Proud to be Yorkshire.March 27, 2026 at 9:10 AM 5 for me today mrs P. I struggled.
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SozMarch 27, 2026 at 12:09 PM 5 for me as well. Seem to be getting more 5s than 3s at the moment. My daughter does far better which I don’t totally understand as many times it’s just a matter of choosing the right word from 3 or 4 alternatives when there’s only 1 or 2 letters wrong.
AmbridgesMrsPMarch 27, 2026 at 1:02 PM Four last night, but the previous three nightsI struggled too. Can anyone answer my question in previous post about getting all greens..
MiriamMarch 27, 2026 at 5:29 PM Mrs P. The only "greens" I know, are those leafy ones I buy + eat! A lovely tasty veg. and cheap! 😆🤣
BasiaMarch 27, 2026 at 6:04 PM Miriam, you and I seem to be the only ones not to know what they're on about. I tried to look it up but it didn't pull. Carrots are my favourite.
MiriamMarch 27, 2026 at 6:26 PM I was just being faceatious...🤣🤣🤣
JaniceMarch 27, 2026 at 8:29 PM My favourites are runner beans, do they count as greens? 😀
SozMarch 27, 2026 at 11:12 PM Has anyone else watched “My Garden of a Thousand Bees” which was on BBC 4 this week? I found it fascinating. The film maker Martin Dohrn takes you into his garden and introduces you to the bees there, one bee Nicky in particular - this leaf cutting bee becomes a friend. The photography is incredible and the man himself is very likeable.
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AmbridgesMrsPMarch 28, 2026 at 1:39 AM Good grief, just got W in three ……. Sheer luck !
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Proud to be Yorkshire.March 28, 2026 at 7:41 AM How the hell did you guess that! Only just got it in 6!
Thanks for the hint on 'all greens', KP. For anyone who hasn't googled it yet, a 'Sea of Greens' is when you get the Wordle with no yellow letters on the way. Now I've discovered that, I shall have to download the Wordle app and see if I've ever got that badge 😊 (But I didn't today, at any rate - it took me 4 guesses.)
I've just planted some runner bean seeds leftover from last year in a pot in the greenhouse. I've sometimes found that old runner bean seeds don't seem to grow, but if these don't there will still be time to plant some more new ones. These are called Moonlight and have white flowers.
Replying to Soz (ages back) about the programme about the life of bees. Yes, we watched it, amazed at the very clever photography , right inside hives so you cold see exactly what goes on. A very clever and inventive (and amazingly patient) photographer. The only thing that got to us was his extreme anthropomorphism, giving the bees human names and inventing stories about them. A true scientist wouldnt do that, but it made for a more watchable programme.
I agree Martin Dohrn is not a scientist - but he is a brilliant wildlife photographer and his storytelling, as you say, made it into a more watchable programme. He has worked with Attenborough quite a few times.
I've just heard my ex Bro-in-law, the father of 3 of my nieces who's been stuck in OZ, is finally returning on Easter Monday. He can't still fly via Dubai so has found flights with a different air-line to travel via Hong Kong, via somewhere in Europe, then back to Manchester. I believe my OZ niece is very releaved, as a 6 week stay has become 9 weeks and there's now problems...🤐🫣
First hubbbie was divorced after 30yrs of marriage due to her affair elsewhere for years.🤭 The one with the heart problems is the 2nd hubbie, the bloke she was playing away with. I much prefer hubbie No#1, the father of their 3 daughters who are the eldest of my nieces. Hope this makes some sort of sense.
I'm still not up to talking about Big Sis + her dictatorial ways...which I've just been informed that my allotted time with my niece + gt. niece, have just been changed to suit her planned Easter weekend itinerary! Oh well...😪
Families can be difficult. Your siblings know you in a way nobody else does but they can drive you nuts. I consider myself quite lucky with mine but there has been significant friction between them and none of us talk to our much younger half brother.
Sometimes friends can be a pain too. I had a good friend, now passed on, who was quite a bit older and she thought much wiser ( possibly true 😄), and at times when I thought she was pushing her luck I would call her Bossy Boots Mave so she knew to rein it in. I was with her when she died over ten years ago, and still miss being able to just drop in for a cup of tea and a chat and also at times when I did need the advice of someone sensible.
After another very tedious logging in to Google session, I wonder if anyone watched the new programme on Ch5 last night about the Royal Navy? ‘Warship: Life in the Royal Navy’ had Kate Humble allowed on board HMS Iron Duke as it followed a Russian submarine through the English Channel, where it shouldn’t have been. Every aspect of the ship was shown, interviews with Captain & crew, scenes inside the ops room, the galley etc etc. But what really annoyed us was Kate Humble’s Hair!! We are used to her unruly mop of curls but she made no attempt to tidy it up or tie it back. Even in the galley serving food it was dripping over the plates & was all over her face up on the bridge scanning the channel with binoculars to find the submarine and when interviewing the Captain. It struck us as very disrespectful to the Navy and crew to appear like a scarecrow, especially in the galley and she could easily have tied it back or tied a scarf over it. We were wishing a different presenter had been chosen for such an interesting programme. Rant over!
I was planning on watching it but I didn't as the presenters put me off. Also I saw a documentary a few years ago, about life on the aircraft carrier - HMS Prince of Wales(?). This was fascinating as it was filmed in the Pandemic showing how they coped with covid on board, with something like 6 seamen isolated in a small cabins until all were -ve. It was fascinating yet still showed true life on such a vessel, even the ceremony with the dignity and full respect, when repratrionating the body of RN sailor, who'd committed suicide on another naval vessel.
Wishing you all a happy holiday weekend however you plan to spend it, we've got eldest daughter and family visiting. The grandchildren, age 14 and 12, have asked to go to Chester Zoo again, the forecast for Monday looks OK at the moment 🤞it stays that way.
Easter Blessings Everyone 🙏🏼 More entertainment for us all at “The Lodge”, a show plus Easter Tea Party and Egg Hunt. Full of cake as so many Birthdays and each one gets a big cake with candles on to then be cut up and shared. George had his on the 25/3 - 94yrs, entertainment on the same day he sang louder than the man with the mike 🤣 whilst playing his tambourine with gusto and some talent at the same time. He has some ups and downs of course but joins in morning activities (organised by Paul) most days - table top curling and likewise table tennis, draughts, drawing, colouring/ painting some of this being decorations for events, Christmas, Valentines, St Patrick’s Day and now Easter. Also enjoys throwing and catching a ball the Carers have to watch out on that one as he takes no prisoners 🤭 There is always a big jigsaw on the go as well for anyone able to assist. Some outings are being planned and of course a Summer Fete in June… Heck I’m worn out already.
Lady R. Thanks so much for the interesting + fun update about George. As Mrs. P has already said, what a great place you've found. It must mean so much to you to see him so settled + joining in so enthusiastically. I respect + understand, that this was a hard decision to make, but it must also be heartwarming at the same time. Now how about you?
Lady R. This sounds so very like a care home which opened near to me bout 5 years ago. They have fetes, open fun days and the chefs make the most fabulous cakes and free to all. This is the place I want to go to, as + when! 🤣
Thank you both. I’m doing ok and looking forward to another gorgeous Sunday Roast in the village pub tomorrow with my sister before we visit George 👏🏻 😊
Bit late to wish anyone happy Passover (which started on Wednesday) but not too late to wish you all a a happy and peaceful Easter. Was disappointed that although Sainsburys always stocks Matzos, and Matzo meal, they didn’t have the special ones for Passover this year, which they usually do. Perhaps not enough of us in Basingstoke! We don’t have a Seder night dinner any more as there are only two of us but I still read my little Haggadah that I have had as a child.
I have an old school friend visiting and one of the tulips in vase was drooping, she told me to pierce the stalk with a pin just below the flower, and within about an hour it was upright again. Who knew acupuncture works for tulips?
Amazing, there's also cold water immersion and other natural additives. In my old age though, I prefer to look at flowers cultivated or wild in their own environment.
Happy Easter from me too! We are off this afternoon to the Easter Egg hunt down the lane. A very pretty marquee has been put up with a waist high Peter rabbit and one of his sisters outside, and we have leant our huge Bear with red ribbon and clutching a spray of plastic daffodils. He once belonged to the neighbour who is helping the new owners of the house. She got it for her grandson who is now 15, and she persuaded him to part with it about 3 years ago and gave it to Max.
So Bear is going to be sitting on a throne in the Marquee for other children to wonder over. Max is much more into Cars and Lego now and I was rather hoping we might not have to have him back he is so big, but our neighbour was adamant she was only borrowing him for the weekend.
Should perhaps have said that Bear is not like a teddy bear. He is a beautifully made real looking bear. If you came across him at dusk you would think he was real.
We have a teddy bear given by parents when going away and my sister's g-daughters still play with him. He followed us around Europe and still makes the mechanic noise when turned!
My wartime bear was made from brown woolly fabric with blue trousers. My sister born /45 got a proper, second hand bear. I made proper Teddy Bears for my Grand daughters but my Grandsons Bear never got made up I’m afraid. I still have my bear.
The wind is now starting to pick up with strong gusts. Interesting is that the birds, the ducks and pigeons with their courting rituals, the pesky magpies plus many others, have now completely disappeared. They must know something + have gone to roost. Any others in the path or near, take care.
We have a toy Old English sheepdog in our family, he's quite large. He belonged to the daughter of of a friend who was 9 months old when they went to live in Thailand and was left with us while they were away. He was never reclaimed when they returned to the UK many years later and became a favourite toy with our girls. None of the grandchildren took much interest in him apart from our youngest granddaughter who always asked for him when they visited. Last Christmas she asked if she could have one like him for a present so the family decided it was time for him to move house. We took it to our family get together at Christmas and she was over the moon when we told her he could go and live at their house. Her mother took him to a place in Edinburgh to have a Repair Shop job done and he's now been re stuffed and cleaned. I have a photo of her in bed with him, he's taking up most of the bed and she's lying half hanging out.
That's such a heart-warming story. A much loved toy has gone down the generations, to another, who now loves it as much as others did. Us 3 girls had a fabulous doll's house which was handmade by a friend of my parents, who was a really good woodworker. No idea though what happened to it, as my parents moved into their first owned home when I was 8 and I'm sure it wasn't included in the move.
I’m in the East Midlands and thought we would miss the worst of the storm but it has been very windy overnight and chilly today. How have the rest of you fared?
Yet another of our machines has gone wrong. Since October our washing machine, hob, dishwasher, printer and boiler have all packed up & needed replacing. Yesterday it was the oven’s turn. I have one of those NEFF ovens with the slide under door, like they use on Bake Off. Has lots of different functions including 10 different cooking methods and self-cleaning. But yesterday the electronic display didn’t function, making it impossible to set anything, including on/off & temperature. So I spent 2 hours, sitting in front of oven with my 42 foolscap-page (!) instruction book trying to fix it. The instructions were very complicated and the frustration of finding help on page 3, then having to turn to page 17, back to page 10 etc etc was almost too much. Why on earth can’t they put all the settings on one page? There were a lot of rude words in our kitchen yesterday, but at least it’s now working - sort of! I’ll test it on a leg of lamb tonight
The lamb, (£14, less than half price at Sainsburys ) was absolutely delicious. With home made mint sauce, roast spuds, green beans, broccoli and sprouts with lots of minty gravy. The best meal we have had for a long time, even though I say so myself! Lots left over for curry, Shepherd's Pie, etc etc etc. A really good buy for the number of meals we get from it.
I’ve had a proper roast dinner today, a rarity for me now. My neighbour called me at 11.30 to invite me to eat with her and friends including a neighbour’s 91 year old father who is visiting. We had chicken and lots of vegetables and cheesecake to eat later. I rarely have any alcohol but today had rather too much. Taking Lady for a short walk later, I didn’t know how my legs managed to keep going.
Well I’ve finally succumbed to husbands cold yesterday afternoon. Got a throat full of razor blades. Luckily I’d made a big pan of Thai curry lentil and veg soup in the morning. So that was our Easter Sunday meal and not the fish pie I had planned on making. Hope to make that today when some cold and flu tablets have kicked in this afternoon.
Anyone watched “the teacher”? We binged it yesterday. Eye opening. My husband says he couldn’t have called a pupil “they” as it would have offended his grammatical principles of it meaning more than one!!
Yes I watch TT and binged too. I’m with you’re husband ptby I got quite angry at a lot of it that said it’s the first drama I have watched since I don’t know when… Sorry to hear of your rotten cold the razor blade effect is just so hard to bear and one always appears to have to swallow more than usual so the pain is almost continuous. Hope the remedies are helping you today - take care 🥰
I agree with him. No have not watched Teachers. Hope the razor blades dissolve soon PtbY. It sounds like the cold I’ve recently had which lasted three weeks and started with a very sore throat.
Thanks Lady R. I got angry at the prog too. All these wokery programs get on my wick. Young folk nowadays have no backbone. Upset over the slightest thing. Don’t get me started on cancelling certain classic books etc. 🤦♀️
I had a lovely roast chicken lunch yesterday at Big Sis's - in my alloted time 🤭. Little One now 6yrs, was as lovely as ever, but I hate to say this, but she's getting quite precocious + spoilt. Today though, I have seen a photo of her playing chess with Big Sis, a grandma, using the chess set which was my father's, so who would have been her great grandad. It might not be a treasured toy that has been passed down the generations, but to see that chess set being used again, brought back memories. It was lovely to see it being used.
And at SIX YEARS old - your big sis is to be congratulated on that at least Miriam, as well as the parents of course. I’ve always been told that I’m a good strategist and would be good at chess. Can’t see it myself and although an ambition to learn, I never have.
She's learning chess at her after school club. Not bad for a village primary school! She's only year 1 but after school club is for all ages of pupils, so they all do the same things. Her hip-hop dance is going great but she looks tiny in comparison to all the others. At least she joins in with everything with gusto + enthusiasm.
When I say year 1, I mean the first year of proper school! I still can't work out this year numbering system and when I finally do, it'll be changed again.
Had a change of pic now Easter is over. Daphne on the left and Audrey on the right. Hope to spend the day in the garden. Yesterday I thought I had a really good astrantia growing like mad but when I dug up something next to it and got some of its roots it turned out to be ground elder!! Hence spent ages digging over and over again to get every bit of its white roots out. Now got a lovely big area to transplant a geranium into. Think I’ll wait a week or two to make sure nothing grows back there first.
Spent time in the garden today. Lawns mowed, weeds which had come through since last effort, removed, a couple of new plants put in along with some summer corms, though I know these are late. All in all, a good few hours work and pleased with how it looks. As per usual there's still more to do, but the worst is over and it's now a question of keeping it up. My problem inside is cat fur, as Pusscat is losing her winter coat, which is now coming out it handfuls. I now have a grey carpet, with black polka dots. Perhaps I should start a new interior design trend! 🐈⬛
Ground elder and bindweed are a nuisance. You just have to leave a tiny piece of root in the ground and it grows faster than all those plants you want to grow. I’ve spent a lot of this afternoon clearing last year’s vegetation and some of this year’s growth. There are plenty of plants coming through with the usual abundance of weeds in between to keep me busy. To find a new plant that I’d forgotten about, under the tangle of debris still makes me excited.
Compost ? Most of the three years I’ve been here. I inherited an upmarket substantial square bin with a slide up opening. I’ve had one sack last year, but the contents had now reached the top of the bin and overflowing so it needed some serious work in digging it out. Now it’s only half full again.
PtbY - why can’t you make compost ? Or leaf mould.
Don’t know. It never works. Leaves just sit there looking like leaves. Compost never rots down. It’s a sore point when watching gardeners world. I left my compost bin for 5 years and it still didn’t turn into compost. I’ve given up.
Making compost is one of my favourite garden jobs, I never cease to be amazed by the process. I give it away to friends and family as I always have more than I need.
Another hard work effort in the garden this afternoon. I realised that an area I thought was OK, on looking at it further, wasn't, but it is now. This was not helped by buying two delphiniums when shopping this morning, which needed to be put into that part of garden, just to give flowering plants with height. I have no idea what colour they are, but as 2 for £5, I'm not actually bothered. 😄 What I'm in need for now, is a plant to go into a very shady spot with clay soil which is a perennial, yer colourful. Any suggestions? I'm thinking of a heuchara or an astillbe, but any other suggestions will be grearfully received.
Japanese anenomes will grow in clay and shade, but not sure about in a very shady spot. I know you said colourful, but a white astilbe would be a nice contrast in the shade.
Quite a lot of my garden is shady most of the time and I’m planning on doing one section in all white with Japanese anemones and astilbe as the main flowers.
Went to see Neil Brand talking about Laurel and Hardy and providing piano accompaniment to some restored silent shorts, very enjoyable. MrNuts and I both got Wordle in five this morning, neither of us recognised the word, but it was the only one that fitted with the letters we had.
Thanks for the plant ideas - I think I'll go for an astilbe. I'll see what's available in the garden centre and then decide on a colour but I do like the idea of a white one, which will be just right in the spot it's to go in.
I've just found the carcass of a dead mouse, but this one is different than usual one's, as it's been half eaten. This is the 1st time 🐈⬛ has done this and she had a full bowl of food available. I hope it's a one-off + she hasn't got the taste for Mouse Tartare! 🙀
My childhood pet cat was a prolific hunter, eating most of his kill, certainly the small rodents were reduced to tiny piles of intestines disguised against the patterned carpet of the dimly lit upstairs hallway, most unpleasant to discover with bare feet!
I had the same problem with my previous cat, as to finding remnants with bare feet. I've had 🐈⬛ for nearly 4 yrs now, and this is the 1st time for half eaten remains. Normally it's live ones ducking + diving around with me trying to catch them!
That's exactly what I thought, but the perception of time changes with the passing years, we had packed so much into them when young, now just sit and watch...
I certainly don't sit + watch...Life is still for living + making the most of it. I admit though that I do things a bit slower these days but not in a detrimental way.
We have to keep a baited mousetrap just behind our bed headboard. Almost every night we hear it go off & in the morning have to dispose of a shrew or mouse. We can’t work out how they are getting into the house but probably up the wall and into the roof. Then down into the space behind the bedroom wall. We first knew there was a problem when I woke up one morning to find a live mouse inside my pillow case! 😳 It had probably been comfy all night. Such are the trials of living in a 200 yr old house in the country!
It’s our 56th Wedding Anniversary today and we are going for a ‘posh tea’ at Oakley Hall this afternoon. It was the local country house that Jane Austen used go to for dances and assemblies. In the 50s it was turned into a private school called Hilsea College and our two went there for primary education. The school closed a few years ago and it’s now been beautifully restored and turned into an hotel. We’ll probably be eating in what we knew as the school library as it will be too chilly outside in the garden. Can’t wait for the scrummy cakes!
I hope you enjoy your tea - ignore any diets for today and indulge yourselves! Oakley Hall sounds an interesting place. Which of Jane Austen’s characters would you like to share your table with? Maybe none of them! Happy Anniversary 🎂
I’ve got a Mouse problem currently. A couple of weeks ago Puss brought a live mouse in and he and Lady were both hunting it around the flat. Unsuccessfully ! It eventually disappeared behind the lavatory in my en-suite and has not been seen since. I assumed, and hoped it had found its way back outside. Some days ago I noticed mouse droppings under my boiler in the kitchen, cleaned it up and waited for the following night. And there they were again in the morning. The bathroom and kitchen are adjoining, share a wall, so it’s obviously finding a way through that wall and climbing up. I read that the smell of peppermint deters mice and one of my favourite chocolates is mint creams, so each evening I have scraped the peppermint cream out of a square of chocolate and smeared it on the edge of the counter. It’s worked so far !
Thank you all, yes it was very special. The little sandwiches, scones & cakes were gorgeous. There was even a mini quiche about 1” across and a tiny crème brûlée in a little dish. Choice of 10 different types of tea, + coffee & hot chocolate. Views accord the gardens where there used to be tennis courts etc. If you look at the website menu you’ll see photos of the sort of things we had. My only problem was getting in and out! I couldn’t manage even the shallow steps into the hall - no handrail which is vital to me. So I had to go in and out the staff entrance which had a slope! And my Jane Austen companion would have to be the imperfect Emma because she got me through my A levels!
Sounds absolutely delightful. What always amazes me is how the chefs can make such tasty little quiches. I watch Great British Menu, when they often do similar...but me, I can only do hearty and certainly not with delicate pastry. So glad it was a fabulous time for you both 💕
In view of the latest advice from the RSPB I'm going to have to have a think about what I do about feeding the birds. The bird bath will go as changing the water everyday isn't realistic for me and the birds mostly drink out of the pond anyway. It looks like the bird table and ground feeder will go as well but I might keep the hanging feeders for winter. I'll probably have a redesign in the back garden to put in some more bird friendly plants in.
I’ve never fed birds. I have always thought that feeding them detracted from them finding food in the wild. I’m very sorry to hear about the disease and unfortunately think that my two neighbours will choose to ignore the advice. They both have feeders, some of which I can see from one of my windows, but I only ever see pigeons feeding from them.
I read a rather thought provoking piece saying that because in agriculture and gardening so many insecticides and herbicides have and are being used that there are not enough insects/weeds for birds to feed on, and that without us feeding them they will decline. In the long term planting bird friendly plants/shrubs will help, but doesn't in the immediate short term. One of the rspb recommended things to plant is teasels, very helpful to goldfinches.
I mentioned this to my son and daughter in law who spent a long time trying to eradicate teasels from everywhere in the garden, the previous person who lived there having kept chickens with teasel seeds in their feed.
The interesting thing is that my neighbours crab apple tree is still covered in fruit from last year. Usually this would be stripped bare by birds over the winter, but this was different this time. Having said that, all my blackbirds seem to have completely disappeared. All these crab apples are rotting quickly and falling all over my lawn, just as it's coming into blossom. I don't do bird feeders, not with 🐈⬛
I really don't know what to do about the rspb advice. Our rooks evicted from down the road no doubt built their nests in our trees because they know come hell or highwater I put seed out, and not just in feeders for small birds but on the ground for them. They line up on the telegraph wire and orchard trees waiting for me to come out in the morning. If I stop then what? do they go and eat farm sown seed coated with pesticides and fungicides which can kill or make them severely ill.
I have to be out and about tomorrow morning 14th April 😱 so need to pop in now ahead of the game in order to wish YOU MRS P “ A VERY HAPPY BIRTHDAY” 🎂 🍹🎈🎉🎁 I do hope it will be one of your good days health wise so you can enjoy your day!
Thank you LadyR I’m awake early with a cup of tea brought to me in bed. I have stayed overnight with a friend in Gloucestershire to be at a designated place for ten am. Usually prefer to spend my birthday alone and doing whatever I wish to do, but this year circumstances have dictated otherwise. On with the day.
Happy, happy birthday Mrs P - sorry I am late to the party as usual! Your Indian meal sounds delicious , I do hope you enjoyed it, every mouthful! 💐 🍛 🍷
Yaaay! We went up the field in hopes of seeing the Spitfire circumnavigating the UK for its 70th anniversary of manufacturing, and it went right over our field, quite high but low enough for my daughter to get a good video of it, and with the kind of noise that must have terrified people when they heard it coming in the war. Couldn't help thinking that Sarnia would have liked to see it, and I think Ev's daughter is planning on going for a flight in one some time.
Just been reading about it coming over Minehead, due today. It came yesterday apparently and must have been what I heard when I was in bed, so didn’t see it. My two days of travelling- driving 90 miles each day - have knocked me out. I’m still feeling exhausted today.
I sent an email to my GP last night asking if it would be possible for me to have my iron supplement intravenously as I’m finding it really really hard to take the liquid form. It makes me gag and is so horrible that I’m simply not taking it much of the time. I feel ashamed to be so pathetic but I’m battling so many physical problems including the now very painful trapped nerve in the wrist that I feel utterly overwhelmed.
I must get dressed and get Lady out for a short walk. She is such a patient girly. I found the first of the seasons Ticks on her this morning. The friend she stayed with must have walked her in the woods.
A tip if I may Mrs P. Take vitamin C at the same time as the iron, eg a vit C tablet or a glass of orange juice as examples, as vit C helps the absorption of iron into the system.
EXTRA - just looked it up and you can mix the liquid iron supplement into orange juice to make it more palatable. Remember though, you must drink it all to get the right dose! It's worth a try.
This is an old thought + suggestion, as have been retired awhile now. Your GP might just laugh at this and say it's both rubbish + ridiculous and things are now very different!
No Miriam, not rubbish. My GP - very young and a mum herself - insisted on the orange juice. I figured out to mix the dose with some orange juice, then when it’s gone down to drink a glass of it immediately. Even so it’s still bl…dy horrible.
And thank you for the tip, others might benefit from knowing.
My supermarket bargain today was Nescafe Gold Blend coffee, £5.20 for the large jar. I actually bought 2 jars at that price. However I then spoilt things, by treating myself to an absolutely gorgeous orchid with lovely large purple + white flowers and loads of very healthy looking buds. I'm usually pretty successful in keeping orchids..so hopefully it'll survive and come into full bloom.
I had a lovely orchid. After about six months I began prodding it just to check the flowers were indeed real! It lasted about 3 years. Unfortunately, during one of its resting phases OMiaS unilaterally decided it was dead and threw it into the compost heap
Such a shame about your orchid OWIAS. We've just got back from having our Covid boosters at the local pharmacy. The nurse doing the injections was an ex colleague of mine. She hasn't been able to make our last couple of meet ups so it was lovely to see her.
MRS P. Are you feeling any better today? Plus ARCHERPHILE, how are you doing and are your daughters buys helping in any way, so you are now enjoying your garden again - I so very much hope so.
Don’t worry, I’m not suggesting we talk about Wordle too much, more that I take it rather to seriously
ReplyDeleteProud to be Yorkshire.March 27, 2026 at 9:10 AM
ReplyDelete5 for me today mrs P. I struggled.
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SozMarch 27, 2026 at 12:09 PM
5 for me as well. Seem to be getting more 5s than 3s at the moment. My daughter does far better which I don’t totally understand as many times it’s just a matter of choosing the right word from 3 or 4 alternatives when there’s only 1 or 2 letters wrong.
AmbridgesMrsPMarch 27, 2026 at 1:02 PM
Four last night, but the previous three nightsI struggled too.
Can anyone answer my question in previous post about getting all greens..
MiriamMarch 27, 2026 at 5:29 PM
Mrs P. The only "greens" I know, are those leafy ones I buy + eat!
A lovely tasty veg. and cheap! 😆🤣
BasiaMarch 27, 2026 at 6:04 PM
ReplyDeleteMiriam, you and I seem to be the only ones not to know what they're on about.
I tried to look it up but it didn't pull.
Carrots are my favourite.
MiriamMarch 27, 2026 at 6:26 PM
I was just being faceatious...🤣🤣🤣
JaniceMarch 27, 2026 at 8:29 PM
My favourites are runner beans, do they count as greens? 😀
Janice, definitely, they are green, no running away from it!
DeleteSozMarch 27, 2026 at 11:12 PM
ReplyDeleteHas anyone else watched “My Garden of a Thousand Bees” which was on BBC 4 this week? I found it fascinating. The film maker Martin Dohrn takes you into his garden and introduces you to the bees there, one bee Nicky in particular - this leaf cutting bee becomes a friend. The photography is incredible and the man himself is very likeable.
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AmbridgesMrsPMarch 28, 2026 at 1:39 AM
Good grief, just got W in three ……. Sheer luck !
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Proud to be Yorkshire.March 28, 2026 at 7:41 AM
How the hell did you guess that! Only just got it in 6!
As I said ….pure luck.
DeleteI had used four vowels so only one more to choose plus the use of the double.
It surprised me.
Congratulations KP, as long as you have time for us as well.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the hint on 'all greens', KP. For anyone who hasn't googled it yet, a 'Sea of Greens' is when you get the Wordle with no yellow letters on the way.
ReplyDeleteNow I've discovered that, I shall have to download the Wordle app and see if I've ever got that badge 😊
(But I didn't today, at any rate - it took me 4 guesses.)
Oooh! I've got lots of seas of green!
DeleteWhat an exciting life I lead!
I bought my "seeds of greens" last week, my runner beans for this years crop, which will be planted soon. 😆
DeleteI've just planted some runner bean seeds leftover from last year in a pot in the greenhouse. I've sometimes found that old runner bean seeds don't seem to grow, but if these don't there will still be time to plant some more new ones.
DeleteThese are called Moonlight and have white flowers.
Don't forger the clocks go forwards tonight, just in case of plans with family + grandkids tomorrow.
ReplyDeleteReplying to Soz (ages back) about the programme about the life of bees. Yes, we watched it, amazed at the very clever photography , right inside hives so you cold see exactly what goes on. A very clever and inventive (and amazingly patient) photographer. The only thing that got to us was his extreme anthropomorphism, giving the bees human names and inventing stories about them. A true scientist wouldnt do that, but it made for a more watchable programme.
ReplyDeleteI agree Martin Dohrn is not a scientist - but he is a brilliant wildlife photographer and his storytelling, as you say, made it into a more watchable programme. He has worked with Attenborough quite a few times.
DeleteI was surprised at today’s wordle. I haven’t heard the word since my father died. He did use it regularly.
ReplyDeleteIt’s a lovely comforting word isn’t it Soz.
DeleteYes - we weren’t a family of huggers. My father’s show of affection would be a gentle punch on the arm possibly with the aside “You chump” !!
DeleteMuch like my family dynamic Soz.
DeleteNever any physical connection unless in anger.
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteGot W in 3 tonight.
DeleteI've just heard my ex Bro-in-law, the father of 3 of my nieces who's been stuck in OZ, is finally returning on Easter Monday.
ReplyDeleteHe can't still fly via Dubai so has found flights with a different air-line to travel via Hong Kong, via somewhere in Europe, then back to Manchester.
I believe my OZ niece is very releaved, as a 6 week stay has become 9 weeks and there's now problems...🤐🫣
Is this the BinL with the heart problems Miriam ?
DeleteNo. It's the original. The one with the heart problem, is the replacement! 😄
DeleteHusbands ?
DeleteFirst hubbbie was divorced after 30yrs of marriage due to her affair elsewhere for years.🤭
DeleteThe one with the heart problems is the 2nd hubbie, the bloke she was playing away with.
I much prefer hubbie No#1, the father of their 3 daughters who are the eldest of my nieces.
Hope this makes some sort of sense.
I'm still not up to talking about Big Sis + her dictatorial ways...which I've just been informed that my allotted time with my niece + gt. niece, have just been changed to suit her planned Easter weekend itinerary!
DeleteOh well...😪
Oh Miriam …. Don’t ever leave us, sometimes your posts are so very entertaining !
DeleteFamilies Miriam, it can be so difficult sometimes. I hope that you enjoy your allotted time whenever it is.
DeleteFamilies can be difficult. Your siblings know you in a way nobody else does but they can drive you nuts. I consider myself quite lucky with mine but there has been significant friction between them and none of us talk to our much younger half brother.
DeleteSometimes friends can be a pain too. I had a good friend, now passed on, who was quite a bit older and she thought much wiser ( possibly true 😄), and at times when I thought she was pushing her luck I would call her Bossy Boots Mave so she knew to rein it in. I was with her when she died over ten years ago, and still miss being able to just drop in for a cup of tea and a chat and also at times when I did need the advice of someone sensible.
DeleteWhat bargains I got on veg.
ReplyDelete1kg carrots - 4p
2kg pots. - 8p
A large swede - 4p
..plus half price Easter eggs + chocolate treats.
I did well. 😆
Well all we know where to come for a loan Miriam 🤣
DeleteThat was brilliant goid value Miriam.
DeleteHappy cooking Miriam
DeleteAfter another very tedious logging in to Google session, I wonder if anyone watched the new programme on Ch5 last night about the Royal Navy?
ReplyDelete‘Warship: Life in the Royal Navy’ had Kate Humble allowed on board HMS Iron Duke as it followed a Russian submarine through the English Channel, where it shouldn’t have been. Every aspect of the ship was shown, interviews with Captain & crew, scenes inside the ops room, the galley etc etc.
But what really annoyed us was Kate Humble’s Hair!! We are used to her unruly mop of curls but she made no attempt to tidy it up or tie it back. Even in the galley serving food it was dripping over the plates & was all over her face up on the bridge scanning the channel with binoculars to find the submarine and when interviewing the Captain.
It struck us as very disrespectful to the Navy and crew to appear like a scarecrow, especially in the galley and she could easily have tied it back or tied a scarf over it. We were wishing a different presenter had been chosen for such an interesting programme. Rant over!
I didn't watch it Archerfile but I've never taken to her as a presenter.
DeleteI was planning on watching it but I didn't as the presenters put me off.
DeleteAlso I saw a documentary a few years ago, about life on the aircraft carrier - HMS Prince of Wales(?).
This was fascinating as it was filmed in the Pandemic showing how they coped with covid on board, with something like 6 seamen isolated in a small cabins until all were -ve.
It was fascinating yet still showed true life on such a vessel, even the ceremony with the dignity and full respect, when repratrionating the body of RN sailor, who'd committed suicide on another naval vessel.
Wishing you all a happy holiday weekend however you plan to spend it, we've got eldest daughter and family visiting. The grandchildren, age 14 and 12, have asked to go to Chester Zoo again, the forecast for Monday looks OK at the moment 🤞it stays that way.
ReplyDeleteHave a good holiday weekend with your Gchildren CC.
DeleteEaster Blessings Everyone 🙏🏼
ReplyDeleteMore entertainment for us all at “The Lodge”, a show plus Easter Tea Party and Egg Hunt. Full of cake as so many Birthdays and each one gets a big cake with candles on to then be cut up and shared. George had his on the 25/3 - 94yrs, entertainment on the same day he sang louder than the man with the mike 🤣 whilst playing his tambourine with gusto and some talent at the same time. He has some ups and downs of course but joins in morning activities (organised by Paul) most days - table top curling and likewise table tennis, draughts, drawing, colouring/ painting some of this being decorations for events, Christmas, Valentines, St Patrick’s Day and now Easter.
Also enjoys throwing and catching a ball the Carers have to watch out on that one as he takes no prisoners 🤭 There is always a big jigsaw on the go as well for anyone able to assist. Some outings are being planned and of course a Summer Fete in June… Heck I’m worn out already.
What an excellent home you have found for him Lady R
DeleteYou must be so relieved, however tired you may be.
Lady R. Thanks so much for the interesting + fun update about George. As Mrs. P has already said, what a great place you've found. It must mean so much to you to see him so settled + joining in so enthusiastically.
DeleteI respect + understand, that this was a hard decision to make, but it must also be heartwarming at the same time.
Now how about you?
That last sentence doesn't read quite right!
DeleteI meant how are you doing? 😃
Lady R. This sounds so very like a care home which opened near to me bout 5 years ago. They have fetes, open fun days and the chefs make the most fabulous cakes and free to all.
DeleteThis is the place I want to go to, as + when! 🤣
Thank you both. I’m doing ok and looking forward to another gorgeous Sunday Roast in the village pub tomorrow with my sister before we visit George 👏🏻 😊
DeleteGot Wordle in 3 tonight with only one yellow.
ReplyDeleteWith failing to get any word for three nights in a row
ReplyDeleteBit late to wish anyone happy Passover (which started on Wednesday) but not too late to wish you all a a happy and peaceful Easter. Was disappointed that although Sainsburys always stocks Matzos, and Matzo meal, they didn’t have the special ones for Passover this year, which they usually do. Perhaps not enough of us in Basingstoke!
ReplyDeleteWe don’t have a Seder night dinner any more as there are only two of us but I still read my little Haggadah that I have had as a child.
I have an old school friend visiting and one of the tulips in vase was drooping, she told me to pierce the stalk with a pin just below the flower, and within about an hour it was upright again. Who knew acupuncture works for tulips?
ReplyDeleteAmazing, there's also cold water immersion and other natural additives.
DeleteIn my old age though, I prefer to look at flowers cultivated or wild in their own environment.
That’s an interesting tip KP do you leave the pin in the stalk or just pierce a hole ?
DeleteHappy Easter everyone.
ReplyDeleteHope we get some fine gardening weather and not the edge of storm Dave.
Happy Easter from me too! We are off this afternoon to the Easter Egg hunt down the lane. A very pretty marquee has been put up with a waist high Peter rabbit and one of his sisters outside, and we have leant our huge Bear with red ribbon and clutching a spray of plastic daffodils. He once belonged to the neighbour who is helping the new owners of the house. She got it for her grandson who is now 15, and she persuaded him to part with it about 3 years ago and gave it to Max.
DeleteSo Bear is going to be sitting on a throne in the Marquee for other children to wonder over. Max is much more into Cars and Lego now and I was rather hoping we might not have to have him back he is so big, but our neighbour was adamant she was only borrowing him for the weekend.
DeleteShould perhaps have said that Bear is not like a teddy bear. He is a beautifully made real looking bear. If you came across him at dusk you would think he was real.
ReplyDeleteWe have a teddy bear given by parents when going away and my sister's g-daughters still play with him. He followed us around Europe and still makes the mechanic noise when turned!
ReplyDeleteMy wartime bear was made from brown woolly fabric with blue trousers.
ReplyDeleteMy sister born /45 got a proper, second hand bear.
I made proper Teddy Bears for my Grand daughters but my Grandsons Bear never got made up I’m afraid.
I still have my bear.
The wind is now starting to pick up with strong gusts.
ReplyDeleteInteresting is that the birds, the ducks and pigeons with their courting rituals, the pesky magpies plus many others, have now completely disappeared.
They must know something + have gone to roost.
Any others in the path or near, take care.
Oops
DeleteI mean any others here relating to Storm David who might be affected - Take Care.
We have a toy Old English sheepdog in our family, he's quite large. He belonged to the daughter of of a friend who was 9 months old when they went to live in Thailand and was left with us while they were away. He was never reclaimed when they returned to the UK many years later and became a favourite toy with our girls. None of the grandchildren took much interest in him apart from our youngest granddaughter who always asked for him when they visited. Last Christmas she asked if she could have one like him for a present so the family decided it was time for him to move house. We took it to our family get together at Christmas and she was over the moon when we told her he could go and live at their house. Her mother took him to a place in Edinburgh to have a Repair Shop job done and he's now been re stuffed and cleaned. I have a photo of her in bed with him, he's taking up most of the bed and she's lying half hanging out.
ReplyDeleteThat's such a heart-warming story. A much loved toy has gone down the generations, to another, who now loves it as much as others did.
DeleteUs 3 girls had a fabulous doll's house which was handmade by a friend of my parents, who was a really good woodworker.
No idea though what happened to it, as my parents moved into their first owned home when I was 8 and I'm sure it wasn't included in the move.
Lovely story Cheshire Cheese.
DeleteI hope she has many happy years with him and that he survives into the next generation.
I’m in the East Midlands and thought we would miss the worst of the storm but it has been very windy overnight and chilly today. How have the rest of you fared?
ReplyDeleteA few gusts down here and roaring down the chimney, but we got off lightly.
DeleteMy son in law is delighted to have a storm named after him!
Yet another of our machines has gone wrong. Since October our washing machine, hob, dishwasher, printer and boiler have all packed up & needed replacing.
ReplyDeleteYesterday it was the oven’s turn. I have one of those NEFF ovens with the slide under door, like they use on Bake Off. Has lots of different functions including 10 different cooking methods and self-cleaning. But yesterday the electronic display didn’t function, making it impossible to set anything, including on/off & temperature.
So I spent 2 hours, sitting in front of oven with my 42 foolscap-page (!) instruction book trying to fix it.
The instructions were very complicated and the frustration of finding help on page 3, then having to turn to page 17, back to page 10 etc etc was almost too much. Why on earth can’t they put all the settings on one page? There were a lot of rude words in our kitchen yesterday, but at least it’s now working - sort of! I’ll test it on a leg of lamb tonight
Do hope all is going well AP and well done for persevering 👏🏻 it sounds as though it was a complete nightmare 😱
DeleteArcherphile. Do tell how the lamb turned out. It sounds absolutely delicious 😋
DeleteThe lamb, (£14, less than half price at Sainsburys ) was absolutely delicious. With home made mint sauce, roast spuds, green beans, broccoli and sprouts with lots of minty gravy. The best meal we have had for a long time, even though I say so myself! Lots left over for curry, Shepherd's Pie, etc etc etc. A really good buy for the number of meals we get from it.
DeleteI'm drooling...
DeleteSounds like a great bargain buy.
I’ve had a proper roast dinner today, a rarity for me now.
DeleteMy neighbour called me at 11.30 to invite me to eat with her and friends including a neighbour’s 91 year old father who is visiting.
We had chicken and lots of vegetables and cheesecake to eat later.
I rarely have any alcohol but today had rather too much.
Taking Lady for a short walk later, I didn’t know how my legs managed to keep going.
Just got Wordle in two - two greens and a yellow in first word.
DeletePure luck !
Wow I took 6 and got a “phew” of course🤣
DeleteWell I’ve finally succumbed to husbands cold yesterday afternoon. Got a throat full of razor blades.
ReplyDeleteLuckily I’d made a big pan of Thai curry lentil and veg soup in the morning. So that was our Easter Sunday meal and not the fish pie I had planned on making. Hope to make that today when some cold and flu tablets have kicked in this afternoon.
Anyone watched “the teacher”?
We binged it yesterday. Eye opening.
My husband says he couldn’t have called a pupil “they” as it would have offended his grammatical principles of it meaning more than one!!
Yes I watch TT and binged too. I’m with you’re husband ptby I got quite angry at a lot of it that said it’s the first drama I have watched since I don’t know when…
DeleteSorry to hear of your rotten cold the razor blade effect is just so hard to bear and one always appears to have to swallow more than usual so the pain is almost continuous. Hope the remedies are helping you today - take care 🥰
I agree with him.
DeleteNo have not watched Teachers.
Hope the razor blades dissolve soon PtbY.
It sounds like the cold I’ve recently had which lasted three weeks and started with a very sore throat.
Thanks Lady R. I got angry at the prog too. All these wokery programs get on my wick. Young folk nowadays have no backbone. Upset over the slightest thing. Don’t get me started on cancelling certain classic books etc. 🤦♀️
DeleteMrs P…. Seems to be a lot of colds and sore throats going about at the mo.
DeleteI had a lovely roast chicken lunch yesterday at Big Sis's - in my alloted time 🤭.
ReplyDeleteLittle One now 6yrs, was as lovely as ever, but I hate to say this, but she's getting quite precocious + spoilt.
Today though, I have seen a photo of her playing chess with Big Sis, a grandma, using the chess set which was my father's, so who would have been her great grandad.
It might not be a treasured toy that has been passed down the generations, but to see that chess set being used again, brought back memories. It was lovely to see it being used.
Understandably Miriam 👏🏻
DeleteAnd at SIX YEARS old - your big sis is to be congratulated on that at least Miriam, as well as the parents of course.
DeleteI’ve always been told that I’m a good strategist and would be good at chess.
Can’t see it myself and although an ambition to learn, I never have.
( yes, I know it’s not too late ! )
She's learning chess at her after school club. Not bad for a village primary school! She's only year 1 but after school club is for all ages of pupils, so they all do the same things. Her hip-hop dance is going great but she looks tiny in comparison to all the others. At least she joins in with everything with gusto + enthusiasm.
DeleteWhen I say year 1, I mean the first year of proper school! I still can't work out this year numbering system and when I finally do, it'll be changed again.
DeleteOh dear !
ReplyDeleteTook me five tonight.
5 for me today.
ReplyDeleteI went for the clue at 4 just could not see it but of course then it was simple 🙃
DeleteHad a change of pic now Easter is over. Daphne on the left and Audrey on the right.
ReplyDeleteHope to spend the day in the garden.
Yesterday I thought I had a really good astrantia growing like mad but when I dug up something next to it and got some of its roots it turned out to be ground elder!! Hence spent ages digging over and over again to get every bit of its white roots out. Now got a lovely big area to transplant a geranium into. Think I’ll wait a week or two to make sure nothing grows back there first.
Lovely dogs. Our neighbour has one similar to Audrey. She called him Morse after Inspector Morse.
DeleteThanks Janice. Love the name Morse.
DeleteBest dog name I’ve heard of recently was a cockerpoo called “trip hazard”. 😂
🤣
DeleteSpent time in the garden today. Lawns mowed, weeds which had come through since last effort, removed, a couple of new plants put in along with some summer corms, though I know these are late.
ReplyDeleteAll in all, a good few hours work and pleased with how it looks.
As per usual there's still more to do, but the worst is over and it's now a question of keeping it up.
My problem inside is cat fur, as Pusscat is losing her winter coat, which is now coming out it handfuls. I now have a grey carpet, with black polka dots. Perhaps I should start a new interior design trend! 🐈⬛
Ground elder and bindweed are a nuisance. You just have to leave a tiny piece of root in the ground and it grows faster than all those plants you want to grow. I’ve spent a lot of this afternoon clearing last year’s vegetation and some of this year’s growth. There are plenty of plants coming through with the usual abundance of weeds in between to keep me busy. To find a new plant that I’d forgotten about, under the tangle of debris still makes me excited.
ReplyDeleteI spent a considerable amount of time yesterday and today digging out my compost. Result : another four sacks of lovely crumbly home made gold dust.
ReplyDeleteI cannot make compost for love nor money. Can’t do leaf mould either.
DeleteWell done Mrs P. How long has it taken to get to that point?
ReplyDeleteJust done tonight’s wordle in 4, yesterday’s in 3.
Took me to five again for Wordle last night.
DeleteCompost ? Most of the three years I’ve been here.
I inherited an upmarket substantial square bin with a slide up opening.
I’ve had one sack last year, but the contents had now reached the top of the bin and overflowing so it needed some serious work in digging it out.
Now it’s only half full again.
PtbY - why can’t you make compost ? Or leaf mould.
Don’t know. It never works. Leaves just sit there looking like leaves. Compost never rots down. It’s a sore point when watching gardeners world. I left my compost bin for 5 years and it still didn’t turn into compost. I’ve given up.
DeleteHaving a lot of worms in the compost bin can help.
ReplyDeleteMy compost bin in London, shared with my neighbour, used to have worms literally crawling out of the top it was so healthy.
ReplyDeleteMaking compost is one of my favourite garden jobs, I never cease to be amazed by the process. I give it away to friends and family as I always have more than I need.
ReplyDeleteAnother hard work effort in the garden this afternoon. I realised that an area I thought was OK, on looking at it further, wasn't, but it is now.
ReplyDeleteThis was not helped by buying two delphiniums when shopping this morning, which needed to be put into that part of garden, just to give flowering plants with height.
I have no idea what colour they are, but as 2 for £5, I'm not actually bothered. 😄
What I'm in need for now, is a plant to go into a very shady spot with clay soil which is a perennial, yer colourful.
Any suggestions?
I'm thinking of a heuchara or an astillbe, but any other suggestions will be grearfully received.
Japanese anenomes will grow in clay and shade, but not sure about in a very shady spot.
DeleteI know you said colourful, but a white astilbe would be a nice contrast in the shade.
Quite a lot of my garden is shady most of the time and I’m planning on doing one section in all white with Japanese anemones and astilbe as the main flowers.
DeleteAstrantia grows on my clay soil in shade and so do foxgloves.
DeleteWent to see Neil Brand talking about Laurel and Hardy and providing piano accompaniment to some restored silent shorts, very enjoyable.
ReplyDeleteMrNuts and I both got Wordle in five this morning, neither of us recognised the word, but it was the only one that fitted with the letters we had.
I had never heard of the word either. Evidently it is a North American English word!
DeleteLooks like I am going to have to start doing Wordle if I am going to get anywhere in this blog!
DeleteMe too at five and also a completely new word to me.
DeleteMost unsatisfactory !
AP I don't do wordle either nor do I intend to start....I'll just stay being different..😃
DeleteTook me 5. I’d never heard of it.
DeleteThanks for the plant ideas - I think I'll go for an astilbe. I'll see what's available in the garden centre and then decide on a colour but I do like the idea of a white one, which will be just right in the spot it's to go in.
ReplyDeleteI've just found the carcass of a dead mouse, but this one is different than usual one's, as it's been half eaten. This is the 1st time 🐈⬛ has done this and she had a full bowl of food available.
ReplyDeleteI hope it's a one-off + she hasn't got the taste for Mouse Tartare! 🙀
My childhood pet cat was a prolific hunter, eating most of his kill, certainly the small rodents were reduced to tiny piles of intestines disguised against the patterned carpet of the dimly lit upstairs hallway, most unpleasant to discover with bare feet!
DeleteI had the same problem with my previous cat, as to finding remnants with bare feet. I've had 🐈⬛ for nearly 4 yrs now, and this is the 1st time for half eaten remains. Normally it's live ones ducking + diving around with me trying to catch them!
Delete🐈⬛ 4yrs gosh 😱 where have they gone Miriam!
DeleteGoodness me !
DeleteI would have taken a guess at eighteen months Miriam.
That's exactly what I thought, but the perception of time changes with the passing years, we had packed so much into them when young, now just sit and watch...
DeleteI certainly don't sit + watch...Life is still for living + making the most of it. I admit though that I do things a bit slower these days but not in a detrimental way.
DeleteYou are barely out of your 60’s Miriam 🤣
DeleteW : two yellows, four greens ,five greens ✔️
ReplyDeleteWe have to keep a baited mousetrap just behind our bed headboard. Almost every night we hear it go off & in the morning have to dispose of a shrew or mouse. We can’t work out how they are getting into the house but probably up the wall and into the roof. Then down into the space behind the bedroom wall. We first knew there was a problem when I woke up one morning to find a live mouse inside my pillow case! 😳 It had probably been comfy all night.
ReplyDeleteSuch are the trials of living in a 200 yr old house in the country!
😱😱😱😱😱
DeleteIt’s our 56th Wedding Anniversary today and we are going for a ‘posh tea’ at Oakley Hall this afternoon. It was the local country house that Jane Austen used go to for dances and assemblies. In the 50s it was turned into a private school called Hilsea College and our two went there for primary education. The school closed a few years ago and it’s now been beautifully restored and turned into an hotel. We’ll probably be eating in what we knew as the school library as it will be too chilly outside in the garden. Can’t wait for the scrummy cakes!
ReplyDeleteI hope you enjoy your tea - ignore any diets for today and indulge yourselves!
DeleteOakley Hall sounds an interesting place. Which of Jane Austen’s characters would you like to share your table with? Maybe none of them!
Happy Anniversary 🎂
Happy Anniversary Archerphile - again, I remember your 50th, only yesterday, when your daughter had some golden coloured gift for you...
DeleteHave a lovely anniversary tea Archerfile.
DeleteI’ve got a Mouse problem currently.
DeleteA couple of weeks ago Puss brought a live mouse in and he and Lady were both hunting it around the flat.
Unsuccessfully !
It eventually disappeared behind the lavatory in my en-suite and has not been seen since. I assumed, and hoped it had found its way back outside.
Some days ago I noticed mouse droppings under my boiler in the kitchen, cleaned it up and waited for the following night. And there they were again in the morning. The bathroom and kitchen are adjoining, share a wall, so it’s obviously finding a way through that wall and climbing up.
I read that the smell of peppermint deters mice and one of my favourite chocolates is mint creams, so each evening I have scraped the peppermint cream out of a square of chocolate and smeared it on the edge of the counter.
It’s worked so far !
Enjoy your special day ARCHERPHILE
ReplyDeleteARCHERPHILE.
ReplyDelete56 yrs of marriage which will be celebrated in style + elegance, in what sounds like a fabulous way.
Enjoy it. 💕
I hope that you are enjoying your anniversary day Archerfile, it sounds lovely.
ReplyDeleteI agree! Look forward to hearing all about your special day. Bless you both 💕
DeleteHappy anniversary Archerphile. Will google Oakley hall later and have a nosey. It sounds lovely. Enjoy your day. 🍰☕️🍾💐
ReplyDeleteThank you all, yes it was very special. The little sandwiches, scones & cakes were gorgeous. There was even a mini quiche about 1” across and a tiny crème brûlée in a little dish. Choice of 10 different types of tea, + coffee & hot chocolate. Views accord the gardens where there used to be tennis courts etc. If you look at the website menu you’ll see photos of the sort of things we had.
ReplyDeleteMy only problem was getting in and out! I couldn’t manage even the shallow steps into the hall - no handrail which is vital to me. So I had to go in and out the staff entrance which had a slope!
And my Jane Austen companion would have to be the imperfect Emma because she got me through my A levels!
Sounds absolutely delightful.
DeleteWhat always amazes me is how the chefs can make such tasty little quiches.
I watch Great British Menu, when they often do similar...but me, I can only do hearty and certainly not with delicate pastry.
So glad it was a fabulous time for you both 💕
Very sumptuous AP and a well deserved celebration by you both so glad everything went well 🥰 A wonderful building!
DeleteIn view of the latest advice from the RSPB I'm going to have to have a think about what I do about feeding the birds. The bird bath will go as changing the water everyday isn't realistic for me and the birds mostly drink out of the pond anyway.
ReplyDeleteIt looks like the bird table and ground feeder will go as well but I might keep the hanging feeders for winter. I'll probably have a redesign in the back garden to put in some more bird friendly plants in.
I’ve never fed birds.
ReplyDeleteI have always thought that feeding them detracted from them finding food in the wild.
I’m very sorry to hear about the disease and unfortunately think that my two neighbours will choose to ignore the advice.
They both have feeders, some of which I can see from one of my windows, but I only ever see pigeons feeding from them.
I read a rather thought provoking piece saying that because in agriculture and gardening so many insecticides and herbicides have and are being used that there are not enough insects/weeds for birds to feed on, and that without us feeding them they will decline. In the long term planting bird friendly plants/shrubs will help, but doesn't in the immediate short term. One of the rspb recommended things to plant is teasels, very helpful to goldfinches.
ReplyDeleteI mentioned this to my son and daughter in law who spent a long time trying to eradicate teasels from everywhere in the garden, the previous person who lived there having kept chickens with teasel seeds in their feed.
ReplyDeleteThe interesting thing is that my neighbours crab apple tree is still covered in fruit from last year. Usually this would be stripped bare by birds over the winter, but this was different this time. Having said that, all my blackbirds seem to have completely disappeared.
ReplyDeleteAll these crab apples are rotting quickly and falling all over my lawn, just as it's coming into blossom.
I don't do bird feeders, not with 🐈⬛
Crab apple wine or jelly perhaps ?
DeleteI really don't know what to do about the rspb advice. Our rooks evicted from down the road no doubt built their nests in our trees because they know come hell or highwater I put seed out, and not just in feeders for small birds but on the ground for them. They line up on the telegraph wire and orchard trees waiting for me to come out in the morning. If I stop then what? do they go and eat farm sown seed coated with pesticides and fungicides which can kill or make them severely ill.
ReplyDeleteA difficult one Janice - ask the RSPB? Also what bout the knock on effect business wise for the bird seed retailers…..
DeleteJanice, how amazing to be greeted each morning by a flock of birds!
DeleteI have to be out and about tomorrow morning 14th April 😱 so need to pop in now ahead of the game in order to wish YOU MRS P “ A VERY HAPPY BIRTHDAY” 🎂 🍹🎈🎉🎁
ReplyDeleteI do hope it will be one of your good days health wise so you can enjoy your day!
Thank you LadyR
DeleteI’m awake early with a cup of tea brought to me in bed.
I have stayed overnight with a friend in Gloucestershire to be at a designated place for ten am.
Usually prefer to spend my birthday alone and doing whatever I wish to do, but this year circumstances have dictated otherwise.
On with the day.
Whatever it brings MrsP - make the best of it.
DeleteIt's different, you are somewhere else and being looked after.
Happy birthday MrsP 🎂🌹
DeleteHeck, thought I’d be first on to wish you a happy birthday Mrs P.
ReplyDeleteHope you have a lovely day. Can’t beat a cup of tea brought to you first thing!!
🎂🎉💐
Many happy returns Mrs P and hope you have an exciting interesting day. 🎊🎂🌻🌷🪻
ReplyDeleteHappy Birthday Mrs.P
ReplyDeleteI hope you enjoy your day xxx
Hope I'm not too late to the party - 🎂🎉🍹🍫
ReplyDeleteHave a wonderful day Mrs P and
Happy Birthday. 💐
Thank you all.
ReplyDeleteAn interesting day
Is all I’ll say
I’m home now and treating myself to a curry from the ‘ Best Indian Restaurant’ in the SW. they win applauds and accolades every year.
Good for you and what is your choice?
DeleteI'm partial to a Lamb Rogan Josh with coriander Naan bread.
Lamb tikka masala
DeleteBrinjal bahge
Sag Alloo
White rice. And Peshware Nan.
No energy to go singing tonight tho’, although I’m sure it would do me good.
Happy, happy birthday Mrs P - sorry I am late to the party as usual! Your Indian meal sounds delicious , I do hope you enjoyed it, every mouthful! 💐 🍛 🍷
ReplyDeleteYaaay! We went up the field in hopes of seeing the Spitfire circumnavigating the UK for its 70th anniversary of manufacturing, and it went right over our field, quite high but low enough for my daughter to get a good video of it, and with the kind of noise that must have terrified people when they heard it coming in the war. Couldn't help thinking that Sarnia would have liked to see it, and I think Ev's daughter is planning on going for a flight in one some time.
ReplyDeleteSorry got that wrong apparently it is the 90th anniversary of the Spitfire's first flight.
DeleteJust been reading about it coming over Minehead, due today.
DeleteIt came yesterday apparently and must have been what I heard when I was in bed, so didn’t see it.
My two days of travelling- driving 90 miles each day - have knocked me out. I’m still feeling exhausted today.
I sent an email to my GP last night asking if it would be possible for me to have my iron supplement intravenously as I’m finding it really really hard to take the liquid form. It makes me gag and is so horrible that I’m simply not taking it much of the time. I feel ashamed to be so pathetic but I’m battling so many physical problems including the now very painful trapped nerve in the wrist that I feel utterly overwhelmed.
MrsP - please take care of yourself - I have a note on my desk telling me not to over estimate my strength which is not inexhaustible.
DeleteThank you BASIA for your kind words.
DeleteI must get dressed and get Lady out for a short walk.
She is such a patient girly.
I found the first of the seasons Ticks on her this morning.
The friend she stayed with must have walked her in the woods.
A tip if I may Mrs P. Take vitamin C at the same time as the iron, eg a vit C tablet or a glass of orange juice as examples, as vit C helps the absorption of iron into the system.
DeleteEXTRA - just looked it up and you can mix the liquid iron supplement into orange juice to make it more palatable. Remember though, you must drink it all to get the right dose!
DeleteIt's worth a try.
Another high vit C juice is tomato juice - just think having a "Bloody Mary" 😃
DeleteThis is an old thought + suggestion, as have been retired awhile now. Your GP might just laugh at this and say it's both rubbish + ridiculous and things are now very different!
DeleteNo Miriam, not rubbish.
DeleteMy GP - very young and a mum herself - insisted on the orange juice.
I figured out to mix the dose with some orange juice, then when it’s gone down to drink a glass of it immediately.
Even so it’s still bl…dy horrible.
And thank you for the tip, others might benefit from knowing.
My supermarket bargain today was Nescafe Gold Blend coffee, £5.20 for the large jar. I actually bought 2 jars at that price.
ReplyDeleteHowever I then spoilt things, by treating myself to an absolutely gorgeous orchid with lovely large purple + white flowers and loads of very healthy looking buds.
I'm usually pretty successful in keeping orchids..so hopefully it'll survive and come into full bloom.
I like the Gold blend too, and that was a very good price.
DeleteI had a lovely orchid. After about six months I began prodding it just to check the flowers were indeed real! It lasted about 3 years. Unfortunately, during one of its resting phases OMiaS unilaterally decided it was dead and threw it into the compost heap
DeleteSuch a shame about your orchid OWIAS.
ReplyDeleteWe've just got back from having our Covid boosters at the local pharmacy. The nurse doing the injections was an ex colleague of mine. She hasn't been able to make our last couple of meet ups so it was lovely to see her.
MRS P. Are you feeling any better today?
ReplyDeletePlus ARCHERPHILE, how are you doing and are your daughters buys helping in any way, so you are now enjoying your garden again - I so very much hope so.