Good Morning Wednesday 26th November 2025

Good job I looked at my diary. I had forgotten that I am out this evening at a big Christmas flower demonstration with three friends .Could have been embarrassing as I had volunteered to drive.

Good morning from a dark and dry Harrogate. Yesterday was chilly but sunny all day for our trip to Harewood House which was decorated for Christmas…. Over the top for us and couldn’t stop thinking of all the workers who had to put the displays out and then put it all away.

The alabaster effigies in the estate church were remarkable preserved and wonderful.

Off to York for the day where I believe the Christmas market is very very busy. We are meeting my sister in law for lunch and she has booked a table in the restaurant of a dept store that she thinks is a bit off the tourist trail. She knows York well as she lives in a village about 5 miles away.

Off for breakfast shortly and I’ll read your posts later. Hope all have a good day especially those struggling with ill health and/ or caring responsibilities.

Good Morning, it’s very cold and dark in Co Armagh
Dragonfly I’m so sorry to see your OH is still so poorly , I’m glad the children are there for you , do try to take care of yourself xx

Good morning Mick and everyone from a very frosty Carlisle. Rain is due later though.
Yesterday, I went out mid-morning to the garden centre. The car windscreen was still well iced up inside and out and took ages to clear. Then it was difficult driving into the sun and I had to stop and wipe the car windscreen inside again. I was glad to arrive and get my free coffee but naughtily fell for one of their seasonal cakes. Never again, never mind the calories but the price of a little cake these days!
I bought some primroses to fill in a gap, poinsettias to cheer up the house, amaryllis, and mealworms for the robin who has started haunting the garden. He/she came for their regular bath the other day and sat for a while looking at the solid ice...

On driving back through the estate, something was going on...several police vans and other cars outside a house. I thought someone had been murdered with so many police persons attending but probably not!

After lunch, I planted out the primroses and tidied up a border, so much moss is growing, there and on my lawn.

Today, a Tesco delivery mid-morning and some bathroom cleaning. I may do some baking later, I want to use up some dried fruit left over from the christmas cake making. Plus a walk would be a good idea. It is so hard to kick your btm and do exercise....
The sock display is an art work karma !

Best wishes to all and I hope all problems and worries ease off.

Good morning all.
Beautiful socks Karma 🧦. And those parsnips!!! 👍

Today Dh has a hair appointment at 9.45. Not much ion but a lot around his chops.. Then I’ll go up to town and meet my friend for coffee, do a bit of Christmas shopping (haven’t really got going on that front yet) 😢.

This afternoon we have dress rehearsal for the U3A concert.
Charming Chimers ! ☺️.

So sorry to hear your dh is still poorly Dragonfly.🙏.

Take care all

Good morning, Michael and all GNs from South Yorkshire freezing under a clear sky. Car is iced over which has put me off any kind of an early start this morning. I had a sleepless night with pain in my shoulder and horrendous tinnitus which I can usually “tune out”. I ended up taking pain killers for the shoulder and “slept in” this morning. School yesterday was rather chaotic due to rehearsals for the Christmas play sending my timetable down the pan, and one of my young readers being reduced to tears by an officious teaching assistant so most of that time slot was spent consoling the child. It was totally unnecessary and I could have slapped her (the TA, not the child!). It unsettled me for the rest of the afternoon. DS rang in the evening to ask if he could come down and spend the day with me on Saturday so I shall look forward to that.
Writers group at the library this afternoon. The car should be defrosted by then!
Have the best day you can folks.

dragonfly I’m so sorry your husband is still unwell. Love to you all .

Good morning all from a very frosty Black country.
Have only just woke up most unusual to get eight hours.
Haven't read through will catch up with everybody's happenings later, it's my day for toddlers so have let DiL know I'm running late will be with them as soon as.
Best wishes to anyone celebrating, safe travels those on the move and virtual hugs where needed.
Take care all and have the best day you can whatever your plans ☀️.

Good morning from a frosty NE where every car in the street is crispy white.
SIL came early yesterday, we shopped and then had a cooked lunch as he had to leave during the afternoon.
He had to finish packing as he returns to Brussels this morning.
DD and SIL are going to be busy for the next three weeks, the builders are going to repair the dining room roof and patio doors where water poured in and then the floor will need to be replaced. Beautiful stripped wooden floor now resembles the Rocky mountains.
In two weeks they will travel to Germany to visit my sister and celebrate her 85th birthday. They are the only family able to travel as DD is not working at present.
Have the best day you can.

Good morning from cloudy South Lanarkshire.

My eyes are gritty from lack of sleep, it’s been one of those wakeful nights for no particular reason.

Back to the barn today to hopefully finish the Christmas tree, the plan is to put it up next week whenever our lovely friend the farmer can spare the time to get it onto his trailer and transport it for us.

Dragonfly

Fabulous socks and parsnips Karma!

I’m off to have more coffee before I can get going.

Have the best day possible everyone.

Morning from a frosty S Hants, yesterday was a faffing day, slimming club, some much needed dusting upstairs and sowed sweet peas in the greenhouse.
Today vape shop, book club, something with chicken for dinner, probably in the slow cooker.
My daughter has the paperwork for grandsons EHCP to comment, we’re meeting tomorrow evening and will discuss.
Susan and corner it’s very draining trying to help, sometimes we just can’t.
Sorry to hear dragonfly 💐
FGT and thoughts with Blossoming I miss her walks.
🦩🦩

Good morning from a cold Sunnyside sandhills northwest coast.
Took myself off to the music club yesterday and was hosting again as one colleague is on holiday and the other (very competent) in hospital. I didn’t sing as the cold meant I hadn’t practised and although it’s left me, my throat is still a bit rough. I told some amusing (I hope) anecdotes about stage life instead. An extremely poor turn out. One regular invited me to sit on his knee in the break which I laughingly declined, even though heavily pressed😁 We need a publicity drive or something to build up the numbers.

Tonight to opera co rehearsal so will have a gentle warm up today and print off some Xmas cards. My printer is a temperamental soul, but it may be just me.

Lovely socks karma, best foot forward, thoughts to dragonfly FGT and to LLFL for her procedure today🌺

Good morning all from the English Midlands. After a bad night I had to be cruelly woken by the alarm.

DS has a day off so has decided to take me on an outing somewhere.

DDiL and the DGD left more than an hour ago.
I realise how slow I've become.

Susan you are a brave soul.
Corner sometimes it gets overwhelming.

Karma you are such a prolific knitter!

Hoping everyone has a good day.

Good morning everyone from south Manchester where it’s sunny and the rooftops are frosty.

The photo showing us your late husband was poignant karma He had a lovely smile and a kind face didn’t he?

Himself is still on the ward. Several samples of various were sent to the lab yesterday and there’s a ward round sometime today with our favourite consultant. I’m hoping it’s this afternoon during visiting as I can be part of the discussion.

Hope Wednesday is kind to us all, x

Good morning Mick and all GN's on a very dark, freezing cold morning in North Yorkshire. I am not surprised to be in a lot of pain this morning , but it doesnt actually make it any easier to cope with. After a struggle have managed to put some stuff in the washer, which is chuntering along in the background, but just hoping that the painkillers will start their work soon. In great need of that first coffee, but cant yet manage to make one. Ah well I will look forward to my usual morning pick up of Bach and coffee by 7am.

Yesterday could have been better I must say. Conscious of the need to be in good time at the hospital for my appointment, I got showered, hair washed, and did some basic housework. Then debated what would be the best way to go. Difficulty walking about even before the appointment and the hassle of trying to park anywhere near the hospital even with a blue badge, I decided as it was cold but dry the answer was to go on the yellow peril. I would wear my thick jacket and a scarf, and as I knew that the department I had to go to was of course, the furthest from the front door possible down miles of corridor, I would be allowed to drive (very carefully of course) down the big corridors. So that was the choice. I got myself organised, got the cover off and folded and put in the right place, took the leads off and key in and went to set off. The flipping thing moved so sluggishly, I turned the engine off and back on again , in case there was some connection problem. It then reluctantly set off, and I hoped that once we got going it would get back to its usual energetic mode. Not a chance,! I went a little way along the road and realized that it would not be safe to even try and go on it, not only for the lack of speed , but the worry that it would conk out on me either half way there or in the middle of the town. only safe thing to do was turn round and come back. It had been on charge all night so it wasnt that. Then had to do it all in reverse and get it plugged back in and covered, change my coat, get the car keys and drive to the hospital. My plan had been to get a couple of things on the way there and have a coffee if I was early, so fortunately had allowed enough time to do that, but it now meant, no coffee or shopping but of course driving round and round to try and get a parking space, which I eventually found in time, and followed by a very long walk right through the hospital, and no chairs anywhere on my route to be able to sit for a while. However I did manage to get to the right place in good time, but very glad of a seat and didnt care if I had to wait for a bit. Went to the ladies and then was happy to rest a bit and look at a magazine, but feeling quite tense. I was called in to see the nurse and she went through the usual bits about medication and so forth and then said Did I have a sample of urine with me? I said no as I hadnt been asked for one and she asked if I could provide one now! Well that took me a while to provide as I had already just been, and as I had asked in the waiting room for directions to the nearest toilet, I wished that the receptionist had mentioned that I would need to provide a sample, and to check with the nurse, but perhaps she didnt know this, but yet another hassle of the day.

The staff in the treatment room are always very nice, but for a start the bed is extremely narrow and very hard, and you hold on the sides , thinking you could fall off the flipping thing. Then having to lie flat is very painful for me and I do wish they were allowed to at least warm the water a bit, before they start! Anyway got through it all, except that the staff had to help me to sit up, as I had been in the one position for ages and my back seized up and I just could not sit up on my own.

So half way through the hospital on my way back to the car, I called into their cafe for amuch needed coffee, to recover a bit and decide what I could do next. There were various things I needed from Tesco and fuel too, so took a deep breath and instead of going home and collapsing in a heap, I went to Thirsk.

The staff at the Tesco petrol station are very good, and know me well. Standing still is always more painful than actually walking or moving about and so I show my disabled badge and give a little toot on the horn and someone comes out to do it for me. Whilst they are doing that , I slowly walk into the shop bit to pay and pick up any small thing I might need and they are usually back before I have even paid. That suits both ways as I usually go there for fuel, knowing that the service is good and they get the business.

Then it was on into the big store, which has a wider choice than my local one. Really struggling to even walk from the disabled bay and hoping that the disabled buggy was working and available as there was no chance to do anything without it, and even had to ask the staff to get it out for me as it was parked up in a further corner. Good job I did as she had some difficulty getting it to work and getting it out whilst I just leaned on her counter to keep me upright!

As always seems to happen to me, when I take loads of bags, I dont find a great deal but then if I have loads of bags at home but not with me I find quite a bit. So I was very thankful to be able to go on the buggy thing, and found a few bargains and some things that I cant get in my local place and quite a few which were cheaper with my Tesco card and by the time I had finished there was quite a full basket. I reached the checkout and it was free and the lady kindly said , its ok I will come and put it on the top for you. I thanked her and reached for my tesco card first and it wasnt there!! I had had it out for the petrol and there was someone waiting to get to the pumps when I got back to the car so put it at the side and moved quickly as I could out of the way. That felt like the last straw of the day, but as at the time I was the only person in her queue, I explained and asked if I could go and get it on the buggy, which she said was fine by her, so I was able to drive out to the car , although it did make the alarm go off, and then got the card and back to her. She was very kind and put everything through and I paid and was thankful to get back to the car with everything. I hadnt bought any frozen stuff as I knew I felt absolutely shattered and in need of a coffee at least from cafe nero in the square to let me sit and recover. By the time I got to neros, I could see there was no one in the place and the lady was sweeping up, but it still said open, so I grabbed my china mug and went to ask if I could still get a coffee and thank heavens she said yes they were still open for 15 more minutes. So it was a matter of collapsing in a chair whilst she got me my coffee, as I am a regular and she knew what I wanted.

It was nearly 6pm and I drove home, deciding on the way that I would still go to the games evening, as I could do with some company and to put the rest of the day behind me and stop thinking about things. Whilst my brain knows that I will get results of their tests etc when they are ready, I cant stop thinking about it and how I am doing etc and living alone there is no one to talk to at 3am when my mind is in a whirl.

So, I literally got the shopping into the house and dumped in the kitchen to sort out later, went and had a quick wash and tidy up and ate an apple and set off to the games. I wasnt expecting to be much good at anything after the day I had but the company and something totally different to switch my brain onto was the aim of the game. There was yet another new game to learn, which was quite different in style from any previous ones I had learnt, so it was that beginners bit where you are trying to learn many things at once and it can end up a blur, but the next time you play it it begins to make a bit of sense. Another lady had never played this game either so for once I was not the only beginner. It all worked very well from my point of view, and by the time I got home I had calmed down a bit. Looked at all the shopping and mess and just left it all where it was and got ready for bed. Of course despite feeling exhausted I couldnt get off to sleep, and have had a rough night.

Still kept my mind off the budget etc! I dont comment much on what is happening generally on this post as I think there are plenty of other places to do this, and in any case, I tend not to watch or listen to much news about it before it happens. The endless waffle about is it this or that and what do you thing it might be is just irritating as far as I am concerned. There is absolutely nothing that we can actually do until we hear the budget itself so what is the point of going on and on about it. Of course it is important and will affect us all, but today is the day we can find out and make up our minds about how we will be affected and what we can or cant do about it, so why waste time speculating?

Just looked out through the curtains and it looks very cold and frosty and although the sky looks lovely have quicklyshut the curtains to keep the heat in. My day is already mapped out for me as this morning as and when I am able to do much it is going to be the great clear up. Putting yesterdays shopping away, continuing to sort the rest of the books out, then looking at the calendar and checking through dates for things like MOT etc. If I stay the same all day the washing will have to go out on the clothes horse to dry, and if the sun comes out and it isnt so frosty can just put them out of doors to get a bit off them. Without the buggy I just dont feel able to walk up to the washing lines today, and I hate asking for help from anyone, so will just have to see if things improve at all later on. Anyway I have got through it all yesterday and so now can physically relax hopefully and start to enjoy all the christmas lights etc ., but hope that I get the results quickly and at least before christmas, but the post will no doubt be late with all the extra stuff going through. I think that for once , if I havent heard by the middle of december I shall ring the department to ask if there are any results. Usually I dont ring them and have to control my anxiety the best I can but we shall see how things go.

Mick , hope all goes well with your blood test. It sounds quite good that the new doctor wants to check up on things. He is being careful, rather than you having any further problems, so fingers crossed for good results .Susan56 sounds as though you had a rough day yesterday. I am going to go back to yesterdays posts to see what I missed as of course with all the kerfaffle yesterday I didnt manage to have another look. Hope all the rehearsals go well. Cornergran, sorry you are having a hard time with family matters. It is always hard when you cannot actually do anything to improve matters but you are helping by being a listener to others. May things improve for you all. RoseandLilac you coped well with your nonelectricity day, and it can be quite comforting to remind ourselves that we can manage without plenty of the mod cons and survive well. You also find out little bits and pieces that you miss most and get in extra batteries etc ., so you are then well prepared for that sudden power off situation . Karmalady, I wish I could transport you by Tardis or whatever here and have even a small amount of your energy. I will have some of whatever you are having for breakfast!! Your sox all look very good and will be very popular for the receivers on mornings like this. Your mentioning about the rag doll made me think of one a very dear friend made for me. She has since died and I am just wondering where I have put the doll. Beautifully made with lovely clothes and even a posh pair of lacy drawers! I will liet the thought percolate through my mind this morning and then maybe I will remember where I put her and get her out.

Well it is fine daylight now but the hard frost hasnt moved at all and I have closed the curtains again in an attempt to keep the heat in. I will definitely have to admit defeat and put the heating on, even dressed in the warmest of clothes, it is still cold. Just had a long phone call I had to take and have been glad to find that the post is still on here and not disappeared into the ether. Will get back to looking at more things later.

Have a good day everyone and keep dry and safe

Morning all from a frozen West Oxfordshire.

It’s good to hear from you FGT2. I hope you both get some good news today.

I have taken my second dose of colonoscopy preparation. After the first dose yesterday I was horribly sick, had the most appalling cramps and fainted. I had to ring OH to come back from his shooting club. We rang 111 at 9 pm and had a callback at 4 am from a GP. He said I had to take the second dose this morning or they probably wouldn’t do the procedure. The second dose made me sick again but I don’t feel faint and I’m not having cramps. All being well OH will drive me to Oxford at around 3 pm. I’ll report back later.

Have a good day everyone and keep warm.

I’m thinking of so many of you with difficulties.

You must be absolutely shattered this morning LLFL. I hope the procedure gives you reassurance this afternoon and you’re soon home, cosy and relaxed, able to put your feet up and rest.

dragonfly I feel your anguish. 💐
Hoping fervently for better news soon.

llfl

Llfl poor you. That sounds awful. I hope it goes well.

Goodness llfl roll on tea time when it’s all over.

The BBC weather app lied to me this morning! It said 3° but when I went out, the car was frozen and I had to scrape the side windows before heading to the hairdresser.
Haircut achieved, I did some work in the library then went to pick up my prescription but it wasn't ready so nipped to Aldi for bread. I'll go back for my prescription later. I feel like I've achieved a full day already! When did I become so feeble?

I hope all goes well this afternoon Llfl.... That's a horrible reaction to have along with the usual results of the prep stuff.

Good morning all.
LLFL
I am worrying about you now, hoping enough of the prep went down to “clear you out” and the colonoscopy can be done.

FGT yes always kind and helped everyone. It was sudden, cycling, police at my door, air ambulance. Police drove fast taking me to hospital but it was all over. I was in such a dither when the police came.

Best way for him and like Susan says, we are not sent anything that we cannot cope with. My philosophy has always been that we are born with a return ticket and it was his time

and only two years after that photo was taken