General Chat

Morning friends, Huia, I look forward to hear about your day out and also see some of your pics,
I hope you all had a lovey christmas and got some great gifts too...
I pray that the New Year will be a healthy one and that your memory box will be overflowing , as we get older our memories become very precious, to us...
we are waiting to here when the funeral of our dear freind will take place, always a hard time to contend with, but has to be done...

I wish you all the best year ahead for each and everyone, sending love and prayers to our friends over the water, and special thoughts to those who need hugs (((((((((((((((((((((( X )))))))))))))))))))
thank you all for your loving friendship over the years, long may it continue ,
take care one and all love Jean xxx <3

Hi there. Just a quick one while waiting for my son to pick me up.

Marcus actually was b on 1 Jan but we had the party early to fit in with everybody.

Yes, off to climb Rangitoto today, the last day of the year. We have to drive to Devonport on the North Shore (easier to get to the ferry there than in Auckland). The ferry leaves Devonport at 9.35 and we will be picking somebody up in Papakura on the way, so we hope to have plenty of time to find parking in Devonport. I hope I havent forgotten anything. Sunhat, sunscreen, sunglasses, raincoat (to keep the rain away), lunch, lots of water, camera.

Must go.

Ann, how does the bug box T received for christmas work? I presume it's for collecting bugs for the birds etc.

I believe Sallie said that her son would be with them christmas day, and that he had to go back to work on the Thursday.
Also I think they were going to their daughters for a few days.
Hopefully she will be back with us soon.

And Huia, is probably getting ready to go mountain climbing with her son tomorrow. Yesterday they had a birthday party for her G Grandson. It doesn't seem a whole year since he was born.

It's been a lovely dry day here today, but still chilly. I wish now that I had done the washing, it would have dried lovely out on the line.

Tea time now, so see you all later. Love Mo xxx

Thanks Mo I hope she starts to enjoy the pregnancy soon too. At the moment she is already saying she is never going through this again :-D Poor girl I do feel for her.

wonder how Huia is getting on.

And where is Sallie? Not seen her for a while, off visiting maybe, or perhaps she got lots of lovely craft stuff for Christmas and is playing with it.

Not seen Jean either so hope she and Jeff are ok. I expect she is supporting her widowed friend. Come back soon Jean.

Not raining yet today, was quite nice this morning and T managed to get into the garden to put up a bug box he was given for Christmas. dark clouds looming now though. I shall go and have lunch then might have a play with some new craft stuff.

Oooh Ann, congratulations on joining the great grandparents club. I do feel for your grandsons wife, being hospitalised with dehydration at a time like this.
Pregnancy doesn't always suit everyone does it.
And Jean and myself can appreciate how having the vertigo, makes you feel, it's bloomin awful isn't it. Bless her, I do hope she starts to enjoy being pregnant soon.
Our new great grandchild is due on the 13th of February. Our grandaughter is enormous, and is suffering badly with heartburn and back ache.
If she thinks this is bad, she has got a shock waiting her, when she does go into labour. LOL

Hioa, you be careful on your trek up Rangitoto. I bet you will be taking some wonderful photo's up there, knowing you that is.
It looks like you have a wonderful few days planned, so enjoy them my love.
Those damned fleas are the bain of your life arn't they. I know it's because you are so far out in the country side,and they like having respite care at your home.
They have a good feed on you don't they, and leave you to suffer the consequences of their bites.
Well done on your constraint over Christmas, I wish I was as good as you. I still feel like a stuck pig lol

Must go and sort out something to eat now, nothing big though I might add.
Bye for now girls, love Mo

That made me itch Huia, such a pity you can't get rid of them.

Jean I am so sorry to hear of the loss of your friend. His wife will need some support I'm sure,as our friend's wife did almost 2 years ago (and still does). It is hard to lose such good friends, especially when it is so sudden, but how lovely that you had a good evening with him on Christmas Eve.

Mo know what you mean re food, we brought cold turkey and ham home and had it with oven chips, that is enough for me, although we didn't have turkey a Boxing Day, J did steak and kidney with dumplings and it was lovely.

Now some good news, we are to be great grandparents next July. Grandson's wife is 13 weeks pregnant and all was well at the scan today. Poor girl has not been very well at all, like Kate she has been in hospital 3 times being rehydrated, we did see her yesterday and she was better, not being sick, but suffering from vertigo. Fingers crossed it doesn't last the whole pregnancy.

I was pleased at my comparative restraint on Christmas day. I did eat more than I would normally, but when I came home I didnt have much for my evening meal. I havent put on any weight, thank goodness.

My son will be coming up to camp in the valley over the hill tomorrow, and is talking of climbing Rangitoto on the 31st. He wondered if I wanted to go with them. I have been thinking of going up it one last time, and as one of his 'girlfriends' is apparently a slow walker that will suit me fine. He said he could carry my stuff in his back pack but I told him I would prefer to carry it as he would be miles ahead when I wanted anything.

On the 29th I am going to a park in Pukekohe for a picnic with my daughter, granddaughters, gt grandson and a few other people as a birthday party for the gt grandson (2 days early). If it is wet we will go to his step-gt grandmother's house.

Those so-and-so fleas are costing me a fortune. I have set off flea bombs twice and still they are getting on my bare feet and legs in the morning when I come out here, so I have to keep putting insect repellant on. I think they must be resistant to the stuff in the bombs. Last year I knocked them out with one lot. I will have to sprinkle a lot of flea powder around and sweep it in then vaccuum it up.

Better go and see if I have any flea powder.

Oh Jean, how sad for you both. Losing a family member or friend, at any time is sad, but it seems worse at this time of year.
Condolences to you both and your friends wife.

We lost Roly's mum 12 years ago today, and the Christmas period is very hard for us.
Always tinged with sadness, but made up with joy when the grandchildren arrive.

Julia, I hope that the soup pot is full of veggies, and not meat. I could eat a bowl full of it with dumplings tomorrow, but not at the moment. Oooh and a nice crusty baguette to dunk in it.

Hello everyone, bit like you Mo not hungry we had our christmas meal on boxing day and it was lovely we went to our lifelong friends on christmas eve as usual and enjoyed our time together, little did we know our friend of over 50+ years was the last time we would see him , he had a cardiac arrest yesterday morning and passed immedietly we are numb at the moment , we saw his wife and what can you say, so a sad note to end on, J has know him for 50 years he was like a brother to him, in fact he was the one who got J to hospital when he so ill.... we were so privaleged to know him and loved him so much....

Jean x

Mo in Kent
My soup pot has been out today. Can't stand the sight of food LOL.
Only an odd choccy, to say I have had one, and no cream.
And still my stomach is fit to bustin'

Julia in Derbyshire

Helloooo girls,
Heres hoping you have all had an enjoyable Christmas. To be honest with you, I am glad it's over for another year.
My poor stomach is full to bursting, if I don't eat meat for a fortnight, I wont be sorry.
Why do we go overboard on our meats at this time of the year. I could eat a plateful of veg any day.
And the chocolates are still waiting to be eaten. We have had a few,but not that many. So tonight, might be a chocolate night for us both.
Then next week, it will be time for a diet.....well a see food diet for me.
I hope to hear all your news soon. Take care my friends, love Mo xxx

Whew, thats it girls, the meats are all cooked, time for a rest now.
Goodness me, we had to go and get some bread and milk this morning, talk about madness out there. Anyone would think the shops were closing for days on end, not just one day.

Now, may I " Wish you all, a very Merry Christmas, and a Prosperous New Year"

Thank you all for your friendship, over the past few years, you have made it so worthwhile coming on here.
If I don't manage to get on here for a couple of days, you know you will all be in my thoughts.
And I will speak to you hopefully on Boxing Day.

Love and hugs to you all. Mo xxx <3 <3 <3

Huia Have a lovely Christmas, thank you for your card. We are celebrating with our daughter and whatever family appear. :-D

Christmas greetings to you all, even if I have already sent you a card. I know it was a scramble to get cards sent this year so I am not sure if I sent them to everybody for whom I had a postal address, or if you will get them in time. *Note to self: get organised next year to start sending cards in September at the latest for overseas.*

Mo you cheeky mare :-P I hope you all have a smashing Christmas and a specially good New Year, with lots of sunshine ,soon be Easter :-D safe journeys to anyone travelling......so much love and special prayers to friends we havent seen for some time,Dutch,Liz,Marie, Sylvia, Huia, I was watching a programme of the Channel isles and Debbie came to mind so if you watch sometime I hope you and your family are doing well.... also Marylin, Julie, Reading back over the years, I wonder were all the folk who added are dont even know if they are still members, strange how time flies by as we get older, have a good time all ofyou
love and prayers Jean xx <3 <3 <3

It must have been a CRAFT ( cant remember a flippin thing ) moment Jean, never mind it can only get worse. LOL mwah xxx

What happened there :-S sorted now , I must go and have a lie down

Oh my word Jean, are them there tablets affecting your fingers love, causing your fingers to stutter over the submit button. ;-) ;-) ;-) Bless you, of course we love ya.

It's typical for things to go wrong at this time of year. If it happened after christmas, or even earlier in the year, we would not be quite so stressed about it.
It's the thought of all the extra food that we decide to buy, for the festivities, that makes us panic, when something goes wrong.

See you later girls. Love Mo xxx

luckily its almost empty ready for a fill up on sat, J went to get something out and it now appears to be working :-S but we will change it any way cant trust it...we also have tall freezer which isnt frost free so like you it gets a real pain to do so after christmas we are going to get a new one ,

Jean :-D :-D :-D :-D :-D That is the number of times you posted. Do you want to emphasise the point. Strange, we had a problem (self inflicted I guess) with out upright freezer yesterday. T went to get a loaf out and the door was jammed open..... with ice!! It had apparently not shut properly and instead of defrosting because the door was open it had just continued making ice. Goodness knows what that did to the electricity bill. Anyway, we removed the drawers (eventually) and T chipped off all the excess ice. It never dropped below 10% so nothing thawed, and I took the opportunity to clear out some meat that was really a bit old and buried. At least I know what is in there now!

I want to try and get a self defrosting one next year, fed up with it icing up. Hope yours arrives ok. Is the food ok inside. And is it covered by your house insurance?