Afternoon all
Just lost a post into the ether
The weather is showery today and some have been quite heavy.
I had a hair appointment this morning so now I think I look a bit more respectable rather than an ancient hippie .
Later I am going to do some baking , I shall try a dairy free carrot cake recipe, so fingers crossed that it turns out ok. Think I'll have another coffee first though.
Judi I am sending good vibrations and that all is well with your new granddaughter.
Lonewhitewolf I'm sorry that you're feeling down.
Hugs to anyone who needs or wants one or two and enjoy the rest of Tuesday.

Good afternoon everyone, thanks to nmlc for starting the thread and hugs to anyone that needs one.

For once the sun is shining so despite the new meds making feel as though I'm moving through treacle I'm determined that I will at least get some gardening done this afternoon.

Just spent a frustrating hour trying to view my home insurance renewal quote and have locked myself out of my account.... I didn't set it up for auto renewal but I think they might just have done it anyway.

I received a lovely gift last night, I got a text from a friend saying to check my front step. Her hubby has a F&V business and there was a lovely box of F&V waiting for me.

I hope everyone has a good day x

Nelski, I've become allergic to most toothpastes so I can sympathise with the burning sensation - I now have to use a prescription toothpaste.

Congratulations Judi, I hope the murmur comes to nothing.

I was tired all yesterday after the exertions of the weekend but I'm feeling a bit better today. I'm hoping to finish a pair of trousers I cut out last week.

Livewire has gone home. I dont think i'll be needed overnight now so ive packed his little leaving home bag and he has headed off to the hospital with his Dad.

His Dad is in bits... just the thought of something being wrong has upset him greatly.

Now i am on my own i'm trying so hard not to think about it.

I thought about going back to bed after he left but i wasnt sure that Prodigal wasnt going to come and wake me up so ive got stuck into the housework. Chilli for tea. Its easy enough.

Anyone remember me?

Apologies for the long absence; RL went pretty much t*ts-up, I was up to my ears and more with trying to keep the household running and retain my sanity, and something had to give. The obvious thing to start with was only spend time online for necessary stuff such as banking.

Hopefully all is calming down a bit now; Mr LW has had some health problems - one we've sorted ourselves (his back pain) but t'other (persistent cough for the past 9 months) he's at the GP surgery for as I type. He did see a GP last November, they sent him for an x-ray, which showed nothing sinister - but why is the cough still there, and getting worse? I've been on at him to go and see a doctor again and finally he's decided to do so.

Still dog-sitting; I have my old mate Cassie here at the moment (she's going home tomorrow).

Other than that, there's not a lot to report.... Obviously I'm completely out of touch with everyone's news, so (((HUGS))), sticks for BDs, spoons, posivibes and I believe some congratulations are also appropriate. All left in neat piles, help yourselves as appropriate.

I have everything crossed for the new little one Judi, I will have a word with the Big Guy when I go to sleep tonight as well xx

It really was a smashing car Speky, we had both the detachable soft and hard tops for it, and depending on the weather we were set no matter what.I can still remember the number plate 417 WKR. It was a sparkling white, and we bought it second hand from a boxer that we knew back then called Dave Charnley, his wife had only had it for about 6 months and didn't get on with it as she said it messed her hair up as it did tend to blow your hair about at times

It cost us £550 and had 6.500 miles on the clock. The roads were a lot less crowded in those days, and to raise the cash we managed to get a small loan which cost us £15.00 per month ,almost a weeks wages back then

Our tiny cottage cost us four guineas a week to rent (£4.20p), and for that we had an outside chemical toilet (I had never ever seen one of those being a city girl), but it didn't bother my OH as he had been brought up in the wilds of the Isle of Wight, off the beaten track in those days, and had used one before.

When after we moved in I discovered that not only did we not have a flushing loo, but what we did have was in a small shed that I had taken to be a tool shed

When he pointed our loo out to me I investigated it and on opening the door found what I took to be an old oil drum with this horrible smelling blue stuff in the bottom .On telling my OH he must be kidding me as this was the 20th century, and the 1960s for goodness sake , he said quite airily 'Oh you'll soon get used to it and it won't kill you'!!!

Another reason for moving back to London, street lights and civilisation when I was pregnant with my eldest. I wanted a proper loo, and hopefully a bath as well

We had friends who lived in Rowhedge just outside Colchester and we had to go there for a proper bath, as there wasn't one in the little cottage at all.

Looking back today it seems almost barbaric, but very funny as well. the loo used to be home to enormous leggy spiders and I would walk around this shed banging the sides with a stick I kept for the purpose to encourage the spiders to scuttle away while I used it.

Between the loo and the sea was one field, and in the winter when the wind was blowing I had visions of being carried off to God knows where, complete with shed like Dorothy in the Wizard of Oz.

Essex, like Norfolk is extremely flat and boy does the wind blow out on the marshes.
We rented a garage off the pub at the top of the lane for his pride and joy and it cost us 7/6d per week about £1.50 per month
I think the locals thought we were well off, as few had a car back then and we were 'Them odd Lunnon folk '

The day we moved back to London in 1967 the night before the local policeman knocked on the door and asked if, as we were going back to the city, could he have our flowering cherry tree that my OH had planted, we said yes no problem help yourself, and from behind his back he produced a spade and commenced to dig it up I dare say its still down on the island somewhere in a garden, and probably far to big to dig up now almost 50 years later

There was only one local bobby on the island then and he lived in the police house ,but he knew everyone who lived there, and goodness knows how he knew we were moving but he did

There were three pubs back then there and we lived near to The Fox, there was another called The Fountain and my OH and my friends husband upset the pub when they got the jackpot from the fruit machine as we wern't locals, but my OH bought everyone in the pub a drink, so he was forgiven

The jackpot back then was £20.00, and every time we went in there someone bought us a drink as I don't think they had ever seen someone buy the whole pub a drink we didn't buy a drink for ages after that my old man was a canny lad

Just watched some more tennis and Djokovic has got through so it will be an interesting few games ahead I think

Bit of a drizzle but barely enough to wet the babies head and it keeps stopping and starting, maybe we will get more of a downpour later as its very dark at the moment

Just going to get DGS Henry to make me another cuppa I really got them well-trained

Cheers chums

JackieO xx

Afternoon - another day of BT frustration interspersed with reading and sort of surfing.

And... my colleague has been in touch to say that 'yes' he had sent me the wrong documents so all is almost well. I should receive the correct ones tomorrow. Phew!

Sun, rain, sun, rain,, cloud, wind, rain, cloud - in that order. I stood outside for a while and watched as some cows were getting moved around. I'm a bit scared of cows TBH but I was safely on my door stoop so wasn't too worried.

I've also been in the garden to burn a load of documents and old cards. I had a collection of bank stuff, utility bills and other bumf which I've scanned into my laptop and so needed got rid of. My DM had cleared out piles of old cards which she had kept so they got added to the fire.

Interestingly I came across a postcard of a Dublin hotel we stayed in during the summer of 1965. My lovely Omi really enjoyed her visit there after being stuck behind the Berlin Wall until retirement age. The Soviets didn't want to pay any pensions so OAPs got allowed to leave. Anyway, she thoroughly enjoyed the Dublin Horse Show and spoke of it often. I emailed the hotel to ask if they wanted the postcard as the hotel has changed significantly since then, and they do! I'll stick it in an envelope and post it tomorrow. Although it's not been used it's a little battered around the edges after 52 years in a drawer.

EDIT - meant to add that at the Dublin Horse Show we spoke to Eamon Andrews and the Aga Khan!

LameWolf - lovely to see you again! WB.

That's my day. Pottering, futtering and faffing around.

Welcome back LW

Delurking to say hello to LW. Sending good health vibes to you both.


Gintot

Hey Lamewolf lovely to 'see' you, candle lit for healing vibes x

Evening all

Congratulations to uncle Speky, you'll be a fab uncle, love the name.

Congratulations to you too Judy, hope all's well.

Lovely to hear from you LW.

Still too hot here, I've spent all day hiding from the sun. Home tomorrow briefly then to DS2s on Thursday. I'm hoping I get a good night's sleep tomorrow, I've been too hot at night. Also have 3 humongous bites, probably from mosquitoes.

Hope you're all well, take care. Xx

Just poking my head round the door to wish LW a blessed welcome back xx

Lamewolf did you enjoy your holiday? And get well wishes for Mr LW xx