The roads are incredibly flooded, even in places where it doesn’t normally gather.
I had to go out again to Tescos because we have no tins of chopped tomatoes and I need some for the dinner recipe tonight. It is the sort of thing which I normally have lots of, but I had been running down the stock of tins in preparation for moving and hadn’t realised that they had all gone.
Your buffet sounds good Florence, I hope you enjoy yourself. I am sure you will have lots of left overs to keep you going for the next few days :-D

If your hubby is grumbling Joan, he must be getting better. I hope he doesn’t have to wait too long for a move

I hope your cough gets better soon Argyll gran, the lack of sleep really wears you down.
The squirrel trap should be arriving today, but I haven’t heard anything yet

Good morning , though it is FAR from good.
The wind is terrible & a LOT of rain, the noise agianst the house & windows is dreadful.
It was still pitch black here at 8-15 this morning, never known it be so dark at that time.

I have just been talking to hubby & he seems to be ok, though he's getting nattery re moving to our local Cottage hospital, no news on that yet !
Ihave got a nice bit of steak cooking just now, when tender I am going to sit it on a bed of diced onions & gently fry so as to just soften the onions, I shall then have another go at peeling a spud for a few chips.
I only need a few chips & some peas to go with it.

My Florence you have been busy, I hope your power stays on at your house for your visitors, I am hoping ours doesn't go off but the weather is really bad just now.

Linda, I hope the children are on the mend, & that the squirrel has been caught !
The squirrel saga would really bother me.
Cheerio for now.

Joan.

Good morning to all.
Well def not a good day. Blowing a severe gale of 60-70 mph here and friends that are coming later have lost power several times.

But i got up before 8am and finished off cooking the crumble and baguettes etc so all the food is laid out ready to eat.

Argyllgran, yes, the coughing was awful when I had it and I hope it clears away from you soon, just so exhausting isnt it.

Oh dear Linda, the pesky squirrel, so hope someone can help. Cant the RSPCA come?

Spoke with dad last night and he's getting on ok. He loves the book my daughter bought him all about Eastleigh. it has bought back childhood memories of when he lived there. So glad we got it for him.

I got 3 books by Richard Osman, The Thursday club etc, Fancied something different but these books are set in & around where I used to live in Kent! So can't wait to read them end of the week.

Well time for shower and get dressed now before the guests arrive about 12.30.

Hope everyone else safe and ok. Joan hope you and hubby are ok?

Florence in the hebrides

That's a serious feast, Florence!

I always like leftovers. Today I've had carrots , roast potatoes, and pigs in blankets, all leftovers reheated with gravy.

Not that I've been very hungry, with this cough. As you know only too well, a cough can be exhausting, and I'm sore with the effort.
I've had enough of it now, and really need a less disrupted night's sleep.

But yes, the rain stopped, thank goodness, and most of today was sunny , though cold.

I hope everyone else who's unwell is reasonably OK - Florence's dad, Joan's husband, Esme and Eve.
How's the squirrel? Can't the RSPCA help?