Yawn Yawn Wakey Wakey 2025

What a shame the weather upset your holiday plans. I hope you still get some good days in.
My son has begun his homeward journey from Vancouver Island to Calagary. They are running in front of the snow, forecast for the weekend.They have found some lovely camp sites on their travels, the last one was a horse training centre that only takes the occasional travellers when they feel like it. Isolated, quiet, beautiful surroundings, friendly owners, everything they needed.
I pottered most of the day, waiting in for the cardiac nurse telephone call. Just to ask how was I feeling on the new tablets. She hasn't asked for the ECG, no idea where that request has come from. I have been struggling with painful ribs and a very sore left shoulder. I have finally worked out I must have strained some muscles collecting apples from under the tree. It feels as if I have a cracked rib but I know I haven't.
I dug out an old, 'delapidated' drop leaf table. It is held together underneath by strips of tape. It needed cleaning and moving into the conservatory so my guests can sit at a table to eat. A tablecloth hides a multitude of sins. Much pulling, pushing and shoving was involved, it is very plain and utilitarian, £5.00 in a charity shop, but so useful to be able to fold down and keep against a wall.
I finished juicing the apples, more mess in the kitchen, and swept half way through downstairs.
I was so tired, stiff, and sore I didn't know what to do with myself, I began to wish my visitors were not coming. A decent nights sleep and I am ready to finish the jobs I began yesterday. I am going to try and get some more rest in today.
Happy days everyone.

 

I presume your Surgery hasn't got you mixed up with another patient with the same name
@Goldenlily26? Sounds odd that your Cardiac nurse didn't know anything about the ECG, I wonder if she actually read your notes. If you have a smartphone or a laptop, you can log on to the NHS app and read all your medical notes online. I find it's very useful when I can't quite remember all that the GP told me!

Goodness @Busy-Lizzie, your weather sounds just awful. Hope you have something to read or do whilst marooned in the hotel today - is it full of visitors? Perhaps you could ask the staff to organise an afternoon tea dance or something similar.

It's very overcast but still here. We've just had coffee and our Friday treat cake so I must now change in gardening gear. I want to remove a big lavatera which has grown far too big in its first year. Might be a struggle so OH is going to help.

Good luck with the septic tank Obelix, hope it's not going to be too expensive.

Have a good day everyone.

 

As we weren't there when it was all installed @lizzie27 I'm not familiar with the system but the problem is with the sand filtration tank which has now been drained. 240€. Now we have to leave it a while for another inspection to see if the problem comes back in which case we need to replace the sand filter. No idea how big or expensive a job that will be.

OH is golfing today, just for fun and not a competition, and it's very windy outside so feels chilly. i've spent my morning cutting out trousers and a blouse. Draught free. However when he gets back he's going to help me with the roses that are still waiting to be planted and a good sort out in my "nursery". Haven't told him yet but I'd like to move all the pots to the veg plot so they get whatever winter sun we get as the old barn walls block it and that'll also block the light to the grass which needs weakening to become a wildflower meadow.

Good luck with your lavatera @lizzie27.

@Goldenlily26 I still have a drop leaf table I bought in '78 to use for sewing. Wonderfully practical. It has a central cupboard section where I kept my machine and iron and a drawer either end I used for scissors and so on. It has followed me thru many moves and ended up going to Possum's flat when she was a student and is now in our "cave" in case she needs it again.

 

A bark free morning again.
A round Robin this afternoon.
Up to the van to collect recycling and drop bulbs off, then farm shop, followed by the tip (it was held up by 2 women gossiping, oblivious of everyone) then Lidl.
My Raan Thai order of sauces and spices arrived, very securely packed as always. In addition to the usuals, I have bought a mint chutney to try.
The usuals include Chilli pickle, which is all mine, as he won't go near it.
Goulash for supper.
Hope to stay awake for HIGNFY.
Alexander Armstrong in the chair. I like him, but to some he's marmite.

 

I remember those drop leaf tables, as you say, very handy for when a larger surface is needed.
My late MIL had a splendid one incorporating her sewing machine which, from memory, swung up and over onto the table top. Lots of little drawers and cupboards for storing sewing stuff. Unfortunately one of the other DILs snaffled it first!

I forgot to mention this morning that when we were walking through the village, not one, not two but three large racing type Ferrarri's roared past us, albeit at 20mph. Very swish, although the last bright yellow one had an illegally fixed front number plate on it.

We won the battle with the Lavatera and one of the chunks with roots has been replanted with a hope and prayer on the verge outside where it will have more room to spread - if it survives.
I planted up another piece as a backup.

Hope the weather in Corfu is calming down for Busy-Lizzie and her OH.

 

Good evening all. Mint chutney sounds delicious @Penny_Forthem and I am glad to read that Rufus seems to be settling down, bless him. I am afraid that I am one of those people who can't take to Alexander Armstrong. Well done @lizzie27 in getting the lavatera shifted and fingers crossed at least one piece of it survives. I don't know where these days go. I got a lot of the drive cleared today before the arthritic hand gave up but I am pleased with what I did manage to get done and if I pace myself and do a bit at a time I will get it sorted. I do hope that @Busy-Lizzie and her OH haven't been trapped all day in their hotel
Time for me to sign out so goodnight to you all. Yay, its the weekend!

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What a shame about the weather, @Busy-Lizzie, but it looks like an interesting place.
Please be careful, @Goldenlily26, only takes a couple of minutes to overdo it, and then weeks to heal up again. Interesting thought from @lizzie27, that the surgery might have you mixed up with someone else. We had a phone call from our surgery a few years ago, telling us that the medical supplies my OH needed were ready to collect. Nothing to do with him, I always wondered if the poor guy that needed them ever got them. Not as bad as a friends husband, who got a phone call after a blood test earlier in the week, to advise him that the surgery had ordered an ambulance to take him to hospital as an emergency. Again turned out that it wasn’t him either, but only found out after he had called the surgery back to ask about the test results. Did the real emergency get identified and treated? I do hope so.
We are down in Plymouth having a couple of nights in an apartment in Royal William Yard. Great views over the river Tamar, and the ferry to Cornwall. This afternoon, we watched the polar exploration ship, Sir David Attenborough, pass our window on its way to the Antarctic. It is the one that was nearly christened Boaty McBoatface! The weather isn’t bad, jackets needed until the sun peeks out, but very pleasant for the time of year. At least it’s dry.

 

Good morning all.

The storms and rain stopped by 2 pm so we went into town and took a bus to Ipsos which, in summer is a busy seaside resort. It was quite quiet. There is a long narrow beach and shops and restaurants along the sea front. The beach was covered in seaweed after the storm and the sea was grey and rough.

I last went there in the early 70s. The whole route from town is now built up and rather seedy and unkempt with rubbish on the side of the road. When I was there last there were 3 small villages separated by countryside, Gouvia, Dassia and Ipsos. We walked along the sea front, had a beer then took the bus back to Corfu town and visited M&S, which was very small and didn't have a loo.

Then bus back to our hotel for dinner. The food is good and there is a big choice, buffet style.

 

This is what it looks like in better weather.

 

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Hello all. Great pictures to wake up to @Ergates and @Busy-Lizzie. I was rudely awakened by Cricket this morning but I had overslept which is most unlike me. That work outside must have made me more tired than I realised. He was probably panicking that he wasn't going to get his breakfast. Not to worry, he is now fed and happy and curled up next to me. There is a very strange light outside. Definitely no sun though. Going to the local garden centre this afternoon - meeting a friend for a cuppa. I will go earlier though so I can have a browse.

 

It turned into a lovely day, I wished I had done some washing.
I managed to get a few jobs done before retiring to my recliner. I am still struggling with the pain in my back.
It is interesting you mentioned someone with the same name. I did have a large sum of money deposited in my bank account once, in the days when we had paper statements each month. I went to my bank to query it and it was for someone else, with the same name. After moving here I joined U3A and discovered another lady and I had the same Christian name, middle name and surname!
I may have misheard what the Cardiac nurse said as my daughter called in and said she had spoken to the surgery. According to my notes, the Cardiac nurse did ask for the ECG. Unless the receptionist I spoke to didn't read my notes correctly. What a muddle. I keep meaning to register to access my medical notes, possibly more reliable to find out what is going on.
I want to give the drop leaf table a wipe over with some teak oil, to please myself. I am sure if I looked hard enough, I would find some government utility marks stamped into the wood somewhere. It is so bog standard, no cupboard, drawers or barley twist legs.
I am going to make a bowl of coleslaw to have at lunch time Mon. It sounds as if it was a good idea to book somewhere to eat inside tomorrow, the forecast sounds dire. Rain and strong
wind. No weather warning yet.
My son and daughter in law, closed down their camper van and left it in its winter storage
facility before driving home. Very tired, in front of the snow. Now they have a few weeks before leaving on their big trip to New Zealand. They sound excited and apprehensive.
I hope you all fit in the outdoor jobs you have on your 'to do' lists. As fast as I cross jobs off my list new ones appear at the bottom!

 

Morning all!

Just taking a break from cleaning the oven to have a cuppa. After reading the instruction booklet from cover to cover, and finding no help with removing the inner glass on the oven door, I finally found a couple of little clips which released it. But how stupid not to include instructions in the booklet! I'll write a note, in case any visitors to the cottage get the urge to clean it (& in case I forget before I next come to the cottage...).

I'm leaving here on Monday, when hopefully the wind won't be strong enough to cancel the ferries again. It's been unusually dry for most of my visit this time.

Hope you're all having a great weekend!

 

I have spent my morning pottering with pots, weeding and re-potting, continuing on from yesterday pm. OH has been moving the processed pots to the veg plot where they'll get all the winter sun and rain available. It's a wonderfully messy, mud-larking sort of job with some treasures to be found, including a label for my canna with the stripey leaves. It's called Downunder but when I googled it for info all I got was "Australia cannabis security". No help.

A dozen or so more pots to sort this pm then much clearing to do in the barn where they've been all summer.

Still dry here and mostly sunny but the forecast still says rain tomorrow pm. Not believing it till I see it as the estimated rain has gone from 2.4cms to 1.2 and is now up to 4.1cms. I'll have that last one please.

@lizzie I hope your malvas take and that you haven't strained yourself.

@Goldenlily26 you definitely need to prioritise signing up for access to your medical notes as someone's left hand doesn't know what the right hand is up to.

Hope the garden centre visit is good @Ladybird4. Are you looking for something in particular or just hoping something will jump in your trolley?

@Liriodendron our oven door has 2 removable glass plates that then give access to the outer one and I always forget how it all unclips. Plus which, with one plate removed the door springs back shut on its own which can be another surprise. Hope you've had a good tie between all the jobs and have been able to enjoy the setting and scenery. Have a good trip home.

Enjoy your weekend everyone, especially those like @Ergates who've snuck off to enjoy themselves.

 

Afternoon all.

Just had a Halloween themed afternoon tea - a belated Birthday treat from my sister. Gorgeous cakes and scones. We did a ‘Bake Off’ style tasting of them. The winner was the mango one shaped like a pumpkin. It was in an old Manor House in the original kitchen, and it was decorated with Halloween and Autumn decorations. There is even a little orchard and they are doing apple pressing tomorrow.




Enjoy your weekend folks.

 

That looks scrumptious @AuntyRach - what a lovely treat.

Royal William Yard has a fascinating history @Ergate as I'm sure you know. We know it as my daughter worked there for a few years and we met her there for lunch a couple of times at the cafe round the corner, probably where your photo was taken from in fact. The developers had won awards for the conversion I believe. Unfortunately where she worked there were no windows so electric light all day and the parking was diabolical - I had a total meltdown trying to reverse in the smallest space, the only one left, in my new car, having driven all the way from Bath in it and being tired by then. Burst into tears in the middle of her office in front of all her colleagues, so totally embarrassed!

Glad you're getting all your potting on done @Obelix-Vendée, it's amazing how much time it takes. I spent a quick hour in the garden this morning, spreading bark mulch on the shed path and generally doing a quick tidy up. Had then to dash to get ready to go out for lunch with the car club, about an hour's drive away. Didn't feel that hungry so had one of their small plates, a hand made Scotch Egg, with a garnish and lambs lettuce - it said. What came was one lonely looking Scotch Egg with a truffle drizzle round it and a tiny bit of lettuce leaf on top. Very artistic looking but not quite what I was expecting so pinched some chips from OH to pad it out.

I've never had the courage to take my oven doors to pieces, I think we tried once but gave up.
Hope you have time to enjoy some down time @Liriodendron before you go home. My sister and a friend are in a Welsh longhouse somewhere in the wilds of Pembrokshire for a week which wouldn't suit me, I like street lights and people!

Glad the storm passed over comparatively quickly @Busy-Lizzie, hope you now get some sunshine and warmth.

Enjoy your afternoon browse and cuppa @Ladybird4.