What are you all up to
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Lizzie: 18th August 2011 - 29th March 2025
Lizzie went for her big sleep this morning.. The health problems were just too difficult to solve. We shall miss her so much, but she is now resting peacefully and out of pain Thanks to those who have already sent messages... and to the folk at Companion Care Vets, Tamworth, for their kindness and understanding this morning. ❤️
David
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Very wet here today, chilly too. Have started shampooing caravan carpets, will take a while for them to dry as no sun.
Getting started on our “caravanning season” has resulted in the credit card taking quite a hit this year. First the service was extra expensive due in part to the recent problem with the van, then OH decided we needed some new trousers and t shirts for holidays, supplies of carpet shampoo had to be acquired, and some sites/deposits had to be paid on booking. We also invested in 2 USB charging things for the van, so I need to fit those.
On top of that we had almost run out of Tassimo pods to take with us, and for at home, and flour supplies for the bread maker were almost zero. OH has now replenished Tasimo, and 41 kg of flour has been ordered to share between us and DD….25kg bag of strong white and 16kg bag of organic wholemeal…..should keep us both going for a while!
And for some reason OH has decided it is time to replace some pots and pans at home, so next month’s CC bill will be large. Oh well, cannot take it with us, so might as well spend it on what we want now.
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So sorry to hear about Lizzie, David. The gap they leave in our lives is indescribable. You did the best thing for her after nearly 14 years of her love. The memories live on.
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I am so sorry to hear this @DSB. I know how you feel and send my sympathies. Losing Lizzie will leave a big hole in your lives but leave you with many happy memories.
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@richardandros I'm sure takethedogalong will come up with some good suggestions.
Coukd you take some photos of the border and post on the garden thread? I'm sure we can all suggest things - probably more than you can shake a stick at 🤣. Do you want to keep the roses?
My way of tackling the border would be bulbs for this time of the year. More expensive, but probably reduced if they're in full flower or going over 😉, won't give you a show this year but you'll be able to set them out and know where they are! Then blanket plant perennials with the aim of closing up the bare soil areas. No room for weeds 🤣. You can go to the garden centre each month and choose some in flower. That's what I've tended to do in this, new to us, garden. I'm not always as disciplined as I should be!
I have never tested the ph of any soil, but watch what others around me grow, acid or akaline plants, but then I've gardened for more years than I care to say.....
Also take your photos to a good garden centre and talk to someone, they'll know who in store will give you good advice. Also tell them the aspect. Your new closed fence will cast a shadow, so look at it several times during the day. Photo it, it saves brain memory 😉. Also easier for said person to visualise!
The previous owners of our garden were daffodils mad. Last weekend I picked lots that had been battered by the torrential shower we had and filled 2 vases! Never have I picked my own daffs before unless it's an odd one or 2. I've just been out and deadheaded 185, sad I know I still count as I did when doing things with the kids! I have picked a further 48 that have caught the wind. Now in a vase. I still have twice as many as I've sorted today, at least, still looking good......
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I went to a, new to me, garden club in a nearby village on Wednesday. Talk on poisonous plants. As I already knew most! But very interesting.
I bought a couple of raffle tickets. There was only one prize. I was embarrassed as it was my 1st time, but they were all so lovely about it.
II'll be going again, well worth the 10 minute 🤭 drive.
Here's my prize. 3 beautiful plants! Apparently they're not always as good, might be going over for the season, but I struck gold 🤣
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We managed to book our Covid jabs, yesterday - for next Thursday. I just got in by the skin of my teeth - if that's something to be pleased about - I'm 75, a few days before the cut-off date in June, so I just qualify.
Spent two hours this morning, assembling the garden seat / storage box and I'm suffering as a consequence. My back and hips are really painful now. It's so frustrating that a few years ago I would have had it done in about half an hour. Still it's done - and it didn't collapse when we sat on it😀.
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love your dresser @Goldie146 . Have you got enough mugs though.😀
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@richardandros some good advice from Bakers re the garden. I will put something into Gardening thread for you, and post a link from there😁
Good to hear recovery is going well for some, and I have sent you condolences elsewhere @DSB a very sad time for you.
Those trees at Doddington are on the Ancient tree register Nellie, I know you like trees, so took the photo for you. There were huge clumps of mistletoe as well on some fruit trees. Whole garden was lovely.@Goldie146 know what you mean about the cows going out, we always enjoyed turning our horse out of loose barn after Winter, but we kept well out of his way while he raced around, bucking and kicking😂
Been a lovely day here, I had an extra day at home to help out with our pooch. But managed to see the eclipse, carefully via a pinhole and a piece of paper. Building my water feature as well in garden, it seems to be going to plan, hoping to have it done tomorrow🤞Collected some lovely slate tiles from BIL, they have been put to good use. We had a nice afternoon out cycling yesterday as well, circuit of Clumber. Site looked busy, ready for weekend.
Link to gardening thread
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So sorry to hear that you had to it Lizzie to sleep today, @DSB it is always a difficult decision to make but one knows when it is the right time when it finally comes.
@Takethedogalong thanks for the free photo, I think of some as nature's sculptures. Good to read that you managed an afternoon ride out at Clumber.
Hope the good weather continues up there @richardandros so that you can get out and relax on your new garden seat. You may need plenty of cushions after your exertions though.
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It has not been quite as fine a day today, although it started out bright and sunny, it was again quite cool and did cloud up somewhat during the afternoon, and the wind has got up this evening. We had a comfortable tow to our next CL, near Dereham, where we stopped last year and is a real bargain at £10 pn including EHU, also having separate sex toilets and a shower. We missed seeing the eclipse as we were travelling at the time.
@Wherenext I doubt I would have the same patience as yourself to complete that jigsaw, however I can understand why you persevere doing them as they must be good therapy for you.
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I hope everyone has remebered to put their clocks forward 🕰
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Millie
I started this afternoon. Just had to remind Margaret that she hadn't gone to bed and hour later than she thought as the clock in the bedroom was one I changed earlier!
David
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@DSB - as I've said on your other post - so sorry to hear about Lizzie.
@Bakers2 and @Takethedogalong thanks for your suggestions. We already have some bulbs - Allium (I think they're called!) are doing well and there were a few Bluebells before the fencing chaps walked all over them! I'll post some photos later - didn't do it yesterday because you wouldn't have wanted to see pics of our washing!!
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Those are just display mugs - they get very dusty with dust from filling/riddling the Aga.
I have another dresser in the pantry with 18 identical mugs (with Shorthorn cows on) - only for very very special occasions! Matching a number I dare not mention of matching pots.
And another row of 14 Emma Bridgewater bird mugs for every day use.My SIL bought us mugs for Christmas. They are still in the boxes. I can’t tell her.
Oh, and I haven’t mentioned mugs bought at the Merch stall at gigs …. On the pantry window sill.
Please don’t judge me!
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@Goldie146 no judgement, I was just admiring them on the lovely dresser, proper farmhouse look, as it should be. Love Emma Bridgewater mugs. We have lots of different mugs but they are getting old and OH refuses to get rid of any of his ‘favourite’ mugs, so no room for new ones. With all those I think you’d have enough if the whole Clubtogether community popped round for a cuppa.
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I have a “mug cull” every so often, anything that’s has a damaged handle as I don’t fancy a lap full of scalding coffee😱 Don’t like chipped rims either, but most of our mugs in daily use are only cheap stuff, one or two I really love and look after. OH did juggle with one of our Autosleeper mugs and that ended in disaster, but I’ve put a Rington’s mug in to replace. We have an alcove that would take a nice dresser like yours Goldie, but it’s not happened yet. Mainly as it’s the dog’s nest🤣
Another lovely day here, but very windy. I have a water feature to finish today🤞 And I will be ragging out Bluebells😡 Spanish infiltrators, thought I had got all the blighters last year, but no.
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We are just home from a nice weekend at Ayr Craigie club site weather on Friday and yesterday was terrible rainy and windy but typically this morning the suns out and it’s a nice spring day. We never done much just went in to the town for a while yesterday but mostly just relaxed at the van. Easy half hour tow home today van back on drive. Heading off again near the end of the week looking forward to that. Probably just be out in the garden today. Bought a new toy a couple of weeks ago so may do some work on that. Pic below for those interested in classics
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@Francis - I don't believe it! My very first bike😀 - well not that actual one, but an identical one. Bought it from the scrap yard for £3 10s when I was about 14 or 15. It had a cracked frame, but that didn't bother me! It didn't work, but I diagnosed faulty points and spent three weeks of evenings after school - outside - in the winter - in the dark, trying to reset them with a screwdriver, torch and a pair of tweezers through a gap in the flywheel. (Didn't know what hub pullers were - and certainly didn't own one). Eventually got it going and my mum had a dicky fit - wailing and gnashing of teeth and "He's going to kill himself" etc etc. Obviously I couldn't ride it on the road, but I used to push it to a quarry about 2 miles away and spent many a happy hour getting very muddy - with a mate who had a proper Greaves trials bike - of which I was very envious! Happy days😀
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We tend to leave ours unaltered until sometime between 9 and 10am the following day. That way it doesn't feel much different. Obviously doesn't work that well if you have appointments or a ferry to catch, for example, but apart from the heating coming on an hour earlier than usual we don't seem too fazed by it.
Been a lovely early Spring day, plenty of washing dried in the breeze.
Hope all mothers have been spoilt today. We asked MiL if she wanted anything special and I was touched when she said she wanted a proper Roast Chicken dinner with my mushroom cream and tarragon sauce. So that's what I cooked. She doesn't have a big appetite these days but finished before either of us. It may have been the Drambuie she had before dinner that helped but I'll take the praise, thank you very much.😂
Managed to arrange a meet up with some friends who live in Norfolk but whom we haven't seen since just before my Stroke, some 2 and a half years ago (where does time go?). Meeting half way in a couple of weeks time. Booked a local CL for a couple of nights.
Something else to keep clean @Francis.😂
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A really lovely day spent at our daughter. Granddaughters cooked a really lovely chicken roast with all the trimmings, and we supplied the pud. Mother’s Day card and gift from my daughter and also cards and beautiful bouquet from my granddaughters. It was unexpected and I did query that I wasn’t their Mum, but they said I deserved it this year. After dinner we played games. Why is it that a roast is so lovely when someone else cooks it, the girls are both very good cooks. So I’m feeling blessed.
They didn’t have such a good day yesterday though, our daughter popped out shopping, older spaniel jumped up on the kitchen side, then reached to the top of the bread bin where a punnet of grapes had been put, supposedly out of reach. She pulled them down and shared them with the little dachshund. Daughter had to rush them both straight to the vets for injections to make them sick and received a £330 bill. Both in the dog house today.
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Just completed another jigsaw. Completion was a bit delayed because of Margaret's, albeit short, hospital stay for her new hip. Now this jigsaw is a bit weird to say the least. It's a Wasgij (jigsaw spelt backwards!) and its the first one of that brand I have done. Basically the finished jigsaw is not what is represented on the box, you have to view as if looking into the puzzle opposite perspective. It completely floored me initially until I got used to the concept. Apparently you are not supposed to publish pictures of both box and completed jigsaws together but I will here just to illustrate what you are up against. Sort of caravan related!
David
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Had a lovely day today. Met up with daughter and family, eldest son and family and eldest grandaughter and family where we had a drink and (very expensive!) cake in the cafe at Burghley House. We then left OH in the cafe with another cup of coffee while the rest of us went for a walk in the park in glorious sunshine. There were 11 of us plus 2 dogs. I was given flowers, an orchid and cards. Younger son in NI rang after we got home. His card and present arrived in the post yesterday. All in all a good day. 😊
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Been a lovely early Spring day, plenty of washing dried in the breeze.
It was very much the same here, with the same outcome! We did remember to put the clocks forward @Wherenext so it was a relatively early rise for us. Enjoy your next trip out in The Van and your meet up. Hope you don't have to cancel due to a hospital appointment.
That looks quite a puzzle @DavidKlyne especially when you don't have the right picture to work to.
Glad to read that all you mothers have had a lovely day out with your respective families.
An appropriate motorcycle for you @Francis
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Thank to all for you kind thoughts, words and wishes about Lizzie. It was a really difficult day yesterday, as I know many of you will have experienced....
Happy Mothering Sunday to all... especially those who are Mothers! Hope you have all had a good day today...
Jigsaw looks interesting @DavidKlyne - I'm sure I couldn't have coped with a jigsaw with the 'copy picture' similar, but so different. I think I would have done better with no picture at all!! 😀
David
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Hi folks
I know that some of you use a rotating brush/mop to clean the roof of your vans and was wondering if there is a particular brand that you would recommend. I am looking for an uncorded electric one but there are so many to choose from so it is best to ask for recommendations.
Cheers vbfg
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