HI All, Buxton is about 5 hours for me with 2 changes but Im happy with that it would give me chill out time with the old kindle! Return fair for me is £64 which i didnt think was too bad…
Oh Lily if you book 1 room for double for you and hubby half price offer of £75 for two for B&B and dinner in Old Hall hotel…
Hi Lisa, I did not realise the journey would be so long for you. PLease think about it and the cost as it we might have some other/better ideas. After all there are quite a few towns! Lily x
Hi ladies
I’ve also checked out the trains and I think Buxton must be slap bang in the middle (which it is by the way) as I’m about 4 and a half hours away with 2 changes! Well, the good news is I’ve got the job 
the bad news of course is I don’t know if I can now make the meet up 
The job is a Tribunal Assistant which means I set up the rooms, welcome people and send reports off at the end. It is a part time role and requires a bitif driving, but I get paid an allowance for that. It sounds really interesting and varied so I’m quite keen on it and nothing like I’ve done before. Because of the nature of the job I won’t know my days of work until the the week before which is why this will throw a spanner in the works. We’ll have to see if we can work around this by me saying I will come if I can. Not sure if this will be OK for you both?
Quickly onto other things (as I’m about to go out for a walk on the first sunny day we’ve had in months) Well done Val, so glad it’s all heading the right way hope the chemo, when you restart is OK and the scan doesn’t throw up any nasties. Enjoy thebreak, caravan I mean, not hip or other bones lol.
Hi to everyone else, hope all is well with you and you all have good weekends.
Nicky xx
Congratulations Nicky on your new job. It sounds just the type of job I would have enjoyed doing. I like driving and I like organising and I am quite methodical. But don’t worry my working days are over and I am quite happy being retired now that the mortgage and debts are all paid off. Great for my head as I had to retire early and we had biils to pay and my Oh was ill too at the time and he had to retire on il-health so money was a problem. Now that I don’t really need money I have enough to get by and I never thought I would get to this point at one time. I even have a little put by for a rainy day.
The boys had a lovely walk along the river but the river was flooded in parts and the paths were very muddy and their trousers were all covered in mud. The weather was glorious with no rain but lots of sunshine. they got to the pub before me so there was no kindle time or knitting time but I made up for that when I got home. I got all the butcher goods and they are now in the freezer apart form the things I wil be using over the weekend.
My OH was away over to the place we store the caravan today to fix a new outside light while the weather was dry. i opted to stay at home and so I made up three pizza bases from the new Lorraine Pascall cookery book. I didn’t use the exact ingredients for the topping from her recipe but didn’t use my own usual topping either. I had a jar of roasted peppers and with garlic and passata and fresh thyme from the garden I used that then added olives, anchovies, feta and cheddar cheese, some salami and capers. They turned out well. I only cooked two so have one base left for another day when not a lot of time. presume I could freeze the palin base as it is.
I am knitting a jumper for myself ( if the size comes out right and if not my girls will be fighting for it!). The pattern is one I made for myself over 35 years ago and cost nine pence from the Greenock woolen mill! It is a skinny rib but has three thin cables in the front panel. I picked up the wool which is 4ply in the charity shop. I got 2 full packets of this pure wool one lot in bluebell and the one I am knitting with is in camel. I am really enjoying doing it as I get fed up using my eyes all the time and my eyes get tired. I tend to read books, watch Tv or am on the laptop. So when I am knitting I can listen to the radio or watch TV at the same time.
I have started a new novel. This is another murder by Lin Anderson called “Final cut”. It is a small book so I should finish it in a day or so. My dad is coming for dinner tomorrow and I haven’t got a clue what I am making as he is quite fussy on what he will or will not eat. So wi have to put my thinking cap on later and make a decision fast. I have filled up the bird feeders and replenished their drinking water which was full of bird seed. I think some big birds must have landed on the feeders and caused all the seeds to fall out. they were eating it up when I got up this morning. I put a scahet of cat food out for the hedgehog last night. It was a flavour they wouldn’t eat formt heir own bowl. Later I noticed Olli had scoffed the lot and that was agfter eating his won dinner so poor hedgehog only had the cat biscuits last night. i am trying to feed him up before the winter sets in as he is really tiny.
Hope you are all enjoying your weekend. Take care. Caroel where are you?? Love Val
Hi Val
What a lovely chatty post
We had a great day yesterday with one of the walks we used to do. Both OH and I have missed them this year, partly due to hs travelling for work and partly due to the rubbish weather we’ve had, it’s really not nice walking in the rain! So we drove about 10 miles from us to a part of Hampshire we have driven through many times but not stopped to walkthrough. We thought OH had forgotten the guide book but luckily, for him, we found it. We had a lovely walk over gentle hills with beautiful views of the valley, ending up on a very mddy and wet track at the bottom after about 5 mies. We did have some trousers to change into and went to a pub for some lunch. Ths was a real ‘find’ as it had changed hands since we last went there and was serving some really interesting food including genuine tapas as they have a Spanish chef. We’ll definitely go back for an evening meal having sampled the smaller plates! It was a gorgeous sunny day so it made it so nice, unfortunately it’s a very foggy day today so we got our walk just right and the gardening we did when we got home. Raised beds all cleared out, not very successful this year with the wet, hopefully better luck next year. A nice steak and chunky chips and then watched Strictly. Slow roasted lamb today, I hope you have something delicious for your Dad, I’m sure you will I’m also into my pickling season so have made wild plum jam and chutney, pickled courgettes ( the only thing that did grow well this year) and chilli jelly which is fab, just need to do my pickled onions then I’m done.
Have a lovely day today all of you Buddies.
Nicky x
Hi ladies, just to reassure you everything is ok but I just haven’t got around to checking in with you all, and this weekend we’ve had friends from Spain so we’ve been entertaining.
I will try and catch up after Tuesday when things are more peaceful.
Hope you are all feeling ok, and enjoying a good weekend 
Carole xx
Hi, well good to hear from everyone as it is sometimes quiet. Carole hope the weekend went well and a chance to think about something other than medical appointments! Val great to hear you enjoying things again with a hearty appetite and knitting and reading back on the agenda I am sure all the diners were appreciating your efforts in the kitchen. We have a lot of wildlife in our garden too and little chap is fascinated as he has a tiny garden and before that lived in a flat. Our neighbours have put a birdfeeder right against our fence which gives us a great view of them all landing to feed plus our squirrel family use it too. Victor and I are pretty sure we have a family of wrens living in our garden but you have to be patient to see them. We have another neighbour who likes to shoot and as our magpies who nest have vanished, I think he must have got them. I know there are superstitions about them but they are such beautiful birds but very slow and easy to get if someone is of that mind! Talking of wildlife our new gardener said there was a wild mink in our garden too so I will be selling tickets to visit soon! That adds to our tally after the viper in the summer scared everyone. Nicky many congratulations on the job. What kind of tribunals? Do you travel to the area they are being held or is it a regular event? I understand about the meet but hoping you can come or beg a prior arrangement but will leave it up to you, as to what seems best for your job. I picked Buxton as you said you would drive to Derby and then looked for somewhere nice fairly close. If you can come, what do you think of the plan? Is it too far/too much please be frank.There is such a huge distance between our end of the country and Lisa, so I can’t think of any easier way we can meet up with her. Lisa - waiting to hear back from you. Would you too please be frank if this is too much for you, as well. After all we have talked online this far. I told Victor about the hotel after your email and he is very keen. He says it is the oldest hotel in England so an architect’s dream and the Buxton guide left him in raptures about places to see and that’s without Chatsworth nearby, which he hoped to see one day. So i think we will be visiting there anyway !!! What is he like, not wanting to book holidays and now this will be our 4th break if it happens. I really should disregard everything he says in future. We have at last got all the cushions and seats for the window seat and I am really pleased with it. It was a bit pricey as it had to be made to measure but it is lovely to lie on it or sit looking out the big window at the sky, trees, weather or whatever you want to look at. Now I am waiting for the blinds to arrive. The last bits seem to be taking ages to complete. Lovely to hear from yuo all love Lily x x
Hi All, sorry only got back late last night. Exhasuted and then spent tonight packing again so tomorrow night is finishing house work and getting sorted. Had lovely weekend, seen sister act the musical on Friday and then the Super League rugby final on Saturday. Off to Salou for 5 nights (well 4 days really) on Wednesday with a not good weather forecast but will be nice to chill out so we will se.
Val lovely to hear from you and how busy you are - you always make me jeleous with your food talk…
Carole - hope you have had a nice weekend with visitors x
Nicky - yipppeeee, sounds like a fab and interesting job - hope you can manage the meet up.
Lily - think im okay with the date and price to be honest I have gone wild this year so not sure my bank manager will notice the difference lol!!! Yeah hotel looked lovely, wierd how £75 for a couple and yet £65 for single room without dinner
Night all, catch up tomoz before i jet off xxx
Lisa why not book a double and say the other person had to cancel and get dinner for £10. Shall we say yes and book it?
Lily x
yeah defo what good thinking, ha, yeah, not sure I can book until I get back though but if still free I can book afternoon of 15th, sure will still be available… I’m up for it, will be fun, ha I’ll be nervous.
Well sitting working as got some work to finish before jet off tomorrow, can you believe it, my friend booked the rooms through travel agent she knows , i emailed the hotel today only to discover the close for the season on saturday so moving us to another hotel, noone told us, we would have arrived at 11.30pm tomorrow to have to deal with this - on plsu side new hotel looks nice, albeit a Thomsons family fun hotel lol! Ah to chill, executive lounge here we come!!!
Hi ladies
I think you should go ahead and book when you can. I really can’t commit as the nature of the new job is to be readily available which is what I have signed up for and don’t think I can say no in my first week or so. Especially as I will be attending some sessions to begin with with another assistant to learn the ropes. Once I know what’s going on I will keep you up to date and see if I can make it.
Enjoy your hols Lisa, you will be gone by now I expect but hope you have fun - I’m sure you will LOL
Other than that I’m just filling in forms including passport level ID and tidying up a few things here before I go back to work, yikes. A few new clothes needed as I’ll need to be smart and definitely new shoes as I’ve lived in boots and flip flops the last couple of years The tribunals are mental health review ones so I’d imagine quite varying and some quite intense, however I’m just the administrator, nothing to do or say in them other than make sure everything is ready. The nature of them means they will be at differnt locations each time, although I will be going back to the same locations and some can be up to 50 miles away, so a bit of travelling needed but I’m fine with that. Also I’ll only know what days I’m working the week before as some of these are arranged at very short notice. I like the idea of this, I have no ties at the moment and it will certainly add variety to my week but still give me plenty of time of my own. Just fingers crossed all the refeernces and cross checks come back OK.
Nicky xx
Nicky the new job sounds great, is it as interesting as it sounds? Having to do a bit of travelling too might give you the opportunity of some alternative shopping? It didn’t take you long to find this little gem did it?
Lily your wildlife is as good as ours, it’s fantastic to see different kinds of birds feeding in the garden. How is your diet going are you still slipping down in the right direction?
I’ve missed Lisa and Val who are both on hols as by the time I’ve written this they’ve gone.
Not much to report here, weather has been a mixture of rain (lots of it) and sun, when the sun is out it is still quite warm too but it is too unreliable to plan jobs outside.
I’m off to see my surgeon tomorrow, one of my usual follow up appointments since radiotherapy and the creation of the hole, which the nurse tells me is now showing signs of infection so I’ll see what they say tomorrow.
Smokie, the little kitten was sterilised on Monday and thankfully instead of being like a wild cat most of the time she is beginning to settle down and purr when made a fuss of. I’ve been out picking sloes today so will be starting sloe gin, have already got sloe vodka on the go.
All for now xx
Hi Carole
Lovely to hear from you
I’ve just done my pickled onions, all ready for Christmas. I think I’d get lynched if I didn’t do them one year - or at least be banned over the Christmas period.
Hope the appointment goes well and you give them what for (I don’t know the French for that ha ha), also that there isn’t an infection - I think you’ve had way too much treatment recently to keep anyone sane! We are off to visit YD this weekend, taking her last few posessions that she couldn’t fit in, plus the usual ketchup etc and the one thing they say they can’t get at all in France - squash (the drinking type). If you know any supermarche that does sell it please tell 
It’s the first time we will have seen her since she started work and moved to the new flat so it will be great to see her - and a different part of Paris as she’s now in the 17th/18th, up near Montmartre. We have visited that area (several times over the years LOL) but not stayed there or gone to any restaurants there. The plus side is the hotel is a huge amount cheaper than the central ones where she lived before. Weather not looking so great though so I think it’s macs and umbrellas for us.
Hi everyone else - well, Lily LOL All the others are away. Have a good weekend. I’m about to send off all my signed forms - there were so many of them - and then should know what’s going on. Will keep you posted once I know when I start work and how that works out with ‘The Meetup’.
Nicky x
Hi, Carole I hope the appointment went well today and that they have idea how to get everything to heal without mentioning the dreaded operation word. You have been through so much recently. Poor kitten too although its nice to have a friendlier cat. Nicky I hope you have a lovely visit with your daughter and its good to be in a cheaper area so you can go more often, hopefully. Will keep my fingers crossed that you can come too. I am waiting for Lisa to get back before I book. Take care Lily x
Hi ladies
Nicky hope all goes well for your quick visit to Paris, I know what you mean about real squash - the syrup they have here is horrid, too sweet and sickly. Mr P will be stocking up on all the English products that we either can’t get here or are too expensive.
Lily, what are you planning this weekend? I can’t wait to hear about your meet up, it will only be a couple of weeks and it will happen, are you all excited?
I got on ok yesterday, but I’ve been in some discomfort from my hole since, not sure why but they’re trying a new “mesh” inside the hole to soak up all the liquid, so maybe I’m allergic to it - who knows. The Dr said it will take a long time to heal and it is 4.5 cms deep, so quite a hole to heal.
I’ve heard there are Zumba classes about to start locally, but I can’t seem to find out when or where.
Have a good weekend all xx
Hi, Carole well that is some hole, I did not realise it was that deep. My abscess was a deep hole and it took months to heal but it did tiny bit by tiny bit. The doc could see the difference better than me as he had bigger gaps in time to compare the progress. The zumba sounds fun, go find it. Not sure about the plans for the weekend yet as I am waiting for Lisa to get back from her holiday and Nicky cannot make a decision until later on because of her new job. So I am not getting excited until we have booked the rooms or I will be terribly disappointed if it doesn’t happen. A lot of talking would be my best guess!! Nick and I have met twice and we live much closer to each other but Lisa is way up the country so it is a big trip for all of us and can’t be done in a day really. It would have been so lovely if you and Val had been there too. have a lovely weekend. Lily x
Yes I would have liked to meet you all, put a face to the names and all that - maybe a meet just before Christmas as I will be spending the 2 weeks over Christmas and New Year in the UK, poor Mr P has to work so at least we can see him on the big day. YD is 18 on 28 Dec and unfortunately he will miss her big day. We arrive in England (Hampshire) on 18 Dec???
Take photos when you meet, and if you go somewhere with WiFi how about a skype chat??? xxx
Hi, Carole keep a meet on the agenda but I am likely to have a problem as the schools here finish really late this year. I think our first week day holiday is Xmas Eve, so it will be crazy to get all the shopping done. I am keeping my fingers crossed that it will happen. Lily x
Hi ladies
We had a lovely, if wet, time in Paris seeing YD. It was good to see her so settled and enjoying work as well as enjoying Paris. Obviously it would be nicer if she was enjoying the UK but she should do this while she can and wants to, it doesnt have to be forever. Famous last words eh Val? We went up to Montmartre, where she is near, and went round the food and wine festival they had on to celebrate the wine harvest (Montmatre is now the only vineyard in Paris producing grapes and wine) which was fun and YD really loved it as shes’ such a foodie. Lots of samples of wine, saucisson and wine. At least the rain held off in the afternoon. Not so the next day so we just had a late morning and a long lunch before heading back. Short and sweet but next time we will go for longer and at least she has all her provisions and more clothes now.
Well, my news is that I definitely do have my job and start later today! Yikes! I was told yesterday and want to get my first few sessions under my belt where I shadow a current Tribunal Assistant so I said today would be fine. Luckily the morning session has now been cancelled so I didn’t have the shock of morning traffic, just have to deal with getting there on time this afternoon and tomorrow afternoon. I do know the location quite well from one of my jobs years ago but you can’t tell on the traffic, will just have to use some good apps to tell me of any problems before I set off. Once I have done a few sessions with someone else I’ll be on my own, which will be a bit scary until I know the ropes at each location. So wish me luck
Now I’ve started work I won’t know each week’s workload until the Thurs or Fri the week before so I am definitely up in the air about whether I can get to the meetup. I can only say once I know what’s happening that week, so sorry about this but I do need to accept the ddays that are offered to make sure they keep me on. However, Carole’s news about being in Hampshire (Portsmouth?) in december may mean I can meet with her. Will have to check what I’m doing nearer the time but that is only 40 mins away and I do go down there for some retail therapy around Christmas time
Have a good week everyone, hope all is well.
Nicky xx
BTW I realise that I didnt say about my onc appointment on Thursday. Can’t believe I forgot to mention it but, as everything is going OK, I sort of forgot about it. That’s a good place to be isn’t it? I will have scans next time, at my request, but otherwise no panics at the moment. xx