🦞Lockdown friends still together🦞

Kaimoana2 - I felt a lot better after a video "look-see" from my son when he moved to America as I felt I had a tiny foothold in his new life. I do hope this helps you too.

Thank you all for your good wishes.

Although we lost a wallet, a bike and some golf clubs in our burglary all those years ago it wasn't like someone going in your drawers, making a mess and feeling that your place of sanctuary was "soiled".

After all, it took us hours to realise there had been anyone in the house at all! It felt to me more like someone "light fingered" had cut straight through our ground floor and lifted the "obvious" and cycled away.

My friend lost nothing

https://www.gransnet.com/uploads/talk/202501/medium-874465-sunflower2.jpg https://www.gransnet.com/uploads/talk/202501/medium-29640-tall-sunflowers.jpg

A river, fish and chips and wine, sounds ideal Doodle just the ticket.

Here are the sunflowers I planted for Gubbins which alas, she is unlikely to see.

I had a digital tour of DS new flat in Harrow this morning, it's lovely and has a spectacular view over London.

He's going to be working at The Shard soon.

Sorry folks, my eyes are just not up to read much atm so my posts are me, me, me .

I'm at the hospital for hip and pelvis Xrays tomorrow so will nip through to the eye clinic and see if I can make an appointment. Likewise at Cardio.
The phlebotomist couldn't persuade the blood in my vein to leap into the syringe on Tuesday

Last week's Xray of leg indicates I still need a knee replacement (old news from a decade ago) but the surgeon agreed that as long as I can still walk on it withoiut agony, we'll leave it alone. The damaged tibia and patella will heal in time and indeed, is better than it was four months ago. (It was damaged 2nd May 2024 you may recall)

I hope everyone is on the upturn; life goes in undulations, doesn't it?

Notspaghetti that must have been upsetting for you. Our son was burgled once when he and his wife were in the house. The burglar got in by climbing their front porch and getting in through their open bedroom window while they were sleeping. My DIl was really upset that someone was in the house while she was asleep. They took our son’s laptop from work and my DIls car keys and car.
Now our son has a large German Shepherd who spends the night perched on the landing at the top of the stairs looking at the front door.
Our DIL thinks the dog stays on alert all night then when they’re up in the morning the dog goes to sleep.
She’s a lovely dog but I wouldn’t want to risk coming into the house with her there.
Grammaretto that’s an interesting idea. Have you had any more thoughts on what you might do? Is there a time frame for you wanting to sell?
Ixion my parents had large wooden furniture too. All long gone now. Nothing left. That bed sounds beautiful.
Kaimoana I loved that BALham like Ixion
I have now recovered from yesterday’s interaction with HMRC. Church this morning then my friend and I went to a local restaurant where we bagged a table by the river, had fish and chips and a large glass of wine and idled the afternoon away watching the world go by. I came home and promptly fell asleep for an hour.

Good luck with your valuations, Grammaretto. Are they "brown", as in nobody wants brown furniture any more?

A lot of hefty furniture of my grand- and great grandparents went to country house style hotels, where the rooms could accommodate their 'heftiness'. Triple fronted wardrobes, tallboys.
🤫I still have, hiding in the garage away from Mr.I's view, my grandparents bed - well, headboard, footboard and mattress frame with springs, if that makes sense.
It is walnut, with the most exquisite panel of veneered snowdrops in the headboard. It also has a high base, such that you would to clamber up into it.
Only drawback is that it's a 4 footer😡

Not for couples- tho' my grandparents had 5 children🤔

I loved the link to BALham, Kaimoana. I also enjoyed his interview of 1974 with Michael Parkinson, which popped up unbidden.

Never a fan of The Goons, taken individually I now find him and chums amusing. I think they have grown on me over the years!

Or, rather, not really understanding the humour ...

Shame that things were stolen NotSpag.
I had hoped you were going to say the thugs has decided it was far too messy to bother.

I used to joke that any burglar would think another robber had got here first.

I've arranged for an auction house to send someone to see if any of my massive furniture would warrant them selling it. I rather doubt it but it should be interesting. I suspect they hope my ancient house is dripping with antiques.

Good morning everyone
What a lovely memory about the children's breakfast on the verandah. Sometimes a "snapshot" of a moment brings a whole era fully to life. It made me think of the tea parties my grandmother used to set up for my teddies when I was a little one.

So much physio required in our little group. 😕 I hope everyone sees some benefit from all that effort!

How lovely to read about the Queenslanders and the reason for some design choices. I do see that the corrugated iron roof was serviceable but surely it was baking hot in the sun? Surely there would have been some mitigations?

My "old" friend who had the burglary has a local friend staying for a few days. She seemed to be doing OK and has her son visiting this weekend. She dissuaded him from rushing down apparently. She sounds pretty upbeat in that the burglary was obviously a "professional" job so although drawers etc were searched there was no mess, no "trashing" of things in frustration and no up-ending of things. She says they did however leave two footprints so given that some properties nearby were also burgled that day they were probably just in-and-out. She was relieved that they didn't break windows to get in as she had made them herself by hand. Lots of tiny glass panels as the house is in the Doomsday book.

Years ago I used to work with ex-offenders and they said they hated untidy properties and especially so if they were "odd" or "arty". They said they would give them a miss on the whole!

We were burgled here about 20 years ago overnight. When I came down in the morning I couldn't quite understand why the front door was slightly ajar. I closed it and went straight into the kitchen to make tea and could see through the window there were strange objects on top of the wheely bin. There was a painted jam jar, a mug of artists brushes, a small cactus, a pretty delft dish with soap in, a peg dolly and various other items! I thought "who has been up ahead of me today and what the heck have they been doing? 🤔

So I made tea and whilst waiting for it to boil I wandered back into the hall and saw my daughter's bike was gone, along with her new golf clubs - "OH, I thought, it must be her" that solved at least some of the puzzle.

It took us till maybe 11am to realise my wallet had gone, that they had opened the tiny small window in the kitchen and had to take all our junk off the window ledge and plonked it on the bin.
They had taken a screwdriver to our back(patio type) door and had been trying in several places to get into next door

The "Scene of Crime" team came out and said they had presumably tried to get in next door first (tidy and "upmarket") and failing that had come to us over the fence and into the kitchen. They had basically cut straight through the house from the kitchen as I'd probably left the window slightly ajar. They had gone straight to the front door having had a quick look round only and were "probably pleased to get out and off - taking my wallet, the bike and the golf clubs from the hall.

I think our house was too difficult to want to spend any time here! 😂

Oh Doodle what a trial I do know what you mean though, these failure systems are money savers for them and a massive headache for everyone else.

ixion Your mention of traffic lights brought up this old, very old, favourite.
The lights are at 3.40

www.youtube.com/watch?v=8RTWk9QIKS0

Kaimoana what a lovely story about the Falls Hotel. It sounds as though you had a lovely time there with Linda. No wonder you like going there
Notspaghetti what an awful thing to happen to your friend. Thank goodness she wasn’t in at the time. Does she have any family close by? I’m sure a visit from you would be much appreciated.
Grammaretto did you enjoy the Bob Dylan film. I’ve never been a great fan but liked several of his songs.
Oh Naughtyneine that really made m laugh.🤣🤣 Poor you.
* I feel much the same myself after my sit fit class this morning. My legs aren’t used to such action but it’s a good class and I certainly need the exercise.*
Jan hope all goes well with the physio. Do you feel you’re getting any benefit?
Ixion lots of lovely stories tonight. I love the sound of the balcony and the children having breakfast
Short post from me tonight I am hurrying to get ready to go out. My friend and I are going to church for a talk tonight. I’m led to believe there will be cake too !
Ive spent nearly all afternoon trying to pay the Inland Revenue £52 they say I owe them in tax.
These days you can’t do anything simply. First I had to go through the pretend human answering system and listen to a robot giving me condolences (!) then I was required to explain to said robot what I wanted. This silly thing had me shouting at it after everything I said it told me sorry I don’t understand. When I finally got through to a real person they said I had to fill in an online form. Before I could fill in the form I had to download the HMRC app. Having downloaded that I then had to prove who I was which meant searching for ages for my passport and driving license. Typing in huge tiny reference numbers and being thrown out twice and having to do it again. By about 5pm I had managed to pay them the required amount and I was exhausted. 😩

https://www.gransnet.com/uploads/talk/202501/medium-862601-img-2654.jpeg https://www.gransnet.com/uploads/talk/202501/medium-114985-img-2653.jpeg

About Queenslanders, if anyone is interested.

alexandrabuchanan.com/insights/the-surprising-history-of-the-queenslander/

😂 Just the anecdote needed on such a damp and gloomy day! Thank you NN
I agree with Jan about physio. During a painful session of therapeutic pummelling, I gasped to the lovely Lucy that I couldn't believe I was paying for such torment. It's not supposed to be a spa massage, y'know, she replied.
Not that I'd know, never having had one.

I pursued your link on the Falls Hotel with great interest, Kaimoana, many thanks. I love historic houses with their airy upper verandas. Visualising polished wooden floors, ceiling fans and venetian blinds attempting to both push the hot, still air around and shade its occupants from the fierce midday suns.
All attempts to get DS and partner to buy a property of that style were speedily dismissed, rotting timbers and a plethora of balustrades to paint were a couple of the reasons raised.
Actually, he did speak with the benefit of hindsight. As an impoverished undergrad in Brisbane, he lived in an assortment of totally unsuitable rents I later found out. (One had a full set of traffic lights in touching distance outside his bedroom window, casting a range of three colour options as he attempted to sleep).
In a dilapidated 'Queenslander', they needed a fridge, so bought a cheap one and heaved it up the outside stairs to the first floor living space. Sadly, on eviction, they had to leave it there, as the wooden stairs were now too rotten to take the weight.

My bedroom in the Edwardian family home had French windows on to a long balcony. The children, when staying there, had a little picnic table and nursery chairs which my mother used to set (with table cloth and everything done properly) and serve them breakfast as a treat.
There, they could wave regally to passers by😂.

I am increasingly drawn to going to see A Complete Unknown. I don't usually like seeing renditions of someone's life and achievements while they are still alive (would rather a decent documentary, tbh), but the clips I have seen seem really authentic- unless they were the genuine article? 🤔

You are funny Naughtyneine but I know just how you feel! My physio will be here tomorrow and the thought of it fills me with dread!! But use it or lose it is very true even if you didn’t have it to lose in the first place!

I think I have a new medical phenomenon....self induced injury. I have no idea why I thought it was a good idea to listen to my friend when she said the body stretch class was really good.
Until 8.10am today I was on the waiting list for the class ( can you believe that many people want to feel like I do now that they're is a waiting list).

There I was still in bed with a cup of tea and ready to spend the next hour on GN when up pops a message reminding me of my booking. I thought I'd stretched everything possible just flying around getting dressed in suitable garb for whatever might be expected of me

. 9am sees me in a studio with some Jane Fonda lookalikes ...a few similar aged ladies to me and 2 men. For the next 45 minutes I contorted myself into positions that didn't even figure in that 1970s classic ...The Joy of Sex. I could barely manage to clap at the end of the class and just about made it out the door without having to hold onto the walls.

The dogs ran to their beds as I lurched through the door wincing and swearing in equal measure. I have had a bucket of tea and just tried to get up off the sofa but somebody seems to have swapped my normal walk to one that is an absolute copy of Max Wall. This does not bode well methinks..... That Use it or Lose it phase should have a codicil....make sure you had it to lose in the first place

A violation indeed NotSpag.
I hope your visit helps.

Our art centre was broken into several tines. No art work was ever taken but the cakes in the café were!

The worst thing was the damage done by breaking locks and doors.

What a very nice day you obviously had with your df in that glorious place Kaimoana

DS took me to see "a Complete unknown" yesterday. The film about Bob Dylan's arrival on the scene.

I now have a busy day ahead so see you later. Xx

I think I've been away rather too long. Footwear making you seem to be "propelled by constant but unseen forces" made me laugh outloud Kaimoana. but unfortunately I too had "windy" boots some years ago - and like Doodle, the sole was apparently fine one day and the next it flapped open like a huge mouth at every step!

I have been swimming again (at last) three times this week after a couple of weeks of just not going. I really need to make myself go as it's my main exercise.

Also we have finally had some dry days with a few hours of 8⁰ so the door for the shed is finally painted. My lovely husband did it in four installments! It's been quite tedious. The rest of the painting will have to wait

My lovely friend from when our children were small has been burgled. Well, the police came but nothing was stolen. She has a beautiful timber framed house in the countryside and a friend decided to help her by repainting it. Combined with a much-needed new driveway it apparently now looks very smart. Having lived there for 40 years with no problems her feeling is that the smart new frontage made it look like it would now have smart things inside.

Of course she uses an old computer and has a tiny TV as she hardly ever watches anything. She is not a jewellery person and has no (obviously) valuable antiques as any "spare"money goes into the house and garden. The most valuable item in her house is her kiln (she is a glass artist) and even if someone knew what it was she said "I imagine it's not an easy thing to fence down at the pub". She said she was relieved to see that although her back door had been kicked in there was little damage and the glass panel she had been working on for weeks was still intact.
Nevertheless, a burglary does feel like a violation. I have arranged to visit her - a visit long overdue

I've had a lovely day

My friend Linda took me out (after 2 postponements) to the Falls Hotel, which has a lovely cafe/restaurant.
I would have been happy with just a cup of tea a a gluten free thingy but although they did have quite a few options, all included generous sugarry toppings.
Linda went down the menu looking for gluten free, sugar free, vegetarian options, there was just one.
We both had frittata and salad and thoroughly enjoyed it but at 10am, a much larger meal than either of us anticipated or wanted.
I carry zip lock bags because I can't eat even half a portion these days, so that will provide my tea

Linda ate all her, said she may never eat again (she'd even had a cooked breakfast) and what did I think of a brisk run round the adjacent park?
As it had taken me ages to hobble, holding Linda's arm, the full length of the building, I declined.

The disability parking is on the extrem right of this picture at the back, with a lengthy walk to the entrance of the building itself before we had to negotiate an obstacle course of tables and chairs and planters and such before reaching the outdoor seating on the extreme left (by the French windows).

Once seated though, it was very pleasant indeed and we were able to take our time and talk about old times (Linda and I go back a long way) in pretty surroundings.

The Falls Hotel was built in the 1800’s but eventually abandoned and neglected. When I first found it, it was hemmed all around by the backs of shops. In a fit of nosiness, I’d walked down the narrow alley and saw this grand old lady, sadly falling apart.

At that time, the mayor and I were friends by token of the fact we both worked for Council and were frequently at all the same multi-cultural events.
We both valued cultural heritage so I told him what I'd found, asking if there was any funding to restore this potentially lovely building.
He wasn't hopeful so that was that but he must have held onto the idea as eventually the Falls was airlifted out of its enclosed courtyard, re-sited and restored. So it does have a special place in my heart
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Falls_Hotel

Grammaretto that last comment made me smile. I’d be hopeless as a counsellor I’d end up crying with them.
What a lovely time you had today in the end.
is the house close to where you live now? Apart from the garden how would you feel about living there?
Im off to sit fit in the morning then going to see DS1 for coffee and catch up after.

The best laid schemes o mice and men gang oft agley....

Thus the day didn't turn out quite as planned. We had a substantial brunch at the Storehouse and then inspected storm damage. A long branch of a conifer had split off from a great height and narrowly missed hitting a building.
DS found my chainsaw and chopped it up for firewood. He also filled all my wood stores.
We viewed the house for sale. We both liked it. It's not too tiny, but without cupboards, is single story with great views but the large garden
slopes steeply and I can imagine working in it would soon become chore rather than pleasure.

Our old df arrived just as night fell about 4.30 so DS lit the fire, I cooked, df nipped out for wine and that was us for the rest of the evening.
Nice change though and good chats take your mind off pain and miseries.

I'm glad you feel better for the Hospice counselling Doodle .

I can see you as a brilliant counsellor yourself infact. Don't let anyone know that. We need you for ourselves. 😆

Kaimoana your squeaky shoes story made me laugh. I had a pair of boots once that used to make an awful noise as I walked until the day when the sole fell off one of them and I had to walk home with one boot and one bare foot, the rubber sole had perished and just came away completely.
*Grammaretto your buyer seems keen if he’s brought his DD to see it. I hope you can convince your son to help and support you. Moving house no matter when is a very tiring business and you need all the help you can get.
Hope your DD is ok. Glad that things are back on again

DS3 arrived yesterday at exactly the same time as my "buyer" brought his DD to show her the house.

I've booked to view a house for sale today To appease DS 😀

I won't hear about the planning decision for a while yet for the selfbuild and I am keeping my options open but I hope that I can engage my DC a bit more in the process.

DD was without power and had her access road blocked by trees all yesterday. It's back on now, thankfully.

They all have their own busy lives to worry about!

My house makes many different noises too Doodle and on those days when sun is intermittent, several places in the roof make a soft crack as soon as the sun comes out and contract when clouds cover.

One lady 2 doors away, with the same problem, actually asked to move to a double storey house as she was disturbed by it.

Pipes too gurgle and hiss, as do the banshees in the wind. Doesn't bother me.

Worst of all though, as Naughty wrote (sorry, I wasn't able to read your post) is footwear.

I have a pair of sandals, quite old now, and each time I take a step they sound exactly as if I am breaking wind
I've tried everything to change it but nothing works.

People openly stare as I walk by, apparently propelled by constant but unseen forces.
I long ago learned to handle the embarrassment and at least I don't leave a scent trail.

THANKS for the calculation Doodle

Nfk I have made many friends over the last year and they have been such a help. Luckily I have family close at hand too
I too often wonder what makes certain noises. There is a sound I hear during the day and night a sort of loud whining noise. Heard it for a long time but I can hear it outside too so I think it’s the wind blowing in a certain direction causing it
Grammaretto I hope your son arrives safely. Have you got a lot of snow?
thank goodness your DD has a wood burner. Hope they are managing ok
i hope the man who wants to buy your house follows through with it and you end up being happy whatever the eventual outcome is
Ixion no, I won’t be pursuing anything with the hospital. I know they will say DH died because his arteries were too blocked and that led to his foot not healing. I will still blame them for not taking better care of his feet after all they should have known. Trouble is hospitals are so short staffed, what can you do.
Yes I will continue with the counselling. It may help I don’t know. It’s hard to tell after one session how beneficial it may be but the lady was nice.
My friend is amazing. I call her my angel friend. She is so good to me. Apart from being very caring and kind she makes me laugh
Hope you and Cherry meet for the match. Sorry, even with my thermals it’s too cold for cheerleading. I’ve eaten all the Pringles so will have to give this one a miss. Hope our team do well
Jan that made me laugh too. You thinking it was Theo 🤣
Thankfully, living in a flat I can hear the odd noises that let me know neighbours are around. I know all of my neighbours really well. The flat is quite quiet but I put on some background noise just to break the silence which helps. Hope you are doing ok. Are you still driving?

Forty million, nine hundred and ninety six thousand eight hundred I think Kaimoana. I’m no maths genius but I think you put commas every 3 numbers from the right so that would be 40,996,800.
hope that’s not your food bill 😱

Can someone please help with this? The online calculator gave me an answer to 525,600 x 78 as
40996800 but no comma so I have no idea what that number means.
I have, as you may remember, dyscalculia so it's a total puzzle.
Thank you