Weekly Chat (Non-Osprey), 4 February 2024

I'm here AQ just popped on while waiting for my 80 yr old Sister to finish titivating herself as she has to tong her hair and put her make up on before we go out! Unlike me who has just pulled a brush through her hair and slapped on some moisturiser :) She came yesterday and will go home tomorrow - she needs regular breaks from husband who has early stage dementia and is very demanding. Thankfully her Son and his family all live nearby and keep an eye on him.

Have a good week all.

Harelady - good that you are there to give your sister a break.

I had an interesting day yesterday. I went on a coach trip with the U3A to “World of Glass” in St Helens. Extremely well organised. Coffee on arrival and lunch included. It is at the Pilkingtons Glass site. We had guided tours of the old furnaces where they melted the glass and made it into flat smooth windows. Weren’t people clever back in the day to invent such processes? We went in the tunnels underneath where they cleverly used the flow of hot air and recycled it. We had a brilliant demonstration of glass blowing. The man made a swan and then a beautiful vase. Amazing. After lunch we went round the exhibitions of ancient glass plus mock ups of Victorian rooms and pubs. There was an interactive bit there too for kids. Some people (Lindy maybe) might remember this chandelier which hung in Manchester Airport Terminal 1 before it was refurbished. 17000 separate tubes of blown glass made at the site we visited. Now back in the foyer of the museum.

Not at all impressed. I was originally told my hospital appt for the removal of the roots which refused to come out when I had an extraction on the 13th December that the waiting list was 3 or 4 months......I am now told it will be 4-6 months. Luckily I am no longer in discomfort. I suppose I should be grateful I do have a dentist!!!

Rusty - I wonder if you managed to get out of Pilkington Glass without buying anything?!?!? I wouldn't have been able to resist. I bought some when I went to a glass factory - can't remember where it was ... it could have been Pilkington, it was certainly 'up there' somewhere. I am particularly fond of glass paperweights. I used to make frequent visits to Caithness Glass in Perth, and never came away empty-handed!

dibnlib - So sorry to hear about the delay on your root removal. Also a bit worried. I broke a back tooth a couple of weeks ago. So far, no pain. I am not registered with a dentist - and impossible to find an NHS dentist in our area. As long as it doesn't start hurting, I'm OK ... but ... I do hope they manage to find you an appointment soon. When I was 'on the list' for a very minor eye procedure, I kept ringing and eventually got an early appointment - it was on a Saturday, which was fine by me. Worth trying.

That trip sounds terrific, Rusty. Yes, I've seen the huge chandelier at Manchester Aurport & wasn't sure where it had gone to. I went to Venice when I was 21, (about 100 years ago) and boyfriend and I wandered the streets & came across a glass blowing works where they were making the small colourful glass animals - - fascinating and so skilled. I love glass too, and have several paperweights and one or two other items.

Dibnlib: sorry about your tooth. What a long wait. And Pat -- oh dear, good job you're not in pain.

Brighter here today, and dry. We sallied forth to look at fence panels as my OH has pronounced one of our fences beyond repair and we need to compare prices. I mooched around the garden centre but couldn't justify buying anything, so all we came away with was some seed potatoes! Had a cuppa but no cake as watching my waistline again!

More "book" postings!

RUSTY – I was interested to read of your visit to Pilkingtons. An ancestor worked there in 1800s after glassworks in Scotland closed. He was a plate glass maker. I did not know of the connection when I was travelling UpOver. However we did visit the crystal factory in Waterford. Fascinating craft.

LINDA – The media here also have been overdoing the reports on the K’s illness. Analysing every ill of every royal past & present. Rehashing the Disagreement. Discussing the succession order. Not a peep from the anti-monarchists. Let’s hope he gets a good rest and recovers soon.

OH has a dentist checkover this morn. He is dithering and delaying. As he plans to walk to appt (10 mins), I have plans to clean without him underfoot. My appt is later in month as my dentist requires a a hygienist to see me first. I had forgotten her name & asked Melanie? Melissa? No, Maddie, but she has left. <sigh>

dibnlib: That's appalling. Meanwhile, I see the UK is offering dentists a 20,000-pound incentive to work in underserved areas, something the British Dentistry Association likens to "rearranging the deck chairs."

I also love glass: paperweights, window hangings, stained glass items. We have a Dale Chihuly museum in the Seattle area. Haven't been there.....