The Friendly Cafe - Open for chinwaggin'

G#Gill · Post by **G#Gill** » Tue Dec 29, 2015 6:19 pm

Not looking forward to overnight and tomorrow's weather. It's blowing a hooligan here now, so what it is like further north I shudder to think. Those poor buggers in Cumbria and north west of England have been warned they could get another load of rain in the forthcoming 'weather bomb' scheduled to hit the northern areas tonight and tomorrow !

It's heart-breaking to hear that some of the affected house owners are not actually insured. How the heck will they manage ? It's all very well saying 'well they should have got house and contents insurance', but premiums are quite high these days and people just cannot afford to pay for insurance, when they're working their nads off and only getting the national minimum wage. They have to eat and pay for electric and gas!

We are definitely heading along the downward path to being a 'third world country'.

Will we ever crawl out of this pit of poverty that the government has thrown us into?

We may stand a chance if we get out of Europe ! The vast payments we make to Europe at the moment, would go an awful long way to helping this nation get back on its feet. Also if we cut right back on the foreign aid we send out I'm sure it would be a great help. Charity begins at home. Can somebody tell Cameron please. :-5

Bruv · Post by **Bruv** » Wed Dec 30, 2015 7:10 am

I am just north of Perth right now and it has been raining most of the time I have been up here.

Traveled to Aberdeen on Christmas day, went dog walking on the beach Boxing day and retired to a cafe while the others got drenched in quick time.

During the journey back down to Perth had several hairy incidents with standing water on roads and one horrifying deep stretch that caused a bow wave to dim the headlights covering the bonnet.

Perth and Kinross

G#Gill · Post by **G#Gill** » Wed Dec 30, 2015 3:18 pm

That Frank has a lot to answer for, don't you think Bruv? :-5 It isn't over yet either. Deep joy ! At the moment we're having a load of rain pouring down on us and there is still a fairly strong wind, but it is nothing compared to Scotland, North England and Wales. I'm so glad I live on fairly high ground !

I am very familiar with the A9 from Perth, Bruv. Several years ago my son and I went up and down that blessed road, checking that my hubby hadn't had an accident in my son's three wheeler Reliant Rialto. My son had a bad headache and felt he couldn't drive so my hubby took my son's car and I drove the Volvo. We hadn't noticed the Reliant turn off the A9 near Perth (he needed petrol apparently) we were in front and there were several large lorries between us. We hadn't noticed he wasn't behind us for a few miles, because of these lorries !

I can't remember how many times I drove up and down that A9 but we were searching the sides where a Reliant may have gone off and become hidden from the road. My son was very worried in case his dad was unconscious in an upturned car or trapped and unable to get himself away from the wreck ! We were both very worried . :yh_worry :yh_nailbi

I was unable to get an answer from my hubby's mobile so I put that down to a bad reception area. I managed to get a reasonable signal for my mobile after a few more miles, so I rang my brother-in-law (who we were going to spend a week with on Skye) but he had not heard anything. Long story short - apparently, unseen by me or my son, my hubby had turned off the A9 for petrol. He then tried to catch us up and must have missed seeing us when we had turned off the A9 to a village just to see if he had gone there for some reason. He went straight on and then just carried on to The Isle of Skye. :yh_eyerol

He did try to phone us but could get no signal at all. He couldn't phone my brother-in- law either of course. In the end we decided that we should carry on to Skye before it got dark. About an hour later my phone rang and it was my brother-in-law saying my hubby was there safe and sound! The relief was amazing, and my son and I could take in the scenery in the closing-in dusk, and take our time getting along the final miles. :yh_sweat :yh_tired

As I said I am very familiar with the A9 from Perth ! :rolleyes: I hope you are not too badly affected by this 'weather bomb' Bruv, and I hope you have a safe journey back home.

Bruv · Post by **Bruv** » Wed Dec 30, 2015 3:59 pm

It can get a bit rugged and desolate up here can't it ? As a Londoner the first time I came up here the wide open spaces were awesome................still are as it happens.

I'm fine thanks Gilly, haven't stepped out of the house today, resting up after the festivities, and building up for hogmanay, you have to pace yourself don't you ?

G#Gill · Post by **G#Gill** » Wed Dec 30, 2015 5:12 pm

I saw Scotland for the first time about 10 years ago when we drove up to visit my sister and my brother-in-law. It was gobsmacking to see such wonderful scenery. Awesome as you say, Bruv ! I really believe that everybody should visit Scotland at least once in their lives. I could just look at the mountains and lochs all day, every day.

I envy my sister for having the courage to sell up her chandlery/marine motor repair business, and her house and move all the way up to The Isle Of Skye - where they bought a cottage/bungalow on spec, no survey, never actually seeing it in the flesh so-to-speak, until they had actually bought the property. We all said it was a hellova risk, and she said that she knew that, but what the heck "It's done and dusted and we've organised the removal company for four weeks time, and we've got to pack everything into boxes etc. in that time !"

There's not a lot one can say about that !!! Anyway they've been there for 11 years now and my brother-in-law is well established with his business (the only one of it's kind on Skye and on the Western Isles, and on the mainland till one gets to Inverness or Glasgow !). Needless to say he is constantly in great demand ! My sister works in Portree, full time, and seems very happy with her lot.

They must be doing things right, because they've been able to turn their roomy attic into a very comfortable sitting room with a fabulous window overlooking a loch, and as the attic extends the length of the property, there is enough room up there for a store room and also another room for a toilet and wash basin (my sister said the main bathroom is on the ground floor and to avoid having to keep going up and down stairs whenever they wanted a comfort break it would be daft not to put another toilet in while the work was being carried out!) :wah:

They say they don't get much snow on Skye, but it does get a bit of wind and more than a bit of rain. What I'm not too keen on is the masses of midges that seem to be prevalent all over Scotland once you are away from any towns. I suppose that may be something to do with all the conifers and all the water (lochs). My sister is rather prone to being chewed by flying insects, but she says you get used to the midges over time. :wah:

Bruv · Post by **Bruv** » Wed Dec 30, 2015 5:58 pm

My daughter moved up over 20 years ago with 2 young children following a domestic trauma.....to put it mildly.

Now I have two Scottish speaking English grandchildren and three Anglo Scottish great grand children, and they all have a far better lifestyle than they might have had in Kent.

We have had holidays on Skye and Mull some years ago, I hitch hiked to Inverness many years ago too, most of the way in a lorry, giving much better views than a car, the last leg was from a couple of pot smoking Geordies in a car. Must confess I don't remember much about Inverness, they were very friendly.....

....

ZAP · Post by **ZAP** » Wed Dec 30, 2015 6:07 pm

I was in Scotland about 7 years ago. We(my cousin and I) took the train up from London to Glasgow, where we met up with a friend of mine. She lives in Skye and also has a place in Edinburgh. We stayed for 3 days and 3 nights. The day we traveled up was beautiful and the scenery gorgeous. The next 2 days we went sightseeing by a small bus and it rained most of the time. The last day it was sunny and there was a bagpipe contest going on and of course I had to talk to some of the contestants. (And no, I did not look up under their kilts. I didn't even know that story at that time.) All the way home on the train it was beautiful. That night and the next we stayed at The Millennium (I think) My cousin only knows first class in everything. The next day we visited Stonehenge in our own privately chauffeured Mercedes SUV.

G#Gill · Post by **G#Gill** » Fri Jan 08, 2016 11:47 am

You've been somewhere in the UK, Zap, where I have not been, as yet - Stonehenge ! My son has been there, and so has my husband. It looks a remarkable historic site. Maybe one day I will be able to visit it, before I pop me clogs ! :wah:

We've had so much rain, the land is unable to absorb any more water so we get floods, and hundreds of people are flooded out of their homes, and not for the first time either. This is heartbreaking, especially around Christmas. Of course it will get worse when the government are insisting that more houses are to be built ! If the natural ground is covered by concrete there will be nowhere for rainwater to be soaked up, so it obviously will just find it's own level wherever it can, and that will be in peoples' homes and workplaces and shops. Of course the flood water is not just overflowed river/stream water. It is mixed with overflowed sewage from the drains, not the nicest stuff to have to paddle through, or to sweep out of your house !

I am so thankful that I live halfway up a hill. I do feel dreadfully sorry for anybody who is caught up with these floods. The temperature is now falling and there will be snow and ice in northern parts, no doubt causing more and more problems, as if the affected people need any more heartaches !

I hope that the various councils that are in charge of gritting our roads, do not try to 'economise' and refrain from sending out the gritting lorries when it is necessary. I feel that it is totally irresponsible to cut into the gritting program. It causes greater strain on the emergency services and the NHS. In other words it is a false economy.

AnneBoleyn · Post by **AnneBoleyn** » Fri Jan 08, 2016 4:00 pm

Can't imagine you've never been to Stonehenge, Gill! I was lucky, I went before there were fences & loads of tourists. My friend & I hitched a lorry & my very first view of Stonehenge was seeing the sun rise upon it as we crested a hill. No people, no other vehicles, it was Soooooooooo incredibly lovely. The driver dropped us off & we wandered it Alone for several hours. I have been several times after that, but never in that type of experience. Alone with history. Remarkable!

FourPart · Post by **FourPart** » Fri Jan 08, 2016 7:14 pm

Depending on traffic it's only about an hour or so from me - although the place it's located there's not much other reason to go past there.

G#Gill · Post by **G#Gill** » Sun Jan 10, 2016 3:38 pm

I've just been watching something on the channel "Yesterday" (ch.19 on Freeview UK), and in the advert breaks they are showing the Lloyds Bank advert with loads of black horses. In the part where there is a long string of harnessed black horses pulling a lifeboat ashore through the shallow breaking waves of the sea, those scenes involving the sea are filmed at Wells-next-the-Sea, North Norfolk, where I love going for breaks and holidays !

Actually Wells is often used for filming, for either TV or the big screen. We were on summer holiday one year when they were filming a wartime mini TV series, A Perfect Hero. with actor Nigel Havers in the lead role. All the beach was roped off and one or two security men were steering the public away. We were all right because we could get to our beach hut as it was the public side of the roped off area ! We watched all the shenanigans from the comfort of our hut !

G#Gill · Post by **G#Gill** » Wed Jan 13, 2016 10:35 am

I forgot to mention that we were highly amused watching the tide going out, and they did a lot of retakes. Nigel Havers was crawling out of a small dinghy onto the sand and an old man with a white beard and walking his dog came to his aid. Nigel Havers was playing the part of a pilot, shot down in his fighter during WWII , and badly burned. He managed to escape across the channel in this small wooden dinghy.

It was perhaps, a good job the tide was actually going out rather than coming in, otherwise they may have had quite a problem with so many retakes, and having to adjust the position of the boat all the time ! :wah:

G#Gill · Post by **G#Gill** » Wed Jan 13, 2016 4:41 pm

My hubby is going to be away for about 5 days. His sister, who lives on her own in Sussex, has just had various treatments for cancer, and her recovery appears to be progressing quite well and she is now putting on a little bit of weight. She had gone very thin a while ago. Anyway, she is looking forward to my hubby's visit and I'm sure he will find lots to do to help out, cos he's like that. I shall miss him, and I hope he won't do too much.

It looks like it is going to be very cold this weekend with temperatures likely to be lowest for 2 or 3 years ! It looks like I shall have to dig out my hot water bottle (seein' as how my human bed warmer will be elsewhere !). :wah:

ZAP · Post by **ZAP** » Wed Jan 13, 2016 8:46 pm

G#Gill;1491426 wrote: My hubby is going to be away for about 5 days. His sister, who lives on her own in Sussex, has just had various treatments for cancer, and her recovery appears to be progressing quite well and she is now putting on a little bit of weight. She had gone very thin a while ago. Anyway, she is looking forward to my hubby's visit and I'm sure he will find lots to do to help out, cos he's like that. I shall miss him, and I hope he won't do too much.

It looks like it is going to be very cold this weekend with temperatures likely to be lowest for 2 or 3 years ! It looks like I shall have to dig out my hot water bottle (seein' as how my human bed warmer will be elsewhere !). :wah:

Best wishes for your sister-in-law.

I know what you mean about the bed warmer. I do mine in the microwave every night. (Almost)

G#Gill · Post by **G#Gill** » Thu Jan 14, 2016 4:03 am

Thanks for the wishes for my SIL, Zap! Hubby's just about to leave for the train station!

He's just finishing sorting his stuff to take. The dog knows there's something going on, with all the to-ing and fro-ing and she's getting a little agitated because I expect she thinks she is going on holiday ! She's going to be sooooo disappointed !

G#Gill · Post by **G#Gill** » Sun Jan 17, 2016 6:02 pm

A British man calls in at

Australia House to get a visa to visit Australia.

The clerk behind the counter asks "do you have a criminal record ?"

The man sighs and asks," Is that STILL a requirement......?? "

:yh_rotfl

FourPart · Post by **FourPart** » Sun Jan 17, 2016 6:43 pm

That was one of Prince Phllip's one liners when he went on a State visit, and he was being shown the Customs procedures.

Smaug · Post by **Smaug** » Mon Jan 18, 2016 6:59 am

I think Prince Phillip only opens his mouth to change feet! Funny though...

G#Gill · Post by **G#Gill** » Tue Jan 19, 2016 4:51 pm

Have you ever put something in an unusual place ?

Yesterday I put a bottle of milk in a cupboard, and the sugar in the fridge !!! Good job I had occasion to go to that cupboard and saw the bottle of milk sitting there! I wondered why it was there and I checked the fridge :yh_rotfl:yh_rotfl good job the sugar was not in the fridge for very long ! ...........................................................................................I think it must be a sign of old age ! :rolleyes:

FourPart · Post by **FourPart** » Wed Jan 20, 2016 7:01 am

2 signs of old age...

1. When you bend down to pick something up, you think about it first to see if there's anything else you can do while you're down there.

2. You go into the kitchen to make a coffee. You put the kettle on & decide to make a sandwich while you're waiting for it to boil. Then you put a few odds & sods away. You come back to the living room to eat your sandwich & then realise you'd totally forgotten about the coffee.

Post by **LarsMac** » Wed Jan 20, 2016 9:34 am

FourPart;1491734 wrote: 2 signs of old age...

1. When you bend down to pick something up, you think about it first to see if there's anything else you can do while you're down there.

2. You go into the kitchen to make a coffee. You put the kettle on & decide to make a sandwich while you're waiting for it to boil. Then you put a few odds & sods away. You come back to the living room to eat your sandwich & then realise you'd totally forgotten about the coffee.

Or come back a couple of hours later to find the kettle melting on the burner

G#Gill · Post by **G#Gill** » Wed Jan 20, 2016 10:12 am

Oh FourPart, the number of times I have done that :yh_rotfl

Bruv · Post by **Bruv** » Wed Jan 20, 2016 10:18 am

G#Gill;1491751 wrote: Oh FourPart, the number of times I have done that

It is a very big club.

G#Gill · Post by **G#Gill** » Wed Jan 20, 2016 10:48 am

LarsMac;1491747 wrote: Or come back a couple of hours later to find the kettle melting on the burner

:yh_rotfl:yh_rotfl Lars that reminds me of years ago when my son was in his bedroom on his computer. He had a game on about a B17 bomber which had taken a hit and was careering out of the sky on fire. He thought "God that smells dreadful !! " it was the smell of very hot metal and burning/melted bakelite, very realistic, then he suddenly realised that he was playing a computer game - it wasn't real, so where the heck was the smell coming from ? At the same time I got a whiff of the horrible smell in the sitting room where I was watching TV. We both arrived in the kitchen at the same time and there on the gas ring was my blue kettle looking very hot with the black bakelite melted and the blue coloured body of the kettle now turned red ! (It stayed red even when it had cooled right down) It was very hot ! I had put the kettle on to make a cup of tea and got engrossed with what I was watching on the TV, and forgot the kettle !

I turned off the gas ring, grabbed a small garden rake (or something similar), hooked it under the handle of the knackered kettle and carefully took it outside and put it on the patio concrete slabs to cool off ! Needless to say we had to purchase a replacement kettle the following day !

My son still remembers the incident with great guffaws of laughter. :yh_rotfl

G#Gill · Post by **G#Gill** » Wed Jan 20, 2016 10:50 am

Bruv;1491752 wrote: It is a very big club.

Don't say you've been a victim too, Bruv ?

Smaug · Post by **Smaug** » Wed Jan 20, 2016 3:09 pm

G#Gill;1491754 wrote: Don't say you've been a victim too, Bruv ?

I'll bet he wasn't flying a B17 at the time....:wah:

Bruv · Post by **Bruv** » Thu Jan 21, 2016 6:36 am

G#Gill;1491754 wrote: Don't say you've been a victim too, Bruv ?

Victim? I thought I had invented it.

ZAP · Post by **ZAP** » Thu Jan 21, 2016 1:13 pm

LarsMac;1491747 wrote: Or come back a couple of hours later to find the kettle melting on the burner

That reminds me of the time I was making my spaghetti sauce, complete with meatballs, chunks of beef and pork in a 6 qt. pan on a Saturday morning. As I was wont to do, I made it early, by noon, shut the burner off, and took my daughters to the mall to do some shopping. About 3 hours later I returned home and walked into a kitchen that was full of smoke. I saw that I hadn't turned the burner off, it was still cooking on a very low setting. My meatballs and chunks of meat were now little black coals and the sauce was cementing itself to the pan.

My daughters still talk about this, in fact the middle child mentioned it just the other day.

G#Gill · Post by **G#Gill** » Thu Jan 21, 2016 6:56 pm

I've noticed another phenomenon. An item you have mislaid in the house and have been unsuccessful in finding it, mysteriously turns up when you are looking for something entirely different, a few days later on ! The number of times that has happened to me is amazing ! It can also be rather annoying if you want a tool that you need for an immediate job and it is mislaid, so you spend money buying a replacement, only to discover the original had slipped behind some object (discovered while looking for something else after you've finished the job with the new tool !!! :-5 :wah: ).

I hasten to add that this particular phenomenon is not the preserve of the elderly. It seems to occur throughout life !! :rolleyes: :yh_rotfl

G#Gill · Post by **G#Gill** » Tue Feb 16, 2016 2:01 pm

Well there I was, just getting over Valentine's Day and the next morning, early, I had to be whisked to hospital in an ambulance ! I will spare you the gory details. Suffice to say the occurrence left me fairly feak and weeble ! They checked me over in A & E at the Queens Medical Centre, Nottingham. I had blood pressure, blood checks, temperature etc. done.

I was told not to eat or drink anything so after about 4 hours of being moved here, there and other places I could have committed murder for a cup of tea ! The doctor seemed satisfied that things were OK and that she'd send full details to my GP so that he could refer me for a 'short' colonoscopy back at the QMC. Why the heck they couldn't do it there and then, I've no idea - instead it seems that all this sort of thing has to be done through a patient's own GP and appointments made. Gawd I suppose it's because they are so busy and there may be a lack of equipment for lots of needy patients, so we have to form a queue and make an appointment !!! :yh_eyerol

Well I'm now awaiting a letter from my GP concerning the referral ( I did contact my doc first thing this morning, and I was informed that full details had already arrived at the surgery !), then I suppose we will have to play it by ear and follow instructions. I have to say that I had no pain at all, except a hungry pain after about 6 hours, oh and those murderous thoughts concerning my desperation for a cup of tea !

Aren't doctors young these days ? :yh_rotfl:yh_rotfl

ZAP · Post by **ZAP** » Tue Feb 16, 2016 2:14 pm

G#Gill;1492810 wrote: Well there I was, just getting over Valentine's Day and the next morning, early, I had to be whisked to hospital in an ambulance ! I will spare you the gory details. Suffice to say the occurrence left me fairly feak and weeble ! They checked me over in A & E at the Queens Medical Centre, Nottingham. I had blood pressure, blood checks, temperature etc. done.

I was told not to eat or drink anything so after about 4 hours of being moved here, there and other places I could have committed murder for a cup of tea ! The doctor seemed satisfied that things were OK and that she'd send full details to my GP so that he could refer me for a 'short' colonoscopy back at the QMC. Why the heck they couldn't do it there and then, I've no idea - instead it seems that all this sort of thing has to be done through a patient's own GP and appointments made. Gawd I suppose it's because they are so busy and there may be a lack of equipment for lots of needy patients, so we have to form a queue and make an appointment !!! :yh_eyerol

Well I'm now awaiting a letter from my GP concerning the referral ( I did contact my doc first thing this morning, and I was informed that full details had already arrived at the surgery !), then I suppose we will have to play it by ear and follow instructions. I have to say that I had no pain at all, except a hungry pain after about 6 hours, oh and those murderous thoughts concerning my desperation for a cup of tea !

Aren't doctors young these days ? :yh_rotfl:yh_rotfl

You didn't say what the problem was. I hope you're ok and that you got that badly needed cup of tea.

Bruv · Post by **Bruv** » Tue Feb 16, 2016 3:13 pm

G#Gill;1492810 wrote:

Gawd I suppose it's because they are so busy and there may be a lack of equipment for lots of needy patients, so we have to form a queue and make an appointment !!!

Well I'm now awaiting a letter from my GP concerning the referral ( I did contact my doc first thing this morning, and I was informed that full details had already arrived at the surgery !), then I suppose we will have to play it by ear and follow instructions.

Aren't doctors young these days ?

Sorry to hear of your dramatic journey to hospital.

We love a queue us Brits, in fact we only complain about them when we are ill, nice to hear you were not too ill to notice the age of the Doctors, I noticed the Nurses they are all young and those uniforms..................why do they all get a size smaller than they need ? No wonder they have to take your blood pressure every five minutes.

Hope it's something and nothing and it's solved to your satisfaction quickly

Post by **LarsMac** » Tue Feb 16, 2016 3:14 pm

Glad to see you're feeling better. Hope it turns up nothing serious.

Yep the docs are younger. Though my GP and endocrinologist are both old farts about the same age as I am.

G#Gill · Post by **G#Gill** » Tue Feb 16, 2016 6:03 pm

Thank you all for your kind messages. As for what is wrong with me, I don't know for sure yet till I've seen a specialist, but I'll keep you posted but I will avoid gruesome details ! :wah: Zap, I got a lovely mug of tea when I got back home, courtesy of my lovely hubby !

He also produced a couple of tasty rolls for me and 2 each for himself and my son. They were scheduled to go to the snooker club on Monday evening, but they stayed home to make sure I was OK, bless 'em.

Hey Zap I've just found out that Hayley Moss (the young soprano we were wowed by in Norfolk), has finished her CD and it will be available from 29 February 2016. I have already ordered a copy for us, online and I expect it will arrive through the post some time after that date.

Norwich’s ‘Street Soprano’ Hayley Moss busks her way to Fine City fame | Mustard TV

AnneBoleyn · Post by **AnneBoleyn** » Wed Feb 17, 2016 8:46 am

Feel better,Gill, hope you are OK.

G#Gill · Post by **G#Gill** » Wed Feb 17, 2016 11:48 am

AnneBoleyn;1492831 wrote: Feel better,Gill, hope you are OK.

Thanks Anne ! Actually I don't feel too bad really, just a little more tired than usual ! The episode took it out of me at the time, but I've been resting up and being fussed over by my lovely hubby and son !

You'll never believe it, but yesterday evening I was just about to take a measure of Benylin (expectorant which is quite effective - for me anyway) and it slipped out of my hand and crashed into our porcelain wash basin ! It has knocked quite a large chunk of the porcelain basin out ! The glass bottle with the Benylin in it was totally undamaged !!! Now we have to get a new wash basin and get it installed, hopefully on our house insurance ! I suppose, some time in the future, we'll look back on this happening and have another good laugh! :rolleyes: :yh_rotfl :yh_rotfl

ZAP · Post by **ZAP** » Wed Feb 17, 2016 4:05 pm

G#Gill;1492818 wrote: Thank you all for your kind messages. As for what is wrong with me, I don't know for sure yet till I've seen a specialist, but I'll keep you posted but I will avoid gruesome details ! :wah: Zap, I got a lovely mug of tea when I got back home, courtesy of my lovely hubby !

He also produced a couple of tasty rolls for me and 2 each for himself and my son. They were scheduled to go to the snooker club on Monday evening, but they stayed home to make sure I was OK, bless 'em.

Hey Zap I've just found out that Hayley Moss (the young soprano we were wowed by in Norfolk), has finished her CD and it will be available from 29 February 2016. I have already ordered a copy for us, online and I expect it will arrive through the post some time after that date.

Norwich’s ‘Street Soprano’ Hayley Moss busks her way to Fine City fame | Mustard TV

I'll go online and see if it's available here. Thanks for the info.

Bruv · Post by **Bruv** » Thu Feb 18, 2016 12:26 pm

The cough is supposed to take lumps out of you, not the medication to cure it, taking lumps out of the porcelain.

Never rains but it pours Gilly.

Post by **LarsMac** » Thu Feb 18, 2016 1:53 pm

On a whole new tack, Here's the latest from our neck of the woods.

I-70 is the major East-West Highway between Eastern Colorado, where we live, and the Western Slope, where Son and his family live.

It's a five hour drive from our house to theirs, on I-70.

With this highway closed, the trip become an all-day affair, assuming the weather cooperates on some of the mountain passes we need to negotiate.

When it re-opens, they say to be prepared for delays of several hours, depending on traffic, as at first only one lane will be open, to accommodate traffic in both directions.

I-70 through Glenwood Canyon will not reopen Thursday as planned - The Denver Post

The Rock slide closed the road Last Monday night.

Our son regularly drives a truck through this canyon. He now has to re-route through Albuquerque, NM to get to the LA region. And home is no longer on the route.

ZAP · Post by **ZAP** » Thu Feb 18, 2016 3:35 pm

LarsMac;1492871 wrote: On a whole new tack, Here's the latest from our neck of the woods.

I-70 is the major East-West Highway between Eastern Colorado, where we live, and the Western Slope, where Son and his family live.

It's a five hour drive from our house to theirs, on I-70.

With this highway closed, the trip become an all-day affair, assuming the weather cooperates on some of the mountain passes we need to negotiate.

When it re-opens, they say to be prepared for delays of several hours, depending on traffic, as at first only one lane will be open, to accommodate traffic in both directions.

I-70 through Glenwood Canyon will not reopen Thursday as planned - The Denver Post

The Rock slide closed the road Last Monday night.

Our son regularly drives a truck through this canyon. He now has to re-route through Albuquerque, NM to get to the LA region. And home is no longer on the route.

I've been on that highway in bad weather, on my way to Wyoming. It is NASTY! But a rock slide?!?! Horrible!

G#Gill · Post by **G#Gill** » Sun Feb 28, 2016 4:36 pm

I'm so glad I don't have to travel in areas that are vulnerable to rock falls. I believe Scotland have several of those particularly during heavy rain.

Post by **LarsMac** » Sun Feb 28, 2016 7:11 pm

They have managed to get on lane in each direction open, but work is going to be going on for a long time. And trucks are still being re-routed around the canyon.

Our Son runs regularly between Denver and Los Angeles. He lives about a 2 hour drive west of the Canyon that has been closed. To get to his home it is a five hour detour between there and Denver, now, instead of just a stop on the way.

Makes it hard for him to get home and spend time with the family. It may be another month before trucks are allowed back through the canyon.

G#Gill · Post by **G#Gill** » Tue Mar 01, 2016 9:56 am

Lars, that must be so tiresome, frustrating and all the other 'ings' for him. Just makes me glad I don't have to travel through such places. Does that happen often in that canyon ?

We live part way up a hill, which gives us a terrific view across 3 counties and we can see across country for nearly 30 miles on a clear day ! We therefore are not at risk from flooding, but it gets interesting if the temp. drops well below zero because we are up a hill. But it is quite entertaining watching folk trying to drive up the road we overlook, when it's icy or there has been a fall of snow. The latter doesn't last for very long in our part of the country, so there is not much chance of snow drifts etc.

It is surprising that we see so many drivers are totally ignorant of how to drive in icy/snow conditions. Some seem to think that if they gun their engine, they will manage to get up the fairly steep road !!!! He he he, strange how the car wants to slide to the side when that is done, and woe betide anybody who has left their car parked at the side of the road ! Oops ! We have to leave our car at the side of the road outside our house normally, but if there is icy weather coming in, we park the car off the road on the grass on the other side of the road. Any sliding cars should be stopped by the kerb so they won't bang into our car. It is so useful having an area of grass off-road opposite our house !

The weather today is a bit scruffy. We've had a bit of sunshine but it has clouded over now and I expect we'll get the forecasted rain fairly soon. We've had so much of that wet stuff, I wish there was a way to package it up somehow and ship it over to Zap in the desert ! I'm sure it would be appreciated over there for a while ! :wah:

ZAP · Post by **ZAP** » Tue Mar 01, 2016 1:06 pm

G#Gill;1493289 wrote:

The weather today is a bit scruffy. We've had a bit of sunshine but it has clouded over now and I expect we'll get the forecasted rain fairly soon. We've had so much of that wet stuff, I wish there was a way to package it up somehow and ship it over to Zap in the desert ! I'm sure it would be appreciated over there for a while ! :wah:

Thanks but no thanks, Gill. I lived in Pittsburgh for 18 years, the city of bridges and hills, and drove a VW bug. I never had any problems going up and down hills, crossing bridges, etc. Then I moved my family to California to get away from the snow and ice. Later I married a cowboy from Wyoming and went right back to more snow and ice--TONS of it. The town was at 6000' elevation. When the snow plows did their job I would find 5-6 foot piles of snow blocking my path from the parking lot to my office, so oft times I would carve steps up and over the drifts. Never had any problems. driving my Jeep but one evening I turned a corner a little too fast and almost slid into a ditch, sort of, well ok, I did. A man in a station wagon, driving with his family came along, saw me, got out of his car and said, "It looks like you could use a hand." He pulled out cables and hitched up to my bumper and had me out in no time. I offered to pay him but he said, "No ma'am. Maybe you'll do the same for somebody else sometime."

ZAP · Post by **ZAP** » Tue Mar 01, 2016 1:13 pm

G#Gill;1493289 wrote:

The weather today is a bit scruffy. We've had a bit of sunshine but it has clouded over now and I expect we'll get the forecasted rain fairly soon. We've had so much of that wet stuff, I wish there was a way to package it up somehow and ship it over to Zap in the desert ! I'm sure it would be appreciated over there for a while ! :wah:

Gill, if you figure out a way to pack up that rain, Northern California could use it. They're still experiencing an awful drought. But here in the desert we have Rain Birds that do the irrigating for all the crops we grow.

Rain Bird: Sprinkler Systems, Commercial Irrigation, Residential Irrigation, Lawn Sprinklers, Drip Irrigation, Golf Course Irrigation and Agricultural Irrigation

G#Gill · Post by **G#Gill** » Sun Mar 06, 2016 4:46 pm

It was Mothering Sunday today, and both my hubby and son presented me with a little present from each of them, just a token as we don't necessarily agree with all the commercialisation of the various 'special' days during the year. My hubby cooked a lovely meal today. He is a brilliant cook and I love all his meals - he spoils me rotten !

:) :-4

G#Gill · Post by **G#Gill** » Wed Mar 23, 2016 10:55 am

Well it's a cloudy day today, but no rain is scheduled. It is what my mum would call a 'scruffy day'.

I'm going through a bad patch at the moment, so be kind to me please ! :rolleyes:

Clocks go forward 1 hour in the UK this coming Sunday early, so we'll loose an hour's sleep grrrrrrrrrrrr

ZAP · Post by **ZAP** » Wed Mar 23, 2016 11:07 am

Sorry to hear about your bad patch, Gill. I hope it brightens up for you soon. Here I'll fluff up your pillows and put the kettle on. I have some chocolates if you're interested.

G#Gill · Post by **G#Gill** » Wed Mar 23, 2016 11:22 am

Thanks Zap, but I think it will take an awful lot of chocs ! LOL

G#Gill · Post by **G#Gill** » Thu Mar 24, 2016 1:33 pm

I really cannot understand some people ! My hubby has noticed that there are various small black polythene bags with contents deposited in various places in the area where we live. Neatly placed at the edge of a pavement against somebody's garden wall. Deposited carefully on a grass verge which runs the length of a pedestrian only alley joining two roads. I think he counted around a dozen such small black bags with contents.

When we take our dog for a walk, we always carry polythene bags (sandwich bags come quite a bit cheaper than the designated 'dog poo' bags), and we clear up the messes when deposited and carry them to a designated 'dog poo bin'. There are plenty of these bins placed at strategic places and easily accessible.

It beggars belief that a person would carefully 'bag' their dog's mess but leave it at the side of a pavement or under a hedge/bush or on a grass verge (quite often very near to a designated 'dog poo bin' ). WHY ?

:-5:-5:-5 Who the hell do they think is going to clear them up, all these small black bags ?

Anyway, my hubby saw this character the other day, and the person bent down with a plastic bag (black) and scooped up the small poultice. He looked up and down the street, saw nobody about and dropped it against somebody's garden wall ! My hubby didn't have time to follow this fella then, but said he would catch him again soon and follow the fella home, make a note of the address, go back and carefully collect as many of these small parcels as he could on a dustpan, then dump the lot on this fella's doorstep. He'd then knock on the door and tell the man that he'd forgotten to put his small black parcels in the 'dog poo bin', so he'd better put them in his own wheelie bin before the neighbourhood warden catches him leaving his small black bags at the edge of the pavement.

We're just waiting for him to show himself again, and hopefully my hubby will be able to follow him.

We have informed the authorities and the neighbourhood warden has rung us up wanting a description of the man. She said that if he can be identified accurately, then he will be prosecuted.

It is such a disgusting thing to do. Most people are careful and, like my hubby or any of us, bag the messes up and take them to the nearest 'dog poo bin'. It takes no effort at all and is much healthier - there is a childrens' play park near where all these bags are being dumped too !