General Chat

Way to go Fred, nothing like a little persistence!! You will have enough to try them all ways. Yummy!!

Was warm and foggy when we went to bed but woke up this morning to below zero and heavy frost. Come on spring, hurry up. We are now burning our latest cord of wood and it is not as good as the previous so, for me, all day long is a battle to keep it burning hot. Norm does much better but yesterday he was out most of the day.

Chatted to my Dad yesterdy in "Uddersfield"!! He will be 98 on Sunday....bloody marvelous isn't it? I always send him care packages usually from Tesco, and try to find different stuff for him to nibble on, his appetite is not what it used to be. I used to order from Wiltshire Farms but the meal sizes are just too large. Sure wished we had a service like that here. We do have a place in town that sells frozen meals but they are not low fat not particularly low in salt so we give them a miss. Always nice to have one or two things like that in the freezer for those "I can't be bothered" days.

OK I am to see the nurse. Later Lesxx

Morning all, Yeah Fred, Glad you found them!!!
Don't forget the sour cream as it does go well with them. Just a dollop on top is enough.
Our weather is on the cold side again, up and down like a yo yo and NOT good for our health. Not as many folks in the shops lately as they are home nursing either the kids or themselves.
Can't imagine what our summer will be like. Too hot and Edith becomes a hermit :-D
Anyway happy you found the perogies Fred.
Off to get my breakfast. Edith <3

Afternoon all ,sorry to be so late today ,but it has been a bit fraught what with my broadband going down this morning ,then later ,both my messenger sites going down ,yahoo ,and msn . and then the puter itself acting up ,lol i didn't get cracking until 9 am instead of 7 am.
Anyway ,all sorted now ,and i am giving the new puter a run ,so far ,looking good and one heck of a lot faster than the old laptop,must say it looks promising.
Tomorrow is the day ,lol Perogies for dinner ,l am going to kick off with Les's recipe with the chicken just to get into the swing of things ,launching the boat out with 3 of each sort for both of us.
The shop i got them from also does 4 other sorts with different fillings and also dumplings ,different sausages from normal ones ,through to smoked ones ,and lots of other goodies ,hmmmmmm ,i could have a lot of fun in there. :-).
Must go now ,i am going to do some pasta for tea,catch you tomorrow ,Fred.xxxx :-D.

Sunday morning here in The frozen north of England ,and hey ,we are in a balmy +6c outside ,warm enough to go out on the patio ,with the cat ,and a coffee if it wern't for the drizzle ,grrrrrr ,but here's hoping for later in the day.
Still havn't managed the Perogies because we have the grandson staying and he is a very parky eater .
His meal ,[ on his request yesterday was Kidney liver and onion ,with mashed potato and cabbage.
Today it's Mince and onion cobbler ,and the usual sunday tatties and veggies ,so the perogies will be done on Tuesday instead .
I Have been doing more family research ,butit is getting very difficult ,me being up to the 1900's where there are no cencus's to help ,and i' taking a long time.
Mary has company i think ,so she will be busy ,and everyone else has things to do ,so i will away to do ditto ,and look in again tomorrow .
Take care Mary in the horrible weather you are having ,and take care the rest of you ,no matter where you are ,Fred :-D <3 x

Morning, From a warming up Northwestern Ontario :-) We too have been in the deepfreeze Fred the windchill has been down in the low -30's.
Needless to say everyone slowed down for a few days.
I had a close family friend pass and she was only 74, Very fast moving cancer, and a trip out of town for the funeral.
Watching the weather world wide it is amazing some of us are still here. I see Europe has been really hit badly in some parts.
Guess I can count my blessings and get on with it hmmm :-S
Still looking forward to planting up my pots for the balcony and can daydream until them :-D
Have several meals frozen and ready to eat as well as 2 kinds of soup so can take a few days off from cooking and play on my computer.
The jokes seem to have slowed with the cold also so here's hoping they get better with the warmth too!!!
Hope Mary is enjoying her vistors and lets us know how it went.
Time to hear from Les too, how goes it on the coast ???
Breakfast is calling so will see you later. Edith <3

Morning All. Wet and windy here today, Edith. Yesterday was up to 11 and felt like spring...but not so today. Just came back from the community nurse and now I only have to go twice a week...we're getting there.

My Dad's birthday today, 98, pretty good age isn't it. I phoned him and we chatted for awhile.

Norm seems to think we have a ghost in the house and says he has seen it a couple of times, all white and filmy....too weird for me even tho I believe I'd rather they weren't in my house. May have a lazy day today, always good movies on TV on Sundays and then this evening it is the next episode of Downton Abbey. Norm is going to make salisbury steaks and I am going to stuff some mushrooms....mouth waters already.

Nothing else going on here. later. Lesxx

Afternoon to everyone ,from a balmy north east of england where the sun is out ,and we are up to +7c ,and 10 to c11 for tomorrow.things are looking up.
Well ,the grandson away home ,today is Perogie day dish out ready for me to start on shortly ,,2 Perogies of each sort for both of us ,done in a cheese and pasta sauce ,covering perogies ,sliced carrot ,leek ,and parsnip slices,finishing off with thinly sliced potatoes on the top ,everything in the one dish ,smashing .
Still selecting my seeds at the minute Edith ,but things are coming together very well,just think ,another four weeks ,and i will be planting my first seeds in the chalet ,bring it on.
My late sister in law was able to see things ,that most people cannot ,and she saw my dad in law a few times after he passed on ,so i wouldn't dismiss claims of anyone as regards apperitions Les' ,and i wouldn't worry about it unduly, they are not able to harm anyone ,apart from possibly shock :-0.
Well,time to get some work done ,catch you all later.Fred :-D xxx

Good morning campers ,where ever you may be ,from uuuuup 'ere in the north east of England which is promising up to 12c today :-).
I made a slight change to the perogie dish ,settling for a pasta sauce ,ham and cheese ,and have to say ,the dish was outstanding,perogie is a new and well liked dish by all the family so far ,grandson included ,lol ,so that in itself is an endorsement and a half.
The cat is having a mad half hour dashing up and down the stairs ,and hurling round the floors like a dervish ,hmmmmm ,maybe she smells the start of spring ,it would be nice..
Still have a few annoying little issues with the new computer yet that need sorting ,mainly it being very slow on a few windows so i need to do a little tweaking to get it up to the old laptop standard maybe the new version of windows explorer beta.
anyway i am going to put the old one back on line now ,before getting on with the work in the house .
Take care all. Fred.
:-D

Morning, Our weather seems to be on the upswing too, Fred. Of course any little nod towards spring is GREAT.
Taking down the Christmas stuff off the balcony has become a big day for me :-) My basil seeds are screaming to be planted along with a "few" others so will have to turn a deaf ear untill it really heats up out there. Life is hard isn't it Hee hee.
Happy to hear you like the perogies, they have had a place on our menu for a lot of years. We though prefer them with bacon and onions sauteed crispy and served with sour cream. Still your way sounds good too.
I have been trying different recipes with eggplant and have yet to find something I like. Don't know whether to quit or keep trying!!!!
My furry friend Chloe has been doing something similar Fred, she races up and down our long hallway until she almost drops and then is content to go back in the apt. and snooze in the sun.
Time to finish all the e-mails so will be back soon. Edith <3

Well Fred I am glad that you liked the perogies altho...pasta sauce???? I think you should try them the traditional way with fried onions next time. I usually caramelize the onions and then toss the cooked perogies into the frypan too. and give them a quick stir to coat with the onions. Doesn't matter...yummy anyway you eat them.

I made home made pizza last night. Always better than a frozen or bought one. Mine are always the "kitchen sink" variety. Last night I put in ham and pepperoni, pineapple, peppers and mushrooms with lashings of sauce. I find if I use lots of sauce then I don't need as much cheese which is a good things for us.

We had one fabulous sunny day and now it is misty and damp. Still going down below zero every nite.....hopefully it will warm up soon. Have done nothing in the garden at all altho if we get another sunny day I may start on my front beds.

I am busy sewing dolls clothes for Rhians 18 inch doll....what a palava!!! Takes me longer to make one doll outfit than it does to make two aprons. Only grandmotherly love keeps me working away at this project...LOL!! Today it is the day to make the matching slippers for the pyjamas....soon I will be in the nut house.

OK off to the dratted machine.
Keep out of mischief you lot.
Lesxx

HI everyone...Sorry haven't been in but have been very busy..

John has been having some rehab but now they say he can come home and go back to the MND Assoc. rehab he was going to before the fall..He comes home on next Tuesday 21st. but as he is unable to walk without a high elbow frame and needs so many extra aids around the house I have had all the people which are connected with this disease contacting me and the OT from the hospital also and have to have a lot of things rearranged and ordered before he can come home,,I also think the OT at the hospital is trying to arrange some help for me for when John comes home..He was a bit put off by that as I have done everything for him but I said if I get sick he will have to go into a home and I think that made him sit up and realise that I am not as young as I used to be..
Well in all the 8 weeks he has been in hospital I got one weekend away,,,was trying to get away this weekend to my daughters but they sprang the coming home on us suddenly so that is that ..

Hope you are sewing well Les and Edith keeping warm..

Fred How did your version of the perogy taste..John wants a good hot curry for when he comes home..LOL..

Back soon..Hope all are keeping warm and well..

Love Mary xxx

.

Afternoon all ,so far a nice mild day but the temperature is dropping rapidly now .with severe frost and possibly snow overnight into tomorrow .
Glad to hear that John is due home Mary ,i know it means you are going to be extra busy what with now being a main carer ,but i remember when Liz was last in hospital ,a lot easier for me what with less work to do ,but i was like a little lost sheep with no one to look after ,boy ,was i pleased when the hospital said i could bring her home :-).
Yes old buddy ,the Perogies were a big hit and we both enjoyed them a lot ,but Edith ,if you look in ,i now fancy trying them your way ,so ,please ,the recipe would be nice ta.
I am feeling well now after a bit of a scare early in the week ,my specialist decided that i had been on my old heart calming tablet too long and put me on a new one ,and within a few hours i was in hospital after my blood pressure dropped like a brick ,and i was having severe palpitations .
I am now on atenenol instead ,and i am back to normal ,so i went to the surgery this morning where he [the doc]said that it was okay to drive again ,so ,wahey i have my car back :-D.
I am now enjoying my pudding after dinner ,the first ice cream i have had in ages ,now that i have found a nice diabetic sort that has no sugar in it at all,
hope all are enjoying their weekend ,i am off now to get the new puter back on line ,and finish setting it up with al my programmes on.
Catch you all later ,Fred:-D <3 xxx

Sorry to hear about your heart scare Fred and glad that you are now OK. I take metoprolol to steady my heart, wonder if its similar??

Supposed to snow here tomorrow, just won't give up!! Norm went and got a huge pile of wood brought in so that he wont have to fight the white stuff if it comes.

Just done some reading on Englands strange and weird (I would have thought illegal) laws regarding personal possessions if you need to go into a home. When my Dad told me it was about 600 pounds a week I was gob smacked and thought he was confused but it can be that expensive. So if your pension doesn't cover it (and whose would?) then they are free to empty your bank account and take your house. What's your take on this Fred??
If my Dad cannot cope any longer then it makes me wonder if we should come over but then what would we do with Bella and Ollie?? All a bit of a worry at the moment.

Mary I sure hope you get lots of good help when John comes home. We don't want you to get overtired and get sick. Life isn't always easy is it?

Having a lazy day today. More later. Lesxx

Hello all , Fred if you go back to Jan 31 on our Canuck's site you will find the recipe for perogies.
I just scrolled back a bit and found it.
Take care with all your meds changing, sometimes it is good to just sit and not bustle about.
Good luck with the recipe and when your ready I have a "heart" healthy recipe for soup that is very good.
Weather changing again, don't know what's coming next but will be ready for whatever it is.
Be back again soon. Edith <3

Morning to all ,from a sunny ,mild [now] morning after a petty heavy frost ,ah well ,next week it is supposed to be very mild ,and i may get out front and turn out at least one of my tattie barrels hoping for a nice crop of succulent .Charlotte's :-).
Thanks our Edith ,he he ,i hadn't thought of doing that ,lol,the old grey matter isn't working too well lately . :-(.
Yes Les 'your dad is still in full control of his memory as regards homes for the eldely,and srewed up laws in this country.
The government say that taking a house off anyone in care is illegal ,and yet allowes councils to do just that with their consent,absolutely bonkers .
The only way round it in this country is to leave your house in trust for your children ,or make a legal gift of it to someone ,but in the case of gift ,it has to be a minimum three years before care homing.
The only other way to avoid this legal theft [sic] is to refuse to be sent to any care home ,and stay in your own home ,no matter what,in my case i will be doing just that ,but the house was willed to my children five years ago ,and cannot be touched because with the will ,it is ,in fact in trust now.
Iremember my great aunt ,who was in a private nursing home in Amersham in bucks ,paying over £900 a week for her care ,just as well the poor dear was very well off with lots of tied properties she got rents for all her life,this old homeland of mine is crazy to say the least.
I worked for a lousy pittance all my life ,rather than sign on the dole ,meaning the people on said dole ,had a better income ,and got all the fringe benefits i couldn't get ,a wage so low i couldn't even take out a private pension for later in life ,i retire to find out i am better off than i ever was while working ,and now ,my pension is STILL taxed ,no perishing wonder so many people are dole livers ,and us poor gits that struggle to live in work ,pay for these leeches ,who live the life of Riley [whoever he is ,lol].
Don't get me wrong ,no genuine recipient of welfare will ever be looked down by me ,but why ,oh why has it taken thirty years for these politicans to wake up and smell the coffee.
Now ,in the light of the state of the euro-community ,millions out of work and every one in debt wanting hand outs ,the euro M Ps want a pay rise ? i would be cutting their saleries ,and telling them to get off their fat butts and do the work they are paid for :-| .
Vote for Fred ,lol and start putting Britain right ,it' s about time someone did:-|.
No sign of our Grandson this weekend so maybe at last his dad is doing something with him instead of leaving him out in the cold ,i sometimes wonder if i failed my children's up bringing somewhere with only one of the four in a stable relationship ,where on earth did my wife and i go wrong? i often wonder.
The missus is doing the dinner todsy ,a nice piece of roast pork ,with all the trimmings including my special sage and onion stuffing with apple and nutmeg in ,which i took out of the freezer last night,and the usual roast tatties and onion ,and we even have a rhubarb crumble for pudding made with a packet of crumble topping which has oats as well as the usual ingredients in,but no sugar :-).
Is the weather really gone potty over there as well as over here people ?
I went out back last night to find a blackbird egg ,broken on the ground ,not unusual in itself because we have Magpies around ,but in the middle of February? blackbirds here don't reckon to start nesting and laying eggs until the middle of next month at the earliest.
We have Crocus up ,bluebell starting to sprout and the snowdrop are about done for the season ,and we even have Swallows ,flying around ,well over a month early ,strange goings on indeed. :-S.
Sounds like the tablets you are on are simular to my Atenanol Les' ,both to regulate the ticker rate,both doing a good job,so i can't complain he he ,i wouldn't be on this mortal coil without them ,that's for sure.he he.
Time i was away folks ,my jobEVERY week cooking the actual meals or no ,is to do a nice meaty gravy something the wife never does ,her's is a case of one lump or two ,he he ,but that may be a case of her being crafty rather than being unable to master the use of cornflour instead of ready mix ,yuk :-0.
Hope everyone is hving a good weekend ,Fred <3xxx

Morning all you peoples out there from a bit milder Newcastle ,in the old country .
Things are hotting up [pun] with temperatures expected to reach 14c within a couple of days ,yippee ,time to get the fork out of hibernation ,i hope he he :-).
Had an email off our Mary this morning ,telling me ,in reply to my enquiry that they are okay ,on a hill above Sydney ,well above the flood plain ,so i feel a lot better now .
Hope everyone else is bearing up too ,more so the ones within bear country ,where the pesky varmints will awaken shortly from their winter slumber ,hungry and a little short tempered.
Well ,me sugar levels are back to normal ,so i celebrated last night ,gently ,by making a Thia green curry for tea ,that one because it has a far lower sugar content than the red varieties.
If we get two days of dry weather this week ,i will be turning the first tattie barrel out to see what they are like ,hopefully ,many ,nice ,big ones so that i can do a lot of jackets for dinners .lol
I think either next week ,or the week after ,we wil need to be going out each day to get away from the noise of the demolition of the flats over the road.
They are getting very close now ,and the noise of the pile driver and jack hammers are becoming very intrusive,but at least in four weeks at most ,it will all be done and dusted:-D .
Time to go and get some work done people ,time waits for no one ,grrrrr ,lol.
Catch you all later ,Fred. <3 xxx

HI, after trying to post for 2 days I give up and will try maybe tomorrow.
Stay well all. Edith
<3

Morning Edith ,sorry to hear you are still having bother getting post's on Genes ,and i know what you mean having had bother myself adding to my other usual thread this morning ,and that's with the distance from Newcastle to London ,area wise ,it must be much harder for you over in the Northern climbs.
I think the browser some people use has a lot to do with it ,Internet Explorer being slow at the best of times,i issss spoilt for choice ,having three browsers i can shuttle between.
If it gets much noisier here Edith ,you will be able to hear the racket outside the hose from here ,lol,the demolition of the multi-storey flats has just about reached us ,and the noise of jack hammers and the pile driver are getting closer and closer :-(.
Come next week ,probably Monday ,they will be starting on the last block ,at the end of the street ,so i reckon Liz and i will be in town each day to get away from the noise and dust for as long as we can ,lol :-|
The tattie barrel is having to wait too ,it's nice and mild outside ,around 9c ,but the drizzle continues ,and no way am i working in the garden ,getting wet ,lol,it can wait a few more days.
The little border inside the drive gate is awash with colour ,the Snowdrop ,crocus ,and othe spring bulbs showing their heads,along with the first of the dwarf daffodills over near the lawn out front ,lol,i think spring is about here ,yippee :-D.
Liz's old puter has at last given up the ghost ,but ,well i have been expecting it for a good while now ,and so ,i ordered another on for her this morning ,a nice 4 gig ram ,massive cpu ,and a 190 gig hard drive ,with the blue ray dvd that she has been on about for long enough.
It should keep her happy ,and busy ,because i will be leaving her to instal the printer ,wi fi module ,and upgrade the windows platform herself ,that should keep her out of my hair for a few hours ,he he.
Hope everyone is okay over there ,and is looking forward to to weekend, catch you later all ,Fred,off to look for something for the dinner . :-D <3 xxx

Morning Fred and all. Here goes again. Seems there is something going around that is playing with my p.c. Had an e-mail from my cousin over there and I had to shut the power off to get rid of it?????
Any way, things are not too bad here, lots of soft fluffy snow but as it is so light not much is staying, seems to melt quickly. Oh, spring please hurry :-|
How lucky you are to have the bulbs blooming I really love to see the daffs every spring. Our spring usually starts out grey and messy when the snow melts so the flowers are lovely after all that mess.
How did the perogies turn out? Am making my last big pot of soup this next week and then the folks here in the building are on their own until next fall :-)
Wonder what has happened to Les? Perhaps she's under a pile of fabric sewing aprons again.
Hope all the others are well. Will say bye for now. Edith <3

No Edith I am sewing dolls clothes for the fair Rhian's birthday. Even tho it is for an 18 inch doll, the necks and armholes are murder. I have made five items so far...might stick at that.

Wet snow and rain here today but my primroses are flowering and my Leopards Bane is getting greener and bushier by the day.

Wierd thing happened last night. I roast a chicken. Norm always takes off the breasts and then all the skin which he broils until crispy...a favourite treat for him. So all goes as usual and then when it was time to clear up....we couldn't find the legs and thighs...anywhere. I have searched again this morning, thought I might have put them in the pot to make stock...but nope!! missing. I did wonder if Bella had got them but so many bones I am sure she would hace choked.....most strange.

I nothing else to tell, mostly housebound, still getting my dressing changed by the district nurse....if it doesn't heal soon I may have to consider getting a bit of legal advice, its been almost 6 weeks...depressing and wearying.

Later Lesxx.