General Chat

Hi to all from a rather windy north of England,where Fred spent nearly the whole morning squaring up the back garden ,again ,lol.
What a night i had ,so windy and raining that i had trouble sleeping ,even hissy kept waking up with the noise,but ,no matter ,we still have a full roof on the house ,he he ,and the fence is still up ,but i had to rescue the water butt ,which was way up the back of the garden against the fence.
I had to replace the downpipe that came off [not damaged] as the butt flew off the stand ,picked up the patio chairs ,which would have been in the greenhouse if the door had of been open ,He He and lastly had to re assemble the bird feeders and rehang them,so that's old Fred sorted for exercise today.
Made a quick dinner ,did a quick tidy job on the car ,and now have given myself the afternoon off.
I am sorry to hear about John ,Mary ,what a time you two are having of it all,makes me realise how lucky i am in that every time my health has gone pear shaped ,it has been diagnosed and sorted quickly.
My garden is sorted out as to what goes where now ,so ,all i need is the return to spring ,and i can get cracking .
I set the bomb off yesterday afternoon ,and as soon as the greenhouse was full of fumes ,i realised that i needed ,the mastic gun out of the back corner,so it was on with a hanky ,door open ,and a dash inside holding the breath grabbed the gun and beat a hasty retreat,he he ,Liz said ,as i came out that it was like watching a horror movie [cheeky besom ] i was more like Jessie James coming out of the bank vault.
Think it's time to go sort some tea out before the bairn arrives.oh Bu***r Liz is on the other puter ,and says Sean has just been on to her saying he has been posted for a tour of Afghanistan in September ,so it dosn't look like he will be home for Christmas this year either,but that's forces life for you ,not all fun and games.
Catch you all later ,Fred.xxx

Norm and I did our Saturday walk to the farmer's market, guess it would be about 5kms round trip. Saw lots of people we know...one of the nicer things about living in a small town.
Two nights ago we had a thunder and lightning storm....how weird is that in February. I was snoozing nicely with Ollie curled up in my arm when suddenly there was a huge streak of light. Ollie woke up but then there was a terrific clap of thunder and he went about 4 feet straight up in the air, landed on Norm's pillow and shot off to hide. Bella was also not happy so she got up on the bed, wedged herself between us and growled continuously until it stopped, about an hour later....what a night!!
Today it is just overcast and dampish which is OK. I keep wondering if we will get more snow....maybe we will get lucky this year and just drift into spring....one can but hope.
Sorry about John, Mary, but as you say, at least they are looking. Norm has this similar ongoing problem with his arms. It has been diagnosed as so many things and he has had so many tests. Now they say well you degeneration in your spine, it is pinching a nerve, so live with it!!! I have him going to an accupuncturist and it seems to be helping a little......someone should explain about these golden years!! Which week was it, I must have missed it!!
OK off to do a little research..have a good weekend everyone.
Lesxx

Hi everyone. Our weather is still doing it's thing!!!Clear and cold or cloudy and snow. In snow mode just now.
Noticed the fox last nite having a time of it trying to climb a high snow bank
to get to the food at the neighbours. Took 3 runs at it and finally got over and down the other side. Hope she put out extra for him!!!
See the folks in Oz are now having fires to deal with,hope it ends for them real soon. Don't think it's too fair with all their troubles.
Made some potato leek soup as per Fred's recipe and it sure was a hit with all the folks in the Complex. Sad cries for "more" fell on deaf ears as I only had enough left for me. hee hee
Also made a crumble from the rhubarb and strawberries in the freezer, sure was tasty. My son took an extra dish home with him, bet he ate it before the wife got home too!!!Sneaky!!!
Stay well. Edith XXXXXX

OH Edith That poor fox.. are you still feeding them..LOL...The thought of hot soup at the moment is to much..we have had a heatwave and it is telling on my energy,,LOL
Fred.. Glad you have the haggis in the freezer..that is where it should stay..yuck..not a popular food here in OZ..LOL,,and swede is only put in soups,,occasionally...very occasionally..in fact sometimes never...LOL...we do eat differently don't we...LOL
Is England trying to copy us with its gale force winds and rain..It really has been bad this year..The fire in WA was started by a retired policeman using a angle grinder in his yard..Bad choice as it was a fire ban day..he is going to cop it when they get him,,he has gone into hiding..

Well my life is nice and quiet again..It was Johns birthday last Monday and sons on Tuesday and brother on 2/2 so we had a big family lunch at our local pub and all the siblings came and it was lovely...One sister in law brought a big cake and boy we went home stuffed..no dinner that night..LOL

Still have to replace my dead plants.. might do that soon,,but at the moment I need a few days rest..hope all are well and all the sick ones are on the road to recovery..

Les That walk to the farmers market sounded lovely,,is it up hill and down dale, or can you do it on the flat..quite a good distance..

Stay well all

Lotsa love MAry xxx

Morning to all ,Fred is in the building ,for half an hour ,that is ,before i go out to check the car over before going out to visit a friend tomorrow.in case she gets any worse in the near future .
We complain a lot about our health [with good reason in lots of cases,but Jill has had a long running battle over the years with cancer ,and has just come out of hospital after a large tumour has been cut out of her left torso,which they hope will give her another lease of life,yuk ,give me my heart and arthritis any time,they are piddling compared to what Jill has.
We have some sun this morning Mary ,and it's supposed to heat up to 9c by this afternoon,while over in the west country they had snow yesterday ,He He .sister in law Hazel can keep it too .lol.
Seems Queensland is suffering yet again ,with a plague of new locust which have migrated from the northern territories,a very nasty sort which can strip a whole crop over large areas overnight,not very nice on top of everything else.
I would get my veggies covered up Mary ,in case the blighters come your way ,thank the lord ,we only have to contend with grass hoppers and crickets.
I may just get one of these Lemon Trees Mary ,to replace the Willow the sever frost and snow killed last Jan',but i caan put the Lemon in a large urn ,sunk into the soil ,so that i can over winter in the greenhouse if i have to.
Time to get some work done folks ,i will get on with it while the sun is out ,lol,that way if it rains later ,it won't matter ,Fred will be done and dusted by then
Catch youi all later ,Fred.xxx

Mary it is pretty much up hill and down dale. Port Alberni only has a flat area around the inlet and then its all up hill. Part of that walk I humour Norm. He likes to go on the trail that hugs the side of a ravine, scary for a woozie like me, and then ends up in Dry Creek Park. Bella loves it. From there it is an interesting walk past the fish plant (phew!!) and the cedar mill and onto the quay where the market is.
It has been pretty cold here for the last few days but is going back to rain this weekend....just as long as it doesn't snow. I am going to do my BHC presentation for Qualicum Family History Society next week and want the roads to be bare and dry as I have to drive back over the "hump" at night.
Oh well...housework calls. More later.
Lesxx

Afternoon all.. WE have a few showers and a bit of cool..just loooovly..

That walk sounds lovely Les..we have a national park near us but haven't found a walking track through it yet..
I am so tired,, John is getting so weak,, I do hope the new specialist can come up with something.... anything...

Fred I have my pot for the lemon tree just sitting on the concrete floor.. With the weight of the soil in the pot it would be hard to blow over..I must take a pic of it and show you ..

Quiet life at the moment,,Did some shopping for food today and more drugs from the chemist,,think I am wearing a track through the chemist door,,LOL

Have a lovely weekend all..

Love Mary xxx

Hello Welcome to another world of white stuff. If this keeps up we will need an ark come spring. We have 2 days of blue skies and then cloud and snow , snow , snow.
Global warming can get here any time soon and it will be made very welcome. Enough time on the soap box for Edith. Hope you are all well and managing with our weird world I see everyone has something to talk about. Still looking at the seed catalouges and wanting to order much more than I can ever plant.!!!!Love to see all the new varieties and then see they are for much warmer areas than us. Saves me a bit of money tho' so I can't complain.
The fox and the birds are having quite a time but manage to eat their fill and I guess bunk down in a pile of snow. Have been putting extra food out to make sure everyone gets enough to keep the tummys full.
Loved the time show of the flooding, Mary. Makes you realize how dangerous it can get. Hope you find something to help John soon.
Must go and try to find my car in the parking lot hee hee.
Edith XXXXX

Morning Edith,Mary,Les' and anyone else who shows up.lol.
I hope your snow won't last long Edith ,we have a little over in the west country ,but the north is getting away without it thank goodness.
I thought the clips of the water flood that Mary sent was a real eye opener too ,i would never have believed that an area could be innundated so quickly ,other than with a broken sea wall,co,am i glad we live so far up on the valley slope .
Liz loved the email re the battle of the sexes Mary ,i havn't seen her laugh so much in weeks,bless her.
We had a busy weekend ,looking after Chris ,while his dad and partner swanned off to York to collect the new car ,which i hope will please his lass ,she didn't like the old one ,but as i said ,it ran well despite it's age ,and is good for another year of heavy motoring.
Hope my grandson Sean is enjoying his holiday with his wife ,in Poland,Marta is doing so well at uni over there ,and should have her doctorate by early next year which should see her set for life.
Martin ,the eldest son ,has done his course on fork lifts and now has all three qualifications to go with his bus license and hgv,so he should find a job soon [fingers crossed]
The dole office said he shouldn't have been on the course which he paid for himself ,and wasn't free to look for work that week,so the lad said ,would you rather i sat on my butt at home instead of trying to better myself? he is applying for at least four jobs a week, there is just no pleasing some people.
He has an interview this week with a bus company anyway ,so hopefully he will be offered a job this time,which will please him no end.
Well ,i think i had better take the missus her cuppa up ,lol,get up you lazy besom ,he he ,busy day ahead .
Catch you later all,Fred.xxx

Hi all.. WE are enjoying a bit of cool weather and John is rugged up under a blanket at night,,and I sleep on top of the blanket as it it far to hot for a blanket for me.. It went down to 19c..loooovly..but to cold for John..LOL
Fred Glad Liz had a good laugh at the joke..I thought it was priceless...hee hee hee...

Edith Looks like you got some hangers on for good,,Those foxes aren't stupid..LOL

Les Your day in Qualicum sounded lovely...See you bent the plastic a weeeee bit...LOL

Lovely to see Veronica and Teresa...

I still haven't finished my garden..Got my orange tree to plant,,Might do that tomorrow,,We don't have any doctors visits now for a couple of weeks so got some time for the back patio..then I will take some pics of it..

Love Mary xxx

Morning all, Mary you are so right about the fox. As the snow is now far too high too climb over, Mr and Mrs. Fox now come in the driveway walk down the sidewalk of the building right to the back door where their dinner awaits them. The neigbour told me I should have put out some red candles for Valentines yesterday hee hee.
A kind Grandson came over and cleaned the car off. Took a good half hour to get all the snow cleared. Now they tell us we are in for some freezing rain, "really".
Fred, I found a small greenhouse that would fit on my balcony but the building owners said no way. So I will have to stay with all the pots as usual. Can't wait to get started!!!!
Les, the lake we went to in Dryden was the site of ice sking yesterday.
They hook you up to ski's and a very large kite and you go flying over the frozen lake. They took off from the dock and went south over the widest part of the lake. Bella would have had a ball chasing all those kites. !!!
Time for me to get moving so it's bye for now.
Edith XXXXXX

Hey Edith, that sounds pretty cool. Bella is such a twit when it comes to chasing things. She would, if not on a leash, chase trucks down the road.....dangerous!!
Weather here cannot make its mind up. Last couple of days we have had torrential rain and the neighbours patio roof panels have blown into our yard two days in a row. Norm keeeps throwing them over the fence but as soon as the wind picks up....here they come again!! Meanwhile the surrounding mountains are covered in snow. I am supposed to give that presentation tomorrow night in Qualicum but I may cancel as it is going down below zero and we may get snow. We don't have winter tires on the van, they don't make them to fit if you can imagine. Think we will try and sell it this spring. ....we'll see.
Have not bought or started any seeds yet...I can see that I may be buying plants again. It is far too cold in the greenhouse to do anything. I did think of setting up a bench in the sun room but its pretty blurry cold in there as well. If I buy plants this year I think I will go and get them from a nursery in Nanaimo. Haven't been best pleased with the toms I have bought here over the last few years.
I was chatting to my Dad on Saturday, it was his birthday - 97 if you can believe that. Anyway he has a conservatory on the back of the house and he put in heated beds many years ago. His seeds are in and probably enjoying having warm bums!! Wish I had a place to do that.
Heather and the babe(Audrey) came to stay for a few days, pretty sad to have them here and no Malcolm...but we talked about him a lot and missed him a lot. Audrey and I played and danced then I was given the bath time job...what a hoot, water everywhere.
More later.
Lesxx

Morning all,i see plans are well afoot for the planting season [Fred included] he he.
I think you could do with one of those window sill electric propogators Les they are handy for starting things like Leek ,and onion seeds off early,ready to plant out as soon as conditions allow.
In your case though ,you would need to set it in concrete or superglue to make it Bella proof.
Made some lovely Asparagus soup for tea yesterday which tasted a bit of all right and there was enough left for tea tonight.
Recipe for a Swordfish steak anyone?,i have one as a treat but fancy something else from the usual grilling of,maybe steaming ,but i am always open to suggestions,lol.
Shame on you Les for buying mushy peas when they are so easy to make from the dried peas ,he he ,or are you too busy these days ? no matter ,i hope you enjoyed them ,must admit they taste lush ,and i sometimes split the makings of ,and do some peas pudding at the same time,or even a green pea soup,all very nice.
Seems we are heading back towards the snow ,just in time for the Bairns half term week ,he he ,wouldn't you know it ,typical brit' weather.
My son brought me the extended ,rear facing car camera back yesterday ,and i noted he did a darned good job on it for me,and i spent an hour fitting it on the rear screen of the car where it has a great view of the road where it will record all the goings on behind ,i hope i will never need to use the recordings ,but i like to be on the safe side ,there being so many idiots on the road these days.
The cable only shows a few inches to the boots rubber weather seal ,then runs behind the seal to the trim along the hatch door frame ,under the trims the full length of the car and under the dashboard ,with only the last few inches showing where it goes along the transmission tunnel to the plug,a darned good job ,even if i do say so myself.
After my son dropped it off he went to the instruction centre in the town to sit the last of his Fork Lift instruction course which he passed ,giving him the three different certificates on reach ,hight ,and balance,as well as the final one on manouvering ,so has been told that he will be issued with a full licence
within a week,so hopefully he has even more chances of finding work,
He has now been accepted for five weeks induction at Nissan where ,if he passes he will have a job for life,he got through the interview at the bus depot,and after they finish all the interviews ,he may have a job on the buses/coaches,and he has an interview next week at a market garden ,where with his farming experience ,warehouseing,and now fork lift,he should be in with a chance.
Lets see the dole office NOW say he is not trying to find work ,lol. these pen pushers don't know what the world outside is like ,saying there are plenty of jobs to be had ,when in reality ,for every job out there ,100 people are chasing every one of them.
I am off to the doctors this afternoon to set the ball rolling [i hope] with the stair lift,as it is becoming a chore to go up and down them ,with only the toilet upstairs to use ,and the hoovering of them is a job and a half ,even if i do have two Hoovers ,on upstairs and one down ,he he..
Must go now ,and get some work done ,and then peruse the 1911 census,which has given my a few updates already with more certificates to get ,births ,and marriages.
Catch you later all.Fred.xxx

Hi everyone.. We got some RAIN... not a lot but some..LOL I have now got all my planting done and as soon as we get a few sunny days I will take a pic for you all..

Les So glad you dinny try and drive those hills in bad weather,,I am sure the people were glad to,,

Edith.Do you give those foxes a menu to choose or do they get pot luck..LOL..Nice grandson you have there..

Fred. Do hope you get that stair lift,, Would be so much easier for LIzz and you to I bet..We are not getting any younger..Had to sell our house cos it had stairs and John couldn't manage them.
Well my garden now has,,a Lemon tree.. Orange tree. 3 different chilli plants ,Mint.Oregano,Tyme.and basil..plus a flower and assorted others. Been keeping me busy.
John is back to the specialist next week so hope he has a answer for us,,but not hopeful..been to so many and they all just scratch their heads.....scratch,scratch,scratch...LOL..

Weather is going to get hot again next week,,,anyone want some..gggggrrrrr...

Have a nice weekend
Love Mary xxxx

Good morning, Please. please Mary we could use a little heat/ Don't need a lot just a reminder that the sun does shine, a couple of days will do for now!!!!!!!!
Just had another blizzard go through so have spent the last 2 days inside looking out at blowing snow and listening to the wind howling by.I know "count your blessings" Edith. Not a disaster!!
The dreaded part is if I stay in I feel compelled to clean and sort the apt. so when we get good weather I can just gooooo.
No menu for the critters Mary they eat anything offered hee hee.
Hope you get the chair lift Fred, Friends have one and they say it is the best thing they have ever done. It's allowed them ro stay in their own home.Both have problems with mobility and live in a 2 story home so it really was the best thing for them.
Fred I see you have maple syrup so the next time you make stew do it in the oven and 10 minutes before taking it out drizzle the syrup over it.
Adds yum to the stew.
As the snow has stopped must get out and do some food shopping, we have a holiday on Monday(a new one) they call Family day, so will make some treats to take to the son's for the day.
Stay well everyone. Edith XXXXXX

Where are youuuuu??????

Morning people's he he ,not a bad one here ,temp up to 8c expected,which isn't so bad for the time of year.
Didn't do too much yesterday what with the quake in New Zealand ,the weather in oz,and the missus suffering with a temperature ,and sick feelings ,and so going to bed early last night ,i was a tad depressed,which Hissy picked up on ,sitting on my knee most of the evening.
Liz is a little better this morning ,but i have confined her to the bedroom for the time being ,because if she has a bad turn i don't want her falling on the floor ,or stairs.
Thank the Lord she had the pnuemonia ,and anti flu injections a while ago ,cause it looks as though it is a light flu attack,which should soon pass.
She missed out last night too ,i had made a lovely beef stock Monday ,and used it to make a real French onion soup ,lovely it was,and i froze a good lot down for use when she gets better.
So ,i have taken the Swordfish loin steak out ,and will have a look on the net for a different way to prepare it for lunch .yum.
You could do with a large pot of climbing french beans Edith ,three in a single pot would keep you going for a long time.i find them useful for salads ,stir fries as well as steamed for a dinner,and the flowers are lovely as the plants grow too.
I have my new computer stand in use ,it is made of plastic with a built in fan ,run from any usb port,with an adjustable desk top for a comfortable angle,as well as being very light and flat when collapsed,so it will go in the carry bag along with the computer when we go away anywhere,and was a real bargain at £10.
Hope my cousin in New Zealand is okay ,as he lives on the outskirts of Christchurch,and i can't get through at the moment to see how the family is[ butter].
Hey ,the sun is out here ,i may even get my coffee outside on the patio shortly ,lol,that will please the puddy tat
Catch you later all.Fred.xxx

Hi all.. We have been having some lovely cool weather, so sorry I cant send you some hot Edith..LOL

Take John to the specialist tomorrow... what will they come up with this time..probably nothing..He has had a few falls lately and walking is getting more difficult..Thanks goodness the doc is only about 50 yards from the car parking ..even that is to far ...been leading a very quiet life lately and cutting down on puta a bit..back into FH, as I cant go far when OH is up and about in case he falls as he finds it hard to get up..Lets hope the specialist has had a brainstorm..

We are going to have some fine weather over the weekend so will take some pics of my patio..

Hope you all get some warm weather over the weekend. and hope that Liz is feeling better Fred..

Love Mary xxx

Hi Mary good luck with the doc's tomorrow,i have my fingers crossed for John.
Liz is tons better this morning ,but i am so annoyed with her ,if only she had said at the time that the head she had was as though it was going to burst ,or felt like it was coming off ,i would have twigged migrane straight away with all the other symptoms,but all is okay now ,but as mild punishment for being daft,i have refused to take her out shopping today ,he he ,let her stew a little.
We have a lovely day so far ,made and ate dinner ,and then outside where i have cleaned out all the boxes of parsnip ,which are now in the greenhouse.
All i need to do now ,is manure said boxes ,add the hydrated lime and they are ready to plant out.
i will hold on for a week though because we have heavy frosts due at the weekend.
Going to take my coffee out onto the patio to sit with Hissy .
Catch you all later Fred.xxx

Hi Guys, very cold here down to minus 13 overnite and possibly minus 16 by tomorrow with the windchill....and of course a little snow. We cannot get out of the valley, likely could make it thru the mountains but then the road is apparently a skating rink....advice is don't go if you don't have to.
Plus I think our gas is up to about $1.19 a litre...how is it with the rest of you??
I have done nothing in my garden, Fred, and now when it finally warms up it will be a lot of work...ah! well. Norm has the greenhouse open so that it airs out but I doubt that I will have much going on in there for a couple of months anyway.
I have to think long and hard about this gardening malarky this year. Since being diagnosed with deteriorating discs in my lower spine(wondered why I would get such terrible back aches) I doubt that I will be able to dig. Last year I paid a guy to come and dig the beds over, may have to do the same this year. I think that we may have to look for a lower maintenance house just like you did, Mary. I also think that it might be nice to live on the other side of the mountain so that we don't get stuck in the valley. Last week the highway was closed on and off for a few days due to road conditions and stupid drivers.
Other than that we truck along. Haven't cooked anything excting for awhile...must get off my butt and start creating again! It is my first artisan fair in mid April so I will also have to get at that sewing machine!!
Oh! to win the lottery.
More later. Lesxx