General Chat

Norm's brother died on the operating table on Friday. Will be off the board for a few days.
Lesxx

Morning Mary,yep ,i do agree with Les as well ,my upstairs ,small freezer is of a shop type used for cold storage ,but i am still very fussy with meat and fish storage ,you can't be too careful food.
Both birds were brought within two months of each other and both expire in 2012c ,april,so i am well okay.
My freezers will store stuff well after the best before dates which means they are still okay to eat but do loose some of the taste over time,but i don't store that long anyway ,preffering to rotate meats every time i buy new .
I am having to keep Hissy indoors these days ,after she has been unwell yet again after bringing me a mouse home ,some pratt is using a banned mouse killer .somewhere locally,loose poisen is banned over here ,and it is supposed to be used in a catcher ,not left for the mouse to run around carrying the poison with it.
It will bw hard to keep her in after she has had the run of the outside ,but i ain't going to loose her because some idiot can't obey local by laws on dangerous substances.
Poor Les isn't having much luck lately.i sent her and Norm a sympathy email card this morning as soon as i read the post she put up ,just to let both of them know we were thinking of them,such a shame.
Our weather is slowly sinking back to cold ,brrrrr ,so i will take Liz to the local shops this afternoon when it warms a little ,just to get her out for an hour.
The new cameras in the car work a treat ,nearly all the cars behind now staying well back once they spot the ring on the back window,and even the cars that overtake seem to be behaving more sensibly,instead of cutting in as they clear the bonnet,hopefully i will never have to use the footage on either ,just the better driving will do me any time ,money well spent in my view.
Well ,the last cabbage out of the garden is now in the steamer ,so ,apart from the nine brussel plants ,and a few stray beetroot ,it's back to buying veggies until the new seasons stuff is ready,but i have done okay despite the weather.
Nearly had a heart attack when i did my blood test this morning ,8.8 ,ooooops ,that piece of naughty but nice double choccie cake ,and the two Satay chicken sticks didn't do very much for the old diabeties ,lol a case of a quick return to the diet ,he he.
The son is getting a bit better after his scare ,and it looks like it may have been a trapped nerve in the spine ,but we won't know for sure until we get the hospital results,so i am slipping up his every morning first thing ,and doing my exersises along side of his ,so he can see how much they hurt me ,and it's not just him in pain,but i have told him again ,i would be tons worse if i even thought of stopping them.
I am even off the strong pain killers at night at last ,and most days can just work through it with the occasional para cetamol.
Well ,the sun has come out ,just in time for me to go get the dinner ,a couple of bangers ,a slice of bacon and some warmed up new tatties,leaving some lovely Tomato soup for tea.
Hope all are well and coping with the day,Fred.xxx

Morning all, Fred I have to agree with you about the exercises. I have learned it is easier to do all the strestches etc. and then get on with my day. If I don't the pain simply stays I too have reduced the pain pills from 4 to 1 a day.
Our weather is still cold and clear. I refuse to complain, just looking at the rest of the world I feel blessed.
Will be using some more of my chicken broth to make a chicken, tomato, rice soup for a soup and sandwich luncheon on Friday. I've found if I crush rosemary and add it early the flavour is much better. !!! My dried herbs are going quickly this year so will have to plant a lot more come spring.
Condolances to Norm and Les.
Mary, do hope you get some good news on John. Stay well and keep the "chuckles" coming.
Hope all the others are o.k. do let us know.
Bye for now. Edith XXXXXXX

Hi Edith ,Liz is feeling more like herself now that it is a bit warmer ,and is managing to do some soup making again ,and has even made the dinner today ,giving me a rest.
We had some lovely fresh tomato soup for tea yesterday,and have the gear in to make Swede and cardermun, or swede and potato.for the freezer.
We had a casserole for dinner ,with which i did some brussel tops ,carrot and calabrese .and prepared the potatos ,red onion ,and all the veggies for Liz who cooked the lot .
The forced rhubarb ,and apples we got from Morrison's went to make crumbles ,4 rhubarb ,2 apple ,and 4 apple& rhubarb.
This is the first time we have used forced rhubarb ,for crumbles ,but it is ideal ,so sweet that no sugar is added ,making it ideal for us diabetics.
The phone i got from tesco's has to go back tomorrow ,as ,although the international pay as you go card loaded fine,the domestic pay as you go wouldn't go in ,i will get THEM to sort it out ,or get a new phone or card [whatever] or a refund,for another phone.
It has been lovely here today ,very cold overnight ,but nice and sunny all day ,so much so that Hissy lay out back for over an hour before dinner ,looking at me through the patio door as if to say ,come on dad ,bring your coffee and join me like you did last year,he he ,no chance pussy cat ,still too cold for me to expose my knees and top the tan up ,yet ,anyway.
Liz and i are now starting to plan our spring holiday ,eleven weeks to go before we return to Blackpool for the week.
Time for me to prepare the tea ,fish for Friday,and this time ,it's Alaskan Pollock for me and fish fingers for the missus until she try's the Pollock to see if she likes it,at £1 for two battered fillets i wasn't about to leave it in the shop.lol.Nearly Burns night peoples ,Tuesday next week,and i have my Haggis in the freezer ,a nice Swede in the veggie rack ,so i am all set.
Have a nice weekend all.Fred.xxxx

wahey ,the new phone is now fine ,the top up card was faulty ,and once changed ,the voucher went in fine,so i can now phone overseas for as little as 2 p per minute after a 4 p connection charge,cheaper than some calls in this country ,lol.
The phone will even connect to the internet for a week for £2 ,a full 7 days ,so i can carry my internet in my pocket when i go out while i go on holiday ,perfect.
We are off out for dinner today ,and will be stopping for a light tea as well.so we will be taking some of the baking with us ,and a load of the stuff that was left in the freezer after Christmas.
Liz had a good day yesterday. baking some flans and pies ,using up a load of mashed potato ,and whatever by making corned beef pies [the tinned stuff] chicken and mushroom pies ,cheese and onion flans ,and other sundry stuff,so we have a few extra meals in the freezer ,and a couple of pies and flans for the bairns to munch on at tea time.the same the woorld over he he,the bairns loving Grannies cooking whenever they can get it.
Looks like Stephens family will be moving in March ,bake down Howdon way ,10 miles towards the coast ,so we can still visit in summer.
The house has five bedrooms which is tons better for the kids,the two girls getting an attic bedroom apiece ,the youngest getting a small bedroom on the ground floor ,and the two boys sharing a large double bedroom.
There are two big reception rooms and a study on the ground floor ,with a utility room and largish kitchen,so the family will have oodles of space,and to cap it all ,it's £80 a month cheaper than where they are now ,lol.i am kidding the son that he is only taking it because he is only half a mile from the Tyne river ,and his old fishing spot he he ,he denies it of course ,but Anne looked at me and nodded ,so i think i was partly right.
The tunnel is only a short walk too ,through that and they are in the middle of the Jarrow shopping centre ,so shopping is not a problem.
Well,time to go and get ready,take care all,and watch the weather all,isn't anywhere near spring yet [sighs],and is thankful not to be in oz which is looking grim yet again ,so ,take extra care Mary,we are thinking of you especially at this time,Fred.xxx

Morning all, Well Fred it seems the rest of the folk have deserted us.
Hope they are well.
Have had a very busy week but things should calm down now. The weather has also improved. Friday nite was -35 with a windchill to make it -43. Last nite it started to warm up and this a.m is up to -15 so much better.
Was at a pot luck supper last nite and had some excellant food. One dish was to die for. Oven bake chicken legs with orange sauce and sliced almonds. Not too sweet and the crunch of the nuts really made the dish tasty. Another was a broccoli and fresh mushroom salad. the dressing was a creamy yogurt and sour cream mix with parsley finely chopped in it.
Have been looking through the seed cataloges for the coming spring and thinking of ways to make my small space bigger. Will try to make tiers of shelves for one end of the balcony so I can fit more pots in.!!!!
My herbs this year are getting used up quickly so will have to look at planting more this year.
Glad to hear Liz is feeling better. I know what it is like to wake up with bones that don't want to do what I do.
Time for me to get some food in me so will say bye for now.
Do hope all the others are O.K. and will visit us soon.
Edith XXXXXXX

Hi Everyone, here I am. Norm was away for almost a week to Ottawa to his brother's funeral. He looked like a wreck when he got home and still does. He didn't eat while he was away and so lost quite a bit of weight. Time, they say, is a great healer....let's hope that it is true for Norm.
The weather is damp but not too cold. While Norm was away I cranked up that woodstove to maximum every day...toasty! Now it burns at a more refined pace.
I got my West Coast Seed catalogue in the mail last week and was looking at some interesting stuff. I rather fancy trying some "heirloom" veggies especially the tomatoes. I don't usually start mine from seed but I am going to give it a go. Last year I planted and replanted my dill about 3 times and it was useless. I am going to try starting it indoors and see if I can get a container going, then I can just put it outside.
Meanwhile I look out of the window and see all the work that needs to be done. The bird bath has fallen over, now I wonder whose four paws would have caused that???, and it is laying on top of my oregano so must get at that pretty quick. My Leopards Bane is growing fircely already and I have lots of shoots coming up all over...always good to see the beginning of a new year. Today the birds are all chirping so much so that it sounds like spring....but!!...it is only January and I am sure there will be more freezing and snow for us.
Thanks for keeping us going Fred and Edith....oh! and that sweet Mary also. Would be nice to see a few of the others back, wouldn't it/?
Lesxx

Hi everyone.. It is so hot here I am counting the days to winter...

Les Tell Normie I was so sorry to hear his news..Big Hug for him..I have just head from my Uncle in the UK to say he has cancer..I am so sad about that as he is like a brother to me..only about 4 years older than me and we grew up as kids together..This growing old is not nice sometimes,

Take John for his MRI today, so hope it is ok..Then its back to the specialist..again...

Been working on my back patio . Son took me to get some nice big pots and it is now starting to look really nice,,or will do when everything starts growing..I have a midget lemon tree in one pot and herbs in a tub..Chillies and parsley and mint..and some hanging flowering plants and a couple of climbers that will cover my back trellis I hope and give me a bit more privacy..To late to put in tomatoes but will next spring.Out the front I have a lovely new pot near the front door with a red dwarf bougainvillea which should look stunning next spring when it grows a bit bigger..Got to get some more herbs for my tub but that will have to wait till I have more time.

I hope you are all well and keeping warm..Happy to send some warm over in exchange for some cool...

Lotsa love Mary xxxx

Morning to all ,seems everyones fingers are itching with that garden bug,lol,i even managed to get into the chalet Mary ,and cleared out all the pots of potting compost and roots ,and have cleaned down all the benches.
The old compost is now in the boxes on the patio ,and some of the buckets ready to be dug in ,and the roots are in the bin ,which gets emptied today.
I will be away to B & Q in the morning for five bags of compost ,and a pest bomb ,which i will set away this week once i have swept the floor down and repaired the little hole in the vent ,by replacing the broken pane of glass.
Ilam lucky Les ,my pet dosn't fly round the garden like yours ,lol,and so long as i put a few Skewers in the growing boxes Hissy and the birds keep off the soil .
My tomato's this year i am starting directly in the buckets ,not seed trays,the wife did that last year and we got them away in mid Feb' and they gre with the cold without being molly coddled so i am even doing that outside with all the veggies this year ,and they can take their chances.
Anyone coming to tea tonight ?,proper Burns supper on offer ,a top grade Haggis,neep. and mashed potato.he he ,i even have a spare home made Christmas pud ' for afters,lol.
I know how Norm ' feels Les ,i took a long time to get used to losing my only sibling and it hurts for a long time,but he is a strong fella ,and will get there with loads of T L C.
Hope you at last get a result with John Mary ,time you got some good news for a change.
I got your pics of the snow Edith ,rather you than me ,crikey ,not seen that much snow since 1945-6 [showing my age i guess ] he he.and don't fancy seeing that much again.
I will be going to see the eldest son this afternoon to see how he is coping ,the hospital results were inconclusive and he is on a strong medicant but he is back on his feet and moving around with relative ease so he has a lot to be thankful for.
If it dosn't clear after a couple of months ,he may be sent for an MRI scan ,but i hope it won't come to that ,he is a little young yet to have these sort of problems,but ,being an ex farmer ,it may have a lot to do with hard manual work ,and being outside in all weathers.bit like me in a way ,but he is ,as i say a lot younger than i was before i copped my heart and hip problems,but hell ,i am still mobile and still working outside,he may have to bite the bullet and cope best he can.hard B u***r ain't i ?
Well ,i am away now to feed my birds out back ,my Robin ,and Wren have returned as well as the Tits ,so i am a happy chappy,it may well mean the Sparrow hawk has moved on at last.
Catch yoo all later ,Fred.xxx

Morning Looks like it's time to put our site to bed. All the folks seem to have disappeared???
Weather here is shifting between clear and very cold to cloudy and snow.This year I think we will have a record snowfall but as we are not in danger of flooding we will be o.k. Winnipeg is looking at a major flood and a lot of the prairies and the Dakotas are in the same way.
Fred, do you use the pellet fertilizer in your plant pots?? I've been reading about it and it looks interesting !!!Only use it twice in the season and it is supposed to be enough!!
Must get on with my day so bye for now and I do hope to see some more posts. Edith XXXXX

I would hang-fire Edith,Les is still embroiled with the loss of her bro' in law,Mary is ongoing with her hubby and the doctors,and a few are on holiday ,or planning them ,lol.
No doubt they will be back later when things settle down a little,besides ,if you go as well ,i will have no one to talk to [sniffle].
You could send me your phone number of course ,i was meaning to ask a few people to do this,as my new phone is set up now,and i can even keep in touch on holiday using it,i can even get unlimited internet n it for £2 for 7 days which is easier than lugging a laptop around,he he.
We are back to pretty hard frosts at the minute ,but i don't worry about it ,my garden is coming on fine ,and i am now planning where to plant what .
I am trying a Beetroot called Cylindra this year,which grows up .rather than sideways ,meaning i can put three to a bucket ,so more crop in a smaller space.
Suppose i had better get on with the dinner ,as the Grandson is here for the weekend. good news ,it means we can get rid of more Christmas odds and ends.
Catch you later.Fred. P S,i use organic pelleted Cow or Chicken poo ,Edith,nice and easy to use ,needing only a few pellets per bucket,be sure to use gloves though ,or it takes many washes to get the smell of cow pats off your hands,i use washing up gloves ,and keep them in the green house.xxx

Hi Everyone

Don't think we have abandoned you Edith, I just got back from Scotland and a stranger than fiction geneology story is unfolding in my family.

3 of my Granny's sister came to Canada between 1909 and 1911, one of them Davina then went to Australia in around 1926 with 2 children she then had another child - no husband travelled with her. Davina died in 1974 and is buried in Roma, Queensland. Her 2 sons enlisted in the Military in WW2, one in the airforce and one in the army.

Robert Joseph Preston service # QX 1321 was in the army.

Are you still with me?

Now lets go to Scotland and my visit with my cousin Gwyneth. We went through her fathers Merchant Navy log books and memorabilia and with this stuff was a small hand made flag on which some small flags had been drawn with names and service numbers. Guess who is very clearly on that flag

Robert Joseph Preston service # QX 1321, Roma, Queensland !!!! this flag is from 1944 - 3 years before my Uncle Jack met Gwyneths Mum my Aunty May.

Now you tell me, what are the chances of My Uncle meeting my mother and Gwyneths mothers cousin Robert (who we only discovered existed in November 2010) on the other side of the world in 1944.

Sends shivers down the spine and the research is on going. We think that Jacks ship picked up survivors who were drifting in a lifeboat from a ship enroute to Australia that had been torpedoed by a u-boat , His ship set them ashore in Fremantle on 14th November 1944.

Keep well

Veronica in Dundas

Veronica, don't you just love those shivery family stories....we all have them I think. I do know that there is someone who puts flowers on my 3 x great uncles grave in Harmondsworth, Middlesex. I have a cousin who lives close by.....she has even left a note...but nothing??? Who could that be?? I have a BHC cousin who (along with her husband) bought two plots in a cemetary in Brantford, Ontario. They are both deceased but apparently not hanging around in those plots...can't find them anywhere...too weird. Maybe they were abducted by aliens.

Fred I have always grown cylindra beets...they are the best for pickle making. They do push up out of the ground and you will need to keep their tops covered....I have been growing nantes coreless carrots and they also like to get thier "shoulders" out of the ground...cheeky buggers!!! This year I am going to switch to royal chantenay....I think they will do better. I have been trying to decide what else I should try and squeeze into my small garden. There is a mix of cauliflowers that is very tempting: green ,yellow and orange....likewise there is a carrott mix too, purple, yellow and white....I so wish I had more room.

Not to worry Edith this thread always seems to ebb and flo. I often wonder why we don't have more canucks on here....maybe they are all facebooking!!!

Off to Qualicum to the market today for a treat. Going to get the slow cooker started with a nice beef stew before we leave. The we will have lots of time to take Bella to the beach etc.
Have a great weekend you guys.
Lesxx

Thanks for the info on the carrot Les ,and the beet ,very informative.
I would go for Calabrese rather than caulle though ,after the main head they usually throw lots of shoots that will crop well into Autumn.
Try the climbing dwarf french beans too ,they are faaaaar more prolific than the usual dwarfs,and ,just as tasty.Fred,off for his dinner.lol.xxx

Had breakfast in Qualicum yesterday and then walked around the quaint shopping area. Bought Rhian a cool birthday present in a wonderful toy store there. (Birthday in March) Then some enterprising guy has opened a vintage candy store...spent a little money on some of my all time english favourites...had a flake last night...woohoo!!!
Then we trotted off to Parksville and went to the Brit store to stock up on Oxo and mushy peas and then....to the beach. It was raining and blustery but the whole promenade, if you go from one end to the turnaround at the other an then back again, is about three kilometers....nice walk although at home I usually try and clock about 5 a day.
Fred, the royal chantenay carrot is a stocky fellow, doesn't grow too long but is nice and fat. It is a very juicy carrot and has a rich flavour. Two years ago I tried the "ball" carrots and was very disappointed with them. I don't grow regular green beans, Norm is not too keen. I grow scarlet runners, mainly for the colour, and broad beans. This year I am going to try Windsor broad beans. I think I am also going to try a varity of squash, zucchini for sure, maybe a patty pan and a butternut.
There are masses of winter squashes in the grocery store at the moment. A favourite dish for us is red spuds, an orange sweet potato (yam) and a butternut squash, chopped into chunks, coated lightly with a little olive oil, covered in spice, may favourite at the moment is salt free red garlic...yummy!! and then bake all of that in the oven. Sometimes I drizzle a little warm maple syrup over the top just before serving. Too much!!!
That's me for today. Sunny here, blue sky, about zero degrees. Bella and I just came back from a good walk.
More later. Lesxx

Hi Everyone!

It took me ages to read all the posts. Sorry I haven't been around, life seems very busy right now.

I am very busy working at the greenhouse. I am now in charge of the perennial department so am full time year round. We have been busy planting seeds and transplanting since November and are now potting up to larger sizes. We had beautiful warm weather last week so took the opportunity to take last years leftover plants out of the coldframes to begin thawing them out. Boy, are we glad we did them then as we have had a huge dump of snow this weekend. I think we got about 8 inches to add to the foot we already had. Right now it is about -22 with a wind chill of -31. It is supposed to warm up to plus 8 by Friday as a chinook will blow in.

Bob will have another set of treatments in February. They are not really calling it Chemo as it is only one drug to reduce the size of his spleen and lymph nodes. He will get 4 treatments, one a week for the month of February plus steroid pills. His blood counts are good so hopefully this will not affect anything and the leukemia will stay in check.

My mum has been visiting us for the last week and a half so I have been busy entertaining her when I have not been at work. She still lives with my sister but since Elaine and her husband were in Vegas this week it was easier for mum to be here. We have watched lots of movies and done some research on the Walkers. Every time I spend time with her and the rest of the family is not around I manage to find out more about her family that she thinks she has already told me. Then I have a little more to help with the research. Her memory is failing though, mostly for current stuff. She turned 82 this month so I guess that is normal.

We are trying to decide whether to go to the UK again this year. Even though we were there for five weeks this summer there is still much more that we would like to see. Will have to decide soon.

Mary, I do hope the doctors are able to help John in some way. It has been a tough haul for the both of you.

Fred, I am exhausted reading about your daily activities. You put me to shame.

Edith, how big is your balcony? Every year you seem to be able to grow lots of herbs and veg.

I love having the big garden we have now. I hope we have a better summer than last year which was mostly rain so that I can plant lots of veg and fruit. The best weather we had was when we were in England. The only day of rain we had was when we visited Bath.

Must go,

Teresa

Morning all ,from a slightly warmer Newcastle ,in the old country,nice to see things picking up a little,with visitors ,and a few oldies .
Teresa,your Job is one i would have loved when i was working ,a 14 hour day even ,spent in horticulture is my idea of heaven ,lol but i made do with my two allotments and garden which was the next best thing,and now ,the old bones getting stiff and creaky i am still pottering about and enjoying growing some veggies.
The eldest son is improving now ,but i am sooooo annoyed with him for putting himself at risk in such a stupid and well avoidable way.
After 21 years of a very healthy diet ,loads of veggies ,home baked bread ,and sensible meal times ,plenty of fish and white meat [mainly] ,he decides to kow tow to his partner,starting off with missing meals ,eating rubbish ,when he eats at all until finally his whole system goes to hell and partially shuts down.
What a pratt,i wish i was still able to give him a good hiding ,but the idea of putting a six foot two farmer over my knee is a bit bizaarre ,lol.
At least ,so far the giddiness ,blurred eyesight has gone since the doc's put him on vitamins ,iron tablets and a few others to start building him up again,but it will take months to get back to normal,to where he can go rambling again.
I might give squash a go Les ,it sounds a bit of alright ,and we love the sweet potato ,so versatile and tasty,and goes so well with lots od dishes.
I am growing three tubs of onion this year ,two white ,probably ailsa craig ,and one red baron,as onions over here are a lot dearer than carrots ,or parsnip.so they will have to share t'other tub .lol.
It looks like our Oz contingent are in for yet another pasting,three more cyclones heading their way,i hope everyone is going to be okay.
Blessings to all ,'specially the ones who arn't too well Fred.xxx

Good morning all, WOW, how nice to see you all back. It is always special when you get to visit old friends again.
Veronica, I too have had a family find like that. Husbands side of the family is a visit to intrigue and we have only started on it.
Teresa the balcony is 81/2 feet deep by 24 feet long fully covered by a roof.
As I'm on the west side of the building I get direct sun only after noon. So lots of daylight with only afternoon heat. I'm putting up more netting this year so I can have more climbing plants.
I also have to leave room for my little sofa and chairs so I can read out there.
My neighbour says she will take the whole set if I want more planting area
heehee. Don't think so.
Weather is warming up again for the week-end with snow of course.
Our town is running out of places to put all the snow they remove from the roads. They have made 2 sliding hills for the kids but now have to find room for more.
Winnipeg is expecting flooding again this year as they too have way too much snow.
Sounds like your weather is getting a bit better Les. Hope it stays.
Almost time for me to get to the coffee bar so will see you soon. EdithXXXX
.

Hi All

Well it looks like winter is about to hit Dundas. They are forecasting 30-40cm of snow in the next 24 hours. Can't complain as we have not had much yet this year but it better not cause me a problem for next Monday - I am out of Dundas and Keith and I are off on a cruise to the Panama Canal.

We got in extra milk and bread today, freezer has plenty in and we got cash to pay the guy who clears our drive (no more of that since Keith had the heart surgery). We have loaned our snow blower to the chap next door as his broke a couple of weeks ago and we won't need it on the cruise will we!!!

Ready to hunker down with a good book/

All for now

Veronica

Hi everyone.. Good to see old friends return..

Veronica,, Hope you enjoyed your trip back to the Old Dart..and warm up a bit on the cruise..

Teresa Do hope Bob keeps improving..is it warmer in the greenhouse..Your Canada temp are far to low for me..

Les You had a good bit of retail therapy by the sounds of it..good for you...

Edith..Time to start the garden planting.. Your verandah is about the size of my patio, and it gets the sun from midday to about 4pm..

I now have my lemon tree growing well and lots of chillies ready for the freezer.. but lost 2 flower plant due to the heatwave so have to replace them...my mint plant thinks its in heaven as it hasn't looked back since I planted it..

Well we went back to the specialist and after all the tests done he is unable to tell us what is wrong with Johns legs..he is going to consult his colleagues and see if they can come up with a diagnosis...ggggrrrr still its better than being fobbed off and put in the too hard basket..

This heatwave is to last till next week so don't know how I will be by then,,very wilted me thinks..

Have a lovely weekend all..

Love Mary xxxx