General Chat

Wow!! where is everyone??
The wedding was lovely, the bride beautiful. But it was a rush for dau and I. We took Bella back to Campbell River park for a walk and took a different trail...well wouldn't ya know we got lost and 10 kms, and two hours later we managed to get out onto a road and make our way back to the van.......then only minutes to spare to shower, do our nails and hair etc...what a laugh. And, man, did my bum cheeks ache the next day!!!
Then we were off to visit the lovely Rhian. She is growing like a weed and very tall for her age. She and Bella played ball forever and neither of them got tired, they are well matched. Duuno what the kids neighbours thought of the "drop the ball" , "sit", "back off", and "feetch" and then "good Bella"....over and over.....pretty funny.
Now at home Bella is pouting, no lovely little girl to play with.
Norm and I are going to look at a fifth wheel trailer today as we think we might become nomads for a bit. Haven't really figured out all the whys and wherefores but it would be nice to be on the road for about 3-6 months each year....a small window of opportunity for us. Anyway we will see.
Off to the docs to get my prescriptions.
More later
Lesxx

Hi everyone.. We have lovely weather at the moment..sunny and mild..

Les Sorry you are having it so hot,,I rather it in the 20s than the 30s.. Poor Ollie.. He must feel the heat,,cos he is a Canuck cat..LOL

Edith.. When I get home on monday I will start giving some thought to my back patio garden..Gotta get it started..

Fred.. Can we have a little of your rain..just a little mind you...

Well life has been very busy.. John is back to the docs and this time they think he might have a autoimune condition that can turn quite serious, so its to a specialist next. Cant get in to see him till Oct, but if John gets any worse we will see if he can see him earlier..It is one thing after another,,We are at last going to Canberra today for the weekend,,It will be so lovely to see our girls again.but it is a 4 hour drive and thank goodness I had a good nights sleep last night.. I have been very tired lately and lost my get up and go,,,it got up and went ..

Have a lovely weekend all..

Love Mary xxx

Evening to the troops ,lol,apologies on being missing ,but old Fred has had a bit of time off ,yesterday with a trip to little Canada ,a fishing trip to Kielder forest and the largest ,man made lake in europe,where i had an amazing day with my eldest son.
Everything seemed to go right ,from the off ,lol, we got there at the Dam by ten a m,and got set up on a lovely little beach on the lake side by the half hour,sat among the pines,lovely water coloured with the iron mines under the flooded valley,a nice breeze sighing through the trees ,squirrels ,badgers ,foxes,and birds ,all doing their thing in the trees ans undergrowth ,even some re introduced beaver somewhere nearby,all in a nice warm sunny climb ,he he ,bliss.
To cap it all i managed some nice rainbow trout to bring home ,two nearly 3 pound each ,and one just over 2 pound ,a nice ending to a nice day ,i am unashamed to say that i didn't want to come home,lol,but even that was special ,climbing through country lanes and forest ,watching the autumn colours on the trees through the windscreen of the car as we travelled.
I even thought ,stuff cooking tonight ,stopping off to get two fish suppers from our local chippy.
I Did feel a little guilty when i found out that pusser cat ,on finding me missing when she came home after her morning walk, sat in the armchair facing the window ,where she could see the gate ,and refusing to move until she saw me come in the gate with the son.
Back to normal this morning ,the weather holding off until we had our B B Q at dinner time ,a Couple of snags each,in rolls a burger in buns,and some chicken strips ,and for me ,the smallest of the trout which i shared with Hissy who loves her fish of all sorts.
We are now waiting for the fella's to come out to survey the fireplace and chimney to make sure that they are suitable for the stove to be put in ,hopefully all will be fine and we will have our new wood burner in time for winter ,saving a good bit on fuel bills,and of course the cheerful winter glow of a real fire ,and old Fred already has the old style toasting fork ready he he.
I spent an hour on line this afternoon ordering next years seeds, so all is right with the world .
Time to get my furry chums tea before she goes out for her evening walk.
Hope all are having a good weekend,glad it looks as though the doc's have a good idea as to what is wrong with John ,Mary ,now ,hopefully it is sortable ,and John can look forward to a better prognosis ,and treatment,leading to better days for both of you.
Catch you later peeps ,Fred.

Morning all, Happy to hear of your trip Fred. We are fortunate to live like that all the time. Our lakes and fishing are known as the place to come for a great outdoor holiday. We also have rainbow trout but they are stocked in special lakes. Fun to catch tho'.
Seeing the note from Les about the fishing contest, our town is also in the same one. Will be fun to see who comes out the winner. It means 25,ooo dollars for touristry.
We too are seeing the signs of fall, the low bushes are turning colour and everything seems to be slowing down. Too soon that white stuff will cover it all up, so I won't say any more.
Mary, hope you get your wee garden going as it is fun, Even tho' the yield is not big I was very pleased with my 5 cucs so far. Always next year hhmm.
Time to start my day so bye for now. Edith XXXXX

Morning all,from a veeerry chilly north of England ,lol,17c in august yet he he ,the heating is on yet again .
Think you have to be right Edith ,the season is changing at least six weeks early here ,the sloe,and blackberries ripe already,and with all the rain and the high winds ,it looks as though there is another hard ,white winter on the way.
The wood stove looks like being a good idea, if i get the go ahead,there will be no carbon burned it being all wood fuel used,and ton's of potash for the compost bins and garden ,how green is that ?.
The missus ,in starting the toilet decorating while i was on my fishing trip ,started off the old back injury she got at the Metro,Centre years ago,while she was still working there .
The afternoon after the trip saw her complaining that her arm and back was sore ,and the following day she hada lot of trouble getting around Morrisons to do the shopping ,and by yesterday dinner time she was in a lot of pain ,and shuffling round the bottom floors having to use both sticks,so i am thinking what with the arm being sore as well ,plus feeling a little sickish with the pain ,she has either slipped a disc,or more likely trapped a nerve,but if she gets any worse or dosn't start improving by tomorrow evening ,i am getting our doc' out,there is no way i can get her into a car while she is this bad.
It is just as well i got her to show me how to use the new washing machine ,lol,Fred Is gonna be the washer woman for a while i think,he he.and isn't it fortuitous that i brought the new little notebook a few days ago.
I know it was ready the first computer i came across at sale price ,that uses xp as the platform ,my older road angel not having a driver supported by vista ,or windows 7,but it will be so handy for the missus to use in bed before she try's to get up in the morning it being so light ,with a battery life of 5 hours,so ,she can surf as long as she likes with no wires trailing over the bed.
Very handy too for the travelling ,it having a 160 gig H D.a 2 gig R A M ,and going into a case no bigger than a woman's clutch bag,with the wireless mouse ,and charger,tons better than even the acer,and lots lighter to tote around.
I was just thinking last night that this tiny notebook is by far ,more powerful and faster ,than the huge ,room size computer they had at Bletchley Park for cracking the axis codes during the last war,how far the world of computers has come in not so many years.
Sorry peeps ,but i may not be around much until the missus improves ,i now have loads of extra duties to attend to,and am going to be a tad busy ,so please bear with me on this one.
If the old girl [lol] hasn't started to at least show some improvement by tomorrow ,i think she may have either ,a slipped disc ,or more likely with arm pain ,a trapped nerve,which means getting our doc' out as there is no way i can get her into the car to take her to the surgery.
Have to go and start the dinner ,catch you all later .
Hope every one is enjoying the holiday ,Fred.

Hi everyone.. We have fantastic weather at the monent..love spring..

Had a lovely weekend and managed the driving ok and the weather in Canberra was fantastic..not cold during the day and mild nights..Not the usual Canberra weather so was very lucky..
So enjoyed being with my daughter and grandaughters again and and even tho hubby is away in the army we had a great time..John managed it not to badly and we managed to get him out for a drive and out to dinner on sunday night..Had a lovely walk around Canberras lake on sunday and the blossoms are starting to come out..In a week it will look fantastic..Canberra is so beautiful and has more cherry blossoms than Japan me thinks..
Now to sort out my back patio and work out what to grow in my tubs..quite looking forward to it..
Fred That sounded like a heavenly day you had with your son..with a few trout thrown in for good measure..good for you.sorry to hear that Liz has done herself a injury..Poor thing and lots of hugs for her..hope she is on the improve soon..rest is about the best thing I think..
Better go and get some lunch so have a lovely day..

Love Mary xxx

Evening all ,from a slightly sunnier ,warmer Newcastle thaqn of late ,lol.
Seems as though Liz has strained her back and aggrivated the old work injury ,and is now on a strong pain killer ,and a tablet to reduce the inflammation.
As soon as she is able to get to the surgery ,we will be asking the doctor to refer us to the dss to see about having a stair lift put in.
Her back has been giving her problems for years,and it won't get any better.
We had the chap here this morning about the new fire ,and we have the go ahead ,the only thing wrong was the hearth needing extended to comply with the hot ember spillage ,which is no problem ,there being bricks out back of the same pattern and colour ,which the son is going to lay for me
My son in law is getting the new steel lintel made for me at his works ,to put across the hearth opening. which will stop the bricks sagging ,so everything is well in hand.
Have to go ,but at least you know that Liz and i are still in the land of the living,take care all .Fred.

Hello Good to hear from you Fred. Blessings to Liz, as I know about back pain. Not fun at any time.
Our weather continues to resemble fall. To-day is cool and rainy after a few sweltering days. The clouds are big , dark and rolling over like typical fall days. Even tho' love winter it could wait a bit methinks.!!!!
Thanks for the pics Mary, of course I love the dog. She is a beauty and it makes me lonesome for my little guy. Glad you had a good visit. Hope John stays well enough for more travel. Good luck with the garden I'm sure you will enjoy it. The first tomato is the best you'll ever taste hee hee.
Must get on with the day, so take care all. Edith XXXXXXXX

Fred, give Liz a hug from me. I also have a "dodgy" back sometimes...not fun!! As you know we burn our woodstove all winter and it does warm the house (the basement hot!!) and it has helped reduce our use of oil and gas. My only complaint is the amount of mess it makes especially the dust. But hey!! it is cozy and you guys can pretend you are pioneers or some such thing..LOL
Mary loved the pics, cute dog. Glad that you were able to make the trip. No trips for us this year at all and now we are galloping towards our "busy" season. I am teaching a genealogy class again and also giving some lectures on the the British Home Children at Island historical societies. Then of course there is the sewing...and sewing..and....!!!
Edith we too are very Fallish and the nights are quite cold, down to 6?? We are hoping for the indian summer to kick in and that may see us thru into October...would be nice.
Have more visitors coming this month so it's Les and Norm's B and B time again. I'll have to juggle that with the aprons, my first show in on October 2.
So its off to the "sweat shop".
Lesxx

Morning to all this nice autumnal Sunday morning,where i am having a few minutes to myself before going back out into the back garden to put the 100 crocus bulbs into the border that runs alongside the house.
Seeing as the missus woke me up at four this morning with an amazing impression of a John Deere tractor with a blown gasket,i decdided i may as well get up and have a very early breakfast ,outside in the coolish air ,cup of coffee ,and my first porridge of the season ,scottish style ,salt ,no sugar ,or milk, ,very nice it was too.
The freezer is playing up .so we are running it down so that we can get the new fridge freezer in before Christmas,we decided on the model with the freezer on the bottom ,fridge on the top.
We will be keeping the old fridge however ,we reckon that will come in handy for the festive season ,where we can store all the food from day to day,leaving the new one for the day to day stuff like dairy produce ,salads and the like.
It will also come in handy for the making of my corned beef ,so i will have far more room in the chalet for Christmas visitors ,and early seedlings [you listening Mary ] no more taking the mickey out of Fred's meat production ,lol.
Seeing as this is the last weekend of the kids holidays ,i am making them a nice curry for their dinner,using some chicken bits and a few raisens ,and a nice red onion from the onion box,no veggie though ,these two bairns don't like veggie style curry ,so i can't put a few peas in like i usually do,but ,never mind ,i can make another any time for just us two.
Hope everybody over there in oz are okay ,what with the storms and flooding,you seem to no sooner get over the fires and drought ,before you land up with the other end of the weather cycle ,we here seem to be out of the way of all the lousy stuff ,apart from the odd hiccup .
Three weeks ,and we will be Cornwall bound ,and three weeks later getting ready for the week in Blackpool ,he he ,spoilt rotten we are.
The tablets seem to be doing their work as well ,so i am letting the old biddy loose on the populace this next week again ,and will start off on letting her have a mosey round the local library while she changes her books.
Take care all ,hope everyone has made the most of the weekend.Fred.xxx

Morning all, The Labor day holiday is now gone and it is time to settle in and get ready for the white stuff. We had a light frost Sunday nite so time to get the plants off the balcony for sure. Will make my last batch of pesto for this year and this one will be mine. All summer I have been giving it out to friends and family but now will freeze this lot for me!!!The nites have really cooled off and I see even the prairies out west are the same. I do love the cooler weather tho' it is so nice to have to add a sweater instead of hiding in and turning on the a.c.
Your travel plans sound great Fred. Hissy is going to be one upset cat by the time you get settled back in!!!!!My friend Chloe goes berserk after her owner leaves for the day. She actually sulks and sits on the window sill and will not move until bedtime. hee hee.
Good luck with your lessons Les, having done a few I know how much work it is. looks like you have a busy winter ahead of you.
Do believe it is time for breakfast. Take care all. Edith XXXX

Hello, Fred, PLease sit and have a cuppa, Les, you too!!!We all seem to be too, too, busy. I also get into that mode, but have realized I must stop and take out some ME time.
Weather still cloudy and fall like, but the temps are moving up a bit. The leaves of the small bushes are turning and when we get the first frost the colours are going to be glorious. We have had a hot summer and a good lot of rain so they should be great.
Mary, how is your pot garden coming. Have you had a chance to get it started? All of mine is finished and I will put the last of the pots away to-day. Hope you manage a few tomatoes as they are so good fresh from the vine!!!Nothing like a tom sandwich on a hot day !!!
Hope everyone has a great day. Edith XXXXX

I am still sewing like a mad fool and looking at all the other stuff that needs to be done....ah well.
Today I get a break tho, I am off to Campbell River to give my presentation on the British Home Children to their local family history society. Then tomorrow more visitors...and so it goes. And now we have another friend coming in a weeks time. He wants to go fishing as the chinook are running late this year and he will be here just in time.
Meanwhile I guess I should start to cut back stuff in the garden....what was that about taking a break Edith???
I wonder where Christine and the others are??? Hope all are well.
Lesxx

Mornin' Les' and Edith,hmmmm ,the idea of a sit down and coffee sound good,and i may just do it when i finish here and get the housework done because it's another wet one outside ,he he.
I Did get out there yesterday and took a carrier bag full of runners off the plants,which kept me busy for an hour getting them ready for the freezer,which is now stuffed full of greenery he he,but we will be fine for veggies throughout the winter,and by this time next year with a heavier crop [i hope ] from the climbing french beans ,we will be even more stuffed ,good thing i still have some room in the upstairs one ,still more beans to come off yet.
Never been out after Salmon Les' the authorities take the p*** here charging over £100 for a day licence and thats on top off the price of a river permit,that ,is a rich mans sport here,another sign of rip off Britain.
I make do with Trout and sea fishing which is expensive enough for me thank you very much.
You have given me an idea for tomorrows dinner Edith ,you and your pesto ,lol,i have some emmental cheese in the fridge going begging,and some nice home cured ham slices , and a tubof green pesto ,time to get a couple of pannini rolls while shopping and get the pannini press out,just the ticket with some salt and cracked black pepper wedges ,yum yum.
I have cobbler ready for today's lunch .nice beef mince ,[defatted] and four lovely home made cheese scones [i havn't lost the knack ] despite there being some nice ready made ones on the market ,lol.
The cobbler will go very well with cabbage and carrot ,nice roasties,and a few tiny salad potatoes.
Going to give the new hoover a hell of a workout now ,as i am going to go through the whole house before our grand daughter comes tonight for the weekend,she is allergic to long cat hair ,but she seems okay with Hissy being a short hair,but i do still take precautions,and have piriton in the cupboard for emergencies.
Off to take my break now ,[yeah ,right ] lol.Enjoy the weekend folks ,Fred,xxxx

Evening all We have had some really nice weather lately..Spring has sprung..at last..What with the floods down south and probably bushfires in the summer..It is a land of contrasts..but I love it....

Been busy lately with doctors and in Oct. to take john to another specialist..Life has been busy..

Fred Sorry to hear that Liz has done her back in again..not nice..Do hope the docs can help her..and they put in the chairlift for you ..Just so glad we now have a single story house..My Uncle in Herefordshire is having trouble like that to as my Aunt cannot walk much these days and they to have a two story house..She has just aquired a electric scooter to get her around a bit..Mut tell him to get the lift put in..will make it so much easier for my Aunt..All those greens should last you all this winter and next..glad you have tow freezers..you will need them..LOL

Les.. Are you sewing pinnys again...back on the market are we or are you doig a fair..

Edith How are your crops going,,are you nearly finished them all,,I am about to start mine..

Well have a lovely weekend all.. Have been busy lately so havnet got on here much..I uploaded my tree on Ancestry to GR and lost 100 people..Thank goodness I still have it on Ancestry..I had around 450 on here and over 500 on Ancestry so decided to delete the one on here and upload the one on Ancestry to GR.. I now have 399 on GR..Can you tell me where the rest went..PMSL....Dont think I will worry about the one on here any more..To much trouble..

Take care and hugs for Liz..

Love MAry xxx

Morning all, Can't seem to sleep in on Sunday so will spend some time here and then get my breakfast. Our weather is getting downright depresssing. Last week has been grey and dull. Big dark clouds skudding by.This next week seems to be the same !!!Must be time to get out of town for a bit, will look into some short trips I guess.
Yes, Mary the garden is all put to bed for another year. I have enough pesto and other herbs to last me through the winter. They are so good in soups and stews. Have to pull out Fred's recipes and get a pot on later to-day.I also made 4 jars of tom salsa, so I am quite proud. Even without a big back garden I can still enjoy some of produce.
Les, hope your presentation went well and you did indeed take a bit of time for you.
Would love to hear from Veronica, Teresa,Christine again. Nice to know if they are o.k.
Time to go, see you soon. Edith XXXX

Hello Just nudging us up so we don't drop off altogether.

Drop in and say Hi!!!!!!!!!

sorry our Edith ,the wife and i are upside down at the minute with decorating so i was too busy to use the puter during the day ,and by evening i was just too tired to bother, yawn.
The wind started to pick up here yesterday afternoon,and i was just getting some decorating gear out of the shed when i noticed the grey clouds coming down from Scotland ,and lo and behold ,a fine sort of stuff swirling about ,only for a few seconds,but i could swear it was powder snow ,the sort of stuff the skiers like,,but in September ? what you sending over here lass,lol,too early ,we don't want it yet he he.
I did notice on the news last night that the snow had indeed arrived up north of us ,but that is early even for the haggis eaters.
The wind really picked up late last night ,the highest winds so far ,since last December ,and i was relieved to see we still had all our tiles ,fences ,plants and whatever this a m ., but it hasn't let up yet ,so the shopping is on hold ,just in case .
Sounds like you are getting now what we over here have had all spring and summer Edith ,so count your blessings ,you have done tons better than us all year ,he he ,someone must have swapped our weather around this year ,lol,maybe that Les' knows something about it hmmmmm,now there's a thought .
Think i had better go and get started on these upstairs doors before i get hit by a flying slipper ,lol, the wife got me a little electric sander last month ,and i reckon it' around time it got it's first outing ,soooo,catch you all later folks ,Fred [busy again .xxxx

Sorry gang, this is a quickie. I have a house full of folks, a sewing machine with a mind of its own and a fishing contest to win. Please try and vote for us at least once a day www.goalberni.ca
The Manitoba government has offered extra money if the whole province votes for their Dauphin. What poor sportsmanship...this is not about governments, its about regular folks supporting their town. So please if you can vote for us that would be fabulous.
Off to the trenches!!
Lesxx

Morning, Wow I feel absolutely lazy, both Fred and Les busy,busy. and me just sitting here playing. Have voted Les. we were in it also but too small to get enough votes. Will keep voting for you until it closes.
Looking out the window this a.m to thick fog so another change in the weather coming. The trees are really changing colour now so fall is definately on it's way. Love this time of year.
Time to eat so it's bye for now. Edith XXXXXXX