The Lockdown Gang - Just chatting ⭐️

Mamissimo I can see MrM now, outside at night with his camouflage gear on, balaclava and night goggles sitting motionless in a secluded nook waiting for a Roland so poke his nose out before he snaps his photo.?.
Just read the rest of your post and wonder if he will actually be in the seeing room with his camera. ?
It must be really annoying to have spent all that time planting only for the sex mad pigeons to descend on your crops for sustenance during their mating orgy. How rude ?
That’s a nice idea for a present for your DILs birthday.
Still all fingers and toes crossed here. Hope all is well.

Ah got there before me ?

Hello Lobstars, I'm back again. DH and I had a relatively uneventful 2 weeks away but I have mixed feelings about being home. Although we are more or less isolated on the boat, there is always someone about and mooring up in the evenings usually ends up in conversation on the towpath with other boaters. Now we are home, we probably won't see anyone new from one day to the next.

DH and I both enjoy the physical exercise of boating. It is an opportunity to increase our skills and we learn more each time. We both drive the boat and work the locks. (Narrowboats are steered from the back - the direction you push the tiller is where the back of the boat goes, the front moves in the opposite direction. It takes a bit of getting used to especially if you try to move backwards.) I love taking time to glide quietly through the slowly changing countryside. This holiday, I put an app on my phone that identified birds from their song. However, a narrowboat is well....narrow and our shared one is ageing and not as comfortable as home.

I sorted out another online shop while on the boat and had a food delivery today. So, apart from the large heap of washing acquired after 2 weeks away, the fridge and kitchen cupboards are well stocked and we are already back to normal.

We hope to see our nearest DS and family soon but think the other grandparents are staying there so we'll have to wait our turn.

I hope Cherry's kitchen is soon finished and Mamissimo's DD2 has good news soon.

I'm thinking of my fellow lobstars. It's time for our lovely, king-sized bed - mmmmmmh. Ooooh Jeeves, hot chocolate too, bliss!

Welcome home Misssedout your trip sounds lovely. So peaceful. I expect you met a lot of like minded souls on the canals.
That was a good idea getting a food order for when you get home.

Have a good night in your comfy bed ?

So many coincidences. Long before I read the messages above, I dreamed of a rat - maybe there's some deep psychological reason?
I'm not scared of them, in fact I once picked one up in the road. Of course it bit me and I had to hold its nose to make it let go.

Then a book I've just begun, which isn't anywhere near as grim as it first appears.
The gentle art of Swedish death cleaning: how to free yourself and your family from a lifetime of clutter by Margareta Magnusson.
I've only just started it as the title intrigued me.

That's all from me at the moment; wishing everyone well and happy.

ixion if you're reading COYI! ?️.

Oh yes, cherry, bated breath here by me and Edward Bear, (aged 67, complete with Hammers scarf and face covering), lone fans here in the sea of City and Man U acolytes.
I am also a tad relieved that we are not fighting for a 4th position.
But can you tell me, please, if, after whatever outcome today, we might get a place in a 'foreign' league or tournament?
Many thanks - celebrate/ commiserate later!

ixion we need a point for Europa or Spurs to lose. We'll be in the new European competition (not sure what it's called) if we don't end up sixth. So far so good! Hold on tight to Edward Bear ?

ixion and Cherry I take it ‘our’ team are playing today. Now I know who ‘we’ are, I’ll cheer them on ?

Kaimoana another coincidence. You are reading a book about decluttering and that is exactly what I’ve been doing this weekend (and driving DH to drink at the same time. You don’t want this anymore do you? Can I throw this away? Whatever are you keeping this for? You haven’t still got that have you ?. Poor chap, can’t call his house his home anymore ?)
I have been doing my stuff too. Sorted out all my craft stuff and have collected all the DGCs old toys and games for the charity shop......except for the ones I can’t part with.
Hope you’re feeling ok, you sound a bit quiet. x

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Me and my trusty mate!

Love him ixion, great mascot! Europa here we come ?? ?. We did it Doodle, yeeeeeees!

Hurrah for us. Yippee. I love your Ted Ixion ?

What a lovely (and thankfully, happy) football theme !
Ixion is that a chair from a scool or kindergarten?
When my elder son was small, I bought a couple of tiny, ex-primary school chairs exactly like that.
When we came out to NZ (1973) almost everything we owned had to be sold, including his dear little chair.

Welcome back Missedout, I was dreading the locks on your behalf

I wonder if the Mamissimos are eating pigeon pie?

I've invited my friend Rose to morning tea on Tuesday. Sad to say, people at the group avoid her because she repeats the same story over and over again. She's almost 81.

Has anyone heard about or from the Panaches?
Hope all is well for every one of our Gang.

Well our team Leicester didn’t make it to Europe next year but probably not a bad thing.
Sorry to hear the Panaches* are struggling again, my thoughts are with them.
I have nearly packed my bag for our trip down south on Thursday!

Kaimoana what a shame about your sons little chair. We had a little wicker armchair for our son. I made padded cushions for it.
Nice of you to invite Rose for tea. It is sad when people can’t accept the fact that someone has memory problems.
I’ve been wondering about the Panaches too. I hope things are ok,
Dragonfly I bet you are looking forward to your trip. how long will it take you to get there?

Good morning ?

It's drug treatment day for me so a quiet snooze in the hospital all afternoon rather than wielding my (delete as appropriate) paintbrush, hoe, bird scarer, leg of lamb.......

Mr M and I have decided by a majority of one that in future a bod will come in to do the decorating. I know that Mr M is a perfectionist and very thorough but his knees are not up to it...so I end up doing all the skirting boards....and I can't get up from kneeling without a hoist! I was reduced to crawling along the landing yesterday so that I could find something to pull myself to up with. Enough!

Mr M then inspected my work and helpfully pointed out a minor infringement single spec of dust on the paint and suggested that I might need to give it a gentle rub down and a third coat.......luckily the leg of lamb was in my overall pocket...

DD2 is still PUPO ?. The tension is rising......

Thinking of the Panaches and the whole lot you....

For cherryand doodle.

When we were (both) very young

Thank you for your kind observation, kaimona, about Edward Bear's chair. It is a vintage nursery chair, bought especially for his 60th!

Hi from sunny Yorkshire! Love all the teddy bears. Have several at home all sitting on the bed! One belonged to our little dog Sophie. When she died I couldn’t thrown her “Big Ted” away so he sits on our bed chewed and battered!
Yorkshire is lovely as usual. Beautiful day today but had lots of rain last night. As usual eating and drinking too much in the many great pubs around! Had a wasted day yesterday when the car got a puncture. Usual story of tyre ruined so had new one at great cost!!
Hope everyone is well and also thinking about the Panaches

Hello gang. Away for one night at seaside. It’s raining.?
Wi fi intermittent so will catch up with you all tomorrow.
Sleep well

Hello Lobstars,

I actually wrote a wonderful message yesterday but it disappeared. I can't remember what it was about apart from admiring your bear ixion and wishing your DD more good wishes, Mamissimo

So Doodle you are at the seaside
That is good news. Who cares about a bit of rain. We aren't made of sugar.

I have had a quote from another painter but it is too expensive so I may have another Helpx or another quote. I know I won't do it myself. As it is I am sitting in a room which was only half painted. It changes colour halfway across the ceiling.

I am happy to hear you are safe and warm Missedout and that you have a toilet, Cherry
I would love some good news from the Panaches - I guess we all would.

Dragonfly is going away. I am too but not until next week so I am really hoping for sunny weather. Jan is away - enjoying the many pubs

I collected manure and groomed my friend's pony on Saturday. If anyone is thinking of getting me a lockdown pet - a shetland pony please.

Oh yes I do have news. I made friends with the hairdresser and have a hair appointment tomorrow. First cut since before Christmas.

https://www.gransnet.com/uploads/talk/202105/medium-602815-1-kiwi-crossing.jpg https://www.gransnet.com/uploads/talk/202105/medium-37092-1-southern-alps.jpg https://www.gransnet.com/uploads/talk/202105/medium-691865-1-tree-wanaka.jpg

I don't have anything interesting to tell: I'm not going on holiday, we don't have pubs here (more's the pity) nor do we have an IKEA to clutter the house, so I thought I'd delight you with a few random pictures of New Zealand.

All of the South Island.

The tree is in Lake Wanaka and it is said to be one of the most photographed trees in the world. It's a very old Willow. In October 2020, someone attacked it and managed to slice off several branches

Where there is beauty, evil soon follows

Good morning ?
Kaimoana you made me bridle....and ? The whole point of IKEA for me is that I can buy storage solutions so that my house isn't swamped by my stuff. Being a doer leads to me having a bewildering amount of useful stuff that has to go somewhere. I make clothes and do patchwork and knit.....I do calligraphy......I research the ancestors....and I garden a bit. We own a few hundred books....and we are not cluttered!

We are also a useful lending resource to all and sundry. Recently lent items include a belt sander, a webbing tensioner and a mattress needle....three books...and a pressure cooker. Mr M is often lent to offspring and local organisations but I always get him back

I spent a pleasant afternoon in the chemo unit yesterday having my six weekly drug therapy. They were busy so they popped me in a room with two pleasant men in their early 70's the kind who if they were women would know that you never wear pearls in the morning. The funny thing was that we all shared acquaintances but had never met before. They're coming for drinks at the weekend and bringing their wives to meet Mr M. ?

I was reading in the paper this morning about Red Kites stealing food from people in Henley. I knew about the Kite threat in the Chilterns but hadn't realised that it was the Gettys who had reintroduced them. DD2 used to teach in Watlington and they had to stop their pupils from eating in the playground.

To cut to the chase....the kite stole a biscuit from a child called Richard Bird.....big bird steals from Dicky Bird? ?

DD2 is still PUPO...... ? we will know on Friday morning......there will be some emotion.

Mamisimo You always make me laugh. Thankyou as long as I don't wet myself

Your mention of kites reminds me of why I am collecting my new specs this morning. DGD saw a kite (big bird) "It's there Grannie, just there, it's huge!" but I missed it.

Even your chemo sessions turn into social events.

I am giving away horseradish tomorrow. 4 people from facebook are coming to dig it all out so I have space for some veg which I actually like to eat.
What are the rest of the gang up to?

Just found this photo of our beloved Sophie and her “bit Ted” on my I pad. How could I get rid of such a loved teddy ?