General Chat

Christine, sounds like a great trip. My cousin lives in Fawley so we have been visitors over the years to the area you were in...pretty and pretty.
Loved the comments about the bathrooms and the loo....funny how alike we are....they are usually my first comment also.
My new computer seems to be having a problem with its wireless connectivity. If I have to take it back I shall be spitting mad...it is such a lot of work to get it all loaded up again.
Off to sew.
Lesxx

Hi everyone Sorry I havent been here for a while but have been busy at the hospital with my dear friend Lewella who died on last wednesday of that horrible illness..She was a really lovely lady and a great member of the Wattlers..I shall miss her greatly..Her funeral was yesterday and it was lovely..if you can say a funeral is lovely..
She gave a lot of help to people on GR and was one of the kindest people I know..another angel in heaven..with the best sence of humour I have met for a long time..bet she has them laughing up a storm up there in heaven....

Hope everyone is well,, havent read back but will do so next time..
Les you still sewing...and Fred are you home yet...

Love to all Mary xxx

Hi Mary ,Les and anyone else who shows up .
It is still very difficult to do any sort of work here.the internet being terrible even when you are on the best i s p ,which we are .
We had a good trip into the mountains late last week ,and finished up on Mt Olympus where we took some stunning pictures over the valley towards the sea, and he trip up and down to the plains went well ,the terrain being simular to Canada in the fall ,the trees all in their finery ,all gold ,light green and brown,with the floor under the trees littered with nut shells where the squirrels have had a good time storing nuts for the winter months.
We fly home Tuesday next week ,so i have to get busy with the camera yet again ,lol,these pics have to last us a few years,unless the lottery comes up.
I will be glad to get home in a couple of ways ,i need the doc's to get my right leg seen to ,it pains me much of the time because i wan't to keep it freed up and refuse to sit in a chair and vegetate ,but i have a feeling that i will have to impose on my eldest son in future for the hedges ,although i think i can still manage the lawns so long as i take my time over a couple of days .
I am missing my furry pal too,and can't wait to see her again ,such a pity i couldn't bring her too,i feel sure she would have loved it here ,lol.
Have to go and get ready now to go for dinner with Liz and Sean ,this being a celebration on his promotion ,well deserved too,so all he is waiting for now is conformation as to where they will send him now he is a cpl, maybe someplace for him to train younger members of the logistics branch,who knows ,the world is his oyster in this trade,
Catch all of you later ,take care all ,and be safe .Fred.& Liz.

Badger congrats to Sean, you are rightly proud Love to you and liz

Edith Somerset is very beautiful Email me if I can get any pickles for you. Time running out here but you never know I may be able to take a drive in between parents and farewells

~~~~~~~~everyone

JA

Badger please pass om contrats to Sean, good for him

Safe travel home and hope that leg gets better - be good to see Hissy, Mr D is doing fine I understand

Edith Somerset is lovely, anything i can do - have another week

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Canucks all

JA

Hi all, Thanks for the offer J.A. When I went back the 3rd time I took
loads of pics. The church in Marston Magna is beautiful and very very old so took loads of pics. Books told the tale of the Biddiscombes so I was lucky to cover all of the ancestors on that side.Only have the Lavers to work on now but that can wait for a while!!! Have to get it all documented before I go further. Hope your visit has been good for you . Safe journay home.
Fred and Liz the same for you two. Sounds like you have had a great time.Will look forward to more stories and pics.
Hope everyone else is well. See you soon, Edith XXXX

Hi,
Christine I did the last class yesterday and two of my group had already joined GR and had hot matches...I thought that was pretty cool!! Some of the folks in my class were just "looky loos" and I don't think have any intention of doing any work....maybe they thought I would do it for them? Anyway it was good fun and now its just back to the aprons.
The weather here today is atrocious, howling winds and driving rain. We left an upstairs window open last night and this morning we had a paddling pool....not too good for the wood floor.
Our dishwasher broke and so today a man came to put in the new one. He is from Wales near Swansea so we relived a bit of England together.
So who knows about Grandma Battys???? Unheard of in this country so today I will make two bowl sized yorkshires, one for each of us, and fill them with home made beef stew...good meal on a cold, wet winter night.
Take care you lot
Lesxx

I am busy sewing but thought I had better rescue you us from oblivion....or wherever the heck we were.
Hope all are well....lets see some posting eh??
Lesxx

Sorry to be so long Les but i had a whole load of things to see to when i got home ,but anyway i iss here now lol.
We had a good flight back home and noticed a brigade of Canadian troops waiting to board the buses for two days relax leave before heading home in their canadian c 17s,all troops returning to cyprus [the staging point for afghanistan and iraq] have two days to use all the ammeneties at Akroteiri air base such as the swimming pools bars naafi and other clubs to wind down.we have seen the french,brit's ,yanks.italian and other countries troops coming through here all going to ,or coming back from their tours.
Well done to your lads Les ,the cheer they got as they came through the doors to arrivals left them in no doubt as to what the sight of them meant to all the people there.
Getting back home ,wow ,what a welcome Hissy went mad ,lol we had tons of loves off her and as soon as i got the basics done and sat down ,whoosh ,plonk ,there she was on my lap ,purring like a demented sewing machine,even sat here typing ,she has come in out of the garden and is parked on my lap aSLEEP ,LOL
No way will she sleep down here ,coming to bed with us ,curled behind my knees all night.
This windows 7 is well recommended by me ,lots faster than xp ,easier to multi task with than vista ,and a very stable platform to work from.
I now have all the discs but windows 7 upstairs ,,97,, millenium. xp ,vista ,so i am well sorted as to seeing to my own repairs ,no more shops for me .lol
I had an apple off our tree out back for supper last night ,an unusual shape and colour ,but veeeery sweet and juicy ,a good choice by the wife lol.
I have lots to do over the next few days to get back to normal ,lots of cropping and freezing to see too,but i will be lurking about in the background.
Stay safe all ,and be carefull in all you do.
I am now going to batten down the hatches to get ready for the coming storms tonight,see ya later ,Fred.

Hi everyone. We have hot.hot.hot and I am waiting for winter to return already..thank goodness our winters are not like the uk and canuk ones..our winters are lovely and mild..

Fred so good to see you haome safe and sound..Bet the cat wont leave you alone again in case you disapear again..she obviously missed you ,,so I will be interested to see how Mr,D goes when JA gets back to OZ..LOL.
Hope your leg improves and do rest it as much as possible..Am sure Martin will be happy to give you a hand with the hedges. Hope you and Liz enjoyed the holiday and have come home rested..

Les..You still sewing..hee heehee..that basement is sure gonna be full with you all and Bella and Emily sharing this year..lol..

Edith. How are you my lovely..hope you are well ,,are you still feeding those foxes..hee hee hee..

Christine.. The 1911 census is going to give up a few family secrets me thinks..hee hee..I am hoping to get into it soon..still cant find out how my Dad got from Scotland to Singapore ...Cant find him on the passenger list so bet he worked his way out,,But cant find him listed anywhere..wander if they have a 1911 scotland census and if it is going to be opened up for searching..would be so good..

Hope all are well and have a lovely weekend all..

Love Mary xxx

ps..to find this thread quickly click on Bookmark This ,,,and then when you come on just go to the green patch on the left and click on My Bookmarks..done..

Welcome back Fred, will wait patiently until you get the pics ready.
Sorry Mary, you have my sympathy when it comes to hot weather. I am tickled to see our winter starting and really do look forward to the cooler temps. Never can figure what to take off after I get down to the bare skin!!!!!
In winter I can always add warm woolies.!!!
We are late getting started this year and are just now getting the first real
snow cover. Temps are still above normal so perhaps we are in for another warm winter.
Will be away to the big city next week, going shopping for the holidays and to get a bit of "culture" hee hee.
Our thread is very quiet isn't it? Is everyone too busy or perhaps onto new
projects. We have to get Les away from the sewing machine as we need some more stories.Do miss your "blog" .
Hope everyone is well and look forward to seeing you soon. Off to get some breakfast and then clean the snow off my car.
Bye for now. Edith XXX

Funny thing Edith I did wonder if I should continue you blogging but reality sets in......most days I am a quiet girl....could ya believe that????
We are in the middle of our first winter weather warning....monsoon type rain. Our front gutters are overloaded and it looks like Niagra Falls out there. BUT I will not complain if it stays wet....don't want to deal with all the snow we had last year.
Today is day two of the first fair. As I suspected I have just about saturated the city with aprons and lots of ladies came to tell me that they were still enjoyoing the ones purchased previously. As lovely as that is....it don't sell any more does it??? Also heard yesterday that someone else in town is selling their aprons this year....ticks me off a bit especially as I was told that they purchased one of mine and have copied it....grrr!!!
I keep telling Norm to win the lottery and then we wont have to be bothered with all of this and could lol around all day sipping mint juleps......as if!!!
Lesxx

Winter is truly here. Gale force winds two days in a row. Yesterday in the late morning a chunk of my neighbours roof flew into the front yard. Her brother was over, putting her fence back up!!! and he re-nailed the roof panel back in place. I was awake from about 1 to 3 last night watching the wind howling down the street and, amazingly, my neighbours roof is back in the front yard again this morning....must like it there!!
Today they say it will be a bit sunny until the next system hits us tonight or tomorrow....but its not white!!!
Invented a new spud dish last night. I layered thin sliced spuds with onion slices and tomato slices ending with the spuds. Drizzled a little olive oil over the top, fresh ground pepper and put in the oven at 350 for about 45 minutes....it was amazingly good!!
A sewing day today as I am in another fair at the end of the month.
Keep well.
Lesxx

Hi all.. Well as you lot are freezing and getting blown away we are cooking...it is going up into the high 30c's and low 40c's...anyone need anything cooked..will just leave it outside for a weee while and it will be done..lol

Just waiting for some idiot to light a bushfire as when they say it is a fireban day it is like all the funny farm people come out and light one..never fails..plus we have storms coming for the next few days and the lightening starts many fires, as the ground is so dry...

Been trying to subscribe to FMP but their payment system wont accept me,,have no trouble here in oz using my credit card but their one says no..missed out on the 20% discount ,,contacted my bank twice and still they say no..Have emailed them to find out what the story is,,Has anyone else had problems with them..

Better get ready and take John to the club for lunch..Have a nice day and hugs for all..

Mary xxx

If someone in a Home Depot store
Offers you assistance and they don't work there,
You may live in Canada .

If you've worn shorts and a parka at the same time,
You may live in Canada .

If you've had a lengthy telephone conversation
With someone who dialed a wrong number,
You may live in Canada .

If you measure distance in hours,
You may live in Canada .

If you know several people
Who have hit a deer more than once,
You may live in Canada .

If you have switched from 'heat' to 'A/C'
In the same day and back again,
You may live in Canada .

If you can drive 90 km/hr through 2 feet of snow
During a raging blizzard without flinching,
You may live in Canada .

If you install security lights on your house and garage,
But leave both unlocked,
You may live in Canada .

If you carry jumper cables in your car
And your wife knows how to use them,
You may live in Canada .

If you design your kid's Halloween costume
To fit over a snowsuit,
You may live in Canada .

If the speed limit on the highway is 80 km --
You're going 90 and everybody is passing you,
You may live in Canada .

If driving is better in the winter
Because the potholes are filled with snow,
You may live in Canada .

If you know all 4 seasons:
Almost winter, winter, still winter,
And road construction,
You may live in Canada .

If you find 2 degrees 'a little chilly',
You may live in Canada .

Good morning all you fair people,Fred has now taken the frogman suit off and hung it back in the shed ,and has managed to get out into the garden and rescue some carrots for dinner as they came up for the third time he he.
Seems as though Hissy has settled down back into her routine at last ,but i notice i now get an escort where ever i go,outside the house ,and in ,if i shut a door she will let me know she is not amused and dosn't like being locked out of where i am,this could be a little awkward at Christmas ,although we are not planning to be going anywhere.
Nearly caught up with the housework now but of course ,the garden is at a standstill because of the weather ,lol,it could be a lot worse ,this could have all come down as snow.
To think Liz and i nearly moved to Carlisle 5 years ago ,instead of moving here ,the mind boggles .all those people flooded out ,and the damage done to property and homes ,i feel so sorry for them,as i do for all the people in oz with the heat and bushfires raging out of control.
I remember my time in the gulf where the temperatures were that high ,that we could put a square of tin on bricks ,add a little fat or butter and cook bacon ,sausage ,and eggs ,no bother ,so i know that our Mary wasn't joking about the cooking.
Liz and i have done well since getting home ,nearly all the Christmas shopping is done ,food and pressies ,well the food was easy ,there are only two of us this year ,so a small joint of beef ,pork,and lamb,plus a small turkey crown,and a medium chicken ,all done and dusted.
The ham? ,well ,we cheated again and brought a honey roasted ham joint from Aldi ,and have sliced it and put it in the freezer until needed.
.I take it that despite all the bad weather ,all you bods are gearing up ready for the festive season,so that if the weather turns really nasty ,you can all say b****r it ,close the doors and chill out as best you can.
I am doing a small kalgannon for dinner ,using up the mash left from yesterday with a little grated cheese thrown on the top,and i have taken the left over meat from the last B B q from ther freezer ,chopped up pork chop.burger ,snags ,and bacon strips ,which i will put in a rich gravy .
Weeeell ,we need to start getting some room in the freezer ,ready for all the spare veggies as they come out of the garden,lol,we have all sorts ,tons of leeks ,brussel ,calabrese,beetroot ,parsnips ,all nice and juicy .and of course ,two huge barrels of potatoes,no matter what ,we will not starve over the winter ,i even have a good stock of yeast and flour in case we do get snowed in.
We have caught Mary disease reading about all her meals out with hubby at the club ,and have found a very nice place to have a meal out once in a while ,and have to say ,you had a darned good idea,Mary a chance to join a few friends ,and eat out at the same time.
.We have decided on either a Ford Focus or Fiesta as our new battle wagon,both very comfy and economical ,deisel for lower pollution levels ,the focus doing at least 70 mph,and the Fiesta doing nearly 100 mph,
Both cars come with the diesel engine as a standard option where as Nissan and Kia you have to pay an extra £400 ,so ,it seems as though Ford have got it together.
I got the sat -nav out last night and updated the maps ,which i don't have to pay for as i took the extra payment on board when i purchased it ,now i can ,if i need to ,update every month to keep it up to date.
I thought i had better do it ,because ,going down to High wycombe for the funeral this next friday ,i don't fancy the west coast route with all the flooding ,and don't know the way down the east side very well ,so the sat nav will be veeeery handy.
It's a pretty long drive to Chipping norton ,then through to wycombe ,so i have booked us in to stay overnight at the Premier Inn in Loudwater overnight,then i can slip back to Wycombe and the Cemetary the following Morning to pay my respects to the family before coming home up the m1.
Have to go now peeps work to do and all that ,lol.have a good weekend all.Fred.

Ah Fred, you always make me feel hungry. As I write I am simmering the carcass from yesterdays chickan and tomorrow will make veg and split pea soup plus corn muffins....yummy. Tonight is Norman's cook night and he is going to make chinese for us...s and s chicken, chop suey, a little chinese noodles and rice...more than yummy...even better...I don't have to cook it!!

Hey Debs, good to see ya...how are ya?? in this wonderful wet BC that we live in. Our rainfall here in the Alberni valley is almost on a par with the stormy year of 2006. Lots of flooding, a little snow and hopefully a clear day tomorrow so I can get the rest of my veggies out of the garden.

Keep cool Mary. Let's hope that you don't get those devastating fires in the spring.

Hello to everyone else...
Lesxx

Hi all,Hope all are okay what with the weather and all,old Fred is thankful that the north east seems to have got away with it yet again ,and more thankful than ever that he decided to stay put and not move west.
The wind was that high last night ,that the roof was rattling well he he ,but what the heck ,that's now't and i am insured just in case.
Mary ,J A and the rest of the oz bunch have much much worse ,along with the Carlisle Cumbria lot ,and even parts of Canada coping [i hope] with flooding,so .i for one am ot going to whinge about a bit of a blow.
Liz and i are thinking about all of you and hoping we never have the same miss fortune as so many around our big community.
We are now in the middle od taking out tons of veggies ,blanching ,and getting it all in the freezer for winter use ,lol.i am beginning to feel a bit like a squirrel hiding nuts.
We are off out shortly to get Sean's Christmas ,come thank you for having us,present,a nice combi.mic,oven that has a convection ,oven ,as well as ,mic,and grill,we thought it would be ideal for them when he comes in off shift ,lots quicker and cheaper than using a full size oven.
Any oven that can fully cook a jacket potato in 30 minutes is good in my book,that being a nice crispy skin with a lovely fluffy inside,just the job ,for a quick meal before going to bed.
Being a tight assed Scot ,if i buy it this week from Tesco [no shopping done at Aldi anymore] i would get my double points,plus a cheap tank of petrol from the forecourt ,not bad , eh?.
Hope you all had a nice weekend and don't forget all 4 weeks and counting[ducks to avoid flying objects ,he he.Fred.

Hello all, Back home from Christmas shopping. A lovely choice of gifts
Much better than our small town. Bargains already as the stores are hoping for a better season than last year.Enjoyed a seafood meal too!
Our weather is unbelievable, no snow yet and even tho' the mornings are cold it is easy to drive on the roads.I know we will get snow but for now I am enjoying life without it. I see Mary amd J.A have hot hot hot down there
you have all my sympathy as it is just not my cup of tea. Hope the fires stay away. Enjoyed Fred's pics and his stories of the trip.
How is everyone else???well I hope. Bye for now. Edith XXXXXX

Hello Canucks International all, stopped in to read while doing the looking after the parents bit in the UK for six weeks - been back a week and into high thirty degree heat for a few days and then coll on Monday Tuesday and hot again to day

I finished work in the public service before I left and am now contemplating the next stage of my life lol - and in the meantime sleeping heaps and doing FH
Take care all

JA