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Life outside Ambridge
Life outside Ambridge
Life outside Ambridge
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Life in Ambridge
THIS POST IS CLOSED "longer off topic comments' - Episode 8 Life Outside Ambridge Beach Chairs
Just thought I would show off part of last years garden - now you can see what it looks like Miriam! If I had to show a pic of it as it is today it would look not unlike an untidy green swamp...
ReplyDeleteAnd may I welcome new bloggers from Sri Lanka & Czechia!
ReplyDeleteVery pretty garden Gary, hopefully you’ll get it back in shape after the deluges we have been having lately. Not too bad down here, but at least I haven’t had to water anything this week!
ReplyDelete🙂🚵♂️🌹🌸🌼🕊🦇🦋🐝👏
ReplyDeleteHow lovely your garden looks,Gary.
ReplyDeleteDoes one of your bird feeders contain niger seeds?
If you haven’t got one of those I can recommend them.
I was told about the special feeders with tiny tiny holes which only the little birds like goldfinches
can use.
We have two of these (£2.25 from Wilko’s ) and as I look out now there are four little birds pecking happily at one of them.
The parakeets enjoy the sunflower hearts as do the wretched pigeons.
Have any of the hollyhocks done anything?
How about the poppies?
Mine were stunning in June but have finished now.
Many of my established hollyhocks seem to have vanished but I have one peach ,one red and one cream left.
None of the ones I sowed from seed have done anything at all.
We do have niger seeds Lanjan and the finches love them! We are lucky enough to get loads of birds in the garden despite there being 5 cats that skulk about, hiding in the undergrowth ready to pounce on anything that moves....
DeleteThe hollyhocks are massive, some of the leaves are about a foot in diameter, but no flowers. About a dozen have survived. Will they come back next year? The poppies WERE stunning! A huge range of colours and some of the seed heads are just about ready to be harvested. Thanks so much for the gift!
You are more than welcome Gary.
DeleteThe hollyhocks will return next year of that I am sure.
To be fair I have a feeling that I tried to transplant some of mine and they were so old they wanted to stay where they were .
Delighted to hear about your green fingers.
Gosh GG what a beautiful garden and thanks for sharing it.
ReplyDeleteGary. Love your path and the little greenhouse at the end.
ReplyDeleteIt is very windy and wet in these parts so I’m sitting in the conservatory being idle.
I don’t very often witter on this blog, but thought I be a bit boring and indulge myself before heading to the kitchen to prepare a chicken vindaloo curry with raita, diced onion and curried 🥬 cabbage.
Will now make a rum and coke to get me going.🥃
Sounds delicious.
DeleteThe garden looks very neat and tidy Gary, did you make the path as well ?
DeleteI would use that little greenhouse to sit in if I had one.
Parakeets.........
I've mentioned before how much I miss them now that I no longer live in London.
Yesterday I took Lady for a walk in a part of the outskirts of the town that we have not visited before. We walked across fields and then returned down a lane. As we crossed a road I heard a familiar squawking and looked up in surprise. There was a parakeet, long tail in evidence flying across above me.
How thrilled ( but also puzzled) do you think I was ?
Thanks stasia! I loves my little greenhouse... There's actually a semi-circular staircase you can't see right in the middle of the photo, that takes you down to that patio. There's also 3 large raised beds down there and a small pond with a fountain tinkling away merrily underneath that blue fence.- it is a complete sun-trap and a joy to sit there!
ReplyDeleteI am not having a drink tonight, coz I am having the neighbours round for drinks tomorrow evening and I can think of nothing worse than having a hangover as they arrive. Enjoy your rum and your curry! (I'm having a very, very healthy stir-fry tonight...)
GG I am the opposite.
DeleteFriday night is my one unhealthy meal of the week - Fish + Chips tonight.
My tipple is a G+T, or a glass (or two) of Sauvignon Blanc. I also like an occaisional rum+orange, or a rum+black.
DeleteI have had both rain + wind on + off today, but this was certainly not as bad as was forecast.
ReplyDeleteMy Hibiscus "bluebird" is looking great, the best it has been for a few years. I hacked it back last year and is now full of gorgeous blue flowers.
My neighbours have a crab apple tree in their garden. Last week it was cut back in a very big way. The majority of the new fruit has been cut off, which the blackbirds + redwings relied on for winter feeds.
Miriam, I have just googled hibiscus bluebird. I am soooooo getting a few of them!
DeleteBeautiful garden, and a winding path is so nice. I wonder what the trees are.
ReplyDeleteLilac & laburnum Janice! There's also a massive Japanese maple that you can't see. They were pretty much the only living things in the garden when we moved here 4 years ago. Well, them and the humongous beech hedge at the bottom.
DeleteWalking underneath them when in flower must be wonderful. Love the smell of lilac. There is a very old laburnum here, which blew down long ago (we get storms blowing up the hill from the sea) so that its trunk is along the ground, but the branches then grew upwards and are smothered in flowers every May.
DeleteOn a train, probably the first, maybe the last post from me about gardens, but we have very tall, very robust hollyhocks in pink, white & this year in red which Mr C was very pleased about. I thought they flowered every year but what do I know....he would, I guess.
ReplyDeleteSome are annual and some are biennial,Carolyn.
DeleteWe have a floating collection of hollyhocks which pop up wherever they feel like it.. in with the climbing beans this year..
ReplyDeletealso 2 hibiscus Bluebird which are a picture this year!
ReplyDeleteAren't they gorgeous. The weather this year is certainly suitable for such wonderful and prolific flowers.
DeleteMine is over 30yrs old, and is 6ft × 4ft. I keep it at this size.
How I wish we were able to post photos or even videos on this blog. Then we could see the full extent of Gary’s beautiful sounding garden, and everyone else’s!
ReplyDeleteI have taken loads of photos of our garden this year because it has, after 35 years of hard work, finally become the garden I love. But I must admit that, now all the family visits are over, I am not doing all the dead-heading and watering I should, Mr A has not mowed the lawn for a few weeks and it’s amazing how quickly all reverts to weeds and mess!!
Have just been to hang some washing in my remote garden.
DeleteNothing done this year other than building a small retaining wall, which along with the rest has now been overtaken by the dreaded trailing stuff, the name of which escapes me at the moment.
Oh.... convulvulus.
Have intentions to get out there and cut some back later today.
Sun too high for me at the moment.
I envy all the lovely descriptions on this thread.
Archerphile. I use a grass treatment service, which puts feed + selective weed killer on my lawns, plus weedkiller in Autumn. The cost is only £15 a time, which is just every 2 months.
DeleteI and one other down the cul-de-sac (who uses the same firm) are the only two with weed free and lovely, green grass. It is worth it.
PS My garden is small, so that it why it is cost effective.
correction - plus mosskiller in Autumn.
DeleteMiriam, we keep getting flyers through the door for those services. I suggested that we use them for a couple of years to see what sort of difference it would make. But on hearing that our garden covers almost half an acre the quote was far more than we could really afford and I don’t want to cover it up with tarmac or paving to reduce the area of grass.
DeleteWe have allowed part of the lawn to re-wild and only cut it once a year to allow wild flowers to grow - but that still leaves an awful lot of conventional grass to look after!
I also have 2 wonderful standard azealas, also about 30 yrs old and about 4ft tall. This year one was wonderful, with lots of pink, perfumed flowers but the other looks dead + diseased + no flowers. This was a yellow one, also perfumed.
ReplyDeleteI am not removing it just yet, as it is sprouting from the base, so it could become a small bush, at ground level. There are also leaves sprouting on the main "stem" but I don't think enough, just yet. It's a waiting game, which I am prepared to do, as I cannot find an equivalent to replace it. This type of standard azalea originated, at Ness Gardens.
Imagine a standard rose - a rose bush grafted onto a 3ft stem, that's what these azaleas are like.
DeletePS The standard azaleas seen "on-line" are very different from mine and are not a true replacement.
DeleteHad all the neighbours round last night for drinks. Everyone has atrocious hangovers! And my chuckle muscles are sore. Which is ALWAYS a good thing. 😁
ReplyDeleteGary, on the other blog you rail against religious matters being aired in the media. You are of course entitled to your beliefs or non beliefs but others feel differently. I just feel that we need to be exposed to all belief systems in order to make our own minds up as to where we stand. In my own case I was for many years a committed Christian and then travelled and met Jews, Muslims, Sikhs, Buddhists and came to the conclusion that their faith meant as much to them as mine did and how could we Christians claim that we were the only ones who were right? I took my daughter to church until she was old enough to stay at home while we went and then was entitled to make her own mind up but my brother who is a confirmed atheist would not allow his boys any sort of religious teaching. His viewpoint was narrower than mine. I don’t go to church now but still have a belief in God even though not as strong. Maybe I was a bit too open to other beliefs but I don’t regret where I am. You have to live and let live. Religious programs give a lot of comfort to other people who also pay their licence fee. Just saying!
ReplyDeleteGary hope you don’t take offence about the above but I just wanted to put another point of view. I wouldn’t like to fall out!
DeleteNo offence taken in the slightest Ev! 😀
DeleteI am not relgious, even though I was brought up C of E. This was high church, where my father was an alter server and this church used incense!
ReplyDeleteThe best bit was after - in the Church Hall with marmalade rolls + juice. In the afternoons, it was open house at The Vicarage, with the rector's wife providing tea, sandwiches + cakes, for all who turned up. This included use of a tennis court, and us kids, could run wild, play hide+seek, cricket + just have a great time.
This also meant, my parents could save on a Sunday tea, as this was the late 1950's, when money was tight.
You brought back lovely memories then Miriam. I think I was very lucky as a child. Our father and his family were Methodist and our mother played organ in one of the little daughter churches of our local High Anglican " incense and candles" Church. So two Harvest festival feasts, two Christmas parties, two Carol Services etc. etc.
DeleteAlso, and I'm not sure there are any such now, but our Anglican vicar was a true Celtic priest. He knew, and taught our youth group, every star in the sky, and the names of all the little wild flowers, and he took us to the old stone circles and other ancient sites on the moors as a way of teaching us of the development and continuity of religion/spirituality. Once we reached 15 we were allowed to take part, if we wanted to, in the night watch on Maundy Thursday and alone.The first time I did it he asked me to prepare by spending the whole week beforehand keeping the thought in mind every minute of the preceding week whether at school or at home, and it was difficult but I managed pretty well. I think he was teaching about focusing and stilling the mind in a meditational way. For me that first night Watch, as a teenager, in the hour from 1 a.m. to 2 a.m. alone in the church on the cliffs with a storm raging outside, by candlelight and with vases of daffodils and catkins everywhere, and then walking the mile home along the cliff in the dark to our farm was an experience I have never forgotten. Nowadays health and safety has kicked in, and the Watch ends at midnight and even in the evening there has to be a minimum of two people together, and I feel sad because the young ones will never have the kind of experiences we had.
The two very positive posts above show so well how an upbringing that includes being part of a religious community can inform, enhance and delight a child's formation in many different ways.
DeleteI have some similar memories having been brought up in the Salvation Army.
I am however aware that alongside such experiences some other less positive and sometimes downright negative aspects of religious community can be experienced and I too have some of those along with, I suspect, others on this forum.
But I do not agree that we should never discuss religion or religious beliefs.
We are all adult and can and should tolerate others beliefs and opinions so long as they are not pushed upon us out of proportion and without respect.
As any-one read about, that members of WI's will no longer be able to make cakes, etc. in a home kitchen, unless they are officially approved, by whoever?
ReplyDeleteIs there still an Ambridge WI? -as it has not been mentioned since, I thinks Nics sad death.
DeleteMiriam, isn't this similar to the jam being sold at WI market stalls many years ago, which was banned because it was not made in an ' approved ' kitchen ?
DeleteI can remember this happening at least twenty years ago.
Yes, it did Mrs P. If you wanted to sell jam, or any other home made product at one of the WI markets you had to start labelling everything very accurately. Even jam had to state the percentage of fruit to sugar and cakes had to have a card listing all the ingredients. It was no longer OK to just put Victoria sponge or jam Swiss roll. It put me off completely and I stopped making anything for sale.
DeleteBut I suppose with so many food allergy problems these days they have to be more careful.
Did anybody have food allergies in the war, I wonder?
Archerphile - I suspect not. Today there are so many chemicals and additives in foods, even the 'healthy' options that it is impossible to avoid putting extra chemicals in your body.
DeleteMy current problems with a breaking down immune system has led to an excruciating allergic reaction to an insect bite and I now have terrible spots, blisters and open wounds covering my arms and legs and spreading to my back. Off to doc's at 11.00 this morning for, hopefully, antibiotics. I am eating no end of 'good' fruit and vegetables to get the immune system going again but to little avail.
Doc says that it's the free and easy attitude to antibiotics over the past few decades which has led to this state of affairs.
Since my mum died of MRSA, contracted in hospital, twenty years ago I have led a campaign against anti=bacterial everything ,wherever I possibly can!
I firmly believe the future danger to mankind is not war, famine or global warming but disease for which we will have no protection or remedy!
Sorry to be so outspoken so early in the morning. Bad night due to pain and itchiness! 😀
Spicy so sorry to read of your dilemma it sounds awful and I do hope your Dr can prescribe AB 🤞 for you and wish you relief from your pain very soon 🌻
DeleteHow awful, Spicy, very painful & alarming. Do hope the Dr. sets you to rights. Absolutely agree with all you say about our corrupted food.
DeleteSending much sympathy Spicy. I really enjoyed reading the Susanna Gregory M.B. mysteries that you recommended. I bought the first 23 chronicles one after another cheap as chips second hand from ebay, but - drum roll - I have just emerged from loads of bits of paper and completed my boring old tax return so my treat to myself has been to splash out and order the latest 24th Chronicle. I liked the characters so much, and just hope that that Matthew gets his act together and proposes before Matthilde gives up completely! and then if he does will the chronicles be able to continue if he has to leaving his teaching post, and how will he be able to continue being doctor to the poor if he has no wage? My hope is that Michael will swing it somehow, unless perhaps S.G. has decided she has exhausted her storylines about them. Don't tell me if you have already read it! Hope you improve soon.
DeleteOh, poor you Spicy. You sound in a terrible state. I do hope your doctor can sort things out for you. We seem to live in a very polluted world these days, even food is ‘polluted’ with all sorts of chemicals as you say. Over the years I have also developed an increasingly severe reaction to any sort of insect bite/sting and have to go onto oral antihistamines and steroid cream immediately. I currently have a crop of intensely itchy bites on various parts of my body, which are blistering, and no idea where they came from or what the insect was. So I have very great sympathy for you.
DeleteI liked reading about people's early, positive church experiences as well. In general, though, religion has done more harm than good in the world. Seems to me that all the major religions, at core, contain pure truths, but became speedily corrupted & twisted by their followers.
ReplyDeletecarolyn. Here is a philosophical question.
DeleteWhat exactly is a pure truth?
Does it accord with fact or reality, or is it an imagined perception we inflict on others in order to control?
Such a deep point first thing in the morning.
Gosh, Stasia, now I regret 'pure truths', loaded with assumptions as such an expression is !! Of course, no way to satisfactorily respond, but was referring to propositions down the ages, throughout the world, about the meaning of life, creation, creator etc which have made a huge impact on humankind
DeleteCertainly agree that religion has became a power tool & an instrument of control, but the original inspirations, revelations, insights are worth heeding, however out of shape they have become in many ways.
Interesting one. Truth as we perceive it comes through the veil of our own genetic inheritance and environmental upbringing, so I suppose we could only observe "pure truth" if we could somehow step outside of ourselves. I wonder if e.g. Buddhist monks who achieve "enlightenment" are, through deep meditation and the complete stilling /silencing of mind chatter, able to do this.
DeleteThat's their objective, helped by the fact that they don't live in the everyday world, are removed from its concerns & preoccupations.
DeletePS Janice, I don't think we are completely trapped ( in an adverse way) by genetics or environment - depends on how curious we are, how much we are interested in/able to, think for ourselves. Not that it's all about thinking.
DeleteAll the best Spicycushion when you go to see the Doctor this morning.
ReplyDeleteI am sure you are right about the indiscriminate use of antibiotics.
My son tells me that some patients go to see him to tell him that they need them .
On very rare occasions he actually agrees with them .
It is concerning that antibiotics are becoming less efficient through overuse, but my hope is that research scientists will come up with something.
ReplyDeleteMy son has had a cold out in the Philippines - a very minor thing but it was interesting how his wife dealt with it. She used Cuban Oregano with lemon and honey to make him a tea which is used as a simple traditional remedy there. I had never heard of it, and he ordered me a plant online. It is a pretty plant, more like a succulent and much more pungent than normal oregano. It needs a sheltered spot or kept in a pot and brought in in Winter.
So sorry to hear about your diminishing health due to insect bites Spiceycushion.
ReplyDeleteI have been suffering of late, as I have throughout my life, but certainly not as badly as yourself.
I do hope you are able to obtain some relief after seeing your doctor.
Archerphile.
Re allergies in previous times.
My dad was allergic to seafood. He had a simple remedy. He avoided eating it.
I seem to have Inherited this allergy so I avoid it too.
Simples! 😄
DeleteAllergies are awful, I know this from past experience.
ReplyDeleteI totally avoid seafood + shellfish - as I know I can't eat these. Since I have left work, I have not had a problem, but then I know I am allergic to aspirin + related drugs, which I no longer come into contact with.
At last, the cold, strong, westerly winds, have finally stopped.
ReplyDeleteGardening day tomorrow, and lots to do + washing!
Spicycushion. I have just read your comment regarding the very severe reactions you have to insect bites.
ReplyDeleteI do hope the Dr. Can give you hope and treatment that will help.
I imagine you must be in a great deal of discomfort.
Like everyone on here I’m sending you my best wishes for a positive outcome.👩⚕️
Thank you all for your best wishes. They have helped greatly as I am feeling very down today. I have steroid cream for the skin which I can put on my arms and legs but not where blisters have 'popped' as it mustn't get into the bloodstream apparently! Three lots of antibiotics (fluxcillin 1 tab and something penicillin 2 tabs all 4 times a day) Piriton as previous antihistamine didn't really work and painkillers where sores are really ....well sore! If you add this to the tabs I already take for thyroid and high blood pressure that 20 tabs plus painkillers, as and when needed, A DAY!
ReplyDeleteIt started off as an allegic reaction which started the dermititus (?) , then ezcema became worse and is now infected.
I do feel that I need to be wringing a handbell and calling 'Unclean, unclean'
But I am determined to be 'healed' by September 6th!! 😁
Youngest son and future dil collect their keys to their new house on Thursday and are equally determined to move into it asap so my home is full of packing cases and clothes and oh so many things...
THEN discovered the hot water tank is leaking in the airing cupboard so plumber coming round to replace it tomorrow ( costing altogether just over £400 😪) which means access is required to all radiators (not easy when twice as much furniture here!) and the entire contents of airing cupboard are on middle son's bed. Luckily he has taken Scouts camping in Switzerland until next Sunday.
All in all things could be better!😏😏
Take Care. It sounds awful for you. Just do + take meds. After a few days, things will on the UP.
DeleteGreat news about son + dil getting the keys for their new home together. It is something positive to offset the negatives.
Things WILL get better. 🤗
Just remember, Piriton is a very effective antihistamine, but can cause drowsiness, but take, as prescribed, as the advantages are well worth it. I know this, both personally + in my previous working life. It really helps.
DeleteKeep on keeping on Spiceycushion !
DeleteI use an antihistamine called Zirtek, (generic name Cirtirizine, available more cheaply at Boots and Sainsburys)
DeleteThe dose is just one tablet per day.
I find it is as effective as Piriton but it doesn't have the effect of making you drowsy and sleepy.
It is recommended for hay fever symptoms but, for me it works very well for insect stings, reducing the irritation very effectively.
Hope things improve considerably now you have your medication ,Spicycushion.
ReplyDeleteYou have retained your sense of humour which is great .
I am convinced that that makes a tremendous difference to how quickly one improves
I had a laugh today.
My friend visited us with her daughter and two delightful granddaughters.
The younger little girl loves animals and told me that she was going to live with a farmer but would marry him first.
I asked if I might visit her when that happened.
She pondered the question and then said that I could if I was still alive!
Oh, things could indeed be better, Spicy ! Rather a lot of pill, furniture & leaks.. Reckon it can only improve. Hard to remember which pill when - do you have a chart with a tick list ? Still, with all that going through your system, surely some of misery will ease off even by tomorrow.
ReplyDeleteI hope you get a decent night's sleep.
Just read your description of all your problems Spicy. Oh my goodness, you are going through it at the moment. Talk about everything happening at once!
ReplyDeleteBut hopefully, the plumbing will be mended soon, the excess furniture and other clutter will start disappearing on Thursday, and your awful symptoms will respond to the medication soon.
And you’ll feel fit and well enough to meet up on the 6th.
A good old chat and a some lovely cake will be just what you’ll feel like by then.
As my mum would have said “keep your pecker up”, we are all thinking of you!
Oh Spicy! But think of the good luck that you'll be due really soon....
ReplyDeleteArcherphile a birthday (tomorrow?) I’m sure I recall yours being near my elder sisters and that your hip op was the next day..... if so where has that year gone 😱
ReplyDeleteHave you been seen yet for your painful knee? I wish you well for your outing this week at least the weather will be on your side, although for me by the end of the week too hot 27c 🙄
Oh Lady R, what a wonderful memory you have ! Yes, 74 tomorrow!! 🤫 😵
DeletePlanning to have a lovely pub lunch near Watership Down with our daughter and two of the grandchildren, which will be a real treat as a tiny break from the 800 calories!
And exactly a year, the day, after since my hip operation. The knee is getting worse but it’s difficult to schedule an operation as we have a cruise booked for November, flights booked to Dubai for Christmas and another (short) cruise in April for our Golden Wedding.
The consultant told me it takes longer to recover from a total knee replacement than a hip, so I want to get all of those events over before embarking on the second operation.
I’ll just use my walking stick and put up with it until then.
Ah my brain cells are still working then Archerphile 😂 - have a lovely day tomorrow and your meal will be a real treat following your 800 calories a day!
DeleteYes the knee ops do need work and more time than a hip as Mr R can testify so best you do all your trips first.
Do you use any creams to help the pain at all, apart from Voltoral (?) which one has to be aware of any restrictions in its use I think, Deep Freeze is good for calming arthritic joints and is safe to use at anytime. I am still hanging in there re hip having seen Consultant last week but I think within another year I will have to go ahead and my home circumstances re Mr R will have to be sorted for a period of time. It is the restriction / certain movements only to be adhered to post hip that are probably the most awkward and being the only driver, even though it is only for a number of weeks. Although I get periods of strong pain for which I use the cream and paracetamol I can still walk apace and stand to put on my trousers / shoes etc....
Indeed,Gary.
ReplyDeleteMy mum used to say....
It is always darkest before the dawn.
I am thrilled today, as neice No3, had her 20 week scan this morning (due Jan 6th) and it is a girl! I am so pleased to think about knitting a "girlie" thing. The last 5, have all been boys, so is a nice change.
ReplyDeleteWill she be called Miriam, or do you family not know of your pseudonym here? 😉
DeleteThey do not even know I blog, let alone my name here. My BBC pseudonym is very different.
DeleteI am more than just Jekyll + Hyde, as I also have a 3rd identity, my own!
I always say, what I think, rightly or wrongly + enjoy the ability to do this. Joining in and sharing views, news etc is fun, but I do limit this on a daily basis.
PS I am my normal self on this site, (apart from my name), as all are all so friendly, like-minded, and I just enjoy the chit-chat, be it gardens, family, health problems. These are things to share, help each other, and just be entertained. I have learnt a lot about + been introduced to, many things eg literature.
DeleteLet's keep it ongoing.
Totally agree Miriam ⭐️ 🤗 ⭐️ 🤗
DeleteHow are you doing Spicy?
ReplyDeleteI so hope you are improving even after 24hrs. It must be difficult, but keep on with the Piriton, as this is the anti-histamine of choice, for severe skin allergy reactions, as it works so effecticaly + efficiently.
Take Care - as things will improve quickly, if you do + take, as your GP has prescribed, after all he/she is an expert, so that is why they are consulted.
I am so glad I got the lawns mowed and did a general garden tidy up today - as it is now pouring with rain!!
ReplyDeleteIt was fun. As I am "one-eyed" at the moment, I was a bit wobbly! It is difficult to share + explain, but often it is like being on a ship, when balance is just not quite right.
DeleteI had some new glasses on Saturday but they have had to go back as one lens was loose! It wasn’t obvious to the untrained eye but sufficient to make me feel a bit dizzy. I wore them around the town(Ryde) and felt like you describe, Miriam, I was off balance and not even a drink by then! I went back to the optician and they found the problem. I will now not have them back until we return from a cruise leaving on Thursday and back the following Tuesday . It is to Antwerp and Amsterdam and have tickets to Van Gogh museum and Rijksmuseum so looking forward to that! The old glasses will suffice!
ReplyDeleteAh, but it's a shame you won't have the new glasses to see the paintings, Ev. Still, if the prescription not greatly changed, ok, I guess.
DeleteWhat a super trip ! The Rijksmuseum is big; select what appeals most, I'd say. I went for the Rembrandt & 17) Dutch mainly, I think. Van Gogh, great, & not too much to take in with one visit.
Haven't been to Antwerp - what's there ?
DeleteApparently the centre for diamonds! We intend to take a hop on hop off tour and then mosey around museums near the ship. On board tours did not appeal. One was to Brussels - say no more! Have seen some Van Gogh and like most paintings so much better in the flesh! For years disregarded “The Haywain” but the original in the National Gallery is wonderful to my eyes! In Florence I couldn’t tear myself away from Michelangelo’s “Doni Tondo” and Botticelli’s “Birth of Venus”. My husband thought I was a bit crazy being more down to earth but my daughter appreciates art although not quite so emotionally as me!
DeleteDon’t neglect a visit to a chocolate shop, I hear they are wonderful 😋
DeleteSay no more! Am a chocoholic!
DeleteLady R - re hip op...
ReplyDeleteI was in Sainsburys last week , in the milk aisle.
I saw a lady dipping down with one leg stretched right out behind her, trying to get a bottle from the bottom shelf.
Aha, I thought, as I went to help her, I recognise that manoeuvre. It’s the way you are taught to bend to reach down low, after a new hip. I asked her if she’d had the op and she told me she’d had it done at B’stoke 3 weeks before. We had a laugh and a good old chat about it and I was able to give her a few tips.
The camaraderie of the new hip brigade!!
Bending, as well as kneeling, is the bugbear with a new knee.
DeleteI can't get down low at all easily now, despite being extremely flexible in all other ways.
Was told by consultant that ' some people can't kneel' after op.
I can kneel but for a few seconds only. Completely aware of the steel !
And it hurts.
Oh lord, Mrs P. That’s what I am afraid of, not being able to kneel. It will greatly affect me as I do a lot of things on me knees, like getting in and out of the bath (don’t ask!), weeding cutting out fabric etc etc.
DeleteWell, it’s been my birthday today and I’ve had a lovely one. Met with a friend for a long lunch down in London. Had a really chat and put the world to rights. Had a couple of cocktails with friends at the Beaumont hotel, originally the garage for seldridges!, followed by trip to theatre to see the Book of Mormon.
ReplyDeleteTrain home tomoz.
Fab time, been here 3 days, but ready for home and me dogs!!
🎉🎉🍰🍸🎉🎉
Well, a big belated Happy Birthday to you PtbY! You do love your cocktails, don't you!!!
DeleteAnd speaking of birthdays - Happy Birthday Archerphile!
Happy Birthday for yesterday PtyB .... I didn’t realise we are a just a day apart!
DeleteGlad you had such a lovely time and did so many lovely things.
And thanks for your greeting too Gary.
Happy birthday to you
ReplyDeleteHappy birthday to you
Happy birthday dear Archerphile
Happy birthday to you
🎉🎉🎉🎉🍰🎉🎉🎉🎉
Hope you have a lovely day.
Love the song PtbY, thank you 🎵🎶🎵
DeleteEnjoy your day,Archerphile.
ReplyDeleteGet yourself in practice for 6th September.
Pleased you had a good birthday,P tb Y.
I too was in London yesterday for lunch with a friend and was treated to lunch by her lovely husband.
Oh I did enjoy myself.
I will Lanjan, thank you 🚶♀️🚶♀️🚶♀️🚶♀️
Delete“Happy Birthday” Archerphile 🎈 🎂 🍷 🎉 Have a great day with your family - and enjoy your meal! Tell us all about it later today or tomorrow.....
ReplyDelete😘
Wilco, Lady R. Determined to enjoy today!
DeleteHappy, Happy Birthdays to PtbY & Archerphile ! 🎶🎵😀
ReplyDeleteOoh ptby as well!
DeleteHappy day to you 🍷 🧚♀️ 🎈🎉
Oops 🙄 yesterday hope it went well.....
DeleteHow are you today, Spicy ? A bit better, I hope.
ReplyDeleteDo hope your are feeling a little relief from your symptoms Spicy (even though still early days) 💐
DeleteProud to be Yorkshire. Many happy returns for yesterday. Have a good trip home.🍹🥂
ReplyDeleteArcherphile. Happy 😃 birthday for today. Enjoy your day out.🎂🍾
Happy happy birthday to you both🎂🎂🌻🌻
ReplyDeleteThank you to all my lovely Archers blog friends for your good wishes. What a magnificent group you are! 🥰
ReplyDeleteAnd birthday greetings to you both from me.
DeleteLeo's Or not ?
On the cusp ?
ARCHERPHILE - I've left a message about kneeling under your one about your fears.....
Have also made a note of the plant suggested by JANICE and the alternative to Piriton given by ARCHERPHILE.
Mrs P - can’t see the message about kneeling, under mine......another ofthe curiously disappearing messages perhaps?
DeleteThank you all. 3 days in London and I’m knackered, to put it bluntly.
ReplyDeleteI really should have been whatever zodiac sign is next as I was a month premature but I try to keep up with the Leo traits. I’m a great leader in our house!!😊
Just checked and “Leo” ends on the 23/8 Mrs P, so 20th & 21st fairly near the cusp.
ReplyDeleteSo ptby you would have been a hard working Virgo had you not been a month premature as it is (like one of my sisters) you are a very busy Leo 🦁 and also hard working!
By the time the early part of Oct (Libra) arrived/ me it would appear that the hard working element decided to take a bit of a holiday 😂😂😂 but then popped back into mode later in the month in time for (Scorpion) Lanjan
Happy Belated Birthday Wishes to both Archerphile + PTBY.
ReplyDeleteYou both seem to have had wonderful birthdays.
Star signs - I am on the cusp of Virgo + Libra - (Sept. 22nd) but think I have the tendencies of a virgoan.
I plucked up courage to get on the gov. site for a predicted pension forecast. As I am one of the many million women born in the 1950's (in my case 1954), my pension age has has increased dramatically + drastically, so this is now Sept. 2020.
I was pleasantly surprised, as this was much better than expected, but I still feel agreaved and hard done by, at the extended wait, esp. as I had all the necessary NI contributions and contininous work experience, 5 years ago!
Miriam, my daughter is the 21st the day before you. She is most definitely a Virgo and is very hard working.
DeleteI am pleased that I had thought you probably were a Virgo.
Re delayed retirement pension.
You and all those other women of your age group have been treated very shabbily by the British Government and I do think you are justified in feeling hard done by.
Enjoy your trip EV. This sounds so interesting.
ReplyDeleteMy art knowledge is purely + entirely Italian, both paintings + architecture.
I did the Pierro del Francesco trail and seeing the Maddona del Prado, was a wonderful moment.
I also did the Ghiralando "pulpits", this was also memorable.
Corrections:-
DeletePisano Pulpits.
Maddona del Prato.
I fell in love with Michelangelo in Italy. When I go on my painting holidays we pass the Carrero marble quarries where he personally went to choose the marble for his sculptures. I am also a great fan of the French impressionists and of course Van Gogh was one who led on from them. Won’t go on!
DeleteVery best wishes to Spicy and all who celebrated birthdays this week! Another year older and wiser!!😁🥰
Thank you for all enquiries. Future DIL rang 111 last night as I was in such pain with the horrid enormous blisters all down my forearms and smaller ones now appearing on my legs. Was told can take more painkillers than what I was and also Piriton more frequently. Feeling a little better today but still not right. Hopefully anti biotics are kicking in. Can't do anything physical as it is too painful to move around.
ReplyDeleteI received sad news today as my very good friend announced the death of her husband yesterday. They had moved in 2017 from a beautiful five bedroomed house to a three bed semi in Catford so as to be nearer London and her journalistic work. Three months later he was diagnosed with Alzheimers and his was a rapid decline. My friend cared for her husband, alone initially, then with paid for carers as official there was no 'help' because as soon as what was required had been agreed then he had to be reassessed as he had lost another 'function.'
It was difficult to believe he ended as he did. He was a very erudite, cultured man with a lovely sense of humour and I often joined them along with other friends on a 'wine and wisdom' team at fund raising evenings for our choir, or wildlife charities in New Romney and so on.
I hadn't remembered other birthdays around now. Mine is Sunday. Last year was a special trip to Westminster Abbey with two sons and future dil. This year a trip to the HQ of Kent Scouts to collect middle son from his return journey from Switzerland!
Then Monday hiring a van to move the new house owners!
Just Take Care and do as the medics have prescribed.
DeleteYour son + future dil, will understand if you are unable to help with their move, as your health is so very important.
DeleteThey will not want to put you "at risk" nor put back your revovery.
I understand you wanting to be involved, but sometimes, things don't go as planned.
Just think, a few days later, you can visit and admire their new home, when you are improving.
Oh, Spicy, this is not a good week for you, so sorry. Sad & painful. Glad your future DiL was proactive. So at least you've the go ahead to up the medication as needed.All the best over the next few says
ReplyDeleteArcherphile- you can't see my message ?
ReplyDeleteNeither can I. It disappeared as you said.
In essence it was that from your posts I think you might have less bony knees than me, therefore kneeling may be ok for you.
I feel the steel and don't like it.
Yes Mrs P - mine are quite chubby , so perhaps I’ll be OK ! One advantage of having fat knees? 😄
DeleteMy point precisely !
DeleteSpiceycushion - your condition and situation sounds truly awful, I am so sorry.
ReplyDeleteYour future D in L sounds like a good mate. How lucky you are to have her join your family.
I do hope the anti Bs kick in tonight, and that you get some quality sleep.
Thinking of you Spicy and wishing you a speedy recovery. 💐
ReplyDeleteMe too, Spicy. What a distressing time you are having. Sending my love and hopes for a rapid improvement.
DeleteReading about poor Spicy, I am a bit reluctant to tell you
ReplyDeleteabout my birthday but I’ll have to do it soon because it affects future plans.
Very much a day of 2 halves.
First half lovely: Lunch with some of the family at a beautiful little country pub near Watership Down. Sunny, eating delicious meal in garden and chatting to grandchildren I don’t see all that often, even tho’ they only live 10 miles away from me. Really enjoyed myself.
Second half: Disaster. Spent hanging around A&E for hours waiting for Xrays and to see doctor and be sorted out.
Reason: Took a tumble down concrete steps leaving pub (no, I hadn’t had any alcohol, just Diet Pepsi).
Result: Ripped favourite dress. Shredded tights. Dislocated thumb. Broken metatarsal bone in foot.
Present condition: Thumb in splint strapped to next finger. Very swollen and painful. Foot also very swollen, painful and colourful! Also strapped up and in an inflated boot rather than a plaster cast. Can’t stand on it so have been given crutches . Have to keep leg up as much as possible for at least a couple of weeks then go back to hosp for more Xrays. Full recovery expected in 6 - 8 weeks.
A very memorable day! 🙄
Oh good gracious me.
DeleteWhat a calamity.
Is it the same leg as the knee ? If so, at least that knee will have a rest.
If not..........
I'm so sorry.
You will probably read this in the morning, so I hope you will have had some sleep, though likely very little.
POOR YOU
Oh my goodness Archerphile We are a pair aren't we? It must have been very frightening to fall suddenly like that. I do hope you make a speedy recovery and the aches and pains can be kept to a minimum.
DeleteI am popping pills like nobody's business and feeling better in myself but still in discomfort and soreness.
Many thanks for everybodies' good wishes!
Oh no Archerphile , I am devastated for you! Just logged on to see if you had posted re your day and I truly cannot take it in what has happened to you and on your birthday too!Thank goodness your hip held it could so easily have dislocated. However you still have more than enough to contend with. As Mrs P says you are most likely in bed by now and I too hope you have been able to get some sleep.
ReplyDeleteWhat a week for unfortunate health issues for so many on here - sending my thoughts to you all 🥰
Thankfully the hip was not affected at all as I fell on the other side, put out my hand to save myself, hence thumb was bent right back and dislocated (like when fielding a very fast cricket ball!) and my other leg doubled up under me so that I landed heavily with my foot sort of doubled up underneath - hence broken metatarsal. On strong painkillers, so did get some drug-induced sleep but had to keep this boot thing on in bed which was difficult to arrange, lots of pillows underneath!
DeleteThankfully I learnt how to go up and down stairs with crutches for the hip op but I’m supposed to keep right off foot so will be staying downstairs all day, in front of tv with Mr A acting as butler/ladies maid/nurse!
Thank goodness Mr A returned from Canada !!!!
DeleteOh my goodness, you didn't do things by halves! Take care.
DeleteJust to let you all know that Mr S died peacefully in his sleep last night. After they called me I sat with him for two hours and intended to stay until the undertakers came, but no-one was answering the phone so the nurse gently suggested that I should come home, which is why I'm posting at 2.27am. My son and his family are driving down from Wales tomorrow morning and will stay for the weekend.
ReplyDeleteOh Sarnia I am so very very sorry to hear of the death of Mr S. Whether expected or not it will have shaken your life. No-one else can imagine how you feel, but I hope words and loving thoughts can be of some comfort. x
DeleteMy thoughts with you, Sarnia
DeleteMy sincere condolences to you Sarnia. 🌹
ReplyDeleteMy heartfelt condolences Sarnia my thoughts are very much with you and your family. Take great care of yourself. 🥰 🌹
DeleteSarnia -I will post this again as the first time it disappeared from my screen so I apologise if it repeated.
ReplyDeleteI am so sorry to hear of your loss. My discomfort is nothing compared to losing a spouse.
I hope you take comfort in the fact that Mr S is now at peace. My thoughts and prayers are with you to give you strength and the ability to cope in the near and distant future. God Bless. xx
Sarnia - my heartfelt thoughts are with you this morning as you take in your terrible, even if expected, news. Hopefully your son and family will be able help you cope with all that has to be done over the next few days, and to cushion some of your grief.
ReplyDeleteYour news makes mine seem very trivial and I know everyone here will be sending their love and support to you. This is something many of us will have to go through one day and the thoughts of friends may, hopefully, help.
With love, Archerphile.
Thoughts are with you Sania, now and in the weeks to come. .When you are low, don't forget we are here for you, your virtual friends.
ReplyDeleteSarnia, my thoughts and prayers are with you at this very sad time.
ReplyDeleteYou will take comfort in the fact that your husband is no longer in pain and died peacefully.
I am so pleased that your son and family will be with you shortly so you will have their support .
God bless you.
So sorry Sarnia. Life is very hard sometimes.🙏💕
DeleteJust catching up.....
ReplyDeleteSorry to hear of your about your problems Spicey cushion and Archerephile, I hope your pain disappears soon and you both make a full recovery.
Re kneeling following surgery. I was told kneeling wasn't recommended, I do sometimes but don't feel a thing, however, after my muscles are very tight. Unlike you Mrs P I have no problems bending, so tend to squat ( well half way ) when weeding.
Sarnia, my thoughts are also with you and your family today.
ReplyDeleteDear Sarnia, so very sorry. Your loss is the hardest thing, & please know that we are all thinking about you.
ReplyDeleteSarnia. Like everyone else I send my condolences. Please take care of yourself.
ReplyDeleteArcherphile & Spicy, can see why you say your catastrophes are trivial by comparison, but they aren't trivlal in themselves as you struggle through some painful days & weeks. Wish you both steady recoveries.
ReplyDeleteArcherphile. What an end to the day, In A/E . If the going gets tough and you are needing a chat. Just pop in here and let go.
ReplyDeleteArcherphile as you in situ in front of the tv you might be interested (or not) in The Jeremy Vine Show on Channel 5 @ 9.15am discussions and some laughs too. As we mostly have slow starts to the day we tend to watch some of it whilst having a coffee and then if I am interested enough I put it on via my iPad and “listen” as I do jobs and Mr R disappears to the bathroom.
ReplyDeleteToday we are out for lunch so a faster start than normal. I intend to take greater care than usual after your very unfortunate accident yesterday. So relived that your hip was not involved what an anniversary for it (today) that would have been! Mr R had to wear such a leg “fitment” for sometime during some treatment and sends his sympathies to you as he remembers his many nights having to wear it in bed...
Archerphile which hospital did you attend yesterday?
ReplyDeleteThank you kindly, one and all.
ReplyDeleteArcherphile and Spicey; no, your concerns are not trivial by comparison. My husband's suffering has been long and drawn out, with a long. slow deterioration from last March, and his passing is a huge relief, both for him and for the rest of the family. Your pain, discomfort and distress is of the living and you still have to endure it.; his is over.
My good friend whom I mentioned in a previous post left the hospital with her two sons and they decided that the formalities could wait 24 hours as her husband had been on palliative care for twelve days so they were all exhausted. They travelled around London, had lunch out, sat and talked in a park, and as she said laughed and cried together before returning home to face today and all the business now to settle quite refreshed.
DeleteI hope you get the chance to pause and take breath too.
Sarnia, so sorry to hear your news. Even when death is expected, and is seen as a blessing, it is so traumatic. Best wishes to you and your family.
ReplyDeleteSpicycushion and Archerphile - hope you both recover as quickly as possible, with as little pain as can be acheived. It is such a shock when accidents happen, or when your trusted body is under attack.
Dear Sarnia, your long wait is over and I am sure that much of your grieving has been done over that time.
DeleteRemember the best of your husband with your son and family over the coming weekend and into the future.
After all the necessary practicalities and a peaceful and uplifting funeral have taken place I hope that you will be able to slowly pick up life without him, and continue to gain strength from your organ playing as well as returning to other activities that you have probably had to neglect over this long period of waiting.
Thank you so much for letting us know on this site.
As you can see, you have a great deal of support on here and it will continue for as long as you need it.
God bless you.
MrsP
Quite right, Mrs P, the grieving has been taking place over the last few years or more, watching his control over mind and body gradually slipping away so that he was no longer the man I remembered. He has been in palliative care since March, in and out of hospital, although mostly in, and was transferred to a nursing home a month ago.
DeleteThere is nothing to grieve for now because he is at peace. I will be playing the organ at his funeral, as was his wish.
Oh Sarnia, I am so pleased to hear that. I had wanted to ask, but thought it might be insensitive in some eyes, and did not want to upset or offend anyone by asking.
DeleteI do hope it helps you, and that you can manage to play through your tears.
My mother's end from the time of diagnosis was almost five years.
I too did my grieving through those years.
When she went, peacefully in sleep, I was euphoric especially since we had expected death through choking.
And I found there was no further grieving to be done.
I would like to go to your connection in Nailsworth to send some flowers to you. But send them virtually on here.
🌷
🌹🌹
🌸🌼🌸
🌸💐🌸
🌸🌼🌸
🌹🌹
🌷
Archerphile and Spiceycushion- thinking of you both overnight and hoping that your various aches, pains, blisters, breaks and general un wellness have been helped with whatever form of medication is available to you, and allowed some sleep.
ReplyDeleteHopefully today will bring some improvements to you both.
My best wishes are winging their way to you through this virtual medium.
Thinking about some comments on TA blog, being fed up with it, yet wanting to continue blogging.
ReplyDeleteI don't see anything wrong in taking a break from the programme - short or long ! - yet still posting on this blog, as it is enjoyed by so many. We have a facility where much is shared, information & opinions given, support abounding.
I shall continue to listen to TA, I suppose, or catch up, but some do feel more strongly.
What do others think ?
( We've managed fine without being policed, why not continue that way...)
Oh yes, Carolyn, I totally agree. This non-Archers blog has been a Godsend to so many of us since Ruthie started it. Somewhere to let rip, exchange happy and sad experiences, ask for advice or just chat ‘over the garden fence’
DeleteI shall be catching up with last nights Archers episode this afternoon and will never stop listening, whatever they do to the programme. But I don’t see any reason for someone to stop blogging because they switch it off for a while. This blog, in particular, feels like a lifeline, long may it continue.
I second both sets of comments (Carolyn & Archerphile) and this week in particular the blog has been the scene of many emotions and one can feel the sincerity and kinship felt by bloggers that is being sent to “virtual friends” in need of this support shine through ⭐️
DeleteAgree ! Agree ! Agree !
DeleteWe have found here something to be treasured, friendship.
Through the combined interests of one programme we share and give affection and support.
If you once listened but do so no longer, if you will listen until your end, or if you were only once mildly interested, you will have something in common on this site.
And if you choose to have a break, then you can still keep in touch with others who continue.