General Chat

We are in the middle of a monsoon!! We have had heavy (and I mean heavy) rain for the last 2 days and expected to continue until Thursday complete with high winds. Our back yard is quagmire and keeping Bella from getting mud up to her armpits has become a full time job.Yuk!!

Made an amazing slow cooker chili a couple of days ago, probably the best chili I have ever made.This weather is stew, chili and soup weather for sure.

Not sewing at the moment, Edith but will have to start soon as I promised Rhian some doll clothes for her birthday. Plus I still have one outfit to finish from before christmas....my arthritis in my hands was so painful, just couldn't do anymore.

Grocery shopping today and then will go around the house and make a list of all that needs to be done before we try to sell this place. We hope to have it up for sale by the end of March. Meanwhile I have to junk out all of my accumulated rubbish, you know, a pile for a yard sale, a pile for the Goodwill and a pile for the garbage.

More later. Lesxx

A quick reply to Les. Add 1 teaspoon of cinnamon to your diet daily
and the arthritis will simmer down. I have used this since I was
diagnosed 3 yrs ago and it really does make a diiference. All the
pain does not go away but it makes it easier to do things.
Bye for now. Edith <3

Morning folks,where ever you are,seems we are all back in the winter mode ,we too have had heavy rain ,and storms that have rattled the roofs and brought trees and power lines down.
One poor fella a mile away in Slatyford had a tree with a diameter of about four feet sheared off at the base and toppled across his drive destroying his brand new Christmas present car ,what a bummer for him ,but at least there were no injuries or damage to the house .
My water butt i am going to have to tie down in some way ,he he ,this morning it was outside the back door 20 feet from where it was last night ,lol.
I will try the Cinnimon too Edith ,thanks for that ,it might help the old knees a little ,if you know what i mean,as i have mentioned before ,this gettin' old isn't all it's cracked up to be.
Nice to see you back on the sewing Les' and i'm sure the grand daughter is going to love the clothes when she gets them.
Hope the house sale goes well for you ,and your new place is a lot closer to family than you are at the minute ,mind you ,sometimes this has an adverse effect :-( though i'm sure it won't happen in your case , i have my family less than two miles two twenty miles away ,and don't see much of them from one month to another ,he he ,but i suppose they all have their own lives to lead ,and i'm sure that if things were to go wrong here ,a phone call is all it would take for someone to show up quickly.
We too are in soup making mode after the corned beef and slow cooker last week ,lol [very nice it was too ] at the shop yesterday we got two very large bundles of Asparagus ,and my missus says ,you put the new printer on line ,and i will make the soup ,fair doo's and all that ,AND i get a break from the cooking.
Dinner today ,something wholesome and warm ,a nice Madras curry with Naans ,and Basmati Rice [yum] and later on a nice little party tea.
Off now to do a bit of housework ,and tie that ruddy barrel down before it migrates again ,he he ,the winds are expected to come back this afternoon,courtesy of the weaker ,shifting gulf stream that allows the cold winds to howl across from north America & Canada ,brrrrrr.
Poor Mary ,on the other hand is struggling with very hot arid conditions ,plus grass fires not all that far away,surely there is some place in the world where there is a happy medium ,sigh , he he.
Catch you later all you happy souls ,Fred& Hissy,& the long suffering wife . :-D <3 xxx.

Snap Fred!! We had butter chicken, naan and Basmati rice...great minds and all that. Tonight it will be ravioli and Norm's delish home made spaggetti sauce.
Well finally today you can see some blue sky but it is still showering in between. Locally we have had the highest recorded rainfall since records were started.
Got the grocery shopping all done yesterday, thank goodness, not my most favourite thing. Anyway apart from extra veg we are good for the month.
Thanks for the tip Edith about cinnamon....I have but one problem with it though...I cannot stand the taste of the stuff. Wonder if it come in tablet form???
Hi Mary, hope all is well with you.
Lesxx

Morning to all from a bare looking house ,all the dec's down ,and looking rather forlorn ,he he ,oh well ,never mind ,after all it's only 350 odd days until they go up again ,and it starts all over again ,Fred Now ducks to avoid the many missiles coming his way. :-P.
I have been taking cod liver oil and omega three ,and two fot the arthritis for a year,and have now found another capsule with added Glucemide in as well,and got them from the chemist,so i am going to give them a go to see if the added ingredient helps at all.
The capsules work well,but any help is welcome as i still get the odd day when i feel a tad under the weather with the knees ,
Trouble with cinnamon in this country is the cost ,still ,if these new tablets don't improve the knees at all ,i may have to bite the bullet and give it a go.
At last the winds have abated ,but as in canada ,there has been a load of damage done here ,and the changes in the seasons means a lot of rethinking in construction is needed ,re new buildings.
We have a new school here ,in Scotswood ,built on the highest point on the valley side ,and completed last year .
You would have thought being built in so exposed a place ,great thought would have gone into the planning and construction before the build started ? ,but no ,despite the worsning weather conditions over the last three years,they muddled on ,as is normal in Britain.
The result ? two days ago in the storm force winds ,the whole roof was ripped off leaving the school open to rain storm and winds getting inside the whole building complex resulting in much damage in classrooms ,offices and corridors ,,some building companies never learn to move with the times,hopefully the insurance firms will find the build classed as sub standard for the area ,and refuse to pay out leaving the construction firm with the full bill for the repairs,maybe that will put pressure on the industry to get their act together. :-|.
We too have a nice ,sunny and cold morning so i will have a quick look outside to check the garden ,before doing a few jobs in the house.
Catch you later all,hope all are safe and well.Fred,and the two bosses <3 :-D.xxx

Morning all. The weather is indeed the topic of our lives right now. Last winter we had 4 to 5 ft of snow. This year so far we have about 4 inches.
Global warming or cooling, whatever it is can just go away and let us get on with our normal stuff, thank you much ;-)
The cinnamon can be added to whatever you wish Les, I put it in plain yougurt and on different custard puddings. Also in sugar to sprinkle on toast. Along with the 2 ounces of extra dark belgian chocolate each day I manage to keep the pain gone, and although the damp wet days are a trial
I can get on with my day.
As I will be 77 in a few days I get around really well. I figure if chocolate and cinnamon can get me help to move I'm first in line. :-D
Making a big pot of potato leek soup today Fred. All the "old boys" in the complex always look forward to it. We will undecorate the place to- night
so if they are "souped up" they will help to clear all the decorations away. :Sometimes it pays to bribe folks.
Mary hope things in your world are getting a little easier for you. Think of you often and send good wishes your way.
Time to get the day going so bye for now. Edith <3

Morning all. The weather is indeed the topic of our lives right now. Last winter we had 4 to 5 ft of snow. This year so far we have about 4 inches.
Global warming or cooling, whatever it is can just go away and let us get on with our normal stuff, thank you much ;-)
The cinnamon can be added to whatever you wish Les, I put it in plain yougurt and on different custard puddings. Also in sugar to sprinkle on toast. Along with the 2 ounces of extra dark belgian chocolate each day I manage to keep the pain gone, and although the damp wet days are a trial
I can get on with my day.
As I will be 77 in a few days I get around really well. I figure if chocolate and cinnamon can get me help to move I'm first in line. :-D
Making a big pot of potato leek soup today Fred. All the "old boys" in the complex always look forward to it. We will undecorate the place to- night
so if they are "souped up" they will help to clear all the decorations away. :Sometimes it pays to bribe folks.
Mary hope things in your world are getting a little easier for you. Think of you often and send good wishes your way.
Time to get the day going so bye for now. Edith <3

afternoon to all who show up this weekend from a mildish north east of England.
I am going to try your extra topping on the puddings and cakes Edith,it can't do any harm ,and i could do with a little extra help in pain control.
We too have been busy soup making after we found 30 spears of Asparagus reduced to 38 p ,not to be sneezed at ,and it made a large pan of tasty stuff,lol.
Feeling a little depressed after being informed that my uncle Ray who lived in Tewksbury died yesterday, a my one and only uncle on my mothers side of the family.
I havn't seen him since i went to High Wycombe for my great aunts funeral four years ago ,but i had huge respect for him and have many happy memories to hang on to from my childhood with him :-(.
hope everyone is having a good weekend ,catch you all later ,Fred.xxx ;-)

morning all? is everyone away on holiday ,or busy working their finger ends off like our Les?
Try as i might ,there is no way i can drive all the way down to Tewksbury for my uncles Funeral ,but i feel guilty because i have been to all the Barnes ,Baird family wakes over the last 45 years ,and it dosn't sit easy :-(.
I have however paid my respects via the post ,and email and that will have to do .
We tried the air fry last evening Les' and it's tons better than the actifry giving well cooked crisp chips and chicken bites,but we got a shock on revisiting Curries to find that the offer price had finished ,and they were uo to £200 a shot.
Am i glad i took out the insurance on the item ,if anything goes wrong with it within 3 years ,i take it back and get it replaced F O c ,no questions asked,which is why all my electric stuff i get from there ,even my puters .
I am going down to B & Q later this morning ,where i will buy two tubes of ready mixed mortar ,in tubes that can be used in a mastic gun, ideal for the little gaps in the gable end brickwork that the storm blew out ,the rest will be used on the garden wall which needs doing before the snow comes back to prevent further damage.
Our weather is still very mild for the time of year ,but it reckons to get colder as the wind swings from the north ,by the weekend
I think i will have the outside of the car done while i am out too ,i don't like salt left on the bodywork too long as it tends to dull the paintwork,i do wish they would stop using it on the roads here a course grit is just as good ,and snow tyres will take care of the rest.
Hope everyone is getting back to normal and looking forward to spring,he he ,the shops here are full of chocolate easter bunnies ,eggs ,and hot cross buns ,sigh ,another few weeks and the Christmas decorations will be back in the windows :-S.
Catch you later all ,Fred xxx. :-D

Morning Fred and all. Just busy is my excuse. Seems a lot of "stuff" has caught up with me and I have had to get it done. :-|
Have now put all the Christmas bits away, and like you Fred the sight of Easter makes me cringe. Why is everyone in such a rush?????
The older I get the more I want folks to sloooow down as we all learn not
wish our life away.
Our weather like yours is very mild and overnight we had rain, so the streets will be like skating rinks this a.m. Crazy weather indeed ,last year loads of snow to almost none this year. The prairies are green so the farmers will have a difficult year with the wheat planting, no moisture.
Hope all is well with you Mary. Any toms yet??
Time for me to get my day started, so see you again soon. Edith <3

And I am still here Fred. Just spending my days doing the tile in the bathroom. So much of it can only be done in sections with a board nailed in to take the weight. Then it is a day to set and then on to the next bit. Today I will finish the shower wall hopefully and then it will be time to grout. I am hoping to talk Norm in to doing the grouting....messy job.

We had sun yesterday and today but it is down below freezing at night....but no white so this is good. At least the back yard is firm enough that Bella can go out there and not get muddy....worse than a kid!!!

Made meat loaf last night and that is good for two meals so not much cooking tonight. I like that. Next week I am going back to Weight Watchers. Although I am not fat my doc wants me to drop some pounds and a month later I have no budged an ounce....so back to the "weigh scale"!! At least it will keep me motivated.

Funny weather for you Edith, and you are right, it will be a difficult year on the prairies unles they get a really wet spring. I was talking to Kathy last night and they have a good amount of snow in Calgary so perhaps that part of the prairies will fare better.

Mary, hope that you are OK and taking advantage of this break, although I expect that driving to and from can be just as exhausting. Hope that John is on the mend...will you be able to stay in your place when he comes home??? Old age is a bugger isn't it!!

Off to tile. Lesxx

Morning to everyone ,what a nice morning it is here ,after a pretty windy night ,the sun is out ,and ,so far it is pretty mild ,before the weather starts to turn for the weekend.
Hah I knew Les would be busy ,but i didn't know it was such a lousy job ,and one i hate [shudder] the tile placing on a solid wall is bad enough ,but the grouting is worse again,but i take it this means that you managed to get the old shower put back in?
Another selling point once it is done and dusted too,tidiness throughout a house is so important when the viewers start to come through the door ;-) .
I like the sound of the meatloaf as well ,i love it but never get to make it these days ,because the missus's taste keeps changing ,and she no longer likes the dish ,sigh,i maybe need to go out for a meal more often and find a place with meat loaf on the menu.
looks like the veggies in the garden will keep me going until the back end of March so long as the snow dosn't kill it all off,there is still plenty of leeks left ,kale ,brussel ,and a couple of cabbage to use up,so i won't have to buy much green stuff.
Well ,another ten weeks to go before the spring starts proper ,and i can get cracking outside again ,the seed planting in the greenhouse first ,smashing .
Going to sneak off now ,and find some work to do ,something indoors to keep me going for an hour ,lol,maybe find something for the dinner.
Take care all ,catch you later ,Fred. :-D xxx

Morning How lucky you are Fred to still have grens in the garden. :-) I am getting seed catalogs in the mail so will have to plan my balcony for next year. I usually take an afternoon, sit and drool over all the choices. Then put the books away, knowing I don't have room to plant my"dreams" :-D sure is fun tho'.
Les, your post got me thinking about meatloaf, had not made one in ages.Got some meat and made it up with eggs in the middle,it was very tasty!!!
Furry friend Chloe has been enjoying the mild weather as she can go out on her balcony , lay in the sun and watch the birds in the trees.
Weather still great for this time of year but am wondering what summer will be like???
Hi Teresa, Hope all is well at your house.
Mary,How goes your days, not too rushed I hope. Travelling back and forth to hospital is tiring I know, so go easy on yourself.
Time to move the rear and get my day going. Bye for now Edith :-)

Morning all and snap Edith ,lol,Hissy is enjoying the sun too,sitting outside the patio door ,lazing on the step in the sunshine ,with her eyse closed ,don't mind that in the least ,but i do mind her keep mewing at me and asking ME out to join her,no way pussy cat ,it ain't cuppa on the patio time yet awhile :-P.
The weather is turning a lot colder here now ,minus 5 last night ,so it's turn the heating up time ,lol,poor old Liz does not like the cold at all these days and complains when i take her to the shops in shorts ,and a body warmer he he, but as i say to her , a legacy of working in the open air nearly all my working life ,you get used to all conditions.
Found a nice piece of Salmon cut beef in the freezer yesterday ,just the right size to make up a warming ,steak and kidney pie ,so that's on the menu for today ,with a few veggies.
.Think it's time to make the wife her cuppa ,before i leap into the bath for a nice relaxing soak before i start on the chores ,so i will catch you all later ,Fred :-) xxx

Morning all, Here goes for the second time. First one in cyberspace!!!
Winter is here, driving home from dinner last night the wind was blowing, snow and sleet made for a slow drive :-|Getting home I had to find the cord and plug in the car so was very cold when I finally got in.
Oh the joys of cold weather :-) Was treated to seafood stuffed shells for the dinner yesterday and they were fabulous. Probably 5000 calories per forkful but it was a treat.
Now have a good excuse to stay in to-day as it's still blowing outside.A new book is waiting for me and a cup of coffee :-)
Hope everyone is well, must get moving so bye for now. Edith <3

Bu--er..lost my first post. Here I go again.
Snow, snow and more snow....and I I hate it. Plus it is cold, about minus 11 over night. Edith I know this will be mild for you but we are just not prepared for it here. Hardly anyone owns snow boots or even a heavy winter coat. Last week I even saw a guy at the grocery store in shorts and hiking boots.

One evening last week I went over to the liquor store to get wine and then headed across the parking lot to Safeways to get proscuito. As I am walking back to my truck I noticed that there was a car parked a little behind me and as I got closer this person jumped up from behind and called "oh hi. How are you" Then I noticed that it was a man dressed as a woman, lots and lots of rouge and lipstick, a wee bit of facial hair, a long skirt and ballet flats....loverly!! :-D Anyway I thought I would have to bash him with my pack of proscuito instead I stood still and said in a loud voice "you do not know me!". "It" did a double take and mumbled "oh, er, no I don't" and hurried off across the parking lot. So PA's likely only transvestite may also be a mugger...cool :-D

Yesterday I had to have a small surgery. It is called "marsupialization" (OK for you lot in OZ..LOL) Anyway it is painful and I have to go to the hospital every morning to get the dressings changed. Such is life.

At the moment me, Bella and ollie are hunkered dwon in front of the wood stove...toasty.
More later. Lesxx

Hi everyone.. Sorry haven't been in but have been away,,. My daughter in Canberra talked me into going to visit over the weekend as my other daughter from Orange was going to Canberra and she thought a girls weekend would do me good,,
Went down on the train last Friday and came home on Monday..Had a lovely time,,first time away for a couple of years so really enjoyed it..
Had morning tea with JA on Monday morning and she then drove me to the station to catch my train..Was lovely to meet Mr. D at last,,and what a beautiful cat he is..so friendly and loved a cuddle..
John is happy and is now enjoying a laptop so he can at least keep in touch with his friends. It is going to be a long drawn out session with this leg,, he goes to the specialist for a xray of the break on 6/2 and if that's ok the cast can come off,,It is then rehab till they think they have done all they can,then home with some help for me and him.I only visit Tuesday and Thursday during the week as the traffic at coming home time is dreadful peak hour,but I go sat. and sun. and can stay as long as I like so I take my lunch and have it when he has his.
My silver beet is still producing lots of feeds and doesn't look like it is finished yet..my tomatoes are growing well but not to many flowers on them,,feel they are not getting enough sun..but will wait and see..
You all sound well and enjoying your cold weather,, ;-) :-) :-P :-P

Better get off to the hospital as it is a visiting day today..

Love Mary xxxxx <3 <3

afternoon ladies ,just finished the tidying up around the house ,and made /eaten the dinner ,and now i can sit down for a while with my coffee ,which the missus has made for me.
Dinner i started by taking two Ciabatta rolls out of the freezer and defrosting them in the mike' and slicing them down the middle.
Both sides pasted with green pesto sauce ,a layer of leadammer cheese ,back bacon,and chicken breast slices,followed by sliced tomato ,and finishing off with another layer of cheese and thinly sliced red onion.
Tops of the rolls put on ,they were placed in the pannini press and cooked for around four minutes ,before serving on it's own ,and enjoyed watching bargain hunt on the box.
I was very interested to read of your trip Mary ,and was tickled pink when i saw the smug look on Mr D's face curled up on your lap ,he he ,one pussy cat who knows just what he wants ,and knows how to get it.
Glad to hear that hubby is enjoying his new puter ,they make such a difference when you are restricted from getting around freely,i know mine was when i was in plaster for six months followed by four months on crutches ,even now ,well mobile again ,i still prefer it to the tele' and phones,and i like my games as well.
les' way to go Lass ,i nearly choked on my coffee reading about your jack in the box ,lol,i can just imagine the look on your face when he /it jumped out on you ,had it have been Liz she would have scared the life out of him ,starting with a veeeeery loud scream to awaken the dead within a few hundred miles ,followed by being attacked by a hard walking stick.he got off lightly i think.
Our temperatures are down to -4 to 5 ,so i can imagine being as low as -10 very easily ,and it would be a case of the heating being on overnight on an anti pipe freeze setting.
When it gets down to Edith's sort of frosts and cold where you need to plug your car in overnight to stop the oil in the sump freezing ,well ,i don't want to know ,i am spoilt over here i think he he. :-P.
at least Bella ,and Ollie know where to snuggle up ,hissy likes to curl up on her new play centre which we have placed right next to the radiator in the front room by the window ,so she has the best of both worlds ,she can curl up in the warm ,and watch out of the window at the same time :-).
got to go for now ,i have just had my ear bent by the wife for not programming the new printer in properly ,ooooooops .it's working fine on stand alone but won't couple with the printer to use via copying from coupons and documents,so i need to go into the computer and configure it into printers ,scanners and faxes :-| .
Oh Well ,never rains but it poiurs ,lol,catch you later guys ,Fred :-D <3 xxx

Morning all, I had to chuckle at your reply to our cold weather Fred. We are in the middle of a cold wave but it sure does not stop our world. Yesterday the folks in town were out shopping, lunch out, and life carried on.
With the windchill factor the temp was -41. Didn't even put on my heated socks :-D(battery operated)
The soup pots in town are busy for sure, a big bowl of hot soup and a meat sandwich will keep the body going all day. :-)
Great to hear you are getting out Mary. Sounds like you need some "miracle grow" for your toms. Don't know if you have it there but it does work wonders on all plants.
I have been going through the seed catalogs and boy do they have a lot of new plants this year. Some of the flower colours are neat.
Must put them away for awhile or I will be ordering stuff I will never plant ;-) It is fun tho' Good thing I only have the balcony now.
See the west coast is under a lot of snow so I will guess Les is not too happy. My Aunt in Vancouver is not pleased as she is in a walking club and they have cancelled the walks for this week. She is 88 so surely she will enjoy the rest.!!!
Time for me to get this rear in gear and get some needed housework done. See you soon Edith <3

Hello Everyone. I had forgotten about this thread until today and when I looked at it just now, I realized it was where I met Joan, Mary, Fred, Edith and probably others who I used to chat to before.
I rejoined GR a few days ago and it is so good to be back but I will have to do some reading of all your posts to catch up with you. I hope you are all well and I hope it is not too late to wish you all a Happy New Year.

Sylvia XX