General Chat

Morning All. Wet and windy here today, Edith. Yesterday was up to 11 and felt like spring...but not so today. Just came back from the community nurse and now I only have to go twice a week...we're getting there.

My Dad's birthday today, 98, pretty good age isn't it. I phoned him and we chatted for awhile.

Norm seems to think we have a ghost in the house and says he has seen it a couple of times, all white and filmy....too weird for me even tho I believe I'd rather they weren't in my house. May have a lazy day today, always good movies on TV on Sundays and then this evening it is the next episode of Downton Abbey. Norm is going to make salisbury steaks and I am going to stuff some mushrooms....mouth waters already.

Nothing else going on here. later. Lesxx

Morning, From a warming up Northwestern Ontario :-) We too have been in the deepfreeze Fred the windchill has been down in the low -30's.
Needless to say everyone slowed down for a few days.
I had a close family friend pass and she was only 74, Very fast moving cancer, and a trip out of town for the funeral.
Watching the weather world wide it is amazing some of us are still here. I see Europe has been really hit badly in some parts.
Guess I can count my blessings and get on with it hmmm :-S
Still looking forward to planting up my pots for the balcony and can daydream until them :-D
Have several meals frozen and ready to eat as well as 2 kinds of soup so can take a few days off from cooking and play on my computer.
The jokes seem to have slowed with the cold also so here's hoping they get better with the warmth too!!!
Hope Mary is enjoying her vistors and lets us know how it went.
Time to hear from Les too, how goes it on the coast ???
Breakfast is calling so will see you later. Edith <3

Sunday morning here in The frozen north of England ,and hey ,we are in a balmy +6c outside ,warm enough to go out on the patio ,with the cat ,and a coffee if it wern't for the drizzle ,grrrrrr ,but here's hoping for later in the day.
Still havn't managed the Perogies because we have the grandson staying and he is a very parky eater .
His meal ,[ on his request yesterday was Kidney liver and onion ,with mashed potato and cabbage.
Today it's Mince and onion cobbler ,and the usual sunday tatties and veggies ,so the perogies will be done on Tuesday instead .
I Have been doing more family research ,butit is getting very difficult ,me being up to the 1900's where there are no cencus's to help ,and i' taking a long time.
Mary has company i think ,so she will be busy ,and everyone else has things to do ,so i will away to do ditto ,and look in again tomorrow .
Take care Mary in the horrible weather you are having ,and take care the rest of you ,no matter where you are ,Fred :-D <3 x

Afternoon all ,sorry to be so late today ,but it has been a bit fraught what with my broadband going down this morning ,then later ,both my messenger sites going down ,yahoo ,and msn . and then the puter itself acting up ,lol i didn't get cracking until 9 am instead of 7 am.
Anyway ,all sorted now ,and i am giving the new puter a run ,so far ,looking good and one heck of a lot faster than the old laptop,must say it looks promising.
Tomorrow is the day ,lol Perogies for dinner ,l am going to kick off with Les's recipe with the chicken just to get into the swing of things ,launching the boat out with 3 of each sort for both of us.
The shop i got them from also does 4 other sorts with different fillings and also dumplings ,different sausages from normal ones ,through to smoked ones ,and lots of other goodies ,hmmmmmm ,i could have a lot of fun in there. :-).
Must go now ,i am going to do some pasta for tea,catch you tomorrow ,Fred.xxxx :-D.

Morning all, Yeah Fred, Glad you found them!!!
Don't forget the sour cream as it does go well with them. Just a dollop on top is enough.
Our weather is on the cold side again, up and down like a yo yo and NOT good for our health. Not as many folks in the shops lately as they are home nursing either the kids or themselves.
Can't imagine what our summer will be like. Too hot and Edith becomes a hermit :-D
Anyway happy you found the perogies Fred.
Off to get my breakfast. Edith <3

Way to go Fred, nothing like a little persistence!! You will have enough to try them all ways. Yummy!!

Was warm and foggy when we went to bed but woke up this morning to below zero and heavy frost. Come on spring, hurry up. We are now burning our latest cord of wood and it is not as good as the previous so, for me, all day long is a battle to keep it burning hot. Norm does much better but yesterday he was out most of the day.

Chatted to my Dad yesterdy in "Uddersfield"!! He will be 98 on Sunday....bloody marvelous isn't it? I always send him care packages usually from Tesco, and try to find different stuff for him to nibble on, his appetite is not what it used to be. I used to order from Wiltshire Farms but the meal sizes are just too large. Sure wished we had a service like that here. We do have a place in town that sells frozen meals but they are not low fat not particularly low in salt so we give them a miss. Always nice to have one or two things like that in the freezer for those "I can't be bothered" days.

OK I am to see the nurse. Later Lesxx

Fred is iiiiin the building ,so ,afternoon everyone,from a lovely sunny Newcastle in the frozen north of England oooooop near the scottish border,and a stones throw from Hadrians Wall [ part of ]
It being very cold this morning i decided to leave the bosses in the house and go to town myself to [A] go to the bank ,being very charry of banking on line with so many government snoops these days ,you can't even sneeze without the treasury knowing about it,not that i am trying to hide my wealth [sniggers into left sleeve] but this country is close to being a communist state ,no privacy at all outside your own house.
Got the banking done ,anyway and decided to do a bit of snooping of my own ,starting by asking a chinese lady in her shop ,if there were any Polish speciallity shops in the town,and before i could turn round she hadthe phone in her hand and asked around ,put the phone down and told me yes ,just over the traffic lights on Clayton Street,hows that for service ,and i didn't even order anything first,now why can't people everywhere be like that ,no fuss ,no hastle ,just friendly help.
So ,i brought a big bag of Chinese noodles ,which will come in handy for the stir fry's and ambled down to the lights and Clayton Street,found the store with no bother,bingo ,came back out with two bags of Perogies ,one with a cheese, bacon ,onion, potato, filling ,and one meat,potato ,herb.
Knowing where the shop is now ,in future ,i can park the missus in the market cafe with a cuppa while i take a stroll down to the shop a few hundred yards away ,it's that close
Now ,in a couple of days time i will get that recipe of Les's out and have a go ,slurp :-).
I has been naughty ,too much sweet stuff over the last three weeks resulting in a raised sugar level ,so it's on the wagon time folks ,lol,the perogie dishes will help me get the levels down pretty quickly.
The missus is doing the stuffed marrow for tea ,so that will be a good start.
Must go and do some work to earn my crust ,take care everyone,Fred :-D xxx

Afternoon ,all just back from Asda and no go ,sobs he he ,i was told that some asda stores ,stock stuff that other areas don't ,so we must be too fat forth .
I did find some German dough balls though ,more or less the same i suppose pastry wise ,and stuffed with cheese onion and Jalapeno peppers which the wife can't eat but anyway ,it's a step in the right direction.
Before the bad weather returns ,i will go into town to see what i can find ,but fear not ,if need be ,i will make my own.
I did find some nice Swedish meat balls though ,so i will make a nice sauce ,to go with the pasta ,and do those for tea tonight.
The trip out this morning was a little hairy ,the road being like a skating rink ,but .for a change ,most drivers were being sensible ,and using the brakes gently ,and we had an uneventful trip.
Tis nearly tea time now ,so i will be off to get started ,starting with the sauce,catch you later peeps ,Fred :-D xxx

OK second try.
Edith when we lived in Vancouver we used to go to this little hole in the wall Vietnamese restaurant all the time. They used to make an amazing chicken/potato and carrot curry, the yellow kind...to die for. Norm's favourites were spring rolls which taste very different than the chinese variety and some sort of meat cooked on a stick, almost like a barbeque. Sorry about the Baba. I like perogies cooked traditionally with sauteed onions but they sure are yummy in a casserole.

And Fred I googled pierogies in England and everyone said no, you cannot find them anywhere. Then I found a blog by this guy who found them at Asda. So I went to Asda online shopping and sure enough....perogies, two kinds, both Polish, affordable...get to Asda Fred!!!

Today I have the slow cooker bubbling away with chili in it so easy supper tonite. Good thing because Downton Abbey is on.

Today Norm is painting the sealer onto the grout in the shower and tomorrow he will silicone all the edges including the one outside at floor level. Then we will finally be able to use our shower room...it's only been a year!!!
Later Lesxx

Morning all, Tried to send a post yesterday but it again ended up in cyberspace. So here goes again.
Les, my Ukrainian Baba's would shudder if I told them what you did to pierogies. :-) You can also add saurkraut to the potato mix.
We also have a virus going around and the kids are getting the brunt of it.
Our weather is so erratic it's no wonder the bugs are winning.
Fred try some of the heritage seeds if you can get them. Apparently these are coming from Denmark ,where they have seeds from the 1800's and early 1900's. If I had a bigger garden I would be trying more of the veg.
Weather again in the upper 20's lots of fog at night and sunny days. Can't even imagine what summer will be like.
Les, if you have Vietnamise restaurants out there do try them. Some weird but wonderful dishes. They have a new one in Winnipeg and we gave it a try. Vegetables stuffed in pork intestine tied in very short sausages and cooked in a tomato sauce was very tasty.
Some other stuff on the menu was a little too graphic so didn't consider it :-D
Good to see Michael back, hope you enjoy your visit with Mary.
Yes, Mary the bears are in bed but I think they too are confused with the weather we've been having. I know the birds are as we have summer birds here already, now have to hope it stays warm for them :-S
Must go and talk to my pal in London who will not be a happy camper with the snow to-day. :-) However I do enjoy showing the pics of our snow !!!!
Bye for now. Edith <3

Les' How very dare you take the mickey out of our National game :-P [sticks nose in air and blows a VERY loud Raspberry ] lol.
Stands to reason when you think of it ,how can linesmen and the ref' see the lines to know when a player is offside ,or a ball is out of play?,if the pitch is covered in snow.
It's either that ,or the players don't like to get their knees covered in the cold stuff ,now i come to think of it ,it's more than likely the latter reason ,lol.
Tried everywhere to find the Perogies ,but will rave to resort to the town i reckon ,and if not ,i will have to resort to a bit of pastry making because ,everyone over here seems to prefer Pasta with fillings inside ,and i can't stand the stuff .apart from the worms to go with meatballs.
Seems even the Jap's and Chinkies are in on the act ,so i need to be looking in more places for ideas he he,
My prayers to 'im upstairs were answered ,the later Snow we had ,he sent down to the smoke too ,which means i don't have to clear my drive again,all we had overnight made the drive look like frosted icing you see on a cake just a fine dusting.
I am sorry to hear that your grandkids are so ill ,i had to see any child suffering because they can't fight things like that as easy as grown ups.
It's all the older generations at fault anyway ,too many antibiotics and disinfectants used in homes over the years,instead of letting children grow up with inbuilt resistence ,the way it used to be .
Thinking back to childhood ,some of the things we ate with dirty hands and the way food was produced should have made us very ill ,but didn't .
You did the best thing anyway ,no way could you have stayed and put yourself at risk,i just hope the bairns recover quickly.
Hope everyone else has enjoyed the weekend and is now ready to rejoin the fray,as for me ,i will have my nose in the seed books again this afternoon after seeing to the dinner.
Catch you all later ,,Fred :-Dxxx

Fred, we went to Nanaimo today to shop and had brekkie at Ricky's. Well on one of the TV's they were showing the footie game between Manchester United and Fulham....didn't say where it was coming from but the snow was just coming down.....then they sent the grounds keepers out to shovel up the snow off the grass....Norm and I laughed!!! Now that is "only in England"!!

Not much left in the house last night as today was shopping day so I had to be creative. I "made" a new perogy recipe so here it is. Cook the perogies until they float and then put in the bottom of a greased casserole. Then partially steam some veg-your choice. I used long slilced carrots, asparagus adn chunks of yellow and green peppers. Lay the veggies over the perogies. Then make a cheese sauce: low fat version for us. 1 tablespoon of marg/butter, 1 tablespoon of flour. Melt butter, stir in flour and cook for a minute or so without browning. Then gradually add 1 cup of milk, I use 1% skim. Once the mixture starts to bubble stir in one third cup of grated cheese...your choice. I used parmegiano reggiano. Pour the sauce gently over the veggies/perogies making sure you try and cover all the surface. Cover and bake for about 15/20 mins at 350. Then take off the cover and broil for about 5/10 minutes until bubbling. I have to say that these are the best perogies I have ever eaten, they were so plump and yummy.

We had this with chicken breasts stuffed with dried cranberries and wrapped in proscuitto....my what a feast, made from just dribs and drabs in my kitchen and freezer!!

So now we are back home and have filled up the freezer and kitchen with lots of good things. New try for us today are gyoza's, Japanese, bit like a perogy but stuffed with all kinds of grated veg. Not too sure what we will have with them....maybe some teriyaki salmon.

We dropped in to see Heather and the kids but the kids were sick with hand, mouth and foot disease and so we left as my immune system is still compromised from all the antibiotics.....felt a bit better today tho.

Normie took me to my two favourite thrift stores, bless him, but no china cups and saucers today. So then it was home to reassure the kids that we had not left for ever. Small earthquake off the west coast at noon today. we were not here and did not feel anything on the east side of the island.....and no tsunami...thank goodness.
More later, enoy the weekend.Lesxx

Mornin' all ,cor ,plurry cold hare today ,but it looks as though this time at least ,most of the snow will be in the home counties And London he he [how sad ,never mind A] weeeeell ,they down their have better wages ,their insurance for their transport and housing ,and rates ,subsidised by the rest of the country,so it only seems right they get the lions share of the snow too ,lol.
Going to be having a quiet day indoors today because the grandson won't be here at all ,and it's no day to be outside unless it's urgent .
The bomb needs to be used despite the weather Mary ,some soil pest can survive being touched by a tad of frost ,like slug ,red spider and wireworm ,things i don't want among the young plants ,so i have devised a cunning plan for them .
Let 'em enjoy themselves until early march until they feels safe and secure ,THEN hit them with the bomb [evil cackle] to give them a swift kick up the butt ,no prisoners in the Chalet..
Seen my new puter Mary ,this old H P is still struggling on at 4 years and a bit ,but is blanking out for a few seconds every couple of minutes and it looks like a circuit board ,or the hard drive going home.sniff.
Any way ,i took a little trip to Curry's last week ,[Thursday] ,and found my new one ,a lovely 6 gig memory ,650 gig hard drive ,with a veeeery high spec,for £460 including a nice coloured case [ochre] to make a change from black ,he he.
I was going to pay for it then ,but the fella i was talking to told me to wait until this coming week when the price will drop to £360 so ,i ordered it to secure ,and will go back as soon as the weather permits :-).
Hope you two lucky people get together okay,sounds great to me,hope you have a great time ,and if a B B Q is in the offing ,do it on the patio to be on the safe side ,looks like it is going to stay very wet over there for some time to come,looks like everyone's weather is going to pot [if i can use a gardeners term].
Take care all :-D Fred.xxxx

HI Michael ..Lovely to see you here.. Am so looking forward to your and Pennys visit,,Will try and see what I can do about the rain..but in case it ignores me ya better bring your brolly.. :-D :-D
Have a lovely time in Kiwi land and don't worry about the earthquakes.. they are nothing.. ;-)


Fred What are you worried about bombing the Chalet..Winter has only just begun and the bugs will freeze to death..a good time to do some family history..The silver beet is loving all this rain and is growing in leaps and bounds and I better get out there and harvest another lot...Got another flower on my tomatoes,,but with so little sun its a miracle that I have got any,,if the clouds would go away we might do a little better..but it has been so overcast that we haven't had a full sunny day for a week.. :-(

Les and Edith.. Hope the snow is staying away.. have the bears gone to bed yet..all this talk of food is not helping with my diet..I am trying to lose some weight while John is in hospital as I know it will be harder when he comes home.Have been buying some weight watchers meals and adding some veg to build it up a bit..Not bad but not as good as home cooking..but a lot easier as I just pop it in the microwave oven for 6 minutes.easy peasy ....

Hi Terese Hope you and Bob are well...Don't worry winter is just around the corner.lovely time for a walk. :-D

Well a busy week next week.. 3 family birthdays, a visit top the specialist..and a party at my brothers on Friday and a dinner on sat at sons place for his 50th birthday..I will need a weeks rest the week after..

Well better get to bed..
Love Mary xxx <3

Surprise!!!

Well! It looks as if our Dundas winter came and went overnight a week or two ago.

There's not much new going on here: I'm still going in to work a few hours a week, it is really fun and stimulating (a pun...).

The real news is that I might see our Mary in three weeks or so. We're having a holiday down-under, friends, relatives and fascinating places to visit all beckon. But the weather... Mary tired of the rain. What are we getting in to? I know that the tropical North will be wet, rain forest and Barrier Reef... but Sydney???

Michael

Hi everyone.. Been so busy havent had the time to scratch myself..and its still raining.. :-( :-( :-( so sick of the rain..enough already,,but I suppose its better than the horrid heat that Sylvia has been having..

Xray results were ok so that is one good thing,The Motor Neurone is starting to affect his voice and it is getting horse when he speaks, another step backwards..,Monday next we go by wheelchair taxi to the specialist to xray the break and see if the cast can come off..if ok they can then get to and do some rehab to get him walking again..we hope..

Must go so take care all..will try and get back soon..

Love Mary xxx <3

Funny thing Fred how you have ancestors in Bucks and yet they have never intermingled with all of mine. I have hundreds of rellies in the Bucks to London area...no coincidences for us I guess.

Snow is heading our way again this weekend also, roll on spring. At least the days are getting longer. Not dark now until about 5.45....bonus!!

Still going back to the community care centre to get my dressings changed. They did say this would be a long haul....oh!! for a shower...somedays I crave it...but soon!!

Edith I watched a cooking show with this old Ukranian lady making perogies. She had a neat trick. Roll out the pastry into a strip about 4 inches wide. Dollop the filling in the centre at regular intervals. Fold the pastry over to make a tube and then use a cup to cut half moons around the dollops of filling. She turned out perogies so fast that it would make your head spin. :)

Well Fred I would be over for the pie.....one of my favouritye meals..maybe I will have to stir myself to create similar today.

Hi Mary, Teresa and Sylvia.
Lesxx

Well ,thanks tons Edith ,for the lovely jokes and video clips you keep sending us ,including the latest [Paper Indians] one that i got,and saved this morning
Thanks too for the Recipe which i will have a go at ,if i can't find the ready made ones in the town,they are def ' the sort of nice ,different meal that i am looking for ,nice and tasty with good ingredients which i always have to hand.
Looks like the white stuff is on the way over from Siberia so we may get a pasting like the one last year ,but at least ,this time we are both prepared with the roof re insulated and extra fuel brought in ,we will do a bear job if need be ,and hibernate ,lol
We are still preparing for spring too ,the greenhouse cleared out awaiting only the bomb to kill the bugs ,and the pots disinfected,and we are still looking for something new in the way of veggies ,or fruit to grow .
I am now starting on my family research too ,finding a link Between the Barnes and King families in London,Mainly my aunt Vera Barnes ,being sent to Streatham .london to await the birth of my uncle Raymond ,turning out to be an address where there is an Edith King whose parents were married in Hughenden high wycombe.
Seeing as the two families started back in 1809 with the marriage between one Richard Barnes & one Martha King both from Marlow High wycombe ,i will be looking for another connection now.anyway ,in these cold days when i can't get out into my beloved gardens ,it is another interest ,lol.
Old Fred is being a lazy git today ,seeing as the wife has the energy and has taken over the cooking chores this dinner time .
The fare today is a lovely warming Cumberland pie ,shepherds with added peas and carrots ,with grated cheese over the top of the potato topping,this done with fresh brussel ,cabbage ,roast tattie and parsnip with extra gravy ,so ,anyone coming had better get their skates on ,and i do mean skates ,there is a lot of ice out there .he he
Hope everyone is keeping nice and warm ,or of course cool ,as to where they are in the world.
Catch you later you lovely lot ,Fred :-D <3 xxx

Evening, Dear me Fred, not to worry. Herewith is my pierogi recipe.
The first time you make them it seems a big trial but gets easier the more yopu make.
Filling: Peel and boil 4-5 potaoes. Mash and add 1 cup grated cheddar cheese. Set aside to cool
Pierogi dough: 4 cup
s flour(all purpose),1 teaspoon salt, 2 teaspoons vegetable oil,1/4 teaspoon baking powder, 1 cup warm water, 1 egg beaten.Place in large bowl flour,salt, baking powder. Make a well in the centre.
In smaller bowl mix oil, warm water and beaten egg. Pour into well in dry ingredients and mix well. Knead dough 8 to 10 minutes and replace in lge bowl, cover and let sit for 2 hours.
Roll out to about 1/8th thickness and cut into 3 inch rounds.
Place about 2 teaspoons potato mix on round and fold in half.Pinch edges well to form a half moon shape. If not tight they will open in the boiling water.
Place in pot of boiling water until they rise to the top. Remove ,to plate.
In large fry pan sautee 1 onion chopped and 4 strips of bacon. Add peirogi's and heat till golden.
Serve with sour cream.
This was usually a Saturday eve meal as I had extra pinchers to help.
Really is a good treat. Hope you enjoy. Edith <3

Yep peoples,if you check ,i came back on line before our Edith and admitted i had got it wrong ,lol :-P.after finding out that gnosshi is made with pasta ,and not pastry.
Been to the major stores here this morning ,and found tons of little shapes and stuffed titbits ,but all Italian and all pasta ,grrrrrrrr ,so it looks like a trip to town and a couple of dellies in the high street and The Grainger market ,at least one Polish one where i have been before to find the breadcrumbs used to top the Polish cauliflower dish ,and some lovely smoked sausage that my Po;ish daughter in law put me onto ,he he ,so old Fred ain't beaten yet by a long chalk.
If it goes to the wire ,i know i can go into a Polish eatery and have the dish served to me on a plate so that i can taste it ,and at the end of the day ,if i like it i can always make my own.
Hope all are well and are enjoying themselves ,i am off to do a bit of research into addresses in London ,lol,i need to find who was living at a certain address in Streathem London in 1935 all i have is the street name and number ,no name ,so i am in for some fun :-S.
Catch you all later Fred.