So bizarre !

[Ann Mac]

Morning guys,

Yep, Spamar, you're right - I didn't do A levels until I was in my 20's/30's and went to uni in my 40's. There was no way that my parents would have agreed to me doing anything other than leave school, get a job and start paying my way at 16 - most of my friends did the same. And it won't be the end of the world if dau doesn't go back, I guess. But, yes, I would prefer it if she did. Lots of reasons, I guess. Its easier to continue education at the age she is now, rather than return to it at a much later date when you potentially have financial and other commitments to juggle. She is capable of getting decent qualifications, and having qualifications definitely opens more doors for a young person career wise these days ( she has said that she likes teaching swimming, but its not what she wants to do 'forever') . Its that staying on in education gives a young person chance to grow up and mature, and I think gives them a lot of skills, aside from the academic, that help them when they do become totally independent. Uni is a great bridge between childhood and adulthood. My oldest two had a fantastic time in uni, loving the experience and at the same time, living in a safe but independent environment that taught them skills which has made the transition from living at home to living and working completely independently far easier for them. I watched them really blossom at uni - and I'd like youngest to do the same.

But - I can't force her. She knows how I feel and why, she also knows that it's her choice. I just think - especially if she does do the next swim instructor course - that the money in her pocket might sway her more than anything we say, and that later, she might regret that.

If youngest doesn't go back to college in September and gets a pay rise, maybe she should pay you room and board!

lol - she hasn't really considered that one yet, Amy - but I will be bringing it up with her if she does decide not to go back to college. She should pay her way, and will certainly be earning enough - though youngest being youngest, I have no doubt that she will consider it 'unfair' ! At the moment she has great plans for her earnings over the next few months - learn to drive, get a car, go to various gigs, a holiday with her mates etc - I suspect that the idea of spending some of her money to cover food and bills will be a bit of a shock to her. It certainly hasn't featured in her plans as far as I can tell so far.

I feel a little better this morning, though still coughing and going through lots of tissues and throat lozengers. At least the earache and headache seem to be gone, which is the main thing, and I slept for a solid 5 hours last night, which has also helped. I also slept a fair bit yesterday afternoon, after dozing off on the sofa. I think I'll manage the run to S Wales on Friday now - yesterday I was really thinking that no way would I be well enough to do it.

Right - better get moving - a little admin, then a project session, then a meeting today, though hopefully I'll finish early afternoon.

Hope everyone is OK - JM, if you've had this lurgy, hope you and the family are recovering well, hun x

Take care everyone xxx

 

[Slugsta]

Evening all,

Ann, I am glad you are feeling a little better - but concerned that you are pushing yourself to work when you are clearly ill. I know you care very much about your service users - but the sad fact is that there will still be a need for similar services long after you are gone. You are important, in your own right, so please look after yourself! [/lecture]

Spamar, you clearly needed that sleep!

Mum was a swimming teacher for many years. She left her book-keeping job when I was very young and taught swimming until a voice problem (always assumed to be psychological) put an end to it.

I am very glad of 2 things - firstly, I have avoided the nasty bugs that are going round (and hope it stays that way as we are going away on 30th Jan!) and, secondly, that we have not had any very severe weather. It has got a bit cooler here but nothing like many have endured.

Sending (((hugs))) to everyone.

 

[Spamar]

Morning, hope you all survived last nights gales! I haven’t looked ar my roof, just assuming it’s OK! The guy over the road would have told me if there was anything amiss at the front, cant see the middle, it’s a deep valley, and forgot to look at the back, even though I’ve just been down the back to recover a bucket, successfully, and a water butt, which was too heavy for me plus stick to move. There was a dead branch in bits at the entrance to my drive. Went out to remove bits, and they had gone! Think it’s the guy over the road again! He is a blessing that guy. He takes my bins out as well! ( and brings them back!).

Hope everyone is OK and not storm/snow bound.

Slugsta, seems I can sleep for England at the moment! Yesterday was a nap in both morning and evening, plus a good nights sleep ( in spite of my bedroom top window blowing open at some point!) hope you have a great holiday. Where?
I would like a holiday, not sure where or when, though. It’ll probably end up as Cornwall as usual!

Have a great day.

 

[Ann Mac]

Morning guys,

Oh, I know I'm not indespensible, Slugsta - and it wouldn't be the end of the world if I took more time off - but it would mean more work in the long run, and it would mean letting my groups down, so if I can manage, I'd rather work. I have taken a lot of time this week - I worked Monday, yesterday till 1.30 and will work tomorrow, and that's it. I'm a little better again today, so am on the mend - hopefully, by next week, I'll be near to 100% and able to manage with no problem x

Hoping that you remain free of this cold/flu thingy. A lot of people I know have succumbed to it, and all are saying how horrible it is - not just a sore throat, or bad chest, or headaches or earache or sinus pain - but all of them together. A real doozy of a lurgy!

We had a night of heavy rain, hail and high winds, Spamar. we got snow and hail Tuesday night, followed by rain - which cleared a lot of the roads of the slush, but left them very icy - and we have more snow forecast for later today and tomorrow - I'm just hoping it won't disrupt the train travel for me! There is no forecast for snow in the area I'm heading too, so I have fingers crossed. I do not want to be stuck on a train or a cold platform for flipping hours on end, that's for sure.

Had my son on the phone a few times over the last few days - new bosses and various changes where he works have left him pretty miserable in his job. Aside from anything else, he feels that changes in staff ratio's have left staff more at risk , and he has now been told that a new rota will have him and others working 16 hour shifts. He works with very challenging behaviour - I'm not surprised that the idea of 16 hours straight in his role isn't something that he wants to do, I wouldn't either! A bit worried because he sounds so fed up and down, but he is looking actively for other jobs - and has stunned me by saying he is also looking at the prison service, initially at officer support roles, with a view to moving on to being an oficer, and then specialising in health and well being/fitness instructor role! I honestly didn't think he would be interested in prison work, but he has been asking his Dad a lot about the job, and researching, and his degree and interests are apparently well suited to the role he has his eye on. So we'll see. It's a good job, and I can see his reasoning - but its a fair way removed from his original plans when he left uni!

Oh - and I've broken the news to youngest that if she is now planning on spending most of her time working, then I will be expecting keep! Her initial response was to say 'Well - that's goodbye to driving lessons, then', in very indignant tones - but she actually did see my point of view and agreed that its unfair to expect us to support her completely when she is earning a decent wage. I suspect she knew I would broach this subject with her - it was just that she was hoping that i wouldn't, lol.

JM and Amy - hope you are both on the mend and starting to feel better, and I hope everyone else is OK too xxxx

 

[2jays]

Gerda the Gazebo is having a lie down after last nights activity. Obviously she didn’t gird her lions.....or loins....

Lost a few branches off some trees but nothing major

Everything else looks ok

Didn’t hear a thing. I’ve gorra lurgy that keeps me sleeping too Spamar

 

[jugglingmum]

Our Christmas tree at side of house decided to move to the front overnight. Will get it to the tip today. Meant to do last Thursday but all went wrong.

OH is currently on his way to Durham via a66 supposedly. Good luck with that. He isn't driving at least.

Sorry about lack of updates. I'll try and update properly later when at hairdressers.

Currently sat at mum's GP s to get her a flu jab. Bit late but one of many things I haven't got round to. Head in sand issues.

 

[Ann Mac]

Sorry to hear about Gerda, 2jyas - the snoutcast here remains upright, and with roof intact - and hoping it stays that way!

Hope your OH gets to Durham without any massive delays, JM. How are you and the family? Are you all over this bug yet?

I have yet to get anything - other than washed and dressed - accomplished today. Get up and go has got up and gone, despite having a list of things that I really do have to get sorted. Worn myself out, I think, arguing with Alexa - OH, being a massive tech fan, installed what I believe is called a 'hive' with Alexa at Christmas. He also fitted bulbs in the hall, landing and front room, that are connected, along with various other control bits and bobs, and we should now be able to turn lights on and off, the TV, fire and heating on and off, boost the heating, and all that jazz, simply by saying 'Alexa' - and issuing the relevant instructions. Only I think our Alexa has hearing problems. Its taken me nearly 5 minutes to get her to understand the instruction to 'tell hive to boost heating temperature for 2 hours' - that's the instruction, word for word that I am supposed to give, but Alexa seems to struggle. The first few times I tried she very kindly gave me the outside temperature for this area. Then she repeatedly asked me what device did I want to use (???) . Then I added a few swear words to the instruction - and she turned the living room light on. Then off. Then the TV switched on, then she went back to telling me that it's currently 3 degrees locally, before finally announcing 'Sure - temperature boosted to 22 degrees for 2 hours'. Why didn't I simply go upstairs and boost the heating myself? Because pushing buttons or switching switches, once Alexa is connected absolutely seems to mess up the system, then you have to spend even longer trying to get it to work.

I flipping hate tech, but OH thinks she is the greatest thing since sliced bread

 

[Spamar]

Now that’s why I don’t do much tech! It would drive me just crazy!

Apparently other half of the village is without electricity, and there’s loads of trees down on roads leading north and west. So if I go out, it’ll have to be south! Neighbour lost three ridge tiles. They had a load of ballast delivered yesterday, so son couldn’t park his car in normal place. One of the ridge tiles landed on the ballast, which every other day of the year would have been sons car! Lucky or not?

 

[RedLou]

My OH has spent happy moments asking Alexa why she is so ugly, (saying sorry when she responds!) and getting her to bark like a dog to watch the reaction of the real dog. We have kept to manual for light switches and heating, on the basis we have never found it a great inconvenience to operate these things that way. But we do find it handy to set cooking alarms on Alexa, to play music and get the news.
Do you find yourself saying please and thank you to Alexa? I can't drop the habit.

 

[jugglingmum]

Not sure OH would cope if I tried to take the house tech. I've asked him for help with relocating the router - as I can't do it, and maybe we'll manage it next weekend.

Hairdressers appt cancelled, as we need new windscreen for old blue van we've never sold, 9cm crack developed as OH drove to work in it on Tuesday. Phoned insurance at midday and got an email at 12.41 to say coming between 1 and 5 today. When rear screen broke (stone came off motorway bridge as OH went under it) it took 2 weeks for them to locate a replacement so hopefully they will turn up with the right one.

I'll try and post some updates as I go.

 

[Amy in the US]

JM, hope you and the family are all feeling better.

RedLou, we don't have Alexa, and I don't currently use Siri on my phone-she was more trouble than she was worth. But when I did, yes, I did say please and thank you. I couldn't break myself of it!

 

[DeMartin]

1. Morning guys,

Oh, I know I'm not indespensible, Slugsta - and it wouldn't be the end of the world if I took more time off - but it would mean more work in the long run, and it would mean letting my groups down, so if I can manage, I'd rather work. I have taken a lot of time this week - I worked Monday, yesterday till 1.30 and will work tomorrow, and that's it. I'm a little better again today, so am on the mend - hopefully, by next week, I'll be near to 100% and able to manage with no problem x

Hoping that you remain free of this cold/flu thingy. A lot of people I know have succumbed to it, and all are saying how horrible it is - not just a sore throat, or bad chest, or headaches or earache or sinus pain - but all of them together. A real doozy of a lurgy!

We had a night of heavy rain, hail and high winds, Spamar. we got snow and hail Tuesday night, followed by rain - which cleared a lot of the roads of the slush, but left them very icy - and we have more snow forecast for later today and tomorrow - I'm just hoping it won't disrupt the train travel for me! There is no forecast for snow in the area I'm heading too, so I have fingers crossed. I do not want to be stuck on a train or a cold platform for flipping hours on end, that's for sure.

Had my son on the phone a few times over the last few days - new bosses and various changes where he works have left him pretty miserable in his job. Aside from anything else, he feels that changes in staff ratio's have left staff more at risk , and he has now been told that a new rota will have him and others working 16 hour shifts. He works with very challenging behaviour - I'm not surprised that the idea of 16 hours straight in his role isn't something that he wants to do, I wouldn't either! A bit worried because he sounds so fed up and down, but he is looking actively for other jobs - and has stunned me by saying he is also looking at the prison service, initially at officer support roles, with a view to moving on to being an oficer, and then specialising in health and well being/fitness instructor role! I honestly didn't think he would be interested in prison work, but he has been asking his Dad a lot about the job, and researching, and his degree and interests are apparently well suited to the role he has his eye on. So we'll see. It's a good job, and I can see his reasoning - but its a fair way removed from his original plans when he left uni!

Oh - and I've broken the news to youngest that if she is now planning on spending most of her time working, then I will be expecting keep! Her initial response was to say 'Well - that's goodbye to driving lessons, then', in very indignant tones - but she actually did see my point of view and agreed that its unfair to expect us to support her completely when she is earning a decent wage. I suspect she knew I would broach this subject with her - it was just that she was hoping that i wouldn't, lol.

JM and Amy - hope you are both on the mend and starting to feel better, and I hope everyone else is OK too xxxx

Morning guys,

Oh, I know I'm not indespensible, Slugsta - and it wouldn't be the end of the world if I took more time off - but it would mean more work in the long run, and it would mean letting my groups down, so if I can manage, I'd rather work. I have taken a lot of time this week - I worked Monday, yesterday till 1.30 and will work tomorrow, and that's it. I'm a little better again today, so am on the mend - hopefully, by next week, I'll be near to 100% and able to manage with no problem x

Hoping that you remain free of this cold/flu thingy. A lot of people I know have succumbed to it, and all are saying how horrible it is - not just a sore throat, or bad chest, or headaches or earache or sinus pain - but all of them together. A real doozy of a lurgy!

We had a night of heavy rain, hail and high winds, Spamar. we got snow and hail Tuesday night, followed by rain - which cleared a lot of the roads of the slush, but left them very icy - and we have more snow forecast for later today and tomorrow - I'm just hoping it won't disrupt the train travel for me! There is no forecast for snow in the area I'm heading too, so I have fingers crossed. I do not want to be stuck on a train or a cold platform for flipping hours on end, that's for sure.

Had my son on the phone a few times over the last few days - new bosses and various changes where he works have left him pretty miserable in his job. Aside from anything else, he feels that changes in staff ratio's have left staff more at risk , and he has now been told that a new rota will have him and others working 16 hour shifts. He works with very challenging behaviour - I'm not surprised that the idea of 16 hours straight in his role isn't something that he wants to do, I wouldn't either! A bit worried because he sounds so fed up and down, but he is looking actively for other jobs - and has stunned me by saying he is also looking at the prison service, initially at officer support roles, with a view to moving on to being an oficer, and then specialising in health and well being/fitness instructor role! I honestly didn't think he would be interested in prison work, but he has been asking his Dad a lot about the job, and researching, and his degree and interests are apparently well suited to the role he has his eye on. So we'll see. It's a good job, and I can see his reasoning - but its a fair way removed from his original plans when he left uni!

Oh - and I've broken the news to youngest that if she is now planning on spending most of her time working, then I will be expecting keep! Her initial response was to say 'Well - that's goodbye to driving lessons, then', in very indignant tones - but she actually did see my point of view and agreed that its unfair to expect us to support her completely when she is earning a decent wage. I suspect she knew I would broach this subject with her - it was just that she was hoping that i wouldn't, lol.

JM and Amy - hope you are both on the mend and starting to feel better, and I hope everyone else is OK too xxxx

 

[Ann Mac]

Morning all,

Yep - another who finds herself saying 'Please' and 'Thank you' to Alexa - but only when she gets it right. At other times, what I say to her cannot be written here!

Red, getting her to bark like a dog or mew like a cat is a favourite here with the kids. Poor Seamus goes around the room, searching for the invisable four legged creatures he thinks have invaded his home. In fact you know, I think that Alexa is used more for pranks and for fun, than she is for anything remotely useful - especially when all the kids are home. They get hours of amusement creating rude and ridiculous shopping lists, they like to ask her 'what she wants, what she really, really wants?' (and of course she tells you that she wants to 'zigazigahhh'), ask her where Chuck Norris is, ask her what the fox says, ask her to sing 'row,row, row your boat', all sorts of nonsense. Last Christmas, after the hive was installed, it was hours of them getting her to change the colour of the living room light - 'pea green' was particulaly unpleasant, though I have to admit that 'coral' is pretty restful ! On the whole, I'm with Amy - these 'intelligent' gizmo's are more trouble than they are worth!

Spamar, glad that you didn't lose your electricity - apparently some parts of our village lost it for a couple of hours too - we were also lucky, ours stayed on. Wind has died down here - but boy - it's bitterly cold. The promised 'wintery showers' have been more hail than snow (so far) but thats frozen hard, making driving a bit of a dodgy business.

Sorry you had to cancel hairdresers, JM, but hope the windscreen can be replaced without a long wait x

It was a long, LONG day yesterday. Absolutely freezing out, everywhere white with frost when I left the house at just before 6 to drive (very slowly) to the train station. As I expected, although the machine to collect the tickets was working, the car park machine was out of order (one or the other always is!), so I had to queue to buy a ticket for that anyway, and caught the train with just minutes to spare, despite having left the house over 20 minutes early, just in case. The train was one of the old ones, where you have to open the window and reach out to open the door at stations - which meant the train was also freezing, as windows were left open (as they always are) the length of the train. Just caught the connection at Cardiff, and then jumped in a taxi at the final stop, desperate to get warm by this point - only the location of the meeting was also extremely cold, and I think we all shivered our way through the day. The journey home was a just a reversal of the morning journey, and I finally arrived home feeling like I'd spent the entire 14 hour day in the flipping arctic. I wasn't impressed, incidentally, to get back and find the kitchen in a right mess - empty tims, cans and packaging piled up but not taken to the recycling bins, crumbs and used cutlery and choping board all over the worktops, sink full of dishes. Youngest had been working for just 2 hours during the day, and informed me that she 'hadn't even been in the kitchen' as she had bought herself a takeaway pizza for her tea - and then announced that she was going for a bath, not the slightest suggestion that she would help tidy up the mess Not impressed with her or OH - I know he is working nights, but not fair to leave that for me to deal with, before I could even sort food out for myself. I don't think I warmed up properly, till I got to bed last night - and I don't think it's helped the lurgy spending the day feeling like a block of ice, either!

Need to pop into the CH today - though as I am still sniffing, coughing and blowing my nose constantly, I won't be seeing Mil - I just want to check how she is and stock up on her toiletries. I'll do that after I drop dau off at her theatre group. Then I intend to come home, do the bare minimum as regards housework - and then actually spend some time editing some pics or maybe on the family tree research. I still havent been through all the photographs fro Fuertaventura, and I haven't touch the geneology stuff since before Christmas either!

Hope you all have a restful and nice weekend, much love to all xxxx

 

[2jays]

Morning all,

Yep - another who finds herself saying 'Please' and 'Thank you' to Alexa - but only when she gets it right. At other times, what I say to her cannot be written here!

Red, getting her to bark like a dog or mew like a cat is a favourite here with the kids. Poor Seamus goes around the room, searching for the invisable four legged creatures he thinks have invaded his home. In fact you know, I think that Alexa is used more for pranks and for fun, than she is for anything remotely useful - especially when all the kids are home. They get hours of amusement creating rude and ridiculous shopping lists, they like to ask her 'what she wants, what she really, really wants?' (and of course she tells you that she wants to 'zigazigahhh'), ask her where Chuck Norris is, ask her what the fox says, ask her to sing 'row,row, row your boat', all sorts of nonsense. Last Christmas, after the hive was installed, it was hours of them getting her to change the colour of the living room light - 'pea green' was particulaly unpleasant, though I have to admit that 'coral' is pretty restful ! On the whole, I'm with Amy - these 'intelligent' gizmo's are more trouble than they are worth!

Spamar, glad that you didn't lose your electricity - apparently some parts of our village lost it for a couple of hours too - we were also lucky, ours stayed on. Wind has died down here - but boy - it's bitterly cold. The promised 'wintery showers' have been more hail than snow (so far) but thats frozen hard, making driving a bit of a dodgy business.

Sorry you had to cancel hairdresers, JM, but hope the windscreen can be replaced without a long wait x

It was a long, LONG day yesterday. Absolutely freezing out, everywhere white with frost when I left the house at just before 6 to drive (very slowly) to the train station. As I expected, although the machine to collect the tickets was working, the car park machine was out of order (one or the other always is!), so I had to queue to buy a ticket for that anyway, and caught the train with just minutes to spare, despite having left the house over 20 minutes early, just in case. The train was one of the old ones, where you have to open the window and reach out to open the door at stations - which meant the train was also freezing, as windows were left open (as they always are) the length of the train. Just caught the connection at Cardiff, and then jumped in a taxi at the final stop, desperate to get warm by this point - only the location of the meeting was also extremely cold, and I think we all shivered our way through the day. The journey home was a just a reversal of the morning journey, and I finally arrived home feeling like I'd spent the entire 14 hour day in the flipping arctic. I wasn't impressed, incidentally, to get back and find the kitchen in a right mess - empty tims, cans and packaging piled up but not taken to the recycling bins, crumbs and used cutlery and choping board all over the worktops, sink full of dishes. Youngest had been working for just 2 hours during the day, and informed me that she 'hadn't even been in the kitchen' as she had bought herself a takeaway pizza for her tea - and then announced that she was going for a bath, not the slightest suggestion that she would help tidy up the mess Not impressed with her or OH - I know he is working nights, but not fair to leave that for me to deal with, before I could even sort food out for myself. I don't think I warmed up properly, till I got to bed last night - and I don't think it's helped the lurgy spending the day feeling like a block of ice, either!

Need to pop into the CH today - though as I am still sniffing, coughing and blowing my nose constantly, I won't be seeing Mil - I just want to check how she is and stock up on her toiletries. I'll do that after I drop dau off at her theatre group. Then I intend to come home, do the bare minimum as regards housework - and then actually spend some time editing some pics or maybe on the family tree research. I still havent been through all the photographs fro Fuertaventura, and I haven't touch the geneology stuff since before Christmas either!

Hope you all have a restful and nice weekend, much love to all xxxx

Sounds like a fun day

Time now for a bit of me time for you I think

I’ve been on my family tree this last week. I bit the bullet and finally purchased a world wide package, and am attempting to find out where exactly in America my paternal grandfather was born.

From family tales, I know my great grandfather went to America to do something about bricks - the tale is that he invented a type of brick and something about the brick and a backer sent him to America for a few years, where my grandfather was born. Family feud meant that after my parents married, my father was disowned by his family, so I’ve only heard tales about my fathers side from my mother, as my father would never talk about his family when he was alive

Go on - just a couple of hours on the family tree - you know you want to now

Squishy hugs to all xx

 

[Amy in the US]

I'd be tempted to leave the mess in situ, until someone else gets a clue and cleans up. You're not the only one who lives in that house and has a job!

The only argument for having Siri or Alexa or whatever (not a who, definitely a what) enabled, is in case of actual emergency and not being able to get to the phone and telling it to ring 999 (or dial 911, where I live). I saw an account of this in the news and it did make me rethink Siri.

Your day sounded cold, long, and cold, in that order! Please get some rest and I hope you feel better and warmer soon!

 

[Slugsta]

Evening all,

Ann, it sounds like a horrible day - and I would have felt just the same if I had got back to find the kitchen in such a mess (in fact, it was one of my bugbears when I used to work late and have to clear up hubby and son's mess in the kitchen before I could think about getting something for myself)! I hope you got nice and warm eventually. Also hope that you really are getting some downtime this weekend (((hugs))).

It does sound as if some of you have suffered from some very windy weather We keep being told that it will be very cold in several days time but we have been very lucky so far in that nothing extreme has arrived.

Spamar, we are off on 30th Jan for a 12 day Canaries cruise

Today I received 2 letters from DWP telling us that we owe them just over £1000 from overpayments of pension and pension credit for Mum. On contacting the 'debt recovery dept' I was told that they were given the date of 13th October for Mum's demise, rather than November. Of course, DWP lines are not open until Monday and, although it should be simple enough to deal with, I suspect it is going to take a lot of sorting out. The good thing is that this will reduce the overpayment by about 65%!

A few minutes of checking our records revealed that Mum's private pension provider were also given the same date, so there should be a few £ coming from them - but it was a very small pension, so it certainly won't go far towards paying back DWP.

 

[2jays]

@Slugsta are you visiting Madeira? If so.... as I said to @Amethyst59... please leave it tidy when you go, as we will be there from 3 Feb

God bless all those departments not listening or reading things properly

I had something similar, when a social worker, 3 years after requesting one, contacted me a week after mum died to do an assessment on her

good luck I told her, go ahead and assess mum (as well a few non PC/TP not allowed words)

 

[Spamar]

Well, definitely a cold day, Ann. Rather you than me!
Plus a kitchen like that, unacceptable! Now she’s a working girl, has to pull her weight!
2Jays, you are, or were, a brick area, so that’s very likely! One of my cousins has done a bit of research into my maternal family, didn’t move out of the county! I don’t think the paternal side did, either. Mostly labourers, I think. Though some one must have because i remember my father saying he’d had a letter from some relative in Canada. The guy was trying to get as many of the family together as possible. Father, of course, stayed at home. But I’ve no idea who these people were. Could of have been his mother’s side, I suppose.

Frost this morning, rain later! More rain tomorrow. Well, I haven’t done the jobs I meant to do today, so will try again tomorrow!

Lucky you, Slugsta, keep us updated!

 

[Spamar]

Just settled down to a g&t. Help me sleep, well, that’s my excuse!

 

[Ann Mac]

Morning all,

Oh, those family feuds and mysteries, 2jays - they make tracing the family histroy a complete headache on occasion! I have 3 such mysteries that are driving me mad - my maternal grandfather, who apparently 'did a bunk' not long after my Mum was born - and not a flipping trace can I find of him since. His Mum, who's DOB changes with every record I find (so can't find an actual birth record for her), and who apparently had an illigitimate child before her marriage. And my Grandads only son, my uncle, who it seems had at least 3 different 'families', resulting in at least 5 offspring (though he only married once), who is rumoured to have gone AWOL from the navy at one point, and who definitely spent time in prison on more than one occasion, and who's behaviour so scandalised the rest of the family that a lot of info about him was kept a deep dark secret and my generation were fed a lot of made up stories to cover for it - which makes tracking down the truth now, and finding all the offspring, darn near impossible. I spent some time yesterday trying to track down the illigitimate offspring of my Great Grandmother - found a marriage record for him, but after that, the trail runs cold.

So disgusted - but sadly not surprised - at the social worker, 2jays xxx

I feel for you,Slugsta, dealing with the DWP I've had battles with them, at the time when I returned to work, and I think that the job description for individuals who work there must include such characteristics as 'must be incompetent, and have a marked tendency to be rude and unhelpful when dealing with enquiries from the general public'.

Enjoy your cruise - we are planning a return to the Canaries this year, not sure whether we will head to Fuertaventura again, or try one of the other Islands, so would love to hear what you have to say after your holiday

We started with a frosty morning, followed by rain yesterday, too, Spamar. And in the afternoon, we got sleet, hail, snow - and then more rain. Everywhere white with frost again this morning, and once again, its bitterly cold.

Amy, I guess that is a good point about the tech - however, I truely believe that our Alexa's hearing is so bad that if we asked her to call 999, the chances are she would start telling us all about canines or something equally silly!

I tackled both dau and OH about the kitchen. OH claims that he asked dau to tidy everything up so that I wouldn't come back to a mess. Daughter claims he only asked her to tidy the front room. They rowed over it - I refused to be drawn in. As I said, I am not one bit interested as to why it what left in that state, or even who's fault it was. All I am concerned about is that I was the one left to deal with it, and as its not the first time that I've finished work and then found I've had to start cleaning up after one or the other of them, I am really hacked off and it has to stop. Whether or not they have the decency to take note is anyones guess.

I took dau to her theatre group yesterday, intending to drop off toiletries for Mil on the way back - and realised as I approached the CH that I'd forgotten to pick up said toiletries - they were still sitting on the dining room table! So - depending on the state of the roads today, that's one thing to put on my 'to do' list.

I also had to accept the sad realisation that my faithful Canon 60D camera is getting rather old, as is my 300mm zoom lens. I've had both items for about 6 years, bought brand new, and have probably taken around 70,000 photographs with them, and several thousand more using the camera body with other lens. These are the two pieces of kit I used the most - particularly at the zoo. The auto focus is going on both, and even with manual focus, the images are not as sharp as they should be. I've checked out having them re-furbished, but with the high photo (shutter) count, it probably not worth it, long term. So I got a bit side tracked from my family tree as I got completely lost drooling over replacements. I've settled (I think) on a Canon 8D - a good step up, closer to my full frame 5D, but with a crop sensor which gives me a longer focal length for wildlife and animals. And the newer version of my canon 70-300mm lens. The GM is pointing out to me that both items add up to an quite expensive bundle, but - as OH also pointed out - I don't do designer clothes or handbags, or have any other expensive hobbies, and photography is such a big pleasure and part of my life, that he feels that I should get them. The guilt monster isn't quite loud enough for me to hear him over the excited whoops and cheers that I'm doing in my head, so I think I'll be ordering both items today.

Cold/flu/whatever it is, is still very much present. Very fed up of it now, getting so annoyed with the lack of energy and the not sleeping well. It surely can't go on for much longer, I hope!

Hope you all enjoy the rest of your weekend - take care everyone xxxx

PS - edited to add that despite the forecast for today being rain, its now snowing quite heavily, everywhere is white, and OH has arrived home to tell me that the roads are 'dreadful'