🦞 The Lockdown Gang still chatting 🦞

Madeira, maybe, Grammaretto?
Not that I've been, but I hear the climate is mild and the gardens (sub tropical) are lovely.
Not on a bucket and spade wish list, I would imagine, so relatively peaceful?

Poor Jan, I hope you and Mr.Jan are coping OK and that his medical issues are being properly attended to.
And good luck for tomorrow, hoping it's a routine checkup and nothing more pressing🤞

I hope it's all plain sailing for Doodle and that she manages to unwind.

All those tip trips, poor Grammaretto. So much of 'who you are' in the boot of a car on a one way journey. I hope one day you will get to the stage of saying 'thank goodness' when the last trip is completed.
Are you still thinking of converting the garage to a studio?

Lovely weather here currently. Apart from nipping out to plant 24 scented violas in my Greek urn (🤭), I have ceded the rest of the afternoon to Mr.I to continue pruning the wisteria.
Today, at least, he is up the stepladder while there is someone at home, lest he fall off ...

Currently he is out of sight, but not out of earshot.
Win - win.

Sounds lovely Ixion I think it may depend on where the flights go at that time of year from Edinburgh. 😂 And the cost ofcourse.

I have been offered a free let of a flat in Worthing but I guess that wouldn't still be tropical.

You're just missing out on the English Riviera, Grammaretto. West a little would do it!
I hope you manage to get away after the move for a break.

And return to a fully functioning and welcoming home.

Not much to report here, knitting and recuperating from an excess of digging this afternoon- it has been really mild here.

I hope Mr.J had a successful hospital appointment.

Somebody, hopefully not me, will need to hang around to check that Barney 🐈 returns eventually - he's been out for far too long several hours and his supper and any one of his selection of beds is awaiting.

Morning Lobstars from West Wales...our last day here. Our friends arrived last Tuesday and have thoroughly enjoyed themselves revisiting places from 45 years ago and I've been able to tell them and show them lots of local things too. They are very similar to us so it's all been very relaxed and we haven't spent all the time doing the same things or being together. We have had some lovely dog walks on the beach, they have a little rescue dog from Bulgaria who has really come out of her shy shell and thoroughly enjoyed racing across the beach with our crazy boys while S and I discussed everything from the Pray as you go app that we both listen to daily to ADHD diagnosis. The DH's meantime were sharing their mutual love of all things motorised. Yesterday we walked from Saundersfoot to Wiseman's Bridge through the tunnels and along the shore. We all got very confused as to which bit of beach at Coppets Hall the dogs were allowed on so opted for the bit that had several dogs already off leads and let all 3 of them career round for half an hour while we sat on the rocks and enjoyed the sun. We then walked on and had a very welcome drink at the pub in Wiseman's Bridge ( a very popular spot). I just had soda and lime as I really can't drink during the day. DH had a pint ( to ease his throat he said as he's come down with a cold). We then went back to Maeve fur a couple of hours ( I needed to work...more of that in a bit) and then went into Tenby and had a lovely meal ...2 meals including a steak option and a bottle of wine for £50. Today we are hoping to go to Caldey Island...my absolute spiritual home. I feel more settled in myself and just hope it continues when we get back home. I've been working whilst here...recruiting firstly for a political group discussion last Wednesday...not easy completing an excel spreadsheet on your phone!! and then for a large feminine hygiene product trial. 50 ladies who have all supplied details of their usage. I have tried to make it as easy as possible to answer some of the more very personal questions with humour...think along the lines of trimming and strimming. I then very inadvertently reduced them all to hysterics when I posted a picture of me on the newly acquired laptop with the caption...'here I am on holiday in the motorhome beavering away inputting all your data'. My phone practically lit up as the laughter emojis appeared and comments like...Oh my goodness did you really mean to put beavering...?
Oops.

DH insisted on buying a small laptop , he said he can't bear to see me bent over my phone trying to work...It had been on my to do list but as work is very sporadic ( it seems to always come in when we are away from home and the desktop computer). I'm very glad he did as it would have been nigh on impossible to input all the data otherwise.
I hope Doodle is having a fabulous cruise...BF sailed off round the med on Sunday...I watch her progress on the Vessel app. Currently in Cadiz.
Jan...I hope all has gone well for Mr J. I was sad when you said a cruise ship is no place for someone who has had a stroke. I thought they would have made access available to all and catered for peeps with all disabilities. 😟
Grammaretto...I might be shot down in flames and apologies to anyone who lives in Worthing but I think you need somewhere a bit more exotic for your much needed break. This has been such a long drawn out move and the adventure is still to happen so treat yourself to some R and R.. We've got a 5 day window in October that our friend has offered to dog sit and we are looking at a short haul hop to somewhere warm and cheap. Someone suggested Benidorm but having seen it on 7 up last night it looked very crowded and if I'm honest I like going to places where it's different to the UK...not just English food/bars/ people. Does that sound very snobby? DH says my face says what my brain is thinking. Eek.
DH is now on a mission to find a tow car. At the moment he drives Maeve and I drive my car to here. It means we have a vehicle that can be driven around the narrow lanes etc but he wants me to be able to enjoy the full Motorhome experience of travelling together ( Think Paul Merton and Suki Webster on the TV). I however ( but haven't admitted it yet) enjoy listening to Radio 4, The Archers, Desert Island discs etc etc as I pootle down the motorway...and normally just past Swansea I'm on Spotify murdering everything from The Duallers to Dirty Dancing normally arriving at Yerbeston belting out Dancing Queen. I think he's going to be in for a bit of a shock if his plan goes ahead.. .
I need to get dressed if I'm too be ready to leave at 11.....love to you all.

It's not often we drop off the 'Last Day' page, but a quick 'hello' should bump us up there again now.

Cold and wet here, after an unexpectedly gorgeous afternoon yesterday. Luckily I don't mark my weekly meal planning round the weather forecast shock horror

Thinking of fellow 🦞s, especially those with worries and lots on their plates.

And Doodle ⚓️⛱️ on the ocean wave

X-ed posts NN.
Lovely to hear your news🥰

Wish I could safely put lots on my real plate...
I have put weight on again!

Great to hear your news Naughtyneine. Having your friends with you sounds perfect.

I'm counting down to moving now and realise I won't get everything done.

3 potter friends have been helping me clear and pack up the pottery. More to go but a start has been made. I am so tired 😩

Have upu got a date Grammaretto?
😱😬😱😬😱😬

Mid October so not long at all.
The removals acceptance form was delivered on Tuesday on to my doorstep as whoever deposited it couldn't find my letter box and didn't think to let me know.
I was out all day, I didn't find the letter till morning by which time it had rained heavily in n the night.
I dried it out in yesterday's sunshine and maybe after I have ironed it I can fill in the 5 pages.
It doesn't bode well for that company does it. First they didn't turn up for the quote and then the wet letter after I had told them I couldn't fill it in online nor print it.
😲 Thirdly it's very expensive.
Should I get another quote?

Yes yes yes!

Now that you are decluttering, Grammaretto, perhaps a new round of quotes might be more realistic now, anyway?

Fresh eyes 'n' all that.

Is it a "Fixed Quote" or are they quoting an hourly rate?
We had a local move and chose a small operator who although we chose to go with a fixed price, did offer by the hour. I would be wary of that.

They came to the house and did a pre-move survey with us.

​Do you have anything needing dismantling/ reassembly?
We didn't think of this and it was chaos for days. We did insist they put the enormous dresser and linen cupboard parts back on top of each other and where we wanted them but slept on a mattress for weeks days until we made space to rebuild our bed.
Dining tables or garden furniture may need to be dismantled?

Just check whether the mover includes taking them down and rebuilding them in the quote.

​If you are concerned idalso ask if they supply carpet runners, door-frame protectors, and mattress covers as standard equipment. Some do.

We have dealt with only a few moves in the last little while but I found I needed to be quite bossy "directing the traffic" at the unpacking end.
I labelled everything "bed1" "kitchen" "front room" or whatever and still initally found stuff dumped where convenient. I asked them to relocate things to where they were labelled after I'd checked.
The second load was placed more carefully!

I was SO pleased I'd done this as ip and down 3 floors with boxes is no joke.
"Can I just leave this (box of books) here please?" - "I think that one is going to the study at the top of the house please" ...

We got 3 or 4 quotes.
One company leant out the boxes (almost any number) but billed you if you kept them more than x days.... too soon really.

When we did my mother-in-law's removal with her she paid (a lot) for a fill service including packing.
It was SO easy!
...but of course she had very little "stuff"!

I've booked a further quote for tomorrow. The one I have is fixed price and includes packing.
I've also booked a house clearance company who do charge by the hour.

My friends came again and moved books and took carloads to the tip.

I still have an auction company collecting things and the book man will come again.

I've sold my wonderful solid wood pottery table and I think a futon will sell too.

I'm exhausted now and could only manage half my yoga class.

Thanks for your advice and cautionary tales.

Hello Everyone. Yes I too hope Doodle is having a relaxing and enjoyable cruise with great weather. Its been a glorious day here and we have enjoyed a very long and delicious lunch with friends at our local hostelry and then back to our house to carry in putting the world to rights!
Hope Grammaretto is getting sorted. Moving is a big undertaking so hoping all goes well and her new house becomes her forever home.
Thank you to all who enquired about DH. Its proving to be a rather long recovery with really no answers. He has been to our local hospital, Papworth heart hospital and also Norwich hospital! All have said there are no problems except he has probably been over medicated. As at one time he was taking 12 steroids a day I can quite believe that! He is feeling better now he has stopped some pills but is a bit breathless when walking even short distances. Also a very bad dose of mouth thrush certainly didnt help! All 3 hospitals told him to see his GP which as the good boy he is he did. Result - GP after examining him and checking blood tests said “I cant find anything wrong with you!” What can you say?!!

Poor you Jan. As if your own health problems aren't enough without DH joining in. He's not a hypochondriac is he?

My friend has had a stroke while away on holiday. I phoned to see if he was coming to supper only to find he has been in hospital on the South coast and will not be back for a while.

Luckily he got to hospital within 4 hours which is so important to avoid long term damage.

I hope Doodle is enjoying her cruise.
Thinking of absent friends.

Evening all. I’m back.
Had a really nice time. A few sad moments but overall very lovely. Norway has been a favourite for a long time. So beautiful and peaceful.
Met some really nice people too.
Ixion is Barney back? Last I remembered he wears missing for ages. I do hope you now know where he is.
Grmmaretto sorry to hear about your friend. You sound exhausted. So many trips here and there. Hope you still got a lot to sort out?
Jan good your Dh has been checked over. Hope he starts to feel better after cutting out some of the meds. I too was surprised you said a cruise was no place for a women who’d had a stroke. Why is that?
Notspaghetti good advice about moving and making sure things are put back together again.
NN lovely post from you. Seems like you’re having a good trip. You’re still busy with spreadsheets, a laptop will be a big help.
Notspaghetti i wish I could lose weight but I seem to be getting bigger and bigger. Mind you I suppose if I stopped stuffing myself with chocolate that might help !
Night night all. Very tired still. Sleep well x

Welcome home Doodle. Failte.
Glad you enjoyed it. Beautiful and peaceful sounds good and meeting nice people.

I can't believe it's been 7 days. I don't seem to have achieved much in your absence.

My hairdresser has offered to come and help move stuff on Monday. He's very kind .

Tomorrow DD will come and take some more furniture. I hope she has enough space. 😲

I'm starting to go through photos. Without the chest I keep them in I can't think what to do with them.

What did you do with photos when you downsized?

Doodle so pleased you enjoyed your cruise. I didnt mean specifically women cruising should have said anyone and obviously it depends what difficulties they have been left with. For me I can only walk very short distances, have problems with steps and one useless hand. Therefore getting off the ship for a trip out probably impossible and if it was a coach trip definitely impossible. As for getting on a tender no way! And so it goes on! So no thanks cruising is now just so stressful its not worth the stress!!

Grammaretto, is your chest (so to speak) a cabin trunk, one with a flat top as opposed to domed?
If so, redolent of student days here, could it not be used with a throw as a bedside table or stand alone piece of furniture in a spare bedroom, thus keeping your home for the photos?

Welcome home, Doodle - that went quickly! Is your art class starting up now?

So sorry for Mr.J, Jan. And how frustrating that your GP can't find a solution.
I hope he is able to extend his walking little by little and you can both enjoy getting out with each other at least before the lousy winter weather sets in.

We are blessed with the reappearance of our? a rotund hedgehog, clearly able to squeeze under the side gate. If not, with a walled garden, I've no idea how they get in.
I hope he - and his little family maybe - stay with us for a while.
Cute, yes, but in addition I have expedited the delivery a large bag of dedicated hog food and an elegant heavy duty feeder.
I have a strong suspicion that the contents are loved by Barney 🐈 on a nightly basis ...

I was told to create a hedgehog feeding station inaccessible to dogs and cats when we were given a couple of rescued hogs from a sanctuary. All it was was a couple of bricks with a piece of wood on top.

We would leave food out - cat food- but we never saw the hedgehogs again. The food went. 😂

I hope you have more success Ixion

No its a chest of drawers I was clearing but I have various cabin trunks so could use one.

All went to plan today but I am exhausted. Bedtime! Night night Lobstars xx

Grammaretto our son has four boxes of photos in his loft and I have a bookcase full of those photo holders. Later years they were all digital so it the really old ones I’ve kept. Downsizing is a problem. 2we had a storage unit for three years after we moved here. Gradually cleared it out. Hope he move is progressing well.
Ah Jan I do understand. Yes perhaps not he right trip for you. Do hope your DH improves soon and you can go walking again.
ixion yes art has started again thank goodness. I di miss it.
I love your description of a rotund hedgehog. He sounds cute.

Spent a very pleasant few minutes last night listening to a voice message from our dear friend kaimoana
You will not be surprised to know that her voice is full of laughter and she chuckles a lot. It seems that the paramedics came to check on her and decided she needed to be assessed in hospital. As far as her last message goes she was still in hospital but they have said she will not go home now but go straight to a rest home where they can help her.
I do hope it’s a good one and she gets the care she needs. She’s been coping too long on her own but I know she’s very independent so it might not be what she wants.
Take care all.

Doodle doyou know whete she is? I wonder if we could write to her (in big writing)? or maybe send a card?

Is her housing project maybe sending mail on to her?
Thank uou for your update.

Are you home yet Naughtyneine?
Thinking of you too.