Good Morning Thursday 16th April 2026

Good morning from a chilly, dark Torbay.

I hope your system soon settles, Mick, especially if you are planning to go out.

Wednesday Club was well attended and the talk on Indonesia was as interesting as expected. Unfortunately, the speaker has decided to split it into two halves and we expect to be in France when she delivers the second instalment.

My new car was ready and waiting for me yesterday morning but the handover took a while, not least because the well intentioned salesman was keen to show me every last detail of its finer points. I am most impressed by the heated seats and steering wheel for which my arthritic joints and permanently cold hands respectively are grateful!

I hope today is kind to all, especially those suffering or with unwell family members. 🦩💐🦩🥰🦩

Good morning from a dryish Bristol. We had such a weird, squally afternoon yesterday, with Clear skies and sunshine then black skies and heavy rain alternating, strong wind thrown in for good measure. I was doing very little, so it didn’t affect me.
Thank you all for your kind birthday wishes. I had “Happy Birthday “ (which I abhor) sung to me by my FAB cafe lot. On the other hand, DGD, whose mum was at Lambeth choosing a new bishop for Bristol, had a personal video message from the new ABC! “All” I had was a nice chat with DS.
He told me about his Easter break in Kenya on the beach. He said he absolutely loved the baobab trees, had I been to Kenya? Yes, I had, when I was 15 and don’t remember them as I was in Nairobi…. It was a very long time ago!
I had a rotten night, dreaming of sewage pipes and patchwork carrots , as one does! I’ll make sure I have a nap this (free) afternoon.
Just t’ai chi today, but probably another blizzard to messages and mails concerning our voluntary suspension of our WI membership and the disgraceful bullying, intimidating and threatening behaviour of the federation bosses; as well as the setting up of a new (identical) group, ready for next month. All very sad, but putting our backs up, with their behaviour.
May I wish all the mountaineers, the sad, the anxious, the happy, everyone, a peaceful day.
Carpe diem. 🦩🦩🦩🦩

Good morning! Had my second Shingrix jab on Monday. First day feeling like I'm not going down with the 'flu. Must be grateful though if it halts shingles.

Good morning from Malta where we expect a fine day with a high of 22°C.

I had a lovely morning at my friend’s house yesterday. We had a good catch up over coffee, and I enjoyed her two gorgeous labradors and 21year old cat! I do miss having a pet so I make the most of other people’s.

When I got home, the excavators (two of them) were still hard at it so I decided to get going with the jet washer in my yard,
Hadn’t realised how noisy it is but didn’t feel too guilty as it was no worse than the racket going on out front!

When DD3 arrived with the boys, she spent two hours putting the playhouse together. What a job! Made all the more taxing by having two little ‘helpers’ wanting to interfere!😂

They were so excited but by the time it was done it was time to go home so DGS2 had strong feelings about that and was only pacified by being told he can come today while Mum is at her course.

I need to clean through today but may be forced out to get away from the noise of the digging. It goes right through you and from 7am to 5pm I’ve had enough of it.😫

Wishing you all a good day.☀️

bellas, why don’t you move into DD3’s house while the excavators are around? 😆

Good morning from s somerset, spring is struggling again today, cloudy and still cool

I washed kitchen cupboard doors and kickboards yesterday, all in one go and was glad when I finished. Then I spent a long time making lots of caramelised onions. I hated the slicing as I thought I would use my new oxo mandolin, I still ended up slicing bits by hand and then spent a very long time working out how to put it back together safely. I now have lots of tubs of this gorgeous veg in my freezer

Today I have a pupil dilation viewing at the opticians, a keen and earnest young man in his post grad training stage. I will let him do that but won`t be doing it again. Last time I had those drops was over 60 years ago. I don`t think I am going to need new lenses.

It will be a long morning and I don`t intend to do any shopping while killing time to fit in with the bus.

This evening I will spend another session working on my induction hob, removing scratches. It is working and is something which stops me watching tv before bed, which helps me sleep well

Good morning from a dull, cloudy Black Country, where it rained overnight.

Meet up yesterday with DS for lunch, then onto Mums to get some food shopping in. She should have been at the Day Centre, but she rung me to say she didn't go as she felt light headed. She seemed fine when I arrived there, and didn't then remember why she didn't go!

Walking group walk today, a favourite one this time of year through Bluebell woods. Then no doubt coffee and chat afterwards.

Later today we are off to Birmingham, check into Hotel, as we are going to see To Kill a Mockingbird tonight.

Glad you had a good Birthday gM

Wishing you all the best day possible.

Good morning from Sheffield

karmalady, I am very interested in how you are getting the scratches off your induction hob. What product are you using?

The family are coming for tea tonight. I think I’ll do some kind of sausage plait
Apart from that not a lot else happening. I think I will go for my walk early afternoon instead of this morning. It looks a bit miserable and cold out there ,hopefully it will have brightened up by lunchtime.

Take care everyone

Melanie first session was last night and I used bar keepers friend, so far so good, it looked much better this morning. I have heavy cast iron skillets so have ordered bake o glide, which is a special cover that will stop pans scratching. The pans sit on top of that and the heat goes through to the pan

Karmalady. Take sunglasses with you to the optician. I frequently have dilating drops in my eyes and wearing sunglasses does stop some of the outdoor dazzle.

Good advice, HelterSkelter1: I was about to suggest the same thing to karmalady! 😎

Good morning Mick and all from a mild, cloudy Morecambe Bay where a mainly dry but breezy day is promised.
We have no particular plans for today so we may take Crazy dog for a good long walk in the Lakes. Alternatively I may do more work in the Church garden. I need to do something constructive to take my mind off DS’s problems. I’ll see what DH wants to do when he wakes up.
I had my first shingles jab yesterday. It didn’t bother me during the night so hopefully no side effects. I almost forgot the appointment. We got engrossed in looking for campsites when I looked up and saw the clock and realised my appointment was in ten minutes. I don’t think I’ve ever moved so fast. Thankfully local schools are still off for Easter so the traffic was light. I threw the car into the nearest parking spot and ran as fast as I could to the surgery, checking in just one minute late and sat down, then waited ….and waited! After a good fifteen minutes the nurse called me in, apologising profusely for keeping me waiting! “No problem” I said with a smile.
Thinking of all with difficulties and health problems.

Good morning from a dryish and bright N Surrey. Apart from some rain this afternoon it looks like a spell of dry weather. I should have cut the grass last week and now will have to let it dry for a few days. It's growing veey fast.
The whole garden is erupting in green. I do love the Spring.

HelterSkelter1

Karmalady. Take sunglasses with you to the optician. I frequently have dilating drops in my eyes and wearing sunglasses does stop some of the outdoor dazzle.

Thank you, I am glad you said that. They are now in my bag

Good morning, it’s a bright start here in south Glos.
Please can I begin by saying a huge, heartfelt thank you to everyone for all your messages and kindness and support? You honestly have no idea how much it means to me so a very big thank you xx

The scan went smoothly, I was slightly disappointed that my eyes didn’t turn green or that I glowed in the dark which is what my DGCs hoped! No yet another wait….
I didn’t get anything done when I got back, just sat and felt drained so kitchen cleaning is for today, hooray!
We had the strange squally, torrential rain and sunshine too during the afternoon grandMattie, very dramatic black sky too.
A friend is coming for coffee this morning, something to look forward to, I actually worked with her 40 years ago when she was a consultant at the hospital but only met her again last year! Small world isn’t it?
Little else planned, just our usual afternoon dog walk. I noticed coming back from the hospital the wonderful bluebells in the woods behind us, how quickly the trees are greening up and the wild garlic aka ransoms starting to flower.
It really is a glorious spring this year.
Best wishes to everyone 🌹

Morning Mick, morning All from a gloomy looking corner of Somerset. A damp day forecast

Yesterday was ‘interesting’. The wonderfully quiet electric bus broke down on its diverted route through a village with no other bus service. After 15 minutes of attempting to get going the driver said we must ‘de-bus’ - a term I’d not heard before and made me smile - and swap to the next scheduled vehicle. I was quite relieved to see one of the old buses appear, somehow we all found seats and off we went again.

All went smoothly after that, a good catchup with my friend. Three and a half hours later the world had been put to rights , shame the world wasn’t listening. The journey home was less eventful, normal horrendous traffic, oh yes the bus did need to breathe in to pass another. Why the diversion route included a lane too narrow for large vehicles to pass is beyond my understanding. A real positive was missing all the rain showers, blue sky seemed to follow me until I arrived home when a hailstorm hit.

Today’s excitement will be a physio session late afternoon. I’ll settle with some admin, Mr C has offered to clean the kitchen and hall floors. Other than that not a lot will be done today.

Best wishes to all, have the best day you can.

Good morning Mick and all GN's from a cold wet and miserable looking morning in North Yorkshire. It is definitely April weather and the forecast promises sunshine and showers, so no doubt I will be out in the shower time!

Yesterday was much the same, and whatever I did I seemed to choose the wrong thing. My friend rang to see if I was planning to do anything, but wasnt feeling very good, and thought I had better stay in, so got the ironing board set up and the clothes basket organised from very hot to cooler and began. The weather started quite poor with grey and rainy, but then the sun came out and the sky cleared. But as I had made the effort to start the ironing I continued to the end and finished the whole lot. Felt very weary , but glad to see the back of it, and made my usual resolution not to let it get to that level again!

So still not feeling too great and creaking around as usual went outside to sample the fresh air and think about a bit of a walk. Naturally by this time the sun had gone in and it was very chilly. At my slow walking pace wasnt tempting so retreated indoors. Spent quite some time trying to find some overtrousers that were suitable but no luck and have to get my thinking cap on to work out where I might have better luck. My friend called on her way back from work and she tried looking up possible suitable trousers but didnt have any luck either , which at least made me feel less useless .

I took her home and went on to whist so was very early there but it wasnt worth going home in between. Got parked easily of course as not many had arrived and had a pleasant evening, but with some weird hands and nowhere in the runni8ng for any prizes, but it was good to put my mind to that and ignore all the bits and pieces that are going round and round in my head at the moment. Got home and things looked messy but I wasnt in the mood to start and just went to bed,.

Not a very good night and my stomach is not good, so at the moment I plan to abandon the idea of going to the group and make some effort sorting through the mess from yesterday, and get some washing in,but whether it will be worth putting out I have no idea. If I feel any better later will try and go to the library and see if they have the sort of map I want to lock at to plan some possible routes etc. I need to go through the car and take stuff out and stack it somewhere , so that it is ready for the garage to deal with it tomorrow, Have to say I have no enthusiasm for anything this morning.

Not heard from my son and family for a while , so hope that no news is good news and his hand continues to improve. Hopefully the car will not need a fortune spending on it and I will feel that it is in good order and we can then organise a meet up, I have been pleased with this garage and dont think they try to add costs but on the last service they said one tyre was still ok but would probably need changing next time so am expecting that to add to the cost.. Well I have never skimped on tyres or had retreads or anything, but the wretched state of the roads and the potholes are taking a toll on everyones car at the moment, with little sign of improvements.

Commiserations Mick and hope you feel a bit better and able to go into Bicester.Ashcombe , enjoy your new car. That lovely new smell doesnt last very long but I am sure you will enjoy all the improvements and settle into comfortable driving. GrandMattie , nice for you to have a phone call from Kenya. I agree with you about the mess with the WI. I know several groups round here who are also leaving them and setting up their own groups, and have noticed one or two other different groups where there was an overall organiser, that has started to charge more for nothing the groups want and who have also left and just had their own separate organisations. Bellasnana I think it is a wise move to go out and get away from the din, and hope they make good progress and finish as quickly as possible.

Well no improvement on the weather here , but Bach has at least cheered my day and can only hope that I find some enthusiasm for something at some point. Right now if I was asked what I would most like to do I havent got a clue. I wish everyone a more positive day and success in whatever to do today

Good morning, Michael and all GNs. A bright start in South Yorkshire but there’s a light frost on the car.

Writers group was fun and the theme, which we didn’t know in advance, was ‘nostalgia’. We each brought something to write about, but one of the things that the librarian had brought from their archive was a special 1953 Coronation edition of the Radio Times which we were allowed to handle. That was pure nostalgia - looking back at the radio programmes of the day on the “Home Service”, the “Third Programme” and the “Light Programme”, as well as the details of the Coronation coverage - and the advertisements! We got quite lost in it. We did eventually get some writing done, but it was very hurried at the end😊.

Today is walking group - bluebells should be out all over the woods which will be lovely. I am not lunching with DD today as she is working so I may call in at the garden centre on my way home.

Have the best day you can, folks.

Good morning everyone from the east coast. A fine mild day is forecast.

I have my optician appointment this morning which I had booked when I was in the throes of my migraine auras. I’m not due for a couple of months and she said if my eyesight hasn’t changed I’ll have to pay 65 pound. I always pay for the deeper screening anyway. If I need new reading glasses I’m going to get them from Amazon because with going away it will be touch and go whether they arrive. I’ll sort out new pairs with them when I get back especially if I need new distance ones for driving. Just hoping there is nothing else to see at the back of my eye.

Last night we saw our best friend when she left her DH at hospital. She wants to be close so she was staying at our other friend’s. Tonight she’s staying with us. Bless her she’s totally shattered. We went over to see her. She was crying about how he will never be around our table enjoying the hot buffets he loved so much and our friend’s table enjoying their Christmas jumper parties. She got lots of hugs. We will feed her tonight and give her a comfy bed and again lots of hugs. It’s all we can do at the moment for her. We all feel helpless.

Wishing love and virtual hugs to anyone suffering sadness, stress and grief 💐
Enjoy your day if you can🌼

Good morning all from a drizzly North Leicestershire.

Up early this morning as DH wants to get a GP appt today as he has a really bad back.

I have to get going as I am helping on a pre diagnosis/mild cognitive impairment 'cafe' this morning. Last night we had part 2 of an online Carer's course which was quite lively. On line courses are not ideal and can often be very serious but they are better when participants are more involved.

Sainsbury's delivery later.

Have the best day possible everyone.

Morning all from West Oxfordshire.

Yesterday’s U3A lunch was fun. We met at an Italian and there were 24 of us.

The WI was good too. The speaker was a retired midwife who told us stories of working in the UK and the Middle East. I won a bottle of wine in the raffle and was given a lovely bunch of flowers for my birthday at the end of the month.

It is the U3A Art History group this afternoon I will go along to that.

I need to make a decision about whether I’m still going to London tomorrow. My toe has been playing up again and looks a bit red and swollen. I may ring the podiatrist.

Have a good day everyone, especially those of you who are troubled. It is sad that there are so many of you these days.🌹

Good morning from Shropshire.Dry at the moment but rain forecast again🙄

We had a lovely few hours with DGD yesterday.She is such a lovely girl and good company.I have had a rotten night as my low blood sugar alarm went off at 1 am.I double checked with my finger pricker and it was very low so had to eat🤢then wait an hour to check my bloods were at a decent level for me to go back to sleep.

Up early today as I have a medical appointment in Chester.DD is taking me so we will make a day of it.DH will collect the children from school.

WhiteSwan💐

Thinking of all our absent friends and all struggling and wishing everyone the best day possible 🌷🦩

Good morning from Stockport, although the heating has come on it still feels quite chilly.
Yesterday we had a sudden shower just as I was going to my friend’s house but it had stopped by the time I left.
She is increasingly muddled in her thinking and I hope family are aware.
They don’t visit her often as they both live away but I hope they pick up in phone calls how she is.
I managed some more cupboard tidying and disposed of a bag full of cables and plugs whose purpose has been long forgotten.
A usual quiet day today , it suits me more and more.
Usual kind thoughts to all those with sadness and health concerns.

Good Morning from a dry, Durham.
Thank you for the comments on DD2’s Blue Badge ‘fiasco’. She has, of course, appealed and was also told she might have to attend for an assessment - ‘bring it on’ was her reply. (Plus some under breath expletives). She started her application last month and has never had any problems with renewals.
I had a busy afternoon with the TV Aerial man and the ‘blind’ man arriving together. Both jobs done and my new blinds are in stock and being fitted Friday afternoon.

Today, I’m meeting my poorly friend for coffee. Haven’t seen her for weeks, as she’s immunocompromised, so I didn’t want to pass on that cold type virus I had.
Some dusting and polishing at home later.

Best wishes to all. X