General Chat

Well after 3 days of warmer weather, the rain has descended again. And ya know Fred not only does that falling wet stuff make your veggies grow but my lawns are like Hay fields most of the time....cannot keep up with the mowing or finding a dry enough day to mow in. Meanwhile my veggies only planted 10 days ago are up. The peas, beans, turnip and beets....no carrots as of yet.
Norm has been away for a couple of days to the big city so I walked over to the local nursery and got more cilantro and dill to plant. The cilantro because we use it a lot and the dill because the birds are eating it and the parsley. Yesterday I finished digging out and weeding one of the front beds. It looks good.
I have a bigger bed at the side of the garden and the previous owner planted it with some kind of "creeper". I have dug it out twice already but this year, I guess because of the rain, it has gone beserk.....and I have given up. In the Fall I am going to have my nice man come and dig it all out. I will save the good plants and have him truck away all the rest including the soil....then I will put new soil in....and then pray that the noxious thing has not reseeded its self nearby.
Off to do my chores.
Lesxx

He He ,Les ,yep i did forget to mention the grass didn't i ,lol,ours is so green and thick i need to trawl through it before i hit it with a mower in case there are any Japanese troops hiding in among it,it's as bad as that,no way will i be able to do it in one cut so i will have to cut it twice in two or three days to get back to normal.
We are so teed off with the weather that we have booked the weekend away at our usual haunt in Blackpool,but i will take the portable heater ,just in case it's as cold as it is here.
The herbs will be okay in the greenhouse until we get back and nothing is going to spoil in three days.
We don't have a problem with the birds that way,the cat is always lurking around and they won't even come down to the feeders unless they know she is indoors, lol, then they come to the window and tease her something rotten,
Away to do a little packing ,and then to get a bit of shopping in to do us until Saturday morning when we will mooch off for a walk around Fleetwood market.
Catch you all later ,Fred [in holiday mode].

Morning I have just had about 14 lines of text disappear on me so will hope this manages to get on.
Sure makes a person say a few bad words grgrgrgr
Edith XXXXX

Hi everyone.. We have lovely sunny weather here,,around 18c to 20c these past few days,,not bad for winter...

Just got back from visiting my daughter in Orange and boy it was cold up there..-3c to 0c and only around 5c or 6c during the day..lovely and sunny though so it was very nice..Trained it both ways and enjoyed it greatly..Love train travel..4hours there and 4 hours back,,time to relax and enjoy the view.. Kangaroos everywhere and the countryside was lovely..
Only went up there last sat. and came home Monday..but it was better than nothing..Might see about doing the same thing to Canberra to visit my other daughter down there,My eldest granddaughter in off to the UK and Europe in a weeks time..Boy how they grow up fast..seems only like last week I enrolled her in kindergarten.she is now 21yo..and beautiful to boot..
Fred Enjoy your weekend away and hope Liz gets time to relax..Hope the weather is good for you to.. doesn't sound like you are having much of a summer..

Les and Edith..I think you have pinched Freds summer..be nice and give him some back..cant have the poor man freezing on holidays..Hope you are all ok and I have got the ingredients for that recipe you sent Les..gonna give it a try..sounds yummy...

Well better get some work done..Keep well..

Love Mary xxx

Afternoon all,Fred is in the building ,just ,after getting the first cut on the lawns ,filling the tattie barrels again ,and doing a load of watering in Mary's chalet ,which is now stowed out with greenery,
We now have flowers on our tom's and cucumbers,the peppers are well away,and the courgettes are away up the trellis.all six of them.
The better weather has arrived at long last ,and when i came home Monday the garden was amazing,two days of sun makes a lot of difference.the runner beans have found their canes and are halfway up already,the french beans are getting the flower buds in ,and ditto the broad bean.
The red onion are doing really well ,and the beetroot are starting to swell up and look really good,the salad leaf are ready to start cropping and we have had three pickings off the asparagus already ,so ,all seems right with Fred's world.
The car is cleaned out and is ready to go back for the swop over ,and her majesty has calmed down now she realises that we are not about to swan off and leave her again ,he he.,she stuck to me like a cling on all day yesterday.
What a load of cat hair i had to clear up when we got back ,am i glad that we have a darned good H E P A hoover ,and she is a short hair Hissy that is ] ,not Liz.,lol.
I have taken that second Morrisons out of the freezer for tea ,which saves me making one from scratch ,so ,a lazy evening for me ,just really the washing up to do all afternoon and evening [bliss] .
Off now to sit in the sun for a while now ,before getting the oven warmed up ,catch you all later ,Fred.

Morning all, I'm a little scared to put anything on here.It's a pain to type it and then it just disappears into space!!!!!!! However here goes, my plants on the balcony are really growing, the basil has now been harvested twice, my toms are getting bigger by the day and I have 2 that should be ready for a sandwich in about 2 weeks. All the other herbs look good too.
Mary because of the hot weather in April and the lack of rain there is very little food in the wild, so the bears are very hungry and are showing up in places they are not wanted. The Ministry are kept busy with the live traps and taking them away, but I don't think it's working too well.
If we get one in our yard I will get a pic for you.
I too tried Les recipe and enjoyed it. Some of the folks here found it a bit "hot" but they are not used to that kind of food. Most loved it .
Hope all the others are well and would love to hear from you. !!!
Must go and start my day. Edith XXXX

Well our crappy summer continues on. The sun seems to have forgotten its proper place in the sky....LOL They had a cloud burst just west of us last night. We got a little thunder.

My garden is staggering along. Edith my basil is poor and the leaves are blotchy. Someone here in the valley has said that it is too cold for basil this year. Meanwhile my third planting of dill is just hanging on by a thread. Next year I am going to plant that white powdery stuff, lots of it, you know the kind that gets real hard after it rains....lol!!

I am glad you tried that curry. Norm and I make curry at least once a week. I have another recipe for aloo mutter palek (potatoes, spinach and peas) which is also quite yummy.

Today I am going to finish off an apron for a shower gift. The fabric is shantung and OK to sew but picky to iron. The gift is for my step son's soon to be wife. It is trimmed with chiffon and beads...and what a lot of work!!!

More later.
Lesxx

Morning to Les' and Edith .i tried your curry while we were at Blackpool last week,Les' because i had the sis'in law and hubby for tea ,the concencus was ,veeeery tasty ,and that from two curry fanatics,who said it was even better than my green thai, high praise indeed.
Our weather is all mixed up too nice and warm for the last few days ,and back to cool this morning ,but ,as ever it's a case of do the best you can,and cross your fingers ,lol.
Growing perpetual spinach for the first time in years i would be interested in your other recipe as well Les,.this spinach is a cut and come again sort ,so i could do with another use for it ,it being full of iron ,and the missus will east it okay.
I aint all that far behind you Edith ,herbs growing well ,and now out of the greenhouse onto the patio table where i can have a sniff ,and pinch a leaf,or two ,every time i fancy it.
The peppers are now well away ,the patio peppers out front among the plants on the patio,and the other .bigger varieties doing well among the tomatoes,which ,although have no fruit on yet ,are flowering well,and are halfway up the stems.
We have heard from Nissan ,to tell us the swap over is on track ,and we have to pick the new motor up on Monday morning at 10 -00 a m,just about in time for the trip down to Oxfordshire to see the grandson,at Lyneham,as he is now back from Halton where he was sitting exams[ passed in the top of the class again],.
It will be nice to see him again ,and i reckon we will be there for a few days before travelling back up here.
Off to the hospital at 11-30 today for a yearly retinal scan,and diabetic check ,but i am pleased that the levels ,as far as i can tell are back to normal again,but i will sharp find out if they arn't ,my clinic don't pull any punches ,lol,and i don't want another rocket like the last time ,ooooooo, that nurse is 'ard he he.
Don't you be taking any chances with those furry critters Edith ,use a long distance lens if you take piccies,those bears can look cuddly and soft ,but i hear that the claws are not to be taken lightly.
Going to do an Edith now ,exit left and get on with the work before getting ready to go out, take care all ,and stay safe ,Fred.

Morning all.. We have sun and lots of it..hee hee hee..

Edith.. To fix the typing problem go into TOOLS up on your right hand just above the DATING ADD ,, and click on COMPATABILITY VIEW SETTINGS...It was a pain in the neck but this seems to correct it..

Would you Canucks like some of our winter so that you can grow some of your summer crops..hee hee hee...Cold night last night..went down to 8c... bbrrr...but lovely now,,

Did I tell you that my grandaughter who loves photography sold one of her pictures to a publishing company and the picture is going on to the cover of a novel to come out next march..If you ar interested to have a look let me know and I will send the website..The picture is of her twin sister..

Fred Have a nice time with the grandson and the new car.. take both satnav with you just in case..LOL dont want you lost..

Les What you doing reading this,,get back to that apron..a lovely gift..

Hope all our long lost friends are ok and have a lovely weekend

Love Mary xxx

Evening all [ in best Dixon Of Dock Green voice] he he ,showing my age again,lol.
So pleased to hear your news about your rellie you have been looking for,Mary ,i know how you feel ,after spending so long looking for this person,you must be cock a hoop.
The sun came out to play today ,nice and warm with it so i got the B B Q done and dusted and i was chuffed when i did my blood test late this evening to find my sugar ,fat levels way down ,sorted ,lol.
Congrat's to the Kiwis on the football ,holding one of the best teams in the world to a draw ,it would be so nice if they wen't on to win the cup,time indeed that someone new won the accolade .
Hey ,my veggie patch is storming ahead now ,a couple of calabrese plants need replaced ,but on of the others is showing a head already ,my broads are in flower,as are the runner beans ,the brussel plants are well away and need fixing to the stakes,and my parsnip ,and both lots of cabbage are coming on great,so ,all is okay in the garden .
It really made my day to find two plums on my new tree ,only two maybe this year ,but it shows that the tree is healthy ,and should be producing well next year.
The apple tree is well and truly loaded with fruit ,40 so far ,looking well for them ,and the strawberrys and rhubarb are doing great ,okay for the fruit as well.
I have pak Choi coming out of my ears.so the stir frys will be well and truly every couple of days [nice and healthy] specially with all the herbs the wife has on the go ,i tried some of the lettuce leaf ,with some beetroot leaf chopped in ,with a few basil leaves jammed into a pitta bread with my minted lamb ,burger,anda little home made tomato relish ,cor ,it went down a treat,all those nice fresh leaves,much nicer too with the pitta instead of a bread bun.
Well done to your grand daughter Mary ,sounds like one of the grandies has a promising career ahead of her anyway,good photographers are born ,not trained so it's nice to see one young person sorted so well early in life.
Got the pecipe okay les ,thanks for that i will be giving it a go next week ,and will give my chef son a taste of it ,to show he isnt the only curry expert in town ,i shook him three weeks ago with the thia green ,so this will keep the young pup under pressure he he.
Took my last piccie of the car today ,someone is going to get a good one, ,17000 miles on the clock ,immaculate inside and out and not a pick of bother in three years ,but i have no option ,the car has to be returned and sold on once the contract is up,and the new car will be a bit more economical to run,returning up to 52 to the gallon round the doors,and 70 to the gallon on a long run.
Yep .i am keeping the garmin nuvi sat nav'Mary ,i have four updates free each year,,and it ,as you say ,will be a good standby in case i can't get on with the inbuilt one,that ,and the road angel should keep me safe enough ,specially the model i have,he he ,i mile above the speed limit ,and an ozzie female says ,you are over the speed limit ,mate ,slow down ,chose the oz voice so that i can imagine Mary giving me an earful for going too fast,he he much better than an american voice which seems to be the norm,and the angel updates itself every week too ,so that if the speed limit changes on a road ,i get told the new limit as i turn onto the road in question ,get caught speeding ,hmmmmm ,no excuse officer ,lol
Well ,peeps ,think it;s time for bed with my last cuppa of the day,gonna have to prise Liz off the new puter,lighting fast after the old X P,the old girl is as happy as Larry,lol.i havn't had a peep out of her for two hours ,he he ,bliss,ouch ,didn't see that one coming, Fred.
.

Morning all, Another lovely day in middle Canada,hurrah.
Wow, Fred, what did you feed your garden?? Seems to be racing along beating me by miles !!!My herbs are doing very well but the other stuff seems to be taking a break, perhaps getting ready to grow like yours. A little more sun may do the trick as well.
Mary, I took your advice and it is working. Thank you so much, sure makes a difference when the words aren't jumping all over the page. Les, will give the recipe a try later this week. Sounds like you are having the same weather as we had last year,was definately not fun. I have a new Basil this year called eastern spicy, the leaves are rough and long not like the sweet basil at all. Going to try it in a salad later to-day so will let you know how it turns out. As to-day is laundry day for me I had better get on the move so it's bye for now. Edith XXXXX

Morning all ,time to bring the thread forward again before it goes off the end of the list ,lol,seems a lot of peeps are off on holiday ,or too busy doing other things these days ,lol.
Well Edith,the answer to your question lies in the soil ,lol
I found a new organic feeder a few weeks ago ,to augment the pelleted chicken poo that i always use to condition my soil and feed the veggies,this new veggie and flower feeder is organic too ,not chemical like the growmore i used for years.
The growmore is getting difficult to buy now ,and very expensive ,mainly because the druggies are using it to make drugs with,hopefully these sad people will land up blowing theirselves up doing it and kill themselves at the same time,wasters that they are,but anyway ,in this instance they have done me a huge favour ,this gear is a lot better ,and cheaper than the growmore was ,and my plants love it .
The broads are already flowering and need the tops pinched out to deter the blackfly,the runners are already up the cans and need stopping,and the french bean are doing really well,everything else is coming on in leaps and bounds too ,the flowers too ,i am most impressed with this stuff ,and have already brought enough in for next year as well.
The back end of the season will see me look for the reductions in prices as well ,and more being stocked in the shed for future use
I found my bolts yesterday at Cramlington market.,and fixed The B B Q lid last evening once the heat left the garden ,whew ,it was a tad warm he he ,and i moved my chair into the shade of the apple.and plum trees and chilled out with a lager.
On the way home we found some lovely plate mushrooms ,reduced to 65 p for the pack of four,ideal for stuffing with cous- cous and a little Mossarella cheese so ,guess what's on the menu for dinner today,along with a couple of stuffed pepper to use up the rest of the stuffing mix ,nice ,healthy ,and very quick.
Well done to your footy team Mary ,it would be interesting to see what would happen if England survive the match with Germany and meet oz later on ,wow ,what a grudge match that would be 'lol.like the rugby,and the cricket i reckon ,plenty of fire and attitude ,a real treat for the fans.
I see the new Hot Matches are on board this morning ,so i may have a look later on ,if the drizzle we have here this morning dosn't let up,i ain't worried much ,the ground could do with it and i am well up to date ,only the hedges needing done this week.
The weekend is about here again folks ,so ,time to slow down a tad and get ready to enjoy it,catch you all later ,Fred.

Visitors, visitors and more visitors.
Last weekend our friends were here with their baby. Lovely to see our Bella playing ball with a 7 month old....would not believe that she (Bella) could be so gentle, and share her toys like that. In fact I think that Audrey (baby) is now Bella's favourite friend, she followed her around the whole time, didn't matter who had the babe, Bella was there. Pics around somewhere.
Then tonite daughter arrives for 3 days and then on Sunday Kathy and crew arrive for a week.
This weekend we are having a garage sale and hope to get rid of lots of junk!!
The garden is slow, Fred. We have had very little sun and you can tell that by the state of my veg. My carrots are hardly up at all. Meanwhile in the greenhouse the toms and peppers and flowering but they are not "big" if you know what I mean. My runners are up to about a foot I think and I noticed yesterday that only one zucchini had reared its head thru the soil....think I will pop in a few more seeds....can't be any slower than the rest of the stuff. Hopefully we will have a warm Fall so that we get some goodies.
Today is shopping for the masses and than a bit more house cleaning. If I won the lottery I would have a maid!!
Later
Lesxx

Morning peeps ,just time to add a little missive before i go out to the foot clinic,and then to do a tiny bit of shopping locally.
I have already been in the greenhouse and watered ,and had a look around the back garden,and have found the first,tiny cucumber of the season ,[smacks lips] smashing stuff ,that will go very well with the salad leaf come the next B B Q,along with some Strawberries and cream [if they ripen in time ,though with the sun ,that shouldn't take long.
I notice the west country is to be declared a drought zone if there is no rain within a week.
After the flooding there a scant two months ago, i reckon this is a disgrace on the part of the Lancashire water company ,millions of gallons of wasted water which should have been diverted from the rivers and sent to the lakes,i reckon the company should be fined ,and the huge profits they pay to shareholders ,stopped until they get their act together and sort the pipework out ,every year this sort of thing happens over there ,burst mains ,where new piping would prevent wastage of a soooo valuable a resource.this sort of waste has to be stopped,time for the government to step into the fray,and threaten to re nationalize the water industry if the water companies [french owned] don't get it sorted out.
I don't understand this country at all ,selling all our companies to foreign countries then wondering why the economy is in such a state,of course it is ,all the profits are going abroad instead of being recirculated in Britain,lol, more lunacy ,even the conservatives started the rot by ruining the coal industry and the ship building/steel industries years ago.and Labour ,making it worse by selling the electricity companies off to the french ,along with the water companies ,then selling off the transport to the germans,we have now't left of our own stuff any more ,grrrrrr ,wake up Britain ,and smell the coffee ,he he.
Time to go and get the tootsies seen to ,be back later to have a good moan again ,lol.take care peeps ,Fred

Hello, Well Fred a little Miracle Gro and lots of sunshine seem to have given the herbs etc. a boost.I did have a tom sandwich at last and there are many more ready to pick this coming week.The cucs are really doing well so I'm hoping they keep on climbing up the wall to give me lots of pickles later on.
For the longest time our nights were chilly but now have warmed up and everything seems to be growing a lot better. Rumour has it the blueberries will be early too. Good news for our Festival as they have a lot of contests with them.
May have to send a few veg on to the west coast for Les. Want to place an
order Les?
Have to get ready to go shopping so will say bye for now. Edith XXXX

Today's the day peeps ,Fred was up and about early ,veggies prepared for the dinner,Cauli,carrot batons.cabbage,calabrese.new potatoes ,and old [for the mash] with pork ,taken out of the freezer last night ,so all quick nice and easy,just the Asparugus spears to throw on top of the new potatoes in the last three minutes,so that the butter goes over them and drips down on the tatties'uuuuuum ,loverly he he.
the whole floor area has been done too ,every carpet in the house cleaned to get rid of the cat hairs after the little besom had a mad half hour last night,careering round the whole house ,cat nip ball in her mouth.
all this ,now done and time for a sit down before i turn the dinner on well in advance of the footy match,by which time ,fred will be in the armchair tinny in hand and rarin' to go ,lol,it may be the last match for England and i am going to make the most of it,he he.
Once this is over ,time for the tennis ,hoping this is Murray's year .,and that he at least reaches the final.
The weather is great so far ,but there may be some rain later on up here in the north ,which will do my garden the world of good.
See our Edith uses the magic potion too ,lol,i must say that i use it a lot in the greenhouse ,and on the two trees,they seem to love it.
Good luck on the festival Edith ,we don't get ours until September of course ,but i may be as lucky to get to the local ones this year,starting with the fish festival at north shields,plenty of fun to be had ,and tons of smoked fish on sale yum.as well as the local bands and some from Jamaica.,and boat races with teams from as far away as New Zealand,and Oz taking part ,all good fun with very little trouble if any at all.
Nice to see that Bella is so good with the bairns Les' she sounds a real poppet.
I was suprised at hissy too ,she bats the bairns with her paws ,but only in play ,no claws unsheathed,when she has had enough she comes under my chair knowing the bairns won't touch her when i am sat with her .
Time for my amble around the garden now ,so ,i will catch you all later..
Hope you are all having a good weekend,Fred.xxx

Off to Tofino for a couple of days. Be good til I get back...LOL
Lesxx

Morning everyone. Another lovely day coming so will get out and enjoy it.
My balcony is alive with color and lots of green from the herbs. A second batch of pesto to make tomorrow as the basil is off and running.
Have a busy week-end coming up. July 1 is Canada Day so will have lots of stuff going on. Even the Queen is in Ottawa to celebrate!!!!!
My wee friend next door(Chloe the kitten) has found out she can fly around the bathroom sink and can make enough racket for 5 animals. Her Mom says she is trying to get the tap going. Amazing animals HHmmm.
Where is Mary? Must be visiting somewhere, also J.A and a few others Hope you are all well!!!
Will try to behave Les, enjoy your visit.Some retail therapy is good for everyone Hee hee
Must get some breakfast so it's bye for now. Edith XXXX

Hi Edith,love the sound of Chloe and her antics ,sounds as though you may soon have your work cut out keeping up with her ,lol.
I have had a good day ,enjoying my garden now that all my flowers and bushes are in full flower ,even the herbs filling the air with their scents,this is more like it .
My two courgette bushes down near the back wall are fruiting well now ,lots of salad stuff ,and stir frys being made for dinners for a good while ,and by the time we come back from oxford there will be tons of different beans on the menu.
Looks like Scotlands Mr Murray is on the way home ,but he has done well this year ,and who knows ,he is now coming into his own and has plenty of time to win a few titles yet.
Time to go and get the tea on ,a packet of cheese and onion pasta tonight ,yum.
Catch you later Fred.

Hi everyone..Cant believe it is so long since I was here..Time just flies by and the week is gone before you know it..
Nothing much happening here and life is plodding along as usual..Its getting a wee bit cold now and we got down to 5c today..Now that is cold for us..We dont like it..hee hee hee..Give us back out nice 12c to 19c..
I am afraid I dont believe in this Global Warming rubbish,,Its the biggest con job by big business to make money at the cost of us poor peeps..The earth will do as it wants and we cant do anything about it..We are having a rather cold winter so the warm has gone someplace else me thinks..bring it back please...I like it...LOL

Sounds like you are all enjoying your warm weather..and the gardens are bloomin well...my granddaughter is in Europe at the moment and then heads to the UK for a short visit and gets home on 27th of this month..Will go down to see here when she gets back to hear all about it and see her photos..hope John will be well enough to come with me so that I can stay for more than just a few days..It is supposed to snow up in Orange where my other daughter is so I missed it by 2 weeks..bother..LOL.

Les Enjoy Tofino and as Edith said enjoy some retail therapy..good for us girls..

Edith Hope you are keeping well..That kitten sound like a hoot of a cat..

JA is away on holidays..Don'T know when she is due back..

Fred. Bet that garden is a picture and you must be starting to reap the harvest..lucky butter..

Have a nice weekend all and Edith have you got your bikini out yet..and have you seen any bears around..

Love Mary xx