April Showers Chatty Thread

[Furby]

Hooray for Mr merry going to bowls. Remind him of needing to get moneys worth from those gold plated bowls bought at great expense. And nice for Mr merry getting fresh air at same time of course. I hate it when people say that to me but Mr merry doesnt have to get my crime ridden and sardines trams and trains to get there.

Some horses ran amok in London yesterday and aren't very well. I hope they recover. Probably won't be allowed to do ceremony again though in case they try again.

[eccles]

WD Mr Merry for venturing out alone to his bowling club.
It's a shame Furby can't easily get out for fresh air. I feel very fortunate that I chose the spot where I live when I moved into my home in 1989. I'm fifteen minutes walk to the nearest supermarket and the same for the post office, and five minutes to the local nature reserve. My only minor peeve is that the nature reserve has become a bit too popular with dog walkers who let them run off the lead.

[Furby]

I am fine with it there is a little park near me but doesn't really count as fresh air too near to polluted roads. Even the banks need a journey now and I chose the house as near to everything but things close and now there's nothing much. Well meaning people who know me from work for example say that about get out to fresh air parks miles away what's the point in making non easential trouble. I miss lockdown. The council seems to think what we need is more posh bars and restaurants that we can get to on our bicycles rather than basic town stuff. Make more sense to go to town to eat out and have local banks and post office.

[OurCreature]

I had a nice day today. A friend of mine in Winchester had a serious abdominal operation a few weeks ago, and on top of that is being treated for the early stages (and we all hope that's where they stay) of prostate cancer. When he emailed me the day before his operation he said I'd be very welcome to visit him during his convalescence. So I visited him today.

That meant an early start and I was out of the house just after 07:30 to catch the 7:45 bus into Southampton; the ticket machine on the bus was broken so the driver was letting everyone have a free ride, and that saved me £2. The timing was just right for me to catch the Winchester bus in Southampton but, alas, no broken ticket machine so I had to stump up £2. When we arrived at Winchester bus station the bus to near where my friend lives was waiting to depart, so I boarded that and as it was after 09:30 I could use my bus pass. I had to walk just under half a mile to his house, and got there at 10:15. We had a nice chat about this and that and caught up properly with each other's ailments etc, and then I was invited to share a light lunch with him and his wife. I knew he'd suggest that because I have known him for the best part of 40 years, and his wife for quite a long time as well. So I shared some hot rolls, cheese, cherry tomatoes, coleslaw, ham and pate with them having already munched a few biccies with my coffee earlier with them.

My friend's wife drove me to a bus stop on the route of the bus to Southampton, and I just caught the bus in time. And at Southampton I just caught my bus home in time. I got home at just after 16:00, where They were waiting to be fed a very late wet food lunch. It was quite a long day, but worth it to see my friend recovering from his operation and cancer diagnosis.

And now, until around 21:15, I am going to be favourite cushion for whichever of Midge and Mina want to use me as such.

[merry]

Last night as OC knows on the DOT and I mean the DOT of 9.29, just as I was about to click the chat button, our phone went. I thought we had better answer it in case it was Paddy (my next door neighbour, who is very independent but nearly 100) with some problem, and it was indeed her Careline, which calls us if she presses her panic button, so I was very glad I picked up.

Oh, poor Paddy! she had fallen up a steep step, hit her and had a horrible headwound, bleeding quite profusely down her face, and it was quite deep too, I could see her skull bone under it like a Stephen King novel :( The poor thing was lucid, quite cheerful and chatty - she is an amazing woman - but after a while she began to mention her arm hurting, and I had a little look and could see it was broken :(

I was in contact with the Careline, the emergency services, her daughter-in-law Jan, all at the same time, plus holding Paddy up in a more comfortable position, it was quite hectic! Mr Merry was amazing and kept looking out for the ambulance, and fashioned a nice backrest for her out of a plastic chest lid and two cushions. The paramedics came at 10.45, and were lovely as all paramedics seem to be, patched her up while asking a lot of questions, and finally, at 11.15 took her off to hospital, where I hear she is doing well this morning, plastered and bandaged.

The Paramedics said to me, "what time did this happen?! Oh, I breezily replied, 9.29! He said 'that's very precise'. I didn't explain about 'just having been about to press the Chat button'

OC, I'm glad you had a nice time with your friend, it was good of you to go, as it was quite a trek wasn't it!

We have two concerts to go to today - one at 5pm and one at 7.30, they are both in Tewkesbury so we should be fine. The first is the Tewkesbury Town Band and J is playing, and the second is a Feast of Fiddles a band we have seen before, should be fun. I forget if I mentioned that we went to see the Kilkennysa fortnight ago, they were excellent, wonderful singalong Irish music!

[eccles]

Oh dear, poor Paddy. I hope that broken arm heals ok.

I have a guilty secret that caused me to miss chat (again).
I've been binge watching this and I'm totally hooked.
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2193021/

[OurCreature]

I haven't been watching that show but I recognise some refugees from other sci-fi series. John Barrowman from Dr Who and Torchwood, Alex Kingston from Doctor Who, Lexa Doig and Teryl Rothery as the medics from Stargate SG1, Vinnie Jones, Dolph Lundgren, Marc Singer, Ben Browder from Stargate SG1 and Farscape, Jeri Ryan from Star Trek Voyager, Rachel Luttrell from Stargate Atlantis, and probably a few more but I gave up halfway down the list - there are plenty of thespians who have been in only one episode of this series.

[mimosa]

Last night as OC knows on the DOT and I mean the DOT of 9.29, just as I was about to click the chat button, our phone went. I thought we had better answer it in case it was Paddy (my next door neighbour, who is very independent but nearly 100) with some problem, and it was indeed her Careline, which calls us if she presses her panic button, so I was very glad I picked up.

Oh, poor Paddy! she had fallen up a steep step, hit her and had a horrible headwound, bleeding quite profusely down her face, and it was quite deep too, I could see her skull bone under it like a Stephen King novel :( The poor thing was lucid, quite cheerful and chatty - she is an amazing woman - but after a while she began to mention her arm hurting, and I had a little look and could see it was broken :(

I was in contact with the Careline, the emergency services, her daughter-in-law Jan, all at the same time, plus holding Paddy up in a more comfortable position, it was quite hectic! Mr Merry was amazing and kept looking out for the ambulance, and fashioned a nice backrest for her out of a plastic chest lid and two cushions. The paramedics came at 10.45, and were lovely as all paramedics seem to be, patched her up while asking a lot of questions, and finally, at 11.15 took her off to hospital, where I hear she is doing well this morning, plastered and bandaged.

The Paramedics said to me, "what time did this happen?! Oh, I breezily replied, 9.29! He said 'that's very precise'. I didn't explain about 'just having been about to press the Chat button'

OC, I'm glad you had a nice time with your friend, it was good of you to go, as it was quite a trek wasn't it!

We have two concerts to go to today - one at 5pm and one at 7.30, they are both in Tewkesbury so we should be fine. The first is the Tewkesbury Town Band and J is playing, and the second is a Feast of Fiddles a band we have seen before, should be fun. I forget if I mentioned that we went to see the Kilkennysa fortnight ago, they were excellent, wonderful singalong Irish music!

Oh! I wondered what had happened when OC mentioned that you had to answer your phone, thinking that it was probably your neighbour. Your poor neighbour!!! Oh my word. I am glad that you were there for her and got her sorted out. I hope she gets to her usual self soon!

AND, I am super glad that Mr. Merry went to bowls...I'm sure it was Mary Poppins medicine/vitamins for him to go.

ME

[Wildrover]

Paddy is lucky to have neighbours as kind and diligent as you and Mr. M. I hope she has an easy recovery although at that age broken bones take a long time to heal..

[Furby]

How lucky for paddy merry answered her phone. Mr merry has a clever idea about a box lid I will try that next time I sit up on bed there's never enough suitable pillows to arrange but my room has lots of box lids available.

Oc has found what I have found up here when travelling which is go to city and out again to get anywhere. it's a problem all cities need to think about when planning transport. When I went to hampshire before all the people I knew wouldnt consider city centre under any circumstances but it does seem easier if you factor in the city as base. My need to travel went away temporarily because a Scottish relative went instead.

I was looking how to get from my house to a place only 15 minutes round the peripherique M60 if you drive but requires trains in and out of city or three buses transfering at non bus station stops which is tricky if you don't know the area. Suppose the answer is taxis but even they want mobile phone apps.

[OurCreature]

Oc has found what I have found up here when travelling which is go to city and out again to get anywhere

.

Exactly, Furby. It's in to somewhere and out again. Even Totton is a mini-node; if I want to go to the GP surgery that isn't in Totton centre I have to get a bus from the centre to get to that surgery, and it all adds time to the journey. At least if I want to get a bus to go down the west bank of the Solent to Hythe, or further afield to Brockenhurst or Lymington, those buses stop in Totton so I don't have to pick them up in Southampton.

There isn't even a direct bus from Totton to Romsey; I have to go into Southampton to get the Romsey bus. That's why I haven't been to Bella Vita since I went there with Bob at the end of January because I haven't wanted the journey, especially as I have Elsabel Cakes in Totton. Though I can get a bus to Salisbury from close by to where I live - not that I can envisage ever needing to do that.

I'll be going to Winchester again by bus on 8 May - my Swiss friends will be in the UK staying with family in West Sussex, and on 8/5 they are heading for Porlock in the deepest West Country where they also have connections. So they will (I hope) let me pay for lunch at Zizzi restaurant in Winchester in lieu of the dinner I couldn't treat them to when I last stayed with them because the restaurant 2 minutes walk away from them had closed, and only opened for special occasions like weddings.

[Furby]

Romsey has trains would they be a better journey aren't on a bus pass though. I know romsey has trains because where I was last time did have a bus to Romsey so my plan b was get a bus to Romsey then a train which went via central to get back to the airport.

The people I met did go to Salisbury quite a lot there is a market and shops there. It's not even in the same country I said why don't you go to Southampton it's a city and lots of shops in cities. And I obviously suggested some great evilness . I only ever went to city once and person collecting me went on for days about how stupid I was to get a ticket to central and be collected from there. I never found out quite why the horror of southampton but all the people seemed to share this view. With manchester it's actually nicer than most of it's
satellite towns so it made no sense to me.

[OurCreature]

Romsey has trains would they be a better journey aren't on a bus pass though.

I'd still need to go into Southampton, but that is no problem as my bus stops at Central Station. The main difficulty with Romsey Station is that it's quite a long way from the station to walk to wherever I want to go - the bus is better for that. Years ago when I had to have my Peugeot repaired at the garage in Romsey I hadn't realised then that Southampton train station was the best bet, and had to wait ages at the station at Millbrook - it's just a platform by the train track. So train to Romsey - no thank you very much.

I don't understand why those folk thought Southampton is evil - it is a good choice of shops, eateries etc; maybe they were just being snobby. I have found I like Southampton for its choice of shops, and very convenient by bus if that's where you want to end up. And if you go early enough there is good parking under the West Quay shopping mall. However, it's not so good for parking if you want to go to the hospital; parking there looks horrendous every time I've been there recently.

Salisbury isn't so brilliant for parking and, unless you really know your way around in a car, it is pretty evil even compared with Winchester.

[Furby]

They drove to a park and ride and got a bus to Salisbury .

There was a sausage shop where you could see pigs by name and photo id and pick the one for your sausages seemed quite gruesome to me.

[Wildrover]

There was a sausage shop where you could see pigs by name and photo id and pick the one for your sausages seemed quite gruesome to me.

Eeek!! That seems completely morbid to me. I can't even face picking my lobster at fancy fish restaurants.

[merry]

I've never been able to pick my lobster either :( I suppose that shows a definite hypocrisy. But, y'know, there's that living lobster crawling about the tank minding its own business, and at a word from me a hand swoops in and, urk, curtains. At least Furby's porkers are already dead.

Thanks everyone for kind words about Paddy (and mim, mr M). I haven't heard anything since she went in and won't text her DIL just yet as then the poor woman will have to reply and she probably has her hands full wondering what to do when Paddy comes out. As WR says, broken bones are slow to heal at that age.

Absolutely fed up with the roadworks going on outside my house every night. I can't even walk in the evenings because the road is blocked even at the pavement from 7pm till 7 am.

Poor Furby with the sardines trains if she wants any fresh air :(

[Furby]

I can have small park fresh air but not seasides or wilderness or large parks. I am happier staying in anyway was just some people say get out in fresh air.