Hi all; I need to take a bit of time to read through the posts that I have missed.  No nice houses in Somerset - well I am sure there are nice bungalows but the ones we saw were not among them.  I have made a list of questions that I will ask of Estate Agents before I consider viewing anythingn else.  One of the bungalows bore so little resemblance to the photo or description that I thought they had given me the wrong address!  Why do they do it?  Do they really think that when people have asked for one thing they will be satisfied with another.  Why are bungalows built on hilly roads? End of moan.  Something has to turn up sooner or later.  We have a week booked down there early in April - booked it some time ago.  It is much more relaxing that way.  If something that appears right shows up in the meantime (following much questioning of the estate agents before I go anywhere near it) I will go down for the day.  I am not a great fan of driving long distances regularly but needs must.  Muffin seems to have hurt his paw; he limps only some of the time but I hate my poor little rescue doggies to suffer (or any animal come to that) so I will ask the vet to look at him tomorrow.  I carried him upstairs to bed last night and made sure he had enough room on the bed to spread out (more than I had).  I will catch up on what has been happening but wanted to say "hello".  Annie

Hi Ladies,

Carol, A 50's rock and roll afternoon tea sounds wonderful.  Hopefully Norman will pick up quickly, understandable though that it's a worry for you when he's not looking well. Hope Norman has a good day tomorrow for his birthday. Our hot spell ends early this week, drops to low 20's with no more really hot weather on the way.  The bushfire that was threatening my girlfriends house has changed direction, so her house is safe and they were on their way home .Her property backs onto the state park blaze.  Hopefully they will get it under control with the cooler weather coming.  It's a while of, but hope the McMillan appt goes well.  I love cooking, I find it relaxing, only part I'm not keen on is the dishes afterwards, but they have to done too.  Neil and I were a good pair when it came to cooking, he could do things I couldn't and vice versa.  I like pasta also and do that sometimes, fish I don't tend to cook myself, although I do like fish. I feel sorry for your cousin and her husband, with your Uncle's speech at their wedding.  I feel parents need to respect their childrens judgement in choosing their partners.  Quite often a couple with quite different jobs, interests make a lifetime of happiness.  I could just imagine how it felt listening to his speech.
Ok, I understand about the milk now.  I'm with you on skimmed milk, you may as well drink water.  I usually have both full cream, and a lighter milk (not skim), depends what I'm using it for as to what I use.  Mandy sent me a text so I get my nails done tomorrow, so I won't have to hide them too much longer.

Annie, Welcome back, sorry the house hunting didn't go well.  I sounds like real estates are the same all over.  When Neil and I were looking to buy our first house, like you we told them what we were looking for. A big no-no was a swimmming pool, and it had to have 3 bedrooms.  The first house we were taken to had guess what... a swimming pool.  The last thing we wanted with 2 children under 3.  They don't listen to you.  The next houise had 2 bedrooms... we had 3 kids, granted all girls, but nearly 10 years between the eldest and the next 2.  I think it's a case of they get you in and hope you'll see something you like even though it's nothing like what you want.  They want the sale and commission.
Poor Muffin, hopefully it's nothing too serious.  It's funny how these small animals seem to take up so much room on our beds.  My previous cat used to take up so much that I'd be on the edge all night.  At least Cookie is more considerate, she starts of very close, wanting attention but then moves to bottom corner and stays there.

Take care, love to all, Sue xx
 

Hi girls, Sue obviously I messaged you privately after yesterday.  Annie welcome back I see you've been offering wise words to many.  I really don't bother so much as many never return and let you know how they are but thats their perogative, however it just worries me when some of them are so distraught.  When we moved I just drove around the areas I was interested in and took note of houses for sale but that's different if you are moving to another County!  Sunday lunch wasn't up to scratch but we decided not to complain as we've always had lovely meals before.  So I had two large rhubard gins and as we were going for cake and tea to Sue's we decided to pay and leave.  But our bill was Nil, our youngest daughter had rang and paid in advance for her Dad's birthday.  So lots of funny cards today, bottles of drink and our neighbours came in for a drink.  Faye sent a big box of Green and Black's dark chocolate so we're munching on that after our home made pork curry.  Feet up now as its been a busy day.  Take care all. Xx

Hi all.  Gloria, good to hear from you again.  Carol, I have just spent the best part of an hour trying to change my avatar picture.  I don't take many photos and the one I wanted had my head cut off and although I fiddled and moved things around I could not get my head in - I got a message saying something or other needed updating and it would cost me £87 to do so.  I have given up for the moment and put it on the list of things I need to work out how to do.  I took Muffin to the vet yesterday - I kept thinking he was getting better but yesterday morning he started to limp again.  The vet says his shoulder is very tender and gave him an injection.  Also some oral medicine to take every day.  He has to have total rest for several days - I have to even put him on a lead to take him into the garden for his toilet.  Poor doggie; it makes me feel so awful when they are suffering.  How I am going to cope with a hyperactive dog who is incapable of keeping still for long I don't know but will do my best.   I don't know when or how he injured his shoulder but feel very guilty about not picking it up sooner.  So many things I need to be doing and I don't know how to start.  Happy Birthday to Norman - hope you had a good day. It was Paul's 72nd birthday yesterday - he went down the pub with all his mates.  I declined his kind offer to join them on the basis that I needed to care for Muffin.   He rang me several times to say he was just  having one more drink then coming home; this happened several times before he turned up.  It was cold last night; the weather is so confusing at the moment.    Moan over.    Carol, I find it so much easier to give advice to other people than to do something sensible myself!  The lady in the post that Chrissie contacted you about did not get back but I am used to that;  Hope she is okay.  Annie

Hi girls, hubby had a good day in the end apart from the so called friend who having called again about someone dying decided to ring on his birthday and give him all the funeral details.  When I ans the phone he seemed annoyed that we hadn't called him back for the arrangements!  When he'd finished hubby came in and said that he'd told told him that he was too busy trying to miss his own funeral and didn't want to go to others!  Crikey, I could write a book on this cancer journey, perhaps I should then people could dip in and out to see how to treat others who have it.  I'm sorry Muffin is not well, my brothers bearded collie has just had an operation to remove a lump, they were so stressed out that it may be cancerous, but it wasn't, Karen has no children so Rebus and Morse are her babies.  Norman was 73 yesterday and it's coming up two years since his diagnosis, so we're hoping to get to 74!!  Sue, thank God your friends house didn't burn down, that's horrendous to live through, we've been watching about the tornadoes in America, they've torn houses down into rubble.  I know we moan about the weather but at least it's not knocking my house down.  Annie, you give good advice and have lots of good leads for them to follow..  I've just had to go to the Post office as Lisa left half her wardrobe here, how she did that I don't know, there were six tops and she only came for 3 days, she said she likes to be prepared.  Pancakes for tea with lemon and golden syrup, yum.  Ella has to have them made with banana due to the egg allergy, they are still very nice.  So girls, take care, speak soon. Carol xx

Hi Ladies,

Glad Norman had a good day for his birthday.  Love his response re going to funerals.  It is stressful when our pets are ill.  Hopefully Muffin will recover quickly, and in the meantime you are able to keep him quiet so he rests his shoulder.  My  two are like my babies.  Good news that your brothers dog's lump wasn't cancerous.  The tornadoes in America are terrible.  Lives lost, homes completely destroyed.  At least there were no lives (human at least, lots of livestock were lost) lost in our current bushfires.  Homes. businesses, but they can all be replaced.  Do you make your eggless pancakes with flour?  I tried a recipe a while ago that used bananas, no egg or flour.  They were a disaster.  Not something I'd ever make again.  It didn't even dawn on me that it was Shrove Tuesday until after I'd eaten tea. Pancake sound good, might have to make some soon.  I've prepped veggies for tomorrow nights tea.  A pork leg roast which I'll cook in the slow cooker, then when I get home from hydrotherapy, I'll pop it in the oven to brown.  Hopefully it will be good, I haven't done one that way before.  I had Eli today, he is walking more now, only occassionally gets down and crawls.  Lisa is obviously prepared for anything when she's not at home.  Tomorrow I'll go to the library to pick up a book that has come in.  A new author for me, Jeff Menapace.  Our library doesn't have any of his books, so they borrowed it from another library.  Didn't realise they could do that.  Quiet day tomorrow apart from library and hydro.

Take care, love to all.  Sue xx

 

Hi Sue, yes Faye uses flour and bananas that are going soft plus milk and a good beating, not as nice as egg ones but Ella knows no different.  I've been watching the stand up to cancer celebrity  bake off, it's been hilarious, Russell Brand a comedienne made a biscuit montage of the birth of his second daughter including a large vagina  shaped biscuit iced pinky red, you should have seen Paul Hollywood's face!  Norman seems a lot happier today, I am going to have to take these outbursts with a pinch of salt but human nature is not like that, when we get verbally attacked we fight back!  The TV is rubbish so I am going to have an early night as I have a new book on the go.  Isn't it funny how you suddenly find out things that would have come in handy many times but you have only just discovered it!  It only cost me three pounds to post the clothes, so not too bad, and a birthday card for Terry's partner.  He never divorced Sue but she calls herself Mrs Karen Searle and wears a wedding ring, it annoys me everytime I have to write it on the envelope !  I've still filled the tea caddy with a selection of both tea bags, he doesn't know, he thinks they're still all full caffeine ones, I'm keeping my mouth shut this time.  So enjoy your tea and we'll talk soon.  Love Carol x 

Maggie picks me up for our dance class as they ring to say a place is free, she is only walking for exercise and it's not doing her any good, so a few more body parts moving is good!  Hubby has found his happy equilibrium again and is being very lovely and kind.  I look back over the last few days and think maybe the impending birthday was tipping him over the edge, I.e, will it be his last.  We bought a pretty peanut feeder but the thread was not good so it fell down, I'll fix it he says so off he goes into the garage, I pop in to see how it's going, not good he tells me, I'll send it back I say, er I've completely ruined it he says!  Fayes birthday card still hasn't arrived  the post is atrocious nowadays, I send things a week in advance now.  Shopping tomorrow for a top to go with my skirt and some cheap beads and earrings, if I'm going in fancy dress it needs to be spot on!  We've just had bacon, egg tomatoes and fried bread it was yummy, sometimes a simple meal is all you need.  Hope your all OK out there.  Love Carol x 

Hi Carol,
The celebrity bake off would have been hilarious.  Glad Norman seems happier now.  His birthday May have been a contributing factor to his mood.  Easier said than done to ignore his outbursts at the time.  Seems to be a common thing worldwide, with nothing on TV.. it's the same here.  The pork turned our good, but the gravy that went with it wasn't nice at all.  Had leftover pork for tea tonight.  Hope Norman doesn't realise there are de-caf teabags in the caddy.  Early Saturday morning I'm going with Deana to the flower market.  She has to be back here to start work at 9.00.
Take care, love to all Sue xx