General Chat

Morning Les ,from a white ,and chilly north east of England ,the first snow of the year and a cold night leaving the ground frozen and digging hard .
Wouldn't you know it ,he he ,the wife chose this morning to kick me out of my nice snug house ,to dig her some leeks out so that she could make some country thick veggie soup .
The first thing i noticed as i took the fork to the soil was the way the tines bounced as they hit the leek bed [ouch] ,lol, and then i noticed the greenhouse thermometer reading ,- 2 as the sun came up :-0 yep ,winter is here all right.
:-|.
Pity You didn't take your trailer with you Les ,at least you could have taken your own food with you and cooked it yourself ,i too ,find most ready cooked shop foods bland and wishy washy ,not much to look forward to .
Hope things went well for you and you made a load of sales on both the needle work ,and the cards .
You paid for your stall ,and as long as you arn't trying to sell gear that is offensive ,it should be up to you as to what you sell ,and if other people don't like it ,well ,tough ;-),they should try harder themselves and leave others alone ,that show a bit of flaire ,and initiative .
You okay out there Mary ,or are you melting in the heat? ,you could send some of it over here you know ,i won't complain.honest.
The work i did on the windows last year is paying dividends all ready ,the house ,and especially the bedrooms are a lot warmer ,and we are even taking coffee and a flask to bed now so that we can be lazy and have a hot drink before we get out of bed ,pure luxury. :-D.
Have to go and get some work done now i have warmed up again ,lol,catch you all later.Fred :-D xxx

Hi everyone. Had a fabulous weekend. They are all such nice ladies and we all had good sales and a lot of laughs. Santa came out on the train on Saturday and then visited with all the kids. They had hay rides, a bonfire, hot chocolate and all manner of other good things. This is a great event probably one of the best on the island.

So now today and the rest of the week I have to sew taffeta aprons as I sold out and folks were coming and asking for them. This coming weekend I am at the train station, Last Chance xmas fair. I spent yesterday cutting and will start to sew pretty quick. I have just put a small roast in my slow cooker so no worries at dinnertime.

We got up early today and were out the door pretty quick, first to have brekky at a local cafe and then on to do the grocery shop. We were home and all done by 11....yea!!

Very dark here today, cold and a bit drizzley. Sure hope that it stays like this and we don't get any snow potherwise we will not be able to get out of the valley to go to the kids for xmas.

Good to chat a bit this morning Fred. Wave to Mary and Edith....hope you are both OK.
Lesxx

Hi everyone.. from a cold and damp OZ.. We have just had the coldest start to our summer in 50 years..so much for global warming.. :-D :-D :-D

Tried to read back but it got to much to remember.. Les,, seems to have done well at her stall ,,good for you and may you keep it up..Fred is digging out the last of the leeks and finding them frozen in the ground..Edith I get the funnys that you send ok.. and my inbox is nearly empty so don't know what they are talking about..keep sending them I get them ok..
My puta is playing up a treat as Fred would say.. So bad that I am getting a new one for Christmas..could be that which is causing you to get that reply Edith.. I am finding that my puta is deleting things in 2s and 3s in my emails instead of one at a time..Plus to many other pain in the neck things that make using it a chore..so am really looking forward to the new one..More up market than this one and only $500 so cant complain.. I only need the tower which is now a square box about half the length of my keyboard and 8 inches high..So small and compact..Lovely as there is not much room on my desk.. :-D
Had my brother here for the last few days as his wife is in hospital..but good news today she is going home tomorrow..was nice to have him,,someone different to talk to..
Life here is much the same and no change in John,, His legs are much the same so we don't go far..
I hope you get to the kids for Christmas Les.. and Edith now it is warming up again you can get the bikini out again..
Fred.. Great pics of the caravan,,more like a mobile home if you ask me,,just lovely,,I could live in one of those quite easily..very posh..
My tomato plants are coming on and we have nearly got another feed of silver beet,, 4 meals from it so far,,not bad for such a small patch..another 4 meals soon I think..
We have had a lot of showers and that is making it easier with the watering..must go and tidy up out there tomorrow.. gets very dusty..
Well that's all about the news so far..As usual nothing much to report..Looking forward to the new puta arriving,,will be nice to type something and not have it disappear into thin air..or wait 5 minutes for it to appear on the page..grrrr Bought it in 2003 so its been a good machine for its age....

Have a lovely weekend and hope you do well with the aprons Les..

Love to all

Mary xxx <3

Morning all, After a busy week-end I thought it about time I posted. Lots to read frst tho"
Glad you had a good sale Les. after all the work it feels good to know others like it too. Your weather seems to be getting more settled! Watching the national weather channel is like watching a disaster waiting to happen. The entire country has had weird weather!! :-|
Fred, as usual busy, enjoyed your pics and like Mary thought it more a home than a camping unit. We too had new windows pit in our building and it has made a very big difference in the inside temp.Last year I sat in the living room with a wind blowing on my neck and now it is cozy and warm. Although we are still waiting for the real cold ;-)
Mary, not even close to bikini time yet :-)I have to enjoy the cold air first as our summer was way too hot for me. The lake has to freeze over as well. Hope you are getting the help you need with John, just keep pushing those folks who are in charge. They tend to be slow to give the needed help. The squeeky wheel does get the grease :-) Do you have any more toms? Would love a sandwich with lettuce and bacon.
Time for me to move this butt and get the days work started. So bye for now. Edith <3

Hi To all ,we have been out today and done a little posting ,stamp buying and visiting ,leaving early to avoid the pending storm that is supposed to hit the north east sometime about 3 pm.
Think this one is going to be a baddie ,with the M1 north bound shut at Scot's corner just above Catterick,theM6 shut at Shap both ways ,and the A1 Shut at Berwick ,due to storm force winds .
Even the rail services are restricted up north of here reducing by half the service to ,and from old Reekie [Edinburgh].
Looks like the airways at Newcastle will be suffering too because one of the runways is very close to a village and too chancy for the aircraft being blown off course as they come in to land.
Everything is battened down out here ,and the demolition round the corner has been cancelled until the winds drop again ,flying tiles and scaffolding planks can do a lot of damage if they hit the workmen as they get carried in the wind.
Looks like it will be an early nigh for us ,lol ,better to be snug and warm in bed than being out on a bad night,and i will be praying for our poor lads who will be struck at sea in the trawlers until the storm dies away ,the bar between the two piers at Tynemouth are among the most dangerous in the country ,and no way a big ship can come into the Tyne in these conditions,never mind little fishing vessels.
Ooooops ,think i have just scared our Edith on f talk ,lol,tis only Fred Edith ,hope you come back on .
Going to see what i can rustle up for the tea now ,hope everyone is okay ,and bearing up.
Catch you later all Fred [the bogie man :-D xxx

Morning all ,wow ,what a night we had ,the very severe winds making the roof and windows rattle well ,but ,wonder of wonders ,we still have a full roof this morning ,wahoo.
I think i will take the wife to the Metro Centre this morning ,probably our last trip over there until after Christmas because we are warned that the snow and very cold weather will hit us this weekend for sure :-(,so if it isn't cold enough for you Edith ,you can have some of ours ,and welcome he he :-D.
Found the patio table overturned and over the other end of the garden this morning along with the water butt ,but thankfully the glass top is still in one piece ,so i have no clearing up to do at all ,the table i will slide into the corner of the patio ,left upside down so the wind can't get under it again.
Off to get ready now ,as soon as the tumble dryer has finished it's cycle ,i darn't put the washing outside this morning ,not unless i am prepared to scour the estate looking for it in the pretty strong wind that is still blowing here
Have a nice day all ,or evening ,depending where you are ,Fred.xxx :-).

Morning, Just a quick note for Fred. Sorry I didn't see you on FB. I usually go on once a day to check in with my grand-son. He is out of town working and likes to stay in touch.
If I do spend time on it, it is early in the a.m. my time 6 to 7 .I think that's noon your time. Anyway I will look for you next time. Edith <3

Hi all Still lovely and cool here but its not doing my tomatoes any good they need some some sun and warm,,they are growing ok but not shooting yet..Do you all notice that GLOBAL WARMING has changed to CLIMATE CHANGE..I thought they had PROVED that the earth was warming.. :-D ;-) :-P :-P

You are like me Edith.. I only go on to facebook to see what the grandies are up to and see the latest photos that grandy in Spain has takent..It is their way of contacting me now.. :-D

Les How did you go in the sale..DID YA MAKE SOME MONEY... ;-)

Fred So glad you dinny get blown away..sounds like you are in for a cold winter..keep warm..

Nothing much happening here.. having a quiet day and doing some FH..

Have a lovely weekend all

Love Mary xxxx <3

Good morrow campers everywhere ,back on the puter again ,after doing some other stuff like putting the cameras back up in the car after getting it cleaned inside and out .
Sorry to hear about the marties ,Mary ,but it seems that the cool weather over there is at an end ,and i'm sure that they will soon catch up as the sun gets to them.
We brought a little gammon joint from aldi last week ,and i am going to do that for dinner ,along with the usual veggies for the Sunday nosh ,and if it tastes as good as it looked when we opened the box ,then i will replace it in time for the Christmas feast ,which the wife and i will be having at our own little pad this year ,no way am i taking the wife out while it is as cold as it is ,not worth the chance,and if the family don't like it ,then tough ,lol,we have finished running around after our Bairns ,time the boot was on other feet. rather than ours. :-P.
hope our Les' has been busy with her needles this past week ,getting ready for the next fair ,and hope Ollie is behaving himself and not playing with the ribbons and cotton reels ,instead of chasing the mice in the garden :-D.
Hey ,i managed to find a 5 kilo bag of Cyprus potatoes yesterday ,a nice find as they make belting jackets ,and will keep us going until Christmas week ,when i will be delving into our own stock of the tatties in the butts.
Looking very grey here ,and it looks like snow is in the offing ,hmmmmm ,Liz and i may hibernate early this evening ,even the cat is getting into winter mode here ,not waking me up until gone 6 am which is nice ,being nearer 6-45 before i get up after my cup of coffee :-).
One more trip to the Metro centre next week for the cats new play centre £35 for her ,he he ,our pussums has expensive tastes ,lol ,a few other bits and pieces for the missus too ,and Santa is set for the big day . :-D.
Catch you later all ,stay safe ,and be happy ,Fred.xxxx <3.

Morning, Fred, don't know what happened but I could not send my reply to you. :-( The site seemed to lock up???? Sorry to hear you are getting more bad weather, seems not to be your year. Your welcome to come for a visit however as we have been treated very well by Mother Nature.
Some areas around us have no snow at all. Can't imagine a Christmas without it,but we stil;l have time for a big snowfall. :-)
Son and d.i.l just back from Hawaii, had a fun time and brought me a very bright muumuu. Will take centre stage at the first family BBQ,nest summer hee hee.
Time to get moving am up VERY early so must make the best of it.
Bye for now Edith <3

Hi Everyone. Well it was an interesting weekend, sales were OK but not fabulous and it was bitterly cold in the train station. However we had lots of folks thru. I had my first really aggravating customer who could not decide between four taffeta aprons. So she took pics of them and sent them to her brother...he couldn't decide and said you choose. So then she tried them all on and had to flounce off to the bathroom in each one...Grrrr!! after about 40 minutes she did decide on one and then had the nerve to ask if I do exchanges. I told her I was going away and wouldn't be back until next year....that shut her up...give me strength!!!

Had a call from dau yesterday and the complex where she lives has voted and decided that visitors cannot bring their dogs with them if they are over the allowable size..30 pounds. Well our Bella is about 45 pounds!! I suggested we kennel her but Norm had a fit and said no, so now we seem to be staying at home for christmas. I am pretty p.o'd. :-(

This week it is more sewing for me as I attempt to make 3 outfits for Rhian. Small sewing can get really picky, sure hope my patience level is up to it.

It snowed overnite, not a lot but enough to cover the ground and as it is cold it looks like it may stay awhile. Ollie looked out the window and so in protest he is hunkered up right close to the woodstove. I may have to move him in case he scorches!!


Ok Gang, keep well and warm. Lesxx

Morning to Les ,Edith,Mary ,and anyone else who decides to look in.
Les' you sound as though you are doing the same as us ,and staying at home ,but for different reasons ,and i quite agree with your hubby ,no Bella ,no me .
Like our Hissy ,your cat and dog are part of the family ,and no way would i go to stay anywhere ,where my pet would be unwelcome.
We are staying home because no way am i taking the wife out in weather like we are having ,fat too cold for the missus ,and in winds like this the poor old lass can't even catch her breathe,so it's out of the question.
I normally pick a day to shop where the conditions are not bad ,go open the driver gates ,while the car is heating up,then get Liz on board ,dreive out through the gates ,stop the car to close them ,and go on to the shop in question .
Shopping done ,we come straight back home ,where i lock the gates myself ,as soon as i have the missus indoors ,get the shopping into the kitchen while the wife is making hot drinks ,and then batton the hatches down until the next time.
The station you were at for the sale Les' could do with a special soundproof room ,and a big disposal unit for getting rid of the awkward customers after you strangle them,lol,i'm sure some of the other stallholders would make use of it as well as you.
We still have a roof this morning ,but again i am going to have to go out back and retrieve a lot of the garden furniture that has migrated yet again,but the telling day will be Thursday ,through to Friday afternoon when the full blown hurricane is supposed to hit,thank the Lord that the whole building and contents are fully insured,i wouldn't fancy paying out up to £9-000 for a roof rebuild ,never mind contents damage and replacement.
You got your verandah lights on yet Edith ? hows about a piccie from the outside so that we can have a look,he he ,i have noticed that Hissy has taken to laying down under our tree again ,she must find it a snug secure place where she can keep an eye on both of us ,and watch the living room door at the same time
Well time to go and sort that furniture out again ,hmphhhhh,lol,i wish i had room for it all in the greenhouse ,and shed ,but they are both chocker.
Catch you later troops ,Fred & Lizxxxxx <3 :-D.

Morning to all ,from a very crisp aired Newcastle Upon Tyne ,where we have had one mother of a cold night ,but ,no snow ,he he ,that will do me ,lol. :-D.
The latest forecast is for very cold weather lasting until Monday ,but the very severe winds ,now seem to be going to be Further south ,that will do me too ,the south east seem to get the best of everything in this country ,so its' only right ,after all ,lol.
I managed to find a lovely cut of Salmon [very posh lean beef] yesterday ,around 2/1/2 kilos in weight ,so as soon as i am finished on here ,i will be off to start the Christmas corning of said joint [smackes lips in anticipation] this will round off the festive meats ,and poultry very nicely thank you :-).
I managed too ,to get another gas regulator for the portable gas fire ,so we now have one upstairs on the landing ,and one in the dining room ,in case of a power failure of either the gas ,or electricity ,so ,we are well sorted ,no matter what..
My Kale ,and Brussels are doing very well now ,so we will be doing all right for our home grown veggies until well into the new year,which will save us a few pennies.
Off now ,to get a little housework done ,then get on with the wrapping up of Hissy's new play centre which i'm sure she will enjoy ,it having three levels as well as many different sorts of inbuilt toys to keep her occupied,weeeell .she is a fully paid up member of the family and has to have her presents too you know ,lol ,AND we have a good few treats for her as well ,like cat chews ,cat nip balls ,which she loves to play with ,and a few other odds and ends ;-).
Hope all are busy ,i know Les' will be ,getting more aprons and cards ready .wow ,i wish i had half her get up and go ,he he ,mine has got up and gone :-
Expect Edith and Mary are pretty well needing a rest too ,so i will away and join them .
Catch you later all you happy campers ,Fred.xxx. <3.

Morning all, Hope you and Liz are tucked in Fred and the weather is ot tooo bad.
We at last are getting some snow, much needed for sure. The lakes are frozen and were clear as glass, so now the snow can come and insulate us from the cold. :-) Our snowmobile and skiing folk will be happy as well. In Canada we embrace the cold and head outdoors to play. :-D
I will try to get some pics of my balcony Fred,it does look good this year just have to get my camera charged up.
Les, hope your weather gets better so you can travel for the holidays, they are more fun with little ones around!! Maybe there is a doggy day care where your daughter lives.As long as Bella is quiet at night no-one will know she is with you :-) We did this with our Frisky one time and it worked well.
Mary, hope your Christmas is not too hot. Just say the word and I will send you some snow air-mail :-D :-D
Think it is time for me to get moving so will see you again soon. Edith <3

Hi there Edith,John,Mary,And the ever busy Les' yes ,it is plurry cold here ,and we have had a little snow ,but ,as i had hoped ,the severe gales missed us ,wahey, and i managed to get on with my beef mixture ready to start the corning process yesterday afternoon.
It all went to plan ,and i placed the beef in the fridge container this morning ,and put the beef in before shoving it all in the fridge,so all i have to do now is turn the beef over daily until i get round to cooking oit ,probably the day after boxing day.
I had to order new salt petre on line today because i used the last in the beef corning mix ,and got some more coarse sea salt at the shops today ,because i used all that up too .
We are nearly there now ,the turkey ,a Norfolk Black is being delivered straight from my mates farm next week ,along with the pork and bacon,so we only have to do general shopping christmas eve ,and thats it ,coo ,we are well organized this year ,all the cards already sent off ,and only the e cards left to go out on Monday next.
Our new tree is up ,a lot slimmer than the old one ,so it dosn't take up so much room which is a bonus so i must get round to taking a pic or two of it ,hopefully wit her majesty underneath it ,lol.,
We were up at the daughters this morning to drop off the cards and the kittens basket come hidey hole ,it was a waste of time keeping it because Hissy never used it ,not even to sit on top on the cushion ,and she is and always was too big to get inside the door of it's hidey hole .
The daughters kitten is a real live wire ,the sight of her little black face and blue eyes peeking at us from the middle of their Christmas tree had me in stitched,as every time the kitten moved the tree would shake as though it was shivering in the cold ,lol.
Well time to go now and get the tea on ,jackets tonight ,with the remainder of the curry i made yesterday ,something nice ,and warming .
Then ,while that starts cooking ,it's away upstairs to put the new 14 tog duvet into it's cover ,a sure sign of winter ,he he ,something warm to snuggle under in the cold nights ahead.
Catch you again tomorrow all,Fred.xxxx :-D.

Hi everyone.. Been a very busy week,, Johns legs have become very bad and painful and his walking is terrible..Yesterday morning he got up and tried to wak to the bathroom and his legs collapsed under him and he ended up with a ankle broken in 2 places and dislocated..Ambulance to hospital and a operation to screw his bones back together with nuts and bolts and put the bones in alignment again..prognosis is 6 weeks off his feet, and then ???????. they said he could go home with crutches and I said that was ok if you had one good leg..but his good leg is not good any more.He can bareley walk now and even with a walker he is unable to walk more than a few steps. He might have to go to rehab for the 6 weeks and we will see how he goes..so not a very good Christmas...
After all these years doing everything for him it feels funny not having to do it.
Hope you are all well and have a lovely Christmas..That turkey sounds lovely Fred.. just mind the breatheliser police if you go driving after lunch.. :-D :-D
Les Busy sewing again..clever girl..

Edith.. OK ya can put the bikini away now the lake has frozen over... :-D

Have a lovely weekend all...

Love Mary <3 :-)

Mary, I am so sorry to hear about John. Is anyone coming to visit for xmas??? or will you be on your own?? Norm was in rehab a few years ago for about 2 months, I would go in each day and see that he got showered and had clean jammies. Then I would work all day and at night come back for another visit. I was exhausted so a word to you...be kind to yourself!!

Am still sewing this time for Rhian. Have one outfit finished and another started. I had forgotten how irritating it is to follow a sewing pattern. I have to read the instructions at least three times before they make any sense...much like knitting...lol!!

I have found a free site on the internet where I can play mahjong, the original, and I am addicted. Previously I would play spider solitaire and free cell but they have been relagated to the scrap pile..lol!

I am off to make a beef stew in the slow cooker. This is my favourite recipe and the stew is rich and yummy altho it takes ages to get it all together, loads of ingredients and the beef has to be sauteed before adding...but the end result....superb!!
Later Lesxx

Hi Everyone,

Just a quick note to tell you all that Bob had his stem cell transplant on Thursday and is doing quite well. He is still going out on day passes every once in a while as the doctors feel that the patients do much better in their own environment. Within a couple of days he will have to stay in the hospital as his immunity will get too low to risk leaving. He is doing really well so far, just doesn't like the food too much. Now we have to wait 2-4 weeks to see if the new cells will grow.

I went home to get my last paycheque from work on Friday and my boss was telling me that her friend who works for Air Canada knew the person who brought in the stem cells for Bob. If they are right with their information, the cells came from Germany. We are not allowed to contact the donor (other than a third party Thank You) for at least a year. We are so greatful for all those that take the time to be donors.

Mary, I am so sorry to hear about John's mishap. You have had a really rough time of it too. Hopefully, we will all have a better 2012.

In case I don't get back on here I would like to wish you all a very Merry Christmas and fantastic New Year. I always pop in to read your news even if I don't have time to add anything.

All the best
Teresa

Teresa Prayers for Bob and hugs for you that all goes well for you both and 2012 will be a much better year,,,
Don't know what is happening re John yet,, Docs here don't work in hospitals on weekends unless they have to..except the residents and interns of course.. he is getting excellent treatment..no complaints...we were lucky a specialist orthopedic surgeon was in the hospital when John went in so he operated that day,,having a rest and finding it funny not having someone to run after..not used to it.. :-D
The family are coming for Christmas but don't know what we will be able to do where John is concerned,,don't think he wants to get out for the day,,it is very hard when in a wheelchair.The families home have to many stairs. One day at a time is my motto now..
Fred Hope you are not getting battered by any more storms..I have seen your new stove in many homes when I watch ESCAPE TO THE COUNTRY..so it must be a winner there..you done well...hope Liz is well..

Must go ..take care all and keep warm all you up there on top of the world..

Love Mary xxx <3

Morning to all who venture in ,this cold morning he he from N O T,where it is expected to warm up by mid week ,i may even get out back and fire up my B B Q ,providing it is nice and dry ,lol.
I think John is in the best place until he pulls himself together Mary, i had a miserable time when i got sent home after doing my left ankle in,and i WAS able to use crutches to get around,AND had a toilet downstairs and only had to struggle downstairs once in the morning ,and once up them at night.
Is there any chance of setting up a bed downstairs until John is mobile again?it might make things a little easier for him.,and you as well.
It's nice that you will be having family around you at least ,and i only hope the hospital is near enough to make visiting easier for them while they are there.
We are managing with the cooker very well now we are getting used to the way it operates,and most cooking for just the two of us we can do in the top oven,saving a lot of energy.
We are def on our own Christmas day just us ,and the furry pest ,he he ,so we can take our time with everything and relax.
Weather permitting ,we are going to the younger sons boxing day for tea ,and the older sons new years day ,so that's us pretty well sorted.
Notice some of the crew off the two threads showing up on f Talk which is handy because it is a lot quicker than genes but i don't actually frequent face book itself because it is prone to spam ,and viruses which i can well do without.
Hope everyone is okay ,and not too busy ,including our Les 'who will be wearing herself to a shadow ,if she dosn't slow down a little .
Have to go out now to get my tootsies done at the surgery ,but will be back later after i have got my email Christmas card list sorted out ,lol.
Take care all and seek the swimming pool if it gets too warm for you .in the warmer countrys ,and somewhere nice and warm if in the northern hemisphere ,lol.Fred.xxxx <3.