Hi both x

Baz

Aww Baz, sorry you felt so unwell on Friday,   but glad you slept well last night. As you have been unwell, you are right to take it easy, I am sure your bathroom cleaning can wait until you feel more yourself. Hope you feel a lot better by now.

I too am looking forward to Bake Off. I haven't seen who the presenters are yet. I assume you mean there is someone new?

Hicky

Happy Birthday to MrsH. Hope she has had a nice day. I am sure she really enjoyed her special steak meal. Glad you enjoyed your takeaway. That was very noble of you to share your chop suey roll with her as it was her birthday. 

its handy MrsH is so familiar with the shop, that she can do the food shopping so easily.

Yes the tap water down here is awful, but oddly the water is really nice where my aunt lives in the Midlands, and apparently they get it from Wales!   We buy the fizzy water from Costco, very cheap it is but nice.

Really warm and in the 20's again here today, so am still just wearing my summer dress with patio door wide open until bedtime.(we have flyscreens though). Got to sit on swingchair and read my book, lovely. Took doggie a little walk too. MrM made a white/wholemeal mix loaf and it came out perfect, so had that for tea with salad and cheese. Rest of the family had cooked a chicket to have with it too.

I saw a bit of that Strictly show, you didn't miss much. Just snapshots of old dances shown in years gone by, quickly jumping from one to another. I enjoyed BGT though.

Goodnight both xxx

Evening Mollie.

Well Mrs H ate in the afternoon, my food didn't arrive till around 5:50, i started with a chop suey roll and i think it had just been made as it was so fresh and i had ordered 2, as i was nearing the end of it i though, i winder if MrsH would like the other 1, so i asked her, she said, if you can spare it, well i would never refuse her and would never have offered if i wasn't going to let her have it.

I think my water comes from Wales, with living on a peninsular and surrounded by water it has to come a long way, but very drinkable.

Nice for you to get some time on the swing seat and be able to take doggie a little walk.

Going to make those eggs wrapped in smoked bacon in the morning, can't wait to try those, will have a couple for brekkie, hopefully.

If thats all they were showing on nthe strictly show, what point was that.

Have a good evening and sleep tight.

Evening All.

19c today with the sun and a gentle breeze, made 6 of those eggs in bacon, had 3 for brekkie so 3 for the morning.

Midday finished the beef and tomato off, for tea had some of the beef curry and rice from last night, oh and another bowl of the hot and sour soup.

Had a delivery of the power supply and adapter for the greenhouse camera, have set it back up but think i had better put a timer on it as they aren't so good in the dark really, will change the SD card in the morning and see what the picture is like.

They have dispatched my dried avtive yeast so should have that this week.

Been watching a Chess GM playing 3 and 5 minute games in st Louis rapid and blitz championships, wow, incredible, this Eric Rosen is so clever, he even predicts what the opposition will play at breakneck speed, he moves so fast the time clock doesn't get time to even register.

Stay safe, stay in and sleep tight.

Afternoon Mollie and Hicky Sunny day....I slept quite well last night ....and so far my tummy has behaved I’ve done a bit more today ....changed duvet cover ....with all that entails ...done another load of washing ....did a bit more pruning in the garden....dusted and cleaned kitchen . Now I’m perched on the sofa for the rest of the day  I had a piece of salmon and a couple of croquettes for lunch ....thought I’d better keep it light for now Anyway , hope everyone else is having a good day ....and enjoying the sunshine , while it lasts 

Mollie , glad you are enjoying the sunshine ....guess we need to make the most of it I also drink bottled water ....although have to give up the fizzy stuff .The new presenter is replacing Sandi Toksvig.....there is a thread on the the Big Brother forum , if you fancy joining us Hicky , glad Mrs H had a nice birthday Is your area in extended restrictions ?I think we are in danger of it too . 

Anyway , Bake Off tonight , so my viewing is sorted Hope you both have a good evening too. Stay safe 

Evening Baz.

19c again here with sun and a moderate breeze.

Glad you sle[t ok, you have done a lot of work, changing bedding is a pain.

Salmon is always nice to have, i usually have some in the freezer.

I've been taking some of the big old leaves off the outside vine to let more sun through, will have to redo the vine next year, too much growth to control, same with the greenhouse vine, have an idea what needs doing.

For brekkie had a egg in bacon and a round of my toast with irish butter.

I don't know if my area in under more restrictions or not, i don't go out so it doesn't make a lot of difference.

Just watching Outback Opal Hunters.

I have loads of recording so dont need the tv programs.

Keep safe and have a good evening.

both xxx

Baz

so glad to hear your tum behaved and you slept well.

Good idea to keep the diet light if your tum has been playing up.

Oh yes, Bake Off tonight, I will try and join you if you can, but things round here have been busy here lately. So usually I can only watch in Catch up if I get interruptions. But I am looking forward to watching it. Will let you know what I think of the new presenter though. There is a show on straight after on same channel called The Write Offs that looks interesting.

Yes I can believe the fizzy water could upset you as you have tummy problems. I don't like it too fizzy and have to leave it awhile to settle. I do like it out of the fridge with a squirt of lemon and lime.

Hicky

Glad to see you are enjoying your chess watching.

Did you get your dried active yeast of Amazon? Sometimes we have trouble getting it.

What did you think of the bacon wrapped egg? I don't eat eggs or bacon but my family like them and my son is always looking for new recipes.

I seem to be doing a lot of sorting lately....Son started his Uni course yesterday, only online, but I had to help him plough through a load of instructions to set it up. And the student finance is still not sorted yet!

Our area went into lockdown tonight, so we had to do a last visit for awhile to Costco to stock up on some of their bulk stuff. We thought we may as well try and get something out of our membership money as we have been there so little lately, and can't after today, as Cardiff is outside our area. Also, my shopping deliveries appear to be harder to book again, and some stock is unavailable again. I have an M and S delivery tomorrow, but no slots are available with them after that. Baz,have you been able to re-book Ocado or are they fully booked there too?

We gave my friend who passed away a shed and her daughter said it was ready for us to take away again today. Another friend with 5 kiddies can make good use of it, so MrM dismantled and collected it today, then dropped it off to its new pleased owners.

I see U Turn Boris is now telling people to work from home if they can, after only a few weeks ago saying that if they want to keep their jobs, they need to go back into offices. I read many think he was more concerned with collecting those really expensive office rents to make sure his Tory donors did not lose out, than keeping people safe. Incredible to rent a desk in central London, a business guy said costs £24k plus a year! No wonder the public are confused. Here in Wales (and Scotland too), they never changed the message of asking people to carry on working from home where possible, so no change there.But the other rules here too are still very confusing.

It was obvious this virus was coming back as winter approached, especially when we saw it in EU coming back. So I think most guessed Boris would not be correct when he said a few weeks ago all would be back to normal by Christmas. Everything round here for Christmas has been cancelled a long time ago. So we will be miss seeing a pantomine this year. After our last experience I am wondering if it worth trying the drive- in panto coming to Cardiff? Son does not seem so keen, as it will be mid winter.

But all we can do is try and keep ourselves safety away from this awful virus and hope it clears off soon. Like you Hicky, we will not be going out at all, but wil l go for outdoor walks. 

Time to try and sort things out so I can watch Bake Off.

And I will record All Creatures. Have you managed to watch it yet Baz?

Goodnight both xxx

Evening Mollie.

Yes, the active yeast is via Amazon, shoul only be a couple of days now.

The bacon wrapped eggs are very nice, and with the grated cheese melted on the top, very nice, i think my bacon might be a bit salty, but i like salt with eggs, just having 1 a day, froze 2 this morning and ate the 4th, the lady that makes them all the time said she makes 20 at a time, i will make them again, in fact the muffin tin can make 24 so no point in just making 6, will make a dozen next time, just need to put what i want on the shopping list.

That was a good idea to take your shed to a friend as you don't need it.

I thought all along that you should work from home if the company or office conditions can't allow you to work safely, of course they want you to go to the office if you can and its safe, whats changed?

They were trying to get the country moving, its just the idiots that are putting us back, not the government, its costing them a fortune and people are just taking the money and doing nothing to help the country get out of this mess.

People say everything is confusing, just follow the rules, what confusing about that.

We should have been doing well by Christmas but all the idiots having parties and spreading the virus, i don't blame Boris, how is he wrong, for making a prediction, i would have made the same prediction.

I won't be going out anywhere, when you don't know who has the virus its just a gamble really isn't it.

Playing chess with my lad, and watching 244 hrs in A&E

stay safe and sleep tight.

Evening All.

19c again with light rain and a gentle breeze.

Had bacon and black pud on toast for brekkie, fruit during the day and for tea got a frozen container of home made Madras curry sauce, half a pack of king prawns and made a rice cake.

I had the dried active yeast delivered so might try it on the next loaf experiment, the latest recipe find.

Have made my shopping list out for Mrs H to add to her own list.

I've got the F1 racing again this weekend so happy about that.

Happy TV watching, stay safe ans sleep tight.

both x

Baz

hope you slept ok and had a good day.

Did you enjoy Bake Off, I had to watch it on pause as doggie wanted feeding, then son wanted help with some paperwork but I thought it was brilliant. I like the presenters, and I like the contestants. Only one lady who seems a bit miserable but most seem to be really enjoying the experience.

Did you see the show straight after it about people who struggle to read. It too was really good.

Hicky

I guessed you would enjoy the bacon/egg balls. Nice to make and enjoy another new recipe.

Yes best for you to stay home and safe as you have breathing problems as this virus has gone nowhere yet and I heard a specialist saying it is highly infectious. Its a good job you have so many hobbies and you always have your man shed and gazebo for a change of scenery. Plus your greenhouse too. Me and MrM still often go in the garage for a change of scenery. He has like an artist studio in it and we have the gym equipment too.

I think the government have been useless, and are trying to blame the public  when it was obvious this virus would escalate with them encouraging people to eat  and booze indoors with their ridiculous "Eat Out to Help Out" and Boris shouldn't of encouraged office bosses to get them back into offices instead of home working. The majority of the public have just been doing what they were told for months and mixed in pubs, and didn't bother wearing a mask as the government said they were irrelevant. Now we are paying the price for this. The government knew from abroad that masks helped, but kept it queit from the public.

Too many private companies pocketing tax payers money too, then messing it up, eg. PPE supplies, then the testing that is not  NHS as they gave it to Serco and Boris's pal Dody who was well known for the mess up she made at TalkTalk.

But I do agree, this country (like most others now) is in a right mess. I think most of the public will do their best to not spread this and it is only a minority who don't bother. Every single person in Costco had a mask on and when we take the dog a walk everyone still steps aside so they dont' walk near you.

Our areas is in lockdown, so we can't have people visit to our house or garden, nor can we go out of area, but other areas aren't and about 6 other areas are. But the pubs are still open. Yesterday they had to chuck out 4000 poeple out from the holiday caravan park and close it down because of our lockdown. They only had a few hours notice. And the pensioners who only arrived Monday on coaches had to leave their seafront hotel and to to Tenby as it was not on lockdown.

Today the weather was a lot cooler. Didn't go further than the garage. Had my Ocoda delivery, all nice quality, but still no available slots now in the future.

Had delcious veggie/cheese burger with M and S rolls, M and S potato salad, then some yummy strawberry trifle.

That's brilliant you have your F1 to enjoy again. Do you get it on that special sport channel. or is it on normal tv?

Am watching Heathrow now, a really interesting programme.

Then A and E, always interesting.

Goodnight both xxx

Not sure if you have seen this story, but I thought it was very funny...

As you know our internet in Wales is not very fast at all, but in this village, it would not work for 18 months, but they eventually found out it was down to this couple...

https://www.dailypost.co.uk/wh...elsh-couple-18981033

Evening Mollie.

I didn't really go out much before the lockdown, as you say my garden keeps be busy and my cooking/baking, i only went out if we were going to get a meal fish and chips or a brekkie and go the the farm shop.

And i have a big swivel reclining armchair in the manshed and seats in the greenhouse and gazebo.

My next lot of eggs in bacon will be unsmoked which is probably less salty.

The mask wearing is not as successful as people think, it seems with the virus being so powerful and some of the droplets so small and contagious that they will go through the masks that people are wearing.

I don't blame the government at all, they can only do so much, its the public that are spreading the virus not the government people are going to private parties and BBQs etc by the thousand, a lot of people are ignoring the rules and always have, eating or having a drink in the pub isn't causing the problem, neither is those going back to work as the company has met the criteria, its not caused by what the government said, its just those that dont care.

Going to make the new loaf tomorrow all being well, just had another round of the last loaf, keep it in the freezer, thaw it enough for 1 slice then refreeze, coat in Irish butter and put almost a pack of shrimps on, heaven.

Keep safe, enjoy your evening and sleep tight.

Afternoon Mollie and Hicky  It’s sunny but chilly here today . I slept quite well last night , and feel a bit better today , so I have caught up on a few jobs  ....changed sheets and pillowcases....done a load of washing  ....hoovered upstairs ....cleaned kitchen and fed birds . I actually felt hungry at lunchtime , so had a couple of lamb chops ....fingers crossed Hope everyone else is having a good day .

Mollie , I read about that internet story....hilarious Yes, I really enjoyed Bake Off ....nice mix of contestants ....and thought they picked the right star baker ...but was surprised at who they sent home ....I thought it was going to be either the older lady , or the guy , whose name escapes me I felt really sorry for the guy whose cakes got knocked over though I didn’t see the read and write programme ....but might catch it at the weekend Sorry you are in lockdown ....but I think it’s better to be safe than sorry Hicky, I’m afraid I have to mostly agree with Mollie on this ....yes things are in a mess because of moronic people who show no concern for others ....and I think any government would have struggled to get on top of things .....but I do think it was totally ridiculous to open the pubs , or not to have insisted on mask wearing , any protection is better than none imho 

Evening Baz.

Glad you slept ok, you have been busy.

Cool here today at 13c with some rain showers and a moderate breeze.

Made a loaf using the new recipe i wanted to try, it was for a soft white loaf using strange ingredients, well, i couldn't get it out of the loaf tin, i had greased it and even had oiled the dough, the recipe called for egg washing the top before baking, whether that was the problem i have no idea, while trying to get it out of the tin it basically kept falling to bits so had to bin it.

so then decided to make a fruit topless pie so to speak, so get a bag of fruit taken from the 8 bags of fruit in the freezer, made pie bases from a rollof shortcrust pastry i had in the fridge, cut the pastry round the baking dishes and baked them for 20 mins on pretty low so they wouldn't be too soggy when i put the fruit in, did that them slow baked for an hour, very nice anyway.

For brekkie had bacon and black pud toasted sandwich, nice that.

For tea made ham and mustard toasted sandwiches.

I didn't know anyone said opening the pubs is causing the present problem, the pubs these days are restaurants aren't they so surely they are just sitting at tables eating and drinking.

The problem as far as i know is the 22 to 29 year olds who are having parties etc and gathering for games etc, where did you get this pub stuff from.

The goverment has always said what the rules are, nothing has changed, its just people don't follow them.

Have a good evening, stay safe and sleep well.

both xxx

Baz

glad to hear you slept well and also that you felt hungry.  Hope the meal did not upset your tum later.

Bake Off....I agree, I was suprised at who left, pity, I thought she was lovely. Seems so harsh to leave so quickly after they had to go through a long isolation.

Are you watching London Zoo tonight? I am.

Hicky

Its great you have seating in all your garden places, its nice to get out the house, we went on the garage today and had a drink of wine before dinner.

I bet your house smelt good with home made bread and fruit pie being cooked.

I fancy a pie as a change from cakes I think, now the weather is cooler.

Luckily lockdown here doesn't bother me much as we are are used to not going out. My friend doesn't live far away, but can't come and sit in the garden with me for coffee now though, as she comes under the next council area, which is a shame.

Son has to call into Uni on Monday but only 6 students a time allowed, whilst wearing double lined masks, and they have to social distance. Everything else is online only. He is allowed to leave our area as its only for education reasons. But they aren't allowed in pubs, shops etc. (he didn't want to).

I just read there are several articles saying there have been studies now proving a mask helps the wearer as well as protecting others. One of the studies was through cruise ships. 81% who tested postivie were asymptomatic when wearing masks, but only 20% when masks weren't worn. They believe masks help with covid immunity as even though some germs get through the mask, the wearer only receives a small viral load,so either get no symptoms, or minor ones.

Mask wearing should of been introduced a long time ago.

Found a link to one article about it...

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/gl...mmunity-researchers/

I also read pubs/resteraunts will continue to be a problem because people sit togther for ages indoors, without masks, so this gives a higher viral load, especially when not ventilated in colder weather.

Here's one the article linking pubs Eat Out to Help Out scheme with the rise in cases....

https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/...ed-eat-out-help-out/

The researchers said: "Adults with Covid were approximately twice as likely as were control participants to have reported dining at a restaurant in the 14 days before becoming ill."

We had a really noisy thunderstorm with bright lightening at about 6am. It woke the dog, she was barking like mad. So I came downstairs to settle her. It was pretty scary though. Much cooler today, with rain on and off, but we got our dog walk in when it was dry.

Goodnight both xxx

Evening Mollie.

It was a strange day weatherwise with rain showers then it was sunny, didn't know what it was going to do next.

I cut all the heads off the ;ast years onions i grew this year, each ball of seeds or whatever in each head is about 75mm diameter, they almost filled a bucket, hoping they are the seeds, had to take them because the seed & stem head were falling out when i touched them, and i am talking about thousands of stems.

Originally the medical & Scientific advice seemed to say that the masks made very little difference and the normal cloth masks did little to stop the transmission because the droplets went straight through the material, they could tell everyone to wear the real masks as they were needed by the NHS, also, China had bought all the world supplies up as they knew what was going to happen, also they wanted to control the distributions of masks so they could say they were on top of the virus and helping other countries.

China is going to have to pay for this in the  end, the WHO has been protecting them, not sure why, maybe because China is so powerful, of course they are, they jail or kill anyone that says they are fake, they must have billions of people in jail or forced labour camps, otherwise they couldn't sell stuff at the price they do, and all stuff bought from China is postage free.

Another problem with the masks is that the people then act different and stop taking precautions they took when they didn't wear the mask.

They could be saying wear a mask so those that dont want to will stay in.

Why are you reading what is printed in newspapers, they print anything, they are trying to sell papers, and the sun, noone reasds that paper in the North of England as they just print a load of made up lies.

I fi want to know something i will read the government web site, the medical & scientific staff are the ones giving the advice, all those with opinions, are just that opinions.

The government has it's own researchers, who is paying them to do the research i wonder?  

Most newspapers are probably paid by the lacour party to print articles, not sure if there is a paper that backs Boris as i don't read newspapers as they just print garbage to try and sell them, thats why they used to put lies on the front page so they will sell the paper in the morning as people read the front page headlines, so clever.

The Sun has never been sold in Liverpool since the day they printed all those lies about the football disaster, and noone will ever read of buy the paper again there.

I have F1 tomorrow and all weekend, and sun for 3 days.

Keep safe and keep smiling.

Evening All.

Not as nice today as was expected, 14c with sunny intervals and a fresh breeze.

Had to close the window early morning as Mrs H went to work and with the windows and door open there was a gale blowing through the house, it was moving the swing doors, we have 2, one into the dining/living area and one into the kitchen area, the kitchen has vents in the wall and one from the cupboard space above the oven area to outside, and a vent above the hob, and one in the bathroom, i have a vent in the office to outside as well, so with windows open its like a wind tunnel.

Had sausages on toast for brekkie, fruit midday, for tea i fancied the mince and onions i was going to have yesterday, i got some onions from the manshed and some spuds from the garage for chips, Mrs H thinks the potatoes i use are too small for chips but i love small chips/french fries.

Made a loaf, not bad at all, i used the CARRs flour company recipe but used dried active yeast instead of instant.

Have got tomorrows brekkie in water, salt cod, only a very small piece, all i can get till i can get to the market again.

I have the F1 this weekend so happy about that, spent some time in the kitchen today, managed to watch some of the F1 practices, more in the morning.

Going to watch some chess from the masters, love watching GM Eric Rosen, he is quite a character.

Have a good evening, stay safe and sleep well.

both x

Baz

hope you are well today and slept well.

Hicky

very strange day here too today weather wise. Dry all day but warm when the sun was out, then felt cold with a cold wind when it went in. So did a mix of stuff, sat in swingchair in sun, read in garage when cloudy and took dog a walk with jacket fastened up as it was cold by then.

Wow certainly sounds like you had a lot of onions, that kept you busy.

Yes that is the trouble, in the beginning, there was not enough masks around and they knew it, so pretended they were not important. At least is plenty of choice now.

Didn't reaise China had bought up all the supply. What a cruel country they are with the things they do.

Yes I know all newspapers are rubbish now, but I  just googled the research stuff I heard about on the radio so I could find an article to show you telling you about it. I know they are political, and all the Murdoch papers back the conservatives and its only Guardian and Mirror who don't. (not that I would ever buy any newspaper, I'd prefer my Womans' Own magazine).

Most of South Wales is now in lockdown including my area. plus Cardiff, Swansea, Llanelli now added today to the list. We can't leave our local areas, no one can enter and cars are being pulled over and checked they are in their own area. No one can even go away on holiday within the UK and tourists from outside have been sent away. But the infection rates have taken off so fast recently, they had no choice. Caerphilly rates have fallen since they had lockdown a couple of weeks ago, so I am hoping it works and the virus eases back again.

The hospitals here are having to wear PPE again because covid admissions are going up. One local hospital has had to close 2 wards already.

Since covid, like Scotland, I have read and just heard on the national news, that support for independant Wales has been growing. They said many believe Wales have handled things better than the UK government. (they have been stricter with covid rules.)

Going to watch Vera, and record Gogglebox.

I bet Baz will enjoy Gogglebox.

Daughter has ordered me a butterfly mask from Etsy, as I like butterflies.

Goodnight both xxx

Evening Mollie.

Its a bit confusing with the masks, they may only stop some of the big virus droplets if you have the virus and a cough, i doubt if they stop you getting it, so many have the virus and no symptoms so what does the mask do, nothing, the testing is confusing, so many people without symptoms are getting a test that the ones with symptoms cant get one, but the problem is, the ones with no symptoms are really the ones that need it arent they as they are spreading the virus and don't know they are.

The BBC and the Newspapers are so anti Gov that they just keep ringing up doctors or scientists till they find one with a different view then get them to do an interview for their program or paper, considering that out of every 100 people 50% will give a different answer.

I noticed parts of wales are under a bigger lockdown now.

It was obvious to me when Wales, Scotland started to give different information out for controlling the virus that they were preparing the way to say we need independence, they went their own way, don't think it helped at all as the information probably came from the smae science and medical sources, if it worked why are you going back into lockdown?

 I have loads of masks but i don't think they would protect me, unless everyone i came into contact with didn't have the virus, but as i'm not going out it doesn't really matter

Until we can get the Covid-19 jab or can get tested every day with a 20 minute answer then i had better stay in.

Have a good evening, stay safe and sleep tight.

Afternoon Mollie and Hicky  It’s very cold today But I slept really well last night ....nearly 7 hours ......and my new duvet is very snuggly. I was intending signing in after my lunch , but I put my head down for 5 minutes and woke up an hour and a half later Apart from that I’ve done a load of washing , some ironing and cleaned kitchen and bathroom . Hope everyone else is enjoying their Saturday 

Mollie , yes, I did enjoy Gogglebox ....as usual it was Jenny and Lee that gave me the most belly laughs And yes, I did watch London Zoo....they get very attached to the animals don’t they . I have a good supply of disposable masks ...some of which I bought myself , and two lots that FMs sent me way back in the spring/summer . I also think they should have made mask wearing mandatory much sooner (mind you , like Hicky , I’m not going out , so ) .... but in the same way we should have locked down sooner initially ....but I guess hindsight is a wonderful thing . Anyway,  I hope you are staying safe down there ....i like butterflies too   Hicky , like you , I’m staying in until they get a jab . I had a nice piece of poached salmon for lunch ....it was yummy Sounds like you are going to have a sports fest this weekend 

Its Pole to Pole for me this evening ....then Britain a year in the wild ....so that’s my evening sorted Enjoy yours , whatever you are doing ....and stay safe 

Evening Baz.

13c here pretty cool with sunny intervals and a moderate breeze.

Had salt cod and bacon for brekkie, for tea had the remainder of yesterdays mince and onion and added a chopped up reaper burger to liven it up, made more chips to go with it, it was so nice.

Been watching F1 practice etc for quite a while.

Picked a couple of small bunches of grapes from the greenhouse to pick at while watching the tv.

Glad you slept well again, why do you sign out of the forum, never signed out of one in my life, sometimes the site signs you out as part of their security system so the line doesn't stay active if you never go back to the site for one reason or another.

I'm a bit confused when you say we should have started with the masks earlier, earlier than when, we got the virus transmission down once without masks, just with social distancing didn't we.

If people had followed the rules we wouldn't be in this mess, so few people are following the rules, we know that because today was it they had a rally in london, 15,000 protesting wearing masks.

Pictures of the protesters, are they insane? https://www.dailymail.co.uk/ne...gainst-lockdown.html

Poached salmon is nice, thats how Mrs H does it, i just fry it myself.

stay safe and sleep well.

Evening All.

Another 13c day sunny with a fresh breeze.

Had a nice brekkie, had some fruit the had a vid call from Oz, didn't some washing and hung on the line to dry outside.

Cooked a Pork joint and got some spuds from the garage to peel and boil for a meal.

Watched the F1 race, picked the Kiwi berries off the vine or they will just fall off, will eat them like a small bowl of sweets.

Watched some chess games from some competitions, 

Watching my recordings of Love Island, almost caught up.

It's been a good day really, stay safe and sleep well.

PS, have changed into my winter outfits from today, no more sandal's short sleeves and short pants, socks back on as well. 

Afternoon Mollie and Hicky  How are we all today?It was overcast here this morning ...then the sun came out ...now it’s overcast again I didn’t sleep too badly last night , so have been quite productive today Washing , dusting , cleaned kitchen and bathrooms , fed birds , and got the bins ready to put out later Apart from that I’ve watched a Midsomer Murder and ate my lunch 

Mollie , I noticed you’ve not been in for a couple of days ...I hope you are ok Hicky , I always sign out of anything I’m signed into at the end of the day I think masks should have been mandatory from the end of the general lockdown ...at least until they had ascertained how the wider mixing was going to affect things . I’m very much a better safe than sorry sort of person How is your sons leg doing now ? 

Not a lot on tv tonight , apart from Jaimie ...but I’m sure I’ll find something to watch Have a good evening , whatever you are going to be doing Stay safe .

Good Evening Baz.

Glad you slept ok, you have been busy.

My lad hasn't mentioned his leg, will have to check up

It was a bit warmer today, but last night my heating came on for a bit, light cloud, also had a bit of light rain and a gentle breeze.

Had a bacon and egg toasted sandwich for brekkie, for tea decided to slice/chop up the left over pork, fry it and make a pan of fries, i made a hot and sour soup and put some over the chopped pork to spice up the meal, it was very tasty.

Had some more grapes from the greenhouse, i just pick one of the many smaller bunches.

I cut the Kiwi vine down as the fruit this year is only half the size it should be which means the vine is under stress, but as i can't really repot it its best to let it go, it survived about 8 years, but once the growth slows and the fruit is small its time to go, last year i had no fruit at all.

I will be watching chess games from the grandmasters, i caught up with Love Island so will watch that recording later.

Had an email fron the NHS about a new test & trace app for my phone, but as i don't go out i haven't installed it yet.

I see Wales has more areas under lockdown, also the Uni's, i suppose they spend so much time shaking hands and kissing and having parties is it any wonder the virus has taken off.

Satay safe and keep smiling.

both xxx

Baz

glad to see you like your new duvet and slept ok last night. You always sound busy to me.

Jenny and Lee are my faves too on Gogglebox, they just bounce off each other so well. London Zoo was good, and as you say, they are extremely found of the animals, but there seemed to be a lot of spiders on it, which I am not keen on!

Overcast grey or drizzly today, a lot cooler too, as the last 2 days have been sundress on the swingchair warm sunny days.

Yes I agree masks are important so should of been worn from the beginning, and we started and came out of lockdown too soon. So the public were lead to believe it was safe to go out and mix when it was plain it wasn't. So who knows where we are headed now? All of South Wales is now in lockdown to try and knock it on the head. Wales has been more cautious than the rest of the UK, (even though they don't have more cases), so lockdown is strict now. Cardiff airport is open but no one is allowed to fly from it for holidays. Essential travel only. A lot of virus cases were bought in from holiday makers coming back from Zante. So it makes sense to restrict the flyers.

Hicky

Aaww that's sad you have had your seasonal change of clothes, that really does mean winter is not far away. Sounds like it was necessary though as it must of been cool if your heating came on.

I wonder how long you will be picking those grapes for? You have had a good crop of those. 

Shame about your kiwi but you had a good run with it as it was 8 years going.

I see you are enjoying your chess, which is nice.

The last 2 days have been so warm and sunny I have spent most of the day outdoors, so had to catch up with paperwork today.

Son could of gone into Uni today as they don't have the virus in Unis here. But his Uni have been really good and they have enabled students to stay home and study online if they choose or go into Uni in small groups. As he does work well at home and has an Apple and the software he needs, online will suit him. (his brother sourced him a 2nd hand Apple at a good price and just paid for an upgrade).  So he saves money/time on travel too.

Just watched BBC1 Panorama, about this NHS (Serco!) Test and Trace. What a shambles. Giving it to private companies (like Talk Talk failure Dodi) has wasted a shedload of tax payers money. The NHS specialists say public health specialists should of been put in charge. But this is what we get when NHS is privatised like this has been. They showed BJ originally saying it was as good as, if not better than any other in the world, and would be fully up and running on June 1st! And he said it would play a part in preventing a 2nd wave! Oh dear.

I dont' think it is the kissing, parties and Unis here giving the problems, its the repening of schools. 50 schools in the last week alone have cases! Wonder if when half term arrives next month, they will choose to close them for a 2nd week in the hope it slows down the spread?

Going to wacth the itv drama Honour now.

Goodnight both xxx

Evening Mollie.

There are so many bunches of grapes, if it wasnt for the virus i could give them all away over time but with being stuck in the house what can i do.

I good idea for your son to use the laptop for Uni work, saving expenses as well, its a bit risky going to Uni as keeping separate doesn't really work.

I thought you had to give the work to private companies, what other companies are there, are you thinking of China, everything there will be state controlled, but here we use private companies as the government doesn't have companies.

Have a good sleep, hope you found some TV to watch.

I watched the program about Gambia and the fellers there hooking up with well off EK females.

Evening All.

Hope everyone slept well last night, i do sleep better when it's cooler.

Not do cold really but 15c isn't warm, light rain showers forecast but i didn't see any, no wind either.

Had my left over spuds from yesterday sliced and fried with black pud and eggs, for tea did some microwave fries in the wok and had some fish with them and some ketchup, when i want a round of bread i take the loaf from the freezer cut a slice or whatever and put it back, i keep the loaf covered in the freezer with clingfilm.

I dug/pulled up the old onions that were from last year that i planted to see how they grew, they produced flower heads which i hope will give seeds when dried, there must be many thousands if they work will have to see when they dry.

Been watching more chess games, i have just started watching a 12 hour video, GM Eric Rosen joined a tournament as number 3,600 but he thinks the total in the end will be 10,000, wow and they are probably all playing online.

Will have a pack of shrimps later for my supper, so tasty.

Stay safe, find some TV to watch and sleep well.

both

hope you are well Baz.

hicky

glad to see you have been busy with your chess and in your garden.

lovely day here too today.

But i cant type well as my keep fit campaign just came to a hault as i fell off the rower! my thumb bandaged by daugthter so must rest it, i fell on it. had to ring OH to help me get out up off floo as my feet were stuck in the feet stirrups, he reckosn i sat too far back on it, and it flipped me off it, wichi it shouldnt of.

hicky where did OH get her chair bike from? i am getting one of those instead!

goodnight both xxx

Evening Mollie.

Oh dear, thats dreadful, don't bother about typing, get yourself back into shape, i dont understand how you fell off the back when you are holding the pu;; bar or whatever it is.

You are lucky, you could have been hurt a lot worse.

Not sure what you mean about the chair bike, do you mean the peddle unit ahe had after her knee op? its just a set of peddles freestanding.

I will see if i can find a similar set on Amazon or i can get a picture, not sure were it is now mind as she went from that onto the exercise bike in the gazebo.

I see some on Amazon, they are for the legs but some can go on a table to use your arms.

This one is pretty cheap and Amazons choice.

Only £25 with free delivery. this is similar to what O/H used.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Exerc...&tag=googhydr-21

Have a good evening, stay safe and sleep tight, get well soon.

Afternoon Mollie and Hicky  Grey, wet and miserable day today ....matched by my mood ! No real reason , just one of those days   I slept quite well last night , and had a nanna nap mid morning , but I’ve not really done a lot ....just a load of washing , hoovered and cleaned kitchen . I hope you’re all having a better day than me 

Mollie ...ouch ...that sounds nasty .....lucky it wasn’t worse though and I hope it heals quickly I agree with you that people returning from holidays and schools/unis  opening have fuelled the second wave ....especially people returning from abroad who didn’t self isolate Hicky , my vine and apple tree both seem to have excessive fruits on this year ......neither of which I can eat any more ....and like you say , I can’t really give them away either  I finally managed to get another M&S slot ....it’s not until 9pm on Saturday night , but it’s better than nothing 

Well , it’s a slow night on tv tonight , so I will be watching Gogglebox re-runs I hope you both have a good evening , whatever you have planned . Stay safe both 

Good Evening Baz,

Glad you at least slept ok, yes, its not easy to be happy when the weather is miserable, its even harder to get up or have any enthusiasm.

15c today with light rain showers and a fresh breeze.

Just had fried eggs on toast for brekkie, for tea decided to have cheese on toast for tea but i put a layer of sliced green Jalapeno chili to liven it up.

Didn't spend much time outside as it was pretty miserable.

Made my shopping list out for Mrs H to get in the morning.

Had a problem with my mobile, in the morning after i unplug the charger i have what is known as black screen, the phone is on as i can use the bubbles but the screen stay black, but after a period of time, say 15/20 minutes the mobile works as normal, i have seen things to try and also a video of what to do to reset the system, it only happens in the morning though when i take it off charge and try to turn it on.

Yes, i have loads of apples ready, the Scrumptious, Red Fallstaff are ready, SIL took a load, the Bramley are smaller because i didn't think them out this year as i had none on it last year, but those wont go to waste as i can make apple sauce with them.

I can watch chess videos or my tv recordings so there's never a minute i have nothing to watch.

Hands, Face, Space, the latest saying, but looking at the figures no-one is taking any notice.

Stay safe keep smiling and sleep tight.

both

Baz

sorry you did not have such a good day,hope its better tomorrow.

What a shame you have too much fruit and can't share it.

That is lucky you got an M and S delivery, they are so hard to get now. I can't work out their delivery charges, I think it costs less if you spend more? As it originally was £4.99, then when I added some stuff it went down to £2.99. I still can't get a delivery yet but the driver said it should get easier.

Hicky

what a nuisance your phone is playing up. Have you had it long?

Hope MrsH gets all you need on your list.

Its good you can find so much to watch, especially now the winter approaches.

I too have plenty recorded now if need be.

It was A and E tonight, always interesting.

Sore hand gradually improving, better I dont  type much as its getting sore though.

The hospital a few miles from us now had 82 cases of covid, sadly 8 dead with it, and 6 in intensive care. They have had to close A and E and cancel planned surgeries. This virus is so scary the way it spreads like wildfire when it gets in somewhere. No wonder most of Wales is under lockdown now. We can't travel from area to area within Wales, but Boris has refused to stop tourists from covid hotspots in England coming to the Welsh tourist areas, despite the Welsh leader writing to him and an MP bringing it up in parliment today. Crazy, because when they get here they will find most holiday parks closed.

You are both doing the right thing keeping at home as much as you can until this thing gets under control.

Goodnight both xxx

Hicky

thank you for the link, that is perfect for me, it was pedals I wanted.

Evening Mollie.

Not sure how long i've had this mobile, its the Samsung Galaxy S5, its getting old now, i only have pay as you go, bought the mobile cash when i got it as i don't like contracts, i put about £30 a year on it.

With Mrs H doing the shopping, she can change stuff as she knows what i like.

I watched an A&E tonight, i just look whats on, any reality first, then Docu's etc, i seldom watch fiction or acting, don't really get it, don't like scripted stuff.

Did you need to go to the doctor or A&E with your hand, don't take chances if it needs an x-ray or something.

I thought you said the Welsh Government was controlling Wales, what has what goes on in Wales got to do with Boris, how can he stop people going to Wales, just close the roads, the Welsh Government can do what it wants, if they want independence then they don't need Boris to help them surely, it seems to me that the Welsh Government have made a holy mess of looking after thengs as they are worse then ever, maybe since they wanted to go it alone.

If everyone did what they are supposed to we wouldn't be back to square 1, social distancing is the biggest factor but its not being adhered to, people are saying they are confused, what, its simple, keep your distance, wear a mask, and i would say, wear disposable gloves.

The ones not following the rules are the ones that aren't interested in obeying rules, end of, you only need to look at all those having protest meetings etc in massive gatherings.

stay safe, Hands, Face, Space, & sleep tight.

Evening All.

Hope Everyone slept well.

Got all my shopping except the Chorizo, strange.

Only 13c here today with sunny intervals and a moderate breeze.

Had bacon and egg on toast for brekkie, for tea decided to make a batch of sausage rolls, the pack of meat made 14, Mrs H had 4, i had 3, will store the rest.

https://www.sainsburys.co.uk/g...ice-sausagemeat-400g

I took a sausage roll recipe off the puff pastry box, it said cut the pastry sheet & backing in half, lengthwise, halve the sausage meat and roll it out along the edge of one of the pieces of pastry, brush with egg over the pastry, roll the backing sheet and pastry over the sausage meat until it goes right around, brush with egg and cut into 5cm pieces, do the same with the other half, the sausage rolls should be stood on a wire rack to drain as they cook as there will be  alot of fat from the sausage meat, i cooked mine on a Silicone sheet but i don't think thats the way to go.

Didn't do anything outside, ate a small bunch of grapes.

Been watching more chess games, this feller is so clever to know all the opening etc, wow, he plays most games at 1.5 minutes on his clock, talks all the way through, he even says what the other person will play next.

Have a good evening, stay safe, Hands, Face Space.

  both xxx

Baz

hope you are well and had a good day.

Hicky

I too have a pay as you go phone, but its Nokia. Not an expensive one as I don;t do much online with it.

Shame the chorizo was missing out of the shopping, but at least it was only one thing.

The whole covid spread seesm to be growning throughout the UK. Wales can't stop English tourists coming here if Boris says they can, and if he has not locked their English area down, as he rules English people. Wales only has devolution which covers quite a few things, but not independance, so they couldn't go as far to block Wales off. But it looks like more places in England are finally being locked down now, so those areas won't be able to travel here anyway then.  Wales can only stop people leaving their local areas in Wales and close caravan/holiday parks which they have done in lockdown areas. 

Support for independance in Wales is growing now, just like it is in Scotland. We now have covid in a 2nd hospital here and the 1st hospital has more additional cases.  They said it started with 1 person who was a super spreader. (not sure what that means). So a worrying time for many whilst it is spreading so quickly.

Son is getting on well with his online Uni tutorials, which is good.

Thankfully my thumb is better than it was, it is still painfull if I do some things with it, so just ask for help when needed.

Thank you for the sausage link and the info on making them. I am sure my son will make these. They looks so much nicer than shop bought ready made ones. How many did you eat? The trouble is food like this is always tastier when fresh from the oven so its too temping to eat too many at a time then.

Your chess fella sounds real clever.

Watched GP's behidn Closed Doors, and then London Zoo.

Goodnight both xxx

Evening Mollie.

My last phone was a Nokia i think, but they couldn't transfer the comntacts over to my S5 which was annoying, it was a toy compared to this.

The Chorizo shelf part might not have been updated, probably be there another day, it seems you need to keep looking, like the shrimps, sometimes they appear on thursday, friday or saturday, they can't update every item every day, maybe they wait till some items sell out as people pick the later dates which could result in stuff getting thrown out.

What difference would Independence make, would you be able to close your borders, road block the roads, what could you do, probably nothing, i don't think you have a chance in hell of getting it anyway, where would you get the money to run the country? Scotland has no chance either, because the people don't want it.

A super spreader is probably a person whi is very badly infected and is showing no symptoms but is passing the virus on to everyone she talks to and everything she touches and noone knows, thats why you have to treat everyone as theough they have the virus.

Glad your son is getting on ok with the Uni online stuff.

Glad your thumb is a little better, just be careful with it.

The sausage rolls, i had 3, Mrs H had 4, i put the rest in a sealed container for tomorrow, they could be heated a little in the oven if needed.

Its so good to be able to watch this feller playing tournaments, and he plays so fast, he uploads the recording to Youtube, i subscribe so can see all hise vids.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NiU2tBfTyFU

I saw some emergency hospital program, and a few others, watching A&E now.

Stay safe, sleep tight.

Afternoon Darnies Bit of a meh day here ....both personally and weatherwise I didn’t sleep very well last night and I’m not feeling 100% , so I’ve not done an awful lot today ....just some washing , but of cleaning , and some more clearing out under the sink !I hope everyone else is having a good day , whatever you’re doing . Looks like tomorrow is going to be very wet 

Mollie , glad your hand is a bit better ....but take it easyI saw that about the Welsh hospital ....so very sad ....what a time we are living through ! I think the biggest mistake was a) opening pubs and b) allowing people to start travelling around the world too soon without the powers to MAKE them self isolate when they returned . I watched GP Behind Closed Doors and London Zoo too Gogglebox tonight , but I won’t be able to watch it until 10 (on plus 1) cos it clashes with Gardeners World Hicky , I agree , lots of people seem to be actively....and selfishly ... ignoring the Hands, Face , Space rule My area is now on the watch list ...so I predict I could be under lockdown type restrictions very soon ....not that it will effect me cos I’ve never come out of the first one  I still use disposable gloves and anti bac everything that comes into the house ....and my Apple Watch now tells me how many seconds I was my hands for 

Well you know my evening viewing schedule , but I hope you both have a good one and stay safe 

Evening Baz.

Sorry you didn't sleep too good and aren't feeling 100%, not good really.

The weather here shows rain on and off for weeks, today was 13c again with light rain showers and a moderate breeze, didn't see any rain mind.

For brekkie i had sausage on toast, for tea i finished off the last of the cauli cheese i had froze.

I've taken some salt cod out for brekkie tomorrow, have got pork steaks for Sunday.

For supper last night i had a medium tin of red salmon, i just eat it out of the can with a spoon, not sure why.

I don't remember the government saying opening the bars and restaurants caused the increase in transmissions, i thought it was groups of young men etc meeting up illegally for parties etc, considering they don't take any precautions then i would expect them to pass the virus around, same with the Uni's they spend so much time in each others rooms and meeting up no wonder they have so many cases.

It wouldn't matter what the government said, too many people ignore advice and do what they want, thats the problem, opening restaurants isn't the problem, a 15,000 protest of people in the london parks shows you what and who is passing the virus on, it speakes for itself.

I have rivers either side of me but most people on the Wirral work over the river in Liverpool, they have a rising problem, across the other river is wales.

Watching Money for nothing.

Stay safe, Hands, Face, Space, Sleep Tight.   

both xxx

Baz

sorry you had a bit of an off day, hopefully Gogglebox will improve your evening tonight. I think its the best thing about Fridays.   And nice to see you have your Gardners World to enjoy too. Yes its best not to do a lot if you feel a bit off. Even your "not doing a lot" sounds quite busy to me though. HOpe you sleep well tonight and improve tomorrow.

That's clever your apple watch can time your hand washing. I too anti bac all that comes into the house.

Whilst I agree with Hicky that some are being selfish with their their covidiot behaviour, I agree Baz that pubs should not of been opened indoors so soon, and flights in and out should of been controlled more. The scientists all say its not being outdoors that is the problem but its people mixing indoors that is. 

I am disgusted what Boris said on BBC news tonight about everyone got complacent over covid. What a damn cheek...., me, my family  and everyone I know did not get compacent at all!  What a hypocrit Boris is, after it was him who  encouraged indoor eating in pubs, (with that awful Eat Out scheme), him who told people who were working from home to get back to travelling into the office, (this was actively discouraged in Wales), him who rushed all kids/Unis back, plus when his right hand man went for his "eye test" in Barnard Castle, Boris had no problem with him breaking the rules, what an example to set. No wonder a minority are rule breaking now. And what a crafty move from Boris now trying to pin the blame solely on the public for doing what he told them too. And to add to it, the government have failed with their track and trace

Oh well I can't do a lot about it personally other than take care. I am glad you both are too. Most are finding it hard right now to keep safe, but I guess we have to consider ourselves lucky if we can escape this dreadful illness.

Covid is now in my son's Uni, (and I know they do not spend time in each other's room at this one, as it is non residential) so I am relieved he decided not to go in for his practical lectures on Monday. He lost a nights sleep deciding whether to go in, as he wanted to go in so he wouldn't get behind, but was too concerned he would pass it on to his family if he got it. I felt bad as really he was not going in to keep me safe. But he said his tutor was great about it and has emailed him some work.

Hicky....Have you heard of Pro-tools? That is the software system son is working at Uni. It is expensive to buy but he got it for a student discount.

Thanks for the youtbue Hicky, I will watch it after Corrie.

Salt cod and salmon, I see you are working your way through your fish supply. Our dog now she is older is off her food, but tonight OH made her some plain cod and she enjoyed 2 pieces of it, so that's good.

Cool and wet today. Me and OH sat is garage ahwile for a change of scenery and had a wine and some peanuts for tea. Son made pizza and chips for tea.

Vera time now, then will record Gogglebox to enjoy at leisure.

Goodnight both xxx

Evening Mollie.

Is the Pro-Tools is music editing software from what i can see, is that what you thought it was, i saw one similar from Adobe, not sure what the software is.

Not sure how you can blame Boris, didn't know he was spreading the virus, i blame the ones spreading it, everyone in the world knows what you should do to prevent getting it and spreading it, why is it so hard, who doesn't know what to do to keep safe, hands, face , space, is that difficult, how can you blame Boris for 15,000 people having a collective meeting in a park to protest against any restrictions.

And in the restaurants it was for those in a bubble to go to a table and have a meal, whats wrong with that, you can't blame him for trying to get us out of lockdown, the populations and idits have done this to us, nothing to do with Boris, it has been made clear time and time again, but noone is listening, it would be best if everyone in the country stayed at home till the virus has gone, is that what you want, i don't understand your problem.

Stay safe, Hands, Face, Space.