'supporting each other through really tough times'

Byatt

RosiePuddingPaws wrote: »

Thanks to everyone for their support last weekend. Still feel down at times about my poor puss (the end was rather traumatic rather than the peaceful one I had hoped for). Still today I have washed and dried three loads of washing, and am now sat in the warm conservatory looking out at the blossom on the apple tree. Not much blossom on the pear and none on the plum. It looks nice out but, like elsewhere, the wind is a bit keen.

Treated myself to a packet of cherries whilst at the supermarket. I love cherries, but really wish they could be a little cheaper. £14/kg. Strewth. They have such a short season too. I did try growing them in my last house, but the birds used to get them every time, despite nets and protection.

Thanks Mrs LW for the sausage/cabbage recipe. Sounds tasty so will give it a try. As there's just me, I will have to stick a load in the freezer as I try to avoid eating too much processed meat in a week, but it will save cooking another night.

I also have just seen a cabbage white, but no bees yet. Then again not many flowers are out yet. The slugs have eaten one of my young cabbage plants though and there was a snail after my tub of runner beans. I say was since the snail was slung over the hedge into the garden below where they don't grow veg!

RPP

It's still early days RPP, especially as it was so traumatic. It's bad enough when it goes well, and guilt and what if's always hang around. For a long time after Bess I kept thinking maybe I did it too soon, just wanting her back for one more day.

How's the job situation?

I love cherries too, but this year have not bought any, I keep looking in the YS part but no luck yet. They are so expensive and I worry that the ones I buy won't be the best and I don't want to be disappointed after paying so much. I'm currently sticking to apples and on the quest for the holy grail of oranges, with no luck there so far, all are tasteless and often dry.

If you are ever in my part of the world and want to pop in for a cuppa just Pm me.


Once you are depressed everything is put down to depression, mind you one doctor I had used to say "let's examine your breasts" even for a broken leg. :eek:

I had a lovely dinner, bought a YS side of smoked haddock a week ago for £5 and got 5 big chunks, I love smoked haddock poached in milk, so had one piece and a baked potato and peas. Yum.

I'm wondering what I could use in the cabbage recipe instead of sausages, as I'm giving up meat, 2 weeks so far, but may yet fall by the wayside. I'm not giving up fish yet. :cool:


Kidcat, so glad you had a lovely evening out, it does make a difference doesn't it, hope you're ok today.

My DD has 2 good friends at hers this weekend, it's lovely for me too, because I can relax knowing she is happy and ok, it's a rare moment for me not to have the constant worry, I actually feel really rather good.

Pooky

I'm waiting for the "it's your age" speech from the Dr. I had a letter from them last month inviting me to a "40/75" health check. Very nice of them but I'm not 40 until the end of next month so I won't entertain the idea of making an appointment yet! (I do understand their systems picking me up on this cycle of checks but didnt appreciate it).

It's been bright but breezy here today, been busy indoors so didn't feel the chill until I stopped, now I can't warm up. Think an early night is planned.

I'm another with the fixed grin of "yes, we're doing ok" plastered on the surface but underneath I get so very angry/tired/frustrated with life and DHs many issues. (but never angry/tired/frustrated with him, just the situation we're now in). I'd like the person driving the uninsured car that crashed into the car DH was passenger in to come and look after DH for a week, I'd like to show them how their careless driving and juvinile attitude has changed my calm, intelligent, career obsessed, assertive husband into a man who falls over, can't put his words in the right order, suffers constant pain, is jobless and feels like a burden. But then I remind myself it could have been a lot worse and pull myself together.

As for bees - not seen any and my apple tree is in full bloom, so hurry up bees. My poppy has 37 heads waiting to spring open, it's going to look stunning!

Mrs_Chip

Evening everyone!

Just back from a manic session at the camp site - it was packed out with tourers and tents, and everyone was waiting for us as we arrived - we sold every last bit of food on the van, and had to turn some people away, but all were very good humoured. Probably down to the cracking evening we have here. The site overlooks Fishguard Bay, it truly is a most fantastic location. It;s as calm as anything here now, so different to the howling wind of yesterday!

One sad thing - a lovely lady we remembered from last year came to the van to order and told us her husband had died of a stroke in November - never ill, not expected, all a terrible shock. It does make you think really, how fragile our grip on life is, and how precious!

We have that Red Valerian here, it grows on the wall up to our garden - does anyone else find it has an awful whiff of 'something trodden in' though? It took me ages to work out what it was :rotfl:. It is a very pretty plant though, and comes in pink and white too.

We have Alexanders everywhere here too, the bright green and acid yellows are quite striking. It is a herb, brought here by the Romans I must look up how to it.

For some reason this year I have lots of self-set foxgloves, no idea why, they have never done it before, I'm not complaining, they are lovely. And after years of trying, the Forget-me-Nots are growing in the garden, I thought they were dead easy, but tried for years to get them to grow here, now they have migrated up from Mrs Next Doors, and are here to stay!

I bought a couple of packets of mixed annual seeds from the National Garden Museum at Lambeth a few years back, they were a most wonderful selection of seeds from the annuals in the garden, if anyone is in the area, they sell them in little packets by the tills!

It's OHs birthday today so now having a nice G&T, and plan to have another - good job I'm done frying for the night!

Have a lovely evening everyone!

ETA - keep meaning to say sorry about the kitty PPaws - awful when the end is traumatic, somehow much harder. Our old puss is showing his age and we have had one or two 'moment' when we thought he was leaving, but he is a tenacious owd growler!

Popperwell

I agree with Byatt. As strong as you believe yourself to be its the simple things that are nice to share with a certain someone and that hug that lets you know someone is supporting you and you are special.

Why has the events of recent days made me turn to food even more than usual for comfort and its all good stuff...fruit and veg and I am determined to make my bread and succeed. Also get back into baking some cakes etc...even though only myself will eating the spoils.

I have signed upto some great food and health sites that I am very impressed with offering advice, information and recipes...

Agree with all that has been said about arthritis...I take each day as it comes...and take the better times when they happen...it can affect how well I sleep too so I do so when I am able even if that happens to be when I should be awake and doing something.

At least on my own I can do as I please and not stick to set times.

Hardup_Hester

A couple of years ago a colleague gave me a bag of dead forget-me-nots, everyone thought we were both mad, especially my darling hubby. He watched me walking round the garden shaking the dead plants & then put them in the compost. But now, every year they come up everywhere & add some colour to the garden.

Byatt

Pooky, you have every right to feel those things, I am so sorry the driver of the uninsured car has not seen the consequences of his selfish actions. It always amazes me how some people just feel their lives are more important than someone else's and in this instance drive a car uninsured, and careless driving. Using the word careless seems so inadequate.

lisakay_2

Evenin' all what a glorious day it's been. The girls and I have barely spent a minute indoors. we sat making button bracelets and then pop bottle flowers for the fairy glen from 8am. Just caught a neighbour before he disappeared off to the tip with a car full of wood, have lots of little projects in mind, the off cuts into the fire pit and 3 huge tree branches made a fab teepee for the girls to play in, covered in a big piece of sari fabric someone gave to us!
...and someone has left me a present in the porch, a bag full of empty jars and a jam book and a bag full of loo roll tubes!!! my reputation obviously goes before me lol.

Then off to mum's for a visit and she had some wild garlic for me, so straight off to the lotty (for just 10 minutes...) to put it in and water the contents of the greenhouse... 2 1/2 hours later, past the girls bedtime, littlest monkey says mummy I'm hungry now. had to rush home and do tea, neglectful mummy!!! they ate and then nearly fell asleep so have put them in bed dirty apart from a quick face and hand wash!! Reckon they'll sleep well though


we had such a fun day, and didn't spend a single penny, even the pop bottles were rescued from friends and neighbours recycling bins (with permission, no wonder they all think I'm a bit strange).
If we're all swapping seeds... I should have lots of aquilegia, poppy, heritage peas, heritage mange tout and heritage beans ready to sow next year (fingers crossed for a good crop)

Byatt

How do you grow poppies? They will have to be in pots as I only have a yard/patio...how many seeds would I need and when would I sow them?

[Deleted User]

Hello MRS CHIP happy birthday to MR CHIP and I hope you both enjoy your well earned G & Ts this evening, it sounds as though you've worked very hard today , selling out of food, brilliant stuff. Alexanders was introduced to this country by the Romans and was known as black celery (it's related to lovage). You can use the young leaves in salads, make battered fritters with the flowers, and to use the stems you must peel them and cut them into 3 - 4" pieces, simmer them gently until they soften and then give them a little fry in some melted butter to finish the off. They are aromatic to taste and a little like perfumed celery crossed with asparagus!!!

POPS I hope you've relaxed a little after yesterdays ordeal and realised they aren't out to get you, but the letter was just officialdom in all its dreariness and not sent from malice. I do understand why they have to follow 'Procedures' but they take the humanity out of the dealings with real people and cause so much anxiety it feels very unfair that a personalised letter cannot be sent instead. Never mind, onwards and upwards as they say, you passed muster and I hope you have less stress and feel much better today and the hugs are for you too, so some of them are banked in the cloudbank for those days that try us!!!!! It feels like this week has been a trial for lots of us, it's a good job there are enough hugs to go around isn't it? Cheers Lyn xxx.

LISA perhaps we should all save seeds and offer them up to anyone who wants them, it would make a really interesting year next year to see who grows what wouldn't it?

Mrs_Chip

Some poppies are perennials Byatt, they come back each year. You will find them at garden centres in pots, and you could keep them in pots.

Others are annuals, and grow from seed each year, you could try them now for flowering later in the year, they will be fine in pots too .

Lots of different types, sizes and colours, and all are lovely!