The Lockdown Gang - Keep Calm and Carry On

Nfk you popped in while I was typing.
I have read a lot about vitamin D in the papers recently.
I hope it gives you the boost you need.
Hope your weather is better than ours here it’s very gloomy.
Have a good day ?

Morning all.
Marydoll you are always welcome to pop in here whenever you like.?
Bradfordlass glad you liked my tree. I’m very fond of it as I love trees.
Ah glad to hear Hanna’s nephew wasn’t being rude. Have you had an online chat with him?
Good to hear your regular homecare lady is back with you. Will Hanna still be coming? What will you eat if she doesn’t ?
Mamissimo I do love the vegetables you grow in your garden they are so much more interesting than others. Perhaps if your beans are bored you should go out and read them a little story. ?. I’ll come and stand in your garden. I haven’t had my hair cut for ages and with this damp weather is long and frizzy and quite wild. I would make a good scarecrow ?
Oh it’s your birthday tomorrow. 65, you young thing.?. Have you got any plans? Difficult with lockdown. Hope you have a good day. I will post you my birthday wishes tomorrow.
Cherry hope you are ok and your WP’s hand is on the mend.
Dragonfly hope your DH enjoyed his birthday yesterday. Did you have a special meal?
Nortsat hope you are feeling ok today.
Missedout, Nfk hope you are ok.
Grammaretto much in our thoughts.
Peaceful day to all the gangsters. Take care

Oh gosh Mamissimo, 65 sounds so very young! Happy Birthday greetings for tomorrow in case I don't get here! I'm so pleased your Bored Beans have all germinated. My defensive against the pigeons, etc. was support canes forming a cage which I draped old net curtains over with the occasional clothes peg holding them on. It worked quite well with fruit bushes too by tying the curtains in a bunch underneath so the bushes all looked like candyfloss on sticks.

I'm so pleased the misunderstanding with The Nephew has been resolved Bradford. It sounds as if you've made a new friend in him.

I shall away and walk to the chemist now for vitamin D supplement pills. I'm expecting great things from them. Something has to jerk me out of these doldrums.

Good morning ?
I have news from the vegetable garden....the bored beans have all germinated and are an inch tall so now I have to devise this years method of deterring the birds from pecking them to pieces. I have tried to get Fergal the cat to sit by them but he seems to get bored by bored beans.....

Bradfordlass I'll have you know that DS is a good boy and won't be 'entertaining' anyone other than his delightful cohabiting partner if he knows what's good for him!

I think it is our fault that he's bought a six foot wide bed because we've always told him to get the biggest bed he can accommodate comfortably. Spending much time in the USA when we were younger and living and working there led to expat horror when we came back to a king size. He's also over 6'4" so he needs a long bed for his circulation. I never quite envisaged such a bed living in our hallway however!

Last night I made a steamed blackberry and apple sponge pudding for dessert. I saw someone make a steamed pudding on TV the other day and I'd been haunted by it for days. DS maintains he'd never had one before but I can't really believe it's almost thirty years since made one. If that really is the case I bet he's never had tinned fruit cocktail and evaporated milk either.

Tomorrow I will be 65. I expect it will be like being 64 except that on marketing forms I will be in a different age band. Last week I received junk mail for assisted living aids and a retirement housing village...and two leaflets promoting wine deliveries. Mr M says that if I drink like a fish I'll need the grab handles and he will want to live somewhere else so the marketing people probably got it right!

My day today will be a gentle one and I hope you all have a kind day too. Love to all.

Doodle thank you for your help offline and thanks too for posting the photo of the Tree of Life Yggrasil, it is truly beautiful and I'm so glad it didn't get smashed.

Mamissimo A super-king bed? Gosh, how many people does he intend hosting in that? And not in your hallway I hope.

Norstat The photo of Bergen is spectacular, makes me want to go too. My travelling days are over though - it's a mission just to get to the Post Office.

Nfk I love those sweet teddies; I don't think one looks like a dog, he's cute.
I'm glad you're writing your memories.
I used to collect oral histories for the city council who subsequently did nothing with them .
People would say, 'but what's interesting about my life?'
I'd point out that the diaries kept for the Mass Observation Project in the UK are now fascinating books and films.
Everyone's life is interesting.

It seems Hanna was so busy organising everyone else she forgot to give my Skype address to the boy genius - who is actually quite a personable young fellow. He's the same age as my dgs, so I can relate.

Cherry hope you and your poor wounded knife-wielder are both improving.
His mishap is one of the reasons I don't sharpen my knives any longer...having had many similar injuries, though never needing 8 stitches. Ouch .

I'm glad to say my regular homecare lady, away sick for so long, is back today. She'll be happy the day is damp and grey, she doesn't do well in sunshine.

I hear the UK is allowing families home for Christmas. Yipee!
I hope that's something to look forward to.

Wishing everyone good health and a peaceful day.

I know I have deserted the Lockdown Gang recently, life just got a bit too much for me and I didn't want to bring the thread down.

What I wanted to say is that as I know and have on a number of occassions met up with Grammaretto, who is the gentlest of people, I feel so sad for her and her loss.

Don’t think many of us feel like posting much today but I will wish MrDragonfly a happy birthday.
Take care dear gangsters x

Grammaretto I think you are very much in the thoughts of all the gangsters. Hope our loving thoughts and sympathy make their way to you today.

So sorry to hear your sad news Grammaretto.Sending our love, thoughts and prayers to you and your family.?

Maw that is beautiful. I'm copying it.

For Grammaretto and all her family, if I may I would like to share these lines which said a lot to me almost exactly three years ago.
. It is by Katie Evans

?“God looked around his garden
And found an empty place,
He then looked down upon the earth
And saw your tired face.
He put his arms around you
And lifted you to rest.
God’s garden must be beautiful
He always takes the best.
He knew that you were suffering
He knew you were in pain.
He knew that you would never
Get well on earth again.
He saw the road was getting rough
And the hills were hard to climb.
So he closed your weary eyelids
And whispered, ‘Peace be thine’.
It broke our hearts to lose you
But you didn’t go alone,
For part of us went with you
The day God called you home” ?.

Another virtual hug for Grammaretto xx

Oh, Grammaretto, so, so sorry. As the others have said, there are no words. I'm just joining in with the big soft group hug. XX

Oh Grammaretto ... I don’t have words.
I am so sorry.
Thinking of you both ...
Sincere condolences.

Oh Grammaretto, please accept condolences to your and your family. I am glad you have your family with you during this sad time.

Dear Grammaretto so very sad to hear this news. You have my heartfelt sympathy. Love and strength to you and your family. ?

Dear Grammaretto simply calling by to offer you and your family my heartfelt sympathy.
Such comfort having your family around and I sincerely trust they will give you some peace at this saddest of times.
Feeling your pain

I am so sad for you Grammaretto. I am thinking of you and your family at this time of loss.

Grammaretto I am so very sorry for your loss, my deepest sympathy.
I’m glad your family have all been able to spend time together recently and your dear man was at home with you all.
May you comfort one another in your sadness.
We will all be here and thinking of you.

Grammaretto there are no words. I am so pleased your family were with you and I will you the strength to carry on without your darling DH. You are all in my thoughts

Oh my dear Grammaretto so sincerely sorry to hear this. Be kind to yourself in the coming days.

I am so very sorry Grammaretto my condolences to you and your family ?

Dear Grammaretto, I'm so sorry to hear your sad news. ?

Grammaretto ?. Words are nowhere near enough. All I want to do right now is give you a real gentle cwtch. I cannot be there and do that but I extend my heart out to you. I really mean that.
I understand that it's time to close the door and encase yourself and your family therein, time to cleave together. We will be here. You know there is no need to try and post. Take comfort in your family; all of you one another ?

Please accept my deep sympathy ?