The Lockdown Gang - Just chatting ⭐️

Well that certainly caught me on the hop.
Kaimoana mentioned the other day that we were 970 messages and I thought we still had a long way to go.
It was a surprise to find out we’d reached another 1000
Don’t know if any of you want to carry on with this thread so I thought I’d just continue as a chat.
If you want to post, you will be more than welcome but don’t feel obliged on my account.
I have loved being with you all for these last 12 months or more and hope we can keep in touch, whenever you feel like it.

Had a phone call from DS2 tonight who wanted his Dad’s opinion on a new contract offer. Nice to know that they still value DH’s advice.
I’ve been sewing today. Making table mats by using all the ideas I’ve got on a small scale. A bit frustrating as my lovely machine decided to eat two pieces of material and it took ages to untangle things.
Jeeves has gone out with a jug of hot chocolate so that he can revive you when you eventually find our new home.
Take care all and hope to see you later ?

Grammaretto hope the paint is the right colour.
Jan I bet your squirrels can’t believe their luck. Their own feeder and food. It must be lovely looking in your garden watching the cat, watching the squirrels and the birds trying to get to their feeders. ?

Doodle ! I found you ?
Pleased to say I captured Fergal reasonably successfully this morning. the plastic surgeon says the scarring will soon fade.
Mr M is currently outside putting fleece over the apricot trees....they look like 3 Victorian ghosts.....I've told him they are hardy but because they're stoned fruit he's cosseting them. He's not spoiling the plums so I don't quite get his logic.

I hope you kept Jeeves on? I've become accustomed to being spoilt occasionally. If no one else requires servicing I'll take him off your hands?

Glad you’re here Mamissimo. Yes Jeeves is still here, on the lookout for any lost gangsters.

Your mention of MrM wrapping the trees remindered me of a fjord we visited in Norway where all the trees in the small village had knitted outfits. The most amazing one was a tree that had a woman with an umbrella knitted round it. I will have to see if I can find it anywhere to show you. Perhaps you could use it to inspire MrM to be a bit more creative with his tree wrapping ?
Hope Fergal has forgiven you for his trip to the vet or is he still sulking ?

Hello folks,yes it did not take too long to find you all.

Trusting you have all enjoyed a great easter break,the weather certainly was superb, bringing huge crowds to our area yet again.

Thankfully the weekend passed without any serious incident,and although we are both very much tied to home,I certainly appreciated having no major difficulties.
In fact we had one lovely surprise.
We won the Easter raffle,a basket filled with easter bunnies and goodies,just a shame neither of us could partake,though the carers fully appreciated helping us out!

I remain my usual weary self whilst my dearest lurches from one day to the next,so unwell and frail,a wan smile is rather rare nowadays.

Totally feeling a stranger amongst you here I have to say.

Hello everyone I have brought a housewarming gift in the form of spring flowers. I say spring although we had snow and hail today.

So pleased you survived the holiday with no major upset Panache you are constantly in my thoughts even when I am absent.
In fact you all are.

Panache you may feel a stranger but I can assure you, you’re not. We think about you every day. I’m glad you got through the Easter break ok.
How lovely to win the raffle even if you couldn’t partake.
I’m glad you found us in our new home. Don’t forget you are one of us. Whether you post or not. Much love coming your way ?
dragonfly what lovely flowers, thank you. We had sleet here today too, it looks like being a cold night. You are also part of our gang. Hope you are doing ok. Always lovely to hear from you ?

Panache Never, ever a stranger!
Good to see your poor, weary fingers managed to let us know the very mixed news from your abode. Thank you. We all care so much about you and MrP.
How lovely that you won the raffle and were able to treat the carers. Were you able to sneak just a smidgen for yourself?

Doodle It's not so much playing it down as living the family motto, 'Never give up, never give in'. One day I may have to but not today
Now, about this rope - was it you or the Flymo tied to it?
Was this an invention in case you went off piste as it were, or should those words be reversed?

Nfk What a lovely Easter you had; how nice to see your family and play Easter bunnies with the eggs .
I have a feeling the screeching, swearer was a druggie; they can kick off at anything.

Grammaretto Your painter has no excuse; all paint shops have computerised colour matching mixers these days.
No, I don't have arnica, nor can I get into the bush to find Kowhai but to tell the truth, I haven't time to make a salve anyway. It's not that bad really.

Jan16 Are your squirrels red ones? Nutkin can be No. 2 squirrel.

I used to have goats. They are experts at:

1. getting stuck and/or entangled in anything, especially in the middle of the night, usually in wet and stormy weather.
Our dear old Julius, managed to get the loop of his collar stuck to the electric fence and at 3am I heard his pitiful, electrocuted crying and dashed out - in my nightie - to free him - during Cyclone Bola. It was a shocking task to get him free.

2. Escaping from whatever super-secure enclosure you think you've devised.

When I was a member of the Kumeu Small Landowners Association, we had an education campaign to try to prevent owners tying goats on grass verges and using them as mowers, especially without any shelter (goats hate rain).

They will only live on a diet of just grass if forced to do so.
Goats, unlike sheep, are browsers, so Mamissimo's French goats had the ideal life, able to find mixed foliage, medication and herbs.
Goats know Willow is calming and healing and my poor old goat dashed to the Willow tree after his electric fence experience.

All change at 4425:
Anna isn't coming for lunch today Computer issues at work need solving - so we'll have lunch tomorrow.

I made and decorated 24 buns this morning (I do not like "cupcakes" unless I make them in cups) which Ali will, I hope, take to my mechanic.

He's just found her a very rare tyre after her own man said there were none in NZ and she'd have to wait 6 months!
If she forgets to call in, and that wouldn't surprise me, my DS will take them on Friday.
I usually make something nice for the boys in the workshop, they do over and above what most car workshops do.

Then Annie, who was coming from Tauranga on Saturday rang to say her elderly Poppa is in hospital so she might not make it. I advised her not to even try. It's a long way (205km) to dash back if he takes a turn for the worse.

But, fingers crossed, it's still all on for the new computer on Friday. I've probably jinxed it by writing that!

I had a lovely surprise yesterday when my grand-daughter (who also lives 200+km away) popped in unexpectedly and stayed all afternoon.
She wants us to take a road trip, so once my purple knees and gashed shins have gone, we'll plan that.
She's just begun a 2 year course as a Quantity Surveyor, so The Trip will be in the uni holidays.

They say it's a Chinese curse, "May you live in interesting times" but to me it's an absolute delight, I never know what's going to happen next, even after 74 years.

The best laid plans aft gang agley said Rabbie and he was right.

Keep smiling you lot

For the gardeners, there are some lovely podcasts on BBC Sounds at the moment.\

Dymock Daffodils:
www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b010xy2r

The Flower Fields (Cornwall's quillets)
www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b01nb02j

The Englishman who saved Japan's blossoms
www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m0003ctm

And the Home page of Living World gives a whole list of wonderful programmes:
www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b007qyz3

Oh dragonfly I didn't notice you hiding behind that beautiful bouquet. How lovely and do you know, they are very like the ones I had in hospital when I was in labour with my son.
It was a One Of Each bouquet: one daff, one tulip, one freesia, one iris etc and I "lost myself" in them when the pain surged.
So long ago......

Thanks Doodle I found you all!
You can't hide from me .
Thankyou for joining in Panache it can't be easy when you are in the place you are in and people are rushing about making plans. I am glad that your Easter was nice and that you won the raffle.
In the first days of the pandemic last year, it seems that the phone was constantly ringing but now it hardly ever does though I was pleased to hear from my DB. He sent a photo of an adder he spotted. Can you?

I love Spring flowers too Dragonfly particularly freesias if you want to send me some

I'm sure your apricots will appreciate the warm coat Mamissimo I do believe plums are generally more hardy. 2 years ago my plum tree was so laden that it fell over and had to be pruned in half and propped up with a very sturdy stake. I was supposed to have taken half the fruit off it much earlier.
Jan goodness, what lucky squirrels. Here they are as bad as rats and I have stopped putting out bird feed as I reckon there is always something to eat in my wilderness.

You are right about goats Kaimoana
We "looked after" Mary Lou, a handsome British Toggenburg for what was supposed to be the Summer but I gave up.
She A) didn't eat grass
B) kept escaping and was once brought home by a lorry driver who found her running down the high street scattering the people. and said rather dourly *Lucky I know about goats"
C) couldn't be left alone and ate everything that wasn't grass: trees, flowers, clothes etc

Dear Gangsters
Before the last thread reached 1000 I intended to ask if you wanted to go on. The end came suddenly and caught me out so I started this new one as you can see.
I have been so grateful for the company of you lovely people. Must be over a year now surely. I just wanted to say, please don’t feel obliged to keep posting if you feel the thread has run it’s course but if any of you want to continue, please do so as and when it suits you.
I will continue (talking to myself if necessary ?) as long as there is someone to talk to.
Once again, your company has meant so much. The things I have learnt, the stories, family history, gardening, football ⚽️and the laughter and sadness shared have all contributed a great deal to a thread I started (with Cherry’s encouragement) at the beginning of lockdown. I never thought it would run to 1000 posts, let alone how many we have had since then. What a lovely supportive lot you are.
There, said my piece. ?

I have never had a goat. I’m beginning to think that’s probably a good thing. Kiamoana your tales of the electrified goat made me laugh even though I shouldn’t. Poor thing, and you outside in your nightie trying to free him ?
No the rope was attached to the lawn mower. A flymo. I stood at the top of the slope and let the mower down with the rope attached to its handle and then pulled it back to the top again with the rope. Had I joined the mower on the slope (a near thing on a number of occasions) both of us would have slid downhill at quite a rate and off the edge onto the paving.
Some of your plans seem to have gone awry. Hope you get to meet up with your friends soon. Are you attracted to people whose names begin with A, Ali, Anna and Annie ?
What a lovely surprise visit from your DGD and how nice she wants to take you on a trip with her.
Hope those knees mend soon and aren’t causing you too much trouble,
Grammaretto good you found us. ?. I absolutely hate snakes. I know it isn’t logical but they frighten me. However, I couldn’t resist looking at the photo. I think I can see a little head on the far right. Is that it? Your son must have keen eyesight to spot that.
How’s the no dig patch coming on?

DH is waiting for his telephone appointment with his haematologist today. Think his bloods are ok so hopefully she will be pleased.
His sleeping is getting worse and worse. Last night between going to bed and getting up this morning I think he was up every hour having to walk around. I think I have said, he suffers from something like restless leg syndrome but all over his body. Some have said it could be linked to low iron or magnesium so he is going to chat to his consultant to see if she thinks he can take supplements of either with his blood condition.
Hope everyone has a good day. ?

Jan ? cooe. Here we are. ?

Thought I’d lost you all forever! ?! Need a large glass of wine please Jeeves to go with the one DH has just poured me!

Here you are Jan ? and ? and ? . Just to get over the shock of being lost ?

Doodle Think everyone sounds as if they want to carry on with this lovely thread. It’s so friendly and so many different people telling such lovely stories.
Kaimoana. No sadly our squirrels are the boring grey ones but they are so funny to watch and so clever. Took Sammy seconds to realise he had to push the lid up with his nose to get at his food! There are red squirrels further up North but not many although wildlife people are trying to encourage them.
Good to hear from Panache and that things haven’t been too bad over Easter. How lovely to win the Easter hamper. I love chocolate and if we have any I just can’t leave it alone!
Excitement for next week is that my daughter and husband are coming over for a couple of days. Haven’t seen them since Christmas. Just hoping the weather stays reasonable as the pubs can open to serve people in the gardens. Our local pub has a large garden so looking forward to getting out and meeting people again. Oh and other big treat is I’m getting my hair cut on Tuesday!

Jan I am so jealous. I want my hair cut too.
I bet you can’t wait to see your DD and SIL. Do they live far away?

https://www.gransnet.com/uploads/talk/202104/medium-823560-bun.jpg https://www.gransnet.com/uploads/talk/202104/medium-627332-dean-and-pigs.jpg

Doodle not only do I attract people with A, I have about 5 Karens in my life too and at Communicare there are 4 people with my name, including the co-ordinator so when someone calls her, we all turn. .

Jeeves came galloping up to me yesterday, hot chocolate at the ready, in quite a panic saying, 'They've all disappeared!" and I thought for a moment he meant his wits
I poured him a nice glass of 'invigorated' chocolate and showed him the plans for the new swimming and spa pools. So if you hear digging....

Grammaretto I haven't a hope of finding the adder, although unlike Doodle I love snakes ( or 'nakes' as my wee boy used to call them) but just maybe I spotted a bit of pattern, running vertically up the picture , bottom right-ish?

Hilariously, I've bought a hair-piece or maybe that should read 'I've bought a hilarious hair piece.' ?

Years ago as a teenager and wanting to look like my heroine Joan Baez, I bought a long, dark full wig to cover my cobweb hair.
In a clinch with my new boyfriend, his watch strap caught and pulled it off, giving me a startling scalped look - for which I suspect he needed much counselling afterwards.
So I've never dared venture on that particular ground since - until now.
It's like a scrunchie, so it winds around my pony-tail and means I can scrape the wispy stuff up and under it and look marginally neat. If bizarre.

Alexa just arrived - at least that's one thing I can be sure will turn up when arranged. hee hee

Thinking about you all and adding a rather endearing picture of a kindly Anglican clergyman for you to smile over.

Hello Gang,

Thinking about names Kaimoana
Our own family has an unfortunately small name pool. Son with the same name as SiL. DGMs who share a name.
When DS1 was first dating, he seemed to have a new GF every week (not really but that is what it seemed like). On at least one occasion, DH called GF2 by GF1's name. Luckily they were similar so he blurred the names together and maybe got away with it

Well done on the hair solutions BTW.
There are a few advantages in not going out and not seeing people except from behind a mask and under a hat. I haven't ventured near the hairdresser yet or garden centre, though they are open I believe.
A petri dish of viruses.
Are you still having fun with Alexa?

Such a lovely endorsement of the value and power of your wonderful thread Doodle and Cherry All I can add is a sincere thankyou. It has been a lifeline for me.

I have been invited to DD's next week as it's my wedding anniversary would have been and she doesn't want me to be alone.

I'm off to the community shop. I have run out of milk and my tea is too bitter without.

Lovely topknot Kaimana. I have seen those sort of hair things on Pinterest. Very popular these days.
I have never worn a wig but often wanted to. My own hair was always so thick and had a strong wave. I always wanted long flowing locks. If only they’d had hair straighteners when I was young. Actually that probably wouldn’t have helped as even with straightening it is wavy.
I satisfy my long hair desire these days by looking at my younger DGD whose hair flows in soft curls and waves down past her waist.
I wonder what your young man thought when your wig came off. ?
Have you set your Alexa up yet? She can be quite a stroppy madam on occasions. I often hear her arguing with DH last thing at night. ?
I find her useful as she helps me with my spelling (remember the dyslexia) sometimes if she doesn’t hear me correctly the results are hilarious.
See you’ve been catching up with the Dean and the piggies ?
Grammaretto some families tend to stick to using family names over and over. My cousin has a son and SIL with the same name too. Gets very confusing.
We have found one advantage of lockdown is that i have saved a fortune on hairspray and make up. I wouldn’t normally go out without putting on my ‘outside face’ so as not to frighten the neighbours. These days I put a mask over my face and a hat on my head and off we go ?
Glad you like our thread. Happy to keep going for as long as anyone’s interested.
Thoughtful of your DD to invite you over next week. Hopefully you can share some happy memories together.

We are off to the chemist. DHs night time restlessness and irritation has gone beyond funny and he has hardly slept for the last 3 nights. He can’t lay in bed or sit in a chair so is walking around a lot. We had a chat with our GP this morning and she has prescribed something for him which I hope will have some effect.......before he wears a hole in the lounge carpet.
Back later ?

Hello Gangsters, lovely to hear from Doodle and to know there is a new thread. I will continue to read and stay abreast of everyone’s news.
I have been a bit up and down ... 2/3 good days this week and then today not so good. The Molls (our three cats) are tickety boo. We are sending good wishes to you all ... and new blossom from the garden. x ???

Oh Nortat that’s so kind of you to pop in. Sorry to hear you are still not feeling as well as you could be.
Good to hear our Molls are ok. ?
Thank you for the lovely photo. Take care and keep safe. ?

I wonder where our Cherry is. I hope she is not lost.
Perhaps still recovering from the excitement of the last football match. I will send Jeeves out later to see if he can find her and tempt her back with some hot chocolate. ?