Diary > Saturday 21st November

[Roobarb]

Not a particularly remarkable day but that's fine.

Was getting ready to go for a walk when all of a sudden the heavens opened so had to delay it. Instead I went on the hunt for a particular size of mount for a picture frame. Both the mounts and the frames are stored at the back of a deep built-in cupboard so I had to rake out allsorts before I could get to them. No luck, and there always seems to be a lot more stuff when I come to put it back. Eventually found one somewhere else entirely. Reframed a painting and moved some others around.

After lunch the sun came out and I went for my walk, it was muddy in a lot of places. When I came home I rang my friend L, very pleased to hear that her brother doesn't have any further Covid symptoms. Had a chat about some materials we need for next art class. My post had arrived earlier and still no sign of the item I need for my Christmas card painting, it was supposedly posted on Monday. My second parcel from Matalan was delivered by courier, no tracking information from Hermes again.

Made some slight alterations to my other painting. Another conversation with L as she was having difficulty ordering the materials needed, I agreed to do it for her. Her having to self isolate and me not going to any shops makes some things a bit of a challenge. The rest of the day and evening was just as all the other days.

How was your day?

[carol80]

Nice fine hot days down under. Well at my place anyway. Garden calling out for a drink every time you step outside.
Have had a few meals with beans from the garden. I do need to try and tame my courgettes and strawberries. As soon as I have picked them, I turn around and there is more to pick. Grapes are looking great. A lot of big bunches this year. Feijoa tree has flowered 3 times so far, so every little gap on a branch is full of fruit. Have green tomatoes so waiting for them to turn red. Put a few potatoes in so there will be fresh baby potatoes for Xmas dinner. My timing was good as they will be ready to dig up on Christmas eve.
At the beginning of the week, I started going back to the club I belong to. I play 500 (cards) on Monday and Thursday afternoons. It gets me out of the house and it is great to have the company. We are in the season for Xmas lunches so my Calander is starting to fill up. 2 lunches coming up on the 26th and 27th.
P is not doing well. He is really struggling at the moment. His 2 brothers were not a match and his sister was a partial match. She needs more tests.
Well, that's it for now before I lose it all.
Off to read the posts I have missed.
Stay Safe Stay Strong
Carol

[Caw1]

Well my day probably not much different to yours Roobarb!
Glad you found your frames in the  end and I know just what you mean about putting stuff back... it’s a bit like a tardis coming out but not going back!
Well done for persevering with your walk...

It looked quite bright when I got up so put the washing machine on...
After breakfast we watched the rugby match between Oz and Argentina... it ended up as a draw... think the Argentinians had a hard game last week against NZ and couldn’t quite pull off another win...
Did some tidying up, hung out the washing... very mild out but windy
After a shower did some more dusting, emptying bins... we’d had fish the other night and the packaging always makes it smell despite rinsing first...
Decided it was a day of card making... OH busy with pub stuff on the computer or watching snooker....
Put the radio on, push the door to and I’m in my element...
OH made lunch and gave me a shout when it was ready...
Ordered some Christmas stuff from hobby craft which I can collect on Monday when I get my shopping...
Return to carry on with cards.....
Got made a cuppa... very thoughtful!
Next time I heard he’d cooked dinner and was calling me down...
When I turned round to come out of my room it was hard to find a space to put my feet to get out ! I’m terrible at littering the floor with the boxes of what ever I’m using! Which is why I have a room to do it all in... no clearing up...
Dinner was usual Saturday night... steak, chips, mushrooms, toms and peas...
Watched tv... started new Netflix series The Queen's Gambit... all about a young orphan girl who learns to play chess and proceeds to beat everyone... it sounds dull but it’s not... set in the mid 1960’s the fashions I remember well!
A productive day if not a very interesting one as far as others may think!
Tomorrow will be another card day then back to sewing next week...
Hope others Saturdays have been inspiring too.

Caroline.

carol - good to hear you’re getting out and about... must be so lovely having your calendar gradually filling up!
All your vegs sound wonderful and remind us all up and overs what a pleasure our summer was too with the bounty of the garden on your plate...
So sorry to hear your son P not doing well and still waiting for a match... hope that is able to happen... keep your strength up and we all wish you all the very best and you’re in our thoughts..

[Mowsehowse]

Nice to know everyone is finding things to keep busy.
It would be so nice to go somewhere light and warm for 6 months of the year.... this year especially.
It is good to know Oz and NZ have had some sensible management which is allowing some sort of normality to return.

H and I walked down to Preston beach, though not along the front it being reasonably busy.
The weather was cool, windy and very grey.  Typical UK November.  3 cruise ships at anchor.
The tide was full in so no bird life feeding on the rocks.
I had some fun trying to photograph some pied wagtails, who are so quick they are hard to get in focus.
After lunch H watched the rugby while I read, blogged and knitted the rest of the day away.
Baby blanket is finished.
Hang in there everyone, especially Carol.

[Viktoria]

Did you watch EnglandvIreland.?
I love Owen Farrell,all those long looks ,judging the angle !
A day that stayed dark here.

Phoned daughter this morning ,her Birthday.
She had a message purporting to be from Flash Harry ,saying to be in the park at Two  ‘Clock——

Lovely sunny morning and a long phone call from my friend on the Gower Peninsular ,we email regularly, so it was nice to have a conversation.

Very cold today ,but I ought to try a walk as it is dry ,so many wet days..

Don’t know when I will pluck up courage to do the perm, but as I mentioned if it goes wrong it is long enough to have it cut out ,if this lockdown ends as expected.
Otherwise I shall have to go about with my head in a bag!

Some of the daffodil bulbs are peeping through ,I put them in pots to put among the perennials without damaging roots etc ,at  the moment the pots
are in the little herb raised bed .
There were three sizes of bulbs ,these are the smallest ,possibly tete a tete.Just from a mixed bag.

Must phone Shropshire , to see how my friend is.
I have to time it so  it is not when carers are there or son busy with necessary things so small windows  of time.
I will also write as she does have lucid moments but drifts off.

Carol, , let’s hope and pray P’s  sister proves a good match .
How sad there are as yet no good matches.
Keep us posted if you can ,I know it must be hard to do that sometimes but there are very kind “ ears” on this forum ,and unloading might help just a bit.

Cheerio to you all, busy bees and sewers, walkers,bakers, painters , gardeners ,nurses, helpers ,carers etc etc .
Oh what parties we can have when “ all this “ is over, and the regular Covid injections are as commonplace as the flu jab is now!

It will come, and it will be like VE Day all over again.
You read it here first.
Viktoria.

[Roobarb]

Carol, very sorry to hear that your son isn't doing too well, hope that meeting friends at your club can take your mind off things a little.

Caroline, how lovely to have lunch and dinner made for you. Hope you managed to make a path back through when you wanted to go into your room again!

MH, hope you've had some brighter weather for your walks today.

Viktoria, I'm sure you'll look fine however the perm turns out, no bag needed! 

[Viktoria]

You are very kind Roobarb but I need a bag anyway!,
Not going out ( That is a very funny TVProgramme) as much as I used to
has drastically altered me, hair a mess and thinning due to would you believe it—- Eye drops!
Eyes a mess  , red and inflamed again drops for one thing cause another!
But otherwise I am a  picture of loveliness .
Got an appt ,telephone, with the Dr, today ,again medicine for one thing causing another ,but I must cost the NHS a fortune .
Just enjoying the first cuppa of the day ,needed to get on the phone exactly at eight ,because by 8-00 1 all appointments gone!
Got told off a bit as last time I went online ,but could see well enough then.
Do you know you are guaranteed to get an appointment 7 minutes earlier that way!!
Dark and wet outside ,must shape myself today ,and this evening when my daughter phones as always I will find out what went on in the park at 
2’OClock yesterday with Flash Harry.
Grandson is in a Facebook battle with local resident, he commented that the playing field was littered with razor sharp strips of metal,from drinks cans chucked around by the teenagers who congregate there the evenings .
Each bench is within a yard of a bin,but the cans etc are not put in the bins but chucked around .
When the huge mower cuts the grass the tins  are cut up and  the  machine seems to fling them about .
The cut grass and also strips of metal are left lying about .
Quite dangerous if children have a kick about ,dogs  walk around the perimeter etc,
Would you believe it  a parent,anonymous — has commented has he nothing better to do than count strips of metal, was he never young ,if he has nothing better to do go and pick the metal up himself etc etc etc.
But the response ooooer!
An outpouring of like comments re the gatherings of teenagers in these times, the litter they  leave  behind  and the utter laziness of just chucking a can down when a bin is within a yard  of the bench they occupy .

It is a problem but perhaps the groundsmen need a bit more time to pick up the tins which are mostly round the benches .
Of course now the teenagers may throw the tins more to the middle ,the little darlings have to have something to do .
We have some absolutely super young people ,volunteering, helping etc but also the other sort, many spoilt brats .from posh estates who think they are untouchable, because mothers especially are frightened of exercising
any discipline.
Teenagers were nothing years ago, neither children nor grown ups ,had we sulked we would have been given “something to sulk for!”
I know,!,!,!
So waiting for a Drs. phone call now ,but got one upstairs so can move about the  house and get on with things .No set plans for today ,will just drift around not looking decorative ,moving stuff and putting away ,tidying so to clean is really straightforward and done  in half the time .
Hope you all have as good a day as possible and those with big worries and anxieties have sone good news.
I had a very odd dream last night ,on a school trip ,but before we set off I  had  to be weighed! Sooo ,went to our old corner grocery shop from when first married, presented  myself in undies to go on the bacon and cooked meat scales !
There was a queue , so  almost  missed the coach ,which was a double decker bus, we never arrived where venue was but the alarm went for me to make the phone call to Drs.
In the grocery shop there was a big window and I could see into our house which actually really was behind the shop ,round the  corner .
That was not possible in real life ,but as clear as can be my little kitchen and dining room were there in the dream.
Well must crack on , cheerio, hope you all have as good a day as your
circumstances allow ,and look forward to your news.
Viktoria,







with worries

[Mowsehowse]

Dreams are so strange aren't they Viktoria?
I had one about a parade of little ships passing by the window and lining up as if to take a bow before moving off for the next cohort to appear. Most odd.
I hope the Doctor can sort out your problems.  I can imagine how demoralising all those medications are.... I am on 3 at present, which is 3 more than I had ever been taking before.
But I had falling hair before all that started, and people have commented since I was in my 30s that I was "thin on top", which was the only part of me ever to be thin!!
I believe your goodness shines out of you Viktoria, and the people that love you always see you as loveable, so put away that bag!! 

[Viktoria]

Thank you, yes I have an underactive thyroid too so a double whammy as far as hair loss goes .
But by comparison I count myself lucky ,quite pretty when it mattered and ordinary thereafter,a lovely husband and good children,no great dramas
really .
Daughter’s divorce which was all over done and dusted by the time she told us , her Dad had a massive  heart attack ,so she kept it all from us and coped  alone.
That upset us ,but even the grandchildren who were young adults at the time
shielded us.So we were no help ,but she coped .
We don’t involve others generally ,funny isn’t it, we cope ourselves but feel guilty when we have not helped one another .

Had a bit of a flood today ,running a bath, Return call from Dr came and I was was rinsing the
Washbasin out from cleaning my teeth , so water running there too,.
Phone call took a while, Got in bath and heard water splashing from washbasin, overflowing ,the push down plug had gone down somewhat most of the way.
Mopped up and went down stairs in the nuddy for the dogs old towels to mop up .I keep them clean for such jobs ,ye gods ! Water coming from the dimmer lights over the units ,all over the floor, so for insulation , wellies on from utility room ,rubber gloves and mopping up ,I thought if I am so absent minded as to answer the door
whatever will the caller think 
Wellies, rubber gloves but no clothes.Could make a film!
What would the title be?

Anyway all mopped up and fascia boards at floor level away so it should dry
behind the scenes
Need to wash bath mats, dog towels and dry kitchen floor mats and it is raining again.
Anyway ,son is coming for my signature on the documents to be posted to Belgium.
The Belgian Tax Authorities etc wanted the rate of exchange of everything from pounds to Euros ,for the whole year of all my income  sources !What has my British pension got to do with them, ?
 My Dad was up to his knees in muck and bullets for them !
Well it changes day to day ,so my son has just used the rate of the day the Belgian Pension in Euros was transferred to my account in pounds .
We have their documents  for that.
Everything else is in pounds and each arrives on a different date each month and how we are supposed to find the rate , Well !
This is flipping Brexit !
Going to make a soothing cuppa ,and calm down.
Cheerio ,do hope there is good news for those anxiously waiting .
Be back soon.Viktoria.