General Chat

Well the parade was the usual mix of tractors,trucks and MP's!!! Plus probably every emergency vehicle in Port Alberni. The Mayor was on a truck flatbed....nobody clapped or cheered....well he is all clapped out anyway!! LOL

The highlite for me was when the local gymkana (??) association came thru with their horses. Bella went beserk, never seen a "dog" quite that large before. Then a dog on the other side of the street got loose and the woman had to chase it thru all the horses and trucks....mayhem!!

And Miss Janey/K I must tell you that there is a smallish roller coaster type thing at the fairground. Now I would never go on it because I would vomit BUT I did overhear a conversation where one guy said "oh they have placed it this year so that if anybody flys off they will land in the trees". The other replied "great idea, last year if you fell off you landed face down in the hot dog stand". I must tell you that life in small town Canada is ALWAYS exciting!!

And for Deb and Janey...lox is best eaten when it has been chilled to almost frozen. There is nothing worse than slimey, warm fish which is why I don't eat sushi but super chilled lox, with a fresh bagel and some nice cream cheese...now that is a treat.

More later. Tomorrow we are off to the fair I will try and take some pics.
Lesxx

Hey Canucks where is everyone. Evening here and soon time for my bed methinks. Camellias (japonica) are now out and spring is here even if we have cold nights -but more rain please.
~~~~~~~~ãll

JA

hello I have been reading this site for a while and thought it was time tht I joined in I usually am on the friends and neighbours site and am a great fan of fred (badger) and his family and his menu's, I live in barrie ont canada I came to canada at age 15 my dad was transferred from walshaw bury lancs, I am 66 I have a son and daughter in law and three wonderful grandchildren, my sister after years of living in different countries lives in calgary with her husband they also have a place in canmore, I am going to visit her from the 15th of 0ct to the 28th, over the years I have returned home frequently the last trip being last year for five wonderful weeks, does any one on line live near the barrie area, my passions are reading and tennis watching these days not playing, hope you have time for a new recruit regards dorothy

French tourists ... well I'll tell ya, when my mum and I went to Calais for an afternoon, the English tourists were just as bad.

I speak French, so I was chatting with the woman in the bakery, and she said was I English, being surprised that I spoke French. Canadian, I said, English Canadian. But are you English or Canadian? There are English Canadians and French Canadians, I said; I'm English Canadian but I speak French. My mum (smiling obliviously in the corner) is English Canadian and doesn't speak French.

Ah. She said. Comme les Belges! (Like those damned Belgians ...)

But the French schoolchildren in England were horrific. Swarming over Stonehenge while their teachers drank tea in the cafe, pushing and shoving in line at Brighton. I finally spoke sternly to those last, telling them, in French, that there were other people waiting too. They responded by mocking my (Quebec) accent ... and stopping the shoving.

So when we stopped to chat with the gardener in Salisbury Close about his fabulous wisteria, and he said What part of America are you from? and we said The Canadian part, and he got very embarrassed, that was when my mum said That's okay, as long as you don't take us for French! He paused, leaned on his shovel, and said Thank you for that -- we're told we're being bigots. Nah, we said, they're dreadful. ;)

All tourists are, I think. Except Canadians!

Someone in England told me that when dealing with tourists from the southern hemisphere, they always say You're from New Zealand? New Zealanders are like Canadians -- always assumed to be Australians, and they hate it. Australians don't give a hoot. So "assuming" New Zealand works!

Here i issssss Mary,have been a little busy today getting the hedges done for the last time this year[i hope],I thought i had better get on with it seeing as we have the nether end of the hurricane hitting us tomorrow.
We had just gotten rid of the duck pond covering our patio too lol,
I was getting on with the hedge ,really flying along the inside when i noticed steam coming off the cutters,and thought to myself ,can't be going THAT fast so i had a closer look at the hedge,cor ,i was lucky my cutters work on 110 volts ,he he ,i han't noticed ,but the leaves were still covered in water droplets and were getting heated on the blades.
We go back up the van tomorrow afternoon,unless the weather gets too bad,the weekend was pretty bad,the ground being waterlogged,and some vans ,due to leave had to get the farmer next door to free the vans with a tractor,still,being at the top end most of the water is draining away from our van,and bogging some of the others in,that's what you get on this sort of site,no being designated a pitch,it's first come first served,so i headed straight to the top of the field while no other vans had arrived,got settled in ,sat back and watched the fun as other vans came ,and the squabbling over the other dry pitches ensued .
The wife has the new piccies of the family on Holiday in Blackpool,so ,i will be sending them on as soon as i have had a look at them.
Liz says there is a special one for you Mary,one of our Lewis ,in his school uniform taken this morning before being taken to school for his first day,little man is growing fast lol,no tears from him either ,but a few from his dad as he realised that our Lewi' is no longer a baby he he
I will be taking a few more piccies of the inside of the van now we have got the inside set out properly,with the tv ,and the mic' in place.
The garden is doing very well now,we have cauli ,carrot ,tomatos coming out of our ears,and the cabbage and kale are about ready,and ,i think i see from the window,dwarf beans about ready for the pot.
Well ,thats about it for now,but i have enjoyed reading all the messages onthis thread,looks like being a corker ,thanks to our Les',take a bow lass ,very well done specially on the name.
Fred.

Say, Guys, I am enjoying this thread a lot today. Of course we all think that Canadians are best tourists everywhere!! but when Normie and I did our "gap" year in our forties we met fabulous people from all over the world. The most intrepid travellers are from Oz and the most interesting are British. We were invited for a drink to so many campers and trailers (caravans) that we lost count.

Welcome Dorothy. Janey lives somewhere in ON but I live out on Vancouver Island. This is a great thread and we all love Fred as well. I emigrated in 1967 to Saskatoon. I arrived in October and within weeks I was up to my eyeballs in snow. I brought my push chair with me for the kids ( 6 months and a year and a half!!) and everyone laughed at me as I walked down the road in minus 30 degree weather pushing the kids along!! Funny how a person forgets stuff like that.

The Fair has come and gone. I didn't see anyone flying thru the trees nor face down in the hot dog stand!! It was hot yesterday but the rides were packed. There was one I had never seen before. It was totally enclosed and looked like a flying saucer. I asked the kid running it what goes on inside. He said that as it spins you become weightless and it sucks you to the wall....now Janey there's a ride for you!!! LOL

More later
Lesxx

I forgot to mention that not only did I see bear scat on the dyke today...there were huge paw prints as well!! I walk everywhere now with my bear bell. People laugh (why is it that people always laugh at me!!!!LOL) and I tell them to think of christmas!!
Fred we are over cabbaged. We have given so many away and still they grow!! My cauli's produced nothing but my zuchini and patty pans are flourishing. Hopefully it will stay warm so that our plums get ripe enough to make jam.
Hi Edith, Mary, JA and the rest of the gang.
Lesxx

Welcome Christine and Dorothy. Les, we must put our heads together more often. This site is sure busy now!!!!! Fred, the toms are ripening so fast I can't keep up to them. The Roma ones are long globe like with fewer seeds and a thicker skin and are GREAT
for sauces etc.I put in only 4 plants and have had over 30 fruit so far. I am making salsa tomorrow as the herbs are not going to last much longer in the chilly nights. I will dry them but fresh really is better.
Going down to 2 or 3 tonight ggrrrrrr.Will bring the toms in but the herbs are in a very large planter pot
much too big to bring in.
Dug out your soup recipes so am ready for the cold days ahead.
For the "newbies" I have been on the site since Di in Tis Was was it's leader. Sadly she had to give it up and Michael took over. So it started on the west coast ,came to Ontario and back to the coast again.
Am a retired nurse, widowed for several years now
have family in town , Thunder Bay and Fort Frances.
Volunteer on several boards, community radio and of course genealogy.
Have 5 years of history on Family Tree Maker which I will spend the winter putting on disc and sending to the extended family.
Time to jump off the box so will say bye for now.
Edith XXXX

A very good morning to all you lads and lassies out there who live in varied parts of this great big world of ours.....
Your thread title caught my eye so I decided to have a short read of some postings, that was like over half a hour ago and I have just reached the end of page 4...wow what an interesting read, thanks.
I am a retired finance bod who is approching her 77th birthday, I live in Essex which is just a short train ride from London, UK, hobbies are few these days but I used to sail/race a 27ft yacht around the Scottish lochs.
The only countries I have visited have been Ireland and South Africa where my daughter lived..sadly she has passed on..but I still have two g/d's and four g/g children out there. It is a beautiful country and I have visited many times.. I also have a son and family living in Brisbane, Australia but have never visited there.
I felt quite at home reading through the postings because I also have been growing tomatoes which have yet to ripen..have brought them indoors now because the weather is turning and with too much rain it will kill them off, the pots are sitting in my shower tray which makes easy watering..and promise to remove them whilst showering but there again I am thinking...if I shower them with my foam gel suds then maybe I can market a new tasting variety...how about a honeysuckle flavour type..lol.
I have six granddaughters in all, of the two in the UK one is an embalmer, lives in Coventry and owns five horses, the other is a beauty therapist who works for Harvey Nichols in London..she flew out to Dubai yesterday for a nine day holiday, lucky her.
Then there are two who live on the outskirts of Johannesburg SA and are happily married with five children between them, my other two are at school in Brisbane.
My daughter lives just a few roads down from me and works as an IT specialist, guess who taught me the finer arts of computing...she also owns seven horses, what beautiful animals they are and so regal...am quite happy to face up to a prancing arab but to come face to face with a bear, no way.
Well folks reckon it's time for bed, not that I sleep deeply these days...must be my age..lol.
I would like to continue reading your thread which brought a breathe of fresh air into my tired mind tonight/now morning..that's if it is okay by you..
Take care all and bye for now

JoyceP

Welcome to you too Joyce.
How nice to hear from somone who enjoys what goes on in our lives as well. You have 3 birthdays more on me, some days I rejoice others I want to stay under the covers all day.But can't complain as life is good and busy.
Please come back often as we all love the company. I'm off to bed soon too. Byeeee Edith

Good evening to you all (or morning/afternoon).

After reading the last couple of pages, I'm surprised that you can't see the aurora borealis from PA Les! Are you looking the right way ....lol.
I can't count the number of times that I've seen the northern lights.

My aunt from England was with us on a camping holiday through BC a few years back. We had called in at "the lake" (Shuswap Lake of the deer incident) on our way back home. I was surprised that she had never seen a shooting star or the northern lights. That night she got to see both :)

We live in the next city to where the famous Terry Fox hailed from and we have seen them here loads of times.

My aunt and uncle were over from Australia a few years back. We had ordered pizza. When the delivery boy came he asked my husband what "thing" in the sky was. I was so glad that my "down under" relatives got to see them. These are just a couple of examples.
My dad claims to have seen them from Newsham Park in Liverpool!

We are having good weather here on the lower mainland. Good for taking a cuppa and the crossword from the paper outside to the backyard in the morning.

For the Australians looking in, I have several connections.
I have an aunt (who has seen the northern lights!) who lives outside of Sydney at Mt.Colah.
An aunt who recently moved from Perth to Port Douglas (Queensland I think). And a daughter who will be home in 38 days after being away for nearly a year who is living in Perth.
That reminds me it's her 21st in November and I should be making plans for her "key to the door" celebration.

I have only seen one bear this year. He was a couple of houses away from us. I'm sure that those in BC saw the report of the bear attack on Westwood Plateau where the woman was mauled. Lets just say we share the same postal code, thats how close we are.

Have a good day,

Deb

Hi Y'all,

Welcome Joyce, you come and visit often...we don't mind that you live in Essex....LOL!! Do you live anywhere near Jamie Oliver??? I have a rellie in Essex, Steve, he lives in Harlow.

Deb because we are in a valley we get a lot of cloud cover at nite time.Guess it floats up the inlet from the Pacific. Anyway this Fall on a clear nite I will surely look harder and let you know. When I lived in northern Alberta I used to see them all the time.

A new bear story with a sad ending. In town these folks went to bed and left their back door open so that the cat could get back in. Well in the middle of the nite there was some crashing and banging and the guy goes to look only to find a large black bear sitting in his kitchen eating the left over Chinese food that he had wrenched form the fridge. I chuckled as I read that bit but then was horrified to read that they destroyed the bear as he had "invaded" the home.... duh!! they left the door open!!!

Giving away chinese cabbages today, come on over if you want one. If they don't get eaten they will go to seed and be wasted. I offered one to my neighbour she said...what shall I cook with it???? I said er! stir fry? So she said bring me a recipe...OK!! Actually Norm made pancakes with one of them. Mashed spuds, finely chopped cabbage, finely chopped green onions, an egg and s and p. Roll into balls and then squash flat to 1/4 inch and fry in a small amount of oil (or Pam) so that they don't get too greasy. Yummy!!

More later
Lesxx

Morning all.. We have a lovely day today.. Going up to around 19c..A beautiful spring day...Friday it will be 24c..so it is warming up..

Thanks for the phone call Les..You are a gem..How was the spag.bog..(aussie for spaghetti bolognese)hee hee hee...send me over a Chinese cabbage.. We used to have a fantastic recipe for a salad made with it and those crispy Chinese noodles and lots of other lovely things..Every time we made it it always got eaten.Never had any leftovers when that is served up..Just wish I could find the recipe..Must google and see if I can find it..

Hi Dorothy..Lovely to see you on this thread..Tell Brenda to come and visit also....

Hi Janey...When we went to Europe people would ask us where we were from and when we said Australia,,they would say,,,AH AUSTRIA...lol so we had to repeat ourselves and say no that big country in the southern hemisphere..In Greece they would ask us if we were German.. don't ask me why...but when we said we were Aussies they just about embraced us and couldn't do enough for us..I think Melbourne is the second largest Greek town in the world,,and I would say every Greek in Greece has a relative in Aussie..lol

Fred.. Say thanks to Liz and looking forward to the pictures of Lewis,,He cant be 5 yet..surely..do they start school early in the Uk..it only seemed like yesterday he turned 1yo..He must be quite a little man,,big hug for him from auntie Mary...

Joyce.. Great to have you here..Gosh all the new peeps ..Its hard to keep up..But it is lovely to have you here..We have a mix of people from Canada, UK and Aussie,,so we have a lot to share..If you need any advice on growing anything Fred is your man..Also he has a recipe for just about everything,,,and is a fab cook...and he is happy to share..


Deb..Nice to have you join us,,I have seen the northern lights from Scotland..After the war we went to Scotland where my dad comes from and it was so spectacular,,I also couldn't get over the fact that at 10 at night it was still daylight..quite different..

Christine,,Another welcome.. Its great to see you back again.. Keep it up..

EDith..Are the tomats ripe yet.. You have got me interested so might give it a go..I have a back patio but I am wandering if it gets enough sun to grow them,,will have to give it some thought..

Well sorry I haven't been posting much lately but I have a touch of a flu bug and it is tiring me out..By the time I do everything around here I am right buttered,,never mind it will pass and I will get back to normal,,I hope,,lol...

Have a nice day all..

Love Mary xxxx

Hi Everyone,

Wow, what a lot of new faces to welcome! Les, you did a great thing starting this thread over again. Welcome to all of you.

For the newcomers, here is a little bit about me. I was born in Winchester, Hampshire ( 56 years ago this coming friday-yikes!!!) but lived in the Eastleigh, Chandlers Ford area where most of my family still lives. I moved to Calgary, Alberta, Canada with my family in 1966. I am married to my lovely hubby Bob and have three children Angie 25, David 26 and Michael 29. I work at a local garden center and love it!

I think I have seen the Northern lights three times since we came to Calgary, a rare sight but very spectacular.

Still with the bear stories, a friend told me how a friend of hers shot a bear in her kitchen quite a few years ago. She lives on an acreage south of here. The bear had come to her home several times and got braver each time. The woman heard noises in the kitchen and grabbed her husbands shot gun thinking it was an intruder, it was but of the animal kind. She was very lucky not to have been hurt herself.

Mary, I will send you a private message with my recipe for cabbage salad.

I am off to watch a bit of tv before going to bed.

Teresa

Good Morning All,
It's the wee small hours here so I've just popped in before I go to bed.
The computer was down for a month then I spent a lot of time catching up on FH so it's nearly 3 months since I was on the boards.
Hope eveyone is well.

Ian

Hello to all

Welcome back cousin Ian. Hope you like the new site for Canada and all.
Have made some headway with Colin Ross, as soon
as I get the cert I will fill you in. Hope you are well.
Come back often we are now a busy place to visit.
Bye for now Edith XXXX

Good evening again folks and thanks for all your mentions, nice x
Christine hi...correct me if I am wrong but I believe you post on one of our health threads from time to time!... and yes journies to London are horrendous, my granddaughter travels up there five days a week on business and the yearly costs amount to roughly £3000...a lot of pennies...
Hi Edith..am wondering if you are researching the Ross clan from Scotland because I know a few of them by marriage, interesting to say the least.
My days of cooking large meals is a thing of the past due to my living alone but I certainly enjoyed reading the recipes which some of you posted, mouth watering.
Mary .... where abouts in Scotland did your dad live? I lived in Alexandria, Dunbartonshire for roughly thirty four years and only moved down to Essex eight years ago, I do miss the beauty and peace found in the glens and around the lochs.
Time for tea now so will love and leave you all.
Take good care,

Joyce

hi thanks for the welcome from so many of you I have kust had a good read what a great group of people from all over the place, I will be in calgary from the 15h of oct to the 28th at my sisters it will be my first visit west after living here so long. they also have a place in canmore. my granddaughter flipped off her bike yesterday and is now on crutches I was called at 8-30 am to come and rescue her her parents being at work one teaching and one in the city at meetings so we had a good day to-gether after we had her fixed up. bye for now dorothy

Hi ! everyone..
Its me from Cannock Chase in Staffordshire..Britains smallest area of outstanding natural beauty...complete with Canadian, German, and other war cemetaries....(should anyone want a 'look-up doing)

what a lovely friendly thread....
I know I have some Canadian connections, and have been in contact,but I am still researching..
My hubby also has some.. so look forward to finding out about those too...
I recently found out that when my Moms Dad died..she was 14.....her mother thought about taking her over to Canada to live with those rellies...so I nearly was Canadian....ha ha ha
Good night all....off to manchester tommorrow to take daughter to airport...she's off to Eygpt...its ok for some....
x

Morning all.. We have a boootiful day today.. going up to around 19c..

Ian.. Great to see you back again.. Sorry you have been without a puta for so long..Did you have withdrawels..lol..

Well I have given in to this bug and am off to the doc tomorrow ,,bet he says you are nearly over it and go home and it will go by itself..lol,,

Coal Miners Daughter.. WElcome to the thread but can you sign your messages as it is rather a long name to call you,,lol..Just a christian name would be fine, or we could shorten your name to CMD..hee hee hee..I have ancestors in Staffs,,Around Brierley Hill way..Mainly Woodalls,,or Woodhalls..all depends if you had a cold when you told the man your name..lol..My main brick wall comes from Lye /HAy Green just over the border....

Joyce My father was born in Hamilton near Glasgow..I used to love his scottish accent..He would be 108 if still alive..bless him..still have family there, and around Motherwell..

Well am off to the shops as OH wants to go shop..

HAve a lovely day..

Love Mary xxx