Winter Chat

How are you coping getting around without a car now Geru?  How has your life without it changed? 

Sorry to hear you are still having problems Wendy.  Fingers crossed this it the last for a while.

I went to bed early last night so was up early this morning.  Not a bad thing as I feel very refreshed for a changed.  I've had some rotten nights this last week for some reason and it was nice to get a good 7 hours sleep in a row.

I've just stuck some washing in which I should have done yesterday but couldn't be arsed.  In a bit I have to wipe and bleach a little patch of mildew I have just noticed rearing it's ugly head on the wall and skirting board near the window.  No idea why that's suddenly come up unless it's because the windows have been shut all winter and moisture had gathered there.  Neat bleach should kill it all off though.  If it comes back I will have to ask Charlie to treat it properly.

Louie is also up early for a change.  Perhaps it's the sunshine that has dragged him out of bed.  He is at the moment on the back of the sofa looking out of the window at the birds and squirrels.  As soon as my hair is dry I will take him out.

Ooops!  I spoke too soon.  He has now gone back to bed.  In my bed of course.

I was going to thoroughly clean my kitchen today but if Charlie is going to come and mess it up, probably Tuesday, I might as well clean the bathroom down instead today.  Go to visit Barbara and Beverley tomorrow and leave the kitchen until the new surface is installed and the microwave on the wall.

good morning all

susan

I've been cleaning upstairs with the "help" of the pup. In between I've been cleaning up where he's vomited and had diarrhea too. The little ratbag is charging around like a loony so obviously doesn't feel unwell which makes me wonder what on earth he's been eating. Gross!

Having a quick sit down now before lunch with my sister at our friend's place. I'm exhausted and it's only 11.20am.

Whisper wrote:

I've been cleaning upstairs with the "help" of the pup. In between I've been cleaning up where he's vomited and had diarrhea too. The little ratbag is charging around like a loony so obviously doesn't feel unwell which makes me wonder what on earth he's been eating. Gross!

Having a quick sit down now before lunch with my sister at our friend's place. I'm exhausted and it's only 11.20am.

Sandy : I did not want to quote anything really Whisper,just using your post to ask .... how does one quote only certain sections of of a write up ? Like above .... it quotes the whole thing .

Whisper. that puppy needs a spanking ... lol , been eating grass I bet .lol or it has the puppy flu ...?

Once you have clicked to quote you simply delete all the text you don't want to quote.

It's normal for puppies to throw up and poo everywhere without having anything wrong with them.  It usually only lasts for less than 24 hours.  If it last longer then that's when there could be something wrong.

Hiya Susan.

I had a lovely afternoon yesterday first visiting Beverley then walking around the corner to my Sister's.  Barbara invited me to stay to dinner and her and I got out the play station and played Tomb Raider 3 again.  It's been about 7 -9 years since either of us have touched our playstations.  It has made me want to set mine up again now.

Chemist run for me today, and I have an idea that Charlie might be along to do my counter top.

Zandranna wrote:

Once you have clicked to quote you simply delete all the text you don't want to quote.

 Thanks Sandy,  very easy indeed , lol . 

no car and life changing you asked , well ,long story , but in short,  one pack of 6 paper towel rolls and not much else fits in my little cart. Deliveries , well only in emergency cause they always send the wrong stuff, or the most expensive .   I don't get to town much  any more  , as I hate busses, people wear smelly stinky clothes , or cough and sneeze all over you .   So will take one only some time , not often  . And then there is the weather you know , never used to bother thinking about it ... but now . oh yes .

Glad you had a nice day with your sister and your friend .

Oh my no more freezer for you Sandy! How do you keep your meat that long then? I freeze a lot and only go food shopping every 2-3 weeks.
Charlie sure is a god send and such a nice person to do all these things for everyone.

Wendy this is what happened with my car. One thing after the other so I knew it was time for a newer car for me. I could not be without a car because of the distances here. My new car is a dream to drive and so soft to sit in.

Geru happy belated birthday to you

I went on a short road trip with a friend and only came back because I had a specialist appointment. Could have easily kept going and going lol. Beautiful country driving and lovely scenery's and some great walks as well. Refreshed and relaxed is how I feel and I could so easily go and live in one of the places I visited! More of a country vibe and not the busy traffic etc. Motel costs where pricey so we stayed in caravan parks in a chalet.

Bush fires down south here at the moment but luckily not near me and over east they are preparing themselves for TC Oma to drop a deluge of rain again. Talking about extremes!

Catching up on my washing today and the shopping I did yesterday. Then some tidying up in the gardens and a good soaking of the plants.

Glad you managed to get away for a while Martha and enjoyed yourself so much. I understand that feeling of just wanting to carry on going and see where you end up. It can be very tempting. I prefer the country vibe too but the disadvantage as you get older of being in the middle of nowhere is that those specialists get further away too. Then again you're much more used to long distances than us. Glad your new car makes those journeys much less of a bind and more comfortable.

I'm just doing boring chores today. Stripping the bed is next on my list. The cat likes to help with that.

I hate buses too.  Mainly because of how long they take to get anywhere.  They go all around the bush.  It take nearly an hour here to get to town by bus for a journy that takes 12 minutes by car.  On my trike I can easily do it in 30 mins.  I haven't tried it with my scooter yet though.

I barely used the freezer Martha.  I don't cook extra as you do and then freeze it.  And as I only live a handful of steps to the local shops I can buy what I need when I need it.

I bet you were as sick as a parrot at having to come home just for an appointment.  So pleased your road trip was a success.

Margaret gave me a set of crochet hooks so I've been having a play at a little bit of crocheting.  I've never crocheted but always wanted to learn how to read a crochet pattern.  I've started by making a couple of little bun snoods with the wool I already have.   I might try a hat next.

Hi everyone.

I came home from work early today
and went with my husband to his Dr appointment.
It went well and my husband is doing much better
and feeling more chipper. 

I know he suffers from some depression over his health
problems. He doesn't complain, but I can tell.
Anyway, he has been very upbeat lately. 
That makes me happy.

Martha, 
Sounds like you had a wonderful and relaxing trip
through the country. Good.

Geru, 
Years ago, I used the park and ride
and took the express bus to work.
Where I work now is 22 minutes away by car in the morning.
30-35 minutes home when there is more traffic.
But there is a change of 4 freeways/highways
and the different buses would take me a long time to get to work.

Sandy, 
Wonderful that you are crocheting.
One of my aunts taught me to crochet
some basic things years ago.
She and her husband were on the road/driving a lot.
She would keep busy by crocheting or knitting.
I haven't done it in years, but I'd like to.
Especially now that my other daughter
is expecting her first baby.

Hope everyone has a lovely rest of the day!

Good to hear your husband is feeling brighter and the appt went well Kerri.

My mum taught me to crochet when I was a kid but I wouldn't have a clue now.

I'm expecting the pup any minute now so I better move. I'm leaving him here while I go shopping for a while this morning so heaven knows what he'll get up to.

It was depression that got to me when I was ill too Kerri.  So pleased he is feeling better.

I'm liking learning crochet.  It grows so much faster than knitting and also if one makes a mistake it's so much easier to take it back to just before the mistake.  Not like knitting where one has to spend forever picking up the stitch before the mistake.

Today is a very dull and miserable day so I'm cleaning.  I've done the bathroom, including washing the floor (which I hate) and almost finished the kitchen.  Just have to wash the floor in there now too.  The living and bedroom areas wont take long as I gave them a good deep clean a few days ago.

I've showered and dressed, brushed the cat and done some dishes and that's all I intend doing. I actually slept well which is rare but now I feel really lazy. I think I've gone into sleep mode. lol

The pup behaved himself fine while I was out unless he was noisy which I have no way of knowing. I just left him with some toys and his favourite chew. A quiet weekend coming up with no pup and no visitors. First free weekend for over a month so I'm going to enjoy some me time. I have some shows to catch up on that were on too late for me to stay awake for last night.

Amazingly the sun is shining and it's supposed to reach 15C by lunchtime.

Hi everyone.

It is cold outside but very sunny today.
Just relaxing now and am going to make
easy grilled cheese sandwiches on pumpernickel bread,
and salads with big, juicy tomato slices
for dinner.

Sandy, 
Thank you regarding my husband.
Cleaning is a good project on a miserable day.  

Wendy, 
Glad the pup behaved!
Hope you got some quiet time for yourself.

Hope everyone has a lovely rest of the day.

We seem to be having some beautiful days down here at the moment, and quite warm too.

It looks like I might be moving up to Cumbria towards the end of next year.

Sarah and Aimee came over Sunday and Sarah told me that they are all moving up to the Lake District this time next year.

Seemingly when her and Martyn told Jessie she said she wont go because she wont leave me, love her heart.  Sarah told her that there is nothing to stop Nan coming too.

A little while after they had left they came back with a very cross Jess, because she said she wanted to be here when they told me.  I assured her that I am very happy for them all to go and there is a high chance I will go too.  So she is happy with that.  But the truth is at this point I am not sure I will go. 

For all of my girls it would be a terrific move for them.  The house prices up there are far, far cheaper than down here and it's a magnificent part of the country.  But for me, I'm not so sure.

I have made a life down here now whereby I rely on my girls for nothing, including company.  I only really see Sarah on high days and holidays and Aimee about the same.  So if I move up there I could end up still on the outside of the family, not being part of their plans, have to start again finding any sort of friends, no Charlie, or the others that work here on site to help me, and having to pay out for every little extra thing I need doing.  Basically I could end up in a strange county with nothing and no one apart from seeing my girls spasmodically.

I don't know how to explain my dilemma to Sarah (I think I should) without making her think I am complaining or making her feel guilty (if that was at all possible), or making her feel she might have to be responsible for me if I move up there with them.

Please feel free to give me your thoughts.

Hi everyone. 

Snowing today. But it is a light snow
that didn't give me trouble getting home.

Sandy, 
Your situation is a tough one.
If you are comfortable where you are
and self sufficient and have made friends, 
I would tend to stay put.
Especially if your children don't come see you that often anyway.

Of course, your Sweet Jess is worried about you.
But you can explain to her
that you are happy where you are.
Will it be very far away for her to come see you?

If Sarah is going to feel like you're complaining
or make her feel like she has to be responsible for you
if you move up there, she isn't very sensitive
to your needs or concerns anyway.

I hesitate to advise
when it comes to someone else's life.
But I would stay where I was
if I was content with my situation.

I'm a bit loathe to comment too Sandy but since you invited it here goes. Cumbria is a beautiful county but the winters are probably harsher than you've become used to. While it's cheaper property wise than where you are it does have some very expensive areas too being a National Park and housing stock can be quite limited. That depends a lot on where in Cumbria they're considering of course.

Your current situation is close to ideal and I doubt you'd find anything similar up here. If you don't rely on your girls very much now I'd be sorely tempted to stay put. I'm with Kerri in that rather than explaining to Sarah I'd be reassuring Jess that you'll be just fine without them even though you'll miss her.

Thanks ladies for that imput.  I think Sarah is at the moment thinking of Kendal or there abouts Wendy.  I must admit that the thought of it being even colder than here is rather off putting.

I have decided not to say anything to Sarah.  I wont worry myself over it too much at the moment but will just wait and see how things pan out with Sarah actually moving.  She's not thinking of going until this time next year anyway.  If/when she goes I will wait until she is settled, and I have had a couple of visits up there to see how the land lies and then start thinking yea or nay.  In the meantime I will carry on as normal.  Who knows, by the middle of next year I might be full of the idea of moving.

I had a lovely evening out last night.  It was Martyns birthday and we went for a meal and evening at the dogs.  I won a few races and came out having lost about 50p over all.  I think Aimee did the best by coming out on top with £12 something.

I have no plans for today and will be taking the day as it comes.

just dropping in , it is cold , had Dr, appointments to keep,sore fingers too,hard to type, busy now trying to do my taxes, oh boy, I hate it 

Sandy;   you have a good idea . stay put and visit first ,check things out . and don't forget Charlie / he is a God sent I think , but who knows what is best for you , only you .

 Martha: thanks for the Birthday wishes .
 
hello Kerri and Wendy,Elaine andTara

Hi Geru. I don't envy you doing taxes especially if you have sore fingers. We've had a few lovely, sunny days here but it's much cooler today. Still mild for February though.

More than the cold Sandy I think the amount of rain would get you down. Sometimes it seems like it will go on forever. We get a lot of gales too. The last few years Cumbria has suffered extensive flooding in certain areas. Not sure how Kendal fared offhand though. I think holding off on a decision until Sarah is settled and you've had chance to visit is a very good idea. A year is a long time and anything can happen.