What I did today.

Nonu....I know what you mean, I have sacrificed much over the years to keep horses, cant imagine life without them....Treat yourself and go and have a riding lesson/hack....

Crimson.....Cobs mainly, I rode Pippa 3yr old ...Lovely mare..and such a good girl.

Today I sat through a 2 hour staff meeting at CAB, getting increasingly depressed by the 'welfare reforms', particularly the benefits cap which will penalise not only the work-shy which is the intention, but those who just cannot find work that will take them out of benefits. Housing Benefit has already been tightened and Council Tax Benefit will now be set by local councils, with reduced government funding. I have been thinking of quitting, now my mind is made up - regretfully, but old dogs, new tricks...
Then I had a hairdo, which cheered me up, and went to a talk at U3A on Christmas traditions. Well done, with good visuals.

I should think so crimson - think the instrument they use for keyhole surgery! Scary!

My letterbox is actually at the bottom of the door; can they still use this gadget from there?

We are now back in the Peak District having had new locks fitted and a quote for alarms!

We had alarms in our old house but they seemed to me to reinforce a feeling of living in a society which is basically bad, which I don't think is true. However, I'm prepared to reconsider - not society but the need for alarms!!

harrigran my husband locked himself out of our house a few months ago and hooked the spare keys out of the 'keypot' on the chest in the hall with a garden cane. We thought we had solved the potential problem by moving the keypot to the other end of the hall, until the locksmith told us that he could actually retrieve keys from the pocket of a coat hanging in the hall, and tell you what else was in there. This piece of kit is freely available!

He suggested that we all take our keys to bed with us!! But, I had a friend who did just that and woke to find a man, in her bedroom, going through her handbag looking for the car keys!! Apparently, burglars don't bother with stuff like TVs and DVD players etc they just go for jewellery and cars!!

kitty you must have been frantic, it is an awful thing to happen. My friend and her DH had their car keys stolen from the house and both brand new cars stolen off the drive. They were victim to the stick through the letterbox. I had my letterbox fitted into a brick wall and post falls into a cupboard in a locked porch, as a direct result of friends robbery.

Oh kittylester - what a panic you must have been in. Hopefully your own house insurance will cover the cost of new locks etc? Also hope your DD will get her car back unscathed.

Hope you get it sorted Kitty. There's always something. isn't there.
I was given a beautiful dress by my godfather recently, a black silk Chinese cheongsam with embroidered flowers curving down the front. It belonged to his late wife. He thought it would suit me[v flattered emoticon]
Just been down to a local dressmaker who thinks she can work a miracle, and I am hopeful that I'll be able to squeeze my thighs, bum and boobs into it when we are on the QM2!

Yesterday we drove to the Peak District for a break. Last night DD3's keys were taken and her car stolen. On her key ring were keys for our house and post to her which still comes to our house. Cue, panic drive to get to our house before potential burglars.

sorry this should been on gardening thread!! still got cough so no acquacise, OH\ NOT great either, we going pop out Morrisons yippeee!! and send my shoes back ordered some Ecco suede ones, lovely but they not comfy like used to be, squashed my toes, downside have to pay postage for returns!! they going back to Sweden, strange, and were made in Slovakia!! seems all wrong somehow.

i used to have a lovely family of african violets years ago, but I was spitting feathers when they got this insect horrid little tiny white bug so had to get rid of the lot!!
they do not like over watering and I used to feed them with special stuff, cut back excess foilage. now only have the odd one, we seem do loads better with Orchids!! have even put pics on facebook they flower for ages then I put them upstairs in study or spare room cut back, leave on window cill and usually them come back brillian again!!!

NellieM

I feel a visit to Aldi coming on. Meanwhile

I have just got back from the most dreadful choir rehearsal ever!

There are 5 weeks to our Christmas concert and we have been given a new piece. We still need to work on the stuff we already have.

This is a community choir with only a few experienced singers.

It is complicated to follow the parts on the page and it is transcribed in a way that makes getting the timing right difficult. I don't know what the conductor thinks he is doing.

After nearly wasting the whole two hours, trying to get this right, we have all lost the will to live. Let's hope he will give up on it.

It was so awful I had to come home and eat a piece of the Aldi Moser Roth Orange Mousse au Chocolat I bought today for presents. Mmm.

I knew I was going wrong somewhere....

crimson two points, put the plants in a pot, and goldfish in a bowl, although a tank is better.

Hope this helps.

Don't they like a humid environment? I think the only succes I ever had with an African Violet was when I kept it in a goldfish bowl [don't ask me how it ended up in a goldfish bowl, though; it probably seemed like a good idea at the time. I have even less success with house plants as I do with goldfish ].

We have had a really busy day - had our chimney swept and a pile of logs delivered - so they needed to be stacked. That job fell mainly to me as DH helping the artisan putting the stone cladding on the other chimney - all done ready to be pointed and looking good. Fire now burning beautifully so lovely and cosy in this neck of the woods.

what good idea Jainainsworth you have to relax when retired!!

I manged one client, only have about 5 regulars, and felt well enough also tidied bedroom!!

'isthis' - thanks for the tips. I do know that African violets like cold tea, but probably not every day.

Thank you Celeb, it was. Something quite special about being with friends you have known nearly all your life, and worth the effort of keeping in touch even though we live a long way away from each other.
Today I have been inexcusably lazy and apart from changing the sheets and spending too much time on GN, have achieved nothing.
[shameful emoticon]
thought Now I am retired I can do that sort of thing

jainsworth sounds like great reunion, my son kindly told me I dont look anywhere near my age, and I have hung on to that compliment for grim death!! gosh must be 42 years since I left school what a lifetime ago!!

thank you kind ladies, hope isthis is feeling better today also, I have washed my hair is a start!!

got dressed, yesterday just slouched but did cook yummy dinner, sadly we then fell out about letter I decided to write to daughter, OH RE wrote it in end I ripped it up!!

We waiting for Dreams to come inspect bed today wishe us luck!!

mattress gone all bobbly and only had since May, looks awful, but is comfy!! just rang customer services, put my b pressure up on hold for 8 mins only to be told they will ring half hour before they arrive, and cut me off before I could give her my mobile!! grrrrrrrrrrrrrrr wnat pop to shops as stuck in all day yest bet will miss them if do, but may risk it only 10 mins walk to shop.