General Chat

Afternoon all
Well its about 45 mph here so gale force and heavy showers but think the wind will drop by Saturday, hopefully.

I got 3 parcels today with things i had ordered fo xmas & the general household as well. Lol it was like xmas in my kitchen with the table full of goodies etc :-D :-D

Easy bit done, next the wrapping and then the worse bit the boxing up and parcelling

When sending things in a box, i used to wrap it in thick brown paper but now, i use a thick black bin bag.. Its lighter and far easier to wrap the box in and its waterproof unlike brown paper.

Im sure you can find something for hubby to do Linda? Dusting, polishing, ironing?Amazing how women just find something to do and men always seem to ask the women, what can i do?

I expect he's happiest when he is outside doing practical things like the fence he's building as most men probably are.

Well better make a sandwich of something for lunch and then try & be productive this afternoon in some way!

Florence in the hebrides

I hope everyone is fine today. I had to go to a routine dental hygienists appointment this morning. It was damp here , but not raining. I have a half hour drive up the motorway and the rain was absolutely torrential. It was really scary driving through it. I was glad to get there. It was just ordinary rain on the way back which was bad enough.
I am glad to be home and will be staying put for the rest of the day.

OH has started building a fence down one side of the back garden where the hedge was. It was a solid block of ivy and once we pulled the ivy out there were very few trees left. He has got three of the four metal posts in with the wooden cross beams between them. He was keen to get the last post in today, then he could put the boards on, but rain has stopped play, so he is wandering about inside looking for things to do.

Afternoon everyone looking in.
Well the weather is going downhill fast as its now blowing a gale and raining hard. It was calm when i got up but suddenly the wind is roaring outside. thank goodness i dont have to go out in it!

Been trying to finish off my xmas presents and I found a brilliant book for my dad but from my daughter to him. Its a book all about locomotives in the south east with lots of pictures which i know he will enjoy looking at. He's at an age(86) where he has most things but during the coming winter, I know he wont be out much so having some interesting books to look at will pass the time for him.

I also found an organiser box for cards with dividers. Daughter has mentioned this awhile ago that she needs a box to keep cards in different sections like birthday, blank etc and this one is just what she needs so another ticked off.

Considering i started quite early, which I'm glad I did, i still haven't quite got there!

The next job will be sorting into families and then the grand wrapping session which we usually do on a Sunday with lots of nibbles & juice plus music, then it doesnt seem so much as a chore.

Hope everyone else looking in today is well and has better weather than we do!

Florence in the hebrides

I had a look to see when the 2 dose jabs started - it was September 2023 and apparently it is replacing the single dose jab for everyone. They may use what they have left first I suppose.

I’ve heard of this but didn’t pay any attention as I had mine a few years ago. Does seem stupid not to point out when the two dose is being used.

Are they all the two dose version now?
Added: just checked the NHS website which says if you have severely affected immune system you get the x2 version otherwise it is the other one which is once.
But probably down to what is in the fridge :-S

I've never heard of a two-part shingles jab, either.
I had one jab several years ago, and there's never been any mention of needing another.

I just looked at the shingles jab as I was told I only needed one dose. There are two different vaccines, one needing one dose, the other needs two doses.

The one dose jab cannot be given to people who have a severely weakened iimmune system.

Every day's a school day!

I didn’t know that the Shingles jab had two parts, we have both only had one.
Both our arms are sore, but the flu jab one is much worse for both of us. The flu jab was in my left arm and that is the side I normally sleep on, so that wasn’t helpful.
Apart from the sore arms, we feel OK.

If you can get some salad leaves growing, you should be able to to keep them going all winter in the poly tunnel Florence. It is probably too cold for them to germinate outside now, if you had somewhere inside to get them going, you might be able to plant them out in the tunnel

Polytunnel sounds great Florence you will be all sorted for spring sowing . Do you have space near by for a good compost heap to keep up a supply of compost that you will need for top ups.

We went for our flu jabs yesterday. 1 gp and 1 nurse doing them I went in first and nurse said can I do your shingles jab today. I've had it I said . No you had part one and should have had part 2. Would have been helpful if I was told that a the time of the first jab. Anyway I had it and now have 2 sore arms and didn't sleep well at all. OH was told to have his flu jab and then see the nurse for his diabetic check (no prior notice) waited to be called and then was told he wasn't on the list for the check. Think they were trying to do to many things in 1 morning. Just got to book our covid jabs now at the pharmacy.

Take care all.

Sounds like Florence will be able to feed the whole community once she gets going.

Jabs - we both have sore arms today and neither of us could drop off to sleep. Usually I get blamed but not this time. I am so tired my eyelids are drooping.

Ann -
it is an account with no paper statements, but I always print paper copies.
Which is just as well, or I wouldn't have been able to tell them about the last transaction, as I can't log in to the account until the registered mobile number is changed so that I can receive an OTP.

Rain today - but that's good . The garden and pots were needing it.

How will you water things in the polytunnel, Florence? (You may have said already - I can't remember.)

AG what a rigmarole with all the security checks. I dread having to phone anyone that needs a lot of checks like that with hearing problems as well I would be on the phone for hours. As for the last amount you had to quote, if it was. like mine, an on line account with no paper statements that too would take ages.
Florence you will be putting the supermarket out of work growing all those veg. It is going to mean a lot of work for you looking after it all. Might be an idea not to sew them all at once. Is the poly tunnel heated at all?

In the future we shall possibly see coach trips to view Florence's poly tunnel.

You're going to be very busy, Florence!
You could open a market garden, by the sound of it!
It'll be lovely to be able to potter about in the polytunnel regardless of what the weather's doing outside.

Well despite the awful weather, we managed to transfer all my garden stuff across to the polytunnel; and now have a huge space where the big box was behind my kitchen door!

The workbenches have all the trays underneath on the bottom shelf. All my seeds are in a sealed plastic box so they wont get damp.

I will be growing, potatoes, beetroot, carrots, onions, peppers and some herbs plus garden peas. In not sure there is anything I can grow now at this time of year but i need the time to get 44 bags of 60l compost for the raised beds sorted out. Yes i did say 44 60l bags!!! Costing loads but have to have it.

We may try courgette and cucumber as well. I'm also thinking of maybe blackberry or raspberry but we shall see.

A t least my small flower pots wont get bashed about this year in the gales as they will be inside the polytunnel.

Names, yes Tesco up here are the only branch in the whole of the uk not to be open on Sunday. But all the hotels are, Chinese, Indian and the Tai plus a petrol station that sells just about anything.
30 years ago nothing was open, no planes, no ferries etc but over the years things have changed and now Tesco are in a discussion with their staff to gauge how many staff would be willing to work.

One minister said, any shop that is open on Sunday, he wont ever shop there on any day of the week so if the coop open, then he wont have a supermarket to shop in!!

If one is so religious, they wouldn't use a shop, that's fine, don't shop but please don't preach to others. Its a free country. Everyone should have a choice.

Argyllgran, what a nuisance re your bank etc Hope it all gets sorted once you get your new card.

I had reason to go in my bank on Friday when i was over for the day. I had issued a cheque for a large amount to my son in respect of inheritance form his nanna and he deposited it using the app on his phone. But imagine my horror, to learn the next day, the bank had returned my cheques un paid.

After several phone calls which were a waste of time, a letter arrived some 2 weeks later advising me they do not hold my signature on file and that is why it was unpaid!! I was furious as ive banked there for 31 years no less.

So I went into the branch and sure enough, they don't hold a mandate on my account. When i asked why etc, they said they had moved to a new system and i should have had a form sent to me to sign but I never got it!!

All sorted now but what if I had paid the Polytunnel co this way, how embarrassing would that of been? And to add insult to injury, the bank never apologized at all. Changed days since i worked in a branch where we gave 110 % service to all our customers or else.

Well Ive not had any food yet so better rustle something up quick as im starving!

Florence in the hebrides

My Covid/flu jabs will be on Oct 31st, in a local(ish) village hall 10 miles away. Email informing me of that arrived today.

I had the RSV one several weeks ago, with absolutely no reaction afterwards.

It's been cloudy and overcast all day, and keeps looking as if it's going rain. But it hasn't, and my washing has dried outside.
The wind isn't cold - I've been out working in the garden in a jumper but no jacket.

Yesterday I discovered that I had stupidly allowed my PAYG mobile number to lapse, and had therefore lost all the credit on it - about £10, I think.
It also meant that I had to get HMRC and a bank to change the number they send One-time Passcodes to.
Fortunately, other bodies which send OTPs have a different number registered with them.

HMRC was relatively easy, as it could be done online, and wasn't urgent in any case.
The bank was another matter, though mainly my own fault.

I phoned them. As part of the security info they had to check before they would change the number, they wanted a 4-digit code, which I wasn't aware I had.
Had to ring off and go hunting through several years of paperwork to find it.

Phoned them again. This time, of course they didn't ask for the 4-digit code, but wanted the last 4 digits on my bank card instead. I couldn't find the card, and still can't.
I've never used it, because my main account is with a different bank , so it ought to be in my filing cabinet with other bank stuff - but there's no sign of it.

Phoned them again, to ask them to cancel that card and send me a new one.
Security this time involved telling them the amount and date of the last transaction on the account. Fortunately, with some rummaging through statements, I was able to tell them that.

The new card will arrive in about 4 days time, and new PIN a couple of days after that.
And then I can try again to ask them to change the mobile number!

I bet they don't even ask for the card number this time, but only the 4-digit code.
I hope there isn't some other bit of security info I don't have!


I hope your weather improves soon, Florence, and you can start enjoying your polytunnel to the full.

Sylvia,

You certainly seem to be well looked after in your new home.
I hope you will be happy and enjoy being cared for, - freed from day to day worries.

Flu jab for me too this morning.
I've never had a reaction, so hope it stays that way.
Our GP surgery is an area hub for vaccines and have it down to a fine art.
I was in one door, along the corridor, into one of the many treatment rooms, vaccine administered and out the back door...... All within 2 minutes.
They really excelled themselves today.!

Daughter had suggested coffee and cake at a cafe just below the cliffs at Folkestone, so the 3 of us drove there afterwards and sat under the sun umbrellas looking out over the glistening sea to see France in the distance.
...( sorry Florence !)
It was beautiful and so warm, which even brought out a little lizard to bask in the sunshine.
..... A bit like Death in Paradise scenes .... ;-)

I hope they can find a suitable place for Esme to have her vaccine, if it is recommended.
I wish different departments of health care could work together better, then people wouldn't have the hassle of chasing non-existant appointments :-S

Florence
I can't wait to hear your plans of what you will grow in your new poly-tunnel. Are you planting anything before winter sets in?

We had both jabs this morning. OH found the same, that we didn’t feel the flu jab, but the Covid one was sore. I can feel the Covid one now, so only time will tell if it continue s to hurt.
I asked about the RSV jab as I keep getting messages about it. The doctor said that they had started to do them, but have had to stop because they don’t have the fridge space to store them as the flu and Covid campaign has started. She said that we will be called for that some before Xmas.

The only thing that I have done towards Xmas is to order some cards. The Yorkshire Cancer charity have cards featuring the Knaresborough viaduct, so I thought they would be different. You had to order them and collect them from the local depot. I thought that I was ordering four packs and payed by PayPal without paying much attention. When I went to pick them up, I looked at the confirmation email and thought that they seemed to be a bit expensive. It turned out that I had ordered ten packs :-( There was nothing that I could do, so it looks like I will be using the same cards for the next few years :-S

Your poly tunnel is coming on well Florence, I am jealous :-)

It was Phyzer for us today. But am a bit worried about the flu one as a friend had just the flu jab yesterday and is feeling rough.

Florence, I see it is all kicking off up your way. Just one of those places you don’t expect to see all and sundry open on a Sunday.

I suppose the problem with Esme’s jab is that so few are used that places don’t have many on hand.

good morning all. Lovely morning here sunny and 13 degrees, still chilly but a good day for a walk. Not that I am going far but I did walk down to the lady who has a charity books stall for borrowing and returning books so that stretched my legs.
My covid and flu jabs are not due until 26 October but good luck to all having them today. Wonder which one it will be for covid this time.

Got lots of small indoor jobs to do today so I had better get started on the list before I get side tracked into card making.

Hope it stops raining for you soon Florence so you can get going with moving stuff.

Joan hope all is OK with you.

Linda, it does seem a bit stupid if the NHS is saying to get Esme vaccinated and then there is no available vaccine. :-(

Good morning!

Its wet. wild and chucking it down! And we haven't got to Hurricane Kirk yet that's arriving next week.

Well the 2 work benches are complete and in the tunnel. I've asked my joiner to make small shelves all around above the raised beds as that will give me some more space for smaller pots or seed trays. He also measured up to make a triangular raised bed in the garden but no hurry for that.

I so want to take all the garden stuff over to the tunnel today but until the rain stops, i'm not stepping outside at all.

So indoor jobs today and plenty of things to do. ironing basket is full to overflowing as that has been rather neglected this week...ooops!

I also need to go through some of the xmas gifts and sort them into groups, this will make it a lot easier when wrapping etc.

Good luck with those of you who are having Covid boosters and hope you don't feel too unwell afterwards.

Bit worried we haven't seen Joan for some time so do hope she is ok?
If you are looking in Joan but don't feel like chatting, just give us a wave~~~~~~~

Right better get busy with somethings else it will be lunchtime soon.

Florence in the hebrides