The Lockdown Gang - Carry on Regardless.

(I'm not showing you any of my painting attempts - they're in the bin. But it was good practice.)

Bradford, at our last house we were burgled. The nice policeman told us it was because we'd "Left the light on for the Burglar". The street light outside the house. Keeping your house well lit is asking for trouble apparently. Without light intruders are more likely to flash a torch around and draw attention to themselves. That's why burglary figures rise when there's a full moon!

Panache. Along with the others I'm still more than miffed at your treatment by your management company and wonder how long it will take to train the new 'chef' how to warm cheap food up in a microwave. Would Social Services be of any help? You could claim malnutrition.

We had a lovely couple of days away on our boat bubble. Him fishing and me daubing watercolours and reading. I've admitted defeat in my attempts at painting water. It doesn't keep still long enough.

Hi Gangsters, just popped back to confirm the details for Mammissimo’s bbq on Saturday. I must say I am looking forward to the beef.
Grammaretto is on nut burger duty.
I will bring salads.
I imagine there will be some pickles or chutneys (*Bradfordlass?).
My partner is a musician, currently working on some lovely 1950’s ‘cool jazz’, so if we need some live music, he’ll be there.

So Mammissimo, just confirm what time you want us all ...
We’re quite prepared to congregate in groups of six. Honey can come in our six, if she’s spare. ?

Ooh goodie! A barbeque on Saturday.
I'm mostly veggie so I'll bring a nut burger. Not had one of those for ages.
I fell asleep in a garden chair after a marathon lawn mowing. I woke up feeling cold as the sun had moved.
I think I accidentally took one of DH's new drugs thinking it was a lemsip.
He doesnt have a cold. Perhaps when you have cancer you can't get colds?. I read that somewhere and hope it's true.

The worms weren't meant for you dear Doodle

Honey looks like a lovely dog. Reminds me of our cat who always found the sunniest spot including my new raised bed which she gave new meaning to.

DD and family have had a disaster. The garage and store where they were keeping all their belongings for when they move into a more permanent home, caught fire yesterday and burned to the ground.
Bikes, toys, books, furniture, garden tools, tools, winter clothes, boots even the freezer. They tried to rescue a few things but the heat was intense and the fire brigade told them to keep back. I think they are still in shock. They think it may have started by a battery charger overheating. Our SiL has lost all his grandfather's tools which he treasured.
At least nobody was hurt but nothing was insured.

DD just says there are people much worse off.
I hope Nortsat and Mamissimo are feeling a bit happier today. It is sad when your doctors leave.
I was sad when my lovely dentist left the practice and dentistry. She had a sore neck from all that awkward bending and went to live in the western isles. I didn't blame her but I missed her.
And MrCheery is perking up too I hope. In fact everyone who isnt too well. Doodle that includes you.
And the Panaches ofcourse.
I had better get on with something useful.

Bradfordlass the secret of the lilac hair colouring is to keep adding and renewing at every weekly shampoo............have had 2 further compliments today,it appears my own hair is now very purple in colour!!It builds well,and I only have the odd "other shampoo" in between if and when required.
Hope this helps.

Thank you and Bless you all for your obvious caring hearts.
It is sooooooo good to be amidst friends whom understand.

However I think it unfair for me to go on about these misfortunes,knowing only full well each one of you have your own ,oft very difficult burdens to carry and cope with,so I think it best that in generaln I put a lid on all this Establishment goings on..........other than replying to the questions........yes we pay monthly a rather steep rent,main meal and warden service included along with such things as window cleaning,garden,corridor/indoor maintenance etc.

We do have now a new chef in training we hear............the bigger problems then being........whom is doing the training????????...........and obviously, the foodstuffs bought in are still of the same inferior kind.

Sun is shining warmly, my dear one has had both his chemo and flu jab,we aim for an hour out side drinking in the fresh air.............. trying to put all these nagging worries to one side.

Please do the same,we truly need to fight our own battles and this I am aiming at doing.......without bringing too much here on to this lovely thread.
It is not fair adding yet more to each one`s own burden.

Trusting you are all enjoying similar sunshine and perhaps some uplifting moments that help making life worth living.
Every blessing my dear friends,you are very special.

Morning all.
Cherry glad your WP got through yesterday ok. I find that doing something like toasting his friend with the whiskey they used to drink, is a good a way to remember people.
That drone was certainly a big one. I wonder what they could have been looking for/at.
Bradfordlass your neighbour is completely out of order telling you you must have your security lights on all the time. She must be obsessed with privacy.
You may be pleased to know that the Maori language week was celebrated in my online evening service at Canterbury Cathedral last night. The Arch Deacon is from NZ and she mentioned the Maori language week in her sermon and said the Lord’s Prayer in Maori. So at least it’s being observed somewhere.
I sometimes have dreams of being young again. Like you, I’m happy to stay the age I am.
Grammaretto it is so easy to offend others without meaning to or realising you have. People take things the wrong way.
I am fascinated with your post today. My eyes have been drawn to the picture you posted. I haven’t yet got to the part where you explain what it is and I cannot imagine what it is a picture of. It looks a bit like worms on a plate (I hope it’s not your evening meal ?)
Sorry about your cold. Hope you’re not feeling too bad. Really hope MrG doesn’t catch it. Hope he is feeling ok.
Oh ?. They really are worms. Gulp ?. Silly question but where do they actually come from?
Nortsat sorry to hear you’re not feeling too good. We missed you at your coffee break. Hope the test results are ok and you are both feeling better soon. Take care both of you.
Mamissimo I see we have different ideas over what makes our day ?
Honey, what an appropriate name for a lovely looking dog.
I’m so glad she’s with you now and not in any laboratory.
36 sausage rolls.....in one sitting ......? a girl after my own heart ?.
Shame your consultant has retired. Not surprised it upset you. Having a doctor/consultant that you can talk to and one you feel comfortable with is very important in long term or serious illness. Hope the new ones are good too.
Please let us know what time you want us all for the BBQ on Saturday ?. How do you smoke your beef if you don’t mind me asking? It all sounds delicious and Honey obviously agrees.
Have a good day everyone. And for Bradfordlass as it’s Maori week Kia pai to ra.

Morning all....and Grammaretto what a fabulous collection of worms! Quite made my morning ?

Nortstat Honey the beagle is a rescue job - she was bred in Wales for lab work in the tobacco industry. We have had her since she was nine months old and she hasn't had a fag since! However she has eaten 36 sausage rolls in one sitting, a whole loaf of bread, Mr M's lunch/breakfast/dinner, a whole bag of Werthers (each one unwrapped) and empties the dishwasher at night. We often find plates in her bed. We think she's had some fun to make up for the wrotten start in life ?

I was uncharacteristically low yesterday. My lovely consultant unexpectedly rang to say goodbye because she's retiring. She was part time and it would seem that the hospital wanted her hours for someone else. We'd been through 24 years of triumph and despair and I couldn't have wished for better care. My GP retired a few weeks ago so I feel a little adrift. I'm hoping that the replacements are talented!

The new border is now planned and I've put in my order for bare root roses. The soil is prepared and the worms are doing their stuff. All is good there. It's now time to turn my attention to next years veg seeds. I have decided to grown 2 types of running beans next year but an early and a late, in the hope that I don't get such a glut all at once.

I'm going to smoke a brisket later ready for a bbq on Saturday. If I do it today I can give it a dry rub with the seasoning mix tonight, Slow cook it for six hours tomorrow and glaze and finish it on Saturday. Total effort on my part about thirty minutes, wow factor huge. We will just have to keep a very close eye on the beagle who will be planning Operation Release the Beef!

Have good days!

Good morning gangsters, hoping everyone had a reasonable night. I wasn’t around much yesterday as I wasn’t well. Waiting for the GP’s call and my partner is waiting for a call too, about test results, which are rather worrying.

Grammaretto, I usually comment positively on people’s photographs and enlarge them to have a proper look ... but I will just pass on your compost worms thank you ... (Sorry to hear you have a cold, though)
Bradfordlass, it doesn’t seem your over zealous neighbour would be much of a loss to Neighbourhood Watch, probably better off without her ...but I too wish you had done something scandalous on the lawn ...
I hope the Council can see the irony in your Comments form.
I loved the Holmes/Watson analysis of ‘The Rule of Six’.
Cherry glad your WP got through the challenging day and raised a glass in toast of his friend.
My lovely sister died in 2003. We raise a toast to her, every year on her birthday on 27th September. We have recently been given a bottle of pink champagne (not our usual drink) and we will open it on my DS’s birthday and toast her.
Panache, along with all of the gangsters I am sending you my good thoughts and wishes. I hope you are able to keep your spirits up, in the face of such challenges. Bless you both. I think Doodle may be right, could you manage a conversation with your GP?
Mammissimo, ‘‘twas I who asked for a photograph of your dog. Now that we’ve all seen him/her, I think we need to found The Baking Beagle Fan Club. I’ll be no.1 fan and we’d appreciate occasional updates ...

Have a good day, all. ?

Your neighbour has met her match with you Bradfordlass!
Aren't people strange. Even those we like and get on well with, family too, behave in odd ways. myself included

I put my foot in it yesterday when I inquired after someone who has recently moved house and downsized. What did she like most about the new place? (which incidentally is a historic town on the East Lothian coast). She can walk to Tesco was the reply and as I stifled a titter, I realised I had caused offence.

I don't remember what the Maori song was DGS sang. I'll ask him. It sounded wonderful to me!!

There was a drone in our garden recently but we were told it would be there. It was used by a surveyor to look at the roof of the town hall, next door to us. I thought it a clever idea for that purpose.

I have a streaming cold. I probably said that before. I still have a streaming cold.

I took a photo of my compost worms especially for you Mamissimo everyone else please look away

Cherry very glad you and WP are a little brighter. That drone sounds scary - a real UFO (yes, I've been listening to Journey into Space )
My friend bought a small drone and demonstrated it in my drive - it 'looked' at me and that was weird enough. It sent pictures of me to his phone. Scary for him too ! Hee hee

My neighbour has given me lots of rules:
I must have my security lights on permanently - they're on a sensor so flood the area with 4 huge Incandescents when anyone comes near. Not enough apparently. I told her I'd do that if she paid my electricity bill.

It amused me when she was asked to leave Neighbourhood Watch because she was too nosy. She has binoculars on her window ledge - I am so tempted to do something scandalous on the lawn.

Doodle it was the very fact that you did take the time to translate a sentence which made it extra lovely - but then you are anyway

Golden Beetroot taste pretty much the same as the red kind; maybe a wee bit sweeter.
I've had them boiled and I pickled some too.
You wouldn't really know the difference if you couldn't see them. I predict an upsurge in popularity if some enterprising farmer diversifies and promotes them.

Poor Mr Huskisson, he'd defied doctor's order to be there and the details of his death are really awful.

Just back from another great swim but a little disappointed that in this Council-run pool there was not one word of Maori - and yet the Council website is encouraging people to use it under the slogan 'Talk the Walk' !

Maori has been an official language since 1987, so they should have got the point by now....33 years later.

I asked for a Comments Form and filled it out - in te reo Maori I did add a translation though out of politeness - the people who will read it don't make the rules.
That's left to those who are currently arranging to chop down 100 year old heritage trees.

Grammaretto I'm so glad your wee grandson was part of the 1 million (plus Doodle now) What song did he sing?

I had a very unsettling dream as I was dozing on and off at 5am.
I was 28 and filled with horror at the idea of having to plough through many more years again.
I was immensely relieved to wake and discover I was still 73. Odd how the brain works isn't it?

Thanks for asking about my WP Doodle. He's got through today very well. Spent a lot of it out in the garden doing jobs he had on the back burner and toasted his friend after dinner with an obligatory Irish whiskey they used to drink together ?.

I don't think the drone had anything to do with my neighbour ? ?. It was about 5ft square or even larger, I'm not sure whether a member of the general public can buy one that big can they ?? It was a monster ? ?. To this day I have no idea where it came from or where it went to. The following day I checked local and even national news as I thought it may have been military (or police) but found nothing. It hasn't happened since but was intriguing.

Jeeves is fetching me a yummy hot chocolate now so night night all ?.

Cherry I agree. The situation with the Panaches is really troubling.
My BIL and his wife do live in a place we find hard to get to. It’s about 50 miles away from us just outside a little village. We get lost every time we go there. Their cottage is quite a distance from the road and surrounded by trees so it is very quiet there. Hence the back of beyond.
That drone you heard, wasn’t one that belonged to your neighbour who keeps an eye on you was it?
How is your WP getting on? Hope his spirits have lifted a bit.
Read a little story in the paper today that I thought I would share with you all. Hope you can read it,

Panache all you have to do is tell me, privately, where you live. Don't let these abominable people make you so ill you're no longer with us.

Evening fellow gangsters.

Grammaretto I echo the idea that Panache, posts her above post to the MP. It is a dreadful, an appalling obduration by the management company.

Your situation is upsetting for me Panache, it must be very distressing for you. I do understand that you are not well enough to confront them over this, I'm sure there are others living there in a similar boat, they are preying on this. There is one thing I will say though, I have to - they are breaching your contract! There is the ARHM code of practice for Wales and if these things are written into their contract with you and others then a ballot on any alteration to services has to take place. For this to comply with the code 66% out of a minimum 51% of eligible voters must vote to agree to the alteration prior to a change. This includes the terms of 'special' services, eg. meals. On the face of it, unless explicitly stated, a change in the meals provision would appear unchallengeable but this is not the case since a precedent has been set by provision when you signed the contract.
I'll return my nose to it's regular position now.

I'm thinking the same thing about Mamissimo's beagle Grammaretto, it does appear to have some labrador DNA. Doodle what were you thinking about, baked beagle and beans ?. I agree, not a good idea to eat it, much too adorable ?.

Ah, yes Conan Doyle! This whole flight of fancy of mine got me wondering so I did a bit of digging. I haven't found a book with the rule of six in the title but there is a book by Pittacus Lore called Six's Legacy. If the rule of six works or fails... ?. Silly exercise this flight of fancy business ?

Sounds like you had a wonderful day yesterday Doodle ?. I'm glad you enjoyed it. I love your phraseology "back of beyond" as it conjures up so many different possiblities to me, one being hard to find, mustn't get lost on the way there again ?. It also conjures up an image of somewhere tucked away, secluded, peaceful and serene; worth finding ?

You have an odd neighbour too BradfordLass. Why does it matter to him/her if you have drawn or undrawn curtains and what business is it of his/hers? Your welfare at heart ?, seems a strange one.
I hope the police in the helicopter found who or what they were looking for. A couple of years ago I was woken by a noise that sounded like a helicopter but it wasn't. There was a huge drone hovering close to the house. It was very peculiar and quite disconcerting ?. It was there for hours. I couldn't go back to sleep until it was gone. It felt very sinister (?) ?

I meant to do a bit of decluttering myself today Grammaretto but I never got round to it ?. I suppose that by actually going through things though you can find stuff you thought had long gone. Maybe if I set to it and declutter the few places I need to I'll find the ceramic elephant I've been looking for...? Hope your spray gun is still useable ☺️

Grammaretto I think ,you are more of a hoarder than me.
I wonder where all those postcards came from. ?. Perhaps you should ask Watson. ?
Panache this is a truly worrying situation. You were so happy there to begin with. May I ask is it sheltered housing paid for by social services/council or a private place that you have to pay for? Either way they are behaving appallingly.
Have you been seen by a Gp recently regarding your condition?
Bless you Panache for thinking of us when you have so much to deal with yourself. We need for you and MrP to be well taken care of. We are all worried for you and thinking of you. I hope the situation improves soon.

Dear friend Panache sending you love and prayers.
Your situation is simply shocking and dreadful.
Can you copy and paste your post to us, to your MP?

A very warm Hello my gangster pals,yes indeed it must be our warmest day of this week here.
You are all very much on my mind and I hope indeed to be back in the centrefold here,...... sooner rather than later.

Again only a shortened version of the post I would like to make,although perhaps reading through at haste sometimes one thing I must say now........loud and clear.
Dear Bradfordlass your offer of help went straight into my heart and remains there for safe keeping until I feel reasonably well again.
I simply am not well enough right now to even think clearly.
Although there have been startling additions to our worries re the daily meals (which we pay for handsomely for by the way, and it is tied into our contracts....... so there are no get out clauses)
Some residents whom have already approached several outside bodies asking for help and direction have been "sort of told" they are then free to go and find some other dwelling place.
Not easy when in our group.
Hence that puts us,now in the 80 + group,very frail and without outside support... truly without a leg to stand on.
But yes we all here need nutricious food which we are not getting.
I do believe the fact I now have a badly ulcerated palate.high temps and some unpleasant digestion issues are due to this............aided and abetted by the fact neither of us have the strength to truly fight bacxk.
Both of us,individually...........along with many others have voiced or written our opinions time and time again...........very little is done.
Again we pay well for a warden service............we have had no one here since early March...........now despite two notices on the front door...........every Tom.Dick and Harry make their way into and through the building...............none using sanitizers provided (at last).or wearing a mask.
Believe me it is a highly worrying situation.

Sorry to go on at length but I know you all are well aware of all this but trying to fill in some blanks....... I hope this has covered them.

Meantime thinking of you all,knowing full well you have your very own issues,please believe me I truly feel for you.
Wishing and hoping you have renewed strengths and uplifts ,happier days and gatherings for those of you now able to .....all be it in reduced numbers.
Please keep Safe and that goes for your family members too.
Every blessing to each one of you.

Aw the beagle is bootiful Mamissimo looks lab-like. Does s/he have some lab in his/her DNA?

I love having DGC growing up in different cultures. DGS in NZ was part of the 1 million Maori speakers this week. He sings well too. DGD with her "Garlic". Someone asked her what all these words meant that she is so good at speaking. "I don't know" was the reply.
Then there are the ones here who sound Scots and the ones in the Midlands with a Yorkshire mum who sound Yorkshire to my ear.

Joe Bell the doctor/teacher who inspired Arthur Conan Doyle (author of Sherlock Holmes), lived and died in a house quite near us and I don't know quite how, but we have inherited a pile of postcards written to his family's nanny. All the stamps have been removed.......

Another reason I would find decluttering impossible.
Just this morning I found in the oven of our 1950's gas cooker (which I keep in my pottery studio) a glaze spray gun which I had thought lost.

Mamissimo your baked Beagle looks lovely. Suitable for cuddling not eating ?
Bradfordlass I had to find a phrase mr Google would translate for me. ?
I think your nosey neighbour needs more to keep her occupied. It is entirely up to you if you draw your curtains. We live on the second floor and don’t ever pull our lounge curtains at night. I like looking out and feel closed in with them shut. Perhaps you should ask your neighbour what she does in her room at night that she’s afraid her neighbours might see ?
That’s a lovely present for the baby. With variable lockdowns I think you are wise to shop early ?
Love the video of the stick song. Very clever. A bit like the Maori version of Morris Dancers.
The song I was taught by our Maori teacher at school was Pokare kare ana. Can’t remember many of the words now but could at the time. I remember he used to call me little blue eyes. I was only about 8
Love your Sherlock Holmes mystery ?
What does golden beetroot taste like?

PS Golden Beetroot.

For those who like to grow from seed:
www.plantsofdistinction.co.uk/beetroot/beetroot/beetroot-golden-detroit-0110b

www.victoriananursery.co.uk/Beetroot-Seed-Burpees-Golden

www.amazon.co.uk/s?ref=nb_sb_noss_1&i=outdoor&k=golden+beetroot&tag=gransnetforum-21

Rooted seedlings by post:
www.rocketgardens.co.uk/product/veg-plants/spring-veg-plants/golden-beetroot/

The actual veg by post - try before you grow:
www.finefoodspecialist.co.uk/golden-beetroot-1kg

Can be grown in pots, so I may try my hand as well.

Ask your supermarkets to source them. Delicious and versatile (no, I'm not on commision!).

Doodle what a LOVELY surprise to read te reo Maori in your post, it was entirely accurate - kia ora

This year, over 1 million people signed up to support the language. More than ever before.
.
My nosy neighbour was cross with me for not pulling my curtains at night. To look into my room one leaves the road and walks to the middle of my lawn. If weird people are happy to do that just to gaze at an old lady knitting, they're welcome!
I'm so glad to hear you had a lovely visit with your family, it sounds a happy time was had by all.

Barmey I must see to my fig tree too. It didn't fruit last year but having learned one eats dead wasp carcass with every fruit, I needed that hiatus!

I shall join you in transgression to say I've just bought my new grand-daughter's Christmas present. One of those colourful, eye-catching things that bob about over a pram or cot and annoy babies.

Grammaretto more than 2 household?! You rebel!
Yes, eating less, exercising more works for some and this is why propagandists convince us it works for all.
Makes about as much sense as "we are all male or female".

Missedout you'd need only a small adaptation to your bike to get it to whisk up a cake as you cycle. Perhaps MrM could facilitate that?

I suspect your stick song was E papa waiari.
It originated to strengthen the stamina & hand-eye co-ordination of warriors. This was how poi was used too.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=Es1RLwmyLI8

In the past, this and Pokare kare ana were usually the only Maori songs non- Maori knew. Over recent years, especially in schools, there's been more interest in all Maori traditions.
It's still not easy to learn, one must be invited onto a marae, so casual entry is not an option but the old and very strong spiritual ties around sharing anything Maori, are definitely loosening. Twenty years ago, the use of Tiki, used by the Maori Language Commission, would have horrified the elders.

Ah, the baking beagle, dear soul - positioned cleverly with nose near the ventilator to be forewarned of any appetitisng scents wafting from the kitchen

The Police helicopter is circling above my house; usually a sign of recent, serious criminal activity in the area.
So many more people are being driven by desperation to robbing gas stations and shops.
____________________________________

‘I say Holmes, there’s a peculiar announ^cement in The Times saying we have to conform to a Rule of Six^.’

‘I can think of at least ten reasons to explain that Watson; refer to my monograph on the strange and occult art of numerology.’

‘Apparently this means we can associate with no more than six friends at a time.’

‘Then I am entirely safe, my good fellow. Where would I find 6 friends?’

Missedout, I didn't know Mr M had a brother! Food is central to his life but I didn't realise how much until I joined him in retirement. I totally refuse to cook/serve breakfast for him or anyone else so that's one meal gone. When the DDs are here he plaintively says that no one ever cooks him breakfast. They've wised up now and just chuckle. I also maintain that lunch is a snack and he can help himself from the fridge or larder. That way I focus on dinner only and it's Not so onerous. Mind you, he's already asked what we are having tomorrow. ?

He wakes a couple of hours after me every day so his body dances to a completely different rhythm. Sometimes my lunch and his breakfast coincide....but I just loath breakfast food.

Sometime ago I discovered frozen chopped avocado (Sainsburys) and haven't looked back. It defrosts quite quickly and is fine for guacamole or smoothies. Saves the roulette of hard avocado, nearly ripe and instantly overripe as soon as you turn your back.

Someone asked for a photo of a baked beagle....?

Well good evening all. I’m late today. Been to visit BIL and his wife. Lovely day. Sat in their garden for ages just catching up and relaxing in the peace and quiet (they live in the back of beyond ?) Time to see what you’ve all been up to,
Barmyoldbat yes Christmas will be a quiet time for many if the rule of six is still in place. Sounds like a nice day out, picnic and bike ride. Hope you enjoy yourselves.
Grammaretto how much more blood are they going to take out of your poor DH. I would love to hear your DGD talking garlic ?
Mamissimo your DH obviously cannot manage without you. Hope you managed to get all his your chores done. Have a lovely time at Wisley. Grandma carrots are always the best ?
Cherry how are you doing? Yes this rule of 6 does have a strange ring to it. I wonder if there should be a table with 6 seats round it and families should play some version of musical chairs running round till you get a place.
We did have a lovely day, thank you. Haven’t seen BIL and his wife for ages so nice to hear all about their side of the family.
I too look like a pert teenager ........in my dreams ?
Hope your WPs meds include his pain killers.
Grammaretto perhaps we should all get together and write a new TV series. The mystery of The rule of six.
Hope MrG is ok. Tired by the sound of it, which is not surprising.
Missedout unlike school, you can pop in here when you like. We won’t give you detention for having some time out ?
Your DH sounds like a live wire. I wish I had half his energy. I just want to roll over and go back to sleep. I hate housework too so I pace myself. Living in a flat we don’t have too many rooms and I do one room a day, then the rest of the day is mine except when there is ironing, my DH has quite a restricted diet so meals tend to be chicken potatoes and veg most nights with fresh fruit after.
Well how funny. I’ve just read your comments to Bradfordlass about having an exchange teacher from NZ when you were at school and I suddenly remembered so did we ?. I’d completely forgotten about that. He taught us songs too. I must try and remember what it was.
Enjoy your meal. Chicken fajitas sounds nice. I could write a cook book 150 ways to serve plain chicken ?.
I’m almost asleep here. Been a long day. Sleep well all.

Eek, I think I feel sick... 900ml of cream every day BradfordLass. They say you learn something new every day and you teach us all a lot but this fact about Agatha Christie's dietary habits ... well guess I can't unlearn it now ?
It strikes me, this concept of witness or confirmation from someone of 'suitable standing'. Does that mean that some people are considered more equal than others then? Status, position, rank, one person's more reputable than another. ? Ooh, I'm getting all political ? ?

Sorry Barmeyoldbat I think you've written a taboo, the C word ?. Honestly, I can't think about it yet, though it's probably a good idea if we all have to shield again.
I hope you enjoyed your picnic today. I love dogs too but they do remind me of a certain winter festival ?.

Clever mummy Mamissimo ?, children and wonderful innocence, aww.

I think it's a case of ? as regards your DH Missedout as you know each other so well by now, there must be something right about the balance between you ?. Similarly, you too Mamissimo. Some of what you have told us is eminently relatable ?. They can drive us crazy but we still love them don't we ?

Case of sods law Grammaretto! These things always happen at the most inconvenient or unsuitable time. I hope the phone call went well.

Off to watch Des now. Night all sleep well ?