MargieH

Could it be ‘basted potatoes’ because you baste them in the oven by spooning fat or oil over them to make them crispy on the outside?

I started the day well until I’ve just been hearing the words Her Majesty the Queen. I’m not ready to hear that yet (probably never will be ready actually) C is possibly a nice enough person but she’s not my queen. Of course it doesn't matter what I think but just wanted to put my feelings down in writing ….

The people on our village from other countries whom I know include a lawyer, an electrician, a university lecturer, a couple of dentists, several NHS occupation therapists and physiotherapists, an office administrator and a painter and decorator. I think they a certainly contributing now. Ooh, I forgot the Chinese chip shop owner, an Indian couple (both working - one for the NHS, and two Hungarian families, both in full time work. As I said, people are people and it doesn’t matter to me where they were born. It makes for a richer culture than just having a white British population.

@nonnaBIn our similar size village, we too have several families from other countries who all are well integrated into village life. There are Spanish, Italian, Turkish, Ukrainian, Chinese, Lithuanian and Romanian families that I know of and there may be several more that I haven’t come across yet. There are also lots of South African families in this and surrounding villages. People are just people, with the same worries and joys as everyone else…..

I can’t get at pms or notifications on my phone (no little envelope or bell) so have to go to someone’s profile and click on ‘Message’ Been like tnat for ages CT I’ll try what you Suggest as I use a bookmark. Thanks

A memorable hen night, Mary!

Are you hoping for a general anaesthetic this time?

So leased Annie has returned. Was she hungry?

I think you may get lots of stuff out, sort through it nostalgically, put it back in the box and later in the day put it back in the garage, comforting yourself that you’ve done the first step and will decide what to do with it another day ….. or you might get too much out at once and halfway through trying to sort it, start to wish you’d never started!

Just bought Heroes in Tesco for £4 (clubcard price). Haven’t looked at the weight - perhaps it is less this year?

I really feel for you Siddha as we’ve been in this situation 2 or 3 timers. Its the not knowing that is the worst. I hope she returns….. x

I wondered if any of you on here can recommend a solici in the Mansfield/Nottingham area - someone whom you have recently dealt with personally. One of our grandsons is thinking of buying a flat and he doesn’t know the reputations of any at the moment. It will obviously be for conveyancing. Please could you send any names and comments to me privately? Thank you x

I agree Loppy that writing your feelings down can be very therapeutic. Some may just write a narrative, others find poetry expresses their feelings better. It’s good that you can say you have had 2 good marriages and that you and your present wife can also talk about your past marriages. You are right that life has lots of twists and turns, but like you, i believe God has it all in his hands and however much we don’t understand why certain things happen to us, he does and can bring good out of it often in unexpected ways. Thanks for sharing this on here x I know there are

Jill, Your food bill will go up a bit now as Jessie will need extra while she’s a nursing mum! Love your choice of names for the kittens btw

Aah, that’s lovely Jill. I love watching new life coming into the world…. one of our cats purred all the way through her labour!

I agree Phil, he almost made his cello talk … I felt quite emotional

Just been watching the proms and really enjoyed much of it. I thought your neighbour was excellent, Lizzie. One thing I’m a bit puzzled about is when certain words of Land of Hope and Gary were changed. It was probably many years ago but I’ve only just noticed. The new couple of words make more sense than the original …….. “increase” has been changed to “be set”

@LizzieM You are right, we didn’t know each other then. or else I would have gone too. @Willow wilson I went with mum in the late 40s/very early 50s on a boat to Radcliffe but we returned to Nottingham on the train. I remember getting off the boat and walking up a steep gravel path to a park, before walking to the train station. it felt like a real adventure!

Lovely photo. Perhaps one of the meet ups next summer could be a trip down the river on a boat? I expect it would be too expensive to hire one though! At least one of the Carlton le Willows reunions have been on a boat but I didn’t go because my friend wasn’t going: I’m not always very confident with people I don’t know . (You lot are OK though because I feel I know you through our communicating on the forum)

What a few troubled days you’ve had Col ! But pleased at least one person did their job properly.

As I said in my previous post, goats milk from carefully fed goats is lovely - if they are allowed to browse on cabbages etc, then it’s a different matter! And it’s only the billy goats who smell bad, especially when they are getting interested in nearby female goats…… The females have a mild distinctive smell, the same as all animals do. I find it fascinating that horses and dogs especially have a lovely distinctive smell - probably cats as well but I’ve become ‘nose blind’ to them.

I love goats and used to regularly milk 3 of them when their owners went away on frequent holidays. My reward was I could keep the milk (and eggs, cos they also had chickens). Because the goats were fed only on special goat feed and grass, the milk was delicious. Their field was kept free of any weeds etc that would adversely flavour the milk. The owners also kept a smelly billy which I wasn’t too keen on. I kept him in his large shed, quickly providing goat food and water (before he put his head down to charge at me)

…or as Catherine Tate used to say “Am I bovvered?”

We look after our son’s dog and have been told this trick…. put some dry rice or pasta in a small empty plastic bottle (fill about third to half full) and screw the lid back on. When the dog does something unacceptable, say “no” VERY firmly and loudly while shaking the bottle vigorously near its ear. If you do this consistently, it works !!! Of course being consistent is the key and all the family need to be on board with it. It doesn’t take many days for the pooch to learn, and sometimes just seeing the bottle will stop them in their tracks.

Just not your (or your wife’s) day, Trogg. I hope her wounds will soon heal. How old is the dog? Puppy training classes may be a good idea! btw, hope your blocked parotid gland is now better x