Our Phili-Pam

I didn't know that one of the Cs in CCTV was 'cat'. Have a long distant hug and watch a bit of Red Dwarf with me. Probably not like your puss eh?

Hi Helen, I'm quite enjoying a bit of tele drama of late. ITV3 with plenty of murders in it. Tonight a bit tame, with an old Hetty Wainthropp, plus whatever. I enjoyed a lovely curry in the Earl an hour ago, following a bit of railriding. Sandwell & Dudley, for a bit of a walkabout this morning. I love my Google-Go, app. Tells me all of the connection times, which is interactive, so reports variants to timetables, which I exploit really well. Weather goes onky-ponky after today, so that will be kept in view. It's good on here, hey, thanks to your work along with the team.

Hetty Wainwright was set in my childhood stomping grounds. By 'eck.

Theme tune

Hi all, It was my delight to have been invited to Holbrooks Community Centre to witness some of the sterling community work being organised by our local councillor, Rachel Lancaster & her team. Real teamwork, politics apart, to aid Covid social recovery in our area. This post might need to go in a more specific thread eventually, but I like it here for now. Whilst there, I was invited to take a 30 minute Covid flow test, which gave all of the right readings. Thank you to the HCC team. Please carry on.

Hi all, Food glorious food, hot chocolate and mustard, or should it be custard! Anyway, I had half a pack of prepared veg that needed using up today, so instead of having my hot mackerel on toast for breaky, I decided to have the hot mackerel with the veg! Ok, I do like fish, but this was scrummy. The veg, sprouts, broccoli & carrots, made the whole thing a dinner. Done in twenty minutes. I did add a tot of extra tomato sauce to the saucepan, mashing the tinned mackerel to a pull almost, the way I have it on toast. I've always enjoyed fish, & nothing will ever match the taste of fresh mackerel only hours old, but a simple small tin of skinned & boned John West mackerel takes the biscuit. Talking of which, biscuits & cheese in a bit.

Hot Mocolard?

Hi all, Last week, I enjoyed homemade cheesy scones at a church tea & coffee Saturday morning (not my chapel). Anyway, this morning I thanked the elderly lady that had made them. A Quick Substitute. I enjoy my Morrison's pack of fruit scones, but at home, I sometimes warm the scones up as they are getting on in age. Just now, I put some cheese on the top & put them under the grill. They are beautiful. I'm enjoying mine with a sliced apple whilst watching the races. We are at Doncaster just now. Best wishes. Ps. Doing it for the first time, I put the cheese on the top of a whole scone, the second I cut in half & put the cheese on each half. The cut in half one was the best.

It's sensible to cut scones in half because then you can put more topping on Strawberry jam and cream for me.

Hi all, I had the most weird dream last night. I cannot remember a thing about any story, but someone kept calling me Pheeeleeep. The van is coming around ten today, so no worries. It was female, definitely not Pam. So odd.

Perhaps it was the queen and you got crossed wires?

Hi Helen, Sometimes, I do experience a second view of a dream the following night, but as most dreams occur minutes before waking, I destroyed that because my alarm was set for 6.30am this morning, you know, that time that doesn't exist for retired folk, or anyone under thirty?

Hi all, It's approaching half a year of me living on my own. I'm not convinced that posting here is correct, our Wellbeing topic might be more appropriate, but here will do for now. I cannot believe that I feel so well. Not just living without Pam, but living on my own for the first time ever. It's as though Pam has never left me, but she has. If I was sharing this in a room of theologians, they would have a word answer to every corner, but I'm back to words, where so often words are just that, words. Like a legal document. It's life that I'm making reference to, real life, my real life. I escorted a patient recently, who has been a widow since 2015. I played for her hubby's funeral at Warwick. She remembered, & expressed her sympathy for, in her words "my loss of Pam". She also made a comment regards how well I'm handling her loss. I replied to her that I don't believe that Pam is lost. Someone is only lost if we don't know where they are. I know in my own heart where Pam is, even though I do not understand the phenomena. Scripture does give an accurate account of that situation, but also states that my ability to visualise it is like trying to view through hammered glass, or a distorted mirror. Now I'm not going to go into chapter & verse on this, that would be totally inappropriate & unacceptable on our forum, but I can tell you with all honesty how the scenario sits with me. Yes, it's all in my mind, yes, & I cannot hand you a set of the best precision Zeiss bins & say look, she's over there, but, I can tell you that is how it is in my mind. If my faith was a clockwork mechanical thing on its own, then like most rational thinking folk, I would write it off as wishful thinking. It's not on its own. Six months on, it's as though someone is in my body, making up for her absence. I cannot make that up. I know I did a bit of drama, my mum told folk that I was good at acting the goat, but I couldn't keep this as an act up, 162 days to date. I'm so grateful for the existence of our forum, the wellbeing feelings from members abound, but one member went right out of their comfort zone to give me comfort. I'm sharing this, because I cannot believe how well that I'm coping. Maybe trials are still ahead. A very elderly lady that I know has now lived longer as a widow than she lived as a wife. Who knows, hey! There is a crumb of practical comfort that I do think about very occasionally, it's this. I'm so glad that it was my responsibility to wind up Pam's affairs, rather than Pam having to wind up mine. In most marriages, someone has to do that. I shared that with a close friend who, even with a strong faith, is struggling to cope. His wife passed away four years ago. I do miss Pam, but mostly for selfish reasons, like she's not running around after me. I am human. The minute I start to feel sorry for myself, I'm picked up, almost miraculously. Love to you all.

Keep an eye on your pussy! - tunnel cat

Hi MR, hi all, I know that I've left it a bit late, but I'm suffering a mid-life crisis. I have this desire for a sausage batch. Regards puss in tunnels, when Michael had his upstairs railway, one of our previous cats would often hide in the fiddle yard tunnels when the window cleaner arrived.