🦞 The Lockdown Gang still chatting 🦞

Grammaretto, we once lived in a house with a phone box outside. It was on a lane and we would often take a mug of tea out there when making phone calls.

Sometimes, in the winter, if we were waiting for a call back from someone we would tell them to ring it for a long time - and we would go back inside and open the huge sash window in the sitting room so that we could hear it. Then we'd stay near the window with our coat on ready to rush outside!

Three of our babies were born in that little cottage and that's how we rang the midwife - until we coild afford a landline

I have fond memories of phone boxes actually. The truly rural ones weren't the smelly sort you found in some towns and cities - and some had their own phone books in them too. Before we were married we spent a summer when I was working in a seasonal type seaside restaurant and after my long shift I'd ring my now husband who was working elsewhere and who would have walked a mile to "his" phone box and waited patiently for me to call.
There was often someone else using it (or wanting to use it). I remember the feeling of being so close when just holding the phone to my ear. Nothing needed to be said.
❤️
I do realise I am very lucky to still have him.

I wish you luck with EE Notspaghetti they kept me hanging around for weeks paying high charges while they set up my new cheaper contract then suddenly sent me a message. Can’t connect you return all the equipment we’ve sent you now.

Hope your husbands appointment comes through soon. Hard getting older isn’t it.
Grammaretto i miss my landline but didn’t actually use it much. It was good as backup though. Hope the foraging went well. Did you have anything tasty to eat.
Envy you a day in the beach. Mine was spent in shops. Not the same

I miss my landline too. 😕
It was always in the same place and if I lost my mobile frequently I could call it.

Bother! I hope your connection is improved. NotSpaghetti

As you say Kaimoana has none.

When we were first married we had no phone and made calls from the phone box including to the hospital when I was in labour!

I have seen the house photos now and will help to write a blurb. I've ordered another survey and informed music man of what's going on.

Leaving it all to head off to the beach today with the foragers and a picnic. Wish the weather was warm and sunny but it's not.

Good luck your team Ixion I think it's my brother's team too but maybe not.
DS3 supports Everton for some reason known to him as do his family.

I'm expecting a call back today to discuss what EE calls "extenders" but which AI tells me is actually a mesh system, Doodle

If I had the landline still it wouldn't feel so bad as I'd at least hear it ringing even if I couldn't get to it!
I keep reminding myself that it wasn't that long ago that we had no convenient phones at all... and of course Kaimoana is still without one....

Hugs Kaimoana. Thinking of you and hoping you are keeping warm as it must be cooling now over your side of the globe.

We have another family birthday today which I'm looking forward to but there is such a lot to do before we head off - and my husband is waiting for a hospital appointment at ENT so isn't sleeping well and is regularly very tired.
We were once such a lively busy couple and he, in particular SO full of the joys of living. I wish I could wave a magic wand and give him back his energy and bounce.
*Maybe it's time to

Ixion i wouldn’t trust those llamas not to bite me. Nice Charlie the camel was much more friendly.
Sorry our team is flagging. We might be better sending the Argy’s llama to play. Glad you didn’t suffer from your covid jab.,mine was fine too.
Grammaretto I’m really tired too though I can’t claim any walking as an excuse. I also have my trips to the loo at night. Mostly I go straight back to sleep though.
Notspaghetti yes I think you’re right about the ballon dogs. The size of the one I saw Wednesday would need a rather large garden to accommodate it.
Sorry about your internet and broadband issues. Are they coming back to sort it out?
Jan glad I managed to find you in the desert and bring you back to us.
I went on our walk this morning then coffee and chat. To the hospice for lunch then more coffee and chat. What a busy life I lead,

Doodle - you didn't kidnap the llamas from the Argy, did you?🤔

Hello Jan
🏜🌵🐫🐪
Phew!!!- Welcome Home!

Hello All. I am still here but have to admit ti being lost in the desert for several days. Luckily I had water with me as it was very, very hot and my mobile wouldn’t work 😥. Kept trying to contact Jeeves for help - what has happened to Jeeves? Is he still with us or has he gone on to higher places?
Then suuddenly on the horizon a camel came into view with a little figure waving madly and yes it was our Doodle precariously perched on the camel coming to rescue me! I climbed onto Charlie the camel and we galloped onwards and home to Gransnet!
(Sorry folks think Ive lost it!)

Kaimoana we really love reading capitals just the same as lower case. ❤️ Are you keeping warm? It's presumably getting colder there?
It would be so nice to know you have something good around the corner to look forward to soon

Jan you are probably exhausted and we can't do anything to help. I wish Jeeves could take some of the strain and at least do some chauffeuring
Thinking of you

Ixion, my husband is a Tottenham fan. He has been watching (or, if not, at least closely following) other teams in an effort to will Tottenham a "way through ".
😬
His first act every day at the moment seems to be checking the football

Hello everyone!
Doodle your balloon dog was a Jeff Koons I assume. I think that represents his "entry level" works these days!

www.jeffkoons.com/?hl=en-GB

Apparently the fancy "upmarket" ones are a special steel, precision engineered and coated in an especially shiny varnish of some sort.

I have been looking after a granddaughter, making a birthday cake, doing paperwork, sorting out some lovely old chairs that need new seats - 2 with ladderbacks (one our old "nursing chair")...
But the most annoying thing was opting for a new fibre system which is now fitted and nearly totally useless!
Now I have no landline, no internet except in the room next to or above where it comes in and still have almost no mobile phone signal unless I stand in the (open) porch.

I am going to have to order a "mesh" system if I want to use the study to do anything but read/write

I've signed up for some yoga and pilates classes in an attempt to get fitter but then discovered the waist band of my super-stretchy "gym leggings" just wants to roll down under my ample belly in a dangerously awkward and constricting way- so that's no good! I fitted into them ok last autumn (but did only really used them on the cross trainer and walking machines maybe twice or 3 times) ... and of course I'm at least a stone heavier now than I was then..
_And_ I'm expected to fold over and slide around now too

The walk was only about 4 miles yesterday and very gentle. The bulls were behind a fence and we didn't have to cross any streams on stepping stones.
I think the house business is keeping me exhausted. I slept well between trips to the loo.

My COVID jab was a week ago so I can't blame that. Are you ok after yours Ixion?

You have never monopolised this thread *Grammaretto.
Those of us with less exciting lives tune in avidly to read of your busy-ness over the border.

We have been busy recently providing hands on support to Our Team, who are in imminent danger of going ⬇️ at the end of the ⚽️ season.
Hence our absence.

Called up to help rally the troops and provide moral or any other support our boys might need. The substitutes as well, that's a lot of chaps to attend to.
To think we only started out chopping up the oranges at half time ...

Your walk today looked lovely, how far was it? How many walkers joined you?
I hope your house and garden photos prompt lots of interest and a swift sale so you can secure that Fixer-Up pdq.

I enjoyed hearing about your sculpture park, Doodle. Beauty is certainly in the eye of the beholder. We often watch painting competitions and say 'Mrs A. would never have put that on display in the school hall, nor accepted it for a GCSE portfolio'.

Jan, how is Mr.J doing? I hope the travelling and the treatment plan is working out for you both. Thinking of you 🌻

Kaimoana, such sad news about your swiftly deteriorating eyesight. Surely time to be moving somewhere safer - and acceptable? I'm so sorry.

NN - that was scary about D🐕2. I remember Mr.I dosing one of our elderly cats, the special companion of DS1 as a small boy. He (the cat!) had a proper funny turn and I remember shrieking 'you've killed him😱', but he came too in a nano second and breathed again.
When does his treatment start?

Are you able to support your little family you told us about before your surgery? How is the baby?

Covid jab today as I now qualify for the spring booster.
Having forewarned everyone that I might be hors de combat for a few days, I sit here disgustingly fit and with no excuse for lounging about.

Well, not yet, anyway!

Thinking of everyone, as always. 🦞🦞🦞

Lovely photos Grammaretto will follow the link.
I was tempted with a Fern sculpture that rotated gently in the breeze but at over £2000 it was well out of my league.

Dear Kaimoana you can type in capitals or whatever you want. So pleased to hear from you. If there’s any way we can help keep in touch lease let us know. We miss your cheery informative and humorous posts.
So sorry about your eyesight. Anything in the house move ?

Penicuik House - Wikipedia share.google/9l7BbiJwmlkXiRVHG

This is more realistic. The first link is to their wedding venue. 🙄

Penicuik Estate - A stunning rural retreat 10 miles from Edinburgh. share.google/9W7FqCXLqpPd1P8TJ

https://www.gransnet.com/uploads/talk/202605/medium-2lfb2j-1000023098.jpg https://www.gransnet.com/uploads/talk/202605/medium-3ifski-1000023099.jpg

So sad to read this Kaimoana.

It must be awful to lose your sight.

The sculpture exhibition sounds quite funny Doodle. You weren't tempted to buy anything 😂

The walk went really well. It didn't rain, although quite chilly. The old house was open to look around. It's a ruin as it burned down in 1899 but a project to make it a safe ruin began about 1987. The grounds are wonderful with many different routes to explore.

I was tired when I got home and had a long sleep. I probably won't sleep tonight. 😟

Photos from today and a link to the house.

tHANKS FOR THE RE-DIRECTION DEAR dOODLE.
nOT SURE HOW MUCH i'LL BE ABLE TO POST NOW MY SIGHT HAS ALMOST GONE, BUT i'LL TRY.
Oh, sorry its in caps didn't mean to shout.

Grammaretto the sculpture exhibition was very good. A huge variety of forms. Some I liked and some I wondered “”what on Earth…….”
One item was a huge balloon dog in lime Green. Like the sort the man at children’s parties make. It was £55,000!
An interesting collection in beautiful grounds by the river, A very pleasant afternoon.
Hope your U3a walk goes well.

I know Doodle. how did we get these middle aged sons when we are are still so young and beautiful!
DD was a late addition so she's under 40. It makes me feel ancient.

I had a chat with him birthday boy today and ofcourse we'll meet at the funeral next week. So sad.

How was Windsor? How was the statue exhibition?

Voting tomorrow. People are saying they are not bothering to vote so I'm reminding them if they don't vote, the really awful ones might win.

Think of how Hitler was elected...... 😢

Tomorrow is also the day we lead a walk with U3A.

An old friend came today to choose a few books. He offered to help with anything I need for moving, along with his friends. How kind.

I hope you have managed the paperwork NotSpaghetti?

How is everyone?

Grammaretto happy birthday to your son. Hope he had a good day. Both our sons are over 50. Can’t believe it.
Wow that’s a lot of work gone into all those photos. Is this for the estate agent? Hope you have a nice day in Edinburgh
I’ve been to Windsor today. Tomorrow I’m going to an open garden to see a statue exhibition. Hoping it doesn’t rain.
Notspaghetti lovely to hear from you. Yes I can imagine there’s a lot of paperwork to do. Hope you’re coping ok.

Kaimoana we miss you a lot. Hope you’re managing ok but I know things are difficult.

NN are you home yet. Hope you enjoyed yourselves.

Just sending out a hello to ixion and Cherry we haven’t forgotten you. Hope you’re ok. Also Jan, NFK and Mamissimo and Spud and anyone else I’ve forgotten to mention

Tried to post a longer piece yesterday but now I know why it wouldn't go! "Chat closed" came up - and now I know why!!
I just thought something odd had happened!

Just want to say hello. Struggling with paperwork, family and insurance claims - but wanted to say hello.

Not everything is chaos! Don't feel sorry for me!

Hugs to all of you

I wrote on the other thread. I didn't realise it had reached 1000. ThanksDoodle for starting another one.

Sorry NN that your doggies are so worrying for you 😔
Did you go to the motor museum?

The photographer came and stayed for 5½ hours. He did every kind of film including the drone. He even wanted me to talk on video about the history of the house. I didn't want to!

He suggested I light the fires as people like to know that they are real. Will I have to light them for every house viewing?

When he'd gone I drove down to the Borders with a friend to visit another woman whose husband died recently.
We took her out for a delicious Indian meal.

At least that's done now . Tomorrow I am heading into Edinburgh to meet an old friend.

It's my DS birthday today. I can't believe he's 50.

How are all the Lobstars?

Our animals are always a worry. They give such unconditional love and it’s our job to care for them. Glad all seem to be ok.
Wales is a lovely place to visit NN

*We are about to start packing up and I will be quite relieved to be home if I'm honest. The garden show was or would have been lovely but the 3 ' children ' wanted to pee on every display we got near so we didn't get near. Not their fault as every other dog at the show wanted to do the same.
I had plant envy at the hoards of people hauling festival trolleys full of plants trundled past us but I consoled myself that I could probably get most of them a lot cheaper nearer to home.
We found a lovely country park near Hamble and we really happy to see the dogs careering around until Ddog collapsed after chasing Ddog3. She just keeled over and we both thought she'd gone. ( We did say afterwards that if she had it would have been lovely...doing what she loved most with the people and dog family close by). Within seconds though she was wagging her tail and back on her feet.
Later in the afternoon Ddog1 jumped down from Maevemouse and landed badly and had been very quiet since...he is weight bearing and no obvious signs of injury so we are hoping it's just a muscle.

My nerves are stretched to breaking point and my fears about being in Ireland and Ddog2 deteriorating and then needing , I can't actually write it all came to the fore and when DH asked if I wanted to cancel I admitted I did but didn't want to because I know how excited he was about going. Bless him he said if I was going to be unhappy and worried there was no point in still going. I said we could go anywhere in this country instead maybe ( his leave dates have been booked since he joined) so we will probably go back to our happy place in Wales instead.
Our OZ friends have delayed their trip as he is having treatment for a malignant melanoma so in some ways postponing makes sense.
Have a happy Bank Holiday....or Monday depending on where you are in the world.*