🦞Lockdown friends still together🦞

We probably means the entire population ixion.
That's a lot of rain but I guess Queensland is partly rainforest, isn't it?
My niece's inlaws live in Byron Bay
It always looks tropical but wet

After the strange messages for DH received last week, today I had a suggestion of a house for sale in Kent, from Rightmove
We lived in Kent when we were first married so perhaps I had looked up house prices there at some stage in my downsizing journey, but not recently

Thanks for your message Cherry 🍒
I hope you are full of energy and have found your tigger tail.

I'm putting off all the horrid jobs I must do today. I'm going away this weekend to the Isle of Great Cumbrae for a potter's gathering.

We never hear from Mamissimo these days. Do we know why?

Cherry so pleased to hear from you via Ixion. We miss you and I’m sending a big cwtch
Ixion yes I’m doing well at sit fit but boy does it take it out of me. Had a restorative coffee with DS1 after which was nice. Trip into town by bus. Managed to sort out some things I’ve been putting off. Back home by bus which managed to drive over two cones which got stuck under the bus. Don’t blame the driver it’s almost impossible to move for cones round here.

Grammaretto I expect Mamissimo is busy with Spud who must be quite a chap there days but I agree it would be nice to hear from her
Pleased to hear you’re having a weekend away. Sounds like fun.
Kaimoana I’m hoping you’re feeling a bit better and that rash has improved. Have you had any visits from your caring ladies this week? I hope someone is helping you with shopping etc
Im going for afternoon tea tomorrow. Little treat with some friends.

Evening all. I’ve had a lovely afternoon out with friends having afternoon tea. It was really good with a lovely selection of small cakes. I’ve eaten too much though. Very full even now.
Nice to have a chance to chat with the others,
Are you getting ready for your weekend away Grammaretto?
Is it a demonstration, exhibition or will you be doing some pottery yourself?
Kaimoana, thinking of you. Wondering how you are and if your hands are any better? Any news from your son, how is his job going?
Hope all are doing ok. I’m so sleepy still with these hayfever tablets. Probably go to bed soon

Those afternoon teas sound splendid Doodle

I too miss Mamisimo and hope there hasn't been a health crisis in thei family. She's been absent a long time, which does seem to bode well.

My health is no better, battling on. Usual 'hurry up and wait' form letter from Dermatology, no appointment in the foreseable future.

I'm going to the Sallies Community Lunch today but as my appetite has gone walkabout, not sure how much I'll manage. It'll be good to get out of the house though.

Love to all who seem to be having a hiatus in posting, hope it's no more than busyness.

Sorry, I thought I'd proof read but ...my eyes.

"doesn't seem to bode well"

Pity your health is no better Kaimoana
That's a shame and no appetite either 😕
How lovely to be enjoying friendly lunches Doodle
I hope you sit in a splendid restaurant with a band playing

*Can any of you remember department stores which put on a fashion show while you drank your tea champagne
and listened to "light" music?*

No neither can I 😂🤣 only in films

You'll be impressed that I battled the sleet yes really ti go to the gym again for at least half an hour

*The machine told me that I had cycled 250,000 km and my heart rate
was 0.* Remarkable 👏

Tomorrow I shall visit my sick friend again.
The pottery weekend will be a mix of demonstrations, a bit of hands on, eating, drinking, chatting and a fancy dress ceilidh several of our members have sadly died in the past year so we'll be thinking of them too

I broke a favourite mug recently made by a demonstrator at a previous weekend. My friend has carefully mended it for me with gold kintsugi

Would Jeeves please stop tempting me with cheese and biscuits
Doesn't he know it's Lent?

Kintsugi mug

This week has made me weary and today has been more of the same. It's my youngest son's birthday tomorrow and he will pop in with his youngest and we will go to watch her swimming lesson together. I cant think any furtherthan that!

Today though started too early for me as I'm really a night person... We went over to my daughter's house as she'd been offered a day's work somewhere (and she's hoping a job will come up there soon) - but we needed to be there early in order to look after our "middle" granddaughter. We had to get up at 6.15 to get to her in time for her to get to work. 🙁

It was a 45 minute drive and then we took our granddaughter to a dancing class (another half hour away) and then we had yo take her another 45 minutes to get her to her mum and then come home (50 mins) for lunch and then pick ip some light bulbs for my mother-in-law (and get stuck in a massive jam) which was another 50 minutes or so and then drop the bulbs off and have tea and then come home again (the long way because of massive jams).

Whilst we were on the way home one of my other daughters decided now would be a good time to drop off some garden shelving for our new shed... she duly arrived as I was unlocking the house to come in.

This evening all my "plans" for dinner went out of the window and I decided that the interesting pasta sauce I was making could be diluted with a pot of stock from the freezer and be a soup instead!
Soup and the end of the loaf was dinner - followed by some fruit
I'm totally worn out now so am making a drink and we are off to bed!

Where IS Jeeves when you want him? I know someone lovely has been here as my nightie is on the heater waiting for me.

Sorry I've been absent.
Hugs to everyone. Thank you all for news.

Hiatus Hilda signing in, with apologies for absence.

I hope your skin is improving, Kaimoana, but I daresay with no diagnosis or treatment it will be a waiting game. No (herbal?) suggestions from your friends?
I am so very sorry for all the vicissitudes being thrown at you.
Any news from that girl of yours?🤞

Busyness certainly seems to be the keyword of the Lobstars at the mo. I am having a catch up week, odd projects which need drawing to a close, yet as soon as one list closes, another takes its place. Cross stitch projects, framing, finding a burglar alarm repairer ('no, NOT a new system, thank you' we tell potential tradesmen), getting Barney booked in for his annual jabs.

One interesting thing. Mr.I was refurb-ing his fish pond and needed a replacement part for the pump. Needless to say, this took an inordinate amount of iPad research instead of just pitching up with the broken bit at the local garden/aquatics centre.
Later, I opened up my own iPad and onto my FB site. Lo and behold, what greeted me but copious listings of UV pond thingys, new pumps and filters and very undesirable plastic moulded stuff like waterlilies and 'waterfeatures' (sic).
Spooky. Had they been swapping notes in our absence?

Enjoy your weekend away, Grammaretto.
Doodle, pleased you are being so well looked after.

Kaimoana are the spots no better? Could you ask your Doctor to try and make a more urgent appointment. I hope you managed to eat something at the lunch. As you say, it does you good to get out.
Afternoon tea was at the hospice so no brass band I’m afraid Grammaretto
We had a lovely selection of sandwiches, scones and jam and cream and two plates of small cakes. So much nicer than the big cakes you get in some places. There were sort of bite size which of course meant we could eat so many more 🤣
Hope the visit with your friend wasn’t too upsetting
Your pottery weekend sounds a good mix of pottery with lots of socialising.
Kintsugi? Is that the Chinese (?) way of mending broken pottery by gluing together and then painting all the cracks over in gold so they become a treasured piece?
Notspaghetti I was exhausted just reading about your day. Not surprised you were so tired. Nice to be able to help out family but all that driving would be tiring.
i get very tired these days too but I’m out and about so much it’s not surprising. This afternoon went to tea and cakes again. This time at the church hall. Scones again and a lovely selection of home made cakes plus good company and copious amounts of tea. It’s always a lovely group. Aged between 70 and 96. We always have fun
Oooh that’s creepy Ixion. I often wonder how much our devices keep tabs on us. I went to John Lewis once and didn’t buy anything but examined a few items. Came home and found similar things cropping up as adverts on my iPad.
please pass on my love and best wishes to Cherry if you bump into her behind the goalposts.

Only me rattling the cat flap!

I've done my homework every day and am up to speed and there's really no excuse for my radio silence other than I just needed to lurk for a bit. Bygones?

I have had Spud and his family with me for most of the winter as they are looking to relocate back to the shire from the wilds of Kent. DD2 has already got a job at a rather posh school near here but they haven't sold yet so can't buy. I keep telling myself that this chaos is only temporary but it's been a long winter!

Mr M thinks we should move into their house until it's sold and see his logic but I have friends and committees and a garden, my own GP, hospital etc. if the invasion goes on much longer I think Mr M will consider going as he has friends with yachts down there and could potter with them.

I've also been doing loads of research work on Ancestry projects finding long lost families.....very rewarding.

Aoife and I have joined a dog walking group to increase her/my hill climbing and drinking capabilities. About 8 or so ladies yomp the downs for a morning once a week and fall into a pub when we're exhausted. We wait for husbands to come and claim us....but last week we forgot to tell them we were ready...

Favourite phrase of the week comes from DGD2, aged 5 in a stern voice and with finger wagging...."Granny! Don't use your phone, they're bad for your lentil health....."

Good night dear Lobstars

And he's quite right Mamissimo Lentils are pulses and cellphone pulses affect our own !

It's so GOOD to see you with us again.

I shall rename Spud The Cute Controller

Yes, Grammareto I certainly do. They were held at a large store called Brown Muff's in Bradford.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brown_Muff
Only when I looked it up now did I realise how time has changed what I thought was a non-giggly name of a posh store.
Did everyone do a nudge, nudge, wink wink gesture back then? How very sad.

When DS1 was about 7, we used to go to Brown Muff's restaurant occasionlly, where coffee came via a uniformed waiters bearing a tray of silver pots and a cake stands 3 tiers high.

My son was in charge of ordering and paying, although I did the hot pouring. All the morning papers were available in a rack at the side and after coffee, he'd fetch The Times so I could read the excellent Bernard Levin's column, my extra treat

These occasions gave my son an important sense of being my host, which he loved.


Doodle Done all that - GP can offer no advice and only the emolient cream with which I am already awash. I can't bear to wear my bosomy undergarment atm and never realised how a relatively flimsy thing could be so warm. Despite several extra layers (garments not hens, although they might be cosier) ), I am still cold.


ixion My son re-directed a video of Gubbins with a new toy, an amplified microphone with which, like a seasoned professional, she is singing, gyrating and gesturing along to some appalling pop music.
I swear on her next birthday she'll be 25.

Ha ha!
I hope my lentils are OK as they are waiting to go in a lasagna

Today I lolled about in bed until it was quite late a sensible time to get up and then forced myself into the shower (when it seemed too cold in the bathroom really). Well, as soon as I'd soaped up my hair it just went cold and nothing could be done to make the water come warm again
It's really difficult to wash shampoo off everywhere when wet and cold... and it takes too long.

Needless to say, eleven years ago we reluctantly had fitted a new thermostatic valve in the shower when we had ideally wanted to re-do the bathroom. Then we said "let's do the bathroom once we have sorted the bedrooms" so we just replaced the gold thing with a regular chrome one... leaving the rest of the gold fixings. Of course it still needs doing and now it really is a rush as I can't get out of the bath without help these days!... I think we will end up replacing it again without any nice tarting up or modifications as I can't bear the idea of a bathroom mess just now

My little granddaughter (currently 3, nearly 4) swam unaided about 15 metres. She so loves it! 😍
What a little poppet she is!

ixion unless you have 'Location' disabled on all your devices, Google and other search enfines plus most webpages carry a bit of kit which tells them exactly where you are and records key words in every search. Specifically to target you for ads.

I think it was, in early days, in case you needed emergency help but it long ago morphed into selling.

Kaimoana, my husband is also awash with emolient cream! What a nuisance. I do hope you are at least a bit more "comfortable"

We are off this morning to visit an old friend on the Norfolk/Suffolk border. I'm not looking forward to the drive. Just being in the car for all that time...

Mamissimo, how nice to dog-walk with others. I hope they walk at just the right pace

Grammaretto I do remember the in house models parading in the restaurant of Handley's department store in Southsea in the early 1960s.

I would go with my parents for coffee (hot milk) and danish pastries and watch the models parade through the room around the tables. They each carried a number on a card and if you wanted to buy the outfit you went to Ladies Fashion and quoted the number.

The same department store also had a toy department on the same floor as the restaurant and had a glass topped wooden cabinet that served as a dolls' shoe department. In those days dolls had a number on their feet to indicate the shoe size and I spent shillings buying strappy red high heels for my favourite doll.

So a fashion show, a pastry with an apricot on it and shoe shopping - best morning out!

Mamissimo how lovely to hear from you. How lovely to have Spud and co with you. Being able to watch him growing up must be lovely. What a smasher he is.
Our son has dabbled a bit in Ancestry recently. I didn’t know when my mum and dad were born so he managed to find out for me.
Love the sound of your walks with Aoife
more like a pub crawl than a dog walk 🤣
Kaimoana I wish those dermatology people would hurry up and get round to you. Do you find wearing warmer clothes causes irritation to the spots?
Glad you’re still getting videos of Gubbins. That young girl will be famous one day I’m sure
Notspaghetti we had the same problem with our shower. No matter what we did it wouldn’t warm up more than tepid. We had our thermostat replaced too.
Goodness your little granddaughter is a regular mermaid. I can’t swim at all
Grammaretto I saw a lovely photo this morning of the view from your friends window (on GM). What a lovely view. I couldn’t get over the stone windowsill. It looked so solid. Does she live in a very old property? Must be hard for you visiting her not knowing what the future holds.
i had an accident this morning. I took off the tope layer of skin from my arm when I accidentally knocked it on the corner of our chest of drawers, I really missed having Dh there to help me and look after me. I managed to clean it and dress it myself but it was quite nasty. I will leave the dressing on for a week as I’ve found previously it starts to heal by then.

Oh Doodle how very painful for you - I do hope it heals quickly.

I know this sounds silly but whenever I can (home alone) I either don't wear much clothing or just swan about my silky nightie as anything against my skin anywhere is painful & itchy. You know how when you've been out, it's a joy to kick off your shoes? Well, when I came back from the Sallies lunch, I kicked off all my clothes and put my nightie on

Cold showers are my thing at the moment NotS as warm water has the same effect as clothing. 'A bit ouchy' - as Gubbins says.

Thinking of NfkDumpling How are you Sweetie?

Kaimoana it really isn’t right that you have to continue like this. You should have a more urgent referral to the dermatologist. No wonder you’re cold. Cold showers and silky nighties. Whatever could this rash be
My arm will be ok. I’ve done the same thing so many times although normally it’s the latch on doors that gets me.
Had a nice afternoon out with my neighbour. We met another friend of mine who was sitting having coffee with someone she had just got chatting with. We all sat together and the four of us were still talking 2 hours later.

Beware the Ides of March!

Ha ha Doodle Mine IS an urgent referral.

My own research has pinpointed not only a name for this plaguey skin thing but the causes for a flare up of such magnitude.
Sadly I can tick several of the boxes for causes so evidence (and photographs) is overwhelming.

I've had a lovely, quiet, contented weekend; no visitors, just me and audio books and the knitting of slippers.

I'm re-reading some old Brother Cadfael CDs, unabridged versions before the library withdraws them. They'll be replaced by Jacobi's shortened versions.


Sunshine each day so got lots of laundry washed, out and dried.
Mepa will do the folding tomorrow (Karen is away)

Perfeck

Happy St. Patrick's Day

Shona St. Lá Fhéile Pádraig

Wow! How Spud has grown! Mind you, he still looks as scrumptious as ever, just larger!😍You'll miss him when they've gone! Has your daughter started her new job out of your home?

Doodle, hope you are healing and that Church went well today.

Grammaretto- how was your weekend away? Are you travelling back tonight or in the morning? How's the house hunting? Always thinking of you and hoping something great comes up - at the right time!

Kaimoana, I loved your description of Gubbins in performance mode.
I remember my niece at about that age, maybe a little older, cavorting in front of Grandma, who kept saying ^I don't know where she gets it from. Her mother is such a quiet girl^.
When was in the Juniors, probably aged 5 or 6, we used to put on shows for the boys in the playground at lunch times. Actually, I was well out of my depth but keen to go with the flow of the bigger girls. Street cred and all that in the mean streets of East London.
One of our numbers, I well remember, was 🎵 She wears red feathers and a hula hula complete with swaying hips and over-exaggerated hand movements. My DM needed resuscitation after witnessing my performance.

You do seem a little more upbeat in your last post, Kaimoana. I do hope it's enduring. It's not an easy search, trawling Dr.Google for photos of skin eruptions is it? Not for the fainthearted, that's for sure.
Shortly after I retired, I developed huge red lumps on my ankles, like mega-flea bites (no cat at the time). Couldn't find a matching pair online, so went to the GP. This time I was to see a learner GP, who took one look and told me I had scabies😱. I cried all over the pharmacist and Mr.I, who dutifully showered and hairwashed in the given gloop

The next morning I returned to the surgery and cried all over the Senior Partner, saying I just couldn't see where on earth I could have contracted it.
Rubbish, he said, that's discoid eczema.

Hula hula SKIRT.
Sorry!

Crikey. On second thoughts, is this cultural appropriation, Kaimoana?😟

Apologies, if I have offended again 🤦‍♀️