The Lockdown Gang - carry on chatting ⭐️

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Good Morning from a sort of sunny Cornwall. Just having a coffee before my walk with Mya. Not sure if I've posted her photo before. The rest of my day is helping MrMuse. We have to put the very heavy manhole cover on the final inspection chamber of the drainage. Rather late in the day! We've had the cover (which had to be specially made) for weeks now and I noticed yesterday that many leaves had gathered down it. As it is dry, I will then be reducing a huge pile of twiggy bits of wood. Bench saw will be busy producing kindling.

Kaimoana. I'm wondering about my Cornishness as I often think Cornish folks have a turn of phrase much like mine. I'm from Derbyshire. We say scone the same way - to rhyme with bone.?
Searched nearly everywhere and I can't find Mum's album. It was one I compiled for her as she had dementia. We spent hours talking about the photos which date well back before she was born. I made notes as she talked and included them in the album for others to read. Must keep on searching. It's very precious.

BoadiceaJ I grow comfry which is pongy, but not as bad as seaweed/fish by the sound of it.
DGD still isn't receiving any 'external' help. Mum is determined to resolve the problems herself. DS says she wants to wait until after Christmas to talk to DGD again and ask her if she will see a counsellor at school. I've checked the school's website and they offer excellent emotional and social support for their pupils. My DG's call the other night, left me feeling beyond despair. There is no more I can do except listen.
The Packhorse Cafe is on my 'to visit' places to when we get to NZ.

Grammaretto, Very sad but we cancelled our woodturning Christmas night. Those sunset photos are beautiful. I have visited Lindisfarne twice and love the ruins of the priory.

soop's fund is growing Mamissimo. Nearly at the target. Did you look up the Bûche de Noël before Kaimoana posted the picture? Yum.

Your posts Kaimoana always never fail to bring a smile to my face. They remind me of GrandmaFrench's style. They paint a beautiful picture.

Doodle Your dear DH. Hope the steroids are helping. There are so many caring, patient 'nurses' here in Lockdown Country. Good idea about the ironing board.

Take care lovely Lockdown Gang.

Hello fellow Gang-stars,
There are indeed a lot of caring folk here Muse
I am so sorry your DGD is not in a good place.

I love the chicken names Doodle very clever
DS tells me he knows 3 beagles called Bagel. I told him I knew one called Fergal.

I am having a very relaxing time at DS. Knitting, watching TV and being brought cups of tea. The only thing is it reminds me of happy family life so I start to feel sorry for myself, boo boo.
Part of the kitchen work has been done back home and the rest after Christmas..

Well, yesterday was quite a day. Very hot, very humid. Jim, our lovely mowing man, kindly consented to turn up in the early morning and put paid to the jungle that was, until 5 days ago, our lawn. The growth in the garden continues apace. MrJ and I scuttled around like mad creatures tidying up the whole cat that is spread across the carpet and chairs – well, you could knit a whole new cat out of the fur that is left behind, then went to pick up the Bûche from the Packhouse Market – Sam the lovely pâtissier had done us proud with a spectacular cake, even down to the perfect little marshmallow mushrooms. I wish I could share the photo, but try as I may, this Luddite still can’t manage it. Everyone turned up and voted to sit outside in the shade, rather than in the house, so the mad rushing about cleaning and polishing was wasted! We had a lovely afternoon out of the sun, drinking gemist (sparkling water with just a leetle touch of white wine) and eating heavenly cake, cackling like mad things. The young Maori lad who delivered a parcel flashed a huge smile and gave us the thumbs up at seeing all these old kuia having a great time. And you won’t guess what was in the parcel – a book, exactly what I would have chosen myself, “Botanical Folk Tales of Britain and Ireland”, from none other than the lovely Kaimoana! What a sweetheart she is! <3
Grammaretto - the photos are beautiful. Lindisfarne is just the most special place, isn’t it. I hope you are having a well-deserved rest and are being totally spoiled. You deserve a million treats after the year you have had. Enjoy your family time, and thinking of you.
Muse - your Mya is adorable! What a lovely face, and so full of love for her Mummy. I’m so sorry about your anxieties for your DGD. It must be desperately hard for you, as a loving Granny, to have to just watch from the sidelines. But at least your GD can talk to you, and that’s where a Granny is so important, isn’t it?
Mamissimo- have you resisted the urge to …ermm…express yourself firmly in the matter of the (im)patient? I just had a thought…perhaps that’s the origin of the word “impatient” – it may originally have been a “him/’im patient”? ? Man flu seems to be a universal condition.
Doodle I hope all is well in your world, and your DH’s. What a scare with the coughing and staggering! The Dean’s animals have such wonderful and imaginative names. Here was I thinking I was the only one who managed to get more Sellotape attached to clothes/hands/table surfaces than parcels!
Kaimoana - I hope that you are feeling more rested. Take care in this hot weather, won’t you? Put your feet up and enjoy playing the old lady card… the OLC is a great way to do precisely what you want, and deserve, to do. Lovely to hear about little Gubbins’ doings!
OK, all, time to be doing, and getting ready for the day. Off out shortly for coffee with a “student” of mine-89 years old, not a single missing faculty, feisty and full of curiosity about the world, living by herself on a huge bush block with a beautiful garden, way out in the country. Says she’s only leaving that place in a box. I can believe it.
Have a lovely day/evening, enjoy the Christmas preps, and remember the words of Julian of Norwich : “All shall be well, and all shall be well and all manner of thing shall be well.” xx

muse Mya is lovely. Is she a German Shepherd? Also, from the photo, she seems to have one blue eye and one brown. How unique. She looks very much like my DGS’s dog except his is completely black except for her paws.
Do you have a log burner or stove in your new home?
Ooh perhaps I have the same roots muse I say scone to rhyme with bone too. ? I do hope you find your missing album soon. It’s probably been put somewhere really safe as it’s a precious item (please check Grammaretto’s deeds aren’t with it when you find it)
muse perhaps your DGD’s mother want her to relax over Christmas and try and forget her worries and then tackle things later, The fact that the school has good support is good. It does sound as though they plan to work things through. It’s hard to stand back and watch but I know with my own DGS that his mum and dad have a much greater understanding of his situation that I do and handle things in the best way for him.
Yes DHs peak flow is on the rise so hopefully he is starting to improve now.
But Grammaretto I think Fergal is Mamissimo’s cat and her beagle is Honey.
Glad you are having a good time with your son. I’m not surprised being with family brings back memories. I’m glad to hear you are being well looked after and waited on. Have a safe journey home and I hope the kitchen has made good headway when you get home and that will give you some cheer.
Boadicea what a lovely gathering you had. Sounds as though your garden was spick and span as well as the house and the cake sounds magnificent. I bet everyone had a wonderful time.
What a thoughtful gift, I bet you enjoy that.
Have a lovely time with your friend.

muse your photo of Mya reminds me so much of our Zeus. He was my son's dog and trained to obey silent signals when they were on patrol.
I'm sure Mum's album is just playing hide and seek. You'll find it.

I say 'skon' and have read that over 51% of UK does too. This pronunciation has therefore been held up as the correct way but popularity doesn't make anything correct only widespread Look how many people order “a panini” in the caff. That makes about as much sense as asking for “an oranges”.

BJ I'm sure, under the circs, you won't mind my sharing (and lusting after) your delectable Bouche Noel.

Please ask your 89 year old student if she'd like a temporary boarder I long for a place like that where the only thing you hear is birds.
Tell her I've lost some of my marbles faculties but would be quite happy to borrow hers.


Doodle How's Mr D after his wee wobble? I hope he hasn't scared you again.
Grammaretto I’m glad you are having family time; it helps to put things in perspective, as well as being good for the soul.

Has anyone seen Comet Leonard? “The Christmas Comet" just to the left of Venus after sunset.
I think there's still time although it's making its way to us down here already.
new-zealand.on-24.com/news/10462.html

For the very first time in I-don’t-know-how-long, I won’t be making pork pies for Christmas morning. I feel so bad about it, as my son looks forward to this traditional Yorkshire treat. I’m wondering if there’s any way round it, other than buying one of course. Anyone have good ideas as to how a blind-as-a-mole cook can avoid adding her finely chopped finger ends to the finely chopped pork and ham?

Kaimoana - thank you for posting the cake pic! My 89 year old friend had a flat to let a while ago, beside her house, and MrJ seriously said -"Let's rent our place out and go to live at M's". She has kiwi in her garden! And the MOST spectacular, amazing views over the Bay of Islands. No wonder she doesn't want to leave. But, with cats, sadly, we can't live in a kiwi zone. A bit sad really, because there is no way a cat could take on a kiwi, with their huge claws and savage kick, but I would never do anything to jeopardise the life of these amazing, special birds.
Besides which, Pudding is far too indolent - fat and lazy, and the little girls are homebodies, happy to chase a mouse or a butterfly, but nothing bigger.

On the subject of Pudding, I must tell you about Lazarus Cat. When we moved house, 6 months ago, Pudding, 4 years old, refused to leave. He just disappeared at the sight of a cat carrier, and that was that. It was raining, so we left him some food and drove to the new place, 40 km away. The next day, I returned with large plastic bags and a spade to take some plants from the garden. On the way, about 4 km from the old house, I saw a cat dead on the side of the road. It was Pudding. His size, colour, everything. Not being able to believe it, I drove to the old house, trying to convince myself he would be there, but he wasn't. So I returned to the dead cat, after calling for him for hours, and yes, it was definitely him. I picked him up, through a flood of tears, and drove home to his Dad (he was very much a Dad's Boy), and he confirmed that it was indeed our Pud. We buried our Boy with pomp, cried a bucket, and tried to focus on the good times we had had with him since a tiny kitten. Next day, I went back to the house to sort last details, when I heard a familiar meow. There was Pudding, framed in the doorway. The Buried One was evidently his close relative, or identical cousin. Pud is very contrite about his reluctance to move, and is now happy and settled in his own demesne, reassuring us daily that his refusal was but a moment of folly .
Cats! Who'd have 'em?
Oh, and BTW, Kaimoana, MrJ says to tell you that pork pies are definitely a Manchester delicacy, and not to take any nonsense on that score from a Yorkshire lass. I just smile ...what would a true-blue Kiwi girl know about such esoteric matters?

Oh, and again, Kaimoana, he did mutter something about stripping his sleeve and showing his scars... I don't think he is REALLY reliving the Wars of the Roses, nor even Azincourt, but old enmities run deep...

BJ I am reliably informed that though pies made in Manchester are indubitably superb, there is a subtle difference in the Yorkshire recipe, which means I can enjoy both - no favouritism here.

Tell MrBJ that if he starts stripping off, you better have a pork pie handy to cover his....er...

I bow to your superior culinary knowledge, o great daughter of Yorkshire.
And as to the other matter...a volume of Shakespeare can cover all...er...contingencies. I did warn him about overdosing on Henry V, though.

A volume of Shakespeare to cover his... contingencies, eh?
Would that be Much Ado About Nothing, Measure for Measure or All's Well that End's Well?

No? I think I prefer A Midsummer Night's Dream.

After a very frustrating day, I needed that comedy relief.

It's after 9:30pm and I still have heaps to do.
"...and promises to keep, and miles to go before I sleep."

So....

'Once more unto the breach....'

I was on a literary tour in D.H.Lawrence country today. The pub name amused me.


You are so right Kaimoana seeing the family puts things into perspective. I feel much happier now and can go home to my own bed tomorrow with a sense of peace.
I love your pudding story BJ - a heart warming tale except possibly for the parents of the dead cat

Oooo Kaimoana, you are AWFUL! But I like you

You had me chuckling to bed with your saucy humour.
I was thinking more along the lines of Love's Labours Lost as age and infirmity creep on.

Girls, it is THE most perfect morning. The sky is cloudless, and a divine opalescent blue, the air is cool, the sun is smiling through the vines. Aren't we so lucky to be alive?

That’s a beautiful looking cake Kaimoana. Making my mouth water.
Reading about you and the pork pies made me think, is it really a year ago we were discussing you making them for last Christmas. You need one of those whizzy choppy gadgets to make them without cutting fingers or perhaps a willing helper…if I wasn’t so far away.
Can’t see anything much in the sky here except the reflection of street lamps.
DH is fine thank you. No more wobbles …..so far. His balance isn’t good at the best of times. He has bought a wobble mat which is supposed to be used to practice balancing. The last time I saw it, he was using it as a cushion on his study chair!
Boadicea your friends place sounds beautiful. I read your post and thought….why would the cats be threatened by a little fluffy green fruit ?. I didn’t know there was such a thing as a Kiwi and you say they have claws too and a savage kick ?. I think I’ll stay living in the UK …with the pigeons.
Oh your story about little Pudding was so sad. I’m glad it had a happy ending for you though.
Oh ladies, your battles over the pork pies and the Shakespeare tales have had me giggling. You two ?
Grammaretto glad you’re had a lovely time with the family. I like the pub name too. I wonder what goes on inside. ?
Have a safe journey home tomorrow. I can’t wait to hear what you find in the kitchen. Hope it’s good news.
We have been out today and have now completed the Christmas shopping. We decided to treat ourselves tonight with a mince pie and some whipped cream. ?

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Good news from you Doodle - cheered my day

Photos attached at the request of BoadiceaJones - I'll leave descriptions to her.

Safe journeying home Grammaretto, refreshed and restored.
Let's hope the same can be said of your kitchen.

Dear Kaimoana thank you for rescuing me from my ignorance of the dark arts of uploading to this site. I was so taken with the early morning beauty, I wanted to share it. The sun peeping through the vines and the plumbago which I've trained up the wall. A year ago, believe it or not, this plumbago plant was a tiny cutting I had taken from a plant that I had taken as a cutting from a plant that I had rescued from the $1 bin of Hopeless Case plants. The Hopeless Case plant is now the ancestress of dozens of glorious descendants. Goes to show, never give up, never assume anything is a Hopeless Case.
Doodle, my 89-year old friend was a physiotherapist back in the day. She was telling me yesterday that her secret in retaining her youthful energy is doing daily balance exercises-and she proceeded to show me how it is done, with all the suppleness of an 18-year old. When I arrived, she was out in the hot sun, pushing a wheebarrow full of grass clippings to her compost bin. Her son comes in to mow the grass - about half an acre of it - but leaves the cuttings on the lawn! So she does the hard yakker - clearing up-but maintains that it keeps her young. I do hope you can persuade your DH to use his mat in the manner intended!
Grammaretto - so glad that you are feeling better. I hope that you arrive back to a sparkling kitchen - and that we will receive photographic evidence of the work when it is completed. Hmm...interestingly named pub! Obviously a crowd-pleaser! I spent 3 years in D.H.Lawrence country, and found the landscapes absolutely beautiful - certainly a far cry from the days of the pits and the slag heaps. Though the school I was working in (old independent) had the pool collapse as the pit supports gave way underground. Will be an ongoing problem, I'm guessing.
Kaimoana - I'm so enjoying the book on folklore. So many wonderful traditions, and mysteries too. While reading, I was put in mind of my grandmother, whose ancestry was "Celtic" to the core, being 100% Scots/Irish and Welsh. Her mother was fey, and had the gift of healing hands. My grandmother was herself a dowser. She could divine water, using willow branches. She was in huge demand back in the day, to find water on the farms around when drought struck, as it frequently did. When I asked her how she did it, she said she had no idea-it just happened. I tried it, and nada. I'm evidently insufficiently fey. A handy skill, I'm thinking., if you have what it takes.

Have a lovely day/evening, all!

Well I’ve just improved my education by looking up Kiwi and I’m not surprised you wouldn’t want your cats near one of those. What a beak.
Boadicea is that your garden? It’s beautiful. It looks so tranquil. I love the pergola. The plumbago is lovely too.
I seem to remember Kaimoana mentioning a plumbago tree on the thread a while ago.
Yes DH was saying yesterday he needs to try and use his mat. His balance has been bad for a long time and he stumbles quite easily. Either he learns to balance or I wrap him up in bubble wrap ?. Your 89 year old friend puts me to shame. What an amazing woman.
Boadicia how interesting about your grandmother. I have seen people dowsing (?) on Tv but never seen anyone doing it in real life. What a shame it wasn’t passed down to you.
I wonder if Grammaretto will have any photos from the train for us tomorrow.

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My turn to giggle Doodle .

The Kiwi is our national bird and endangered as humans and dogs encroach on and spoilt its habitat.

It lays an enormous egg, 15% of its body weight, and is not always vicious - unless attacked - but then that applies to me too.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=4eLreqLaykQ

I've noticed with American friends that they refer to the fruit as a 'Kiwi'. We never do; to us that's a Kiwifruit and we have both green and gold varieties, the latter being popular as it's sweeter.

The fruit, which I first ate, at the age of 15 in London (paying £2 for it), was then called a Chinese Gooseberry. I had never seen it before and ate it skin and all. To me it looked more like horse droppings but tasted a good deal better.
and now you're wondering if my food experiments ran to eating horse doo-doo. No
(but I bet Doodle is thinking I wouldn't put it past you

Our Kiwifruit export industry began in 1904, with an innovative woman (as all good things do) Mary Isabel Fraser who brought seeds from her visit to China.
Unripe, the fruits are tart, so were called gooseberries.

The world-wide popularity of the fruit was enhanced by British and US servicemen stationed here during WW2, which resulted in seeds being planted initially in California.
Now it's grown all over the temperate/tropical USA and Europe.

At Christmas, almost every table will feature a Pavlova (meringue) decorated with kiwifruit and whatever soft fruits are available.
The media makes a big thing about who invented the Pav, NZ or Australia - we don't give a fig (or even a kiwifruit) who was first, we all enjoy it.


<whispering> except me.

And still grows wild in Asia - I've seen sweet little "kiwifruit" , the size of marbles, in forests in Japan.

Good morning ?

Doodle you can also polish your shoes with Kiwi! ? - and bubble wrap is a great idea for smothering husbands. It's the perfect crime - I was only protecting him from falling officer ?‍♀️

And speaking of him...*Mr M* is beginning to show signs of caving in to my regime recovery. He actually grabbed the TV remote yesterday and asked if there were any biscuits to go with his coffee. Signs of life!

I successfully passed state retirement age a couple of weeks ago and the DWP have also managed to pay my pension, so that awful situation where 'new' pensioners weren't getting paid has been sorted.

Now for my next battle.....I am immunosuppressed and the JCVI have recommended that 500,000 of us should have a fourth jab.....but they seem to have no system to enable us to book it. Chris Witty told us at the TV briefing that we must get it urgently but try telling that to my consultant's secretary....'well no one told me' she said! Followed by....'we haven't got a system for that and we break for Christmas today. Can you ring again after Jan 4th? '. I replied that I would if I was still alive. only not quite so politely!!

I can hear Mr M moving around so I'd better go and hide jump to it......

Mamissimo. My eldest daughter is also immunosuppressed but had her extra jab weeks ago. She lives in Nottingham and said the staff at the Covid centre didn’t seem to know about it but gave it to her anyway! She has since had her booster too. Can you look online and see if you can book yourself into any clinics for your fourth jab? Mind you they probably wouldn’t know anything about it either! Good luck with that! So annoying that just about everyone seems to be stopping working on Christmas Eve and not opening up until 4 Jan. Great for the workers but if you need help it’s a nightmare. Pleased Mr M is showing signs of life! Wanting biscuits is very encouraging!
Muse what a lovely dog. And a lovely name as well.
Doodle oh dear poor Mr D. Hope he is soon feeling steadier and back to his normal self.
Very quiet here today. Can’t seem to get any Christmas spirit or enthusiasm about anything really. Miserable so and so!

Kaimoana yes you are right we always refer to the fruit as Kiwi, I will know better from now on (I imagine the fruit is more tasty than the bird)
In our family we always always call hors d’oeuvres horses doovers (but we don’t eat horse doo doo either ?)
Beautiful pavlova photo. My DIL often makes a pavlova for Christmas but usually with strawberries and raspberries.
Mamissimo, that photo of the tin of Kiwi shoe polish suddenly took me back to my dear dad. He was never in the military (although he was a fireman) but he always had tHe most beautifully polished shoes. He would sit every night and do his shoes and my school shoes for me. Taking his time with his special brushes a tin of that very shoe polish. Nice memory. Thank you for the reminder.
Good to hear MrM is behaving better showing signs of improvement. Congratulations on being a pensioner. Welcome to the club. ?
You are not the only immunosupressed person I have heard of who has trouble with this extra jab. What’s the point of telling you to get it if you can’t find anywhere that gives it. Hope you get a better response soon and in the meantime keep safe.
Jan glad your Daughter managed to get hers. Must be a big worry for the immunosupressed. I thought DH might be too with his blood cancer but his consultant said he wasn’t which is good news for us.
Another year of Covid and restrictions seems to have knocked the stuffing (Christmas pun) out of many of us Jan. Being away didn’t help us get in the Christmas spirit but coming back and realising Christmas was approaching rapidly certainly focused my mind on it. Suitcases back in the cupboard and tree out on the same day. Lights randomly thrown round tree, baubles attached and we're off. ?
Perhaps the New Year will bring some better news and a lifting of spirits. A good January diet is what I need …..but not till I’ve finished all the chocolates. ?

Thanks for the kiwi lesson Kaimoana we always called them Chinese gooseberries. I thought that was because a lot of the greengrocers were Chinese. No I know I'm wrong again!
I am still on the the train. Pitch dark outside and delayed. A broken down train ahead is the latest reason but it was already running late. I got a seat eventually after standing in the aisle along with mums and crying bairns.
We are stopped before Darlington ATM.

Congratulations Mamissimo on reaching the age and getting the money!

It doesn't get better, sorry.

Shame about the vaccine booster too.
Doodle such a great picture of your Dad with his shiny shoes. We had to help polish ours with something called elbow grease. It took me years to understand you couldn't buy it.
I shall patiently wait until my train starts again and be grateful I have a seat

That brought back memories to me too Doodle and I can say 'Ditto' to everything as my Dad did exactly the same.

Newspaper spread out on the table with the Kiwi polish, brushes and a little hand-sized velvet cushion (well stuffed with something so it was hard) used for the final buffing after a bit of spit

Why spit makes a good shine is best known to the British Army...my son employed the same technique.

In summer, my pumps aka plimsolls, were whitened too...but with Blanco, not spit.

All the paraphernalia was kept in a sturdy wooden box which for reasons best known to herself, my mother brought with her when she came to live in NZ
It's now used to hold all my hammer, screwdrivers, pliers, nails etc.

Mum also brought a collection of plastic and paper bags, rubber bands and old string from parcels, rolled up into skeins.
This is the woman who went through my books (already pared down to the most precious from my extensive library) and gave them away because, "you didn't need them".

A technician is coming today (yes, on a Sunday!) to see if he can prevent my Alexa unit sound as if it's talking through a cushion; treble-bass adjustments I think.
This all courtesy of NZ Blind-LowVision.

Does anyone know how to reverse the detrimental effects of inhaled mould spores in the lungs?

Kaimoana that sounds bad. Where do the mould spores come from?
Oh yes Blanco. I too had white plimsoles.
Oh how could your mum give your precious books away ?. I know you must have told us before but I can’t remember, how old were you when you went to NZ?
Hope you get your Alexa sorted out. Mine asked me if I wanted to have a go with a mind reader today. I said no…..I don’t think she’d like what I was thinking ?
Grammaretto oh dear. Sounds like you’ll be getting home in the dark. I hope you don’t have to walk from the station.
Get home safely,
I nearly had a pressy wrapping disaster today. DS bought some presents for me and carefully labelled them with the initials of who they were for. Unfortunately, some of them were a bit hard to read.
I have long since stopped being amazed at my DGC’s choice of footwear (since I saw my DGD going to a after school party in a beautiful flowing black floaty dress…..and a pair of shiny black Doc Martins. ?)
Fortunately, I made note of the contents of each just to make sure. When DS phoned tonight I said I was a little surprised at how big my youngest granddaughters feet were. He laughed and said well don’t forget she is taller than you. Fair enough I though. I told him I thought her brown boots were lovely. There was quite a pause then he said, Mum the brown boots are mine. Oops. Quick bit of relabelling. ?