Yawn Yawn Wakey Wakey 2025

Good morning all.

I'm sorry your back is still bad @AuntyRach, I was hoping you would wake up to an improvement.

Well done @Ladybird4 and team. Those are my favourite subjects too but they rarely ask questions about them in our local pub. It's mostly sport, soaps and pop music from the 80s and 90s. Since I was living in France then and rarely going to England I know nothing about all that. The pop scene was different, the French had their own stars and sports heroes.

We are taking Liam to see Cambridge today. It will be 4° with sunny periods.

 

We still have the remnants of the weekend's snow - and I woke to a snow shower this morning.
Granddaughter is supposed to be back at school today, but the school is shut (no heating). Her brother is most put out (different school!)
If we can get there, we said we'd take her out, but as they live on top of a hill, that may be easier said than done.
The panettone bread and butter pudding was a huge success last night, served with salted caramel sauce and ice cream. It is, most definitely, a thin day today.
Fantastic result, @Ladybird4
Sorry you're still in pain @AuntyRach. These things take time and you do have a most active job.
Enjoy Cambridge, @Busy-Lizzie

 

Good morning. I used to have a friend who lived near Cambridge and always loved visiting @Busy-Lizzie. I still remember a luscious slice of Passion cake in one of the cafés near King's. I have yet to find a recipe to match it.

My kind of subjects too @Ladybird4 plus some geography and history but not sports. Hope all goes well with the dentist, including getting there.

Sorry about your back @AuntyRach. OH gets that sometimes and gets very grumpy when it interferes with golf, not that that's a problem at the mo as the courses are water-logged. He should have been playing a match but is sat on the sofa with a cat on his lap watching cricket.

Good luck with your physio @redstar. You'll need to be patient but it's worth it.

I need to make some "thin" healthy soup for lunch and then patchwork homework - correcting the franglais in my tuto for stained glass windows. All the feasting and, I suspect, extra wine, has put on 2 kilos and 2 cms on my waist but that happened last year too and it was gone in a week.

The trouble is the interminable gallettes des rois offerings at any social gathering - started yesterday at patch club and go on all thru January till Chandeleur at the beginning of Feb. Puff pastry top and bottom filled with frangipane but there are modern variations too - a layer of raspberries, apple and caramel, pear and chocolate, bilberries.........

Enjoy your day everyone. It's mild here but very dull and very wet under foot so I'm glad I have indoor homework.

 

Good morning,

It was bright and frosty first thing, but it’s clouding over again now. We, too, still have a little bit of sitting snow from when it snowed on Saturday night and Sunday. The saying is it’s waiting for more if it’s hanging around. I do hope that is wrong.

Those of you with sore backs, be careful and don’t overdo things. I know sitting for lengthy periods is as bad as overdoing the exercise, so it’s getting the balance right, isn’t it?

I hope your physio starts to improve matters, @redstar. It sounds like a long, slow process, but as you say, things are improving.

Well done at the quiz @Ladybird4.

I’d better get on. Take care if you’re out and about.

 

Morning all, we had a light covering of snow again this morning but the sun is out so it's thawing out. Feeling lazy so not walking with OH today, he's just gone out. He loves snowy weather! I've put some washing on so that's my excuse. I was awfully pleased earlier when I checked my weight, I've lost some over the festive period without even trying - how on earth did that happen??

Must refill the bird feeders in a minute, one is empty and they are queueing for the other.

Best wishes for your first day back in school @Ante1.

Such a nuisance for you @AuntyRach but at least you don't have to brave the cold weather.

Oh dear @Tui34, another bad back case, we gardeners never learn, do we.

Congratulations on your quiz win @Ladybird4, you must be so pleased.

Have a good day everyone.

 

Thank you for all the nice comments about our win last night.
OMG but @Penny_Forthem has just mentioned the two most magical words - Salted Caramel! I am totally addicted! @Obelix-Vendée the gallettes des rois also sound so tempting. I simply would not be able to resist.
Well I had to ring the Dentist this morning and rearrange my appointment as the weather is quite dire here. They were really understanding about it and my new appointment is May 13th. I don't really mind a few extra months as my teeth are fine and they explained that as I always like to see the dental hygienist after my check up and that she is in high demand then I must be prepared for a bit of a wait. Not a problem. I did not fancy walking in the blizzard.

 

Wishing your back a speedy recovery, @AuntyRach. Very uncomfortable and you just can’t rush bad backs. I’m continually monitoring how I sit, or pick up things, as mine too has a tendency to seize up if I’m not careful.
We have come out for lunch and to enjoy the sunshine. Not too cold, and despite hearing heavy rain during the night, minimal signs of flooding. Luckily we skipped breakfast, as I appear to have ordered an extra portion of chips! OH is manfully working his way through some of them! I’ve eaten a few too, although didn’t need them. The cauliflower florets in batter with a peach chutney were so good. I’ll definitely never eat scampi again as these were a delicious alternative.
More snow, @lizzie27! I wonder if my grandsons got to school this morning.
The post Christmas resumption of the green bin collection is approaching rapidly, so I’ll have to start filling them again. I could probably just collect up fallen twigs, there are certainly enough of them out there. I’d really like to attack a couple of rhododendrons that need to come out, before they triple in size in the spring.

 

Good afternoon everyone!

After all the visitors (and my husband) had left, on Thursday afternoon I went into hibernation for the weekend. I don't naturally cope well with lots of people and noise, though I love my family dearly, and relished a few days completely on my own to re-charge the batteries. I put the toys away and tidied everything, took down the Christmas decorations, made stock from the goose carcase, washed bedding and towels, and cleaned the house. Except the windows... must do those once it warms up a bit. I managed to give away various cheeses, shortbread, biscuits etc to the visitors, so I haven't been forced to stuff myself too much!

Back spasms are the pits, @AuntyRach . I hope yours ease very soon.

It's sunny here, but only just above freezing; our snow has almost disappeared, though the hills round about look very pretty. Sadly there's not yet been an opportunity to try out my Christmas present (a folding Niwaki pruning saw), but it'll no doubt thaw eventually...

Have we heard from @Rowland's Castle recently?

 

Good afternoon, we are having quite a productive day. OH rang her dentist this morning, asked if they would take me, not only are their lists open again, but I even got in under NHS .
My old dentist retired a while ago the new people are very good but fully private and expensive (£80 for scale and polish on top of check up fee)
Rang the window people about a blown DG unit, and we went to recycling centre to not only get rid of the old combi oven but a bootfull of other stuff that's been hanging about for ages .
Feeling quite virtuous now.

 

That’s terrific, @Allotment Boy. Wonderful to be able to register with an NHS dentist. The sooner the current rubbish contract for dentists is got rid of, the better.
I envy you the trip to the tip too. I’m working on putting together a load, but it’s slow work, especially as much of what needs to go belongs to OH, and he is a bit of a hoarder - with some justification. No sooner have we got rid of some odds and ends that have been getting in the way for years, than we suddenly find a use for them!
We are not long home from lunch and a very pleasant walk in the sun. Luckily, we put the recycling out straight away, as it is now pouring down.
I think it will be a day at home tomorrow. Our guests have been gone for over a week, but I still haven’t stripped the spare bed, so you are way ahead of me, @Liriodendron! I too managed to load our visitors up with cheese, biscuits and mince pies. The booze is being banished to the cellar, and I’ve stocked up on my favourite alcohol free beer. One of those a day certainly helps me to resist the temptation to pour myself a glass of something stronger.
Hope @Ante1 had a peaceful return to school. I too was wondering what age group he teaches!

 

Afternoon all. It was grey and wet day, not even a trace of sunshine. When I complaining about school, most of the time I'm not serious, but as @AuntyRach said, I had a "back to school" blues. Dear @Tui34 and @Ergates, I started 13 years ago in small primary school 12km away from my town. Cozy little school, with only 26 pupils at that time. I enjoyed so much, and if someone offers my to go back there I'll take it without a moment of hesitation. Now I work at secondary school, only 200m from my house. We have IT sector, electrical engineering and similar orientations, so my pupils are now mostly boys age 14-18.

 

Good afternoon all. @Ergates, I love the sound of your battered cauliflower florets. I'll have to give them a whirl. @Liriodendron, I am in regular touch with Rowlands Castle. He is champing at the bit - like most of us - to get out into his garden. He has had a few problems over the festive season - damaging his nose and right thumb in a fall and is still struggling with the thumb. Their boiler ceased to function but has been sorted now. In answer to your puzzling about the age group @Ante1 teaches it is older pupils. I think, though he may correct me if I'm not quite right, they may be sixth formers but don't take that as gospel.
@Allotment Boy, I love taking stuff to the local tip. I find it quite cathartic. Trouble is that when I get home, all the 'stuff' left behind seems to have doubled in volume. I am definitely going to hire a mini skip because I don't want to have to keep putting dirty items into my poor car.

 

Oh hi @Ante1, I was just trying to answer the questions about the age range you taught and then you popped up with the proper answer!

 

We have been out for some fresh air - we had to clear the car of snow, first. However, it was very good to get out of the house.
Our trip to the ballet in Liverpool this weekend may be in jeopardy. Snow is forecast for Friday and neither of us fancies travelling in it! We'll make our decision tomorrow, so that we don't get charged for the hotel, or boarding kennels. I did also take out insurance for the tickets, because, who knew, it might snow!! (I'd be properly miffed if it didn't, but there'll be other opportunities to catch the ballet)
@Ante1 do you teach English?
I wonder how @Badly_Maintained is doing.

 

@Penny_Forthem, no English, history and when it's needed Croatian. We all must learn two foreign languages, English is first and German second, except Istria region. They have Italian instead of German.