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A chilly view although not this year.
Life in Ambridge
Starter kit for Ed & Emma
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Life in Ambridge
Following todays news
Life in Ambridge
Nothing to do with the current story-line but rather cute
A photo from a couple of years ago, I anticipate something like this later in the week, today it’s just wet an miserable.
ReplyDeleteAmbridgesMrsPNovember 19, 2024 at 8:53 AM
ReplyDeleteLady R ?
Is the situation improving ?
Do keep us informed - when you can - of how you are ………
And Sarnia - how are you doing ?
REPLYDELETE
Sarnia November 19, 2024 at 10:30 AM
Third lot of antibiotics, Mrs P. As the chest infection began to clear up it slowly dawned on me that every time my temperature shot up I had been out, either to Sainsbury's, church or the chiropractor. The chest infection was so severe that it had been masking the sinusitis symptoms,
which is usually what causes the problem in the first place.
ReplyDeleteSwelling in forehead gradually subsiding, as is the pain, reduced to a headache instead of the feeling that I've been kicked between the eyes by a horse.
Life ground to a halt some time ago, a feeling which I'm sure is all too familiar to many of you.
DELETE
SozNovember 19, 2024 at 11:41 AM
Thank goodness the symptoms are beginning to subside. Let’s hope the third lot of antibiotics work.
Last week’s relentless gloom with no sunlight at all was depressing. Now snow - it looks pretty and transforms ugly corners into something magical but can also make life much harder.
Many people on this blog are dealing with very difficult situations and are finding ways of coping. Keeping a sense of humour does help and I enjoy your rather sardonic wit Sarnia.
Remember once we’re past 21st December, the days get longer!!
AmbridgesMrsPNovember 19, 2024 at 12:12 PM
ReplyDeleteYou really are suffering badly Sarnia, along with others I do sympathise and hope that the third dose of antibiotics works this time.
I do hope that you will ask for whatever help might be available to you locally.
DELETE
ArcherphileNovember 19, 2024 at 9:09 AM
No, not watching the Ant and Dec show any more. Enjoyed when it first started, years ago and had people on that I knew, like Carol Thatcher, Christine Hamilton and Tony Blackburn. It was genuinely funny back then and not nearly so cruel. Doesn’t seem much point when you don’t know half the contestants. Bit like Strictly really, I hardly knew any of them this year and was amazed when the dancer in the pink trousers (Pete?) got voted back this week.
REPLYDELETE
ArcherphileNovember 19, 2024 at 9:19 AM
Anyone woken up to snow this morning? Our nearest is at Oxford but apparently there have even been snowflakes seen in London. I do hope all those living a bit further up the country are OK and don’t have to risk driving anywhere on icy roads. Take care everyone! ❄️❄️❄️
ArcherphileNovember 19, 2024 at 12:06 PM
ReplyDeleteNow snowing here too, not enough to settle though.
DELETE
AmbridgesMrsPNovember 19, 2024 at 12:14 PM
No snow here but very cold and very wet.
I shall not be going up to North Hill, but most likely would be able to see snow on the hills of South Wales if I were to do so.
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Cheshire CheeseNovember 19, 2024 at 12:48 PM
Snow here this morning. I've taken a photo of my red pelargoniums covered in snow before they give up the ghost with the cold.
DELETE
AmbridgesMrsPNovember 19, 2024 at 1:56 PM
ReplyDeleteThey might not give up the ghost CC.
I’ve got some through hard winters in the past, including snow.
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MiriamNovember 19, 2024 at 3:53 PM
I had a gorgeous pink/red rosebud covered in snow this morning. It just looked so wrong.
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MiriamNovember 19, 2024 at 4:05 PM
Hope everyone is keeping warm + snug with this cold spell.
I had very heavy snow last night, which is very unusual for me. This settled, partially melted overnight, froze then snowed again.
I had to go out at 10.00am this morning, and brushed off 3" of snow off the car with a long-handled broom.
Most has now melted, though my back lawn is still white and will remain so, as it is starting to freeze now.
Needless to say, 🐈⬛ is around, wanting attention + play, as she is not liking it so is only going out when she needs to.
At least this doesn't happen often...
My CH is now on continuous to keep house warm + cosy. I don't think it costs that more to keep an ambient temperature rather than going full blast, when it comes on as per timings. I might be wrong though, but I'll worry about that later.
Not all that interested in eating or cooking at present, but tonight I had a go at the dreaded tuna and pasta bake. Found the combination of tuna and cheese rather alarming, but it was all right, if a bit sickly. Washed down with the last of my 0% Sauvignon Blanc, which added a welcome edge to it.
ReplyDeleteAlso greatly enhanced by a passing visit from my favourite aeroplane, running very late after a lengthy hold-up at Bristol earlier in the day.
I don't know what's going on at Bristol these days: several days ago she made a scheduled afternoon flight and didn't show up again until the next morning! Sleepovers for aeroplanes - whatever next!
I had a fleeting mental picture of a gang of prop planes partying on the apron until the early hours and staggering home the next morning slightly the worse for wear!
Last full day of antibiotics tomorrow, and obviously not a moment too soon.
10.20pm and she's just flown overhead on her way back to Jersey. The airports out there normally close at 9pm, so she's up past her bedtime!
DeleteThank you all for asking how Mr R is doing. He is still in hospital and waiting for confirmation that chest is clear and sodium level in range although I think that is now or so the Dr said on Monday.He is still on a catheter re wee.
ReplyDeleteThen it is physio approval I don’t think too much has happened there yet although they appeared once when I was there. I have stated over and over that must be at either with them or our local Community Hospital. Yesterday a lady who loves at Oakley was told their local place now has covid so he is being taken to Southampton today she was broken as she cannot get there. They have been married 68yrs met at a Valentine dance when she was 15 but she was 16 the very next day!
I waited for her in the corridor and could see she was in tears and we both appreciated the hug.
She has my phone number should she want to ring and let me know how both they both are.
Mr R had been up really early yesterday out in the chair and had asked to go back on his bed. So for the first time ever he slept a bit restlessly the whole time but he did say shake and hold his hand out but no opening of eyes. The drive was awful of course 2c raining and then even snowing briefly but not landing as such but caution definitely required both ways Leave it at now.
Keep on Keeping On Lady R
DeleteWe are all thinking of you and sending positive thoughts.
Bad weather is the last thing you need Lady R, for your trips to the hospital. I do hope Mr R is let home soon, but only if you will get the help you need, looking after him.
DeleteThinking of you Lady R. The most important advice I was given when I was in hospital was from a nurse telling me “you have a voice, use it”. You are doing an excellent job as Mr R’s voice. I feel for the lady you met whose husband is being moved to Southampton which makes it much more difficult for her to be his voice.
DeleteIf physio availability is a problem there may well be private ones around who could be used for a short time at least. I found the physios in the large Nottingham Queens Med useless; in the small cottage hospital (probably like your Community hospital) the physio got me walking on crutches in a few days.
Excellent advice from Soz above, and similar to some experiences I’ve had.
DeleteBut there is lots you will be able to do for him when home Lady R in the way of motivation. You will also be able to find online, exercises that you can help him achieve to maintain mobility.
I would also add your county Age Concern who may have all kinds of help available or classes that you could get him to in the months ahead.
And I hope I’m not being patronising or trying to teach my grandmother to suck eggs.
I'm keeping my fingers crosses that your situation will improve Lady R
DeleteSnowing.
ReplyDeleteWoke up about 7am to that lovely very quiet feeling you get with snow softly falling. We don't often get much snow down here near the coast. Put dressing gown on and went out to feed the birds early and then back to bed with a cup of tea and watching the snow falling through the window. Keep warm everyone.
ReplyDeleteJanice, your description is almost poetic.
DeleteAll gone.
ReplyDeleteIt’s missed here, but incredibly clear light and delightful Turnerish skies in recent days.
DeleteThis late afternoon on the wet beach with the tide way way out the streaks of pink and gold sky were reflected on the beach.
You're all waxing lyrical today!
DeleteIt's snowing a lot here this evening. We're driving to Oxfordshire tomorrow to visit our daughter for the weekend, hopefully the snow won't make it too difficult 🤞
DeleteHasn’t snowed here (East Midlands) since Tuesday but snow still around. Main roads are clear but side roads can be icy. It feels very cold.
DeleteLast capsule was at 7am Wed morning.
ReplyDeleteI do believe my head's stopped swimming. Everything looks strangely real.
Here's hoping that the improvement continues Sarnia.
DeleteIndeed. So far, the end of each course of medication has brought a relapse, but now I know what was causing it I can be more alert. Unfortunately, each major brush with an allergen leaves me temporarily over-sensitised to a lot of extra things, which is a bit tiresome.
DeleteI forget what you said caused it Sarnia. Is it something that can be easily avoided?
DeleteIt was one of my house plants, Janice, a peaceful lily not even in flower, which had not previously presented a problem until it reached a certain size.
DeleteI'm now reacting to all my house plants, rendering my drawing room unusable at present. Tricky with winter coming, as it houses my cosy stove and the TV.
Sadly, as allergic reactions tend to mimic the symptoms of recognised medical complaints I don't know what I need to avoid until I've worked out what is making me ill. Often there are several, apparently unrelated symptoms that make no medical sense, which is why so many doctors dismiss them as nonsense.
Last night MrNus and I went to see “Come from Away” at Chichester, it’s a musical based on the experiences of the 7000 odd passengers who found themselves grounded in Newfoundland after the 9/11 attacks. It was fantastic, both thought provoking and uplifting with plenty of humour. It’s on a national tour at the moment & I suspect it will settle back in London afterwards. It has already picked up some awards & I strongly recommend it.
ReplyDeleteI’m not a television person generally but have tonight watched Gardeners World, and I know several others regularly do so.
ReplyDeleteDaughter in Cornwall emailed yesterday to invite her sister and me to a garden just south of Bath for an open day next April. She wanted a reply tout suite as it was to be featured tonight on GW, and she anticipated that there would be a rush for tickets after tonight’s showing. So for those of you watching it was the one with the old canals and locks. I very much liked what I saw so am looking forward to the outing. Also, almost next door, well, just across the valley was Iford Manor, Harold Peto’s wonderful creation which I have visited often when I lived in Bradford on Avon. Moonlit opera nights and sunny Sunday afternoons galore and an old friend from those days now lives in a cottage in her family village just up the hill.
Many on here will remember the excitement of the White Tailed Eagles released on the IOW introduced to us by Ev, and with others I’m sure, I followed their progress for some time.
Today I read on a BBC thread that after their successful introduction to the south coast the project was to be extended to Exmoor. Apparently five of the now adolescent birds have been regularly visiting Exmoor, so this evening I’ve been to an introductory session at Dunster NT Hub to find out more and to give my opinion on the projected introduction of more youngsters.
Positive of course.
I’m very excited !
AND a Buzzard flew over my head in my garden this morning.
I’m off to my friends to watch gardeners world this morning. Looking forward even more to it now.
DeleteSnowing here at the mo.
Howling gale here!
DeleteSarnia would it be worth you trying a Hepa filter air purifier?
Thank you Janice, I'll give that some thought.
DeleteRight, first moan already. Who chooses the music for them to dance to in strictly? Easy Lover for a tango! Just awful. You cannot get the staccato of the dance with that. It’s not been on 10 mins and husband says I’ve complained 6 times already.
ReplyDeleteNothing like a good moan to start off the evening PtbY. No complaints about Tasha’s dance though my daughter complains constantly that she claimed to be a professional dancer and now is a dance teacher . I don’t care, I simply enjoy the dance. Pete looked good in a suit - a big improvement on pink trousers!!
DeleteTotally agree. Thought the sambathon was a waste of time.
DeleteNow looking forward to the jungle tonight.
Nothing from Lady R for four days.
ReplyDeleteI’m sure I’m not alone in thinking of you and hoping for the best Lady R.
Endorsing Mrs P’s comment Lady R.
ReplyDeleteI expect whatever is going on is taking up all of your time and effort. The last thing you feel like doing is to respond - no need. Just be aware of all the positive energy winging its way to you.
Hello everyone I’m here once again and thank you as always for caring 🥰
ReplyDeleteAs from yesterday Mr R moved from the main hospital to an outside building named Overton Ward which (in the main) is a holding place before home. Yet another move has caused some disorientation but always pleased to see me and today we caught up on yesterday’s football and ate his favourite M&S iced fruit buns 🤗
Carers are being recommended for at least his first period of time at home - so we can only cross our fingers that will be sooner rather than later. Heading towards 3 weeks now, I am wearing the Basingstoke road out… for those who do not know it it is a very countryfied drive and the shape of the road itself could be mistaken for a F1 race track therefore can be extremely dangerous (motorbike riders love it but also lose their lives on it) with the weather this weekend extra care was needed. Grateful thanks once again 🙏🏼 you are such lovely people and a great support.
💃🏼💃🏼 💃🏼 what a dance off 🙁 I would have been happier to see Pete there in which case imo he would definitely have gone home.
You must be worn out.
ReplyDeleteVery good to hear from you Lady R and good to know that things are moving forward.
ReplyDeleteAlso pleased that despite all that you and he are enduring you were still able to sit down for a while and enjoy your programme.
I agree with you about the A339, LadyR. All those bends and motor bikers putting their lives at risk by driving far too fast. It’s the road we use weekly to get to Lasham Gliding Club and have seen many an accident so do take great care. It will be a huge help for you to have carers coming in for Mr R and take some of the strain and worry and sheer hard work off your shoulders for a while. Wishing you both well, and a restful return for MrR, and less worry for you 😊
ReplyDeleteLadyR I hope that the care package can be arranged reasonably soon, so that LordR can get home which is where I am sure he would rather be but with the physical support that allows you to give him the emotional support he needs.
DeleteRegarding the A339, when I see the motorcyclists I do experience a twinge of nostalgia and envy,, back in my misspent youth I was quite a keen biker, much to my Mother’s dismay three of her four children opted for two wheels over four. MrNuts is very risk averse and got upset a few years ago when I rode pillion with my brother, I loved it!
😱 KP 🏍️ how brave ⭐️
DeleteTake care Lady R and travel safe. Our back lane used to be used as a rat run by young car drivers
ReplyDeleteBut it is quieter nowadays. I hope they have grown up and become more sensible. I think it would be good if the AA s suggestion of new young drivers not being able to carry other young passengers for the first 6 months is put into law.
DeleteMore kind thoughts thank you all.
ReplyDeleteMr / LORD R is due to be on his way about now to our Local Community Hospital - a near miracle.
I had barely arrived today when we were told the news, it was felt I was doing a lot of travelling and this would be much more sensible obviously a place had arisen but they did not have to give it to him as they had moved him only Saturday to a similar facility within the Basingstoke Hospital grounds.Much easier to visit of course plus free parking and when the careers are in place only a ride of 10mins to come home. I am on the ceiling with delight, especially as I have get my car MOT’d
tomorrow and would have been a difficult juggling act now both local events. Another move of course number 5 and no doubt a bit of a temporary muddle may occur but as he says I don’t mind where I am so long as you are there ah bless and ditto of course.
PS BASINGSTOKE have just rung me to say Mr R has left the hospital and his on his way! Service or what 👏🏻
What good news, I'm so relieved for you, as the travelling is spirit-sapping on top of all the emotional strain.
ReplyDeleteThat’s just what the doctor ordered Lady R. Thank goodness a bed became available. Hope car passes MOT🤞
DeleteLady R - hope all, or at the very least most, goes to plan over the next twenty four hours and you will be able to settle into a far more manageable routine.
DeleteMuch easier for you Lady R. Hope your husband settles in quickly.
ReplyDeletePs..Hope the car passes its MOT!
Wonderful news Lady R, so much easier for you to visit. And it’s a lovely, friendly little hospital with really caring staff, as I have experienced. Very much like the old cottage hospitals where patients went to recuperate after a spell in a large hospital. Basingstoke really seem to have come up trumps for you both this time so you can relax now, stop worrying about roads and traffic and just concentrate on Mr R and yourself. ☺️ 💐
ReplyDelete🙏 AP 🥰
DeleteLady R, brilliant news. So nice when people use joined-up thinking:)
DeleteI am catching up after being away for the weekend and avoiding the blog until I had caught up with TA and Strictly.
ReplyDeleteLady R, I pleased to hear that steps have been taken to make things a little easier for you. It restores some faith in the NHS.
I agree with you about the music for the Tango in Strictly PtbY, totally unsuitable.
Listening to El Gato Montes for the Paso took me back. My three girls were in a concert band when growing up and they used to do a tour abroad every Easter which Mr CC and I used to help out with (who wouldn't want to spend a week with forty 10 to 18 year olds?). We went to Spain three times and that was one of the pieces that they played. It brought back many memories. Mr CC made videos of all the trips which we embarrass the girls with from time to time.
I thought that Chris and Pete were the worst two, but agreed with the dance off result.
This comment has been removed by the author.
DeleteHello Lady R. How was your day?
ReplyDeleteGoing back to my 80th birthday card. I posted it with a first class stamp, and it arrived 11 days later!
ReplyDeletePre Christmas hold up?!! My grandson’s birthday is December 20th and I expect a delay by then.
DeleteI’ve got two Sagittarian grandchildren so need to be aware of posting early.
Delete‼️ 🎉🎈💕👏🏻🤗 Mr R came home yesterday afternoon and is thrilled to be here all muddled thinking as good as gone now we are back together. A carer has been in this morning to assist with washing a lovely lady - a young 75yrs no less. Unfortunately as the agency does not want carers to get too emotionally attached they rarely see a client on a regular basis which is a shame on many counts as it means explanations and showing things each time. Not that in our case that will be for too long probably. The Cetraben moisturising cream prescribed by the Dr and labelled could not be applied by her because it had not been noted on his meds list so I had to do this and it is very important to apply this after the severe skin condition he was in hospital with not so long ago but there you go!
ReplyDelete🤞🏼 all stays calm for sometime now and Mr R sends his warmest wishes to you all for your kindness and support for us both (as do I but you know this) and we are awarding each and everyone of you a ⭐️
Now for the 💃🏼💃🏼💃🏼 tonight semi final (? ) I am going to play the Blackpool special for him later on via the IPlayer.
Very glad to hear Mr R is back home with you. Sounds as though NHS got it right in the end. Enjoy your Strictly viewing today - I have to watch it on my own as my husband makes damming comments throughout which does take the edge off the enjoyment !!! He would be happier mucking out the milking parlour🐄🐄
DeleteI’m with Mr Soz the farmer !
DeleteLady R…..
ReplyDeleteI am so pleased to be able to read that your much loved Lord R is now home with you. May that situation remain and improve over the next few weeks.
Wishing you both the very best.
Thanks for the update, Lady R. Several of the many loads off your mind
ReplyDeleteLady R - that’s wonderful news for you both. I am just about to douse Mr A’s head with Efudix again and I think of Mr R every time I do it. It’s good that the carer came round so quickly but a pity that she and Mr R won’t get to know each other too well. I understand why the rule is applied but it could be disorientating for the patient to have different carers and, as you say, have to be shown where everything is each time.
ReplyDeleteBut everything sounds much more positive now and every finger is crossed that the situation continues to improve for you both. 🥰
Lady R, brilliant news, I'm so pleased for you both. Is there a Care Co-ordinator you can contact to ask them to add the medicated cream to the list?
ReplyDeleteThat is good news Lady R. Hope you can relax and enjoy strictly tonight now.
ReplyDeleteSee Shirley didn’t bother with any makeup this week on strictly. 🤭
ReplyDeleteThat wasn’t an Argentine Tango! That wasn’t Argentine Tango music! And the set was so dark you could hardly see what was going on.
ReplyDeleteThere is so much concentration on set design, clever lighting displays and patterns playing over the floor this year that I find it very distracting from seeing what the programme is supposed to be about i.e. the actual dancing. And Len definitely wouldn’t have approved of that lift in the waltz!
Agree wholeheartedly about the Argentine Tango Archerfile.
DeleteAgree Archerphile. Tasha did have a lot of leg flicking but you couldn’t see the details. Too dark and camera too far away.
DeleteUsually I love watching Tasha and Aliash but for me this wasn’t an Argentine Tango. Sarah’s was a breathtaking routine but I would have preferred her to stay on the floor dancing a bit more. Pete’s was the weakest in dance terms I suppose but he has improved 100% so how do you mark that?
DeleteI thought Shirley was very brave to come on as Trunchball - her makeup was horribly convincing.!!
DeleteI missed the very beginning so didn’t hear who the other three judges were supposed to be. Anton’s outfit and wig were very poor (who on earth was he?), no idea who Craig was imitating annd and I actually thought Motsi looked much better than normal!
DeleteI think Anton was Joseph. - Technicolour Dreamcoat
DeleteMiriam, Hope all is well with you. Haven't seen any posts from you for a few days 🤗.
ReplyDeleteI have just spent ages doing a long post, and it's disappeared!
DeleteEverything is fine, and it's No news is Good news.
I still look in and read.
I'll try to post again tomorrow.
👍
DeleteHello everyone Mr R is doing ok a busy first day at home yesterday with carers etc but already nightime dropped as nothing really for them to do. I do the meal and Mr R is not an early to bed person so unless we change our minds ….. Tomorrow a D. Nurse is calling to check certain skin areas (particularly bottom) as an extra.
ReplyDeleteArcherphile so sorry to hear that Mr AP has need of the Efudix cream again Atinic Keratosis is a really horrid complaint and we send him our sympathy and to you for no doubt supporting him through it once again. Mr R had a return after his first dose too. How are other appointments
going for you both? Oh dear what have we all come too! Never mind Jill Archer is still going like a good un at 93 or is it 94 now. Still ruling the roost and cooking and baking away - we best move to Ambridge 😉
Sounds as if you are settling into a good routine Lady R and I hope you are making the most of a more restful time. Poor old Mr A has patches of the keratosis on his face this time as well as his head. So he is going round with two bright red patches on his nose and several on the sides of his face near the ears. He looks as if he is suffering from Chicken Pox, so I hope they have cleared up by Christmas!
DeleteOh no poor Mr AP I too hope that by Christmas with treatment he will look and feel more comfortable at the very least 🙏🏼
DeleteRe Strictly - well, as soon as I heard that Aliajz and Tasha were in the dance off I knew who would win! I reckon they were in the dance was because of the reasons we discussed earlier - wrong music and too dark to see properly what they were doing. The audience (us) had spoken!
ReplyDeleteThe judges were so biased towards them that the result was inevitable and Montell and Johannes were sacrificed.
I don't think that either of them should have been in the dance off.
Delete✔️✔️
DeleteI agree CC. Should have been Pete, even he looked amazed when he was chosen to carry on. As I tried to say in my mangled post above, the TV audience didn’t vote for Aliajz and Tasha because it was too dark to judge them properly and the music was all wrong, the tango not what we are used to in an Argentine. The judges were very much on their side so it was obvious they would win the dance off, whoever was dancing against them.
DeleteBut I am very pleased Chris and Dianne are still in the competition.
It would have been difficult for anyone to do a decent Argentine Tango to that dreadful music.
DeleteI think that JB might have beaten them in a dance off' especially if he made sure he didn't stick his thumb up!
I think the only way Pete will be in the dance off is if he dons those pink trousers again!!
ReplyDeleteI’m pleased that Chris and Dianne are still there. Their quickstep was good and better than last week’s paso imo. I must remember not to take it too seriously - it is meant to be light entertainment.
I'm just home from a lunch out.
ReplyDeleteI messed the original rrangements up, as I had a hair appointment mid-morning, so because of where I was and timings, I went into town on my own (park + ride).
What a lovely mooch I had around the Christmas Market, but wasn't tempted even though there were some lovely stalls.
Lunch was in an Italian restaurant which was fabulous even though the pizza oven had broken down, but that didn't bother me as don't eat it.
My choice was pasta with a sauce of chicken, tomatoes, mushrooms, parsley + garlic, and I'm still tasting the garlic!
It was just a shame as to the weather, as so cool + drizzly/rainy.
Despite all this, I still have no Christmas feel.
Wonderful that Lord R is back in his own castle domain.
ReplyDeleteMy advice to Lady R is to make use of the carers in every way possible, as they are being paid for it- so let them earn their wage.
As the saying goes - every little helps - so make use of them.
Soz - did you catch the news piece on Corfe Castle yesterday enabling access to the upper floor ?
ReplyDeleteNo I missed that. Thanks Mrs P. I’m hoping to be down there next week. Last time I was in Kingston, I met a couple (late 70s),who had lived in the area all their lives. The gentleman had worked on the Encombe estate most of his life and had only ventured past Wareham occasionally. They showed me round their garden overlooking Corfe - not a bad place to spend a life.
DeleteSoz, you will be able to go up there.
DeleteApparently the view has not been seen since the Civil War ( ? )
I think the piece was on PM Monday.
That couple you mention reminds me of when we moved to Malmesbury in ‘72, one of our builders had never been as far as Swindon in his life. He was about thirty at the time. Coming from London we were exotic creatures to him.
Enjoy being back home next week.
Although I so understand the reasoning why, I am saddened that the Strictly Masterchef episode will not now be shown.
ReplyDeleteI was looking forward to seeing how Amy, Gorka, Kai and Nancy fared and if any of them were as good as Vito (or Wynne).
It is such a sad state of affairs that what should have been an entertaining programme, is now destined to disappear, never to be seen.
For some reason the allegations made didn’t surprise me at all. I have never liked the presenter concerned. Too loud and over the top much of the time. Even making a childish joke about ‘bogies’ when visiting a train factory last year. Stupid and irritating.
DeleteI should have thought there were many other suitable presenters who could accompany John Torode and the programme could carry on.
I agree Archerphile. Loathsome bloke. I don’t watch master chef but seen him on eat well for less. Good program ruined by the barrow boy.
DeleteGood description PtbY - loathsome - I only know him as a radio presenter and never liked him.
DeleteThere are a few presenters that I don't particularly like but can tolerate watching, however, I've never been able to watch anything with Greg Wallace in. I really can't understand why the BBC pays some of these people so much money. They say they have to in order to be competitive, yet the programmes seem to carry on just as well when they leave for whatever reason.
DeleteI love Masterchef, but I have always been able to block a certain person out!
DeleteI am so enjoying the Masterchef Professional still showing, seeing such very talented chefs and their cooking prowess.
The professional one is always much better, as Monica + Marcus, both Michelin Starred, some-how squash the other person down many a time, and they as chefs themselves and so know quality when they see it.
What does a glorified greengrocer actually know, to then be able to judge professionals chefs?
I have never watched any other programmes with that presenter in - which was my choice.
LJ, if you're still tuned in at present, I can quite see why your lovely coral dress turned out to be a disappointing shade of pink.
ReplyDeleteThe cataract in my right eye has advanced to a point at which a clock face is obscured by a thin veil of bonfire smoke, but the pale grey sky has acquired a new yellow tinge.
This is tiresome: with the poems completed after last year's 'pilot' episode I had expected to get my fourth book to print this year, instead of which I've been too unwell to tackle it.
I completed the foreword last week, but just as I'm beginning to feel ready to go back to working on the illustrations, a cataract turns up to play havoc with my colour perception.
Imagine if my aeroplanes were to emerge in the wrong shade of blue - it doesn't bear thinking about!
So sorry to hear about your colour perception Sarnia. What a nuisance for you.
DeleteWhen I had my first cataract done I couldn’t believe the change in colours, it was like seeing the world in technicolour ! The trees were actually a lovely bright green instead of khaki!
Strange thing is that Mr A had his done recently and does not report any improvement in colour perception at all. Maybe because his cataracts weren’t too bad, but had to be removed so the diabetes doctor could examine the back of his eyes for deterioration of the retina.
I believe I read somewhere that men are less sensitive to colour than women..
DeleteCertainly while housebound I once (very reluctantly!) had to send Mr S to buy dusky pink curtains and he came back with brown ones. He said he thought they were a bit darker than the sample I gave him, but 'near enough'.
🙄 😂
DeleteThat's my experience Sarnia, Mr CC obviously sees colours very differently from me. He now leaves all decisions regarding decor to me!
DeleteWould that all husbands shared his wisdom.
DeleteSarnia have you a date for getting the cataract done?
DeleteRemember way back when I had mine done, the two things that amazed were the difference in colours, but then seeing what I thought was a clean kitchen, just how grimy it actually was!
I won't even mention the cobwebs etc. 😆
Oh, I can see the cobwebs Miriam, with or without cataracts, I just can't reach them!
DeleteHaven't got to the GP about it yet, still sorting out the backlog.
What a weather forecast for the next few days. My area has been upgraded to Amber on Saturday, due to winds expected of 65mph+
ReplyDeleteTake precautions all, as to make sure 'phones are fully charged, torches are near to hand and know where the candles are, just in case of power cuts.
Hopefully these won't be needed, but I still remember being a Girl Guide - Be Prepared.
I always carry a torch in my handbag which is always close by, silly I know but...
PS I always keep my bag in easy reach, so if anything happens I can dash out of the house with car key-card, house keys cash, debit + credit cards with me, and most importantly glasses and phone are put in it at night.
It just gives me reassurance, but a bit OTT!
Miriam, yor efficiency is awesome.
DeleteHear hear !
DeleteMrs P. it's not efficiency as such, just being aware of what could happen, if I had to escape out of the bedroom window. At least I know what I would need will still be with me.
DeleteForgot to say, there is always a clean pair of knickers in same handbag, stuffed into a corner! 😆😆🤣
Sarnia a hint, if I be so bold to suggest this.
ReplyDeleteGo to an opticians as they have the equipment to fully examine the eyes. They will then do the referral to your GP surgery and then onto the hospital.
It is the quickest + easiest way.
I believe some opticians can refer directly.
It is far quicker.
I agree Miriam. Both my husband and myself were referred straight to the hospital for cataract removal by our optician. The GP wasn’t involved though she did get notification after the operations.
DeleteThank you, Miriam, I am due a recall from my optician, who is monitoring the progress.
DeleteIt's simply unfortunate that the wretched thing seems to have become turbocharged during these last few weeks when we have been busy engaging with the back-catalogue of so many other health issues.
At present I am simply not well enough to get to the opticians. Like everywhere else round here it's either a double bus journey each way or an expensive taxi fare.
I've already spent £16 to the chiropractor and back on Monday, and Sainsbury's tomorrow will be nearly as much. I'm afraid the opticians will have to wait until I've recovered from the chiropractor treatment and can walk to the bus stop again, by which time it will be nearly Christmas... ...
On this subject, could I remind contributers that the community facilities available in other parts of the country are so splintered in this area as to be unreliable. Where possible I can enlist help from one friend or a married couple of Mr S's cousins, but I am careful not to impose upon their kindness.
DeleteSarnia, forgive me for the suggestion, but despite all that you have done for yourself to make your home comfortable for you……. Might it be worth you considering a move to somewhere with better transport facilities?
DeleteIt won’t get any easier or any less expensive to get about in the future.
I've thought about this in the past, Mrs P, and it was discussed at some length with the children after David died. However, in this town (City, as it likes to call itself) the question then as now remains the same, ie, 'Yes, but WHERE?'
DeleteThe areas best served by public transport are in the flat, scruffier areas next to noisy, busy main roads gridlocked with traffic all day long. On the whole the housing there is in relatively poor condition, with grubby little gardens, not something I would wish to undertake.
The last friend facing this dilemma finished up in Winchester!
I'll just have to suck it up and make more use of my PhD in Lateral Thinking!
I apologise for moaning so much. It's another day tomorrow, and I have been working on the structure of
my book, so I have no business being so negative!
Sarnia an optician will visit you at home. A friend’s husband recently used this facility and was most impressed.
DeleteI will update from my end soon but I will need to sort my thoughts out first but I have to admit Mr R is having some mixed moments mostly evenings although days are mostly ok. Of course I as good as have a diploma in such things having worked at a day centre, done some home visiting and my mum for 11yrs. Just have to see how we go. So glad of you ladies. Still having an am carer to assist with washing and dressing.
What’s wrong with Winchester Sarnia? Or how about Romsey??
DeleteLady R when we had carers in to help with my sister, in a tiny cottage on many levels, it seemed the help they could give was limited; they couldn’t lift or help her to move up one step to the bathroom for example. Also the evening visit meant her going to bed at 6pm which meant a very long night in bed. Assistance seemed to vary from county to county; we were told that we would have had a wider range of help in Wiltshire than in Hampshire! Keep the morning help as long as possible - anything to make your life easier.
They're just places, Soz, far away from supportive friends and anything familiar. I have no roots in England other than my pied-a-terre on the other end of the route back to the world I grew up with.
Delete...and too far from the sea.
DeleteWe noticed that our gutters were overflowing the last time it rained. As we're forecast heavy rain again Mr CC thought that he'd better check them and removed half a bucketful of sycamore seeds!
ReplyDeleteHere in Minehead in the eye of the storm tonight.
ReplyDeleteMy friend living in a caravan doesn’t seem too worried, but assures me that North Hill will protect me. The front of the house is smack bang in the middle of a valley running from Porlock to Minehead Bay. I’ve got the cat in and his cat flap locked so that he stays in. I expect him to wake me several times in the night demanding to be let out.
Not until morning Mr Puss !
Batten down the hatches Mrs P , Janice in Cornwall and anyone else in the storm’s path. Ted Hughes’s poem Wind captures the wildness of a storm - “This house has been far out at sea all night” - stay safe inside.
ReplyDeleteHadn't read that poem until now Soz so thank you. It sums this storm up nicely. I would love to go down to watch the waves but don't dare go out the house. The main manager of the holiday site has contacted my daughter to say not to attempt to go in to work. Normally she is the one who deals with emergencies as the others live further away, but one young groundsman who lives closer to the site has volunteered to walk in to put keys in the key safes for any visitors who have attempted to drive down in this weather, and check none of the chalets have blown away. It is possible some may have set off in better weather inland and will have a shock when they get here.
DeleteKeep safe everyone
Bright sunshine in New York, if a bit chilly. Having a short holiday with a friend, fantastic so far.
ReplyDeleteSounds great KP. Does New York have a Christmas Market like our cities do, and are the Christmas lights nice?
DeleteStrictly semi-final - there were at least two dances where I just couldn’t see what was going on - very dark sets, masses of pattern on the floor and the dancing couple in black. Wish they’d turn the lights up and cut down on the elaborate staging so we can actually see the dancing better.
ReplyDelete100% agree AP. My heart and admiration is still with Chris and Diane for such an impressive Strictly “Journey” no sympathy needed for this man!
DeleteAs Motsi said when she was talking to Pete, there are two competitions going on - on the personal one, Pete and Chris have improved massively. Tasha was very good at the start and is still very good - I enjoy watching her but I think it’s impossible to compare her with Chris and Pete. I voted for the first time last night, like most people I want to see Chris in the final.
DeleteThat’s great Soz. I have been giving my 3 votes to Chris & Dianne every week. But last night I did give 1 vote to TP (?) because I thought his dance was amazing.
DeleteSorry, that should have been JB !
DeleteAt last a SCD I enjoyed from start to finish. There were some fabulous dances and some not quite so, but they all put their heart + soul into each + every performance.
ReplyDeleteMy 2 dances of the night were JB with that PD + Tasha's dreamy traditional Waltz.
Even the outfits were so much better, apart from Sarah's fringe trousers.
Hopefully you all have survived the storm.
Having been in an Amber warning area for most of yesterday, it was still wild overnight, but woke to blue skies + sunshine. This didn't last long, but at least so much better today.
The surprising thing is that no properties have been damaged, yet loads of trees came down.
I literally chucked 🐈⬛ out when there was a quick lull, as she kept going to the cat flap and then backed off. She was soon back in, looking very relieved.
I had litter trays down but no way!
Sarnia.
ReplyDeletePlease don't be stubborn, as eye-sight is so important. It is better to get it checked sooner rather than later, just in case of any other problems. I say this as I too had a very sudden problem with an eye, which was the cataract. But it was also found that my eye-pressures were high. Here I am now, having had two cataract ops done many years ago, but since that same time I have had to use eye-drops to keep eye pressures down. Last year I was diagnosed with glaucoma + drops changed to stronger ones, to try + prevent further problems and to keep my vision normal.
My optician tells me how lucky I am, that things were found early, so hopefully will stay under control
Miriam, I am not being stubborn, I am suffering badly from asthma and have difficulty leaving the house to go anywhere. I realise that with your superior knowledge and experience you might find this difficult to believe, but if I say I'm not well enough to make the journey or cope with an optician's appointment, then I'm not well enough, and I'm afraid you will just have to take my word for it.
DeletePlease accept my sincere apologies Sarnia. I was only trying to help in the best way possible.
DeleteAll I know, is that I already have some permanent damage as to my sight, despite going to hospital eye clinic so monitored, every 6 months, and yes taxi fares are costly.
You must do the best to suit you and your circumstances + life, which l so understand.
Look after yourself + may your book + 'plane spotting, continue in your own way.
Bye.
Thank you, Miriam. I'm just having a lot of difficulty with ordinary, everyday tasks at present, which is making me very tired.
DeleteThis places many simple, common sense solutions completely out of reach for the time being. If your personal activities have never been restricted in this way you can't expect to understand.
I do.
DeleteFor obvious reasons, I have to step back away again, but never say never.
ReplyDeleteTake care and Good Wishes to you All, as Christmas + the festive season starts.
May you enjoy it with all your family + loved ones, and I wish you all Health + Happiness for now + onwards. 🎄🎅
Miriam + 🐈⬛
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ReplyDeleteBlast. I wrote a long post about the storm here. It posted twice and i tried to delete one of them and both went!
DeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteStart again but briefer. Yaaay our electricity has just come on again, off since 4pm yesterday. Water also off along our lane,something to do with an electric pump, not back on again yet. No phones until now, this included mobiles as a mobile mast blew down.
ReplyDeleteRayburn sooted up with wind and went out yesterday. Son thankfully managed to get up and start it again. We didn't have usual Sunday roast today as wind kept it from reaching a high heat but was able to bake potatoes for us all. Apoarently there is a new square chimney pot protector available now that is more effective against downdraft. Daughter and daughter in law took meal down to brother in law and to check he was okay. His main concern was not being able to have his usual cups of coffee, so they then took spare water heated on the rayburn down to him in flasks. Lit the woodburner for the first time this winter, and got out lots of my little battery candles plus real ones and battery christmas lights, so it was quite atmospheric. But last night was quite frightening as the wind kept on howling through the night. Lots of bits off barns/sheds this morning. House okaybut guttering off son's cottage. Farm along the way worried re milking without machinery.
Scary, Janice. You suffer so much more, being so very exposed. The Islands have been cut off since Friday.
DeleteSarnia dear can I just say while I expect everyone else is in bed that I have great sympathy for you beingmasthmatic. I suffered acute life threatening atracks when I was a child. My mother was told not to expect me to live beyond 9. I did though and never looked back after that, basically virtually grew out of it. I know it is a horribkrpe horrible thing, and i don't like to think of you suffering from it living alone. Have you someone you could contact if you needed to?
DeleteI don't normally ever mention it because those times I want to forget.
DeleteThank you, Janice, you are a lovely lady. My breathing has improved since Monday, when the chiropractor straightened out my ribs, back and shoulders.
DeleteI apologise for being so grumpy.
PS Mine's got worse as I've got older.
DeleteFantastic weatherbeaten young man with huge spotlight torch hammered on door last evening looking for the transformer. He had the job checking them all to see which ones were down. I said to him that surely they didn't expect him to work in such weather and he just laughed. Oh to be young and fearless. Ours was okay but under a huge old ash, and I asked him to be careful because old ashes can sometimes drop branches suddenly.
ReplyDeleteI stayed in yesterday apart from attempting to feed the birds but son went out to church cliffs to look out at waves, and he could barely stand so didn't stay long. Our windows are covered in salt today even though a mile from the sea. The wind has dropped a fair bit now so we did go down to the beach this afternoon and the waves were still very impressive.
Daughter went to bed at 8 and went to sleep so I haven't told her the electric is back on. A second early night will do her good as she normally stays up far too late. It has been amusing watching my daughter in law struggling with not being able to go online as she is often glued to her smart phone, and playing with her little son instead. A storm has its uses!
It was frightening at times though as we have large sycamore and ash trees close to the house. At one point I was out last evening in the dark talking to them asking them to hold on and not fall.
Janice, since you have been so kind, as an obscure connection following on from that amazing image of the house being at sea all night, does the idea of
ReplyDeleteLANTERNS IN WET LEAVES appeal to you at all?
First of all Google threw up how to make beautiful lanterns by decorating them with leaves, appropriate to how we were using lanterns and candles when the electricity went down, then I realised you must mean poetry. Hmmm. I think the penny has just dropped, maybe. I usually treat myself to a new book to read at christmas so am making it two this year, from Magic Flute via Amazon ( the other is another Og Mandino. I like his work, self help genre but wrapped up in a story that you are not quite sure if truth or fiction).
DeleteYou could always try contacting the publisher... ..
DeleteSo the jungle has ended. 3 weeks passed by so quickly. Colleen was lovely in it. Well impressed with her. Danny grew on me. What a lovely bloke he is. The Rev Richard….couldnt stand him before but I’ve changed my mind.
ReplyDeleteOne more week of strictly. Thought Pete was good this week. I’m sorry he’s gone. He was the only one going from zero dance experience so was at a disadvantage against the others. He seems a lovely caring bloke to his family and animals.
This all means that after next weekend it’s basically Christmas!
Hope everyone survived the storm. We have a bit of damage… some tree branches down from land behind us which I’ll have to sort today, a ridge tile off and a leaking garage roof. Must ring a builder but I hate trying to find a tradesman, they never turn up.
I don’t think Chris McCausland had much dance experience either!
DeleteAnd has been even more amazing.
I hope he wins and not because people are sorry for him but because he has become a very accomplished and entertaining dancer despite his disability.
Of course. I forgot about Chris. He has done really well.
DeleteCouldn't watch Strictly as no electricity. Meant to vote for the first time, and for the Pete simply because of his support for the rescue dogs. Not the right reason I know!
ReplyDeleteI think that Dianne has done an amazing job with Chris, her ability to think outside the box while teaching must be very good. He obviously has good sense of timing but I don't know how he manages to learn the steps not having been able to watch the dances.
ReplyDeleteMy admiration for both teacher and pupil knows no bounds cc. As superb as other dancers are for that reason deep in my heart Chris and Diane deserve to win. What a journey and bless them both for their grit and determination. ⭐️❤️👏🏻
DeleteGo C & D you will have my 3 votes 🏆
Sarnia, so sorry to hear you're extra struggling at present. Long term health conditions are a drag. Even more so when they multiply.
ReplyDeleteYou said some days back that you had a few friends who could give you lifts when necessary but you were careful not to impose. I fully understand that, but I wonder if any of your church friends or neighbours would be happy to chauffeur once in a while?
When we convinced Mum to stop driving she was worried how she would get around. She quickly discovered that people were more than happy to help - she had so many offers we suggested she needed to make extra trips to make use of them all!
People *like* to help, so sometimes by asking we are doing them a favour by letting them be helpful. We're all so intent on being self-reliant and not being a burden to others that we forget that we're designed to need others' help and support - just look at how helpless a new-born baby is! Not to mention Galatians 6:2.
Of course, if at present you don't have the energy to get through an appointment then getting a lift anywhere is a moot point! But when you're feeling ready, please do consider blessing others by letting them bless you.
🤗🤗🤗
Lovely lady, thank you.
DeleteI’ve just read your reply from a few days ago Sarnia, about places to live. I suggested Winchester and Romsey without thinking of the likelihood of moving away from friends and things that are familiar. I also understand your association with the sea. Even though I didn’t walk by it everyday, I knew it was there and at the most difficult times I did find solace being near to the water.
ReplyDeleteMy husband has a theory that you are happiest in places where you spent most time in those early formative years. His father used to wrap him up and lay him on the grass in the corner of the field where he was working. As a baby and toddler, I spent many days on the beach with my older brother and sister. Just after the war the barbed wire had been removed from the shore line and people were eager to enjoy the beaches again. So much of our summers were spent on the sands. It is a place I feel at home.
Have you ever thought of returning to Guernsey though I suppose that would still mean moving away from friends on the mainland?
My husband’s just read this and corrected me - his father didn’t lay him in the grass but in the hedge bottom - subtle difference!!
DeleteThank you for your understanding, Soz. Returning to Guernsey has not been an option for a very long time. However much I love and it is part of me, once you're on it, leaving it for any reason is expensive. With my mobility issues, vast swathes of it are now out of reach, placing far more severe limitations on my daily life than I experience here. My older sister's frustrations at the end of her life were a vivid object lesson.
DeleteI certainly couldn't afford the housing, either: even on the local market there's nothing much going for under £5000,000 and I'm not even sure I would qualify now.
Time was when it was only parents who had to be Guernsey -born, but now it's grandparents as well. Although it turns out that my Jersey grandmother was actually born in Guernsey of Jersey great-grandpa (don't ask!), but the other one was a foreigner from Sark!!
Best I stay put and think my way our of it. I'm gradually making progress, and hopefully won't feel as debilitated as this for too much longer
BTW- miracle occurred today: painting executed in 2017 for book cover and missing for 7 years, turned up in orange folder filed with household orange folders. Wow.
Sorry, you probably guessed that was meant to be £500,000. Finger slipped!
DeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
DeleteIs everyone caught up with pre Christmas rush? I’m a bit of a Scrooge when it comes to December and look forward to the new year and longer days. However yesterday I did find myself singing along to the Christmas songs while shopping. White Christmas always brings tears.
ReplyDeleteI seem to be totally uninterested in Christmas this year. Haven’t done any cards yet, haven’t made a cake or pudding (difficult anyway with a diabetic in the family), shan’t be putting any decorations up, apart from some greenery and holly from the garden. My menorah will be put up on Dec 25 because that’s the start of Chanukah, which is unusually late this year.. At least that will be decorative with a new candle being lit each day
DeleteHaven’t been into town for months because of walking difficulties, so the only place I shop is Sainsburys where I can hang onto the trolley to get around. Any gifts I am giving have all been obtained online and several sent direct to the recipients.
I am feeling very Scrooge like too Soz, and health problems don’t help I’m afraid.
Me too, AP, but as they're all at a distance it's just a question of sending money.
DeleteStill too strenuous putting up decorations, but backache left over from treatment goes off with paracetamol and breathing doesn't require effort any more.
I've found the cover painting for my book AT LAST, and my son's coming on Monday by train for a couple of days.
At. present this is enough.
Similar here re Christmas, have put a few Christmas ornament's out but that’s it. One special card written and posted and will try to do a handful more. Only two or three received so far and hope that like me people are not going to push themselves writing away and spending a fortune on stamps!
ReplyDeleteIt’s been a hectic week here with an am carer and on Monday Mr R ‘s Dr who visited him for about 20-25 mins doing all obs and feeling tum and testing back etc, she also went through all his meds changes from hospital stay. I phoned and after a call back was told a face to face appointment would be best but after I said I cannot get him there particularly in the dark was told ok a Dr would visit and it was his actual Dr. She is so lovely chatty bouncy and got everything sorted. Spoke of Mr R confused state which did return she said long stay hospitalisation particularly in older people can often cause this and can take a time to settle (especially as we re normally together 24/7 so my only being there for visits most unsettling) and I would say the issue is improving. The re enablement visits stopped as of today as can now wash and dress most of himself with a close eye 🙂 also another District Nurse visit Tuesday with another next week to check bottom and elbows but should be the last I think. Today a visit to give Mr R his delayed COVID & FLU Jabs.
Also 3 friends pop ins this week with two more on Saturday am - phew I’m worn out 😯
Not forgetting on Monday Hampshire County Council calling by with regards to a watch alarm connected via internet with back up battery in case of power cuts and Tuesday Monday Chiropodist visit here at home. No wonder no time left for Christmas 😉
Wow, Lady R, suddenly it's all happening! It must be tiring for you, but at least the responsibility isn't all on your shoulders any more.
DeleteSo pleased for you Lady R that Your Lord is getting all the attention that a person with his conditions should get in this all too imperfect world that we inhabit now. You must have worked so very hard to get that level of care and I salute you.
DeleteI hope that his recovery continues to improve and that you will soon be able to contribute to this blog as frequently as you have in the past.
I’m not in the Christmas mood either.
I still haven’t unearthed my box of Christmas cards to even start, and the idea of just sending a cheerful email instead has been floating in and out of my consciousness for several days. Also like others I baulk at the outrageous cost of a stamp times 35 - or however many cards need to be sent.
I have a funeral to attend tomorrow morning, perhaps when that’s done I will feel a little more inclined to brace up to the festive season.
Lady has been for another sleepover this week in preparation for her Christmas stay while I go to Bath for Christmas.
She has not been herself since.
When I went to pick her up she was mildly standoffish and today I’ve felt a sense of remoteness from her. We had a good walk this afternoon, but there is still a sense of distancing, not sulking I feel, but perhaps a sense that I’m giving her away.
Which of course I’m not !
So pleased to hear of Mr R’s progress and the superb attention you are getting from your local medical staff. We keep hearing of NHS problems throughout the country, but I reckon that here, in our part of Hampshire, we are served pretty well.
ReplyDeleteDo give him our best wishes and try to take some time to relax yourself. We don’t want to hear of you collapsing with sheer hard work!! Be kind to yourself Lady R, you deserve it.
We've got family coming to stay between Christmas and New Year so I thought I should make an effort for the sake of the grandchildren. Our tree went up last weekend and was decorated while listening to our Christmas playlist, a family tradition going back decades. Mr CC has put up the Christmas lights outside and in the conservatory so I'm feeling quite Christmassy now.
ReplyDeleteI made the cake in October and will almond paste it this weekend as well as making mince pies.
Christmas Day will be just the two of us but we are having a celebration with friends the weekend before and then, as previously said, seeing family the weekend after.
I have sent fewer cards than in previous years but do send some ecards through a website to which I subscribe. What I enjoy about Christmas time is seeing friends and family, what I don't enjoy is the amount of wasteful stuff produced that isn't helping all the problems the planet is facing.
We had a family get together this last Saturday so I put my tree up Friday ready for my son and his fiancée arriving. What an awful day for the lunch out. This year I bought some battery tree candles when late night internet shopping. Regretted it in the morning but when they arrived and I got them on the tree they look fab.
ReplyDeleteThe price of real trees are astronomical so decided on putting up an artificial one, couldn’t find ours ( must have got lost when we moved) so bought a new pre-lit one. Much easier than fighting with a string of lights.
Got a few cards about but I don’t go overboard with decs.
Glad to hear people are improving health wise. Seems to be a lot of flu going about so I plan on staying tucked up indoors from now till Christmas.
Cooked mince pies this afternoon, all 18 emerged from the tins unbroken, which I think is a first for me, and the pastry wasn’t tough either! Not feeling overly Christmassy but that’s not surprising as we are generally pretty low key now the girls are grown. We had a meet-up with my side of the family a couple of weeks back which was great, and we’ll be getting together with MrNuts side in the new year after his brother has moved house, but Christmas itself will just be an enjoyable amount of overeating mainly at home just going to younger daughters for lunch as she doesn’t want to leave her chinchillas although I will be in control of the food.
ReplyDelete👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻 you have my admiration KP with regards to your 18 perfect mince pies. Your Christmas sounds just about right too!
DeleteYay Chris & Diane 🪩 🪩 truly well done, bless you both! The other three couples superb too of course!
ReplyDeleteStrictly: Chris & Dianne - 👏👏👏👏
ReplyDeleteOne of the highest quality finals for years. They all deserved to win, perhaps they could hold the glitter ball for 3 months each!
✔️💃🏼🪩✔️💃🏼🪩✔️💃🏼🪩✔️💃🏼🪩
DeleteIt was an excellent show. Very pleased Chris won but I didn’t really mind who won. The final four were all brilliant.
ReplyDeleteI agree with all the above. I didn't mind who won so just relaxed and enjoyed it.
ReplyDeleteI noticed that there wasn't an appearance by last year's winner, which they usually have. Also, just as I'd got the image of Pete's pink trousers out of my head.........
Pete!! that was my thought too cc 😱 🤭
DeleteLike most of you, I didn’t mind who won and could have made a case for each of them but I’m pleased Chris did - it feels right. It has lifted it above all the scandals that have surrounded the programme for the last year. Who would have expected Craig to turn to poetry ……
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed Countryfile from the Peak District National Park yesterday. It reminded me why I feel so lucky to be living so close to it. The views of the moorlands brought back memories of many happy memories of trekking up there in our horse riding days. The farm in Wildboarclough, which was featured, is only a few miles from the one where we buy our ice cream. They showed a view from that farm of Shutlingsloe, a hill that we see from different directions on our walks.
ReplyDeleteI’ll watch that on iPlayer. The Peaks aren’t exactly on our doorstep - about an hour and half drive to Dovedale and the Roaches. We used to walk there quite a lot. Unfortunately can’t walk very far at the moment, wondering whether those walking canes would give me enough support.
ReplyDeleteI’m picking up a new car - new to me - today!!! I am a bit nervous ; it’s an automatic which I’m not used to. On the test drive I drove very sedately; it will take me some time to stop my left hand change gear!
I've had an automatic car for 8 years and wouldn't have anything else now.
DeleteSame here. Had automatic for last 7 years. Love it. Why more people don’t have them I’ll never know. Makes driving a breeze.
DeleteSome people believe that ‘ proper driving ‘ is what they enjoy doing.
DeleteFor me it’s nothing to do with breeze or ease !
Well sadly the car was not ready to collect today so I’ll have to wait a week and travel down to south coast in our old Honda which is an old friend and has served us well. I used to enjoy driving and was very adventurous but the roads are so much busier now. On Sunday afternoons I would take my father on ‘magical mystery tours’ without a sat nav!! Sometimes we found a village church and doubled the congregation for evensong.
DeleteHow does anyone feel about driverless cars?
Just a little warning for those using a PC computer with Windows 11
ReplyDeleteMr A opened up his PC this morning and went to use Edge, the browser, when suddenly the screen was filled with big warning notices ‘from Microsoft’ with a loud spoken warning too. They said they had detected a Trojan virus on our computer and gave a number to ring to get instructions how to deal with it. It warned not to close down the computer or the Trojan would spread further into our files. We couldn’t just close the page because the mouse wouldn’t work..
Fortunately Mr A called me to look & see what I could do. Before I did anything I looked up Google on my iPad and found that there a dozens of similar scams going round like this one, don’t ring the number given it will lead to the scammers who are trying to access your details and then sell an expensive programme to deal with Trojan hackers.
So I just switched off the computer at the wall socket and will open it up again in a couple
Well done that savvy woman !
DeleteThanks Archerphile.
ReplyDeleteWhen I switched on again a couple of hours later everything was fine. I ran a scan with our Norton virus protection system and it cleared rouge files and left everything safe again. I’m just very thankful Mr A didn’t click on the rogue page and land us with all sorts of problems.
DeleteI just wish he had decided to get an Apple Mac computer when he had to replace his old machine last year. instead of opting for Microsoft again.
Sarnia ?
ReplyDeleteI do hope your listening to Front Row this evening. ( Monday )
Substantial piece about the organ
That's very thoughtful of you, Mrs P. In fact I've been dozing by my cosy stove while enjoying the small, pre-lit Christmas tree from my son, that arrived yesterday.
DeleteTo be honest, I've been off organs for some considerable time. One can only keep going for so long without inspiration, and the last 13 years have finally worn me down.
Anyway I can't cope with all this last-minute stuff the way I used to, and I don't think I actually want to any more!
New thread opened
ReplyDelete