General Chat

Morning our Les .we isssss still here ,lol,thankfully the winds havn.t got as high as they reckoned ,not here anyway ,and we managed to get into Fleetwood before it really picked up yesterday afternoon.
We are about four miles from Blackpool so we had to rely on reports from our son and family who did get in yesterday morning ,he was walking along the front and got soaked as the waves came well over the piers.
We brought one of those shepherds pie mixes down with us and we will make one up tomorrow evening to use for dinner Thursday,now't wrong with either,shepherds or cottage pie ,lovely any time sometimes even with a sprinkling with cheese.
We did hear about your quake Les' but didn't know about the after shock ,so,i hope there are no more,we felt the remains of one of those in Aden many years ago and that was more than enough for me,not nice at all .
We are so lucky in our country ,a storm like this one once in a blue moon , a tornado every few years which thankfully are only small ones,and our last tsunami was forty years ago which caused a lot of damage in the south east ,mainly around Norfolk.
The last REAL Tsunami was a few hundred years ago which struck the other side of our fair country over in Cornwall and Wales.
Afraid i cheat with the rubs ,and dry marinade mixes ,buying them in ,too lazy to make my own,but i love them too ,nice on steaks ,chicken and even pork.
Hope everyone else is okay ,and just too busy to come on the pooters at the minute,,hope our little house is okay at home too ,still ,we carry full insurance,and if our roof is okay when we get home ,the work we had done is well worth it,if it has stood up to this storm i will be well satisfied.
We are going to Fleetwood sea front later to find the missus a new pair of shoes[or two] lol,dinner and a sit on the sea front to see the rough sea ,cameras at the ready ,still ,and cam corder.
Catch you later all,Fred,in wet holiday mode he he. :-)

Hey Fred, can you see the ocean??? Nothing better than being warm inside and watching the waves crash around. Cooler here already today. A little cloudy also. Now they say it will rain by Saturday. We were going to have our final yard sale of the year...but now???

Did you know that we had an earthquake on Friday?? North and west of here at 6.7. Norm was complaining about the china rattling on the table and the light over the dining room table was swinging a bit. Now today we have an after shock at about 4.5. We will be glad when we get the trailer back from the RV doc so that we can kit it out and then be ready for all eventualities.

We made dry ribs last night. Norm invented this rub and it was good altho I might have liked it a bit spicier. Also think I would cook it at a slightly lover temperature next time. Today I have a craving for shepherds pie must be my winter cooking mode starting to set in.
Where is everyone else?? Hiding??
Enjoy the holiday Fred.
Later Lesxx

Morning Les',the night wasn't too bad ,but the latest forecast this morning is for the wind to increase until late tonight or even tomorrow morning.
Train service and ferries already disrupted and some motorways closed to high sided lorrys.
Cyclones are WELL under hurricane strength winds so ,we are lucky in a way,as we normally only get winds like this a couple of times a year.
Liz can't go out in it because it catches her breath and leaves her feeling a bit unwell,but hopefully it will be okay later tomorrow when we plan to take the whole family ,who are down on holiday too ,for a carvery along at The Tramway,our local eatery /pub should be interesting when we go in and ask for a table for 11,lol.
They will find themselves out of pocket when we leave ,he he ,the sweet will be hit hard when the bairns ,and some of the grown ups go back to refill with the ice cream up to three times if i know our lot ,lol :-0.
The sky is ink black now ,rain is on the way ,so i am going for a shave and wash ,while the boss has her play on the puter,think i will put my new tea shirt on ,lol ,the one with the picture of Fred Flintstone on ,a look of horror on his face , and a caption underneath saying ASK THE BOSS.
Gale force level yellow up now winds up to 70 mph with only red to go ,up to severe gale to storm force ,looking interesting he he.Fred.xxxx :-0

Wow, Fred, a cyclone!! Reminds me of 1991 when Norm and I were on our "gap year" LOL. We drove west to Worthington (is that the right place, NW coast??) and were the only ones in the camp site. It was blowing a gale and we parked in the lee of the shower block. We got a little adventurous and went for a walk across the golf course towards the beach. We literally walked over the edge of the cliff, no signs!!, and fell only about three feet thank goodness....it cold so easily have been a 20/50 foot drop!!
There were strange folks with lights on the beach that night....often wondered what they were up to.

Hot and hotter here. Today is supposed to be the hottest day and then it should cool off a little. It was up to about 35 yesterday. i was going to do the beets but tomorrow is only supposed to be 24 so am going to wait...at the moment the house never cools down...maybe tonight.

More later. Lesxx

Hi All ,just Fred with a quick message to say we have arrived in fleetwood Lancashire safely,but have to batten down everything by nightfall ,before the cyclone hits us ,after coming over from the eastern sea board of the States,luckily being downgraded ,but still very high winds and driving rain.
Off straight away to make an early tea ,so i will catch you all tomorrow.Fred.xxxx
:-D.

It is the Fall Fair this weekend. Other years we have paid to go in and had a wander but this year I think we will give it a miss. We don't "do" the rides and I am not sure I want to spend time looking at the valley's tomato, cuke, pumpkin etc.
Still haven't pickled my beets, my back is still a little touchy and now the plums are almost ready and Norm will want to make plum jam...harvest time!!
I chatted to Edith last night and she is alive and well and kicking. She "volunteered" to be the temporary tour director for a senior's club and is busy organizing trips and tours all over the place. I cautioned her not to get over tired but she is a smart lady, she will take care I am sure.
Very hot again yesterday. I only managed to sit outside for about an hour and Bella wanted to stay in as well. Norm just soaks up this heat and is browner than brown.
Have a great weekend everyone. Les <3

evening all ,yep Mary ,a tad soggy here as well ,but not bad otherwise,the perp ,spinach is a good veggie ,so many dishes it is good for ,and it reckons to be full of iron ,though i havn't tried a magnet on it to find out for sure he he.
For some reason though ,mine has gone to seed where it should have gone through until next spring before doing that ,but ,oh well ,you can't have everything grow spot on each season.
That plaace you mention seems a good 'un Les' good use of carrot as well ,one of tjhe staples to a good salad is carrot ,fresh and grated ,so freshly done it has still the tang to it,but i must try the grated beetroot as well ,a new one on me.
Sean has pulled another Afghanistan tour Mary,and he has just informed us that he flies out on the last day of the month,even more important to go visit him before he goes ,so we leave to go down to Lyneham the Sunday after we get back from Fleetwood ,oooooo ,Hissy will NOT be best pleased ,lol .
We watched the first repatriation come to Brize yesterday ,and if the powers that be thought it was the death of the welcome of the people with the repat' moving to Brize Norton ,they will be well disappointed .the people were there again lined up with the ex forces people ,complete with regimental flags,2000 people this first time ,but it won't be very long before there are hundreds more carrying on the new tradition
We will be there too ,gos willing the first time we go down to Brize to see him when he gets his new posting there as soon as he gets back,we already know the local town. Carterton ,with is directly outside the air base ,Sean having been posted there before.
We had a goodchuckle over your description of the medical your van went to Les' he he ,our local hospital is the R V I and we could picture your van in front of a doctor as he got the stethoscope out and stuck it on the door of your trailer ,lol,think that would be a belting cartoon picture for your trailer wall over the sink.
Hope all goes well for it anyway ,soon ,with any luck ,the new family member will bring you much joy and freedom for your ongoing travels.
think our Edith could well be very busy with bottles ,saucepans and recipies ,getting all of her products on the shelves and in her cupboards for the winter,,last i heard she was nearly snowed under with tomatoes and herbs waiting to be seen to.
Hope all goes well for you and John at the you know where Mary ,we are keeping our fingers crossed for you ,catch you later ,off to help the bosses with the packing ,he he ,Hissy is there as usual ,hindering ,eeeeeer ,sorry Hissy ,helping ,as usual.lol :-(.
Hope everyone has a smashing weekend,Fred.xxxxx :-D

Hi everyone.. We have a damp day today which made me happy as I dinny have to water my patio plants..yyyaaaaLOL

Les Looking at you van.. There is one thing I was wandering about..It is going to be a pain doing the bed every night so how about making up the bed and then using a fold up table for meals..one sitting on the bed and the other on the little lounge seat next to the bed..Then when not in use slide the table under the bed for storage..That is what they do over here..There is a lot of extra storage space under the double bed when it is made up..just something to think about..it is a great van and so comfortable for its size..
We have beetroot and it is yummy but I am the only one that likes it..so there is no point in me growing it..My silver beet is growing well and is now about 10 inches high..Why I like growing it is that both of us like it and you only have to take leaves off as you need it and it keeps growing..I am a lazy gardener..LOL

Fred. Enjoy your time away.. That cottage for 200 sounds so cheap..what a lucky find..Where is Sean being transferred to..overseas or still in the UK..Lovely pic of Liz.. She is looking well.. Puddy Tat is beautiful and the spitting image of our kitty..which we had many years ago..

Well next wed. is the trip back to the Specialist for a diagnosis,, Well we hope it is a diagnosis and not a ..I don't know..again..had enough of them now..

Edith...Are you out reaping in the harvest, or out on the town..lol..

Have a lovely weekend all..

Love Mary xxx

Fred, there is a restaurant here ( Rock Cod Cafe, Cowichan Bay) and they do a veggie salad which has as well as grated carrots, grated beets. Served with other veggies over lettuce, a nice dressing on the side...very yummy.

Yesterdy I made a salmon loaf. I didn't think it would set up and be sliceable...but yea!! it did. Made a fresh cucumber relish to go with it, nice and fresh when it is so hot.

Meanwhile I put my back out two days ago and have been pretty much prone ever since. Today I am sitting finally and so I will pickle the beets tomorrow. I have a really good brine recipe and then will water bath them to seal real good....yummy also and good for a couple of years for sure.

It was up to about 35 yesterday and going higher today, summer finally!! Now we are at extreme forest fire risk. Norm and I plan to drive a forestry road down to Port Renfrew on our first trip....maybe we will have to rethink that route.

The trailer went in for its "medical" today. the staff at the RV place were very taken with it and walked around, peered in the windows, and the manager says to Norm "we'll check out your roof and other stuff
this little guy is too cute not to look after."

Wonder where our Edith is, she hasn't been around for over a month??
More Later. Lesxx

Afternoon Les ' and anyone else who happens by,from a peaceful if wet now Newcastle lol,just me ,the missus's [both] and housework ,/garden.
Yes ,love the beetroot too ,and will be trying that recipe of yours because i ain't too fond of the british way of treating that beutiful vegetable cooked to death in water ,then sliced and dropped into vinager ,yuk :-(.
i prefer mine cooked 'steamed ,peeled while hot and piut straight on a plate as a main veggie ,luvvvverly,or diced when cold and added to a salad'
Well ,the big clear out has started ,i got the brickwork on the gate posts done this morning ,ditto to the front gate path and then brought the big green waste wheelie bin round the back and started clearing out the veggie patch of old haulms and roots ,he he ,the bin men are gonna love me by the time i have the bin loaded to the gunnels,but cummon fellas ,there are at least four more to fill yet :-D.
We are lined uo to go to Fleetwood this coming Sunday to the following Friday ,and then we will be off to Royal Wooton Basset the following weekend for at least a week to help the grandson pack up house,before he flies out at the end of the month.
We have also decided on my birthday away this year ,and will be going over lancashire way ,likely to Southport ,where i will at last get my piccies of the town and seaside,long overdue .
We have found a lovely holiday bungalow in it's own grounds ,near Morecombe ,Bury and Blackpool ,the best of all worlds for a tad over £200 for the full week ,not at all bad for the middle of November ,full central heating too.[wonder if it's open over Christmas ,he he.
Well ,rest time over ,now back to the fray ,catch you later all ,Fred,xxx :-D

Mary, beets are beetroot, you know those loverly red fellas!!! I have an amazing crop this year. I usually grow cylindrical but this year went for the normal round...wow!! beet city!! I am going to pickle most of them but they are really nice if you cook them, peel and chunck and then saute with some thin sliced onion, olive oil and a little honey...very yummy!!

We have been outside all day every day for the last week or so. It is hot and getting hotter. It may have hit 30 yesterday and is supposed to warmer as the week progresses. The they say we will get a wet cold fall....wonderful!!

Yesterday we went up to an unused parking lot so that Norm could practice backing up the trailer. The first couple of times were good and then not so. I know he finds it frustrating and one of the reasons why he didn't want to get a trailer....any suggestions?? On the bright side we went to the sani dump and found that our recirculating toilet was easy to empty and flush. We also found that the awning works like a charm....bonus. We are not leaving until around the 22 Sept...too much going on between now and then.

Today Norm is going to paint a seal coat on the garage roof and I am going on the hunt for some pickle jars. Don't have enough big ones.
Later Les <3

Morning our Mary ,yep ,silver beet ,otherwise known in blighty as perpetual spinach is one and the same,pull so many leaves off for use that day ,leaving the rest to grow on,i use mine for making my Sag Aloe to go with the B B Q bits and pieces,and often also do Bombay Potato which is a favourite with the family.
I have got all the plums off the tree now ,which means i can now get my ladders off the fence with out damage to same.
The ladders are needed now to finish the back window sills which need repainted before the winter sets in,house outside then finished for this year ,inside ready to start ,gulp ,the hall and stairs STILL hav,nt been done , oooops.
The boxes with the onions in have been moved off the patio permanently ,and now are in their new home ,on the narrow border directly out side the back door ,handy when the weather is naff ,lol.
There is room there for another three to four boxes too ,great stuff ,as i can grow ,parsnip and carrot along with the same amount of onions.
The patio is now going to be in use as a place for the garden furniture which is as it should be.
we are now slowly shutting the garden down for winter ,and getting sorted as to where next years crops will be going.
Going to make a stir fry for the four of us ,using some of the veggies out of the garden ,the Calabrese is still hanging on there ,throwing loads of side shoots,which we love,and we are now ,well into the autumn cabbages,saving us a good few pennies on the shopping bills.
Hope our Edith is following our example and is making loads of lovely tomato soup ,he he .
Fred :-D.

Hi everyone.. Just lost a big post and get a bit annoyed when that happens..Ah well nothing is perfect..
Fred .. So glad you have your house back and the daughter is back in her own home,,The kids will be a lot happier now..now try and relax a bit..
Les.. What do you call beets.. I have silver beet growing ,it is sometimes called spinach.. and there is beetroot, but we don't call anything else beets..We have turnips, and stuff like that ..is that what you call beets..When are you taking your first trip in the new van..It is so nice..and you will find it a lot more comfortable the the other one you had.
Edith,, You can put the bikini away now..Think it is getting to cool for it..Have you finished eating all those toms yet..Tell me ,,how much sun do your tome get while they are growing..hope my back patio gets enough for them to grow..

In June I emailed a person on here as she seemed to have a connection to a Aunt and would therefor be a cousin..That message is still in my out box unopened and now after all this time I get a message from her to open my tree to her..If she is to rude to even read my email ,or email me politely asking to see my tree and why,,I am afraid she can go jump..ooooh I am naughty.. :-P

better post this before it goes into cyberspace like the first one did..Hope all are well..Life here is as usual..

Love Mary xxx <3

afternoon everyone ,the wanderer returns ,after taking the daughter and family back home this pm ,after stopping off at the shops on the way home to make sure she had enough food in to keep them going until Monday. :-).
The house was aa tip after the useless Bu**er moved out yesterday evening ,and the daughter was a tad down as she surveyed what used to be a happy home [of sorts].
She reckoned it would take a week to sort out the downstairs rooms before doing anything else ,but she phoned us at three this afternoon ,to say that the bairns had worked like trojans with her ,and already sorted the front room ,kitchen ,and utility room out bless them ,they seem to be determined to help mum sort the place out quickly ,and not leaving it all to her,like the hubby did.
I am buggered myself but happy ,the last of the Broad beans ,runners,and french beans in the freezer [norm has run for cover no doubt] he he ;-),and the last of this years plums are on the bench ,ready for me to half them ,remove the stones ,and pack them ,raw ,into a container ready to freeze down.
We have plans for them ,thinking of a couple of frangipan flans for Christmas when fruit is scarce.
The grandson is going to give me a hand to transfer the rhubarb from the bucket into the large urn which has the dead Nectarine tree in,which can go back into the same place it is in at the minute :-).
The boxes with the onions in ,i am going to remove into the border outside the back door making it into a herb and veggie border with the Rosemary ,wild garlic, and chives ,along with the parsnip ,onion boxes leaving the patio clear of anything other than the patio furniture making it easy to keep clean ,and chill out in .lol.
The trailer looks great Les' good job all round ,and i bet you will have many a trip out in her .
The farm up the road has really branched out this last year ,and now has it's own shop ,and plant where they prepare their own produce for sale ,and is now doing many sorts of poultry ,ducks ,geese ,and a few more exotic birds for the table ,as well as doing the eggs ,and pigs of both sorts ,[bacon and pork]so i have already put my Christmas order in a [five bird roast] prepared ,and frozen on farm starting with a pea hen, and finishing with a turkey ,inside the goose.I have also ordered the pork and bacon joints ,which pleases me no end ,knowing where all my meats are coming from and knowing they are all free range.
The only thing i will have to order in from elsewhere will be the beef which i will get from another farm i use ,who do welsh cattle ,as good as Angus ,and ideal for me to corn.
Anyone coming for Christmas dinner had better get their order in now before i run out of space ,lol :-D.
Well ,time to give the missus a hand to do the soup for tea fresh tomato creamed with a hint of herbs ,using some excess tomatoes up ,before we get snowed under with the red gold :-S.
Catch you all in the morning ,but a bit later than usual ,as we both badly need a lay in ,Hissy permitting ,lol.Fred.xxx :-D

Well where are you guys?? I know Fred is bogged down at home but the rest of you?? I have been busy in the garden doing this and that, eating fresh veggies every day now. I thought Norm would complain about the daily feed of broad beans but he soldiers on!! :-D
Dau will be here in a week for a weeks holiday and then hopefully we will be off with the trailer......and still I have not started sewing...man I am going to be busy come October.
We are off today to Nanaimo. Norm is going to see another specialist to see about his arms and dizziness...and on it goes. Hopefully we will have the time for me to do a little shopping.
And ecitement....well they found a dead body in the alley last week. Not exciting for the poor guy but certainly made the rest of us sit up and take notice. We live is strange and difficult times!!
I have a bumper crop of beets, does any one have a good pickled beet recipe??
Later Les <3

Hi Teresa Lovely to see you..Hope all the chemo is working well and Bob is soon on the mend..I to tried to add my names to my posts but they also said my name of Mary in Sydney was in use by someone else,,yes me.. so I had to change it to Aussiegirl..a right pain in the neck..I think if you have that name and stop being a member it keeps that name in its memory and when you join again it says it is already in use.that's my theory anyway as i have never seen another person with my name.
Enjoy your holiday away and have a good rest..xxx
Les Just love the van,, It has everything you need and will be so much more comfortable than the last one you had..you wont know yourself..the one thing I loved was lying in bed in my van and listening to the rain on the roof...oh I miss it..how about getting a awning for the side so that when it is raining you can at least get outside and keep dry..We found it a blessing..also gives shade on a hot day. :-) :-)
Fred. Hope you and Liz are chilling out..take lots of me time....my silver beet is coming on well with all the rain we have had lately..xx
Edith Are you still reaping a crop..cant wait to get my toms in,,
:-) :-)

Hope all are well and have a lovely weekend..

Mary in Sydneyxxxx <3

Hi Everyone!

I have spent the morning in the veg patch weeding and hilling my potatoes again. It looks like I will have quite a bumper crop this year. The lettuce is going to go to seed if I can't find someone to take some off my hands soon! The only thing not doing that well is my carrots for some reason. I think they may have a bit too much shade from the willow tree that is nearby, will have to put them somewhere different next year.

I am having a lot of trouble logging on to this site. Keep getting error messages. I have also tried adding my names and places of research and the site won't let me as it says my sign in name is already in use! It is, by me!! So frustrating.

Bob and I are off to Spokane Washington for a few days on Thursday. He has chemo tomorrow and next Wednesday so we will have to be back for that. I go back to work on the 5th of Sept so will enjoy my short break. We have our main holiday at the end of Oct when we will head to Hawaii for a week. We will also have to find out when Chemo is scheduled around then so the times can be moved if necessary. The last of the eight weekly sessions is next week but the nurse thinks that the doctor will then order several monthly ones.

Hope you are all well.

Speak soon,
Teresa

We have been eating out of the garden, finally, all week. Lots of zukes and pattipans. A friend gave me a cucumber plant and it is very prolific but they are field cucumbers and I don't particularly like them, I prefer english longs. Anyway Norm picked them all and took them along to the homeless shelter, they were very appreciative. He also gave them a couple of pattipans. Nobody knew what they were so I imagine they had an interesting time trying to cook them....sure hope they didn't try smoking them. :-D

Yesterday we ate our first picking of beets and broad beans. Norm is not a veggie eater but we ate it all, warm from the garden.

Did our usual Saturday "garage sale-ing" yesterday and I found an amazing thing, a Johnson Bros set of dishes, mid 60's I think. Eight of: plates, side plates, fruit nappies, cereal bowls, soup bowls, cups and saucers, sugar, creamer, gravy boat and many serving bowls and plates and the teapot!!!! All in mostly unused condition and all for the amazing price of......$5!!! Wow!! Now I will really junk out all my glassware and odd dishes to make room for this little beauty. Time for another garage sale I think.

Finished the curtains and tie backs in the trailer yesterday so I will try and take some pics today. Norm got the fridge to run on electricity so now we are waiting for the gas check and we are off!!

Very hot yesterday. We have had two small forest fires close by. One across the inlet that refused to go out and another up on Mt. Arrowsmith (in the picture). Both are contained now but it is a worry. Today and tomorrow we are supposed to get a little rain and that will help cool things down a little.

The pork sounds good, Fred. If you can shred it off with a fork then you will be able to make pulled pork sandwiches/buns a big favourite here especially with jerk seasoning. We have a new little place down by the market that does pulled pork and chicken. A couple of weeks ago when they opened they gave everyone a small bun with pulled pork, free!!. It was very yummy. Now we can go down to the harbour quay and enjoy some tasty stuff.- fish and chips, mexican, euro deli, a dessert store, ice cream and now pulled pork. Maybe we should haul the trailer down there and just camp for awhile....wouldn't have to cook!!

More later. Les <3

Morning Les',sounds as though the trailer is coming on fine,and will be ready for the off in a couple of weeks,way to go . :-).
The rest of the company arrived at 7 pm ,last night ,and for once ,being warned before hand that they were running 3 hours behind time ,i actually turned off the oven ,as they got out of their car ,bet i couldn't do that again ,lol :-).
I cooked up a loin of pork for us all ,done in a roasting tin ,on a trivet,,,covered in a smidgin of rich meaty gravy that ran off down the sides of the meat,before i sprinkled black pepper and salt over the surface ,before putting three sprigs of Rosemary on the top.
The result was a tasty ,melt in the mouth piece of pork that was still white with no sign of browning at all ,and sooooo tender i could have pulled it apart with a plastic fork ,instead of carving it with a knife.
I did steamed veggie to go with it ,diced cabbage ,,sliced green beans,carrot ,and asparagus ,fresh from the garden,roast potatoes ,mashed potatoes ,and some nice new baby potatoes ,which i steamed ,with sprigs of fresh mint ,in a seperate steamer,to ensure the taste of the mint didn't get into the cabbage ,or asparagus.
Must admit ,i was chuffed to bits with it all ,and unusually for me, enjoyed a meal cooked by myself :-).
Todsay i am doing some Atlantic Cod ,steamed and diced,then cooked in parsley ,butter sauce, with chives ,[diced] ,layered in a large casserole dish ,and then topped with a creamy mash potato mix.with a hint of parsnip,for added taste.
The left over new potatoes from last night ,i will drizzle with veggie oil and recook ,in a tray until golden brown ,along with roast parsnip and red onion quarters.
I was out back early this morning to spray all the veggies with a liquid feeder to encourage new beans and shoots on the haulms ,and will spray the beetroot as well to bring them up to size for eating.
The plums are now ripening quiickly but the apples still have a way to go ,which is fine ,plenty of crumbles in the making of ,which will come in handy ,my rhubarb being nearly finished for this year boo hoo .lol.
Have to do a shoot ,time for my cuppa outside with the furry pest before i huff her altogether he he,catch you later all.Fred.xxxx :-D.

Fred, use some of those plums to make plum clafuti. It is fat free altho you may want to cut back on the sugar. Very yummy.
Norm's birthday today. Guess I'll have to give him a rest eh??? So far he has painted the tongue and rear bumper on the trailer and yesterday replaced all the drape rods. Today I should be able to clean the windows and then hang the drapes....yippee!!
Trailer goes in to get its propane stuff all checked out not until September 8th....earliest we could book so our trip will be a little later then we planned...but hey! it's all good!!
Off to hug the birthday boy.
Later Lesxx