Val's Cafe

bosh

Good morning everyone

wppl xx

dachshund

Good morning everyone

Sorry about the rush sue has a dentist appointment at 10 I have to take the dogs out before she goes I need help with the scooter.

Kitty (()) love to all have a good day

Toady (()) the weather man said we are going to have an Indian summer. Have a good day

Barbara (())love to Mr B (()) love to everyone thinking of you.

Toni (())Yes I said when we moved in here it’s like a place you would stay for a holiday.

Reshmi (()) have a good day love to your mum (())

Keef (()) sorry about your pain (()) love to Sucr’e (()) and Loanda (())

bosh

Hi Toni toady Joan Keef

how are you all doing today?

im ok just tired

mum is ok thanks

more later

bfn all tc xx

ps Pride scene for no particular reason lol xx

Skinny Keef

Hi all. What a day. Had a very unpleasant experience after my acupuncture today. Am worried the tram is causing damage to my ears due to increased tinnitus so have made the decision to stop the tram and deal with the extra pain with tens machine and anti inflammatories. Coming off the tram is absolute hell so few difficult days ahead.

hope you all okay.

i have asked loanda for a foto of the swag from the halloween safari.

bosh

Hi Toni

how are you tonight?

thanks so much for saying that I sound better

ive definitely started feeling a lot more like myself mental health wise 👍

mum is ok thanks

my stomach is a little bit upset but nothing drastic

hows your stomach today?

group was v interesting but I’ll tell you about it tomorrow

have a nice night Toni tc xx

ps pic of my dad aka fruitcake for VC , which I don’t like much so it’s definitely calorie free for me anyway lol xx

bosh

Hi toady

how are you?

im ok thanks just tired

I found a pic that may be appropriate for your good self lol

don’t feed the computer, it’s on a diet haha

ill post properly tomorrow

good night toady tc xx

👋Joan sorry I’m almost asleep 💤 have a good night

bosh

Good night Keef and everyone else take care xx

ps mists of Avalon inspired night pic

toady

Hi all 👋

Had a really quite nice morning and a grotty & annoying afternoon courtesy of the neighbours turning up 2nd day running and banging about next door 🙄. I know I'll have to get used to it but I was so not in the mood today for someone making that amount of noise for hours, dragging up carpet or putting it down or who knows what. Occasionally hitting or banging themselves in the process and going 'ow' loudly, the only small bright spot in the day 😉. I had a quiet afternoon planned catching up with some stuff online including coming in here but by the time they'd gone I was only fit for tea & a sandwich and then I went to sleep til gone 8. Anyway mustn't grumble & all that because something worse will happen (ever the optimist 😄) just to explain why I went off course & never made it in as planned.

Bear with me and will be in tomorrow come what may 👍️. *Starts googling 'DIY partition walls.. can you soundproof a room with bubblewrap.. houses for sale on remote scottish islands..'*

Love to all and wishing keef the least worst possible time coming off the tram🤞I will see you all soon xx

toady

Lights out😴 have left tea in a thermos for anyone up x

frogmorton

Ah Joan you felt the same about your bungalow! Mind they do get warmer i think in hot weather as the roof is above our heads. Wouldn't go back now though it's lovely here. My friend is coming this morning wonder whether she'll bring the 🐶 Take care ((())) xxx

Morning Reshmi Lovely Pride pic so pretty.

How are you feeling today? I really can 'hear' the difference I am so glad you feel it too😊 Your Mum - is she still doing well?

Hope your stomach is ok mine was good thanks. I had nutritional yeast on my dinner last night (has lots of vitamins in it including B ones) and my wee was luminous!!!

Ready to hear all about the Group. Was the usually entertaining RR present i wonder.🤔

Thanks for the fruitcake unfortunately (hehehe!) it's not vegan so we might invite BIL and Sleek to come and hoover it all up for us maybe?

Cute pic of cheeky sisters the night pic is spooky not ookey!

Morning Keef

how are you today? I don't expect coming of the trammadols to be easy for you.

I hope the experience at acupuncture wasn't too scary?

Won't be easy doing what you're doing sending some ((()))

Look at this terrible thing....

My poor car....off to have her alarm/immobiliser sorted. Hopefully she'll be ready by Friday fingers 🤞

Morning Toadster

How are you today?

I loved your google 'search'😁 come and live next door to me I will kick my annoying neighbours out and we'd both be happy 😁 Hehehe having a slight giggle at the random 'ouches' coming from next door😇

You did get something done. The day was not a total write off and don't worry when you see teh pic of Penelope going off on the tow-truck neither is she.

Today will be better I hope.

Did you see anything of the mousies/Mr and Mrs B? I think there might be some snails/slug here given the rain we've got🙄

Take care

dachshund

Good morning everyone

Kitty (()) How are you and your carers (()) Have a good day.

Toady (()) sorry about your neighbours (()) we haven’t seen our neighbour since she moved in. I hope you have some good luck on eBay. Have a good day.

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

Toni (()) I’m sorry Penelope has a problem with her horn was it honking all the time i hope it will be okay for Friday (()) have a good time with your friend love to her and her dogs (()). Love to Paul (()) and Charley (()) and Annie (()) and Lucy (()) and Tia (()) and Kari (()) and your friend (()) and your lovely neighbours (())

Reshmi (()) that’s good you enjoyed your club (()) love to your mum (())

Keef (()) sorry your having a problem with the Tramadol. I take Zamadol they melt in your mouth. Take care thinking about you. Love to Sucr’e (()) and Loanda (())

Julie (())

bosh

hi Toni

how are you doing today?

thanks again about my MH etc 🤗

im a bit tired but ok today thanks

mum is ok too thanks

my stomach has improved a lot thanks, but I’m still being a bit careful today

i can’t remember if I’ve mentioned it or not but LA’s anklet was made of paper, striped and has already been lost lol, maybe the stripes are for LA the Bengal(i) tiger lol, well half Bengali anyway haha

the second funny story to report involves Bill and BR, apparently bill woke up in the middle of the night and couldn’t get back to sleep again and so did BR, so Bill took his son downstairs and watched a romcom with his 2 year old! He also ate some ice cream and a gave a bowl to poor little BR as well, even though BR was recovering from a stomachache, someone really needs to tell him that this is not good parenting, but I certainly have neither the authority or the bravery to do that lol.

I think BR’s stomach is ok luckily but that really was a very irresponsible thing that the legendary bill did there.

It’s a good job that LA wasn’t awake and subjected to the romcom or goodness knows what sort of language / phrases he would’ve picked up! He’s already saying some things which are quite unsuitable for our delicate ears here at VC haha.

Next topic is the group, it was an interesting visit but really kind of sad in a way.

J the organiser wasn’t present as she was on another little holiday, RR was receiving a paint delivery, or something like that, lol and possibly buying giant choc buttons in bulk, just in case there’s a shortage when LA visits again, which is quite a sensible precaution, now I think about it.

i was a little bit late leaving the house, so as well as nice M and her dad, there were a few other people there, including a lady who I’ll call May, she’s maybe 5 years older than me, she’s got bipolar like me but unfortunately she falls ill all the time and is in and out of hospital all the time, she has put on a lot of weight as she said she was afraid to go out during the lockdown, she said her knee problems have now become arthritis, she was walking on crutches and one of her sons was with her, helping her with her bags. She used to be so skinny, she couldn’t remember my name, the whole thing was a shock really, but I’m so glad she’s well enough to get out of the house now.

I think I’ll leave it there for now Toni, bye and tc xx

ps so this is a pic of an abandoned Celtic castle apparently, not sure exactly where xx

Skinny Keef

Hello everybody.

oh Toni, your poor little car NO!!!! What a sad sight it leaving on a loader ☹️

twice I’ve had a bike go on recovery truck. Once was a brand new Kawasaki in 1988 which went bang soon after i got it.

the other time i was stopped in my tracks by the snow in northern Spain and couldn’t get my Harley over the mountains to the North coast and paid an extortionate amount of money to have it taken by truck. And due to a navigation error on my part still had to ride a 100 miles in snow and ice the following day. And that was in the days before i had heated clothing 😳 crikey I’ve had some adventures this other time there was…… I’ll save that for another time

i hope they find the problem with the alarm and fix it ready for Sunday. If it was a BMW I would send my friend round with his ‘device’, he fixed an alarm immobiliser this week on a bike, but the car system is the same. OBDii or something like that, must admit I tend to switch off after a certain amount of time of him telling me hiw he did it. The system on my bike is off, and thats the way it’s staying. No problems that way. At least that’s what my mate who sold it to me said.

thanks for the well wishes Toady, Dachshund and Reshmi.

I decided to post this song. You don’t have to listen but if you do you have to do so on headphones or decent speakers not a mobile. It’s copyright ©️ to me so please don’t post it on social media but feel free to play it to who ever. If you want clarification on the lyrics or the story behind them then let me know. Takes me ages to do a song in my little studio due to pain etc so be gentle if you don’t like it 😁

Jim's Chimp - 19:08:2021, 14.31.zip

Skinny Keef

First part of Halloween Haul.

bosh

👋 toady Joan and Keef

Will post again later xx

ps look, LA’s friend Marco has marked his food- how possessive!

bosh

Hi Joan

how are you both doing today?

ive been tired all day, but that happens occasionally with me

mum is doing ok today, thanks for asking 👍

yes the group was nice in some ways thanks

but it was sad to see my old friend looking so unwell, but I’m trying not to dwell on it

she’d bought some chocolate cake for everyone, bless her, but I politely declined, I said if I ate any more chocolate I’d turn into bill, lol, well I didn’t quite put it that way haha

I hope you’re both having a good afternoon

bye tc xx

ps gi Joe the physio is giving out invaluable advice again lol xx

Skinny Keef

Soap dispenser also from latest haul.

bosh

Hi toady

how are you today?

mum and I are ok today thanks

what were we talking about? I have no idea lol

the hairdressers’ became very stuffy at one point, even though it’s air-conditioned, I almost fell asleep. I remember Toni asking if it was because I was feeling relaxed, but I don’t think so it’s just that the air was very close and I was uncomfortably warm not relaxed really because my hairdresser is quite a perfectionist and if I move, even the tiniest bit well it might start world war 3 or 4, Sorry, I’ve lost count of the world wars now lol

My stomach is okay at the moment thanks but have I had sufficiently plain a diet today? I’m not really sure yet, like you said night is the time for the stomach problems to manifest themselves unfortunately isn’t it? How potential ookey.

A while after the hairdressers I really felt quite stiff in my legs that wasn’t good. I tried to stretch a little bit when the hairdresser went off to blow his nose or powder his nose or whatever was going on, but there weren’t very many opportunities to do so and I didn’t want him to think that I was some kind of very eccentric relative of GI Joe, who had drunk a bit too much banana flavoured coffee in the morning lol.

That raises an interesting subject at least for me - how much physio should you do in public? obviously I try not to, generally speaking, but sometimes if my arms are hurting I’ll shake an arm about as discreetly as possible while I’m walking about locally - no one important is really is going to see the worst that could happen is one of the older ladies might say “ well what does she have for breakfast? a whole packet of rich tea biscuits in a Toady - esque manner ?” Only joking of course, but yes it is, it’s a bit of a dilemma sometimes

I remember once I was in the hospital waiting for rheumatology appointment and there was a lady there fairly young about 25 maybe, who was blatantly stretching doing leg stretches in the middle of the waiting area and I didn’t blame her really people often don’t understand do they? but then sometimes I think that maybe mother nature or father nature, or whoever it is, is getting some vengeance because some people, I won’t name them of course, who do very important jobs in offices or who think their jobs are so important at least, seem to take a pride in in absolutely doing no physical activity all day, including stretches, I was expecting them to hit the gym in the coffee break obviously lol, but pride in not stretching? What’s that about? Yeah, pretty stupid attitude really isn’t it? They should try and do something otherwise it’s not good for anybody’s joints, arthritic or not, okay that’s my slightly self-involved part of the message over

I must admit I did skim a little bit of your posts, but just as I was feeling tired. However I did notice you had to post some stuff off to remote Scottish islands or something like that? Did that all go okay?

I bought a lipstick from nosegay recently not extremely expensive of course, but they sent me absolutely the wrong colour kind of a luminous pink so and I don’t I don’t even then elephant trunk Ladybaby would would wear something so gaudy, oh well, never mind

LA went to the breakfast club today at school because his mummy had a meeting or something like that early morning but he loves it there. They ask him if the Lord wants honey on toast or if he wants well had to be honest I don’t know all the other options, but he has various options really more than more than most people have different spreads different cereals, this and that my goodness I wish I were a Lord sometimes or possibly a female equivalent lol, I would say GI Joe, please condescend to put my porridge in the microwave. Oh bless you for that lol

I do like porridge but there’s a limit in the ways that it can be flavoured I think , what is your opinion toady ?

I know I could have nuts in it but too many nuts in the morning might be a recipe for disaster with my large but sensitive stomach and fruits - generally same issue but I so t add a bit of banana if it’s available.

I must admit I put a bit of sugar in but of course going overboard would not be so good idea.

Lots of people really go a bit mad and add chocolate etc, but that I haven’t quite got to the stage and I’m eating chocolate in the morning like RR lol.

Is there anything that you put in it to make it a little bit more flavoursome?

okay I’ll go for now Toady. Hope you’re having an okay day in the nosegay customers aren’t making you think of alternative uses for hairdressers’ scissor or gardeners’ shears for that matter.

bye for now Toady take care xx

ps pic of blois castle staircase France xx

Skinny Keef

Reshmi, you really do post some fantastic photos. Thank you.

toady

Afternoon all 😊

It is I, Toad, the slightly more chilled version thereof. No disturbances today and anyway being forewarned & a bit more prepared to hunker down in here with headphones if needs be helped a bit. I don't know why I'm quite so appalled now at the idea of people next door, after all I've lived next to people, kids even, dogs, I've lived next to a club for pete's sake, but I just do not want someone else's tv & all that now. I blame the covid for some of this too because at the crucial point of being stuck in a lot I had more noise than ever before and it really turned me quite hostile to people 😠 a quiet lockdown would have been worlds upon worlds of difference. Yes please a quick swap with your neighbours frog 😀, the only thing, is theirs a bungalow too? 🤔 because I might need to add a storey extension in that case.. just a few months of building work, you won't mind the noise will you, or the being overlooked 😱😂. Sorry! seriously, the lives that would be changed by a bit of simple rearrangement like that. Up the loft again for me today, having a quite productive turnout & rearrange. I know the leak can't have gone away by itself and I will need people back at some point so it may as well be tidy. Hope yours is till holding up we do have wet days ahead don't we 😕 but dribbling rather than torrents (I hope). Another dry day tomorrow would be a big help. Mousies were having a lovely time in the sun yesterday, I was watching them while tidying up & cleaning the bird bath etc. They don't mind me there, mind you for food they would probably be all over anyone. Hope you had a good food bank day yesterday, talking of which. Oh poor Penelope, hope she really is only away til tomorrow🤞love to all & to Sleek of course, thank you for the lovely plum 😊 and I'm glad you had one of this batch of banana muffins they did turn out particularly well - there are more bananas queueing up 😬 it is a very good recipe for overripe ones. Have a good Friday xx

Hello joan, bit dull & drizzly today, I am clinging to the hope of the indian summer you mentioned, that would be lovely. Sorry no proper reply yesterday, I hope Sue got on ok at the dentist. If you haven't seen anything of your neighbour then you haven't heard much either I assume, that's good. I suppose any work like redecorating was done beforehand I think you said. I'm sure my new people won't be awful, you have to be grateful I could have someone horrible, I just have got less & less tolerant of someone else's noise. And I'm worried they will come & do stuff like dig up the garden that would be a shame. I am not selling much on ebay at the moment or buying either, so it's very quiet, saves the postman a trip anyway 😂. Have a good Friday, love to both :) xx

Hi bosh, finally, excuse me if I've got miles behind. Lots of 'lovely' rain out there today and over the weekend apparently 😬 but it is cooler to do stuff in, I forgot how the loft heats up with even as much sun as we had yesterday, impossible to stay up there long but I got some interesting tidying done up there - rounded up all the many suitcases - none with any lost Constable sketches, in sadly 😔. Glad it was better weather for group and nice M was there but sorry your friend May has had a tough time especially since lockdown etc, as she gets out & about more maybe that will help a little🤞it's a hopeful sign anyway. Lots of interesting things for me to catch up on in your posts, toddlers having late night sessions of ice cream and bridget jones' diary or whatever 😂 yes not the stuff of parenting manuals and definitely not for LA, you said it 😱 😬. I love Alana's sad sonnet, who would think broccoli had any potential as a poetic subject, and yet in your hands, such pathos 💘. Lovely pics of remote little romantic locations too, that would suit me at the moment, do you think the al fresco man would row out with some rich tea bics 🤔😂. Hmm. Very glad you are feeling better in yourself as they say 😀 and that your mum is ok at the moment too. All quiet here, I found a youtube video for the wonderstuff song, I don't recall it but I like it 👍️ and interesting to see bits of birmingham city centre in the background, long time since I was there, eek time flies. I did turn out to be right about the track of theirs I was trying to remember, size of a cow (I quote, 'Life, it's not what I thought it was 🤨') - have it here on a best of indie cd somewhere methinks. Nice to catch up :) have a good evening xx

Keef I have downloaded and unzipped your song (I got an error message of some sort but it seems to be fine) look forward to giving it a proper listen over my next cup of tea 👍️. You will be pleased to know I upped my quiz winnings to 42p last night, helped by knowing who the Rolling Stones lead guitarist is 😂✌️. I love those skull jars, how simple & effective are those! I may have to acquire some. And the tea pumpkin. Also how about I give in to the insistence of spiders to get on my head and get this - 'bright colorse (sp.) and excellent workmanship' - at least I wouldn't have to look at it haha. Back later x

Love to everyone 😘 xx

toady

Edit: I've still managed to miss this latest post of yours bosh so like pass the parcel it's me again now 😄 I will be back in due course though :) x

toady

Hi again 👋 um, well, keef, wow 😮 ! Does that sound like I wasn't expecting something as good? because I don't mean it like that, just proper impressed. Ok here goes my Old Grey Whistle Test critique.. oh alright, I have zero credentials, skip that. But I listened to it twice of my own free will (through the good headphones) - always a good sign - and I liked it a lot 👍️ you know your stuff 😎. Super guitar solo and I loved the end (no spoilers). Thank you for posting & yes background info would be good ta. Have a good night I might not make it to the 1am tea counter but you never know. x

Public physio bosh 🤔 well probably not for me, seeing as I'm usually trying to make myself inconspicuous rather than the opposite 😄 . Especially having had personal comments on my neck/walking ability/various other bits of me when I was at my worst so I don't think eurythmics in waiting rooms is my ☕️. Seriously I suppose I would do the same as you, a discreet stretch if needs be rather than be uncomfortable. Porridge - just porridge flavour or chuck a few sultanas in, or seeds & that sort of thing if it's a good way to add something in. No nuts (too worried about breaking a tooth) and not all that keen on anything else in it or already flavoured like you get in shops - except the cinnamon maybe at a push. I haven't had to post things to the Scottish isles, no 😂 I was just fantasising about moving somewhere away from the madding crowd etc. Unfortunately I know I wouldn't like the remoteness in other ways at all but it's a nice thought. Sorry about your lurid nosegay lipstick, totally wrong shade sent or colour nothing like picture? Would it be any use with another colour on top I do that myself sometimes but if it's practically dayglo pink there may be no hope 😄. Have a good night :) wonderful staircase, I love staircases 😍 xx

bosh

good morning everyone

wppl xx

frogmorton

Morning Joan how are you and Sue today? The dogs were so well behaved we took them for a short walk and played ball with them inside. Sleek hid in the bedroom with the door shut and a window open in case she needed to get out. My friend is doing well she has a couple of anniversaries coming up wedding and then her wife's birthday so tough times ahead. Should be dry enough for you to get into town🤞 and maybe I'll get Penelope home too ((())) xxx

Morning Reshmi

Glad to hear your stomach is settled now mine isn't too bad either. Is you Mum ok? any news on her colonoscopy date yet?

So no RR or J at the group. I do hope RR manages to get a good supply of HUGE choccy buttons in before LA's next visit. Oh My gosh that poor lady, May, bless her heart well now she is getting out she might start to feel a little more herself. You as a group will of course do your bit to support her, but gosh I hope the weight gain isn't distressing her. I know it did Kari horrendously, but probably she was just very poorly. I bet here family appreciated knowing she was with you all they could go and have a coffee not worrying. You are very kind caring about her.

Oh dear LA has misplaced his bracelet already? It sounded lovely what a shame.

Nooooo BIL! Not ice cream on an empty stomach and 'adulk' films on TV!! Better than my girls' birth father. While I was working nights he used to watch alien films and Charley was terrified! Good job it wasn't LA yes!🙄

I love that Castle it's just beautiful.

What is Marco like labelling his food and counting each individual chip too! Mind his mathematic skills are good aren't they😁

Take care today it should be dry enough for a walk all being well ((()))

Morning Keef

I know!!!!!! My poor little car her alarm going off though. It needed sorting out. Hopefully I'll get her back today 🤞 I agree with your friend 'off' is how I want my alarm. He sounds a good man to know. Isn't it pathetically upsetting seeing your beloved vehicle on the back of a loader? I think I was lucky that no-one in the village saw her go off. Gosh what a story having to ride in snow and ice with no heated clothing😮

How are you Loanda and little Sucré doing?

I love the new stuff. They jugs are just adorable and the jars too at the back with the 'skelly' faces showing once there's something in them! Very clever! Even your bathroom has been Halloweened!

Any tips how to play the song? I was quite upset it unzipped ok but windows media player said it was unsupported??? I am so looking forward to hearing it😕

Thanks and sorry to be a pain. Take care ((()))

Morning Toady

How are you today? All is well here. I have been looking at knitted frogs on 'Betsy' again. I want one I need one ready knitted though my sewing up is rubbish😕

Kari Lucy and Kari's DIL all came over last night and we had tea and a laugh together.

I have been having some trouble with tiny flies. Not compost gnats - vinegar flies? I spent a lot of time catching and releasing them outside yesterday. About 15 of them. Found the cause in the end it was a pack of shallots which had gone over. Apparently they like onions🙄 I think (hope) they are all gone now.

Next door is a beautiful house!. The other side is another bungalow like mine, but the one with my noisy neighbours is a lovely Tudor house. A real one not 'fake'. The garden isn't huge, but you can share ours we can put a Monty Don style gate in the wall maybe? Lockdown I well remember it was bad they had parties do you remember me saying? and their daughter had twins. Gosh it wasn't fun at all was it. I do understand. Hopefully, when yours move in, they will actually be ok and not too noisy. You can soundproof a wall you know. Maybe just the one where they are most likely to have a TV? I bet Keef being a musician would know how.

Sleek is on her way just now she wants to come up your loft she read over my shoulder again I could feel her leaning on me😉

No rain coming in yet here or at yours I hope paws crossed at least you won't be embarrassed if someone needs to go up into your loft now. Well done!!

Seriously is your recipe for banana muffins veganisable?

So glad the mousies were out the day before they should be out today too. it's going to be dry!

Take care ((()))

Skinny Keef

Hi Toni, there is probably a way of turning your alarm of on the Fig. There has to be for long term storage etc. might be worth looking on the Fig forum or posting a question.

Toady - As far as soundproofing the wall it is quite difficult to get it perfect, with sound insulation material, like thermo insulation but slightly different and then an air gap and then your top layer of plaster board so you will lose a few inches of space, and then there’s nothing to say the sound won’t cone around the wall and In through the ceiling space etc.

However, I would try an acoustic curtain. Easy to put up either on a rail to pull across or simply fixed across the offending wall permanently’pulled’ with a slight air gap of 2 or 3 cm between the wall and the curtain. I’ve seen them used in studios with great effect around drum kits where they use a ‘live room’ to record the whole band at once but drum bleed over into other mics is a problem. search acoustic curtain on the www and have a look. Not terribly expensive either. It might just cut the noise down a few db to an acceptable level, but unfortunately you will never get silence without several layers, lots of expensive materials and lots of space taken up.

Toni, playing the file, or rather not, is a good example of Windows and Mac incompatibility unfortunately. I will try and reconfigure the file and repost, or if you have an iPhone you could play on that or an iPad, but i seem to remember an aversion to apple stuff in the cafe from a while back.

will post later, i haven’t read fully back all the posts yet 😁