Weekly Chat (Non-Osprey), 29 April 2018

FOREST BOAR.   The time will fly past I am sure.  Glad you have a M&S to help out.

Morning all:  Brilliant sunshine here today, but rain still in the forecast for visit to Kew Gardens tomorrow.  

Lindybird: I always like to take a souvenir of each visit to the UK and was puttering on the Kew website last night for something cheap and cheerful - and above all packable.  Sister has bluebells all over her garden and I spotted a fridge magnet showing the same. Stay tuned. :-)

Heather: I was also at Kew when much younger, but sister has never been, so I can't imagine who I went with - probably my Mum, but where was sister? Also smiled at the thought of OG straying from the straight and narrow (peer pressure?).

Forestboar:  Good luck with M&S. Is there a Fish 'n' Chip shop nearby?  Pizza?

Rosy:  Do hope the family problems are being resolved in a reasonable fashion - they can be exhausting.  Lucky you indeed. What's your favorite section?

OG: Planes, trains and automobiles!

Diane: I got up courtesy of Mother Nature last night and saw brilliant moon through the (frosted) bathroom window, but couldn't see it from bedroom.

Have been really enjoying Rhubarb Yogurt; also Gooseberry Fool yogurt from Sainsbury's while here.   Have bought a small packet of Crunchie bars for Arizona contingent, plus supply of dark chocolate Kit Kat bars for emergency travel rations.  Did laundry yesterday and will pack this evening.  Must get organized and attempt walk around the village (think 30 minutes total) while sun is up.  

Those dark Kit Kats are wonderful, Annette!!!  We tried some new ones the other day which are lemon flavoured, too. The yogurts available are in so many flavours, it's hard to choose. Bluebells on a magnet sound good!

Hope that you enjoyed your walk, ANNETTE! I don't often eat yoghurt but do like the rhubarb flavoured ones. You certainly have a long journey home.

FORESTBOAR - It is good that your elder SD has the assistance of her younger sister to take her to the hospital. I do understand, though, that it will mean more work for you. Maybe you could employ someone to help in the short term?

Safe journey home, LINDY.

Nice to hear from you, ROSY and glad to see that your family problems are resolving, slowly.

PAT - It so often happens that the people who live nearest to something never see it! Except when visitors arrive... I don't know how many times I have been to the visitor centre at Culloden battlefield!

It is cool here today and I am resisting the temptation to fire up the central heating. Went for the six weekly hairdo this morning and returned home via M and S food hall.

Heather and Lindy - quite right!  I lived in London, near Kew, for seventeen years.  Never went to Kew.  Rarely went into Central London.  But I have been to Culloden!  More than once ...  But I do now visit local 'attractions' - Nymans, Standen, Hever, Sheffield Park.  I'm just more of a country person than a townie, I guess.

We are home and OK.

OK that is, in spite of finding a message on our answering machine from Awful Cousin as soon as we got in the door.....

Plus:  Two credit card bills.  A letter for each of us from The Inland Revenue, saying we must pay them soon. And a Christmas Card!! --- from my brother in South Africa. It's broken the previous record of arriving mid February!!

Hope you feel good after the hairdo, Heather - it always gives a lift.

We had an M&S lasagne when we first got to Wales, and it was just delicious......another addition to our list of favourites to buy from there.

EDIT:  our central heating has been on since 4.00pm!

Good evening, all.  Day out was successful – got home before the first shower of the new weather front – expecting heavy overnight rain from the West.  As for the wind, that has been quite beastly all day.  We first called at M&S Foodhall for a few items using the Sparks card, then revisited Dobbies garden centre again.  Both ate naughty cake with our morning drink – confess we didn’t even share it!  We had returned for some more decking tiles, which we are using to make some of the steps safer for me, a Golden Conifer for the front bed and some French Marigolds to fill a couple of large tubs whose contents hadn’t survived the winter – usually grow some from seed but hadn’t bothered this year.  OH had decided he would push me in the chair instead of taking the scooter on the short visit, then ended up pushing me in front and pulling a trolley behind – the attachable trolleys available there don’t fit on my lovely chair!  Finally, we stopped off for lunch at the Old Toll Bar – I had Fishcake and salad with some chips; he had Veg Soup and Coronation Chicken Wrap combo.  No room for anything else!  After we came home, he pulled a bundle of Rhubarb – some to cook now, and some to freeze.  It is growing extremely well.  I’m not sure whether I have said we have started on homegrown Radishes and Salad Leaves too.

Thanks for everyone’s news last night and today.  Sorry to read about FB’s troubles again; would it be worth asking them to rearrange the RT appointments to mornings, so younger SD could get back to help you?  They are often quite accommodating if made aware of family circumstances.

Rosy – sorry family problems persist – but glad there are signs of resolutions.

Annette – can’t think why people were surprised at my Kew gardens confession – I was often quite rebellious in my misspent youth!  Another example – it was I who climbed out of the library window onto the roof of the school kitchen – had to stay out there a while as a teacher came into the library – good thing she didn’t shut the window!  We shall be eating our rhubarb with plain yoghourt.

Pat – I have been to the gardens at Hever Castle (don’t remember if we went inside, but outside was wonderful) and also to Sheffield Park which we especially liked one autumn.  Actually, had a few visits to gardens down that way when visiting Aunt (now deceased); also been to Culloden twice.

Linda – not a pleasant arrival with messages and post that was waiting for you, but glad you arrived safely.  We have turned the heating up this evening because I was cold!

Time to sit down with my feet up, methinks!  Good night, all.

Glad we are not the only ones who like M&S meals! OG: they do know and the answer is NO! Got a rest on Monday - they don't work Bank Holidays!!!