THIS POST IS CLOSED
"longer off topic comments" - Episode 19 Life Outside Ambridge
"longer off topic comments" - Episode 19 Life Outside Ambridge
Life outside Ambridge
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Life in Ambridge
THIS POST IS CLOSED "longer off topic comments" - Episode 14 Life Outside Ambridge Have a seat and let's chat.
Dear Bloggers. It would appear that we are on week 19 of the "longer off topic comments". There are over 159,000 page views of our ArchersFan blog since the inception! Let's continue to enjoy each other's company with friendly chats on-line.
ReplyDeleteThank you Ruthy for yet another blog. It was interesting that TA blog was so well used and shows the SW’s are giving us something to think about!
ReplyDeleteMrs P have read your last post on the closed blog and agree that sometimes it is difficult to offer or accept help. The lady might feel better if a contribution to petrol was allowed, still cheaper for her than taxis but would not make her feel so obliged. My sight isn’t good and I can guess that blindness would make her feel dependent without wishing to be in that state. All you can do is to keep offering and hope that she will eventually accept your help.
Ev, you are right about her blindness is contributing towards her sense of loss of independence, ( and thank you for your response) but it isn't just that, we were friends before the onset of complete blindness, but it is more, I think, a fear of losing control. If she is paying someone she feels that she remains in control of her life. She would not lose control if she accepted help, I am a very respectful person. But she would feel that she was beholden, and that would be
DeleteDifficult for her to cope with.
I was trying to make the point to Miriam in my post.
Just read your last post on the closed blog Ruthy.
ReplyDeleteThank you.
Gorgeous picture Ruthy. Where’s the location of this set of seats?
ReplyDeleteThe weather has turned and the sight of some flames now seem very comforting.
What a glamourous place Ruthy, is it yours?
ReplyDeleteArcherphile - too bad this is not my place. I found this photo on a designer website where they use Adirondack chairs in a modern setting. These types of chair are very popular in the US - though I find them uncomfortable to sit in myself.
DeleteAnswer to PtbY - I am very much looking forward to Fall weather. This week back to 90 deg (F) temps, but that should turn around this weekend.
It's a very inviting setting, Ruthy, but I'm mystified by the popularity of Adirondack chairs in the US. Are there fewer people with replacement joints in your country, or even none at all? I wouldn't be able to sit in such low chairs - and even if I could I'd need a crane to hoist me out again!
DeleteThey are low, aren't they, but very good looking. Gorgeous setting.
DeleteI have to be the voice of dissent, as I find Adirondack chairs to be particularly ugly. And as Sarnia has indicated difficult to get in and out of.
DeleteI wonder if they are the equivalent of our deck chairs.
Do you have deck chairs in the states Ruthy ?
I suppose I should clarify by saying that I do not mean the original deck chairs on board ship, but the later type used on beaches for the last century.
Also, is that what is called a fire pit in the picture ?
MrsP - that is a fire pit - popular now. Yes, we also have deck chairs in the states.
DeleteWeren't steamer chairs the original 'deck chairs' on board ships. I think they are much more elegant and with suitable cushions more comfortable than the Adirondacks!
DeleteYes BB, steamer chairs were what I was referring to when I said original deck chairs.
DeleteDid not think ' steamer ' when I wrote it.
Thanks for correction.
I love 'original' deck chairs despite the the difficulty of moving from the seated position to the standing one whilst 'trying' to vacate the chair .... often very hilarious.
DeleteWe, also, have a fire pit. A welcome addition to late night outside parties, especially during cooler evenings.
Sarnia - You can google the history of Adirondack chairs they are very American, particularly in the north east region. I see them everywhere, even in beach towns. I agree, they are difficult to get into and out. Just as in UK, there are many hip, knee replacements here, and back surgeries, so these are not ideal chairs.
ReplyDeleteI love Ruthy's vision of Fallons tea-room on the alternative site. It reminds me of many, that I have visited, with eclectic furniture and ancient crockery. I judge a tea-room, on the quality of the tea (in a china teapot with a china cup + saucer) and the hopefully, home-made cakes, scones and jam (which has to be home-made also)!
ReplyDeletePS I am not in a position to lose my sight. I hope, next week, to learn when I will get my cataract lens replaced and be prescribed eye drops, to control the eye pressure, which is only just over the NICE guidlines. It will all be sorted. I am lucky, as only one eye is affected, well so far.
DeletePleased your news of your eye problem is less severe than you expected Mirium.
DeleteAs for tea, as FOSO said, needs to be loose leaf.
No teabags please.
Though have to say that the tea room I visited today did have a tea bag in the pot, but was a more than half decent pot of tea nevertheless.
Orange and Lavender cake was very good too, with a wonderful texture.
Just in case Hamburg Gardener is looking in though not posting, I finally got to a line dance class this evening.
I seem to remember a lengthy thread about the dos and don’ts of tea making on one of the old BBC blogs ☕️
DeleteYes Archerphile, we've been down that road before, haven't we.
DeleteGlad your eyes can be sorted Miriam.
DeleteApparently green tea should be made with water at 80 degrees C, otherwise it goes bitter. Better borrow Randy-Russ's fancy new kettle to make sure.
Delete(My sense of taste is so poor that such niceties are wasted on me - just let the water stand for a short while before dunking the tea-bag in. Sorry purists! I do have a cafetiere that I use for loose tea when I feel like doing things properly. I did have a lovely glass Bodum teapot with a bit in the middle for tea leaves but it jumped out of the cupboard one day : ( )
Apropos deckchairs: I was always terrified of sitting in a traditional British folding canvas deckchair as a child. My Dad always warned me about not holding onto the sides as I sat down, in case the chair collapsed under me and sliced off my fingers - as he had once seen happen at Bognor Regis when the scissors action of the wooden frame did just that to a fellow holiday maker.
ReplyDeleteI still avoid deckchairs like the plague to this very day! 😳
😱
DeleteI never liked deck chairs either Archerphile, but I have no idea why.
DeleteMake that deck chairs, ironing boards and music stands!
Deletesecond that, having spent a lifetime accompanied by the latter.
DeleteMy first flat had two brightly striped deck chairs - donated from a friend's garage, and previously pinched from somewhere-on-sea. It took me ages to save up for a settee. I don't think many people make do with cast-offs these days.
ReplyDeleteI remember the excitement of buying a potato peeler, 29 pence from the Co-op, which I still own today, 40 years later.
Not cast-offs, upcycled items.
DeleteAhhh, in THOSE days, they were cast-offs!!
DeleteMrs P to reply to you about the cats,
ReplyDeleteI haven't done anything recently because at the moment I am reclining in a chair overlooking the beautiful scenery of the Lale District..
I came up by train for a couple of nights to stay with my son and go back this afternoon after having a wonderful short break in lovely weather.)
When I return home I plan to contact Social Services again and try to find out what is happening.
I did try to contact the Cinnamon Trust but every time I 'phoned it was engaged.
Hope journey home peaceful Janet.
DeleteLots of rain for us today. Don't know about London, but if wet also, I hope Mr LJ will have a nice cup of tea for you after a miserable journey across London.
Thanks Mrs P.
DeleteI love train journeys and I love railway stations too.
The only problem for me was that I came home with more than I went and had to borrow a small rucksack from my son.
To get to Waterloo mainline station from Euston means there are two staircases to climb and one to go down on.
However on each occasion more than one young woman offered to help so no bother.
Gypsy tried to leave home tonight! I was putting papers in the recycling when she came out of the front door. She then went down the steps but as she is blind I didn’t worry until she ambled down the drive and onto the pavement. She was just crossing the road when I caught up with her. For a blind old lady she can move when she wants to! Don’t worry, we live in a very quiet cul de sac! I have always thought she wouldn’t go far as we are the source of all food but will be careful in future! I wouldn’t mind so much but when she is on a lead taking the same route as she was taking, she takes frequent halts sometimes before even clearing the drive! With the energy displayed tonight I am even firmer in the belief that the stops are all about control over her humans!
ReplyDeleteMistral - I am curious. Can you find a desk chairs similar to those you have? I don't know what they look like.
ReplyDeleteAnd I meant to add - on the internet and send me the link?
DeleteEv.
ReplyDeleteSo lovely to hear about Gypsy. She seems to be following her own scent, A "Great Escape"?
I looked after my late fathers 18yr old, totslly deaf cat for very many months. The problems were different, but also similar.
Oh dear. My younger neighbours are at it again - screaming and shouting at each other! I can hear them through the dividing wall, so they must be very loud. It is quite a common event recently, far more so than previously. I expect that they do not know, that I can listen in. I will only react, if I hear any hint of domestic violence.
ReplyDeleteMy home is mine, where I have lived for 32yrs, so I just try and ignore things. The ways things sound, I don't think that they will be around for much longer!
Sorry to hear this Miriam. My daughter had this problem with the adjoining house but they eventually went their separate ways and guess your pair will too. People can’t go on like that forever. The problem is we can’t choose our neighbours. We had problems of various sorts in Herefordshire but thankfully here I have a single lady each side, one is ultra chatty as is her mum who lives round the corner but both are lovely and the other neighbour very much keeps herself to herself but after 3 years is opening up a little and looked after my beans and tomatoes while I was away in exchange for the use of my garden waste bin. You have to pay for these in the island but of course I wasn’t going to fill it while I was away! It’s emptied once a fortnight and will come into its own shortly when chatty Janet’s oak tree sheds its leaves! Love that tree but not in the autumn!!!🌳🌳🍂🍁🍂🍁🌳🌳
ReplyDeleteRuthy: https://www.pinterest.co.uk/pin/511158626434953908/?lp=true
ReplyDeleteI hope this works. I googled 'images of seaside deck chairs' and a lot of photos came up.
They are very colourful canvas chairs on a wooden folding frame, low to the ground, and uncomfortable. I was very grateful at the time :)
I had a smile on my face about Archerphile on the beach in Bognor Regis (apart from that awful finger incident.)
ReplyDeleteAs a child, my Grandfather + my step-Grandmother, ran a travel agent business and lived not far away (Shripney). As a youngster - self, my 2 sisters + parents, spent many a summer on the Bognor Regis beach. I bet that I was there, at least once, when Archerphile was also there.
I grew up in Bognor Regis. I was there in the 50s and 60s when people still had their holidays in Great Britain. I had a very happy childhood there. My sister and I took a nostalgic trip back last year and were surprised how rundown it is now. So I was probably on the beach when Miriam and Archerphole were there. Our London relatives always came to visit in the summer.
DeleteMy time in Bognor was from the later 50's up to the mid 60's.
DeleteWow, 3 of us might have been on the same beach, at the same time. That is surreal.
Gianna, my grandparent's travel agency, was not far from the station. My Mum + Dad were married in Bognor in 1951. Sadly the church (St. Johns) was demolished and became a Boots store.
DeleteMy father in law was a baker and learned his trade by travelling around and being employed in hotels. He spent some time in Bognor and saw the king, George V sitting in a garden there. The king was reputed to say “ b**** r Bognor after repeatedly seeking the sea air there! The only time I have been there was on a Church trip when we lived in Portsmouth. Gianna, it is sad that so many of our seaside resorts with fond memories for many have become so rundown now that we seek the sun elsewhere. Hopefully the hot summer we have just had will encourage more people to go to these towns but they will need some sort of regeneration
DeleteI had a real deja-vu moment today. I was watching Classic Coronation Street (iTV3) from 1990, and the curtains in Kev + Sally's back room, were identical to my bedroom ones at the same time!
ReplyDeleteI was tackling the ironing at the time, and this Corrie Memory, helped take my mind of this chore. Sadly, I enjoyed it!
We still have most of our holidays in GB as we are not keen on airports or driving abroad although we have had some wonderful trips in the past. Today we drove to the New Forest for a week and have a lovely peaceful cottage with a wood at the back. Glimpsed the Isle of Wight this afternoon and thought of some of you with past and present connections there.
ReplyDeleteI have travelled widely around the world. These days, I am another one, who just hates all the hassle at the airports etc.with security, the extra time required. There is so much to see, love and embrace, in our own UK.
DeleteSeasider, glad you saw the island across the water and hope in the future the ferry fares won’t put you off coming over. Some of the island hotels offer a package including the ferry. There is a lot to see here and we do have lovely beaches.
DeleteI want to see Jersey, Guernsey, Cornwall, Northumberland, the IOW, IOM - places I have never visited, well not just yet. I still plan to go to Italy.
DeleteI visited IOW many years ago with a group of people I was working with, and really enjoyed it. We stayed in Bonchurch and travelled around many places including the Needles and Quarr Abbey which I know you have mentioned on the blog. I had a jar of multi-coloured sand I kept for years until it “went off”.
DeleteAnother place I loved visiting was the Isles of Scilly. White sand and beautiful coastlines.
Ah Bonchurch, one of the loveliest of small places. With ( reputedly) the smallest church in the U.K.
DeleteEmerald O'Hanrahan (Emma Grundy) was in the Afternoon Drama on Radio 4 this afternoon, playing the wife of an aide of Napoleon Bonaparte.
ReplyDeleteHow interesting to see other comments about Bognor.
ReplyDeleteIn the 50s we used to drive down from home in Buckinghamshire to spend the day on the beach, many times a year. As an ex Royal Navy man Dad always wanted to be near the sea and always looked up the tide charts to see when high and low tide was going to be so we could spend maximum time on the sand and least time sitting on the stones! We always had to park to car and go on the beach at the far west end of Bognor beach. Dad said that east of the pier was the ‘baked beans on toast’ end,0 while west of the pier was ‘roast beef and two veg end. We always had to go to the posher part and I was not allowed anywhere near the pier!! ⛱
Bill Bryson wrote a very funny comment about the posh part of Bognor in his book Furthur Notes from a small island. We also went to the west end as it was the nearest to our house which was a 15 minute walk away.
DeleteI’ll have to read that book, Gianna. Loved the original ‘Notes from a Small Island’ . Fancy him having been to dear old Bognor.
DeleteThinking about those frequent days out reminded me that on the way down we passed through a village quite close to Bognor where there was a pub with a very unusual sign. My Dad always insisted on pointing it out. The sign showed a Victorian woman, presumably a nurse maid, washing a little black boy in a tin bath. The name of the pub.
“The Labourer in Vain”!
By now, it must have been banned by the PC brigade and the name of the pub, or at least the sign, changed.
I have just looked it up. Somebody did try to get it taken down but they were unsucessful so I presu e the sign is still there.
DeleteThat’s amazing Gianna. I thought it would have been barred long ago as being racist or something. One day I’ll have to make a nostalgic trip to the coast ad look out for that pub!
DeleteMy maternal Grandfather was also ex RN (based in Portsmouth) so also had to be by the sea.My paternal Grandmother, had a "sweet shop" in Bognor, due to many reasons. My parents met at a youth club in Bognor in the mid 40's. The rest is history, and brings a tear to the eye!
DeletePS Some of you might have seen my family on Bognor beach, whilst trying to find Dad's teeth. He was a rugby player and all his front teeth were knocked out in a match, so had a "plate". He sneezed, his "teeth" shot out, and Dad, my two sisters + self, spent 20 mins, watching them floating back+forwards in the surf, trying to catch them, which we did! 🤣🤣
DeleteIt's been lovely to read all of your memories of Bognor. Let me know if you find the pub Archerphile. It is near Chichester. We were there last year to see Porchester castle which is a Norman fort surrounded by Roman walls.
Delete'The PC brigade'? Anyone with a tiny bit of civility and good manners, I hope.
DeleteWant to report our hummingbird pair has left us and migrateing south for warmer weather. Hope they will be back next year.
ReplyDeleteLet's hope so. 🤞🤞
DeleteRuthy - Your other blog is now extremely popular. You should be so proud - but can you still manage it?
DeleteI for one, love it, but 60+ posts a day.
This has to exceed all your expectations.
I sadly no longer read all the posts, but I love it!
Miriam - no problem to continue to administer this very popular blog. Some earlier regulars have reappeared which makes the interactions more interesting. Do feel if we continue to be civilized and provide a kind and friendly environment, we should be voted the nicest blog.
DeleteIt is. I love it.😍
DeleteI hope, Ruthy, that as long as we're all nice to each other, there won't be too much to do.
DeleteMrs P I visited that lovely church in Bonchurch, very close to the sea. There are several churches around the country that claim to be the smallest, including one very close to where I grew up, but I heard that this one may have been bigger at one time and therefore not qualified.
ReplyDeleteLike others my grandparents settled beside the sea because my grandfather was in the merchant navy. Not sure how much he saw as he was an engineer.
I meant the church near me might not qualify as the smallest...
DeleteSeasider, I discovered Bonchurch when staying on school holiday in Ventnor.
DeleteWe had always spent our family holiday in Sandown, but I fell in love with Ventnor and persuaded my father to let us holiday there the following year.
I still have the postcard of that church bought on that first visit when i was twelve or thirteen.
Do you remember the very large and romantic mansion on the left just before the church ?
That was where the poet Shelly spent his childhood.
Ah sadly not. Perhaps there is a photo on the internet.
DeleteI have just returned from the other end of the south, Cornwall, Falmouth to be precise, and it is also rundown and neglected. Although some small speciality food and independent coffee shops have been opened. But the main shopping thoroughfare has been neglected.
ReplyDeleteUnfortunately I wasn't there on holiday. Cornwall does have some wonderful coastal beaches untainted by vulgar kiss me quick hats and other crude paraphernalia.
Very interesting, they are trying to reintroduce the Cornish language and in some areas the street names are now in Cornish.
Anyone watching the Yorkshire vet? The competition on this is to win a weeks holiday in Scarborough! Well god help any normal, never mind middle class/posh person, that wins that. Scarborough is a dump. It is a place where just out of jail people are sent to in hostels, there are more foreigners than Yorkshire folk and the place is overrun with seagulls and their poo!! It’s soo run down and scruffy. Such a shame.
ReplyDeleteOh and I forgot, it’s mobility scooter capital. They practically hold Grand Prix down the main shopping street.
DeletePtbY I watched one or two because I was advised a relative made a brief appearance. Sad about Scarborough. I thought one bay was more elegant than the other but I don’t know it well. My Gran was taken ill there once when we had a day trip when I was a child and I couldn’t feel the same about it as I do about Whitby where the memories are happy. I was thinking of revisiting Scarborough to make some better ones.
DeleteMrs P I looked up your Bonchurch house and found a reference to Swinburne. It’s on street view and looks like the road I remember from the church. We attended a Sunday evening service and the door was left open and I could hear the sea. Just beautiful.
Yes Seasider, my mistake, sorry, Swinburne not Shelley.
DeleteGosh, Proud to be Yorkshire, Scarborough does sound truly horrific - foreigners AND the disabled? Whatever next.....
DeleteActually friends from Kent told me they just had a lovely holiday in Scarborough this summer and it wasn’t the first time they’d been there.
DeleteGG .... a Pride Parade ?
Delete:) :) :)
DeleteSix years ago, I went with a learning disabled couple to an Elvis tribute weekend at the (less than) Grand Hotel. I had an attic room with a cracked jacuzzi bath, all the kitchen staff were off sick, the management gave us a cash handout for the McRubbish up the road.It was one of the funniest work trips ever. Elvis was great with my clients, one of whom refused to leave the stage and 'danced' throughout his show. People approached us in the street the following day to compliment her. Truly, they had the time of their lives, and I had a never to be forgotten experience of Scarborough.
Every main "high street", no matter where, is run down + neglected, due to so many firms having gone into liquidation. It is a sign of the times, sadly.
ReplyDeleteI had two disabled parents, one who had to use a mobility scooter/wheelchair. He was not a second citizen and was a very intelligent person. It is hard to find places suitable for visiting with mobility problems. I know, as I was the wheelchair pusher!
I was in my late 50's, slim only 8st 5lbs, pushing my 14st Dad in a wheelchair, whilst caring for my Mum, with breathing problems. I so appreciated blue badge, disabled parking spaces, but these were hard to find, the extra space was so needed.
DeleteThe Ambridge Observer is back and is as entertaining as always.
ReplyDeleteYes, a brilliant first edition after the summer break.0
DeleteI have just heard that Debenhams is also to about to close some "High Street" stores, as House of Fraser is doing. I envisage "tumbleweeds" blowing through our town centres very soon.
ReplyDeleteI don’t really like it. I still prefer to shop in shops and bank in banks but I know I am old fashioned. I did hear recently that bookshops are doing well, which is surprising and heartening to me.
DeleteLan Jan (from other blog) - that’s exactly what I did - I signed out . I went to the Ambridge Observer which I agree with others is really funny, saw some familiar names in the comments and thought I would comment as well. Got over excited as I haven’t posted, tweeted, blogged anywhere but here.
ReplyDeleteSitting in our New Forest garden enjoying a fruit tea (whoops I let the kettle run all the way to boiling) and a deer came across the lawn, stopped to take a look at me. I can hear all sorts of rustling and chewing just out of sight in the woods. Owls last evening and bats circling outside the back door.
Archerphile I hope your hip is progressing well. I noticed from the other blog you were up early. I hope it isn’t giving you too much trouble.
DeleteSeasider - thanks for your concern. Yes, I have been sleeping very badly since the operation and find it almost impossible to get comfortable either in our own bed or in the spare bed! Hence the early morning (or middle of the night) postings!
DeleteNot very wise, because when I read what I posted the next morning I don’t always agree with what I said a few hours earlier !!
I am getting around on two sticks now rather than crutches, doing lots of (quite painful) exercises and am beginning to take over various household jobs again. The only thing I can’t do is hang out the washing, or stand long enough to do the whole load of ironing. But Mr A, bless him, still helps out when needed.
If only I could get a good nights sleep I’d be fine 😃
I echo that. You have been so perky on both blogs, Archerphile, from the very evening after the op., but I bet these last weeks have been challenging, to say the least. Is the pain less now ?
DeleteYou answered. The restless nights, grim, not leaving much energy for the day ( especially for those exercises...)
DeleteRegret I've been reduced to ironing sitting down for a number of year, so I have an extra high chair expressly for the purpose. When necessary I sit down at the kitchen sink to wash dishes as well, with sliding door left open and feet in the cupboard!
DeleteThat’s a great idea Sarnia. I did try ironing sitting down (in an armchair) and found it Ok for flat things but impossible for shirts, or large items and difficult to exert much pressure.......plus the difficulty of where to put the things you have ironed. A high stool would be much better but my scar is still a bit too tender to sit on a hard seat yet, so happy to let Mr A cope (albeit with gritted teeth as he presses creases into my t-shirts with a too hot iron!) for the time being. I’ll perhaps try a high stool with a cushion.
DeleteAnd Carolyn, not sure about perky, but these blogs have been a real lifeline both in and out of hospital. It is so lovely to keep in touch with everyone and feel that I am still “in the loop” so to speak.
DeleteNot so sure about the wisdom of posting the the middle of the night, or early hours though. Sometimes I regret what I have said when I re-read my posts in the cold light of day or feel I want to modify an opinion! 😉
Archerphile - .......plus a folding table erected next to ironing board to receive the finished articles.
DeleteOr have a holiday from ironing. Give up ironing for the sake of the planet.
DeleteI posted a comment on the other blog to echo something Lan Jan said and finished with a :)) because I can't get the emojis I want copied. However,...... Some kind person (can't remember who but will check later when baking done and safely in the oven) said about a secret formula on Windows 10 (pressing certain keys in a specific order) which brings up choices of emojis!
ReplyDeleteEldest son bought me for my 70th birthday (two weeks ago) a new laptop computer! It has Windows 10 on it and I have only been 'trying it out' as it is so different to current Windows 7, ( on my little notebook computer, which I had to resort to when old laptop refused to charge up even brand new battery!) The idea of me being able to join in and put ticks, smilies and thumbs ups is encourging me to go totally over to my new computer! Hopefully next comment will be from there! So Thank You unknown IT teacher! :))
"encouraging" :(
DeleteI’ll look forward to a plethora of emojis from you Spicy! Good luck with your new laptop.
DeleteWe were forced to change from lovely old Widows 7 to Windows 10 last year when our pc had to be repaired. We decided to keep the old desktop view that we were familiar with, as well as the new one with all the little boxes. We also keep using good old Internet Explorer as our browser instead of the new one as we were so used to it , though the new one is more clever. So I suppose we still have a foot in both camps, 7 and 10.
Spicy, let me know if it works, and the secret for emojis on Windows 10! I remember the post, but not the trick. I await in eager anticipation.
DeleteHappy Birthday, though belated. How did you celebrate?
DeleteThank you Miriam for the best wishes. Yes I'll let you and Archerphile know how I get on and what tricks I find out!
DeleteI haven't done as much this afternoon as planned as I was busy listening to Alistair Cook;s last innings! At the same time I was preparing tonight's 'Team work' activity for Cubs tonight (First night back this term) and my first Christmas cake. I usually make four for siblings and two for me for a double-decker one. (The one I made last year was a design from Hobbycraft called Woodland Stag Christmas cake and mine looked very much like it but perhaps not quite so clear cut shapes!!)
Birthday -The two younger sons asked me if I'd like a day out and where so I chose Westminster Abbey as I have visited almost all famous buildings, cathedrals etc but somehow never got there. So I had a wonderful day in London with a guided tour. Didn't feel up to visiting anything else after so we got the train home, joined up with eldest son and family who were over here for the week and had massive Chinese meal at home. All that was missing was my daughter and grandsons in Aus.
By the time son and co went back to Frankfurt the following day I was all visited out! I'd been to Port Lympne wildlife park, Bluewater shopping centre, and I did a mid-week cricket tea. Certainly appreciated a couple of days rest and recuperation.
I had a lovely photo via Wattsapp of my 4.5yr old, dressed and ready for his first day at school. His big sister started last week (year 3). As they moved from London to Cheshire, 4 weeks ago, they are in different schools 15 mins apart.
ReplyDeletePS Archerphile, how is your new 'phone? And your family in Dubai, your granddaughter Rosie and your "new" hip?
Miriam, haven’t got a new phone yet as hospital and recovery have intervened and stopped me getting into town to arrange things.
DeleteThe family inDubai are still living in a rather splendid aparthotel and the boys have started at new school ( I had an emailed photo of them in their new uniforms as you did).
Main occupation seems to be house hunting at present and getting to know their surroundings. They tried a morning on the beach on Sat. but only lasted half an hour as the temp. rose to 44C!
Rosie has started at 6th form college and was immediately interviewed by the principal who wants her to take a different A level subject which would qualify her for Oxbridge entry (if successful) but she really wants to stick to her chosen subjects.and is feeling a bit pressurised. Feels the college are more concerned with their reputation than her particular interests.
I have written about the hip elsewhere so won’t bore everyone again, but thank you for your interest.
Proud to be Yorkshire,
ReplyDeleteI have just had a laugh at your comment about Scarborough.
It was the one place that Mr LJ wanted to go to so when we had a week's holiday in North Yorkshire one September we decided we would go for the day.
He (and I) were so disappointed (I had been before to watch cricket and didn't realise how seedy and run down the other part of the town was )
Mind you a lot of seaside resorts look bad out of season.
Spicy. I don't make a Christmas Cake, as no-one wants to eat it, everyone is too full. My Christmas Pudding, well that is so different, it is "wolfed" down. I make it in November.
ReplyDeleteI am only 63 but feeling older. I had another eye clinic appoint this morning. I have now have my new eye-drops, as I have now confirmed glaucoma in both eyes. The cataract op. is now postponed!
ReplyDeleteOh well, it is minor, relatively speaking, but it is a life-long condition. It won't affect my life, I continue as normal.
Oh, Miriam, you sound a bit down, unsurprisingly, as you were looking forward to the cataract op. - well, the results of it, I mean. Any idea of how long the postponement will be ? I don't know anything really about glaucoma. I hope you manage to have a relaxing evening ( with no slanging matches disturbing your peace from next door....)
DeleteThe house next door has been un-occupied for the last 3 days! Yes, I am bit down, but it is just a minor glip, I be back to "normal" tomorrow!
DeleteThanks. It means a lot to have a lovely reply.
Sorry to hear about your glaucoma, Miriam. A friend of mine has it. On the one hand it's affected him quite a lot as he had to give up driving after a while; on the other he doesn't let that stop him doing anything (except driving, obviously).
DeleteSo sorry about your eye operstion postponement . Hopefully the drops will enable you to have it soon and give you some relief.
DeleteLan Jan .....thank you for your comments re Scarborough post. Some people on the other blog seemed to make me out as quite , dare I say it, rac*st.
ReplyDeleteI was just stating facts. My brother actually lives in Scarborough and says over the years it’s becomd the pits.
When we go we always have to have a drive round the front and myself and Mr PtbY play spot the largestor most tattoos!!😆
When I went to Keswick last week the one thing that depressed me was that the whole town was full of elderly ladies -probably younger than me-dressed more or less the same -brown ,beige or navy thickish trousers,floral blouses and cardigans.
DeleteIt was a very warm day .
I think I was the only woman around who was wearing a dress.
I used to like the town but to me that is another place which is not as it was.
It may be that the Main Street has been pedestrianised.
On the other hand I thought Windermere was as good as I remembered it
I would feel as depressed as you Lanjan. Elderly ladies uniform! I personally never wear trousers ( except in the Arctic earlier this year) and much prefer dresses or skirts with a plain coloured T-shirt (of which I have 18 different colours) to tone with the colours in the skirt. I have never ever owned a pair of jeans. Initially because I was too fat to wear them and
Deletethese days because I just find them too uncomfortable!
Good for you Archerphile
DeleteBoden do lovely boat necked cotton tee shirts.
Like you I have several different colours and have also dyed older ones to prolong their lives and gain different shades.
As for jeans I have to say I do wear them in the winter -bootcut -flattering but probably not fashionable.
Just got back from a week away helping out with grandchild care at the start of the new term so catching up with the synopses and blog. The younger of the two siblings has just started full time school and has nearly three weeks of half days to help him settle in which seems a bit over the top to me.
ReplyDeleteMiriam, I hope the new eye drops improve things enough for you to have your cataract operation in the not too distant future.
Archerfile, I'm impressed that you are doing ironing, I'm sure I wasn't at the same stage. I certainly remember not being able to get comfortable in bed and ended up resorting to getting a memory foam mattress topper which did help.
This comment has been removed by the author.
DeleteArcherphile and Miriam :
ReplyDeleteAll the very best to you with your continuing treatments and procedures. You are both very positive which is impressive as it isn’t easy to cope with such trials. I don’t think I would be worried about my ironing if I was having to deal with a new hip but perhaps I am a bit more crumpled and lazy 🤭😶
✓✓ to positivity, which Miriam & Archerphile have in abundance it seems - think it's been proved to make a significant difference to the healing process (even curing)
DeleteBest wishes to both of you.
DeleteI'm also crumpled & lazy. My previous post disappeared. I'm going to try again.
DeleteSuccess! Last time I came on TA blog I couldn't even write replies, only new posts.
DeleteCrumpled & Lazy could be my user-name. I should make it into an anagram.
😀
DeleteOh, I do so wish I could have been at The Oval today to see Alistair Cook make his last hundred (very nearly 150) in a Test Match.
ReplyDeleteThank goodness for the edited highlights on Channel 5.
What a fantastic and well deserved reception he got, it was really heartwarming to see the standing ovations he received. A real Boy’s Own hero.
And wonderful to see the whole England team playing so well against India and winning the series. Roll on next year and the Ashes. 🏏
Archersfile, I was passing Vauxhall station at about the time Alastair Cook was getting his hundred on my way back from my dentist.
ReplyDeleteHe was a great ambassador for the Game.
David Lloyd said that Cook should not have announced in advance that he was leaving Teat Cricket but just say after his last match that he had called it a day
Both Michael Atherton and Nasser Hussein did that.
To a large extent I agree with Bumble.
We had already won the series .
Cook had not done a lot and it would have been an opportunity for them to have tried out another young player for a match where the result did not really matter.
Had he not announced it I think he may well have been dropped as he should have been .
When Cook said that he would retire after the next match they had no option but to play him.
Fortunately he did well.
I am pleased about that
Sorry Lanjan, must disagree with you about that. I found the display of joy at the Oval yesterday very heartening and, hopefully, good for the game generally.
DeleteAs you say, we had already won the series so this was an opportunity to ‘thank’ a player who had done so much for England in his 12 years.
Goodness only knows, I would hate to see the type of adulation handed out to high paid footballers these days, but I was delighted the Alistair could enjoy his moment in the limelight and get cricket prominently onto the news bulletins and front pages in the hope that more youngsters might be attracted to play the game.
And I would add, a far better advert for the game as a thoroughly decent, hardworking, talented cricketer than the sight of his team mate appearing in court recently on charges of affray, or whatever it was. Yes, he is talented too and played his part in the victory but, in my opinion, did himself no favours with his off-field behaviour.
DeleteAs I said ,Michael Atherton and Nasser Hussein went quietly.
I think David Gower did too.Alastair Cook is a well liked,well behaved player .
I have loved watching him play.
Had he been playing well all Season for England and we needed to win the series I would agree with you but he was playing poorly ,we didn't need to win the match and as I say it was an opportunity to try out another opener
Once he announced he was leaving they had to pick him.
However ,Archerphile,most people agree with you
Re Ben Stokes-I would have banned him for a number of years from playing for England.
I was appalled when after his behaviour he was found to be "not guilty"
I apologise.
ReplyDeleteLast night I was feeling very sorry for myself. That is different today, I have put things into perspective, and have a new routine - contact lenses out, eye-drops in, when go to bed. Thats it!
What freaked me out yesterday, was the difference between the eye pressure readings done in the opticians, compared to those done at the hosp. clinic, due to differing equipment.
But it is being sorted and I am in "the system", so that is postive.
PS My eye pressure readings were significantly higher at the hospital. Why don't opticians use better equipment. I count myself lucky my optician reffered me.
DeleteMiriam. I admire your courage and ability to reflect and remain positive.
DeleteSo do I. Go, Miriam !
DeleteMiriam you don’t need to apologise. You come across as being strong. It would be understandable though if you weren’t. Eyes are precious and irreplaceable.
DeleteI agree with Seasider Miriam.
Delete.You have no need to apologise.It was good that your optician referred you to the Eye Hospital and as you say ,you are now in the system and are on your way.
All the very best to you
Miriam: were they using the 'puffer test' for glaucoma at the hospital? My optician has given up using that on me because (surprise, surprise), I belong to the category of people who react very strongly to it and produce artificially high readings. She puts in eye-drops and does the examination the old-fashioned way. Perhaps the same is true of you.
DeleteI am not at all surprised you were feeling a bit down last night, Miriam. So would anyone who had suffered the disappointment you had had. What is good is that you could tell us about it here and that we could all try to support and encourage you.
DeleteI am so glad you feel better about things today. Where would we all be without our friends - ‘virtual’ or otherwise.
The previous series of "Home Front" begins omnibus repeats on Radio 4 Extra each weekday from Wednesday, 12th September. New series starts 24th September.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the news about Home Front HH. I assume this will very sadly be the final Series, leading up to the Armistice. I understand the very last episode will not be on 11/11 because that falls on a Sunday this year, but on the Friday before. How great it would be if they could broadcast one final hour-long édition on the actual ‘last day of the war’ anniversary as the Sunday afternoon play.
DeleteLast episode is on Saturday 10th November. I assume it will be the Saturday afternoon drama. I expect the cast to be decimated by Spanish 'flu. Last episode of the penultimate series was a happy one.
DeleteI've been listening to repeats of the companion drama "Tommies". A 1916 series featured the Tyneside Scottish, including Kenny Stokoe who coached the women's football team after returning to Tynemouth minus an arm. I was also listening to the series set in August 1918. Just as well that the commentator gives the date and sets the scene at the start of each episode.
Did you enjoy the final day of theTest as much as I did LanJan?
ReplyDeleteA brave fight back by India with some great batting and Jimmy Anderson getting that record breaking last wicket!
What a great finish to a very enjoyable series.
I have followed Jimmy’s career with great interest, more so than Alistair Cook’s in fact. Why? For the simple and rather ridiculous fact that he carries number 613, the number that has had a great significance for me since childhood, keeps cropping up in my life and has become my “lucky number”!!
Starting out as a bit of a wild boy with a fiery temper and little dicipline he has matured into a truly great fast bowler and deserves his 564 wickets, making him the highest scoring fast bowler ever. I have come to admire him and hope he will go on for a least another couple of years representing England. A very satisfactory close to the season and great promise for next year with the likes of young Sam Curran on the team.
Sam "The Kid" Curran!
DeleteWhat a satisfying end to the season.
I went out yesterday morning,Archerphile but I enjoyed the afternoon session of the Test Match .
ReplyDeleteAlmost fairy tale finish-had Bairstow allowed Cook to catch the ball bowled by Anderson but in the end it all worked out well for Jimmy.
When he first started playing for England I thought it was too soon.
I briefly met his parents -very young looking and very quiet but obviously delighted that their son -then known as James - had started his International career so well.
Of the players who were playing for England yesterday ,over half were players from Lancashire or Yorkshire.
ReplyDeleteBoth those teams are at the bottom of the 1st Division.
One if not both-I suspect Lancashire-will be demoted.
Twenty years ago we ,Lancastrians were able to see Atherton.Fairbrother and Crawley play both for England and Lancashire .
Not any more
There are far too many International games.
On Saturday ,Lancashire are in the semi final and possibly final of the T20 Cup.
I bet Buttler and Jennings will play which will mean that two of the players who got them into that position will be dropped.
In football,Fulham have been promoted to the Premiership.
Some of the players who got them there will be released so that "better" players can be bought.
There is something not quite right about both cases.
Hedgehog at Hollowtree and Archerphile,please do either of you know whether we can hear the whole of Home Front from the beginning.?
ReplyDeleteI didn't listen at the beginning.
The omnibus on radio 4e today is episode 104.
You can listen on iPlayer. I believe the recordings will be available for 10 years. There are brief character profiles and short films of writers and some cast members + background articles & pictures on the BBC "Home Front" website pages..
DeleteOh bliss! Oh joy!
ReplyDeleteI have just been able to take my very first shower for 3 weeks!
Thanks to Hampshire NHS Equipment services delivering me a board to go over the bath this morning, so I can safely get in and out of the thing, I have been luxuriating in hot water and perfumed bubbles and actually managed to wash my own feet for the first time!!
This makes me realise how much I took such simple, everyday pleasures for granted before and makes me feel in empathy with those who are never able to perform such tasks for themselves.
I am sure Mrs P, Sarnia, Cheshire C and all of you who have been through this before will appreciate how exciting and comforting such a simple thing as taking a shower can be.
Lucky enough not to have been through that, but can 'feel' your bliss ! A big step back to normality, Archerphile, & what is normally taken for granted.
DeleteLanjan 10.09 a.m. Homefront. If you go to the program website and click 'episodes', it gives you the option to chose year and month. I am currently on 1917 June. You can go to the first episode, 1914 August, and catch up. It will be on the BBC for years yet, loads of time. I enjoy dipping in and out.
DeletePleased to hear that you have been able to have a shower Acherfile, I can imagine how good that felt.
DeleteA reply to Sarnia, from last night.
ReplyDeleteThe hosp. do not use the "puffer" test. Instead a local anaethestic drop was put in the eyes, and they then used a probe, which was put directly onto my eye, and so had very much higher readings.
This is my last comment on this topic, but thanks all.
PS I have received my next appoint. in the post today, only 4 weeks away. I am getting good care.
Homefront. I wait until omnibus editions (5 eps at a time) are on R4ex. I then download, to listen to.
ReplyDeleteI also agree about Homefires. This is a very good and enjoyable, showing on ITV3 on Fridays. It does show village/farming life as it was at that time.
I enjoyed Home Fires. It was filmed in a village I know well, as it is not too far from where a I live. Also the surrounding landscape, scenery, is very familiar.
DeleteWith, of course, our very own Pip ( in the guise of Daisy Badger) taking one of the lead roles.
DeleteShe was so very different in this role.
DeleteHelen Monks, who was teenage Pip, is back as Shakespeare's daughter in "Upstart Crow" on BBC 2.
DeleteDoesn't she do sulky belligerence well? Wonder where she got the practice!
DeleteI reckon her Susannah character is a mixture of her grandfather + mother's confidence + teenage hormones.
DeleteHelen Monks was eldest daughter in Ch. 4 series 2 "Raised by Wolves" with a similar accent. Someone familiar with Wolverhampton and Stratford accents might say they aren't similar. Anytime TA needs another assertive new female character, Helen Monks could return, bringing her tv accent.
I will be off to Chicago to attend a conference starting Friday for 5 days. I already have 2 new posts ready to be publish this weekend. Hopefully, these two current posts will sustain us until then.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Ruthy. Enjoy the conference.
DeleteRuthy ,I went to Chicago one year a while ago now to watch my son run in the Chicago Marathon..
DeleteI never actually saw him in the race.
A woman standing next to me said that I must be very worried .
Until then I wasn't .There were a lot of people running so he was easy to miss.
All was well .
I loved the city.
Hello, fellow insomniacs! Just toasting you in the mug of hot chocolate I've made in an attempt to break the lying awake in bed pattern.
ReplyDeleteHope it worked well Maryellen and you eventually had a good nights sleep. I slept much better last night having moved back to own bed and hip being a bit less uncomfortable than of late, thank goodness 😴
DeleteGlad to hear that, Archerphile! Hot chocolate doesn't always work for me but was so successful last night that I overslept. 😵
DeleteGood to know that you feel you're making progress, Archerphile, and delighted to hear about the shower. At the time the improvement is so very incremental that the slowness of it drives you mad, doesn't it.
DeleteI hope you're not being plagued with ill-informed people saying 'All back to normal now, then?' as if a prosthesis can be expected to provide the full function of the original article in a matter of weeks, when in fact the definition of 'normal' is going to have to be different. When the answer is no, the usual response (which also gets my goat) is 'Oh well, some people heal more quickly than others' as if you must be some kind of inferior specimen.
Bah, Humbug!
Maryellen: sounds as if you might be suffering from 'brain overload'. My bad night followed a particularly intense Memorial Service for someone I'd known for years and my brain wouldn't stop playing the music, which was going round and round in my head on a loop. That's now been banished by the arrival of next weekend's set of problems.
DeletePerhaps that will be your salvation as well!
Oh dear, Sarnia....next weekend’s set of problems doesn’t sound good - can we help, or is it too private?
DeleteThanks, Archerphile, but no, it's work-related.
DeleteI couldn't agree more Sarnia about the post operative incremental improvement and people's assumptions about being back to normal after a few weeks. My physio told me that it can take up to 18 months to get to what is going to be the final outcome.
DeleteThank you fellow lovers of Homefront.
ReplyDeleteI am about to listen to the first episode of the programme.
Kitty Wilson .
I am looking forward to hearing Adeline.
She is my favourite character.
After reading “reviews” on here I became completely hooked last month and got through all of it somehow. It accompanied the dusting, “summer” cleaning, cooking, coffee breaks and just about any break I could wedge in somewhere. Mr S loved the peace and quiet from my chatter...now you mention the characters I am getting withdrawal symptoms and might just have to start again at the beginning, at least until the new series begins.
DeleteThe main character in the last episode of "Tommies" August 1918 was called Adeline Washington. She was an American YMCA worker. The previous episode was set in civil-war Russia.
DeleteNext instalment of "The Citadel" by A.J. Cronin starts on Monday on Radio 4.
I think the actress playing Adeline Washington in "Tommies" is the lady detective in "No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency". It was Afternoon Drama recently.
DeleteWeather has been wet, windy & cold past few days; autumn has arrived suddenly.
ReplyDeleteOn the subject of wind, I'm mystified to understand how official (revised) statistics of deaths attributed to Puerto Rica hurricane 2017 can be construed as a political conspiracy. (puzzled emoji) Also disturbed by the comment that a lot of them were old people who would have died anyway, so don't count. (Insert emoji of choice) Time for a new slogan "Old Lives Matter". I assume there's already a slogan "Puerto Rican Lives Matter". Apology for introducing politics.
👏🏻
DeleteYou are quite right Hedgehog at Hollowtree
DeleteI was appalled when I heard that thoughtless comment
"There are lies, dammed lies and statistics" Benjamin Disraeli and Mark Twain.
DeleteMr. Trump encompasses all three. Like most politicians who waffle on when they haven't a clue, "make it quick, make it fast and make it up" and produce stats from a survey of ten people with a question like, How often do you beat your wife?
Hey presto, here is the truth and the rest is fake news.
I am having torrential rain for the last 2 hours. I worked very hard in my garden yesterday, mowing lawns, weeding etc. Some parts of my lawn are still very brown + parched, but these have been well raked + spiked,
ReplyDeleteI hope the rain will help to revive it.
Talking about rain/winds, i cannot understand why so many residents in Carolina are suffering from Florence, when they were told to evacuate!
ReplyDeleteNeed Ruthy's input on this.
I can't understand why the media are sending correspondents there to report on it when they have been told to evacuate!
DeleteYour rain has arrived over here on the east side of Cheshire Miriam. I'm hoping to get out in the garden tomorrow having spent the day at NT Quarry Bank yesterday, a place we really like.
DeleteI love Quarry Bank. It is a while since I last went - I need to visit it again.
DeleteDon't worry, my rain has gone to you, but I am having a lovely bright, sunny evening. It will be with you soon.
Oh you lucky thing CC! I love Quarry Bank Mill, one of my absolute favourite NT places. Unfortunately it is a long way from us so we can only visit if we are making a trip to, or passing through, the area on holiday. I am very interested in industrial archaeology and history and Quarry Bank has such an interesting story to tell.
DeleteNo rain for us here yet, and the garden desperately needs it. I cannot continue with the daily watering regime I started in the summer and Mr A has too many other things to cope with at the mo, so I am watching all my carefully tended plants and shrubs gradually browning up. Please rain soon !
I am in the mind that what will survive will, and what doesn't well these plants will then be replaced next Spring. It could be a good thing, to revamp the garden.
DeleteI do so agree with your 5.23 pm comment Cheshire Cheese
DeleteThe BBC needs to save money apparently so they send someone to an area which the locals are told to evacuate.
Ludicrous.
However I always think it is stupid when for example there is a piece of news about a football club and the reporter stands outside the Ground to report it.
.
And I can't hear the reporter because her/his words are drowned out by noise of traffic/wind/crashing waves.
DeleteMy Wattap has been red hot tonight. A niece, who lives + works in London, had an horrendous ordeal today. Her premises were attacked by a gang of moped drivers, dressed in black with hoodies, balaclavas etc. Luckily it was not succesful. The police chased them, but then lost them. The police have the firms CCTV footage, plus the videos taken from independant 'phones. These show things like bracelets, tattoes and other idendifying things which will be put on file, and could be helpful to the Met. Police.
ReplyDeleteMy niece says she is fine......but reaction could hit. At least she is safe at home for the next 2 days.
The "perps" did manage to break windows, but that was all, but bad enough.
DeleteScary. Was the motive theft or vandalism?
DeleteThis is for anyone in sympathy with Fallon's recent anti-plastic stance. This plastic-free shop was officially opened by the Mayor of Greater Manchester a fortnight ago.
ReplyDeletehttps://www.facebook.com/FulfilledShop/?ref=py_c
https://twitter.com/FulfilledShop
Or google Fulfilled Shop. The owner was interviewed on Radio Lancashire and by local newspapers.
I started listening to Home Front on my iPad. If you subscribe to the Omnibus, it starts from the very beginning. Very enjoyable and well acted.
ReplyDeleteMiriam and others regarding why people don’t heed to evacuation warnings and reporters going there to report. So the easier part first. Reporters are sensationist and angling for high ratings. They actually thrive on these weather extremes/natual catastrophes. Why people don’t evacuate is more difficult. I hear some don’t want to leave their home because they feel it might be vandalized, so want to stay to protect it. Another reason is they can’t afford to go to a hotel and don’t feel comfortable in shelters. Others don’t believe that the storm will be as bad as it is reported. These hurricanes and the damages done is almost annual now in various parts of the eastern states. I still remember how devastating Sandy was in my state of NJ and of course NY, and there were entire towns flooded in upstate NY and Vermont due to the heavy rain.
ReplyDeleteWhat on earth is happening to our world weather recently?
ReplyDeleteThese terrible hurricanes wreaking havoc in your country Ruthy, at the same time as a huge tornado is sweeping across Indonesia on the opposite side of the world. Both destroying homes and peoples lives.
The exceptionally hot dry summer here, preceded by week’s of rain which have combined to wreck crops and affect food supplies.
Is this really all due to global warming or just a freak year?
Those sorts of events have always happened, we just hear about it more with 24 hour news. Global warming will very gradually make them more frequent and more severe.
DeleteGood reply CC.
DeleteClosing this post.
ReplyDelete