The Garden Fence - proper Old Style support and chat!

Softstuff

Well done you Monna :T Biscuits are hard to resist. I was commenting to hubby this morning that I've been having the odd nightmare where I binge eat everything I'm not eating. Biscuits feature. Chocolate digestives specifically.

Hester, maybe it is broken. Well, now it is after he's hammered at it

Emptynester, put a pinch of black pepper in too, I remember reading it helps you absorb it better, as does using full fat milk.

We're both walking round the house this morning like we've been run over by steamrollers! Monday we went Zumbaing, Tuesday I did housework and laundry and some groceries, Wednesday I finished glossing all the paint work in the front bedroom and hubby did 5 hours gardening, Thursday I put 3 coats on one side of the door, painted size on the wall that will be wallpapered, did a bit of grocery shopping. On each day also, have made sure I've got my 10,000 steps in. Today I'm linedancing, doing some chores out, then coming back to about 3 or 4 hours gardening, before we go out to a free music event. Does it sound like I have my energy back?

Slinky

Delurking to say that sounds a very busy week Softstuff.

We had a similar tide of DIY to do, which being deskbound most of the time we're not used to. A chance conversation with a pharmacist when we went to buy Voltarol, she recommended if you know in advance you are going to do things which make your muscles ache, use Arnica cream, the stuff you normally use on bruises, in advance on the problem areas. The pharmacist said she's previously been a homeopath. We tried it, and it did work. Along with a generous use of Voltarol afterwards.

Softstuff

But Slinky, if it doesn't hurt, how do you know you've done the hard work? Thank you for the advice, if it gets too much I'll grab some, it's certainly a sensible idea.

I managed about an hour and a half of gardening, but to be fair, spend more time charity shopping after line dancing than planned :rotfl: I found 3 pairs of trousers which are snug, but almost fitting for about 7 pounds. I'll be into them soon though, so thought I'd get them anyway at that price. A machine washable silk. I thought they seemed very well made and good fabric, but when I got home and googled the brand, they were originally more than 200 pounds a pair :eek: I think that might well be my bargain of the year. It even beats the shirt I bought the other day, I'd seen it in a department store a couple of months back for more than $150 and liked it, then managed to find it new in a charity shop for $12!

monnagran

Softstuff, you obviously have the magic touch with finding bargains. My touch works the other way. I buy something in a shop and find it a week later in the CS at a giveaway price.
I am desperate to find the source of your energy. If it is that tea you are drinking I will go back to find the details and order a vat of it.

Silver-oldie, you were a naughty, naughty child.
Your story reminds me (stifle those groans) of when I was teaching in a very rural area. One day I came across a group of notorious boys who were obviously hatching some evil plot. They were very excited about it. They approached me, giggling and nudging each other, saying that they had something for me. I surmised that the 'something' would not thrill me and I was not wrong. A slow worm was tenderly placed into my outstretched hand. It was my worst nightmare and my finest hour. I somehow kept my cool, said how beautiful it was, even stroked it (!!!), asked where they had found it and suggested that it may be happier back in its home.
It was like bursting a balloon. A very disappointed and disconsolate gang took their prize off while I got myself back to the staff room, shaking and sobbing and had to be revived by sips of hot, sweet tea.
I never had any trouble with those boys after that. They treated me with the utmost respect.

I can't bear to even look at pictures of snakes!

THOUGHT FOR TODAY

Great things never came from comfort zones.

LameWolf

monnagran wrote: »

So, LW, you will be looking forward to a couple of weeks of musical nights. Sympathies. Love your version of I Will Survive.

Ha ha, it's not too bad really; I'm as deaf as the proverbial post once I put my hearing aids in their charger unit for the night.

Slinky many thanks for the arnica before DIY tip; I have a big pot of arnica cream in the cupboard (I'm always getting bruised, especially when I have Staffies to stay) - it's really good stuff, that I bought at the Wytches Market some time ago.

Re funerals - I have told Mr LW I want the Lakota Womens Power Song at mine:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dQ9xxwoZKrc

I am totally and utterly cream crackered today; we washed my hair this morning - a task which takes far longer than it should, and leaves me totally wiped out afterwards. But needs must - I have to be presentable for Honey's arrival tomorrow.

ETA: Monna I'd better not mention the Corn Snake, Yellow Rat Snake and Taiwanese Beauty Snake I used to have as pets......:whistle:
I'll get my coat.:D

greenbee

Slow worms are lizards, not snakes...

[Deleted User]

We've got slow worms in the compost heaps every year, they come out and lay in the sun on the slabs of the garden path and my lovely neighbour keeps bringing me round toads she finds in the garden being terrorised by her two spaniels, there is an absolute stonker who lives in the greenhouse and gives us that vivid orange eyed stare if we're working in there and disturb him/her! wonderful critters are toadses!

FairyPrincessk

Afternoon all,

Just trying to keep up with work and get some writing done before the marking season begins. The cherry tree is in full book and there are buds on the apple. Otherwise it is cold and wet here.

I tried out the local car boot last weekend, it was quite small, but perhaps it will pick up later in summer. I did some sewing, just a few things left on a dress. Our estate agent wrote to us asking if we're planning to renew our lease and if so, requesting payment of their £120 admin fee. In the meantime they'll see if our landlord wasnts to increase the rent. We've written back to indicate that no fee will be paid and no agreement signed until we know if and by how much the rent will increase. I know the amount by which it can be raised is capped in our lease, and we likely will stay next year if there is only a small increase, but we're not agreeing to it before they've told us the price!

Nursemaggie, any news on your bids? Thinking back to this time last year when we were buying the car, I was interviewing with little hope I'd get a job and we were moving I know all of the upheaval and uncertainty is exhausting.


We're having some sort of a lazy tea tonight. I'm having the heart monitor fitted this evening, so we'll pick something up on our way home, probably some sort of ready meal from M&S. Not very thrifty, but when doing the meal plan I couldn't face trying to work out what to have.

OH and I have a big budget meeting tomorrow (ok, so really just two cups of herbal tea at the dining room table with my very unprofessional spreadsheet and a few back of the envelope calculations). We'll work out where we stand on house savings and if there are to be any holiday trips this summer.

The lettuce I planted out has remained stunted and miserable while that still in the propagator is shooting up, as are the pepper plants. Not sure if I should plant out another row or hold off another week or two. I'll probably do whatever pleases me most, regardless of likely outcomes for the plants!

Hugs to all who need them...

Oh, I have my own little childhood songs--two with sound effects and a common them! I assure you, I was very ladylike otherwise.

Sittin' on a fencepost chewing my bubblegum (make smacking noises)
...and along came Hermie the worm and he was this (small width between fingers) big!
And I said, hermie? What happened?
And he said (in high falsetto) I ate my breakfast!

Sittin' on a fencepost chewing my bubblegum (make smacking noises)
...and along came Hermie the worm and he was this (medium width between fingers) big!
And I said, hermie? What happened?
And he said (in slightly deeper voice) I ate my lunch!

Sittin' on a fencepost chewing my bubblegum (make smacking noises)
...and along came Hermie the worm and he was this (spread arms wide) big!
And I said, hermie? What happened?
And he said (in deep voice) I ate my supper!
Sittin' on a fencepost chewing my bubblegum (make smacking noises)
...and along came Hermie the worm and he was this (small again) big!
And I said, hermie? What happened?
And he said (in normal voice) I burped! (make burping noise)


And..

I had a little turtle, his name was Tiny Tim
I put him in the bathtub to see if he could swim
He drank up all the water
He ate up all the soap
And now he's sick in bed with a bubble in his throat
Pop!

LameWolf

greenbee wrote: »

Slow worms are lizards, not snakes...

Very true; but as they are legless lizards, they freak out folks who don't like snakes.

My own leave-the-room-in-a-fit-of-the-screaming-ab-dabs creatures are wasps, cos I'm allergic to wasp venom, and slugs cos just.... yuk, yuk, yukkity yuk.:eek:

Softstuff

Monnagran, I can tell you exactly where my energy comes from.... I spent 18 months with anaemia and untreated sleep apnea, mostly resting on the sofa whilst trying to work intermittently. Now I'm full of iron, actually getting some decent sleep and it's like I've woken from hibernation! Though I can't recommend the method for anyone else.

Your slow worm story made me chuckle, the last time we had a legless lizard here we were both fascinated and followed it round the patio. We were less fascinated when the small eyed snake sat on our front doorstep: http://www.qm.qld.gov.au/Find+out+about/Animals+of+Queensland/Reptiles/Snakes/Common+and+dangerous+species/Small-eyed+Snake#.WuMmQIhuY2w
Venomous. We saw him again later in my herb garden. We've also seen red bellied black snakes and only this afternoon found a snake skin in the garden.... and if it's bigger than that now yikes.

Quite frankly if I'm familiar with the snake and it's non venomous it's the least of my worries now :rotfl:

Fairyprincess, it seems a bit bloody cheeky for the estate agent to be asking for money before even saying whether or not there'd be a rent rise. I'm with you in holding off to find out.