General Chat

Hi Everyone,
Just got back from a great xmas with the kids over in their new house. Lots of good food, and choccies etc.etc.....oh! and good red...LOL!!!

My best pressie.......... About 2 months ago my daughter came for a quick visit. So we were off to shop, she is a great shopper! We ended up in Wallyworld and she bought dozens of balls of wool. I said to her - you'll never finish that. So on xmas eve we are all together and daughter is crocheting a poncho for Rhian. I laughed and said ha!ha! what about all that wool, knew you'd never make anything!! On xmas morning we opened our pressies and there was huge squishy package for me. I opened it and voila!! it was an exquisite blanket that my daughter had crocheted out of all that wool she bought.....we both laughed and laughed and then we had a cry....great pressie....great xmas!!

Oh and last week I walked on the dyke and there in front of me....a large black bear...not sleeping just out having a good time!!

We got home last night. A little snow here today, going to have a relaxing day. I have chicken noodle soup bubbling in my slow cooker...life is good.
Take care you lot.
Lesxx

HAPPY NEW YEAR to all.

May it be all you wish it to be. Stay well.

See you next year. Edith XXXXXXX

Wishing everyone a Happy New Year and many many blessings
Love

JA

Happy New Year to you all. Hope the year brings good health, peace and happiness......

Hi everyone.. Looks like you all had a great Christmas and New Year..Is it now the diet...lol... I had a very quiet Christmas as John was not well and spent most of Christmas Day in bed but recovered enough on boxing day afternoon to join us at the sons house for a family dinner..It was lovely to have all the family together,,doesn't happen to often..once a year if we are lucky..Daughter Ann spent a few days here with us while hubby took the kids out and about and it was lovely to just have time to sit and talk and have some quality time together..cant remember when that last happened..Have decided to take the train and visit the daughters more often this year, and if John cant come will leave him home and go on my own..Love the train trip to their towns and John can manage on his own for a weekend..Will leave him with lots of food in the freezer..LOL..
We have our annual genealogy meet next month and am looking forward to that..It has become my annual holidays..4 days away with the mad Wattlers..LOL.
Seems global warming has ended and its now global cooling..Why are those bears still around Les.. They don't know that its winter...hee hee...Hope you are all keeping warm,,,We have had a bit of rain which is very welcome and a few floods up north but not to bad..everyone is happy to have the rain..
Les What a lovely Christmas present..just fantastic...

Well better go and get some dinner so have a lovely weekend all..

Wishing you all a very Happy New Year and hope it brings good health and happiness to you all..

Love Mary xxx

Morning all. Well, someone left the back door to Canada open again and sure enough we are again in the deep freeze. It is - 30 most mornings, warms up a bit during the day and then down again at sunset uugghh.
Happy to hear most got through to 2010 o.k. now back to the garden catalogues to dream of the summer flowers and veg etc.
Mary our bears are sleeping, not roaming around as it's just too cold even for them. The fox are still about tho' and are happy when we put chicken bits out for them.
Time for breakfast so will say bye for now. Edith XXXXX

Helloooo Where are you all.??? I know it has been cold but thought you were inside by the fire and playing on the computer.
We still have cold nights but the days are sunny so tolerable. Fred Where are you???Surely not out in all the snow?
I'll bet Hissy does not like it heehee. How about J.A. Mary, Les, Teresa and the others. Let's hear from you.
Off to get something to eat and then finish a very good book.
Edith XXX

Hello everyone!
We spent Christmas day at our grand daughters. Lots of fun with three great grand daughters around. One present I got I really don’t like – a doozy of a cold!
Grand daughter has a Wii and treated themselves for Xmas to a “Wii Fit plus”! Hilarious fun for all the family. The darn thing rates you for weight and fitness. OH was spot on for his age – 80 - and also for weight. Me – I was rated at 71 for age (79 really) so that ticked him off! Only problem is I am over weight so have to do something about that. We bought ourselves a Wii and I’m waiting for the Fitness plus gizmo I ordered to start on a weight loss program for the New Year. Nice to feel like kids again! Great Grand daughters were tickled pink when Grandma “flew like a chicken”. All these new fangled things…..
I feel sorry for all my friends in England – what a horrendous mess and at least another week of bad weather to go. We talked to brother in law and another friend and I am so glad we came to Canada so long ago and SO glad we moved to the Okanagan. It’s just balmy here. The lowest it’s been here is -10 and the mountains all around look so beautiful but the little snow we have is no problem – far less than at our old haunts in Alberta. Hope everyone is enjoying life as much as we are and hope you all have a fantastic New Year.

Hi Edith ,still here Lass ,but down in Lyneham helping the grandson with his new house not far from Salsbury Plain.
The trip down was a pain ,he he ,the washer bottle froze as we left Newcastle ,but luckily i had learned about that from my driving wagons life and had put a gallon of cold water in the car boot,so it was a case of stop at each service station ,throw some water over the screen ,and off on the road again.
The whole trip was a nightmare,snow ,snow ,and more snow ,freezing as soon as it hit the road,most drivers clueless as to how to drive in it ,driving too fast and causing grief to themselves ,and others.
By the time i hit Oxfordshire it was dark and freezing hard minus 10 and dropping fast ,so cold shortly after that the headlights started to fade because the battery wasn't coping and was i think starting to freeze up .
Got here in the finish utterly tired out,taking us 7 hours door to door.
We hired a van the next afternoon,[yesterday] and went on to the airfield to collect his six [heavy boxes from the Hercules aircraft they arrived in ,he he ,back in the old days i was ,undoing the net from off the pallet and finding Seans boxes ,and lugging them off the loader onto the van ,in a freezing cold hanger,which was colder inside than it was out,lol.and then the real fun.
Taking the boxes off the van and lugging them over the grass to the door of the house,i was knackered by the time we were done doing that.
It was 7 pm by this time ,the van to take back yet ,and still no warm meal.so ,after we picked his car back up ,we came home via a chinese takaway and got a meal for all..
Then it was off to bed.
Will update you all this afternoon when we have most of the boxes unpacked ,connected the new washing machine ,and have had dinner. Fred.

Hi all you frozen Popsicles up north..We have been getting a first hand showing on our tv of the lovely ice and snow you are all getting...and we down south here are getting VERY HOT weather...into the 40c + and total fire bans everywhere..just waiting for some idiot that loves to light fires to come out of the woodwork, and start one..so far so good ,,only small fires that are quickly controlled and put out..
Been leading a very quiet life here and have made a promise to myself to visit my daughters more often this year,,Just for the weekend so John should manage on his own ok,,My Grand/D is turning 21 on the 1 March and we are supposed to be going to that so we will see how things pan out.. I get my annual holiday weekend next month at the Wattle Meet and am so looking forward to it..getting very tired..

Hope all are well ..

Love Mary xxx

Hi Everyone,
I have been immersed in my Henson family and have finally updated my Hensons on GR. Its funny how when you go back after a year or so and have another go, how new stuff appears.
My news....on Jan 2 I went to the SPCA and got my rescue cat. He is a large ginger tom with a white tummy and paws. I have named him Oliver and call him Ollie most of the time. He and Bella have a "looking" relationship!!! Any little noise seems to frighten Ollie but I am sure as the weeks go by he will be OK.
The weather here is very wet, flooding downtown,....we watch our basement carefully!!!!
Can you believe that is it!! Keep well you lot.
Lesxx

Good morning everyone,Glad you have managed to keep your chin up Mary ,it must be worse for you than us ,we can warm ourselves by putting on extra clothes to go outside or turn the heating up ,but how in heck does a body cool down unless you get into a pool or the water,or run expensive air conditioning all day and night .despite me complaining ,i know which i would rather have ,lol
We should be heading home tomorrow morning so long as the lads fridge freezer comes this morning as promised,so that i can take him to Wotton Basset and iceland to get his supplies in as far as £50 will go.
We nagged him to do all the important things first ,like sort out his energy supplier and get his new phoneline and tele package ,t v license and the like so there are no nasties coming through the letter box.
This has left him a bit short seeing as he is paid at the end of the monthso i doneted to his food stash till that time comes ,lol
When he starts work at the end of the month he will officially be promoted to nco [cpl] and his pay will go up with a heck of a bang.
He deserves it too ,he will then be well involved with the repatriation of the fallen men and women who come home from Iraq and afghanistan,not a job i would fancy,i know how i felt when i lost buddies in the gulf,not nice at all ,and very upsetting for all.
Blast it ,it has now started snowing again ,so i may just have to leave the lad the money to do iceland himself ,it also depends on the company delivering his fridge freezer,i couldn't believe early in the week when his washing machine was two days late because of a 1" fall of snow ,these drivers could do with a driving course up in the wilds of Northumberland six inches quite normal ,and the drivers still do deliveries and get to work and back.
Have to go now and let the missus lose for a while or i will get some stick ,in more ways than one ,take care all you peeps over both ponds ,and stay safe ,Fred.

Morning all What weather we are having in this world. Mary you have all my sympathy. I do not tolerate the heat at all well. The cold is much easier to handle.
Fred, we have those drivers here as well. In some areas of the country 1 inch of snow will stop them all. The only real problem we have in our area is the "black ice". You can't see it on the road until you start skidding into either the snowbanks or another vehicle. Again driving with caution will keep you safe.
Les, hope Bella and Ollie get on as time goes by. We have a great time watching Erin's pugs with her 2 cats. Can get to be real funny if they are racing through the house at warp speed.Do you have a "Peggy Henson in your group?. I do and she is in Oz. Who knows HeeHee?????
Time to go the site is jumping again. Edith XXXX
wish they would fix that !!!!

Hi people... We have now a few showers and a lovely mild day..The heat has gone and life is back to normal..The extremes dont last to long,,usually around 2 to 3 days on average..in the worst places..I didnt mind it to much as we have a pool and A/C which got a good thrashing..lol...
Fred Hope you got Sean sorted ..cant have the poor boy going hungry...lol.. that will be the day with you around...lol...

Les WElcome to Ollie ,,am sure that he and Bella will sort out the place..and come to some agreement,,,LOL..hope the basement dosent flood..

Edith.. I am getting like you and preferring the cold to the hot..might be a age thing..hee hee heee....

Christine That lace jacket sound lovely.. so glad they dinny ruin it in the delivery..

Well the OH wants some lunch so better go and sort out something to feed him...Have a lovely day..

Mary xxxx

Good morning all from a chilly ,very wet ,but snow free Newcastle [yippee] where Fred will be going out back very shortly to get some veggies out ,before the snow returns.
The house is now ,nice and snug again and my only complaint is ,all the backed up housework [groan] but that's what you get for going away for the week,he he.
Glad to hear that your weather is about normal again Mary,but at this time of the year ,like us ,i wouldn't hold your breath,he he ,you just don't know what's round the corner do you?
Going to get on now ,and come back later ,take care all ,and have a nice weekend,Fred.

Morning, You weather sounds similar to ours Fred. It has warmed up but
now we have ice on the roads. Driving is a challenge just to stay on the road heehee. Watching people slide through stop signs is becoming a hobby. Don't know how many seed catalogues you have (we have 4)but it is so much fun to dream of the garden to come. I wish I had more room but wil have to live with the balcony for now.!!!!
Hope the heat stays away for you Mary. Les, are the aprons still keeping you busy?? Have a good week-end everyone. See you soon EdithXXX

Hello Everyone, just a quick pop in to see if everyone is ok.

Unfortunately I have had some awful news over the weekend. I found my cousin after 25 years of not being in touch and over the last few months we have become very close again, seeing each other at least 1s a week, well the poor lad found out on Saturday Morning that his son had been killed in Afghanistan. Lee (his son) was only 30 years old, he has 2 girls and another baby on the way, its dreadful. I feel so inadequate, what an earth can I say? .......

Diane, what dreadful news, I am so upset to hear that...too many of our young men lost in that senslessness. I don't know what you can say I guess just be there, supportive and loving.
Thoughts are with you.
Lesley

Hi Diane,

I am so sorry to hear your news. My prayers and thoughts go out to all concerned.

Teresa

Hi everyone, Our weather here remains on the warm side. They say it's El Nino, but who knows for sure.? Enjoying it anyway !!!
See Fred is busy as usual and harvesting veg in his garden.!! How lucky can you get ??
Has your rain and cold gone Fred?
Been watching the events in Haiti and can't fathom the amount of damage and devastation. Good to see the many countries who have moved in to help. I know we have Docs from Canada who are there with Drs.Without Borders as well as soldiers and nurses on site.
Time to get on with my chores for to-day. Stay well all. Edith XXXXX