General Chat

Morning all, Managed to get all the gifts sorted for wrapping and sending off, so now have time to get the cards etc. done.
We have now gotten another foot of snow so winter is here for sure.

Yes, Veronica folks on here are very helpful. Sorting and recording it will
take time but is so fun.

As usual Fred your busyness amazes me. Good to hear Liz is back to her old self and hope stays well.

Les, I see you got snow as well, and it looks like that Arctic high is going to get you too!!!! With the wood stove and Norm stuffing the wood in you should stay warm and cosy.
Saw a booth at the big Winnipeg craft show where a lady was selling aprons, not anywhere near the style yours have. She wanted $68. for them but they had no style and the fabric looked like old flour sacks. She had a lot of them so I don't think they were selling.!!!!!

The show had 320 booths and the variety of crafts was good although they did have a lot of jewellry. I think you would need 2 days to see it all.
My legs quit long before I did. hee hee.

Must get on with the day, laundry etc. Bye for now Edith XXXXXXX

I posted the same info onto the Records thread and have all sorts of replies.

Looks like I am going to be busy. Also, Euphemia Pearson showed up today as a result of another email!!!

regards

Veronica

Hi All
Lesley so sorry to hear about your young friend such a tragedy.

Can I ask for help from the Aussies on the thread and possibly the Canucks can help as well.

I just discovered a branch of my family that came to Canada and then emigrated to Australia.

Davina Pearson married William Elliot Preston and I have them on the 1916 Canadian Census in Manitoba. Davina next shows up in Australia with the children but no William unless he is off somewhere other than with them.


A Davina next shows up in Gunnedah, Gwydir with a John Charles Mills and with children with the same first names as her Preston children but with Mills as their last name on the 1936 Australia (NSW) Census. She is a cook by profession which is consistent with her Canadian info - coincidence or are these my folks.

I cannot find emigration records for the family going to Australia from Canada
I cannot find a death anywhere for William Elliot Preston
I cannot find a marriage to John Charles Mills for Davina.

Anyone got any ideas!!!!

Veronica

It's no name again. I scanned my computer, put in all and any updates I could find and now let's see what happens. How very annoying. I did send an email to GR....they have not replied. Ah! well invisible I am or maybe not when I hit submit perhaps my name will miraculously appear.
Snow here, just a skiff but about 2/3 inches in Nanaimo. We cannot find winter tires for our van....they don't make them so that is also aggravating. A shop in Nanaimo told Norm they could order them from Toyo and could install them on Saturday. So yesterday we set off into Nanaimo only to find the shop closed on the weekend....our Normie was not best pleased!!!
Keep well.
Lesxx

Morning Edith,and the invisible Les' ,lol,Fred has now finished all the prep' for the days dinner,and now need to go out to find a 2 gallon plastic container for tomorrow.
The water board are working on the mains again ,and A ,may have to turn the water off from time to time,and B,when it comes back on it may be dirty ,and unfit for drinking until the system is flushed out,so i have to stockpile drinking water just in case.
Liz is well enough now to tackle the washing today ,just in case dirty water tomorrow means washer problems.
We may not be very far behind you with the Snow Edith ,the eastern side of the country ,and the north are supposed to cop it ,the middle of the week ,with weather coming over from Scandinavia ,brrrrrr ,lots of snow and ice supposedly on the way,but i have to say ,with the house now lots warmer with the sorted windows ,and having plenty of supplies in ,i ain't much bothered.
I did manage to get another bag of salt & grit in for the drive anyway,so i can get the car out onto the road in case of emergency if needs be.
After getting the veggies ready for the dinner ,i STILL have two meals left in my football ,he he ,that was ,and still is one hell of a cabbage ,and i will be growing them again next year ,they are a white variety ,suitable for making our own coleslaw.
Can't get much done outside these days with the ground being so soggy ,so i brought down the Dell tower yesterday afternoon ,and reformatted the hard drive,starting with a new [raw ] partition ,and then re installing windows x p from the disc supplied by Dell.
Noticed that the four i d dvd /cd programmes were back in ,so i can use the two writers and re writers okay ,and took it over to the other, in use tower belonging to Liz and slide it in next to the other ,ready for use ,lol,that's three hours put to good use [ wonder what i can do today?
Hope everyone is enjoying their weekend,catch you later Fred.xxxx

Morning all, Returned from Winnipeg last nite in a snowstorm!!!
The weather office said it was an" Alberta Clipper" and Wow was it ever.
At times the wind was so strong it actually rocked the bus, which was a huge Greyhound type.
Got home absolutely worn out, cup of tea and into bed, shopping is loads of fun but also lots of walking. Had a great time tho' didn't win at the Casino just enjoyed all the ringing bells etc.
They didn't get any of my money either hee hee.
Christmas is all tied up in neat parcels so it can come any time.
Had a fun 4 days, now happy to be home!!!
Will catch up on all the news later, after my breakfast. Edith XXXX

And where is my name????

What have they done to these boards yet again....or maybe I am really thick and don't know how to set the threads so that they show last post first???? It took me forever to get to this point...grrrr!!!
Happy birthday Fred and thanks for the card.
The Celebration of Life for Malcolm is on Monday. Heather has asked Norm to do the video tribute which has been heartbreaking as he wades thru all the many,many photos taken over the years.
Don't mind me if I am quiet for a bit longer.
Lesxx

Morning all you over the pond,in both directions lol,and many thanks for the birthday wishes,which were well recieved ,and appreciated.
The news of Les's loss of a friend so close ,must be difficult to get to grips with ,specially one so young and newly married,tragic to put it mildly.
I heard via Yahoo [oz] this morning of that terrible mine explosion in New Zealand as well ,and that is a real bummer ,coming from a mining area ,that hits close to home,and we have ex miner family members to boot.
Lets all hope that there is no more loss of life in this disaster ,one is more than enough.
Not much doing here today ,liz is doing her emails and playing the morning lotto games ,after which we are going to have a sort out in the back bedroom,tons of clothes we no longer need ,some never worn ,so we are going to bag the lot and ask the local bairns hospice to pick them up for the shop in the town ,where they will sell them on to make some much needed pennies for the hospital.
Hope everyone is well ,and looking forward to the weekend ,including the new retiree ,lol,who is no doubt finding out that being retired means in reality that she is going to be busier than ever ,[such is life]
Catch everyone later ,Fredxxx

Les How sad.. and so young..big hugs for you and Norm..

Fred HAPPY BIRTHDAY.. Have a lovely day and don't climb any ladders or you might not be here to celebrate another...LOL..Poor Lizz bet she had a fright..as well as you...LOL

Lovely cool day here which is my sort of weather..nothing much planned so am having a quiet day..

Stay well all..

Love Mary xxx

Happy Birthday to dear Fred, blessings wished for your day adn year ahead JA

AHh VP such a tragedy Love to you both

Sad day for us. Probably our closest friend, young tho he was, was killed in that explosion in Mexico today. Just married on the beach three days earlier, a lovely wife and the gorgeous one year old Audrey. Norm and I are numb. We cannot believe that we were just there in Nanaimo, eating, drinking and goofing around as always.
Say a prayer.
Lesxx

Morning Mary,and Lesley,and of course the local joke queen ,our Edith [loved the one about the Talaban on strike ,lol,sent far and wide already ] i nearly fell off my chair laughing at that one ,he he.
Yes Mary ,the worst winds we have had for two years ,and i was half suprised to find my roof in one piece in the morning.but i'm afraid your chalet suffered a minor hit ,nothing bad ,but i need to change the glass in the skylight after it cracked as a stone hit it.and i can't chance it coming in on Liz while she is working on her seedings can i ?.
Had a bit of a mishap yesterday afternoon while i was putting the big curtain rail back up,doing one thing i always told my site lads never to do while on ladders [overstretch] resulting in me coming backwards off the sterpladder and landing up on the floor in a heap,lol.
No damage to myself luckily ,but as i fell back i grabbed the window handle to try and break my fall ,but all i broke was the handle .lol,so i have to phone a local firm in a few minutes to see if they can fit a new handle for me ,the broken one is still attached to the window ,and the window still closes properly ,but it no longer locks [bu***r] so i reckon the pawl inside the window has gone walk about as in broken ,he he.
If it can't be fixed ,it is either a new opener,or even a whole new window frame ,so i may be yet claiming for accidental damage on the insurance.
Plenty of carrot cake Mary?,and some nice Carrot and Corriander soup,or even Carrot and Swede? we love our carrot too ,in any shape or form.
I made up a lovely hotpot yesterday which will do us two hearty meals ,lots of carrot in there ,shredded cabbage,swede,leek ,onion liver ,beef skirt and even a bacon steak,all done in a rich gravy with course sea salt and fresh ground pepper,the pre cooked new tatties can be added as it comes back to the simmer.
Glad your daughter brought a little light to your weekend Mary ,i am so much luckier ,living far closer to my bairns ,we normally get to see one or the other at least twice a week .
Hope you do well with your fare Les' and get a load sold to help with the costs of fuel and other stuff over the winter,am i glad i went in with the british gas price freeze again until 2012, their prices going up another 7% this month,this home heating is getting darned expensive these days isn't it?
Have to take the wife to the Metro centre this morning [Christmas box time again] so i will catch you all later ,Fred.xxxx

Morning all We have a lovely sunny day...sorry to mention that to all you poor peeps suffering from the cold...hee hee hee,,,

Les Do hope you sell lots of aprons..drape them with
Christmas tinsel so as to make people remember their Christmas list of presents they have to buy...

Edith. Do keep warm and now is the time to start those soups..before the white stuff arrives...

Fred What strong winds you have had..do you live in the arctic circle...PMSL...Glad Lizz is feeling better and butter about your ex-ray results..Hope my Chalet survived the winds unscathed..You talk about turning green with all the cabbage you have been eating,,I should turn yellow with all the carrots I eat,,just love them..

Was lovely having our daughter here with us yesterday.. She came down for a 50th birthday party of her best friend and spent the day with us before she went,,I do miss my girls..

Well its gonna be a hot one today so better put something cool on..have a lovely weekend all..

Love Mary xxx

And I am off for my second day of the "fair". It was pretty slow yesterday and bloody cold in the Glenwood Centre. You'd think they would have the heat on at least 24 hours before an event like this but no!!
Anyway standing in a cold hall on a concrete floor has done my back in even this morning after a cozy night in bed, my back is twinge-ing...this is not good.
Hope I sell aprons today.
Keep well and warm you guys.
More later.
Lesxx

Morning all, Fred, I can sympathize with you. My diagnosis was the same 2 yrs. ago. As you have I decided against surgery and so far have been able to keep the pain within limits. Exercise is the key I find and am soon reminded by the "bones" if I don't.
As busy as you are you will be able to work it out I'm sure.
These "golden years" soon turn to lead don't they???
Winter seems to be closer every day, the temps are slipping down and the skies are grey, all we need is the white stuff and it will be here for sure.
Guess that's why Mary is warming up, the sun has headed "down under" hee hee.
Would love to have a wood stove like Les, the heat is so comfy compared to our electric baseboard heaters.
Oh, well that's my moan for to-day. Off the soapbox and on with the day.
Stay well everyone. Edith XXXXXXX

eye eye ,said the blind man ,looking for a hanky,time for a few minutes sit down with my coffee before starting the last coat on these plurry doors .lol
I went to the doc's as requested after the phone call about the ex-ray results,ooooer,the news wasn't too good darn it.
I have def' got arthritis in the right hip .as i thought ,but it seems i have it in t'other as well ,though not as bad.
The shocker was being told that i have osteo porosis in the lower spine ,and i thought it was just a bit of stiffness ,grrrrr.
The doc'asked if i wanted top be referred to the hospital for surgery ,but i said no way,how in heck can i leave the missus to fend for herself for weeks while i get over surgery,nope ,i told him that that is the last resort,and i will carry on as usual ,until the pain gets that bad that i have to succumb.
He then said that the hip replacement would solve the problem,and i said ,don't think there is any chance of the hospital doing that surgery on me with P V D in my legs ,he he ,the most they could do is rework the hip by taking the rough edges off the bone ,no thanks to that ,lol,i will refuse to let the joint stiffen ,and exercise it ,and carry on regardless.
The rep from the Home Warm Front arrived yesterday at 2 pm ,and had a look in the loft ,and it seems i am right ,the change in the regulations means the lagging i have in the loft so far ,is only half as thick as it should be ,so they are coming out to thicken it up within two weeks.
The garden is going to take some sorting after the high winds ,he he ,the table and chairs [the heavy metal ones ,landed up next to the greenhouse.it stripped the cover off the B B Q without ripping it [clever that ] ,and overturned the bird table .
I saw on the tv last night that some old lass had her greenhouse picked up and thrown bodily over the other side of the garden,,luckily it was one of the pvc variety so no smashed glass to replace,but over here we have had a lot of flooding the other side of town,so we this end have been lucky again.
Thw missus has been getting steadily better ,and managed yesterday to use some apples off our tree ,to make me four little individual apple crumbles,all i need to do now ,is find room in the freezer to get them in .
that's it for now ,the boss is up and about ,so i am off to get this painting finished ,see ya later ,Fred.xxxx

Morning all,from a veeeeery windy and wet Newcastle where i am now sitting down with a coffee after painting those three doors again [two coats to go ,another this afternoon].
Fred has been smit by Gerty the genes gremlin yet again ,after two days of trying to add notes on here ,only to see them go whoosh as i was about to click enter ,i got sick and changed to another computer ,only to have it happen again ,so ,it has to be genes itself .
Nice to see you back Veronica ,and am pleased to see that Keith has made such a good recovery.
we have a busy day ahead of us ,first to the clinic to get my feet seen to ,and then to the shops so that i can buy The grandson the activa fryer he wants from Santa Claus ,he he.then it's home again for another coat of paint before the rep' from the loft insulation people turns up to check the loft for us.
I may even get the final coat of paint on the doors before we go to bed,which would be nice ,which would leave the three other doors to touch up where i have pared some wood off the tops and edges so that they will shut properly,then it will be bliss to put the rollers and brush away until spring.
Did a load of Scottish Angus beef mince up last night ,so later this afternoon i will make up a Shepherds pie ,and a beef cobbler,putting one down in the freezer ,and keeping the other for tomorrows dinner.
Today we are having the other half of the cheese pudding ,with the rest of yesterdays veggies ,ideal because we can heat the lot up in the tiered steamer,which means a lazy cooking day.
We are still only half way through this football of a cabbage ,despite giving some to the son to take home ,he he ,we will take on a greenish hue if this goes on much longer ,lol.
Well ,i am going to do a shoot before Gerty strikes again ,see ya later ,Fred.xxx

Morning all.. We have a lovely sunny warm day..

Veronica It is so nice to see you back,, Hope the next few years will be better than the last,,Good to see I am not the only one who had boomerang kids..mine came and went quite often until they married and then they settled...enjoy your trip to the Old Country, and wave to Fred for me also when you pass by...LOL

Les,, Celery is very popular here in oz,,it goes into all stews and savoury minces and and soups,,just slice the stalks and the green tops if you want and shove them in..some people like to fill the hollow with cream cheese and serve as finger food,,cut them about 2 inches in length..and fill..
Hope you make lots of money with the aprons..

Fred.. You are the best food manager I have ever seen,,all those soups ready for the winter..do you make your own bread,,I am thinking of going back to making mine,,I have a bread cooker and have forgotten how to use it..

Edith Enjoy your trip and the retail therapy..does one good to get out and spend up a bit,,and Christmas is a good reason,,LOL

My daughter is arriving tomorrow morning to spend the day with me..so looking forward to that,,she goes home on Sunday..a pity she lives so far away,,41/2hours drive or 5hours by train..
A lovely train trip and a tiring drive...

Stay well all..

Love Mary xx