Afternoon Mollie and Hicky  Sunny day here ....hope it is where you are  I slept ok ....although not as good as the last couple of nights . I’ve not done an awful lot ....just some washing , dusting and cleaned the kitchen . Apart from that I’ve anti bac’d the shopping delivery and fed the birds  Now I’m lazing around watching Vera Hope you are all having a good Saturday , whatever you are doing . 

Mollie , did you enjoy Gogglebox last night ? I did , and I loved singing along to GreaseI also bought some of that lightener spray you were on about to try and put some highlights back in ....so wish me luck Hicky , glad the clinic and your sons knee went well . I sent my son a picture of my ankle scars when they still had the stitches in .....he said he nearly passed out  I like rack of lamb too ...but sadly they are too big for me these days . 

Anyway , I hope you both have a good evening , whatever you have planned . Take care and stay safe 

Evening Baz & All.

Glad you slep a bit better, it sure helps you through the next day.

Glad you got your shopping, thats half the battle.

I think you are confusing the rack of lamb with something else, it is the best lamb cut with the bobe deskinned to the meat end, i'll try and find a picture.

17c today with sunny intervals and a moderate breeze.

Had 3 fried eggs on toast for brekkie, had a salad sandwich at 2-m and for tea got some bacon ribs from the garage freezer, cooked in oven with spices in the water, tasty, picked a few lettuce leaves from the masses in the tubs

Watched the F1, a lot rained off but Lewis got pole in the end.

My new loaf tin arrived, it's lovely, no welds or joints or even fold, it is enamelled so smooth, a one peace moulded tin, making a loaf with it tomorrow as i need another one.

Had a vid call with Oz this morning, great to see them again.

My lads knee is still swollen, going to get them to look at it again Monday.

Have a good evening, stay safe and sleep well tonight.

both xxx

Baz

Did you get all you wanted from your shopping? I think you said you use Sansibury don't you?

Oh dear, your poor son being so shocked by your ankle scars. Sounds like you were in a bad day, no surprise really after that op you had though.

I too watched Vera, a good episode this week. I also enjoyed Gogglebox, and thought it was really good this week, especially with Grease.

Hope you get on ok with the hair lightener. When you have used it a few times, don't keep applying it especially at the ends of your hair, as it can dry out your hair. I just use it on the roots now a few times each week, or have a quick spray elsewhere, but not on the ends, so they don't dry out. And it takes a few days to take effect.

Hicky

Many thanks for the video, that will give MrM some ideas for next time.

that's interesting that you say the left eye might of had a problem without you knowing it. As you say, you might not of even realised it, as I believe the brain does adjust to eye problems as it goes along.

I had to about MrsH having coly cheese, and you saying when you see her have something, you want it. I know what you mean, when I see cookery shows on tv, I always fancy eating what I see.

Your decking and garden furntiture should look very nice when newly painted.

Is it a strawberry corer you got or an apple one? Pity you forgot your ice cream though.

That's good you are so pleased with your loaf tin.

what a shame your lad's knee is still swollen, hope it improves soon.

We too had similiar weather today, lovely, not too warm with plenty of sun and a cool breeze.

Had MrM's potatoes with the left over pizza for tea, and strawberries with the rest of the oatcake. It was a nice day for us to take doggie a walk.

Nothing that appeals to my on tv tonight, so will watch recordings.

Have a good evening both xxx

Evening Mollie.

I found that video of stretching the Pizza dough interesting, the dough has to be made to a specific recipe of course and kneaded to give it the stretch ability but think thats the way to do it, just needs a little practice.

Yes, strange how the middle vision went after i had the cataract op, not sure when it went even as you can't tell unless you close the other eye then you realise you can't see.

Mrs H brough me a tub of ice cream home today from work, nice.

Yes, when decking painted, it's an awful lot of decking to paint, it will be a grey colour with the table and seats in black.

The corer is a tomato corer but it works fantastic with strawberries, i will post the picture or the site.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Lacor...&tag=googhydr-21

Yes, his knee is a mess right now, he showed me a picture from the surgeon of the surface of the knee, it had grooves in it where it was worn, he should be moving the knee but because of the swellling he can't.

I finished the strawberries then sliced 2 bananas into dish and added loads of ice cream.

Stay safe, keep dry and sleep tight.

Good Evening Everyone.

Not a bad day really, 20c with sunny intervals with a gentle breeze.

Had a full English for brekkie as Mrs H fancied one but didn't offer to make it, only had bacon, egg, sausage, tomatoes and beans with toast, she was disappointed with the sausage, i haven't got any from the butcher as last time i went they didn't have any left, mind you we went on a Monday, no idea why, the sausages i have are the Richmond Irish pork, i like them.

Mrs H painted a section of the decking under the utility room window, it looks nice, a lot to go yet.

I baked a loaf with the new loaf tin to try it, it made a lovely loaf, wider than the other tin but not as long.

Cooked my Welsh Hill mini lamb shoulder, had 50% and have frozen half for a curry tomorrow, had some of the new loaf with the lamb, going to have some more tonight with shrimps on.

Stay safe, stay alert and keep smiling and sleep tight.

Watched F1, Lewis won, Mercedes 1st & 2nd.

Hicky

that is nice of MrsH to remember to bring your ice cream home from work with her.

Thanks for the corer link, it looks so handy , especially at that price. We bought your bread cutter guide, haven't used it yet until MrM makes a loaf, but it looks good. We like the way it folds up when not in use.

Hope your son gets on ok with is knee when he goes back to see them about it. Sounds very nasty.

We too had a cooked brekkie, we usually do on Sundays, so we dont miss going out on our usual pub weekend brekkies too much. Shame you weren't too impressed with your sausages today.

The decking painting is going to keep you both busy, Hope we get decent weather to enable you to do so,

We too had a decent day today, lots of sun, but not too warm with a cool breeze. MrM did some chilli chicken sausages on the BBQ, I had veggie sausages and salad, and son made some garlic bread dough balls with some of the bread mix left over from when MrM made the pizzas. All came out nice on the BBQ. Took doggie a walk and chatted with a few neighbours on the way home.

Hope Baz is ok today.

Going to watch Antiques Road show now.

Have a good evening both x

Evening Mollie.

Hope Baz is ok, no sign today.

I had dropped a hint to Mrs H about me forgetting to put the ice cream onto the shopping list, didn't know she would get any, i suppose it depended on whether she was going to get any more shopping or not.

You use the corer like you would pick an eye from a potato, push it in over the far side of the core, moving it to cut into the flesh, keep scooping the whole of the core out, with a strawberry, take the leaves off then put the blade into the white area of that was under the leaves and scoop the whole of the white area and core so the blade has the core in it when you remove it.

There is 3 sizes of bread slice thickness, thin, medium and thick, i use the medium for sandwiches and thick for toast, i leave mine up as i use it every day so it sits at the back of the worksurface by the toaster, i like the way it collects crumbs, my first one didn't.

It was Mrs H who wasn't impressed with the sausages, not sure why, they are good sausages, probably not much pork in them though.

Mrs H is painting the decking, mind you, she cant kneel and her hands are pretty bad with arthritis, i can't get down either, cant see very good so can't really help her, i can do any work as long as i can sit to do it, or stand and do it.

Glad you got out for a walk with doggie, i've been watching recordings of last years ozy Love Island.

Stay safe, stay smiling and sleep tight.

Afternoon Mollie and Hicky  Wet and chilly here . Hope the weather is better where you are . I didn’t sleep very well last night .....seems to becoming a pattern ....two or three good nights , followed by a bad one....not helped by the fact I nodded off on the sofa and woke up at nearly 1 o’clock .....and by the time I’d locked up and got to bed I was wide awake again   Anyway , I fully intended tackling my wardrobes today....got loads that could go to the charity shop ....but I’ve nit got around to it yet ....so it’s been a lazy one chez Baz Hope you are having a better day than me 

Mollie , weather was nice here too yesterday .....although I was reading lots of places had flying ant day Luckily nothing here ...at least not yet ....I HATE ants ! By the way , can I use that spray on dry hair ....in between washes....or does it have to go on wet hair ? Hicky , your son has my sympathy .....my ankle is still quite stiff, even though I’ve been using it for several weeks now ! But I understand that is par for the course ....especially as because of Covid I’ve had no physio ! You certainly seem to eat well 

Anyway , take care of yourselves and have a good evening ....nowt on tv 

Evening Baz.

Thats the problem if you fall asleep in the evening, you body will be happy with what sleep you got, so going to bed was pointless really as your weren't going to sleep anyway.

Charity shops always glad of saleable items to make them some money, i didn't do a lot, summer pruned the grape vine in the greenhouse, left it a bit late really, should have done it weeks ago, watched a video on growing the Autumn Royal and it said leave 2 bunches on a branch and stop the growth after another 2 nodes, 2 late now i cut off 50 bunches.

We had flying ants in the barracks in Singapore, on a certain day under certain conditions a colony of ants has grown wings, they can only fly once, the rooms in the barracks had no windows, just wooden slats but above that was open to the outside about 1ft wide and the ants fly in, i woke one morning early and the whole place was black, every bed was covered and the floor with crawling ants and of course they cant fly agin as the wings fall off when they land, and these were big ants, about 1" long, 2.5cm.

Son went back to the hospital, they redressed it and said in 1 week they will take out either half or all all the staples, he sent me pictures again, it doesn't look good to me Mrs H said it looks fine, he can't bend it yet though.

I eat too well, thats the problem, seafood, if i see food i want it.

For Brekkie i had bacon on toast, for tea i cooked a bell pepper and an onion and had the left over lamb from yesterday and had a potion of Madras curry with rice.

Stay safe, stay alert and sleep tight.

both x

Baz

sorry you didn't sleep well again, hope you have better luck tonight.

I too hate flying ants, thankfully we didn't get them here.

Its a sad situation that you had to miss out on physio because of covid .

Hicky

good idea to lie down the hints to MrsH as it worked as far as the ice cream went.

I will get one of those corers are we get through a lot of tomatoes and strawberries.

What a shame your and MrsH's ailments make it hard work to paint the decking. I too can't kneel because of knee pain.

Yuck waking to all those flying ants sounds awful! I never knew they could only fly once.

At least the hospital seemed to think your son's knee was coming on ok and the staples can come out next week.

A very rainy day today weather wise and an upsetting tearful day for my family.

My dear friend passed away yesterday suddenly of a heart attack, She used to be a carer for my mum and lovely natured. She was one of the ladies who used to come and see all of ny son's plays with me and I used to go out for coffe with her, she even came to costco with us and her twin great grandaughters. I hadn't seen her for awhile through covid but MrM had taken some books over to her. He also plastered her wall with my son and daughter's help. A real shame as she only had a knee op last December and was doing really well with it. I did ring here each week through lockdown and  will miss her a lot.

Goodnight both xxx

Evening Mollie.

Sorry to hear about your friend dying, always a terrible shock when that happens.

We can paint on the floor but have to sit down to do it as bending over isn't easy.

15c today with light cloud all day with a moderate breeze.

Didn't do a lot, a bit more vine pruning, cur some triangular pieces of cardboard to go under the top of the metal mesh table Mrs H wants to paint.

My lads knee is ok for now, he had a little movement out of it.

For Brekkie i had a sausage & an egg sandwich, for tea decided on Bolognese over Tagliatelle, nice too.

Picked anoth quantity of peas, plenty left but i only pick the nice fat ones so need a few days for the next lot.

Got my monthly meds, Mrs H picked them up from the inhouse pharmacy.

More recording tonight probably, watched 3 or 4 shows of the LI Oz lasr night.

Keep safe and alert, keep smiling and sleep tight.

Hicky x

Take care you don't overdo it with the painting, so easy to do so when you have a big job like that.

Sounds like your boy's knee is slowly improving now,

MrM fancies growing peas. Are they dificult to grow? We harvested some of his carrots today, very nice.

The weather was fairly cool here, but cant complain because after all the rain yesterday, it was at least dry.

Its handy your OH can pick up your meds from work.

Son made a roast dinner, we all enjoy his Yorkshire puds.

Watching A and E tonight.

HOpe Baz is ok and had a good day. xxx

Goodnight both xxx

Evening Mollie.

I haven't done any painting, it would take me so ling it would dry on the brush while i was painting, i am no good leaning over as i can't breath doing that.

I think Peas are the easiest of all veg, apart from maybe potatoes as you plant the peas direct into the ground 2" apart, i do a 3ft row and let the growth grow up one of those bamboo expanding trellises, so easy, just support the trellis with poles/stakes etc and have some clips to help the growth run up the trellis.

Handy your sone being able to make roast dinners and make Yorkshire puds, can't beat that.

Been watching Antiques road show and salvage hunters, will watch a recording of L.I Oz

Keep safe, have a good evening, sleep tight.

Afternoon Mollie and Hicky  I slept a bit better today .....but it’s not really translated into productivity All I’ve done today is one load of washing , some hoovering and the usual kitchen clean ( I do that every day anyway ) . Apart from that I’ve lazed about reading , and watching some tv Hope you are all being a bit more productive than me 

Mollie , I’m so terribly sorry about your friend .....it’s awful at the best of times ,  but even worse at the moment when even the grieving rituals are messed up I thought A&E was very sad last night ....but maybe that’s just my current mood . Hicky , glad your son is managing to get some movement out if his knee ...even if only a bit . Glad Mrs H picked up your meds ....thankfully I have mine delivered by the local pharmacy ....have done for a couple of years now ....and it’s been very handy during the crisis .

Oh well, it’s M.C. for me tonight ....and I quite fancy a programme on bbc2 about bears Anyway, have a good evening , whatever you are watching ....and stay safe both 

Evening Baz.

Glad you slept a bit better, do as little as possible, noone will notice, and we won't tell anyone.

This awful miserable weather, 16c thick cloud and a moderate breeze.

Did very little and hate this weather, damp air no sun and it doesn't inspire me to do anything.

Did a bit more pruning, trying to follow vine branches that hide behind others, think thats sorted now.

Had 3 fried eggs on toast for brekkie, for tea decided to have a tin of Ox Tongue with toms, cucumber and lettuce from the garden, had 2 rounds of my bread.

Mrs H has ordered some better face visors as the ones i got don't seem too good, they need a foam spacer or they can't hang right.

Mrs H has been ordering some furniture, a spport for the big tv and a couple of tables to put your cup on, the ones she has seem to be too dark a colour, these new ones are Oak.

You seem to do a lot of work even when you say you took it wasy.

The inhouse pharmacy i use don't deliver, i could probably change to one that did deliver, may change one day.

Yes, the BBC2 bear program is in Laos, its like an amimal rescue thing.

Stay safe, stay happy and sleep tight.

both xx

Baz

glad you slept a bit better. Nothing wrong with having a lazy day, especially when you are retired.

Yes it just horrible knowing I wont' see my friend again. And such a shame because she had only just got her her mobility back after her knee op last  December. But lockdown meant we coudln't go anywhere after we went to my son's theatre production back in February.  And now her daughter has told me that me and her other friend can't go to the funeral as it is limited to 10 people,which will just be close family. I do underand why though, no one needs to risk catching this awful disease.

A and E was a sad one last night, I don't like the ones where they cannot save them. Sorry your current thoughts are sad ones at the moment too.

I am watching Benidorm tonight for a bit of light entertainment.

Hicky

thanks for the hints about the peas, sounds like it is worth my OH giving them a go, as we all like them.

We had the same dull weather as you today but the forecast is looking better for tomorrow.

Do you prefer wearing the face visors to the masks? Where is MrsH getting them from?

Might be worth asking your GP surgery about prescription delivery. Mine gave me a phone number for free delivery for all of the family. It works really well. I just ring GP surgery number if prescription needed, then it arrives at my house a couple of days later.

Took dog a walk, son made some sort of cheesy rissoles with veg for tea. Very nice. I will see if I can find the recipe for you.

Have a good evening both xxx

Evening Mollie.

If you buy a pack of pea seeds for next year it tells you how to sow etc and when, depending on how much room you have will determine how you plant them, from the date they tell you to plant its best to plant a separate area every 2 weeks if you want them to give you lots of peas for a long time, and as some don't appear its best to plant them in 2's, i didn't do that so when some didn't come up i had to plant more in the gap but that means they are weeks behind the others in the same group.

These new visors when they come should be good, if they are i'll get the details for you, not from Amazon.

When/if Mrs H leaves Sainsburys we could see about getting delivery of meds but for now its not really a problem, if we got them delivered we wound have to be in to receive them as they won't go through the letterbox.

I've made the shopping list out and i've put down a cauliflower as i am going to make cauli cheese with a packet of white sauce and cheese, i have loads of packs of white sauce mix so want to start using them.

We are getting a belly pork and having a Sunday roast together for a change.

Just L.I Oz recordings tonight, stay safe and keep smiling.

Evening All.

Not too bad today, 18c light cloud and a moderate breeze.

Didn't do a lot, walked the garden, Mrs H had to smallish tables, made of bamboo, so clever, and went together like a glove.

Found a power source to power the Casperov chess computer, had a game, lost in the end though, they are pretty hard to beat.

It still had batteries in from the last time i used it, not how long it was, at least 6 years but the batteries say 2010 but they come with at least 9 years of life so that means i put the batteries in about 2001, wow.

Some of my lads love chess, i taught them all when they were very young as i was taught by my very clever cousin when i was probably 8, this clever one taught himself to play the church organ

For brekkie i had sausages on toast, for tea i put in the oven a battered fish and some chips Mrs H brought home this morning from shopping, she got me a big pack of strawberries, they are massive, had some, will have more with ice cream, midday i had 2 crumpets with butter.

Mrs H couldn't get the belly pork so got a nice pork joint.

Have a good evening, stay safe and keep smiling.

Hicky x

thanks for the pea growing hints.

Hope the visors are ok when they come.

Yes true, you would have to be home if you had meds delivered, so it is handy MrsH can get them whilst at work for you.

Right you have now made me fancy making coly cheese, so  will add coly to the shopping list when I do it tomorrow.

the bamboo tables sounds lovely. Did you have a cuppa whilst sitting at them?

Online chess sounds a bit of fun for you to keep the mind active too. and nice that you and the family have been playing since such a young age.

That is an impressive life for a battery.

The big strawberries out at the moment are delicious. I had some too today.

A lovely sunny day today, went up to 24c when the sun came out. There was a cool breeze later, so nice to take the doggie for a walk.

Son fried some halloumi for tea, it was delicous, I had it with MrM's home grown carrots  and potaotes.

Watched the vet programme, amazing how he fixed the dog with the broken neck. Then watched Ambulance. It is a team in Liverpool. .What an amazing job they do.

Hope Baz is well and had a good day.

Goodnight both xxx

Evening Mollie.

Hope Baz is ok, no sign tonight.

Yes, peas so nice to grow, they grow about 5 ft high, i put about 30 peas in a line, 5cm apart, but you can double up when you plant, the amount you get in a pack is amazing, they last years as long as you keep the pack dry.

Will make the Cauli cheese tomorrow, will have it with a baked spud, will steam enough cauli ahead of making the sauce, then i'll put it into a cook dish an do in the oven to put a little colour on the cauli,

My lad who had the knee op, his son who is 9 made him a dinner complete with mushy peas and buttered bread, then made a cheese cake, he had bought all the ingredients from a shopping list he made up.

I got a load of strawberries again and took the core out, sliced them up and covered with ice cream, wow, nice.

No sun here today, just a haze hiding the sun.

Yes, i saw him mend the broken neck, amazing, it went home after a week didn't it, he was too tired really to do it, i don't know how he survives the amount of sleep he misses.

Have a good evening, stay safe and sleep tight.

Afternoon Darnies Well yet another night without much sleep So , despite it being a sunny day , I’ve not done much But the shopping delivery is all anti bac and put away .....and I’ve done a load of washing and fed the birds Hope you are all having a nice Friday though 

Mollie , I can understand how sad you are about your friend....and not being able to pay your respects  But I’m sure your friend knew how much she meant to you I have my meds delivered too . Mr B had had his delivered for years , and once he got ill I decided to have mine delivered too , just to make things easier . Don’t forget it’s Gogglebox tonight ....that should cheer us up a bit  Hicky , how is your son doing ? I do very little compared to what you manage to cram into a day Did you watch the sun bear programme ? It was lovely , and very sad in good measure .Do you watch Supervet ?

Anyway , I hope you both have a good evening ....it’s Masterchef , Gardeners World and Gogglebox for me Stay safe 

Evening Baz.

20c here, mainly cloud though with a moderate breeze.

Sorry to hear your sleep is suffering, wonder whats stopping you sleeping.

Glad you got your shopping ok, that will keep you going for a while.

I had bacon sandwiches for brekkie, for tea made the cauliflower cheese, cooked half the cauli it was pretty big, had a baked spud with it, made double the cheese sauce, used 2 white sauce packs with 1 pint of milk and 200g of cheddar cheese, i slived the cheese thin as i wanted to use  part pack of cathedral up and save the pack of grated cheese in the fridge, it made so much a filled 2 oven dishes, had half of one for tea, asked Mrs H if she fancied some cauli cheese, she said yes and had the other half.

I ran out of bread so made another rather nice loaf, seeded with some malt flour in as well.

They had no shrimps today so have non to test the bread with.

Had F1 on most of the day, same all weekend, from Hungary this week.

Son is doing ok with his knee, he is confined to the house for 2 weeks after the op.

I didn't see the bear program, thought i recorded it, but no.

Been building wall cube units, Mrs H ordered 2, they came today, quite easy to build, she took the old ones to bits as she wanted to change the colour, she said they are too dark, she wanted Oak veneer or laminate finish.

I made 4 small plinths to go inside the plant thingies, she wanted to stand the plant pot on something to raise the pot so you can see more of the plant instead of a lot being down in the outer pot.

Had a drop of rain earlier, it's topping Mrs H doing more deck painting.

Not watching masterchef, recording gardeners world for later.

I've got recordings going back to last August.

stay safe, stay smiling and sleep tight.

Evening All.

Not a nice weather day, warm enough but 17c with light rain and a moderate breeze, not good.

Made another loaf as the other one wasn't baked in middle, must be the oven setting as the outside was done, made another with no malt as that can effect it, and with oven reading wrong doesn't help.

Had the other cauli cheese for brekkie with fresh bread, nice.

For tea i had the other fish of a 2 pack with some tomato sauce.

Didn't go outsude as it was too damp, no likey damp.

Mrs H brought 2 packs of shrimps in, so had 1 pack with fresh bread at 2pm.

Been watching F1 practice 3 and tace for pole position, Mercedes 1 & 2.

It should be a lot better tomorrow with sunny intervals and a Sunday roast, can't get Bramley apples for the apple sauce, have a few in the garage and plenty on the tree but they say if you buy Golden delicious they are good to use to make apple sauce.

Have a good evening, i/m watching the Adams family, omg, what next, stay safe, sleep tight.

Just found world matchplay darts on channel 426, made up.

Afternoon Mollie and Hicky  Sunny here , although breezy . I slept reasonably  well last night.....so pulled my finger out and caught up on the chores Dusted, hoovered , cleaned the kitchen , fed the birds and did a bit of tidying up in the back garden . I decided to bin the bird box that the bees had nested in....it had got quite tatty ....bits were falling off. I tried to tip out  the stuff inside, but it was pretty solid ....plus it was full of earwigs  So I double bagged it and put it in the dustbin . I’m going to get a new one for next year , plus a dedicated bee /insect house .....and hope the darn bees get the message  Hope everyone else is have a nice Sunday too 

Mollie , hope you are ok ....It’s been 3 days ....but hope you are having a nice weekend Hicky , your food posts make my mouth waterHow is your sons knee doing ? 

Anyway , stay safe both and have a good evening , whatever you are doing 

Evening Baz.

Sunday is a day of rest, you seem to work all day, glad you got some sleep.

Yes, best to bin old bird boxes when they get gross.

I spend quite some time thinking about food, but once you have the ingredients the rest doesn't take much time, when all the lads where home i used to cook for us all, now i just vook for me, not the same of course but most meals i make with 4 portions still, it's too hard to make one portion and it takes the same amount of time as well.

A better day today with 17c and sunny most of the day a moderate breeze here.

Had a nice brekkie of bacon, egg, sausage and beans with toast.

Mrs H painting again, used another tin, thats 3 tins used, 1 left.

I cut up a couple of her plasticated plants so they can go into the car for the recycle dump.

We had a pork roast dinner, i made the apple sauce using 6 golden delicious, very nice too.

Picked more peas and podded them, more to gather yet.

The greenhouse grapes are coming on ok, lots of bunches turning colour, grapes not ready till end of September/October.

Stay safe, keep smiling and sleep tight.

both xxx

I haven't been able to get on this site the last 2 days, don't know why but tried again tonight and got on fine. Odd...maybe it was to do with my pc update? I missed you both xxx

Think I made a post on Friday, but its missing too, so that might be due to my pc update...

On Friday, we went out for a ride to the coast, the 1st time since March. It was weird going back and seeing the covid changes...eg big hotel that's usually busy this time of year, empty and closed down...all pubs and cafes closed down inside. Just a few outdoor cafes, outdoor pub spaces open with tables set well apart. Chip shops open, just to take away. and they queued outside and they collected orders from a table where servers place it through a window. Then most just ate in their car.

It was nice to get for a walk on the seafront again though, as they only lifted the 5 mile restrcition recently.

Baz

sounds like you had a busy day, hope your busy day helps you sleep well tonight.

I enjoyed Gogglebox again, but still prefer the non celeb one. Think they said it was the last in the series, hope it won't be long until we see the ordinary one back again.

Earwigs , yuck! Not a pleasant job for you. Hope those darn bees do get the message next time. I think Hicky has an insect house.

Hicky

Your son's young boy is doing well cooking his dad a tea like that. Hope your son's knee is coming on better now.

All your talk of coly cheese means I have ordered a coly for my shopping.

My corer like yours arrived today. Havent' had chance to use it yet though, as I didn't know it had come till we took the dog out a walk tonight, then noticed it sitting on our doorstep!

Pity your 1st loaf didn't come out well, sometimes it can be a bit hit and miss though. MrM made a wholemeal one today, he said it was a bit light and fluffy in the middle but otherwise fine.

Gld you had better weather so MrsH can get on with the painting.

Looks like you are in for a good supply of grapes come the autumn. I never realised peas grew so high. MrM says he will have a go growing some soon.

We too had a nice day weather wise, so sat in the garden on swing chair for awhile.

After we got back from taking doggie a walk, our garden had been invaded by flying ants! Eeekk! Horrible, so MrM had to hose them away. Thought we had done well to escape them up unti now.

Decided to watch the Downtown Abbey tonight even though its a repeat as I missed it the 1st time round and there is nothing much more on tv I fancy tonight.

Have a good evening both xxx

Evening Mollie.

Strange you couldn't get on, updates can mess things up.

Glad you got out for a ride, yes, many places have to serve outside, better than nothing though.

Son hasn't mentioned his knee so it must be ok, will see if he is going to contact them tomorrow.

I found the corer very good on the strawberries and the tomatoes, on the strawberries, take off the leaves, then scoop the core out by cutting down into the flesh in the white section that was under the leaves, scoop out the core.

On my failed loaf i must have had the temperature too high as the loaf was the right colour but the centre wasn't cooked, all means oven too hot.

To get invaded you need to be living near an open watercourse of a lake, somewhere where the ants have been living, the ants that fly once a year are males and young queens, they mate in the air, the queens find a new nest can live for 10 years, the bigger of the ants are the female.

To get peas to grow tall you need to support, you can gently tie or clip them to  mesh supports, they get quite heavy when laden with pods, i always buy the 'Hurst Greenshaft' don't bother with others, these are the best to grow, 

Tonight i've been watching the darts, it on every night next week, love it Live world matchplay darts on 426 sky sports action night 2 of 9..

I was watching the last 2 shows of the Love Island Oz after the F1 finished.

Have a good evening, stay safe, sleep tight.

Good Evening All.

A similar day to yesterday with 17c and sunny intervals.

I made some choc chip cookies last night to use the dough up, it was dated June, not that i take a lot of notice as best before dates are hard to understand, no idea where they come from as in most cases they don't make any sense, how can you put a date of 12 months ahead for a best by when a tine of food in general will be fine in 80 years, it doesn't make sense.

Had 3 eggs on toast for brekkie, for tea decided to use another fozen portion of Madras curry i made, added more chillies of course and fried some prawns and did rice in the cooker.

Mrs H did more deck painting, 1 tin left from the 4.

The window cleaner came, asked about the gutters etc that neen cleaning inside and out £120 he said but they are busy so may have to wait as they have a backlog.

I fed the fruit trees and the veg tubs, i can't see any fruit on the Kiwi Berry vine, like last year, its growing fine so not sure whats up.

both xxx

Hicky

thanks for the corer info, I am due some fresh strawberries with my shop on Wednesday, so will give it a go then.

Gosh never knew the ants could live for 10 years! Yes we don't live far from a river. Luckily they had all gone this morning, so it didn't last long.

Thanks for the pea photo, will tell MrM which ones to get.

I agree, some of the best before dates are just weird. I think they even put them on tins now, and tins are meant to preserve for years.

Gosh MrsH has done a lot of painting if she's used 3 tins already.

Thats odd you dont' have fruit on the kiwi this year if it appears to be growing ok.

I got bitten on my neck by something last night, it was going swollen where I had that op, so have to be careful. So I put steroid cream on it and took a stronger antihsitamine and luckily it calmed down.

Nice warm day here today ,so sat on swingchair and dog enjoyed her walk.

Watching C4 Paramedics now. Really good last week. Did you watch it Hicky?

HOpe Baz is ok and had a good day.

Goodnight both xxx

Evening Mollie.

Yes, the female queens live for 10 years, its the new males and quenns, not the workers, they never fly, they don't live very long either.

They put best before dates on foods that don't go off, it has 15/10/2022 on my tin of Ox Tongue which will last 100 years no problem, it's a con trick, it means people throw stuff away which is perfect also it means shops can't sell stock with the wrong date probably so they have to buy all the time, thats not right.

The Kiwi Berry vine had tons of flowers and the start of fruit, something isn't right, maybe the winter wasn't cold enough, no idea.

Thats not good, getting bitten, these creatures don't care who they bite, hope it calms down and goes.

I had a swing in the sun today, the clouds kept blocking it out though.

I recorded that C4 program for another day.

Yes, hope Baz has had a good day, i've got a banana and a big tin of Red Salmojn to eat, just got a spoon.

Have joined Darts.com as son is on it and he wanted me to join so we can play online.

Sleep tight, stay safe and have a good evening.

Afternoon Mollie and Hicky  How are we all today ? I slept better last night .....so I’ve been quite productive today . Washed quilt cover and put it back on the bed ....dusted , cleaned kitchen and bathroom , got bins in , cleaned the garage door , did a bit of pruning and went for a very short walk I had a piece of rump steak for lunch ....and I’m stuffed now It was sunny here first thing , but it’s been cloudy ever since . Hope everyone else is having a good day too .

Mollie , flying ants ...yuk, yuk and double yuk I’m sure my turn will come , but so far , so good !Hope your bite is ok today ....any idea what did it ? Do ants bite ? Hicky , I never knew queen ants lived that long  How is your doing son today ? 

It’s Bake Off and Trevor Macdonald tonight , so decent nights viewing  for me Hope you both have a good evening . Stay safe 

Evening Baz.

Similar weather here with 18c started ok then cloud moved in so sunny intervals were further apart but hardly any wind.

You seem to do a lot during the day, i didn't do so much.

I had hash browns bacon eggs and toast for brekkie, for tea made a foil parcel for the oven with 2 layers of cubed spud and an onion sliced with olive oil and salt-n-pepper, with that made 2 portions of cauli cheese, had one will keep the other.

Picked another bowl of peas, thats about 600g now in the freezer.

The grapes are doing ok, can't believe they have another 9 weeks to go yet, i have the special equipment needed to tell when they are ready to eat, it measures the sweetness and the alcohol level.

Mrs H was working this morning 9.30 till 1.30 and brought home hotdog sausages and rolls so although i had eaten i didn't like to not have them, just had 2 rolls 3 sausages and fried onion.

I've got some lovely steaks, usually buy ribeye as it has such lovely fat lines running through it, and the flavour is in the fat.

A queen ant can produce 300,000 eggs in a few days, i suppose that is when it is starting a new colony.

Had a chess game online last night with my lad, the one with the knee op, he has had the staples up, still sore mind.

Have a good evening, stay safe and sleep tight.

Glad you slept better last night.

both xxx

Baz

glad you have slept well, what a busy lady you have been. How did your ankle cope whilst out walking today? Hope it didn't ache after. But I bet it was lovely for you to get out at last.

Glad you enjoyed your steak dinner. I note Hicky and I have got you into talking about food too now.

Not sure what bit me, but they often go for me, A couple of years ago, I got bitten so bad on my leg, that it went infected and I had to have antibiotics, so I won't go out without spraying avon's "Skin so Soft" on me now as they don't like that. I now include spraying my neck as I wasn't before and that was where they bit me!

Sounds like you will enjoy your tv tonight.

I watched A and E.

Hicky

Amazing how the female queen ants live for 10 years. We had a few more back tonight but they soon went.

I thought I had heard tins last for decades, so it is a big con.

I like the sound of your foil parcels, good idea.

You have got a good crop of peas. I had some of OH's home grown little tomatoes tonight with cucumber and onion. They are orange in colour and were delicous.

Yes of course it would of been rude to refuse the hot dogs when your OH bought them home. And I bet you enjoyed them too.

MrM did a BBQ of chicken wings in BBQ sauce for family, jacket potatoes, sweet potatoes, and a little pizza for me. Even the dog enjoyed it as he did fish for her and she loves potatoes, and sweet potatoes.

Very warm today, so waited till the shadows were long to take the doggie a walk, she didn't walk far as it was so warm but enjoys sitting in her doggie pram when her old arthritic legs get too tired. She tires more in hot weather.

I am persisting with sonst rowing machine and have managed 10 mins on it today. It does seem to be helping the arthritis in my knees, thankfully.

Goodnight both xxx

Evening Mollie.

You must have had some ants that missed the scheduled date to take off, strange, they must have slept in.

Yes, as far as i know tins of food will last until the metal is damaged by the conditions they are kept in, air has to get into the tin for the food to go off, i have opened tins of food years later, in fact one tin i had was from before they put a date on the tin, it was fine.

Glad to see the BBQ was in use again, it's good when you all can get food cooked on it.

I take a walk around the garden then go in and put on my zip jumper go back out again and the sun is beating down so i have to take it off again, go in the house and start sneezing as it feels cold.

It's good to take doggie a little walk, at least she can get in the buggie when needed.

I rang the about the Podiatry bookings, they are all still closed, she said ring back in a couple of weeks, i said are they all sunbathing or watching TV, she said they are helping with the virus, i said, why where is the virus.

 If you get good on the rowing machine you will be able to go out on the lakes in a rowing boat, that would be fun, for them.

I've run out of sausages, i did drop a hint, i was hoping to go to the Farm shop tomorrow so dropped a hint.

Have a good evening. stay safe, sleep tight.

Evening All.

Hope Baz has had a good day and slept well last night.

A similar day here today as yesterday, 18c with rain till 3pm with rain till 3om and a moderate breeze.

Went to the farm shop & bitchers for some meats etc as have ran out, got 1kg of pork sausages and 1/2 of thick back bacon, loads of pork ribs and lamb leg steaks, some pies, cheese etc and an aubergine as i'm getting the ingredients ready to make some Moussaka meal, love it.

For brekkie, well at midday we had a vid call from Oz, always great to see them all, then had the pork pies, for tea, just had the cauli cheese portion from the other day, and did some BBQ ribs at the same time in the oven.

Last night after playing chess with one of my lads online and watching the darts on sky i was going to prepare for bed so changes to freeview channels, oh dear, blank, then it started giving me all the ideas of what to try, at first it was just a few channels that didn't work, when i did a test it said zero signals, then all the free channels went off, i decided it couldn't be me as even if the aerial blew off the roof it wouldn't give this result, i turned the box off, guess what, this morning turned the box on as usual and everything working, checked online and it said the transmission station had been down.

Mrs H did a bit more painting but as it felt like rain in the air she stopped, she has ordered another 4 tins of the same stuff from Amazon, a lot cheaper as well, she wants to do some fences, gates, garage door and the gazebo decking floor.

The darts starts at 7pm tonight so another good night for me, tonight is night 5 of 9.

Stay safe, keep smiling, sleep tight.

both xxx

Baz

hope you had a good day today and slept well last night.

Hicky

yes indeed we must of been left with a few lazy ants, but they too have caught up now and disappered along with the rest of them. (thank goodness).

What was in the old tin you opened? Not surprised it was still fine, my mum had tins that she kept for years and they had no dates on them then.

My podiatrist did a phone consultation a few weeks ago and said they were still not alllowed to see people because of the virus passing around. She just asked me if I needed new insoles and how I was getting on with the ones she prescribed to me and if I was doing my exercises for the arthritis. Difficult in your circumstances though as they can't cut your toe nails via a phone appointment!

Flip me there is no chance of me going rowing on water anywhere any time soon. I just about managed 8 mins on the machine before crawling off it exhausted for a cool drink again today.

Pity you had rain there today, it was nice and sunny here today but not too hot with a bit of a breeze, so spent a lot of the day in the garden. And took doggie a walk. Shopping came, so we have strawberries and cream again.

Good to hear you are well stocked up on meat now by gong to the farm shop.

A nice start to the day for you to get a call from Oz.

Good job your tv problem was soon sorted.

Our damn dish washer is playing up now. MrM says it is to do with the door lock. Have told the LL, so he might try and get someone out to see if they can fix it. So much washing up to do with 5 of us. MrM has already broken a plate trying to fit it al in the sink to wash.

I had Jersey potatoes, salad with honey and mustard dressing, and pitta bread pizza for tea. Followed by banana split.

Watched Paul O.Gray with the dogs and am watching Benidorm now. Joan Collins is on it...., gosh she still looks so glamourous, that is something at age 87!

Goodnight both xxxx

Evening Mollie.

I think it was fish in the old tine, probably sild or sardines, always bought loads of them, probably bought them by the box though, i never used to buy singles just boxes of everything, used to gop to Macro.

And even from Costco as well, used to buy half a lamb or a whole rump.

I managed to trim my big toe, but i can't see where the they are cutting so can't take a chance.

Got my next eye appointment, 25th Aug, see & Treet.

My dish washer has a funny lock as well, sometimes i press the button, nothing, have to press again, get someone out to fix it, probably easy to fix.

 I'm just watching the darts and playing chess with my lad online.

Have a goog evening stay safe and sleep tight.

Afternoon Mollie and Hicky  Hope everyone is having a good day . I am getting through mine as best I can .....2 years today .....but the kindness of friends has helped a lot .I didn’t sleep too badly last night , so I’ve been quite  productive  A parcel I had ordered arrived ....clothes and bedding ....so did a load of ironing Apart from that just a load of washing , some general tidying up , and anti bac the food delivery . I was going to try another walk up the road this afternoon , but it’s raining now  , so........

Mollie , I’m glad all your ants have gone now How is your bite ? I’ve always wanted a dishwasher ....but when I had a kitchen big enough I couldn’t afford one , and by the time I could afford it we had moved and the kitchen couldn’t accommodate it I love jersey potatoes , but not had any this year Hicky , I’ve just had lamb chops , honey roast parsnips and cranberry sauce for lunch Glad your tv problem got sorted Sky changed the What’s on programme format this week , and I’m not sure I like it much ! 

Anyway , I hope you both have a good evening .....Masterchef for me Stay safe 

Evening Baz.

Oh, its not a good day for you, i understand, a date that will never go away, you can only get through as best you can.

That delivery is great, give you something else to think about, and a food delivery, you are ok for the weekend then.

Lamb chops are always a great meal, i have everything now to make the Moussaka, it makes 10 portions.

I'm watching interviews with the Power Taylor on Sky Sports Action while waiting for the evening darts to start.

Also playing chess online with one of my Lads.

stay safe, sleep well.

Evening All.

20c today, some sun and cloud, rain expected tonight.

Had a nice brekkie of hash browns, sausages, lots of tomato all done in the oven, took the skins off when they came out, had 2 eggs as well.

For tea i had another portion of the hotnsour soup, so nice.

Did a bit of trimming in the garden, growth coming from the other side of the fence, from areas that don't get looked after and grow wild.

Watching the darts at the mo, till 11pm, playing chess with my lad online.

No F1 this weekend they have a weekend off.

Hoping to make my rather large Moussaka tomorrow all being well, have got all the ingredients ready, weather looks rainy tomorrow here.

Atay safe, keep smiling and sleep well.