The Garden Fence - help and support in tough times

silvasava

I shouldn't worry too much about the frogs Pops they will find another place and probably come back to your garden when there's some more shelter. A Buddleia will attract bees and butterflies & comes in lots of lovely colours. Is there a gardening club or allotment holders near you? They are very good sources of information (and cuttings etc!) By the way Lavender likes the sunniest spot in poor soil to do really well.
Nursemaggie those waiting times are awful - I know we are lucky to have a health service but I do think that they sometimes forget they are dealing with PEOPLE! Our hospital have the same system for blood tests & you can wait ages. Luckily my doctors surgery does them now with an appointment. Do hope everything goes well for you.

ivyleaf

Commiserations Maggie, hospital chairs are not comfortable to sit on for hours, are they!

Camelot Welcome home! It sounds as if you've had a lovely time. I always somehow imagine Delft as being entirely blue and white

The handyman was able to come yesterday, so hooray, no more pigeon birdbath just above DS's bedroom window :T

nursemaggie

Hospital transport was not as bad before it was privatised. Aviva run it. I find their buses unreliable and my daughter told me they got the contract to run Malta's public transport. They made such a mess of it they were sacked after only two years of a 5 year contract. As the saying goes "they could not organise a p*** up in a brewery."

My appointment is just routing it is for a 10 minute with my nurse which I have every 6 weeks. There is nothing to go well or badly.

I used to have a blood test at my GP when we lived in West Sussex but as The Christie is a very large cancer hospital they are organised for everyone to have their blood tests before their appointments or treatments. They need it as recent as possible. They are important and can effect your treatment.

I am one of the lucky ones I have never had an over 12 hour day and I am not so ill as the mad I mentioned. He was going to a different hospital. I go there next week.

[Deleted User]

Morning all, on my own today as He Who Knows has gone to collect DD1 from her house to bring her home tomorrow for their Norway holiday which starts on Sunday. She's a busy bee as she flies back this afternoon to the UK from a trip with the school to Iceland where she went last Sunday, wonderful photos we've seen too, goes off on Sunday for a week with dad and then she and I fly off to Barcelona for a short break on Tuesday after that, she'll need a holiday to get over the holidays! Grey and damp in the air here today, the washing is up in the utility room as there is no point putting it out in the damp air. Beds changed, ironing done, house clean and jacket potato sizzling in the oven for my lunch. Easy afternoon planned as I'm feeling a bit tired, don't sleep too well on humid and sticky nights like last night was here.

ivyleaf

Lyn My sandals arrived today and they are wonderful

I put my old scruffy ones in the bin - not without a pang though, as wearing them always brought back happy memories of a trip to New Zealand (that was where I bought them - they were quite a lot cheaper than here because of the good exchange rate at the time.)

[Deleted User]

Super IVYLEAF so pleased they are what you wanted, I find them so comfy. I've kept my old ones though (cos I'm a cheapskate) so I don't ruin the new ones by wearing them in the garden when I'm watering!!! Mind you they are superb if they do get wet, it doesn't do them the least harm even when you wade through streams/paddle in lakes in them, they dry off just as good as they went in!

nursemaggie

Well I am back. I thought I was going to get home early as they picked me up at 4pm but they then went round three more Manchester Hospitals then Salford Hospital picking up then dropped one off at a nursing home to Bolton Hospital to drop one off then finally me but still some more to get home. I can see why some people get home at gone midnight. We got stuck in Manchester rush hour and Salford rush hour.

I also feel sorry for the drivers. There was a helper on my ambulance coming back because they had a few quite sick people. These two had started before 8am and had just had their first break before they picked me up at 4pm. They expect to finish about 8.30pm.

ivyleaf

MrsLurcherwalker wrote: »

Super IVYLEAF so pleased they are what you wanted, I find them so comfy. I've kept my old ones though (cos I'm a cheapskate) so I don't ruin the new ones by wearing them in the garden when I'm watering!!! Mind you they are superb if they do get wet, it doesn't do them the least harm even when you wade through streams/paddle in lakes in them, they dry off just as good as they went in!

TBH I did keep wondering whether to take them back out of the bin for that very purpose, but talked myself out of it. Still thinking about it though

Maggie just seen your post. Those poor drivers

ETA Okay, the old sandals are out of the bin and with the gardening stuff by the back door. They are too scruffy to go out in now, but still bring me joy :rotfl:

Popperwell

Recycling of clothes and shoes for the purpose of gardening...something I've never done before but have recently. I have an old(ish)coat, trainers and shoes and in time the same will be true of trousers(I guess)for the latter and to avoid the knees getting grubby I have to remember to kneel on something or use a kneeler. Or put shorts on if the weather is kind. Not a pretty sight




I think the weeds are shrinking I now have six lavender plants(bushes?)initially to go into tubs but thinking transfer to the garden for the colour/scent/wildlife as I said earlier. More bulbs will be purchased when they come on sale again later in the year.


Shortened version of yesterday, missed a bus by seconds, the next got me into Durham ten mins before a show started but being slow I was going to miss too much walking to the theatre.


Luckily a town bus arrived later but quicker than me walking...stopped outside the theatre. Missed only 5 mins. Took a seat in the back row(mine was near the front)did not want to disturb people. The view was good so I stayed there. 2pm and yet the theatre was virtually full.


Great show...a big band playing the music of Glenn Miller/Benny Goodman.


Won a little win at the bingo in the evening. I would've paid for my bingo tickets anyhow but won the cost back of my lavender plants, a pressure sprayer and...cucumber:rotfl:In the end not a bad day.


Now today I don't know...there's an open air music show tonight 6pm-10.30pm do I go/will it happen? Its been raining if the sun shows it face it could still take place and the park may be dry by then. I hope so. I'll assume for now its still on.


What a pity when the local council tries to offer some entertainment for the masses. Dark clouds coming in again though The bands are playing in the streets of Durham over the weekend so its not totally off. But a park is different some how.


A late lunch perhaps and then I won't be hungry later. I'll take a brolly, my chair, a jumper in case it gets chilly and my chair. Its enough when you depend on public transport.

Popperwell

I'll bump the thread up the table a little I'm chilling today. That wasn't the plan. I looked out the window at 7am/8am and it was raining. Went to bed and woke around 2pm "Out like a light!"

So just did a quick shop on my town for the few shops that open on this day. Eggs/milk. More weed killer and lawn sand this time(thinking of what silvasava said about lavender liking it)

The reason for the weeds taking longer to die off may be I have been using one that can take up to 4 weeks for tough weeds to die off!!!That explains a lot.

I made it to the free concert on Friday and found a way to stay to the end but the weather was not good. There was cold blustery wind and after three hours I was so cold(even with long trousers, a shirt, coat and thermals on)I decided to leave. By 9pm the music had changed and it was too loud/noisy for me(I'm getting old)Quite a few were staying put and wearing much less than me.

Yesterday I saw a world premiere of a poetry and music event at Durham in an old(ish)church with a brass band, a famous cartoonist and poet Ian McMillan who remembered I was coming and shook my hand going in and coming out and chatted with me and made me very welcome. A friendly guy. He even remembered my Twitter handle.

Its not been a bad week to be honest. So its mainly pottering around doing household chores today but doing them very slowly...

Wishing all a good week ahead...