The Lockdown Gang - Just chatting ⭐️

Hi Dragonfly great to see you back but sorry about your poor DiL. Let's hope it disappears as quickly as it arrived.
It's my title deeds which have gone missing although i am prepared to believe they could turn up at Mamissimo's
An odd day so far. I went in search of stair carpet but was sent to their branch in a neighbouring town. I have someone coming to measure up next week. The tree surgeon turned up and has agreed to trim my wild garden including felling a couple of trees. Don't worry I have thousands of trees.
While out I visited a secret garden and bumped into a couple of old friends.
I came home on the bus armed with several carpet samples and a beautiful bunch of flowers from that garden.

Hallo gangsters - sorry I have been awol for a while but I was so worried I couldn't post.
A few weeks ago my DiL had terrible migraines and lost the use of her eye - it wouldn't move. Also she had palsy in her face. She had Bell's Palsy a couple of years ago but this was different.
She had CT scans to determine if it was an aneurism or stroke and last week she had an MRI looking for a tumour.
I am happy to say it is none of the above and it was maybe caused by a virus. They hope over the next few months it will right itself but they are keeping an eye on her.
It is hard as she has a 3 year old and a 6 year old and it is school holidays.

So sorry to hear about your trip to hospital Nortsat. It is not pleasant although when I spent a Sunday there recently I quite enjoyed being waited on hand and foot!!

I have not been able to read all the news but I can see that Karen is a treasure Kaimoana.

Could your house deeds be in the vault at the bank Mamissimo. I know ours were there for a while.

Well now that drama is nearly over I expect I will find something else to worry about.

Good morning ?

Shhh.....I have DS asleep upstairs! He's a growing boy who needs his fifteen hours at the moment. His partner dropped him off yesterday into our care and control for a couple of days. I feel so much happier now I've seen him and fed him.
I had my eyes tested yesterday.....2 years late due to COVID and they seem to think I'll see more things notice a big difference with the new glasses. What I'll notice is the huge hole in my bank account! I told Mr M that they really weren't too expensive if you calculate that I wear them sixteen hours a day, every day. They're cheaper than chips which only last five minutes. He's not convinced!

It's admin day for me so I'll see whether Grammaretto's deeds are in my desk as I have to claim my state pension, renew the house insurance, fill in pages of bumph for the local council about my views on cycling facilities, and other exciting tasks. I know I'll get sidetracked because I have the breaking strain of a kitkat when it's a job I don't want to do.

There will be excitement though as DHL not an abbreviation for a relative, the delivery company are bringing a parcel and I can't remember ordering anything except.....the pigeon defeating cage for my cabbages!

Happy days!

Thanks for that link gramaretto. I love the landscapes and am very envious of anyone who can get so much feeling into a painting - and know when to stop painting!

Thanks for the link grammaretto. I will look out for her work.

Hello Grammaretto I’ve just come in from watering our communal garden. I only do two days a week but I’m surprised how long it takes, especially when you stop for long chats with the neighbours as you are doing it ?
Now you’ve mentioned it I will be sure to look out for them. I think we are going round the house as well as the gardens so quite looking forward to it.
Hope all the gang are ok. A G&T sounds nice and it is past yardarm here ?
Talking of yardarms, reminds me. How is your knitting coming along, do you still meet up with your group?

Hello Lobstars,

I hope the peace and quiet here means you are all enjoying yourselves sleeping
Ah Mottisfont Doodle I have never been there. I hope you enjoy it. It looks wonderful and there are Joan Eardley paintings to view in the Red Room.
I love her work though it is diverse from portraits of urchins in Glasgow tenements to some wide open landscapes painted when she lived on the Aberdeenshire coast at Catterline.
joaneardley.com/

I have spent wasted the day still searching for my title deeds of the house, to no avail, but also decluttering.

I did have a G&T last night. Thanks Jeeves.

Yes Grammaretto you can choose delivery slots, we don’t normally have them that late, they usually come in the morning it’s just that DH wanted something at short notice and it was the only slot left this week. Silly of us to forget it really.

We have been having deliveries from Waitrose and Sainsbugs since March last year. I have to say, without fail, all the delivery drivers have been so lovely. I haven’t a bad word to say about any of them. They have been courteous, funny, smiley, warm, helpful and charming both young and old. Last nights young man was so apologetic for being late. Apparently someone was off sick. He was such a nice looking young chap I almost kept him ?
Nice to have someone for coffee. I bet the children loved visiting your pottery. Just the sort of thing that would have appealed to me as a child.
A big flat should get snapped up quite quickly. Sorry you have a list of things to do. Hope they’re not too expensive.
Lovely visit from your son to look forward to as well. That’s nice.
Hope you had a nice time in the garden.
I am going to Mottisfont Manor on Thursday for a day out with DH. It is NT. really looking forward to doing something different. ……hope it doesn’t rain ?
Have a good evening all. Jeeves is resting as the requirement for hot chocolate is limited at the moment. However, if you fancy a G&T or cocktail please ring for him ?

Can you choose delivery times? Doodle I wouldn't like to hear the doorbell late at night.
Perhaps that's why I don't buy online.much

Cabbage art-well who knew!

The friend who came to coffee this morning had only just heard about DH. That was a surprise. I guess she hardly knew him and I first met her when she brought her class down to my pottery. She was a pre-school nursery teacher. It was a serious business for those little people. They made pots and pizzas out of clay and walked to and from the school about a mile away.
I don't think many teachers would be brave enough, or even be allowed, to walk through the streets with 10 children in tow.
The agency lady has inspected the flat. She seemed to like it and said it was big. It makes me wonder what other flats are like around here. She's now emailed me with a long list of expensive things I still need to do.

DS3 is coming at the weekend which is a surprise. He says he told me but I don't remember. They will call on the way home from his sister's but probably not stay over.

I have booked one thing at the Edinburgh fringe. It's online so I can watch anytime.
tickets.edfringe.com/

The sun has come out so I'll go outside.

Kaimoana DH drinks about 2 litres of water a day. He has done so for years ever since he had a kidney stone and they told him to drink water. He used to get cramp a lot but these days it’s an occasional thing (I hope) . It might have been because he ate some peanuts yesterday which are very salty.
Thanks for the suggestion though. ?
Nfk those little ones in the cabbage patch are so sweet, ?. The cabbage art is good too.
Ah yes the Dean and his hens. He also has 3 turkeys called Darcy, Lizzie and Jane and a pure white duck called ducky. Three cats, Tiger with 3 legs, Lilly and Leo. Winston and Clementine the pigs and many assorted piglets. Russel Crowe the Cockerel and many, many birds of all types. ?

DH and I were up early (for us) today. We had just decided to go to bed and DH had changed into his pyjamas when the phone rang…..it was our Sainsbugs delivery ?. We had forgotten all about it. Just as well I was still decent ?
Nortsat hope you are feeling better.
Sleep well all.

https://www.gransnet.com/uploads/talk/202108/medium-116864-d96381ec-b694-469a-8c35-fd1e73236650.jpeg https://www.gransnet.com/uploads/talk/202108/medium-750031-d27d7eee-f2b2-403e-8351-b9bc81359ea8.jpeg https://www.gransnet.com/uploads/talk/202108/medium-84438-5b201e71-82f6-41a6-826c-9170b92bcb2e.png

I thought you might like a bit of cabbage art. This is what I have to aim for!

Fingers crossed for your DD Mamissimo I do so hope all goes well this time. The holiday sounds perfect. Mussels and home brew. Wonderful.

What a lovely Dean you have Doodle. Noah too - very apt and I hope not prophetic! I love the sound of happy contented hens.

Are you feeling any better Nortsat? It sounds like you've been very ill. for a quick recovery.

Doodle In the days when I drank wine, albeit only occasionally, I got terrible cramp in my legs and discovered it was dehydration.

Has your dear DH experimented with a nice, long drink of water when cramp strikes? It only takes a few minutes to work.

Even an extra trip to the loo is better than crampy pain.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=cJr-cFsGpx8
grammaretto just a link to the Dean’s garden in case you wanted to see the flowers. Not today’s but July 12th when they were at their best. If you scroll to the ending part of the link you can hear the birdsong too. ?

Mamissimo I can see your need to find a hidey hole for a few weeks. Sounds as though you are going to be busy. Are you sure that cage isn’t for the DGC ?.
Your trip to Ireland sounds nice. Good to see your family but staying in a hotel means you can come and go as you please. If you have room in your suitcase, my younger DGD would like to come too she loves mussels.
Like grammaretto says we will all be thinking of your DD and her IVF treatment and wishing her well.
Grammaretto dusting is a dangerous business. Hope you get your chest of drawers fixed.
In my parents home we had a huge wooden structure called the hall stand. Coat rack, umbrellas etc. A distant relative called unexpectedly one day with a very large aggressive dog. He was invited to tea and the dog was tied to the hall stand to keep it out of trouble. Halfway through the afternoon there was a lot of noise and banging from the hall and the dog had managed to pull the hall stand over so that it blocked the whole hall and stairs with us one side and it the other. My father and the cousin then had to climb over to untie the maniac hound and try restore order. Distant relative left shortly after and never visited again ?
Very damp in the Deans garden today. The man deserves a medal as far as I’m concerned. He’s held morning service in his garden every day since the start of lockdown in March 19 and has been out there through rain, hail, sleet, snow and blazing sunshine because he thinks (quite rightly) that viewers enjoy seeing the garden.
At the moment DH is trying to work out his restlessness on the exercise bike. Riding very slowly just to get movement in his legs. We will see if it helps.
Pouring with rain here again. We had a lovely lunch with DS1 and just made it home before the rain set in.
Take care all.

when can you move in Mamissimo
I decided to dust behind the massive hall chest of drawers today. as you do, and pillars on the front disengaged themselves from the rest of the thing and I am not strong enough to fix them back into position.
I am having a Mr Bean moment.

Perhaps the lady from the agency will help me when she comes.

Your domestic bliss sounds anything but so good luck .

DS3 is on his way to stay with DD in the Highlands so that will be interesting in light of your family holiday experiences... I am not invited . I wouldn't expect to be as we know the length of our fuses. They have a dog this time too.

Your DD's news is just too exciting. We will all be rooting for her again.
If I get time I will visit the Dean's garden to regain my equilibrium Doodle everyone should.
I am sorry for the Dude's poor legs. I know what both those things are like. I get restless leg on long journeys, bus and plane. I get cramp too.

I also hope you are feeling a bit better today Nortsat. Hugs from me.

Good morning ?

Consider the flat let, Grammaretto - I'm moving in! The ex Covid DS is coming to sleep stay for a few days and has a "few bits of washing" that he's been too ill to tackle.....and DD2 has just rung to say that she will start her next cycle of IVF in a couple of weeks...DD1 has had enough of the holidays already and would I like to have the DGDs to stay for two days.....Nooo!

The two DDs have just returned from the family holiday that we couldn't go on because of the Covid one, and both rang to whinge about the other one tell us what a lovely time they had. ? Mr M and I think we had a lucky escape! One has dogs, one has children, both have husbands.....and they are competitive......I now understand that my role on holiday would have been to revert to mothering, herding, cooking and refereeing!

Today I am going to buy another cage for the garden - no Doodle, not for the children.....to grow my cabbages in. The temporary structure erected by Mr M had three Cabbage White butterflies in it this morning and the black kale is now lace.

On the happy front we have booked a trip home to Ireland to see my family....we are going to stay a hotel on the west coast which has its own mussel farm and it's own brewery. Heaven!

I now need to take further action to avoid my DC!

Nortsat hope you had a good night's sleep and have a restful day today.
DH was awake most of the night with dreadful cramp in his leg. He gets this from time to time. He used to take quinine for it which worked very well (despite everyone saying it doesn’t) but had to stop that when he got the medicine for restless leg syndrome. So he didn’t have restless legs but cramped ones instead. You can’t win can you ?
Nfk I am sure with your talent you can manage cabbage art. Sounds like you had a lovely time with the family and made several beautifully painted purchases ?
Nice to see your son and DGS too. A new car (even if not brand new) is always cause for excitement.
Kaimoana what a story. You must have been worn out after your trip. Your Karen sounds like a good friend prepared to go the extra mile…literally too ? I expect the homemade cake was very welcome.
Hope your parcel arrives soon. We often get parcels left outside our front door. Even though we’re in, no one rings the bell (other delivery drivers, not Royal Mail I add Grammaretto ?)
Your flat sounds very nice for some lucky person Grammaretto . I hope you find someone who is suitable and that you get on with. Living in a flat ourselves, I know how important it is to get on with your neighbours. Fortunately we are very lucky here and live with some lovely people. Some of the flats are rented and the tenants are really nice too. Fingers crossed it stays that way.

Plants will grow anywhere they can won’t they.
The Dean at Canterbury Cathedral has a wild flower meadow in the walled garden at the Deanery which we usually get to see in his Monday morning service. It is a beautiful mix of colours and flowers of all sorts. Lovely to just sit and watch the flowers moving in the breeze and listen to the bird song .
Hope everyone has a good day. We are off to lunch with DS1 today. Nice treat for us. ?

Hello Lobstars,

Your truly awful post story sounds just that Kaimoana
DS3 works for the Royal Mail here so I daren't complain too much.
It reminds me of when DS2 was at uni in England in an icy shared student house. It was his birthday, January and I had knitted him a thick sweater which I posted.
He received a card telling him to collect it from some faraway depot. With no car and no money he traipsed across the city to find the birthday surprise was a sweater. I think he was hoping for a food parcel plus cash and was mightily disappointed.
This reminds me I still haven't quite finished knitting the sweater for the df.

The agency lady is due this afternoon to inspect the granny flat. It is within the house, Doodle so we share a front door. My pottery and showroom plus spare bedroom, a library!!, and shower room plus other utilities, are on the ground floor and we all live upstairs. The flat is at the front with its own door and separate heating system, and I am at the back and above.
It will be like marmite. They will either love it or loathe it.
In its favour it is warm and sunny with a nice view. It's quiet yet in the centre of town so less than 2 minutes walk to the shops, cafes, pub and bus stop. In 10 minutes you can be in open country so... have I sold it yet?


I am sending you a picture of the honeysuckle which has grown up the scaffolding defeating the builders' best efforts to kill it.

What a dreadful shock for you dear Nortsat, hope your recovery is speedy. Sunflowers are always cheery aren't they?

Well done on the commission Grammaretto, I'm sure they'll be wonderful when finished. Mrs Clever Person

Quite a disjointed morning for me.
Karen took me to collect my previously ordered items from the supermarket. I stayed in the car but as she brought the trolley out I saw several things therein I wouldn’t eat if you paid me.

Further inspection revealed multiple items not on the printed list which comes with the order. So back we both went into the Mall and asked someone to check them off with me.

In addition to my order, I had someone else’s too.
We got it sorted but Karen and I were aware of the minutes ticking by and we had several other calls to make.

NZ Post continues to toddle down the path to oblivion.
The postie left a card on Friday telling me my parcel was too big for the mailbox (which is 2-3 metres away from my door and I was home all day) and I had to collect it from New Lynn within the week or it would go back to UK Book Depository. No alternative options for re-delivery were given, as couriers do.
NLynn is only 6km from the supermarket so thank goodness for Karen's generosity, this sort of thing is far outside her job description.

The address in a very short road, showed no signs of a NZ Post depot. We drove up and down 3 times, asked a wandering postie, she didn't know either. So running out of time and not having a Sherpa Guide to hand, we sped on to our next call 12 km away to change a faulty item at another store.
This, mercifully, went without a hitch.

NZPost rang me within minutes of my arriving home; very, very sorry and would I like them to deliver my parcel? Is not that the reason NZ Post exists? Yes, please, you barmy lot.

I mention all this mileage (and there was more) because Karen, unlike Grace, will not take a penny for petrol.

I knew this, we've been friends a long time so I'd made her an apple and almond cake instead. Home baking always seems to be appreciated by those who don't have time to do it themselves... and I like the idea of swapping skills. .

I'm thinking of you all enjoying summer warmth as I freeze me tootsie off

Love the sunflower photo. I can't grow them. The only ones in our garden are bird sown, invariably in the wrong place.

It was Kaimoana saying in her inventive post a couple of pages back that I was about to write a book "Cretonne and the Art of Cabbage" made me Google Cabbage Art and I was really impressed on the pictures which came on.

First of all though, methinks I need to master a simple cabbage. (Book writing isn't an option.)

I've spent most of today with DD2 and DGD while DH helped DSiL move a gate - between heavy showers. A lovely day for me anyway as I don't spend much time with them. I seem to have ended up buying quite a few painted stones, mostly bees and bishy barny bees (lady birds in English) and home made gift bags. DGD has entrepreneurial tendencies! Then DS popped round with DGS to show off their new (to them) car. A very good day!

I really feel for those being shut down yet again and I do so hope this "British Experiment" for living with Covid works. The thought of being cut off from family again is more than depressing.

Kaimoana I think it was Nfk who mentioned cabbage art in response you your post. Not something I have ever heard of I usually just eat mine ?
I hope your son in Sydney is safe. These lockdowns are necessary to protect as many as possible. I too feel for all those whose plans are spoilt but many will be able to re book or do later. Some aren’t so lucky. We need to try and keep each other safe.
Ooh a new lady. She sounds nice. Mape, an unusual name here is it one you’ve come across before? Hope the two of you get on. Sounds promising.
Hello to you too Grammaretto . I’m sorry, I know I must have asked this before but is the flat you are renting out separate to where you live I.e. their own front door or is it part of your own home? I hope you get someone nice.
We got used to online shopping when lockdown first started. I am better organised now but we went through phases of no eggs or too many eggs, meat but no veg, veg but no meat ?
Sounds like you had a lovely time with your niece and the family….and the dog.
I would love to see your teapot with the songbird on the top. That sounds tricky. Are the dinner plates plain or will they have a pattern on them. Do let us know how you get on.
Hope you have a good weekend too.
Nortsat lovely to hear from you but so sorry to hear you’ve been in hospital. Hope it wasn’t too traumatic and you are on the road to recovery soon. Nothing like being back home and in your own bed. Hope you are not in pain and are comfortable. Love to you and the molls x
Lovely sunflower by the way.
Jan I like sunflowers too. They make me smile just looking at them. A clean dust free house…..I can only dream ?
Hope you and yours are keeping well.
Hope all the gangsters, missing and present have a good weekend. Take care all of you.

Oh Nortsat and Missy what a frightening experience. I am sad to think of you in pain.
I hope you are a lot better now.
Thanks for the sunflower. Isn't nature amazing the way birds plant a garden.
I like the vase too. It's very elegant.
I have had two commissions this week.
I love getting commissions but then I realise I have to make the pots. One is for a teapot with a songbird on the lid. It is for a singer.
The other is for dinner plates.
Such a busy day today but it was lovely to see the people and the dog.

Norstat oh no so sorry you’ve been poorly. Really hope you’re on the mend now and soon up and about.
I love sunflowers. Sent for some from Sainsburys yesterday with my grocery order! So bright and cheerful. Hope I can harvest some seeds from them to grow in our garden.
nanna8. Lockdown is horrible isn’t it? I found it very depressing at one stage and got really down. I have a friend who’s mum lives in Melbourne. Mum usually comes over here for Wimbledon fortnight every year. She’s in her eighties but this is the third year she’s been able to come. As my friend says how much longer will she feel like doing that long flight? As you say it’s all caused by just a few selfish people.
Mamissimo I too have a lady who does! I’m just lazy but it’s lovely to come home to a clean dust free house!

Good afternoon Gangstars, I hope you are all well.
I saw Panache’s message, how thoughtful and I am sending her all my good wishes.

I had an emergency hospital admission by ambulance at 5.30am this week and a short stay. I am home now and in bed, but pleased I managed to eat a slice of toast and strawberry jam for lunch (a big step forward). The morphine managed my pain control well but knocked me for six.
I am adding a sunflower from our garden, which we did not plant, but came courtesy of the garden birds and overspill from one of the feeders.
All good wishes gangstars, Doodle, Kaimoana, Grammaretto, Mamissimo, Missedout, dear Panache, Cherry, Nfkdumpling, Jan, nanna8, dragonfly (and any Gangstar I have inadvertently overlooked) from Missy (the Mogstar) and me x ? ?