🦞 The Lockdown Gang still chatting 🦞

Still hot here too Ixion I’ve got my fan on full blast and I’m still warm. Contemplating going to Reading shopping Thursday but the thought of bing in a bus in this heat putting me off.
Grammaretto hope you’re getting on well with your new helper.

Has your helper arrived safely, Grammaretto? She sounds everything I would like to be - fit, and a traveller😩
I hope she can help you out with your back limitations, I am sure she will enjoy her stay too.

Still hot here, too, Doodle. One more day tomorrow then I think it's downhill all the way. Tho' we have had a significant period of rain over 24 hours way back when.

Magnums are lined up ready for the final curtain.🍦

Hoping Kaimoana is faring well at this busy time and hoping the NNs are resolving their work-life balance issues🌻

Would be good to hear!

Still sweltering here at 9.30 pm . Doors open fan on. I wonder if the rain will make it down here . We need it.
I always had the feeling your helpers were young people Grammaretto. (Not meaning you’re old 😱 oops)
Hope she’s good company.
I’ve been dog sitting today. They were both good. Slept all the time….as did I 🤣

We've had quite a lot of rain Doodle and it's quite cold.
My next helper is coming from Australia and she tells me she spends every Summer in Europe and then returns to Australia for their Summer. So she never has winter.

I wonder what she'll make of the weather here in Scotland 😂

She's almost as old as me but sounds incredibly fit.

I've had a quiet day and nearly finished my knitting. I'm making a baby cardigan but the baby is already born. I had better get a move on. 😂

Grammaretto those vases of flowers are lovely. So nice to see all your pictures. Sadly we don’t have any flowers in our communal gardens only shrubs.
Still very hot here. Anyone got any rain?

Thank you for the info, NS.
I currently have tubs of Alba, Brilliant Blue and Black Jack. I must resist the temptation to expand!

I recall your sweet peas from previous years, Grammaretto. Always a joy!

Oh. They are here now!!

https://www.gransnet.com/uploads/talk/202608/medium-e8cqqv-1000054625.jpg https://www.gransnet.com/uploads/talk/202608/medium-diblsu-1000054626.jpg https://www.gransnet.com/uploads/talk/202608/medium-a2zxnt-1000054627.jpg

Where did they go???
Two from Dobbies one from elsewhere...

It was really lovely.

https://www.gransnet.com/uploads/talk/202608/medium-2tq91y-1000054627.jpg https://www.gransnet.com/uploads/talk/202608/medium-4tup82-1000054626.jpg https://www.gransnet.com/uploads/talk/202608/medium-1q2lbx-1000054625.jpg

Here are some screenshot, ixion

ixion

I love the bi-colour agapanthus, NS.
Does it have a name?

Sadly it's a white and dark purple/blue one too close to each other...
BUT we did have Agapanthus 'Fireworks' for a few years which was lovely!
I'll look for some photos...

Oh no!!!
Can't you maybe section bit off for someone else???

What a strong display NotSpaghetti no sign of drought either.

Here are my wee vases ready to go on the Town Hall tables for today's café.

I'm been doing mental arithmetic and come to the conclusion that that house is too expensive for me.
There's got to be one that is smaller and more me
My DC will be relieved.

A friend is organising a leaving party for a mutual friend who comes to my yarn group. She's off to pastures new. I have the job of trying to contact her particular chums in the group.
One down, 6 to go. It's too short notice to leave it until the group next meet.

Well it makes a change from dealing with plumbers and roofers. 😊

I love the bi-colour agapanthus, NS.
Does it have a name?

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Just thought I'd share these photos of flowers which survived our brief get-away.

The yellow ones (not so visible here) are Evening Primrose - which always make me think of really happy days when our children were very young.

Evening all. I’ve had a really busy two days and can hardly keep my eyes open
Done lots of walking (for me) and my muscles ache. I’m off to bed now. Have a good weekend all x

How wonderful to hear from you Mamissimo and the photo of the gorgeous, huggable Spud. He's such a lovely boy, he will indeed break hearts. And a very Happy Anniversary in advance of the day. My chaotic mind will likely to have miss filed it by tomorrow.

And wonderful too that you may have found the right house Grammaretto. Fingers crossed that it really is The One. I hope it's nicely near and convenient for a good community and shops and doctors and all the other stuff we need.

I have DGS here to stay at present and it's well past his bedtime. I'd best chase him up!

And....

B E S T
W I S H E S
K A I M O A N A,
W E
M I S S
Y O U !.

(That's the best I can do. Putting in the ** to get bold took out spaces)

Mamissimo how lovely to hear from you. Of course it was dear Kaimoana who remembered Spud’s birthday.
He’s a lovely looking chap. So pleased all is well for you and yours. Shame about poor Aoife but she had a good life with you. Doughnut sounds fun.
How we loved the tales of the bored and running beans.🤣
Grmmaretto I like the sound of this house, being able to live downstairs if necessary is a good thing. Having space for visitors too. Keeping everything crossed for you.

Spud is going to break a few hearts throughout his life, Mamissimo - but you know that already! Lovely boy❤️.
Aoife had a loving home, despite her short life. Welcome, Doughnut!

Can we raise our hopes about your recent house viewing, Grammaretto?
Is it within your existing community? New or old? Doer-Upper or Do-able?
My DM 'downsized' from the crumbling Edwardian pile in her 80s.
Eyebrows were raised that the end result was a 4 bedroom/3 bathroom house.
But my goodness, the ease of keeping it clean (voice of experience), the reduction in maintenance costs and generally just modern environment meant that she could actually enjoy her home and surroundings without the worry about what was going to fall off next.

Still investigating ways to facilitate our communications with Kaimoana - if she can somehow read this, we send lots of love and hope the enforced house move is working in her favour xx

How good to hear from you Mamissimo
Such a great picture of dear little Spud. Wonderful news about losing his food intolerances.

Sorry to hear about Aoife 😢 and glad that you now have Doughnut.

Exciting trip planned! I hope you find Kaimoana. I didn't manage when I was out there. DD will be going out at Christmas too to see her brother.

I'm glad your DD is coping and has a good support system.

Happy days!

Good Morning 🙂 - how lovely that you dear Lobstars remember Spud's birthday! Can't believe he's 3 and totally thriving. He is as bright as his Granny a button, has all his teeth and has outgrown the milk intolerance and digestive issues that made his first year so tricky. DD2 is content now her family is complete.

Our little world is doing well - Mr M continues to be a good husband and in a few weeks we will celebrate our golden wedding.

DD1 is on an even keel again and has adapted well to both her daughters' neurodivergencies. It's been tough for her but we seem to have developed a family village to help and support with the practicalities of their unpredictable emotional needs.

DS gets married in a year's time and has been granted a nine month sabbatical by his employer which they will use as their honeymoon to go round the world - Canada, USA, Peru, New Zealand, Indonesia, Vietnam, Sri Lanka and then home.....they have both travelled a lot already so this trip is planned to fill in some gaps. He says they feel the need to do it while they're young enough and before having children. Mr M and I will join them in New Zealand for Christmas - so I might get to meet Kaimoana yet!

Very sadly Aoife Beagle passed away aged 3 from cancer - it was awful.......but some weeks later we were able to give a new home to a rescue golden retriever who is known as Doughnut.

The bored beans were great this year.........the running beans not so good..........and life goes on!

I read every week and think of you often x

Doodle your home must be just right for you.
The telling thing is that it felt right for you immediately.
So pleased you are happy there.
It's hard if you have to talk yourself into things.

I hope Kaimoana is OK. I hope her move is to somewhere that she will settle into easily.
I have been thinking about her recently and wondering if she is keeping warm.

I like the sound of your new "possible" home, Grammaretto
I think you should buy it and tell your cautious family you will move downstairs when you need to.
Hooray!
🥳🥳🥳
Great news if within budget (more or less)

Oh dear - I liked the house rather a lot.
It's big but not massive. There's a lovely open plan living room /kitchen with a wood stove and bifold doors at both ends.
I could live down stairs and keep the upstairs for guests..... 😊 There is even a utility room which could make a small pottery.

Back home a squirrel has come in down the chimney! There have already been 2 jackdaws this week.
I opened the window and squirrel leapt out in what looked suicidal. My sitting room is on the first floor. I couldn't see any sign of it so it must have survived.

The roofers came today and replaced the valley gutters and some slates. They got soaking wet in the downpour. It may be a drought in England but it certainly isn't here.
A plumber came too. He has assessed the job and will come back.

I hope all Lobstars have had a pleasant day.

Have whatever makes you happy Notspaghetti
DS1 says he’s happy we made a lovely home for ourselves here in our apartment. We loved it from day one.
Several of his friends have elderly parents struggling in their homes. Not having the energy to move but not capable of looking after themselves. Because of DH’s ill health we made the decision to sell our house and move to our flat, never regretted it. I love being here by the river and I feel safe at night with my neighbours around, Mind you I do accept we were lucky and that not everyone has such good neighbours,
DH couldn’t cope with our garden. We had several mature trees and the leaves and tidying up got too much. I do miss having a patch of my own though

We have, like Grammaretto I expect, been looking for our final home.

We have just come back from a visit to a dear friend in Norfolk (who we met in 1981 or 82) and after a throw-away comment we wonder if that is really the problem... imagining our final lives.

Why not just look for our next home? Next life?
Maybe that will be easier?

...after all, my mother-in-law moved happily aged 95/96 and renovated that house - and terraced the garden.

And does it matter if we have a too-big garden? We could have a wild area and just enjoy that too.
Our friend's Norfolk garden is 2 acres - there is noway that could be any sort of "formal" garden. It now has a small area of semi-organised garden, quite a few "wiggly walks" - some through woodland - and lots of "wild" (and wildlife).