Val's Cafe

toady

Sorry about your mum keef, I take it this is ongoing from yesterday's not very wellness, do hope things stabilise 😔 yes these things do indeed always happen now - if I've given you even half a laugh under current circs it's well worth it xx

bosh

Hi toady

all is ok - ish here thanks

at the moment at least

I also liked the post, well the parts I read anyway

in fact you’ve acted as my muse today lol

so a little poetic offering by me 🙏

It’s called “toady’s crate’s excursion (The Val’s Cafe sanitised version)”

The innocent milkman’s trusty crate 

Almost met a nasty fate

It had drunk too much gluco - zade and it danced in the breeze

A crate scrubbed with soap by toady it was free of any disease 

It had got so bored with lazily sitting on the porch

So it went for a nocturnal adventure without a torch 

It almost lost its head, oh no it’s lid or hat

It was almost mauled by a curious cat 

Loose in the street it danced a jig

But toady came to the rescue, so now there’s breakfast milk for her and Peppa The Pig 

good night toady Keef and anyone else around tc xx

Skinny Keef

very good Bosh. 😁

frogmorton

Morning!

Reindeer busy warming up I suspect....

Morning Joan yes I have a friend in Orkney who has snow all clear here luckily it really isn't much more than a dusting. Hope you two are ok? Spent a couple of hours with my lovely neighbours yesterday they are on good form. Their middle son coming today ((())) xxx

Morning Reshmi how are you? Has your neck eased back to 'normal'? I am doing ok all is well here. Christmas eve already so will be busy today doing prep for tomorrow.

I bet BR and LA are just manic ATM☺️ MH is it then? I think your Mum should be allowed to contribute whatever she wants whether BB likes it or not.

Please do thank BIL for my delightful hot choc and biccies I can feel the waistline expanding by the minute.

Oh you do write so well you know. I can picture LA in bed waiting for his story, knowing every word and not letting you get away with a single word😁 Of course the elephant story might bring back painful memories of his lost first love. But oh poor you! good job your Mum was able to rescue you😣 you poor thing😫

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

Oh no Keef that is a worry can you get over today to see your Mum? Can't take Sucré in case he gives his cold to them all....oh dear😕 Huge ((())) for you all

If you lean forwards does your nose/forehead hurt?

Your boy is very sensible wanting to stay in the warm enjoying music with his beloved Dad. Loved Dire straits back in the day. Glad to hear they were more than just popular music. It is windy still a bit today and rainy too here.

Sounds as though he is on the mend a bit (Loanda too I really hope?) if he no longer needs calpol. how sweet a father and son nap together😍

I don't understand the upwards-swirling coffee either well no harm in challenging our brains is there?

Take care ((()))

Morning Toady how are you?

A better night last night I hope without the 2-hourly interruptions. Oh what a night! I think that's a line out of a song? Keef would know.

Sleek is coming over later I hope you don't mind she wants a bit of peace she says - Charley brought the dogs into the garden yesterday - to be fair she checks that Sleek is safely inside and prevents her accidentally encountering them. We weren't here so Charley just gives them a good run in the garden which they love play ball etc. Soon (as they both meet the XL bully definition) they will never ever be allowed off lead again or out of their own home without a muzzle.

Our puss does indeed have a very good paw for pastry always has even as a kitten. Back in those days I was veggie not vegan she started on cheese straws and jam tarts as a kitten.

The wind has settled a bit but it's raining here already🙄

I'm glad I could be kind to P's brother and hope he gets through the next few days ok poor man. My jumper went in the wash and smells fine now! Brut maybe? eye runningly strong!!!!

Well I expect we'll all pop in and out when we can tomorrow hope you have a good day ((()))

Sleek has circled 'Mog' I think channel 4 in the radio times to watch....

Merry Christmas to Barbara, Carol, Kitty and Emma or anyone else who pops by.🎄

Skinny Keef

Morning all, I have Sucré’s cold ☹️☹️

immune system let me down, and I’ve been taking lots of vit d as well .

not heard from sister yet about mum. She said they could only phone her until midnight i wanted to drop everything and go be with mum but she said not to as mum would then panic knowing it was serious. Good job I didn’t as I am seriously full of cold now.

anyway enough doom and gloom. I was flicking online about 4 am and I have found a guitar I am going to buy. I seriously can’t afford it but I don’t care, I will take the money from the new windows fund. Let me think, new windows or new guitar. Can I still see through the old windows- yes, is a guitar more fun - yea, new guitar then. 😁

I don’t name my guitars generally but Phillip Sayce (fantastic young blues player in s similar style to my beloved SRV, very very talented) has a guitar he calls Mother (particularly stupid name I think but it’s just my opinion) because his mum bought it for him when he was just starting to get famous I think is the story and with everything that his happening at the mo, then I think the new one will be called Blue, coz it’s err blue. Ha ha ha

Yep, not coping really atm as can be seen from my babbling.

hope u all okay. Wppl with an update on the guitar, oh and mum 😊

Skinny Keef

No Toni it doesn’t hurt when I lean forward.

what u thinking?

bosh

Good morning everyone wppl xx

dachshund

Good morning everyone

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

Toady (()) have a good day don’t get to stressed about tomorrow. It’s a normal day to us we have no family. Just good friends. How are your neighbours. Yes pepper and Lexi have a present.

Barbara (()) love to Mr B (()) have a happy Christmas love to your son (()) and Niamh (()) and your niece (()) and her fiancé (())

Toni (()) Have a good day today don’t get stressed about tomorrow it will all work out (()) Charley care’s about her dog. Love to all the animals. That’s good your neighbours are well (()) love to Paul (()) and Charley (()) and Annie (()) and Lucy (()) and Tia (()) and Kari (()) and your friend (()) and your lovely neighbours (())

Reshmi (()) Don’t worry about tomorrow love to your mum (())

Keef have a good day how is your mum (()) sorry you have a cold (()) love to Sucr’e (()) and Loanda (())

Happy Christmas to Mig Carol Emma Julie Sticky and DD

bosh

Hi Joan

happy Christmas Eve

how are you both doing today?

mum is ok at the moment thanks

thanks I’ll try not to worry

have a great afternoon tc xx

toady

Afternoon all 👋

Quick teabreak in between giving the kitchen its yearly clean 😉😂. Hope everyone having a good day so far, keef not so much apparently 😕 hope there are no more festive .

Sleek is here (oh I love that picture 😻) there is all the peace & quiet she could ask for, and I had a quiet night too thankfully, she is availing herself of a corner of the sofa and flicking through the channels in the hope of an episode of Bakeoff 😄. She will be back in good time to oversee xmas eve matters at yours. Have a good afternoon :) xx

Hello joan, I am having a nice quiet day thanks nothing more for me to do now, I don't make any fuss either, I usually have egg & chips for xmas lunch 😄. My neighbour will be having family at some point I think and I'm grateful there is no-one in on the other side, nobody else'e xmas tv and music to put up with 👍️. Love to you & Sue and the dear dogs have a good afternoon :) xx

Hi bosh, I went to bed before seeing 'toady's crate excursion', nice surprise this morning 😂😂 sanitized cafe version suggests there's a parental advisory one, is that for the mental picture of a toad in its pyjamas, yes not for the fainthearted 😂. Thank you it's fantastic 😀. Hope your day is going ok so far & all it entails🤞will be in at some point to pick up the latest bulletins 👋 xx

Oh no the cold caught up with you keef 🙄 yes just as well you didn't go in to your mum's but it does put you in a difficult position, so sorry. Browsing for guitars at 4am well what else can you do really, you are quite right, windows, meh no sensible person ever put them on their xmas list. Go for it 👍️ hope the cold clears up asap. xx

Love to everyone, mig Carol Barbara Kitty Emma Julie crinky & anyone I've missed 😘🎄xx

My little xmas tree I think it was 10p from a charity shop long ago 😂 I stand a colour change light inside, can't get a pic with flash because the lights won't pick up so excuse blurriness it was the only way. Festive skull eggcup for scale 😄 the tree is about 8".

toady

*no more festive colds/ills that should have said.

Anyone else already looking forward to the tidying up afterwards bit? 😄

bosh

Hi Keef

sorry to hear you have Sucre’s cold

drink lots of fluids and keep warm

hope you have as good a Christmas Eve as poss

bye for now, tc x

hi Toni

how are you this afternoon?

merry / happy Christmas Eve!

im ok thanks, neck is indeed normal again 🙏

mums bs was borderline this morning unfortunately

but at least not quite a hypo situation

she’s feeling ok now thanks

apart from dad bossing her about of course

yes I agree with you about starters but there’s no reasoning with dad of course

yes kids went to toy shop with their parents

LA was so happy and poor BR ‘s jaw was dropping onto the ground

LA’s lost love I like it lol

i must go for now as I fell asleep in the igloo and must relocate 🥶

Are you doing anything special to celebrate today?

thanks about poem

bye for now Toni tc xx

bosh

Greetings toady

glad you liked the poem 🙏

The non - sanitised may have included some asides from me In slightly unsuitable language about BB’s antics, I think he’s cooking a massive vat of cabbage in advance, I hope it’s not a starter, anything’s possible here lol

but toady in her pyjamas retrieving the crate that’s a funny idea lol

no doubt bosh in similar attire would be even funnier and scarier, small children please beware lol

I like the festive skull

im in the middle of psoriasis cream - applying ritual that I’m sure Toni knows all too well

so before the dermatological oracle foresees me transforming into a one giant mima - sized pimple for Christmas Day I’ll complete this fascinating ritual and I’ll see you anon

bye for now toady tc xx

toady

'night bosh 👋 possible non-printable asides about cabbage etc, I see, 🥦 broccoli will have to do here, apparently it's the teacher's pet of the leafy veg emoji world, poor old cabbage. Hope not too many other cookery incidents requiring strong language, probably optimistic, but hang on it will be over soon and tea and the quiet corner of the cafe awaits 👍️ :) xx

Have as good an xmas eve night as poss everyone 😘 xx

Skinny Keef

Half an hour to go. Mum’s condition has put a bit of a dampener on it for me bless her.

I won’t bring you all down with the details now, I will wait till after the festivities.

Sucré is absolutely BUZZING about it being Christmas Eve. I needed some time alone so as soon as he went up to bed I went out to the bunker for some guitar time. I came in 90 minutes later and he was still awake jibber jabbering to Loanda about the whereabouts of Santa. He has about a million presents. Far too many. Think Loanda has gone way ott. I bought him a newly released special edition Jimi Hendrix CD, and that’s all. He loves Hendrix and I always have to rein him in on the volume.

plans are all on hold atm for obvious reasons and waiting for mum to be transferred to Basildon Hospital. I was thinking I’d been there many times for work purposes but I am confusing it with Harlow. Think I may have been there once.

Off to bed now.

Merry Christmas everyone. Hope everyone has a really lovely day. x

toady

So sorry your mum has to go into hospital 😞 what is it about Christmas 🙄. Kettle on if you happen to be awake, keep us posted x (and good luck with the overexcited Hooligan; all presents tomorrow is it, not given in to the Xmas eve box trend?).

frogmorton

https://community.versusarthritis.org/discussion/comment/716309#Comment_716309

Sinuses but now I think it was probably teh start of the cold😒🤧

frogmorton

Morning everyone MERRY CHRISTMAS 🤶

Morning Joan yes Charley adores the dogs (well they are at 8 and 10 months still puppies I suppose!) you adore yours and I adore my cat. As it should be. I now have 6 Grandcats, 4 Grandogs, 2 Grandrabbits and 5 Grand-bearded dragons! Help! Hope you both have a lovely day ((()))

Morning Keef

Please don't feel you ahve to remain upbeat for us you must be very worried about your Mum. I think Basildon is a good hospital? She will be well looked after but such a dreadful shame at this time of year. You can't go unfortunately I doubt you can you can ask, but that cold probably means you can't huge ((())) for you.

The lad will have a lovely day and kids is what this time of year is all about in my opinion (apart from the 'real' reason of course. I don't blame Loanda one bit for spoiling him. I suspect his CD might be a favourite though😉

Are you doing the cooking?

I rather like the name 'Blue' for your guitar. You may even play the blues on Blue form time to time....

Coffee?

Morning Reshmi I hope you are well and up to today. There will be two overexcited nephews to cope with so you'd better be 'on form'!

Psoriasis cream applied and in action we hope😊

Cabbage? Your Dad did a vat load of cabbage? Oh dear me i hope it's not to soggy by the time you get to MH.

I hope you did relocate before you fell asleep or you will have set your neck off again.

Imagine those boys in a toy shop oh bless them!! I'd have loved to see that.

I hope your Mum's bs is good today she needs to feel on form.

Love the festive coffees and the Peppa pig.

Take care ((())) xxx

Morning Toady

Sleek did my sprouts for me, she does them so well, watching Bake-off last night. She says she is going to yours for egg and chips then back here for some turkey. Or maybe vegan nut-roast. She hasn't decided yet although the nut-roast is made by Kari so she's thinking maybe that.... or both.

Hopefully the one-side neighbours will be fairly quiet paws crossed.

I love the little tree! How pretty is she?!

Kari had a light in her window this year so Mabel didn't pull hers over. It has been known with kittens.

Watched Mog and bake-off that was it. Paul has chosen is televisual viewing he loves his telly🙄

It will be all go here for 12 noon so Sleek will run off to you by then I should think.

Hope your day is good.

Nope I don't like tidying up😣

Love of course to absent friends: Barbara, Kitty, Carol Emma and anyone else who pops by.

Aidan and Mike much missed too .

bosh

Good morning everyone wppl xx

dachshund

HAPPY CHRISTMAS EVERYONE AND THE MODS.

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

Toady (()) Sue had trifle for breakfast she can’t have it later because of her hernia. Have a good day. Did you read about the lady who stabbed her 6 year old son in the back.

Barbara (()) have a good day. Love to Mr B (()) and your son (()) and Niamh (()) and your niece (()) and her fiancé

Toni (()) have a good day. That cup of coffee with the coffee above the cup do you think it was filmed has the cup was put down quick on a table it was filmed at speed. Yes I miss Aidan (()) and Mike the cancer was quick with Mike (()) 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 love to your mum (())

Keef (()) sorry your mum has to go to hospital. Thinking of you and Sucr’e (()) and Loanda (())

Thinking about all our missing friends

Skinny Keef

Mum had emergency surgery last night to fit a pacemaker, and is stable and awake in the high dependency department. My sister has been and written down why she is there so she can read it as many times as needed to remember, which will be a lot. I cannot go due to my cold, but there is talk of her going back home to Colchester this evening.

Late dinner today and I’m not cooking for a change which is nice.

For all my specialised pickups and modifications I have done, my bog standrad Clapton strat with Noiseless pickups ( which are supposed to be rubbish according to all the guitar forum experts) is still one of my best sounding guitars.I think it’s all an internet conspiracy to get guys like me to part with their cash on pickups we don’t actually need, and they’re not cheap lol.

still deliberating over the blue one but I think a Guitar Safari is on the schedule. 😁

bosh

Hi Keef

sorry about your mum

glad she’s stable

hi Toni Joan toady

how are you all?

mum is ok currently 🙏

I have a headache and need some sleep 💤

kids are on such form - Toni I give you the task of hiding the Yorkshire puddings

toady I can’t read any more stories - now it’s your turn according the rota 😱

bye for now everyone tc xx

ps veggie quinoa sushi xx

toady

Hi all - literally just a hello 👋 nice quiet day, off to bed early, proper post tomorrow 👍️.

Thinking of keef & mum (are they really thinking of discharging her? if so hope all's as well as can be🤞) xx

Hope everyone's had a good a day as possible, and wishing you a nice lazy Boxing Day 😘 xx

p.s. if you haven't had a baby owl in your tree for four days, you've been doing Christmas all wrong🎄 https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/av/world-us-canada-67733828 (thank goodness it was ok! 😍).

'Night all 😴 sleep well xx

bosh

night toady

I just need a prescription for industrial strength antacid before you retire please

good night everyone from me and my stuffed stomach

ps my sis made this cake, pretty, tasty and possibly partial cause of gastric Vesuvius

Skinny Keef

Mmmmmm cake 🤪

good night everyone x