General Chat

I go to my tiny local village church about twice a month. The service times are different depending which week it is as we are a combined parish with about 3 churches sharing the vicar and a couple of ministers. Some of the services are at 9.30 and I've done with being up and out at that time on a Sunday morning. The 10.15 service is a better bet for me and doesn't eat into the whole day like the occasional later 11.30 service. We haven't lived here all that long but it has been really welcoming. I never got sent to Sunday school by Mum and Dad, but when I was a bit older we went to a special occasion in our local church at the time and there was something on afterwards for the young teenagers which they let me stay to. After that I went down on my own from time to time but it was a long way from home to the nearest church so especially in the winter I had to rely on Dad to take me. He was willing enough but sometimes just couldn't. Between my early 20s and up to much more recent years I had a big split with church but am glad to have a much more comfortable relationship with it again.

Have you ever had a major change of heart over anything important?

Yes.
My job was moved 20 miles away, instead I opted for another department ( Civil Service) 5 miles away ( my original workplace was a mile and a half away ).
I hated it and finished in 2 yrs way before my retirement age !
Reduction in pension , but I'd rather be happy with less money:))

If female did you do anything special for Mother's day ?
If male did you join in:) ?

nothing different.I went to church as usual,the only thing I did that was special was I took some lovely iced heart shape cookies for all the ladies in church.
The family came for lunch.My daughter bought lots of scented candles because she knows I love them and my son bought me a cuddly toy dog.
I left some extra cookies for the sunday school children to take home.
Have got Cara,my grand daughter here today as she has tonsillitis She is eating ice cream lol.
Do you have any home remedies,that were passed on to you ? (for anything,not necessarily sore throats lol)

Not actually passed on to me but my Dr always said salt water for everything that didn't need antibiotics. You name it his advice was salt water,it' a big joke between us,but it does work !

Do you have private dental care or private medical care..?

Couldn't believe it, when we moved here we couldn't get signed up to a dentist at all - even private dentists were saying they had waiting lists! But after a few months a new local NHS one opened up and contacted us to offer us places. We see the same man every time and being one of the extra nervy sorts he's very understanding with me. Seem to get quickly sorted out and he doesn't look for unnecessary business.

Another thread made me think. Who remembers the old kids programmes like Magpie or Twizzle? Which ones can you remember?

I remember Magpie well .Can you remember How ? they used to show you all sorts of experiments and neat tricks.Going back still further I can remember the wooden tops lol
Are there any tv programmes that you hate to miss?

Emmerdale.. a soap and a comedy !! lol.

Do you watch any soaps ? The TV awards are on soon , I don't watch them !

I used to watch Brookside in the 80s and then went on to Eastenders but now don't watch any regularly although if 'stenders comes on when I'm sitting down I'll see what's going on and what it's like these days. I'm much more likely to miss listening to the Archers.

These days one of my favouriteTV programmes is Coast - a lot to do with enjoying Neil Oliver's voice. 'Course his face will do to bring a little joy too. I don't go for your usual chiselled handsome types.

Do you have anyone particular that gladdens your viewing?

I quite like Alan Titchmarsh lol

Do you have any nice public parks or gardens near you?

n

We're lucky to have such a lot of lovely countryside around that the public parks can seem a bit small beer although they do provide the play equipment for children and space for footie games etc. The parks worth going to for a walk round here are stately home estates like Bowood, Heale Gardens, Lacock etc but you have to pay for them although they are lovely. When we were in London the public parks were much more important to us, for space to play and for fresh air, green spaces and wildlife. We never stopped being amazed at the peaceful, quiet places you could find in the middle of the city hubbub and the little treasures you might find in them.

Oops - forgot question.

Thinking of planning holidays for this year, what kind of holiday do you like, eg beach, holiday, active?

because of agoraphobia/panic attacks,I haven't had a holiday for 30 yrs so one spent at home again lol
Seriously if I could manage it I would choose either a cottage with a pretty garden and lovely nearby walks.A local hostelry that could supply a tasty lunch would be a bonus.
or
go on retreat somewhere with no phones,tv's etc.Just peace and beauty,time to read and pray and meditate.
What do you do to relax and unwind?

I have been on silent retreats before in a convent which is a silent community. It was wonderful - no interruption of your thoughts or prayer time. the only time silence is broken is for the church services. They were particularly welcome when I was still working full time in a stressful job.

Now that I work part time I have been able to find time and luckily, these days the pennies to go for reflexology or Indian head massage. I tried some other treatments but these have turned out to be my favourite.

Have you ever tried anything like that or a spa break?

No , the only pamperings I've had are manicure , pedicure, and back massage.

Did you pull an April fool's joke on someone, get caught out by one or find the one or four in some cases in your National newspaper ?

I'm no good at pulling jokes on people - always turned out wrong in the past so I don't try now. And luckily none pulled on me. I now of the one about the Polar Bear off the Hebrides I think it was that the RSPB did this year on Facebook and it did catch some people out.

Do you remember any of the old ones the BBC did like spaghetti trees and decitone pianos?

I can remember the spaghetti tree one

do you make your own sauces for pasta or prefer ready made in jars?

I make my own .

On the subject of April fools there were 4 in the Sun, 3 in the Mail.

What do you like best Greek, Chinese , or Indian food ..?

If it's restaurant or takeaway I like Indian best, though proper homemade Greek cooking is lovely. Went to our Greek friend's wedding recently and family had prepared all the food - now that was special!

Do you ever have a go at the recipes yourself?

Greek is my fav, but no we don't have the ingredients locally:(((
I went on honeymoon to my step sister in Scilly, they had their own hotel and their food was tremendous:) So I am an Italian fan !
Don't like Indian.:(

Have you had a pleasant Easter ? Been Shopping or chilling out ?

Afraid I had a bit of a grotty Easter as I came down with a cold which has turned to a cough. But it's on the way out now thank goodness.

Got my daughter and her boyfriend home for a week before they go off
travelling for 6 months. She says she's going to teach me skype because then I can see her and speak to her. When my two were at uni we used to chat on msn and use a webcam, but this will be a new string to my IT bow. Although I usually get it quite well with new technology I still feel a bit wobbly about learning. Do you get similar inexplicable feelings before you try something new like this?