Val's Cafe

toady

Hi all 👋

Tired for no real reason today, it's not that I did that much yesterday 🤷‍♀️ still, silly ups & downs are always the way of it with me. And it's (whispers) almost too hot, well it is for me going round the front to paint, that side gets the heat this time of day - and later means it wouldn't dry enough for me to shut the window. The answer is early morning unfortunately, my favourite 😂. Should have done a line of washing, it's a shame not to, how about you frog? I don't begrudge you your tomatoes (big of me 😉), especially as you haven't had a riproaring successful year either 🌱. What variety plums have you got? Things we should already have done/cut back in the garden, yes there will be some of that on my list for sure, and things I should be autumn planting for next year. Glad the hydrangea is happy. I may go out later & contemplate how much oregano to selectively take out from the border, it does take over, and also goes raggedy doesn't it if not cut back - the flower heads turn into those messy tufts and shed everywhere. I was idly seeing what beetles or caterpillars of interest were about yesterday, rose sawfly larvae on the roses as usual, and a nice 'white dagger moth' caterpillar. Too hot for much bird & mouse activity today, I filled up their bird bath but nobody wants one. I should be doing an al fresco shop but can I get up the impetus 🤔 have a nosegay parcel to finish too, one I listed where I set my own rate instead of using their own global shipping thing, always more of a faff. Oh well tea and more tea today ☕️ hope yours is going well :) xx

Hello joan, yes I did catch the spider at the time and took it outdoors, I haven't seen it since then though 😂, I expect it wouldn't be in a hurry to see me either 😄. It was one of this garden types with a very very small body and very long spindly legs, you wonder how they survive any sort of trauma being so fragile. Hopefully it's none the worse 👍️. Most little birds won't be here til spring now but some like pigeons and doves have a nesting season that can go on outside the normal times so they could still have chicks now & even later. That's why people should check before trimming trees and not assume nothing is nesting 🐦️. Hope you have both had a good day so far :) xx

Hi to bosh, hope the stomach is improving, sorry it wasn't properly better yesterday I hoped from what you posted it very very nearly was. How annoying especially when you'll want to go out for a change of scene. Is the plumbing sorted, filling jugs is no fun; it's not like one of those Heath Robinson cartoons now is it, with pipes running all over the house connected to thermos flasks of spare bathwater 😱.

Hope everyone ok today anyway and your mum is alright after the visit. Not much energy myself today definitely none for jumping on beds, I'm going to go and have a nap in mine instead 🙄 in the hope of regaining a bit for later, if so I will come in & wave again :) xx

Hi to keef btw, sorry about the mixed success with the arcoxia, it's all a bit damned if you do & damned if you don't with a lot of meds 😔. Glad you have felt up to some music anyway & that you have finetuned the bunker 💯 - nice bit of kit 😀 I was picturing the Marshall script type logo on stuff is this older/better or just different?

Bye to all for now xx

bosh

Hi Toni

how are you?

I can’t say my stomach is 100 % back to normal but it’s well on its way there thanks

i even went to Cost A Packet today and had less than half a cup of tea 👍

Mum was really unwell in the morning her blood sugar was only about 3 , I was really scared

dad and I helped her, she’s ok now thank G**

plumber came early morning and fixed shower etc - thanks goodness!

so at least managed a cold shower today unlike yesterday’s washing debacle

LA went home about 5 pm today

we’re all exhausted lol

he said that mima (Auntie to the uninitiated) can be eaten! When I enquired further, he said that mima - fingers were a bit like fish fingers but they contain metal and bones, so that’s what’s inside my al fresco box! Oh dear product recall time - I may have to keep a low profile- or emigrate to Lapland lol.

LA also said “the toilet engineer is coming here? That’s disgusting!” Haha.

Thanks about the pic

No not all beds luckily

tbh neck is hurting with fan so I’ll stop here for now

👋hi to Keef and Joan

bye for now all tc xx

Ps ice sculpture for all those except for that eccentric toady only joking lol xx

bosh

Hi toady

missed post - itis again sorry

i love the cartoon

im nowhere near that ingenious I’m afraid lol

well it’s a bit more than a stomach problem actually- but nothing that can be mentioned in polite society lol, but it’s most definitely “getting there” thanks

I’ll go now before I have fan and iPad sore neck -itis as it were

bye tc toady xx

ps your new local shop lol xx

toady

Yes that was a very close-run post wasn't it bosh, only a couple of mins in it ⏱️. Hope you have a good night, I didn't see where you said you'd been to Cost A Packet for half a cup of tea or thereabouts so well done for that, an EF-free zone must have been nice 👍️. That's very good that local shop 😄 the sort of thing some person in the company usually complains about even though it's ridiculous. My rest was ok not one of those ones that makes you feel more ookey than you were before so I haven't had too bad an evening but I put al fresco off, just couldn't quite muster the effort to finish the otder, so any leftover jelly babies gratefully received :) xx

Night all 😘 xx

P.S. @frogmorton yes meant to say have no fear I have removed my tomato leaves thank you 👍️ will let you know if this run of upcoming sunny days does the trick, and I look forward to seeing your historic courgette 😊🥇 also it was a Grey Dagger Moth caterpillar not white, apologies to Mr caterpillar for that. Have a good night :) xx

bosh

Good morning everyone wppl xx

ps funny translation xx

frogmorton

Morning Everyone

It was a bit warm to sleep here last night.

Morning Joan. How are you this morning? All is well here when is your appt it's soon now if I remember rightly? I am keeping me ear out for news on the boat now. ((())) xxx

Morning Keef I have never been sailing I can get a bit sea sick to be honest, but it looks so fabulous.

I am very keen to see Loanda's 'haul' of Hallowe'en goodies yes please!😊

I can just imagine the cab. It's so good that you can get comfort from playing music and listening to music even when you're in such pain. That is one of the secrets to coping with Arthritis. That something that can take you away from it. In your case, no doubt, watching Sucré playing must be another.

Very kind of you to offer to help Galaxy with his guitar issues. Musicians against Arthritis must unite!

I didn't know about the link between IBS and PPIs until you just said. I see it's less than 5% of people, but have to wonder whether it's relevant to myself and possibly Bosh....hmmm

Morning Reshmi

How are you after your visitor has left? I see you were all exhausted. Unsurprisingly that boy has so much energy!

Your sister hopefully had time to get everything ready for his return to school. I imagine she will be glad of it. He will too being back with his friends again.

Is he mixing things up with ladies fingers do you think? Mima is absolutely not edible!

Toilet engineer. That's in a sense not wrong is it?😁 great news the shower is back working I am very pleased for you.

Well done sorting your Mum out and getting her BSugar back up to safer levels. Scary definitely.

I could have hugged that ice sculpture yesterday!

You'd better take care you are in Tiny tyrant recovery now😂 ((()))

Morning Toady I hope you are ok and it wasn't (too h*t to sleep last night?

Get ootside asap and do the painting while it's coolest! Quick! Sleek is keen to help she's on cuppa and biccie duty today.

Fingers crossed for your toms. Thank you for generously allowing me my small success. My roses have sawfly too. Thought about biological pest control maybe? RHS advice:

Non-pesticide control

• Where possible tolerate populations of aruncus 
• Sawfly are small winged insects, related to bees, wasps and ants. Their caterpillar-like larvae feed on the leaves or fruits of certain plants, including apples, gooseberries and Solomen’s seal.
• 
  
• sawfly, host plants often recover from defoliation and may not be affected every year
• Encourage predators and other natural enemies of sawfly in the garden, such as birds and ground beetles.
• Check plants regularly from early may for the presence of larvae and remove by hand if required and where practical

I know you can get nematodes but the thought is tricky for me.

Did MR 🐛 point out your error?😂

and some plums not yet eaten by Paul! Victoria maybe?

Hope you got that parcel off and maybe the wildlife will come for a drink today....or did last night when it cooled down a bit,

Take care

Skinny Keef

Hi everyone.

Toady that Marshall logo is the old one I think, I’m not really up on all the history, although that cab is one of their re-issues and are normally v expensive as they have a special speaker, but that was a B stock bargain. I do know that the re-issue strats from 1957 have a V profile neck as that is my favourite profile as I have quite large skinny hands and the neck is slightly larger than normal and it is really comfortable to play. My Clapton strats have the same neck and his partscaster that was made from 3 different guitars had a 1957 neck. Back in the 60’s when strats weren’t very fashionable as all the major players were playing Gibson and Fender had started using rosewood for the finger boards the old maple neck ones from the 50’s were even more unfashionable Clapton bought 5 or 6 maple neck strats from a second hand or pawn shop in USA and put his guitar together from the best parts of 3 of those and gave the rest to his friends of which George Harrison was one. Don’t quote me on any of this as I read it back in the 1990s when I bought my first Clapton strat that I sold when I was depressed a few years ago after I gave up the music completely due to the pain. I spend every free moment playing these days when I’m not with Sucré, laying in bed due to pain, cooking dinner etc etc.

I too managed to get a load of washing out on the line yesterday and have another in the machine now waiting to go out from when the machine came on early hours. I try and get all the washing done whilst Loanda away so she doesn’t have much to do when she back, but some weeks I just can’t do any.

Hi Toni, I get sea sick too and guess what, can’t take the pills for it coz of side effects. My step dad always said to have just one tin of lager as we set sail and it will settle your stomach. I always did this on the ferry to Spain if it was rough, which it normally was when i went in winter, one tin of lager then if it was a late sailing about 8pm I’d go straight to bed and let the motion of the boat rock me to sleep. Never once got sea sick, even when everyone else was. I did use to stress about my bike falling over, but they always secured it well and it never did. I remember one year leaving Santander to come home the stevador put Four straps on it instead of the normal one. I asked as I passed reception where one of the crew with lots of posh gold braid on his uniform was standing if it was rough, and he said no its very calm, but with big waves! I think i may have already posted that story so sorry if I’m repeating myself.

i wish i was still capable of doing a long trip like that. I feel very angry that i have ended up like this.

morning Reshmi and Jewels and everyone I haven’t mentioned.

Skinny Keef

My Do not Disturb t shirt has just arrived. Same as the pic a while back. Really good quality material too. Nice! 😁

dachshund

Good morning everyone

Kitty (()) Have a good day. I hope everything is going well there (())

Toady (()) Thank you for saying about the birds. Have a good day. Yes it’s hot today and tomorrow. I hope all your little animals are ok.

Barbara (()) love to Mr B (()) and your son (()) and Niamh (()) and your niece (()) and her fiancé (())

Toni (()) Thank you for thinking about me my appointment is on the 7’th. Have a good day (()) Love to Paul (()) and Charley (()) and Annie (()) and Lucy (()) and Tia (()) and Kari (()) and your friend (()) and your lovely neighbours (())

Reshmi (()) i hope your mum is feeling better now (()) have a good day

Keef (()) i hope your pain is easing a bit now. Love to Sucr’e (()) and Loanda (())

Julie (()) have a good day.

Skinny Keef

Yes a bit better today. Back to normal pain levels I think. Doc Thursday to check out lump in neck and probably prostate exam 😳. Then x-ray at hospital in afternoon to see if hip has degraded enough for replacement as hip pain bad, although doc now thinks that pain is the enthesitis in pelvis. Oh flippin heck, i sound like a practical example of walking medical encyclopaedia lol.

Skinny Keef

Sorry i babbled on about guitars earlier. Pain killers had just kicked in and verbal diarrhoea took hold lol.

Skinny Keef

Halloween part 1.

Skinny Keef

spoke too soon, neck pain is an absolute killer right now. Fed up. How do you all put up with pain like this all the time??

toady

Tea please 😬☕️ spider encounter in the utility room 😱😱 I moved a few things that it had formed its little shanty town apparently, gardening boots and a plastic bag 'roof', and oh shudder. Don't suppose it was very happy to be evicted but that's nothing to what I felt. Three sugars I think!

Nice day apart from that and I have painted early and done a line of washing, frog, so I am a legend in my own lunchtime as whoever said that. Sleek is pegging things out as we speak, thank you, having to scrat around a bit for pegs I don't know where they go but I must get some new ones. That is a super courgette, looks nice & healthy & happy, very well done 😀. Lovely plums too, I haven't had any for ages, might have a look in al fresco to see if they aren't an arm and a leg - or maybe hang on til shopping in person, nicer to choose your own fruit really. I am off into the garden in a min, while it's so nice. The sawfly don't seem to do huge amounts of damage so I'll just keep an eye on them, you'd think I would have enough birds to help, at any rate - but a lot don't like them apparently. I had to google aruncus btw 😳. My parcel went early thanks, must go and add the tracking info and possibly have a little browse on nosegay while I'm there - have had my item refunded (99% sure it was never sent) - so I've nothing in the pipeline now. Have a good afternoon & evening, no not too hot for me at night unlike yourself & others, there hasn't been a too-hot night for me this year, a handful last year but it hasn't hit that pitch so I'm in my element at the moment. Sorry it's less fun for you though. Love to all :) xx

Hello joan, I saw 2 little bluetits and robin this morning, haven't seen bluetits in the garden for ages 😀. Have put out plenty of water and nice damp food like fruit so everything will be fine in the heat they have plenty of undergrowth for shade. Hope you are both having a good day and it's not too hot for the dogs :) xx

Quick hi to bosh but will probably see you later as well. The tiny tyrant was there longer than I realized so yes you will definitely be all exhausted, thank goodness you can have showers etc hot or cold as applicable. Do hope your mum is ok and didn't have a low bs episode this morning🤞.

Hi keef, not babbling about guitars at all, v interesting to me 👍️ as a fairly ignorant music person. Didn't know anything about the partscaster. Have you been following the story of the search for Paul McCartney's 'lost' guitar? I wish I had a better ear for music in the construction of it sense, I don't think I 'hear' what is going on instrumentally as well as some. I'm not a pure rock fan I will listen to most things with a few exceptions. A lot of 80s music I suppose because although I'd like to be someone whose taste hasn't stalled in their own era you have to actively work at keeping open to new stuff it seems. Probably lean a bit towards the gloomy too. I love the gothic cabinet, wow 🤩 that's definitely not a half-hearted effort 😄 great gargoyles. Very good luck for your batch of appointments & tests 😕 roll on Friday get away from them all asap & back in here for tea. xx

Love to everyone probably be back for late shift 😘 xx

bosh

Oh no toady

spider incident!

why 3 sugars? have the whole bowlful lol

im ok thanks apart from Heatwave Vesuvius

mums b s is ok today thanks

just trying to rest a bit now

bfn tc xx

ps I found a very strange and poetic translation fail lol xx

bosh

hi toady

I found a toy for you!

The only problem is that you can only see the packet, I obscured the toy itself as it’s quite scary - how very ookey

also it’s time to control the pollen count again please

bye for now tc xx

bosh

Hi Toni

how are you?

mum is ok today thanks

LA starts year 6 today and is nervous aww

he got so angry when BB told him he had to stop watching cartoons as it was time to go home that he kicked him - oh dear

LA also told me that witches are not real, but he emphasised this so much, I am think that ‘The Lord doth protesteth too much’ or however that saying goes , aww.

my goodness I hope toady gets the thermostat and pollen count right soon lol

Nettle spore pollen today if I remember rightly

I think I’ve got the answer, I’ll just borrow the spider queen witch from LA’s garden and place her and her familiars in toady’s many acres of woodland and she will be scared into responsible pollen and temp control- her own country pile can be 50 degrees Celsius if she wants, no issue there, but she should leave the rest of us alone lol.

my stomach is getting a lot better thanks, should be normal very soon

sorry just too hot and tired right now

have a good evening / night Toni tc xx

👋to Joan Keef and Julie

good night all tc xx

ps pic of an ice hotel

toady

Oh bosh that toy is hilarious 😂 and of course horrific at the same time 😱 Imagine making something like that, what sort of minds have people got 😄. Thank you for 'censoring' it 😬. I would much rather have the poetic hairbrush thank you, in fact I would pay good money for something that let me walk along the city as free as a fish 😂. Very very sorry about the pollen and the HV, I will do my best, could I possibly be spared the spider queen, I think I have suffered enough for one day - the irony is I bet there are none in the ice hotel, you can't win can you. The heat is tiring I will grant you that, ok if you don't have to do much, but chores etc take more effort in this - I have al fresco tomorrow I've only just finished the order, now I have to make my bed before I can get in it haha. Poor LA off to school today, oh dear, few things were as scary as those words back to school appearing in shop windows, I hope he gets on ok. No kicking the headmaster I hope 😬 have as good a night as poss 🤞I will be wandering about the place somewhere no doubt with the kettle on if you can't sleep. Btw any poetry in the offing or is it too hot to be literary too. See you next time :) xx

Love to all 😘 xx

bosh

Hi toady

not writing much poetry at the moment to be honest

I’m indeed finding the heat “a bit much” as they say

although, news just in, LA and the little boy mafia destroyed everyone’s Lego models in after school club!

how naughty, no more blearios for him, but don’t worry I’ve requisitioned them for us at VC

good night tc xx

frogmorton

Morning!

Hi Joan tomorrow is the day then? what time will you have to leave and will you be picked up? Can Sue go along for support? Don't worry if she can't we'll all be with you 'in your pocket'😊 Love to you both ((())) xxx

Morning Keef

Dr today? I hope all goes very well. Make sure you get that blood test for prostate too it's very cheap - they can afford it.

X-ray this afternoon good. If it's the hip maybe it's ready for surgery even if not, then I do hope it will be an MRI or CT they need to see the soft tissues as well as the bones and they should do that. I do hope it's something which can be treated 🤞Same with you neck and well like you we just put up with any pain which can't be 'fixed' I went on a 'managing your long-term condition' course years ago and got some tips there.

You must feel free to talk all things guitar if you want to far better than Bosh and Toady's sp***r talk! Even the word gives me the eebie-jeebies!

Very interesting actually it was. When someone is passionate about something I always find it interesting unless maybe it's maths or something like that.

I love love love Loanda's haul! It's incredible! Her display cabinet is possibly even better so very (sorry) Harry Potter!

Thinking of you today.

Morning Reshmi

Glad Mum's B sugar is all good again.

What?!!! Year 6!!!!!!!!!!!?????????? That boy is surely only 4! Time flies far far too fast for my liking🙄 He is rapidly becoming a medium monster instead of a tiny tyrant.

Kicking Big Babu? No I know many have wanted to do that but that is really jolly naughty of him and did he really (with Mafia boy) break other people's lego creations?😮 He is such a sweet boy though😯

I quite like your idea of Toady having her own little micro-climate just for her not affecting anyone else😁 she'd probably like that too especially through the winter.

Yes it is nettle pollen you can actually see the nettles have their flowers going 'over' now. Ah well let's book into the ice hotel I am certain it will be pollen-free😊

So glad your stomach is almost normal again🤞I think I may have a problem with onions....maybe🤔Hope not.

Take care ((()))

Morning Toady how are you today? Another scorcher I think so you should be happy.

Was Sleek 'wearing' the pegs? That's what she does here she attaches some to her tail and whiskers while she's pegging out. She said it dried very quickly.

The sawfly decimate my roses every year, but I can't seem to want to kill them using nematodes. It's just not vegan is it? I am very proud of my humble courgette though, maybe I can have more next year eh? I didn't photograph the blueberries did I? they have been good this year Paul is eating them daily atm.

I think there should be plums in the shops you know and not extortionate after all they are in season. It is great picking your own. I find deliveries choose my 🍌 too green for instance 🙄Kari was saying the same yesterday.

Glad the nosegay parcel got off ok hope you found something else to cheer you up after the 'refund'. I agree that item was never sent to you😠

Enjoy this weather Bosh is arranging for you to have your own little micro-climate!

Is this us lot being Bosh's hairbrush poem's fishes? Bliss.....

bosh

Good morning everyone

wppl xx

dachshund

Good morning everyone

Kitty (()) How are you. Love to your carers (()) and family (())

Toady (()) Do you think that is the same spider he likes living in side now. Have a good day.

Barbara (()) i hope everything is alright there. Love to Mr B (()) and your son (()) and Niamh (()) and your niece (()) and her fiancé (())

Toni (()) thank you for thinking about me my appointment is at 3 the Doctors is in the street at the end of our road it only takes 10 mins to get there I give it a quarter of an hour. We have been with the surgery science 1980 longer than some of the Doctors. I hope you have a good day (()) love to Paul (()) and Charley (()) and Annie (()) and Lucy (()) and Tia (()) and Kari (()) and your friend (()) and your lovely neighbours (())

Reshmi (()) have a good day you are doing well (()) love to your mum (()) i hope she’s feeling better (())

Keef (()) Good luck for your appointment’s. I hope you get answers to your questions. Love to Sucr’e (()) and Loanda (())

Julie (()) thinking of you

Skinny Keef

Thanks for the well wishes. Osteo today doc and X-ray tomorrow.

been playing guitar since breaking into bunker this morning - locked myself out 😳

carpet picnic now.

Skinny Keef

For those asking for asking for pics of Halloween Haul. More to follow…..

Skinny Keef