🦞 The Lockdown Gang still chatting 🦞

Doodle... sending you a cwtch. I hope the happy memories make you smile and ease the sadness in your heart....he is always with you, just out of sight for now.
Grammaretto the Domestic Goddess did appear but she was in mardy b**ch mood all day and uttered several expletives especially when having carefully arranged the cushions on the sofa so that it looked like a DFS advert ( it involves a sort of karate chop in the middle and no I don't know why I do it either) anyway no sooner had I popped into the kitchen to put the kettle on the ginger ninja (Ddog3) got the zoomies and within seconds the sitting room looked like we'd be robbed.
All 3 dogs ran like hell when the Domestic Goddess screamed like a banshee and spun like a dervish yelling the Dogs Trust are looking for new inmates you know.
As it turned out we ended up doing a spur of the moment night away in Maevemouse where the Domestic Goddess morphed into Cooking Countess and managed to produce 3 gourmet ish meals in less than 24 hours.
Thankfully Slutty Housewife is back in residence and until an hour ago was still in bed and shhhhh don't tell anyone but all 3 Ddogs were on the bed too.
Thankfully we are not expecting any visitors for a couple of weeks so the DG will not be called upon any time soon.

Grammaretto does music man have any realistic hope of buying your place? Are you going to put your house on the market soon? Hope you find somewhere right for you.

Very emotional morning for me in church but lovely friends rallied round. Went to hospice with our sons this afternoon lots of happy memories to share.

Doodle
It's hard.

All this activity may force us to change our team name.
Lobstars isn't nearly energetic enough 😂
🫣
It would be good to find the perfect house but I'll need to at least have an offer for this and to do that the house will have to go on the market.

I had a chat with music man tonight. He was playing piano at a jazz concert. He's still keen and tells me he understands that I can't wait for him forever.

Grammaretto is there any movement on selling your house? Must be frustrating to find something you like but no be able to make an offer on it. Hope something works out for you soon.
Sorry Jeeves is on long term sabbatical. He’s working in a bar on a tropical island waiting for us all to join him.
Glad you got accepted Ixion you’ll be super fit in no time.
Jan what a brilliant idea about writing news of your babies. Never heard of anyone doing that before.
I’ve been to the Stanley Spencer Gallery today. Nic but not really my thing. Happened to pop into the local church where an orchestra was rehearsing, amazing sound. Such a lovely surprise.
Difficult weekend and few days for me. Sons coming to see me tomorrow and we’re all going to the hospice for a chat and memories.

Goodness me you ladies will be so fit! Me exercising consists of a physio trying - with very little success - to help me get more active. Staggering round the house with my stick is about as good as it gets. Its so frustrating as I cant understand why I cant just get up and walk. Grrrrrr!!
Grammaretto so sorry you have finding it so difficult to find your ‘forever’ home. We live in a 3 bed house with a too large garden and should have probably moved years ago but the idea of packing up now fills us with horror! So I expect we will just carry on!
Yesterday I was thinking back to when I was young - a very long time! - and my first daughter was a baby. I have no idea how this started but a group of mums from all over the country used to write a letter talking about our babies and what we had been doing etc then pop it into an envelope and post it on to the next person and so on! It used to be so exciting when the big thick envelope landed on the doormat. Obviously no ipads, mobiles or even many landlines then! Think the postal service used to be more efficient then too! Bet noone else has heard of this!
Well the FA cup will soon be on with the resulting moans and groans from DH!

Yup, got accepted- start next Friday.

No mention of engine oil, tho'. Just a bottle of water. 🤔

Surely WD40 is what Ixion needs for her cheerleader joints not engine oil?

I am verry tired tonight. I don't know why.
I viewed the second house and think it's really nice, not just a lovely garden. There are 13 viewings booked, however and the cottage I looked at before has already sold!
These little single storey cottages go like hot cakes.

My DF is staying a few nights. He liked the house too. We watched I swear on Netflix as he'd not seen it before.

I'm going to a book launch tomorrow. Sounds v important but it's a book by a friend's DD in the Scots' language.

Did your domestic goddess turn up Naughtyneine?. I wish mine would. She's so unreliable.
Jeeves has gone AWAL too so there's no hope

I hope all Lobstars are ok.

Hi Ixion yes Ascension service last night. It was lovely. Got back late though and was very tired this morning. Went out with our walk and talk group which was nice then did my weekly shop. Don’t normally go Friday evening. Lots of things had run out.
Hope you pass to be accepted on the course. Hopefully it will get you in shape for next seasons cheer leading. Make sure you lubricate your body well with engine oil first so when you end up with your right leg wrapped round your left ear you can slide out of it ok,

I get days like that too, Grammaretto. Sympathy 🌺

I have to put my hand up to joining the Lobstars Fitness Club. Well, almost.

I have passed the phone interview, which, I think, was an assessment of my mental acuity. You'll be fine, the lady tells me. Our exercises can always be done with a chair (dear). Maybe we should swop experiences, NN.

Tomorrow is the practical assessment.
Quandary. Do I try ultra hard to earn a place on the course and be too fit (haha), or struggle at every turn to get a place, and prove myself a clinical liability?
It is a 26 week course, run jointly by the local authority and NHS. Hopefully, I will make more progress than my free NHS physio sessions ever achieved. My aim is to get everything functioning smoothly and safely, rather than targeting just the one joint for which I had been referred.

Put it this way, I haven't bought any kit yet.

Are you celebrating Ascension Day tonight, Doodle?

Yes Grammaretto i too get days like that. One thing after another. The rain and cold don’t help either.
Sorry the viewing wasn’t an option for you. Is there any chance you could build in your garden. I know your previous plans were refused but wonder if you’d thought any more about it. Is it up to you how much of your garden you sell with the house? Could you sell the house and part of the garden keeping some for yourself?
NN you did make me laugh, Your home sounds lovely. Perfect for you.
I’ve been to art this morning then church for cake and tea. Back to church tonight for late night service. Just hope I can stay awake.

I meant to thankyou for your very funny post Naughtyneine. It made me laugh.
😂😂😂

So far my day has been a series of things going wrong. I should have stayed in bed!

Motivated by NS, NN and Doodle. I set off for the yoga class - by car. The road there was closed and the diversion took me miles round the Borders countryside on single tracked roads. Arriving late I couldn't see any cars parked and sure enough it wasn't on this week. I'd have known if I hadn't missed last week.

Never mind, I'm in the car so decide to drive to a car key cutting place on the outskirts of Edinburgh. More roadworks but I arrived and the only keys he didn't stock were mine. "Just 7 minutes along the road and there's another place"....... Said he.

At that point I decided to come home.
Now it's raining hard so isn't a good day to take things to the tip or do the other thing I want to do: walk up to the reservoir and listen to the cuckoo.

Do you get days like this? I'll listen to the Archers

Morning Lobstars. Grammaretto I do feel for you...we looked at so many places that were right in some ways but not in others.
Our cottage on paper was not what I thought I wanted, 2 bedrooms after 5 etc but it's everything I didn't know I wanted, in the countryside but within less than 2 miles of a small town with everything we need. Shops, Doctors, Catholic Church ( And an Aldi coming soon too).
I really hope your maybe forever home comes soon.
Notspag and Doodle I go to something called the Wellness Suite at the gym, it's a series of machines that you can work with or sit/lie and let the machines move you.
I put on a few pounds when I was inactive leading up to the op and the GP changing my HRT hasn't helped either. It's quite shocking that I weigh the same now as when I went in to have my 3rd DD.
I'm sure the extra weight is my very ample bosom..in fact I know it is as I've weighed them on the kitchen scales. It was quite a challenge admittedly and the Ddogs took to their beds when I shouted out I knew they weighed loads.
DH's response to said information was to merely smirk and say Ding Dong.

DF is going home today so Domestic Goddess will make a very brief appearance to strip the bed and generally flick dust around and if I can be bothered I'll get the stair carpets attacked with the tool thingy that removes dog hair very effectively.

The ex lodger (DD3 brother in law) is coming for the weekend and actually won't notice if the hoovering and polishing have been done but I'll do it anyway and that will count as today's exercise
Tomorrow I'm going to do a new class something called seated aerobics, my mind has boggled at what it involves, how fast can you get your heart rate on a chair? DH suggested a few ways non of which are printable here ( There is no hope for him but it did make me laugh). I will keep you posted.

Well done NotSpaghetti and Doodle. with the exercises to keep you as fit as possible.

I wish I could say the same. The cold just makes me hungry and doesn't tempt me to be active.

The surveyor came to do a home report and I viewed yet another house for sale.
It has a lovely walled south facing garden but the house itself isn't quite right.

Night night Lobstars. Sleep tight.

Notsaghetti me too. I do dit fit and am trying exercises to improve my knees which are very bad. The creaks and groans are unbelievable when I bend them., Good for you trying new things.

I have been trying to take more seriously my own health and physical improvement.

I have been to yoga twice (not good at this as not very bendy tbh) and to one pilates session and tomorrow I'm going to aquarobics. I've noticed that my left (stroke affected) foot is getting stiffer again... I really have to prevent that happening again if I possibly can.

Grammaretto I was pleased to hear it was a "good" funeral. I think there is something very healing about a good funeral. Still very sad but also happy memories

Mothers Day must be a different day there Kaimoana - but whenever it is it sounds like you had a lovely time with your son.
Sometimes it's really nice to have your offspring totally alone- as you can really chat without distraction.
I do hope you got a good chance to chat.

Kaimoana it was Peter O’Tool’s blue eyes for me. I loved that film.

So pleased you had a lovely time with your son. Hope he brings Gubbins to see you soon.

Grammaretto what a wonderful place to be born. Hope you’re safely home now. Good the funeral was well attended.

I’ve made a return visit to the sculpture gardens with two other friends. We had a wonderful afternoon lots of chat and discussion about the various pieces and a huge piece of delicious chocolate cake as well

I don't know if there was a garden. There will have been a place to dry the nappies I guess. My DF was a master at Westminster school who owned the building but in those days from my DM description, it was cold and very shabby divided into small flats. Rationing was at its height and with a baby and a toddler and no washing machine, DM found life hard and was keen to start a new life in NZ so we left less than a year later.

Those houses are very upmarket now, mainly occupied by MPs.

What a lovely townhouse house Grammaretto
I wonder if it had a garden?

14 Barton Street – T. E. Lawrence Society telsociety.co.uk/about-lawrence/places-to-visit/london/14-barton-street/

Ah the emergence of Omar Sharif! I think I was a bit older when DH took me to see it in Leicester Square.

Did I already tell you I was born (or we lived in) the house in London where T E Lawrence wrote Seven Pillars of Wisdom ?
There's a blue plaque and it's not for me
😂

I'm on the home journey now. The funeral was good in the good funeral sense.
Standing room only and the important people in his life, spoke. Including his mum who gave an Irish blessing.

We then removed to their local where a feast awaited us. It was nice to see my DC , their cousins, meet his friends and to talk about the good times.

Mothers Day was lovely. My son came to spend time with me.
I’d made chocolate brownies with fudge frosting but of course couldn't eat more than a teaspoonful

He took that and some double choc muffins home and I know they would fall on them as if starving

At first I was sad my granddaughter hadn't come with Daddy but like me, she is such a chatterbox, that you can never get a word in - so it was good to have my darling son to myself.

Goodness, camels and deserts, I wonder if Jeeves went off to join the Beduin?

I remeber that spectacular scene in Lawrence of Arabia when Omar Sharif came riding through a mirage.
I was 15 and thought he was the most beautifil man I had ever seen.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=ud1zpHW3ito

Wasn't it 3 lots of one penny for Press Button A, Press Button B for your money back if the call went unanswered?

We had 2 of the old fashioned Bakelite domestic phones rigged up as intercoms when the children were small, then teenagers with loud music and closed bedroom doors.
No longer shouting up 2 floors, just pick up the phone and send your instructions message 😁

I hope your sad day passed off reasonably well, Grammaretto, and that you were left with some happy memories.

I read, Kaimoana, on another thread (can't remember which) about tips from the our RNIB, most of which I am sure you know already, but what struck me was the suggestion of white print on a black screen.

Would this help? Could someone set it up for you, if so?

I hate to hear of you struggling ❤️

Look after yourselves, Jan x

Always lovely to hear from new Gransnetters. Welcome

Grammaretto Hope today went as well as it could.
I’ve been to a funeral this morning of one of our older members of the congregation. So sad that sometimes you only learn what interesting lives people have led at funeral services.
NN I love the description of your greenhouse as a giant meccano set. 🤣
How lovely of you to help out with that little man. I bet he enjoys his time with you.
Jan I hope your husbands treatment helps. Good he has someone to chat to in the journey.
Hearsay I remember the old police boxes (Tardis style) and my mum telling me if ever I had any trouble to go and phone the policeman.

Kaimoana I’m another that misses your lovely chats and funny stories. Sending love and hugs.