The Garden Fence - proper Old Style support and chat!

I'm so glad to hear Millie's feeling better, monnagran :T

Better look for your liberty bodice monna. We have bought our thermal vests. DS has to take his off when he finishes work as he works in the chiller at -5 degrees.

I was always asked if I was born in a barn. Mum and Dads house always felt like an open field never mind a barn right up until they went in sheltered housing.

I think I had better buy some really warm slippers as all the houses DS likes have wooden floors.

I always had chilblains when I was a kid. I can still feel pain and them itching.

Oh nursemaggie, chilblains were horrible, weren't they? I don't think anyone has them now, do they? I don't know if you have a Sh*e Zone near you, but I bought a great pair of furry lined slippers there. I think they were supposed to be snow boots but I don't think they were stout enough for those. They were very cheap, about £6 or £7 as I recall and I lived in them for 2 winters. They had the added advantage that you didn't have to change out of them if you had to pop outside. Sadly Dora ate one of mine this year so I must try to get another pair.

burtha - The Three Minute Wonder - I like it! Looks as though the kids have his measure and now regard him as a figure of fun. Good.
As for you, lady, you are sounding more like burtha again. Calm is good, it means that you are beginning to detach yourself from him. It isn't the end of pain and hurt but the calm moments will become more and more frequent until they start joining up and you get more calm than anguish. Takes a while and times of howling with grief will happen sometimes, but less frequently and every time you come out of one of those awful sessions you will be a little bit stronger. It may not feel like it but you will.

Enjoy the fire and the wine. You are lovely.

I don't think you do get chilblains now. What causes them? And the other awful thing I can remember was loads of bairns with gentian violet dabbed on their faces, on sores around their mouths. Can't remember what that was now.

Catching up via speed reading here, so forgive me if I miss anything. Hubby is occupied elsewhere so I've snuck on. Between his pc gaming and work (sometimes from 7am-7.30pm), there's precious little opportunity. We're considering PC shopping for me though, so there's hope.

So... Pickle is reorganising a school, Burthas ex is behaving in an expectedly halfassed fashion, there's a school somewhere that boils elephants for lunch, Fuddle is about to need the troops to put a GPs receptionists head on a pike as a warning to all others not to mess with her and Monna is hunting out her chastity belt to avoid getting impetigo.... I may have confused some issues somewhere there

Burtha, you're best off rid of !!!!!!. His brain seems to have migrated south for the winter. Sending hugs, I hope it is just a fuse on your saw. Sometimes the smallest of things can seem like the last straw, so I hope your small things go smoothly.

I recall being so cold at uni, when the boiler in the rental got condemned by the gas board, that three of us girls huddled in one bed under every blanket we had! I've heard tales of three in a bed at uni, but never for that reason

Mens underkeks can be a curious thing. I find that even the men who care nothing for the rest of their clothing can be curiously demanding of their undergarments. My best friends husband will only wear a particular style of a particular brand. Problem is they've discontinued them. I have a feeling he'll be wearing the current ones until they could be used as replacement fishing nets, then after that, who knows.

MMF007, I'm with you in the non-knitting camp. I've always had a bit of trouble with yarn crafts. After a few years and many attempts at learning, I'm finally getting to grips with crochet though, so who knows, maybe one day.

Thank you to all those mentioning vintage cookery books for reminding me I want an old BeRo. And a couple of others, but that one is key. I don't know when we got out of recipe books where anyone could achieve a decent result and got into ones that look more like chemistry experiments.

I'm suffering right now from a burnt finger (chicken casserole - yes I am clumsy NurseMaggie ) and a few pulled muscles (built a garden shed on Thursday). But feel as though that's another bit of progress. Am intending to begin painting another room tomorrow.

Love to you all, see you next catch up! xx