The Lockdown Gang - still chatting ?

Nearest neighbour Doodle is nearly 800m up the track / lane which is an unadopted road. 6 more houses on the same lane but they’re all close together. We’re at the end. The photo is from July 2017. We do have Rich, our man mountain, who helps with woodland management one day a month. Other than that, we let it do it’s own thing. The wildlife love it.

muse Try Vicks Vapour Rub, or Listerine Original or Tea Tree oil on your poor feet - they at least smell better than garlic and all have proven more effective than prescription creams.

'dreckly' - Oh I do miss all that. Upalong, emmetts and 'Hello moi luvver'

Doodle yes, I'm still here and melting...27 degrees (80.6F) at 2am but wild, windy and 23 today... it's definitely an El Niño season.

Is your vibrator the same as a TENS machine?
Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation - that too intercepts brain signals.

Thing is, you can wear it on your belt and leave it on for hours - that's what I was recommended and it was miraculous.

It's also used to dull the pain of labour I understand.

It's my son's birthday on Valentine's Day, my very own gift of love and he's a complete darling.

Muse that’s good. Neighbours near at hand but not too near ?. I bet your wildlife do love it. Have you seen anything apart from deer?
Kaimoana a TeNS machine gives an electrical signal I think and is more suitable for pain relief. DH isn’t in pain as such just total discomfort. He’s been walking round the lounge for the last half hour and I’m sure it’s not doing him any good,
This gadget is a frequency vibrator with no electrical impulses. Funny enough the Tens machine had been my other choice but we’ll stick with the current one for now.
How wonderful to have a son on Valentine’s Day, what a precious gift, Hope he has a lovely day.
Take care all.

Well, what a night that was, as cyclone Dovi began its passage across Aotearoa. High winds, rain, mysterious bumps in the night…I got up this morning after a pretty much sleepless one, and went to feed the girls. There was one of my lovely fig trees, loaded with fruit, about 2 weeks away from ripe, torn asunder and half of it lying on the ground. I can’t bear to check the limes and mandarins, as I’m sure the crop will have been decimated. At least, after today, the forecast is for cooler temperatures at night – thank goodness, and far lower humidity. MrJ has been struggling with his COPD in the climate…not so good for chesty people. A bit of a worry with his anaesthesia tomorrow. A young English surgeon, who is an absolute hoot, very funny, very caring and seems very switched-on. Last time we saw him, we had a big discussion about Boris Johnson – but that was almost a year ago now, and before Boris made an even bigger twit of himself. The surgeon asked if he could borrow my copy of Boris’ book- “A Dream of Rome” after our chat!
Just out to take some produce to my friend whose husband is so ill. She’s on a knife-edge, not knowing when the final, fatal heart attack will happen. Poor darling. Fortunately I picked what was left of the basil yesterday, to make pesto, and get some to my friend, who loves it – the remains of the plants were flattened this morning.
I really enjoyed reading your posts this morning…such an interesting lot you are! Will be back.

Poor Dude. It must be so uncomfortable. Is there a support group or facebook page where he could talk to other sufferers. I found the fb group for Kidney Cancer was excellent when DH was ill. There would always be someone who had tried the same treatment as well as the ongoing support for me as his partner

Happy Birthday to your DS Kaimoana. What a beautiful present.

muse lives on what in NZ they call a lifestyle block, I imagine.
There are a few near here but they are "holdings" as in smallholdings. Some were given to returning soldiers after world war 1 and are never supposed to be used other than for rural purposes. Many of them have been sold to rich people who grow horses.

I was tired today and achieved very little after my stint at the cafe. More changes of plans so the tenants are not moving in until March which is probably a good thing.
Tomorrow I am taking DMiL & DBiL to lunch with DS and DDiL and their bairns.
That will be nice.

I'm ready for an early night.
I hope that cyclone dervish hasn't wreaked too much havoc.
Good that you rescued the basil BJ

Good morning ?

How very dare it that it's raining when I had decided to prune the currants....now I have no excuse and must accompany Mr M to choose new spectacles. Sp**sa**rs maintain that they are a medical location so I can't even go in but will grimace and laugh gesticulate through the window to ensure he buys something presentable.

DD2 is almost restored after the covid; she tested positive for seven days and considering that she was double jabbed and boosted we were surprised at how poorly she was. She's going back to the chalk face tomorrow and we are keeping everything crossed that the little angels that she teaches don't keep passing the bug round and round.

We are watching Julian Fellowes' new drama - The Gilded Age - and thoroughly enjoying it. Mr M was cross to discover that it's not a box set and that he has to wait till next week for another episode. It's another Downton/Upstairs/Downstairs thing but set in New York. In the UK it's available on Now TV and Sky I believe.

Holy moly.....just seen the time and I'm not up yet......jeeps.....

Evening all.
Well last night I tried everything except a bar of soap under the bed sheet. About 5 minutes after getting into bed DH said his shoulder was irritating. This moved to his arm then across his body and eventually made its way to his legs.
I tried hot compress (hot water bootle) cold compress (fan) stuffed big tissue wedges between his toes and massaged his legs and propped his legs up in the air in a precarious angle but nothing worked and he was up again walking round within 15 minutes of bed. We are persisting with the vibratory thingy but I have a feeling it’s destined to be returned as useless.
Got to get up early tomorrow to try and get a GP appointment.
Boadicea I’m so sorry you suffered such a bad storm and your trees were damaged. I hope MrB’s breathing has improved and he’s ok for surgery tomorrow. Hope all goes well. Sorry your friends DH is so ill. I’m sure your visit cheered her up.
Grammaretto yes there is a support group but unfortunately there does not seem to be much in the way of things that could help that we haven’t already tried. DH is taking one of the best known drugs for his symptoms and although it worked when he first started taking them and he got some good sleep, the drug now seems to be working against him and making the symptoms worse. We belong to the BHF too and I agree these groups are helpful.
Your post about growing horses made me laugh. As I’ve only got a balcony and not a big plot do you think I could grow a Shetland pony. ?
Hope you had a nice lunch with the family.
Mamissimo you made me laugh too. The thought of MrM inside the shop and you outside trying to pick a suitable pair of glasses.
Glad DD2 is feeling better. Hope she will be ok for the IVF.
Thanks for the tip about the new series. I liked Downton so will give this new one a go.
Kaimoana hope the winds haven’t blown you away.
Panache and Cherry we still miss you and think of you. Hope you’re ok.x

https://www.gransnet.com/uploads/talk/202202/medium-489645-49368efb-5ada-486f-b289-3d8a379590d1.jpeg https://www.gransnet.com/uploads/talk/202202/medium-505719-ad793757-85be-4c9e-ac7b-653fd52f8986.jpeg https://www.gransnet.com/uploads/talk/202202/medium-187255-9cab5178-5bfe-4054-81a5-24dffe2dfb06.jpeg

Doodle so sorry to hear about DH discomfort. Bless him - he must be so fed up and tired and you must feel helpless to alleviate his pain.
Boadicea poor Mr B. When I was a child I had dreadful asthma and remember so clearly how distressing it was to be struggling to breathe. In those days there were no inhalers or nebulisers just the most disgusting thick yellow syrup! I can still taste it.
We too get deer in the garden. Well very small deer - muntjacs really. Pretty little things but they eat everything. Bought some beautiful orange pansies last year and by the next morning all had been eaten! We feed birds and squirrels but not too impressed by feeding muntjacs too! Love the grey squirrels they are so funny. Chase each other around and get nuts from the feeder and then bury them in our lawn. Ok so they are rats with tails as my eldest daughter says but we love watching them!
Two years ago a friend bought me an Amaryllis bulb and I’ve been hooked ever since! Once they start growing they shoot up so quickly. I kept last years bulb and it has produced 5 beautiful flowers and another bulb about to open. I am going to take the plant to my friend so she can watch it open as we are going away on Fri and can’t leave it with no one to see it’s beauty.
Hope Panache and Cherry are ok and as Doodle says we miss you

Doodle, I'm putting your name forward for sainthood. What a wonderful nurse you are! I'm so sorry MrD is having all this trouble...age is such trial, isn't it, and youth is wasted on the young. What a shame that the vibrator thing isn't working as well as you had hoped. I'm imagining your Shetland pony on the balcony...just think of the wonderful roses you could grow in pots from all the ermm...production.

I, too was picturing MrM trying on the specs and Mamissimo giving gestures of approval or otherwise. Fortunately, MrJ is very good at helping to choose glasses, and we decided on some quite styly ones last week - for me, I mean. They are a ridiculous price here - I have no idea why. The last two pairs I've had I bought in Sydney, where the savings on the two pairs literally paid my airfare to get there. How crazy is that! But then, I do have a very weird prescription...the result, my mother used to tell me, of reading with a torch under the blankets when I was supposed to be in the land of nod.

I hope all goes well with your DD's return to school, Mamissimo. It must be such a worry, with the virus swirling among all the kids, coughing over each other in such confined spaces. Since retiring 2 years ago, I haven't had a single cold. Teachers are so vulnerable, despite decades of building up good immunity.

Kaimoana - I hope your DS has a wonderful birthday. He sounds such a gem, and you have a wonderful relationship...that's above rubies, isn't it. Has the wind subsided there? We have leaden skies, a dull, flat sort of day, but at least it was delightfully cool last night, and sleep was possible for the first time in several weeks.

We're supposed to be in Kaitaia Hospital as I write, but we're not. After waiting for years, MrJ woke with a cold, and a nasty cough. Where he got that from, I've no idea. We've been assiduously isolating since last week. With his COPD, the hospital advised him not to proceed today. So here we are, all dressed up and nowhere to go. What a pain. And a worry. So, another coffee and the online papers, and then some work in the garden while the soil is damp and easy to work. My reward will be an afternoon of reading. Can't wait.

Jan - sorry, I didn't see your post before I posted. Your amaryllis is sensational! Such spectacular flowers, lush and billowy.
How is your asthma now? Did you have any attacks after adolescence? How terrible for you, before the days of nebulisers. My mother's childhood friend, in the 1930s, had serious asthma, and the only treatment was an enema! Such a terrible disease, specially in children...my DS2 used to have shocking attacks, where he became blue and unconscious, bowels and bladded voided, sirens and lights to the hospital - and that was with our own nebuliser at home. I didn't have a single night for years where I didn't have to leap out of bed at 3 am, and slap the mask on his face. The paediatrician said he must have a superb will to live, to get him through it. It makes me quite teary just to remember it, over 30 years ago. It's made DS2 very empathetic and understanding of suffering.

No wind here BJ and only 22 with a low of 13.
One of my friends at school had very bad asthma, I'm not sure what was available in 1961 but whatever it was, Carol didn't have it.
We were neighbours and lived up a very long, steep hill so I used to piggy back her up until we reached the flat at the top.
Easy enough as I was a BSL but a bit of a challenge in thick snow.

We had many a hilarious tumble and lay there laughing and gasping until we were calm enough to carry on the climb.

I woz Boosted today.

Kaimoana - you go, girl! Great to hear you wuz boosted.
No wind here, either. ...well, a wee zephyr only.
I spent the afternoon, not in reading, but in making fig jam, having picked a lot of border-line soft fruit, from all the rain. Quite nice, though not my favourite flavour. I might have overdone the lemon juice just a titchy smidgen...

Yummy, Fig, Lemon and Dead Wasp jam

Oh darn, Kaimoana, you were going to be the recipient of my first jar...dead wasps add a certain je ne sais pas, do you not think?

quoi. quoi. Je ne sais quoi. arrgghhh

Hello gang of Lobstars,

Thank you Jan for sharing your amaryllis with us all on Valentine's day. It is gorgeous.

DS#3 had an inhaler for a while when he was a child but I think the asthma gradually improved and he was the most sporty of the lot - still is.

I can just see you Kaimoana trudging up that steep hill with Carol on your back. like the scene in the Hovis advert
www.youtube.com/watch?v=AnAjidewLNE
What a great friend you have been and still are!

The DGC were away on a school trip so I didn't see them yesterday. It was nice to have chats adult conversation for a change.

NZ, DGC is about to go on a school trip too but someone at his mum's work has covid so she is now isolating and testing. He will be so disappointed if he can't go.

The HelpX girl arrives today so I had better make her room up and try to make it warm.

Well been a busy day today. Finally persuaded GP surgery to let us both attend an appointment together rather than a phone one. GP was excellent. Listened, offered advice, changed medication and suggested onward referral for DH to a neurologist. Which was what we wanted.
Hoping that increasing medication and with a new addition we will get a good nights sleep. DH has to text GP,tomorrow to see how he gets on.
Jan that’s a lovely flower, I got given one for Christmas one year, beautiful blooms. We had muntjacs in our garden too. Ate all my newly planted pansies. We too have squirrels and I love them. They love our communal garden by the river. Lots of trees to play in and no cars so reasonably safe. They play every morning chasing each other round and round.
Jan is it your cruise this week? Has it come round already.
Baodicea you are so kind but if there is a medal going then DH should have it. He’s the least complaining person I know and despite so many medical conditions he seldom moans about it which is why I know this one is really getting him down. I hope the new treatment works, he would love a good nights sleep.
Yes I imagine a Shetland pony might leave me several deposits. ?
Oh I can’t believe it. You wait all this time and now, out of the blue, MrB gets a cold. Isn’t it always the way. I do hope he gets a rescheduled date soon.
Kaimoana I’m glad you woz boosted. Good for you.
I had severe asthma too but not until my early 20s. I couldn’t walk up hills then and still can’t. Can you give me a piggy back too.
Never heard of fig jam Boadicea but I do like figs, not to keen on wasps though….alive or otherwise,
Grammaretto I do hope your DGS gets to go on his trip. Such a disappointment to miss out.
I hope your helper is a big help and doesn’t let you down.
Have you made any pots recently?
As it’s Valentine’s Day DH and I are celebrating him with cake and cream and me with chocolate ice cream. Naughty but soooo nice.
Sleep well all…..hope DH does too.

Doodle pleased you got some help from your GP. Hope DH doesn’t have to wait too long for his referral. Yes the cruise starts on Saturday. Not packed a thing yet but got a free day on Thursday! Weather not looking too brilliant both in the Bay of Biscay and the Canararies. Spent a good part of the afternoon filling in the Passenger Locator Form. You need it to get back into this country. It’s not the easiest form in the world especially when you try to download the QR code which contains your vaccination details. Why on earth you can’t just hand over the little card we were given I have no idea. Just hope it’s all ok.
Boudicea yes luckily asthma gone now although I get a bit wheezy sometimes in very cold weather and like Doodle I can’t walk up hills!
Kaimoana As Grammaretto says how kind of you to carry your friend up hills. What a true friend.
Hope all those waiting for hospital dates hear soon. It’s like being in limbo waiting for treatment.

What a treat! To snuggle down under a light wool duvet and sleep soundly. No tossing and turning, tangled up in the sheet, not being about to find a cool spot, everything damp and mosquitoes whining. Only 13 deg last night, instead of in the mid-20s.

Enjoy packing for your cruise, Jan - hope you have a wonderful time, and that you have smooth seas in the Bay of Biscay.

Doodle-your poor DH. No wonder you worry. Please take care of yourself. But how wonderful to find a really empathetic doctor who actually listens. Great to have the referral. You Valentine's day treat sounds like it hit the spot...cake and creammmmmm...

Grammaretto - I really hope you DGC can go on the school trip. They really are the highlight of the year, to set off camping in the heat of February, out of the stuffy classroom and into the bush. Also that your Help Colleen is just that, and you can finally get to grips with the techie stuff. It still fills me with horror, damp palms and palpitations. Specially when a 6-year old looks at you pityingly, as if you are intllectually challenged and from another planet.

This morning, the sun is shining, the air is coolish, and still. Large load of washing about to be put out in the sunshine, chickens/quail/cats are fed, about to go out and pick more figs and pears, which are ripening up nicely. Perfect day to be alive.

Doodle I'd gladly carry you anywhere dear friend .
Did the GP tell you why it all seems worse for DH as soon as he lies down?

Gramaretto hope your girl turns up and is a BSL and a good worker.

If you'd like to trace the route Carol and I took, start at the point the link takes you and go forward until you get to very top and the big junction. Turn left and continue until you get to Quarry Street on the right after Hilda Street. Go along to the end and that's where Carol lived.
It all looks very different now, quite picturesque in parts, which I never saw as a child, now I see it through adult eyes

www.google.com/maps/place/500+Heaton+Rd,+Bradford,+UK/@53.8125592,-1.7828003,3a,25y,320.81h,93.23t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1s7OMuxO4tdw_FJSFY8m1jRA!2e0!7i13312!8i6656!4m5!3m4!1s0x487be41eea4a8c2f:0xa1d11250ea4e92c6!8m2!3d53.8133386!4d-1.7841097

This point is far from our school but it was all flat up to then. Quite a nice trip up memory lane for me, though you couldn't pay me to live there now.

BJ Don't miss me off the Fig Jam list, it's the wasp which makes it for me. without that poor sacrificial insect, we wouldn't have figs at all.

Had a WONDERFUL day with my DS and now have a kilo of home-smoked cheese; 2kg of smoked mussels - divine - and an experimentally mushroom which didn't smoke too well but was okay.

Love to all

Kaimoana - you smoked a mushroom?? How did you wrap it in the paper? Did it have any effect?

Thank you all for your kind thoughts. Well we had a better night last night, not perfect but much improved on the last 3 weeks. Kaimoana the restless legs syndrome seems to get worse at night for most sufferers. It’s when you rest it kicks in. Which is why walking round relieves the symptoms. DH had two episodes of walking last night but seemed to sleep well the rest of the time so we hope that will improve.
Sounds like you had a better night too Boadicea. Mind you 13 still seems quite warm to me. Are you troubled with the mosquitoes through the whole of the summer or is it a short lived thing? Have a lovely day. Pears and figs sound delicious to me,
Kiamoana what a lovely thing to say, thank you ?
I will try your link in a bit.
What a lovely day you had with your DGS. So good for you both.
Boadicea you are naughty (mind you I thought the same thing). Not magic mushrooms by any chance Kaimoana.?
Jan you are doing the same cruise as our last one to thé Canaries. We had no trouble in the Bay of Biscay there or back and the sea wasn’t too bad. Unfortunately the weather wasn’t too good so I hope it will be kinder to you. Hope you have a lovely time. Relax and enjoy yourselves.

Well I decided to make today a day for myself so I got out the sewing machine and I have been working on some appliqué. Not doing very well. I was trying to appliqué a fence …..would have had more luck building one from wood than trying to sew an appliqué one.
Then I thought I would be good and shorten the trousers DH has been asking me to do for a while. Job completed I put them on the bed for his approval. It seems I have shortened the wrong ones. Oops ?
Hope everyone had a good day.

DoodleStrangely we did the same Canaries trip exactly two years ago. Got back just before Lockdown. The sea was very choppy but once we were on land the weather was glorious. The exact opposite to your trip!
You did make me laugh about shortening the wrong trousers!