General Chat

No floods or power cuts for us, thank goodness Huia. But just a short drive from us in Tenderton and Yalding nr Maidstone, it has been horrendous. The poor people having to be without power, as well as being flooded out all over christmas, and still not reconected yet.
What ever they had to eat, was heated up on primus stoves....The poor people were freezing cold as well, as it has turned so cold here at the moment. And to top it all, they are expecting the same weather today, heavy winds and yet more rain.
The water level at the bridge over the river Medway in Maidstone, is expected to rise yet again today, probably causing more damage.
I just thank the lord we never chose to live anywhere near to rivers.
Our eldest daughter, lives opposite the river Medway, but is far enough away to be safe.

It was such a joy to go shopping today, without being crushed under foot by hoards of shoppers.
No need for us to venture near a super market now, till after the new year, hooray.

Bye for now, hugs Mo

No flooding or power cuts for any of our friends I hope.

Hello girls, a happy boxing day.
Thank goodness the "Big Day " is over. We are both exhausted, after clearing up the residue from yesterday.
Our poor house looked like a tornado had blown through it. The carpets heaved a sigh of relief when the hoover went over them, and picked up the crumbs from crisps, biscuits, sausage rolls etc. Despite having plates to eat from, how come the youngsters seem to miss their mouths, and decide to feed the floor I wonder.
I dread to think how much money has been spent on Christmas presents (not by us I might add) but every child getting what they wanted for xmas.
No wonder so many families end up in debt by December the 25th.
Oh for the days when one might spend £20 and get lots of goodies for children.
Bah humbug, I am becoming a Mrs Scrooge in my old age.
Unless they are taught otherwise children forget the true meaning of Christmas.
One of my friends became a grandmother on Christmas day for the first time. I do hope they remember that they are celebrating the birth of our lord, as well as the baby on that day in the future.
Well, I don't know about you, but it's cold meats, jacket potato's and pickles for dinner tonight, no big roast dinner today for us, we are still bloated from yesterday.
We had a wonderful meal at our son's house, and then came home and awaited the onslaught of the family. lol :-D :-D :-D I love them all, and wouldn't be without any of them, so I am not really moaning <3 <3 <3
Bye for now, take care enjoy the rest of your day. Hugs Mo xxx

Elizabeth, Thank you so much for your greetings, I hope you and those you love also have a joyous christmas and a blessed new year, please come back and chat with us again, you are most welcome...

love and prayers Jean xx <3

Dear All

Hello

Just popped along to offer my very best wishes for a peaceful
and contented Christmas to all posters.


Take gentle care
Love from
Elizabeth, EOS
xx

Oh my word, where does the time go, I must apologise for my absence (sp).
It seems like I have not had time to breathe this past week, with one thing or another happening, it's been so busy.
Today has not been much different, with cooking all the christmas meat etc.

But I had to come on here to wish you all, " A Very Happy Christmas, and a Healthy and Prosperous New Year ".
Enjoy yourselves with family and friends, and I will speak to you all very soon.

Love and hugs, Mo xxx

Hi one and all, hope all is well wherever you are, we finally managed to get our decorations put up, although I havent done much , my back is only just starting to feel as though it is getting better seems it was /is the sciatica nerve,so I am still unable to move around much, but I am still here......
So my lovely friends, I wish you a very happy christmas and a especially good new year, enjoy your time with family and friends, keep safe and warm.... Ann safe travelling to you and T, take extra care.... Sallie have a rest you seem to have been dashing here and there, we are going to our friend on christmas eve , not looking forward to it , it was the last time we saw our close friend , so the emotions are a bit frayed.... hopefully C will be with us on boxing day , E came home and was doing o.k. but S told us she has a high fever again , and may have to go back to the hospital... but we are praying that will not happen...so I hope you all have whatever you wish for and more beside, keep smiling :-D :-D :-D :-D :-D
summer is-a- coming :-D :-D

Love and hugs for you all, Jean and him <3 <3 <3 <3 <3

Hi Mo, and everyone


it was a lovely sunny day, with blue skies, yesterday ......... but there was a strong wind coming down from the north!

And, sure enough, there was a change today ............ very cold overnight, gorgeous red sunRISE, and snow in the forecast for tonight :-(


I've been spending a lot of time with my ancestors .............. trying to sort out some of the siblings of our direct ancestors (his tree and mine). You know, did they marry, who, did they die, etc. Not going too deep into their lives ........................ but hard at times!


We have so many that have relatively uncommon names .............. except in the town/village where they actually live.

Combine that with the frequent recycling of the same few names, and you can end up with a mess!


I went to the dermatologist yesterday afternoon to have the squamous thingy removed ........... only he didn't remove it!!!

His copy of the biopsy report said it was basal cell, and he said that was what it looked like!

Anyway, I have to go back on Jan 8 to have it scraped off .....................he couldn't do it yesterday because he considers that the shin is a difficult place, and susceptible to infection. So I have to get a prescription antibiotic ointment, apply it for 7 days before he does the scraping, and then for the healing period afterwards.


Now we can think of Christmas.

I think everything is done. No food to buy as we go away on Monday to friends for the week.

We have to put the evergreen wreath up outside the house ......... probably from the sundeck railings.

I have to buy some gift bags to put the pressies in for the people we will see over Christmas ................ apparently we are having Christmas Eve lunch with 1 couple, Christmas dinner at another place, and Boxing Day lunch at the 3rd!




First though .................. OH has to take me to the Mall. My watch stopped at 12:15 am this morning, so it needs a new battery.

And, my printer had to be sent to printer heaven last weekend ................ so we much buy a new one. He's spotted one that might be good, and it is on sale this week. So we have to try to get to that store!




take care everyone




s
xx

Ann, I know what you mean about the hearing aids. I have the same problem.

Oh Ann, what a shame that the meal was ruined by the gobby, overly endowed person next to T.
Funnily enough, we had our darts team's christmas meal last friday night, at our local golf club.
The meal was not quite as good as last year, or the year before, but then I found out that they have changed chefs recently.
They did what I hate, dished up tinned carrotts, and solid brussell sprouts, the rest of the meal was lovely. The menu itself was very varied, to suit everyone, but I plumped for the roast turkey, but the roast beef looked delicious, so next year I probably will chose that. When I say next year, yes, it's booked already for the 12th of December 2014. It surprised me how many others did the same, booking early to ensure a table. We like to go around this time, as they have a live band and not a noisy disco, and it gives us a couple of weeks to get sorted before the big day.

:-D :-D pictures Mo tippytoeing through the house waiting for somebody to jump out and say 'boo!'. Glad it was only the loft trap door Mo.
some of the handmade cards do cost more to post but most of them are the same as ordinary cards.

The evening was ok(ish). The meal was average. There is history here. We stopped going to functions at the golf club because the meals were not, in our view value for money. For three years we went to the local Chinese for the Monday/Friday Senior golfers Christmas meal and it was a good evening but people wanted a change. Much against our better judgement we agreed to return to the golf club. It is difficult for me there because we sit on large circular tables of 8 so conversation across the table is loud and everyone speaks at once. When you have hearing aids it is impossible to listen to all the conversations so I find myself 'tuning out' and listening to none, until OH asks me what I think about something. He does it to get me in the conversation because he knows how it affects me but can be embarrasing when I don't know the answer Lol!!! . They also had music playing quite loud so all the other tables (there were 30 people there) were shouting to be heard. And sitting next to T with a dress that showed more of her boobs than it should, was a rather gobby lady who liked the sound of her own voice and the more wine she drank the louder she got. I don't think we will go next year if it is held there again. It was also not good because we were allocated tables and we were with a group that OH knew but I didn't know any of the six. At the Chinese we choose where we sit so sit with people I know.

Moan over.... Oh yes, got drenched getting to and from the car!!

Huia forgot to say well done on getting those shoes, lucky lady. :-)

I agree with Ann, Huia, the cost of postage is horrendous, and as we have found over here, the Cards bought in the sales in January are very very cheap, but the cost of posting them, especially abroad, is very very high. But there is a very big difference, in the charges of cards to calenders, so thank you from the bottom of my heart, and I don't expect a repeat next year sweetheart.
Ann, Jean,and Sallie all make their own cards, and they must cost a fortune to send, as they are made from thicker paper and card, and weigh a lot more, so thank you all, for the wonderful thoughts.
You lucky girl Huia, being in the right place, at the right time, enabling you to get the navy shoes you have wanted for a long time.

Ann, I hope you had and enjoyable meal, and didn't get to wet on your way to and from the car.
It absolutely threw it down with rain, right up till about 10.30 p.m last night, and the wind was lifting the hatch door onto the loft area. Being alone in the house, and not realising at first what all the noise was, it scared the pants off me. Being the brave soldier that I am, I had to go and investigate, so if someone had jumped out at me in the dark, I would have fainted with fright. lol

I am trying to plan our meals before christmas, hoping to have nothing to heavy, so that we can enjoy our xmas meal even more.
So it looks like sausage and chips for dinner tonight, chinese Saturday, casserole for sunday, but goodness knows what to have tomorrow night,fish maybe, and I haven't even thought about early next week, oh dear, being chief cook and bottle washer doesn't come easy does it. :-S :-S :-S

Tomorrow I shall get the major shopping done, as I don't fancy doing to much xmas eve, with having all the big meats to cook.
Bye for now, take care all. Hugs Mo xxx

I did wonder about the postage Huia as all countries seem to have increased theirs a lot this year, must be the cost of flying. Don't worry we won't expect a repeat. But this one is lovely. :-)

Please don't all expect calendars next year! The cost of posting is higher than for cards. This was a oncer (probably).

Today I was helping in the entrance to the supermarket, where the hospice has a Christmas tree every year and for a donation people can put an angel on it with a message for a loved one. It was a 3 hour session from 10a.m. to 1p.m., after which I went to visit Phil (no real change in him). On the way back I stopped in at our shop and they are clearing a lot of stuff out of the warehouse at the back. I saw some navy shoes there, brand new, and I had been wanting some, so tried them on and they fitted, so that was one purchase I made. Also bought 3 other things. Quite pleased that I called in there.

We have not been out in the evening from home since last December. We are going out tonight and the weather is foul. We are only going a couple of miles but getting to and from the car will not be nice. Just going for a meal with about 20 friends at the golf club.

Huia thank you so much for the calendar, it is lovely what a nice thought. I think I have thanked Mo, Sallie and Jean but in case not thanks all.

Hello everyone, well anyone who cares to take a look at our lickle thread, and would be welcome to join us, in our gossip.
Sallie, how great that you will have most of your family with you this year my love.
The anti-biotics helped a little Sallie, but it's still hanging around us both, and won't go completely.
I thought with the weather getting colder, it would kill some of the germs off, but it doesn't seem to be happening. The number of people I have spoken to, who have got one or another in their family down with something or another, is unbelievable.
I do hope your symptoms clear before next week Sallie.

I must thank you all, for the lovely cards and calenders I have received, you are all so clever in your card making.
Huia the calender is very nice, thank you my love.

Well, I do hope you are having better weather than we are at the moment, it's raining cats and dogs, and blowing a gale, thank goodness we are sitting here in the warm. No more darts for me now, till after the new year, so I can relax and not have to worry about going out in the cold night air.
Stay safe and warm peoples, take good care of yourselves. Mo xxx

Hi girls, hope you are all getting on alright. I have not been able to get onto GR for three days, each time I tried to get on here, I have had 'Error message', it's been a blinking nuisance.



Marie, it's great to see you back on here, we have all missed you. Sounds as thought you have a major job, getting the garden as you like it.

Good luck to Barbara with her operation on the 19th, hope it all goes well and that she will not be in too much pain, especially over Christmas. As Mo has said, we are sending her our best wishes.




Mo, hope the antibiotics worked ok and that you are feeling much better. I think I have picked up a cold and cough off Jennie, so hope the worse of it will be gone by Christmas.

Glad to hear that you are almost organised for Christmas Mo, apart from some bits of the food.

I'm nearly sorted, just a few bits of food left to get. We had a nice surprise on Sunday, heard from Richard that he is coming up for Christmas, so looking forward to seeing him.

Jennie and Michael are moving on Thursday and our friends are moving on the Friday after Christmas so we have been busy helping them all to decorate.


Mo, can't remember if I thanked you for your Christmas, so just in case, thank you!



Jean, is there any news about E? I hope that the doctors have managed to find out what the problem is and that she has started to improve. Sending her positive thoughts and hugs. Also sending lots of love and hugs to C. <3 <3




Ann, I'm slowly getting there...... not too much left to do now, thank goodness.
Hope you are all organised and ready to go to your son and his family.




Huia, thank you so much for the calendar you sent us, with beautiful views of NZ. I really love it.
Hope that you are alright and that things are not to bad for Phil.



Sylvia, hope things are going along alright for you and OH. How are things with your SiL? Hope she isn't in a lot of pain and suffering too much.




Well I think it's time for bed now, so will speak to you all again soon, if GR will let me, lol!!



Take care everyone.



Love, Sallie. xxx

Hip Hip Hooray, our Marie is back with us at last.
It's sooo good to hear from you Marie, even though it sounds like you have got a big task ahead of you, with the garden etc, but knowing how much you enjoy working outside, it's bound to be a pleasure for you.
Will you be planting any veggies this year love.
We will wait with bated breath for the photo's Marie lol.
Only a couple of days now before Barbara's operation, please give her our best wishes, and we shall remember her in our prayers.
I hope to speak to you before christmas Marie, but just in case we miss each other, Seasons greetings to you and the family.

Well girls, I am ready for the christmas onslaught now. The presents are wrapped, most of the food is bought, only the last minute bits to get now, like fresh fruit, veggies, milk and bread......thank the lord for that.

I do hope you are all well, wether you are here in the U.K, in Canada, New Zealand, or Australia, sending you all my very best wishes. Hugs Mo xxx

Hello everyone
,It has taken me days to get genes to accept my new email,
I have just gotten my new password also, so hopefully I am back in business

.I guess you are all ready for Xmas, I am not but I have given the little ones their presents as they will all be away for Xmas

I am well I am still putting stuff in cupboards, I have been waiting for my family to bring some shelving down from the cottage so that I can organize the garage.they were going to do it 3 weeks ago.I think I may have to get my son to take his trailer up and get them for me
.
Sean and Nancy gave me a large umbrella for my small back yard, he is coming round to-day to assemble it.

I had all my pot plant transported to my unit , I am working on making it nice , the previous tenants had a dog and he wrecked the yard so I have been busy removing the Couch grass,I have put weed mat down and will cover it with small pebbles.
I will then place all my pos around on either side and then I will have stepping pavers as a path through the middle I also have a Japanese water feature already in place.
I will take photos, when I have finished it to my satisfaction,it could be some time so don't hold your breath.

I will have a quiet Xmas ,as my daughter Barbara is having an operation on the 19 Dec and it will be very painful for some time .I will be staying with her for at least a week maybe more at the same time I will be watering Sean's garden as well as my own so I am hoping we will get some rain.

I wish you all a wonderful Xmas and I pray the 2014 will be a better year for all of us
.I forgot to mention that Kathleen and Brian's property on which my Cottage stands,is on the market and they have several clients looking at it.
Please pray that it will sell soon and they get what they are asking for it .
I may then get the money back that I put into the cottage.
It is looking very nice the gardens and trees are beautiful such a pity it has too be sold.

I must close
Love and hugs to you all <3 :-) <3 <3 <3