What are you all up to
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Thanks @DavidKlyne, Great jigsaw, btw. 👍👍
David
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You did have an exhausting December @DSB so maybe that had something to do with it. Best wishes.
Our clear out of MiLs crafting stuff nearly complete. A 4 drawer stacker full of card stamps (not postage) go a fellow crafter tomorrow. Plus we take the old table she used to the recycling centre with a few other bits. Then we get a new carpet after giving the room a lick of paint. OH going to use it as an her art studio!
Has doing the jigsaw been of any help physio wise for you @DavidKlyne? Worth the effort, well done.
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That's a fine looking jigsaw @DavidKlyne, you did well completing it. Thanks for the link, we have been following the developments on line.
Sorry to read that you have not been well @DSB , and you too @heddlo & @Bakers2, but pleased that you all are feeling better. Fingers crossed that your OH, @Bakers2 gets rid of the bug soon.
II can't believe that it is nearly 9 years since your OH had his first major operation @Takethedogalong, where has the time gone. I hope that he is soon over his cold.
Your car is looking as smart as the caravan now @Francis
All this talk of clearing out of attics send shivers down my spine, as OH mentioned today that we should do likewise, but I think that we might start in the garage as there is an awful lot of collected rubbish in there. It will be numerous trips to the tip for me I fear.
It has been a miserable wet day here, but thankfully there has been no wind so I haven't really got wet when out on my walks with Flyte.
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@DSB sending you best wishes, take care.
I have the loft from hell to investigate at some point😱 up at Mums. Hoarder extraordinaire is Mum, her house is still full of her Mum’s furniture (some very nice stuff), but we shall need to have a serious cull. Sis has a natty app that shows approximate value of some stuff, plus she does have a working in antiques background on her CV. So I am banned from “having a good clear out” without consulting. I do know that there are a lot of old toys from our childhood up in the loft, but I think,it’s going to have to be my snake hipped OH who is sent up there, could be dodgy sending me up (I once got stuck in a Priesthole at Oxburgh Castle🤣) and Sis falls off, over any kind of ladder.
I got all the paperwork sorted out today, all updated, old stuff outed, and files looking tidy. Not my favourite task, but needs doing, and makes looking after Mum a lot easier.
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Thanks for the messages and good wishes ( @Wherenext @nelliethehooker @Takethedogalong and all). You may well be right about December, @Wherenext . I don't think December 2025 was any more busier than a 'normal December', but none of us are getting any younger, and having a chest infection didn't help.
However, they woke us up, here around 5.30am (...the middle of the night!!!). Everything seems back to normal with me now, so we'll see what the consultant says when he comes round. Just hoping he'll let me out.... 🙂🙂
P.S. Should anyone want another loft to clear... 🤣🤣🤣🤣
David
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Impressive jigsaw @DavidKlyne, well done, it looks like a difficult one in some areas. We were given a jigsaw for Christmas but haven’t opened the box yet! So sorry to hear you are poorly @DSB, let’s hope isn’t anything too serious, and as Wherenext said, maybe curtail some of your December activities, it does sound pretty exhausting, maybe too exhausting as you get older? Take care of yourself. Good luck this week with the kitchen @Bakers2 it will look great when it’s completed I’m sure. We inherited our kitchen when we moved here 16 years ago, it had only been recently installed. We did change the all black flooring and worktops as I really disliked the black, shiny ones that were here (sorry if I offended anyone) they were not our taste; it’s showing a few signs of being past its best now but it will last a while longer.
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Thanks for the comments about the jigsaw. It was quite a difficult one because of the colouring. I suspect it exercises the eyes more than anything else as my left hand didn't reallty participate! I do like Ravensburger puzzles I don't think I was really at the point of giving up but with a 1000 piece jigsaw only adding half a dozen pieces a day its going to take a while. When the pieces are down to a reasonable number you can sort them into the different shapes which can speed things up. I have only given up on a few puzzles anf then generally after many attempts at progress.
David
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I do hope you're feeling better David - @DSB - you have my absolute sympathy - sounds like what I went through just before Christmas and why we cancelled our trip to Sandringham. I have an appt. with the GP on Wednesday morning to go through the results of the ECG / chest X-ray / blood tests and to find out what happens next. Just take it easy and get well soon.
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@DSB I do hope that you are feeling much better soon and are able to return home quickly.
I looked on here this morning and it said 23 new posts, I thought it would just be my iPad playing up but no, when I looked there were many, not 23 but maybe the photos count as well. You certainly woke everyone up with your comment @nelliethehooker
Please everyone stop making me feel guilty about the loft and the kitchen cupboards! I did clear my wardrobe out for the charity shop recently though. I dread to think how much stuff is in our loft accumulated over 40 years. I’ve tried to clear out the kitchen cupboards but, like Goldie, I get nostalgic and put stuff back again. New kitchen is planned very soon so that may sort that problem a bit more. I’m just not ruthless - we might need that some day. All made worse by when I suddenly needed my op last year I needed slip on shoes for hospital and button up blouses for some months, not what I usually wear, and both were in a bag waiting to go to the charity shop, both had to be hauled out again to wear. This experience has made me even worse. OH is worse than me. He and our Son put a new fire in recently and one of his tools broke, our Son went to throw them but OH retrieved them saying he'd had them years and might mend it. Our Son pointed out that new ones wouldn’t cost much, they are still in the garage.
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We were hoping to get out in the van for a few days this week @richardandros , but, obviously, that hasn't happened. We did manage Sandringham last November - which actually was our last time out in the van. December is always impossible, but we were hoping for this week.... Oh well....!!! Thanks for your continued good wish... and @heddlo and @DEBSC.
Still waiting for the cardio Dr to do his ward rounds....
David
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We had a small clear out of some old furniture from the lofts 5-6 years back (we have 2 separate areas), and DD has taken away most of the toys, but it is still stuffed! These days we would really need some help to do more, but son is too far away, and daughter has enough on her plate, so looking unlikely that anything will happen any time soon.
Garage is also stuffed as I use it as my workshop, then there is the shed in the back garden.
Kitchen not too bad, still the original one from 1988, but with additions. Originally we had a desk area along one wall, but when our son moved out in 1993 we set up his room as an office and sewing room, so added cabinets to that area of the kitchen.
On another wall we had a sofa and a radiator, but, when we found a new home for MIL’s sofa and chairs a few years back, our sofa moved to the sun room and we added a freezer and more cabinets to that wall, so we now have a lot more storage space and worktop area than we used to, allowing some larger appliances to be put away instead of cluttering worktops.We contemplated a new kitchen at that time, but the original was still in very good condition, solid oak doors and beech worktops, and the layout still worked well, so we decided against it. All appliances have however been renewed over the years.
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Take good care of yourself @DSB and don't do too much when you get home. Best wishes
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Thanks @Oneputt and @milliehull. Out of hospital now and arrived home..... and yes... it's a Dominos takeaway for tea! 🤣🤣🤣
David
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Dark and damp day here, but we were motivated enough to get out and do something after doing only indoor things yesterday. An industrial heritage/potted history walk today for us, starting off in Sprotborough, where Douglas Bader was brought up by his mother and step father. Nice walk along what is the South Yorkshire Navigation canal, a river in part canalised to avoid weirs etc…. Numerous places of interest, including Sprotborough Flash Nature Reserve, good for bird and wildlife spotting (Goosanders, herons, cormorants, little grebes amongst the usual ducky types today). It’s still a working waterway, has a huge stone quarry on one side, railway lines that link Sheffield and Doncaster, but is surrounded by woodlands, marsh areas, so plenty of floral interest at various times of the year. We made for a huge ex railway viaduct that once carried an industrial line across the River Don, a stunning piece of industrial building. It’s now possible to walk and cycle across it. We have cycled this stretch many times, and it has beautiful Conisborough Castle as one possible starting point, and at the bit where we parked up, a very nice pub/eatery we frequent on a regular basis, including for a post walk coffee this afternoon. Some photos……
Part of Sprotborough Flash Nature Reserve, grey and gloomy today, but lots of wildfowl around.
Conisborough viaduct, millions and millions of bricks, built very high, as initial plans included possibility of Don Navigation turning Sheffield into an inland port, a la Manchester Ship Canal. Double rail tracks to centre, iron section, single track over river, then back to twin tracks. You need a good head for heights to walk/cycle over!
Better view of middle section. It really is an astonishing piece of building. The mineral rights under it were purchased so that coal mining could never happen and cause subsidence and costly repairs. The whole area around was extensively mined. More info here, if anyone interested…
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Good news @DSB take things steady👍
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Good to hear you are back home DSB, just take it easy for the next while.
Lovely sunny day here today, did some washing and continued sorting the paperwork for our grandson’s investment account so we can decide how to deal with gradually selling the shares for him. Also concluded that we need to do the same for our granddaughter and Callum.
Still plenty of sorting and filing to do for ourselves too.
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The last of MiLs crafting stuff was taken by us to a local crafting friend who was extremely grateful for it. We then loaded the car again and headed to the recycling centre mainly to dispose of a long self assembly (only disassembled) table and a broken food waste bin and collect a replacement.
We were only saying last week that we couldn't believe the amount of recyclable material of all sorts that used to end up in a normal bin, mind you they were collected weekly then. Food stuff wasn't too bad if you had a compost but even then plenty of food stuff wasn't fit for even that.
Nice sunny but cold morning. Mist rolled in and out during the morning. We had the mole man visit late on. The little blighters are making a right old mess of the turf in the back.
May get out tomorrow morning. Nice photos @Takethedogalong. Good to hear you are home @DSB.
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Pleased to read that they let you out @DSB and that you are back home. Time to take it easy for a while now.
Fine photos @Takethedogalong sounds as if you had a nice day out.
It has been another rather dreary day here, but at least it stayed dry. We took Flyte to the vets this afternoon, as he has a quite swollen ear lobe. The vet thinks that he has caused it by knocking his ear while out walking causing a trauma. He advised initially trying him on a course of steroid tablets over then next two weeks, and if that does not work then he will need a minor operation. However the vets reluctant to do that as it would mean having to sedate him, not the best thing for a dog of his age. Fingers crossed that the tablets work, we will just have to wait and see. We hope to get out somewhere different for a walk tomorrow too @Wherenext as,it looks to be a favourable forecast.
You are right that my post has stirred things up a bit, @DEBSC
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@DSB Good to hear you are back home and take it easy for awhile.
@Takethedogalong Great photos amazing these old viaducts they certainly knew how to build in those days.
Just taken OH for his blood test he went in early and was out before they officially start doing blood tests and he was the first one in, not keen diving in the dark though and it was raining always careful around here never know if a Deer or a Wild Boar will run out into the road.
We had a clear out in our outside building some old radiators, old electronic bits and two old groundsheets we do not use so a trip to the skip and we were the only one in there and another car came in when came out must be the weather to keep folks away, we do not put things in the loft as it is quite a low roof so just a load of cables across for lights and fibre for internet and phone, I am not keen up there as too many spiders the daddy long leg type yuck.
We have had moles come in from next door's field and near the house so OH has dealt with them.
Looks like a period of wet and windy weather here inside chores only I have some chair cushions to do as old ones a bit worn thankfully only 2 to do and OH will sort the floor in a large built in cupboard in the bedroom today and that means more sorting out to do.
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Thank you all @Takethedogalong @KjellNN @Wherenext @nelliethehooker @RedKite. The most disappointing thing about the whole episode it that it put paid to our few days away in the caravan this week. It was going to be out first outing of 2026. 🤣
David
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We were hoping to get out for a walk today but OH took one look at the weather and said she wanted to enjoy the walk rather than suffer it. So we tied up a few more loose ends.
Library for MiL, Boots for balance of meds for OH, local carpet place that we've always used, to choose a new carpet for the now titled "Art Loft" (despite being in a bungalow!)😂 Anyway they came out this afternoon to do a proper measure and one will be fitted a week Monday by which time OH will have finished painting what needs to be painted.
The weather was really disappointing despite giving a reasonable forecast 24 hours before. If its correct this time then the next few days do not look good.
Northern Lights over North Wales last night. Quite earlyish as well, around 10pm. No chance tonight.
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Last week I got a letter from the DVLA, with news I didn't want but was half expecting. They are not going to re-instate my driving licence after my stroke because medical evidence says that my eyesight does not meet the required standard. That is fair enough as the last thing we need is drivers with impaired vision! I am able to appeal the decision but until I have some evidence to support that I have to accept their decision. I will wait for my next hospital eye test and discuss with the lady that does them as she did say that after a year you can appeal and ask them to reconsider as most elements of the eyesight are stll good its the peripheral vision on the left side which is the problem. There has been some improvement , but not enough. As a result of this we decided to sell the car. it had only done about 3500 miles since new and and its first MOT was not due until the summer of this year. It seemed pointless leaving it on the drive not being used. The saving in insurance, road tax and servicing will pay for a lot of taxi fares! For those interested in such things we used Motorway to organise the sale which seems to have worked pretty seamlessly. They are a bit like WeBuyAnyCar but instead of you having to take the car to them, Motorway offer a bid price to the trade and you are contacted by said dealer and they come to you. Wouldn't have managed it without the help of my youngest son, Simon. I think we got a fair deal and the minimum of hassle compared to selling privately. There is no guarentee I will eventually get my lincence back, but if I did I can always buy another car. We now just have to arrange our lives around not having a vehicle, the first time in about 55 years!!!
David
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@DavidKlyne getting rid of the car at least gives you one less thing to to be bothered with, although of course you will miss convenience of it. Hopefully your eyesight will gradually improve sufficiently for you to get your licence back, and if it does you can then think about whether or not you actually need to drive, following your experience of having done without one for a while.
It is a shame that you were not able to get a decent walk in today @Wherenext , but there will be other days. We did manage to get out and had a rather chilly and breezy walk along by the shore. I was hoping to see lots of waders but the tide was nearly fully in, with little foreshore. We did see Ringed Plover, Shelduck, & Redshank as well as a flock of Wigeon and Lapwings along with the usual Oystercatchers. There was too much cloud and light pollution last night to enable a proper view of the Northern Lights. I came across a new beer this evening in Home Bargains, Cwrw Gorslas from Glamorgan Brewing Co, the official ale suppliers of the Welsh Rugby Union. Very pleasant it is too, and a bargain at 99p for a 500ml bottle!
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Sorry to hear your DVLA news @DavidKlyne and hopefully you will get the improvement you need for reinstatement, if that’s the way you want to go. We have been making really good use of our Senior Railcards since we bought them, in fact our next trip up to Edinburgh will break even in terms of purchase price v savings, and we have only had them four months, and paid for 3 years, so a really good buy for us. Not sure how well connected MK is in terms of rail travel, as that could be a factor to consider, but it might be worth buying a one year pass, and see how you go? We are exploring places from holiday bases (e.g we did Carlisle from Hadrians Wall, and will do North Berwick from Edinburgh in March) so not just used from home, we explore whilst away. We are lucky to live close to mainline stations going North-South, and East-West, so it is easy for us. Been impressed by services as well, comfy, clean, nice staff, and barring vandalism on the line occasionally, all trains on time. You get compensation if connections miss anyway, but it hasn’t happened to us yet🤞OH has a bus pass as well, which he can use on Sheffield’s Trams, and our local TramTrain service from our home town. I need to get mine sorted. Free as well.
Our weather same across here @Wherenext we gaze out of window every morning, pondering on what to do. It’s raining again today, so no walking or gardening, so we might just do some drop offs at charity places, pick up a new gas bottle for MH, then back to do some more sorting at home. Glad you got out @nelliethehooker
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@Takethedogalong thanks, MK is pretty well connected as its one of the busiest stations on the West Coast main line and of course East/West Rail to Oxford and beyound. Also London only half an hour away. We do have a TwotoGether railcard but haven't made much use of it but perhaps in the future? I think I would prefer train to coaches?
David
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@DavidKlyne very well connected then🙂 Not sure what discounts are like on a two together, but they seem good on Snr passes. I could possibly do coaches on selected journeys, but do still get travel sick once they start swooping round small lanes, plus having done a couple of longer commutes via National in my younger days, they take forever to be honest, call in at lots of places. You can get up and have a good stroll, go to loo, visit buffet car on a train, so much better for me. We have got Doncaster-Edinburgh returns, plus onto our home town for around £45 each, and it’s only three hours, whereas Jeep would be an all day drive, probably at least three full tanks there and back at about £80 a fill up, so it’s great value for money, as it’s City Centre we want to be in. No parking fees either.
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