thats so the best bit, the roar of the crowd, and sweet chariot
blaring out

How was the Whistler Exhibition, did you enjoy
and all this bulb planting thats going on in the thread
i never plant bulbs, not really a green fingered person, even the house plants, are on a death sentence

well i better go, i can hear movement, better get the coffee on

speak soon xxxxx

Morning all. Whistler exhibition was very interesting. Lots of etchings. Home by 3.30 which was great for me.

Although I have cancelled London today I must go to our nearest town to finish Xmas shopping and do errands like go to the bank and pay in money. Close a building society account (who have merged with another yet again) and do some food shopping. Will bite the bullet and take a taxi.

Wonder if John has started his Xmas shopping.

Morning all, sun's shining but there's rather a stiff breeze.

Everyone sounds busy, I'm trying to think about Christmas presents and failing miserably.

New fridge/freezer arrives tomorrow and I still have a drawer of food in the old one. I've turned the house upside down trying to find the freezer pack things so I can stick the stuff in a cool bag and put it in the shed. I've found three bags and not a single ice pack. Wracking my brain as to where the heck I've put them.

May have to switch to plan B - seeing if my neighbour has a bit of space in her freezer for a few hours.

Have a good day everyone.

why is that always the way,,,, Im constantly doing things like that with things.....I couldn't find my biggest saucepan earlier this week...and was totally flummoxed as to where on earth it could be , I looked everywhere...

and its massive....I had left it drying on the top of the cooker.....


I found it eventually taking up half of the dishwasher.......why I have no idea, as I has already washed it up...but someone had obviously tidied it away for me....I had been washing things up by hand...as I didn't have enough to put a dishwash on....

Morning all

Hope you sorted out your freezer problems Lena. Hope you enjoy your new one.

I know what you mean about not finding things - o/h lost a palette knife and of course he blamed me for moving it. After a search it turned up in his workshop - what was it doing there? I have no idea. No apology of course.

Well, must get going. Need to bake a cake and tidy up for the visitors tomorrow - tea and drinks. Not going to make canapes but buy some things and do salami, ham with toothpicks.

Have a good day everyone.

Nyannie another busy weekend....you never seem to stop...


We need to start our Christmas shopping tomorrow, or at least think about my husbands bday present.....
Tonight we are going to watch the DVD of the Hunger games, I booked tickets to go and see the second film...catching fire...online.....And thought it was booked for tonight.......
only to realise that the film itself doesn't come out until next weekend.

Its getting quite complicated to book even cinema tickets now...a fortnight ago all the showings were booked up in advance, to go and see Captain Phillips......so I thought id be clever and book online earlier this week for Friday....
but seem to have mixed up the dates!!!



I think its going to be a good film, I loved the story in the books.....not only the idea of a reality show , where kids are expected to fight to the death, and the historical references to ancient rome with all the names of the characters, ...but there is also the love story between Katniss and Peeta ...which is just so sweet.... I love a good romance...... So part one tonight......(I have seen the film, but my OH hasn't....so he needs to get up to speed with the story for next week!!!)



And did anyone else see Brian Cox and his Doctor Who lecture last night, attempting to prove that some of the science in Dr who may be achievable one day.....it was fascinating...

Evening all

Sorry I haven't been around much, for reasons I have explained before ....

Just wanted to pop in and say Hi, and also to say what a great bunch of women the JJAT are! As I read through I can see the backbone of society, everyone beavering away at their various projects and activities. Fabulous! Well done all

Got to dash but before I go I'll wish you all goodnight, sleep tight :yawn: :sleep: :sleep:

Lindy xx

I say 'women' advisedly Haven't seen AlexBB3 or Jonathan or any of our other male erstwhile contributors for ages......

Wonder whether they ever pop in and have a read?

I am reminded of Alex every time I see Gillian Tett on Newsnight......

Have a good weekend everyone

Morning all.

I am pooped! Have read the Sunday papers, had breakfast in bed and am now going to go back to bed and read!

We had zillions of errands to do on Friday afternoon and delivered 4 bags of clutter to charity shop. Then the butchers, post office, newsagent to pay the paper bill, dry cleaners, then home to make a cake for friends coming for afternoon tea (supposed to come at 3 but arrived at 4), then canapes for drinks with neighbours (who came at 5) and then collapsed in a heap!!!!!

Anyway, this is the last call for our thread lunch. I will be booking the restaurant on WEDNESDAY. Anyone else interested, please PM me. We will be meeting at a restaurant in Covent Garden which will cost you about £25 - more details by PMing me.

Back to bed for me now. Have a good day.

I cant wait for the new year when we all get to meet up....


I know what you mean about doing all the chores....it can take up so much of the day just fitting in the basics....We spend yesterday tidying up the garden a bit...and today the broken up fence panels from the storm, need to go down the dump....


Im, missing Alex and Jonathon as well......maybe they will pop in and see us soon....?


any luck with the house hunting lindy? We are half planning on building/moving our workshop around the garden....it might be simpler to move!!! But a friend was telling us about the difference in price between selling a large 5 roomed detatched house in the country and buying a 3 bedroomed bungalow in a small town. The bungalow apparently was much more expensive....

Yes, it will be good to meet up Could be we'll need a long afternoon to catch up with each other's news!

Chores are a big part of my life at the moment, of course.....so much so that I daren't think of all the things remaining to be done It's a good feeling when things finally get sorted out, though

No news on the house move yet, I'm afraid. We've had about six viewings in just over a week, and have found somewhere in a small town nearby that might suit us. The whole thing is so stressful, though.....not only the idea of packing up your life, as it were, but also financially, with the cost of moving. Stamp duty is 3% or 4%, depending on the price you agree....that's bad enough but then there is also agents fees, solicitors, surveyors, etc etc. And then of course you'll want to redecorate and buy a few suitable bits of furniture when you get there. It's frankly mind-boggling

I am trying to keep taking deep breaths and go with the flow.......

Good early evening jjat

sorry i haven't posted for the last few days
but i got hold of those gold dust tickets

and what a match up, Twickenham was pumping
the noise was incredible
Just a shame about the result

got great seats, lower tier, right by the try line, got a good view
of us going over
and of the Haka, but that was drowned out by the
swing low

still recovering today, but having a bit of a rest, guests and hubs are in Scotland, for the Scotland and S.A match

just going to catch up now

Thats one of the worst things about selling, keeping everything spick and span for the viewings, those last minute calls from the estate agents,

six viewings is very good, have the estate agent given you any feed back, or suggested a open day.

i hope all goes well, and the process turns out fairly easy for you, keep taking the deep breaths and keep us informed as
to how it is all going,

me to, can't wait, seems ages since we met up

as for Alex and Jonathon, i miss them also
they were always great fun, and put together some great posts and always took all of out teasing, so very well

They're very good at giving us feedback after each viewing....but it's usually things we can't change, like the garden is too big (lol ) or it's too far from the children's schools You'd think people would check those things before they came to look.....

Anyway I will keep you in touch. One of the hardest things is actually continuing to concentrate on normal things as well

Speaking of normal things, just thought I'd come and wish the lovely JJAT goodnight :yawn:

Sleep tight all :sleep: :sleep:

Lindy xx

Morning all.

We are hoping to move when o/h retires and I am gradually de-cluttering now and keeping files in shape so won't be overwhelmed when we do really move.

Six viewings is terrific. I'm getting in a couple of estate agents after Xmas to give a valuation and tell me what needs to be done - like painting skirting boards and fixing ceilings (we had some leaks when we moved in).

Hopefully your family will help you keep the place tidy. I do know - from watching lots of property programs - that clutter and lack of definition of rooms is a big no no.

Good luck - and try not to get stressed.

Morning all.

Was sorry to hear the rugby results although it appears England played better.

Thank goodness we had a quiet Sunday. Managed to actually read the papers and watch the recording of Strictly. Cannot believe that it is 50 years since JFK was assassinated. I can remember exactly where I was and what I was doing - and the reaction of the people around me.

Hope everyone has a good day.

your weekend sounds amazing......I know we weren't there but it is so good to hear your report from the game to give a sense of the atmosphere.......

its so much work moving, and as you say can be so expensive with all the additional expenses like solicitors etc...im not quite sure what the current market is like? I sort of get the impression that some areas go really fast and others are stagnant???

I spose a lot depends on the valuation and what kind of price people are asking?

We would kind of like to move at some point, with the idea of moving into somewhere smaller to release some of our capital and reduce our mortgage......but......as you say by the time you have added in all the additional costs.....its complicated. And I would love to have a smaller garden!!! Its only advantage is that it gives us a bit of distance between us and the houses behind us, but my garden is far too big for just me and the dogs...!!!

But hopefully everything will sort itself out .....and maybe you can move and be into a new house fairly swiftly......

I know what you mean though about having a bit of normality and a bit of fun.........

My OH and I are learning to ski on the dry slope near us......and it was hilarious ......I only fell over 2 or 3 times....but it was so exhilarating when it went properly!!! ... I have been skiing before....ages ago, but I was much younger....but I would still like to be able to do is reasonably well.... I love looking at mountains and snow...

But I am usually so clumsy and uncoordinated..........I think I realised why yesterday.....when I started chatting to the girl coaching us......and turned to listen to what she was saying.....and fell over.......I think i am just far too easily distracted!!!

Good evening JJat, hope you're all well.

Busy weekend here.
The new fridge/freezer arrived and it's so tall I can't reach the top shelf or the temp dials but despite being taller and deeper, inside it's narrower than my old one! Guess they just don't make them like they used to.
No wonder it's A++ rated - it's full of lagging.

Had a bit of a clear out, trip to tip and charity depot but barely scratched the surface. We have 27 years of clutter in this house, stashed in every available cupboard, as for the loft I don't know where to begin.

Nearly laughed till I cried on Saturday when o/h put some building stuff outside the backdoor along with a brand new pair of builders gloves he'd bought that morning. He popped back in to collect something else, turned round to see our fox running down the garden with one of his new gloves.

He ran through the shrubs (with o/h in hot pursuit) dropped the glove then came back to the door and waited for his lunch. I swear he was smiling.

I'm beginning to think that fox has a glove fetish - we have a collection of odd ones that he's picked up from around the neighbourhood.

Hi augusta, does your o/h have a birthday in December too? I always think it makes it doubly hard to buy something - you have to think of two things to get.

I missed Brian Cox, but I see it's repeated later this week, so I've set Sky+ so I don't miss it again.

I've also set it for the very first Dr Who series with William Hartnell. They're showing them late Thursday night on BBC4.

I can remember watching them from behind the sofa at my Nan's as my Aunt being eight years older than me used to watch them, I was scared to death.

Wouldn't it be bliss if you could just pick up your belongings and dump them in the house of your dreams without any of the hassle.
They reckon moving house is one of the most stressful things you can do. I desperately want to move but must admit I find the whole process daunting.

When we sold Dad's flat at the start of the year the legal bill was cheaper than the estate agents!
I wouldn't mind but they didn't do much and if I'd taken their advise we would have let the place go for less than we sold for in the end. Dad would have been proud - obstinate to the bitter end, that's me.

I wonder sometimes if some people are just time wasters and just there for a good nosey round. I was absolutely adamant about where I wanted to live and didn't entertain anything that did not fit our location requirements.