Yawn Yawn Wakey Wakey 2025

Snap @Ergates! I've done the same as you this afternoon. I can hear the rain through the double glazing.

 

I am signing out for tonight you lovely lot. See you all in the morning. It feels to be getting a bit colder here. Hope you all have peaceful nights and that @floralies feels a little better.

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Busy busy day, cleaning, making guest bed up, cleaning the fridge to stop it leaking on the pantry floor, washing floors, making 2 loaves of bread and some mango coulis then cooking a curry - Atul Kochar's chicken plus aloo gobi, mushroom bhaji and naan. I texted at 6:45pm to ask how far away they were so I could time dinner. Reply received at 7:10pm to say they weren't coming cos of the snow! No snow here so they probably didn't get far from the Alps yesterday. Not impressed.

Turned off the pots, made beans on toast and headed out just in time to get to dance class, followed by rehearsals for a tango demo tomorrow at a galette des rois afternoon tea organised by the umbrella association that includes our dance classes. We've paid for cousin and her OH to go to that too.

Chinese NY feast planned for tomorrow evening with lots of different dim sum and stir fry veggies. Yoga on Thursday so the Indian feast has to wait till Friday when it'll taste even better.

@Ladybird4 we can take electronic, digital and white goods to a recyclérie/ressourcerie that has people who recondition them to sell on at low prices to people in need.

@Allotment Boy GCs here don't have cafés. Missing a trick but maybe there are zoning laws and rules about competing with normal cafés, bars and restaurants.

The wind has calmed down for now but is set to get excited again early tomorrow and hurl rain and sleet at us from a different direction. I need a good sleep and hope everyone gets a peaceful night.

 

Good morning all. It's one of those "can't sleep" nights.

 

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Kung hei fat choi everyone. The year of the snake. My Bestie will totally freak out as she is terrified of snakes. I cannot even use the word in her presence. When we were at work I used to have to go through the text books when classification was being mentioned and slip in sheets of file paper to hide any pictures that might be there. I have never known such extreme reactions. I hope she didn't see that news yesterday about the lady who discovered a snake in her toilet. Apparently it was a harmless corn snake and she went to call the RSPCA (I think that is what was said) but when she went back to her toilet the snake had vanished! I do hope that I haven't upset anyone here who may be ophidiophobic - humble apologies if I have.

 

Sorry to read you had a wakeful night @Fourmerkland. I think that happens to quite a few people and my sleep pattern has not recovered since Covid. @Obelix-Vendée another disappointment for you but why can't people just get on their mobile and let you know? As you say, the Indian meal will be all the more delicious having been kept for a few days. We always had a curry on Sundays - made by Dad the day before. He was stationed in India during the war and learned how to make the most delicious of Indian meals.

 

How infuriating @Obelix-Vendée but glad you found out in time to be able to go to your dance class. Hope the tango demo goes well.

I also have phases of insomnia, never a problem when I was young. Now I’ll have a run of 2,3 sometimes 4 nights when I just can’t drop off. I usually end up downstairs reading or listening to the radio until the late early hours

Weather was dismal yesterday, rain most of the day but had to work anyway. Sunshine today so we will have a long walk in Sutton Park this morning. Granddaughter is coming over after school with Mum for a belated Birthday cake for OH - bugs and falls cancelled the first two attempts so hopefully 3rd time lucky

The garden is too wet to get on with any outdoor jobs at the moment

Hope everyone enjoys their day and aches, pains and dizziness fade away

 

Morning everyone, a bit brighter but colder. I didn't have the best night either not sure why.
@Obelix-Vendée , as you probably know not all GCS here have cafes etc but many do. The sad fact is that many of them would not survive without such trade. Even where we were yesterday is considered one of the best GCS in the wider region. It was obvious that most of the people there were there for the cafe, most of the plant sale areas were empty of people. Even we only bought the seeds and seed potatoes I went for. While I was choosing the spuds, my wife had a brief look outside but unusually didn't feel inspired to get anything. There is another GC/nursery near Capel Manor, that has no cafe, they shut completely for nearly a month around Christmas. I think some staff go in as they still raise a lot of plants themselves and they probably reorganise the displays etc. They are one of the few in the area that only sell plants and items directly related to growing, no clothing, Christmas tat , or anything else, but they are very much the exception.

 

Morning all, that's so infuriating @Obelix-Vendée and shocking bad manners. Hope you enjoyed the dance class and enjoy the tango demo today.
It's bright, cold and not windy for a change today so I'm hoping to prune the remaining roses later.
First we have to put all the books back in the bookcase as the wall behind it is clean and dry (I hope). I will paint it inside and out with a waterproofer later in the year if we get a good hot spell. All the books are on the dining room table so need to clear them off before DIl comes for dinner tonight. I've bunged the washing on and will just finish my coffee first.

Hope Floralies can get the meds she needs for the dizzines. Not nice at all.

Have a good day all.

 

I actually slept well last night, but it does seem to go with nights of very poor sleep.
How very bad mannered they are, @Obelix-Vendée. I'm sure you won't be rushing to invite them again soon!
That's quite an extreme phobia, @Ladybird4. Has your bestie ever had a close encounter with a snake?
We had a dog who was bitten by an adder, but survived, as the vet was able to treat her.
It's a lovely day here and I'm itching to get outside.

 

I've just contacted a plumber to come and do two small (hopefully) jobs for me. Coming Friday. I can't be bothered with the faff of trying to sort them out with handy brother. This means that reluctantly I will have to do some clearing up. Has anyone got the manual 'Housework for Idiots' on them?
@Penny_Forthem as far as I am aware she has never had any experience with a snake. I agree with you @Allotment Boy as I prefer GCs that just sell plants, seeds, compost, and garden accessories. One of my favourite GCs decided to do the whole garden furniture thing and I have not been there for a year. I can't be doing with all that 'stuff'.

 

Hello all, I have my meds, hopefully now my ears, eyes and brain will start working together again!!
I think i would have been rather angry if they were my visitors @Obelix-Vendée !
I'm having a quiet afternoon, just looking at the garden which is an absolute soggy mess, i have two amelanchier canadensis which seem to be nearly always waterlogged, whether they will survive, we shall see.

 

Good afternoon everyone!

The Internet has returned, though possibly only temporarily... so I'm popping in to thank @Busy-Lizzie for keeping you updated, and to say Hi! to you all.

There's really no excuse, is there, @Obelix-Vendée , for your visitors not letting you know that they weren't coming, as soon as they'd decided. Just infuriating. Hope the dancing goes (has gone?) well, and the curry is as good on Friday as you anticipate.

Vertigo is horrid, and you have my sympathy, @floralies . Here's hoping that you have some meds by now to improve things.

Just a thought for anyone who thinks that a cashless society is a good idea: while the Internet has been down, none of the shops in our town have been able to take card payments, so it's all been cash only. In addition, the surgery has been unable to email prescriptions to the pharmacy, and none of the ATMs work. The bank and post office have had to remain closed. OH is going to a nearby town to use their cash machine this afternoon...

Compared with others, we are very well off. Our power cut was "only" 34 hours, but some of my friends were without power for 4 days; some in rural areas don't expect to be reconnected until the end of the week at the earliest. One friend was describing using her water butt for buckets of water for toilet flushing, as she was also without water for 4 days. It certainly made me realise how much I take for granted!

 

Glad you’re “back” @Liriodendron , hope everything is soon sorted. You’re right, the powers that be must NEVER do away with cash

 

Glad to hear you're back, I'm afraid we all take our modern lives for granted, to a greater or lesser extent. Even though we are in suburbia, we can't cope without electricity for long, even the gas boiler needs electricity to operate. We have no open fires, all our chimneys were blocked off before we came here. I do have a camping gas stove so we could boil a pan of water but that's about it.
I agree about cash. The consumer organisation Which, have run a long campaign to keep cash for all kinds of reasons.