The Lockdown Gang still chatting

I don't like the sound of your bruised hand Doodle, I hope as the swelling subsides properly that the bruising will too. I hope the balls help you, they do look handy (no pun intended). I must say I'm intrigued, you really must tell us what daft things it is you and your crafty friend do 😁

How nice of your friend to send you a copy of the news cutting she kept of the two of you. You look like you get on really well and yes, like you're enjoying yourselves 😊. Thank for the link about her I have read some of it but not all as I got carried away following a trail about you another writer 😉
Gubbins might be a little coy but does sound like an absolute joy. The right idea for your DS to take the forms away with him, much nicer to spend time with Gubbins chatting away.
Yes you are right, I have had modifications to our home, including the kitchen which is the ones I think you are recalling.

I think I recall you telling us, and providing a link, about the paper museum Grammaretto. How interesting to be volunteering there. Interesting about you previously living in a bungalow too and your recollection 😬. Sorry to hear that you are feeling weary, I'll make sure to Jeeves comes to plump up your pillows so you can have a good night's sleep (as soon as he's finished making my drink).

Story of the bungalow - whilst we're still not 100% convinced we want to move it is something that's on both our minds. Not only because of our neighbour but because living on one level would be safer for me. We saw there was an open house locally so we thought we'd take a look to see whether we could envisage us living in a bungalow. It had some good things going for it, it was quite a nice house even if the second bedroom wasn't actually a double they advertised it as 🤔. Definitely not the right bungalow but it's given us food for thought not sure on the diet yet.

I'm intrigued to know what heinous crime you committed Grammaretto to have Gransnet censors delete your post!

No such romantic etymological attachment to Bangladesh or picturesque thatched houses here I'm afraid, my 'bungalow' is called a Unit. How dull.

Gubbins had been watering my fragrant cyclamen but decided more intellectual stimulation was needed so hauled a stool onto the deck, climbed on and called, 'Book please, I want to read.'

I am sorry to disappoint you Kaimoana it was no heinous crime but just the wrong link. I hadn't checked it and had been looking at funeral parlours as you do instead of the woman who writes about undiscovered places.
I asked gransnet to remove it and they did!
On second thoughts the funeral parlour might have been a very unusual tourist attraction.

It's been raining overnight so I don't need to water the garden or pots.
Just the greenhouse where I am trying to grow tomatoes, lettuce and cucumbers.

Gubbins reading her book on your deck is the sweetest scene ever.
Thanks for sharing.

Ooh, nudged mentioned in dispatches!
Still somewhat shell shocked by the ⚽️ result and a tad disappointed to see the the 🏆wasn't really a proper cup at all, more like a vase my mum used to have. Still, a team of our kaliber should be grateful for any silverware, even if there was nowhere to tie the ribbons on. *

As a self-appointed Hon.Lob, I read and follow.

Delighted that the Doodles can now head to sea, enjoy. Hoping the poorly 🫴 can be accommodated comfortably at nights - loved 🍒's story of the handcuffs!

Gubbins is a popsie - whose colouring does she have?
Hoping Jan continues to make progress and that Spud is doing well. Are his cousins excited? My nephew was always bean - mind you, I think that scans have come a long way over the decades😆.

I'd love to visit your Museum Grammaretto, must look it up. I am always full of admiration for these modest enterprises running for the most part on volunteers. We always in our active days used to seek them out and support when we came across them on holiday.

It was interesting to hear of the possible range of alerts Cherry outlined. Gutted to find that a 🐕 wasn't one of them.
It was good that the bungalow visit has given you food for thought. Keep us posted.

Away to locate and ponder how to tackle the crows that ruin our sleep - no, we don't all want to be woken at 04.35, thank you very much.

All God's creatures, as my mother used to say😡 ...


* PS Why do they have kiss these things? Get out the Duraglit again (yawn). Think mine has dried out😉

Grammaretto when we moved here we were near the site of a huge paper mill. No longer working. Now demolished to make way for more housing.
Wow lots of helpers from a variety of backgrounds.
You must be looking forward to seeing your DC even though it’s a sad occasion. Bet there’ll be lots of memories to share.
Oh dear, the heat has got to Jeeves I think.

Cherry thanks. I think the bruising is going down but it’s taking some time. Back to the fracture clinic for check up tomorrow so will see what they say.
Daft things me and my crafty friend do 🤔. Ok well there was the knitted sheep for the nativity. Decorating empty wine bottles to make them look like Father Christmas or a snowman, painting faces on stones, painting jam jars with glass paints and putting lights inside. Painting trees and using buttons for leaves, making pictures in frames using fabric, felt, buttons and bits. Folding paper in books to make shapes, making coasters by paint pouring over ceramic tiles, tracing pictures and painting them into canvas etc. Any silly thing we fancy having a go at that whiles away an afternoon and we can do while chatting. When we get back from our trip I am hoping to buy some Rolife book nooks for us to make. Cross between jigsaws and model making. Haven’t told her yet it’s a surprise so sssh🤫
We lived in a bungalow for a while and I loved the flow through of rooms. Having a bedroom on the ground floor took a bit of getting used to but not a problem really. Hope you find just the right place for you.
Kaimoana that girl loves her books. What a wonderful head of lovely hair. So pretty. Gubbins looks so sweet perched on her stool. Form filling …..hate it.
ixion lovely to hear from you. Oh yes what a win. I bet you were so excited. Yes we are really looking forward to the cruise now. Just got the packing to tackle.
Do you have a lot of crows then………you’re not locked up in the Tower or London are you 🤔. I could bake a cake with a file in it (…..sounds like we’ve gone back into our Argy Bargy days 🤣)

I'm envious of your rain Grammaretto 🤣. It was forecast to rain heavy here yesterday, with possibly a thunderstorm ... we had drizzle for about a minute. It was forecast for the same today .. no rain yet.
Not 100% sure but I think I recall the German helper 🤔. I hope he does visit again. You were going to a pottery fair today I believe, I hope you enjoyed it.
Have your DC arrived for the funeral?

What an absolutely gorgeous picture of Gubbins Kaimoana, she is adorable 😊. More interested in intellectual pursuits than watering flower - I wonder who she takes after 😁.Thank you for sharing with us.

What can you possibly mean by team of our kaliber should be grateful for any silverware ixion 😱 😉. We're only one of eight teams to have never been below the top two divisions of English football don't you know though to be fair our Duraglit is 43 years old 😁.
Sorry that crows are waking you up too early. Is this a recent thing? Wish I had any tips on tackling them but I don't just don't send them to me 🙁

Congratulations on your result Cherry and ixion you must be very satisfied despite the 2nd grade silverware.

I did go to a pottery fair. It was very good . The rain stopped and the sun came out. We had to vote for the best depiction of a nursery rhyme. Some were very funny. I liked this one best.
Humpty Dumpty saved by the NHS.

ixion I don't know where her glorious hair originated but when her Daddy began to grow a beard (in his late 20's) there were definitely a few red hairs in among the black (now greying). It's clear she is very much her father's daughter in every respect.

Gramaretto could you tell me why that pottery is funny? (they eyes wonky as usual, sorry)

To those with ancinet Duraglit, the ubiquitous BP & Vinegar combination does a better and less smelly job!

Hello Lobstars,

Perhaps funny was the wrong word Kaimoana rather witty and clever. Humpty was rescued by the NHS when all the kings horses and men had given up on him.

I waited ages on the phone to the bank call centre this morning to report a dodgy transaction on my statement - only to find the dodgy fraudster was me! I had used a cash machine in an unusual place. It wasn't my usual card which made me doubly suspicious.

I definitely need a minder.

Lovely to think you are off to the seaside Doodle Have fun.

Cherry we had such a thunderstorm here that when we left our sons to drive home although it had only been raining 5 minutes the roads were flooded right across and we could hardly see where we were going. If it rains again I’ll send it your way 😊.
Grammaretto I was a bit confused by the Humpty Dumpty image until I realised I’d misread pottery fair for poetry fair.
Glad you enjoyed it.
Kaimoana broken Humpty Dumpty is sat wearing a hospital gown with his broken head put back together with staples. He appears to have a knee replacement and is surrounded by strips of tablets. I suppose because it’s mostly beige it’s hard to make out the image but it is really very good.
Grammaretto oh dear. Ah well. Better safe than sorry. At least you’re on the ball checking your account.
Went to hospital for follow up in the fracture clinic. Very nice young doctor sat and held my hand quite gently. I was explaining to him I thought it odd the pain was on the left of my wrist when it was the bone on the right that was broken . He said no, I’d broken both bones very badly and that’s why it hurt 😳. However it’s healing well. He wants me to wear the splint for another 6 weeks and then go back and see him again. It stiffens up so quickly so I need to exercise more.
Jeeves another glass of wine please 😊

The daft crafty things that you and your friend do don't sound that daft to me Doodle, they sound like fun and just up my street 😀. I hadn't heard of Rolife nook books before so I looked them up, they really look fun and mum's the word.
How did your appointment at the fracture clinic go?

It sounds like Gubbins' gorgeous head of hair is probably inherited through your side of the family then Kaimoana. Originally my hair was very dark but in the sunshine you could see it had chestnut/auburn tones. A couple of my relatives/extended family on my father's side were redheads.
Thanks for the tip but I don't actually have any Duraglit in my cupboard not sure about ixion's, I was thinking more about the antiquated stock because it hasn't been required for decades in my footie team's trophy room 🤣

The Humpty Dumpty is very witty Grammaretto 😹. Begs the question why the NHS would want to put him back together again though 😉. Oh, how I empathise, you're not the only one to have queried a suspicious transaction only for it to turn out that in fact you yourself are the culprit. I went into my local bank branch, when there was one, a few years back to do just that, unlike you it was my usual bank card . Is there any hope for me?

Not another 6 weeks Doodle !! That is cruel. At least it is healing.
Jeeves bring her the best wine now.
🍷🍷🍷🍷🍸🍸🍸🍸🥂 and bring me some too
Glad you made it home after all that rain. It must be very hot where you are.
Not so hot here.

Flying visit tonight. I’ve hurt my wrist. Just turned it slightly too far. Instinctive reaction to catch some thing. Sitting here with ice pack hoping it will settle down. So hot today.
Cherry the book nooks are quite expensive and we’ve not done those before but they do a slightly smaller version which I thought we’d start off with. I expect my friend will be really good at it as she’s a wiz at jigsaws.
Grammaretto I do hope it’s still healing 😳. Yes more wine please. It is really hot here today. I’ll waft some in your direction as I could do with it being a bit cooler.

Oh dear Doodle another 6 weeks in a splint. But splints are better than having your arm in plaster and the way this year is just vanishing so quickly the six weeks will be over in no time. Hope the pain soon goes away. Like you my wrist and my fingers are very stiff but think they are improving. I try to use my hand as much as possible. By the way do you have a problem getting a bra on?! Men are useless with bras as I’ve discovered although in my dim and distant memories I can remember DH being quite good at removing them!! Whoops sorry!!
Kaimoana Gubbins is so gorgeous! Could just give her a cuddle!
Cherry we have had several phone calls saying there has been a suspicious withdrawal on our accounts but they are always a scam. Sure the first question would be “ could you give me your account details please”.
We have too much building going on around here although not near enough to be a nuisance. Think the problem is that no one builds affordable housing anymore. Most of the houses round here are way too expensive for first time buyers. And of course it’s the usual story of no extra services like Drs dentist or schools.
It’s very warm here but luckily we have a breeze!
.

Writing this from Ixion Sanitorium, where Mr I is a long term resident and I am a new admission. Uber-hot last night (weather😉) at 2am, I came down stairs and missed the final two steps, wrapping myself with ruthless precision around a solid bookcase. No-one stirred, not even a mouse. Spent the rest of the night doing neuro obs and applying the Glasgow Coma scale and shining a torch on my pupils every 20 minutes. Banging head, untouchable skull, black eye and unable to open my jaw wide enough to post the majority of my food through😂. Also probably have a couple of broken toes if Google Images are anything to go by. Hey ho, I feel fine in myself unless I come up against any hard surface . Or Mr.I gets on my nerves in his fruitless attempts to 'help'.
I messaged my hairdresser friend to cancel tomorrow- her response I hope you're not getting old. Ha ha, I'm sure.

I'm sure the splint is an improvement Doodle. I persuaded my Ortho chappie to replace my wrist POP with one before travelling to Aus as I was terrified I might brain the baby. I remember now, it did pong and it was regarded with deepest suspicion by airport security at every turn. Dubai was really scary: I got grabbed by the wrist (the good one) by a silent female security officer who carted me off to a inner cell room, without even giving me the chance to tell OH what was happening. Lots of pointing, gesturing and arm waving. Not a word in a common language. Said splint was re-X-rayed on a different machine FFS before I was released!

I have discovered the source of our crows' disquiet.
They seem to think that our large, slow, deaf and not terribly bright old cat poses some sort of threat🤷‍♀️. Chances are he can't see or hear then anyway so much ado about nothing.
Our previous tame pair, Russell and Cheryl, fitted in really well and would strut up and down comically waiting for food.
Wasn't it GSM who needed the file in the Tower in her early days?

Hoping everyone had a good (enough) evening and night.
Thinking of the NflDs.

...broken Humpty Dumpty is sat wearing a hospital gown with his broken head put back together with staples. He appears to have a knee replacement and is surrounded by strips of tablets
Thank you Doodle. You should join Audio Described; they provide an excellent service for people who can't see pictures.

Oh dear, your poor wrist; you'll be glad of that splint for safety.
Your crafts are excellent. One of the few things I can still do (but don't!) is the Magazine Xmas Tree. We used to make them at Communicare and properly decorated, they look gorgeous.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=vxZQZcm4XTQ&t=120s
Maybe when your wrist has healed a bit, eh?

Cherry Does Irish heritage include auburn hair? All my husband's family came from Ireland, so Gubbins could be a wee cailin (cailleach more like!).

Jan you made me laugh out loud! Cheeky lass- thankyou

I've just been struggling with my boobslings as my doctor just forced me onto new meds which have pretty much disabled me, causing a lot of joint and muscle pain and a HUGE flare of psoriasis, worst it's ever been in 52 years

So I've stopped taking it and if medical wisdom (ha ha) is to be believed, I shall now drop dead in the next few days. Not sure if that's a threat or a promise but at least, if I do, I'll be wearing a properly fastened bra.

Jan oh yes splint is better than cast. At least I can take it off.
Cheeky 🤣🤣 yes mines the same. Actually I have bought some from marks. Elasticated like a crop top only more substantial. I can just manage to pull that on. Getting it off again resembles Houdini trying to escape the straight jacket 😊
Did your fingers feel like they had tight elastic attached to them resisting any movement you wanted to make?
I agree, Gubbins is gorgeous isn’t she?
It annoys me no end these scammers who take money by fraud.
DH had one the other day too.
ixion on no 😱. Are you ok? Should you get checked over at hospital? I have a black eye too. What a pair. If we were still in the Argy the punters would think we’d been in a brawl.
I do hope you’re ok. No cheerleading for you for a while. Hope Mr I is taking good care of you.

Oh Kaimoana not more meds trouble. The psoriasis must be so painful I hope it clears up quickly.
I Hope thé effects wear off quickly. Is there anything else he can prescribe instead?

Drat, another six weeks in your splint Doodle! And yikes ... you've unintentionally aggravated it too 🙁. Still, it's great that the Dr told you that your wrist is healing well 😊 and I hope it settled down overnight.
Crop tops are so handy, I bought some for the first time when I was having radiotherapy. The ones I have aren't very supportive so I only wear them occasionally when I'm at home now but the ones from Marks sound much better.

Jan 😱. It's a puzzle though isn't t it, why men are better as removal 🤣.
I so agree about affordable housing, there certainly isn't enough being built and even fewer homes for social rent are being built. My local council have been building again and in larger numbers but it's nowhere near eny, five have been build not too far from where I live. On the other side of the coin not far from where a friend of mine loves there's a very large private housing development going on, virtually all large houses at almost twice the cost of other houses in the area 🙁
I'm pleased that your wrist and fingers are improving 😊

Ouch ixion 🤕 you've done one of my tricks. It sounds very nasty - untouchable Skull, black eye and unable to open my jaw and possibly broken a couple of toes! I hope you've seen a Dr by now!! Even if you discount your toe injuries, and you shouldn't, you shouldn't discount a possible facial/cranial fracture.
Ah, that's why your crows are crowing! Have you thought about getting/making a scarecrow 😁

I think Irish heritage does include auburn hair Kaimoana, I think it's something all the Celtic have in common.
Is the medication you're talking about the one you stopped several weeks ago or another one you were prescribed? I remember you saying a medication you were put on was causing you problems. If this is a different one then your condition sounds like it's refractory ☹️
Psoriasis is such a nasty condition, my WP has it. The only thing that truly worked for him was light therapy. Sun exposure helps but you can't go round exposing everything everywhere all at once can you. I hope your manage to get a handle on your flare up.

I went on my walkie talkie yesterday, it was very 🥵. I don't know how we did it, especially in the heat, but we managed to do the 5K! Took us a good while though. I didn't bother with lunch - I went straight to dessert 😹. I needed Ice cream and a cold drink, so it was what I had 😁. When I got home though ... my heels were killing me, and no I wasn't wearing any on the walk.
The guy who promised to come about the fence came this morning! We haven't got a quote or anything yet though and goodness knows when, if, he's going to do it. He said he'd 'be in touch' 🙄

Hello Lobstars,

Thanks for your news even though it's not great!
Ixion what have you done to yourself?

Sending healing vibes to all xx

German df arrived last night complete with a pizza which we shared with salad and red wine. Perfect.
He slept for 11 hours and nearly missed his bus this morning. He had to speak at a conference today.

He will be late back tonight so I can relax worry about something else

The skip left today so my garden, though dry, is garden-party ready. We have 3 gazebos and tables and chairs to be collected.
The party is for the volunteers at the community store.
I am booked to go to Glasgow tomorrow on a coach trip. i know how to live!

Yesterday's walkie talkie must have been very hot Cherry well done surviving

Wretched to suffer from psoriasis Kaimoana . I wonder why this flare-up?

Jeeves, ice cream please. There's some blood orange curd flavour in the freezer.

Cherry yes another 6 weeks. I don’t do things by halves.
I think DH and I will have to sit at a table on our own. I have been practicing cutting up my dinner. My fingers aren’t strong enough to hold the fork but if I jab it into the meat and rest my arm on top I can manage to cut with the other hand. Did well tonight……..apart from the big that flew off the plate in DHs direction 😲. Posh dinner à la target practice. Cruise ship watch out,
All the building near us is very expensive. Nothing affordable at all.
If ixion is short of a scarecrow I could stand in her garden. With my hair like a birds nest and black eye and splint it’s enough to frighten anyone.
Hmmm nude gardening for your WP during the summer sounds an idea Cherry . 5K in this heat 🥵 wow I am impressed. It’s hard enough just sitting. Hope you get your fence sorted soon.
Grammaretto that’s the sort of guest you need. Arrives with food . How long is he staying for?
What a lovely idea about the party. Will there be many helping hands for the catering……..and clearing up?
Have a lovely time in Glasgow. Is it far?
Jeeves and I are on our way over for ice cream . 😋

ixion. Oh my goodness what a nightmare. That all sounds very painful and traumatic. Have as much rest as you can and hope you are soon feeling better. Such a shock falling down stairs. Kaimoana Psoriasis is horrible isn’t it. It was in my first husband’s family and he developed it but not too badly. It was mostly on his head. Then my younger daughter came out with it an hers was quite bad for a few years but as she’s got older it’s calmed down a lot thank goodness.
Grammaretto.Your German df sounds the ideal guest arriving with pizza and wine! You’re a busy bee. Garden party and a coach trip! Hope you enjoyed both.
Goodness Cherry walking and talking in this heat. You deserve a gold medal bet you enjoyed that lovely cold ice cream!
Doodle I think I’ve got 2 of those crop top things. Thought they looked good but still haven’t tried them on. Was a bit horrified by the padded cups - they looked huge!
Trouble is my dodgy arm is playing up a bit. Really hurts if I catch it the wrong way so I darent put too much pressure on it.
The trouble with my arm/ hand/ wrist is that I’m never sure if the problems are being caused by the broken wrist or the stroke. Think the majority of it is the stroke that is causing most of the problems but who knows!
Fed up with this heat now. As lovely as it is to see the sun I wish it would tone itself down a few degrees. Summers in our youth were never like this were they girls?!
Jeeves has just brought me a lovely gin and tonic - apple and blackberry flavour!,,

Jan if they’re the same as mine you can take the padding out.
I know exactly what you mean about your arm. I moved my wrist just slightly too far to one side and ouch 😣
I don’t know but I would think the stroke might cause weakness rather than pain. They’ve told me it could take a year for my wrist to heal and I may never get back full movement.
Ooh I might join you in one of those. Sounds nice. Jeeves….

So many of us in the wars Karen was told the same Doodle but she has full movement now and hers was a very bad break, so don't despair.

I made a lime cheesecake to take for the elders and it was very popular but I can tell I'm getting past it! I can manage only the very simple thing now.

Who was talking about a broken toe? Mine still hurts a bit but not much.

I've given up on this publisher. It's not usual for an author to write again, you just accept, if they don't get back to you, that the answer is 'no'. But after they'd read 3 chapters and asked for more, I was hopeful.

The Editor who did so is on paternity leave.

I submitted a story for an anthology called 'Flying Solo' to come out in 2024 and the editor said:

"I had a quick read of your story and think it’ll make a great addition to the anthology."
Does that sound as if it's been accepted? I can no longer tell.

Dgs is now arriving Saturday and staying until Monday, so I'll have to arrange his bedroom tomorrow.

Looking forward to discussions with him. Seems there's a BBC podcast series, 'Uncanny' which has peaked his interest.

www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/4ywqVMPX1MdqVyBYGW3L5LJ/do-you-believe-in-ghosts

How's everything in your ante-natal ward Mamissimo?