Good Morning Thursday 24th July 2025

Good morning all from the Scottish Borders.

A photographer is coming from the estate agency to take photos. I still have curtains to hang and paperwork to complete begin.

Canadian friends came for community lunch and most of the day yesterday. The café staff renamed the coffee "Canadiano" in their honour having at first assumed they were an American family.

Hoping the day goes well for everyone.

Good morning all and it’s rather overcast with rain due later. Here in Essex.

Today my two lovely brothers and one lovely sister in law are coming for lunch. I do enjoy their company and hope ‘unsociable Nelly’ will be ‘merry and bright’. Tra la! 🎶. Never been a great joiner inner but has got worse with age and having a stroke. As my friend always says ‘people get more like themselves’.

What is it with some men who refuse to see a doctor Rosesandlilac and Cornergran ? 🤷🏻‍♀️.

Take care all and I hope your days are pleasant ones 🌼

Good morning from South Lanarkshire where we have hazy sunshine at the moment.

We’ve had the two eldest DGDs staying with us, it’s been delightful. Goodness can they eat though. Yesterday we went out for lunch and an hour later they were toasting bagels as they needed a snack.
I think we’re taking them home this afternoon. Next week we’ll have their young cousins.

I’ve been out of the loop for a couple of days so I’ll try to catch up with all the news.

Wishing everyone the best day possible.

MD, I only made it once, DH loathed it for some reason.
I used a microwave recipe, but you have to be very watchful as it can turn into sweet scrambled eggs in a trice!

Good morning from a bright, cool Cornwall. Yesterday I had the loveliest day. Took two buses east to the county's comprehensive library of sheet music. It's like walking into a serene, lovely atmosphere. Selected five bulky books of music, mostly Baroque, and asked if they could be sent to my local library as they were so heavy. The library staff were very happy to oblige. I don't think I'd function well without our brilliant libraries.

Then decided to catch a train home and ended up on a deserted station surrounded by trees and the wind whipped through making musical sounds. It was magical and brought the poem Adlestrop to mind for some reason. I came home so refreshed.

Today I'm making meringues for my grandson's birthday tomorrow and must water my patio, where the echium and erigeron - both plants that survive on almost nothing - are sagging.

Good morning everyone from Inverness where it’s dry, warm with light grey clouds
Looking forward to the garden makeover pictures Kalu!
A quick class at the gym this morning then a coffee and catch up with my pal. Hopefully some gentle gardening this afternoon too.
If you’re meeting up with friends and family today have a lovely time and safe travels to everyone on the move
Enjoy the Bear Hunt Marydoll 😀
Thinking of everwith worries and struggles, hope today is gentle and take care all whatever the day brings 💐

Good morning Mick and all GN's on a rather grey looking but breezy day here in North Yorkshire. They tell us it will be sunny with a possibility of a few hefty showers. I have a lot of washing ready to put out from yesterday, as it was too wet to get it out then. So the washer is going yet again, but this is the bedding and hopefully the final amount, so that at least, I am back into something of the normal routine, with everything clean to wear. I have always hated dirty washing hanging around. There is often a mountain of ironing waiting for attention but that is fine, it is clean!!

Fingers crossed there is no further drama stopping Jessie coming today. She was supposed to come on tuesday but couldnt, so even for me everywhere is a mess - but a clean one! - I now usually do this, get the bedding off and washing as soon as I am up, and when she comes she can turn the mattress if I want her to, and in two shakes of a bees knees has my clean bedding sorted and the duvet quickly sorted etc. Part of me feels I shouldnt give up doing it myself, but it takes me such a long time now and inevitably ends with my back and knees hurting more than ever and being annoyed at how long it takes me these days. So the only disaster scene is when I have got the bed stripped and she rings to say she cannot come that day!! The ages it takes me to do it myself now. So when I have had a cup of coffee, the next thing is to get the covers off the Yellow Peril, and lump the bag of wet washing on and down to the washing line, where I shall get everything out and blowing in the breeze. I have never liked using a dryer, - ecologically and being yorkshire , much prefer the free wind on the line and the lovely smell from the towels and bedding when it is done. When people are asked what they would do if they won the lottery etc, they all go for new cars and big trips but truly the great luxuries I would love to have would be
1. Clean linen sheets , beautifully ironed, and having been dried outside, every day. What bliss!
2. To be able to walk into the supermarket and just choose what I would really like. Not to have to alter my choice of menu, decided by how much prices had gone up and to be able to afford to just walk past the reduced bin.
3. To be able to go any day I felt like it up Swaledale, or to Saltburn, without calculating fuel costs.

Those would be three wishes that would improve my life quite a bit. What simple improvements would other GN's go for? Of course there are some other rather more illegal pleasures I could wish for. I have been told that cannabis helps with pain, and could be tempted to give it a go.! Then I have always fancied swimming in the nude at the baths. Skin doesnt bother me for myself or on other people. It is the pleasure of not having that wet cossie clinging to you . Have swum from my boat in the past and it is a much nicer feeling to me, perhaps I could afford to take over the whole baths and then let anyone who fancied it join me in a nude session!! Ah when the people round here see this white haired old lady tottering from the car they have no idea what lurks beneath the surface!!

So, am slowly getting back into the usual routine. I went to the whist drive last night, and was welcomed back by all the usual crowd. It was as full as normal. I thought there might be less as it was holiday time but no the full entourage was there. We had some good games, but it was very humid and no breeze and even with the doors open rather too warm. I suggested next time it was like that that we put the tables and chairs out in the carpark and sat in the cool!! So, didnt win anything but enjoyed the games. It always gets more and more difficult to move over the evening, but last night was even worse. I asked Will, who deals with the seating if he could contact Harland and Wolf to lend us a crane to move me round next week!!

I am improving a little, but still stuck with this blasted cough. I have decided I can only wait until tomorrow to make a decision. I desperately want to get the other cataract done on tuesday, and dont want to wait for yet again another long time to get it done. However if I am still coughing a lot I feel I must ring up and cancel , which would allow someone else to take the place and not waste the doctors time. The thought of her just about to take a knife to my eye and me suddenly coughing and moving doesnt really bear thinking about!!

It is annoying on lots of levels. They are just playing the Anvil Chorus on the radio. I often join in with the singing, which I enjoy seeing how much I remember without the words in front of me, and helps the jobs along. Well if I now try to sing, I sound very croaky and then start coughing again . Drat Drat!! I am also prone at the moment to look in shop windows for quite a while. I have no intention of buying whatever is there, just need to lean on a wall and catch my breath!!

So, once washing out, I have a bit of paperwork to sort out. Then going to the meeting this morning at the womens group. Hetty , who organises things at the moment, had said she hadnt got much lined up for the next few weeks, being summer holidays etc. So not going to do it today, but I will see if they would like a bit of a talk about my trip next week. Not just where I went but the various things like having no bed for 3 nights, and meeting a range of people on the train, from a woman who was both a GP and a farmer on the prairies, and the Mennonite group going to help a new colony get started etc etc. Then this afternoon, it is time to look through the car, chucking stuff out and getting the boxes set up for picnics etc and spare clothes at the ready, as fingers crossed I am going to meet my family at Killington Lake services on the M6 on saturday. As I should be having the cataract done next week, dont know how long it will be before I am able to drive etc. So that is about it for the day, but if I can get a move on with jobs, may be able to put some coffee in the car and drive up my beloved Swaledale and know that I am back home at last.

Hope everyone can do something they WANT to do rather than what they have to do today. Enjoy your day everyone

Good morning from a wet East Yorkshire.

Marydoll I was going to recommend the microwave method for lemon curd. As GM says you have to watch and stir frequently but I found it easy,delicious and popular. The recipe is equal quantities of ingredients ie 6 lemons,eggs,butter and sugar. I only did small amounts.

I have admin to do this morning then an afternoon at the theatre to see Calamity Jane. The reviews are good. I’m sure I will get emotional as my mum loved the film.

Have a good day all.

Good morning from a bright and sunny Suffolk after a drizzly afternoon yesterday. In spite of the drizzle I had a lovely day out with my old friend who I have known for over 50 years. Today I’m meeting another friend for coffee after my stretch class.

Travelling on the A12 at the moment is dreadful. Apart from the fact one lane on the Orwell bridge in Ipswich is closed for essential repairs,much of the road is restricted to 30 mph because of the building of a solar farm adjoining the road and the enormous amount of traffic to Sizewell for the new power station. And,of course,it is the busiest time of year for holiday makers.

Good reasons for staying at home or close to it! Hope those with worries or ill health have the best day possible as well as the rest of us.

Starting the day in a nice Leeds hotel after yesterday’s joy at CGD1’s graduation. Only her parents could attend the ceremony but I had a very jolly time in the Students’ Union with various friends and grandparents watching a livestream. Various loud cheers from different parts of the room as “their” candidate collected their paperwork, and it was such a privilege to be there with the future. We had a great lunch with godparents and later a drinks reception in the Music Department so a thoroughly celebratory day. Home today.

Good morning . It is cloudy in N. Bucks and looks set to stay that way.
Had a lovely day yesterday with youngest DGS . He is such good fun.
Today will be some housework and garden pottering.
I also have an appointment
with the diabetic nurse. I hope she will be pleased with me. I have lost two stone in weight and I know my blood pressure has improved. Hopefully blood test will have too.
Wishing all a good day .

Good morning all from Stockport
I haven’t opened the curtains yet ( I am still in my bed) as I didn’t have a good night, however I felt better yesterday .

My friend didn’t turn up yesterday to take me to see our mutual friend.
I rang her house and her mobile to no effect so I got a taxi as the friend is housebound, she lives in a McCarthy and Stone apartment and would be prepared for our visit.
Driver friend eventually rang after picking up my message.
She had completely forgotten our arrangement, she was very embarrassed but also upset wondering how it happened.
No plans for today but I hope it is a decent one for you all.

Good morning from a slowly brightening NE.
Yesterday's forecast rain didn't happen but I didn't leave the house as I started watching Mix Tape and decided to watch all the episodes. I did wash and dry a load of towels so wasn't completely idle.
Nothing planned for today.
Have a good day.

Good morning Mick and all from a warm, bright S E Essex.

I am back home, DH has kept the house clean and tidy, he kindly saved his washing for me 😹. The washing machine is already doing its thing

I need to go to the big Sainsbury’s (near Gingster ) this morning, then I have a dental hygienist appointment this afternoon (I have a dread of all things dental, since having an extraction as a child I can still see and smell the anaesthetic mask being put over my face, I have been petrified every since)

It’s good to be home, but I miss my darling teens so much, they won’t need me to sit for the, much longer 😿

Keeping everything crossed that himself comes home to FGT comes home today 🤞🏻

Good morning Mick and everyone from greyish, brightish Carlisle.
Yesterday morning was ironing and various little jobs including actually getting round to touching up the dodgy paintwork on some of my radiators. I don't want to come back from a holiday and find another one is leaking. They're only 4 years old too!
In the afternoon, I did a bit of gardening. My over-vigorous golden privet is sawed down to ground level now, sprayed with weedkiller and covered over so hopefully it will not be seen again. I'm having bad luck with some new hollies planted against a fence, 3 of them have leaves turning dark brown and I fear they're irrecoverable. A pest rather than watering or ground problems I think. They've only been in weeks but I'm considering heaving them out in case whatever it is spreads to my established hollies, one of my favourite shrubs.

Today, a few odd jobs and a Tesco delivery late morning. My grocery bill has noticeably gone up, some things, like beef for example, are ridiculous prices which I am not paying even I though I can afford to. Coffee stays though, cannot live without it!
Gardening and/or a walk after lunch if rain holds off plus continuing with my book.

Do have a good day if you can, everyone.

Congratulations to your GD on her graduation grannysomerset how lovely to be involved and cheering on from the sidelines!

Morning all from a muggy West Oxfordshire.

We are off to Stratford shortly to see a matinee performance of A Winters Tale. One of my favourite Shakespeare plays. We had tickets in 2020 but Covid intervened and theatres were shut down.

Have a good day everyone. I hope FGT2 is getting ready for her OH’s return!

Good Morning from Durham. It’s very still, warm and the sun is breaking through. Yesterday, my friend confided she is really struggling with her RA now and it’s getting her down. She says she’s lost confidence in making decisions too, after a recent purchase - not her fault and I advised her to challenge the invoice, but I don’t think she will. She has a DD, but a high flyer with young children and doesn’t want to bother her.

Today is a strange day. I think my holiday packing is complete, but there’s always that uncertainty of something necessary being left out? Just a bit of hand luggage to assemble.

DD1 has asked me to get DGS1 from his Holiday Club later, as her DH is at court. Then I need a last check round at home, as I’m off early tomorrow morning.

Best wishes to all. X

Ladyleftfieldlover "Exit, pursued by bear" is one of my favourite lines! Enjoy.

Greyduster and baubles my darling late mum used to say of a big eater “I’d rather keep him a week than a fortnight!”.

Good morning from a cloudy south coast. I’m going out to lunch with DD and the two DGDs today. It will be tinged with sadness for me because it will be the last time we have one of our ‘outings’ - just the four of us. Next month the girls move on with their lives, one to Wales and the other to Bristol. A big chunk of my life will be missing but I’ve been so lucky to be living near them for the last four years.
Music group was good fun yesterday. The members are increasing which is a good sign. Some of our U3a groups are struggling with falling membership due to age and infirmity, including my allotment group. ☹️
Hope everyone has a good day.

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Good morning from N Bucks where it is sunny again but fresher after rain in the night.
I hope your visit to the RSC is enjoyable LLFL, I also love this play despite its bonkers stage direction!
I have happy memories of a magical open air production in the ruins of an abbey on Gotland , the Roma Teater, designed by DD. Being in Swedish of course I couldn’t understand a word but sat with my paperback text in English!
It was early evening in July 2017 with a beautiful sunset to add to the atmosphere. Thank you for taking me back to one of those “golden days” before my world imploded and DH started on the final steps of his journey.
Wishing all a pleasant day

Good morning everyone from a grey and cloudy Northampton; have just popped out with the waste food bin and it feels quite chilly. Glad I got all the washing done yesterday and thank goodness no ironing.

Four loads of washing took up most of the morning, then spent the afternoon reading. Searched the freezer for dinner and unearthed some Spanish pork soup which was delicious with a jacket potato. Am making a sausage tray bake today, and as Sainsbury's have everything I ordered should also be delicious!

Nothing much planned for today except a walk to the post office to return a Multi-USB charging plug, which strangely enough fits none of my USBs. Apparently I don't even have to wrap it, the post office will provide wrapping and I just have to show the returns code on my phone. We shall see....

Peli, I remember dancing to the live Yardbirds at a Cambridge May Ball back in the mid 1960s - I have no idea who was in the line-up at that time. I remember someone who was very blonde.

Wishing all a pleasant day.

Happy memories Maw......

Good morning, Michael12 and everyone!

A few weeks ago, when I said I wanted to pack up and move to Whitby, where I believe I truly belong ... it's finally happening!

I found a lovely flat with a good landlord, and as I've been working in care homes for the disabled for years, I'm getting rather bored with it. Nothing personal against my lovely residents!

I've done a load of different jobs over the years, and at my age, 60, I don't want to go back to bus driving, but I'm back to shop management.

I found a shop that will be looking for a new manager in January 2026, so I'll be out of here and in Whitby by the 31st of December at the latest!

It's about 91 miles away and I've arranged with a friend who has a truck to move bigger stuff I can't get in my car, as professional removal trucks would cost a trillion quid!

The shop I'll be managing is just a 1/2 hour walk away from my flat, so I won't have to drive 6 days a week, which will save me quite a lot on petrol!

Peli - thank you! I'd love a mug of tea!