Diary summary week ending 3rd December

[River Tyne Lass]

We had some lovely sunshine yesterday too.  Today the forecast I have says risk of frost and snow. There seems to be some frost outside but we'll have to see about the snow - it might be fake news again.

That is so sad about your friend Viktoria. I know there is no place like home but with little understanding of herself and all those health issues I think it sounds like she needs good round the clock care.

That will be great if they can agree a pay deal on Friday Candleflame so the gne bus strike can end.  A colleague the other day said he had heard they were going to hold out till April.  But that sounds ridiculous - hopefully fake news.  It has all had a big impact in the area.

[River Tyne Lass]

It's not fake news!   I've looked out the window again and now the ground is covered in snow and snowflakes are still falling!

[louisa maud]

Oh RTL,  snow, hope it doesn't last, we think sometimes it is to early for snow but it isn't. Frost on the car this morning although the sun is out,   it is cold indoors even though the heat is on, perhaps we ought to leave it on all night.

Sorry to hear about your friend Viktoria  she certainly  sounds as if she needs extra help.

Keep warm everyone and stay  well.

LM

[Viktoria]

Very frosty morning here,and I have forgotten to lag the hosepipe connection outside.!
I have turned off the internal stop tap which feeds outside and is a spur off
the washing machine tap but the washer does not get cut off .
If it gets sunny and it thaws outside I can un - couple the hose and lag the external tap.

I can’t open the dustbins either, bathroom rubbish to go in ,bin day on Friday.
Green bin - paper and card this week.

Trying to think of something for tea.

Son has bought a 1920/30’s sideboard ,made by Gomme,  who were good furniture makers and updated themselves to be GPlan .
It was in a junk shop, Salvation Army one ,£185 BUT that day a clearance sale and it was £5!!!- he gave them £50 for it.
The house was built 1929, and many features are still like that,mine was gutted and nothing left of that period .
He has done the hall in white ,with typical Art Deco light fittings on the wall lights ,like fans made from mirrors and black glass,same a big mirror and the floor runner black .
The sideboard needs attention but it is mostly oak with some oak veneer.
He us enjoying doing these footling things when he needs really to get big things done , but he works such long hours all alone on the computers—
different time zones etc , it is good he has a relaxation.

Hope the buses get sorted out RTL, ours are in a mess,all tarted up but mechanically rubbish, old stock,.
Impossible for them to stick to timetables with so much traffic and lots of roadworks .
The Bee Line, contract for another 2 1/2 years!
Andy Burnham was going to sort it out ——-.

Well things to do , so best wishes for better health for those with health issues and let’s hope we don’t have a very cold winter.
I know germs get “ deaded” but so do other things like little old people!.
Cheerio.
Viktoria.

[radstockjeff]

Just had a note from son in Oz (Far South Coast NSW) , fierce storm, over 160mm rain yesterday. Flooding imminent in Bega, but the storm has been a lot worse north of them towards Woolongong.

[ThrelfallYorky]

Really heavy frost overnight all three garden ponds frozen solid - including the one where a trickle always pumps out, and the birds can rely on it ( I set three joined bits of wood around the poutlet, and birds can usually be found on frozen days perched on there for at least a drink - with a resident cat I don't have a birdtable, it'd be baiting a trap for them) - and that pump's given up the ghost!
Too cold to try and heave it up, to inspect and probably (it'll be 20 years old at least) so it is a case of outside a few times a day now, with trusty old fireman's axe, to smash and shift ice.....
Hate winter nowadays.
As I've also had to make a dentist appointment, really fed up. Roll on spring.
Christmas / New Year? - Bah, humbug.
TY

[Gillg]

Another very cold day today, but I stuck the washing out anyway - towels smell so much fresher for a blow.  I took the bus down to the nearest town yesterday and did some Christmas shopping, but it's a rather high-class place and the prices in the individually owned shops were a bit too high for me.  No chain stores there, my dears! 

This afternoon I attended lecture 9 of a series about the history of English language, given by a local retired university lecturer.   He's very good, fluent in several languages and makes a lot of jokes, too.  Today we started with Charles Dickens and he wanted to know why it was that the women in Dickens' books were mainly awful people (Miss Haversham and Estella for example) and why there were no sex scenes in Dickens' novels at all!

Tonight's supper will be a fry-up of eggs, bacon and tomatoes with jacket potatoes.  Not very sophisticated, but husband's favourite.  It does rather feel like jacket potato weather (with lots of butter, of course).  Shopping day tomorrow, or rather "Big Shop" day, so time to fill the cupboards.  We do this twice a month and at other times just buy the necessary fresh foods.

Keep well and safe, every one.   

[Caw1]

A cold and frosty day today… I love to see the frost sparkle on the sedums they looked so pretty… bird bath completely solid and not a hope of it thawing. Cut lots of variegated Holly with berries, ivy, yew, hebe, other variegated plant name escapes me all ready for making two dozen Christmas wreaths tomorrow…
Spent the day getting my things ready for the Christmas Fayre on Saturday, very pleased with how it looks…
My husband baked three cakes, lemon drizzle & two chocolate /orange … he’s never baked a cake b4 and under instructions he did really well and we kept one so he could taste his own handy work!
 He’s used to making bread and said cake making was a lot easier apart from standing up all afternoon cooking.. 😂😂welcome to the world of women I said.

I like the sound of your sound decor Viktoria… my daughters house is 1930’s and still has all period features which she loves. She tries to buy some furniture of that era too. I was sorry to hear about your two friends situations it must be hard for you not to be able to assist as much as you’d like.

RTL - I’m pleased to hear that your grandson seems to be getting on well with his treatment, a very worrying time for you and the family… children are remarkably resilient and seem to bounce back from so many illnesses.
we’ll take care everyone and watch those slippery paths and keep warm!

Caroline

[candleflame]

And we have the white stuff!!  Fb is full of ‘ they haven’t gritted the roads’. Well those of us who were out last night before the snow arrived saw gritters out and saw the grit on the roads, so errr yes I think the gritters have been out , certainly on the main roads.