General Chat

Hi everyone.. Been a mite busy so was angry with myself to find that I have forgotten to wish Fred a Happy Birthday..Have it in my calender and still forgot...Slaps hand.. :-0 Hope you had a lovely day Fred. and enjoy the bath in the van...This pic I got to see.. :-D :-D :-D
Had the first session at the hospital MND get together which was very informative..back there for a 2 hour session with the physio and OT tomorrow..
Had another huge bunch of silver beet to gather tonight and enough for 2 huge meals for us both.. and its still growing. My toms have doubled in size and are now about 10" high.. :-D

Have a lovely day all..

Love Mary xxx

Morning to all ,just a quick on for now as i am on dinner duty today ,after we have both been for a soak in the bath ,luxury in a caravan ,[pics coming up shortly].Seen the very thing for you Les ,regarding the house cleaning,one of these new robot cleaners ,having seen one in action that belongs to a disabled chum of mine ,i can recommend it to you.
It sits in it's little home in the corner of the floor where it charges itself until next use ,small enough hight wise to go under a low chair ,and goes up and down the floor ,right up to the walls where it automatically turns itself round and goes back the other way,quite a wonderful tool .only needing picked up when it needs emptied.
No good for stairs [mores the pity] but when the time comes ,i will have no hesitation in getting one for myself.
Not going out today ,it is too cold for the missus ,raining anyway ,so it's a stay indoors day ,lol,but ,no matter ,we have been out each day so far,
Coming down here for my birthday was ace ,out of the way of everyone ,no fuss ,a nice birthday meal of Shepherds pie that we shared with the sis,and bro in law after they finished work on the site,,and we even had a nice little slab of Dundee cake for afters ,the nearest i want to get to a proper celibration cake ,no marzipan ,or icing ,smashing.
Hope every one is enjoying their weather ,lol.don't worry peeps ,lol ,i have a feeling that Liz and i will cop a load of the white stuff very shortly.
Catch you later Fred :-D xxxx

Good morning, kiddies. Well it's all snow here and ice and snow and then more ice. Skating rink in all directions outside our house. They are calling for a long and unusually cold winter and it's only November....grrr!!

Our Walmart today re-opens as a SuperCentre and they have some amazing food specials so we are going to trek over there and grab what we can. Sirloin tip roasts for $8, a pack of chicken breatss for $9, bags of baby spuds for $1....too good to miss.

I am going to add greeting cards to my apron line up for the next fair. I used to make cards all the time when I was working and somehow just got away from it. They don't make a lot of money but if I don't sell any aprons I am not making any money either.

Hope John feels better after his treatments, Mary. And yes do use that money for a cleaner. I vacuumed and washed the floors yesterday and my back was just awful. My doc says no more vacuuming...hmm! who will do it then. Norm has enough to do chopping the bloody wood for the wood stove. Maybe we will win the lottery also, Fred, and then all of these problems will just fade away.

So I am off to shop. Later Lesxx

Evening to all ,just a a few lines this evening to let everyone know ,we are in sunny Blackpool [not] a little shopping in the new van ,a really up to date one ,that belongs to a friend of my sis in law ,with a beutiful little kitchen ,with a five burner hob ,[grrrrrrrr] and both oven and hob wall mounted on the other side,really well set out.
Off to Cleevleys in the morning where i will buy a couple of tickets for the euro millions,hoping i can then afford a van like this for myself ,lol.
Hope everyone is going to have a nice weekend ,catch you all later ,Fred,And Chester ,who is hobbling pretty well today :-)xxxxx

Morning all.. We have had some showers so am a happy chappy..could do with a lot more so here's hoping

Teresa So nice to see you post,, Do hope all goes well for Bob.. which I am sure it will.. big hugs for you both..

Les.. I think I would be selling also.. time to get on the big island and nearer the kids..You should get the name of the shop that sell the aprons from Teresa and see if you can do a deal with her..if she is having trouble getting stock she might be happy to sell yours for you on a contract basis..

Edith.. Keep the snow for the present,,it is lovely and cool today..have the bears gone to bed..or are they having the last go at the rubbish bins.. :-D

Fred. So glad the kitchen is finished..its a shame the fan forced oven is the lower one as it is a lot quicker cooking than one without the fan..but good idea just to use the top one for every day use..Just watch the back when bending..hope Lizz is feeling better and is looking after herself..

Well next Monday I have to take John to the clinic for a 3 hour session and the next day for a 2 hour session..thank goodness it is only 20 minutes away and not heavy traffic..so good to have this facility at the Mona Vale hospital Motor Neurone clinic and all for free..I am now getting a carers allowance of $50 a week from the Gov. so might put that to a cleaner to help keep this place clean..we will see...

Have a lovely weekend all and stay warm..

Love Mary xxx

Morning all, Sending love and good wishes to Bob and you Teresa.
Les, I don't think it's simply your aprons that people aren't buying, it really is the economy. I noticed in the big craft markets in the city most folks are holding back on even the small stuff. Last year a lot of the folks had sold out after the first day, but not this year. Talking to some of them they said this just was not a good year.
The snow is here to stay so of course I am happy. Don't even grouse when I have to clean off the car. :-) One of the old boys downstairs looks at me and is sure I'm off my rocker. He sees no reason to like winter :-D
Fred, I tried a new soup recipe and it is really good. A veg combination with a little added tang to it. I will try to get it typed up and sent out to you soon.
Must get a move on so I can go to the Senior Centre for a session on "How to improve your Brain power". Some days I could sure use the info :-)
Stay well everyone. Edith <3

Hi Teresa ,nice to see you again,hope the bone marrow transplant for Bob goes ahead on time ,and that it does all that is hoped for ,a bummer ,as you say at Christmas ,but hey ,it's more important to have the main man seen to ,and well ,before anything else.Tell you what ,we will hold ours back too ,until Sean comes home from Afghanistan in March ,when we will to ,feel more like a celebration .
I heard about the Canadian Memorial being flown home from there too to be re erected on Canadian soil and have to say ,a brilliant idea and well thought of,and thought i would mention it on here ,so many people ignorant of the fact that there are other lads in Afghanistan like Canadian ,Oz And New Zealand ,Troops ,not just Brits ,
The Canadian lads, tour expired ,came into Akrotiei air base in Cyprus ,as we came in from Newcastle ,and everyone there stood up and welcomed them home so to speak .a very spontanious touch which somehow seemed very fitting ,and well deserved.
A nice suggestion as regards Les's aprons as well ,a dual purpose garment for kitchen use is a darned good idea and may decide to give it a go.
Time for me to get cracking ,Liz twisted her knee yesterday and i had to help her up the stairs last night ,,either she has put weight on lately ,puff puff . or i am getting older [or both] but i nearly had palpitations as we both got to the top of the stairs ,lol,and i had to sit on the bed for a couple of minutes before i came back down for the drinks'
Catch you later peeps Fred :-D xxx

Hi Everyone!

Just a quick note as I am on my lunch break from work.

Les, I was thinking of you and your aprons just yesterday when I saw a lovely apron in a shop here. This apron though, had buttons at the waist to detach the top and just have a short pinny. The shop owner said she was having trouble keeping them in stock as they were that popular. Maybe something for you to think about.

My news is that Bob will be having a bone marrow transplant next month. He is set to go in to the hospital around the 7th of Dec which kind of sucks because his 60th birthday is on the 9th. The transplant is tentatively set for the 15th. He will most likely be in for Christmas so we will postpone our celebrations until he is home. They have suggested that they may let him home for the day but since we don't live in the city it is not likely. Altogether he will probably be hospitalized for a month or so. My sister is doing a birthday party for him on Saturday.

Must run back to work.
Love to you all
Teresa

Hi Guys, well I had a very fun weekend, lots of laughter. They were a great bunch to be with, slightly different folks this time but...none of us made a million. Lots of looky loos and not a lot of spenders. I sold enough to cover the cost of the table and my gas. and that was about it. Am going to rethink my aprons. I may just make the really fancy ones and then add some other products to my line. I like doing craft fairs and I like making stuff...but there has to be some money in it for me.

We had a storm blow thru the area where I was on Friday and it left a little snow behind. It was balmy here in Port but the highway friday night was slippery. I think I followed behind the sander so it was OK. It was down below zero last night and is at about 1 degree at the moment but sunny.

Speaking of building we have just heard that there are plans in the works to build a huge homeless shelter across the road from us complete with a huge treatment centre for drug users etc. Time to sell. We did try a little earlier this year and then changed our minds but come January I will be at this house like a white tornado, paint brush in hand and we are out of here....hopefully!!

So I may do a bit in the garden today. Put on my woolies and do a bit of raking and pruning. Maybe I will put the slow cooker on and that is taken care of too.
Later Lesxx

hi there Edith ,soooo glad you are enjoying your snow [brrrrrr] but i can quite happily go a while longer without it.
The son seems to be a little tied up with work ,and seeing to his partners needs on top of it ,so i thought ,bu***r it ,got the jig saw out ,a set square ,and my trusty pencil and got stuck in.
The whole kitchen is now finished,kick boards and worktop bench trims,and i must say ,it looks a bit of all right .
As soon as we got in from the weekly shop ,we went out back ,all wrapped up ,opened the greenhouse and set to,the result is ,the rubbish bin is full,of all the tomato haulms, ,the buckets empty and stacked in the corner,leaving the floor space clear for the Nectarine tree.
Outside i have taken up the last of the beetroot,and they are at this very moment simmering in a big pan ,yum
Teas tonight is some belly pork roll wrapped around stuffing ,small roast tatties cabbage leeks in cheese sauce ,and hot beetroot ,smashing.
Three days to go .and we are off to Fleetwood for the week and this time the missus has her own dongle ,so there is no fight over the laptop ,as we each have our own, bliss ,no more argie bargie ,lol .
This time too ,we will be able to relax and get up late ,the site is now shut to holiday makers ,owners only ,no noise ,bliss again ,just what we need to charge our batteries for the winter.
Had a letter from the demolition company today as well ,they start work on Monday this next week so the work will be finished well before spring ,and rebuilding won't start until 2016,and the place they are starting knocking down won't be built on until at least 2020,so come this next spring there will be green field to the left ,and the next to be built on ,and new field to the right ,there until 2020 ,utter bliss again woohoo.
I will be out front in the morning to take a couple of pic's for posterity ,he he,and will take a couple more when the clearing is finished.
I do hope Les' has had more luck with her apron sales this time ,its a long way to travel ,to have things go wrong.
Off to get Hissy her tea ,before she attacks my toes again [little perisher ] ,catch you all later on ,Fred :-D, <3 xxx

Good Monday morning all, The snow is here to stay so Edith is happy. Just love the white world for a few days.
My balcony is all decorated for the season,just have to turn on the lights and
enjoy.
Mary I would love to send you some snow,but packaging it is a bit of a problem :-D If i figure out a way to do it I will let you know. !!!!
Fred, are you finished those cupboards yet? Methinks you need a pointy stick to use on your son :-) Having sons of my own I know how (un)helpful they can be.However if a handout is needed they expect it "now".
I guess Les is under a pile of aprons somwhere, hope she can sell a few and see daylight again :-D.
My friend Chloe(the cat) is loving the snow as well, she gets out on her balcony and bats it about.Looks like she is trying to make a snowman. She will only go inside when her feet get wet and then as soon as her feet are dry she is wailing to go out again :-)Gotta love animals !!!!
Time for my porridge so bye for now. Edith <3

Just a quick one before i take the missus out shopping ,'ere and me arn't on the best of terms this morning after i found out that she want's to go to the sons before we come home afterwards grrrrrrrr :-| .
I was going to do the kickboards yesterday ,while i was at a loose end ,but she said no ,leave it until tomorrow when the weather is nicer ,so ,rather than argue the toss ,i agree to leave it.
Having sprung the trip to the sons on top of the shopping ,i am now going to be tied up until dark this evening ,women ,huh ,i ask you, enough to drive a man to drink at times , [here ,the men are supposed to nod and agree with me ,lol] :-| .
Yep ,i did think of the oven door so close to the floor Mary ,but the wife wanted the top of the oven in line with the benches ][women again ] he he ,but seeing as the main fan oven will only be used when we have company for a meal ,it will only get used once in a while ,the other .top oven being big enough to do a meal for 3 or 4,i went along with it to keep the peace.
Hope we are all enjoying a nice weekend ,and Mary you stay where you are old Buddy ,John couldn't hack the cold with his complaint ,if the kids want to see you ,let 'em to the travelling , time for ALL of us oldies to let younger people do the running around ,i say.
Be back later everyone ,need to be off for now ,Fred. :-D .xxx

Hi everyone.. We have had some hot weather and I am so looking forward to winter again,,,and summer hasn't even started yet.. :-DMy toms are a bit small at the moment but are looking good..had about 2 big meals of silver beet and still more to come.. :-) all this hot weather makes it hard with the watering of the pots so hoping for some rain,,though its not looking good at the moment..
Helped the dentist with his retirement fund yesterday,,gosh they know hot to charge..
Les Hope you do better at this show ,, and put a sign up to say they make great Christmas presents..good luck..
Edith Can you send me some snow .. :-D Our daughter in Orange is trying to get us to move there as there is a lovely house across the road from them and she says she can then help me with John..Only problem is the other 2 children think I would be better moving nearer to them so its stay where I am..Anyway John couldn't cope with the cold winters in the other places..snows in Orange and Canberra and son is 15 minutes away here is Sydney so he wins for the time being.. :-D :-D :-D
Might try and get John out to lunch today to a nice pub not far away..so we will see.. I am hoping to get some help with the housework soon so hope that gets sorted..I am getting very tired..Take care all and stay well and mind those backs..
Fred Love the new kitchen and could you stand the stove on a small kitchen cupboard so that you wont have to bend so far down..or raise it off the floor about a foot..somehow..lovely stove..would like one like that..but a bit worried about your back..My back had gone out in sympathy with your back I think...or it could be the lifting of John when he has a fall...

Have a lovely weekend all..

Love Mary xxx <3

PS Fred Just had another look at the stove,and it would not be level with the bench top if you raised it up ..beautiful stove but do be careful when using the bottom oven..bend zee knees as they used to say when I worked in the hospital :-D :-D :-D

Wheeeeeeeee, Edith is over the moon!!!!! The snow has arrived and our

world is all white. Warm temp , with no wind ,ready for a short walk :-D :-D

Good luck with your sale Les.

Take it easy with the carpentry Fred can't have you on the injured list again :-|

Must go and get out doors. Edith <3

Hope all goes well with your new venue ,Les' and hope that this time you sell loads of aprons to make up for the last fiasco ,which sounded like a real bummer.
I like the sound of the spaghetti too ,i think i could well do some for tonight ,one of my favourite dishes ,after a nice green curry,which i may well do for the weekend.
Hope this improvement in the weather here last.s until the weekend so that i can get these kick boards measured and cut to finish this kitchen off ,can't use a jig saw indoors because of the dust it kicks up.
Talking of dust ,i have to get some dust masks in ,ready for the demolition starting over the road ,which i'm hoping they will have the sense to start straight away ,while the cold and rain will keep the dust down to manageble levels ,it's bad enough for the missus as it is ,without getting it indoors every time you open the door when you come in from shopping.
Hope you are all looking forward to the weekend ,no matter what you are doing,and hope the road conditions are good for the intrepid seamstress ,who will be out and about in it :-D.
Catch you later all ,Fred.xxxx

Got a phone call yesterday to do another show this weekend at Coombs, the place with the goats on the roof. I am pretty excited about this....all new customers. So I am busy yet again.

Normie is making his world famous spaghetti sauce so more italian tonight but at least I won't have to cook..
Later Lesxx

Morning all ,and watch your backs you Canadians in the north ,big storm heading your way into Alaska ,which may drift your way,hope you all have your woollies out ,just in case ,all exept Edith ,who will more than likely be waiting in the garden with her swim suit on ,he he ;-).
Les ' ,if our cookers cost anything like yours ,i would be cooking on a campfire ,the range cooker i showed you from Currys cost about £750 ,and the gas version was a tad cheaper ,pity i can't ship you a new one out there,but you never know ,a lottery win ,and one will be on the way :-D.
Have you tried the leek and potato soup yet ? seems to be a well loved recipe in most places,both on the continent ,and in this country.
Yes ,a slow cooker does not take kindly to small chopped veggies i'm afraid,i found out the hard way the first time i tried our electric cooker ,it was a very expensive way to make veggie soup ,lol,though i must admit ,it was very tasty ,and nice and thick :-| .
I found that some potato's are no good for that style of cooking as well ,as they tend to go to mush in a very few minutes ,whole ,or not.
Nothing much on here today ,a little clearing up and a trip to B & Q to get those radiator reflectors i mentioned,hope they are as good as they are cracked up to be ,we could do with all the help we can get with the price of gas and electric over here . :-0 .
Just seen too ,that the French company that took over our water board ,are going to shove the prices up next year by 30% ,while the French get theirs much cheaper ,looks like the brit's are being ripped off yet again,by Brussels ,who are letting the froggies get away with it yet again.
They are already doing it with the eon.electric company that supplies all the countries electricity,no wonder britain is called the Rip off country ,don't know what the hell our Government is thinking of ,what a load of pocket lining greedy politicians we have to guide us on our journey to the poor house :-P.
Hope everyone is looking forward to the weekend ,tis nearly here folks ,and so is the big day when the old fella in the red suit comes out to play,he he .Catch you later peoples ,Fred.xxxx

Hey Fred, great pics. I absolutely love that oven. I was in love with my gas stove when I got it, 5 burners and all but the glow has faded and we are left with a slow oven and only 4 burners working. We paid about $1700 for this thing so will have to battle on with it.

Edith snow was forecast here but for the moment it has missed us except up on the mountains. I am momentarily not sewing aprons, did not sell enough to warrant sewing more. So now I am back at my genealogy.

Last night I made a huge lasagne so will not have to cook tonight. Might buy a foccacia to go with it tonight. I really need to get into the soup mode. Norm is not much of a soup eater so it is left for me to eat. Also I have found over the last year that carrots in soup do not freeze well and are always mushy once defrosted...anyone else experience that?? I did another roast of beef in the slow cooker over the weekend and it was yummy but again while the meat cooks the veggies get a bit soggy. I am thinking next time I will put the spuds and carrots in whole, maybe they will fare better. BTW Fred I loath parsnips, yukk!! so no parsnip soup for me. I think my favourite soup is split pea. Hmmm! maybe I will make a pot today.

We are having municiple elctions on November 19 and so have got a wee bit involved in that, supporting my favourite folks...time for a change here. This little city is just sliding into an abyss. I have an idea (tourism) and am looking for a few folks to join me with that...we'll see.

Hi Mary, waves.

Have a few errands to do so will love and leave you for now. Lesxx

Hi oh cold loving one ,he he,can't say as i love the winter ,but ,hey ,you can't have it all just when you wan't it .lol.
I am set up for the worst the weather can throw at me ,so let it snow ,sleet ,or whatever ,i don't care much .
We stayed indoors today ,and have made two huge pans of soup ,one with mushrooms ,and one with parsnips ,and both have been blitzed now ,ready to go into the containers and hence into the freezer .
Prepared this time we are .a short French stick at the ready ,soup on the agenda for tea yum,and three rows of leeks and tons of tatties ,lined up and waiting to go ,snow and be darned He He. :-).
Lost the power twice earlier ,hmmmmm ,signs of things to come perhaps? :-| .
See you later all ,off to scoff some you know what.Fred.xxx

Morning all, Finally it is showing signs of winter. A light skiff of snow on the ground and a chilly wind. As usual Edith is in trouble !!! I was a little too happy to see the cooler weather and a few folks were not amused :-D
I love the winter and as I live in an area where it is snowy and cold for 7 months of the year I sit back and really enjoy it. I know "she's nuts" is a
comment made just out of my hearing and I sit there with a smile on my face.
To cuddle in with a good book and a bowl of home made soup is a treat that cannot be enjoyed on a hot sunny beach. Therewith ends my sermon for to-day. :-)
Glad to hear you are taking it easy Fred. The pics are great and the new kitchen should be a treat to work in.
Mary,you are a busy lady. Don't overdo it!!Glad you are getting some help with John. Any toms yet? A fresh tom sandwich would taste very good about now.
:-D
Hope Les comes out from under the pile of aprons soon, just to say hello if nothing else.
Time for my breakfast so bye for now from a happy "cool" Canadian.
Edith <3