General Chat

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

Evening to all ,from a darned cold Newcastle upon Tyne where the heating is fired up ,and the de humidifier is ready to go.
I need to go to B & Q Wednesday to buy three heavy foil reflectors to place behind the radiators to reflect the heat back into the room.as recommended by my heating wallah.and that is the lot until the spring apart from house work and cooking .
I am not counting the kitchen kick boards because my son is going to do those for me, i am now a man of relaxed laid back lazy days for a fortnight ,until i clean out the greenhouse ready for the return of the warmer weather [roll on ] he he
That's a good idea Edith ,getting those lights up in plenty of time ,before it gets so cold you have icicles instead of fingers .lol.
We arn't going out at all tomorrow ,two batches of soup to make ,one lot Parsnip ,and one mushroom seeing as we picked up a large load of both in Morrison's early this afternoon,both reduced for a quick sale ,a kilo bag of each for 50 P so we got two bags of both.
Off to make my tea now a nice toasted sandwich ,made with grated cheese mixed in horseradish ,with some nice carvery ham ,finely chopped ,yum].
Catch you later folks ,stay warm all,apart from our Mary ,who will be wishing for some nice cool weather by now :-D Fred.xxxx

Morning, Welcome back Fred you were missed. Now take it easy and don't do any more harm. Your back is a needed part of the body :-D
Our weather is staying gorgeous for this time of year, so I got the lights etc. out on my balcony. Much easier than putting them up at -30 with icy fingers.
Having a quiet Sunday for a change so will go and have some breakfast and then read a new book.
Do take it easy Fred see you back here soon. Liz maybe you should tie him down for part of the day :-)
Bye for now Edith <3

G'day all Fred Is back [pardon the pun ] ,lol.still a little sore but managing to get around again,at last .
The replacement cooker arrived at 7-30 last night ,but i was too tired to do anything with it at that time of night ,so signed for it ,and settled in my chair ,and nursed Hissy who does NOT like fireworks in any shape or form .
I fed her an hour early and kept her indoors all evening ,remembering last year when she freaked out ,and wouldnt go outside for two days ,poor mite,so ,she had plenty of strokes and petting to help her settle,and she was okay this morning.
I managed to get down on my knees this morning and connect the cooker to the hard wiring plug ,and then waited for the son to arrive to do the sliding into place ,me ? no way ,the last attempt was too painful for an old fogey like me ,lol :-|.
This double oven is going to save us quite a bit in bills ,being a lot smaller than the main oven ,but still big enough to get a small joint and roasties in ,the main fan oven will be kept for company and times like Christmas ,when the extra space is needed for turkeys ,and the like.
both the son and i repaired to the garden with the coffees once we started the ovens up for the first time ,needing to vacate the kitchen while the fumes from the ceramic linings cooked ,and burned off the fumes ,which attack the lung linings,they are ideal though ,no more oven cleaning for us ,wack the temperature right up ,and bingo ,job done .
What a lovely day it is ,the weather teasing me because i can't get out there to do any digging ,grrrrrrr ,but i darn't risk that for a couple of weeks ,i feel like a kid who has had his ice cream stolen ,he he :-( .
I have just taken the last of the pics of the finished kitchen as well ,so ,i will load them up later on and send them off.
What a Bummer Les' all that work ,the travel on top ,and no sales at all,no wonder you are a bit teed off ,i for sure would be too
Nice to hear you are getting some better news Mary ,as regards treatment.makes a lot of difference when you don't have to pay for everything,and hopefully the doc's may be able to sloe the disease down a good bit.,,it the temperatures you are heading for ,you may even get more tomatoes than you know what to do with
Any spare send Edith's way ,she will know what to do with them ,i'll be bound.
Off now to see to the dinner ,leaving the missus to drool over her new kitchen,he he ,she asked about the hall and stairs last night in bed ,he he ,some women ,no pleasing 'em :-| .
I ain't going to tell her about me laying a new carpet after i have finished the hall and stairs ,after last night ,rotten ,that's me ,i will pull the carpet up ,making a mess of it ,saying i will worry about putting it back later ,then ,when she has stewed a couple of days ,i will take her shopping at a carpet store to calm her down again ,he he :-D.
Back later peeps.Fred.xxx

Snow forecast here for tonight. The heat was not working in the Glenwood Centre yesterday and it was blurry cold. Sold no aprons...none!! Thinking of taking up another hobby, something more lucrative like brain surgery!! :-D

Morning all.. We have lovely mild weather..though they say 30c on Sunday..yuck...
Thanks for the info on Fred Edith.. Poor Fred, he does work hard on the house.. will look nice though when he has finished..take it easy Fred and take care of that back.. <3

Planted out my toms today.. and some more chillis ..hope my cherry toms sprout soon as I have space waiting for them to.

Les.. Slow down girl.. you will bust a foofle valve..

Well John has now been assessed by the Motor Neurone Group at the hospital and he has now got a walker to help his legs and delay the spasticity that is affecting his legs. We saw a physio and a Occupational Theratist and spent 2 hours with them putting John through his paces,,Cost,,nothing..all free.. and a walker thrown in for a lend for free also..cant complain about that ..PLS and Motor Neurone Desease are much the same except that PLS is slower working than MND, and a person usually dies of something else..or complications ...

Having a quiet day today as the week has been rather hectic..Keep warm you lot oop in the cold lands,, and Fred hope you are feeling better soon..

Love Mary xxx <3

Hi all, Sad news from Newcastle. Our Fred has injured his back doing
the kitchen reno and has been placed on bedrest by the Doc.
Please take it easy Fred and we will wait for your return.
Les, you too, take some time out to smell the roses :-D see you when your
shows are finished.
So far no problems here but will proceed with caution :-)
Edith <3

Sorry gang, I am on overload, first artisan show starts tomorrow and I am busy and busier.
Will catch up on Monday.
Lesxx

Helloooooo has everyone left town or what?????

I know Fred is on holidays but where are the others.??

Weather here is GREAT for this time of year, no snow yet and none in site according to the weather guy on T.V.
Hope to hear from you all soon. Edith <3

Morning, Les, reading your post jogged my memory. :-0 When I was in Wpg. we went to a bulk barn.I was looking for pine nuts for my pesto's. Well, I almost fell over at the price, 37.95 per "pound" (not a kilo). Talking to the clerk I ask why so costly? She did not know but when told her what I wanted them for she had an alternative. Use canned garbonzo beans, drain well, place on cookie sheet with a bit of olive oil. Under high heat (450) bake until light brown.
put in food processor and pulse till small chunks. So I tried it yesterday and it really does work well. From 1 can I have enough for 3 or 4 recipes.
We have white rooftops this a.m so it looks like winter is on it's way :-D My time of the year so am ready for it.
Time for breakfast so see you soon. Edith <3

Edith, what a thought. I could pack up the aprons, Norm and the furry kids and head off with the trailer to all points east selling my aprons...what a lot of fun that would be!!

Fred I make cannaloni/ manacotti quite often. I stuff them with the following:
I lightly poach a chicken breast in a little olive oil and spices and then chop finely.
Ricotta cheese is expensive and high in fat so I use low fat cottage cheese and add a beaten egg.
I lightly sautee half a chopped onion and lots of garlic cloves until tender.
Then in a bowl I mix the cheese and the egg, add in the chicken and onion mix. Then at the last minute I sautee a packet of previously frozen spinach to get the water out of it and then stir in as well. I add s and p and a little basil to taste and then dollop onto the pasta and roll up. Place in a baking dish, cover with your favourite spaghetti sauce and dust with fresh grated parmesan. Bake for about 45 minutes at 350......more than yummy. I have never made them with white sauce but I may try that next time using a nice parmesan sauce made from scratch.

OK off to the dratted machine...but....the rack is getting full of new pinnies so...whew!!...panic over.
Lesxx

Morning all, Just fine Mary, I'm all ready for the Halloween treaters, we get a lot of the wee ones here as we have a day care on either side of our building. They are the real cute ones as they get bigger not so much :-)
Don't know if the bears are in bed yet as our fall has been very warm.Also the berries were not too good this year as we had a lot of heat but not much rain!!Enjoyed our trip to the BIG city. Did a lot of shopping so have sorted all the gifts for Christmas and it will be easy to wrap and deliver them this year.The snow can arrive any time now and I won't mind one bit. :-D
Thanks for the pics Fred, you can cook up a banquet now hee hee. Tried the soup recipe, and I did add a bit of brown sugar. The swedes I used were quite bitter so it needed a little sweetener.Also tried another one with sweet red peppers,garlic, mushrooms, hot sauce and worchestershire sauce. Finely chopped chinese cabbage, carrots,celery,and leeks in a veg broth. Turned out well. As usual sent it around the complex for all to enjoy.
Les, all our Christmas bazaars are taking place and I have yet to see an apron?? Was in Dryden the other day and it was a large venue but again no aprons. Ask one of the women if they had any and she looked at me as if I were daft!!!!I was sorely tempted to take a picture and show her one.
Time to get the laundry done so will say bye for now. Edith

:-D :-D <3

Morning all ,still freezin' cold here in Newcastle ,and piddling down with rain again ,grrrr ,no gardening today peeps ,so i am doing a bit of research indoors ,and playing cards on the puter ,lol.
Yep mary ,i did change the kitchen unit doors a while ago ,but now the worktops and sink unit ,cooker are looking a bit jaded ,so i am in the middle of changing ,cooker ,kitchen sink [done] and worktops.
I had hoped to have a range cooker instead of the built in one ,with the seperate hob ,but was a tad pi***d off when i found out that it was two inches too big to go in properly :-0 :-| so we have ordered a double oven stove which is free standing.
Having finished the new sink and matching worktop ,i am now about to start on the rest of the work tops by stripping out the oven casing ,and drawer underneath ,so that the cooker ,when it arrives will slot straight in.
The holiday unit sounds ace old Buddy ,just what you and John could do with ,and as you say ,pretty close to home for you both as well.so i hope it works out well for you.
I had a chuckle too at the thought of a crazy canadian Lady chasing Ollie round the garden ,it reminds me of someone of the opposite sex over here ,he he hmmmmm ,i could send Hissy over there so that Les can chase them both around the garden ,giving me a rest ,lol :-).
We are both looking forward to my sons Christmas treat and are looking forward to our trip down to the smoke ,[train picnic is in hand] ,and seats and table are booked both ways, so i hope it warms up a little to make it easier for Liz ,who struggles a bit in the cold weather with her breathing .
I think a return to Cyprus early next year is on the cards ,just what Liz needs to buck her up ,a couple of weeks break away from the cold.
The Lasagne is well in hand peeps ,and the wife is even going to have a go at Cannaloni next week using the same sort of sheets of Pasta so we will see how it goes.
We will have to bring the camping stove into the kitchen next week for a couple of days seeing as the new delivery date for the cooker is now Thursday ,leaving us with no hob for at least two days,so we will use the camping stove so that we can still use a couple of sauce pans and steamer for veggies
Sounds like winter camping of sorts ,a long time since we have done that ,lol
Off to see to dinner now ,but i will be back later this afternoon ,so ,have a nice weekend all,Fred. <3 ,xxx

Morning all.. we have a lovely mild day..

Les.. Can just see you running around the yard chasing the cat in your nightie... :-D :-D :-D what we see when we haven't got a camera was probably what the neighbours were saying.. :-D :-D all this talk of lasagna got me making one for dinner last night,,I had in the freezer some sauce that I made a couple of weeks ago for the lasagna I made for when the grandson was here and so got it out and made one for dinner last night..it was yummy and as usual I ate to much of it..Still got some for another meal so its in the freezer.. :-D :-D
Fred.. I am confused at this kitchen job you are doing,,did you not just do up the kitchen..pics please when it is finished..sounds like a big job..
Am working at getting a disable unit in a holiday resort about a hours drive north of Sydney, and close to where my brother lives so that we can have a holiday..It is self contained and has a kitchen so we wont have to go out to eat all the time,,Am trying to get sister in law to come down and come with us. Working on Feb. next year as we are tied up with clinics and physios at the moment..

Hope you are ok Edith..have the bears gone to bed yet..I have polar bears on my screen ,,they look so lovely..I think you sent me a few pics of them a few years ago and I have been rotating them every so often.. ;-)

Have a lovely weekend all

Love Mary xxx <3

Mary, your lasagne sounds yummy. I have a low fat recipe that I use. I also use the flat pasta sheets, you can buy them fresh in the stores here. I use Norm's spaghetti sauce which I bulk up with extra veg like mushrooms, onions and zukes. I put a little sauce in the bottom to stop it sticking, then a pasta sheet, then a layer of the sauce and then I spread a layer of low fat cottage cheese over. I repeat those layers, usually about 3 or 4 and end with pasta which I cover with the remains of the sauce and then grate parmesan cheese over the top. Cook this for about 45 mins at 350....very yummy.

Fred, pics are great. Am looking forward to seeing the rset. The stove looked pretty nice. I would love to have two ovens...too bad that did not fit in your kitchen.

A man is supposed to come today and put the garden to bed for the winter. I just cannot bend to do it this year and Norm is exhausted from teaching these classes at the college. One day we may slow down...but don't hold your breath.

Bella needed to go out for a pee in the middle of the night...or so she would have me believe. The racoons visit the plum tree most nights and I guess she wanted to visit...LOL Anyway I went out onto the steps to stop her from waking the entire neighbourhood by barking and Ollie shot by my legs and down the steps. Now he is a house cat. So close your eyes and picture me in my jammies chasing the blurry cat to get him into the house. No shoes on my feet, yelling at the cat and the dog, middle of the night. Hmm! guess we know who might have woken the beighbours!!

:-D Lesxx

Morning lovely people.. We have a lovely cool day today,,YYYAAYYY :-D

Decided it was time to reap my first harvest of silver beet last night so went out and cut a huge bunch for dinner.. Cant believe how much there was and I only trimmed the large leaves.. It was yummy and so fresh,,waiting on son coming around to fill up my new tubs for my toms which are growing around the base of my orange tree at the moment,,Not in a hurry as they are still a bit small to transplant yet.. cut a cherry tom in half and laid that on top of the spoil to so hope I will get some sprouting from there soon to.. :-D :-D
Fred.. Recipe for lasagna is so simple.. Make a nice spaghetti sauce,,,any one that you like..a bit on the sloppy side as the liquid is used up by the dry pasta sheets..
Lay a base of dried pasta sheets on the bottom of a oven proof dish,,
Then ladle some sauce over the top to cover it ,,
Then sprinkle grated tasty cheese, and then grated mozzarella cheese oven the top.
Buy a tub of commercial finely grated parmesan cheese,,not the real stuff..sprinkle some of that over the top of the other 2 cheeses,,
Then do another layer the same..you can do as many layers as you like..
Finish off with a cheese layer and put in a hot oven until top is lovely and cooked ...about 35 to 45 minutes.at about 180c
My grandsons always demand it when they come..love them kids.. :-D :-D

Les.. How are the aprons going..have you had any snow yet..I don't think I could cope with the amount of snow that you all get in winter..would be like a bear..hibernate for the winter and come out in the thaw.. :-D

Edith.. I have solved my Christmas gift worry,,My grandies all want money to spend in the holidays as it is the big holiday time around Christmas here in OZ..the schools are closed for 4 to 5 weeks, They like the money to go to the movies and buy something they would like..easy for me..LOL.

Hope all our absent friends are well..We have a appointment at the hospital to organise the physio for John and the doc in charge is one I knew when he did his internship at the hospital I worked at many years ago.Lovely chap so will be nice to see him again.

Have a nice day all..

Love Mary xxx

Morning all ,time for a sit down after doing some home made fish cakes,and a pan full of soup ,a new one ,so i will let you know how it turns out Edith. :-).
This one is made with 2.2 lbs of swede,apples,onion ,cumin ,curry powder ,lentils,salt & pepper,the sugar i left out ,i can see no need for using that at all.there is enough natural sugar in the apple to start with.
Going to send on the old,new pics of the new sink unit ,and bench top today ,and the rest of the old gear that will be changed next week ,tomorrow ,and that way ,i only have to send the new pics on as it gets finished.
Please Mary ,lasagne recipe ,it is a real treat for me ,and after all ,i only get it a few times a year ,lol,which makes it taste all the better for waiting he he :-D.
Found that cooker pic Les ' and will send oit on as soon as i get it loaded,nearly broke my heart seeing it again ,sigh ,i had my heart set on it too,biut that two inch oversail into the door opening made it a no go grrrrrr :-|.
Hope your sewing goes well for you ,and you get a few good sales from your work,it must be hard living so far from the big towns where all the big sales pitches are ,what a bummer.
Doing yor own smoked meats is far better than buying the stuff in ,time after time we have done this and finished up with overcooked ,oversmoked meats and fish ,which tends to put you off in the long run.
Our eldest son is well into smoking his own sausage meat and fish ,having brought his own mini smoker and now makes his own brands of sausage including savaloy ,which he also smokes himself ,,and his smoked salmon ,and trout is to die for ,lol,kippers we don't do .the best smoked kippers and bloaters are made only a few miles up the road ,so we just buy those ,frequently ,lol.
This is one of the reasons why i chose this new B B Q of mine ,it has a smoker facility on it in which i can do enough meat and fish of my own to keep me going for a couple of weeks.
Put my order in at the farm this week for my 21 day hung brisket of welsh beef Mary ,leaving me 14 days to get it properly corned this year ,no need for the greenhouse now ,with the big fridge we have .he he,must have my special meat for Christmas day ,or the kids will have a fit ,lol.
Nice to hear that the powers that be are at last sorting something out for John, Mary,and both Liz and i hope that it will do him some good.
Off to do some dinner now ,but i will be back later,Fred.xxxx

I know, Edith, friends over on the mainland have told me the same thing but we live here and with one vehicle. I know that I could stay with the kids over there but it would be a hard slog to get everything there as well. Also the show in Vancouver that everyone says I should be in is anywhere from $1500 to $3000 for a space and our Emily has a wide exposure (??LOL)
I am going to run an ad on some of the local (island) sites in the hope that people will come from out of town. Fingers crossed and all that.

We have a bbq/smoked meats place opened up in town, a restaurant. We ordered a selection of meats and were very disappointed with it especially as it was all quite cold when Norm picked it up. So he complained and they offered us a selection free. We had that on Saturday. Certainly it was hot but "over smoked" if you know what I mean. The brisket and turkey was good but the ribs and chicken pieces were hard and the meat dried up a little. In any event this has reawakened our love of smoked meats and so we are going to try and convert the bbq to a smoker for the winter. Dau says that it is easy...we'll see.

And so once again it is off to that dratted machine. I keep meaning to look for a pic of Mike Baldwin to pin on the wall above it....just so he can cheer me on. :-D
Lesxx

Morning all, Yes, Mary I really did bend the plastic. We went to a Christmas Craft Show and the displays were amazing. Most booths had "new" ideas and some of the crafts were brilliant.
Got some cakes that were chock a block with fruit for very reasonable price.Our dried fruit etc. is very pricey so the cakes were a real treat. Managed to get most of the gifts as well. Just a few stocking stuffers and I'm done. HOORAY.
Our weather is cooling so that too makes me happy, Sorry Mary :-( I know how you feel.
Fred as usual you are up to your elbows in renovations. I am going through your soup recipes this a.m as I did manage to get some fresh veg on the way home.
Les, in over 500 exhibiters I did not see one apron, so was thinking of you and a wide open market!!!! :-) Lots of kitchen bits and pieces tho' and they were selling.!
Time for me to get some food in me so will say bye for now, Edith <3

Morning all We have a lovely day but going to be to hot for me,, 35c..

Fred I have a lovely recipe for lasagna but it has a lot of cheese on it and might not be suitable for your diet,,I buy the instant sheets and just layer them with nice mince sauce and then top each layer off with a tasty cheese and a mozzarella cheese and then bought in packet parmesan cheese..then do the next layer.. Very easy but my grandies love it and hope that I make it when they come..they recon the bought stuff is nowhere as good,,Lovely grandies I have :-D :-D

Les Yes saw those records but now don't have any connection there..what a shame..Still hoping for more records to come on line..Are you back into the apron business again..good for you..

Edith You off having some retail therapy in the big city chops..don't bend the plastic to much..

Well off to the docs again but mainly for letters to the physio for John to get him started in that direction.. Just wish it wasn't so hot.. might have a swim when I get back,



Had a lady from the Motor Neurone Assoc. come and interview us and she is going to help where she can..There seems to be stuff out there that can help us in many ways..We are starting with a physio that understands Johns condition and then we have the clinic in Dec.

Dont know what happened to my post but all the paragraphs have been change about..hope you understand what I wrote..

Have anice day all..

Love mary xxx <3