🦞 The Lockdown Gang still chatting 🦞

Spud is going to break a few hearts throughout his life, Mamissimo - but you know that already! Lovely boy❤️.
Aoife had a loving home, despite her short life. Welcome, Doughnut!

Can we raise our hopes about your recent house viewing, Grammaretto?
Is it within your existing community? New or old? Doer-Upper or Do-able?
My DM 'downsized' from the crumbling Edwardian pile in her 80s.
Eyebrows were raised that the end result was a 4 bedroom/3 bathroom house.
But my goodness, the ease of keeping it clean (voice of experience), the reduction in maintenance costs and generally just modern environment meant that she could actually enjoy her home and surroundings without the worry about what was going to fall off next.

Still investigating ways to facilitate our communications with Kaimoana - if she can somehow read this, we send lots of love and hope the enforced house move is working in her favour xx

How good to hear from you Mamissimo
Such a great picture of dear little Spud. Wonderful news about losing his food intolerances.

Sorry to hear about Aoife 😢 and glad that you now have Doughnut.

Exciting trip planned! I hope you find Kaimoana. I didn't manage when I was out there. DD will be going out at Christmas too to see her brother.

I'm glad your DD is coping and has a good support system.

Happy days!

Good Morning 🙂 - how lovely that you dear Lobstars remember Spud's birthday! Can't believe he's 3 and totally thriving. He is as bright as his Granny a button, has all his teeth and has outgrown the milk intolerance and digestive issues that made his first year so tricky. DD2 is content now her family is complete.

Our little world is doing well - Mr M continues to be a good husband and in a few weeks we will celebrate our golden wedding.

DD1 is on an even keel again and has adapted well to both her daughters' neurodivergencies. It's been tough for her but we seem to have developed a family village to help and support with the practicalities of their unpredictable emotional needs.

DS gets married in a year's time and has been granted a nine month sabbatical by his employer which they will use as their honeymoon to go round the world - Canada, USA, Peru, New Zealand, Indonesia, Vietnam, Sri Lanka and then home.....they have both travelled a lot already so this trip is planned to fill in some gaps. He says they feel the need to do it while they're young enough and before having children. Mr M and I will join them in New Zealand for Christmas - so I might get to meet Kaimoana yet!

Very sadly Aoife Beagle passed away aged 3 from cancer - it was awful.......but some weeks later we were able to give a new home to a rescue golden retriever who is known as Doughnut.

The bored beans were great this year.........the running beans not so good..........and life goes on!

I read every week and think of you often x

Doodle your home must be just right for you.
The telling thing is that it felt right for you immediately.
So pleased you are happy there.
It's hard if you have to talk yourself into things.

I hope Kaimoana is OK. I hope her move is to somewhere that she will settle into easily.
I have been thinking about her recently and wondering if she is keeping warm.

I like the sound of your new "possible" home, Grammaretto
I think you should buy it and tell your cautious family you will move downstairs when you need to.
Hooray!
🥳🥳🥳
Great news if within budget (more or less)

Oh dear - I liked the house rather a lot.
It's big but not massive. There's a lovely open plan living room /kitchen with a wood stove and bifold doors at both ends.
I could live down stairs and keep the upstairs for guests..... 😊 There is even a utility room which could make a small pottery.

Back home a squirrel has come in down the chimney! There have already been 2 jackdaws this week.
I opened the window and squirrel leapt out in what looked suicidal. My sitting room is on the first floor. I couldn't see any sign of it so it must have survived.

The roofers came today and replaced the valley gutters and some slates. They got soaking wet in the downpour. It may be a drought in England but it certainly isn't here.
A plumber came too. He has assessed the job and will come back.

I hope all Lobstars have had a pleasant day.

Have whatever makes you happy Notspaghetti
DS1 says he’s happy we made a lovely home for ourselves here in our apartment. We loved it from day one.
Several of his friends have elderly parents struggling in their homes. Not having the energy to move but not capable of looking after themselves. Because of DH’s ill health we made the decision to sell our house and move to our flat, never regretted it. I love being here by the river and I feel safe at night with my neighbours around, Mind you I do accept we were lucky and that not everyone has such good neighbours,
DH couldn’t cope with our garden. We had several mature trees and the leaves and tidying up got too much. I do miss having a patch of my own though

We have, like Grammaretto I expect, been looking for our final home.

We have just come back from a visit to a dear friend in Norfolk (who we met in 1981 or 82) and after a throw-away comment we wonder if that is really the problem... imagining our final lives.

Why not just look for our next home? Next life?
Maybe that will be easier?

...after all, my mother-in-law moved happily aged 95/96 and renovated that house - and terraced the garden.

And does it matter if we have a too-big garden? We could have a wild area and just enjoy that too.
Our friend's Norfolk garden is 2 acres - there is noway that could be any sort of "formal" garden. It now has a small area of semi-organised garden, quite a few "wiggly walks" - some through woodland - and lots of "wild" (and wildlife).

Evening all. Been out all day and not in till 8pm I’m shattered
Will post more tomorrow. Grammaretto do you really need to clean and keep tidy and decorated a four bedroom house with 3 bathrooms? Please avoid too many stairs. This could well be your final move. Please make sure it’s somewhere you can keep control of and live in safely and comfortably. Lecture over . Sorry xx

I think one of the problems is the size of modern rooms.
We are used to 3m ceilings and it's a case of adjusting our brains...

We once lived in a modern build flat for a year. "Built in" everything.
We rented it to be "practical". It had all utilities included in the rent - both air con and heating as well as electric etc... We had researched the weather in that part of America and didn't want to stress in a strange new place with a toddler and a new baby.
It was the easiest place to live imaginable...

Why are we so reluctant to be sensible now??
We did it in our 20s! 🙄

It's so hard isn't it NotSpag. I

I can't believe that nobody would want my furniture 😭 and yet I don't want it so why am I surprised 😅

One thing I'm sure of. If I get rid of too much I can buy similar stuff for next to nothing. I could furnish a house with good quality furniture for under £200.

My friend is going to Glasgow tonight to watch the Commonwealth Games. Swimming in particular. We agreed there's been very little coverage, which is a shame for the competitors.

We keep looking at too tall, too big, no busses, no shops, acres of land... 🤷‍♂️

I have sympathy Grammaretto.
We have looked online at a rather nice three storey with 4 beds
😬
We decided NOT to go to see it!
If we look and like it we will be stuffed and can't justify the price OR the stairs for 2 "older persons"!

I will try ixion to take it easy.... maybe enough for a 2 bed flat with a garage... and a garden 😂

I'm actually going tomorrow to look at a 4 bed 3 bath house very nearby. I'm going with another neighbour who's offered to chum me and to have a nosey.

The do-er upper is still an option although I have decided to dismiss it as it would be a year and unknown expense to bring it up to a good standard.

Oh gosh, Grammaretto.
Do take it easy with your 'letting go'.
💐

Happy birthday spud 🎈🤩🍰🍦🍨

Thanks. Kaimoana and Doodle for being so thoughtful.

My eldest DGD will be 20 soon. 😯 How did that happen!

I phoned a house clearance company yesterday whose card I was given by the auction house 😊 . The boss is coming this afternoon.
I was assured that they are good and sensitive. They sell the best stuff, then it's to charity or recycling. Nothing to landfill.
It'll be pricy but after how many years of trying and failing to declutter, I think this is the best way forward.

I'll keep enough to fill a one bedroom flat. The rest can go. 😟😉

It's cold and pouring down with rain 🌧️ here.
My DSis is still going to France camping despite dire warnings of heat and fires.
My French helpers are back in Brittany and say it's cooler than it was so hopefully DSis plans aren't as stupid as they sound.

I am rabbiting on. Sorry. 🐰 🐇

Just popping in with a quick message for Mamissimo from our dear friend Kaimoana. She cant see to post now but wants me to wish Spud happy birthday today.

Dear Kaimoana one of the most caring people I know. Do wish you could read our comments.

My (lovely ❤️) lady GP today said 'aw Bless' three times.
Another sign of looking old, Doodle.

Grammaretto pleased about the kitten. Sounds like a lovely day with your DGD
I’ve been to coffee morning at the Christian fellowship this morning. Nice group meets near my church. Then home for another go at tackling my wardrobe. Ended up going to the dump with loads of coat hangers and bits. Nice young man offered to carry all the stuff for me. So kind. I must be looking old now, 🤣

I think I can divine that there are no springs in my garden. It definitely free draining - although there is a bottom corner where things are quite healthy looking. I wonder ....

I definitely think you need to keep the pond levels up Nfk

Years ago we stayed in a caravan on a farm in west Wales - near Aberaeron.
A drought had been declared and all the farms looked dry and parched apart from "ours". The farmer was a drain expert and water diviner and truly his fields looked lush and his little herd of Jersey cows fat and happy. He had made a reservoir from which he and his son hoisted great bowsers? of water each day.

One of our jobs was to drink as much Jersey milk as we could because quotas had been introduced and his farm was too small to have one. It was 1983 I think.

The trouble is with a couple of goldfish ixion, is that the little b***ers breed! That's where the one I think I saw came from. The little breeders are all black and nigh on invisible. I've just filled Camperbubble's water tank and put a bit in the pond on the grounds that I saw one (if only a tail) so there must be more.

I thought it an unusual turn of phrase Doodle 🤣🤣 but perhaps has more to do with the worry about the dog's health than the weather.

So glad the dog is better. Such a relief despite needing crowd funding to pay the vet 😕

Some years ago a young friend's kitten was hit by a car. She took him to the vet school and asked if she could work for them for free instead of paying.
She was allowed to clean out the cages for a few weeks to pay the bills. The kitten made it. 🐈

My day went well. The other DGP brought the DGD here for a meal and we all enjoyed it. My lodgers had a barbeque in the garden with a few friends. It rained a bit.
I don't possess a hose. This year I could have done with one. It's been so dry.
My poor potatoes 😢 They'll be the size of peas.

Good night Lobstars xx

Well how did that happen. I typed really long dry patch and what came up but really loud grey patch. You must have wondered what on Earth I was on about,

Thank you all, I am pleased to report that the woofer (German shepherd) is home as of late this afternoon. Lots of TLC required but that won’t be a problem.
Ah now I understand about the RSV , Ixion
That’s not a bad job for £10. Hope they get more customers.
Grammaretto good for you, stick to your price. Quite often people use these reports to try and get the price reduced.
Edinburgh sounds a wonderful place how lucky for you it’s not far away.
NFK I think it’s hard to keep a distance from our pets. They give such unconditional love it’s impossible not to respond. dGSs dog is about 7. The most gentle creature .
It’s been a really loud gray patch hasn’t it.