General Chat

Well what a day we had yesterday weatherwise. We did have a storm warning and it blew in at about 9.30am. I continued to blow until about 5pm , gusting anywhere from 80 to 105 kph. On top of that it snowed, it rained, it hailed and when taking a break, the sun came out....we had it all yesterday. I went to the grocery store at 4 in the sun and by the time I got there it was hailing and I had to wait in the car. All the local mountains are covered in snow....winter is still here!!!
Now today the sky is blue but looking south down the inlet I can see lots of dark grey clouds...more to come???
Norm and I went out to the local chinese buffet the other day, don't do that very often. I can report that I stuffed my face!! especially with egg foo yung which I love!! I should look for a good recipe for that so that I can make it at home...yummy yum. Last night I made lasagne, haven't made that in awhile either. Enough for two nights so no cooking tonight...yea!!
Nice patio, Mary. How big will those trees get?? Will you have to repot them..maybe Fred knows?? Last year I piut all my strawberries into tubs on our patio. They did well except that Bella ate most of them...now how weird is that dog!! I should have asked her if she would like cream with them as well....LOL
Off to do something! More later. Lesxx

Just a quickie this morning all ,we iiiiss goinn' to be very busy today moving the son down to wallsend [just about ] a little hamlet called Howden,where is has his new 5 bedroom house.
I have taken windows automatic updates off all four of the puters now ,and what a difference it has made,they are all running a lot faster ,i no longer suffer with the ruddy programme shutting me down while it updates every time i switch on ,[bliss] and the defrages don't take half so long because windows hasn't filled my hard drives with crap,lol.
Tried a new soup Edith ,spiced citrus lemon and parsnip,it is absolutely fab. and no salt and pepper in there at all ,so i thought i would mention it ,recipe available if required ,he he.
Catch you all later ,Fred.xxx

Morning all, Just getting over a terrible head cold so this will be short.
This is the first cold in many a year for me but I'm sure the weather is to blame. Cold one day warm the next, the body does not have time to adjust.
Anyway finally coming to an end I hope, can't think of where more gunk can come from hee hee.
Sorry about John, Mary. Hope you can get some inside help so you don't end up sick as well. If it is available do take advantage of it.
Take care Fred and Liz.. You too Les.
See you soon. Edith XXXX

Well hello all you staunch gardeners and peoples over the ponds and whatever ,lol,We have had a nice'ish morning over here in the old country,where it is now becoming overcast and colder ,grrrrrr,still ,seeing as i have managed two mornings this week where i managed a coffee on the patio with the pusser cat ,i ain't gonna complain.
Sorry to hear that you and John have hit a proverbial brick wall Mary ,what a bummer for you,but you will do what you have always done since i have chatted to you,dug your heels in an carried on regardless,the usual Aussie way which i admire so much,God bless you all.
I think you could do with your gardening chum to come to the rescue Les' and build you a couple of raised beds for your veggies ,so you can tend them by using a kneeling pad to plant ,and a hoe to keep weeded,that is your best way forward if you still intend to grow ,with that back of yours,this growing old is a bu***r ain't it?.
Other than that ,it's lawn everything ,and somehow i can't see you settling for that,me ,i'm lucky in that i have the son handy for awkward things that i can't manage,mind you ,do you think Bella might help with the digging if you hide a few bones? she might even help by pulling a small plough he he.
.Well,i have the last of the Parsnip out of the boxes now ,two big buckets worth ,in the greenhouse,and the buckets ready to go again.
We need 2 kilos of peeled and chopped parsnip for soups this next week,and will use a few for dinner today with the grandsons mince and dumplings [yet again he he] he wouldn't look at the New zealand lamb on offer .lol.
We will have that mid week ,rolled and stuffed with sage and onion stuffing yum .
The other Parsnip i will freeze down as a treat during the summer when they are well out of season,and will make a nice change
Apart from a few odds and ends ,the veggie garden is ready to go,so i will give it two more weeks before i kick start the new season,frosts forecast for two weeks yet..
Liz has found a couple of recipes for Chowder dishes which we have never tried before ,they look interesting so i will have a closer look this afternoon
Time to get on with the lunch now ,hope everyone has managed a nice weekend ,Take care every one ,Fredxxx.

Hi everyone..
Well the specialist has told OH he is the worst basket case he has had and cant think of anyhting to help..so its live with it and get used to it..He has now tried every specialist he can think of and now has come to the end of them all,,, not good I am afraid..

Back later

Love Mary xxx

Just a quick reply to Les and the price of petrol..
We are paying between $1.30 and $1.45 per litr.ya got it cheap girl..LOL...and we are about a dollar for dollar with the Yanks.Bet its about to get a lot worse..with all the troubles in the middle east..

Back later..

Love Mary xx

Hi Guys, very cold here down to minus 13 overnite and possibly minus 16 by tomorrow with the windchill....and of course a little snow. We cannot get out of the valley, likely could make it thru the mountains but then the road is apparently a skating rink....advice is don't go if you don't have to.
Plus I think our gas is up to about $1.19 a litre...how is it with the rest of you??
I have done nothing in my garden, Fred, and now when it finally warms up it will be a lot of work...ah! well. Norm has the greenhouse open so that it airs out but I doubt that I will have much going on in there for a couple of months anyway.
I have to think long and hard about this gardening malarky this year. Since being diagnosed with deteriorating discs in my lower spine(wondered why I would get such terrible back aches) I doubt that I will be able to dig. Last year I paid a guy to come and dig the beds over, may have to do the same this year. I think that we may have to look for a lower maintenance house just like you did, Mary. I also think that it might be nice to live on the other side of the mountain so that we don't get stuck in the valley. Last week the highway was closed on and off for a few days due to road conditions and stupid drivers.
Other than that we truck along. Haven't cooked anything excting for awhile...must get off my butt and start creating again! It is my first artisan fair in mid April so I will also have to get at that sewing machine!!
Oh! to win the lottery.
More later. Lesxx

Hi Mary good luck with the doc's tomorrow,i have my fingers crossed for John.
Liz is tons better this morning ,but i am so annoyed with her ,if only she had said at the time that the head she had was as though it was going to burst ,or felt like it was coming off ,i would have twigged migrane straight away with all the other symptoms,but all is okay now ,but as mild punishment for being daft,i have refused to take her out shopping today ,he he ,let her stew a little.
We have a lovely day so far ,made and ate dinner ,and then outside where i have cleaned out all the boxes of parsnip ,which are now in the greenhouse.
All i need to do now ,is manure said boxes ,add the hydrated lime and they are ready to plant out.
i will hold on for a week though because we have heavy frosts due at the weekend.
Going to take my coffee out onto the patio to sit with Hissy .
Catch you all later Fred.xxx

Hi all.. We have been having some lovely cool weather, so sorry I cant send you some hot Edith..LOL

Take John to the specialist tomorrow... what will they come up with this time..probably nothing..He has had a few falls lately and walking is getting more difficult..Thanks goodness the doc is only about 50 yards from the car parking ..even that is to far ...been leading a very quiet life lately and cutting down on puta a bit..back into FH, as I cant go far when OH is up and about in case he falls as he finds it hard to get up..Lets hope the specialist has had a brainstorm..

We are going to have some fine weather over the weekend so will take some pics of my patio..

Hope you all get some warm weather over the weekend. and hope that Liz is feeling better Fred..

Love Mary xxx

Morning people's he he ,not a bad one here ,temp up to 8c expected,which isn't so bad for the time of year.
Didn't do too much yesterday what with the quake in New Zealand ,the weather in oz,and the missus suffering with a temperature ,and sick feelings ,and so going to bed early last night ,i was a tad depressed,which Hissy picked up on ,sitting on my knee most of the evening.
Liz is a little better this morning ,but i have confined her to the bedroom for the time being ,because if she has a bad turn i don't want her falling on the floor ,or stairs.
Thank the Lord she had the pnuemonia ,and anti flu injections a while ago ,cause it looks as though it is a light flu attack,which should soon pass.
She missed out last night too ,i had made a lovely beef stock Monday ,and used it to make a real French onion soup ,lovely it was,and i froze a good lot down for use when she gets better.
So ,i have taken the Swordfish loin steak out ,and will have a look on the net for a different way to prepare it for lunch .yum.
You could do with a large pot of climbing french beans Edith ,three in a single pot would keep you going for a long time.i find them useful for salads ,stir fries as well as steamed for a dinner,and the flowers are lovely as the plants grow too.
I have my new computer stand in use ,it is made of plastic with a built in fan ,run from any usb port,with an adjustable desk top for a comfortable angle,as well as being very light and flat when collapsed,so it will go in the carry bag along with the computer when we go away anywhere,and was a real bargain at £10.
Hope my cousin in New Zealand is okay ,as he lives on the outskirts of Christchurch,and i can't get through at the moment to see how the family is[ butter].
Hey ,the sun is out here ,i may even get my coffee outside on the patio shortly ,lol,that will please the puddy tat
Catch you later all.Fred.xxx

Where are youuuuu??????

Good morning, Please. please Mary we could use a little heat/ Don't need a lot just a reminder that the sun does shine, a couple of days will do for now!!!!!!!!
Just had another blizzard go through so have spent the last 2 days inside looking out at blowing snow and listening to the wind howling by.I know "count your blessings" Edith. Not a disaster!!
The dreaded part is if I stay in I feel compelled to clean and sort the apt. so when we get good weather I can just gooooo.
No menu for the critters Mary they eat anything offered hee hee.
Hope you get the chair lift Fred, Friends have one and they say it is the best thing they have ever done. It's allowed them ro stay in their own home.Both have problems with mobility and live in a 2 story home so it really was the best thing for them.
Fred I see you have maple syrup so the next time you make stew do it in the oven and 10 minutes before taking it out drizzle the syrup over it.
Adds yum to the stew.
As the snow has stopped must get out and do some food shopping, we have a holiday on Monday(a new one) they call Family day, so will make some treats to take to the son's for the day.
Stay well everyone. Edith XXXXXX

Hi everyone.. We got some RAIN... not a lot but some..LOL I have now got all my planting done and as soon as we get a few sunny days I will take a pic for you all..

Les So glad you dinny try and drive those hills in bad weather,,I am sure the people were glad to,,

Edith.Do you give those foxes a menu to choose or do they get pot luck..LOL..Nice grandson you have there..

Fred. Do hope you get that stair lift,, Would be so much easier for LIzz and you to I bet..We are not getting any younger..Had to sell our house cos it had stairs and John couldn't manage them.
Well my garden now has,,a Lemon tree.. Orange tree. 3 different chilli plants ,Mint.Oregano,Tyme.and basil..plus a flower and assorted others. Been keeping me busy.
John is back to the specialist next week so hope he has a answer for us,,but not hopeful..been to so many and they all just scratch their heads.....scratch,scratch,scratch...LOL..

Weather is going to get hot again next week,,,anyone want some..gggggrrrrr...

Have a nice weekend
Love Mary xxxx

Morning all,i see plans are well afoot for the planting season [Fred included] he he.
I think you could do with one of those window sill electric propogators Les they are handy for starting things like Leek ,and onion seeds off early,ready to plant out as soon as conditions allow.
In your case though ,you would need to set it in concrete or superglue to make it Bella proof.
Made some lovely Asparagus soup for tea yesterday which tasted a bit of all right and there was enough left for tea tonight.
Recipe for a Swordfish steak anyone?,i have one as a treat but fancy something else from the usual grilling of,maybe steaming ,but i am always open to suggestions,lol.
Shame on you Les for buying mushy peas when they are so easy to make from the dried peas ,he he ,or are you too busy these days ? no matter ,i hope you enjoyed them ,must admit they taste lush ,and i sometimes split the makings of ,and do some peas pudding at the same time,or even a green pea soup,all very nice.
Seems we are heading back towards the snow ,just in time for the Bairns half term week ,he he ,wouldn't you know it ,typical brit' weather.
My son brought me the extended ,rear facing car camera back yesterday ,and i noted he did a darned good job on it for me,and i spent an hour fitting it on the rear screen of the car where it has a great view of the road where it will record all the goings on behind ,i hope i will never need to use the recordings ,but i like to be on the safe side ,there being so many idiots on the road these days.
The cable only shows a few inches to the boots rubber weather seal ,then runs behind the seal to the trim along the hatch door frame ,under the trims the full length of the car and under the dashboard ,with only the last few inches showing where it goes along the transmission tunnel to the plug,a darned good job ,even if i do say so myself.
After my son dropped it off he went to the instruction centre in the town to sit the last of his Fork Lift instruction course which he passed ,giving him the three different certificates on reach ,hight ,and balance,as well as the final one on manouvering ,so has been told that he will be issued with a full licence
within a week,so hopefully he has even more chances of finding work,
He has now been accepted for five weeks induction at Nissan where ,if he passes he will have a job for life,he got through the interview at the bus depot,and after they finish all the interviews ,he may have a job on the buses/coaches,and he has an interview next week at a market garden ,where with his farming experience ,warehouseing,and now fork lift,he should be in with a chance.
Lets see the dole office NOW say he is not trying to find work ,lol. these pen pushers don't know what the world outside is like ,saying there are plenty of jobs to be had ,when in reality ,for every job out there ,100 people are chasing every one of them.
I am off to the doctors this afternoon to set the ball rolling [i hope] with the stair lift,as it is becoming a chore to go up and down them ,with only the toilet upstairs to use ,and the hoovering of them is a job and a half ,even if i do have two Hoovers ,on upstairs and one down ,he he..
Must go now ,and get some work done ,and then peruse the 1911 census,which has given my a few updates already with more certificates to get ,births ,and marriages.
Catch you later all.Fred.xxx

Hey Edith, that sounds pretty cool. Bella is such a twit when it comes to chasing things. She would, if not on a leash, chase trucks down the road.....dangerous!!
Weather here cannot make its mind up. Last couple of days we have had torrential rain and the neighbours patio roof panels have blown into our yard two days in a row. Norm keeeps throwing them over the fence but as soon as the wind picks up....here they come again!! Meanwhile the surrounding mountains are covered in snow. I am supposed to give that presentation tomorrow night in Qualicum but I may cancel as it is going down below zero and we may get snow. We don't have winter tires on the van, they don't make them to fit if you can imagine. Think we will try and sell it this spring. ....we'll see.
Have not bought or started any seeds yet...I can see that I may be buying plants again. It is far too cold in the greenhouse to do anything. I did think of setting up a bench in the sun room but its pretty blurry cold in there as well. If I buy plants this year I think I will go and get them from a nursery in Nanaimo. Haven't been best pleased with the toms I have bought here over the last few years.
I was chatting to my Dad on Saturday, it was his birthday - 97 if you can believe that. Anyway he has a conservatory on the back of the house and he put in heated beds many years ago. His seeds are in and probably enjoying having warm bums!! Wish I had a place to do that.
Heather and the babe(Audrey) came to stay for a few days, pretty sad to have them here and no Malcolm...but we talked about him a lot and missed him a lot. Audrey and I played and danced then I was given the bath time job...what a hoot, water everywhere.
More later.
Lesxx

Morning all, Mary you are so right about the fox. As the snow is now far too high too climb over, Mr and Mrs. Fox now come in the driveway walk down the sidewalk of the building right to the back door where their dinner awaits them. The neigbour told me I should have put out some red candles for Valentines yesterday hee hee.
A kind Grandson came over and cleaned the car off. Took a good half hour to get all the snow cleared. Now they tell us we are in for some freezing rain, "really".
Fred, I found a small greenhouse that would fit on my balcony but the building owners said no way. So I will have to stay with all the pots as usual. Can't wait to get started!!!!
Les, the lake we went to in Dryden was the site of ice sking yesterday.
They hook you up to ski's and a very large kite and you go flying over the frozen lake. They took off from the dock and went south over the widest part of the lake. Bella would have had a ball chasing all those kites. !!!
Time for me to get moving so it's bye for now.
Edith XXXXXX

Hi all.. WE are enjoying a bit of cool weather and John is rugged up under a blanket at night,,and I sleep on top of the blanket as it it far to hot for a blanket for me.. It went down to 19c..loooovly..but to cold for John..LOL
Fred Glad Liz had a good laugh at the joke..I thought it was priceless...hee hee hee...

Edith Looks like you got some hangers on for good,,Those foxes aren't stupid..LOL

Les Your day in Qualicum sounded lovely...See you bent the plastic a weeeee bit...LOL

Lovely to see Veronica and Teresa...

I still haven't finished my garden..Got my orange tree to plant,,Might do that tomorrow,,We don't have any doctors visits now for a couple of weeks so got some time for the back patio..then I will take some pics of it..

Love Mary xxx

Morning Edith,Mary,Les' and anyone else who shows up.lol.
I hope your snow won't last long Edith ,we have a little over in the west country ,but the north is getting away without it thank goodness.
I thought the clips of the water flood that Mary sent was a real eye opener too ,i would never have believed that an area could be innundated so quickly ,other than with a broken sea wall,co,am i glad we live so far up on the valley slope .
Liz loved the email re the battle of the sexes Mary ,i havn't seen her laugh so much in weeks,bless her.
We had a busy weekend ,looking after Chris ,while his dad and partner swanned off to York to collect the new car ,which i hope will please his lass ,she didn't like the old one ,but as i said ,it ran well despite it's age ,and is good for another year of heavy motoring.
Hope my grandson Sean is enjoying his holiday with his wife ,in Poland,Marta is doing so well at uni over there ,and should have her doctorate by early next year which should see her set for life.
Martin ,the eldest son ,has done his course on fork lifts and now has all three qualifications to go with his bus license and hgv,so he should find a job soon [fingers crossed]
The dole office said he shouldn't have been on the course which he paid for himself ,and wasn't free to look for work that week,so the lad said ,would you rather i sat on my butt at home instead of trying to better myself? he is applying for at least four jobs a week, there is just no pleasing some people.
He has an interview this week with a bus company anyway ,so hopefully he will be offered a job this time,which will please him no end.
Well ,i think i had better take the missus her cuppa up ,lol,get up you lazy besom ,he he ,busy day ahead .
Catch you later all,Fred.xxx

Hello Welcome to another world of white stuff. If this keeps up we will need an ark come spring. We have 2 days of blue skies and then cloud and snow , snow , snow.
Global warming can get here any time soon and it will be made very welcome. Enough time on the soap box for Edith. Hope you are all well and managing with our weird world I see everyone has something to talk about. Still looking at the seed catalouges and wanting to order much more than I can ever plant.!!!!Love to see all the new varieties and then see they are for much warmer areas than us. Saves me a bit of money tho' so I can't complain.
The fox and the birds are having quite a time but manage to eat their fill and I guess bunk down in a pile of snow. Have been putting extra food out to make sure everyone gets enough to keep the tummys full.
Loved the time show of the flooding, Mary. Makes you realize how dangerous it can get. Hope you find something to help John soon.
Must go and try to find my car in the parking lot hee hee.
Edith XXXXX

Afternoon all.. WE have a few showers and a bit of cool..just loooovly..

That walk sounds lovely Les..we have a national park near us but haven't found a walking track through it yet..
I am so tired,, John is getting so weak,, I do hope the new specialist can come up with something.... anything...

Fred I have my pot for the lemon tree just sitting on the concrete floor.. With the weight of the soil in the pot it would be hard to blow over..I must take a pic of it and show you ..

Quiet life at the moment,,Did some shopping for food today and more drugs from the chemist,,think I am wearing a track through the chemist door,,LOL

Have a lovely weekend all..

Love Mary xxx