Hi Folks, A fairly non descript day today, weather wise. I'm reading up on veg growing. Planned the beds yesterday, have all the seeds ready or on order. I'm desperate to get going, always get itchy for the garden this time of the year. Have a good day, whatever you are up to.
Hello everyone. It is grey and dull but milder here today but it'll be a day or three before the ground in the shade thaws and I can weed my 'ruin" beds. Rain expected later.
You may want to switch to FB or Whatsapp for chatting to people in the UK @Busy-Lizzie. It's free. OH's weekly chat with BIL and junior SIL in the UK is done using mobiles and whatsapp and they can see each other and don't need to be near a wifi connection so, depending on the time of year, OH can sit with a beer on the terrace or snuggle in the warm and dry indoors.
It's all very well doing a walk to the shops @Liriodendron but carrying it all home again is another matter. As we have cat, dog and bird food to buy each week plus large household items such as loo rolls and detergents to buy along with groceries, our weekly shop definitely requires a car boot to carry it.
Chappy is coming tomorrow to sign the docs for clearing away our barn roof mess. Repair costs for a new roof with traditional wooden beams come to 55000€. After "wear and tear" deductions the insurance payment is 11000€ plus 2 more for the clearance and while we're still supporting Possum till she finishes her masters and gets a job (not a given in these times) that's an expense we can't afford so it'll just be a clear up and securing the tops of the walls for a rebuild later on. We're going to try and recover the beams for use as bed edgers in the potager and maybe some sort of feature in the garden. There's a lot of wood!
I hope everyone is OK and being very careful where there's thaw and freeze going on. Don't want any accidents please.
Vendée - 20kms from Atlantic coast.
"The price good men (and women) pay for indifference to public affairs is to be ruled by evil men (and women)."
Afternoon all, good news at last, daughter has secured her new place and hopes to sign rental asap, just in case we have a stricter lockdown any day now. Old and new rental will overlap which takes the pressure off somewhat. I am so, so relieved, went to bed at 11pm still awake until 4am this morning, worrying about her. Hope the barn clearance goes okay @Obelixx, re-using the timber sounds a good idea as well. I've been doing some tidying and junking in my kitchen @Busy-Lizzie, seem to have too many drawers with 'junk' in. Daughters new kitchen is twice the size of her old one, was wondering whether I could offload some of my 'stuff' to her! Probably not a good idea though. We've had many good meals with our friends in Holland over the years, although probably not 'gourmet' ones. Just had more good news in the form of an email from the UK Biobank Study, they are doing lots of very interesting research on Covid which is feeding into the Government's stats. All half a million of us are going to be invited to do a Covid antibodies test soon. Stay safe everybody.
Back again, snow turned to sleet then rain and now it's very foggy. I am a little worried about all that freezing for the school run in the morning, we have to leave at 7:30am so nothing has much chance to defrost - if it's really bad I might not bother, he finishes at 11am anyway, we'll see how it looks in the morning.
Good news regarding my friend, he has almost all the use of his right arm back, it's amazing, I saw him last Monday and he couldn't do a thing with it. I am so pleased for him and he is even more upbeat than last week. His leg is still very bad but they have increased the physio sessions now for it. It is a wonderful place he is in, more like a swish health club than a hospital and the staff are all really lovely he says. The only bad news was that his son and daughter-in-law (a nurse) have both got Covid, they live in the UK, they are both ill in bed but they've told him it's not serious. Fingers crossed for them.
Like you @Yviestevie I am itching to get out in the garden, impossible at the moment, some flower seeds are just coming up in my indoor seed trays, I have hijacked the TV room now wondering where they can go so I can get the next lot started, the greenhouse is way too cold at the moment, might have to fix up some kind of shelf thingy. I don't watch much TV anyway.
That's a big price tag for the barn fix isn't it @Obelixx, I am not that surprised knowing tradesmen's prices in France, you could buy a decent house for that price in some places though. I think your current plan sounds very sensible. Good luck with it all anyway.
Good news at last @Lizzie27 it's been a long time coming.
Off to experiment now with my cod Chimichurri c/o @Desi_in_London, I'll let you know how it turns out.
“Coffee. Garden. Coffee. Does a good morning need anything else?” —Betsy Cañas Garmon
- so says the Internet. The degree of cousin (ie first, second etc) is the number of generations back from your parents until you have a common ancestor. The degree of removal is the number of generations between you and the cousin.
Since 2019 I've lived in east Clare, in the west of Ireland.
Thanks @Liriodendron. I've been contacted by a second cousin then to tell me my mum has died. We were estranged and I hadn't seen her for many years. She'd been in a home for a few years with Alzheimers and cousin, who is the only one she kept in touch with, had to find me thru FB. Oh well.
Vendée - 20kms from Atlantic coast.
"The price good men (and women) pay for indifference to public affairs is to be ruled by evil men (and women)."
Sorry about your Mum @Obelixx. I was just going to say the same as Liri. My cousin in Cley next the Sea, where the fish smoker is, is my first cousin once removed.
So glad your daughter has found a new place @Lizzie27 and that your friend is recovering @D0rdogne_Damsel.
Man came today, new satellite dish on the roof and some new wiring and we have English TV.
Nearly finished unpacking the kitchen and breakfast room.
Dordogne and Norfolk. Clay in Dordogne, sandy in Norfolk.
Have just read back most of today’s chatter ... lots of news ... too much to comment on at this time of night, but I think everyone should have a ((hug)).
We’ve just been watching a programme on the late Ivor Cutler ... he was a lovely chap if a little unusual ... we met him once, or rather he met us ... we were in the Hayward Gallery on the South Bank and were aware of being watched ... then he came up behind us, stood between us and started a conversation ... I remember him commenting on @WonkyWomble’s name and made a pun about it having ‘two ys’ ... he asked all sorts of questions about us ... I think he was fascinated by me being, at that time, twice OH’s age. We were already fans and really enjoyed the time he chatted to us. Bless him 😍
Now I really must go to bed ... night night folk ... sleep tight 😴
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.
I watched the Ivor cutler thing to, was a great fan in the 6th. Form Many happy memories. As I was watching it, I thought this might be Doves kind of thing
How can you lie there and think of England When you don't even know who's in the team
Posts
You may want to switch to FB or Whatsapp for chatting to people in the UK @Busy-Lizzie. It's free. OH's weekly chat with BIL and junior SIL in the UK is done using mobiles and whatsapp and they can see each other and don't need to be near a wifi connection so, depending on the time of year, OH can sit with a beer on the terrace or snuggle in the warm and dry indoors.
It's all very well doing a walk to the shops @Liriodendron but carrying it all home again is another matter. As we have cat, dog and bird food to buy each week plus large household items such as loo rolls and detergents to buy along with groceries, our weekly shop definitely requires a car boot to carry it.
Chappy is coming tomorrow to sign the docs for clearing away our barn roof mess. Repair costs for a new roof with traditional wooden beams come to 55000€. After "wear and tear" deductions the insurance payment is 11000€ plus 2 more for the clearance and while we're still supporting Possum till she finishes her masters and gets a job (not a given in these times) that's an expense we can't afford so it'll just be a clear up and securing the tops of the walls for a rebuild later on. We're going to try and recover the beams for use as bed edgers in the potager and maybe some sort of feature in the garden. There's a lot of wood!
I hope everyone is OK and being very careful where there's thaw and freeze going on. Don't want any accidents please.
Hope the barn clearance goes okay @Obelixx, re-using the timber sounds a good idea as well.
I've been doing some tidying and junking in my kitchen @Busy-Lizzie, seem to have too many drawers with 'junk' in. Daughters new kitchen is twice the size of her old one, was wondering whether I could offload some of my 'stuff' to her! Probably not a good idea though.
We've had many good meals with our friends in Holland over the years, although probably not 'gourmet' ones.
Just had more good news in the form of an email from the UK Biobank Study, they are doing lots of very interesting research on Covid which is feeding into the Government's stats. All half a million of us are going to be invited to do a Covid antibodies test soon.
Stay safe everybody.
Good news regarding my friend, he has almost all the use of his right arm back, it's amazing, I saw him last Monday and he couldn't do a thing with it. I am so pleased for him and he is even more upbeat than last week. His leg is still very bad but they have increased the physio sessions now for it. It is a wonderful place he is in, more like a swish health club than a hospital and the staff are all really lovely he says. The only bad news was that his son and daughter-in-law (a nurse) have both got Covid, they live in the UK, they are both ill in bed but they've told him it's not serious. Fingers crossed for them.
Like you @Yviestevie I am itching to get out in the garden, impossible at the moment, some flower seeds are just coming up in my indoor seed trays, I have hijacked the TV room
That's a big price tag for the barn fix isn't it @Obelixx, I am not that surprised knowing tradesmen's prices in France, you could buy a decent house for that price in some places though. I think your current plan sounds very sensible. Good luck with it all anyway.
Good news at last @Lizzie27 it's been a long time coming.
Off to experiment now with my cod Chimichurri c/o @Desi_in_London, I'll let you know how it turns out.
What relation am I to a) my mum's cousin and b) his daughter?
Answers here please, not on a postcard.
a) First cousin once removed
b) Second cousin
- so says the Internet. The degree of cousin (ie first, second etc) is the number of generations back from your parents until you have a common ancestor. The degree of removal is the number of generations between you and the cousin.
So glad your daughter has found a new place @Lizzie27 and that your friend is recovering @D0rdogne_Damsel.
Man came today, new satellite dish on the roof and some new wiring and we have English TV.
Nearly finished unpacking the kitchen and breakfast room.
Now I really must go to bed ... night night folk ... sleep tight 😴
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.
Many happy memories. As I was watching it, I thought this might be Doves kind of thing
When you don't even know who's in the team
S.Yorkshire/Derbyshire border