Morning everyone and welcome to a new week! Last week's Weekly Chat ended with some interesting entries and very interesting links (wonderful pix of swan giving cygnets a ride, courtesy of Lindybird, and, thanks very much Alan; another perspective on those oil-covered pelicans - good news too!). OG: Not rushing and dashing; kids are here and headed to bed early for ultra-early departure. Margobird: Thanks for update on Hope and Lily.
Gather USA/England draw was result of bungle by England goalkeeper?
Hello Diane what a lovely post from you. Love the bit about talking to animals. I do it all the time birds, bugs and spiders who I always tell that they build such beautiful webs. Heaven knows what the neighbours must think but I am happy in my little animal world. Still have a dog fox visiting who had the cheek to make of with the tray I put cheese in for my birds. Have searched and searched but can't find it anywhere.
Margobird
Morning all – a hot one – can’t see garden thermometer as it’s opposite the patio doors which have a sheet across for painting. It’s quite pleasant sitting here – desk fan on and blinds down against bright sunlight! OH is out for the day, so I shall do some baking – easier if I’m home alone, so long as he gets out stuff I can’t reach/bend to.
Annette – I know what you mean about the work people do for us – I often watch someone doing a job and think “We should be doing that ourselves” then I realise that would prevent them earning money to feed their children! Only solution would be an economy based on barter and exchange rather than monetary currency – then no savings for our old age … … economic theory is too much for my brain right now!!! Anyway, I am glad you are pleased with the job they are doing, and I am sure they appreciate the drinks. Hope you are happy with the slipcovers. We haven’t been for a coffee and cake for ages – and have lost a few pounds. We had no washing machine at home – a boiler for “the whites” and everything hand washed. Our wringer was a huge affair that folded to make a table top – very heavy to use, but for some reason I used to love to turn the handle for Mum – silly child, I obviously hadn’t yet learnt to be lazy!
AQ – our “Bank” Holidays are very confusing – Scotland has some of its own, some in common with England and Wales, and misses some out. Being so near the border, we seem to sometimes get extra and other times miss them entirely! As you say, it doesn’t make much difference to retired folk, but I’d rather know in advance whether the hordes of Academy pupils will be on the High Street buying lunch, dropping litter and pushing us off the pavements, or whether we have to watch out for little ones playing out. Sorry – I’m being a Grumpy! “I also send old jumpers to the Dogs Home” – this gave me a giggle as I pictured lots of stray dogs running round in jumpers!! Loved your description of folk walking down the street talking to themselves. I get particularly cross at young Mums chatting away to their mobiles whilst ignoring the toddler in their pushchair – even thought that about a man with a dog the other day – found myself thinking “that poor dog is getting no social interaction!
Diane – I have my best conversations with the birds in the garden – they never disagree with me! I did get some funny looks up in the Highlands when talking to a caterpillar to try to persuade it into the right position for a photograph – for identification purposes. Have now threatened to count OH’s many pairs of socks – why does a man need separate “best” socks when they don’t co-ordinate with “best” clothes? Thanks for filling me in on Steve’s potatoes – I saw reference to the remaining mess in the truck on the Chat Blog but had missed the detail. Is there any way of seeing his earlier posts if we miss a day?
Lindybird – lovely poppies – and excellent photos of them – like that dark rose in the first background too. Don’t know how far Painter will get today with patio doors – probably one more day or maybe two –preparation and base coat, then first coat, then topcoat with drying in between. Bare middles for summer? I don’t have a distinct middle - think I’m middle all over so it all stays under wraps!!
Patriciat – lucky you, having Bullfinches – don’t think I’ve seen them since I was a child, many years ago.
Sorry this is so long, folks. Some very interesting overnight posts deserving replies!!
Ospreys Rule OK, but Goldfinches come a close second!
Love the popppies, Lindybird.
Afternoon all,
Thanks for all the overnight and morning chat.
Lindybird : Lovely pictures of poppies. None in our garden but some in the fields around and about.
This morning Lady P and I went on a shopping mission to Tesco. Not as busy as usual so slightly less annoying. Came home and cut the grass and generally tidied the garden, Hamish has had his walk and dragged his blanket into the garden so summer must be here at last. Watching New Zealand v Slovakia in the world cup now.
Odin has just arrived with a fish.
Morning all: Brief hallo before I organize some shopping lists - OH staying home with contractor's folks so I'll be zipping about. OG: We had a boiler for whites; though we called it a "copper." That was before we got hot running water in the bathroom, courtesy of a geyser. Oh how modern we thought we were. Alan: Haven't heard about Hamish your last few posts; good to know he's back in his garden spot!. Lindybird: Fabulous shot of poppies - those petals look so thin and papery. Amazing. Morning everyone else and thanks for posts. :-)
Coffee time – been busy – after baking had to do an extra lot of washing up! OH phoned to say he’d collected what he went for (that’s why no room for me in the car!) so he’s now on his way home.
Alan – so pleased to know that the blanket is out, so official summer begins!
Annette – back to zipping about, I see! Mum’s boiler was a cream and black square metal thing with two elements under it – bit like a three foot high 1960s electric kettle. She called it the copper, but my Grannie had a real copper – square brick structure with a circular copper lining!! We always had hot water – courtesy of a stove with back boiler (different use of same word), and then in the late 60s they had an immersion heater added to the hot water tank. Dad thought he was very modern coming home one day with a second hand “vacuum cleaner” – no electric plug, it somehow sucked up dust when you pushed it really hard – Mum wasn’t very grateful, I think she preferred brushing the carpets on her hands and knees to using this monster!
OG - For some strange reason I have bee thinking about you baking today! Guilty conscience I think. Yes, words like copper and boiler that Annette mentioned also the word geyser do bring back memories!! I was absolutely terrified of the geyser over the bath, the noise it made when it lit up!! Now going to show my age--- I used to have a little plastic boat in the bath, and clearly remember the ship Flying Enterprise and her Captain (Carlson?) great heroics by him, ship wrecked etc. I used to pretend that my little boat was the Flying Enterprise and act out everything that I had heard on the radio (wireless!) news. Please don't tell me I am a sad person I was about 6 at the time!! - Edit -It was 1952, I have just checked on the net
Ours was a real copper too - in an alcove in the scullery (do they still have sculleries?). Huge thing - I remember sitting on it with my sister, reading Orlando the Marmalade Cat while my Mom and aunt shushed us because they were expecting an air raid and then we'd have to go down the cellar. Oh my. That's one of my first memories. We were all terrified of the geyser in the bathroom; kept expecting it to explode - one time it almost blew my poor old Mom out the door when she went to light it. And I remember Captain Carlson and the Flying Enterprise! Oh my again. I was 10. Probably too old for a little boat. Well, back to the here and now. Off on shopping mission.
Unknown said: Ours was a real copper too - in an alcove in the scullery (do they still have sculleries?). Huge thing - I remember sitting on it with my sister, reading Orlando the Marmalade Cat while my Mom and aunt shushed us because they were expecting an air raid and then we'd have to go down the cellar. Oh my. That's one of my first memories. We were all terrified of the geyser in the bathroom; kept expecting it to explode - one time it almost blew my poor old Mom out the door when she went to light it. And I remember Captain Carlson and the Flying Enterprise! Oh my again. I was 10. Probably too old for a little boat. Well, back to the here and now. Off on shopping mission.
Heather/Annette - I had to bake because there was none left in the freezer and OH had started buying himself cake at Tesco’s! So I’ve made Gingerbread and Cherry Slices to be going on with (and yes, I shall probably sample each myself!).
I think the modern equivalent of a scullery is the utility room. Our house was a bit strange – the sink and food prep areas were in one room (which also had a walk-in larder with that lovely cold slab) but the stove was in another. Mum referred to the first as the scullery and the other as the kitchen, but it was also our living/dining room, because the front room (which was quite big for those days) was only for Occasions! They had the house built but firstly it was post-war (moved in when I was 3 in 1951) so materials were restricted, and secondly they had no idea what to ask for, so it was a sort of scaled-up version (but detached) of the council house we had been in up to then!
I also had a boat in my bath, but used to most enjoy taking it apart, as I did with most things - should have grown up to be an engineer!