hi emptybox

Its the porch they go for before I had to double glazing they could get in easily

I don't mind them and just clean around them ,once again have a lovely day xx

Gogglebox surely has to be one of the best programmes on the box

enjoy your beer and spag bol to-night ,Its very cold here to-day like you I don't have the heating on all the time ,every winter they do this ,whats the point in swapping they are all in cahoots.

Will post later or to-morrow

hibernating ladybirds 

There's quite a few different species there, by the look of it?

Surprising they all congregate together.

Happy Birthday Emtybox.

Been a lousy day, got some garden jobs done between the showers.

Getting rid of 8 vines and replacing with either family tree's, step over tree's of cordons.

Apples, Pears, Plums and Cherry's next year, only veg will be tomato's i think.

Just watching Strictly, glad Bruce is having a day off.

Thanks Hicky.

Pity you didn't get the good weather.

Sounds like you'll be all fruity next year?

Hello all

freezing here to-day brrrr ,but after the sad pictures on the news I'll say no more 

I hope you had a lovely birthday emptybox and enjoyed your beers.

 A week to-day and* I'm A Celebrity  *starts be good to have something we all enjoy ...on catch-up to-day as I missed Downton Abbey last week  last in the series to-night.

Fraid I must agree with Hicky about Brucie much better without him and I don't mean that unkindly , I know most entertainers say 'I'll never retire' but sometimes Its time to sit back.

I so hope Mollie IS OK and things are working out sending love your way Mollie

Not long now until   time just goes so quickly .

speak later xx                       

EMPTYBOX

So sorry it is a day late, couldn't get here yesterday, but hope you had a great day.  

Evening Everyone.

Emptybox, got the nice weather today, Sun all day, not so hot but you don't mind working in the garden when it's out.

Dug up the roots of the 8 vines i'm dumping, re-setting out the main line of tubs, altering the spacing, fitting the wood deck tile underneath and levelling it.

Picked some more raspberries, didn't make the jam as i ran out of time, wanted to use the good weather while i could.

I cut some wood angle supports for the Gazebo, one end was cut at 45deg, the other had to be cut at 45deg but at a slope of 30deg, 6 right, 6 left hand.

They are only 400mm long.

Made a Beef Rendang curry, yummy.

O/H did some shopping this morning, have so many lovely meals now, froze them, wish she'd give me time to eat some of them.

Went to a Bakers shop Saturday for some fresh baked pork pies, got 4 of the medium ones and a big family one, also a fresh cream sponge cake.

Got home, O/H ate half the sponge cake, i have eaten 3 of the 4 medium pies, gave my lad the big one as i won't get time to eat it.

Yes Frodo, another week and IAC is on, great stuff.

45 days to Christmas as well.

Evening Mollie, you must take it easy, you must be worn out, well, i know you are.

Just popped in to say night all 

I have a big mug of hot chocolate the shopping sounds good Hicky ,I bought quite a good few ready meals too and made some cheese ,potato and onion pastys the other day

Take care Mollie and look after yourself Hi to emptybox 

night all xxx

Hi guys.

Thanks for the birthday greetings Mollie. Hope your laptop is holding up?

Very frosty this morning, had to scrape the car before I got the papers. But it turned into a sunny day. Barely above zero though.

Glad you managed to get some work done in your garden Hicky.

You'll just have to eat faster before your OH freezes everything.

Hi Frodo. Enjoy your hot chocolate.
Yep, I'm looking forward to IAC as well.

Not actually feeling so good today. I had a bad headache last night, and have been feeling a bit grotty for most of today. Hope I'm not coming down with flu.

Good Morning Everyone.

A bit warmer here today, wet again though.

And hello to Frodo, a mug of chocolate sounds good, ages since i made one of those.

Thats great, making those pasties, you can't really freeze them can you.

Emptybox, I did freeze all the meals, if i don't some get wasted, they are so easy to thaw of cook from frozen it isn't a problem.

It's just nice to be able to go the freezer and find what you fancy.

There are so many meals now it's hard to know what i have.

O/H replaces them and i haven't even eaten the last ones.

she keeps buying packs of the frozen sausages i like but the drawer is full of unopened bags.

Still it's better than running out.

Sorry to hear about your headache, not i thing i am used to, it would worry me, you should see the Doc really, so many things can cause it.

Morning all 

raining here  and cold ,aw sorry about you not feeling well emptybox

certainly hope Its not the flu coming on ,,took me ages to shake my cold off 

get some lemsip in ,yes I love hot chocolate I can drink It with or without milk.

Yes like I said good to have a variety of meals in cos sometimes I don't feel like cooking ,and when I do I always freeze the leftovers

I freeze the pasties Hicky and just reheat in foil in the oven.

I hope Mollie Is well and not too tired 

Ah I loved Downton last night an hour and a half I wonder If Bates did the dirty deed ?

The posh couple from Gogglebox were on More 4 cant remember If It was Saturday or Sunday they were in Four In a Bed I remember them now their house was fantastic ,they came second but really should have won  really nice people

see you later                       

Emptybox

wrap up like this

Afternoon.

Feeling much better today. It must have been a 24hr thing, or just me recovering from my bad headache.

Got a good night's sleep last night, which helped.
I've taken a day off work, but I'll have to get down to my invoicing in a bit.

Hicky I've had bad headaches all my adult life. Not very often thankfully, but every few months I get them so bad that I have to sit in a darkened room for a few hours to get rid of them. A couple of doses of paracetomol usually does the trick. Lying down only makes them worse.

I often feel shaky afterwards, and I think that's what yesterday was about.

Hi Frodo. That's clever of you finding that picture of Tux (the Linux mascot).

Yes I think the posh couple have been in a few things? I think they have a hotel, don't they? Or at least Chanelle was talking about going to stay in it on twitter.

Hicky your freezer sounds like it's stuffed full, and you're not sure what's in it at any particular time?

I usually know exactly what's in mine. Mind you that's because it's only me here.

Good Afternoon Frodo.

Thats ok freezing your pasties, always have a standby meal

I've got so many meals in the freezer that i could never get through them.

We eat out a couple of times a week else get a takeaway, so i only get half way through a weeks meals and i then get another weeks meals, they are really mounting up, probably about 18 or more, but at least a good selection.

Hope Emptybox is ok, these colds are sure a problem.

Hope Mollie is OK as well, doing so much running around.

Pretty quite here at the mo so got time to post.

Hello Hicky emptybox Mollie,

just been pretending to do some housework ,floor Is being done to-morrow .

I had a sweet and sour King Prawn frozen meal the other day ,but like you I need to let things run down for some Christmas goodies  ,I have loads of cooking apples so may make some pies and freeze them 

Glad you are feeling better empybox sounds like Migraine you suffer with 

https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=tux+the+penguin&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&sa=X&ei=5u2AUv-2CJCthQe7rIHACA&sqi=2&ved=0CDgQsAQ&biw=910&bih=435

here Is your little fellow....love this one

Yeah that's a good one Frodo.

You can have endless fun, putting the penguin in different outfits.

Yes, I think it's probably a type of migraine that I get. My mother used to get them as well, but worse than me.

Hello all 

emptybox now I understand why he Is your AVI just been reading about It on Wiki ,my goodness you must really be computer savvy Wow

Yes I had an Aunt that had headaches like yours she had to go in a darkened room and It made her sick

I can't seem to get into the telly to-night I just keep flicking around

I hope Mollie Is alright and not too stressed out I keep thinking about you Mollie ,don't worry about answering just to let you know I'm thinking about you xx.

I had another meal frozen (and yes I cooked It first) sort of a hotpot with quorn and slices of potatoes on top I sure they make them with toddlers in mind not enough to feed a squirrel certainly not enough for Hicky he would have classed It as a starter

Think I'll make a mug of chocolate and eat some biscuits and then have an early night ...sees you

Back again 

they have the betting odds up for' I'm A Celebrity ' are they guessing who Is going In cos I haven't seen anything official.

I won't say the names because people like to be surprised .....I was looking at the odds for' Strictly Come Dancing' when I saw It

Well......modesty forbids.

Morning all

I'm getting a little bit frustrated,the man doing the floor Is over 2 hours late 

and still no sign ,he rang to say the wood hadn't arrived? but that he would not be that long,can't put the heating on in case he's overpowered working

getting  by the minute  

see you later              

just rung him ...oh Hi again 

he seems so bliddy nonchalant  he knew last night the wood wasn't in 

bad for business this as he wants paying in cash and my mate has booked him next week (all above board by the way)

I will not swear,I will not swear ...goes muttering off tearing my hair out

all

Emptybox

sorry to hear about your headache, I did read somewhere that ibuprofen can be more effective than paracetomol, might be worth giving them a go if you haven't tried them already? Hope you are ok now and able to do your gardens ok.

Yes I remember seeing the posh couple in their lovely hotel on 4 in a Bed.   They are just brilliant on Gogglebox.

I didn''t realise you penguin was something to do with computer stuff, thought it was just a cute piccie.   But in that case, it does suit you, as we know you are techy savy.

Hicky

There is certainly no need to go hungry in your house with all that stuff in your many freezers.   I bet you will have to clear them out soon to stock up for Christmas food. Hope you have the good weather we have today to get in your garden.

Fredo

I love your piccies of the cute penguin, what lovely creatures penguins are.   Sorry to hear you floor man never turned up, i know that is sooo annoying when you wait around for a workman not to turn up. Fancy not even letting you know the wood was not in.   Hope it gets sorted soon.

I am really busy now... vat to do, which is real long winded now OH working away.... houses to search for as LL is up to something,... if I can fit it in, daughter and I might get to Devon Thursday to start looking at houses there... gasman came today to service boiler, he said it was full of rust, in a bad way, looked like LL had never had it serviced before and it is over 10 years old. OH was busy cleaning the mould all weekend. Nice day so loads of washing on line. Friend of mine having big problems with her OH  gambling, so she came over for chat yesterday, so that made me more behind, but couldn't say no to her, poor lady, such a shame.

if i am not around much next few days, you know why..

must catch up workwise as I don't want to miss out on IAC and our chats about it next week.

off to sort mums jobs out now and do a bit of food shopping.

have a good day all xxx

Hello all 

aww Mollie lovely to hear from you ,your posts are so chatty

It would be lovely If you could get a house near your OH good time to look now too and you may get a house away from the beach more inland to rent or preferably near to the sea that would suit you . Fingers crossed for you anyhow

Sorry to hear about your friend nothing much worse than someone gambling away money .

take care you and you may be able to get a place for your mum by exchanging if her flat Is council run so keep your chin up   

Floor men have just turned up so better late than never ....must go dogs are very unsettled.

to emptybox and Hicky see you later

your LL is outrageous not having the boiler serviced ,she will be lucky to rent out if doesn't keep things ship shape ...

What a farce 

he has run out of wood ....I've got the dogs upstairs as the furniture is all over the place ,the part he has done looks good Its broken up and looks like real floorboards ,but he has done work for all the family so he knows I won't complain....ta ta for now must get a cuppa and the dogs need a wee 

I will say this for him It doesn't look like laminate and he Is making a really good job of It ,I'm so pleased with how he Is making It look like real floorboards ,so I'll give him that will speak later...bet you are fed uo with meand my bliddy floor 

I just deleted the bits I didnae want.

Hi Frodo. Glad your floor men turned up in the end. I hope they do a good job for you, when they finally get all the wood they need.

Lovely day here, but a bit windy for hedgecutting. But I put a load of washing on the line and they dried, which is unusual for mid November up here.

Hi Mollie. Sounds like you've got a lot on your hands just now. Are you looking to rent again, when you find a place near your OH's work? I guess that would be sensible, as you don't know how long he would be based there?

I've never tried Ibuprofen, I'll look into it. I know paracetomol works, even though it takes an hour or so to take effect.

My landlady is similar in that our central heating boiler was installed in 1999, and it was never looked at until it sprang a leak last December and had to be replaced. So she had to shell out for a new boiler....silly girl.

hello all floor finished looks good ..but I'm shattered up at silly o'clock 

and see you soon may post later 

Evening Everyone.

Had a good day here weather wise.

Sun all day.

Blacksmith rang, he said he wanted to see me as he had a question about 1 set of brackets.

went to see him, he has almost finished them not much to do now then he will get them galvanised.

Took DIL to west Kirby, needed to get to the bank.

Rehashed the Cupola for the top of the Gazebo, son thought it looked to high so changed it.

Had little one round, he was finishing off the raspberries, will cut them down now.

Fitted the other section of clear Tarpaulin to the Gazebo, like a glove, am going to order an eyelet kit to put more eyelets into the Tarpaulin so it can just be hung up when needed.

Frodo, glad you got your floor at last, wow, what a wait, as long as it's what you wanted.

Mollie, you sure have a lot on your plate, hope it doesn't get too much, only pop in when you feel free, don't get overtired.

Thats not good about the boiler, it needed flushing out years ago.

Emptybox, what are you doing now, gardening wise, do you do any tree pruning in the winter?

I'll have to change my rear tyres, have 2 more winter tyres in the garage, although all my tyres are winter ones anyway.

Watch this video, it will show you the difference on snow, later you can click and see the difference in the rain.

There's no doubt about what should be used, we are the only country i think that doesn't have winter regulations regarding driving in winter.

Probably because the drivers would kick up a fuss having to buy them, but they are happy to sit all night on the road and can't move.

Hi Frodo, glad you got your floor finished.

Hicky, I've mostly got hedges to cut and shrubs to prune. I might prune some small trees, but I'm not insured to prune tall trees or to use a chainsaw anyway.

Not sure of my opinion of winter tyres? I've used them in the past, but they are a hell of a faff.

all

Fredo

hope you are pleased with your floor, now it is all done, and that it was worth waiting for. Have you heard how Morse is? And how are your dogs and the visiting cat? My doggie is sunbathing by the window now, she likes that. The bunny is munching his hay.

Emptybox

I bet you have to be careful what jobs you do or don't do, can't upset the business insurance premium. I have to sort out my OH's business insurance and know how complicated all the small print is.

One of my neighbours has a tall fir tree hedge and the other day I couldn't believe it, he was standing on top of it whilst cutting it, with his ladder balanced against it. He later told me he was actually standing on an old door that he laid on top of the trees and moved along a bit each time he cut a section.   He is a real nice quiet guy, but he must be a bit of a risk taker to do that. Days later I saw him down the road with a police car behind his car, he had run into a van, wrote off the van and broke his wheel. Admittedly he was blinded by the sun whilst driving though. A week later and he still does not have his car back. No one was hurt as he was only driving slowly though. The irony of it though is he must see tons of accident victims because he works in the hospital as an aneathatist.

Hicky

Finally your raspberries have finished then. You certainly had a good crop this year, I bet your youngster enjoyed the last of them.   Sounds like your gazebo is coming on well. I am looking forward to seeing some pics of it.

At last nearly finished vat paperwork, I was working on it till late last night, as by the time I had seen to mum, done shopping etc didn't start it till late. This morning silly things like paper running out, and stapler breaking, all slowed me down though. Hopefully can post it later today.

Not going house hunting in Devon today as been too busy. Yes I think we will rent if we can find somewhere until we know more about OH's job. But I need to go down and check areas first.

Showery and cool today...., managed to take doggie a nice walk though, as we sheltered in bus shelter when the short shower came.

Back to the paperwork. Must catch up if I want to have free time to watch IAC next week, and X factor. (and get on here too, of course.)

Hello all 

yes the floor Is finished and I like It .It feels sort underfoot ..A lovely soft carpet would be ideal  but I'll settle for this .

I was shattered yesterday cleaning up but totally worth It

On More 4 last night *One Born Every Minute ...What happens Next  *

showing what happens afterwards Brilliant so moving on again next week too

Making some bread at the moment trying butter in the mix ,I usually just use extra virgin olive oil ...but butter Is supposed to make the bread softer ,we shall see .

I enjoyed Gogglebox last night obviously they must know they are being filmed and I found It a little tiresome last night  probably cos I was tired 

back later take care all xxxxxx

Mollie LOL 

Such a funny post how can someone with such an important job be so eccentric

wonderful on top of a tree  hedge on a door   I want to live near you 

I still feed the cat he/she Is looking so sleek ,no chicken the other day so I microwaved him some cod

I support the kids through my DD so any help I can give to an animal etc I will ,my son Isn't best pleased ....so what's new my house 

From what I can gather Morse Is a naughty boy chewing things ...see mine are out a lot and then sleep with full tummies nice and warm and not left on their own

Yes I agree with Hicky Mollie post when you can ,but It's not the same without you ..lovely long chatty family posts I look forward to them and to Hicks and emptybox posts too 

off for a while to ponder on anaesthetist  cutting a hedge on a door LOL

Evening.

Lovely day here, but very chilly this afternoon.

I got another hedge cut, a big holly one. I didn't use a door though.

Bloomin' annoying when the holly gets inside your sweatshirt.

Basically if a hedge is too tall for my step ladder I don't agree to cut it. For the big hedges you really need to erect scaffolding to be safe.

I can see how using a door would work though, if the top of the hedge was stable enough, but it would be very dificult to make sure you were keeping level, I would have thought? Although I guess you could put a line up first.

Hi Mollie. Glad you are getting through your paperwork.

You have to be extra careful driving at this time of year, cos the sun is low in the sky, and can easily mean you can't see ahead properly.

Hi Frodo. Glad you are pleased with your new flooring.

I'm sure the little cat has never been so well fed.

I've seen the line-up for IAC. I won't say because I know Mollie likes a surprise, but I don't think I'd be giving anything away by saying that Miss Hazel O'Sullivan is not on the list.

Hello emptybox 

have you a link so I can see without spoiling It for others ...I like to know straight away .

Watching Grand designs on 4SEVEN ..so sad they started building this house and the lady Lucy Fairweather lost her partner aged 33 but she carried on with the house ...lovely lady and yes the cat seems good ,someone must have been cruel or Its wild won't let me near he or she

Oh the bread seems good I haven't tasted It but I made 22 breadcakes froze them of course ,this time I used the butter ,which I have started using on my toast .a very large tub I bought just for a change 

lap top or Ga Ga is playing up x

Evening Everyone.

Not too nice here today, rained some, very windy, didn't let that stop me.

Got a lot done really.

Have repositioned and levelled 11 big tubs ready for new plants/trees put the deck squares down and levelled them using water in a tray, it works fine.

Have finished the Cupola for the top of the gazebo. blacksmith taking brackets for galvanising Friday.

Have ordered more bolts for the roof sections, have ordered big eyelets for the side screen sheets to be able to hang them on the new gazebo.

Going to order more tree's, have ordered more manure to plant the tree's.

Hello Emptybox, glad you could get some jobs done, the weather is ok in dribs and drabs.

One minute it's sunny, next it's pouring down.

Always get Winter Tyres if you can afford them, there's no doubt that they are really needed from November till march, watching all the test video's proves this, there's no comparison.

I think more will be going in the jungle later, as they always do.

But for now there's some fine females.

I've been changing all my passwords and making them more secure.

They are now at least 17 characters long including number, capital letters small letters and some non alphanumeric ones as well.

A different password now for each site.

Yes Mollie, will show a picture when i sort the gazebo, going to be a big job cutting all the right lengths for the 6 roof sides.

I would think while your O/H is working away on contract it would be advisable to just rent a place, but it may be a problem getting short term rental.

Frodo, glad your pleased with the floor, if thats what you wanted then great,

For tea i had a plate of battered prawns, a plate of curry beef and rice then a fish pie.

Just had some clotted cream shortbread, a few fudge, a couple of Cointreau chocolate bonbons and a few chocolate orange segsations.

I might make the jam tomorrow, depending on the weather.

Looking forward to IAC on Sunday.

Hi Frodo. The initial list of celebs is just on the ITV site - http://www.itv.com/imacelebrity

Yes I saw that episode of Grand Designs as well; very sad.

Hi Hicky. I see you managed to get a lot done despite conditions not being ideal.

You seem to be rewarding yourself with some sweet treats as well?

Yes I recently changed a lot of my passwords so I have a different one for each site. I think it was after Yahoo mail was compromised a while back, and I realised I'd used the same password for too many sites. I've always used unique ones for any financial stuff though.

  you are funny how you can't wait, Bet when you were a kid you wanted to peep at all your pressies before Dec 25th?

That is good that you didn't give the game away though, but I am also pleased  to hear Hazel would not be going in.

Glad to hear your new floor is so nice for you.   I bet it is nice and easy for you to clean too.

Aaaww dear little Morse chewing everything, but it is understandable if he is being left alone. Dogs don't like that. Ours is rarely alone, like yours is content with our company, fresh food and comfy cushions and the sofa as well as her own fluffy bed when she wants it.

I love One Born every minute, but missed that, but I just haven't had much time to watch tv lately.

Will have to make sure I make time for IAC though.

Good morning all

vat all done at last, just have to sort envelope out and post it today now.

Hicky

you have been busy with your tubs now I see. Looking forward to the gazabo piccies, but it does sound like you have a big job on your hands. Good luck, hope the weather is on your side to help you get it done. Your sweet treats sound yummy.

Me and daughter love Hotel Chocolate. OH brings some back for us when he comes home weekends.

Emptybox

I see you have been peeping at the IAC list too. Glad you didn't let on though.

I am hopeless with my PW's, keep forgetting them.

OUch....holly in your sweatshirt....to be avoided I reckon.

Yes best not to copy my eccentric neighbour and just to leave hedges too high for you, I reckon. What do you mean by putting a line up?

Me and daughter went shopping a few days ago, and I got a penguin wooly hat and she got a reindeer one.   And I bought all the family a Christmas jumper. Not sure if OH and the boys were too excited with theirs though.  All from Primark so not expensive either. Bit early to wear them yet though?

I also got a reindeer front door mat for £1.99 from Co-op, and that is in place already. Am well pleased with that, as is the dog who likes to lie on it when she is waiting to go on her walk.

Must dash and get stuff ready for post, then take lad to guitar lessons, am meeting OH in town to do bit of Christmas shopping as he got his hours in and was able to get away from work early.

have a good day all xxx

Hi Mollie.

Your penguin woolly hat and Christmas jumpers sound..er..great.

Glad your OH managed to get some time to do some Christmas shopping with you.

Not bad day at all here. Got my vehicles washed and spruced up.

Looking forward to X-factor after my bath and my usual Saturday supper.

Think the weather is set to go downhill midweek, with snow and icy conditions?

Evening Everyone.

Made another 2 kilo of Raspberry Jam, Raspberry plants cut down now, was eating them while i was cutting them down.

I have taken 1 row out, put a couple of plants into 2 big tubs, will give the other 4 to my neighbour.

Just had some lovely Rib Beef with mash, gravy and Yorkshire pudding.

With a chocolate sponge pudding for afters.

Emptybox, after being advised by Avast to have tough passwords and to make each different.

To make the passwords understandable by me to remember, i have incorporated  2 letters of the site i am logging into.

Mollie, glad you got your vat sorted, Christmas jumpers eh, sounds good.

Hope you mum is doing ok, glad your O/H got home early.