General Chat

Lunch went very well, thanks, Florence, and everyone enjoyed it.
£625 of donations for a local charity were collected, and I know there's a bit more still to come.

Now I'm off to put my feet up, with a cup of tea.
I won't need much to eat this evening!

Afternoon all

Flat calm and dry here but...very very cold!

I have been busy catching up with the pre xmas spring clean, stripping beds, laundry, dusting etc. Obviously chores will get done again before xmas but generally a good declutter and put things away not being used over xmas.

i have reorganised the freezer but have a small delivery coming on Saturday and daughter managed to get a slot on the 20th which is great.

ArgyllGran, hope the lunch went well today and everyone enjoyed the dinner. Sounds wonderful!

Andysmum, you had me in stitches reading all about your new fridge. Instructions were hilarious :-D :-D :-D Hope its working ok?

If there had been a little breeze i would have put out the washing but no wind at all so the laundry would just hang and not dry as its soo cold.

I made some mince pies but already they have nearly gone! I have given some to someone I know who loves them, my son. :-D

We have not had any post for 2 days now and the postie was back at his house by 1.30pm. Quite hard to believe as at this time of year, you would think he would have been busier unless, its not filtering through from the mainland sorting offices!

But I sent a load of parcels last Friday at 12 all second class and do you know, people in kent mess to say, they all arrived first thing on Monday!! :-S I find that quite amazing as 2nd class parcels would normally take 5 days at least? 19 cards received so far.

Well better crack on.

Joan if you are looking in, hope you are keeping ok. Just pop on and say hello sometime.

Right lunch over so better crack on.

Take care and keep warm everyone

Florence in the hebrides

Hard frost here yesterday and today, but dry and mostly sunny. Every frosty twig sparkling in the sunshine.

But SOOO cold!

Tomorrow we have our village Christmas lunch in the village hall - a two-course meal all cooked by local volunteers. As usual, we'll be serving about 50 people.
Turkey and all the usual accompaniments for main course (plus a vegetarian option), then a buffet of several lovely puddings also made by local volunteers.
We (about 6 of us) set up in the hall this afternoon, which didn't take us long. We've all done it so often before that we hardly have to think about what needs to be done!

Evening all
Sorry i have also been out last 2 days for hospital appointments. I have now seen the eye consultant and finally on the surgeons theatre list although wont be for 4-6 months grrr. I waited a whole year for todays appointment and now probably be may before i get the op!

Made mince pies this afternoon and some mini vol u vents all which were very tasty.

Calm day here again and no wind or rain brill.

Andysmum, I trust you have your diving gear ready for accessing your fridge.
Surely some things would float away :-S

I'm probably as far south in UK as many on these boards and I can assure you it's not at all mild :-|
We've been enveloped in a lingering dampness all day, which makes everything dank and dismal and very chilled. All my friends were saying what a horrible day it was.
Thankfully, I've been so busy all day, that I haven't had time to bother about the weather too much, as I hurried from one place to another.
Had a fun morning with older primary school children helping them to sew the items they had prepared and cut out for design and technology. They did quite well really, especially as for most of them, it was a first attempt at sewing. Some were over eager pulling the threaded needle through the material and we had to do a lot of re threading, but they soon got the hang of it and worked hard.

I hope you are all having better weather than recently. Down south it seems to be fairly mild but here it is thick fog and very cold. I had a new fridge delivered today and the men altered the door and unpacked it in the garden - Brrrr!

After they had gone I read the instructions - half a page on how to use it and pages on health and safety, including vital things like not climbing on top of it in case you fall off!! The oddest item though was the one which said it should be used at 2000 metres below sea level :-S :-S The mind boggles :-)

I hope that everyone is OK. I have been busy for the last few days, so haven’t been around.
I put the Xmas decorations up at the weekend . After twenty years in the previous house, I knew where everything went, so it was easy. Nothing is the same here, I gave away my very large Xmas tree and have bought a much slimmer one. The lights I usually put in the windows won’t fit because of the blinds, so I have had to buy new ones as well.
I have had a blitz on Xmas presents over the last few days, so don’t have too many to get.
I had a soup making marathon this afternoon, so now have fourteen mugs cooling to fit in the freezer, I may have to do some rearranging to get them in.

sounds like a good job done Florence. And a clean drive.

Afternoon all
A cold but calm & dry day here and so daughter & i managed to shift the rest of the soil in under 2 hours. She has now hosed down the parking areas and the pathway to get rid of the soil scattered about.

So glad its all done now.

I'm off to the shower now as need to get my hair washed and get all the dust out!

Hope everyone ok today and no more storms.....for now!

Florence in the hebrides

I don’t think that the bad weather will have tempted people out to visit craft fairs Florence.
This weekend was supposed to be the two day Xanax market with over sixty stalks and lots of craft fairs over the two days, ending with a fireworks display at. 4.30 pm on the Sunday.
It was cancelled because of the storm and moved to next weekend, but most of the craft fairs were going ahead. Sadly I doubt if many people went to them . I was going to go to one on Saturday morning, but the weather was horrendous, so I didn’t go out. We had to go to my daughter’s house, so OH could help them with some DIY, we noticed that the roads were really empty and no one was walking around.

We survived unscathed apart from the sliding door on the greenhouse. It had come off the runner at the bottom and was lifting up. OH out a large rockery stone in front of it, so it couldn’t move, he will fix it once the storm has passed.

Afternoon all
Hope everyone in the thick of the storm survived safe and well and without much damage.
On this occasion we escaped the worst of it but it was still very gusty here last night.

I had 2 very busy days. Fri was out in town all day and got rid of all my parcels for the mainland and so chuffed for that. was £13 cheaper than last year too, so that was a bonus!
had a lovely lunch as per, was in several shops and bought some nice bits & pieces and then lastly to the supermarket where I did a big pre xmas shop of non perishables etc

Saturday of course was the last fayre but it was very slow in the morning and a only a trickle of people throughout the day until the last 1/2 hour and I made some last minute sales.

I heard today that at another craft market in a different area, theirs was very quiet too so that made me feel a little better. I guess, people just don't have much spare cash to buy anything extra but..... these things are free to go in and it costs nothing to have a look round, have a chat with people and maybe just grab a coffee . if you would otherwise be indoors, its a nice way to spend an hour in the afternoon maybe.

So today a big clear up in the house!! The kitchen has nearly been restored to normal and so has the lounge but we still have boxes in the porch and a hall cupboard to clear and make some room for other things! But we are just doing it gently and not rushing, we have all day and night!

Mel, so sorry for your tree, how awful to lose an apple tree. Hope your chickens are ok and the hen house didn't suffer any damage.

Its a calmer day here but is very cold outside only about 4 degrees or less.

So better crack on now coffee break over.

Stay safe everyone looking in

Florence in the hebrides

Well, that was a wild night and it is still very windy this morning. It is still too dark to see if any trees have come down in the wooded area to the side of the house, I suspect that there will be some. It is a shame about your tree Mel.
I had to be very careful when I went to Aldi to hold the car door when I opened it I was worried about it hitting the car in the next parking space.

I'm in the Wild West and it is still wild at the moment. Iv'e lost a lovely old tree, a Russet in the orchard which was a favorite. There's still gusts but I think it could be a little less gail force than it was earlier this mornng.

Need to go and feed the chickens if I can get there.

Hope everyone in the Wild West ( wet and windy) are ok as is everyone else.

Relieved to say our guttering was replaced yesterday and the bit of repointing done. The big test is if the wind with rain changes direction but it all seems ok at the moment.

Just a couple of drainage jobs needed now, hopefully next week.

Hope they manage it safely Linda. It is such a shame that these storms are spoiling so many events.

No, I would rather hear Frank Sinatra sing it.

You wouldn’t want to hear me sing Ann, I am tone deaf :-D
My daughter got back with no problem, but we are babysitting again tonight while they go to a music concert in Leeds. They probably won’t be back until about midnight and by then the weather looks as if the storm will be bad, so I will be worried until they get back

Good morning all. We are certainly getting a lot of these storms now with events cancelled. I suppose it is what we have to look forward to now.
I hope your daughter eventually got home safely Linda. I had to smile at your opening sentence as my brain immediately heard the song Frank Sinatra

Oh, the weather outside is frightful
But the fire is so delightful
Since we've no place to go
Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow… :-D :-D :-D

What a lovely gesture from your friend Sylvia.

The weather outside is dreadful and the storm supposedly hasn’t arrived yet, it has been raining hard since mid afternoon. My daughter is on her way back from London, normally she changes trains at York and gets a second train to Knaresborough , She phoned to say that the second train has been cancelled due to flooding, so she needs picking up from York. OH normally collects her from the local station, but Son in law has gone to York as they have a large 4x4, so it is safer. We are looking after the girls until they get back.
The town was due to have a large two day market at the weekend with all, sorts of peripheral activities, ending with a large firework display, but it has been postponed until the following weekend. According to the news, lots of Xmas events due to take place this weekend have been cancelled

Good morning all. Oh Sylvia, how lovely to have the roses and how thoughtful to send two bouquets for you. Noe both apartments will look lovely.

You are educating us Sylvia, this is interesting. from google

Blue and white
These are the primary colors associated with Hanukkah. They are the colors of the Israeli flag and represent the Jewish homeland. Blue is associated with faith, wisdom, reliability, and truth, while white symbolizes purity, peace, and light.
Silver
Silver is sometimes incorporated into Hanukkah celebrations, possibly to add elegance.
Cultural significance
The choice of these colors has more to do with 20th century American culture than the holiday's religious meaning. In the post-World War II United States, the color scheme helped families feel like they were part of the holiday season. It was also used to differentiate Hanukkah from Christmas.
Flower arrangements
Blue and white flowers are traditionally used in Hanukkah floral arrangements. The white lily is a common focus flower.
Candle colors
There is no tradition regarding the color of the candles used in the menorah. Any color is acceptable, including plaid and infra-red.


S

Belated Happy Birthday, Florence!

I hope your day, though alone, was enjoyable.

I'm sorry but I am way out of synch with the difference in times between us!

Today the fog had gone at around 8:30 am, and there was bright sun although that had disappeared within about 30 minutes to a dense fog that has lasted all day.

Of course it isn't as dense as those smogs we used to get in the UK, but the house and trees across the street have been very hazy all day!

We had a lovely surprise today .......... a close friend of OH's from UBC sent us both a bouquet of roses! They were more or less identical, with 8 red roses and 4 of a different colour, but those 4 were slightly different in my bouquet.

She has been a really good friend, and OH used to work with/for her in both the Student Opera Programme and in the Ceremonies (mainly graduation ceremonies). This year was the first year he did not go to Graduation in May. :-(

The public areas of the Residence, including MLC where OH is, have been decorated today, mainly in blue and silver, and with signs of Happy Holiday. I guess this is the start of the Chanukah celebrations.