Soop's Extended Extension.

Sorry!! I meant DGD2 who is aged 2. She would love to 'help' I'm sure.

Just popped in for a breather after being on another site where everyone is getting very het up. Just need a sit down and a or even a and to do some deep breathing.
Have also been trying to order a birthday present online to be delivered and having problems there too. Of course, no-one is there when I tried to phone.

Mmm, that's better. Peace and tranquility. Yoga.

rosequartz I do hope that DD2 is coming to help with the general tidying and clearing of clutter etc. You do need another pair of hands I think as many hands make light work! Perhaps it is not quite what your daughter had in mind!

Carbonara sounds scrumptious! Perhaps Denis is pronounced quite differently in Italian, not like Denis the Menace.

I too have a lot of cleaning stuff under the sink and in the bathroom, some of which has been there years, but never can find the specific one I need to use. I then go out and buy what I need (the last instance was oven cleaner) but by then have gone off the job so the cleaner gets pushed to the back of the cupboard. Out of sight, out of mind.

Talking about Denis the Menace, Minnie the Minx is coming for the day tomorrow in the form of DD2, so must go and clear the decks.

Si, si Gally! Denissimo e molto meglio

Yes , he has lovely, sensitive hands soop

Gally Stop right now! Agus is on the verge of a swoon. You've certainly turned on the charm. So much info'...he's obviously the sensitive type. Sculptors are good with their hands...so I'm told. Bellasnana Shall we refer to him as Denisimo? Sounds much yummier.

Anyway, I have to go. Cats waiting to be fed and all that jazz...

Back tomorrow.

Oh! With all the gorgeous Italian names to choose from why would they call him Denis! I wonder where in Sicily he's from? We go often as it is the nearest place from Malta. Sicilians speak a strange dialect which sounds nothing like Italian, but they seem to understand my pidgin attempts to communicate! Anyway, good luck Gally - I wish I had started learning long ago. I would be fluent by now

Oh Gally stop it! I am supposed to be trying to keep my temperature down!
A sculptor, could this get any better?

...oh and yes, he has really swimmy blue eyes. In his spare time he is a sculptor

His Mum is a Scot although he was brought up in Sicily and has a delightful Anglo/Italian accent. Sadly, he is spoken for - a partner he informs me - I assume that it is a she, but you never know..... However, it is a lovely way to spend a couple of hours on a windy Tuesday. I can now say 'Caio' with the appropriate emphasis

Sorry Charley. I got the wrong end of the stick obviously.

That certainly would be a 'cure all' Soutra

Bellasnana I bet our Gally knows how to wind her Italian round her little finger...

Denis isn't a very Italian sounding name. I hope he behaves himself. I had an Italian teacher who came to my house for a year but he got a little too 'friendly' for my liking so I had to call it a day. He was short and stout and definitely didn't have dreamy brown eyes! Not that it would have made any difference if he had. I'm quite happy with DH

Soutra you are a minx.

I love it when you buy something like paracetamol and they ask if you have taken it before. I am so tempted to say No, I have muddled along for 65 years without encountering these but I am sure I will be fine, it's OK to wash the whole box down with a glass of brandy isn't it?

Agus the girl in the pharmacy did not mean to be rude, I think that she was concerned about my health!!! She was in her late teens. Admittedly I do not have many wrinkles but I cannot skip in the door any longer.

If somebody in their late 20's is asking these questions, maybe they do think that we have one foot in the grave and they will never reach the giddy heights of retirement. Admittedly with the age of retirement being raised, many will perhaps be using Zimmer frames at work.

Gally I'm sure you will muddle through admirably tonight. Just try to keep thoughts of the lovely Signore Carbonaro out of your head

For some reason, I am reminded of the time when DH was still struggling a bit with French when we first went to live there. A sexy female neighbour told me the best way for DH to perfect his French would be to take a lover who was a native speaker! She was deadly serious, DH looked ready to,pass out and I told her I was capable of filling both positions but thank you anyway!

I remember that type of questionnaire too Charley. Some of the questions I was asked reminded me of questions for 'Geriatric Assessment' we used on admission.

I can't believe how rude that girl was in the pharmacy! How patronising!

I notice soop's off to 'Italy' again.

Agus the -crap- l questions you were asked, in my day came under the heading of "Activities for Daily Living". Just a question of ticking boxes when it is blatantly obvious that the person can wash and dress herself and even God forbid, drive a car when over the age of 60.

i went to my local pharmacist the other day to pick up a prescription to be told by one of the young girls that I seemed to be coping very well with life. I did not say anything because I will be going back there in the future! I was not aware that I appeared so ancient and decrepit. Somehow I had driven myself there. How? I even managed to prepare an evening meal.

When I went for my pre admission screening I was asked if I snored. I said I did not know, I lived on my own. The next wuestion was- had my neighbours complained? I was not aware that we lived in tents outdoors.

Good girl!

I feel for your DH Soutra. Mine was bad enough and I am relieved it wasn't a TIA. Fortunately DH is the type you would want around in a crisis, very calm and gets things done but the poor soul looked utterly grey until we got the all clear. I told him his excellent behaviour has confirmed I will be keeping him on . Antibiotics have kicked in and I am feeling so much better thanks.

Feeling so much better in fact Anno that I am now noticing what needs done around the house. DH and DD1 are keeping things in order but it's the same old story that no one ever does things exactly the way you do them yourself so I have been ordered to sit on my bum and stop looking!!

This thread is very apt as they are questioning just how many cleaning products I actually need/use. My response has been they have obviously forgotten I was a PL in the Guides where our motto was 'be prepared'. I did make the decision a few weeks ago however to hire two cleaning ladies who run their own business locally. I used them once before and they are superb so they are due to come next Tuesday to do a spring clean. I did mention to them about my plentiful supply of products

Re cleaning cloths. My favourite cloth is no longer sold in the UK so whenever I go to France, I buy piles of them. I'm sure the check out girls must think my house is manky as they comment on the amount I need.

Doing my very best to relax soop

Because glassortwo may call in [if she and Mr glass should happen to pass this way] I'm ready...been up since first light. Top and tailed the bed. Bathroom that clean I can see my face in the porcelain. Kitchen pristine. Cushions plumped. Fire laid. Cat looking happy. I'm well pleased. Should glass not be passing...I've done enough housework for the foreseeable future. Now what?

Denis Carbonaro...sounds delicious. Does he have liquid brown eyes and a velvety voice? Cor!!!

Gally I wish that you would write a book...I am laughing out loud.

I too have bottles and bottles of cleaning stuff under my sink, in the utility room and in the bathroom. As there is now only me, I tend not to clean so often (slut) on the basis that I don't make as much mess/dust as when there was a house full of us. I clean the shower when I am in it so that gets that out of the way and I am quite comfortable with the tide mark in the bath as it's mine . The kitchen floor gets done when I can't see it any more as do the work surfaces which are usually decorated with correspondence, newspapers, books and bills. I quite like being lazy and laid back after a lifetime of fussing.
Just been for my 2nd Italian lesson with the lovely Denis. His surname is Carbonaro - I keep thinking of pasta and tonight I am going to a book club for the first time, but unfortunately I haven't read the book yet [shriek]. I have downloaded a précis of it so hope I can muddle through.
Hope you are on the mend now Agus. I laughed at your 'can you dress yourself' incident. I suppose we are all ancient to a 20 or 30 something.....

anno Sounds like a plan. Get rootling!

Agus You are funny. Viruses can knock the stuffing out of you. You need to relax and permit yourself to be pampered until you are back to your normal, capable self.

Well, the sun has decided to put in an appearance after a grey start to the day.

Our pals who are about to build a holiday-let cottage in their orchard, came to see us yesterday afternoon. We were very impressed with the amount of progress they've made since we decided not to purchase and build on the plot. By the end of May, there will be a delightful and useful extension to their existing guest house facilities. It is agreed that the decision to stay put, was right for us.