The Lockdown Gang - Indomitable Lobstars ?⭐️

Mamissimo. That’s a dreadful diet for poor Mr M. I hate milk so for me it would be an absolute nightmare. I too would be unbearable and I do feel for both yo you! Good way to lose weight though!
Apologies to Grammaretto. It’s not you with no electricity Saturday but Kaimoana. Sorry to you both and hope you find a way to deal with Saturday!

Good M9rnung!

Hooray for the Panache pair - so pleased t(at the natural order has been restored....now please don5 try to scare him out of his hiccough!

A bit of a naughty question but does Mr P have teale and fuschia striped pyjamas? .....actually those colours in a paisley design would make a fabulous robe.....? even quiet men need curating to cut a dash occasionally.

I tried to 'curate' my hundreds of books once but got bored so we have tall books, medium books and short books, all different colours and interspersed with a very random collection of ephemera. My best effort would give zoom watchers something analyse! I've attached a photo so that you can try to 'read' me ?

Kaimoana whatever is not going on in NZ? Are you all stuck in a time warp?

Maori MP ejected from New Zealand parliament for refusing to wear a tie

www.thetimes.co.uk/article/maori-mp-ejected-from-new-zealand-parliament-for-not-wearing-a-tie-hrhqnjkqs

I have been busy booking cancellable holidays for the rest of the year. We will be sashaying forth to Scotland in June, the Gower Peninsular in July and the North York Moors in September .....if permitted!

I don't have plans for today so I will probably blob about and plague and converse with Mr M. He is now on the waiting list to have his gallbladder removed and yesterday received the news that he has to follow the milk diet for two weeks prior to surgery.....

He is deeply troubled by this and I'm laughing my socks off being supportive. Every day for fourteen days.....4 pints of semi skimmed milk, 2 pints of other liquid such as water......one sugar free jelly.....one stock cube drink and one multivitamin. That's it! Nothing else at all and as little caffeine as possible. Frankly he will be unbearable and I will quite possibly render him unconscious with a solid object.

And that's enough of my stream of consciousness! Halve a good day!

Doodle the pool will be open but the lane swimming side I use won't be. They're troubled with dodgy electrics - but the St John shuttle doesn't run Saturdays anyway.

I think I may be rescued on Saturday. Ali had promised to take me out for a birthday lunch but life got in the way. Today we decided it could happen this Saturday.
We'll see - I threw together a quiche just in case it don't.

Yes, all 14 houses in this road are off grid all day but were it only me, no one would make me a cuppa.
They're just not that sort of neighbours...other than the lovely, shy man who brings me silver beet for breakfast most days.

I wish I could see the Dean's cat Tiger. Do you remember Arthur, the white cat who dug Kattomeat out with his paw on the TV advert?
www.youtube.com/watch?v=v55d3L4T3Iw

Jan all the very best for you and your DH, and hopes for a quick healing and full recovery.

Missedout loved the joke

It's a cool 16 degrees at the moment and I'm sitting here in me nightie. Time I was tucked up in bed.

Have a blissful day everyone - you're only a thought away xx

Good Morning from an even snowier West Norfolk. Snow is forecast for this morning then that should be the last of it - fingers crossed.
Hope everyone had a good night especially Mr and Mrs *Panache•.
Grammaretto That’s a very long time to be without power - brr.
Doodle. Am very impressed by your painting by numbers. I downloaded an App where they send you a picture with numbers then all you do is press the keys on your I pad to fill it in! It’s so stupid really. A 5 year old could do it. But it’s strangely addictive and I’m hooked and so is DH!!! Some very nice pictures and some odd!
Will be taking DH to hospital this afternoon for his squamous cell carcinoma- see I’ve got all the correct description- removal and subsequent skin graft. It’s not till 430 so goodness knows what time I will be picking him up. Have a feeling there will be little sleep tonight.
Have a good day everyone and stay safe

Kaimoana 8am to 4.30. That’s quite a while to go with nothing to do. Don’t suppose the swimming is open? Is it off for all your neighbours too or is there someone close by who could make you a warm cuppa?

Glad you liked the Dean and his garden. He has a cat called Tiger who used to sit on the table and put his paw in the milk jug and lift it out and lick the milk off. Poor Tiger had to have one of his front legs amputated due to cancer. He has been absent for a long time but makes an occasional visit now. He has learnt to adapt and can still manage to put his one front paw in the milk jug and lick the milk off by balancing on his hind quarters.
Missedout you have indeed described my DH to a T. He is always nicely turned out as they say. He tends to have his head buried in a book or in his iPad though, failing that he will be sitting at his computer doing his ‘accounts’. ?
I expect MrDoubt likes working with his hands then. DH is not keen on gardening or maintenance type work. He used to be ok with electrical things and hanging up pictures etc but his hand tremor put paid to that. He would be lethal with a hammer now ?
missedout I love your COVID joke ....took me a minute mind you ?
Our snow has gone now. Your weather station sounds just the thing that my DH would be interested in.
Yippee quietly sssh ?. I won’t tell anyone but I’m glad you’re feeling better.
No I just have a hand held magnifying glass ? in one hand a a paintbrush in the other. They have come in close contact on a number of occasions. I had never thought of glasses for really close work. What a good idea.
I too hope Cherry has a good night.
I hope MrP hiccups don’t stop him and Panache having a good night.
Sleep well all

Panache, I'm pleased that Mr P is back with you and that he is not in pain but sorry that you need to constantly go into battle for him. I hope that you manage to get more help.

Doodle, I now have a clearer picture of your aptly named Dude. I can picture him sitting in an armchair wearing a crisp, ironed shirt and neat trousers looking fondly at you. I don't iron for Mr Mo because it is a total waste of time. I don't know if you have ever watched 'The Last of the Summer Wine' but Mr Mo reminds me of Thora Hird's engineer husband, not in looks but definitely in temperament. Thankfully we have modern flooring downstairs or else I would have to start buying newspapers to put pages down in front of him as he walks across the kitchen coming in from the garage/garden. He lives in tee shirts and jeans, just changes to slightly cleaner ones in the house.

Grammaretto, would it be better if you furloughed rather than fired your planter?

I hope everyone is coping with the cold weather. We still have 'garden dandruff' here. I finally got around to setting up the external wireless weather station Christmas present today. So I know that it's cold outside, I know the outside relative humidity and the air pressure and can compare it with indoors.

I need to whisper the next part of my post - today I'm actually feeling better! Today is the first day since before Christmas that I feel like me. I just hope that the worst is over.

Doodle, do you have a proper hands-free magnifying glass for your painting? Some years ago, I had my optician provide a pair of very thick lensed strong glasses specially for very close work. I keep them in my sewing box.

Kaimoana, I hope you can find somewhere warm to go on 'no electricity Saturday'.

I hope you all sleep peacefully- especially Cherry.

Doodle I loved being in the garden with the Dean; the snowdrops and hellebore were a joy.
As were yours Grammaretto. I have a particular love for snowdrops.

Cherry can you spare some tiggerish bounce for Mamissimo as I fear the jabs have diminished hers.

How good to hear Mr Panache is home with his beloved. Let's hope the couple who pledged support can rally round.

Jan16 poor Theo, what a picture of pretended martyrdom!

Last November I contacted the Council about by-laws on private roads. They knocked the ball into the court of the transport authority who, after a few weeks ignoring pondering it, told me they'd sent it back to the Council.
Today the Council asked me, in official, convoluted language of course,
'Er..what was it you wanted to know again?' And we PAY these jokers?

I'm still wondering how to deal with the upcoming "no electricity Saturday".

No power from 8am to 4:30 so can't listen to my audio books and only cold food and water...
See? I'm learning from Theo

Sweet dreams everyone

Grammaretto your snow is certainly quite thick. Ours has disappeared again.
I love honeycombe too.
Got carried away with painting today. It just seems never ending . I have to use a magnifying glass to see the numbers.
Need to arrange a Waitrose shop. For some reason the freezer seems to have run out of food. Fortunately, the wine cupboard is fully stocked, ?

I watched Pooh meeting Tigger. It had the effect of making me crave honey. I have a honeycomb so tucked into that! Just as a taste test you understand.
I have lit the fire and have been knitting but I don't think it's a good week to fire the kiln. Too cold.
Here's the view of the yew tree.

So glad DH is home with you Panache and pain free. What a wonderful outcome. You could hardly hope for more despite the hiccups.

kaimoana I don’t want to overwhelm you with links but I thought you might like to listen to this one. It is the Dean in his garden at Canterbury and if you scroll forward about 19 minutes or so in from the beginning you will hear him read the story of how Winnie the Pooh met Tigger. ?

www.youtube.com/watch?v=rnQtQAQvwIw

panache he’s home. Wonderful news ?
Pain free it’s such good news. So glad the radiotherapy helped. Hope you do get some help soon. So pleased to hear your news. Take care of you both. x
Grannygravy how are you doing?
Grammaretto glad you got your jab. I did wonder with all the snow. I have a rectangular ironing board which is great for sheets and shirts but I miss the pointy end for doing trousers.
How is your planter doing. Has it been fired yet?

www.canterbury-cathedral.org/
www.youtube.com/watch?v=jOVWkfCx9wM

Kaimoana the first is the main Cathedral website. If you scroll down this main page you will see firstly a message video from the Dean and then the second video down is today’s morning service video followed by other recent services.
The second link is to today’s service on your tube. Hope they work, if not let me know and I will try again.

You can come in now Theo. Join us in here
I am ok after the vaccine and so relieved to have had it as I think the snow today has disrupted everything.
I don't mind ironing but don't have many clothes that need pressing.
My DGM taught me to iron on the table, no board, in NZ. Happy memories. She was a pioneer/farmer type who chopped wood and lit the range for cooking and baking. No wonder she and my DM couldn't get along. Mum had been brought up in Burma with servants. She was the exact opposite of her MiL . Let's just say they didn't appreciate each other but both loved the same man.

Dear Panache so pleased you have MrP home.

I do hope you are able to access some help soon

I did say "One day at a time" and yes my darling arrived home late afternoon yesterday, looking sadly worse for wear,but highly emotional and very happy.

Having so little info all week I had no idea what to expect.
However the wonderful news is.............he has no further pain!!!!!!!!!!!
The wonders of radiotherapy.
He can hear reasonably well too.
However would you believe,the hiccups restarted in Hospital,and have stayed a real nuisance throughout every night and day............so whilst he slept,guess whom did not?!!!

He now has to have a Medical Alert card on him at all times,with grave warnings to seek URGENT help immediately........

Have we any help you ask.........the short answer is no.
But I am arranging for some back up myself..............before I too shall be carted off in that Ambulance!!!

Next issue is finding a Tesco slot............but first let me enjoy simply sitting and looking at the love of my life!!!!

Weather remains bright,sunny,bitterly cold but no snow........yet.

Thinking of you gangsters all,may peace,joy and friendship reign supreme.Loves ya all.

cherry hope you had a better night last night.
My filigree pendant has a stone in the middle, aquamarine I believe. My Grandmother didn’t give it to me as she had dementia all the time I remember her. My mother kept it for me. I don’t wear it often. The chain is quite short (or is my neck too big ?) it is pretty though. I would show you a picture if I could remember where I’ve put it ?
Our snow has gone although it’s still in the air a bit.
Jan sorry about your DHs Cath Eter. We’re you worried about a return trip to hospital or does this sort of thing happen often. Glad there are nurses who come to help even if it is at a very late hour. How is your DH now, is he feeling better?
I like the look on Theo’s face. Not exactly pleading, more impatiently waiting for you to do as he requests and let him in?
kaimoana of course I will post you a link. I will go and find it now.
Hope all the gangsters keep safe and warm.

Hi All. More snow! Grrr but sun is shinning and no snow forecast for this afternoon or tomorrow. Excitement of the day - Sainsburys delivery! And of course Cricket!
Excitement of last night - DHs Cath Eter played up and Community nurses eventually arrived at 1 am!!! Not their fault but it was a very short night!
Will leave you for now with Theo complaining about the snow! He does have a cat flap but prefers his slaves to let him in the patio door!!!

Jan did Theo do that funny 'shaking paw' thing? Our cat used to at the first snow of the year.

Doodle I haven't been able to find the link which would allow me to watch the Canterbury services; would you mind posting it please?

Cherry I'm still hoping for Utopia one day

No snow here and I don't think there will be. I've seen several forecasts, all but one indicates it won't get this far west. Sounds like you've had a fair bit Jan and you a light top layer Doodle.

Jan I think the post thief is a daemon that preys on us GNs from time to time. Sometimes as I'm typing I see a little twitch and think ? my post is going to go. It's almost a heart in mouth time if you've written a long post, at least it is for me ?. I've lost a fair few in my time, I think we all have.

You're putting a lot of effort into getting your painting right Doodle, you're obviously enjoying it really ?. I think that with all the work and care that you are putting in means that, whilst it may not look anything like the picture now, it will look fabulous in the end.

I'm glad that you've finally got your over trousers Grammaretto. I hope they are nice and a good fit.

I can't end this post without making some remark about the various irons and presses in that video Kaimoana. The clever contraption at the very beginning is brilliant, big but brilliant. Okay if you've got a utility room, which I haven't, and a couple of grand to waste spare, which I haven't. Unbelievable cost! . No matter, I don't do ironing of any kind anyway, it's unsafe and that suits me just fine ?

Night gangsters, sleep well tonight.

Aww thanks for the snowdrops Grammaretto ?. Thank you for sharing your rose from Kaimoana too.

Good news Panache, your dear man will be home with you now ?. I'm sure he's been looking forward to the comfort of home and back in your loving care. I hope he doesn't have any more excruciating pain, that you do have the extra help you have needed for so long.

Mamissimo your imaginary invention made me think that it's just the type of contraption Wallace (from Wallace and Grommit) would invent and brought a smile to my face ?. I could picture it clearly ?
I think the link to the video clip Grammaretto has posted surpasses anything I could imagine though and certainly puts the fears into me ?. I'm actually pleased that you did your ironing now ?.
I empathise with you descending into ennui, I think a lot of us feel the same way. I sometimes feel a general malaise has crept over and into me. This very changed world has been like this for almost a year now and there is something surreal and dystopian about it. Yet to that I say this, if by the very meaning of the word there can't be any utopia it follows that there can't be a dystopia either. It's the unvariablity of lockdown that's getting to most of us I think, that and uncertainty over when it will end. Sometimes it feels like it's groundhog day and we lose track of which actual day of the week it is. In moments like these I look to the words of Winnie the Pooh who asks piglet "what day is it", "today" squeaks piglet. "My favourite day says Winnie the Pooh" ?
Nothing like treating yourself once in a while, especially if it's with something that reminds you of people you've loved. I hope you enjoy wearing the necklace ?

Doodle does your filigree pendant have a pearl then? I ask because mine does.

It's not that my postictal confusion is getting any worse Kaimoana, it's just that the confused behaviour is getting more bizarre. I often have postictal behaviours, whether after a day or nighttime seizure. I think I've said before that sometimes in the daytime I can do things related to getting ready for bed . I've been known to pluck invisible matter out of the air or go looking ? for something unknown ?.

Pleased that you've had your jab Grammaretto, I hope you don't have any side effects.

grammaretto glad you have had your jab/jag. Hope you don’t have any bad side effects. Many people with the Astra Zeneca have had the shivers and headache that I had. Not heard so much about the Pfizer one.
Glad you finally got your trousers. Are they ok?
Kaimoana yes I too would like to see the glazed pot.....I wouldn’t mind seeing more naked raku either ?
Oh I had a perm once. It was awful. My hair is quite dry and wavy and thick. The end result was a very tight curly mop that I couldn’t get a brush through.
Sorry you’re still not going swimming, I know how much you enjoy it.
Jan I’ve had that naughty imp steal my posts too on occasions. So you have had lots of snow. Ours is just covering the ground. Not too much.
I watched my usual morning service from Canterbury Cathedral this morning and was mighty impressed that the Dean still sat in his garden which was covered in snow and did the whole service as usual with the snow coming down quite heavily all the time. His faithful cat Leo who normally sits with him sat under the table for a few minutes then shot off indoors to warm up I think.
I have been doing some painting by numbers yesterday and today. Everything requires two coats and I learnt from last time it’s better to do the two coats as you go along rather than leave it to the end as several of the colours are so similar.
I cannot in all honesty say my painting looks anything like the picture it’s supposed to yet. I am hoping it will all magically come together in the end.
We had chicken with sun dried tomato and pesto tonight (Waitrose) . It was really nice and we both enjoyed it. It’s one we haven’t had before so I might get another for next week.
Panache I do hope MrP is home safely.
Going to watch another episode of Where the Heart is on Netflix now (I usually nod off about half way through) ?

Evening Everyone. Kaimoana. I actually posted this morning but a naughty imp came along and took it! Seriously I did a long rambling boring post so maybe it’s just as well it vanished!
We have snow! Not impressed but it is very pretty. Our cat Theo was mystified as to where all the cold white stuff came from and even more put out when more came out of the sky! Still snowing now. ☃️☃️☃️
Panache. Great news that your man is home. He will be so pleased I’m sure.
Think we all have lockdown hair. Mines such a mess. No idea when anyone will be seeing a hairdresser. Good news that so many are getting their vaccine and also that cases and deaths are dropping.
Grammaretto. Yes we had the Pfizer jab too. Now waiting for the second one. Think we’ve got several weeks to wait!
Maybe Nfk is snowed up in her part of our county. We have snow forecast all night and tomorrow. Knew I was tempting fate when I said we hardly ever get snow!
Wonder if this post will vanish?!

Good heavens Grammaretto what an awful video clip, quite scary really because it contains the seed of truth (but only a seed ).

I hope we get to see the glazed pot once it's fired. Naked raku or fully clothed?

Panache by now your brilliant news will be happening and a new era has begun. Not easy, as you say but I'm sure with your determination and grit, you'll get through and your beloved will be so much happier at home.

Mamissimo you're still not your old, sparkling self yet are you? I suppose it's the effects of the jab.
You don't need a conveyor belt to bring you things, that's what MrM is for.

Doodle I have Lockdown Hair too but actually I like it better than the old, short and curly (stop laughing) style.
I have extremely fine, cobweb hair and not much of it but tied back, at least it looks tidy.
All my life my wispy hair has been untidy and I once made the mistake of believing a hairdresser who said it would look better permed. I spent the next six, agonising months looking like a dandelion clock.

I had the shuttle booked for swimming today but it seems the pool is still out of commission so I'll go pick up my prescription instead.

If everyone who had a problem with Hermes put in a complaint, would they be shocked enough to do better?

I'm hoping all our missing gangsters are recovering: it's just not the same without you.
Cherry, Missedout, Nortsat, Nfk, Fanny, Jan and dragonfly and where's GrannyGravy got to?

I'm gathering you all to my metaphorical bosom, yes, there's easily enough room, and hoping you are all well.

I have had the famous jab/jag! It was Pfizer after all and a lovely Weegie nurse gave it to me. DiL , DGD and dog took me there and home which was as well because the sun was directly in our eyes on the journey home and I wouldn't have been able to see. DS was working.

Be careful what you wish for Mamissimo is all I am saying.
Remember WALL-E?
www.youtube.com/watch?v=s-kdRdzxdZQ

Having told me they were returning my trousers to the company, Blacks, as they couldn't find me home lies, Hermes managed to deliver them while I was out. Meanwhile, Blacks have told me they will refund the money and apologised for non delivery.
I am certainly not thrilled with Hermes but I guess I will need to tell Blacks they have arrived.
I miss the days when shops were shops and if you had things delivered they used the Royal Mail who at least know where you live.