Evening Both.

Had a nice brekkie out today with my lad and out O/H's, the usual stuff, haven't eaten since as we will be eating soon and if i eat it puts me off.

Didn't go in the garden, 12c and wet and very windy, 48mph, can do without that.

Emptybox, yes, wet and windy, glad you got some jobs done thouigh.

Hope the mower fix holds out, such a problem trying to keep it running.

If foods are dearer to import then maybe they can buy from the UK, a lot of companies buy in when the stuff is available here.

strange how you symptoms can come and go, don't follow that.

Thats bad news about your PVR box, it looks like it should be replaced, if you want it to work properly.

Mollie, The problems with the Freeview box will go away when i replace it, same as Emptybox's really, hardware, firmware of software won't cure itself.

Such a shame about the rabbit, whats the chances of survival if it's that old.

I seem to be getting a bit of a cold, had to put the heating up at 3pm to 20, i know thats not hot but i keep it as cool as we can stand.

Hicky

sorry to hear you seem to be getting a cold. Yes best to keep nice and warm, I heard that if your body gets cold it has a job fighting germs off as it has it has to fight to keep warm first. Do you have any echinacea, that is supposed to help too.

I hope it doesn't spoil your enjoyment of the meal out.

You certainly haven't missed much on tv tonight!

Hope you are feeling ok today Emptybox.

Goodnight both xxx

Hi Mollie.
Very heavy rain last night. I was woken at 3am with the rain battering against the windows. But it had finished by the morning, and turned into a reasonable day.
Got a couple of jobs done.

Can't find any patterns for my symptoms really. I'm a creature of habit, and tend to do the same things week after week. So there's no reason why I should be affected one week and not another.
Got some symptoms again today, but it usually takes a few days to get back to normal.

Really hope your house bunny comes through his operation OK on Thursday.
Must have been a difficult decision for you and your daughter.

Watched 'Ordinary Lies' on BBC1 tonight. That series has always been good in the past.
Looking forward to seeing who is in IACGMOOH this time.

Evening Both.

Not too bad a day, was out at 10am, we took my lad to Widnes to pick up his car he has bought, a Hyundai i30, nice car i came home in it with him.

Picked 1 carrot and it doesn't look too bad, never been able to grow carrots but this year i payed special attention to the compost as anything that can stop the root will ruin the growth, it was only about 3" long but the tap root was dead straight and 3 inches long, it was only a sample so i ate the carrot, not bad.

Will have to pull up some beetroot as well, some are not a bad size.

Mollie, My cold seems to have gone, strange isn't it,.

The meal was fantastic as usual, but i can't eat like i used to, so a few tasty morsels and i'm full.

Had chicken and mushroom soup, crispy wontons, prawns in batter, salt & pepper ribs, could have had as much as i wanted, then the crispy duck, then curried beef and rice.

Emptybox, Heavy rain woke me last night, but today was quite nice.

You can only take the symptoms as they come, but without tying it down you can't offer a set of circumstances.

I've got a big list of who might be in IAC this year but it's not certain as usual.

Hi Hicky.
Not bad day here. Quite mild, but mostly cloudy.

Got a few jobs done.
Think I've solved the mystery noises coming from the mower. Don't think the blade was on tight enough, and it seems to have already broken the new part I bought. It must have been made of softer alloy than the original, because the lugs on it have already sheered off. I didn't hit any stones this time, just tough grass.
Not worth my while trying to get on to the seller, because they'd just claim I hit a stone.
I did the same as I did with the old part and filed it down a bit so I could tighten the blade up directly, and I'll just run it like that.
Seems to be working fine and not making any noises now. The only downside of doing that is the blade could get jammed on, and I might not be able to get it off to sharpen it. But the old mower was like that for over two years and worked fine.

My kitchen drain seems to be blocked again. It's always doing that because the pipe is too narrow. I'll see if I can free it myself, but otherwise I'll have to get on to the landlady.

Yes, the Hyundai is a good car. My sister in law had an i10 a few years ago.
Glad you are pleased with your 3" carrot. Just a nice size for eating, I would think.
That's good that your cold has gone.

Evening Emptybox.

Didn't do much today, had a look to see if there are more of the nice baby carrots for the weekend, yes, i ran my finger under the soil to test, they seem fine, the carrots seem deeper than i expected, i remember putting a very shallow groove for the seeds.

why was the mower making the noise, how could the blade come loose so easy, something sounds strange, the alloy used is usually a standard material as far as i know.

Some bleach and hot water may help to clear the drain, it's normal to buy a suction thingy, they usually work.

One of these http://www.screwfix.com/p/sink...T46c8CFUI_GwodQmcIaQ

Or these. http://www.screwfix.com/p/plum...rger-4-plunger/80690

This car of my lads is an i30 it's only a basic model, 1 yr old but in good condition.

Hope Mollie isn't too stressed again.

both

Hicky

so glad your cold cleared so quickly. All that home grown produce must be helping your immunity. Sounds like you enjoyed your lad's birthday meal out, even if you don't eat so much as you used to.

Your lads car sounds nice, I think they are known for reliable, which is good.

Emptybox

what a pain the new part is broke already. Let's hope your mower contiues working ok now.Hope you can sort the drain out, such a pain when you have to wait for LL to get something done! Hope your symptoms are under control today.

The little old bunny has survived the op.   He is in bunny hospital overnight, but the vet ran me 7.30 and said she is pleased with him, so let's hope he continues to improve. Vet started work about 8am, did bunny's op mid morning and she didnt finish vet sugery till she rang me at 7.30!

I have to change mum's agency now. Social worker rang me and said so, old agency are having staffing troubles. Big upheaval finding a new agency and getting to know a whole new care team. This caring role seems to get harder and harder by the day.

Enjoying watching the Apprentice, but Salt and Vinegar fudge! Who on earth do they think would buy that?

Goodnight both xxx

Evening both.
Raining most of the day so no work done.
Managed to get last month's accounts done though.

Also I think I've shifted the blockage in the drain. For now anyway.

I've got both those plunger devices Hicky, but they didn't have any effect, so I guddled down the outside drain by hand and pulled out a certain amount of fat, but managed to push some further away where I couldn't reach, which actually made it more blocked.
I was wearing a rubber glove, but I can still smell that awful fatty smell, even though I've scrubbed my hand and arm several times.
I also tried putting a long wire down, but it was too stiff to turn the corner in the drain.
Then I went into town and bought some Mr Muscle drain unblocker. I poured half the bottle in and left it for an hour, then ran some hot water in, but it didn't seem to be working. But half an hour later I heard a loud "glug glug glug", and I looked and the level of the water had gone down a lot. So I poured the other half of the bottle in for good measure.
Hopefully that'll clear it for a while, but I'll be very careful what I put down it from now on.
I didn't think I was putting anything fatty down it, but I now read that porridge can block the drain, and I've been cleaning out my porridge pan in that sink for the last year.

Fairly sure the noises the mower was making was the blade turning loose. I'd tightened it up, but didn't think I needed to over-tighten it because it was held by these lugs. Perhaps that was wrong? But it must have sheered the lugs off on the first big lawn that I cut.
I think it's a design flaw with that model, as all the ones I've had have sheered the lugs off quickly, but I haven't had the problem of the blade running loose before.
I think it's a safety feature that the lugs sheer off when the blade hits an obstacle, rather than the drive shaft getting damaged. But they're not supposed to break so easily.
Anyway. Hopefully it'll be OK now.

Glad your carrots are coming along fine, even if they are planted a little deeper than you thought.
I'm always doing that with potatoes. I think I've planted them quite shallow, then have to burrow down to get the crop up.

That's a real shame that you have to change the care agency again Mollie. Did you not just switch agencies a month or so back?
Really glad your rabbit has come through his ordeal.
Hope he recovers OK.

My cousin is a vet, but not sure she works full time, as she also does writing and various other things alongside it. (veterinary text books and magazine articles, not novels)
She loves horses, but unfortunately has a bad back, so can't do much of the large animal work. She actually specialises in acupuncture for animals.

Yes Apprentice was good, and probably the right one went again.
Yes, what were they thinking with salt 'n' vinegar fudge. Salted caramel perhaps......

Evening Both.

Not a bad day, didn't do much, walked around the garden, gave a few apples to a neighbour, 2 massive cookers, i won't use them, got a couple of apples out of the garage for O/H, she likes them with cheese.

I think i'll pick some beetroot tomorrow to cook, going to pick some carrots for Sunday.

Mollie, Yes my lad didn't realise that Hyundia is from South Korea, and i didn't realise that they made 13 models of car ranging from 7k to 40k.

I can't think of any meal that can beat a sort of Banquet, i just love a variety of foods, and the salt & pepper ribs are out of this world, i wish i knew were i could buy them, and the battered king prawns you can't buy like that.

Glad Bunny is ok so far.

who in their right mind would make S & V Fudge, you would have to be mental.

Emptybox, I can't believe how much rain you get, you must be living in an old rain forest that had the trees cut down.

Yes, unblocking any type of drain can be a stinky job, i had to do the kitchen drains in the other place, stuff just doesn't go around the bends down from the grid to the manhole outside the kitchen window, fat on it's own isn't so bad but you tend to get hairs if the shower etc comes down to the same grid, also the fat sticks to the hairs and fibres and together it becomes a matted mess that is like a dam in the outside pipework, i try not to put anything down the kitchen sink unless it is a liquid, i always have strainers fitted but you really can't allow anything but liquid through.

You could be right about the lugs on the mower blade fixing boss, it seems the wrong way to get a blade to slip if jammed, surely they could make a torque joint that slips if the torque is above any usual strain that could be expected in normal use.

Enjoyed The Apprentice, haven't noticed anyone with a brain yet, how do you not be able to work out a few sums to get the prices right, that girl with the calculator couldn't even doing using that.

I agree about the fudge, totally brainless, of all the new ideas to come up with whoever though of that.

Hi Hicky.
It wasn't raining today for once. But it was very cloudy and the grass was soaking wet from yesterday.

Not sure if I've had it wetter than usual this year, or if you've had it dryer?
It's certainly not helping me to get the season finished anyway.

That's great that you've got the pick of your own produce.

I think Mountfield have made an effort to make their mowers cheaper this year, as previously the price was creeping up to near that of the likes of Honda, and they were getting competition from the cheaper makes.
So therefore the components are probably not up to the same standard.

I was having problems reaching certain sites earlier - Twitter, Digital Spy and others, and I thought it was a problem with my router, so I rebooted it several times to try to sort it out. I also changed the DNS server to Open DNS, and then things came back to normal.
But I read that everybody was affected, and it was a massive Denial of Service attack.

https://www.theguardian.com/te...ernet-denial-service

Nobody is standing out on The Apprentice, as you say. The Irish girl Grainne seems quite sensible though.
Watching a bit of this Stand Up to Cancer thing on CH4.

Evening Emptybox.

A very calm day here for a saturday, 12c should have had sunny spells but just saw cloud.

Didn't do much, will have to bring the tomato trusses in, it says, put them in a draw with a banana, not sure whether it was supposed to be ripe or not.

You are right, maybe it is dryer here and not wetter there.

You could be right about the mower, instead of raising the price they could cut down on certain materials, i think i would ring them ans ask, tell them your problem.

I just noticed twitter had gone down, yes a D.O.S. attack, you would have thought they could write software to protect from that wouldn't you?

Strictly on now.

Hope Mollie gets a bit of rest this weekend.

Just popped back in to say, i stopped the Paracetamol to see if it had any effect and no change, i was only taking them for the Arthritis in my hands but they seem fine so i'll leave them off until thing change.

both

Emptybox

thank goodness the drain seems to of cleared. what a horrible job though. Let's hope it stays clear now. And also hope the mower keeps working ok, I bet the ground is getting a bit wet now with the rain you've had for you to do the lawns. Or have you done your last cuts now ?I bet it is leaf clearing next.

Hope you are feeling a bit better in yourself now. Sphab bol night with a beer today I reckon?

No I didn't actually move agencies awhile ago because the one I was supposed to move to, couldn't get the staff!

that is interesting about your cousin being a vet, such a shame about her back though. Yes the vets do seem to develop a special interest in one animal. Our usual vets passed us on to the bunny vet. Bunny came home yesterday. Amazing really after having a big op only the day before. He needs a lot of nursing though. He can't stand yet, and has a huge scar, he goes for stiches out next week. He is eating/drinking well though and trying to sit up. He has pain relief meds and anti boitics too. We just hope it has been worth it for him and he gets his mobility back.

Hicky

hope you enjoy your carrots. I love the funny shapes you get on home grown ones. Wonder what your neighbour will do with the cooking apples? Gosh I never realised Hyndai had such a broad choice of cars and such a price choice too.

That sounds good if you have been able to lay off the paracetomol and your hands are still ok. Best to only use pain relief when you really need it.

I heard about that DOS attack, but didn't notice as was too busy to go online much.

Been to Cardiff todya, very busy, lots doing Christmas shopping, some of the shops have their decs up already. I bought my Christmas cards. Daughter was at pokemon gaming thing whilst we were there, sons looked after little bunny. Dog was funny, she got a bit jealous of all the attentiion buny was getting and kept barking so someone would rub her belly!

Enjoying watching X factor.

When does IACGMEOOH start?

Goodnight both xxx

Evening both.
Raining today. We were supposed to get sunshine according to the forecast. I suppose there was 5 minutes of sun late afternoon.

Hicky, I usually just put the half ripe tomatoes on the windowsill, and hope they ripen there. It's a slow process though.
I've got plenty still going orange on the plants at the moment, but I think they are OK to be left there until there is a threat of frosts? I've got plenty to eat inside first anyway.

I think the mower will be OK as it is for now. Not a fan of phoning people up unless I have to. Too anti-social for that.
Yes, you'd think they would have more protection against these DOS attacks. Seemingly they're often done by bored teenagers in their bedrooms? Ridiculous.

Probably good to only take painkillers like paracetomol and ibuprofen when you need them, as they've found even small doses can have bad effects if taken long term.
I take both of those at times, but try not to take them every day.

Hi Mollie. Really glad the bunny is home and eating and drinking well. Hope he continues to recover.
Hope you manage to find a new care agency for your Mum.
Hope you enjoyed your Christmas shopping today.

I've still got some grass cutting to do, but as you say, it may turn out too wet, and they may have to miss out. You just make a mess if the ground's too soggy, so better to leave it slightly long in a lot of cases.

Yes it was spag bol and beer tonight.
Still having some symptoms from the bout that started last Sunday, so I've had to take ibuprofen again today. But not too bad.

X Factor good tonight.
Honey G sung a different song today, but I read that she wasn't allowed to change the lyrics of that Ice Ice Baby song because the David Bowie people objected.

Evening Both.

11c today but a nice Sunday really, did get some sun this afternoon, wind very mild.

Pulled some carrots for the roast today, i was surprised at how many were big enough, wow, and all had the long tail which means they grew straight, not on was bent, the body of this type is parallel and when i rubbed them all the growth hairs on the body just fell off, i picked enough for the meal for 2 of us and i had picked about 1ft of them, another 5ft to go, i had sown them fairly close as seeds but will be growing more next year and i never lost 1 to carrot fly, the name of the seeds is Resistafly.

http://www.marshalls-seeds.co....istafly-pid2299.html

http://www.thompson-morgan.com...afly-f1-hybrid/684TM

It's funny but my carrots look like the ones in the Thompson link, not at all like the Marshals link.

Anyway, they are beautiful and with 800 seeds in a pack for a few pence you can't really go far wrong, will be growing again next year.

My Lad and his lot came this afternoon so that passed some time, the F1 US racing isn't shown till 11pm tonight, so a late night for me.

Mollie, My neighbour freezes most of what she gets to use later in the year.

Strange how my arthritis in my fingers has gone, i used to wake with the left hand middle finger unable to bend and was painful if i tried, that went so i will carry on leaving off the tablets.

That was good getting to Cardiff, always handy to get the Cards in for Crimbo.

Strange how animals get so jealous, they are just the same as children.

Only know IAC starts in November, Stacey Fly's out Nov 1st.

Emptybox,You do seem to be getting more than your fair share of rain.

Like you, I will leave the toms out as long as possible, you would need a warm house to put them on a window-ledge surely, i think the banana method would be worth a try when i bring them in.

I was thinking that if you spoke to someone at the mower company then you might find out something from them, also i would google the make and model and see what messages you get back, you can't be the only one with this problem.

Strictly, the Results.

Hi Hicky.
Rain again here today.
My van said it was 3 degrees when I went down for the papers, and 6 degrees when I went to the supermarket. So fairly cold.

Your carrots sound good. Mind you, with a name like 'Resistafly', it's not surprising you didn't lose any to carrot fly?
Nice that your lad's lot came.
That's good that the arthritis in your finger has eased. Hope it continues.

I googled about the mower, but mostly I find instructions on how to change the part. Which I already know.
I did find this thread about a similar problem, but they don't really have a solution, except to speculate that it might be critical how tight you do up the blade.

http://howtomendit.com/answers.php?id=235803

Anyway the poster seemed very patient, buying part after part? I'm not so patient, so don't think I can be bothered to buy another one, just to get it broken again. If the mower works as it is, I shall leave it.

I find if the toms are even slightly orange when I bring them in, then they will ripen enough on the windowsill to be eaten. But if they are green, then they stay green.

Glad the girl group survived on the X Factor, they are all good singers. The Scottish lad should have gone really (or Honey G).

Good Evening Emptybox.

12c here, no sun, we should have had some, no wind either.

Went out for brekkie with my lad and his 2 lads, was disappointed with the price, the Toby Carvery brekkie seems to have shot up, 2 of us with 2 little ones with 2 tea's and 2 cokes was over £23, i always enjoy the eat as much as you want idea but it didn't used to be that dear.

Me and O/H went to Costco as she wanted to get a book and some more christmas stuff.

I got a carton of Seafood stuff, have eaten half all ready, didn't recognise a lot of what i was eating but i enjoyed it, i could recognise the prawns, mussels, squid, octopus but other stuff i had to read the label, but of course it's underneath the tub.

That is pretty cool for you, don't think it's been that cold here.

I don't understand how the Arthritis can change, but while it's not paining i'll stop taking the tablets.

I read that clip about the mower, something strange going on, i wonder if the replacement castings are made of different material or made as a compatible product, i would certainly be getting in touch with the company to find out what is going on, one of the posters said it failed when he started the mower, well thats a serious problem, for any unit like that to give way without coming under strain is not right.

I agree about the toms, but to ripen the green ones they need to go in a drawer or cupboard with a banana.

Didn't watch the X-Factor, am giving that a miss, glad Lewis won the F1 at US.

Evening Hicky.
Rain here again today, and only 6 or 7 degrees.
Not heavy rain, but no good for work.

Went into town to pick up my prescription, and I also got a couple of things from the garden centre; a new set of secateurs and some new gardening gloves.
Whether I'll get a chance to use them with all the rain is anyone's guess?

Pity the price of your brekkie was so dear Hicky.
That's funny that you were eating unidentified sea food, because you couldn't see the label.

I think if the mower blade is unbalanced for some reason, then that would exert quite a strong force, as it goes round at speed. But you'd think they'd make the parts strong enough to stand that?

I might well try putting a few of the green toms in a drawer with a banana, just as an experiment, to see if they ripen.
Or with a banana skin. I can't see myself buying a banana and not eating it.

Does Hamilton still have a chance at the championship this year, or is his team mate too far ahead?

Sad that Chantelle's BB housemate Pete Burns has died at only 57?
Didn't really like him, but that's far too young. Specially as I'll be 57 meself in a couple of weeks.

Evening Emptybox.

Not a bad day, only went out to pick some raspberries and open the gate for the window cleaner.

Finished the tub of Seafood selection, i thought it had squid in it but it was cuttlefish, octopus, mussels, prawns, not sure i've had all that before but it went down ok.i must have thought the cuttlefish was squid.

For tea i had fried cod with mild creamy pepper sauce, i do have strange food but thats the problem when you eat anything.

I see you are still getting rain, even if it's not heavy it's still a no no.

You can't beat a good pair of secateurs, i used to have about 4 pair but i gave one pair to a neighbour, i have the stuff to sterilise them before use though.

How can the mower blade be unbalanced? surely it could only be unbalanced if one side is heavier than the other.

The secret with the banana is to buy 2.

Hamilton can only win if Rosburg doesn't get second of better in the last 3 races, or if Rosburg fails to finish and Lewis wins.

Yes, Pete burns was a strange feller but as you say, 57 is pretty young, i can only assume he had medical issues, maybe from one or more of his ops.

Hope Mollie isn't too stressed.

both

Emptybox

be intesting to see if the banana skin theory works, hope so. Pity you seem to be getting so much rain lately. Looks like you won't be getting many more work days in now before winter.

Hicky

that is good news how the arhtritus pain in your hand has eased. Long may it continue. I know what you mean about the brekkie from Toby. I think it has now got expensive for what you get. But I still think the carvary there is still great value.

Yes Hicky such a shame about Pete Burns, but does make you wonder if it is in relation to the stress he put his heart under from all the ops.

Been busy sorting new care out, and took bunny for post op check. He is doing well despite age, daughter needs to give physio to him she said to try and get his legs working ok. Vet said she had never operated on bunny so old and never removed such a big mass. She showed me a photo of it next to her hand and showed other vets.

Not much on tv tonight, roll on IAC.

I like Stacy, nice for her to get to Oz.

Goodnight both xxx

Hi both.
There was a grass frost this morning, and it was a bit foggy, but it turned into a nice sunny day with only a little wind.
Got quite a lot done for a change.

Mowed one of my large lawns, and the mower went well, so hopefully it'll be OK.
Don't think the blade on mine is unbalanced, but if you hit a big enough rock and bend one side then it could introduce a wobble that could unbalance everything.

But there's definitely a design flaw with these Mountfield mowers.
There's only the one bolt that holds the blade and blade boss on, and tightens everything up. Whereas Honda mowers have 2 offset bolts to hold the blade on, so the blade can never spin loose. Plus a third central bolt to hold the blade boss on.
A much better system, but probably more expensive.
I'd prefer a Honda mower, but unfortunately they are that bit more expensive. But maybe next time, if I'm feeling flush?

Never tried a cuttlefish Hicky, but they are a close relative of squid and octopus so presume they taste similar?
Never bothered to sterilise secateurs? Is that so they don't pass plant diseases from one shrub to another?

Because of the frost this morning I decided to bring my tomatoes in.
I put about 20 orange ones on the kitchen windowsill, and 20 green ones in a drawer with a banana (and I didn't even eat the banana first ). There's still quite a few green ones left on the plants, so we'll see which ripen best.

Hi Mollie.
No there's probably not many work days left. But I've taken on more tidying up work this year, so I'm hoping for a mildish November so I can tidy up herbaceous borders etc. I don't hold out much hope.

Glad the rabbit is doing well. Hope he responds to physio.
Yes i like Stacey. Her and Joe Swash make an odd couple though? But I guess if it works..?

Watched Ordinary Lies tonight. It's OK, but I'm finding it difficult to like any of the characters so far. Perhaps when they get to Angela Griffin's character's story?

Evening Both.

Didn't do much today, had a look around the garden, it was pretty cool but 14c with sunny spells and hardly any wind.

I seem to have cut down quite a bit on my food intake, O/H thinks my lack of Arthritis is my change of diet, can't argue of course, just had a round of toast with baked beans for brekkie, a pack of shell on prawns at lunchtime and some spicy chicken wings for tea, all of which is pretty lightweight i suppose.

A  neighbour asked me to look at his apple and plum tree to see whats needed to prune it and when to, they are very old trees and have been neglected for years so will sort out a time and date, the apple tree will be early next year but the plum won't be until April.

Mollie, Yes, strange about Pete Burns, i think it's either been building up to this for a long time or else, he's had more surgery that we don't know about which has left him with blood clots.

Hope the new care you sorted is ok, never heard of a bunny getting physio, i've heard of a rabbit punch, probably not related.

Yes, roll on IAC.

Emptybox, Glad the mower worked ok, i agree if the blade hurt a rock etc and bent it could make the blade unbalanced but i'm not sure how that would effect the blade fixing, it seems to me the whole method of attaching the blade is at fault if replacing the broken boss doesn't cure the problem.

Surely to tighten the bold you only have to hold the blade and the correct tool is designed to give the bolt the correct torque.

If you did hit a stone in the first place it's pretty easy to check because the cutting side of the blade will tell all, and any damage on the cutting side of the blade really needs sharpening to make the cut neat or it just drags the grass, but if you think the mower is at fault you should certainly speak to the suppliers or the makers, i wouldn't let them get away with it.

After all, Mountfield are supposed to be a leading ,make of mowers, although maybe they only make the engine.

I've never seen the flesh of a cuttlefish, seen the shell/bone whatever it is, it must become flat when opened up as i had lots of slices or it, i could recognise the Octopus all right.

Not sure where to put my tomato trusses if i bring them in the house, can't find a drawer.

Watching, Great British Menu now, then GP's,

Hi Hicky.
Dry again here, but very windy at times. Got some more work done.

That's nice that your neighbour can ask you for pruning advice.
He must have observed how meticulous you are about these things.

It's good to know you are getting a balanced diet, even if it's smaller than before.

Mountfield makes the mower, but it has a Honda engine. They do make a cheaper version with their own engine, but that's not highly rated.
I do think their method of fixing the blade on is a design flaw, but they've been doing it that way for years.

Watched the final of GBBO. Not sure why? Just wanted to see if Candice won, for some reason.

Evening Emptybox.

14c here, cloudy though, not much wind either.

Didn't do a lot, picked a few more cherry toms, went to M&S as had run out of milk with O/H being off work Tuesday as hse usually brings the milk and bread home.

I picked a few nice tasty morsels, a little pot of chilli crab, no idea what that will be like, they really do such a selection of foods i don't know how they do it.

Took the seeds out of a load of raspberries i had picked and with pressing through a sieve with a spoon i then added some vanilla ice cream, very nice.

Just watching Great British Menu, then Fishing impossible, the The Apprentice.

Glad you got some work done, at least it was dry for a change.

I'm cutting out a lot of pastry, cakes, pies etc as i don't really need them i think we tend to eat more out of habit, O/H tends to buy me stuff i don't really want but not easy to tell females you don't really want something.

I remember when i had just started work as an apprentice and i used to take sandwiches to work, my mother gave me cheese and onion sandwiches on day and then asked me if i liked them, i said yes they were lovely, after eating cheese and onion sandwiches for 6 weeks i said to mother, do you think you could change what you put in the sandwiches, she said, you told me you liked cheese and onion. LOL.

I know you don't want to delve into the mower problem but it's not helping all those that are to follow you and buy one, they are going to fall into the same trap and be rather disappointed in the product i imagine.

I recorded the GBBO, will watch it later this week, the one who won is a rather nice girl.

Hope Mollie is happy with the carers this week.

both xxx

Emptybox

glad you have had a couple of drier days to be able to get a bit of work done. Let's hope the mower keeps going despite the design fault.

I too enjoyed Bake Off last night. I was fascinated by Candice's lipsticks. Bet she gets an ad deal with the lipstick firm now.

Wonder if you are tempted to eat the banana before the tomatoes ripen?

Hope your dry weather continues.

Hicky

gosh that is a light diet, but you must be getting it right if it has eased the arthritus though.

Yes M and S is lovely for a few food snacks.

You are doing well cutting out the pastries, cakes etc as they are not good for us, I try to minimise them too, but crisps are my weakness.

I love the story of your mum and the cheese and onion sandwiches. And to think there she was thinking how much her dear son was enjoying the sandwiches she made him them each day for 6 weeks!

Social worker still trying to find me an agency with staff to take mum on. Not easy, most have too many clients and not enough carers. Such a low paid job, but needed so much by a lot of our memebers of society. 3 of my choices of agency don't have enough staff, but fingers crossed I have been told my 1st choice may be able to get staff, she said.

Looking forward to The Apprentice tonight.

Yes I agree Stacy and Joe make an odd couple, but as long as it works. She seems lovely and is very good on tv. She seems to be on Loose Women quite a lot.

Goodnight both xxx

Evening both.
Very windy today but mostly dry.

Hicky, I like raspberries and ice-cream too. Don't bother taking the pips out though.
I think I eat too many bikkies etc as well. I don't put any weight on, but it's not very healthy. Trouble is I get peckish in the evening, sitting watching the TV.
I like cheese and onion sarnies, but I wouldn't want them every day.

Mollie, Pity you are still having difficulties finding a care agency for your Mum. Are you still using the private carer?

The Apprentice was good. And again I think the right one probably went, although the dozy blonde girl Alana on the other team also seems surplus to requirements?

Evening Both.

Not a bad night on TV, watching F1 practice 2 from Mexico, watched the Great British Menu banquet at the house of commons, some lovely food, i wasn't invited for some reason.

Pulled some Beetroot and boiled them for the weekend, will probably pull more carrots for sunday as well.

Had the pot of chilli crab, very tasty, had a fillet of Sea Bass for tea, just fried in a little butter.

Mollie, Yes, i don't need all the cakes and pies, i like little tasty morsels of course, but would prefer sea food to almost anything.

I used to eat quite a lot of crisps but they tend to give me a lot of cuts inside my mouth.

Such a shame you are having all this problems with shortage of carers, never realised about this problem.

I think it should be a scream with Stacey and Joe, she is so funny without even trying, can't wait.

Emptybox, I took the seeds out of the raspberries as they tend to hide in my teeth, there are far too many places for them to hide.

enjoyed the Apprentice, i would have got rid of the project leader myself.

Put my day temperature up to the norm today, thats 21c for any room you are using to watch tv etc, i think with my O/H losing some weight she is noticing the cold more.

Watched the GBBO, loved it a well deserved winner.

Evening Hicky.

Quite a nice day here, calm and sunny. It's even reasonably mild tonight. I haven't needed any heat on in the sitting room, while watching TV.
Mind you, the clocks go back tomorrow, so I expect I'll finally turn the central heating on.

Got a few more places finished for the season. Still got a lot to do though.

Have only watched little bits of the Great British Menu. Didn't watch the one tonight.

No I wouldn't have got rid of Grainne on the Apprentice. I think she's good. I think the only mistake they made last night was not to make more of their window display.

both

Emptybox

its good you are having a bit of a mild spell, all helps to save with that oil bill! How is the van going? Hope you are still pleased with it.

Enjoy your spag bol and beer tonight.

Yes I still have my lovely private carers but have to use agency so 2 girls can get mum up and put her to bed. Social services pay for that bit. And so they should, it is expensive enough using my mums house money to pay for all the private care she needs. She paid into nhs all her life and hardly ever used it.

Hicky

that is a good thing if you prefer seafood to pies/cakes as they are so bad for you. Sounds like your OH's diet is going well too. Hopefully now you are in a bungalow it shouldn't be too expensive to keep it nice and warm as you only have one level to heat. OUr house now is modern, and so hard to keep warm as it is on 3 levels. Don't like the 3 levels at all, always up and down stairs to get things.

Yes I too am looking forward to see Stacey and Joe together, she is so funny, but in a natural in a nice way.

Looking forward to X factor tonight.

I somehow think HoneyG will make the final at least. She seems to be the one with the most publicity. She was even in This Morning in the week.

Still no news on my mum's agency move yet. I have a meeting in the week with social services though. and bunny goes to have his stiches out next week too.

OH gone to get daughter a new bed from Ikea today, whilst her and her brother have gone to play a card game. Her old bed broke and there are vey few places except Ikea you can go and buy a bed to take away.

We went to choose it last night and had tea in the cafe. such good value, I had veggie balls , mash and peas, and daughter had the Swedish meat balls, son had hot dog/chips and OH had peas, fish and chips. All very nice for the price.

Bit drizzly here today.

Tidying up , then might go to shops late afternoon.

Have a good day both xx

Here is daughter's bed. How clever is it?

It can be a single bed, a sofa, or a double bed and has 3 storage drawers. The grey coloured one looked really nice in the store too.

http://www.ikea.com/gb/en/prod...s-grey-art-40300544/

Evening Both.

A cool day here, well 14c not really cool but cloudy all day but no wind.

Had an easy day, didn't do much, been watching F1 practice and now qualifying.

Emptybox, Yes, clocks going back is a pain, hate altering backwards.

On the Apprentice, i thought that window display with the bags was dreadful, unless you could put pictures of the suppose building they represented then it was all pointless, they might as well have just been standing on a table, and without having the girl showing off the bags in the window it was just a total disaster.

Mollie, Yes, 3 levels or even 2 levels is crazy when you are talking about heat loss, heat rises so all heat that can escape into the hallway will go straight upstairs and the temperature control is usually in the hall so it finds it very hard to turn off the heat with it being lost upstairs.

I have found the bungalow is pretty good at holding the heat, because it doesn't have a stairwell, and in the hallway we have 2 front doors double glazed.

I'm not watching X-Factor as i have F1 & Strictly, had to record strictly.

Glad you sorted a bed for your daughter, and i also like the Swedish meat balls, i did look at the bed advert, that is fantastic, and for that price, wow, crazy.

Hi Mollie and Hicky.
Another fair mild day, but it's a wee bit colder tonight. Just had to switch the electric heater on.
I'll see what it's like tomorrow before I decide whether to put the central heating on.

Cut my own grass. I wasn't going to bother because it hasn't grown much. But there were a lot of leaves on it, so it tidied those up.
Managed to poke myself in the eye with a twig, so I wasn't pleased with that. But it seems OK, apart from being a bit bloodshot.

Mollie I hope you find another agency after the meeting next week.
That's good that your bunny is getting his stitches out.

That looks like a very useful bed for your daughter. Should maximise the space in her room.
Didn't realise Ikea did Swedish food, as well as Swedish furniture?

My new van seems to be going fine. It's 3 months to the day that I bought it (although I picked it up a week later), so I guess the warranty is now finished.
TBH apart from some minor cosmetic differences, like the dash layout, it's the same as the old van, so it just quickly became "my van".

Hicky, I agree they should leave the clocks where they are. Although it's the winter time (GMT) that is correct for the UK, so they should leave it on that IMO.

Not sure I agree about the heat thing. As you say, heat rises, so in my house the upstairs tends to be warmer than downstairs. So on a cold day I can go and sit in the bedroom, if I don't want to put the heating on.
In a bungalow you are stuck downstairs. Unless you have a loft.

Really enjoyed the X Factor. Everybody was good...even Honey G.  
Hope Saara gets through tomorrow though.

Evening Emptybox.

Not a bad day, cloudy but 14c today, no wind.

Went out for brekkie and to get some of the bacon i like from the garden centre.

Called in to my lads place to see them as he has to go to Manchester tonight as he's on a course next week and decided to book a hotel rather than travel every day, the traffic being the problem not the distance, he's started his new job and the learning & testing period is about 9 months

I'll be picking the leaves up when they have all come off, strange how some stay on the tree so long.

Glad your van seems ok, think it was the best think to do anyway.

What was it that you weren't sure whether you agreed about the heat thing?

I've decided to change my heating settings on the auto controller to 21 during the day from 6am until 8pm at night then have it down to 17 overnight as it's easier to sleep, thats if the rooms can drop that much, i'll have to wait and see.

Just watching the F1 from Mexico, recording the Strictly eviction, not watching X-Factor.

O/H made a nice roast dinner, she loves Chicken, i prefer meat myself.

Hope Mollie managed to sort the carers out and has had a good weekend.

Hi Hicky.

Another nice dry day here.
Didn't do much apart from the supermarket and some ironing.

Hope your lad's course goes OK.
Yes, there are still a lot of leaves left on the trees here as well.

I was just joking about the heat really. It's insulation that is the key, no matter how many storeys your house has.
My house isn't well insulated, but there is a lot in the loft, so hopefully it doesn't lose too much through the roof.

Put my central heating on tonight for the first time. But it's only on low tonight, as it's not too cold yet. I just thought it was time to turn it on, after the time change.
It seems to be working well anyway.

Watched Stacey Solomon on The Chase. She was great.
Glad the girl group survived on The X Factor, but pity that Gifty went.
Then watched the first of the new series of 'Humans'.

Evening Emptybox.

Not bad today, 14c sunny spells and no wind.

Went to the Outlet village for a look around, O/H got herself some clothes in the M&S outlet, we called in for a bite in an American type diner, had a nice Hotdog, we bought 2 new Frying pans from a Pro-Cook shop, they are the ones you can put in the oven as they have stainless steel handles, a 20cm and a 24cm one, this is the 20cm one: https://www.procook.co.uk/prod...eel-frying-pan-20cm1

Just handing out bags of sweets for the Halloween trick or treaters.

I agree about the house insulation but the point i was making was that the heat can't stay downstairs if the rooms as well as the hall is open to upstairs via the stairwell, so to heat the hall with the heat going up the stairs takes a lot of heat but in a bungalow the hall is enclosed so the heating only stays on a few minutes as the heat is trapped, yes, the loft insulation stops the house heat reaching the loft space, if it does it will reach the roof tiles and thaw the snow in the winter, you can always tell if the insulation is working mid winter by looking at the houses with snow on and see when it melts, apart from the sun the roof should hold the snow, if not you could be loosing the heat.

I've changed the setting now so at 6am it changes to 21c, 12 midday it changes to 20c, at 8pm it changes to 17c.

I didn't see Stacey as i don't watch the Chase, didn't see X-Factor either, there's so many stations now that i find it hard to watch many of them.

I saw one program about Humans but it was a robot pretending to be one, then i saw another program called Humans but turned it off as it wasn't what i thought.

Hope Mollie is managing ok with the carers and all the washing, such a strain.

Got the docs in the morning for a blood sample, they didn't say it was a fasting one.

both

Hicky

hope the blood test goes ok, good job it isn't a fasting one though!

Don't blame your lad not wanting to commute in the heavy Manchester traffic.

The pan you put in the oven sounds handy.

Emptybox

Glad to hear the van is going all ok, and has now become "your van".

I agree too, wish they didnt miss about with the clocks.

Sadly our little bunny died yesterday. Such a damn shame as he had fought to get over the big op, the wound was healing nicely too, but he just had a stroke, and died peacefully in my daughters arms. We were all with him and in tears, and miss him so much as he was an indoor rabbit and we were used to him being around. Son suggested we bury him at the top of the mountain range we used to live by, as he started his life round there. So we walked a good half hour up there with the dog and her pram too, and buried him there, well off the beaten track. A beaufiful place especially today as the sun was setting over the valey. The cow with their calves were there too.

Had a nightmare time with the agency too yesterday as they got the weekend times wrong and didn't even bother to apologise to me! My private carer had to dash over in her PJ's early to take over!

But a stroke of good luck at last and my first choice agency has offerred mum a place! We start with them tomorrow. I will be busy as I have a meeting with the owner tomorrow, then social services Wednesday. very good news though.

Watching chris Tarrent and the trains now.

have a good evening both xx

Evening both.
Nice dry sunny day here. Got some more grass cut. Well, it was more leaves to pick up really, than grass to cut.

My eye is still sore and bloodshot after it got poked on Saturday, so didn't get a good sleep last night.
Didn't help that my upstairs smoke alarm was beeping, and I had to get up to change the battery at 6am.

Sorry to hear about your rabbit Mollie. Such bad luck after it seemed he was recovering. Sounds like you found a good place to lay him to rest.

Pity about your care agency problems. But at least you've got your first choice in the end. Sounds like you've a busy few days ahead.

Hi Hicky. Those look like good frying pans.
Yes you'll save on heating in a well insulated bungalow.
Before we had the loft insulation done this house was always the first in the three to lose the snow from the roof, but now it's the same as the others.

Here's a short clip of Stacey on The Chase.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZzNxqSEeZoQ

I think you probably had to watch the first series of 'Humans' to understand it.
It's about androids (or 'Synths') who become sentient, and try to blend in with the humans.
Good luck with your blood test tomorrow.

Unfortunately one of my PCs has stopped working. It's the one I use for my business....again. That's the second time the one I use for business has broken down in a couple of years.
I've plenty others I can use instead, and I have all the files backed up, so a nuisance but not too serious.
I suppose it'll give me a winter project to see if I can fix it.

Watched Dark Angel this evening. The Victorian drama about a woman poisoner, starring Joanne Froggatt, who was in Downton.

Evening Both.

Not a bad day, cool but some sun and dry, not a lot of wind, it was 8deg in the garden at 4pm.

Bloods went ok, only took 2 minutes, didn't do much, picked a few more toms, they ripen day by day but they are splitting, think it's cause the cold is hardening the skins but they are still growing.

Mollie, Tried one of the new frying pans out, pretty heavy compared to the other one, seems a shame to throw the others out but they stop being nonstick so quick.

Sorry to hear the bunny died, such a blow after coming through the Op as well.

Fancy the Agency getting the times wrong, can't anyone do things right these days.

Emptybox, The eye is going to take a while to heal, have you been to A&E to get it looked at? if it doesn't calm down in a few days you must go.

Nothing worse than smoke alarm batteries going, i had some at the other place installed by the fire brigade and they are supposed to have 10 year batteries in but they started beeping after about 6 years, i got the same ones from the web and replaced them.

Thanks for the Stacey clip, i'll watch after i post.

Thats a nuisance, the PC failing, what has gone, the disc or the motherboard, or power supply, or even CPU?

Glad you have your files backed up anyway.

Evening Hicky.
It was wet overnight, so a damp start, but turned into a nice sunny day. Only about 5 or 6 degrees though.
Got another place finished for the season.

Haven't seen anyone about the eye. I think it's getting a bit better, although it's still bloodshot. 
It's not as sore as when I scratched the eyeball a few years ago, just feels tired really. The twig probably broke a blood vessel in it. Not sure how long that'll take to clear up? A bloodshot eye probably fits in with Halloween....but Halloween is past.

Glad the blood test went OK. I guess you just have to wait for the results now?
The tomatoes in my greenhouse aren't ripening any more. It's too cold here now. I might bring in some more of the green ones, before frosts ruin them.

I don't understand why these mains powered smoke alarms need ordinary 9v batteries? It seems crazy that you have to replace them like the old battery powered ones. Obviously they have to work in a power cut, but why they don't have rechargeable batteries in them, heaven alone knows?

Talking of power cuts, I've discovered that both my PCs upstairs aren't working. This is after a short power cut a couple of days ago.
It must have been a surge when the power returned that knocked the PCs out.
One of the computers was on a surge protection socket, but I notice the protection LED has gone out, so might not have been working to protect the PC.

One PC was easy to repair as it was the PSU that failed, and I had a spare one to hand. The other one seems more difficult, and may be the motherboard.
It's not an expensive PC, I paid £50 for a motherboard bundle 4 years ago, and the rest of it dates from 2008. But I'm obviously going to have to buy some bits for it to find out exactly what's wrong.

Watched a bit of the Pride of Britain Awards, then turned over to watch Ordinary Lies on BBC1.

Evening Emptybox.

Cooler here today, max 10c but sunny all day, not much wind either.

Didn't do a lot today, picked some of the Fig leaves up as when i use the big leaf vac they won't go up the spout because of the stalk on the leaf.

I'm sure i have to do a spray on some of the trees mid leaf fall, will have to see which trees it is, they all get sprayed after leaf fall anyway.

I will be getting some bags of JI3 as well before spring as a lot of the tree tubs need topping up with it, they need manure for the spring as well, i might have to buy it before the spring though in case the price goes up, the last lot i got was 4 bags for £10 which is good.

Hope your eye does settle down, nothing worse that a sore eye.

I didn't know the mains smoke alarms had a normal battery in them, i have the powered ones as well, i'll have to try and check.

There is always a big danger of damage to electrical equipment when the power is lost and returns while the equipment is turned on, i think it's to do with the AC cycle, if the power is interrupted at the wrong part of the cycle it creates a high discharge in the secondary side of the power supply.

Yes, if a spike can get through to the motherboard it would burn some of the components or even the track, they are so delicate and only the power supply is their protection.

I'm watching American Pickers, saw Strictly, and the Raod shown or whatever it is.

Hop Mollie has sorted the carers for he Mum.

Hi Hicky.
The first proper frost this morning. Everything was white till about 10am.
It was all gone by this afternoon, as there was quite a bit of sun. Single figure temps all day though.
Got a couple of jobs done.

Good idea to get your John Innes before any price rises come.
Haven't given my eye much thought today. It seems a bit sore first thing in the morning, but mostly fine during the day. Perhaps it doesn't like the eye movement that happens when we sleep?

I keep intending to buy another UPS unit for my business computer set-up. As that would isolate it from any power problems. Or at least from these short power cuts that I get a lot of. Of course if it's off for hours it wouldn't help, but then I should have plenty of time to turn the sockets off.

I've got one in the sitting room for the computer, monitor, phone and router, and they just sail through these little power cuts without missing a beat.
Trouble is, these Uninterruptible Power Supplies are quite expensive, and I'm quite mean.

Watched 'The Missing' on BBC1 tonight.