General Chat

Hi To Edith ,and Les' whose journey i am watching with interest courtesy of Google earth ,and the locations supplied by you.
I couldn't help but chuckle ,resading of your being wet ,inside ,and outside of the trailer ,he he ,not funny really ,but i creased up about the broom jamming the toilet door ,lol.
Still ,your little trailer looks like it's standing up to very rough roads with aplomb ,well done tittle buddy,sounds like one ,sturdy little caravan tourer.
The mains water connection to tourers is not done over here ,we use small tanks and electric pumps for running water ,but i must say ,i like the idea of connecting straight to stand pipes ,lol,much easier than carting tanks of water on wheels like we do.
We have been without gas and electric since early this morning ,while we had new gas pipes run to the house via the old steel pipes.
First off ,they had to dig our drive out so we couldn't get the car out,then they slid a neoprene liner down the old pipe under the floor and up into the meter cupboard in the utility room ,and all the while we were without electric because of explosion risk.and daft old git that i am ,i never even THOUGHT to charge the puter battery last night so that i could sit on the patio with the laptop and dongle ,DOH. he he.
Never mind ,the job is now done ,the fitter has just connected us back up ,and we have heat and hot water again ,wahey.
Glad it's been all done now ,new neoprene water piping was put in last year ,so as soon as the gas board have finished this street as regards the mains ,there will be no more leaks ,or bursts of any sort over the winters.
We have a busy day tomorrow ,off out at nine to take the daughters remaining mail up ,then down to the youngest sons to deliver the forms regarding applied for jobs,that we copied out for him ,his own printer being u/s,and then out for shopping ,mostly household stuff that we need to stock up on .
Sounds as though you had a good trip Edith ,but tiring ,and i bet you have a load of stuff to catch up on ,like us ,he he ,it's all very well galivanting like us ,but ,wow ,the things to catch up on when you come home ,lol,what a bummer :-(.
We came back to loads of ripe tomatoes ,with no room in the freezers to take pulp .or soup ,so we have four or five pounds of tom's in the fridge despite salads every day,while we fight to find room to do soups ,he he.
We now have the Dill in the greenhouse hoping that it will survive the winter ,lol,having no idea if it goes dormant ,or dies ,but i guess we will soon find out:-).
Time to go and get some tea now ,skins tonight i think ,along with a nice tuna filling.
The weather is supposed to hold for another two days so i think we will have our final ,small B B Q of the year on Wednesday evening ,i have two lovely beefburgers with a blue vein cheese filling ,and a couple of nice steaks of Angus beef,just the thing to put with a nice green salad ,and ,by the time we have eaten that ,we will ,i hope ,have the room for the tomato soup ,lol.
Catch you later all ,Fred xxxx :-D.

Fred, dill is an annual but if left in a patch in the garden will reseed itself. I have never grown it successfully but my neighbour has a patch about 4 feet in diameter that grows like stink every year.

Yesterday we went into Victoria and did some of our favourite haunts including chintz, a very upscale decor store that we just drool in. Then Norm did a couple of art and photography stores. On the way home we stopped at Thriftys, a grocery chain that has everything you can imagine. We don't have that in PA so a treat to shop in there.

Today we went into Vic and china town and the rest of the "tourist" area around Government Street, Johnson and Yates. Lots of metaphysical stores that Norm really like and so he loaded up on incense. I did the thrift stores and found 4 cups and saucers. Norm repeatedly says, whatcha gonna do with them....and I reply..collect!!

Tonight I ran out of wine and had to drive back thru Metchosin, Colwood and into Langford to find a liquor store....so much for being in the sticks. Now we are going to have bbq chicken, the rain has passed finally, and grilled veggies. Then we will try another movie....this will be #4 and we have fallen asleep in the middle of all of them so far....old fogies!! LOL
More later. Les <3

afternoon all ,phew ,in again at last ,the trips to the daughters ,the youngest son ,the shops ,dinner and home again .he he ,we must be getting old ,lol,only been back an hour ,straightened the front room ,out ,fixed the new touch lights in our bedroom ,and made two coffee's and i am worn out ,fred is already longing for bedtime :-).
I did find two of those lovely beefburgers ,the ones stuffed with cheddar cheese and chives,so brought two for tomorrows B B Q,some minute steak ,and four granary buns,plus four cheese and onion muffins for the snags.so ,a little water fried onion ,and the small tub of Bombay potato out of the freezer and we are well sorted. ;-).
Just had a note through the door confirming that the mains gas will be completed on Friday when they put the new mains gas pipe in right down the road ,and that's the job completed.
Have to go to the bank tomorrow ,and then have that bit of hedge to finish off ,and that's it for the day,a nice ,laid back day for a change,and i am ready for it.
I will also buy a small bag of cement ready mix tomorrow ,ready for my son to come on Thursday and repair the cracks in the steps inside the front gate before the frost gets in them and creates more problems..
Going to close for the evening ,i am so tired at the moment ,i don't honestly know if i'm coming ,or going.
Catch you later peeps ,take care ,Fred.xxx :-D.

Hello Just a quick note as I like Fred have been on the run all day.
Had laundry piled up plus house to clean and bills to pay, plus family to
visit. Had spent the week before the trip just getting all the details sorted
on how and when to feed 50 people. Just calling all the restaurants and
booking the place for lunch and dinner took the better part of 3 days.
So my apt looked like a slow and careful tornado had run through tossing
clothes papers etc. about.
At last it is is liveable again and I can get to my computer without a
maze of paper to go through.
We are having amazing weather for Sept. to-day it was +28 and again
tomorrow. All the trees are red, gold and yellow so must get some pics
too.
Glad you are enjoying your camper Les, been there and did have fun
even with a few gliches.
Must go and will be back soon. Edith XXXXX
:-S :-D

Hi Edith ,and anyone else who shows up today ,or any other time come to that ,we on this thread are a great crowd ,and ain't proud [hows that for a quick rhyme] ,lol. :-D.
Following your advice ,re the dill Les' ,i will put a paper bag over the pot ,and put it in the greenhouse ,where hopefully the seeds will drop into the pot and set themselves away,next spring.
My other herbs in pots will come away next year on their own ,but i will still put them on one of the greenhouse benches.
Can't go out tomorrow because the gas board will be back to put the main liner down the old piping ,all down the road ,and then fill in all the holes.
Looks like next week now before we can get to B & Q for the kitchen bench measurements and other bits and pieces,such as the new sink and lagging for the pipes ,might as well do the lot to save any grief with freezing pipes.
The new cooker ,a full height double oven,hopefully with a fifth central burner on top for the wok all the latest mod cons,thats us .
Edith Les',have you seen the Moroccan Tageenes that are used for the spicy dishes that the natives out there use/cooking done on pottery bases ,ditto covers ,and charcoal as the heat source.i do fancy getting one of those to go with the B B Q,the stuff i saw these two Hairy Bikers cooking in them looked lush ,lol
We never got to go to b & Q as planned today because by the time we got the bank seen to AND HAD TO STRUGGLE THROUGH THE CROWDS IN TOWN ,IT WAS TOO LATE TO GO.
Instead with the heat ,we fought our way into the local market at 0 oclock and had a lovely iced tea before coming back to the car and going to Aldi on the way home,where we found to lovely heather plants to go into the empty urn out front.
Our little B B q is on for tomorrow evening ,a couple of lovely Angus Beef burgers ,stuffed with cheddar cheese and chives ,from my meat supplier at the local farm ,where we also got his home made sausages ,cumberland and Lincolnshire ones,all spicy and loads of herb in .,On the way out of the market ,the french bakery had fresh bread rolls on sale ,so we brought six of those ,topped with sesame seed and rolled oats ,the snags will go lovely in those,and i'm sure there is a big tub of Bombay potato frozen down from the last time ,he he,the last one of the season ,so i am making it a special one :-.
Hissy is asking me to join her on the patio ,so i am away out with a cuppa ,catch you later all.Fred :-D.

Well I think this is our last day and we will head back tomorrow. It has been sunny but they are calling for rain tonite and tomorrow. We have decided not to go to Tofino in the rain but will maybe try and get away for a few days in October if the weather bucks up.

Yesterday we cruised around various spots in Vic and then had a late lunch with a friend of mine. Today we went to Sidney. It is a really old fashioned seaside town that has been gussied up and is very cute. We even had fish and chips!! On the way back to the RV site Bella got sick and threw up twice in the truck. So then I had to scrub out the back floor etc...not best pleased...poor Bella.

Yesterday we invested in two new feather pillows and ...finally!!...I had a good nites sleep. I will be pleased to get back in my own bed. Norm has obligingly let me rummage thru some of the thrift stores here and I have amassed 6 cups and saucers. I think two of them I will get rid of as I maybe don't really like them but the others are great. Norm says to me....what are you going to do with all those things??...hmm!..err!!.....still think I will drink wine out of them or if any of you come for a visit I will serve you in high style...LOL!!

I got a bunch of stuff at the deli so tonite we are having pineapple chicken balls, veggie pakoras, greek salad, potato salad, italian pasta salad and some roast ham...just a little of each not being too hungry after the F and C.

More later. Les <3

Morning all, Finally able to settle in and get my bearings again.
The last casino we were in was filled with smoke(they are operated by local
Indian tribes) and in the U.S smoking is not regulated like here. Any how because of that I had to wash every piece in my suitcase and even cleaned the case itself. We did enjoy the trip and wow got to see first hand just how bad their economy is. We are in much better shape here, as if they don't carry health insurance they can and do literally die in the hospital doorway. If you don't have the admission cash you just don't get in.
Talking to some of the folks who work in the hotels, casinos and food venues the wages compared to ours are beyond ridiculous and how they manage to keep the family fed and clothed is a challenge.
Edith added a new learning curve to her life and I really enjoyed it. Getting 50
people on/off a large bus, into and out of the various events we went to was at first a daunting task, however as the trip moved on it became easier and fun.
My folder of jokes and stories were enjoyed and the movies and music c.d's filled the travel time, so all worked out.
Will be off again on Oct. 19th to a Christmas Craft show and shopping for the holidays. Look forward to staying in Canada this time :-) Fred I have emptied all the pots and will get them cleaned up for next year, Very happy with the herbs this year. I have all of them drying and will get them in jars etc. when I get back from this next trip.
Time for me to get on with my day so bye for now.Be back soon.
Edith <3

I am home. Bella is better thank goodness. We stopped at Costco in Nanaimo on the way home and stocked up on chicken, beef etc.

Edith I am glad this is becoming easier for you...doesn't do to get over involved sometimes and that is easy to do when you are a "facilitator!!" that would be you and I, and Fred and Mary etc.etc. l

Municipal elections are here in November and I have offered to help a younger man, John, in his quest for mayor...between that and the sewing, I may be busy. Meanwhile next weekend is thanksgiving and we are hoping to go to Tofino for a few days with the trailer....we'll see. pics to you guys pretty quick.
Lesxx

WOW You lot have been busy..

Edith.. Just don't overdo it..don't want you getting run down..Before we had smoking restrictions I had to always wash my clothing that I wore to the venue after being there for only a few hours..it was horrid ..much better now.. The States sound very sad,, At least here we have free health if you are a pensioner or derelict.. Nobody is turned away..I often had to wash the clothes of people that came in off the streets with a illness and they at least went out with clean clothes..I didn't have to do it for them but I wanted to and they were a lot better going out than they were coming in..Loved working in the wards in the hospital,, and was sorry to have to leave...

Les Glad you are having fun with the van..Little trips give you the practise needed and it wont be long before you are experienced travellers..Can you fit the trailer in the driveway..That way it gives you extra sleeping when you have visitors..

Fred. Well I think you will be happy to stay home for a bit.. all this travelling is making you feel tired and in need of another holiday... :-D :-D

Had a houseful last weekend with 3 of my grandies here. Was lovely but tiring,, Got daughter and hubby arriving on Thursday for a couple of days visit. I cant get to visit them so now they are visiting me.. Johns walking is not good so we don't go far..We are joining the Motor Neurone society as they give lots of help and advice, which we need..

Have a lovely weekend all..

Love Mary xxxx <3

Morning to all ,from one very warm [already] north of England,where i have already been out back and given the lawn and veggie patch a cool shower ,before going upstairs and giving myself ditto .'tis going to be another hot one ,i reckon :-D.
I was just setting up to do the B B Q yesterday when i got a call from the Grandson Chris ,who asked if we could do it today instead so ,folks .you all have an extra few hours to get here if you want a free burger and bun ,lol
Had an Email off Marta who is back on her Uni course in Poland ,to say she has settled in okay ,and to say that Sean had Arrived on his base in the middle east ,and was fine,after a long flight out ,stopping over in Oman for a meal and sleep.
Looking at the activity we have all been up to on here ,i think we should start a rest club ,he he ,Edith the head honcho ,because she has put the rest of us to shame ,over the past couple of weeks ,the lady deserves an endurance medal for stamina .
Glad to hear you have your herbs salted down for winter use Edith ,we are in the middle of doing ours now ,and look to be going to do pretty well ,with plenty of storage jars standing by.
The gas board had us back online with the gas by 7-30 pm ,and all that is left to be done ,is get all the holes filled in and the street and drive way squared away,but you watch ,bet you a pound to a dollar ,some company will arrive within two weeks and tear it all up again ,never fails. :-.
As soon as the eldest son drops by this afternoon ,i will give him the heads up regarding the kitchen update ,i could do with a little help to get the old stuff stripped out and the new bench tops and sink fitted ,a good weekends work,for me ,slow as i am these days.
That done ,i will ask him to get my ladders down off the fence ,and get on with the window sills that want cleaning up and repainting,before the bad weather arrives.
The hall and stairs i can take my time with whenever i feel like a change of job from tidying up the garden.
Hope everyone is going to enjoy the weekend,and relax with their company.so,take care all,Fred :-D xxx

Hey Fred, I see you guys are getting our Indian summer. We are getting wet over here. The prospect of another short trip in our trailer rapidly vanishing as the weather does not seem inclined to buck up.

It was jam day yesterday. Norm went out early and picked the plums, three huge tubs full, maybe 70/80 pounds worth. We made five batches of jam, 17 x 250 ml and 13 x 500ml. That is a lot of jam!! Then we gave two huge tubs of plums to the Homeless Shleter and to the soup kitchen here in town....everyone will be eating plums for awhile. The jam making took up most of the afternoon. Bella lolled around the kitchen inhaling the fumes and Ollie sat on the floor where the sugar had spilled, bet he enjoyed licking himself!!

Very "Fallish" this morning. Overcast, quite dark really, and rain. Time to dig out all those long sleeved shirts and sweaters and get into comfort mode. Also time to get my sewing area all set up and ready to go, only 4 weeks to my first show and not one stitch has been sewn.

Keep well you lot. Lesxx

Morning all, What a glorious lot of weather we are having. Been in the low 70's
all week and looks like more of the same for another week. The trees are the
best I have seen in years, the colors are deeper and brighter and in the sunlight are gorgeous.
The neighbour and I have been out preparing the flower beds for some spring bulbs. We plan on putting in about 200 daphs and the same for tulips.
It is still a bit too warm so will wait till the end of the week. :-)
Must get my balcony furniture covered as well so a few busy hours to put in yet. Then the snow can come. The forecast is for above normal temps so don't know what to expect.
Must get everything done before the 20th as I'm away again for Christmas shopping etc. So busy days ahead.
Time for breakfast so bye for now. Edith

<3

Morning all,, We have dull and a possible shower..

Took some leaves off my silver beet yesterday for my stir fry and it was yummy..Got to get some more chilli plants as my frozen supply are nearing a end..Love them in hamburgers and savoury mince..
Had a visit from daughter and family in Orange on Tuesday and got one days notice.. so when son and family said they would come around for dinner I had 12 to cater for..so it was take away pizzas all round..easy peasy..LOL..
Got daughter and sil from Canberra arriving today for a 2 day visit,, Think they have decided that as I cant go visit them any more they are coming to visit me..I have upped my thyroid tablets to give me the energy to cope :-) :-)

Who was that who mentioned the C word.. much to early but I did notice mince pies and Christmas decorations are starting to sneak into the shops a little at a time in case to many people complain..they complained heatedly early this year when hot cross buns were in the shops by the first week of January..getting ridiculous..

Have a lovely weekend and the pics are great Les and the way to go,, Short trips to get used to the how and wherefores of caravanning..

Lots of love Mary xx <3

good morning everyone ,getting a little chilly here in the mornings now ,but seeing that there may be snow coming by the weekend ,that's to be expected i suppose.
The decorations have come into our shops too Mary ,but not a few at a time like yours ,but all of a sudden ,enough to put the shoppers off their cup od tea in the cafe ,he he :-|.
We have the hot cross buns all year round now ,which i don't mind ,they are lovely as a tea time snack with a slice of cheese in ,and a little jam ,of course. ;-).
The wife and i have had a darned good clear out over the last two days ,lots of books ,dvd's ,and clothing bagged up .waiting for scope to come and pick the lot up sometime this morning ,we can actually see into the drawers ,cupboards ,and utility room now ,and the floors upstairs heaved a sigh of relief as loads of weight came off them ,lol
The pics are great Les ,thanks a lot ,your little trailer looks amazing with the beach as a backdrop ,and Bella looks innocent and ready to play ,as always,nothing as exiting here at the moment.
I got the windowsills upstairs scraped and ready to paint ,which is a relief ,these old legs of mine don't feel too good if i spent too much time standing on the ladders ,he he ,but painting ,well ,it wont take half as long so it should be a lot easier.
I will be glad when scope has been ,as Hissy is suspicious,at all the bags ,and two old cases we have put a load of books into,and i reckon she thinks we are off on our travels again ,hanging around our legs all last night and again this morning,poor little thing ,she looks really unsettled .
Made our choice of cooker ,a double oven A A rated ,black Belling ,with catalytic linings to both ovens and ceramic rings ,now all that remains is to pay for it ,gulp :-( but it will be soooo much easier to keep clean ,it will be well worth it in the long run.
The garden is looking forlorn now ,the front garden is waiting for me to pull up the ground cover rose hedging we put in three years ago ,but i cant get near it in these winds ,as the thorns are lethal,stop me getting in among them yes ,but not stopping the weeds from growing ,no ,so out they come .
There are plenty of other things in the garden that i can thin out and replant to smother any weeds that try to take hold and i can also put plenty of bulbs in ,that will grow through it,so i will settle for that.
Sean's parcel arrived yesterday so as soon as the charity van has been and gone ,we are mobile again ,so we will be off out to have a look at any more stuff we may need to finish the kitchen refurbishment.
Time to go now so that i can put the charity bag outside to attract their driver as the van comes down the road ,and the wife stuck a label on it asking him to knock.
Catch you later peoples ,have a good day ,or evening depending on where you are ,and Edith ,can we have our sun back for YOUR snow?,thank you very much ,lol.Fred :-Dxxx <3

Fred, you just had the hottest day on record, how can you be getting snow....and so early..yuk!! We too regularly go thru our stuff and pack bags for the "diabetics". They get paid by Value Village for all this stuff so a good fund raiser however in the last little while VV has upped their prices to the point of being ridiculous. Guess VV would compare with Oxfam, what do you have in Oz, Mary??

Another wet day for us. Norm lit the wood stove for the first time yesterday so the basement was cozy. We had been camped out on the dining room table for the last few months so it was weird to be back downstairs. The four legged family members thought it was great. Ollie had been howling for days, not so yesterday, curled up on my old office chair about 3 feet from the woodstove....cat bliss!! Even Bella was stretched warming her belly....winter is coming!! these guys know.

Ya know I still have not pickled those beets. Since we got home it has done nothing but rain and the ground is just mud. Maybe I will have to wear Norm's wellies and just get out there. maybe today..ha!ha!

Sure can tell we are having a local election. The city truck came down our alley today and filled all the pot holes. Norm and Bella went out to watch, such a rare thing to see. Some of the holes were so deep that you could drop in almost to the middle of your wheels when you drove over them. Sure hope they used something more substantial than just earth otherwise one good rain and it will all wash away....pah! government workers!!

Hey Fred can you send a pic of your new oven, am interested. We have a five burner gas stove that we got about 4 years ago and have never really been pleased with it even tho it cost lots.

OK guys off to do something. Be good.
Later Lesxx

Morning all,another wet morning here ,but it is a tad milder again so i can't grumble.
We did a re measure on the new benches ,and the removal of the built in cooker space and seperate hob ,and went back to Currys to remeasure the stove we wanted ,and Bu***r ,it is two inches too long to go into the space ,meaning opening the back door to bring any appliance in is a no go,the door not able to open to 90 Degrees ,so it's back to a four hotplate job .
We still have two ovens though and both are a good size ,and ,again we have both ovens with catalytic liners but i did so want that central wok plate.
The only way round it that i can see is to get an electric wok ,so i will have to have a think on that one.
The electric cookers over here Les' are far cheaper [and cleaner] to run than the gas ones and all our electric ones are now hard wired ,easy to connect yourself ,and no chance of gas leaks.
In case you are really interested i will try to find you a piccy of it on the net ,don;t know if you can access Curries Electricals over there,so just let me know if you can't,and i will see if i can pull it up for you.
Like you ,we have fired up the heating these past few days ,pleased to find that there are no problems anywhere,so ,no need to call the engineers out.
We have a bit of a problem with the hole outside our gate on the drive to the road ,work finished the team came out to fill the hole in ,and all went well at first ,gravel and shale put in up to the required level ,ready for the capping to be applied.
4 days later the team came back ,lifted the cover ,and put in the asphalt to ground level and smoothed it off ,leaving a gap two feet wide and a foot long ? when i enquired as to why i was told ,the asphalt drive was paid for by the then house owner ,and the path belongs to the council ,and the council has to come out and relay the concrete ,Helloooo? did the council dig up the concrete< no ,the gas board did so why shouldn't the gas board fill it all in again ? ruddy crazy country .lol,so here is red ,still having to drive over a hole covered by a yellow kevlar plate [photo following] while these clowns sort themselves out .
Know how you feel re the beets too ,i have loads to come out as well ,but no way am i going out back in the pouring rain to pull some until the weather clears ,i don't do gardening in mac's or wellies .he he
The wind reckons to change about Tuesday bringing much colder air from the north hence the snow warnings ,but hopefully the new updates place the snow a little further north of us ,mainly Northumberland ,give it all to Berwick ,we don't care ,lol ;-).
We have found that the Oxfam charity is a bit suspect tone of money being hived off foe administration ,meaning they are top heavy ,too many chiefs ,and not enough indians ,lol.so ,we avoid them ,preffering local charities and hospices ,that are totally run by volenteers with far smaller overheads.
Hissy isn't my friend this morning after i dosed her with flea and tic drops lol. a was crafty ,lol, with the wife standing by ,dose of stuff hidden in her hand ,i got the cat treats out ,called her majesty over and fed her a few ,and while she was busy with them grabbed her ,pinned her down ,and called the wife over to administer the drops to the back of the neck.ooooooo ,the accusing looks we got as i let her up ,he he ,she shot off out the back door ,and hasn't been seen since ,i think it will be dinner time before she comes back in :-(.
You watch those chillies Mary,we have some loony over here in Bradford who has bred a chillie that is so darned hot ,that once it has been bitten into has resulted in some people being rushed into hospital ,with very bad reaction,there are some crazy people around ,but ,coming from Bradford well ,that says it all ,he he
Well ,going to see to some dinner now ,the grandson is here and we are doing an old favourite of his ,spam and bean crunchy top ,made out of a can of spam cut into half inch cubes ,a tin of plum tomatoes ,ditto ,a tin of baked beans one onion chopped small ,pepper,and small cubes of potato.
This is topped by two slices of well buttered bread ,again cubed,to give it the crunch.
We found the recipe years ago at a time when pennies were very tight ,and found it cheap and warming on a winters day ,when we still had four kids to feed,and now ,with the way the world is going with rising food prices going ,it may yet come back to the fore ;-).
Have a great weekend folks ,see you all shortly ,Fred :-D xxx

Happy thanksgiving everyone. Hope you are all having a good weekend. We were supposed to go over to the kids but Norm has been asked to teach a class on Excel next week and is up to his eyeballs in relearning. So it will be dinner for two at our house. Norm doesn't like turkey so I think I will stuff chicken breasts with parmesan cheese, wrap them in proscuitto and bake. Then I think I will make twice baked spuds and use a little sweet potato in the filling, home made apple stuffing, and some sort of veggies....sounds like a feast doesn't it??

On Friday I pulled out all the beets and pickled them, took me all day what with the pulling, the washing, the cooking, the peeling...on and on and at the end...15 jars. I thought to myself that I wont do this again and then I met up with a friend and she justcooks hers and then freezes them until she needs them. Now I might try that next year.

Fred our gas stove has 4 burners and it has a grill burner in the center. The grill worked like a hot damn until the first time we had to take it apart and wash it and then all the little holes bunged up and it has been mostly useless ever since. If I ever had to buy another I would get a semi professional one with six burners but only, like you, if I had the room.

Our bathroom in the basement is still in pieces mainly because we cannot find a shower unit to fit. We have a low ceiling in there and the new stalls are too tall. So we have a guy coming this morning to see if he can put our old one back together, thank goodness Norm saved all the pieces. The vinyl from the back walls (corner shower its a neo angle) came apart when we took it out so once the corner walls are back in place then I will tile the other two. It will be good to get this done. It has been like a bomb site in there for about 4-5 months, and I miss having the bathrrom downstairs.

Later. Lesxx

Morning all, Enjoyed the traditional turkey dinner yesterday, so have to-day to work it all off. ;-)
Thanks for the pics Les, Bella is as lovely as ever.The driftwood is great for many crafts but I suppose you too have seen the furniture they make from it.
A local couple have an entire house full of it and really it should be too much but it isn't. Lovely when finished properly.
Our trees have all turned now and most are dropping their leaves, the weather is finally acting like fall and we are getting some cool nights.The neighbour and I are going to plant 300 tulip and daffodil bulbs in front of our building so we can have a bright spring showing :-D
Fred and Liz as usual you sound very busy and ready for winter. Hope your snow stays away for a while, December is soon enough right?
Mary, glad to hear you had the families for a visit, great to have the wee ones around isn't it? Hope you can get help and advice for yourself and John.
Time for me to get on with the day so will say bye for now. Take care everyone. Edith <3

Hi Edith. When we were in Port Renfrew we saw a guy outside his house sanding huge chunks of wood. He also had furniture made from driftwood. Nothing would do that we would go in his house and see his "creations". The beds were something else, all four posters, gnarly bits of wood and all wired so that mini chandaliers hung over the pillow area. Weird...I should have taken a pic.

I did stuff my chicken breats with apple stuffing and wrapped in prosucuttio, made the twice baked spuds...what a feast and rich!! much more so than we usually eat. Today should be a lean day but I am going to put a roast in the slow cooker. Somewhere I have an attachment that has dozens of slow cooker recipes...must send it along to you guys.

Rain today and damp. Man coming next Saturday to fix the basement bathroom....and life goes on.
Lesxx

Good afternoon ladies,Fred is back home after a very busy day which i did not enjoy one little bit having been phoned out this morning having just finished a message on the other thread i visit daily.
My son was stranded just outside Bradford ,in Yorkshire ,three hours away when you are talking rush hour traffic.
Having got there to find that there was no chance of gettiing him going again or towing him back with no tow bar ,i had to get the A A to do a relay job to get him home.
Never seen an engine like the one he has ,both the generator ,timing and valve gear run from only one pulley and internal gearing for the overhead cams.
When he said the car started to run slower and slower after a little grating sound from the front ,i reckon it's a safe bet that one of the gear wheels has stripped off it's cogs,and caused a load of internal damage in the process .
I have told him it will be cheaper to buy a second hand engine from a breaker ,than try to have this engine repaired.
Anyway ,i am back home as you can see ,he he ,never a dull moment in this house ,but son number one could have done wiithout this just now,the car needed for his early starts at the warehouse where he works,,looks like earlier than ever starts ,lol,no buses at that time of morning laddie ,out with the hiking boots i reckon .
While i was having a long over due shave after going out early ,i heard the workers out the front again ,and am pleased to see they have now done the concrete plug ,and put the yellow cover back on top until it has hardened,and the other van has been since to replace the topsoil on top of the other hole,finishing off with seed laden soil ,so ,when the seed germinates ,all traces of the hole will be a thing of the past.
My tea tonight ,as reward for my rescue act this morning is Asparagus soup ,fresh made ,with french stick slices ,covered with garlic butter and toasted,yum ,spoiled or what ? ;-) .
Wow Les,you are well in front of me now ,my beetroot all still in the buckets,and still too wet to get out so i am a bit miffed ,all that lovely stuff ,and still waiting to be eaten he he :-| .
Time now to feed this furry feline ,miffed because i went out and left her most of the day ,she is now stuck to me like a limpet ,even as i finish this missive ,she is sat here on the chair arm waiting for me to go feed her :-) .
Catch you all later,Fred.xxx