The Lockdown GangSTARS still going

Kaimoana so pleased to hear you can stay in your home. What a relief. A reduced rent too. That’s wonderful.
I hope they leave you in peace now and well done to all those who supported you.
Poop into a bag - now that’s an idea ?
Hope you have a lovely time on Friday with Mepa.
Grammaretto pleased to see your kitchen ceiling is finished. That’s a good job done. Is Hans staying on?
New boiler next. You’ll be well set up for winter then.
Mark has suffered a setback. He sadly had to have and operations today to remove his nose (the bit you thought was something else ?)
According to the instructions, the nose gets sewn on and stuffed and then embroidered with pink and black stitches to finish off nose and mouth. Well, I don’t know what sort of needles they writers had but no way were mine going to go through the thickish cotton yarn and the stuffing. So Mark has become noseless again while I try and figure out how to do the embroidery before sewing his nose back. Got to crochet a new nose first as I had to cut the other one off. .

Wow! What a result Kaimoana. A rent reduction like that must be rare. Well done you.

I am also glad the theatre trip went so well despite the weird play.
The VAD lesson sounds interesting too.
Hansel and Gretel are going into Edinburgh today. It's her last day.
They finished painting the kitchen ceiling yesterday so I am very happy.

My news is that the plumber has given me a start date for the new boiler!
I have an appointment for my vaccinations too after a couple of phonecalls.
Finding that treasure under the bed must have been lovely Doodle
Hope our Lobstars are safe and as well as possible.

That discovery sounds wonderful Doodle what lovely memories.

Yes I had the decision on my home yesterday afternoon.
I can stay (apparently it was touch and go but I'm not going ) and my rent will be reduced by 2/3rds, to the ethical 25% of income the government states.

As you may imagine, I am not the SA poster girl right now, although individuals have been kind.
Policies have been quickly changed so no other tenant can do the same. Well, they can but they'll be asked to move.
I'm an exception only because of my poor eyesight.

At the BLV support group today, I learned how dogs are taught to poop into a bag - they have a special harness.
I wonder if Gubbins would wear one?

ixion & Cherry - footie season is upon you, could we please have more of those wonderful descriptions? So exciting.

Mepa is so funny. She intends taking me to another Whanau (Family) Day on Friday, where, as you might remember, all the food is free.

She said, 'We go, eat, eat, eat everything and then I bring home okay?'

Grammaretto ? not going to ask you what you thought it was.?
Well at least Hans and Gerda a pleasant. When is Hans due to go then? Anyone else coming soon who might be able to help rather than need looking after?
Kaimoana shame about the play but it sounds as though everything else was a great success. You were so well looked after (as you should be). That’s so nice to hear.
Any news on your home yet?
Quiet day here. Walk this afternoon but this morning I got DH to help me move our bed. The castors were stuck in the carpet and it didn’t want to budge. When it did move I was able to get behind it and …….. no not owning up to all the dust behind it.?
Ou bed has drawers underneath two of which we can only access when the bed is fully away from the wall. I decided to clean out the drawers and came across a box containing all the acceptance cards for our wedding (over 50 years ago). I have spent ages tonight going through them remembering some people now gone and trying to work out who others were.
Also came across my list of wedding gifts including a blue plastic bucket, colander, toast rack, saucepans and large basin.
I wonder if I ever got my blue plastic bucket ?

Gosh Doodle you work fast! Mark 8 is looking good. I hope the body works as well. "I ain't got nobody….."

Grammaretto what did you see at the cinema?
I plan to see/hear, "Mrs Harris Goes to Paris" showing locally from 20th. I'm a Paul Gallico fan and I cried over the Snow Goose.
I remember a B&W version with the marvellous Kathleen Harrison, the perfect Mrs Harris.

Cherry, how lovely to see you popping by Cheers, m'dear.

Yes, I had a safe and splendid time at the theatre.
My friends dropped me at, and hammered on the locked back door, as the theatre was closed.
From there I was escorted on the arms of wonderfully helpful guys who brought me drinks and Waffle Chips (never heard of them before, they were yummy).

Kevin, brought the earphone for the audio description; Fraser took me to the Touch Tour and thence to my seat. Josh brought ice cream and water in the interval and Fraser ordered a taxi at the end and walked me to it.
You'd think I was their favourite Auntie they looked after me so well.

As for the play I was not alone in being confused. It didn't seem to know where it was going and while there were laughs it was by no means as hilarious as the blurb stated. Applause at the end was polite rather than enthusiastic.
Sadly this was also reflected in ticket sales. The first week was a sell-out but they are struggling to get Bums On Seats for next. My fingers itched to edit and refine it

I'm assuming dgs is back safe - haven't heard.

Hans & Gerda - didn't they get lost in a wood and find an old house..... ?

I am glad you told us it was a nose Doodle the crochet is perfect!

I forgot to ask about your DiL and DGS Kaimoana Did they get back ok?

DS2 arrived safely in England to be reunited with his family.

Hans and Gerda are nice enough and I am glad they get on well. Maybe tomorrow they will get helping although it's due to rain. Gerda is leaving on Tuesday.

Great to see Cherry ?

I wonder how Missedout is and the Nfks

Nightie night pals

Kaimoana had a quiet day today. Yesterdays leftovers for dinner so apart from a walk not done much else.
So I hope your DGS got back from his trip ok and you got to see the show. Was it good? I hope you got home safely without any misadventures.
Grammaretto I can’t help but feel you have provided a nice home from home for Hans. I would have thought after being ill so much of his trip he would have done something useful today. Hope he and Gerda get to work this week.
You must miss your family so much when they go back to NZ.
Hope you enjoy the film. I do hope you can make the trip to visit them in NZ soon.
Well Mark 8 is progressing. Pic shows his slightly misshapen head and his nose. Not sure it’s in straight but I did the best I could. I’m doing his ears next then will try and embroider his eyes and nose. I am not good at that sort of thing. He is supposed to be a sleeping cat but we shall see.
Cherry I love you popping in now and again. It’s so nice to have you around. x

? for you Grammaretto, and a gentle cwtch too x

Doodle I meant to ask after Mark 8.
Does he look like a cat now? I realise he has no body but we won't hold that against him

Did you get there and was it wonderful? Kaimoana

I've had a surprising day too.
At last Hand had a negative result but promptly went off with Gerda for the day taking advantage of a sunny day to explore Edinburgh!
DS was here and paranoid about catching covid so we went out for dinner. Well yes hmm. I'm not sure I understand the logic.
Today we drove to the airport with plenty of time but met a long delay and passed a dreadful accident. I still don't know if he got his flight.
DD and family called round as did DS1 on their way to visit great grannie. So we all met up to wave goodbye to the NZer.
It is hard having family a long way away.
I'm going to the cinema tonight on my own.
I hope Lobstars are well rested.
I look forward to hearing your news and having hot chocolate brought by Jeeves later.

It sounds as if our GangStars all need a quiet day of doing nothing but resting. Look after yourselves.

As I dribble from one complicated event to another, I wonder why my life is hardly ever simple.

There are 500 flights a day landing at Auckland airport but the only plane to get dgs back to Aotearoa lands right in the middle of our arrangements to attend the theatre.
So of course I lost my driver and for most of yesterday thought I wasn't going to get to see The Made at all.
Then I had the bright idea of calling the co-ordinator of our BLV support group, offering the spare ticket in exchange for a lift into the city.

He and his wife had every intentions of going through Auckland to visit family and have agreed to drop me there at 1:15 - a mite early but that's a mere bagatelle.

I shall sit over a cuppa in the cafe thanking my stars until the Touch Tour and performance at 4pm.

I don't know Auckland at all so getting home will be something of a scary mission but then I moan about being stuck in the house and bored. No pleasing me is there?

My DS will go absolutely ballistic if he knew I was in Auckland alone at night, so I won't tell him until I'm home safe.

Dil will miss The Made as well but I won a $50 voucher for a theatre ticket and will pass that on as compensation for missing out. This play is on all week.

As Summer approaches, there are lots of good things coming up.
Diwali is the next local celebration, a Festival of Light and I'm going to try and get to it.

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diwali

I wonder what will go wrong this time?

Been a busy day here. We had visitors and I’m not used to catering for more than the two of us. We had a good time though and a nice catch up. Very tired this evening. Not energy for crochet cat tonight but at least the washing up’s done.?. Hope everyone has a good weekend

Mark 8 has now progressed to Mark the body-less head. As yet he has no ears or eyes and resembles a big Pom Pom but it’s a start. ?

Missedout lovely to hear from you again. Hope your op went ok and you are recovering well.
Have a lovely time in your boat. Hopefully the weather will be good to you. Don’t overdo things and have a good rest.
Good luck with the knitting. You might need a woolly jumper this winter. ?
Kaimoana I hope you DGS gets home safely and you make it to the theAtre in time. How nice to have an outing with your DIL. Hope the play is good and you enjoy it.
Mark 8 is actually progressing quite nicely. I may……be getting the knack of this crochet business now. ?

Missedout has your injured thumb completely recovered now? Please take it easy on the narrowboat trip - I hope you have good weather.

Oh Doodle, Mark 8....if only your grand-daughter knew what you were going through Top marks for perseverance though.

Wee dramas in my family.
Blind Low Vision offered 50% subsided tickets for the Sunday performance of an hilarious play, The Made which both Dil & I wanted to see, she coming as my 'blind, subsidised assistant/companion'

There's a Touch Tour, as there was prior to the ballet, so we booked.

As you know, dgs has been in New Caledonia all week and due to fly home today, Friday.
The plane broke down.

Teachers and airlines now scrabbling to find ways of getting them all home. Meanwhile the kids are more than happy to head back to the hotel and go snorkeling for another day.

Dil is afeared the new arrangements will have dgs landing at exactly the same time as our play.

As I write this, it's 2:15 pm in New Caledonia, so I imagine frantic re-arrangements are still being made but so far there is no news.

We can only hope......

www.atc.co.nz/auckland-theatre-company/2022/the-made

NfkDumpling, another hug too from me - thinking of you and your DH. Take each day, one step at a time. You will get plenty of support on here.

DH and I are back on our narrowboat (shared ownership) soon. DH has a printed list for our holiday needs and is merrily ticking everything off! I'm trying to get over a recent minor operation and, at the moment, rather wishing our trip wasn't so soon. I hope it isn't too windy, I can handle the boat OK if we aren't blown all over the place, DH can work all the locks and I'll steer!

Doodle, I may even take my knitting away with me - I started a cosy jumper early in lockdown, I now have completed just 15cm of the back (I started with the back).

Best wishes to all fellow Lobstars.

Nfk you know we will always be here to listen and give hugs. Just wish we could do more.
Boadicea how are you getting on? We miss you and the mean girls.
Grammaretto I’m not sure whether Hans is stringing you along or not. He wanted to stay longer than his allotted time right from the outset. Has Gerda arrived yet?
Well there is good news and bad news regarding the latest Mark. The good news is the flat doily that became a fishbowl ended up becoming a ball shape that when stuffed looked perfect………the bad news is that Marks head was twice the size of his body ?. He has now met the same fate as his predecessors and is once more a ball of wool. Mark 8 has already started but this time with a smaller size crochet hook and so far (5 rows) so good.
Kaimoana what have you been up to today.
Thinking of all the gang from the beginning. So many posts and so much caring. You are a lovely lot ?

Thank you all. Your support and knowing you're there helps a lot. XX

Nfk - so sorry to hear your news. Sending all possible positive thoughts, bug hugs and arohanui from down under. xxx

Same here from me too Nfk . So sorry to hear your news. I do hope your husband gets the best care and isn’t in pain.
We are here if you feel like a chat and will be thinking of you.
Big hug from me too for you both. Much love x

From me too Nfk. I know you'll treasure every moment together, whatever happens.

I support what everyone here has said, you WILL be in our thoughts and if you need to rant or moan (even via PM) please do.
Much love to you and DH.

Nfk I'm really very sorry to hear your sad news. All here will completely understand if you don't message. Ixion is right though the LobStars will always be here to give you a warm embrace if you need one at any time. I'm sending you the warmest and biggest cwtch that I can Xx

So so sorry Nfk. Fingers crossed the chemo will help. Hope DH is not in pain. Will be thinking of you both. xx

Oh NfkD I am so very sorry to hear your news
Sending you both warm hugs and cwtches galore but hope the chemo helps.

So hard to hear.

I am one who, in Cherry's words, 'pops by' and would just like to say how very saddened I am to hear your news.

You will have the loving arms and warm embrace from your fellow ?s here, of that you can be sure.
Thinking of you both and wishing strength for difficult times to come.
?