The Lockdown Gang - Just chatting ⭐️

Hello lovely peeps,

Good luck getting your crown fitted your majesty Doodle
Mine isn't until August?
The holiday is to be the Lake District with DS & co which is very exciting.

I hope someone will water my plants if the rain doesn't oblige.....

I fed the cat but she wasn't around. She had eaten yesterday's food and used the litter tray so I am not worried yet. I will check that it's OK if she is absent... I have visions of a cat stuck somewhere. She is a mouser so won't starve.

How are you Cherry?
I hope you get your barbeque Mamissimo You deserve it after crawling around skirting boards.
PUPO stands for "pregnant unless proved otherwise" Dragonfly

I am not a stained glass expert at all but I had a go. I think I have tried almost every craft offered over my many years but shattered glass was not one of my favourites.

Time for supper. See you later.

Well I am partly crowned. I had drilling and prep today and back in two weeks for the crown fitting. Very lovely dentist.
I love the Lake District. Are you staying in a particular area or moving around?
I hope the cat is alright. I’m sure she’s just keeping you in your toes.
Enjoy your supper. That phrase always reminds me of my Dad who mid evening would suddenly say I fancy a bit of supper. Anyone want some bread and butter and cheese? He would go off into the kitchen and prepare food for all who wanted it, all washed down with a cup of strong tea. ?

Your Dad sounds to have been a lovely man Doodle.
Do you remember they used to say cheese gave you nightmares?

Grammaretto I don't wonder you're excited, the Lake District is magnificent.
I have many happy memories of Whitsuntides there, when I went swimming in Lake Windermere as the sun came up.

And speaking of dawn…the main discussion at Te Ropu today was about Matariki (New Year) celebrations coming up in July.

Usually we’re up about 4am so we can stand on the summit of Pukematekeo and watch Matariki (The Pleiades) rise before the dawn begins.

This year, someone has decided we elders are too delicate to withstand 2 hours of what is usually freezing temperatures but we don’t agree.

It’s not compulsory to attend but such a deeply spiritual experience that even the most frail would rather be there than at home.
We shall see who prevails.

Mammisimo will you be barbecuing the leg of lamb?

Haha, ‘soldering on’ – but I suppose we are soldered together, our little Band of Gangstars.

Hoping everyone is in fine form.

Kaimoana I was blessed with a wonderful mum who was the kindest person I have ever met. Unfortunately, a bit gullible as she took pity on everyone. The only thing that ever brought her to words of anger were those who abused children. My dear dad was devoted to her. A really quiet chap who’s greatest joy was his beloved garden. He was very shy but a complete gentleman. My great pleasure was that both my lovely parents adored DH and he them (DH had nice parents too) we both have been very lucky.
I hope you get to watch Matariki, it sounds a wonderful experience.
Tooth has caused me no problems since yesterday so I’m hoping the crown will be fitted without need for root canal treatment. I have been through that once before and never want that again. Not because of any pain during treatment but the overwhelming claustrophobia of being upended with a rubber tray in my mouth brought on a massive panic attack.
Mamissimo are you painting again today or have you finished for now.
Did anyone read in the paper that Boris’s expensive (gold !) wallpaper is falling off the walls.
Cherry I see from GM that you are a bit worn out by all the goings on. Not surprised. Please take care.
Is DH being taken for walkies again today Dragonfly?
grammaretto I gather here in the south we are due for some stormy weather. Have you decided what to pack for your trip to the Lakes. Ullswater is one of my favourites.
DH and I are thinking we might do a trip there with Saga soon as they do a 4 day trip, staying in a hotel but going on a different lake trip each day. As neither of us like driving narrow roads now we thought escorted trips might get us to places we wouldn’t otherwise manage,
Missedout are you back from the canal trip now?
Mamissimo what are today’s plans to keep your minds busy. Hope things are going ok ?
Typing for me today. I have finally set myself up in DHs study and am now officially his lodger with my own table and work area. I am making notes about how to do our accounts and also how to turn our video cassettes into movies.
Waitrose delivery later and at last, after 3 failed orders, they are delivering my chocolate ice cream ?

Apologies for no further posts but we are again having a very difficult period ....so please just bear with us.
Love to you all.

Panache

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Hello Lobstars, I'm still on the good ship Redoubtable but moored up snugly on our marina pontoon, with the wind rocking the boat next to us and the rain hammering down. I'm just about to open a bottle of wine.

The two photos show yesterday's tranquil mooring and today's wild and windy one (taken from the stern a few minutes ago) in the marina.

So sorry to see that Panache is under such stress. My thoughts are very much with her and her DH.

Good evening ?

I've been painting and stuff......getting rid of old carpet and the dust of a boy's teenage years. We found nothing interesting under the carpet except a squeaky floorboard.

DD2 is still PUPO ?, DD2 is taking part in an online Parents Evening, DS is typing furiously in my study as it's finals week.....and Mr M and I are draining a nice bottle of red. All is well.....how I wish it was so for Panamche. I'm appreciating my nondescript pleasant day even more and send my thoughts.

I'm going to IKEA and B&Q tomorrow......that seems like a great big adventure.....and I'm very excited ?

Panache
It has been thoroughly cold and fairly miserable here. Just enough rain to wet the washing on the line.
The cat showed up. She was indoors in her bed when I arrived so she's a sensible cat.
MiL came to lunch. She spotted a little stool we have had for years always and decided she wanted it as it reminded her of her granny. It had come from her.
I did a mountain of tidying before she came and what with unaccustomed cooking for 3, I am tired out. How does this socialising work? I am not used to it.
It is the northern lakes Doodle. Somewhere near Ullswater but not till week after next.
Holidays are mostly anticipation IMO.
I walked along the river again. A couple I spoke to had just seen a kingfisher and a heron. I saw 2 ducks flying away.
Missedout you have run into some bad weather. Stay safe xx

Panache of course we understand. Just know that we are thinking of you with much love x
Missedout yesterday’s photo looks lovely. Today a bit wild and windy. I bet you’re glad you are safely moored up. Will you be staying on board for a bit or heading home soon?
Mamissimo I see the painting is continuing. Is the trip to IKEA and B&Q for some furniture for the room?
Thinking of your DD and still crossing all fingers and toes.
It is my DGDs last day of school today. Shame they don’t get to celebrate. Hopefully a reunion in the summer.
Grammaretto been very wet and windy here too. Lots of branches on the ground when we went for our walk.
Cats like their creature comforts. I’m glad she can get in out of the weather.
Glad you had a nice lunch with your MIL. Isn’t it strange how anything even slightly out of the ordinary day to day wears us out now. All those weeks of isolation have taken their toll I think.
You are right, the anticipation of a holiday is fun too. DH and I are booked on a cruise around the UK in July. Have no idea if it will take place or not. Can’t decide whether to look forward to it or not.
We have another courting couple on our lawn. I believe Mr and Mrs Puddleduck will be nesting soon. The ducks here are so tame they started following us out when we went for our walk and we had to shoo them back again. Didn’t want them heading for the road.
Hope Cherry is ok.

What a contrast Missedout, it must be so cosy down in the cabin being rocked as you sip the wine.

You are working hard Mamissimo don't overdo it though. Your reward will be in IKEA by the sound of it.

Doodle Yes, you were indeed blessed with a wonderful Mum and Dad. I'm blessed that Gubbins has too...it's the best foundation for a successful life (and I don't measure success in $$$ as most people do).

Grammaretto we too are having a couple of dreary, damp days, temperatures down to 13 degrees but the sun usually gleams for a moment or two. Not today I fear.
I'll be giving Grace bed-making lessons

Oh, Panache.

Hello Lobstars,

I'm having a very lazy day and feel sure I was supposed to be doing something but can't remember what.
Poor Cherry with all the building upheaval still going on.

I'm admiring my empty dining table which I cleared for MiL's visit yesterday.

I must feed the cat. Good luck with the bedmaking lesson Kaimoana
I wonder what Mamissimo will find in those shops.....
I hope DD is still PUPO

That's such a landmark for DGD Doodle . Does she have plans for what to do now?
My eldest DGD will leave next year but to go to 6th form college I think.
DS1 is off on holiday to the north of Scotland today. We aren't very lucky with the weather.

I know, I'll phone a friend and invite myself for coffee...
Thinking of you Panache

Steaming down the A1 in dreary weather to Yorkshire! Well DH is obviously driving now just stopped so he could take over. Done my stint! Hoping to be stopping for lunch in about an hour!

Hiya ?gang, only me ?

What a week!! My Tigger tail hasn't wanted to play ball all week but I just might have caught up with the little blighter now ?. Moral of this week's story - don't listen to everything a medical professional advises, diagnosis and treatment is enough to pay heed to. I jest or do I ?. The kitchen is 99% complete = good. 1% = can't use it yet ?. It does look good though. A convoluted story but then it often is in my life now we have no bathroom ? = very bad ?. I'm assured yeah right everything will be done and dusted by this time next week.

Missedout I'm envious of your tranquil trip ?. It sounds just the sort of gentle break (though the weather looks like it's less than gentle) that soothes the heart and mind. I hope it's not too unsettled, come back in one piece please x

Grammaretto a holiday in the lake district sounds heavenly. I know that it's not for a couple of weeks but that anticipation is now ?. Hopefully the weather will be glorious by then ?
Socialising and entertaining, don't ask me how it works ?. I'm sure both you and your MiL enjoyed your time together. I think being in company is the key to socialising, so I think it must have worked ?

I have my fingers still crossed for your pupo DD Mamissimo?. Question ❓ do you want to swap homes for a week, my WP and me can continue your decorating and you can babysit my kitchen & bathroom projects ??

Panache we, the gang, never stop thinking of you, love & a big cwtch from me x

Doodle I always knew you'd wear a crown ? ?. I hope it fits a bit like Cinderella's slipper. Kaimoana is right it sounds like your father was a lovely man. It sounds like your mum was a lovely woman too.

Kaimoana, I'm with you all the way that £€$ are no measure of success. For me success lies in being the best human being we can be. A learner of lessons and an implementer of them too.

Kaimoana I’m one who measures personal success in happiness rather than wealth. If the family are ok I’m ok is basically how I work.
It’s still been very windy here. We stayed in today and had a tidy day. I would like to say we made progress but to be honest we have so much clutter it’s hard to know where to start. In theory I was sorting out boxes of cards today. Instead I went on a trip down memory lane looking at the cards my sons had sent during over the years. Letters from DH when he was in France and NY. Letters from son when he was in Australia. Letters from my mum and letters to DHs mum from him when he was little. So many memories. I didn’t throw much away
Grammaretto I don’t know when the top of my dining table last saw the light of day. DGD want to go to Uni. She has always been a studious one and studies very hard for exams. During the summer she has a part time job at a local children’s play centre. She did a lot of work with children when she did the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award. She is very gentle and kind so should suit her.
I wish you lived closer to me, I’d invite you for coffee. The only problem is by the time you got her it would be very cold ?
Jan do hope the weather picks up for your holiday. Are you staying in the same place all the time?
Hurrah it’s a Tigger ?
HelloCherry glad you are pleased with your kitchen even though it is not 100% yet. Do I take it, from the fact that you have no bathroom, that you have agreed to go ahead with the wet room?
Hold on tight. One more week, hopefully, and you should be able to relax a bit. Please try not to get to worn out. We need our Cherry in one piece. (I wrote that before I read your request to Missedout ?) . Try and recover a bit this weekend. Can you use the kitchen for meals now?
Panache I do hope you are coping somehow and that your friends are rallying round. We miss you and are thinking of you all the time. Take care x
Missedout are you still afloat? Not been too good weather wise today, at least not here anyway.
Mamissimo hope all things are going well ??
I cut my thumb tonight whilst cooking dinner. Not badly at all, more of a nick really. What a kerfuffle (not sure that’s spelt correctly but spell check hasn’t helped ?) to try and get the plaster open. DH could get the plaster but couldn’t get the packet open. Decided to cut it but couldn’t use the scissors. I managed to cut the ends off but DH couldn’t get the plaster out. In the end he held the tissue on my finger while I got the plaster ready. What a pair ?

I had a vague memory from way back when I used to 'do languages', that pupo was Italian for baby, which is either very cute or a little contrived in these circumstance.
Either way, hoping for pupo of any kind.

Peace Doves installation at Lincoln Cathedral.

So, Cherry, you have to stand with crossed legs for a week? Or can you use the loo in the middle of your kitchen - I felt sure that was what someone planned

Yes Doodle and Cherry that is my definition of success absolutely.

Doodle* do you remember long ago, whe I had the same trouble opening those blasted plasters?
Once I was healed, I opened a few and sealed them into a sterile bag. That way, next time I cut myself - and there's always a next time - there were plasters open and ready.

All you need is a plastic bag, well wiped in and out with sanitizer and you can pop your open plasters in it (after the sanitiser has dried/evaporated.

? Kaimoana. No toilet in the middle of the kitchen, no toilet upstairs either ?. We do have cloakroom in our extension though and yes that has got a toilet in it ?.

Good evening Lobstars,
I hope none of you have needed plasters today and am greatly relived to hear that there is a loo at the Cherrys
Phew.

I indulged in horse therapy this morning. I groomed my df's Shetland pony and collected a mountain car full of her poo for the garden. I used to help with Riding for Disabled and miss the ponies.
Then I planted out the rest of the peas and beans and collapsed into a stupor for the rest of the day!

Your entire family sounds lovely Doodle including the new generation.
That is strange and wonderful that pupo means baby in Italian, Kaimoana
I learn so much on here.
I have stopped Gaelic for a couple of months though I still practice on duolingo. The others were racing ahead and I realise I do not like to be bottom of the class. I know, I know, it isn't a competition but I am reminded of school!

How are all the gang? Are you still meandering along the canals Missedout?

The cat's family are due to return tomorrow. She was in her bed again when I called today.
Given a choice between a cat or a pony for company - I would choose pony - I think - but not so cosy in Winter.

Quiz tonight. I had better think of a question....

Ah Doodle, decluttering , it's the personal, the sentimental stuff that's not easy to let go of. I've got a box (or two) of the same sort of things I need to disencumber myself of. I don't mean that in an eradicating "baggage"^ way, just a practical culling rather than the sentimental hoarding I do.
Kaimoana's solution to those pesky plasters, which are even peskier when you need to use one, is inspired. Definitively a top tip I tend to follow. Thanks Kaimoana ?. Hope your thumb is okay now Doodle.

Did any of you see the news report about the Swansea "riots"? Horrifying! Devastation scenes like you see in action movies.

images.app.goo.gl/LnZrvXx1fjWmHx5aA

What is it with people? Apparently, according to a report I read, it started off as, or was meant to be, a vigil for a local 19year old man who had collapsed and died shortly after watching a Swansea City football match. Some vigil eh!!

Kaimoana I saw that photo in the paper this morning, beautiful isn’t it.
Yes funnily enough now you mention it I do remember about the plasters and thought what a good idea it was at the time. Shame I didn’t implement it ?
I couldn’t last without an available toilet for an hour let alone a day. Good job you have a spare Cherry .
Grammaretto I had a vision of you being stopped by the police with a car full of manure. I take it you had it in bags of some sort ?. Is riding for the disabled still going? I always thought that was a wonderful idea as is any kind of animal therapy.
There are people who have ponies as pets (I don’t mean for riding on). I think I’ve seen a woman who had a guide pony as opposed to a guide dog. You’ve got a big garden, do you fancy having a pony as company?
I hope you’ve thought of a good question and enjoy the quiz.
We’ve just eaten a delicious fruity chicken curry courtesy of Waitrose. Now for some coffee and chocolate and a sit and read I think.
Have a good weekend all,

I tend ? should read intend!

Oh hello Cherry you weren’t here when I arrived ?
I find it really hard to get rid of sentimental things. DH hoards stuff but it’s more likely to be newspaper articles or things that have caught his attention. Interestingly, I can easily de clutter all his stuff ?
Thumb is fine now thanks it was only a little cut.
I was horrified by the troubles in Swansea. I read about a young couple with children being terrified in their house by bricks being thrown and gangs outside. I hope it’s dealt with properly. Must have been such a shock for those living there.
Hope you are having a quiet weekend before work starts again next week.
Panache hoping things are ok with you two.
Missedout are you still on your boat?
Mamissimo how did your trip to IKEA and B*Q go? Get anything interesting?

Good evening ?
Where did today go please? Probably the same place as yesterday!

I think I may get arrested soon.....I may take the gun out and go on a nuisance neighbour pigeon hunt! All the leaves have gone from the beetroot so we've had to build a vegetable cage to protect the cabbages, lettuces etc. The pair of pigeons that feed from next doors many bird feeders have noisy marital relations on any surface....including our potting shed roof.....and then cruise on to our kitchen garden. And then there's the rats........

Mr M is studying Am**on to buy a cheap night sight camera to try to catch the rolands so that we can prove to neighbours that the industrial bird feeding is a real problem.

DD2 is still PUPO and the verdict is due on Friday morning. It's going well so far but we're not counting our pigeons chickens just yet ?

On Friday we went to market IKEA and B&Q and we bought a four seater set of garden dining furniture for future DILs birthday present and a spare matching table to take the pizza oven. We then bought some chips ? and headed off to B&Q for laminate flooring, underlay, edging strip, paint in Lemongrass Sorbet for the walls of the seeing room.....and a bird net for the garden!

Today we went to Two Lazy Dogs to commission a new leather bag for Mr M's trappings that he lugs everywhere.....ooh and to the flower shop for an armful of peonies.

I've nicked a plate of sandwiches from Cherry so help yourselves to a fistful if you can use them.....I think hers are better than Waitrose's !

It's a sewing room....not a seeing room!