The Lockdown Gang - Indomitable Lobstars ?⭐️

I took so long writing that you snuck in before me Kaimoana. You've answered my and Doodle's question. Like I said I think the colouration is skillful. It's definitely good enough to broke a tablemat, and the fish one too ??

Grammaretto did you visit the place in the link you gave us for the poetry walk?
How beautiful. I could just sit and look at the opening picture on the website for ages. It looks an amazing place. I am tempted to buy the book.
As I mentioned in my earlier post, we were advised to do 100 miles a week to charge the battery so I think that was a perfect excuse to see your family ?
Kaimoana I took a very close look at your first picture and although I asked if you had done it I didn’t really think it was colouring in. It is excellent. The colour combinations are lovely. I like the fish one too.
Cherry I think you’ve done the right thing about your neighbour. The children need to be safe.
I love your list of fruits ?. What about the malicious melons and salacious satsumas.
I wonder if police are out at beauty spots and at the beaches but obviously not checking less popular places. I would love a trip to the sea but can’t complain, we are very lucky to live by the river.
Jan I am off to look up the Ouse now and see if I can see any pictures. Then I’m going back to have another look at Grammaretto’s link. Such lovely woodland scenes.
Sleep well all. Jeeves will do his rounds later.
cherry he tells me your mouth guard bit him when he brought your hot chocolate the other night. ?

Broke? Where did that come from ... should have previewed ?

Oops, Jeeves could have told me Doodle ?. Methinks he may be telling porkie pies because he thinks my sleep guard has usurped him ?
Oh yes I forgot about those pesky melons and satsumas but then I forgot the angry apricots and the rebellious raspberries too ?

Night night Indomitables ?

It's International Women's Day and we can, I'm sure, make personal lists of all those women whom we have known, loved and admired.

John Knox may have called us a "monstrous regimen" and been against gynarchy but that hasn't stopped us.

I wonder how he'd have reacted to the genetic fact that all embryos begin as female and only later, if destined to do so, become male? Hee hee.

I lift a to all the magnificent women here. I'm proud to know each and every one of you.

Did he really? (John Knox on womenkind) what a monster he was. Did he not have a good relationship with his own mother perhaps......

I love a place associated with Knox. It's an ancient Yew tree where he is thought to have preached his early sermons beneath its cathedral-like canopy
www.ormiston.com/ormiston/yew.htm
www.youtube.com/watch?v=00ZOsvRxlfM

I shall certainly lift a glass to those here and other women I admire and who I can remember

The original poetry garden in Scotland is Ian Hamilton Findlay's Little Sparta www.littlesparta.org.uk/
a favourite of mine and DH over the years
and there have been many since, glorified to sculpture parks and charging admission.
I am glad you enjoyed Corbenic Doodle . It felt like the right place for us to be on a rare fine Spring morning.

.

Good morning ?
I'm stepping in to lower the tone to share my doings.....

The fruit cage has taken up residence in the hall where the bed used to live.....we missed it ?

A highly qualified electrician has stolen all my savings arrived at DS house to inspect and prepare a report on the safety and efficacy of his system so that I can sue the b*stard help DS to get it put right.

Asda has forgotten to deliver the food to my DD2 and I am helping her to write a pithy complaint.....

DD1 is twiddling her thumbs because her school forgot to send her the link to the online staff meeting this morning.....

Am I downhearted? Is all adrift? Nooooo....not while there's a lovely heap of mulch to spread on the north facing border and a dead mouse to remove from the lawn...?

Hope your days are as positive as mine will be!

Mamisimo roll about on the dead mouse - Honey Beagle will love fight you for it.

Evening lockdown gangstars ?

My glass is raised to all indomitable women out there, all you formidable lobStar women and all the other formidable women I know or have ever known too. No alcohol in my glass but it is raised!

I don't know a great deal about John Knox but I know that he didn't believe women shouldn't be allowed to be Monarchs. We've had a few since then!
Women's rights have come a long way but there's still more to do to achieve real equality. I was reading this morning that the shortfall in a woman's pension compared to a man's equates to a 40 year gap in monetary terms. Have women's rights come a long way? In the 19th century there was huge opposition to improving education for girls, a Uk parliamentary report said that 'girls should be educated to be decorative, modest, marriageable beings' and in the 1860s there were only 12 public secondary schools for girls in England and Wales. There's still more to do in education in the Uk, let alone the rest of the world. Right, that's my drum banged and soapbox stood on ?

Mamissimo, that's more than three challenges that you've got going on then at the moment. You could scoop up the dead mouse and post it to one of the offenders ?.

Footie match this evening and I have my fingers firmly crossed ? and our emblem ⚒️ at the ready to will them on. Nervous, me? I won't tell ?

Evening all.
Been for a walk again today. Yesterday I was so cold so today I made sure I wore my hat and scarf. I was boiling... it was so warm and sunny. Came home and washed my hair. Makes me laugh when I realise my haircut and hairstyle now is exactly the same as when I was 20 but the wrinkles and bags under the eyes plus the extra pounds are not ?
Cherry I think you are right about Jeeves. ?
How about uncharitable ugly fruit and pendantic pineapple. The fruit cage needs to be bigger ?
I read in the paper at the weekend about a Baptist minister who said that women should always dress nicely, not get overweight, pay attention to their looks and to tend to their husbands desires without complaint and that husbands should have passages of the bible written above the bed to remind their wives to obey them and perform their ‘wifely’ duties.
He apparently said all this whilst wearing baggy jeans and a long brown cardigan which stretched over his portly stomach.
I wonder if he was a John Knox fan.
Fingers crossed for your team here too Cherry. Don’t forget we want a blow by blow account of the game later. ?
Kaimoana cheers to your toast, I agree with you ?.
Have you done any more colouring today?
Grammaretto I have never heard of a poetry garden before. I wonder if there is such a thing where we live.
We went for a walk today by the river and we’re stopped by two women who asked if we had any idea where ‘up there’ was an how they could get there. Turns out they were not talking about heaven but the other side of the river where there is a high cliff face. We pondered at some time as to how one could reach it discussing various roads paths etc. We had an enjoyable chat with two strangers about something and nothing. It was nice just to chat to people....socially distanced of course.
Mamissimo it must be quite a big fruit cage if it can take the place of a double bed ?
I hope the electrician does a good job and sorts out your sons electrics for them and at the same time doesn’t commit daylight robbery in charges.
Aah the pleasures of a good mulching and a lovely gift left behind for you by Fergal or Honey beagle ?

Grammaretto I've just looked at your know and love the look of "Little Sparta". The Ormiston yew tree is amazing, what a magnificent tree.

It's Sods law Doodle, cold on one walk so you wrap up for the next one. You kept us in suspense there about what the women you encountered meant by "up there" ?.
Charming baptist minister you read about, not! Why am I not surprised he has a wok for a belly ?

Match Report
It started off scrappy and bitsy. Then bang, a cross comes in and the ball is in the back of the net! Put in by the opposition ?. Wait a minute ... It was offside ??. Two and a half minutes later the ball is put in from the edge of the pitch and strike. The ball is in the back of the net again, again by the opposition ?. Stop! The ball went out before it was delivered ?. Play continues, the opposition are seeing too much of the ball ?. We can't get it off them ?. Wait a minute, wait a minute, we've got the ball and are driving into the penalty box. Our player is taken down, Penalty! ?, drat the keeper gets it, no he doesn't the ball is loose and our player kicks it into the back of the net, ker-ching 1 nil ?. We keep coming forward, the first half of the match is almost over. We get a corner, the ball is put in, it's a peach ?.. it's run into ... the ball is in the back of the net! Yes, yes, yes 2 nil at halftime ?. The second half starts and we have the ball, our player runs on and the ball is hit, straight into the post ?. The match continues, out opponents drive forward, attack after attack ... every shot is off target ?. Our player runs forward and strikes ... the ball hits the crossbar ?. Match time is whittling away but our opponents keep attacking. There care so many players in the box, their striker hits the ball, our goalkeeper is beaten ... our defender kicks the ball away and stops it going into the back of the net ?. The match is almost over, we have the ball. It's a goal kick, the referee whistles. We win! ?

Night night, sleep well gangstars.

Cherry if you'd been commentating when I was a lass, I'd certainly be interested in footie now.

All I remember is 5 o clock and Dad sitting at the table marking his Pools as the radio intoned:

Northampton nil, Manchester City nil
Chelsea one, Arsenal two
Manchester United three, Liverpool three....

and so it went, interminably on, each moment making me hate football more.

"Scottish League Division One
Celtic 2 Albion Rovers 2
St Mirren 2, Hamilton Academicals 1

SHUT THE HECK UP!!


And Dad never won a thing - he wasn't interested in football either.

It is said that you get almost as much benefit from watching sport as participating (serotonins, endorphins etc) I think reading about an exciting match must be almost as beneficial!
Thankyou Cherry I don't need to do any exercise today after all.

I love your interlude with the strangers Doodle . How to get up there - indeed.

I did drink to all inspiring women last night. While I was eating my vegeburger I thanked Linda McCartney who popularised vegetarianism. I had a glass for my late DM and toasted DMiL (who will be 96 this week and phones me to see if I am ok) I drank to all you indomitables and by that time I was so drunk I had an early night.
Hoping everyone has a reasonably good day under the circumstances.
How's Dragonfly?

cherry thank you for such an exciting match. I enjoy your commentary so much. Can you believe I actually feel tense when you’re describing it almost going oooh and aaaah as I read ?
Lovely walk today. Right clothes and warm and sunny. Most enjoyable.
Kaimoana I remember my Dad doing the pools too. Very common in our youth I think.
Now I seem to remember a while ago you mentioned watching the Dean in his garden congregation and being disappointed that you didn’t see/hear the Robins.
I have attached a photo and a link to today’s service. It was lovely. A full close up of the Robin, fluffing his feathers and chirping away. Lots of birds chirping away in the background during the whole thing. I think spring must be coming ?
www.youtube.com/watch?v=pB-kxV6DFGc&list=PLPWrcHf2bX_aarGHe8GzBbxZvpnOh4564&t=1847s
Grammaretto Linda McCartney was certainly ahead of her time. Glad you enjoyed your meal with a glass or two or three ??
I too have been lucky with my mum and MIL. I love the thought that at 96 she is checking up on you ?
Buzzer is sounding in the kitchen. Leftover lasagne tonight.
Back later.

Good evening ?

Mr M had his pre-op assessment today which means he's near the top of the list....--thank heavens--. He was took poorly in the night and in that peculiar male poorly voice told me that he thought another hospitalisation was on its way....

Now gentle reader you may have surmised that I'm of the pull your socks up and keep buggering on going school of nursing, so I smiled and told him it was a good job he had a hospital appointment this morning.

Apparently it took eight goes to do his blood test......and he couldn't eat a thing.....and he'd just snooze while I drove to collect his new socks, post the letters, collect DS from the garage (another bl***dy saga).....

When I came home the flapjack tin was empty and he was snoring his old socks off!

If you need a large (but shrinking) gently vibrating old man do let me know. I won't charge you postage ?

Oh Mamissimo your love for MrM shines through in your lovely and humorous post ?
Hope his pre op results were ok and he is dealt with soon.
Thank you for your kind offer but I already have one of my own ?

Aww you LobStars are the best ?. Indulging my gabbling on about a sport none of you follow, giving me latitude to witter about something I'm passionate about.

My mother used to do the Pools too Kaimoana and she had zero interest in football. I don't think she had any idea, for eg. whether Man' Utd were more likely to win a match against Mansfield Town than draw ?. She didn't win anything either ?

Grammaretto, I expend a lot of energy watching my team play, sometimes jumping out of my seat so I get plenty of exercise when my team play ?. I'm not sure it's entirely beneficial, sometimes I think my ticker's not going to survive the tension ?.
I love the fact that your DMiL rings to see how you are! Age is no barrier to caring and she obviously cares ?. Will you be able to see her around the time of her birthday? I heard that Ms Sturgeon is considering some relaxations of the restrictions in Scotland. I've got my ? that our FM will announce some relaxations when he makes his statement on Friday.
Sounds like you had my ? for me last night ?. Thanks ?

As humourous as ever Mamissimo ?. I'm glad that Mr M had his pre-op assessment today and keep my ? that he has his op' very soon and there's no hiccup this time. I've got an old sock man of my own who sometimes increasingly often sits in his chair with his eyes closed and mouth open making vibrating noises through his nostrils so instructions for posting may be helpful but receipt of post I'll decline. You love him really, flapjack munching, vibrations and all ?

Doodle, if you feel tense reading my match report imagine how I feel watching 90 minutes + when I'm so invested in the outcome ? ?
We love the robins in our garden and they are particularly noisy this year ?. It's surprising that such a tiny little bird can make as much noise as they do!
You were in the Goldilocks zone on your walk today then. I guess you had to endure the cold then hot walks to be just right ?

I went into a shop today ? and it seemed huge! It's a shop I've visited often in the past and it never seemed that big. Curious ?. Just shows how so much time spent within your own walls can distort things. I felt safe though, very few people about, everyone masked, hand sanitiser everywhere. We bought bulbs for a semi-shaded spot in the garden ☺️

I’m not sure if it’s my dyslexia or I just have a funny way of looking at things. Cherry when I read about you looking for bulbs for a shady spot I thought you meant light bulbs ?
I have never had the interest in sport that you have but you do have a wonderful way of conveying excitement and rising tension that makes it a joy to read
When’s our next match? ?

Kaimoana.I had forgotten all about doing the pools! Now remember my grandfather doing them and the monotonous voice reading the match results. Thanks for the memory!
Mamissimo you are sooo funny about Mr M! Bit like I am with my DH. It’s amazing how every little ache or pain is greeted with an ‘oooh’ I’ve got a pain! I usually don’t say anything and then I will get ‘oh it’s gone now!’ Ladies - how many of us would mention every little twinge? None of us I bet! Women are the stronger sex! Seriously *Mamissimo”” I hope Mr M gets his op soon and all goes well.
All quiet here. Very little - well nothing actually- happening. But touch wood we are fit - fairly!- and well. Rain and gale force winds forecast for the next few days. Grim!

Doodle thank you for the link with the robin; I'll go look when I'm free (today is busy). After I'd said I couldn't hear one, the very next day, I did. I've been enjoying that garden very much.

Are you serious about dyslexia? If so, another coincidence as I've been asked to tutor a very shy wee girl of 15 who is well behind her peer as a result of this. I've been researching, amongst other devices, pens which speak as you put them on the page - technology is wonderful isn't it?

Grammaretto I went to the poetry page but it's one of those websites which defeated my eyes. I did note they're not featured any Robert Lawrence poetry. He wrote Follow the heron home which Karine Polwart popularised in song....but to be truthful I'm not sure he is Scottish.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=prVJiwyos0A

I don't care what they say about watching sport, there's no way I could get as much benefit from watching it as I do from being in that water. It changes my soul.

Oh, Mamissimo how miserable for you both; I do hope Mr Flapjack eater gets his op over soon.
Next time you bake a batch of those incredibly delicious oaty things, put them in the fruit cage and lock it!

Today I'm actually going to leave the house
Oh frabjous day, callooh, callay!

Ali is driving over from her fastness in Muriwai and we're going to a cafe. Be still my wonky heart.

And speaking of wonky, did I remember to post this happy video from another thread? Thanks to Ashcombe for this.

Guaranteed to cheer one up.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yskf94MYM1I

Which I hope it does for all of you.

Thanks Kaimoana via Ashcombe, it's alway good to have big belly laugh and I couldn't stop ??

Night night ?

I'm a bit weary this evening. It has been a lovely day and DH didn't want to waste it so we went walking again. I should have twigged that I was in for more than a gentle stroll - DH withdrew an Ordinance Survey map from his pocket as we drew near to a footpath, avoided to date because it is at the bottom of a steep hill!

I'm honestly not really complaining, it was worth it. However, I'm not as fit as I could be and steep hills that just go on and on upwards are 'challenging'. The views over our village and surrounding countryside were spectacular as were the wooded parts which will be carpeted in bluebells soon.

I'm curious to know what the walkers among you carry when you are out for a stroll. I have been carrying a small cross-body handbag for house keys, mobile, glasses, covid kit, purse, hankies, lens cleaners, folded carrier bag,notebook, pen..... I find that after a while the bag is heavy on my shoulder and I get a pain in the neck. Lately, I have dispensed with the handbag and loaded up my coat pockets (and DH's). But that is no use either, especially as I get hot and need to remove a layer or two.

I've just taken delivery of a small, women's rucksack. It is waterproof and lightweight, has chest and waist straps and shaped, padded shoulder straps. The trouble is, as soon as DH saw it, he came up with a whole list of things I could carry, including a 2 litre container of milk and a bag of potatoes. (DH thinks we could pick bits and pieces up as we pass the shops on the way home. I must always make sure I have the carrier bag to give him.) But seriously, are there things that I really ought to carry or you would not be without?

To add insult to injury today, I decided to turn on the fitness app on my phone. Every time I stopped (to get my breath, open a gate, admire the view), a little voice from the depths of my pocket told me that the application had paused. I had to wait until I got home to sort out the settings. I took approximately 7800 steps over 73 minutes, burnt 1280 Kcals but only walked 3.5 miles (it feels as if it was all uphill).

This afternoon, I finished knitting a hat with leftover wool from my recently knitted sweater. Tomorrow, I may try the phone app with my exercise bike, rain is forecast!

Mamissimo and Jan16, I have to say that my DH is the 'strong, silent type'. He rarely complains about his health or makes a fuss. I'm not sure that I wouldn't prefer it if he did. He makes me feel so guilty when I complain about not feeling well, or just run out of energy. Mind you, he also vibrates quietly, when we are watching the TV together, usually while holding the remote.

I'm grateful that I am going through a phase of being fairly well at the moment. I think of my fellow lobstars frequently, and hope that you are all as well as you can be.

Kaimoana, wonky donkey very funny!

https://www.gransnet.com/uploads/talk/202103/medium-824326-baby-thug.jpg https://www.gransnet.com/uploads/talk/202103/medium-171473-malham.jpg https://www.gransnet.com/uploads/talk/202103/medium-955724-malham-from-top.jpg

My goodness Missedout you carry self-torture to whole new levels!

When my DH and I used to go short-walking it was for pleasure rather than exercise (which in those days, rarely occurred to anyone - you walked because you loved it) and apart from obvious necessities such as house keys and money, we took only a bottle of water each.

But I've no room to criticise anyone for pushing themselves to the limit.

With both boys, my DH and I went all-weather camping which entailed walking miles before my beloved agreed to make camp.
We had no vehicle so took the bus to some point and walk from there, hours into the remote wilderness (well, it felt like that at times).

I carried a pack with food, spare clothing, stove, tent and sleeping bag plus all accoutrements for a non-walking baby....plus the chunky, non walking baby

(Some years later when I was required to negotiate a British Army Obstacle course with a 40lb pack, it was a breeze compared to full-kit winter camping with the family )

My DH carried food, clothing, drink, plates, cups, the tent and sleeping bags for himself and elder son plus anything else deemed necessary (camera equipment and books)

You can imagine how we staggered around the Yorkshire Dales and up coastal paths - and people told us we were utterly mad.

It was worth it when we stopped at places such as Malham Cove and had fun in the water and the baby ate sheep pooh and daisies.

This picture shows the lovely grassy sward where we pitched our tents and watched climbers fall off the scar practising their skills. When they got to the top, there was a spectacular view (pictured)

We took the less dangerous but long-winded route to the top.

In those days (70's), few people were around and wild camping was allowed - as long as one "left only footprints and took only photographs".

Ah, the beautiful memories of my youth....

Nice trip out and conversation with Ali this morning, except that the cafe had run out of orange and date scones

I'm now going to visit the Dean for my daily dose of an English garden in Springtime.

Cherry glad that video made you smile.

Hello Lobstars,

I'm lovin' it!
from wonkey donkey (the baby seems less than impressed) to climbing hills with heavy rucksacks.

I used to carry a small rucksack on my daily walk which never lasts more than a couple of hours and is for wellbeing and exercise, but as I never opened it, my supplies got smaller so now it's just a facemask, a hankie, gloves, phone all in my pockets. I even leave purse and keys at home. (I have a keypad)

Our last yoga teacher used to object to people sipping water during class. She compared it to gym culture and said none of you will suffer dehydration doing yoga for an hour.

Nicola is allowing us to meet in each other's gardens from Friday (some of us have been doing that already) Does this mean I will need to be hospitable again and provide snacks and use of loo! Help. I have become quite self-contained in my very untidy nest, and antisocial.

Your tale kaimoana of those intrepid camping trips remined me of buying my DD a sleeping bag when she was a young teen and having sleepovers (which she denies ever going on)
I was asked in a camping shop whether I was looking for a 1,2, 3 or 4 seasons sleeping bag.? Taken aback I mumbled "the cheapest" when another customer began regaling us with his tales of camping with his boys in the Himalayas with ultra-warm extra-light equipment. Hmm, I replied. When I was a child we were just told to keep our clothes on if we were cold . Mr "showoff super camper" then changed tack and said Ah, but when I was a boy we couldn't afford sleeping bags and had blankets pinned together...
I remember we bought the nice patterned blue one, reduced in the sale.

I was taught to spin by an intrepid woman who took had recently cycled around Scotland, carrying all she required on the pillions of her folding bike and on the way she would stop at village halls to give a talks and knit or crochet local landmarks. She had some wonderful stories... and wrote a book about her experiences
knit 1 bike 1
createwithfibre.co.uk/howtospinbook

Happy memories. Thanks gang for the fun of memory lane.

I saw your post Cherry on the GM thread. I do hope something can be done for and about your neighbours.
It's intolerable.