The Lockdown Gang - Just chatting ⭐️

Good afternoon gangstas ?
I'm back from Wakehurst where the DGDs took us for a walk this morning.......I counted six trillion billion blades of grass when toddling along with young Esme and was then put on duck counting duty by Mim.....there were so many that Mr M distracted her with his secret supply of jelly babies.

Mr M is Cornish and last night I made 12 pasties for lunch today and to feed the freezer. I totally loath making them because of all the chopping.....took me two hours! I'm Irish and we get it right.....we just like carbs, preferably bread and
potatoes ?

Welcome Peasandqueues what's your gardening passion? I know I ramble on about fruit and veg but I really like growing roses, particularly climbers and ramblers.....and herbacious perennials.....and bulbs but I'm not a fan of shrubs for the most part.

The jab part 2 tomorrow for me and I'm hoping I have no side effects again. Fingers crossed!

Gee honey Kaimoana a new maid! I sure do hope that she cleans your closets and makes you comfy on the porch. ? although I've lived in the USA I was never very good at speaking it!

Thoughts and meditations are with the missing ones.....

Grammaretto I PMd Cherry 4 days ago on Saturday but haven’t had a reply. I don’t like to pester as I know sometimes people don’t feel like posting. Having said that Cherry has been missing for quite a long time now and I think we are all a bit worried. I think Kaimoana has her email address. If you get your PC working ok do you think you could email her Kaimoana and pass on our best wishes. I do so hope she’s ok.
Sorry you’ve still got your sore throat. Honey and brandy before bed. (Not Honey beagle) Should I speak to Jeeves?
Mamissimo that made me laugh. I suppose counting blades of grass when you’re little and quite close to the ground is a good occupation. I love jelly babies. Could I come over and count some ducks so perhaps MrM might give some to me too. ?
Crumbs I love Cornish pasties too. Perhaps I could move in for a week and let you feed me. ?.
Good luck with your second jab tomorrow.
Panache and Cherry you know we're thinking of you and missing you both.

Have emailed Cheery, we can only wait and hope.

Nau mai ki tenei ropu - A warm Welcome Peaseandcues - although that's not how my reader pronounces it.
It also tells me Grammaretto's remark "B****D is...
"bee castersisk, casterisk, casterisk, caterisk dee".

NFK if your wee boy has Chrome as a browser, or even if he hasn't, there are others, a screen reader can be downloaded free so he can ask it to read your letters, it'll be fun.
That may encourage him to write to you, so he can hear it read back before he sends it.

My elder son wasn't a reader when very young until I got him books which had accompanying tapes.
Often it's the sheer hard work of following the lines of type. He loved them and was soon reading ordinary books.
Nowadays, the books have an integral speaker, no need for any tape, disc or machine, just open the book, press the button and read along. Here they are called Vox Books - might be worth enquiring at your (or his) library?

Waipareira has arranged for us decrepit mature, wise persons to have jabs tomorrow but transport is not included. That might be difficult to arrange at such short notice. Do I

want a jab? Not sure.

Grammaretto I would urge you to contact your GP again, if only by phone. A sore throat shouldn't last this long.
Mamissimo you are a hoot, as always. It's ages since I made a Cornish pasty. They do sell some sort of abberation here but having lived in Cornwall for years (St Columb Major if MrM knows it) I won't touch them. I make my own but as I also don't usually eat red meat either, I have to have a real craving for them.
And now I have!
The lunch yestrday was hilariosu fun; pictures were taken. When I get them, if you're all feeling up to it, I might post one. Suffice to say, I ate more at that one meal (fish and chips with salad, then passionfruit pav and cream to follow) than I do in 2 days. And enjoyed every mouthful.

Such a relief to have a new support worker, I'll let you know how it goes

To all of you, present and correct, not present and incorrect, wandering about and disreputable...have a peaceful night.

Just popping in to say hi to everyone. We have had glorious warm weather here today in Central Scotland and although we are still in lockdown we can get to parks and get takeaway coffees although we can't sit outside until 26th April. From Friday we are allowed to travel away from our local council area so I'm sure there will be plenty of people going to the seaside and visiting relatives and friends in other areas. The sunny weather certainly puts a positive slant on things.
My husband who is recovering from a broken hip, managed to get out in the garden today with his zimmer and had a good look round at all the plants which are badly needing looked after. He won't be able to do much gardening so we will have to get a gardner to do the work. I don't like gardening at all although I do like it to look nice. I have been trying to weed and prune etc but it's tiring for me. However I am really pleased that he got out and we had our lunch outside too which perked him up. I'm sure on his darkest days, he thought he would never get over the door.
Lovely to read everyone's news. Take care

Hello Gang<
Another sunny day by the looks of it. We treasure these, in Scotland, don't we Polomint as they can't be trusted to continue long.
I am glad to hear that your DH enjoyed the garden.
I was teaching the concept of green fingers to DGD who liked it and showed me proudly where her dad had kept the supermarket basil thriving on the window ledge. "He just puts water on anything and it grows!"

I have agreed to house some pottery equipment for someone who is downsizing and giving up her studio. Mad I know. It's arriving this morning and there really is nowhere to put it.
I haven't put the furniture back in the decorated room yet and am puzzling over what colour for new curtains. That's the kind of worry I can deal with.
May all your worries be little ones too.
I hope your day out went well Kaimoana. Has the new help started yet?

Now I must read this out loud with an American accent
I like the Deep South drawl best

If anyone is curious to hear what the GangStars sound like as Americans, this Extension if free and you can just take it off your system when you've had a laff.

chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/read-aloud-a-text-to-spee/hdhinadidafjejdhmfkjgnolgimiaplp

Aha! I just tried it and it works . She pronounces your name very nicely Kaimoana
Thanks.

Polomint how lovely for your DH to get out in the sunshine, it'll do him the world of good.
Do you have horticulture students anywhere near who might value a bit of work in your garden?

Grammaretto Grace begins tomorrow, Friday at 1pm. I'll tell all afterwards.

My new screen reader is much better than the old one.
It has multiple speakers in about 50 or so languages (no Scots accent to my disgruntlement) but they are all reading the English words, your words, with accents so strong I can hardly understand them - but what fun it is.

It's going to take me quite a long time to work through every choice and the idea of Grammaretto as an Afghani, or Doodle as French or Mammisimo as a Chinese lady is so funny I may never choose the "English UK Female" option ever again.

I'm off to the theatre tomorrow night:
www.tepoutheatre.nz/peter-paka-paratene

So much looking forward to it as Rawiri Paratene is such a brilliant perfomer and this is his last one before retiring.

I should stop wittering on and try to find two skirts which seem to have gone walkabout. I can't imagine where they are hiding.

Love to all

Hi Lockdown Gang!

A lovely welcome from you all. I had an early night last night as I have been gardening all yesterday. I have tomatoes, sweet peppers, potatoes, basil (although that is tough to grow for me) and the April frosts are making me anxious about my newly transplanted tomato plants.

Oh newly decorated rooms, theatre trips... I can dream. I'm sorry to hear about your husband's broken hip, Polomint A good idea for horticultural students to come and help out in a volunteer capacity as experience.

Mamissio I like to grow things. I have two perma culture beds purely for vegetables. I have just had a trailer full of horse manure from the farmer down the road for it the compost heap. I'm not a shrub person either, but I have hydrangeas that I chop back every year and take cuttings from just to put around the various areas. I like doing window boxes too, so I have finished those for my mother's grave. I will be sorting through the compost heap this afternoon as the beds need some nutrients. The greenhouse is full too.

It is so lovely to meet you all. Have a super day all.

Thanks kiamoana and * peasandques* for your suggestion of asking gardening students to help. What a great idea and something we never thought on. It would help us and possibly help the students also. I know people can go to colleges and get their hair trimmed from the hairdressing students.
Another bit of positive for my husband today. We went to the local garden centre using the wheelchair. It will take a bit gettingvused to and I'm not getting any younger either. It's easy enough to push but a struggle to get chair into the car. It's not so bad getting him into the car but it's onwards and upwards and great to actually get him out as he's been housebound since last June apart from hospital appointments.
On another note , the things to remember to take nowadays! Hand sanitiser, masks, wipes, handbag, glasses, car keys, house keys. By the time I get out I'm exhausted!

Hello old and new Lobsters.

I hope we all have lovely sunshine although it is really cold in the wind.
We have friends coming to the garden tomorrow as they want to buy my DH's golf trolley as he no longer plays. As he said I am happy to give it away as I am busy decluttering.

Very pleased with my haircut yesterday although since having chemo my hairline is receding. The gift that keeps on giving.

Sorry to hear you have a sore throat Grammaretto I hope you feel better soon.

I popped in to see if anyone had heard from Cherry she has not been around for quite a while.

Hello All. Don’t often go on Gransnet but did today and saw that Cherry had posted. Bless her. Seems to have been poorly and struggling a bit but sure she will be back here soon.
Had a trip round the coast this morning where it was lovely to to see so much sun but the wind still has a bite to it.
Came past the big cliff top car park at Hunstanton to see two ambulances and the coastguard there. Apparently someone had jumped or fallen from the cliff top and had to be winched up the cliff top by helicopter then flown to Addenbrookes hospital in Cambridge. Hope he/ she will be ok.
We did sit outside at our favourite Deli/cafe with a glass of wine and a sarnie. Was starting to get a bit nippy as we left.
Waiting for daughter and son in law to arrive and then will be off for a bite to eat at our local pub. They have a large marquee up so hope we can get in there!!
Impressed by all the gardeners! peasandcues. Your garden sounds amazing. We don’t grow vegetables but like Polomint we like it to look nice and tidy. I love seeing the flowers best of all.
Cherry if you’re reading this hope you’re soon feeling better

polomint

Thanks kiamoana and * peasandques* for your suggestion of asking gardening students to help. What a great idea and something we never thought on. It would help us and possibly help the students also. I know people can go to colleges and get their hair trimmed from the hairdressing students.
Another bit of positive for my husband today. We went to the local garden centre using the wheelchair. It will take a bit gettingvused to and I'm not getting any younger either. It's easy enough to push but a struggle to get chair into the car. It's not so bad getting him into the car but it's onwards and upwards and great to actually get him out as he's been housebound since last June apart from hospital appointments.
On another note , the things to remember to take nowadays! Hand sanitiser, masks, wipes, handbag, glasses, car keys, house keys. By the time I get out I'm exhausted!

Hi polomint,

Pleased you were able to get out and I understand the difficulties with a wheelchair. I have a family member with MS and we started with a manual one. She is only little but it was a task to get it about and no more so than in a supermarket. We now have a motorised one and a luggy that she gets about on. She lives with us.

We have had various volunteers that live with us for say a month at a time, rent free in exchange for a bit of help in the garden and companionship for our relative with MS. While that is possibly not what you're looking for, we have had some great volunteers. Lovely young people that are travelling or on gap years. Certainly worth a call if you have a college nearby.

I know what you mean about leaving the house. It reminds me of when my children were little, trying to remember everything to take.

@Jan

Our garden is huge and is very labour intensive. My DH is less mobile now so it is a headache more than anything. It is not our house but we have lived here for 30 years as part of an estate. We were employed by the estate until last year when we retired.

Oh that sounds lovely, a pub with a marquee. I'm desperate to get out too. But my DH isn't too well and with my relative here, we are all housebound - despite spending our time in the garden. Maybe next week when things have calmed down.

Got to pop out to catch the post office before it shuts. Just wanted to say that following Jan’s post I read the GM thread and see that indeed Cherry has posted there. Phew! What a relief, I think we have all be so worried. Hope you make it back here soon Cherry but for now just pleased to know you are ok. Cwtch special coming your way x
Back later to catch up with everyone ?

Back at last. What a lot to catch up on.
Kaimoana do you know what vaccine is being offered?
So pleased you had a good time at your lunch. Would love to see some photos. Your meal sounds delicious. Nice to have something different for a change.
Can’t wait to hear what you think of Grace. Hope you like her.
I will have a go with your link in a minute. Glad you are having fun with your screen reader. Oh yes I quite fancy sounding French ...very sophisticated ?
Hope you enjoy the theatre. Will you be able to go if you don’t find a skirt to wear? ?

Hello polo so you’re in Scotland too. Sorry about your husband’s hip. Did he fall? Do you have a flat garden for your DH to get round? Glad he was able to get out and enjoy some fresh air and a visit to the garden centre. Be careful you don’t hurt yourself with the wheelchair, if you are not used to it. I once had a wheelchair for DH when he broke his ankle. I found it so hard to push round . I expect you both enjoyed a trip out though.
What a good idea to try and get students to help in the garden. Hope you find someone.
Grammaretto I think your DGD has mastered the basics of gardening. Put water on it and it grows.?
Will your friends pottery equipment fit in your studio. You’re not having it in your newly decorated room are you ?. What colour are the walls?
Peassandcues I told you there were lots of gardening friends on here ?. Wow a trailer full of compost. I have told this story before on this thread a while ago but my dear mum bought a load of compost from a local farm for my dad, a keen gardener. It was tipped on the pavement and he had to wheel it all into the back garden. She bought so much it took him ages to wheel it through and the entire garden was covered in it. ?
Your home sounds lovely. Being on a big estate must mean large grounds I would think. Are you allowed to continue living there now you have retired? Sorry to hear your DH isn’t to well. Hope you can get out a bit more when the weather warms up,
Just to explain for you and polo and perhaps Jan too, we occasionally refer to ourselves as lobsters or lobstars ⭐️ Or gangsters. I can’t remember the reason why now as it was something that happened a while ago. Just thought I’d mentioned it in case you get confused. ?
Dragon lovely to hear from you. Hope things are going well.
Good to have a haircut. Will the hair round your hairline grow back do you think. My SIL lost all her hair with chemo but when it grew back fully it was just like before.
You will be pleased to hear, like us, that the lesser spotted Cherry has been seen on the GM thread ?
Jan wow you’ve had an eventful day. How lovely to be able to drive by the coast. I hope the injured person is ok.
Glass of wine and a sarnie. You’re a girl after my own heart. ?
Hope you have a lovely evening with your DD and SIL. Don’t get too cold.

That is good news about Cherry
It has been a lovely sunny day here too but I didn't do very much. I chatted out in the garden with one of my potters and tomorrow I have plans to go for a walk with an old friend She phoned on our wedding anniversary and reminded me she was at our wedding and thus knew me long before I met DH.. She has bad arthritis now so I hope the walk is not too taxing.
I'm glad you like your haircut Dragonfly. I haven't managed to make an appointment yet.
I wonder if Kaimoana imagined me as an Afghan Hound? If so, she's not far wrong.
Have a lovely evening everyone and I'll see you later.

Good Evening ?
Had my second Astra jab this morning and my brain has turned to sponge....which was a bit of an issue as I was trying to teach DS how to use macros in mail merges.....and it is about nine years since I last did it. I'm glad I've retired! ?

I also did the Sainsbugs order this afternoon so that will be interesting when it's delivered tomorrow.

Kaimoana I am not in the slightest bit Chinese....you need to try southern Irish crossed with RP and married to Cornish....?

Early night for me.......need to be up early tomorrow to sort the watering system for the new trees - they were too expensive to kill!

Grammaretto hope you enjoy your walk tomorrow. You may be an Afghan hound (sleek, elegant and graceful) I’m more like a spaniel who has been in the water too long, all curly and frizzy, nothing like a French poodle ?
Mamissimo hope you’re ok after your jab. We are due ours next week. Ours is AZ too.
I remember Macros from my working days.
I wonder if you’ll have any exciting additions to your Sainsbugs order, ?
Do you have hoses set up to water your trees or sprinkler systems?
Sleep well all ?

Good news Cherry is fine; she'll post as soon as she's up to it.

Good evening, it's the lesser spotted Tigger here ?.
I've missed you all so much and am very happy to be up to posting again ?.
Sorry I've had you all worried about me, I would have posted if I was up to it. I did ask my WP if he could post a couple of days ago, just in case I was missed, and told him to do it on the lockdown gang thread. He did say he would but ? he got carried away with his obsession gardening activity and he forgot ?.
I've not had my finest hours over this last week, starting with last Monday/Tuesday really, though I did manage to post on the (? can't remember what it was called) thread that was counting how many gns there are by asking you to say one word to add yourself to the count. I think I wrote something like "bounce, ouch" ?. I wasn't up to posting more than that (I've spent much of the last week heavily sedated due to numerous nasty seizures). I hoped that one or other of the gang might have seen it and know I hadn't disappeared completely but would realise and understand that I wasn't up to posting properly and spending time with you all.

I'm feeling much more like myself now, though a bit fatigued. I only hope ?that the instigator who triggered this last bout of geraniums seizures (my very distressed dissociative neighbour) doesn't have another horrendous period of crisis again. She kept me and my WP awake for two days (and nights) with her latest outburst. We discovered along the way that not only is she Ms A and Ms B but she is Ms C as well ?. MsA was cursing, swearing, screaming, shouting, castigating and ridiculing MsC. It was very alarming. She was throwing insults right, left and centre, screaming at her that she was not a bully and mocking her with fake laughter. Her behaviour was almost a cliche of someone with mental ill health, the laugh she was making was particularly disturbing in that respect since it was the "Heh-Heh-Heh-HeHHH-Heh" laugh of the Loony Tunes character Woody Woodpecker. The upshot, both me and my WP were both absolutely kn******d and beyond stressed! Lack of sleep combined with stress is a toxic cocktail for most of us I think and for me is the perfect recipe for seizures. I've had lots this time round but the bout is over now ?

Lovely to see we have new Indomitable LobStar Lockdown Gangsters ?. Hello polomint and Peasandcues, welcome to the gang ?

Doodle I remember how the lobster/LobStar pseudonym came about. I typed in the word gangsters as per usual, or so I thought, but it came up as the word lobster. I did correct it but I told you all. Grammaretto, being the ingenious innovator she is ran with it and modified it into the infinitely better LobStars.

Tired now Gang but I hope to be bouncing tomorrow, without any ouches attached!

Cwtches to you all x

Oh cherry our lovely Tigger is back. Maybe not bouncing but definitely back.
I think we all guessed you would post if you could and realised something had happened. We have been worried but just kept our fingers crossed you would return.
I am sorry your neighbour has brought on such a stressful time for you. She must be going through an awful patch. Has she not had any help yet?
I hope she is quiet now and you are recovering from a bad bout. Thanks for the reminder about the lobstars. I couldn’t remember exactly how it came about.
Hope you and your Tigger tail are back with us tomorrow. A good night’s sleep for you I hope. x

Just a little story from the papers today.

Did you read about the Animal Welfare people in Poland who were called out to capture a strange animal in a tree. The neighbours were afraid to open their windows in case it came in. They thought the animal which had been in the tree for two days might be a bird of prey. Picture to follow

Here’s the picture

Do you know what it is? ?