What are you all up to
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A mixture of snow and sleet this morning during our walk, but it stopped about an hour ago and the sky is clear and blue now. Still snow in the ground at the moment, though melting fast, but it remains cold. It will soon be time for Flyte's and my afternoon walk.
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Bit of a change from yesterday, CS! Is the chocolate as good as that at Zefferelli's?
Lovely advent calender, B2, well done in making it.
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Thanks for the compliments, but it was a printed fabric sheet. Quite hard to find one for youngest Kiwi granddaughter that wasn't wintery 🤣, cards are similar. Bought eldest granddauters whilst in NZ. Also made 2 fabric books, I've told daughter the girls would have to share when 2nd baby on the way! I've told DIL that grandson, may have to share them too, but I'm weakening, if leave a bigger gap for page turning I'm sure it will be easier 🤣🤣. Need a visit to the cheap shop in Tiptree - real aladdin's cave of crafting/sewing/knitting treasures, they have a website but you can't beat a visit! It's a real Tardis of a shop, I could be missing for days 🤣
Sometimes it is very hard having family live so far away, BUT we gave our kid's wings and encouraged them to fly. Our daughter didn't go to Christchurch Canterbury to do her degree - too far from home 🤣🤣🤣. Didn't expect her to fly so far. I alternate between real sadness and joy that she felt secure enough to make a new life abroad. Hopefully we'll soon be closer in terms of location to son and family before too long if I'm still sane enough when the joy if house moving is complete. However distance meant never having to consider offering or refusing regular childcare. We'd be happy to help occasionally or in an emergency but we've done our share of childcare. So many friends are still tied to school holidays as free time, they feel sorry for us 🤔
I have to say daughter has great work/life balance, wonderful house with a pool, couldn't have that here, well respected as a teacher - not always the case here, and fabulous climate, seasons but not overly cold winter's although the summer temperatures are getting higher!
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It’s the start of winter for our cows - the milk cows came in at dinner time, and won’t go out again until next Spring. They do get to walk up the ramp and round the corner to the parlour twice a day, and can look outside if they want. There’s a few younger heifers out, but they will be in by Christmas.
The wind has dropped, and changed direction, so the house is much warmer. A builder is coming on Wednesday to sort out the missing roof slates. I’m glad my husband is not planning on doing it himself.
Some snow this morning, but now bright sunshine. An unintentional buy this morning at Booths was a bottle of No. 3 gin - reduced from £35 to £25. There was only one serving left in my existing bottle, so I had that with lunch.
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I gave up at 60, as planned. I only had small work pension having taken 14 years out, luckily OH has a very decent one 😉 which he's been happy to share. He'd already been made an offer he couldn't refuse before he had to retire at 60 when Maggie decided it would make space for youngsters to climb the ladder.
Next February I'll receive my state pension which my original contract with HMG was until my 60th birthday. I caught 2 increases in the eligible age 🤬😡😤. If it had been a private company they would have been sued..... Luckily I did go early as we managed some real quality time before OH became very poorly things had to be curtailed.
Cease the day, you know never what lies ahead.......
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Having had to work from 25 to 65 to get my full pension, I doubt I will be still drawing my pension when I am 105!
Very few offers of early retirement in the private sector, and when you would lose 0.5% of your pension for every month you decide to go before 65, very little incentive to do so.
Lovely advent calendar B2, we have bought a couple to make for our daughter's children, but making will have to wait till next year now, due to a broken sewing machine and a broken arm!
Very cold here too, but only a light dusting of snow
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“”I alternate between real sadness and joy that she felt secure enough to make a new life abroad.””
I know how you feel Bakers2. 4 of our grandchildren live in Hong Kong and Macau, as does our eldest son. Before Covid this was the Christmas we had all planned to meet up and they were coming back here for a few weeks, best laid plans!😢. Now it’s so difficult for them to leave either place as both places have a zero Covid policy so even if they can leave it’s difficult, and expensive, to try to return with 3 weeks quarantine etc. Now we have another variant issue so who knows??! The little one will be at school before we see her again at this rate; she was 4 months old when we last saw her!
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I know exactly where you're coming from.
When we last saw ours in the flesh in 2018, they were 4 and 2.
I've been pleased they've had strict Covid rules but sadly it didn't kept Delta out 🥲.
Fingers crossed vaccine will help curtail things and it will be available for the World population. I'm not convinced it will disappear even then but none are safe until everyone is vaccinated. Viruses love to mutate and nature often has mankind in the back foot. Tye recent weather being just one example......
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What varied lives we all lead😁 Had we been younger, I think we might have been up and off overseas to live and work. Too ruddy late now, and whilst children never got in the way, caring at the other end certainly has. But, it brings its rewards as well.
Thanks for the Keats papgeno👍 I like that poem. Takes me back to my O Levels. Snow has stuck so far around here. Normally we might be out playing, but not today, sniff, sniff.
You cows coming in reminds me of overwintering our elderly horse Goldie. He would come into a huge segregated barn, deep litter straw this time of year. Better than being outside all the time, but boy did he get up to some mischief. Very adept at getting out, and he somehow got others out as well, cue a rodeo around the village, following a trail of discarded (and shredded) rugs. (Are cows as mischievous?) Luckily we had a big indoor schooling barn, and a horse walker so he did get plenty of exercise if weather was icy. I don’t miss the mud though.
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For the past 2 - 3 weeks the cows having been eating a Brassica (a kale called Redstart). The fence moved everyday until it’s got to the end of the field. They finished it off today.
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We caught a fascinating music documentary last night on BBC4. All about Alan Hull of Lindisfarne. What a writer, musician he was, and much revered in the North East. We are perhaps a tad too young to have a lot of memories of Lindisfarne, although we did recognise some of the big hits like Fog on the Tyne and Lady Eleanor. Well worth a watch, and see how his legacy lives on. Link
Thanks for the link, watched it this evening, and will now go and listen to the albums, starting from the beginning.
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OHs first retirement was at 40, having done 25 years man and boy in the Army. Followed by another 20 years in service, both had decent pensions. Having only been retired 10 years he has another 15 years to go to equal his first job. Mine doesn't count as I've had that many jobs over the years with long periods of no work due to following OH around.
Weather a little better today 22c still with quite a few clouds and today a strong wind.
Bakers, the calendar is lovely, I'm sure it will be cherished.
TDA, hope you feel better soon.
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Great work Bakers. I hope the recipients keep it for posterity. Deserves it.
We're like you Papgeno. Elecky off most of today due to repair work on the system. We have gas stove so didn't miss using the ovens.
I am back to something resembling normality now (no sniggering). Thanks to those who sent regards.
Hail and snow stopped leaf clearance this morning.
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Glad your feeling better, WN, hope that your electric is back on.
You certainly seem to be in the right place at the moment, TG, just getting away in time.
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Just had a phone call from some friends in a village in Notts ,asking if we knew where our nearest defribilator was? Their son saw an elderly resident collapse yesterday ,called for an ambulance the operator asked if he knew if there was a defribrilator in the village? That some one could get while he carried out CPR ,as they did not have one shown on their database
They phoned us as there had been a bit on the.TV this morning about locations as very few know even if there is one in their area
They say 5 Percent survive without intervention where as as many as 75percent or more if a defibrilator is used in a few minutes
I checked on line for around here and very few had been registered ,the nearest shows nearly a mile away
Do any of you know where the nearest one to you is?
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Bakers 2 What an absolutely beautiful advent calendar. So much work and love has gone into making it. I am sure it will be treasured for many generations to come.
We went to have lunch with some friends who live in a village about 15 miles away yesterday. There were 6 of us in total who have all been friends for over 50 years. It was 2 years since we had all seen each other but it just seemed like yesterday when we all got together. A really lovely afternoon.
We have a defibrillator in the Cathedral but other than that I have no idea where any others might be in our area.
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I know where our nearest defibrillator is, 200 metres away on the wall of the visitor centre in our local Park. Our town has been busy installing more defibs into now redundant red telephone kiosks dotted around and about. 👍
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Getting out is not the problem, unless of course you want tyo go sking in Switzerland, it is the getting back, returned yesterday from visiting Spanish daughter, no drama, but i think as of tomorrow you need to take a PCR test, (£70+ on line) and then self isolate until such time as you get the results back hopefully negative, if not 10 days isolation.
This has the potential to cause havoc for those flying into the UK for xmas especially if they are arriving e.g. couple of days before xmas, as it is very doubtful results of any tests will be returned promtly , as we know from past experience.
Returned to find this cheeky little chappy still in the garden digging up all my bulbs, will have to be despatched
Beautiful day, only 2 degs, but dont mind that if the sun is shinning0 -
I had a look to see if there is any kind of database for defibs, there are lots of Apps, lists, but sadly most seem very out of date. Certainly for our area, I know of at least five more that aren’t listed.
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Re the squirrel, planting bulbs is like opening a squirrel McDonalds😁 Put something spiky over the area or the pot where they are buried, holly is ideal. (Thank you to Rocky for this top tip👍)
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I like to grow hyacinths for indoors after we have taken down the xmas decs, then when finished i plant outside, not in a particular area, just random, good idea, but new pup is carrying off all the twigs it can find at present, wish it would carry off the squirrel
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You are most welcome👍🏻. The Holly cuttings are just as deadly after they start to break down. According to my Dogs-‘once pricked never repeated’, I must point out that there is no lasting effects other than memory of the area to be avoided👍🏻😊
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Deadly stuff. I loathe cutting our holly hedge back😁
Pup won’t touch holly more than once trust me! Our Airedale pups would sit fascinated watching me me put plants in, moment I turned my back they were in the little blighters. “Look Mum, we made you three plants and a big hole” I do miss them though🥰 Labradors just blunder around crushing things😂
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That is what I also found out of date info,,
I feel a couple of Email letters to HMG and our local And or County councils coming on
I think as most people know where the local pharmacy is I think would not be a bad place to have one with 24hr access outside as one known place
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Yep, there’s one in our village on the wall outside Boots.
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Our nearest one is on the outside of the fire station, that we still have in the village, despite lots of closures. Well worth going on the refresher course at the local surgery for CPR, that now includes instruction and practice with a defibrillator. Trouble is they probably aren’t running them at the moment, I used to regularly get texts about them, but not recently.
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