What was your fasting blood glucose? (full on chat)

@Muddy Cyclist
@geefull

Sorry I was still overtired last night to answer your questions. Brain doesn't function when I'm that tired.

Okay, Muddy Cyclist the app is called Zen Brush 2 This version is for the iPhone, iPad, and Windows 10.
I cannot remember what it cost me I think it might have been £2.99.

Okay, geefull the Android app is called Zen Brush. I think it was the first version of Zen Brush. But it is free. You are right It doesn't quite have everything that Zen Brush 2 has.
The settings that are the same are-
*you have brush size
*you have black in 3 opacities, but you don't have the setting of 3 slightly different brush strokes, and you do not have red
*you have a rubber, but it just totally rubs out, ZB2 has 3 opacities for rubber
*you have info function but not redo
*in menu, the list icon, you have templates which seems to give you all the papers and frames and colours that I have
*you can save, same as ZB2, and in Zen Brush it goes straight to photos, and not an internal gallery as in ZB2

I am looking at my Android now so that's how I can tell you this about the differences between Zen brush (Android) and Zen brush 2 (iPhone, iPad, Windows 10)

By the way, I hadn't realised the calligraphy type apps on Android were under the search term Zen, and do I never found them. It was @dunelm who said about Zen Brush 2.
So, I have just searched under Zen for other calligraphy apps on the Android, and found a few free ones. And there was a paid calligraphy one I fancied. It was £1.79. so, I downloaded that on to my Android phone, and I just resurrected my old Android tablet which needed a kick to reboot it (Android 7). It gives you a pile of brushes, brushstrokes, colours and more. I am not recommending it yet, but first signs are very promising, and you will get the red colour that is lacking on the Zen Brush on Android.

So, if you want the red colour that is on ZenBrush2 on my iPad then that is one way. There may be another app on the Android that will give you the red colour, but I am too tired still for brain to do much more yet.

Oh, that £1.79 app on Android is called Calligraphy Calm ink painter. It also looks promising for some cartoon like pictures I like to do.

Hope this explanation is all okay.


I think I will have to give Popeye the Android tablet because he's wanting to paint again. He is mithering me at the moment.

5.2 this morning. Washing out already. Aldi shopping at 7.30 (which Mr K is doing) so more time for coffee before the dog walk.

Muddy Cyclist said:

@ianpspurs and @gennepher My only hope is the world she is living in inside her mind is a wonderful place and gives MIL pleasure rather than frustration. The careers at the home says she is always cheerful and pleasant to care for so maybe she is in some way content..

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That is exactly how my MIL was. The carers at the home said that she was living in a happy place and we shouldn't feel so sad about her.
I can remember she thought the TV in her room was a window and she was full of wonder on what was going on outside her window.

Muddy Cyclist said:

A long busy day but some good moments sitting in MILs garden in warm sunshine for lunch.

I decided to try another Stile painting again in Derbyshire, Wolvescote Dale on the river Dove, huge white cliffs falling down to the river, rocks favoured by many climbers. watercolour A4, unfinished will finish in the morning.
View attachment 42484
On the subject of paper this is back on the Arches Cold Pressed 100% cotton, smoother than the Canson Cold Pressed, I actually now enjoy painting on both of these papers BUT different style is needed on each as what works on one does not work on the other.

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This is brilliant @Muddy Cyclist
I have so many memories of walks along here a few decades ago with J. It is a most beautiful place.
It is so beautiful, as your painting shows.
My eldest daughter did rockclimbing, and she also climbed rocks along Dovedale.

geefull said:

good evening all

4.7 this morning

mr gee and I went away to the charity 'big shed' this morning by invitation to see how their CV19 arrangements will work, and give any comments. They are planning to open up gradually at the shop next to the warehouse later in the month, a separate part of the warehouse is already/still working because it handles supplies to local food bank locations and they are especially needed at the moment.

The shop/depot where we volunteer behind the scenes is a very large space and has all been laid out with a one way system and there will be reduced hours, hourly surface cleaning, limits to numbers, screens round the till area and volunteers must book a space on the schedule so numbers are controlled, only one person/couple at a time in each of the smaller work rooms (not open to the public, there are a couple of couples who help out).
Any donations will go into big cage containers in a separate shed and will be rotated by fork lift so that everything is quarantined for over 72 hours before they will be handled and sorted by the warehouse. All clothing must be steamed before display.

No changing rooms and any customer returns go straight back into quarantine. They also intend to have staff/marshalls keeping an eye on customers and removing any 'potentially contaminated' items for cleaning or return to quarantine.

Masks/gloves and sanitiser are all available.

They seem to have put a lot of thought into the arrangements.

Contact with other people is definitely more tiring now than I would have believed a few months ago

Hope your day is treating you well

@dunelm - you're making good use of this 'Zen' app., very nice graphic quality

@gennepher - glad your day was productive even though it was a tiring one. I like your understated zen painting very much.
I must definitely install the app. and join the club trying out the bamboo practice (though I'm not sure the android app. is quite the same).

@Muddy Cyclist - loved the metallic carapace of your 'beetle' and your 'beatle' and a fine start to your next painting, it already has a great sense of space.

art bit - a couple more letterboxes
no 1 -
View attachment 42485

and no 2
View attachment 42486

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I love both your ‘letterboxes’ @geefull
There is something very calming about them. It is like ‘instant calm’ .

Fbg 6.3

Temp 35.8

I am ready for a nap again!

Cat is being pestiferous this morning ... he has just climbed completely under my bed covers by my legs. He was trying to get the phone out of my hands, so maybe is making a point ....

Take care
Enjoy today

gennepher said:

Oops!
Not good.
I have no idea.
The only thing I have had is attachments were there when I pressed send (and it was within the Mb limit), but when I checked the send inbox, one attachment was missing.

I hope it never happens again for you.

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I also hope it doesn't happen again. The more I think about it the more I don't understand how it could possibly have happened.

Krystyna23040 said:

That is exactly how my MIL was. The carers at the home said that she was living in a happy place and we shouldn't feel so sad about her.
I can remember she thought the TV in her room was a window and she was full of wonder on what was going on outside her window.

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That sounds like a beautiful explanation @Krystyna23040

gennepher said:

Finally I collapsed in the potting shed with Popeye

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I think you deserve a very restful and relaxing day today.

Krystyna23040 said:

I also hope it doesn't happen again. The more I think about it the more I don't understand how it could possibly have happened.

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It is scary @Krystyna23040
There should be a remote self destruct button for instances like that....

Krystyna23040 said:

I think you deserve a very restful and relaxing day today.

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Thank you @Krystyna23040
I need it

5.6 for me cant believe its friday again have a good day all

geefull said:

Contact with other people is definitely more tiring now than I would have believed a few months ago

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I agree @geefull
This appears to be the new normal...

Good Morning and 5.8 for me on this wet and dull day.

Nothing planned other than the family meal, still virtual even though rules have changed. Only daughters family tonight as son is braving a week away in his Caravan, madness!

@gennepher thanks for the information on Zen and your kind ccomments on my painting, I agree DErbyshire is beautiful and Dove Dale is about 40 minutes from home so walking the area was a regular activity for us.

@Krystyna23040 thanks for your thoughts on MIL as you know it's not easy but we can only hope that she like your mom is in a happy place in her mind.

Have the best day you all can, keep safe.

Good morning everyone from a bit of a lacklustre start to a breezy Friday in the dark and dangerous north

The wonder wheel of celeriac and black pudding rosti topped with slices of chicken came in a 4.6 this am. One celeriac down, one to go.
Plans are afoot to return to our little house on the prairie. First job I expect is to flush out the water piles, flush toilets and clean shower heads. Then, oh joy of joys, see if anything was left in the fridge! I am planning for Monday, after a possible rush by everyone to get out over the weekend but I think that Mrs Miggins has Sunday in mind, oh well.

A wonderful art gallery again, looking forward to seeing the finished painting @Muddy Cyclist - I do like the stile paintings. @geefull - you did it again - letterbox number 2 - wonderful and I like the way you bled the hedgerow in letterbox number 1. Yes, I am enjoying the Zen painting app but as @gennepher pointed out - simplicity takes years of practice so a lot of work to do.

Hope everyone has a wonderful Friday. Must practice my koffy calls.

Good morning all. Lots of posts not showing on my notifications today but I think I have read all the latest. My fbg was agreed by both Libre reader and phone as 4.6 this morning. Dawn Patrol soon took that to 5.7 then 2k steps and morning prayer levelled it off at 5.4*. Super Salmon Avo Salad Friday today. Praise The Lord and let the skin be crispy. Quite apt that today we commemorate Thomas the Apostle when huge doubts hang over what the Telegraph's Allison Pearson dubbed Sloshed Saturday. If a pub or similar is what people crave by all means enjoy just be responsible folks. Toodle pip.

* Not forgetting about 1.5 L of tea (Assam M'Lord) with h/m almond milk, inulin and yes I whack in sweeteners. It is much too long a way down 7/800 mls mug without.

ianpspurs said:

Lots of posts not showing on my notifications today

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I am finding this an awful lot at the moment @ianpspurs

Also I can go through all the posts in logical order to make sure I have not missed anything. But then, I see a reply somebody has made to something. And I go back and hey presto few pages back but there is a new post or two or three, which I did not see before and I went through them all systematically.

But this can be time-consuming when there’s been a lot of posts for a few days, and so if I missed something but I would normally have given a reply to, then my apologies.

@karen8967 great fbg and yes, Friday does seem to keep coming round a bit lively

My painting for today

This is not my best. I would mark 'can do better'. BUT, what I was trying to do was use the first Zen Brush app in my Android Phone. It is a very tiny screen. And I was curious to see if it could be used to make a detailed sketch on it, despite the tiny about 2.5 inch by 4.5 inch Zen Brush screen available.

This took me 20 minutes. I did use my finger most of the time. And I used my rubber tip Bamboo pen stylus a bit (it is like any phone rubber stylus, but it is a tad more responsive).

I think this shows you can do a fine sketch even on a tiny phone screen in Zen Brush app for Android.

Although, I think it goes without saying, that even the simple Zen sketches would work on the tiny Android phone screen.

The Android tablet works well for this as well. I felt as though my finger was more responsive on my old Android tablets than my newer iPad tablet. But that might be my imagination.

gennepher said:

My painting for today

This is not my best. I would mark 'can do better'. BUT, what I was trying to do was use the first Zen Brush app in my Android Phone. It is a very tiny screen. And I was curious to see if it could be used to make a detailed sketch on it, despite the tiny about 2 inch by 5 inch Zen Brush screen available.

This took me 20 minutes. I did use my finger most of the time. And I used my rubber tip Bamboo pen stylus a bit (it is like any phone rubber stylus, but it is a tad more responsive).

I think this shows you can do a fine sketch even on a tiny phone screen in Zen Brush app for Android.

Although, I think it goes without saying, that even the simple Zen sketches would work on the tiny Android phone screen.

The Android tablet works well for this as well. I felt as though my finger was more responsive on my old Android tablets than my newer iPad tablet. But that might be my imagination.

View attachment 42492

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Loving the artwork @gennepher I spent hours of my last few years in teaching trying to convince a Head of Art that ICT could be used appropriately in her kingdom. Wall of my office had head butt marks from our conversations but this thread has helped me see how my vision may have worked. I don't understand art/ usually see what was intended so the explanations really help.