General Chat

Fred, I think that most of the radiation will dissipate before it reaches us, at least this what they say altho locally the best question is "is nuked salmon precooked"!! Very droll!!
The for sale sign is up on our house. I wonder where this will lead us. Dau was very happy about that last night when I chatted to her...we'll see! Meanwhile yesterday we went and looked at a 27 foot motor home. Much too big for us, I don't think I would be brave enough to drive it. Anyway, like the ones on the weekend, it had some pretty bad roof leaks and in one cupboard I could see moisture dripping. Makes me wonder why people don't do a little preventative maintenance every spring so that this never happens??
Busy day today setting up for the artist's walk. I was hoping to get the front grass cut but it is just too wet. We had a little more snow yesterday. It didn't stick but this morning I had ice on my windshield.....blurry cold as Mary would say.
More later. Lesxx

Hi all Have you all thawed out yet..Saw London on the tv this morning and they all had short sleeves on, so it must be getting warmer somewhere,,,LOL..or is it wishful thinking on their part..LOL
Our days are lovely ,,around 20c and our nights are down to around 11c.. just lovely..
Les... What ya gonna do when you sell the house,,Travel in the motor home or buy another on the mainland,,wander what its like to have a dog and a cat in a motor home..hee hee hee...get something nearer the family..have you don't the bridal apron yet..let us see it when you have finished it..
Edith..Time to get the bikini out..its nearly summer...have you planted your vegs yet..
Fred. Are you able to sit outside and drink your cuppa..or is it cold again..

Well off to take John to the docs again..they are working out the next step to take.seeing as how the specialist cant see him till June,,ggggrrr...

Love Mary xxx

Morning all, What a week-end we had. Starting early Sat. morning the snow started and did not stop until last nite. We have a white world again uuuugggghhhhhh over 6 inches of the stuff. The temps are supposed to climb up now but we have already lost a lot of growing time. !!!!!!
It's not often the weather stops activites here but not very much moved over the last 2 days. Just too wet and sloppy.
Yes, Mary you can travel with animals in a motor home, we had a St Bernard and he loved to go. The boys would sit outside eating ice cream cones and he had to have one as well. Many folks stopped and had a laugh watching the 4 of them. When we were putting the food etc. in for a trip, he would sit by the door and guard it to make sure he was not left behind.
We had a 28 ft. with sleeping room for 8 so had lots of room. In fact it had more storage room in the kitchen than I had in my house at the time.
Full bathroom, dishwasher, garberator, fridge and freezer,dual power(, gas and electric) Did a lot of travelling in those days and made good use of the vehicle. Finally sold it at no loss after the boys left home. Just too big for 2, but had a many a good trip over the years.
Time for me to move so bye for now. Edith XXXXXXX

Hello, O.K. Fred get out of the garden and have a cup of tea. How lucky you are to be able to dig in the earth. I am "green" with envy. hee hee. The snow is leaving slowly as the temps are staying in the minus range. No help at all from Mother Nature, fickle woman.
Went to a volunteer appreciation do last night and folks brought (old) articles for show and tell. Younger members had no idea what a chamber pot was for, one stated a soup tureen !!!!!Had several things that were 100 yrs. old and enjoyed a lot of laughs over different hosehold utensils. They wondered how we managed to live with the restrictions we had. Seems to me we were a very happy lot when I grew up. Even during the war we did not have a lot but were happy to give what little we did have to those who didn't.
Think greed is one reason for a lot of our troubles to-day. Off soap box.
Les,
Have you found that motor home yet?? If you can get a new one the re-sale price is always very good. Something to think on'???
Glad you enjoyed Fred's call Mary. I know when I called there I too was surprised with no accent. Hope things are looking better for John soon.
Time for lunch so bye for now. Edith

Morning our Edith ,garden ,? me ?,dont know what you mean [sniggers under breathe] he he ,am i that transparent ? lol.
Yep that's where old Fred was alright suntan lotion slapped on the arms and legs .shorts on ,knelt on the matt pulling weeds out front.
I got the long border finished ,the rockery border done ,seeds put in the greenhouse,started off ,and a bit of feeding of the hedges.
Nearly killed the fir hedging last year by using the wrong fertalizer,but i think i found out and switched before it was too late,the hedging is an ugly brown colour ,but i notice there are a few small specks of green in among it ,thank goodness.
I have ordered my Nectarine tree on line ,and went to find a large pot for the planting of ,but had no luck the 17 inch diameter by 15 inch deep one i needed has gone up from £4-50 to £20 ,disgusting ,no doubt the excuse will be ,the price of oil ,plastic being a derivitive ,so when i go up to Cramlington today to deliver the hedge trimmer to the daughter ,i will call at Wilkinsons to see if they have one in there.
I need the daay off anyway ,i have overdone it a tad ,and am still sore from yesterday ,lol,but ,no worries ,not much more to see to now ,and it's beggining to look good.
May i introduce a newbie to the boards peeps ? her name is Sally who hails from the Liverpool area [told her we all have our cross to bare he he ],but i know she will be made welcome.
I warned her About that Tony too ,lol,saying he was making everyone jealous with the descriptions of Phuket and his wonderful holidays ,but said too ,he was a whiz with his finding info on lost peeps over the pond ,as is our Mary.
There is a heck of a heat haze out side this morning ,looks like being a good'un [sorry Edith] he he, so i am off to water the seedlings and tender plants before the sun hits them,catch you all later ,Fred .xxx

Hi everyone... We are having some lovely cool weather..lovely sleeping temp..one blanket only at the moment.
Everyone welcome here Fred.. more the merrier..
Got some good news for a change..There was a worry that OH might have lung cancer, but after having a scan he is all clear..we are a tad happy about that..he has a diaphram that is bulging up into his chest and squashing his lung and making him breathless..Nothing to worry about according to the doc but he is having a nerve in his chest investigated as it might be causing a problem that might be able to be fixed..so we all breath freely again..It has been a worrying time these past few weeks.
Edith That motor home you had sounds so luxurious and I bet you missed it when you had to part with it..I know I still miss my caravan..they were some of the happiest days of my life touring in that van..OZ is so big and there is so much to see...
Les How is the house going,,got a sale yet or even some interested party..I found it a pain having to keep ours tidy all the time in case someone wanted to see over it..GGGRRR I was never a one for housework..LOL...

I hope you all have a Happy and Holy Easter. and find the time to relax and smell the roses..

Love Mary xxxx

Mary, if anyone phones and asks to see the house I shall have to run around like a chicken with my head cut off to get it spick and span....but no nibbles as yet.
Taught the last genealogy class last night. Norm came to pick me up and it was snowing!!! yuk!! So Fred, no garden in at my house and nothing else done in the yard either. Going down to minus 2 tonight and tomorrow. Norm managed to cut the front lawn yesterday....cutting moss is no mean feat...lol!!
Edith we did look at a new Majestic...it was $70 grand....a bit out of our range I think.
How are gas prices with you lot? we are at $1.29 but I think in Vancouver they are up to $1.38....that is per litre. Sure makes us wonder about travelling...maybe we could drive around the block and park there, haul out the barbie, I am sure the neighbours won't mind...ha!ha!
OK off to do something constructive.
Lesxx

Evening ladies ,time for a sit down i reckon ,i have my big urn ,and it is drilled ready for use ,one Nectarine plant eagerly awaited ,he he.
Wow ,a large R V for that price ? you are really lucky,we talk about rip off britain.lol,an R V that size over here is twice the price at least, the big one i saw at the caravan park last year was nearly £62 000,second hand at that ,though it was in tip top condition with all mod cons.,a little 18 ft caravan can be £28 000 over here.new with awning.
The weather here is lovely now ,the weekend due to be a sizzler,but i have had the day off ,knackered from yesterday,he he ,you should have seen the daughters face when i got the cutter and extension lead out of the back of the car and said ,[there you go ,it's all yours ] but i stuck to my guns in refusing to do it for her.
There will now be an intermission while i have my bowl of soup ,lol,back later Fred xxx

Hello all, Wow what a price Les. We went to Winkler, Manitoba and they make the Triple E brand right there. We went in to the factory in the fall and looked at what we would like. Then we looked at what we really needed,the salesman was very bright did not try any flim flam with us but was very thorough and ask many many questions. We chose the floor plan, colour scheme, appliances and fabric and no change in the price.
We got the motor home in April of the next year, enjoyed it for 10 years and sold it with a profit of $8,000 dollars. It was nowhere near 70 grand.
The Triple E is known for it's absolute gurantee of satisfaction. They are a Mennonite company and really stand by their product.
Lord, I should apply for a job by the sounds of that eh???
But we did enjoy all the years we travelled. They may have a website now so give it a try.
Have a great Easter week-end everyone and I am praying for NO snow.
Edith XXXXXXXXXX

Morning Edith ,Les ,old uncle and what not ,lol.
Sorry about last night folks ,had my tea ,sat back down at the puter ,and next thing i know ,wife asked me if i was sleeping where i was ,or going to bed,boy ,i must have been tired. this was at 11 p m .
The first estimate for my front fence this morning ,so it will be interesting to see how much extra .after two years it is going to cost me,too much and i will do it myself ,he he.
First day of the Easter holiday ,and i am only going to do the long border along the front hedge today ,and that will be it ,apart from the watering that needs doing.
I was very suprised to learn that this is the driest spring in 20 years,and that was only brought to my notice on seeing the moor fires in Wales that are out of control,which by the way was started on purpose ,these fire bugs should be caught and thrown into the flames that they create,all that wildlife destroyed ,and for what? so that this lowlife can enjoy their jollies ,ruddy scum that they are.
Who is a dunce ,who is a daft git ? Fred ,that's who ,all the way to Cramlington to pick up this beutiful Vine urn,and i forget to buy the pea gravel i need to put in as drainage ,grrrrrr ,lol,so i have to go out yet again,silly old s**.
Good news about John at last Mary ,that must be a load off your mind,now if only they could sort out his legs too ,that would be a real bonus.
Nice to hear that you can get better nights too ,with the drop in temperatures,our turn for sweltering nights will be here before long,and already down south ,smog is forecast because of the rising heat.
My missus is getting a lot better ,i even got ,Bacon,Egg,Tomato and Toast for breakfast without having to cook it myself ,Woo Hoo,result or what,and now she comes in ,sits down at her puter station and tells me ,Lunch is prepared too,issssss gettin' spoilt rotten today it seems.
Time to go and get some work done ,but will return later ,Bu***r ,i hear you all say ,sniffs in reply ,lol. Have a goodun all Fred.xxx

Good Friday and lots of yard sales today. We did also go to an estate sale and I got this huge bag of ribbons and lace for $4....what a deal. Then at the side of the road was a pile of "dunnage" from a guy who had just done a renovation so we loaded that into the van as well as we will burn anything we can find at the mo. The next door neighbour gave us a wheel barrow load of dry stuff, problem is that all the wood for sale at the mo is not seasoned or dry so will not burn at all well. Also got some books plus took Normie out for brekkie...so a good morning.
It is warm and sunny today but still supposed to go below zero tonight, soon we will get spring.
Fred if you were to look at a large motor home here, brand new with 3 or 4 pop outs then you could spend upwards from $250 thousand. A new smaller lite weight trailer (caravan) would be around $15-$20 thousand.
We have a greenhouse window in our kitchen and Ollie has taken it over as his sun room. He has to walk across the counter to get to it but I have decided to ignore that.

Have a great weekend everyone. Eat lots of chocolate!! Lesxx

Hi all from the lovely and wet OZ,,,LOL. My garden is coming along just fine..and my little water tub is filling up well..
Glad Liz is feeling better Fred.. This hot weather will do her good..and give you no excuse to not get out in the garden and start working..I agree I can hear Liz saying...LOL
Life here is now quiet again..my brother and sister in law are off again to the uk to see their newest grandy born last Nov. they decided to wait and go in good weather so that they don't have any trouble getting around. Would so love to be going with them..aw never mind,,one day perhaps..
We are having a quiet Easter and hope you all had a nice one..its a 5 day break here this year as Anzac Day is today so the public holiday for it is tomorrow as Easter monday is a public holiday so all are really happy abut that..don't make any difference to us ..LOL
Les Sounds like ya got a bargain at the sale..clever girl...

Hope all are well..take care..

Love Mary xxx

Hi All ,Les' saw one of those biiiiiig trailers with the pop outs last year,i wasn't talking apartments on wheels you know ,lol,i shudder to thing of the cost of one ot those ,but i reckon we over here would be talking £500-000,too rich for my blood he he,these days a tent is nearer my mark.
spent a lazy day at the yougest sons yesterday ,the B B Q was spot on ,loads of salads and other side dishes ,one od which was Bombay Potato,lashings of chopped red chillies ,red onions ,chopped ,cooked salad potato's in lots of chopped tomato's ,with minced corriander leaf ,and stems .beutiful it was .he he .I will be doing one of those myself next time as well as a Sag Aloo,very tasty they were .
The chicken strips were soaked overnight in a home made .lemon ,ginger ,and thyme marinade, the bairns had hot dogs in finger buns ,while the grown ups had Lincoln shire ,and Cumberland sausages ,all 100% meat from Aldi,and ditto beefburgers from Aldi also.
My Rainbow trout he did with Lemon ,dill ,and wild garlic,Rosemary, stuffing,and slitted sides filled with garlic butter mixed with sea salt and ground black pepper.
This morning i was out front at 8 a m,keeping my weather eye [pun ] on the clouds as i but the hedge back to the old fence post ,ready for the fence erectors to strip out the old fence tomorrow and put the new one up.
The tattie barrels are set up together,behind the shed and started off,so we are set for Christmas again ,8 months to go peoples ,he he [fred has the tin had on ,just in case of missiles].this year though ,perhaps the weather will be kinder and NOT cover everything with snow so that i can get them out.
Well ,that's it for now ,indoors ,and it's starting to rain ,finished out there just in time.
Catch you all later,enjoy the rest of the holiday you lot ,specially you lot over the pond with your extra day ,lol,result or what .Fred.xxxx

Morning all, Hooray the snow is finally going. A heavy rain on Friday and Sat took most of it away. Now as soon as the ice goes off the lake, we should warm up nicely.
Had a lovely Easter,family, friends and good food, can't ask for more !!!
Off to the big,big city tomorrow for a few days of shopping ,casino, the Titanic artifact exhibit and a dinner theatre.
They are having real problems with too much water in southern Manitoba but the city itself should be O.K. Being flat prairie land flooding is a yearly threat. They know how to handle it so am not worried for our safety.
Will be on the lookout for plants to bring home for my wee garden. Will buy the tom plants this year and get loads of fruit !!!!!
Watching the american t.v. channels with the 24/hr coverage of the "wedding" is hilarious. One of the reporters said "That's all from London, cheerio" with the worst accent ever. Funny.!!!
Time to get moving ,so it's bye for now. Edith XXXXX

Hi all.. Still lovely showers here and around 18c..loooovly...

Edith Glad your snow has melted and you are able to get out and spend up big in the BIG shops...LOL..did you bend the plastic a lot..whatcha buy......
Went to our favourite hardware store yesterday which also sells garden plants and stuff and found the pots that I am going to buy for next springs toms,,They have a self watering part which will make it a lot easier to manage..my water tub is now full again with all the rain so I am happy about that..
Les...Any nibbles on the house front yet...is the ground defrosted enough to start on the garden..
Fred How is Liz I hope she is feeling a bit better now the warm weather is on its way..
Life here is just the same except that John got a cancellation at the doctors so he is now seeing the new specialist next week instead of June..don't know what he can do for him but what the heck..still clutching at straws,,but whatever he does don't think he can help with the walking..

Big night tonight,,Gonna watch the wedding and have a bottle of bubbly to toast the happy couple..so nice to see them so happy and William so NORMAL..wish them all the happiness in the world..

Have a lovely weekend all..Hope you are all well..

Love Mary xx

Morning to all.from a dullish but dry [so far] north of England.
Sorry ,lol,been rather busy in the garden ,the new fence is up but the supports are still there until the concrete plugs harden fully.
The spare space we had where the willow was ,has now been taken up by a Tulip Magnolia so the front is now finished ,
I now have the 6 brussel plants ,and the runner bean out in the buckets ,and the climbing French Bean will be ready to plant out this next week .
All my tomato's are now through ,the herbs apart from the mint are now through on the chalet bench,so things are looking good.
About the royal Wedding ,we will NOT we watching it ,lol,after having it rammed down our throats for over a fortnight ,on tele ,and every other media ,we are bored silly with it,fred will spend the day in the garden WITHOUT the tele app on my phone he he ,hope they have a happy life together and all that ,but i have better things to think of.
The missus and i are off gallivanting for the week starting on the 9th of May,back to Lancashire again so ,bearing in mind someone asking for pics of Southport ,i will be using the new camera to take some ,of the fascades in the main streets showing the victorian buildings and extra wide streets ,as well as the beutiful parks and lake.
The sis in law has got the new house ,and is busy getting it kitted out before moving in four weeks ,the landlord in this new house is one of the good ones,going through the whole house to make sure everything is spot on,the house ,despite being a lot larger is the same rent too ,which is a bonus.
I opened the new portable B B Q up laast night to try it for size ,and wahey ,it is just big enough to put one of those instant B B Q trays in,which means the B B Q itself will stay nice and clean ,with no dust to clean out,just remove the tray and bin it ,lol
Cor ,am i gettin old or what ,when i picked up the hedge trimmer to take to the daughters it seemed to weigh a ton ,and looking at the long hedge i realise that there is no way i can do the full length in a day,so i issss going to have to buy one of these lightweight onesto use on the garden side ,as the battery ones would run out of power by the time i get down to the end.
Gonn'a take the wife her cuppa now ,enjoy your wedding you sad people ,lol ,and enjoy your weekend ,your wedding too ,each to their own Fred.xxx

Hello all, I'm baack. Enjoyed the trip did lots of shopping, eating,drinking and playing at the /Casino. They give you $15.00 per day and once that was gone so was I. Really enjoyed the Titanic Exhibit. When you enter they give you a boarding pass. On the back is the identity of the real person who had travelled on the ship. The last stop is the huge Memorial wall with all the names of the passengers and crew. You match your name with the wall and it tells you if you lived or died. Sure makes it a surreal moment when you find the name. The largest number of dead were the crew and the numbers decreased as you went up in the ship. The first class of course had first choice at the lifeboats so more survived.
Looking at what they recovered from the ship was also interesting, metal pots etc. corroded and breaking up, while complete sets of china were saved.
Good to be in my own bed again so am looking forward to a solid nights sleep. Snowing ouside again so I can hide inside and read. When will this crazy weather turn around?????
Fred, my garden dreams are still just that, I figure I might be able to start in July at this rate hee hee.
Time to go. Edith XXXXXXX

Hi Edith ,nice to see you back home ,safe and sound from your trip .
Had to chuckle at your comments about the casino ,lol,seems your luck is the same as mine,he he ,non existent ,the only thing i ever won in my life is the long suffering missus ,who will be getting a huge bunch of flowers and a biiiiig birthday card on the 4th seeing as it'd her big 65 one ,which is my first port of call when i go out later today,the card shop at West Denton shops.
Seems the snow is now turning to rain south of you Edith ,so ,hopefully your better weather is on it's way.
Ours is turning a bit cooler ,and rain is on the way ,but we need it badly it being the driest April for many years,and my newly transplanted herbs and veggies could do with some ,nice ,fresh ,radio active rainwater,lol
I now have only the runner bean ,dwarf climbers and broad bean to go in,and of course ,the kale ,and cabbage ,everything else is now out in the garden and take their chances with a late frost ,still a possibility up here in the north.
You seem to have scored at the sale Les,with your stuff for the aprons and other bits,and yes ,i know what you mean about green wood on fires to many chances of sparks in chimneys and fires other than in the grate for my liking,but i am lucky in that my eldest son ,has a pal who works on the estate of belonging to Lord,within a forest area ,and can get me seasoned logs throughout the summer for use in the winter,and of course ,i have the combi as well.
Hope you get a sale on the house soon Les ,not just nibbles ,as it would leave you the summer to get moved and re settled,bad enough in one of OUR winters ,never mind the sort you get ,[shudders at the very thought].
Well ,that's me for now,time to gret my butt out in the garden before the rain arrives.
Take care all ,and hve a nice week in all you do .Fred.xxxx

Busy time here, Norm and I both worked in the election....a sixteen hour day....exhausted. I am off tomorrow to visit the kids so you may not see me until next week.
Fred we had frost again over the last couple of nights...what a spring!!!
Edith glad you enjoyed your trip to the big city, a break from routine is always good.
Catch y'all later. Lesxx

Snap ,our Les,our weather has slid back a little too ,and i noticed ice on the car as i went out to bring the bins in yesterday morning,but i have even seen it snow up here mid May before so a few more light frosts are on the cards yet.
Talking of cards,Liz's big 65 o birthday yesterday went well,she had loads of cards and flowers off the sons and daughter,and off me.
I took her to B & Q yesterday as well ,to buy ready made cement to repair the front step inside the gate ,before some poor Bu***r falls over it [probably me with my clumsy plates of meat] he he.
The daughter brought her a Chocolate Indulgence cake too ,cor ,it was tasty ,but i really shouldn't have eaten it ,lol,my sugar readings will be interesting come dinner time today ,oooops .
I also brought a bag of limestone chips while i was out to cover the soil around her Nectarine tree ,to stop the weed seeds germinating in the urn,and save me having to weed it all the time.
I also got her a Rosemary Bush because the last one died over the winter,so this time it goes into the ground not a pot ,to protect the roots against the frost,and i brought her some nice flower roots ,which i will put up by the front hedge where the barrel was to fill in the bare patch.
Other than that ,i have put in the new Strawberry plants that died around the bottom of the fruit trees,have now put out all the seedlins in the greenhouse ,apart from the brassica,yippee,all the hard work is now done,he he ,time for lots of chair time on the patio ,lol.
Time to go for now anyway ,i am getting the hard stare off the furry boss ,sitting by the patio door ,i can hear her thinking ,time for me ,on the patio ,dad .
Catch you all later people ,Fred.xxxx