both

Hicky

gosh you must of felt uncomfy having to wait so long after drinking all that water. If she said cysts are very common, hopefully that means they won't be too much of a problem.

I will be glad to see Tom Jones back on The Voice, I thought he was good on it. I did hear him say he never knew why the bbc gave him the sack.

I love your tales from when you were little! Sounds like you were a right little lad, and certainly kept your mum on her toes! It was lucky you didn't burn the house down when you were young!

Emptybox

wonder if it was dry enough for you to get out in your garden? It was wet here today,

I agree, don't think much of the winners single, and as you know the winner disappears for a year, so Simon can promote the others, so i expect you will see more of Saara as a loser, than you would of if she won!

 
Had busy morning as had to re-sort mum's care, as the day centre forgot to tell me they were dropping her off late today, so had to cancel agency and get private carers to put her to bed, else she wouldnlt of had time to eat. Then while I was talking to them, first the postman knocked, then the  social worker was ringing my other phone,....tried to get away from the noise of it, and slid on (of all things) some Christmas cards that had fallen on the floor! 

Meaning I fell over heavy again and hurt the same knee I hurt last time ,and it had never got better from last time!  

so then had to sit with ice on knee all day, lucilky daughter was home to help, and she sorted everything out for me today, including all my food.

Watching the Prince philp programme now.

Have a good evening both xxx

Hicky posted:

Rugby guys practising on the beach in tiny shorts and you want us to believe you went to there for you mum, come on now, you've been rumbled.

Advent day 12, and it is reindeer day.

Hi both.
Not bad day here with some sunshine.

I had to wait in for my phone to be delivered, so didn't go out as the postie didn't come till 2pm.
For some reason the Amazon parcel was delivered by the postie, even though it was next day delivery. They usually use a courier for the Prime stuff? Anyway no matter, as it came as it was supposed to.
I hear there's a postal strike next week that'll scupper parcel deliveries before Xmas.

Quite pleased with the phone. It all seems to work anyway. Haven't got it all set up yet, so got some more playing around to do. Seems quite a good quality one so far.

Glad you've got that uncomfortable scan out of the way Hicky. Well the excess water part was uncomfortable anyway.
Pity they've found kidney cysts. I don't know anything about those, but hope they're not serious.
Seems you got up to all sorts when you were younger?
Good job you weren't burnt to a crisp.

Oh dear Mollie. Another fall on your knee. That won't do you any good.
I guess you were harassed with having to arrange extra care for your Mum, and all the other distractions?
Good job daughter was there to take over some of it.
Thanks for the Advent pic. I've a feeling you like reindeers?  

Yes hopefully we'll see something from Saara before too long. I guess she goes back to Finland for Christmas, and then there's the X-Factor tour in the New Year.

Evening.

A bit early today, got some chicken wings in the oven.

Not a bad day but not good for being outside really, 9c with light rain etc, cloud as well, didn't see any sun.

Read a bit on the web about my kidney cysts, it depends on some factors really, that i don't have, on what is next if anything, it tended to say just leave them, the blood in the water is when one bursts, it seems, i'll see if the surgery gets in touch and asks me to go in, one of the side effects seems to be a pain in either the said  or front or back, the back does effect me, in fact the backache is limiting me in what i do.

Rang the gardener, no answer so left a message.

had one of my Lobster tails for a snack earlier, just dipped each mouthful in melted butter, a bit like you should eat King crab leg meat.

Evening Both.

My last post hadn't seen your posts, they didn't show up till i posted, then couldn't edit and see your posts as well.

Crazy system this.

Mollie, Oh dear, thats awful, Christmas cards can be so dangerous when underfoot, hope the ice will bring down the swelling and nothing is broken.

Yes, I did get into some situations when young, my dad was in the Merchant navy, got torpedoed loads of times, when he came home on one of his leaves he collapsed and died, i don't know but think he died from an aneurysm the same as i had, but as they never test for one they would never have found one, he had always passed his medicals but would never have had any idea about it.

Yes, not sure what can be done about the cysts, will have to wait and see.

Yes Tom Jones, i'm not that keen on him but this year it's a different format.

Yes, your safer with the advent calendar, hope those lads on the beach weren't on your mind when you slipped.

Emptybox, Glad you phone came, you do realise that hands free use of mobile phones are no safer that holding the phone in your hand as it's the brain that is diveted from what you are doing on the road to what you are thinking about talking on the phone, so in fact you don't see what is happening on the road at all.

whatever happens with Saara i imagine her future is bright, the show must have donr her the world of good, she'll never have to beg again, so to speak, i can see her getting a recording contract, who with remains to be seen, a song or album can years to sort out.

  both

Hicky

Would your doc be able to say if the cysts are gving you backache, as I know back aches are complicated to work out what causes them. It is a shame it is limiting you in the garden. Have you tried a TENS machine. They ae good and cheap from Lloyds chemist.

How awful for your mum and you what happened to your dad!

Pity you are having such trouble contacting your gardener.

Emptybox

that is good you are pleased with your phone so far. I think they do tend to send smaller parcels out with the postie now. Your postie does come late though, so annoying! Ours isn't too bad as he tends to come at 10am.

Very wet this morning. Daughter took her Christmas cake to the day centre, they were really pleased with it. She spent ages doing the sugar craft figures to go on top of it, it was a reindeer and santa in his sleigh.

My knee still sore, but not as bad as yesterday. so just hung onto dog's pram when I took her a walk!

Not much on tv, watching the Variety, but do find David Walliams rather annoying!

Have a good evening xxx

advent day 13 and today we have a sleigh.....

Hi both.
Very wet this morning, but dried up in the afternoon.
Went into town to do a few errands and post some cards.

That's not good if those cysts are giving you back pain Hicky. Hope they can do something about them.
That's a sad story of your Dad dying of an aneurysm. Devastating for your family at the time.

I don't really use the phone when driving. Only to play music, and then I set it on random play so I don't have to touch it.
I never make calls when driving, and very rarely receive them. Then I'd usually just call them back when I was stopped.

Mollie, glad your knee is a little better.
The postie comes any time between 11am and 3pm, but it's usually towards the later end.
Your daughter sounds like a talented cake maker. But still with the reindeer theme I notice.
(not that I've got anything against reindeers mind )

Didn't even notice the Variety thing was on. Didn't watch much telly as I was still fiddling with my phone. Think I've got it set up as I want it now.
I took into town to see how it did on 4G. I got 50 Mb/s down and 12Mb/s up, which puts my home broadband to shame, by a long way. Pity there's not much 4G coverage around here. You have to go a couple of miles from my house to even get 3G, never mind 4G.

Evening Both.

Didn't do much today, walked the garden thats about all, the gardener texed me, hoping to make it next Mon/Tue if things work out.

Going out Sat night for an Indian curry with My lad, the one who is working for the N. Grid..

Mollie, I have suffered from backache while walking or working outside for so long i thought it was normal, O/H asked why i didn't mention it all the time then, i just thought that it was one of those things.

Whether they can do anything to help i wouldn't know but don't think they can get rid of them as i think thats what is in my bladder as well, they check my bladder next in March.

If i could stop the pain when working i might not need the gardener as i could manage.

I could do with a Sleigh, could be handy if weather got bad.

I bet they were pleased with the Christmas cake, very good of your daughter.

Glad your feeling a bit better, that was a nasty fall.

Emptybox, Yes, the aneurysm is probably hereditary, not sure if it is but not a good thing anyway, if they hadn't found mine my chance when checking for kidney stones then i wouldn't be here because the chances of survival if it ruptures are very slim.

Why would you need a phone to play music?

I didn't see the Variety thing either, there's so much to watch at Christmas, think they save up all the programs for December.

both

Hicky

hope your back is not too bad today and you could get in your garden. Where are you going to buy your Christmas food treats from this year? I fancy a trip to M and S next week, if I can get in there for the crowds though!

Emptybox

glad you are so pleased with the new phone. Shame you need to travel to take advantage of it though. Is your home internet so bad due to phone lines being bad? Gaming son is always moaning ours isn't as fast as it should be.

Been busy sorting mum out today, occ therapist is visiting, and is supposed to be checking equipment but she told me she may reduce mum's time allowance! Not happy about that, the double carers don't have a free minute in the time she is allowed already. I am sending my private carer to stand up for her, as she know the situation better than me. As usual all about saving money and taking it off the elderly and ill! I already have to pay for most of her care now.

Not much of interest on tv again, probably just end up watching the medical shows, eg GP one on C5, then A and E.

thankfully have posted all my cards as post office may be on strike.

Time to do a bit of vacuuming, daughter gone food shopping with OH. Can;t have the dog running out of chicken!

Have a good evening xxx

Posted together Hicky.

hope your gardener does make it next week.

Might your back ache be muscular related if it starts when walking or working outside? Hope they can help you. Maybe a physio could help? I think you can just ask to be referred to one.

and today is Advent day 14, and this piccie reminds me of Ais, so thought you'd both like it!

Evening.
Not bad day here. Started off a bit damp, but mild again.
Got some work done. Pruning bushes and raking leaves. Yes I thought I'd finished with leaves, but found some more to rake up

Hicky. Yes good job they found your aneurysm before it did real harm, or we might not be chatting now.
Pity you couldn't get rid of the back ache, then you could do more in the garden.
Not sure your gardener would be pleased though? Although he seems to be becoming rather elusive?

Most people play music from their phones nowadays. I do have an MP3 player as well that I connect to the van stereo to play my music, but sometimes it's easier just to connect the phone to do the job. Certainly not going to mess around with CDs in the van.

Mollie, that would be bad if they had to cut down your Mum's care hours. Would mean you having to pay for more private hours.

Yes I posted most of my cards yesterday to try to beat the postal strike.
I got a couple of unexpected cards today though, so had to quickly write another couple that I'll post tomorrow.
They say the strike will mainly affect parcel deliveries.

The infrastructure isn't good around here in general, whether that be electricity supply, mobile signal or landlines.
Having said that i think my home internet is as good as it could be, given that there's no fast fibre broadband here, and I'm nearly 3 miles from the exchange.
I get about 4 Mb/s download and 0.35Mb/s upload.
So the 4G in town was about 12 times faster on download speed and the upload about 35 times faster.
If I could get 4G here I could probably do away with fixed line broadband. But I don't see that ever happening.

I see even your blonde beauty advent pic has reindeer horns? Lets face it Mollie, you're obsessed with the creatures.
I'm not complaining though. Lovely looking girl.

Watched the prog about the Trafford Centre in Manchester.

Evening Both.

Not a bad day, 9c and cloudy, not much wind.

I did some work in the garden, if i keep my seat/kneeling seat frame handy a can do som work sitting down which gives my back a rest, i cleaned all the leaves out of the raised beds, made a new tool, a bamboo stick with a thin metal rod taped to it, i could spear the leaves very easy from the beds with them being compost.

Hada call from the surgery, go to see about the scan results Tuesday, whether there any options i'll have to see, but after having so many hospital procedures done another wouldn't bother me.

Mollie, I'll let O/H buy the treats as i would probably empty the shelves so doubt she would take me, the main Christmas stuff could even be pre-ordered, and as i eat anything it's not that critical.

Not sure about the back pain, i assume it's connected to the kidney cysts, with check with doc, i don't get pain sitting, lying, sleeping etc, in fact having no pain at all seems to hinder sleeping, how funny is that, it just seems so strange.

That will be bad if they cut your mums time allowance, how are they supposed to manage.

Yout advent day 14 is rather nice, you can't beat a beautiful blonde to admire.

Emptybox, Yes, as you say, if i could get rid of the back pain i could do so much more, the pain isn't immediate, it comes after i've been working for 5 minutes, but if i then site for a couple of minutes i can carry on again for another 5.

I've only ever listened to speech or music on a car radio, never been interested in music enough to listen to it from a phone, in fact i don't think i have music on my phone anyway.

Another Funeral procession in the road this morning, a lady of the road had died after a long illness i think, thats 2 lady's and 1 gent now.

both xx

Emptybox

that is good the weather was ok so you got some work done. Those leaves seem to be never ending!

Very handy for you if you can just put music on from your phone. I always have music on when I am in the kitchen. Generally radio 1. At night I have radio Wales on as I like the presenter and music. Is it rocky type music you like? (as you are a guitarist?).

Gosh town speeds sound a lot faster than your home one. Do you have trouble if you want to watch something online?

I never noticed the reindeer horns on the girl!

Hicky

glad you had a nice day weather wise, it was horrible and wet here today. Sounds like you got a fair bit done in your garden.

Hope the scan results are ok, yes good idea to ask the doc about the back pain. Best to tell him exactly when you get or don't get it so he can work out if it is likely to be muscular or from the cysts. Hope he can help ease it any way. Maybe he would give you a physio or chiropracter referrral?

Gosh 3 of your neighhbours passed away and you haven't lived there long!

My private carer rang me at 9am and told me the OT visit went well. The OT could plainly see the girls were fully needed for all the time. Pheww!
Thank goodness I have this private carer, she is so good, and keeps me informed on everything. Even does mum's washing for me, and shopping if she needs anything.

I too watched that Old Trafford programme last night. Those decorations were huge! Watching The Apprentice now. Enjoy the interviews. They always seem to stretch the truth on their cv's and business plans!

Have a good evening both xxx

Advent day 15 and it is a disney piccie.

Hi both.
Not bad day here. It's very mild for this time of year, but that means things are damp and muddy rather than crisp and dry. Can't complain though.

Got another job done, cutting a Beech hedge and raking up yet more leaves.
(I'm sure that's the last now though.....probably )

That's very clever, to invent a new tool for spiking leaves Hicky. Saves your back a bit of strain anyway.
Hopefully they'll give you some options on Tuesday, even if it's just more medication.
That's a pity that your neighbours are all passing away so soon after you moved into the neighbourhood............

I always listen to my music when in the van, very rarely have the radio on. I connect my MP3 player or phone to the car stereo, either by cable to the AUX socket, or by bluetooth. As I said yesterday, I usually put it on to random play rather than picking an album.
At home I have about 50GB of music on the computers, and they're connected to my stereo systems. At home I listen to whole albums though.

It's mostly guitar based rock music, but i like other stuff as well.
I've been listening a lot to Saara Aalto's 2013 album 'You Had My Heart'. Some really good songs on that.

Mollie. That's really good that the Occupational Therapist has decided that your Mum's care hours shouldn't be cut. Must be a relief?

My home broadband speed is usually OK for watching HD video on my Amazon Fire box, as long as none of my computers start downloading any update or something at the same time. That messes things up.
I can usually also watch 1080p videos on Youtube, but sometimes get buffering.
4K videos would be a complete no no, as you need 20 Mb/s or more for those.

Hmm I can't spot any reindeer references in that advent pic Mollie? You must be slipping.

Watched the Secret Life of the Zoo then The Apprentice.
Pity that Grainne and Jessica didn't make it to the final two, but we see all of them again next week anyway.

Perhaps shouldn't say this here, but I really miss Digital Spy now that it's down for maintenance....shhh. 
Should be back in a couple of days though.

Evening Both.

Not bad today, 9c with slight wind and dry, mainly cloud though.

Did some more work in the garden, i broke my wire tine rake trying to heap my compost up as i've just watched a video telling me it must be the same hight as it is wide, didn't realise that and have been keeping it flat for 2 years, oh dear, anyway i mended the rake and just used it for raking the leaves on the slate.

I put some crushed volcano ash down on the raised beds to add mineral to the mix, raked a lot more leaves into piles for the next time i'm in the garden.

Mollie, It will be interesting to see what results of the scan say, it would be nice if there is something that can be done to stop them causing pain, thats if they are the cause.

Hope they leave the level of care for your mum the way it is, at least that works.

Lovely Disney Pic, thank you.

Watched The Apprentice, can't believe some of the rubbish they put down, haven't they seen the show before.

Emptybox, Well, it looks like your hedge trimming has come to an end, most leaves are down now for another year, you can take it easy for a few months till it all starts over again.

Yes, it would be nice to have a few options from the doctor, but i wonder why my back only aches when i am standing?

I'm quite surprised that that lad is in The Apprentice final, he is as dull as dishwater, i wouldn't want him as a partner, i thought they were all hopeless to be honest, it's been a terrible year for Lord Sugar, maybe he won't pict any, i wouldn't.

I'm finding it hard with DS being read only, wants the point of reading if noone can post, a 72 hr update is crazy as the site has been up all this time.

Oh, DS is back online again, wow, that was hard to spot.

both xx

Hicky

shame you broke your wire thingie as it was useful. Good that a quick mend helped you with a few leaves though.

Yes strange your back only aches when you are standing. I think that is common though as it is when the muscles have to work hard. I only get back ache round my ribs start when I stand too long too. I know then I have done enough and need to sit for awhile.

Perhaps you should write all this down to tell the doc so he can work out how you can be helped. Wonder if a physio massage would help?

Emptybox

I thought you might like guitar rock type of music. Didn't realise Saara was already a professional with a cd out a few years ago. Hopefully she will have a new one out soon to add to your collection.

Its a good job your home broadband capability doesn't interfere too much with your home entertainment.

I like the girl who has made the final of the Apprentice, I think the others underestimated her and thought she wouldn't get through. I found out today she comes from Wales. Yes I agree the guy does seem an odd choice for the final but then again there was not any really good candidates to choose from, was there?

Lovely day so managed to get 6 washloads on line, my friend came for  coffee, so she spent most of the time talking to me through the kitchen door!    It didnt dry very well though. My friend  is very easy going, so that is fine though. I don't even feel I need to tidy up if she is coming.   She is happy enough though as she loves my cheese and tomatoes on toast in the halogen.   (her hubby has gone vegan, so she has to eat vegan at home!).   

Have a good evening both xxx

Advent day 16 and it is a Christmas tree. Have you got yours up yet Emptybox? If you haven't I think a nice soft reindeer toy would look good on the top.

I probably won't be around tomorrow as we are going to visit my mum's sisters near Birmingham. We are only staying one night though. Got my nice private carer lined up for mum.

Have a good weekend both.

Evening both.
Dull and drizzly here, so I didn't get any work done.
Went into town to do some banking and pick up prescription and some other odds and ends.

Pity you broke your wire tined rake Hicky. You'd be better to use a fork for that job really (or a 'graip' as they call it in Scotland).
Yes the compost heap should have as little surface area as possible, to help it heat up.

I agree about Courtney in The Apprentice. Not sure how he ended up the last bloke, as he certainly wasn't the best.
I thought Alana wasn't good the first few weeks, but she's certainly got better as the weeks have gone on.

Yes DS came back on sooner than expected. About 5pm I think. I just clicked on it by chance. Can't see any changes though? I was expecting some sort of redesign at least.

Mollie glad you got the reasonable weather to get all your washing out, even if it didn't all dry.
Funny your friend having to talk to you from inside as you pinned out all your washing.
Have a good time in Brum.

I follow Saara on Twitter (natch ) and she's hinting that she's got a record deal. The rumour is that it's with Sony.
Her previous CDs were put out by her own record label (well hers and her ex-boyfriends), but I don't think they sold very well. Not even in Finland.

Thanks for the Christmas tree Mollie.
No I haven't put any decorations up yet. Probably going to put them up this weekend.

Watched Mastermind, then Citizen Khan, then Gogglebox.
I see pot noodle woman had her daughter with her, rather than her usual friend.

Just popping in to wish Hicky a Happy Birthday today

Evening All.

Not a bad day really, calm with 8c but cloud all day, no wind.

Did a bit more leaf raking on the slate.

My lad popped int o with me Happy Birthday with a little present from his lads.

Will have to record Strictly final as i'll be out eating.

Mollie, Yes, my back doesn't ache when sitting or lying, it's the centre lower back, will have to see what doc thinks.

Thanks for the advent tree, O/H has 4 more little tube Led lit tree thingies in the front flower raised bed, they look nice.

Enjoy your trip to Birmingham, you have a good weekend as well.

Emptybox, The wire tines work well to scrape the leaves off the slate, if i use a rake it moves the slate.

Yes, messed the compost heap up, will see if the gardener can heap it up a bit better.

DS hasn't installed the upgrade yet, it has just moved the system to a new platfom, it should be upgrading soon, hope its not when CBB is on.

Saara will do better with a big label, it's all down to advertising, she wouldn't be able to do it on her own label, the word has to get out there into the media.

El Loro posted:

Just popping in to wish Hicky a Happy Birthday today

Thank you El Loro, very kind of you.

Many Happy Returns Hicky.
Hope you enjoy your family meal out at the Indian restaurant.

Dry and mild here today.
Haven't done much outside, but I did some housework and put up my tree and decorations.

Yes, I meant use the fork to heap up the compost, and the rake to deal with the leaves. Horses for courses and all that.

Ah yes, I was reading that about DS. They've moved over to new servers, but haven't done the software upgrade yet.
I like the design as they've got it now. Very readable. But it would be nice if their search facility worked properly. Also seemingly they are going to start allowing pictures in posts, same as here.

Yes, with the right marketing Saara could make a big impact.
Just hope they don't turn into a cabaret act, just doing covers.

Here's a trailer for the new CBB, in case you haven't seen it yet Mollie.
https://www.facebook.com/BigBr...os/1429785970439982/

Just wanted to pop in and say Happy birthday Hicky ....hope you are having a fab day . 

Evening Emptybox.

A nice day really, 8c sunny all day, now wind. picked more leaves up, gave all the trees a spray of winter wash, 3 litre just managed it, will give another coat in Feb.

Thanks for the Birthday wishes and picture, had a lovely Indian meal, couldn't eat it all as i can't eat like i used to.

I see you put up your tree and decorations, that will make it look nice for Christmas.

It will be nice when DS get themselves sorted, posting pictures will be a bonus, unless they will want to charge $25 for the privilege.

Hope Mollie is enjoying her break in the Midlands.

Bossa Nova Baz posted:

Just wanted to pop in and say Happy birthday Hicky ....hope you are having a fab day . 

Hi Bossa Nova Baz, thank you for the Birthday wishes, i did have a lovely day, with a lovely meal later as well.

Sorry, it is a day late as I was away with no pc....but ...

HAPPY BIRTHDAY WISHES TO YOU HICKY !

Glad to hear you had a nice day and enjoyed your meal out too.

Evening.
Another dull but dry day here.
Just the supermarket as usual.

Glad you enjoyed your Birthday meal Hicky.
And I see you've been busy in the garden today.

Hope you enjoyed your time with your Mum's sisters near Brum Mollie?

Enjoyed The Apprentice final. Won't name the winner in case either of you has recorded it. But I think Alan made the right choice.

Evening Both.

Not a bad day, 8c with cloud and no wind, the gardener sent a message, coming this morning, great, we managed to get all the winter covers on the tubs, also he put the bags of compost into the raised beds and he did a few other jobs so very pleased with that.

The surgery has had to change my scan review so it's Wednesday now.

Thank you for the Birthday wishes Mollie, hope you trip to Birmingham went ok.

Yes Emptybox, i'm glad that the winner was my choice, it was the best of the bunch, i suppose some years they are better than others.

I see he was advertising for next years show now.

Was surprised by the Strictly result, but the public paid so it was their choice, they didn't go by the best dancer.

Evening both.
Dull but dry again here.
I hear we might be in for stormy weather over Christmas.

Was pruning apple trees this afternoon. Will take at least another visit to finish the job. One apple fell off the branch and hit me straight on the nose, Nothing's broken, but my schnoz is a bit sore.
Have to work tomorrow and Wednesday (weather permitting), but after that I should be off till after Christmas at least.

Glad you got the services of your gardener today Hicky. That would be a big help for you.
Hope the scan results are OK on Wednesday.

Not a lot on TV tonight. Will probably watch 'Jamie's Ultimate Christmas' on 4 at 8pm, then turn over to ITV to watch the doc on Prince Harry, then probably watch one of my recordings.

both

Hicky

that is good the gardner came and so many jobs got done.

Hope the scan goes ok on Wednesday.

Emptybox

Oh dear ,that is not good getting an apple dropped on your nose. Hope the discomfort doesn;t last too long. Fingers crossed the weather holds so you can catch up job wise before Christmas.

yes I agree the best won on the Apprentice. She seems a nice girl and her business idea seems good too.

We had a nice time with mum's sisters. We took one of them and her friend to the lantern festival. (the other sister not mobile enough as it was a lot of uneven walking). It was so pretty and very popular. We had a meal out with them too, at the local Weatherspoon pub. Unfortunately I had a sore throat as well as my bad knee. Luckily it didn't stop me doing much though, and throat a lot better today but not gone completely. I have been taking echinacea, vit D and Cold Defence to keep it at bay though and am still taking it now, so think that helps. 

 Daughter has been busy making a Christmas stocking for each of the carers who are looking after mum on Christmas day. (5 of them!). She got them from pound shop..... there are letters to spell out their names she has stuck on, then we just put sweets, and little trinkets in them for them. They seem to like fun things like that.

Think I'll watch Last Tango in Halifax on bbc1 at 9.I remember seeing that series a couple of years ago.

Have a good evening both xxx

3 advent days to catch up on as I was away....

so I found 3 young ladies for you..(I think they look like triplets)...and with a reindeer theme of course!

So advent days 17, 18 , 19 are....

Hey, I like those advent girls Mollie.
And they have red noses, so perhaps they have been involved in falling apple related incidents as well?
(or perhaps the 'spirits' mentioned are brandy, rum, whisky etc? )

Glad that you enjoyed your trip, and your sore throat didn't stop you enjoying yourself.
That's nice of your daughter, making Xmas stockings for the carers.
Mind you, it's good that you can get carers on Christmas Day. But I guess people need just as much care then as on any other day.

ETA: Watched Last Tango in Halifax in the end, as you reminded me it was good last time.
The next episode is tomorrow night.

Couldn't  get my tree lights to come on. I tried changing the fuse in the plug to no avail.
Then I remembered there was a white fuse bulb and I found a couple of spare bulbs in the box, so I changed that bulb and it worked again. Phew!
It's only a cheap set I bought for £4.49 a couple years ago, but I couldn't be bothered to change them at this stage.

Evening Both.

Not too bad a day but 6c with sunny spells and dry with a slight wind.

Didn't do much, have a few jobs to do regarding the apple net sleeves but will wait for a warmer day as i need to sit on one of the benches and work on my folding work table/bench.

Apart from picking more leaves up there's not many jobs to do outside.

Emptybox, An apple attacking you for pruning the tree, i suppose thats a good defence, good job they weren't cookers it would have knocked you out.

Yes, it's not looking too good for Christmas but the forecast here says 12c Christmas day.

I hope you changed the broken fuse bulb with a spare fuse bulb, not sure why it had gone but fuses of a certain type deteriorate if they are running close to full load.

Mollie, The carers are going to be excited about getting a Christmas stocking, probably a while since they had one, a brilliant idea.

Yes, love those 3 advent ladies, always a delight to see.

It sounded like you had a good time while away, that was a lovely break.

Hope this sore throat soon goes, my mother used to give me a teaspoon of butter dipped in sugar, don't know if it's used these days, or whiskey and blackcurrant with hot water, very nice as well.

both

Emptybox

that is lucky you fixed your lights with the spare bulb you found. Saves you going round hunting for some more lights.

Glad you enjoyed Last Tango in Halifax, I did too. I like Sarah Lancashire, I remember her from Corrie and Miss Selfridge. A good actress.

Hicky

that is good you are up to date with outdoor jobs now.

Yes unfortunately it doesn't look like a white Christmas here either.

Not sure about the butter and sugar for the throat, but the whisky and blackcurrant sounds good. Unfortunately I have no whisky so a cup of honey and lemon this morning had to make do! Sore throat has nearly gone now luckily.

The man came to put a new emersion tank in, took him ages as he had to drain old one off first. Then after he went I realised the heating was on full and I couldn't turn it off or down! So had to get him back again to adjust something else on the emersion!

Watching Supervet at Christmas tonight, then part 2 of Last Tango in Halifax.

Have a good evening both xxx

Advent day 20....

A pretty Christmas scene.....

Evening.
Colder here today and quite high winds. And it's raining tonight.
Not ideal conditions, but I managed to get 3 jobs done. Tidying up and cutting hedges and pruning trees.
Not too much more to do now before Spring. 
Just another couple of days work really, unless someone else calls up.

What a stupid idea to have this Storm Barbara come in over Christmas. Somebody at the Weather Centre should be fired for that, at the very least.

Saara has seemingly signed a 5 album deal with Sony. She goes to LA in January to start recording. Also Sia has written her a song. Think that's the one who wrote the 'Chandelier' song that Saara did on the X-Factor?
She'll have to be back in the UK for the end of Feb though, when the X-Factor tour starts.
She's in Finland now for Christmas.

Glad your sore throat has nearly gone Mollie.
Is that an immersion heater in your hot water tank you are talking about? Glad you got it sorted eventually. You wouldn't want to be without hot water in the winter.
I've still got an electric immersion heater in my hot water tank, but it's just a backup to the central heating.

I watched the same telly as you, Supervet then Last tango.

Hi Hicky. Yes there was a spare couple of fuse bulbs that came with the set, so I put one of them in. Don't know why it blew?
I wouldn't trust them to be on when I was out anyway. I only put them on when I'm home, and turn them off when I go to bed.
Good idea to wait for warmer weather for the garden tasks. No urgency at this time of year. I've still got quite a bit to do in my own garden and greenhouse, but it'll have to wait till I've finished the customers' jobs.