April 7

[Mick]

Mae all.how are we doing today then? We are in the middle of storm Lav..and it is a belter.Tree down the road has come down,the wind is really giving it laldy.and the rain is horizontal. Was goi to take the camera out..but no chance.Next. week is pretty busy Monday easy day. Tuesday dentist Wednesday we are going to see Agatha Christies play the Mousetrap.Thursday up at Leeds Friday out with camera. Then ive got to get a n electronic handbrake assist switch fitted to the car .its on order..
Hiya teegee how are you doing?nice to hear from you....trader Joes finest. Glad its all going good for you. Just look after yourself

Hiya lav.hows things with you? Did your grandson's enjoy themselves? Amy sent up a fee pics..the. new cat issettling in well .he isn't as fat as they first thought.they have had him to the vet .I see Longwood gardens are advertising again .thanks for the storm. Take care.

Hiya everyone else hope you are doing good

[Mick]

Wrote a post earlier and lost it!!!

[Lavande]

Good evening friends,

half decent day here, nothing falling from the sky anyway. I made a big batch of Swedish meatballs today so there’s leftovers, yum.
I bought two packages of sunflower seeds a while ago & YB has gotten them started in the greenhouse for me. I have found it easier to start with plants around here rather than dropping seeds in the ground. There’s too many roaming animals that like to dig up freshly planted seeds haha! I enjoy the different varieties of sunflowers & the pollinators do too.

Mick, I’m sorry my storm has caused so much grief for you. Hope it leaves the area quickly.
just had the one grandson here yesterday & it was his 13th birthday. Time flies & now I have 3 teenaged grandkids. Longwood is very busy this time of year & I haven’t been there since I don’t know when. YB can’t walk the place with his maladies, I should just go by myself.

Hellos going out to PQ, Pie, Slo & Cyn. Hope everyone is doing well.
Have a nice night all!

Lav

[Slo]

That storm sounds nasty, Mick. The Agatha Christie play should be fun! I like the Agatha Christie books that I have read.

Lav, you are so wise to just be a soft landing spot for your grandsons, and don’t pry into their home life. I am so glad that he wanted to spend the day with you! Thanks for the warning: that before I know what happened, these little grandchildren are going to morph into teenagers!

I am with Andy this weekend; he is almost 1 1/2 years old. This boy sure knows how to eat and sleep! He is very good at both. I am having a nice and relaxing time with D3 (not D2: she’s the one with the new puppy) and her HB. Yesterday we went to a little “solar eclipse” festival, and then we went shopping at “Label Shopper”, where I scored five pairs of pants for $60! I have gained back weight, probably mostly because of my enforced sedentary lifestyle thanks to my physical problems.
D3 is halfway through her pregnancy. It is a long slog for her because of all the nausea.

Today we will go see the total solar eclipse! I didn’t travel to see it, but hey as long as I’m here!…

TG, I wonder if you could find a retail job in a much smaller store? That might fit you better. Trader Joe’s is awfully hectic. It was good practice and a good challenge for you, but maybe a stepping stone to something more fitting and more enjoyable for you.

Hope the weekend is treating you well, PQ! And your sons too!

[Mick]

mae all how are e doing ? hope all is well.Storm Lav has left us now ... has left us now , took a few trees ,roofs and fences but not so much life .We managed to get out for a walk this morning .was nice in between the rain .Dentist for me tomorrow..hard to say this but Im looking forward to it

Hiya Lav how are you doing? hope all is good with you ..yes Im planting sunflowers up too and everlasting lettuce ...also planting up mint ...cats hate mint .there are still a couple of places that the cats are going to the toilet .not for long ...glad you enjoyed the company of your grandson ..Are they similar nature or chalk and cheese?
What are you talking about that YB cant go to Longwood?Youve got the golf kart ...he could whizz about on that ..bought some more pansies and violas this morning ..10of each for

[Lavande]

Good evening friends,

I thought we had pretty decent weather for eclipse viewing until the massive clouds moved in haha! We watched from the deck & YB did get one decent picture.
nothing much else happening, doing a little gardening (weed pulling) here & there.

Mick, I’m glad my storm didn’t do any more damage than that, sounds like enough! I transplanted mint from my herb garden to around the front of the chicken house a few years ago. Haven’t seen a mouse in there since, they don’t like mint either. Watch it though, it spreads like wildfire, haha! Good luck at the dentist.

Slo, I hope you had a good & clear view of the eclipse from your location. Sounds like you had a great shopping trip, awesome. Enjoy the grandson & yes they do grow so very quickly. I hope your daughter does OK, nausea is tiresome. I had a SIL go through that & it was awful.

Hello to PQ, Cyn & Pie, hope everyone is OK.

Have a nice night all. I’m going to push myself to take a short walk while it’s still light.
Have a good night all. Enjoy the 1962 prices (saw it on FB today).

Lav

[porqoui]

MAE ALL...that was a tiring day! Spent most of it sending in my newsletter articles, they should have gone in on Friday so was determined to get them in. Had 2 hall viewings, the second one was a real treat! She didn't respond to any of my emails and when I told her the booking had expired she wanted to rebook it. Talked to the boss as he hadn't scheduled staff that night and he said to go ahead he'd stay until staff came in. She was one of those "Oh, look at me, I'm so important." She thought the room would be set up for her and I said nope, that's your responsibility. She asked if I had anyone who could do it and I said nope. I said 15 minutes isn't much time to set up, how many people are helping you? She said I have to make a couple of calls to see if anyone can help. She then wanted to change the billing to the company account but couldn't remember the pin number for the credit card so had to phone her "Finance Department" who couldn't help her. She finally paid with her own card after I rewrote the rental agreement 3 times. Then she wanted to test the projector! Needless to say I was 1/2 hour late getting out of work today. Rant over, thanks.

Mick...that was quite the storm you had and isn't it cute that it was called Lav. LOL You've got quite the week ahead of you, and I can't believe you said you were looking forward to the dentist.

Slo...any luck seeing the eclipse? I was swamped at work and didn't even realize the time. We were only going to get 20% of the eclipse but it didn't get dark outside at all.

Lav...that was a decent pic of the eclipse. It's almost impossible to grow anything from seed here, we have such a short growing season. We are considered under a draught condition and the city has issued voluntary water restrictions. They have teamed up with Green Calgary and are giving away rain barrels. We can not use rain barrels as the water is not potable and can't be used in community gardens, While I waiting for the diva renter to finish her phone calls I did manage to get all my articles sent to the publisher, so that was a positive.

Shout out to the gang. Time to shut it down and relax. Have a good night all...PQ

[Mick]

mae all ..how are we doing today then? hope all is well with everyone .Im just back from the dentist..sore but fixed .it is really windy today and is blowing a real hooley...and of course raining.hopefully it ill be better tomorrow ..was going to drive down to Manchester tomorrow ,but we are going to go down on the tram.

hiya ppqp ..wow sounds like you have had a busy day .hope today is a quieter day for you,and yes I was looking forward to the dentists ....its no fun living on chocolate and dribbly mince !! hope today is a good one for you too.

hiya Lav ,how are you doing? the storm has reappeared under a different name.Yep Ive got mint in the garden now...in pots.Ive also noticed that rabbit droppings and the sweepings out of the rabbit hutch stop the cats too.
I meant to ask you too ...whats your view on taking statins ? the doctors dole them out here like sweets ..obviously there is a reason .Did you get your walk in ?

big hello to everyone else .

[Lavande]

Hey friends,

it’;s the day after the eclipse & we’re all still here I see. I guess the conspiracy theorists are disappointed Lol
It was sunny & 77 degrees wow, so nice. Went to another Amish nursery today & came home with more plants. Plants make me happy 😊. We had a little neighborhood excitement last night. Our younger neighbor who lives across the road & used to be a police officer spotted a guy sitting in the tree line out front. He had a 6 pack of beer. What looked like a bag of food. I guess he was planning to settle in for the night, I don’t know. We don’t have a local PD so she called the state police & three cars showed up quickly. They removed the guy quickly, haven’t heard anything more. It left me feeling a bit creeped out & wishing I still had a big dog here. Grateful my neighbor has a sharp eye!

PQ, so you were stuck with the prissy, useless woman at the end of your day, ugh! Glad it wasn’t me having to interact with her, haha!
we are way ahead on rainfall totals here, I should ship some up to you. It always seems to be feast or famine when it comes to rain. Storm Lav over at Mick’s was actually named Kathleen. A name I am sometimes know as Lol

Mick, glad your dental work went OK. Take care of that new work, no no rock chewing for a while.
my cholesterol numbers were just fine until I turned 50 then they went nuts. By then I was already eating more vegan than not because of food intolerances, digestive issues. I did everything I was asked to do but the numbers wouldn’t come down. My family history of coronary artery & peripheral artery diseases is pretty bad so I was started on a low dose statin & it dropped my numbers immediately. You have to have your liver enzymes checked twice/year since statins can mess them up. So far I’ve had no problems, hope it stays that way. If you’re concerned, give the statin a try. I’d rather prevent a heart attack, stroke & peripheral vascular disease (losing a leg). My father & oldest brother weren’t so lucky.

Hello to Cyn, Slo & Pie.
I hope everyone has a nice night!

Lav

[porqoui]

MAE ALL....had an exhausting day. It was non stop and threw a team meeting in there just to round things off. People just kept showing up wanting to pay for their garden plots, craft sale tables (which I don't have up yet) and facility rentals. Decided to leave early after yesterday and walked out into a thunder/lightening storm, rain, then hail and then snow. Of course I made a few stops during all that and by the time I got home it was over. Nice timing eh? According to the weather forecast there's more to come tonight.

Mick...Sounds like a good plan to take the tram to Manchester instead of driving. Glad you're dental visit went ok, I'd forgotten you were on the chocolate and dribbly mince diet. No wonder you were glad to go. LOL

Lav...sounds like summer weather to me, nice. I love going around to the nurseries but always have such grandiose ideas, I've over done it a couple of times. LOL Glad you neighbour was on the ball, that would creep me out too. I think we're in for a very dry spring in spite of these pop up storms. Thanks for clarifying the storms name, I thought that was pretty uncanny. LOL

I think it's a bowl of mac&cheese and bed for me tonight. Have a nice evening everyone...PQ

[treegirl]

Mae all, Shout out to you all -

Mick, glad that the dentist trip worked out. And yes, good idea taking the tram instead of driving... Sounds like you have the cat-keeper-away program in hand, good job. It sounds like you are still just having storm after storm... glad that you've had time to get things done in the garden and house, but hoping you have good weather for your travels.

Lav, what a sweet pic of you and your grandson. And an amazing shot of the eclipse! I was working, and didn't have glasses, so I just observed the eerie light that it gave off in the atmosphere... we have floor to ceiling windows at work, so I could see the light change. So that's it for eclipses until 2040, at least in these parts... All your garden plans sound wonderful. And yes, good to have that neighbor to have "eyes" on your street. 3 police cars are impressive!

PPQ, I'm worn out just reading all the stuff you had to deal with at work! Good luck with all, and sorry that your winter weather is continuing. Hoping that you have something nice planned for your weekend coming up,

SLO - a Solar Eclipse party, that's wonderful! And did you end up seeing any of the eclipse? Bonus on the new clothes purchases, so nice when you get something you want at a good price. How was your weekend with the grandson?

I had a new experience with my Long Covid clinic today - they have set me up with a Counselor/Psychologist that specializes in helping people with Long Covid. She was so sweet; and older woman, very compassionate. We spoke a lot about loss - I had not thought about LC in that way - but the loss of some cognition, some physical abilities, and the emotional impact of those losses plays a part in the condition also, i guess. I think my low moods are a reflection of all that... it was very helpful.

Spent the evening getting a handle on my finances... yikes, I have "helped" my step-daughter a lot... I have to dial that back. Did I ever say that she is moving here to my town? She came and looked around and already got an apartment set up. A huge change in her life... hopefully all will be well with the move, and her drive here from CA...

That's all the news, kids. Hoping all are well - safe travels, wishing you easy work days, PPQ, and happy planting if any of you are in your garden. ( I miss mine...)
TG

[Mick]

Hiya all how are we all doing? Hope all is good. I'm currently on the tram on the way back from Manchester. Went to the mousetrap .absolutely brilliant. Went to Nandos for lunch too.weather was a bit brutal. The tram is bouncing allover the place. Will try and finish this later....home now...it has been a really good day ....The mousetrap has got a real twist at the end ...Going out early in the morning with the camera ..going up to St Aidans nature reserve in Leeds ....so its an early start

[Lavande]

Greetings everyone,

We had a decent day, 73 degrees & a bit of sun. Tomorrow night a big rainstorm moves in so Mother Nature can water my new plants for me 😎
I made another big batch of chicken nuggets in the air fryer today so there’s lots of leftovers, yay. I’d rather not spend time cooking when the weather gets nice. I am in the process of trying to talk YB into seeing a neurologist for his chronic leg pain. It’s like talking to a wall of course. Sometimes it’s best NOT to ignore things. If I was dealing with that pain & immobility I’d sure want to know why. I’ll keep pushing until he agrees, Lol

PQ, they’re coming out of the woodwork for you at work, haha! I hope it settles down real soon for you.
I’ll see what I can do about redirecting some of this rain for you. Hang in there!

Mick, glad you had a good day, tram ride & all. I’m not sure what the mousetrap is, I’ll have to look that up. Enjoy your day at the nature reserve, sounds nice.

Cyn, every time FB brings up a 10 or 12 yr old memory I’m just shocked at how fast time has gone by. Seems like yesterday those boys were sitting on the living room floor playing with blocks & Lincoln Logs. The 13 yr old just got an electric guitar for his birthday, this should be interesting. I’m glad to hear you got to speak with a psychologist about long covid. Surely it wasn’t just a virus that affected the human body but also our hearts, minds & souls. Yes, the amount of loss was astounding. You had better put your check book & debit card away, save your $$ for yourself. I’m sure your DIL can handle her expenses on her own. Take good care of yourself.

hello to Slo, Pie & anyone else stopping in later.
Have a nice night all!
Lav

[porqoui]

MAE ALL...finally a break in the madness. It was a quiet day with no unexpected drop ins so was able to get some loose ends tied up. We are going to stay the course as far as the online facility rentals is concerned. The new software we were looking at won't work with the attendance tracking we need for the Out of School Care Program. The goal now is to go live on May 1st and at the very least match my offline booking procedure to the new online one. The difference will alleviate a lot of the "crap" I have to deal with.

TG...I contribute my better day to you, the wish for easy work days worked, thanks. LOL We didn't even get a darkening of the skies here during the eclipse so I didn't miss anything while working. How interesting about LC and loss, I hadn't put those two scenarios together either, but it does make sense. I'm glad it was helpful to you. Yup, you told us about your step-daughter moving to your town. After reading that you have to dial back the financial support for her I hope she isn't moving because it closer to bank of TG.

Mick...I'm glad you enjoyed mousetrap, and I'm sure the trip to Nando's was a welcome change from what you'd been eating. Sorry the weather wasn't the best. Hope you get some great pictures at St. Aidans.

Lav...you remind me of my Dr. She said I always come in when whatever had been going on is over, not before. She would say sometimes it's best NOT to ignore things. My leg infection for one. Had a one-on-one meeting with the boss today and talked about the company coming to flush our inground system and turn on the water May 1st. He decided he'd leave the inground around the building at the restricted one night a week water cycle. Going to be hard on our volunteer that does the flower borders. So any rain you can send our way will be appreciated. Our community garden is except from water restrictions because we don't hook a sprinkler up and let it run. LOL

I have been dealing with a toothache all day, ssh, don't tell Mick..so it's a bowl of soup, a pain pill and bed for me. Have a good night all...PQ

[Mick]

mae all how are we doing today then? hope all is good with you .Just waiting on my friend coming down and then wee are offski.Weather isnt that brilliant but its at least dry .

hiya ppqp ...hows the toothache today?Visit to the dentist is it?Glad you had a good day at work at least .You need some rain? we have plenty of it here for you.I certainly did enjoy Nandos ...teeth have still got to bed in properly ..a couple of them still havent but they will.hope you have a good day and the toothache subsides .

hiya teegee ..how are you doing? how are you feeling?has the counselor helped in any way?next eclipse 2040? Ill book a seat for that one .........hope you have a good day.you look after yourself

hiya Lav how are you doing?hope all is good .The reason I asked about the statins was ..I am on them asnd have been since my head exploded ..ok at the time my life was different drinking eating junk food etc plus a pretty stressful job..Initially when they put me on them and high bp tabs the statins gave me muscle aches depression all sorts of stuff ..so they reduced the mg dosage .Now I dont drink dont smoke have a pretty healthy diet ,not overweight etc ..Last time my chol .was checked ..last year it was bang on .Probably over the last 6 months my shoulders and arms are aching when I wake up ..I put it dowen to lying sleeping on my side etc .Really painful.so the last 4 nights I have gone to bed after taking an ibuprofen and spraying with freeze gel .In addition to that I have sacked the statins too ..as a test ...and yes I have woken up pain free totally ..hence the reason I was asking you .Last night I didnt take an ibo ...and again woke up pain free .
thats why I was asking
yes Im the same as you ..I look at the fbook memories and think where has that gone ..

hope you have a good day ..

big hello to everyone else .

As I look in the mirror at my naked body I think to myself!
I’m going to get kicked out of ikea any minute now!!
A man walks into a bar and orders a drink. The bartender gives the man his drink and the man asks "If I show you something crazy, would let me have free drinks for the rest of the night?"

The bartender thinks for a minute and then says "It would to be something spectacular to take that offer." The man leans down and picks up a box and sets it on the bar. He opens the box and inside is a small piano man, whom is only 1 foot tall, and beside him a little piano. The piano man starts playing classical music like Beethoven and Chopin.

Once he finishes, the bartender is in utter disbelief. He tells the man "You can have free drinks for the rest of the night, but only if you tell where you got this." The man says "In the alley way behind your bar, there is a Genie who is granting free wishes to everyone who wants them." Elated, the bartender heads behind his bar to see if it was true.

A few minutes passed and out of the alleyway erupts a cacophony of quacking. The bartender rushes back into the bar and shuts his door against a wave of thousands of ducks. He manages to secure the door and says to the man "I think that the Genie is hard of hearing, because after I asked for a million bucks, these ducks appeared by the thousands." The man chuckles and says "Did you really think I wished for a 12 inch pianist?"

Bob left work one Friday evening.

But it was payday, so instead of going home, he stayed out the entire weekend partying with his mates and spending his entire wages.

When he finally appeared at home on Sunday night, he was confronted by his angry wife and was barraged for nearly two hours with a tirade befitting his actions. Finally his wife stopped the nagging and said to him, "How would you like it if you didn't see me for two or three days?"

He replied, "That would be fine with me."

Monday went by and he didn't see his wife.

Tuesday and Wednesday came and went with the same results.

But on Thursday, the swelling went down just enough where he could see her a little out of the corner of his left eye. What's four inches long, two inches wide, and drives women crazy?

An empty toilet paper roll.

Did you hear about the crazy Mexican train thief?

He had loco motives.