General Chat

Hi all We have showers today so good for my pots..saves me watering..

Les Lovely pics of grandy..she is growing so fast..seems like only yesterday she was born..

Fred Are you on holidays again.. :-D back in that van again by the sounds of it..good for you,,hope the weather stays fine for you and have a lovely time..

Took John to lunch today but he had a fall getting over a gutter outside our place as we got home,,Took me ages to get him up on my own,,lucky the car door was handy so he grabbed that and I got him back on his feet again..His legs have been quite bad lately and we are now starting to look at wheelchairs..looks like we are back to the doc next week and a possible new specialist..This is going to be the last specialist me thinks..cant think of anyone else we can see..

Les Hope Normie is ok and OUCH for that tooth..I hate the dentist..

Edith Are you harvesting yet.. :-D :-D

Well better go look at the food situation and see what we can have for dinner..Light dinner as we had a big lunch..

Take care all

Love Mary xxxxx

Fred and Edith, no it's not the plumbing it is the height. We have a low ceiling in the basement. The original shower was 68 inches including the base and the new ones are 76. Our ceiling is 72...grrr!! Anyway it now is on hold as Norm lost a tooth on Sunday and yesterday an emergency dentist removed the remainder and another one. Norm is feeling pretty groggy from all this.
Rained all day yesterday and still today but it has made a huge difference to my veggies that are now growing like crazy altho it will be weeks before anything resembling a tomato wil be ready. I have a different basil growing this year, it looks more like a water cress than anything else but with bigger leaves. My parsley has bolted but I think if I cut it back it will grow again.
And on it goes.....Lesxx

Morning, Awww come on Fred, you know you love squiring the ladies around.!!!! :-D Makes you feel a bit like Sir Galahad, right ???
Oue weather had turned around again, a bit of sun, a bit of rain just to keep us on our toes :-)
The basil is loving the heat and I will have to pick it again this week. Toms still growing but not ready for a sandwich quite yet.
We have some forest fires around us, not too close, if we get anough rain it should put them out, here's hoping they stay away.
Good luck with the plumbing Les. Our old house held some of the same problems, only cured by a complete re- placement. :-(
However it did end the troubles.
Hi Mary, (waves) Your temps are equal to ours, lots of folks complaining but me I'm happy ;-) Don't like too much heat.
Hope all the others are well. Would be nice to see you pop in!!!!
Enjoy the sun Fred. Edith XXXXXXX

Morning all,from a veeeeeery sunny Fleetwood [nah nah na naaaaaah nah Mary] :-D where i am sat out side the van on the patio,,laptop on table ,listening to the Pea Hens belonging to Farmer Pars childrens farm ,over the back of the caravan park.
I take it the trouble with the shower Les ,is two different pipe gauges ?You can get a pipe reducer in any plumbing out let and even an increaser,so you should be able to fit the new one okay.
Both sorts too ,either a solder fitting ,or compression type requiring only spanners to fit them.
Hope you get sorted out without resorting to fisticuffs :-).
It seems we had only been away from home three hours when they had a terrific thunder storm ,followed by heavy rain ,so i reckon the son will only have the greenhouse to water ,lol.
Have to go peeps ,have to take these women shopping ,[lord help me ] one is bad enough but two ,waaah ,i want's my mumeeee :-D, Fred.xxxxx

Afternoon all We have a lovely warm winters day and much like your summer day Fred... :-D :-D

Just had the family from Orange down for a few days which was lovely,,Have just taken Daughter and grandy's to the station to meet their father who is over the other side of Sidney on a course, so they are going by train to meet him there and then head off driving home which should take about 4 hours. Such a long tiring trip..

Life is now back to normal and it will be nice to sleep in tomorrow.. :-D :-D
I might go and see what plants I can buy for my tubs..It has been very dry lately and I am back to watering everything again.. :-(

Lovely photos Fred and a beautiful young lady..
Les Have you sold that van yet.. and what a lucky find in the garage sale..
Edith.. are you enjoying some toms yet..

Hope everyone else is well and would be nice to see them pop in again.

Our temps are going to be between 17c and 20c this week,,Is that your summer temps Fred.. :-D :-D

Better go before Fred throws something at me...Keep well all

Love Mary xxxx <3

Fred, the pics came thru great. Norm now thinks he will try and put the old shower back in...grrrr! maybe I will strangle him. Also at the yard sales yesterday I found a very cute egg cup made by Limoges. The lady asked 50 cents which I easily gave her...I may try selling it on ebay as it is worth more than that. Or I may keep it and admire!!
Watched 4 movies yesterday and went to bed with very tired eyes!! The house at the back has just been sold and the new owners are weekend revellers. Last night was the second weekend they have been in there and they were still going strong at 4 this morning. May have to have a wee chat!! Wonder where the hell they get their energy?? :-D
Lesxx

Morning all ,well ,the weather is supposed to pick up here today Les ,but i ain't holding my breath ,they told us that last weekend ,and it'd done nowt but rain since .
That plumber of yours want's shot with S**t,no plumber worth a light starts a job without inspecting the work site first even looking at the unit to ensure he can fit it.
As to this not putting his name to a job without it being the most expensive shower unit in the land.? what twaddle ,he is supposed to see to his customers requirements first and foremost,huh ,if the shower unit has passed the stringent tests as to pressure and safety requirements ,there should be no problem.i would report the wuss to the plumbers guild and master builders association and get his licence pulled.
I will send you the pics of the revamped garden next ,before i do any more,so that you have all the ones the others were sent..
With all the rain this last week the places i had to cut for the rotary dryer ,are nearly grassed over ,this lawn patch kit is well worth the tenner it cost to buy,and i have two more packs in ,before ,having become well known ,it shoots up in price.
Did you get the van away when the prospective buyer came ,or have you still to sell it?,i noticed that with all the water the man upstairs is scattering around ,the number of rvs and caravans on the road is well down.
Liz and i watched the Antiques Road Show from Sydney last night [waves to Mary and John] ,he he ,they must have splashed a lot of water on the grounds of the University ,because the lawns were well green and lush,,and there were lots of high quality gear going under the hammer ,ranging from a painting of a man who was embroiled in the Boston Tea party ,before emmigrating to Oz ,to a complete china dinner service from the Derby pottery,complete ,and in mint condition ,he he ,the fella who owned it was stunned when told how much it was worth ,lol,he has no reason to worry about his pension.
Off out back now to put the feeder on my veggies before the sun comes out [hopefully] and burns the leaves .
Catch you all later Fredxxx :-D

Continuing the bathroom saga. The plumber came and put in the base only to find that the rest of the shower does not fit!!! So now we have a shower that we cannot put in, an empty bathroom...and on and on!! Obviously we will have to take the shower back. Now Norm thinks we should put a tub in there but then we will have to jack hammer the floor to move the toilet..and more on it goes!!! I will take pictures of this at some point so that can all laugh and cry with me!! :-\
Went yard sale-ing today and picked up 6 new DVD's none of which we had seen before so I think that we are going to have a movie afternoon and evening. Weather is crap as usual. Hail storm yesterday and yes, Fred, we also have had the heating on.
Took Norm out for breakfast. I had eggs benny without the hollandaise sauce...yummy!
More later. Lesxx
PS. Yes Fred, she is lovely. Funny how they grow up so quick.

Morning everyone, Thanks for the pics Fred, you are right she is a lovely young lady. :-) I am over the shock now , perhaps an explanation is needed!! Yesterday a.m. I answered the phone by a gent who said his name was Fred O.k thinks I but which Fred??I know 3 who live in town.
When this Fred said he was in England I thought it was my cousin who is also over there on holiday. No, it was Fred from Newcastle :-D :-D Had a nice visit and I of course had a bit of a brag about my"3" tomatoes.
Our weather is staying hot for the next 5 days so hope you can get a few as well.
Loved the pic of Hissy on the wardobe,
I'm sure you will enjoy the chicken Fred it seems rosemary is meant to go with it. I tried a few sprigs in some wine vinegar yesterday, npw will leave it in a cupboard for a while before I try it in a recipe. The plant I had now is a bush. Guess it likes cooler weather .
Hope you got the pics too Les. Stay well everyone. Edith
:-)

Morning to all ,and to our Les' :-P,because i sent you pics at the same time as i sent them to Edith ,Mary & a couple of others ,your provider is at fault [sniff],not Fred,Lol, Never mind ,i will send them again ,and will keep trying until i get them through to you.,lol.
Firstly however ,i have the pic of Hissy on top of the wardrobe ,to send out,only three at a time because some peeps only have a small capacity emall provider.
Well Les ,and Edith ,the promised mini heat wave never arrived [sobs into a hanky] lol,i awoke this morning to a temperature inside the house of 17c,and pouring rain outside ,grrrrrr :-\,so ,again on the 25th of the month ,the heating is on.
I got the all clear yesterday at the hospital ,nothing had changed since last year ,and so no new glasses needed yet again,and my eyes had adjusted to the sunlight by 4 pm ,so i was able as promised to pick up the eldest grand daughter ,for her prom night at the Marriot Hotel in Gateshead.
I took the camera just in case ,and boy oh boy ,was i glad i did .
she had on ,a beutiful light blue full length dress ,and i realised that my grand daughter was no longer a bairn ,but a beutiful young lady ,that made her grandad proud to be escorting her to the front door of the hotel .
Anyway ,i will add the pics to the one of Hissy to send out ,resending the earlier ones later.
The earlier ones were nowt special Les ,just ones taken at the Beamish Museum of yesteryear ,old 1800 steam trains ,coal villages and the like ,but they will have to do until i get to Southport next week when i hope for a little sun to take some of the lovely Victorian town centre ,so much like Llandudno,in Wales ,that i'm sure the same architect was employed to design both towns.
We have to go shopping shortly to get the same grand daughter a few bits and pieces for our trip next week.
She was at the hospital yesterday morning for the results of tests done three weeks ago ,and ,poor little soul is totally gutted,as she has been diagnosed with the same malady as Les Has .
We need to buy special flour for the lass ,pasta ,and other stuff that is gluten free ,and has no wheat or other ceriel grains in,special sausage for her breakfasts ,and of course a bag of special cornflakes that she CAN eat.
She is a bit down ,so we said we would take her down to Fleetwood with us ,because ,later in the year she will be in the 6th form studying for her teachers degree ,and can't go with the rest of her family on holiday to Spain,she will have to make do with these few days in Fleetwood ,and the same on the next school long weekend when we may go to Berwick instead.
Might try your herby chicken this weekend Edith ,hope you are over the shock by now ,lol,but i for one ,enjoyed every minute of it,he he.[all will be revealed] , ;-) .
Catch you all later ,time for shopping,Fred, :-D xxx

Another cool day here, just cannot seem to get a decent summer day. Had a bit of an "altercation" (love that word!!) with the plumber yesterday. Now that the floor is finished we are good to go on the new shower.....hmm! not!! the plumber now tells us that because we bought a cheaper shower, not one that cost the earth, he wouldn't install it or put his name to the work. He will put the base in and replace the plumbing but for the rest...we are on our own!! Now I may have to tie Norm up so that he doesn't strangle this dude as soon as he walks in the door. So now we are stuck doing work that we really wanted done professionally...grrrr!!
Don't forget me with those pics, Fred. I haven't had any for ages.
We have a couple coming all the way from Campbell River today to look at our van. Hope they like it as we are anxious to sell and then get on with our next adventure.
Made greek rice last night. Cooked basmati rice in the rice cooker using low fat, low salt chicken broth instead of water. Then in a pan I sauteed onions, peppers and carrots (all chopped small) in some olive oil. When the rice was done I stirred it into the veggie mix, added some greek seasoning and it was done. Made chicken brochettes to go with, pretty yummy.
More later. Lesxx

Morning Les' yep two old guys who know the ropes ,that's us ,lol.
I went to pick the car up when they called ,to find that the guy who does the paint jobs had phoned in sick ,so the car was now fine to drive ,but i had to set another date for the paint job ,no matter ,it's booked in for the 6 july because we are on holiday next week.
After i lambasted them for not picking up on the loose subframe after the road test that's done after each service ,i don't think they will take chances on my car again [don't mess with the old guy ,he bites he he :-(.
When she gets a minute ,Liz is going to send me some pics of Hissy over from her phone ,taken this morning .
I wondered who she was telling off upstairs ,lol ,,twas our Hiss' having found a way to jump from the floor up to the top of the wardrobe ,little bu***r ,there she is looking pleased as punch ,lol :-).
Got a few nice pics of Beamish museum to pass on too ,and once this plurry weather clears up ,we will be going back ,us now having season tickets.
It will be backpack time ,i reckon ,sarnies and drinks made to have on the many picnic tables they have there ,the days of sitting on the grass have long gone :-\.
Our weather is sooooo naff now ,you have overtaken us Dorothy ,nearly at the end of June ,and it's only 18c ,my fruit is small and green ,the tomatoes are tiny ,bo hoo ,taint fair ,lol.
Hah ,tell Norm to go to Morrison's or Asda ,they still make the bagels ,he he ,these shops should listen more to their customers,i agree :-(.
I will try the Zukes [lol] done as you suggest ,i sometimes let one grow until it looks like a small marrow ,then cut it in half ,stuff it with rice and some meat or other and wrap it in foil ,and cook in the oven ,veeeeery nice too :-D
Fred is off now to water the greenhouse ,pity you can't have a roofless one ,and let the rain do the job ,lol.
Catch you later ,Fred xxx :-)

Ah! Fred, you and Norm would make a grand pair. Norm loves to fight injustice in any form and even this week had a real go-round with the Safeway manager because they won't make poppy seed bagels any more. I think his favourite rant is the automated answer service that so many companies employ. He now deals with that by saying/yelling "I want to speak to a live person" over and over until like magic, a live one appears. Pretty funny somedays to listen to him.
Everything is up and growing in the garden, so even after a late start we are raring to go. I have three best boy red toms growing nicely and two yellow pears toms that are flowering as well. My peppers have flowers and baby fruit and my squash seem to be doing OK. I am growing patti pans, butternut and green zukes, courgettes to you Fred.
BTW a nice way to cook zukes is to slice them into thick spears, roll in flour, dip in beaten egg and then roll in panko crumbs. Bake in the oven at about 350 until golden. Very yummy with a nice mayo/mustard dip.
We are in the midst of having the lower bathroom re-done. The floor was just painted concrete before and now has two coats of levelling compound on it so that we can put in vinyl. The blurry thing still isn't level and so a third coat is going on today. Meanwhile the house is in chaos/confusion as we root out all the unwanted stuff for our yard sale.
Mary, over the last couple of years Norm has developed a similar problem to John only with his arms. He has finally decided yesterday to quit the accupuncture as it gives no lasting relief....and on it goes. Now I think we have exhausted every medical solution that is available and have no idea what to try next. Old age is a real B....er!!!
More later, Lesxx

Morning, Yes, Fred I have been in the same place with a car and a so called manager. The car was in for service and on return there were 2 big chips of paint missing from the side of the drivers door.
Back I went and said manager told me it was from the studs on my "jeans" well I totally lost it, very loudly I told him I had never had a pair of jeans on my a#### in my life. As my parents were only a short distance away I called my Dad, (he was 78) at the time and he came over and also chewed out the guy. By this time a few more folk had gathered around and were cheering us on, needless to say the car was repaired at no charge.
My plants are also coming along, I will make some basil pesto tomorrow and hopefully will have beans in about 2 weeks.
Mary, hope things work out with the new Doc. Yes, the fish has been great.
Would love to have your kind of winter weather Hee hee
Time to move so bye for now. Edith XXXXXX

:-) :-) :-D :-) <3 <3

Morning to all ,and hello to our Mary ,who is always welcome ,like a nice spring sunshine .
Liz and i will keep our fingers crossed for John ,lassie,'tis about time you found that specialist that knows what the problem is,and gives you the answers you are looking for.
We found out that Liz has lost a lot of bone mass at the hospital yesterday ,due to the steroids she has to take for the emphesima ,and was told off for stopping the calcium tablet that was effecting her breathing.
The sister who was treating her said ,to try the tablet again ,and if it didn't work ,to get in tough because there are another three tablets that do the same job she could try,and if they are all no good,at the end of the day ,there is a monthly injection that can replace the lost calcium.
We got home pretty early in the forenoon ,so got the car out ,and went to Morrison's to do some veggie shopping ,and noticed that the knocking on the front suspension was still here ,despite the garage being told when it went in to have the service that there was a noise on the front end suspension :-( so ,getting home ,i rang them up ,asked them why it hadn't been seen to as i requested,and was told the message hadn't been passed on.
I then got the missus back in the car and took it down to Nissan and asked for an explanation ,saying ,a noise coming from the front end suspension ,should ALWAYS be investigated and told them to get it out on a road test ,stat.
I also asked to speak to the manager ,and as he came in the door ,bingo ,it was the same manager who fobbed me off last year as to the damage done to the car before i even took delivery from the pre delivery check.
The temptation was too great ,lol, :-D,there ,in the middle of the reception areain front of staff ,and customers i collared him saying in a loud voice ,can you please tell me ,why ,after 12 months ,i am still waiting for you to call me and set a date to bring my car in to fix ,the paintwork that was damaged in your workshop before i even picked it up ,and why was my wife ,kept waiting two and a half hours while you tried to cover up the damage ,before bringing the car to the reception area. :-P.
Silence ,he was trapped ,and he knew it ,i even got an admission at last that the car HAD been damaged in the workshop,and he said he would have the car in on Wednesday [today ] to have the damage repaired.
The customers and some of the staff were agog by this time ,loving every minute of it ,and to cap it all ,at this moment ,the fitter who took the car out on the road test ,came in and said ,yes ,there was noise from the front end suspension ,and the car was ,not going anywhere until it was seen to.
ASt this point ,said manager could see that i was rather annoyed :-( at my request for the suspension check to be forgotten [ignored what ever,and i said ,if it wasn't fixed to my satisfaction before next week when i was using the car for a holiday ,i would be writing to the head office ,complaining of his lack of supervision of his staff.
End result ? we were brought home yesterday after an abject opology ,by one of their courtesy cars my own car being kept ,firstly for the check on the suspension ,and then ,this morning ,for it to be taken to the body shop ,to be sprayed.
I had a phone call at 4-30 pm ,yesterday to say the fault had been found , two loose bolts on the sub frame ,so i think i will be writing that letter anyway,to miss a loose sub frame on a service is disgusting to start with ,to ignore a request for a suspension check on top of that ,and the fault being, at the very least a safety issue ,is unforgivable.but one thing is for sure ,i bet he won't try any flannel with me in future.
So ,i'm glad the sun has come out ,after a wet start 'cause we can't go nowhere with no motor ,so i will be in the garden before long,tying up bean tips to the canes doing a bit of hoeing,and checking in the greenhouse for little jobs to do.
I noticed that the courgette plants love their new home in full sun [when it comes out] and have rewarded me with five little fruits [yum] cor, a couple of weeks and we will be well in what with those ,cucumbers on the vines in the greenhouse,tomatoes on the trusses,and even a pepper forming on one of the bushes ,,result, :-)
The newest of the two nectarine trees is showing buds now ,and the older one is ,i'm sure ,showing signs of life,so ,i may yet land up with two instead of one.
All the rain we have had this last week has done a lot to refresh the lawns ,but the front one has a load of bare patches ,so i will be keeping an eye on those in case i need to reseed them.
Hissy is sitting at the patio door looking at me ,dropping hints ,lol, so i am off now to make a coffee ,and then go sit with her outside.
Take care all and keep safe ,Fred.:-D xxx

Afternoon everyone.. We have such a lovely winters day..Sunny and mild..The poor people flying around OZ today are having a bad time due to the ash cloud from the south American volcano,,It has disrupted the flights around OZ for 2 weeks now,, a right pain in the ......... ;-) ;-)

Was going to get my plants today but didn't have time..Had to get back to get Johns lunch..The last specialist didn't find anything bad in Johns lungs so now we have another specialist to see who might know what is wrong with his legs,,Apparently this chap is into people with problems like Johns so here's hoping..that is about the last one we will bother to see I think..Enough is enough...

Edith Bet you have been enjoying all that lovely fresh fish..so good for you so go for it..Doc wants John to lose some weight,,he said it might help his breathing..now I have a diet to worry about ..might do it myself and you never know might lose some weight myself.. :-D :-D

Have a good day all..

Love Mary xxxxx

Morning all ,just a few minutes to add a few words before we go out to you know where,he he ,think i will give the missus her dinner out to cheer her up after all the prodding and pinching she will have to put up with ,lol
Watch what you are doing with those wasps Les' and check for a few weeks afterwards to make sure the blighters don't sneak back ,they are more stupid than bees ,who ,if evicted ,buzz off and find a new patch ,wasps tend to stay around.
Make sure you remove the nests and burn them,or the little bu***s will hang around for days,stinging everything and anything they come across that moves..
Pouring down here again ,so i ain't looking forward to the bus ride ,but ,ho ,hum ,best to get it out of the way ,catch you all later folks.Fred :-)xxx

Morning all ,just a few minutes to add a few words before we go out to you know where,he he ,think i will give the missus her dinner out to cheer her up after all the prodding and pinching she will have to put up with ,lol
Watch what you are doing with those wasps Les' and check for a few weeks afterwards to make sure the blighters don't sneak back ,they are more stupid than bees ,who ,if evicted ,buzz off and find a new patch ,wasps tend to stay around.
Make sure you remove the nests and burn them,or the little bu***s will hang around for days,stinging everything and anything they come across that moves..
Pouring down here again ,so i ain't looking forward to the bus ride ,but ,ho ,hum ,best to get it out of the way ,catch you all later folks.Fred :-)xxx

Thanks for the rub recipe Edith ,i will give that a try as soon as i have a chuck to experiment on ,but i won't be removing the skin before cooking lol,i can't have it but the wife will lambaste me if i bin her treat he he :-P.
A lovely morning here first thing ,so i got out and got the odds and ends sorted out before the promised clouds rolled in,a few bean shoots to wrap round the canes ,a few tips of calabrese to tie to supports ,and a few weeds to murder ,that sort of thing ,and oh ,the tattie sack to set away [done and sorted] :-D.
Tomorrow ,it's off to the hospital for the wife's bone scan at the Freeman ,which means the bus ,at least an hour to get there ,but far better than getting there to find there is no free disabled space to park,and i refuse to pay £7-50 for a slot.
A regional centre for heart clinics ,surgery ,and many sorts of ctc scans ,and there are 2 dozen disabled car spaces ,ruddy daft for a place of that size.
By the time we walk up a very long drive ,stopping often for Liz to get her breath back ,and she is tired out ,even before she starts an hours examination and scan,i'm afraid that if it needs done again ,i will insist that it's done at the Victoria or the general hospital where there is more room for disabled car parks. :-P.
My eye exam on thursday will be a bus job too ,because you can't drive for 4 hours after the drops go in ,but at least ,it isn't far for the missus to walk .
Off to do dinner now ,hope all are okay and managing everything okay .Fred.:-D xxxx

Morning all, Thanks for the pics Fred. Lovely !!!!!
The rub I use is 1/2 cup crushed rosemary, 1/2 cup crushed thyme
1/4 tsp salt, 2 shakes pepper, 2 drops of tobasco hot sauce.
I put them in a bowl with just enough extra virgin olive oil to hold them
together, dry the bird well and rub the mixture in well. Into the roaster and
in the oven for 20 min per pound. I have also removed the skin and
rubbed the bird but only when a family member who won't eat the skin is
here :-) Hope you enjoy it as much as we do.
Out to pull more bean shoots this a.m, the hot days have sent the plants into a frenzy :-D
Tomatoes are flowering nicely and 2 have set fruit as well. Can't wait for
that first sandwich MMMM.
Time for my breakfast so bye for now, Hello Les and Mary <3
Edith XXXXXXX