What are you all up to
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Good news @DavidKlyne although now will have to be on your best behaviour while doing housework and keeping a watchful eye on Margaret.😁
Grand photos @heddlo I too like to see a steam train or two.
That looks quite a puzzle, @Wherenext did it take you long to complete?
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It has been warmer today with less breeze. We had our usual pilgrimage to Horsley Windmill but didn't bother walking to the beach but instead did part of the Broad walk. On the way back to the site we called in to see the two St Mary's Churches at Somerton. The 13C one at West Somerton is complete, has a thatched roof and has some wall paintings but they are very hard to make out. However in the graveyard is the tomb of Robert Hales, the Norfolk Giant. The other church is a rather spooky, ivy covered ruin!
West Somerton Church
The tomb of Robert Hales
The East Somerton Church
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@DavidKlyne That's fantastic, home already! Very good news, you'll have your hands full no doubt, but bit by bit Margaret will be able to do more as time goes on. Best wishes once again for a speedy recovery.
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Great news @DavidKlyne - wishing Margaret a speedy recovery.
Excellent photos @nelliethehooker - you certainly have an eye for the dramatic!
Had a good day in the garden, yesterday, although I was exhausted afterwards! Gardener came to do the heavier stuff and sort out the weeds and aftermath of the fencing contractors trampling all over the main border. I concentrated on the small raised bed which used to be a veg plot but is being transformed into a herb garden and somewhere to seed with 'wild' flowers.
Neither of us know much about plants, although I did used to enjoy growing veg - trouble is my mobility is such now that it's all getting a bit too much. Could do with some advice as to what to plant in the border to keep the weeds down. There's only a few rose bushes and the odd shrub at the moment. @Takethedogalong - you seem to be very knowledgeable - any suggestions please?
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@InaD Thanks, and to all others who have sent best wishes. If its any encouragement she has managed quite well and had a decent sleep last night. She seems to be moving around quite well. I was a bit nervous about her coming out of hospital so soon but thus far that concern has been misplaced. Always better to be in your own surroundings. You no doubt are counting the days as its not long for your own operation?
David
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Just a quick catch up, will say hello and best wishes later today, and reply to you R&R👍
Doddington Hall Gardens………
A very old Sweet Chestnut tree.
Thousands of Daffodils, and other lovely bulbs.
Hall from the garden at the rear.
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@nelliethehooker I remember visiting Horsey Mill on my first trip to the Norfolk Broads when I was probably 18, which is a long time ago now! Over the years had several boating holidays on the Broads, in those days most of the boats used to be made of wood! Happy memories.
David
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@richardandros what sort of weeds?
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Ha ha @Takethedogalong !! I said I don't know much about plants - well, I know even less about weeds🤔🌿😀 - they're green - does that help? Other than vegetables - and roses, I wouldn't know one plant from another!
Seriously, though - some dandelions, couch grass I think it's called although my Dad referred to it as "twitch grass", that green sticky thing that wraps itself around everything and those tiny little leafy things that looks a bit like water-cress. Sorry - I know I'm not much help🙄
The fact that we've got open fields behind us and immediately behind the back fence is a small drainage ditch with all sorts of weeds growing alongside it doesn't help - although I'm hoping the new close-boarded fencing will keep some of it out.
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David K, please give our best wishes to Margaret for a continued good recovery.
It seems that patients are allowed home quite quickly these days if there are no complications, and of course being at home is much better. My youngest sister, now 75, had one hip replaced about 10 years back and was soon up and about, and has recently had her other hip done with similar good results.
Today started sunny here, but looks like we now have a rain shower going over, hope things improve as we are having our daughter here this afternoon to help me wash the caravan. First I need to move it to the middle of the drive and set up a small scaffold for safe access to the roof.
We have had a busy week or two, extra grandparent duties as the other GPs have been away for a few days, plus removing about 30 m of DD’s front wrought iron fence to allow better (temporary) garden access for root removal and eventual landscaping, hopefully later this year. She is busy getting quotes at the moment, but the figures are scary! About twice what she had hoped 😮.
I have put up temporary screening to keep the boys contained and provide some privacy, and the metal fencing is now in the garden out of sight. She is hoping to be able to send it somewhere to be cleaned up and powder coated, will depend on the cost. Otherwise she will be cleaning and painting it herself, going to take her months if that is the case! The supporting metal posts are still in place so they will need to be done in situ.
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@richardandros I get the picture😁 I will have a think, and will put something in Gardening section with a link, rather than fill up this thread with gardening stuff. Could you post a photo of things as they are now at all?
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Pleased to hear that Margaret is doing well @DavidKlyne . Best wishes for continued improvement.
Sadly, we have a poorly dog and are currently wondering how long we have left with her..... Her heart is "at the top end of the scale...6/6" and she is retaining fluid; her kidneys are beginning to fail; and whilst we were away in the caravan last time she had a couple of seizures... now she is also on meds for this, which is making her a bit 'spaced out'.... A really difficult time - we've had Lizzie since she was a puppy and this year she will be 14. That's a good age for a Cav. No doubt the course of action will become clearer in the following days/ weeks.... 😢😢
David
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@DSB Sorry to hear about your Lizzie. Our old spaniel, years ago, had seizures, the tablets she had to take for them affected her kidneys and she passed away at 14, all very upsetting. Our daughter’s dog, also a spaniel x, also has to take tablets each day for seizures, it seems it is more common than we realise. I do hope it all settles down.
@DavidKlyne good to hear that Margaret is healing well. Don’t be too good at all the home jobs. My OH has only ever cooked pizza or fish and chips, saying he couldn’t cook. He had to do the cooking for some weeks while I was recovering and I now realise that he can do veg and mash to go with a pie or something from the freezer, so now I sometimes get a night off cooking😁 They do like to get patients out of hospital quickly these days. I was sent home the same day after my surgery, albeit very late at night. Nice to be at home but a difficult couple of days for OH. The 3 District Nurses who came to visit for the first few days all complained that patients having my op had previously been kept in for three days, only to be sent home the same day now as our hospital has no beds.
OH is busy putting my new rocking bench for the garden together, a zillion screws and the air is rather blue, but he is whistling in between when he can find the right screw. Im off for a walk to pick up my parcel which has been sent from the hospital to our GPs. It’s my new ‘body part’ so I’m a bit excited. It’s completely free from the NHS but very expensive, £100s, if I had to buy it. Another 10 out of 10 for the NHS. Im planning on volunteering to try to help others going through this, just to try to give something back.
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@DSB - so sorry to hear about Lizzie - it must be heartbreaking for you to see her going through this. Although Meg is now approaching 12 - she still bounces around like a puppy, but I know that one day, she won't be. We just have to make the most of every single day we have together.
@DEBSC - had to smile when I heard about your OH's endeavours with the rocking bench. Mr Amazon has just delivered a huge flat pack which, tomorrow - hopefully - will be transformed into a garden bench with built-in storage box. I suspect I will be going through a similar experience🤨
@Takethedogalong - thanks for your offer of help - most kind of you - I'll post a pic tomorrow
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@DSB sorry re Lizzie, I am a great believer in dogs telling you when it is time to let go, Rufs was quite ill towards the end but the vet said he could operate and possibly remove his tumour but he would probably require extensive chemo that would make him feel very ill, how can you tell a dog that you are going to give him treatment that will probably make him very sick but might prolong his life for another 12 months, i looked into his eyes and he told me it was time and the vet agreed, aweful decision but for the best, good luck and i hope for a peaceful ending for Lizzie.
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@DavidKlyne That's really good to hear, I'm glad Margaret is managing and moving quite well; I can understand you being somewhat nervous; when I first heard people are only in overnight I was amazed. But of course it's always better to be in your own surroundings.
Yes, mine is getting closer all the time too! Tomorrow I start with the strict cleansing regime, Wednesday another bloodtest and being told what time exactly I have to get there for. Was told at pre-op it would most likely be 7am!
I hope Margaret will continue to do well, from what you say, she's doing very well already, so onwards and upwards!
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@DSB I'm really sorry to hear about your dog; we've only had the 1 dog, but have always had cats. They give years of love and pleasure, but when they get older, it's a horrible thing to happen if they also become ill. We've always known when it was time, but that doesn't make it any easier. At the end of the day you do what is best for the animal and that is the last thing you can do after all the years of companionship, love and pleasure they've given you.
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All of us who have had pets know what you are going through @DSB. Best wishes
That looks quite a puzzle, @Wherenext did it take you long to complete?
I did it piecemeal a few weeks ago when we had all of that energy work done, plus a few days when it rained. Can't sit at the kitchen table for more than about 90 minutes or I suffer for it. Probably about 8 hours.
Sunny but a cold wind today on a morning walk. Had to go to town this afternoon to pick up my meds. Got caught in a hailstorm. Weather does look like warming up and staying dry in the next couple of days.
Can I make a suggestion on gardening to @richardandros? I'm not much of a gardener. I leave that to the ladies whose father/grandfather was a professional gardener but I do know that it's important to know what Ph your soil is before putting anything into. You can buy Ph kits at garden centres quite easily. That way you can make sure the plants you put in will be compatible with the soil. That's the theory bit.😁
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You seem to be visiting all our favourite haunts on your East Anglia trip @nelliethehooker Horsey Wind Pump being one of them. We struck lucky when we visited a few years ago as they were just installing the refurbished sails. It was wonderful to see. There is a guy who does wonderful wildlife boat trips from there in the season. Your photos are wonderful. I am so enjoying them.
We had a lovely walk round our park this morning followed by a coffee in the cafe. We also paid our respects to Jimmy the Donkey. I shall post a photo which tells something of his story. Mrs Heath who raised the money to buy him 1920 (for the princely sum of £7 which was a lot of money at that time) lived in Peterborough gave him a home and he raised a lot of money for the RSPCA. He is buried in the park and I like to visit him from time to time. We always took the grandchildren when they were young.
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@DSB I am so sorry to hear that your little dog is so poorly. I know just how you are feeling. As others have said you will know when the time is right to do what is best for her.
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@Takethedogalong looks as if you had a good day out, I particularly like the photo of the Chestnut Tree.
Thanks for the compliment @milliehull we enjoy our touring around here as there are so many interesting places to visit. You have some lovely trees in your park, which have come out well in your pictures, and I liked the tale of "Our Jimmy".
@richardandros there is a good free app, Lens, which helps with plant identification from your own photos of the plants you want to identify. Take care in the garden, it can be hard work when one is struggling physically, you don't want to cause any more problems and not be able to get away again.
@DSB, so sorry to read that Lizzie is still poorly. We know just how hard it can be when ones dog reaches that stage.
Enjoy you trip away @Francis hope the weather picks up for the rest of your stay.
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The other day we received emails from the NHS advising us that we could book a Covid Spring booster injection, and then today we were sent texts from our doctor's saying we could book there for the injection so this afternoon I phoned them and had no problem getting a time and date for them just after we get home from this trip. I could not have been on the phone more than 3 minutes total, as I guess few people want to spoil their weekends with having doctor's appointments!
It started out quite dull today and just when we were going out for a walk it rained! Thankfully it didn't last very long, and we managed a dry walk only from a different place than originally intended. After lunch we visited Hickling Broad for another walk and came across these rather different boathouses, at least from what we are used to in the Lakes.
We have never seen so many clusters of primroses, here just a small bunch.
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@DSB , I feel your pain. Over the years, we’ve had a few dogs, and it never got any easier to let them go. I particularly felt it when we lost Dexter, a Lhasa Apso. He wasn’t the most forthcoming of dogs, in fact quite aloof and very independent, did what he wanted to do and wasn’t keen on being paid attention to (stroking etc). But every now and then, he showed a different side, snuggling up to me. He was highly intelligent and incredibly funny ( I have lots of funny stories/incidents I can recall). He could run rings round Bunty, our cocker spaniel (she was as daft as a brush, but very affectionate/attentive ). I cried my eyes out when I had to take him to the vet that last time, and kept bursting into tears for weeks after, I still miss him now, and that was 10 years ago. We’re quite tempted to get another dog, especially when we see Lhasa’s when out and about, but being practical, I for one am not sure I could go through that again.
Wishing you all the best at this difficult time.@DavidKlyne , even though it’s only been couple of days, it sounds like Margaret is already making good progress. Onwards and upwards 🙂
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We now have what looks like a clean caravan, but from upstairs in the house we can see the rather green roof as we had to give up on it due to rain and hail showers and lack of a suitable cleaning implement. We did buy a rotary brush tool a couple of years back, but it seems to have disappeared. We have searched the house and garage for it without success. OH is speculating that I might have left it outside at one point and someone has taken a fancy to it, but I am not convinced on that. No doubt it will turn up one day, when we have stopped looking.
DD was here for 2 hours and did most of the hard work, the boys were inside with OH playing with their uncle’s old car collection and having something to eat, so we had to manage without their “help” ! DD is threatening to buy us a new rotating tool and come up and clean the caravan roof for us at a later date. It did look very good last time we used the tool, now it just looks terrible, our neighbour’s trees/hedge drip onto it.
While I had the van moved I took the opportunity to trim them, so now have a bin-full of stuff to dispose of. This coming week we need to clean the van inside, shampoo the carpets, and load up the usual contents as DD and family will be using it for the first week of the school holidays. The car needs a clean too, so plenty to keep us busy.
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@DSB I'm so sorry to read about Lizzie. As others have said its not an easy time. Thinking if you all.
@DavidKlyne sounds like Margaret is doing well. Ensure she doesn't get too confident too soon!
@Goldie146 I was only thinking about your cows spring release the other day!
LLots Of news to be reading. Sounds like folk are generally getting the spring bug and enjoying the weather or cleaning.
It's certainly been a wonderful year for snowdrops, daffodils and other spring flowers and blossom, even the magnolias are holding their blooms 😃. Let's hope it continues.
Still no real rain here, a good mizzle the other day, as opposed to the tropical rain, last Saturday. Neither have done much for the soil, but the ditches are still running well.
NNot sure on my plans after this morning appointment. Gardening high on the list, foot permiting not to mention the weather 😉.
Don't forget the partial eclipse between 10-noon. Depends where you are how much will be covered. Here about 30%. No looking directly at the sun! I remember being on the beach at Studland with friends and children for the full eclipse. It was cloudy! But the clouds parted enough to be able to see it.
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Don't forget the partial eclipse
Ooh, you're posh down South. Up here we just tend to say it's a bit cloudy!😂 It is as well.
Spring cleaning morning, plus floor cleaning and all of those bits you swear you'll never let them get that way again but have.
Enjoy your weekend if you can, especially those mothers amongst you.
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Not all farming happens outside. Yesterday we had a meeting in our kitchen with the Chief Veterinary Officer, 3 others from APHA, our vet and 5 of us. It was an intense discussion about Bovine TB and the way policy dictates how it is managed. We hope that our experience will help change things. It seemed as though it will.
It’s good to have visitors- it means I have to dust and tidy. And bake. They did bring some packets of biscuits but they were unopened in favour of home made cakes.
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