The Lockdown Gang - still chatting ?

Dear Kaimoana, thinking of you as you spend the day in the Eye Hospital...all good thoughts and hopes that everything goes well. How lovely that Gubbins has such a sweet name for you!

Grammaretto - the pottery festival at Skoon sounds wonderful - what a busy day, especially with the cinema following on. I'd love to see "Belfast", but MrJ says he saw enough of the place the first time round.

It rained like mad overnight here, but despite that, and the fact that it's only 6.15 a.m., there's a faint glow in the eastern sky, suggesting it might be a better day. I've lit the fire, unloaded the dishwasher, fed the Furry Ones, and am half-way through my first cup of tea of the day...any minute now, there will be a squawk and a flutter and a tap-tap-tapping on the window. This morning is History again -Crime and Punishment -, tomorrow is painting, Thursday is French and Friday, History again. Busy busy...

Hello lovely Lobstars,
I lost my post again.
But BJ has said most of what I wanted to. I hoped Kaimoana hadn't been too uncomfortable at the eye hospital. Better to have the treatment than not. I also love your grandma name.
I am going to Glasgow to to meet the Glaschu grans tomorrow. That should be fun.
I survived another morning of volunteering. It became stressful when the queues built up but the others said that people don't mind waiting.
There is still no chocolate in the cupboard.
Jeeves!!

Belfast was very good BJ. It assumes the audience knows what happened. After all we saw it every night on the news but rather it showed it through the eyes of a child in an ordinary family.

Boadicea yes I thought it may have been a radio programme. I never listened to it although I did listen to some of the Goons and Just a minute,
No point in sending you any sunshine then. At 19° to your 15° you’d hardly notice the difference. Not what I’d call freezing here ? ?
Well no I didn’t know that about cricket. I’m amazed at how much I’ve learnt on this thread. Well I know where to come for a milk maid when our cow arrives then. ?
Grammaretto you too could be our milk maid. I don’t think I’ve ever been that close to a cow except in Switzerland where they follow you around on the mountain paths.
Did you get any new ideas at the pottery festival? I have heard others think Belfast is a good film too. I’ve not seen it yet.
I think Jeeves is slipping. Firstly no milk and now no chocolate that is a dire situation. He will be reprimanded. ?. Couldn’t find the frozen leg of lamb so improvised with a chicken drumstick ?
Kaimoana oh I’m so pleased for you. You must be so happy that little Miss Gubbins now has a name for you. That’s lovely.
Hope your trip to the eye hospital goes well. You are a brave lady. Be nice if Karen was to be around too.

Boadicea I hope it’s been a warmer day. Don’t like to think of the girls having a draft in their undercarriage ?
Grammaretto have a lovely time with all the grans. Hope you have still have a voice left when you get home ?

Jeeves has just returned Grammaretto . He’s very sorry you’ve been without.

P.S. Grammaretto say hello to Marydoll for me if she’s going. ?

Thanks for the chocolate Doodle and I will say hello to Marydoll tomorrow from you.

A sad update from me. My friend Phil was rushed to Auckland hospital and has been told he won't be going home again.
When he rang with that news, I took a taxi into the city to get his house key and will go there tomorrow to do essential things such clear, clean and switch off his fridge, plus pick up his laptop and toiletries.

He tried to be cheerful; I tried not to cry and we both just about managed it.
Oncology team are looking for a hospice bed but currently there are none.

Grammaretto Can you please give my regards to Marydoll too? I understand she's been far from well.

The poke in the eye with a sharp stick went off without incident.

Sometime life strews petals in your path to cover the hard stones. My taxi driver on the way home told me he loved to sing, so in fun really I suggested he do so as we stuck in rush-hour traffic.

He put his phone on the dashboard for orchestral accompaniment and proceed to delight me with his excellent tenor voice and romantic songs - all in Chinese.
It was utterly delightful.

When we got home, he knocked $5 off the fare because he was so happy I'd enjoyed it.

Grammaretto can’t wait to hear how you got on with all the GNetters. I bet the noise was deafening with everyone talking at once.
Kaimoana I’m so sorry that is sad news. What a good friend you are to help out in this way. You must both be very upset but your true friendship must mean so much.
Glad you managed the hospital visit ok. Your driver sounds wonderful. I doubt he’s ever had such an appreciative passenger. A little light at the end of your day.
Spent most of today cutting up fabric into little squares to make a table runner. I am doing it with a friend who doesn’t do patchwork so I will be helping her as we go along.

Oh Kaimoana - that's tragic news. I'm so sorry that Phil will not see his home again. Let's hope that a hospice bed will be available very very soon. The poor man...
At least your eye poke was effortless, and you had a lovely taxi driver to give you cheer. There used to be a fab bus driver on my route into the city - a jolly Samoan giant with the most wonderful baritone...he used to burst in to joyous song while we waited at the traffic lights, to rapturous applause from the passengers.
I see the line-up at the window has started...breakfast is served, mesdames...

Yes, Grammetto, do let us know how the GN do went. I'm sure that a great time was had by all-what fun!
Kaimoana - how have you got on with your sad tasks today? I hope you are doing ok, and bearing up under the sorrows. You have a lot to contend with, zooming around the city and clearing up someone's lifetime- what a great friend you are, to be sure!
Doodle - I hope the table runner preparations are coming together well, and that your friend will enjoy her first foray into patchwork. It will be a great experience for her...maybe she will discover a real talent? Yes, we've had some lovely sunshine, thank you, and at present it's 16 deg, so not TOO chilly. The girls are very hungry, though. No knitted sweaters or chickie knickers needed just yet, though winter has hardly started. Lots of snow on the Alps though...just as well that's well over 1000 km south of us.
To painting this morning - the lady who runs it painted over my picture last time, with her idea of colours - which are not mine. Today I took in an acrylic piece I was quite pleased with...in fact, very pleased with...she took one look and said "Far too heavy...hibiscus should be ethereal". I felt very crushed, as I thought they DID look ethereal, though of course not as much as as her water colours - her medium of preference. The hibiscus are the last of the summer, outside the bedroom window, and are simply gorgeous. Oh well. Maybe one day, with lots of practice, I'll get it right.
I had a wonderful breakthrough with family research this week. My mother's only cousins lived in the West Country, and the eldest, I knew, had been killed in Italy, flying Spitfires, in 1945. However, I knew nothing more about him, as the loss was so heavy for the family, no-one ever spoke of him. By a sheer fluke I found out that he had been a pupil at a very well-known public school, of which a friend and former teaching colleague was, until fairly recently, Headmaster. This friend has had the archivist send me not only school and rugby team photos from the 20s and 30s, but also excerpts from the 1921 census with all the family details - so interesting, and tells so much about life in that era. My gt Uncle was absent, being British Resident of a district in Nigeria at the time, so gt Aunt was listed as "Head of Household". She had a new baby, having lost one, aged only a month or so, a few years before, so went through all that while her husband was away. Fortunately, she had three live-in servants and a chauffeur, and a nurse for the baby, so she wasn't burdened with all the housework, at least. Gt Uncle wrote some learned papers about various Nigerian tribes while he was there, and spoke several native languages fluently - a fact of which I was entirely ignorant. So much new stuff for my files. The tiny baby went on to become a King's Scholar at Westminster, sing at the 1937 Coronation, study Maths at Oxford, and win a Blue in rowing. Every little bit helps to build up a picture of family long dead. So exciting!

Morning All

Good gracious BJ how exciting to find out about your mother's cousin and what well heeled relatives you have! I'm still plodding on with my and DH's tree, and so many are just Ag Labs on the census forms. A lot of wives seem to have come from absolutely nowhere. Just names appearing only on church marriage registers, no maiden name and without even dates of birth or death. I find that very sad.

And very sad about your friend Phil, Kaimoana although I can see that not knowing when he left home that he'd never go back means he'll never have that awful last time feeling. My mum was dreading that and she had the same experience of being rushed to hospital and then never returning. She said it was one of the good things about it all. That, and the fear of dying alone at home. It wasn't often she found a silver lining so it must have been a big dread for her. Clearing up his home isn't easy either, not just after you've been severely poked in the eye with that nasty stick. You are a woman of courage.

My DH is progressing. He had his ears vacuumed out yesterday and its worked wonders for his balance - so he spent yesterday afternoon pottering in the garden (with frequent rests) and is a much happier more positive bunny.
We had wooden floor in the conservatory sanded and re-varnished yesterday and they've worked wonders. It looks like new. We have to wait until Saturday for a selection of the offspring to come and move the big furniture back from where its presently residing in the car port. The dining room is full of books and the place is a mess. Therefore we are gardening! Thank goodness the weather is lovely.

Hello Gang,
Such interesting goings on here.
Apart from poor Phil of course. Dear Kaimoana you are such a kind friend.
The breakthrough with your illustrious family BJ is most exciting. Does this mean you are now in contact with more cousins too?
My ancestors were mainly simple folk Nfk who are hard to trace apart from the one gt gg uncle who was transported to Australia for the crime of stealing a jacket in Yarmouth. There were good records kept for him. And my NZ ggf who was interviewed by a newspaper reporter in 1914 - ]an old pioneer.

Yesterday's jaunt went well thanks. It's 2 buses for me and the Edinburgh to Glasgow city link is every 15 mins. Its a double decker and overtakes all the other traffic. All free for me. Here am I talking about the journey!! Ha ha. Not what you wanted to hear. Okay yes we gossipped a little about GN the political threads in a nice way. It wasn't a large group and we moved about so I got to have good chats to all.
Sparky was mentioned and not in a good way!
The Glesca grans threatened to come and sort him out!

Hello Gang from a very sunny Yorkshire Dales.
Kaimoana. So very sorry to hear of the loss of your dear friend. As we get older this happens more and more doesn’t it?
*Grammaretto. Sounds like you had an amazing get together. Bet it was soooo noisy. Love it when you can get together with friends. Something I and many other people missed so much during lockdown. Having good friends is wonderful but it does seem to be a “woman” thing doesn’t it? Men just don’t seem to have friends in the same way. DH has a couple of good friends but they don’t seem to get together in the same way us ladies do although they enjoy each other’s company once they do make the effort.
Nfk Great news about your DH. So pleased he’s able to get out and potter. Must make him feel so much better too.
Yorkshire is of course so beautiful. Weather is glorious the scenery absolutely amazing and of course the pubs are great!
We are in a very small village high up in the Dales with no shop and just a community run pub which is very good. Buses run 4 times a day to the nearest small town. The school is in the village and children are bussed in from surrounding villages. The nearest surgery is around 20 mins away.
Is all glorious on a sunny summers day when we are on holiday but reality especially in the winter must be very different. There a lot of very elderly people who live here but more and more properties are being sold as “holiday homes”. Having said that we did see around half a dozen boys playing football so obviously some younger people still live here.
One more day left till we leave “paradise” and take the long journey home. Fingers crossed we will be back next year

Evening all. Been a beautiful day today.
Boadicea I hope all the girls are well fed now and have had their afternoon nap in their garden hammocks.
I learnt long ago that others ideas of art were not the same as mine. Beauty as they say is in the eye of the beholder and I think that’s true. I’m sure your painting was wonderful and if you like it then why does it matter.
What exciting news in your ancestor search and a lovely coincidence that your friend was able to help you.
Nfk so pleased your DH is making good progress and getting out in the garden again. The weather is lovely for sitting in the garden too so make sure you both get some rest.
Grammaretto so pleased you had such a good time with the other grans. I saw the photos on the other thread you all looked very happy.
I hope Sparky will be on his toes from now on. The GNetters are a force to be reckoned with.
Jan how lucky you are with the weather. The village you’re in sounds lovely but as you say, in winter, it could be a problem. Many places are suffering from people buying holiday homes. Must be really upsetting if you live in such areas. We have a lot of tourists here but not so much in the way of people staying more like passing through for the day.
Kaimoana I wonder how you’ve been today. Are you able to visit your friend again? Such a sad time for you.

Well, my French group have departed, loaded down with a suddenly-ripe embarrassment of citrus, and exhausted from all the laughing. Several have had family tragedies this year, and they always repeat how much our lovely, fun group means to them and their well-being. Such are the joys of U3A. Six different nationalities, all learning and laughing together.
Kaimoana -hoping that you are coping with the burdens laid upon you, and are taking care of YOU, as well as Phil.
Doodle - thank you for your kind words, and I hope you are enjoying the weather. It's still only 16 deg here, but we've had glorious sunshine all day, and The Girls have been enjoying gaggling in the garden. They also entertained the French group by tapping at the windows and looking adorable.
Jan - your Yorkshire holiday destination sounds idyllic. So sad about the holiday home thing - it happens here, too, and I know how it sucks the life out of a perfect beach, lake or mountain community. The resultant lack of medical facilities is just one of the problems, but was an important one for us in our decision to move into town.
Grammaretto - the image of the Glesca grans on Sparky's case is an entertaining one. Handbags at dawn, indeed. Do tell us more...
Do you have any links to information on the ancestors you mention? I'd love to learn more about them! Such fascinating mines of information that could so easily be lost. When I was a 6th former, I had a holiday job at a regional museum - my task was to transcribe old diaries and letters which had been lent to the museum (it was the 1960s, after all, well before modern techniques) Such fascinating reading about the old Pakeha-Maori, the whalers and the remittance men. One diary mentioned an eel in a North Island river, caught by the locals. Evidently the model for the mythological river monsters, or taniwha, it was, according to the writer, 20 feet long and with a head the size of a butter barrel. Something like this, maybe? river-monsters.fandom.com/wiki/New_Zealand_Longfin_Eel

BJ didn't I advise you to paint that extremely ill informed and unprofessional 'tutor' out of your life? Look at the damages she has already done to the creative people around her? Despicable.
Good that your French class is so different.

Perhaps you should have a notice in a Northland phone both which says "Ring 235046 for a French Mistress who will give you a good time"

No burden was laid upon me BJ, I can assure you. I willingly offered to help Phil in the same way he has always helped me.
In fact I can do so little but when I received a very welcome letter from his Mum (94) in the UK, I was able to reassure her he was getting the best of care.

Successive governments may reduce health spending but what doesn't change is the care, attention and kindness of nursing staff.

Jan Your obvious enjoyment of my home county made me smile.
it is a very beautiful place indeed.
When I was little (and yes, I really was, back in the day ) I begged my parents to move to the Dales, from the dirty back streets of Bradford where there was nary a tree or any of the rural things I longed for.
. The excuse was always, 'We have to live near Dad's work.'
Hmmm My father was a motor mechanic and could easily have found work in the Dales but that penny didn't drop for many years. They were city people who didn't want to move.

Doodle I hope the upheaval in your family is smoothing out a little. I think about you all such a lot.
Yes, I was able to visit Phil again, taking all the things he'd had to leave behind, in his emergency flight from home. On my 2nd visit he was much brighter as they'd given him a morphine pump and was out of pain.

Your GN get-together sounded fun Grammaretto, good to meet the pseudonyms

I've often said Murphy lives at my house and he's been working overtime in the last few days.

Having told Phil he can ring me night and day; my phone went dead.
This, I believe, is because the phone/internet connection to Brian's (my other friend with cancer, now living with his daughter) was removed yesterday by technicians, and they cut off my phone too.

Not only is this a disaster for contact between self and Phillip, but if I have any issues, health or otherwise, I can't communicate immediately for help.

Yes, I'm in the 'vulnerable & priority' category and registered as such but that only means they get round to reading your emails within 2 working days instead of 4-6. There is no number to ring these days. I can't even dial 999 (or 111 here). What a pickle.

I don't usually tell anyone I have a mobile because it is incredibly hard for me to see it - but I do have 4 people listed on an old cellphone, to whom I can speak a text and have the reply read to me if I'm in need.

In one of Murphy's best move, that's also suddenly refused to hold its charge. One minute it is at 100%, I send a text and it switches off, saying "Battery low - recharging" - which takes an age. So my only backup is kaput too.

Other than my computer, and no doubt as soon as Murphy has a minute, he'll jinx that too, I am completely incommunicado at a time when I most need to have contact with so many.

Life really can be a pain in the neck, can't it?

I suppose it was predictable that my ISP should decide I need a new modem, at extra expense per month of course.

It should be here by Tuesday.

A whole week of not being able to communicate, even with emergency services is not something I need right now.

Hello Gang,

So Kaimoana will you be off-line for a while? I'll bet there will be much to tell when you return.
Please be careful.
Enjoy the time with your DGS.

Sparky is on holiday. He's in your neck of the woods Doodle well somewhere in the south of England. and not expected back till next week. Take note Glescu Grans for sorting him out.

Meanwhile df arrives today for the weekend . Her AS's residential community is having its Summer Fair. I hope it's dry. No sign of that at the moment. In fact I just heard thunder.?️
Pottery, yoga both cancelled due to covid and DD has it now.

Boadicea I have my gt GF's memoirs as a pdf. Can I send them somehow? Not sure about the G gt uncle.
There was a family reunion 10 years ago in NZ and one of the cousins collated a heap of info gathered from dozens of cousins and made a book of it, rapidly printed, with plenty of errors but it's great to have.

I am doolally. I set the breadmaker but forgot the kneading paddle. Must go and buy bread.

Oh Kaimoana - that darned Murphy has been busy at yours, has he not? I really, really hope that all these technical hitches are swiftly resolved and we can get back to what we laughingly call "normal" these days. So pleased that Phil has pain relief and is feeling brighter - how happy his Mum must be to know that he is surrounded by kindness and love. But please, please, take care of yourself, and keep well. What joy to know that The Boy will be soon with you, and you two miscreants can get up to all sorts of mischief.
Yes (hangs head), you did advise me to move away from the "tutor", and I have to say that I learned more from you in your kind and instructive emails about colour and composition than I have in a year of fortnightly group meetings. I'm just going to continue pottering on in my own way, doing what I enjoy. A friend has already claimed the "heavy" hibiscus for herself...

Grammaretto - I'll message you, because I'd LOVE the pdf of your gt GF's memoires...Thank you so much! Doodle it's up to you to sort out a posse to track down the elusive Sparky, since he's in your neck of the woods. I have this image of Doodle leading a pack of Glesca Grans, all armed with knitting needles and deadly handbags, pursuing the renegade through the fields and forest.
I hope your DD recovers quickly, and without incident. Also that the weather stays fine for your activities.

Nfk - I hope your DH is progressing well. You have your hands full with all the works in progress. Yes, it's so disappointing to come up against all these anonymous wives who don't even have a name or provenance. It's as if they didn't exist at all other than as a machine to pop out a dozen babies and then die. I had thought it would be easy to track down gt gt grandmother, who was born in a workhouse somewhere in Lincolnshire, but it's not. She had an unusual maiden name for mainstream England, but very common in Lincs. She and her family moved to NZ when she was very young, so she was not worthy of being recognised by the authorities, apparently. Good luck with your investigations!

It's cold and damp here, (13 deg!!) and the washing is hanging miserably on the line, as I forgot to bring it in last night and it rained hard. But MrJ just arrived back from his early supermarket sortie with some prosecco and other goodies, I have lit the fire and made coffee, cats are in and hugging the warmth...and if I feel like painting another heavy hibiscus, I will jolly well do so, without any guilt.

Boadicea how rewarding to know that your French class has helped people through sad times. I’m sure your class have a wonderful time. I can imagine Doreen and the girls sprucing themselves up for a visit….Showtime girls let’s strut our stuff ?
Kaimoana it must be reassuring for Phil’s mum to have contact with you and know how he’s being cared for. I’m glad he is being well looked after and you were able to visit him again. Thank you for your kind thoughts.
Oh I’m sorry about your connection problems. That is a worry. I hope things are sorted out quickly and you are able to use your phone soon.
Grammaretto I will send the troops out looking for Sparky. If you see a picture in the press of a man running for his life with a woman holding a frozen leg of lamb in one hand and a rolling pin in the other chasing him down, you’ll know who they are. I’ll send him back up north to the Glescu Grans for them to administer justice with handbags at Dawn.?
Hope you have a lovely weekend with your DF.
Boadicea it is really hot here. All doors and windows open, fan on and I’m still hot. We are having a mini heatwave.
I’m glad you will continue your painting. If it brings you pleasure then who cares what others think.
Nfk hope your DH is improving every day.
Have a good weekend all.

BJ

Now for some good news. I apologise if I am talking about myself and life at the moment.
It helps.

No Grammaretto landline and Internet are quite separate. As you see and thank goodness as no one seems interested restoring my phone - even knowing an isolated old lady can't even ring for help in an emergency.

A lady from social welfare told me they could not assist with the latest $25pw rent increase imposed by the Sallies as the total rent is way over what they regard as 'social housing level' (most SH tenants pay half the amount I have to find). Clearly she doubted I was even in such a property.
But she checked with the Sallies and came back astounded and disgusted that they were allowed to charge such huge rents, when, theoretically, the tenants were on basic, fixed pensions.
However, it seems SW can let me have a little something toward this higher rent,"the rest will have to come out of what's left of your pension" (hysterical laughter).

An email from BlindLow Vision who have been conducting an accessibility study for the government told me I had won a CookieTime Gift Box for my erudite contribution. They have asked me to make an official submission to the Bill going through parliament.

When I went to the Kaumatua hui, I won both raffle prizes…food boxes so one went straight back into the draw but someone called out that I must be on a lucky streak!

Then, most poignantly wonderful of all. A dear man who drives me and the St John Shuttle, to various health appointments tried to ring me to ask advice on matters Maori. When he couldn't get through he told his wife he simply had to come and make sure I was all right.
I was so moved by this, what unusual kindness.
So a few little stars shining through what seems like a very dark night at the moment.

Oh "Kaimoana* - how lovely about the caring St John's man. AND the BlindLowVision recognition. AND the winner of the food boxes! But not so much about the Sallies...they really should be called out on what is essentially (IMO) exploitationexcessive charges, considering that they almost certainly are not paying huge mortgages and repairs and rates on their units, being a "charity"(!) Are they answerable to any other agency, in terms of the profit/loss figures? In view of their expensive campaigns encouraging people to leave money in their wills, perhaps some transparency would be welcome to potential donors? Or maybe there already is? Perhaps a word with your MP, with the frantic efforts of the govt to show that they are actually doing something for the disadvantaged and disabled? Their housing policy has been a total fiasco, C19 or not. Apologies if I have offended anyone with my own (personal) opinion (oooh tautology...), and of course, I may be entirely wrong...
How is the Trevor project doing? All on track for publication? Do give us a preview...

And anyway, I don't think of hibiscus as "ethereal". Rather, they are very exotic and ermm...slightly erotic flowers, rather like a showy Mexican dancer in a sexy flounced skirt. Or am I deluded?

Kaimoana it’s lovely of you to share your good news with us.
Of course we want to know what’s going on.
Well I’m glad SW are going to help but cross you are being charged so much in the first place.
Wow a gift box and asked to submit to the Bill. Why am I not surprised that they seek your wisdom and words.
Winning the raffle too and how nice of you to put one of the prizes back into the draw but you’ve saved the best till last. It must lift your spirits to know that someone cared enough to check up in you. In light of all the sadness you’ve had recently that must have brought joy to your heart.
Boadicea I’m with you in all you say. Not the sort of thing you expect from a charitable organisation.
Crumbs I’d like to see a photo of your erotic hibiscus painting. Sounds good to me ?
I saw a lady this afternoon that I have had a few chats with over the years. Some time ago she said some unpleasant things to me for no reason that I can think of (I hardly know her at all) and she has ignored us since. As we were passing I stopped and asked her how she was. To my great surprise she stopped and chatted for about 15 minutes. I feel better for having spoken to her. Still don’t know what her problem was but at least we are on speaking terms again.