General Chat

Good morning all of you lovely peoples,a little on the wet side here but sunny with it ,could be a lot worse,and i ain't complaining .
Hey J A you contemplating the future says it all ,time to do a Fred lady,slow down ,put you feet up ,and let the world pass you by ,you have more than done your bit ,AND more.
Had an amazing bit of luck J A ,Liz had a cousin doing a bit of clearing out up in the loft last week and came across two addresses for our Rileys in Australia ,both in N S W ,one in Bathhearst and one in Carey Bay,so i reckon that's where the pic was taken on the beach at the B B Q,
Now ,i hope ,with help from you peeps ,i may at last find out where Walter is burried and put the record in order,and who knows ,i may now find out where his children now are.
Liz and i are going to be a tad busy over the next few weeks what with the funeral this weekend ,and the run up to the festive season.
Firstly ,mid December we are off down to Lyneham to help Sean unpack all his gear from Cyprus ,and get the married quarters sorted out before Marta [the boss ] flies in from Poland.
They will be here for Christmas day only,going to friends all boxing day,so ,seeing as we are ALL going to the youngest sons for Christmas day for lunch ,and tea it will make a change for me ,no cooking at all ,yeeeeees.he he.the missus dosn't know it yet but SHE is doing my brekkie this year bacon,egg and beans .
I have brought Liz a nice little slide film converter, so that she can put all my forces days slides of Malta ,Gibralter,Spain,,and aden onto her computer.
I am getting her to do this because ,to be honest ,and blunt ,she has the knack of sizing cropping and recolouring pic's that i can't do nearly so well,i just takes them and hands them on ,lol
'Cides i do all the puter programming ,so it's a partnership ,fair doo's
and all that.
We are off down the sons shortly to drop off all the bairns pressies and bits and pieces so that ,at last ,we have our space back,and the gear will be delivered while the bairns are at school.
We are having a very quiet Christmas this year ,our turn too ,to chill out ,relax and enjoy our retirement,and me ,to make a fuss of our lovely Hissy,who has by the way ,three Christmas stockings ,and NO ,she is NOT spoilt [not much] he he.
catch you later, Fred ,Elfing his self this Holiday time.

Hi Everyone,
Gosh, it's been ages since I have posted on here. I promise to do better in the future.

Well, we are all settled in our new home with only a few boxes left to sort out. They are mostly pictures that I am determined to scan before I bury them in the storeroom for another 15 years.

So far, country living is great! We get up each morning and watch the cows come to the stream at the bottom of the garden. I know some of you in the UK are used to having animals close by, but we have lived in the city the whole time we have been married so having cows at the end of the garden is a big deal for us! While our house doesn't have the mountain view, all I have to do is walk two hundred yards to the end of the street and the view there is awesome. Right now they are covered with snow and look fantastic. We don't have snow here yet, had a little the week after we moved but since then have had it quite warm, supposed to be 11 degrees today. I am sure it will cool down soon though.

Bob went to the cancer center the week after we moved expecting to have Chemo and was told he was done. We are thrilled of course! He ended up having 11 of the expected 18 treatments. He had a follow up visit yesterday and is now off all meds and doesn't see the Doctor again until January. Fingers crossed that we don't have to deal with this again.

I have promised myself a day of family history research so off to do that now.

Love to all

Teresa

~~~~~~~~~~~~Canucks all
Teresa, such good news, been wondering how you were both going. House and cows sound sooo nice, know what you mean - will look forwrd to hearing about the garden you are green fingered growing!

Blessings wished for all

JA

Just a quick one before i go to prepare the dinner all, we got back safely at 7 oclock last night had an instant cuppa soup ,while we made a fuss of Hissy and waited for the house to start heating up.
I found my grandads grave this time ,and left him a Poppy cross ,and some flowers with apologies for taking so long to find his resting place.
I also found Junes plot [she is buried with her parents] and Alans ashes will be buried in the same plot,so i left flowers for all of them.
Then on to dads grave way up on the hill,and noted that from there all the graves were set out in a triangle and could be seen from my dads plot ,so,that seems to mean that little extra to me.
We missed the snow showers on the way down too and all went well apart from roadworks everywhere.
Got a pleasent shock too [two of them actually] the first being accosted by a fella in the pub where the buffet had been put on ,this bloke says to me [you don't recognise me do you?] and of course i had to say no.
My name is Rodger Newton he says ,and my mouth was gobbed ,lol,i used to go to Spring Gardens and Hatters Lane school with him.
When i then found out that he was married to cousin Sue ,my mouth dropped open ,he he ,small world aint it?.
The next shock i got took some getting over,because cousin Shaz' had brought loads of photos that she had scanned onto her puter and now wanted rid of to save space,
I picked out one of Alan in his Royal Marine Uniform ,andreached into the box because i was sure i recognised the vessel in the photo because i already had one from Lizs Dads photos,and i was right ,a Picture of the aircraft carrier Impaccable,.
It was the ship that Alan was posted to in 1942 on completion of his trade training,the very vessel that picked up my Father in law from the p o w camp in singapore and took him to Sydney in Australia before going on to, Canada and then home to england,Both my uncle ,and dad in law ,on the same vessel ,at the same time all the way home ,not knowing that they would be distant relations one day how weird is that,lol?.
The hotel was very comfortable ,only a few miles from the M 25 and the road home.
We were lucky too in that only a hundred yards ,on the roundabout is Tescos ,so ,we filled up the car ,and ourselves with a nice evening meal,so good wasit that we went back for brekkie the next morning ,saving ourselves a good bit on eating prices lol.
Have to get on with the dinner now ,the bairn wants mince and dumplings[again].
Catch you later all,Fred.

Morning all. Returned from the "shopping"trip. Prices were already being cut, so did get some bargains. The real bonus tho' is the weather,NO
snow and its Nov. we have now shortened winter by a month. In our part of the world that is a big plus.
Great to hear from you Teresa and the good news about Bob.
Fred as usual you are a busy bee and thanks again for the pics. Time to slow down tho' now with Christmas coming and just put the tired feet up and sip a hot toddy.!!!
Les, still sewing??? I think you have been getting some of our winter weather. You seem to have had a lot of the wet stuff. How is Bella holding up or does she enjoy running in the rain.? Hope you and Norm are well.
To all the others stay well and let's hear from you.Hi J.A. will try to call you soon. Bye for now Edith XXXX

Hi everyone.. Been a while since I was here..

Teresa So good to get the good news about Bob.. Big hugs for him and you.. The new house sounds lovely and the cows at the bottom of the garden just beautiful...I would love to live in a country town but John wont move,,He is a city boy..lol..

Edith Sounds like you are having a Indian summer...bet the snow will come with a vengeance when it arrives..keep warm,,are you still feeding those foxes..hee hee ..Did you have a nice bit of retail therapy..does one good ...but don't bend the plastic to much...lol

Fred.. Sounds like you had a safe and interesting trip..Its amazing how old school friends change with the years..some people just don't weather the years to well..hee hee hee...not like us,,hee hee he...

Christine What sad news about your husband uncle I do hope he has a full recovery,,Don't give up your family history,,keep branching out to the smaller twigs and see who you can find that is unexpected..I found a tree with one of my uncles in it and when I searched the persons tree he had Winston Churchill in it ..Am quite sure its not on my side of the family..trouble is he has so many mistakes in the census he has added to my side of the family I cant believe it..I have the correct ones and he has them way up north of the uk somewhere..They never left the south..Ah well he did have on his tree a picture of my uncle so I snatched that and added that to my tree..seeing as how he had added all the certificates and records I had photographed to his tree...fair exchange..lol..

Les.. You busy sewing again..why don't you put a symbol or a type of trademark on your aprons so that anyone copying them can be suied..lol..at least the buyer will know they are copies...keep warm ,,,

Well am going to go to bed..sleep well..

Love Mary xxxx

Hi all. Well it is here "snow" Over night we got about 1 inch,but more is coming. Nice that it waited until Dec.
Yes, Mary still feeding the foxes. Mom and twins plus another come nightly.We have several people in the complex saving bits and pieces for them.
Did indeed do a lot of shopping. Finished the Christmas list and then got all the basics for the season as well. Like Fred we stock up for winter as it's a long way to drive for other than we can buy in our town.!!!!
The shops were all geared up for the holiday and a few had some very good sales on. Managed to get a lovely black jacket for the holiday parties with some "bling" on the collar and cuffs.
Must get back to the cards as time is getting short for mailing to far away places.Stay well everyone. Edith XXXXXXXXXXXX

Evening all ,nice to be here again with a computer that will go on line with either wi fi ,or via a dongle ,he he ,i won;t mind going away for a couple of days any more ,
See that our Mary has Winston Churchill as a distant cousin ,hah ,i suppose we now need to call her maam ,Mary now.lol..
Seriously, you never know who you have in your tree until you look do you.Mary is lucky ,in my case and with my luck i might find i was related to Jack The ripper ,lol ,or worse. he he
We were lucky Edith ,we got away with the snow again ,it missed us by a long sea mile ,so now ,so long as it holds off till i get back from helping the grandson sort out his new house ,i will be well pleased.
Hissy is keeping looking up at me and patting my leg ,hinting that it's her teatime ,so ,i think i had better go and feed her ,poor old Fred Two VERY demanding females to look after he he.
Catch you all later,Fred.

Well Fred you can just get down on one knee,,(not the wonky one) and call me Lady Mary hee hee hee hee..I am sure that I haveny got Winny in my tree.. He might on the other side but I am very sceptical...Cant believe the errors he has..He is in America and has a big American side of the family but ?????????????..must go and see what else he has..hee hee...
I haven't started my cards yet..I have bought them so better get started..We are having Christmas at home this year..Well at sons place,,and Daughter from Canberra is coming up ..Daughter in Orange is staying home but will probably come down soon after,,
The Wattlers are having a Christmas lunch get together soon and I am going..I am driving 150 km there and 150km back for a lunch,,I call that keen..Will be nice to get out on the road again..It is down in Bowral Fred,,You should know where that is,,lol
Well better go and do some of the dreaded H,,,k so have a nice day /night..
Hope you are all well and keeping warm..

Love Mary xxx

Hi Lady Mary ,yep the name Bowral brings to mind a tulip festival in October for starters ,and looks to be a nice little town,enjoy your get together and meal,i shall be with you all in spirit you lucky lot.
The beef is already in the chalet ,and as that comes out to cook and put in the freezer ,the other piece will take it's place.
We are more or less on our own too this year ,so all the meats will be precooked early ,sliced and put into the freezer ,to take out as needed.
.we are off down the Metro Centre later this morning to finish the present shopping ,so i will try to get the boss to buy me a mc donalds chicken burger meal ,which will mean i only have to take out soup for this evenings meal,along with some sliced french stick ,and a sprinkling of Parmesan cheese ,a meal fit for anyone,lol.
Off to get ready peeps ,catch you later,Fred.

Hey Everyone,
Well the fair this weekend was a bust!! It was Grey Cup on Sunday and even the "wine" train didn't bring us many customers. So now I have lots of pinnies left. Grrrrr!!
We went into Nanaimo yesterday to do a bit of shopping. It is only a city of 80 thou but seems like the "big smoke" to us. Edith you will understand that.. Have been helping a gal with her BHC research and have now come to a dead stop....nothing to be reconciled...too frustrating!! I am going to start updating my info on GR..... a long project altho it may bring me some more of those wonderful hot matches....well heat is heat right???
Have a chicken carcass simmering away so will be chicken soup tonight...yummy! Funny how its mostly Fred and I that chat about food....why is that Fred???
Take care.
Lesxx

Tell you what Les ,we, the genes family can help get rid of a few pinnie's for you .
Wrap one up .let me know how much the postage is ,and i will pay for the pinnie's and carriage even taking a pic of myself wearing it in the kitchen,lol.so come on all you peeps Les needs to shift these pinnie's so she can get more material for the next batch.
You can even use my pic for the next fair Les ,good advertising for the products,and i get to use good coverage for my clothes in the kitchen he he.
Don't know about the cooking though .maybe it's because i enjoy doing it as much,nothing pleases me more as when something comes out of the oven ,wok ,or slow cooker that is nice,tender and tasty [back ot the net],Have to go early today ,daughter shopping at cramlington time ,
Catch you later ,Fred

Morning from a snow covered Sioux. Yes, Fred I think you would look
lovely in a lavender taffeta with matching satin ties.!!!!
Les your sales would soar and who knows the the fame you could attain??
Our winter is definately here to stay and it has finally sparked Christmas fever. Shopping in our "big city" has increased this past week. Our annual Seniors dinner is on Monday as well as the Craft fair this week-end. Busy days ahead but fun ones for sure.
Hi to Mary down there in the heat.Enjoy the holiday at your son's.
To all the rest of the folks here's hoping you are all well and getting ready for the holiday. Off to get some breakfast and then on to some house work. See you soon. Edith XXXXX

Hiya Edith nice to see you always old friend,even if you are using swear words so near Christmas [HOUSEWORK ,URGGGGGG].Hey i.m sure Les could do me a special .one pinnie in tartan that i could wear at the baird gatherings ,at Christmas ,and for the Burns supper.
the original Lavender and taffita would be lovely for liz while she makes her pastries,lol.a nice addition to her little pile of presents.
That's two now .lol.and i still reckon it's a good idea.
Well ,we had our first power outage of the year this morning ,only lasting a few minutes ,but it did take out the sreet lamps ,so ,it was ,get on the phone and report it as soon as the council offices opened.
They must expect it now ,it happens every year at this time ,you would think that by now they would have decided to lay a new cable and have done with it.
Made a nice ,simple dinner for the bairn today,spaghetti and proper meatballs made out of the best steak mince ,and the spaghetti done in a proper tomato sauce .
Tea wise i have decided to try the veggie from the garden to see what it's like this year,toad in the hole ,with roast tatties and parsnip,and new potatoes ,mash ,cabbage ,and cauli. steamed ,the wife is going to make the gravy because she makes it better than me.
Time to go ,cor ,where has today gone ,catch you later all.Fred

Say Fred, my carrots, beets and turnips are all still in the garden. I just go out and dig 'em up as I need them. Now we had severe frost last night down to about minus 5.....guess those veggies will be OK eh???

Will look for some tartan for you....any particular colour, and after xmas I will make an effort to download some pics of the recent ones. At the mo I am making a fairy dress for Rhian for xmas. We got her a wand that sparkles (batteries) and I am going to make her a butterfly crown for her head. Think she will prance all of xmas day!!!

Today is write the cards day...not my most favourite thing but I do lke to receive so best get at it. Norm and I just did the grocery shop for the month so we are all set. Am thinking of getting another cat. I miss my Ziggy so much and I think I would love a kitty. I would get a rescue cat and have actually seen a lovely ginger tom who is pulling at my heart strings.....we'll see.
Off to write.
Keep warm and well you lot.
Lesxx

Hi Les i think you could do with a couple of bales of hay Lass,to cover you veggies with ,they survive in my garden okay ,even in the tubs which are at ground level ,but honestly think you could do with a good layer of straw over yours because your frosts are so severe compared to ours.
Pics requests for Rhian will be coming in thick and fast lol ,so ,extra batteries for the wand are in order ,bet she looks lovely in her fairy dress.
Any tartan will do ,as long as it's of a scottish sort ,no special tartan ,they are soooo expensive here never mind over there ,lol,my Baird kilt and tie cost me £200 in total ,and that was twenty years ago ,i shudder to think at what the rest would have come to ,shirt ,the covering over the shoulder ,dirk ,socks and shoes ,not a lot of change from £1000 i bet ,noooooo ,ordinary tartan will do fine thank you very much.
The cat will probably bring you much joy ,mine did very much this very morning ,bringing me a present of my most hated enemy of the garden,a wood pigeon ,left on the step for me to dispose of .
Hissy was there as i opened the door ,and got a loving pat ,and stroke for bringing it ,one less in the spring to ruin my seedlings , if it had been any fatter i would have kept it for my son who loves game birds,afraid they taste a little strong for me though .
Hope everyone is having a nice weekend getting the house decked out ,and doing the last minute shopping,not long to go now is there?
Our copy of Harry Potter & The Half Blood Prince arrived this morning ,so we will have a treat after our dinner of steak liver and onions& dumplings ,complete with garden veggies by settling down for the afternoon and watching the film.only hope it;s as good as all the others which we have .
Catch you all later, Fred.

Hi everyone..We are going up to 35c today, and the west suburbs are going up to 40c...thank goodness for the air con..I remember when I was a young lass it was so hot we used to see the tar on the road melt,,and people would say ,,you can fry a egg on the road or the bonnet of my car.42c was common...lol.Thank goodness we don't have those temps at the moment..must be global cooling..lolo

Having a quiet Christmas and going to sons place where daughter from Canberra is coming up..Will be nice to see our Canberra grandies..The Canberra mob are getting a new puppy in jan to replace their lovely Newfoundland that died..This one is a Japanese Spits,,google it and see what a lovely dog it is..The puppies look like miniature polar bears..lol

Well off to do some food shopping so have a nice day all and stay warm..

Love Mary xxx

Hi Everyone,

Mary, can you please, please send some of that heat this way? As I sit here it is minus 26 with a wind chill of minus 34!! Bone chilling is the only word to describe it today. We had a blizzard in this area on Friday. Calgary got hit hard. When Bob and I went in to the city yesterday we could not believe how much snow there was, we didn't get half of what the city did out here. There was some drifting snow here especially for us as our lot is in the corner up against open fields. I am sitting beside the fire right now, not that the house is cold, but a fire always makes everything seem more cozy.

I am in the process of getting the house ready for my mum's visit this friday. She lives with my sister and sis and her hubby are having both their office Christmas parties at their home (very big house) so we thought mum might be more comfy here. Hopefully we can persuade her to stay for a week or so and I can show her around town.

I started decorating the house today by unpacking all my little houses for the Victorian village that I set up. I have about thirty lighted houses with lots of accessories that will really add to the festive atmosphere. We still don't have a tree but will probably go out to the tree lot and get one on Wednesday.

Time to check on dinner- nothing fancy Fred, just ginger and pineapple meatballs with snow peas done in the slow cooker.

Stay warm all you Canucks, hope it cools off for you Mary!

Teresa

Hey Teresa, saw your blizzard on the TV....wow that's about the third one isn't it. Very cold here for us about minus 10 today but oh! the lovely blue sky!!

Fred I haven't done any thing with my veggies...hmmm! maybe I should dig them up and put them out in the sunroom...pretty cold out there but not as much as outside.

I have a transcript of the members bill that is asking (successfully) for 2010 to be designated the year of the British Home Child here in Canada. If anyone wants a copy let me know and I will email it to you.

Off to sit by the woodstove....I am freezing today...grrr!
lesxx

Hi peeps out there in the frozen places ,and others who arn't quite as cold.
Liz and i are staying in today ,so it's backs to the wall .and out with the wrapping paper[if the cat will let us ,lol
So ,its daddie claus ,mummy claus and Hissy claws at the wrapping in a family group.
I got to visit the vodaphone shop yesterday and they were very good,i got a free upgrade because the dongle i had was no longer in the shop,i got a far faster one and even got my new sim on the same number ,so all i had to do when i got home was get the Acer out ,plug the dongle in ,and wham .on line.
This time i insured against damage ,or [ahem ] loss for £3-50 a month.
I am also going to put the T Mobile onto the acer in case i ever go to a place like Blackpool where voodaphone isn't too clever ,so i can still get online at least.
Hope all you peeps in the frozen countries are doing okay,back later as there is work to be getting on with .
Take care all,Fred