🦞 Locked down no longer but still firm friends 🦞

Oh yes, good news- my daughter took her driving test and passed 🥳*whoop! whoop! - she has been having endless health issues (and many more tests).

She is a really generous and caring person and to have something to go right for her at last has been such a treat.

Fingers crossed Doodle - at least they are taking it seriously!

Kaimoana 🤣 did you repaint it?
i must admit green paint always reminds me of schools
Oh Mamissimo, did you ask Woollies for a job as you already had part of the uniform 🤣
You’re brave having all the rooms done in one go (well one after the other). Lots of upheaval but wonderful when it’s done
I wonder what colour Aoife will end up.

Grammaretto you had an interesting day out. Was it a big exhibition? Spare tissues coming via Jeeves and a shoulder to cry on. Enjoy the film
Notspaghetti it’s awful isn’t it. So exhausting. I can go four hours thinking ok it’s better then suddenly a couple of hours non stop cough. So dry and tickle in my throat.
Im off to the Pleural clinic next week so will se what they have to say.

You are not alone, Doodle - my poor son in law has been coughing for probably 4 weeks now. He keeps thinking it's gone and it starts again.
He eventually got a GP appointment but they were entirely unconcerned "yes, there are lots of persistent coughs about".

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That's good Doodle that you are feeling a bit better. Just to get rid of the cough!

Great decorating stories. Thanks for sharing.
Mine is from our 1930's bungalow in Edinburgh. The living room had different not to our taste paper on every wall.
We got busy and painted the whole room dark green. we may have thought it fashionable
My brother came to stay and on looking about suggested what dreadful colours they painted in those days and when were we going to start on that!

I had an unexpectedly nice day. I went with a couple of friends to see the Scottish Diaspora tapestry exhibition on its last day.

Tonight the community cinema showed the Ken Loach film The Old Oak. We needed tissues 🤧

*Your story made me smile Kaimoana! Many years ago when we were young parents and Mr M's career hadn't taken off-- we went to stay with some relatives in exotic Scunthorpe. On the Saturday night we were taken to the Working Men's Club for bingo and live entertainment.

I won £3 and the next day at Doncaster market I spotted some very smart navy and cream fabric. I bought a length with my winnings and made myself a lovely shirt. I was so pleased as I rarely spent on myself because the twins just hoovered up all our spare money.

The following week, before I had an occasion worthy of the new shirt. I was in our local town and popped into Woolworths.....where all the female staff were wearing a very smart navy and cream uniform shirt. Happiness is transitory......🙂

I'm following the decorating tales with great interest because we have the ladies coming in May to do almost every room in the house. We're beyond it now because our knees won't get us up and down to paint skirting or to climb ladders - and our kitchen is double height so we have to hire a tower to have that painted and the cobwebs removed from the tops of the cupboards . We know our limitations!

In other news...Aoife went quiet this afternoon....I found her digging in a raised veg bed, having marauded through the bored beans. I think my shout of dismay could be heard throughout the land. The hot gardener will be erecting some temporary fencing round the tops of the raised beds toute suite!

I'm now going to recline in front of the telly - Antiques Roadshow and Death in Paradise - smashing 🙂

Good to hear you're a little better Doodle

When we lived in Cornwall, I decided not only to re-paper the kitchen wall (very small space) but do the paintwork as well.
The paper had a cream background with small, darkish green flowers dotted here and there, so the paint was as near to that green as I could find.

Once DS2 was off to school, I got started and by the time he came home at 3:15, was washing the brushes - all done.

It looked wonderful until DS said, 'Oh Mummy, it's exactly the same colour as the toilets at school.'

Kaimoana your meal sounds just the sort of thing I like. Mash and veg. Glad you enjoyed what you could manage.
Sorry about your missing box of treasures. Hopefully they will be found soon. I hate losing precious things. I’m sure it’s safe somewhere. Let’s hope your son has it
Hope your appointment goes well and provides you with some answers.
Notspaghetti well done on not giving in to the wallpaper. I find wallpapering difficult but my dad was a wonderful decorator and loved it. He once papered the two alcoves in our lounge mum walked in and he could see from her face she didn’t like the paper now it was up. Within an hour he’d stripped it all off and was out buying something else.
i love a new carpet, it sounds a nice colour and should go well with your wallpaper
Good luck to your daughter with her test. Always a bit nerve wracking
Please dont ever apologise for writing about nice or funny things. We all have times of anxiety and troubles but we need some good stuff to balance out the bad. It’s nice hearing what others are doing so don’t stop
lovely meet up with an old friend. Sounds like a good evening
*how is everyone else doing?
Im feeling much better but still have this silly repetitive cough. It’s so wearing but I’ve been free of it most of the day

I hope your treasure box turns up Kaimoana2. It's horrible when things you value dissappear. I know "it's only stuff" but that's not the point - when you feel attached to it
🤞

Well the good news is that the wallpaper isn't defeating me - I'm not doing more than a couple of hours at a time and I'm hoping it will be done today. 🥳
I'm only doing part of the room and the rest will be painted and then, on 25th will be new carpet.

I'm a "loop" carpet person so am hoping it won't be too austere for a bedroom which used to have the tufty sort. I'm taking up the 20+ year old wool carpet and we have chosen another wool to go down. It was the same price as the synthetic (which we thought was just OK) - which was a real surprise. Its a pale mossy greeny grey so if the wallpaper looks "too much" later it should adapt to other colours, blues, greens and even some more quirky pinks

I spent quite a lot of time with my youngest daughter yesterday who is learning to drive and has a test coming up. Only about 50% of people pass (52% first time then 50% thereafter) so I hope she doesn't get too nervous as she's pretty good really.
She got frustrated that she had to wiggle a bit yesterday when she reversed into a parking spot, basically she expected to back straight in without any straightening and was cross when she couldn't do it in one movement. Then she did it again in one go so clearly can. The ridiculous thing is that you don't have to do it in one movement for your test!
(or ever again!)

With everyone's worris and health issues on this thread I feel rather indulgent and silly writing about wallpaper and driving tests which are irrelevant in the scheme of things. Believe me I know how lucky I am... and yes, thank you, Mr. Spaghetti was much more himself yesterday.

One rather nice thing happened on Friday- an old musician friend was playing with his band in the town where I live and we went to watch him play. We met in 1979/1980 when he was working on an Arts project with my husband and he has been dear to us ever since though we don't see him often. He hasn't performed for nearly a year and it was SO lovely to see the joy on his face. I found it deeply moving. Silly I know!

Glad to read you are home Doodle East west, homes best

Cherry It's corsets which are the horrible stretchy things

Yes, I'm hoping my doctors appointment goes well too. I can easily keep myself physically well, and do, whatever's doing the rounds but it's not quite as easy to knock the brain into shape.

I did have a nice meal Doodle chicken in some sort of sauce and two big scoops of mash and half a ton of veg. I sadly wasted half of that, I just can't eat a full meal these days. I did manage some bluberry crumble and cream though

It's been a quiet weekend, so I've just about finished sorting out the garage.
I'm on the 12th box inventory but I am very worried about a box of treasures which seem to be missing.
I can only hope my son took them when he uplifted DiLs stuff.

Late last year, I came home to find the garage open, probably due to the faulty remote but nothing appeared to be missing, even the easily accesible food tins and packets, just inside the door (Covid taught me to have spare provisions) were untouched.

But where is that box?

Grammaretto I can’t tell you how relieved I was to get home with DH. Ours sons were brilliant. Dropped everything and came rushing over . Packed us up and brought us home.
So pleased we made it as I have been feeling really unwell since the day we came home and I don’t think I could have taken any more.
I hope you managed your class ok. DH and I have been asleep most of the day (well him more than me). Just have no energy at the moment and this cough is driving me mad.
Jan, I think it was not asking for help in the first place got us into the pickle we ended up in. I just did it all myself and wore myself out. I have had stern lectures from both out sons.
We are blessed with the most wonderful neighbour too.
Dont know what I’d have done without her. She’s really shown me what true kindness is. Understated, non pushy, calm help and offering an ear any time at night if I need to talk, she’s one of the special people
Cherry I had to bring DH home with me. Couldn’t leave him at the hospital he couldn’t have managed without me. Nurses were wonderful but staffing levels abysmal.
Sounds like you’ve not been getting much sleep recently. Hope tonight is better. I hate not sleeping. That laying awake thinking go to sleep, go to sleep.
Our team are doing well. Must be that extra sparkle in the Pom Pom girls.
Ixion good gracious what a way to record a birth. How interesting to be able to follow the records though.
Aw look at that little face. What a cute pink nose
Notspaghetti I wouldn’t want to tackle that wallpaper. I admire your determination. What a pattern to follow. Please let us have a pic when it’s finished.
Kaimoana hope you’re having a good weekend. Hope the Sallies lunch went well.

A quiet day here, interspersed with the occasional sports match on the telly and some family history trawling.

Saddened to find that the daughter of my 4x great grandmother appeared in the Church of England Baptismal records in 1788 as Amy the Baseborn. So no stigma, then?

The attached picture is how I was greeted first thing this morning. A long time since I awoke to find Mr.I gazing lovingly into my eyes. At least HE didn't use to demand breakfast😉

It's great that you're both home Doodle. There's no place like home when you're under the weather with something like flu or a chest infection and I'm pleased that Mr D is home with you. I hope the antibiotics are doing their magic and you feel the benefit asap. It sounds like Mr D is cosied up and is comfortable so stay cool 😎 and rest and relax as much as possible and, as Jan says, take any and every bit of help you can get.

Not you too Grammaretto, it wasn't really worth me continuing getting some sleep last night as the sun was coming up by the time I did 🤷. I hope you managed to teach your class okay or hopefully you cried off and got your nap, much needed by the sound of it. Take care, not sleeping well is horrible isn't it 💐

Your Canadian helpers sound great, very methodical with a ruthless sorting out streak too. I heard recently that cassettes are making a come back, goodness knows why they're horrible stretchy things.

I hope MrSpaghetti got some restorative sleep last night and is feeling better today NotSpaghetti. It's so annoying when you lose a post isn't it but not half as annoying or should I say frustrating as your wallpapering task sounds. I'd feel like ripping the whole lot to shreds but that's an expensive waste. Sometimes when something becomes so 😤 I find it can be better to step back from it for a day or two and when I return more focused and the job becomes easier to tackle. I hope the talking to you gave yourself and moving away from the task for a bit helped.

I'm still buzzing 😂 after our team's biggest ever win in European competition, ixion. I see we've got another German team in the quarter final ... can we make another semi do you think 🤔.

I hope the rest of the Gang are okay and that your rescheduled appointment goes well on Tuesday Kaimoana.

Great news that you are both home Doodle. Take it easy and accept any help anyone offers you both. That’s an order! None of this “we can manage” rubbish. Accept all the help you can get and try and relax xx

Well done Doodle! 👏 that's for getting DH out of hospital, for seeing the GP, taking the medicine, coming up for air and putting up with the situation not necessarily in that order

I slept badly last night and I have to teach a class later on. Maybe I can have a nap this afternoon.
It is pathetic I know. Dreaming of my nap and it's not 8 o'clock in the morning yet.
😞🛌

Grammaretto DH and I are both at home, I’ve seen the Gp and got antibiotics and nausea tablets for the antibiotics. DH is wrapped up and I am sitting with the fan on 🙄
Im ok but just have to be quiet so I don’t cough and I feel like I’m in the tropics .
Ixion, my GP is a rather er..large lady 🤣

Are you at home Doodle or visiting DH in hospital? It doesn't sound good. I hope you are being cared for.

Dear Doodle,
I hope you're under the doctor, as my dear grandma used to say.
Hugs💐

Sorry all quite breathless tonight and have a temperature so feeling very hot headed. Can’t concentrate so will catch up with you all tomorrow hopefully. Sleep tight all xx

Sorry you were having a disappointing morning, NotS.
Hope you are back on the straight and narrow now.
Your wallpaper is lovely- but I bet it's a bu**er to match up and requires a generous pattern repeat. You don't think you'll run out?

Still looking for that elusive ray of sunlight on the distant horizon for all dear friends here who are struggling.
Thinking of everyone.

unproductive morning. 🙄
just need somewhere to hurumph!

Small annoyances in the scheme of things... Will go away now and give myself a "talking to"

Hoping everyone is having a better day than yesterday- irrespective of what yesterday was like!

to you all

Your wallpaper reminds me of my current knitting NotSpag . I keep trying to make the repeating rainbow colours make a rainbow sequence but each time I join a new ball it goes wrong. I'll just have to hope DD likes a it --doesn't know what it should look like--

Sorry Mr Spag is out of sorts.

Such a shame for you Kaimoana, not getting your appointment.

The Canadians made some money selling the old video games and cassettes. Apparently people collect them. I won't tell my DC. What they don't know they wont miss.

Always thinking of you Doodle.xxx

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Annoyingly after a long message I've lost everything as I went to upload photos so now I'm going to be brief...
a tiredness seems to have engulfed the lovely MrSpaghetti and he's very weary. Still making tea and assisting with my slowly progressing decorating but just not himself...

I'm currently hanging what is (to me) very expensive abstract wallpaper and it's not going up great...The printed pattern repeats every (I think) 67 centimetres but the embossed linear pattern repeats about every 20 centimetres which means that whatever I do, one or the other is "off" I suppose it's only an issue as I decided to hang it in "bands" rather than irregular blocks.
I'm really glad I bought this in a sale of sales as I would be even more annoyed if I'd spent the full price on it! I wouldn't have bought it at the full price though 😱

The photos show the colours and type of wallpaper and the other is my attempt at hanging it in lines

Me too - much love to you both xxxxxxx