WEEKLY CHAT (non-osprey) SUNDAY AUGUST 22, 2021

LOL!! AQ!

Good Morning. Had a bad night after hearing from my brother and feeling very angry about it (went to bed shouting to my poor OH about it, whereupon he had to point out that there was no need to shout!). I will email him back today and hopefully will feel better afterwards.

Annette, I think my OH is furious about his cousin, who has always taken advantage of the fact that theirs is a close family, in the main, and his mother, who was a strong example to them all, was always very hospitable. They feel that blood is thicker than water and something should always be offered when asked.

AQ - We've read that things are not ideal in Aussieland. There are bad outbreaks again but I don't think that's unusual throughout the globe, as everyone tries to get to grips with this awful curse. Every time we seem to see improvements here, it pops up again, sometimes worse than ever. Sorry that your daughter is struggling but at least she can offload some of her worries to you, which is a big help I'm sure. 

We have problems here with a lack of heavy goods drivers, and supply chains. There is plenty of food in the shops, but some shortages are predicted. When out and about, now, I notice more folks are not wearing masks, although a lot of shops are putting up notices requesting people to think of others and to wear them on their premises. I think a lot of people are tired of being told what to do, and also, they think the virus is on the wane,  which of course is far from the truth. 

Lynette, glad you've got some help with the garden now and it will be one less worry. My flowers are a big tub of amaryliss, which I regularly forget the name of, as I also forget the names of my friends!! :-)

AQ My version is that calories are the little blighters who get into your wardrobe and shrink your clothes!! So glad they didn't shrink the trousers I wore to the funeral!!

LINDY I got quite emotional reading the lovely poem... Sorry your brother is giving you more grief and that OHs cousin is planning a trip.

PAT A hard decision for you. It is a long way to come if you have doubts you will be able to attend. We had a 530 mile trip each way to the family funeral. We stopped at a TL near Warrington on the way down. OH would have preferred to stop near Preston or Lancaster but everywhere was fully booked unless you were prepared to pay £100 plus for a night. On our return we stopped with friends in Fife. Can you make do with only one stop each way? Anyway do make sure you book early so you can stop where you want. Remember things are much busier for staying in the UK this year. At least the English School children return soon which should make things easier. We found all our loo/coffee stops absolutely heaving so didn't stay long. Tebay is a good stop as there is plenty of outdoor space to enjoy a sandwich and a take away coffee. We sat on a rock and watched all the dog walkers which was nice.

Hi LINDY We have just had over a week in England and were surprised how many places still required masks to be worn. I think most people were doing as asked.

Should have said to PAT that we used the M6 toll in both directions and found it much quieter.

dibnlib - Thanks for your suggestions. The main problem is travelling alone - and getting tired! I probably CAN do it with one stop, but not sure 250 miles a day for two consecutive days is such a good idea any more,. I used to do it regularly ... ho hum, I hate getting older! Tebay is a stop I always make, in both directions. Such a 'different' service station. Did you see the recent television series about it and the family who run it? Really interesting. But their hotel is very expensive - again, one of the down sides of being a single traveller. The infection rates in Cumbria are rocketing - my usual stop is just outside Penrith, but dubious about going up that way (my normal route) so will probably stick with M1/A1 - which I don't know very well. Oh why is life so complicated??? I have used the M6 toll a couple of times and it's fine - until you get to the end and meet up with the traffic again!

Another thoughtful  way showing appreciation and love.

www.bbc.co.uk/.../world-australia-58338661

On dear, LINDY. I can't imagine what your bereaved brother could have said to upset you, but sending commiserations... As for Awful Cousin, well, the same applies....
DIANE - I'm happy that you've managed to sort out your benefits situation. As ANNETTE says, hope that the money arrives soon.
LYNETTE - I'm paying what seems to be a lot of money for the garden to be looked after. Thankfully only one border but loads of shrubs and the grass to do. Now waiting for bark to be laid.
PAT - I hope you have a successful journey. Watch carefully because I have a,feeling that Nicola will act soon. Since the children returned to school here at the beginning of last week, infection rates have risen considerably.
OG - sorry about skin breaking down. Are you able to work out why things have deteriorated ?
ANNETTE - good that the sciatica is taking a back seat - hope things continue to improve.

PAT - no confirmation of any new protection measures, so I hope you can make your trip. I always recommended Tebay until our last journey nearly two years ago - the disabled loo northbound was never as good as the other side but that evening was beyond disgusting. There was a night several years ago when we were fog bound and OH too tired to continue over Shap summit, so we used the Westmorland Hotel at Tebay; it was excellent especially considering we stopped on spec, but accessibility considerations were poor - it has probably upgraded since then.

Just taken delivery of another piece of bedroom equipment! Had a good night and feeling more comfortable today. Sending OH to M&S this afternoon.

Yes, it is not easy travelling a distance on your own. I don't drive any more but at least OH has company although I spend most of the journey engrossed in a book. I am not sure why but I didn't watch the series about Tebay. I have read that it is the place to go for Sunday lunch........who would have thought. We arrived there late morning on our return home and the queue for breakfast was way too long to contemplate joining. I think it is over a week till you fo so hopefully things will have quietened. Safe journey to you.

I watched the Tebay programmes with interest. We discovered the unusual place when it had not long been opened, many years ago. For those who don't know it, and our friends not in UK, it is a family run business rather than a chain, and it's ethic has always been to serve locally grown fruit, veg, and even meats! You can get lunch or go into the excellent shop to buy top quality food. All at a price, of course!

I heard only recently that there are plans to open a similar motorway stop in the south west somewhere --M5?

Heather B said:

I have a,feeling that Nicola will act soon. Since the children returned to school here at the beginning of last week, infection rates have risen considerably.

In a fortnight's time they'll be doing the same here as our children go back to school.  Limpy and I are due to be heading for Mull in four weeks' time and I'm still hoping that nothing stops it from happening.