Diary - Sunday, 31 January 2021

[guest141721]

Good morning Griff,
Sounds like a good solution  . My OH uses the electric one outdoors. Indoors and out onto the patio she can still manage a manual chair one handed. Realised that this topic was for yesterday so I started a new one for today.

[Viktoria]

I thought I had dyslexic eyes when I read your post glywri, then realise you were not Griff, welcome .
Gorgeous sunny morning ,washing in ,work clothes she says, not a great deal of that nowadays ,well some in fits and starts .

Conversation going on at my front fence ,a lady with two Cockerpoo dogs.
Very nice but one suddenly jumps and barks at you for  no reason!
Just out of the blue!
Can’t see who she is chatting with as my hedge of tall thin Italian conifers block the view, the whole idea really as the end of the lane which runs alongside my house is the collection point for dustbins on Wednesdays.!
Lots of post and I am consumed with curiosity but must leave it for a few more days ,then a parcel from Lakeland has been quarantined enough to open.
Lots of “ old lady “ catalogues,  you buy one thing and thousands of catalogues and leaflets descend on you .
I admit they would be very helpful to many of my generation especially as we don’t go out much anyway and especially at the present time .
Tea already organised as a savoury flan made yesterday and so a good part of that to be eaten still.
I might venture into the garden, the bulbs I planted in black pots to place between the perennials and dwarf evergreens are coming through nicely ,big buds on the daffs so a tidy up and the pots can be placed in position.They won’t be seen amongst what is there already,only the flowers.
Lots of bluebells peeping through also .
Too soon to waken up the fish , and hopefully this year I WILL get power outside so a pump and filter and fountain.
Got a solar oxygenator but pumps won’t work off solar energy.

Daughter phones this evening for a long chat ,I have asked about the horse but will get an update when she phones.
Also Flash Harry’s latest exploits .
Books and potato growing kit at my daughter’s in first quarantine ,so he has not a long wait ,the isolated at his home and off they go .
Grandson will need to get compost as that was not included,well postage!
On the other hand there are fields all round and they are attached to the franchise  so perhaps the soil could come from there.
The kit includes potato fertiliser.
Grand daughter lots of Valentine’s Day cakes to bake.
She does them at the kitchen of the franchise as it has Grade 5 Hygiene certificate as she has personally ,they do food every Saturday in normal circumstances.
However her own kitchen is in two halves, one for their use and the other for the baking, as per regulations from the Food HygienePolice.,but as the franchise is closed ,but she goes in to check post etc
VAT etc, she will bake there too.Also passed by the FHP .
She has to read the meter before she starts and ends!
Well I must get on, not sure where to start  kitchen I think.
I put it to bed ,make a cup of tea or coffee and it looks as if vandals have been in!
So modern and streamlined one thing destroys the image.
Oh for my old farmhouse pine kitchen where an un hung up tea cloth looked “homely”!It was very forgiving and cosy too.
Three sides of a square whilst this is a mile long from end to end!
Oh Shurrup moaning ,you chose it , at least I get some exercise whilst making a cup of tea!
Cheerio folks .
Viktoria.

[Gone]

"old lady" catalogues 
I had a neighbour next door till Feb last year who was in her 90's, I was her emergency contact when she pushed her alarm, (which she did a few times) and I'd go see what she needed. An ambulance most times.
Her place was bursting at the seams with "old lady" catalogues and begging letters from charities.
I know it's a bit off topic, but I had a call one night, about 3am, would I go see if she's OK, she'd pressed her alarm and wasn't responding to the emergency call back.
So I gingerly crept in her back door, torch in hand, calling out to her, no reply. There was a dim light coming from her bedroom so I poked my head round the door, expecting the worst, there she was, sat up in bed reading, boy did I scare her!
She didn't have her hearing aids in so had no idea  was in her bungalow, and didn't know she'd pressed her alarm.
We both laughed about it after but not every call had a good outcome.
Griff

[River Tyne Lass]

Thank you for the compliments on little Robin photo.  I was so chuffed to see this little bird at the station yesterday.  Nature and wildlife really can lift the spirits sometimes.  He certainly was puffed up for the cold.  Wish I could protect myself from cold like that! . I think I have learned to resize an image on a Kindle so will try to add another photo I took yesterday of the Robin.  Well, I reason you can't have too much of a good thing!

It looks like I have missed the Garden Bird Watch this year, darn it.  But if I am not on a long day shift next year I will join in too Gibel. (I would have stayed up another hour if I had known.)

[guest141721]

I thought I had dyslexic eyes when I read your post glywri, then realise you were not Griff, welcome.

Don't worry Viktoria.

It's now 5:15 pm here in Sweden. It's dark and the Christmas lights that our neighbours haven't taken down yet are twinkling. After a sunny morning and afternoon the weatherman predicts some more snow tonight so my morning gymnastics tomorrow will probably involve the snow thrower so we can get out without any problems.

As it was minus 12 Celsius this morning we postponed our daily roll/walk until after lunch by which time the temperature had rocketed up to minus 5 Celsius. By way of a change instead of doing one of our various routes round the neighbourhood we packed a thermos and some sandwiches, got ourselves in the car drove out to the lake and went for a walk on the ice. It's been cold for the last week or so and the ice is now about 30 centimeters thick - that's a foot to those of you who are non metric - and the local council have ploughed a 5 kilometer (3 mile) skating/walking track. It's actually thick enough to drive a car on but we left ours in the car park    Quite a lot of people out on their long distance skates. Did our walk round the track enjoying the sunshine. I had my studded boots on so as not to slip on the ice but held on to the handle of OH's wheelchair just in case. Yes here in Sweden we not only have studded winter tyres on the car but a lot of people also have studded winter boots. They're a godsend and when you're out walking you don't waddle like a rheumatic penguin trying to keep from slipping over. Back on terra firma we enjoyed our sandwiches and hot chocolate before heading home.

OH had a minor problem, fortunately after we got home when one of her bags leaked which necessitated a major clean up, change of clothes and an unplanned spell in the laundry room for me with the washing machine.

Evening meal today will be something light, scrambled eggs or something similar which we'll start getting ready when OH comes in from getting some "fresh air".

Then it will be a quiet evening either reading or maybe watching TV if there's something on other than old repaeats of Escape to the Country, NCIS, Miss Marple, Poirot or Midsomer Murders. Yes, we have them on Swedish TV. One good thing, if you miss an episode on one channel you can bet your life it'll turn up in a couple of days on another.

Finally help OH get ready for the night and so to bed.

[Gone]

Leaking bags! Glyn, I thought it was only me who had to deal with those 🙄 although I have left the tap open once too.

When I was a nipper, my gran had these "things" like 5 or 6 springs fixed together that would fit over the soles of her shoes and grip on slippery surfaces. I've never seen them since but they worked really well.
Griff

[guest141721]

Leaking bags! Glyn, I thought it was only me who had to deal with those 🙄 although I have left the tap open once too.

When I was a nipper, my gran had these "things" like 5 or 6 springs fixed together that would fit over the soles of her shoes and grip on slippery surfaces. I've never seen them since but they worked really well.
Griff

No Griff you're not alone there if it's any consolation. I guess like with me it's your OH that has them. This wasn't the one with the tap, haven't succeeded in leaving that open yet, this was the other one that makes a rather more odourous mess.

Yes here you can get ice studs on a kind of rubber latticework that you pull over the soles of your shoes but I have boots with the studs in the soles. Has its advantages and disadvantages. The ones on the latticework you can take off when you go into a shop but with mine you have to be careful so you don't slip on a concrete or tiled floor. Also have to have a mat on the front patio so I don't leave stud marks in the wood.

I remember my mum doing her nut when a friend left marks all over the parquet floor when she came to visit in stiletto heels,

[Annette7]

Went off for my COVID jab - mine was Astra-Zeneca.   In and out in under 15 minutes but told to wait that long before I drove away.   I then drove over to other side of town to deliver a letter to my dentist.   Not seen him since late 2019 and before my next appointment the pandemic started and they had to close.   Having been closed for months figured there would be more patients who would need urgent treatment as compared to myself.   However, I do need to see my dentist now and thought in this instance a letter explaining all would be better.   Trying to get through on the phone can be a nightmare.

Anyway, short while ago (now Monday) received a call from the receptionist and have an appointment for Tuesday, 9th. Feb.

Annette

[guest141721]

Went off for my COVID jab - mine was Astra-Zeneca.   In and out in under 15 minutes but told to wait that long before I drove away.   I then drove over to other side of town to deliver a letter to my dentist.   Not seen him since late 2019 and before my next appointment the pandemic started and they had to close.   Having been closed for months figured there would be more patients who would need urgent treatment as compared to myself.   However, I do need to see my dentist now and thought in this instance a letter explaining all would be better.   Trying to get through on the phone can be a nightmare.

Anyway, short while ago (now Monday) received a call from the receptionist and have an appointment for Tuesday, 9th. Feb.

Annette

Way to go Annette! Still waiting our turn for the jab here in Sweden. We're lagging behind somewhat compared to the UK. I'm in the 70+ and OH is risk group so as soon as they start on the phase 2 groups here we'll be banging on the door.

Love the robin photos RTL

Glyn