Val's Cafe

Skinny Keef

Now I know this will be of interest to at least one person here.

Skinny Keef

yes purple walls and black ceiling. Loanda’s choice of decor lol.

bosh

Hi Toni toady Joan and Keef

How are you all?

i have survived todays mxt just about lol

with some chewing gum to help with nausea

Toni how are you today - post mxt?

mum is ok thanks

LA has gained the attention of an older woman - she’s 6 years old - how very scandalous

I wrote a poem when I walked at same time as some young mums- bear in mind, it’s just a humorous poem - hopefully- not meant to offend anyone.

bye for now all tc xx

Poem called Young Mothers’ Clique

Welcome to the young mothers’ clique

It’s not for the faint hearted or the meek

The meet at the school gates five days a week

Make sure you wear your best J*** L***s dress

Remember your designer hairspray - you don’t want to look a mess

You can chat about who’s husband earns the most

And who’s followed the recipe for truffle oil -roasted French toast

Drive your four by four or just slip in the Merc

Whether you’re a stockbroker or you’ve decided to give up work

We’ll definitely let you join in our young mothers’ bunch

Just as long as you’re posh, rich and never resort to fish fingers and custard for lunch.

toady

Hi all

That sour-faced person in the corner tonight is me I'm afraid, je suis sulking 😕. Tried to fix up to see a friend I've been trying to find the energy & suitable time for a while, they are going away tomorrow 🙄 managing to unintentionally scotch my little window of opportunity and simultaneously rub in that it's been a long time. Well yes (excuse rant) sorry, the last few years have been a massive nightmare, with the covid & all sorts, stuck in a not ideal situation and with not much change of scene to cheer one up, being as we non-drivers are stuck with risking public transport or a walk round the block. No chance of a nice drive to Barnard Castle to test one's eyesight even if one wanted to. Yah boo 🙄. Went for my Friday walk to town late in the day to avoid the heat and found the shop I wanted to go in shuts at 5, I had no idea. Came home and had missed an ebay auction 😂 oh stop moaning toady.

Anyway hope frog & Paul are not broiled in the tin, and the shade-making tactics worked, also have found a bit of breeze maybe. Did you resort to your book? Not too many midges I hope in any case. Weather definitely set to break 😣 Sue and I will have to get our skates on constructing our little controlled climate (all welcome!) Talking of the heat I passed our local chippy and so busy, who wants hot fried food this weather?! I wouldn't even have wanted to go in the shop, the heat was belting out. As for how they work in there in this 😱 I would faint into the fryer and someone would get a fried toad. Sleek is absolutely fine, got over her grumbly stage and now just looking forward to seeing you 😊. Thank you for the toms, mine have had a brave last chance in this heat so I can't say otherwise but I don't think it will be enough. Have a good Saturday :) housework for me I suppose #selfpity 😉 xx

Hello joan glad your appt went well, & the doc knows where and why he wants to do the injection even if ours not to reason why etc. Sorry you already have 3 more appointments I hate having them stacked up ahead. They sent me my rheumatology appt for next year and then another letter after that to move it a week, 'sorry for the inconvenience'. Who knows what they are doing next August to know if it's inconvenient or not 🤷‍♀️. I see about Asda, yes Tesco have the trays I put something for them to stand on first it saves everyone bending. Have a good weekend :) xx

Hi bosh, the poem is just fantastic 😊 somehow your muse has found top form when the poor thing could reasonably be expected to be dabbing her temples with eau de cologne and refusing to even come up with a limerick. Made me smile this evening which took a bit of doing haha so thank you. Some lovely observation there and pretty much accurate I bet 😄 but anyone looking down their nose at fish fingers & custard is just misguided. Lovely to see that scene with Amy and The Doctor 😀 I loved that whole storyline she & Rory were some of my favourite companions, unlike Clara no offence but series 7 episode 1 you were Ozwin and you were a Dalek, and that's that as far as I'm concerned (excuse excess Whovian-ness 😄). Actually I might watch a few re-run episodes tomorrow it's probably been long enough 👍️ thanks for idea. Hope everything not too bad with you tonight and both the mxt and heat will be better tomorrow, weather breaking on Sunday for sure so hang on. Have you had the Saharan dust round your way? I only noticed after we'd had a quick burst of rain Weds night and yesterday everything was speckled, cars are covered in it. Have as good night as poss :) xx

Great Hallowe'en stuff keef, should be a black cat in the Catoween haunted house, I passed one this evening so hopefully my good luck will be following shortly (fat chance 😄). Have as good a night as poss :) xx

Love to all going for tea and a bit more wallowing, just ignore me ☕️ xx

Skinny Keef

Hey Toady, it is SO nice to hear someone else apart from me moaning for a change 😁

take out food means no cooking which means less heat at home maybe, just a thought.

Toni where are you, what you doing? Car fest???

Dachshund how u doing?

nice poem Reshmi. Me and my old work partner used to have a saying when we saw one of your young mums depicted in your verse struggling to manoeuvre a large 4x4. Too much car there for her!!! I still say it now, even when i am alone on my bike.

anyone i have forgotten????hello and goodnight if i have. Hopefully the pain will go away tonight and i can sleep.

night all x

Skinny Keef

Toni, battery solar charger things playing up in greenhouse. Will fix and post illuminated pic soon hopefully.

forgot to say just now. 🤪

frogmorton

Morning ❤️

Blimey that was a hot night.

Hi Joan. I am so glad you are going back to orthopaedics that hip is older than some people using this forum. An injection has to be worth a try I think, but maybe a new hip might be what you need. Gosh. Joan you never go on! You hardly ever complain ((())) xxx

Keef! A new ickle (haunted) house for my Pusskin! Shall I get it??? Oooh I am very tempted.....

The decor at yours is just fine. Perfect for Loanda. You love her and want her happy so perfect for you too. I can wait for the solar panels no rush thanks👍

How are you today? I hope pain levels are bearable.

We are at Goodwood revival. Yesterday was the bike parade

These were some vintage bikes

Mostly though it's cars and racing food etc.lots of people dress up but it's far far far too hot this year.

frogmorton

Morning Reshmi

Thanks for asking post mtx day was OK although I did have a lie down during the hottest part of the day yesterday partly the heat maybe? How about yourself though?

I hope you're OK and your Mum too.

Gosh I recognise that clique!!! Although here I'd have to add a couple of lines about nails and lip fillers🤭🤭🤭 brilliant 👏 poem well observed.

Have a good day and take care ((()))

Morning Toady

How is it in the tropics? You have plenty of shady places don't you? None here whatsoever.

Oh what a rubbish day for you. Nothing at all went right did it? It has been an awful few years for seeing people. Missing the shop and auction too😒😒😒😒

We did indeed broil......Paul went a fairly decent shade of pink. I am OK so far but really felt the heat yesterday. Had to come back here for a lie down early afternoon.

I think today will be hotter.

Those poor people making chips! Sane here somehow they keep smiling though. Not sure I could. We has a lovely lunch there under cover with a breeze cost 90 quid. I only had a portobello mushroom 🍄! OK I exaggerated there. It was 3 course and really possibly the best meal I've had in ages.

Tia sent me a pic of her Sleekiness waiting for treats. I have no doubt she has had plenty at yours but I said nothing.

Shall I get her the spooky house???? I think she'd love it!

When is it set to break - the weather?

Go Toadys tomatoes! You can do it! Woop woop!!!

Housework? No Toad enjoy the weather! #makethemostofit#makehaywhilethesunshines

My lunch yesterday! Yum

dachshund

Good morning everyone

Kitty (()) love to everyone (()) have a good weekend

Toady (()) sorry you missed a sale (()) we are having rain this afternoon they say. Have a good weekend.

Barbara (()) love to Mr B (()) and your son (()) and your niece (()) and her fiancé (()) have a good weekend

Toni (()) thank you for the photos (()) Marks and Spencer’s are closing in October. Have a good weekend. Love to Paul (()) and Charley (()) and Annie (()) and Lucy (()) and Tia (()) and Kari (()) and your friend (()) and your lovely neighbours (())

Reshmi (()) good poem would you like to be one of those ladies. Love to your Mum (()) have a good weekend

Keef (()) thank you for the photos (()) love to Sucr’e (()) and Loanda (()) have a good weekend

Julie (()) have a good weekend

bosh

Good morning everyone

wppl xx

toady

Hi all - hope the cafe is having an ok day so far ☕️

Thank you frog it was not the best day, one is also permanently swinging between well it's not a Moroccan earthquake but at the same time the death of a thousand cuts is not the most fun either when you've only got one life. I've regained most of my perspective today (maybe 🤨), am not doing much, should be outside, but just moodily poking a few nosegay listings about at the moment. At least if I'm not going out I don't have to wash my 'best' clothes.. or my hair.. or my face.. 😂😂 every cloud ⛅️. Hope things are good with you, how is Paul today on this colour chart? Not too far up to the righthand end I hope 😬.

Lovely pics, they are very cool the vintage bikes especially - and there is some cloud in that sky so it doesn't look impossible. But yes no fish frying for me thanks, sandwich please! Glad you enjoyed your lunch anyway, mushrooms have been the theme du jour, well of the week, I forget the French for week 😄. I have been sparing with Sleek's treats, I explained that the sort of lunch her mother was having was very upmarket and that 3 biscuits arranged artily on a saucer is the kitty equivalent, very recherché. Well you can fool some of the kitties some of the time but I'm not altogether sure she bought it 😉. I take it there were no knives in her ickle house like Gingee here 😮 https://www.bbc.com/news/av/uk-wales-66754822. Have a good day and good trip back :) xx

Hello joan, my auction will come round again and I was in 2 minds about it so life was probably telling me to have another think. V hot again today it rained for a little burst in the night but has not made much difference. I'm sure it will go a bit nasty from Sunday on, I might be out finishing my paintwork by torchlight tonight while I can 😬. Have a good Sunday :) xx

Glad to keep you company in moaning keef 😄 some of it is tongue in cheek but black humour gets me through a lot too, I'm not your cheerful accepting type of poorly person, more likely to bite a helping hand than take it 😬. I really suck at being 'the ill friend', so no wonder I've only got one & a quarter mates left 😂. Some people manage but it boils down to 2 choices to me, either give people chapter & grim verse about your life and make yourself feel even worse (and, they don't know how to behave around you), or gloss it over - then they wonder why you can't see them more often 🤷‍♀️. I don't think many well people get that you can feel different even from one bit of the day to the next and planning ahead is a non starter, so a cancellation is always a bit of a downer. Ah well everything happens for a reason 😉 🤥. Hope things not too bad with you today - hot for cookery, yes, quite right I didn't think of that angle 🍴. What's your itinerary now for family, same as usual? xx

Hi to bosh and an IOU for a later chat ✉️ :) xx

Love to all 😘 xx

bosh

Hi Toni

how are you?

that lunch looks great

im relatively ok thanks in the Reading Rainforest

mum is ok too - but the parental arguments are not diluted by the humid heat 🤷‍♀️

LA and BR were running outside and fell down BR got a a cut on his face bless him, LA had some minor cuts too

an older woman - she’s 6 - has made LA an anklet, lol, engagement ring to follow presumably

LA was running in the car park!

ive got a haircut on Tuesday of next week, so please send any conditioner sachets my way thanks, I’ll burn them in a bonfire in the back garden, no one will ever know, just the whole of the Internet haha.

Il go for now bit tired , bye Toni tc xx

👋toady Joan and Keef

I aim to write more later

ps may go for Marie Antoinette - inspired hair, in honour of your good self Toni -what do you think? xx

bosh

Hi Joan

how are you both doing today?

mum is ok today thanks

thanks about the poem, no I wouldn’t like to be one of those ladies, at home i usually wear a thousand year old T - shirt, I don’t think I own a really “posh” dress lol

I hope you’re both having a nice evening

bye tc xx

ps I think this is the ceiling of a Russian mosque xx

bosh

Hi toady

how are you today?

thanks about the poem

my muse was indeed about to break open the eau de cologne, lol, but I happened to walk at the same time as some of the young mothers in evening dresses at 8.30 in the morning and that inspired the poem, also it was on the cooler side that particular morning, so I thought at least some C*anel velvet wraps would’ve been in order for these ladies - but apparently not lol.

Did you watch the Dr Who re - runs?

That sounded like a nice idea.

I must admit I didn’t read back properly, you were feeling grumpy about something?

are you ok now?

I really hope the weather cools down soon

have a good evening

bye for now toady tc xx

ps mushroom tea, looks more like coffee though, maybe it just has aesthetic value lol xx

Skinny Keef

Only 50% working ☹️

love those Indian motorcycles Toni. Last time I was at Goodwood I was on a genuine American Police Harley, it was awesome.

I’m very down atm. Can’t remember the last time I felt like this. I wish I could still ride a cruiser like an Indian or HD. Beemer is okay but the Harleys were just another level of awesomeness.

Skinny Keef

Last one.

Skinny Keef

Hi Toady, yes you nailed it in that post. Exactly 100%.

toady

Hello all.. gets no cooler does it even at this hour.. it was ok in the garden just now but that's not a lot of help is it ⛺️ <- no ta.

Hi bosh I'm ok now I was grumpy because I finally got round to trying to see a friend at the weekend and then they couldn't - the trouble with always having to make short notice plans, as I was saying to keef. But actually it would have been a bit hot and I'm a bit tired, so even tomorrow I think I might have not enjoyed it much & another day will probably turn out to be better. Me, looking on the bright side, there's a turn up for the book 😄. I haven't done much but I was out in the cooler bit of the evening finishing a bit of painting and listening to someone's conversation, they were shouting I mean genuinely shouting to one another about their holiday arrangements and their packing, I know what bags they're taking and where and what they're going to buy when they get there 😂. How are the injured littleys, nothing that a plaster & sympathy & jelly babies won't cure I hope, & that everyone else is ok today. I think we're over the worst of the heat now for sure so have a small medal, for making it through the HV, it should be downhill all the way. I didn't watch the Dr Who's in the end because I remembered in this heat my laptop can't cope with iplayer and will start sending me alerts like 'my CPU is running at 100%, I can't hold her Captain!' much like Scotty to Kirk on Star Trek, to mix my sc-fi metaphors 😂. Good luck for an ok night :) that Russian mosque ceiling is mindblowing btw 😮 xx

Ooh good stuff keef, sorry it's not all working, does that involve just batteries or fiddling with wiring & things 😣. I like headless pumpkin man and the little pumpkin lamp (2nd to last pic), veiled woman might give you a slight turn if you weren't expecting her but she is very good. Sorry you are feeling particularly down, it's harder I think in some ways when you have had more of a life before illness, I miss the things I could do more than resenting things I never had a shot at, because for all I know I might not have liked them if I got them (if you know what I mean). Who knows though. Hope things not too bad with you tonight neck pain under control etc xx.

Night all 👋 xx

frogmorton

Phew!

That was a hot 🌙

It's still too hot in the motorhome ok outside though.

Morning Joan

Not your Marks and Sparks as well as Wilkos 🙄 you'll have nothing left! Paul is quietly snoring 😴 I have been up for an hour. Had a horrible dream. Hope you are both OK. Did I tell you Tia had a cat in the pool this week? Xxx((()))

Morning Reshmi

How are you doing today? Toady sats it's going to be cooler from today onwards and I agree with her you totally deserve a 🏅

How are the boys? I hope feeling OK. I bet there was plenty of crying and not even a friendship bracelet from an older woman would help. Only their Mummy can soothe such injuries. Hopefully they are laughing now about it.

I imagine the heat has made HV worse if anything?

Yes go for a delightful marie- antoinetteesque 'up-do' I would😂

The mushroom meal was lovely I much give the coffee a miss. Pass it on to BIL with my compliments ☺️

Take care ((()))

Morning Keef

How are you this rather hot morning. I really hope you are feeling a little better.

I'm sorry looking at the bikes made you feel 😔 ((()))

They were fabulous and gish not many have experienced what you have. An actual police bike! 👌 wow.

Those photos are fabulous I love it all! Loanda has a serious addiction there but it's great 👍 Thank you for doing that for us when you're in pain yourself.

Hoping today is a bit better ((()))

Morning Toady

How are you today? I expect you've shrugged it off and are 'getting on with it' but it wasn't fair was it? How often do Toads actually want to socialise? And then they are thwarted😡

Sleek said I an not yo mention posh Goodwood food again. Apparently her biscuits were rationed and she is now the thinnest cat in Bednall! Shocking!!

Home later today. Thank goodness. I was so hot I had two lie downs yesterday and had to chuck every painkiller at my disposal at my hip/back🙄

Blimey noisy neighbours! My new ones are like them. Who actually wants to hear their private stuff? Not me! Bellowing🙄🙄🙄 most distasteful 😂

It was over 30 here yesterday and Paul reckons on the 40s in the motorhome prior to him.putting the portable aircon on.

🏡 please!!!

dachshund

Good morning everyone

Kitty (()) love to you and your family have a good day.

Toady (()) How is your internet now. Are Mr and Mrs B alright. I don’t like meeting people you think they are looking you up and down and thinking things they don’t like. Have a good day. Yes the nights are drawing in.

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

Toni (()) have a good drive back i hope not too much pain (()) cats don’t like water do they. Yes our M and S we will only have Tesco’s left. 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 and your mum (())

Keef (()) thank you for the photos (()) very good love to Loanda (()) and Sucr’e (())

Julie (()) have a good day and your family (())

bosh

Good afternoon everyone

wppl xx

ps a message for Toni lol xx

toady

Hi all 👋

Sunday again I see 🙄 surely we've just had one of those 🤔. Hope you're having a good(wood) day frog and are maybe (or very nearly) on your way 🏡 now. 40 in the motorhome, oh yikes! and warranting painkillers, and a nasty dream to top things off 😕 tea is the order of the day then, all set up & ready here in the cafe and in the shade. It is cooler today anyway no two ways about that, I have been alternating as you can probably imagine between "well it's not a very nice day.. raining now in fact.. probably wouldn't have enjoyed my visit out.. anyway half asleep.. oh now it's brightened up, so it might not have been too bad.. and perhaps I would have felt just about ok.." and on and on 😄. Oh well it was not cut & dried that's the main thing so even if I was 'thwarted' (never a good state of affairs for a toad but the perfect word 👍️) it wasn't a catastrophe. Sleek popped round to tell me all the gossip and we had chilled Kit-Kats out of the fridge 🤫. She told me all your neighbours' gossip too, seeing as they don't mind who hears what apparently 🙄 the suitcase discussion was over the road, still no idea where the other person concerned could have been to warrant that volume 🤷‍♀️. The other interesting thing about painting window frames is you can see in the glass exactly who is and isn't gawping as they go by, failing as Kermit so rightly says, to mind their own business. I suppose you do sort of glance at people up ladders though. Hope you are both ok and can have a quiet day or two, love to everyone :) xx

Hello joan, have had rain today already, only a splash here and there no thundery bits like they said, but it is stuffy. When I meet up with people I'm thinking about them looking at the things about me that I don't like 😔 they probably aren't or they might be looking at different things altogether. But I know certain people who'll comment about someone you both know, you think what do you say about me to them in that case 🤨. Mrs B is fine I have still not seen Mr for a while, there are various reasons he might not be around, I will just hope it's one of the good reasons but sometimes you'll just never know with birds 😔. So sorry about your M&S, you wonder if the High Streets will ever go back the other way. I was reading that little Post Offices are finding it hard to cope with the extra banking type work from branches closing down, and silly people getting annoyed because they expect to be able to do things the POs aren't set up for 🙄. Hope you are having a good Sunday :) xx

Here is my little shelf gargoyle, fao keef - he was from ebay years ago someone making & selling them, I always regretted I didn't get the other similar one, I was outbid for that and then they didn't put up any more 😕. But I'm very fond of this little one. Hope your Sunday is as ok as poss xx

Hi to bosh 👋 'Laters' 😀 xx

bosh

Hi Toni

how are you today?

I’m ok thanks, a little bit of backache but nothing abnormal thanks

there was some lovely rain just now

both the littleys are ok now thanks, yes I think you and toady are absolutely right though, only plasters and jelly babies from mummy made it better, the problem of course being that if bill distributed sweets, 99% of them would mysteriously find their way into his extra cavernous gastric cavity lol.

mum is ok today thanks

Thanks for the medal, I must admit I did sometimes sleep in LA’s currently vacant bed for an hour in the early morning, no need to tell his Lordship that though, he may somehow succeed in evicting me from my own house lol.

I love mushrooms too, if my stomach didn’t object I would eat them all day long lol, good for us too of course iron - rich and so on.

Yes I’ll give bill the coffee lol

Have a nice afternoon / evening Toni tc xx

ps pic of Valencia, Spain xx

bosh

Hi Joan

how are you both doing today?

im not too bad thanks

mums bs is ok too today thank you

I know it less hot now but I can’t wait for the humidity to stop

I hope you both have a nice evening bye tc xx

bosh

Hi toady

how are you today?

I hope you didn’t get caught in the rain?

By the way I looked up the name of the Wonderstuff song with lyrics about hating getting caught in the rain, I think it’s called, “Caught in my shadow”, maybe not to everyone’s taste, but I just thought id mention it.

that was a shame about the visit to the friend that didn’t happen, but like you said, not the best weather for it really

Neighbours were shouting about silly things I see, but no nocturnal laughing in the garden at least I hope?

one of my “aunties” made me listen to the most inane monologue on the phone once, about how she went to the gym once and then drank water after one minute, the next time it was two minutes, unless this was somewhat late revision for the 11 +, or more like the 5+ lol, I’m not really sure what the point of that “conversation” was haha.

I think I’ll leave it there for now toady as there was some HV - related lava flow just now and let’s just say the temperature of the family atmosphere far exceeds that of the upper class WR - purchased pan of salmon goujons swimming in Madagascan vanilla custard you’ve got boiling over there in the introverts’ corner of VC toady lol, don’t worry I frequent that corner too, but mainly for a non - addictive morning R Brek, mind you it’s only non - addictive as some of your massive scary owl friends do tend to swoop by in a very hungry and menacing manner if I even contemplate R Brekking around the universe lol.

have a good night toady tc xx

good night Keef and everyone else bye tc x