Hi Baz and Hicky

cloudy and humid here today, but thankfully not too hot.

I managed somehow to get the incentive to go swimming, so that is good.

Had some of my pumpernickel bread toasted with phylly , mango chutney and salad, toasted for tea. Very nice it was too.

Baz

hope you had a good day today. Wonder if you got into town today?

Hicky

hope the weather was ok for you to get in your garden today.

Oh dear, I think Yolande was somewhat bitter about being evicted, don't you?

Son't tutor has agreed to mark his assignment, which is good, so we are now hoping this means he gets an improved overall grade. Tutor said son was late putting it in, but this is the first time he has put anything in on the late side, and he had not been given the cut off day, so didn't realise it was even after the cut off day, as he was  just told to put it in ASAP, (which he did as he was working that week). But whatever, at least the Uni have agreed to mark it now.

Not sure whether to watch A and E or Love Island tonight. Will record one or the other though.

Goodnight both xxx

Evening Mollie and Hicky Hope you’ve both had a good day . I’ve had my hair cut and highlighted today , so I’m all tidy again I suddenly started being sick on Sunday evening , so spent a very uncomfortable 24 hours ...but I’m better now , so fingers crossed . Glad your son got things sorted Mollie Hicky , hope all is well with you . Have a good evening both 

Evening Mollie.

Not bad here today, 20c the threatened thunder etc never came, pretty cloudy though, had some light rain, not much, a gentle breeze.

Had a round of toast before o/h took me to the eye clinic on the way to work.

Had the eye reading check, then the eye drops and the pictures, saw the doctor, he was pleased he said the right eye has been stable for 12 months and the right for 6 months, so i asked him about the Cataracts, i said i was going to get them done till they noticed the AMD problem, he said you can get them done if you want, or do you want to wait a month or 2 to decide, i said, no, what is the point in waiting, he said i can start the ball rolling if you want, he got a form, filled part out then gave it to a nurse, she put more info down then said you need a pre-op assessment, she then said you can have one at 10:30 today or make an appointment for another time, i said i'll wait, it was 09:40, she said you could go and get some food or a drink and come back, i said, i've had the eye drops so can't see very well, i asked her if she could get me a cup of tea, she said yes, no problem, she brought me a big mug of lovely tea, i waited and they called me in 10 minutes early, the Cateract nurse checked my glasses, eyes etc, gave me a couple of phamlets to take home to read about the procedure etc.

So i left and got a taxi home, was home at 11am, o/h doesn't finish till 1:30 Tuesday, she picked up my new cream for my elbow, so i'll see how that goes now.

Will have to wait for the appointment for the Cateract op, the eye doc said instead of seeing him in 1 month he will wait till 2 months.

Only stopped taking the Ramipril this morning and i'm coughing less all ready.

Yes, couldn't understand Yewandi, hope it works out for Danny now with Arabella. 

I see the government has proved that the Lie Detector Test is not very reliable, i hope the one they use on Love 'Island is scrapped as it seemed very suspicious to me last year and the years before.

PS, forgot to say, the new watering timer came today, it was due this Friday, then Wednesday but came today via Amazon, it's fitted, will check if it's ok in the morning.

Also, forgot to say, a few grandchildren should be coming Friday night, maybe 3 of them maybe with their mother, we will order a takeaway this time from the menus i have and o/h will go and pick it up then they can all have what they want and so can o/h because if i cook the meals she can't eat what i eat.

Also, forgot to say i made a chicken stir fry tonight using a hot & sour soup mix as the gravy, wow, that was good.

Evening Both.

We seem to have posted around the same time so got out of step.

20c here today, light cloud, a touch os sun, a gentle breeze.

Had Mac and cheese on toast for brekkie, yummy.

Had a couple of cucumbers off the plants in the greenhouse, 2 for me and 2 fory my neighbour as i saw her putting some washing out.

My new water timer unit worked perfect, it was pretty cheap but is the easiest one i have ever seen to prgram, so pleased, it seems the one i wanted which matched one i had must be out of stock or not in production, it was a bit complicated.

I have my elbow uncovered, it's looking better than it has for years, i am putting the cream on twice a day, you put a thick layewr on, after you have washed and dried the area, leave it on 5 minutes then rub in and then wipe off any left over.

I have some lovely flowers on the tomato plants.

My ex boss rang me this morning and said he was coming over as he was visiting a sick relative, he liked the place, pity o/h was out visiting her sister but she has just had another eye op Cataract done

He arrived in his fabulous Range Rover, he has had it 3 years and it had a 16 reg, lovely to catch up on whats happening.

I was going to have some food midday bit forgot, probably with my Ex boss cumming to see me, we had worked together since the 1970's when he was my apprentice, but he is magic, he has the most fantastic memory, he's like a walking encyclopedia, unbelievable.

He was impressed with the garden but wasn't surprised it was automatic as i had spent 40 years in automation.

Mollie, Glad your lad has got his assignment marked, very good, strange how your lad wasn't given the cut off day, i would have thought that was a high priority for handing in documents.

Love Island was interesting last night, the girls don't seem to realise what the show is avout and that anyone can be going home at the throw of a hat, they sent Joe home but they wanted Yewande to stay but noone wanted her, and Danny can pick who he pleases, do they think he would pich to please the girls, what a strange attitude.

Baz, That was nice having your hair done, love highlight, not that i can see many, depending on the shade of course.

Thats bad news feeling sick, wow, wonder what caused that? i can only assume it was something you ate, your body is very fussy what it passes and if it thinks it can't digest food it rejects it.

Have a good night both.

Hicky and Baz

Baz

oh dear sorry to hear you had a nasty bout of sickness. It takes awhile after that to feel yourself again. Glad to hear you are fit and well again now though, and that you look nice and smart too with the new hair do.

Hicky

good news your eye appointment went well and they even started the ball rolling on the sorting the cateracts. And thank goodness it looks like you have found out what was causing that cough, and that it is starting to clear now.

Hope the elbow too carries on healing well.

That will be a lovely Friday night treat to have the grandchildren call for a takeaway.

Sounds like you are not going to be short of tomatoes or cucumber.

That was nice your old boss called in for a chat. You certainly had worked together for  a very long time.

I agree about the gang of girls on Love Island, they are being plain stupid... don't seem to have any idea of how the game works.

Went with son and daughter for a treat morning out to see the Marvel exhibition. We got there 10.45 for 11 entry, (they told us to get there at least 10 mins before our due entrance time) and they wouldn't let us in, said they had a technical problem! Left us hanging around an hour, and said it was still not working, so I said I wanted my money back. They said they could go another time and reuse tickets, and would get some freebies. I should think so...wasted half a day, petrol and car parking ticket. I will make sure I complain to them next time they go, and hope they do keep their promise of some freebies.

Called into Costco for lunch on way home.

Was quite warm and stuffy here today.

Goodnight both xxx

Evening Mollie and Hicky Just popping in to say hi before bed . I took a turn for the worse again this morning .....felt really rough .....but feel better again tonight . I’m not sure if it’s my ibs , or a bug ....whichever , I wish it would naff off again I haven’t read back , but hope you’ve both had a good day ....and I’ll catch up tomorrow . Night night , god bless both 

Evening Mollie & Baz.

Forecast said 24c today, but my guage said 26c sunny all day, moderate breeze.

For Brekkie had bacon, eggs, mushrooms, tomatoes, black pud and chorizo and toast.

My elbow doesn't look too bad, can't say it looks any different, not sure if the cram is doing anything, will just have to wait, at least i have got someone on the case.

Not sure the cough has changed, it's not a problem and i don't cough in bed or anything, will have to see how it goes.

The new irrigation timer is so good i have ordered another 4 so i can swap the main one and the 3 that control the Zones, i will leave the 2 new ones on the greenhouse and raised beds as i can plug in a moisture meter into them.

This one is so simple to control that you don't deed to pick ip a manual to read how to change certain settings, it really is a dream.

I will post it here for you to see.

had a few cherries off one of the trees today, not many on, not sure why so many fell, the birds can't get in.

For tea, just had mushroom soup, put extra mushrooms in, then i am going to have salmon said on Tiger rolls, had a few in the freezer, will have 2.

Mollie, Looking forward to the grandchildren coming tomorrow, not sure if it's the 2 girls with their step brother and mum, could be all 4, not a problem, they are all lovely, i have the menu's for them to choose what they want then i will order over the phone and o/h will go and pick it all up, it could be a lot of food, maybe 6 main meals with 6 starters, and whatever they want.

That was very disappointing, going to the exhibition and not being able to get in.

At least you got to Costco so it wasn't all bad, a good meal their is worth the trip.

Baz, Oh dear, so sorry to hear that, wonder what is causing these bad turns, reading up on IBS i get this, do you have these symptoms?

Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is a common disorder that affects the large intestine. Signs and symptoms include cramping, abdominal pain, bloating, gas, and diarrhea or constipation, or both. IBS is a chronic condition that you'll need to manage long term.

If you don''t have those symptoms then it is probably something else.

Hope you were ok today, have a good might.

Just read back   

Blimey. Darkness is such a lonely place.

RIP emptybox      x

Hi Mollie and Hicky ....and Twickers Hicky , I hope you have a lovely day with your grandchildren tomorrow ....and I hope your elbow continues to improve . I’ve had ibs problems for about 3 years now Hicky  , but I am starting to think this is probably a bug ! One minute it’s ok ...then it’s not ! Mollie , hope you’ve had a good couple of days . I did manage to get to my spa hour today , and I now sport sparkly plum nails 

Anyway , night night all ....sweet dreams 

Baz and Hicky

Baz

sorry you have been feeling unwell again. I think if you have a nasty tummy bug, it can take awhile to clear properly, and tends to come back when you start eating again. Hope it calms down soon. 

Good news you got to your spa day though, hopefully that will make you feel much improved now.

Hicky

Yes good job you now have someone keeping an eye on that elbow. HOpe the cough clears up now too.

Glad you are pleased with the irrigation timer.

HOpe you and your family are pleased when your big takeaway order arrives.

IBS sounds a horrible illness. Poor Baz if she has had that for 3 years now.

Been hot here this afternoon, and I don't like it!

This house is horrible in summer as sun shines on the back of the house in afternoons, so kithen and lounge get far too hot.

I had horrible morning. OH had (unknown by me!) put slug pellets in botton of garden behind a small fence. I nipped upstairs to get washing and when I cam down, dog was sniffing behind the fence where these damn pellets were! I couldn't tell if she had eaten any, so had to whisk her off to vets. Vets gave her an injection (after warning me it was a big risk as it could get into her airways!), luckily she pulled through, and we still don't know if she ate any. But vet suggested we give her charcoal, 3 times a day today, then if there is a trace, it will soak it up. Poor dog, it is so messy and it takes us about half hour to give it her as she has to have 3 and half syringe fulls a time. OH had a real, real telling off from me, me and the kids had told him not to use the pellets, but he assumed the dog wouldn't go behind this little fence. But of course, pets always seem to go where they shouldn't and eat and snuffle round what the shouldn't. HOpefully she will be ok, but all this mass of charcoal might give her upset tum. She has eaten today though.

Haven't watched Love Island yet, as i watched Hotel Inspector. (always think of Emptybox when I see Alex on this show).

Goodnight both. xxx

twickers posted:

Just read back   

 

Blimey. Darkness is such a lonely place.

 

RIP emptybox      x

Hi Twickers

yes you are right, darkness is a lonely place, even when you have people who love you.

We so miss him.

Evening Mollie, Baz & Twickers.

A warm day here at 25c sunny with moderate breeze.

Did the shopping, got the meat, Lamb Neck Fillet for the Rogan Josh i'm making the weekend.

Only 2 granddaughters came because their mum is not well, and the brother had just finished work.

We ordered takeaways and starters from the usual place, o/h went and picked it all up, £32 for 4 starters and 4 main meals, amd got a free prawn crackers and a large bottle of Pepsi.

What they didn't eat they took home, 2 large carrier bags of food.

I picked one of the Mini Munch cucumbers today, and ate it by munching it.

Had 2 eggs on toast in Sainsbury's, had my takeawy for tea, 4 duck spring rolls, and a container of beef and tomato, and a container of rice and chips, it makes 2 meals so kept half for tomorrow.

Mollie,The elbow seems the same as it was when i saw the doc, but will keep on with the treatment.

The new timers should come next Tuesday / Wednesday, if the summer warms up i may need the watering twice a day, and with the new timers it would only take 2 minutes to change the 4 main timers, but quite a job with the old ones.

I have the sun in the back most of the day, but we keep the blinds on the double doors part closed to jkeep the sun off the floor, with a few windows open the place stays quite cool, mind the swing doos swing slightly with the through breeze.

Thats nasty about the slug pellets, dogs are very nosey and know when something has been done, hope it is ok, he would have been sick or very ill by m=now, unless it's pet friendly, it would be on the packet.

On LI, the doo doo with hit the fan tonight.

Baz, The problem with your condition is you need to supply urine, blood and other tests when you have the problem so they might be able to narrow it down.

Hope it doesn't keep bothering you.

Twickers, Yes, such a loss, and so sudden, if only we had any idea that he was keeping his medical condition away from his family, and of course, having had similar problems myself i really thought he needed urgent medical attention but think he couldn't face what needed to be done, and being on his own he wouldn't have been able to get home from hospital without his brother or some relative to look after him probably, RIP (Ian) Emptybox, you lovely Man.

all xxx

Baz

hope you are having a good weekend and your poor tum has settled down.

Hicky

what a shame your grandchildren's mum was not well. I am sure the others that came enjoyed time with you and the shared take away.

With your mixed summer so far, it must be hard for you to work out your watering system. It has certainly gone very hot today.

We went out for brekkie and when we got in the car it said 33c! It did lower to 28 when the car moved, but that's still very hot for 11am, as its humid too.

Your cucumbers sounds delicious and I am sure they are very good for you . Our bunny loves a slice of cucumber.

Love Island looks good with all those newbies, let's see if those who promised not to turn their head will be tempted?

I am glad to say the dog seems fine now. OH got a good telling off for putting poison down and not keeping an eye on the dog, and he got a bill for £80 off the vet for a consultation, injection and prescriptiion. But without that, even if she has injected just a grain of these slug pellets, it could of killed her and she is very old now.

Not much to watch on tv tonight and I am up to date with Love Island. I am looking forward to Sunday night and the Indian train journey though, I also enjoyed the 17 th century Indian drama after it.

So hot and humid this afternoon, I'm staying quietly in lounge with curtains closed to keep sun out.

Have a good day both xxx

Evening Mollie.

Only 23c today with light rain which didn't come, i felt 2 drops, we had a moderate breeze, had some sun as well.

Yes, pity the girls mum wasn't well, not much i can do about that, the girls had a fine time, plenty of food, and a few extras, cakes and chocies.

Made my Lamb Rogan Josh, from scratch, just using the spices etc, it looks like enough for 4 or 5 meals, didn't have any today as i wanted to finish off the Beef Tomato meal from last night, just made a new dish of rice to go with it.

Got loads of salad stuff for tomorrow, might try a portion of the Rogan Josh for tomorrows tea.

Love Island will be interesting Sunday, and of course at 10pm we will see those that left the other day.

Tonight is good anyway, get some unseen bits.

Glad your dog is ok, he may not have eaten any of the pellets.

Have a good Sunday, keep hydrated and cool.

Hicky posted:

Twickers, Yes, such a loss, and so sudden, if only we had any idea that he was keeping his medical condition away from his family, and of course, having had similar problems myself i really thought he needed urgent medical attention but think he couldn't face what needed to be done, and being on his own he wouldn't have been able to get home from hospital without his brother or some relative to look after him probably, RIP (Ian) Emptybox, you lovely Man.

I so agree, such a lovely man.

You did try and tell him he needed treatment, but it was so sad that he couldn't face up to it, and worried about burdening his family. His family would certainly of preferred to help him out, to that other road he chose to go down.

I don't think he realied just how much his family cared for him. I saw at the funeral how shocked and devastated they all were, his young nephews were sobbing so much, their mother had to comfort them. And I so felt for his poor brother, who was a lovely man too.

*mollie* posted:

Hicky posted:

Twickers, Yes, such a loss, and so sudden, if only we had any idea that he was keeping his medical condition away from his family, and of course, having had similar problems myself i really thought he needed urgent medical attention but think he couldn't face what needed to be done, and being on his own he wouldn't have been able to get home from hospital without his brother or some relative to look after him probably, RIP (Ian) Emptybox, you lovely Man.

I so agree, such a lovely man.

You did try and tell him he needed treatment, but it was so sad that he couldn't face up to it, and worried about burdening his family. His family would certainly of preferred to help him out, to that other road he chose to go down.

I don't think he realied just how much his family cared for him. I saw at the funeral how shocked and devastated they all were, his young nephews were sobbing so much, their mother had to comfort them. And I so felt for his poor brother, who was a lovely man too.

Evening Mollie and Hicky Sorry about your grandkids mum Hicky ...hope she is better soon . Mollie , you’re right ...not much on TV tonight ....but I enjoyed Gogglebox last night I’m still not 100% , but I’m starting to think it might be my anxiety kicking in /ramping up ...about my night away next week Anyway , I hope you have both had a good day and evening . Night night , sleep tight both 

Hicky

nice for you to spoil the girls with not only a takeaway, but a few chocs and sweets too.

Yes  you are right the dog might not of eaten the pellets at all, so hard to know what to do for the best. I never realised how thick dogs were until we got one! Mind you the one we have is not a very intelligent breed anyway. Very easy going and a good family pet though. And doesn't lose hairs, which is good.

It has cooled down at last now, the wind seems to of changed, thank goodness, and blown away the horrid humid stuff.

My Indian neighbour made us a lovely curry for tea as a late birthday treat for my daughter to thank her for looking after the dog. It was delicous. The rice so light and fluffy, the curried veg were lovely as was the paneer cheese curry she did for me and the family enjoyed their chicken curry.

Baz posted:

 , but I’m starting to think it might be my anxiety kicking in /ramping up ...about my night away next week Anyway , I hope you have both had a good day and evening . Night night , sleep tight both 

Hi Baz

you poor thing, yes if you are going away and feeling anxious, that could be the cause.

HOpe it settles down.

Yes Gogglebox was real funny again, Rylan and his mum still my fave. So funny.

Am just watching the end of Glastonbury as nothing. much else on. At least it is not covered in mud this year for them.

Goodnight , hope you sleep well. xxx

Afternoon Mollie and Hicky Hope you are both having an enjoyable Sunday . Been overcast here , but at least it’s a bit cooler . My daughter was coming over today to take me to our out of town retail park so I could grab some stuff from M&S , but something cropped up , so I grabbed a taxi instead....we have no buses here on a Sunday anymore  Apart from that I’ve done a couple of loads of washing, got a few things ready for my trip tomorrow ... and not much else 

Mollie , I don’t like Rylan normally , but have to admit he and his mum have given me some real belly laughs And I’ve on,y just seen the bit about your dog ...glad it is ok though Hicky , glad you are still enjoying Love Island ...is there a DS thread for it ?I think I’m going to give the Trevor McDonald India programme a whirl tonight

Anyway , have a good evening both . 

Evening Mollie & Baz.

Only 20c today, sunny intervals and a fresh breeze.

Had saltcod for brekkie with poached eggs and bacon cooked in the microwave.

My 4 new water timer computers came today, so set them up and installed them all, done, replaced the other 4 i had in, will remove the batteries, the old ones used 2 x 'C' and the new ones use 2 x AA which is fine.

I made a chart yesterday on a drawing program i have on the computer, i listed the 7 timers and they are all now labeled, and i have all the data setting for each so i don't need to remember the 3 x 7 settings.

Got some flowers coming on the Strawberries now.

Had a Lamb Rogan Josh for tea, made fried rice to go woth it.

My lad came on thiw morning, o/h got them on her tablet using Messenger, we had a good chat, so good to see the young one again. 

Mollie, That was nice of your neighbour making all those meals for you, wow, lovely, real authentic food that.

Yes, always lovely to see the girls again, will see more of the youngest when schools close for the summer, the older girl is looking for a temporary job for the summer.

Baz, Hi Baz, hope you are not too stressed about your trip, shame your daughter couldn't make it, but good going getting a taxi, good idea to get some washing done while the weather is nice, and if you needed it for tomorrow.

I recorded goggle box, at least i have it.

Enjoy your day out, hope the weather stays fine for you.

Baz and Hicky

Baz

HOpe you are feeling well, and hope the trip out tomorrow goes well. Shame something came up , so you had to get  a taxi though. Its such a shame in many areas how people are stranded on Sundays because of bus cut backs.

Yes I am not normally a fan of Rylan's but with his mum, I am.

Hope you enjoyed the Indian train show, I thought it was great, but OH says we can't quite afford that train carriage at £5000 a night!

Hicky

that is good your water system is all set up now ready for if we get hot weather soon. Good job you are so good at designing things.

Nice for you and OH to chat with son and the little one again.

Shouldn't be long now till the girls can come and see you over the school hols. They have already broken up in Scotland and Ireland for summer.

Nicer day today with no baking humidity and no rain either. Both of our pets looked happier today, not nice having to wear a fur coat when its so hot!

Poor son developed tootheache on Friday, (of all days) and has been in bad pain, but nhs says he has to wait till tomorrow to see dentist and take co codemol and ibuprofen. It isn't a tooth that went rotten but one near the back that has not grown through the gum properly. Hope the dentist can ease the pain tomorrow. It says on the cocodemol he can only take for 3 days as it is addictive. So no meals out today without him, I wouldn't of enjoyed it. I am having to write down the times he can take which meds as nhs said you have to be careful not to overdose. He is just waiting to take the next dose asap. One he can take every 6 hours and the other is every 8 hours.

I did go and visit my Indian neighbours mum whilst she was out, as her mum is very sweet, and age 88, so can't go far, especially as she is still tired after such a long journey.

Really enjoyed the Indian train journey and Beecham House, have recorded Love Island.

Goodnight both xxx

Evening Mollie.

Coolish here today, 17c light cloud with sunny intervals, a fresh breeze though.

Have got lovely flowers on the strawberry plants, pleased about that.

Have ordered 2 more of those watering timers as they are so good and easy to use, will replace the 2 i have that you can plug the moisture sensor in, but have stopped using that type as too hard to control.

Took the potatoes from the 3 tubs i planted some sprouted spuds in, they were the spuds i messed up last year by leaving in the sun.

I got about half a bucket, have put them into large trays lying on shredded card, it doesn't half come in handy.

They need 10 days to cure before storing to toughen up the skins.

The stalks on the Vivaldi plants haven't died off yet, i could have a lot of spuds from the raised bed.

For brekkie i had 2 salad sandwiches, beef tongue with mixed salad, tasty, for tea, meant to have soup but forgot, was going to have another curry but thought i better have a stirfry having bought the stuff, so made a duck Chinese stirfry

Been watching some Tennis when i wasn't in the greenhouse or garden, wondering what to put in the 3 tubs not the spuds are out.

Noticed that more cherries seem to be ripening, told o/h to see if she wants some.

Not much is worse than toothache, couldn't he go to the walk in centre, if you have one, they can normally sort you out, it's hard to control the pain with tablets.

Glad your pets seem to have improved, thats good.

That was nice of you, going to see your neighbours mother, thats not a bad age, at 88 she is doing well.

Love island was good, will be even better tonight, and the Host has gone back out, Sunday night was good the 2 shows, wow, love it. 

My elbow seems the same as it was, a bit hard to say really, the skin this morning was hard like finger nail but just now it seems soft, i will keep following instructions anyway, hope i can see the doc friday as he's on holiday next week.

Hope Baz is enjoying her break., change of scenery always good.

  Hicky

sounds like you will be getting some nice strawberries off your plants before too long, and I bet your cherries will be nice. Are yours the dark purple ones? I got some orangy type ones from costco the other week and they are lovely.

Hopefully your potatoes will be ok this year.

Not like you to forget your soup.

Yes hope you can get to see the doc to check that elbow.

My son eventually got to see the dentist at 3pm! Unfortunately we don't have a walk in centre and we dialled the nhs number but they said he couldn't be helped till today. Dentist has done temporary filling and told him to go back in a month to discuss options. He says the pain is already easing now which is good as he can't take the cocodemol any more than 3 days and it is day 3 today.

Went to the beach cafe where I used to take mum for ice cream today, nearly made it without crying but not quite, just shed a few tears as i thought of how I wheeled her round there all those times. Had a lovely crepe with strawberries, ice cream, cream to cheer myself up. Daughter had a choccy one. Then she went on beach to collect a small amount of sand to make her latest craft thing. She loves making craft things as well as baking.

Enjoyed Love Island tonight.

Nice day here today, as no rain and not too hot and not too cold.

Hope Baz is having a nice couple of days.

Goodnight Hicky. xxx

Evening Mollie.

18c today with sunny intervals and a moderate breeze.

I had sausage black pud eggs chiriso and toast for brekkie.

Had an email saying some batteries were being delivered today, saw the van outside so opened the door, the bloke seemed in a hurry and walked on the other side of the fence down to the next bungalow, i said to him have you a packet for me, he didn't respond just kept walking, the driver was still in the van, he posted the packet through the letter box, this was at 12,30 pm, but next door were out, they didn't come in till 4.30, i had gone online as i had had another email saying my packet had been delivered through the letter box, so i told Amazon, oh no it hasn't the person mailed it to the wrong address.

for tea i decided to make beef and mushroom with onions, haven't got much beef so decided to cook some stewing steak and use that, had it with rice.

I gave a mini cucumber to my left neighbour, the right neighbour wants one for the weekend.

I have a date for the Cataract op, 26th July.

I was reading about the grapes of the vine i have in the greenhouse, it says that the 'Autumn Royal' was bread in California in 1996 and has black skin, is seedless and has one of the biggest grapes available, also says , i think, that the bunches don't need attention, they are massive and the grapes are spaced out, at the moment they are about 7mm dia, the outside vine hasn't even got flowers on yet.

SIL should be coming Monday, she has just had a Cataract op the other day.

About the cherries, of course i can't really tell what colour they are, but they are dark, i've had them of the early tree and these on the other 2 are different, 1 tree has smaller fruit than the other but most i think are ripe.

I think the greenhouse grapes go black when they are ripe, but the flash isn't black, as you can imagine, i have no idea what colour they are at the moment.

Don't you have the NHS 111 phone number for help or assistance? there is usually an out of hours emergent dentist on duty somewhere.

It will always be hard for you going to cafe's etc where you used to take your mum, you will just have to be strong and do it for her.

Love island will be interesting tonight with the host going in, wow, fireworks comes to mind, i remember last year, when couples came back arm in arm, so to speak.

Loving Wimbledon, about time some of these oldies got knocked out, they just won't hang up the racket.

Have a good night.

Evening Mollie and Hicky I’m back Hotel was fantastic , time with my friend was fun , as always , and being by the sea always boosts my mood .....but I am cream crackered , and I’m glad to be home .....I think it was too soon tbh ....but hey , I did it I’ll catch up with all your news tomorrow , but just wanted to pop in and say hi .....before I curl up in my own bed Night night both 

Hi both xx

Baz

well done Baz on going away to the seaside with your friend. As you said, at least you did it, even if you are exhausted now.

Hicky

oh dear about your parcel, so annoying when stuff is not delivere properly.

I see your neighbours are doing well from your produce again.

That's lucky you don't have long to wait for the cataract op, I have heard they make a real difference, and are not painfull, so well worth it. I expect your SIL will be able to tell you all about it on Monday.

Oh yes, sorry I forgot that (like my boys) you are colour blind, so wouldn't be able to make out the exact colour of your produce.

Yes I did dial 111 but they said there was no emergency dentist available until the Monday as he wasn't losing blood from it!

Had tea in Weatherspoons today just with OH and daughter , as son can only eat soft stuff at home with his tooth still uncomfy (but easing now) and other son was going to a party. I had a halloumi and sweet chilli wrap with salad and refillable coffee, only £4.59, so real value. and very tasty too.

Met mum's ex carer in amausement arcade down seafront and gave her kiddies some pocket money to go on machines whilst we chatted, which was nice. A beautiful evening, quite a lot of people around, surfers and people on paddle boards. Stayed out till 9 as it was so nice.

So haven't seen tv tonight.

Looking forward to catching up on Love Island.

Goodnight both xxx

Evening Mollie & Baz.

Quite a nice day really, 19c wall to wall sun, a gentle breeze as well.

Had 2 eggs on toast for brekkie, 

We went to the Farm for some bits, got 1kg of unsmoked back bacon, so good this is, also a couple of Ribeye steaks, also 8 long thin pork sausages, some black pud and a couple of pork pies, i pack the sausages and bacon in 2's using clingfilm to freeze after wrapping.

Greenhouse looking good, the vine has 6 cordons growing, 4 have reached the limit, the last 2 are still growing but the one that broke has 3 shoots fighting to take over, i will have to see which becomes the stronger, the grapes trusses are doing well, wow, never seen anything like it.

This is the plant, it reads very well, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Autumn_Royal

I asked o/h if she was going to look at the cherries to see if they were ready for her to pick, she said, i had a dish yesterday, oh.

For tea made a salad, took another piece of loaf out of the freezer, will have some of that for brekkie.

I saw on one of the youtube sites i use, it's a gardener who has an old farm in Ohio and he was showing how to get rid of weeds in his gravel drive, he used a gallon of vinegar and half a cup of salt and sprayed it as a jet onto the roots.

I tried that but i could only get 2 litre containers of vinegar, i tried one anyway, ot worked ok but salt is pretty cheap so i have been using the salt in water.

Mollie, Yes i wasn't expecting to have the op till late August so was surprised, mind you it's only like an out patient thing.

I find it hard to believe you aren't able to see an emergency dentist at the weekend, something doesn't seem right.

The kiddies would love the money you gave them for the arcade machines, what kids don't love going on those, even i do.

Love island will be interesting tonight after last night, The face on Amber, wow.

Baz, Glad you had a good time away with your friend, it does the world of good, and by the seaside, love it, my fave place to go.

You always feel worn out when you get home, but the break does you good

Hi Mollie and Hicky It’s a beautiful day here ...very sunny , but not overly hot ...which suits meHow annoying about your parcel Hicky .....but glad your cataract op is pushing ahead Mollie ,it sounds like you live near the sea , if so I’m green with envy !

I had counselling today ....but don’t feel quite so wiped out as last time....but when I got home I heard from the voluntary job I’d put in for ...I have to go and see them Monday ...been a while since I had any sort of interview Anyway , I hope you’ve both had a good day ....and a relaxing evening ..night night 

both

Baz

glad to hear you had a nice sunny day.

We used to live in a seaside town, but now live about 20 mins drive away, and as I miss it, i try and go on the bus when I can.

That is good you don't feel as wiped out with the counselling as you did. It can'be be easy, but you should be proud of yourself making the effort.

And you have also done so well being brave enough to put in for the voluntary job. Just be yourself and I am sure you will be fine when you meet them.

Hicky

sounds like you are well stocked up after your visit to the farm.

And looks like you can look forward to plenty of grapes soon.

Your OH was on the ball with your yummy cherries by the sound of it.

I use white vinegar too, it is great for putting off ants, flies etc if I spay it outside the doors/windows, as well as cleaning. OH bought a plastic spray bottle and I put it in that with some water. I bought some really big containers of it from amazon.

Quite hot today and sunny. Had to take dog to vet again, with tummy upset, she does not fair well in summer, and had not eaten for 2 days, He gave her an injection, and then she ate within hours. Amazing how it stops the sickness feeling so quickly. I am going to try and keep her out of the sun completely tomorrow, she does tend to sneak under the patio curtains to sunbathe. 

Have been too busy to watch Love Island, must catch up as it sounds so good.

Goodnight both xxx

Evening Mollie & Baz,

Only 19c today, sunny intervals, lots of them, a gentle breeze.

Had bacon, eggs, black pudding for brekkie with my toast.

Midday had some leftover beef stirfry with some baby potatoes.

For tea had Laksa noodle soup with added mushrooms to finish them off.

Have made the shopping list for the morning, will get a taxi.

Got to make an appointment to see the doc in the morning.

Been watching some tennis, not much to do in the garden, have upped the buckets in the greenhouse to water for 15 minutes now rather than the 10. when i get the last 2 water timers i ordered i might have to put the greenhouse on 2 or 3 times a day now the temperature is rising.

Mollie, Yes had 2 slices of the new bacon, did it in the microwave, last time i did it in clingfilm but o/h said she doesn't think it's safe, i did it in kitchen towel today but it takes the juice out of it, i wonder if i can use baking paper?

Yes, if these grapes in the greenhouse are a success, wow, never imagined they could be this big, i mean the truss is massive.

The weedkiller should be about a 25cl beaker of salt to 3 or more litres of vinegar or water, i ran out of vinegar so used water, pretty sure it works though.

Wonder why the dog had an upset tummy? i just couldn't do with the hassle, it's bad enough with family ailments, never mind pets.

Love Island very interesting.

Baz, I think it's best to carry on with the counselling, it will get easier, thats what it is all about.

Thats good, getting to see about the voluntary job all ready, well done, it will give you other things to think about, also lovely having other people to chat to during the week.

Have a good evening both of you. 

Good Evening, silence was the reply.

Another 19c day here with sunny intervals and a moderate breeze.

Got my shopping this morning, didn't bother with the breakie in store, they don't take enough care of cooking the fried eggs, if i want them messed up i will ask them, made 2 egg sandwiches when i got home.

My 2 new watering timers came, i set them up, takes 1 minute each then installed them, that took about 3 minutes each as i have all the outside ones plug in so i can plug them out for the winter.

Have set the greenhouse up for watering twice a day, i just needed to alter 3 controllers, the main one, Zone 3 and the greenhouse one.

Gave a cucumber to the neighbour on the right, she asked if i had a lettuce to space, well i bought 2 little gem this morning so gave her one of those, still got one from last week, they just seem to last in the fridge, fantastic.

Going to give her some new potatoes, she was on the way out to get a heart monitor fitted, but i didn't see her after that, will see her in the morning.

For tea i made another stirfry, got 4 different stirfry packs this morning, had half a pack of raw king prawns with it, nice.

Couldn't get a docs appointment this morning, rang from 08:15 am till they answered as it was always busy, when i got through all the appointments had gone, strange really, she said come into the surgery Monday morning at 08:15 and try then, it seem my doc is in Monday.

Looking forward to Love Island tonight.

Hicky

no silence now.. I'm back....

hectic day yesterday involving looking after neighbours dog, paperwork to sort for accountant, then off to the seaside, and didn't get in till about 9, so had to catch up with Love Island, it has been so good.

Busy today too....went to view stuff at auction, then off to Sainsburys to get shopping. Got some lovely clothes in the big sale, 3 dresses for £14! OH got 2 nice shirts for £5 each. Then as it was nice, went to seafront again. We are having fun playing the Cops and Robbers 2p machine and collecting winners tickets for my friends kids. We got over 600 tonight. You need a lot of tickets to win a decent prize though.But its fun winning them, and the kids love feeding them into the machine to count them. I then had a crepe with strawberries, ice cream , and cream in the ice cream sundae bar on the sefront. (where I used to go with mum). I am training myself to go there now without getting upset.

I think I have seen some sort of dish/thingie you can put in the microwave to cook bacon well.

Your own brekkie is probably better quality anyway than the stuff they have in the supermarket for brekkie. (and cheaper)

Hope your new water timers do their job well.

Your neighbour did well getting cucumber and lettuce. I am sure she will be pleased with the addition of potatoes, poor thing going to have a heart moniter fitted. Your produce is sure to do her good.

Sorry you did not get the docs appointment, getting these appointments is getting harder and harder, as they have so few GP's. About time they trained some more, No wonder I read too that loads they have were leaving, because they can't do their jobs properly with the the cut backs. They on average see 40 patients a day. some see up to 60! Ridiculous.

My ankle with the worst arthritis in it has been really swollen the last couple of days, don't know if it is all the walking, or because it has been so hot.

I too am looking forward to Love Island. Getting really interesting now.

Hope Baz is ok and not getting a wound up tum from nerves about the job on Monday.

Goodnight Hicky xxx

Evening Mollie and Hicky  Hope you’ve both had a good day . Sorry about the doc appointment...or lack of it Hicky .......and your ankle Mollie Been very warm here today .

I'm not nervous about the interview ....but the next three weeks will be very sad for me, leading up to the first year anniversary...so I’m trying to keep busy . Anyway , I’ll pop back properly tomorrow and catch up . Night night both ....sweet dreams 

Afternoon both Hope you are both having a good Saturday . It’s been raining / drizzling here all day , but it looks like it may have started to brighten up now . I’ve not done much today ....my energy levels are at rock bottom ....but I have changed the bed and done a load of washing , so not a totally wasted day 

Wow , you did well on the clothes shopping front Mollie And once again I’m green with envy that you went to the seaside ...especially as you had strawberry crepes !Hicky , could you please come and live around my house , cos your cooking skills seem much better than mine And yes , I’m hoping the voluntary job comes to fruition too for all the reasons you put forward .

Anyway, the ironing awaits ....oh joy ! Have a nice evening .

Evening Mollie & Baz.

Only 18c here with sunny intervals, a bit of drizzle and a moderate breeze.

Had bacon and beans for brekkie, wrapped the bacon in greaseproof paper then in kitchen roll, it was fine, next time i will try greasproof again but then in clingfilm, as long as the clingfilm doesn't touch the hot food it is fine, you can get microwave safe clingfilm anyway.

Midday i made a couple of salad sandwiches, love them.

For tea had Laksa soup then a plate of chicken wings.

Just been watching Wimbledon when i wasn't in the greenhouse.

Mollie, You did have a busy day and you need to get to the seaside as much as possible.

I will look into the bacon microwave dishes, think i have either seen them or heard of them.

With not having brekkie at the store before i got the shopping meant i had finished the shopping when o/h finished work, so she took the trolley to get hers and i waited in the car, sorted.

Not sure about your swollen ankle, don't forget my swollen ankles was the meds that was all, the swelling is usually water and it flows down to your feet but the blood circulation can't take the water back up again.

Baz, Yes, Anniversaries will be always tough to manage, there's noway round that.

Had a bit of drizzle this morning but it soon brightened up, 

I have always cooked, my lads used to lovely my curries etc but now i mainly cook for myself, i still make enough for 4 people but i freeze 3 portions, which i could never do with the lads at home.

I get my inspiration from watching an old man in India cook for dozens of orphan children, his youtube channel is "GrandPa Kitchen" he has over 5M subscibers and it was his video's that i used to make a recipe book, i don't use quantities i play by ear, not sure how many videos he has made, must be hundreds, i have watched dozens if not more than that.

Here is crispy chicken spring rolls.

The site is https://www.youtube.com/grandpa_kitchen/videos

When you watch a video on the link, after watching click, back, to get the video list up again, it really is fantastic, i spend hours watching them and the ones i love i put in my recipe book.

both xxx

Baz

Yes a difficult time for you with the 1st anniversary of your loss coming soon.

Glad to hear you are not nervous about the interview.

You have done quite well doing the bed and washing despite a low energy day.

I too could do with  a bit of HIcky cooking and his home produce too.

Hicky

thank you for the Granda kitchen link, you haven't posted one of those for awhile. I am always amazed at the size of the portions.

A bit cooler for you there I see. Still quite warm and humid here, around 23. We went to costco and enjoyed the food samples again and the cheapo tea too. I had the usual jacket potato and beans.

Couldn't find anything to watch on tv tonight, so just caught up on Coronation Street.

At least Love Island is back tomorrow.

Goodnight both xxx

Evening Mollie.

18c again today, sunny intervals, mainly sunny, a gentle breeze.

Didn't do a lot today, had bacon and black pud with a couple of fried eggs.

I have put the greenhouse on the 12 hr watering, the small buckets can't retain enough moisture for the cucumbers and the peppers. so easy to change anything with the new timers.

Just been training the greenouse plants up canes or along the support cords, the vine growth is almost done, just 2 cordons to grow a little more.

For tea did a Lamb neck fillet stir fry, rather tasty: https://www.healthyfood.co.uk/...icky-lamb-stir-fry/#

I only made half of the recipe, just enough for me.

The raised bed with the Vivaldi potatoes in is dying off so will be taking the spuds up soon, just making preparations to store them.

I didn't want to bore you will too many videos of grandpa Kitchen cooking food, he has hundreds, not sure of course which you have seen.

I have lots of stirfry stuff so will be having that each night till it's used up, also, have so much fish will be able to use some of that soon, bought a KG of chicken fillets Friday, had a few anyway but i didn't want to run out.

Yes, Costco meals really are worth having, and they even cook them and wash up.

Got to make an appointment to see the doc tomorrow, hopefully, o/h is going to take me anyway.

Hope Baz has had a good day.

Love Island should be good tonight, also Aftersun, love that as well.

  Baz and Hicky

Hicky

hope you are pleased with the Vivaldis when you get them up. How do you store them?

Yes I have seen a few Grandpa Kitchens now, but they don't bore me. 

sounds like you have your menus well lined up for awhile.

HOpe you have more sucess this time making the docs appointment.

OH and I went for brekkie at garden centre today, very nice it was, they do a delicous brown fried bread there.

This afternoon went to seaside with OH, daugther and dog in her pram, as she loves going,... so many things to look at and listen to, as we played on the Cops and Robbers machines again and I won the jackpot!   Over 1300 tickets, they took ages to come out of the machine.   When I see my friends kids there next week , they will have lots of toys/sweets to choose from with the winnings. I'd been trying for the jackpot a few days now, and finally got the hang of it. (whereabouts to keep shoving my 2p coin, that is!).

Watched Beecham House, very good show, will catch up on Love Island.

HOpe Baz had a good day.

And hope the interview tomorrow goes well Baz.

Goodnight both xxx

Afternoon Mollie and Hicky Hope you are both having a good day ...and that you’ve managed to get an appointment at the doctors Hicky .  How is your ankle Mollie ? Are you both still enjoying Love Island ? I have to say I really miss having BB to watch each night ...even though it was mere dross by the end  

Well my *interview *went well , and I’m now signed up for various events being held at the library over the summer ...they must be mad !Its only a a few hours every week ...and voluntary ....but it will give me an interest and get me out of the house .

Anyway , have a good evening both .