General Chat

We are doing well Mary ,there is only the window in the main bedroom to strip down and insulate properly this year ,plus of course touch up the paintwork on the surrounds ,and upstairs is finished ,lol.
There are five rooms upstairs alone ,plus 3 downstairs,and a darned great hall and stairs,these are all ear marked for decorating next year apart from the kitchen ,finished earlier in the year ,as you so rightly reminded me ,and the little dining room which i finished this morning ,so ,all in all ,next year should be easy ,with only the hall and stairs ,and the lounge to see to.
I got the hedges done this morning apart from the top of the tall part ,which i need to get the big pole cutter out of the shed for,and once this has been done ,it can all go away until early March [ i hope].
all that remains to do outside now ,is the lawn edges and weeding ,plus the clearing out ,and storing the root veg' and onions,plus odd jobs in the greenhouse like bombing the inside to kill all the mites and bugs.simple , squeek , he he.
The new tumble drier is ordered ,awaiting delivery a week after we arrive back from Blackpool,then we should be set up for the winter washing,which looks like it could be worse than last year,think i might put in for a spring holiday at Edith's while the weather warms up here ,lol.
The trees out back looked lovely all last week with their autumn colours .but the high winds these last two days have seen most of them come off and fall.
the turkey was lovely,and if we stay at home Christmas ,we won't have to do lot as regards dinner ,just the veggies and stuffing to do ,the turkey in the mic,for a few minutes to heat up ,and done.
We are thinking of doing away with the electric fryer ,and getting one of these halogen cookers in it's place,less energy to do the same job than even a microwave ,and it does everything from fry a few chips to a full Sunday roast,cakes ,to Rissotto,to pancakes,and fry ups.,and much healthier as well ,very little fat needed,if any at all.
Looks like i am on cookhouse duties this evening again ,so i will sign off for now,no peace for the wicked ,catch you later,as tomorrow is an easy day ,just the bottom floors to hoover ,plus the dusting,bliss.Fred.xxxx

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

Well the specialist sent his report and he cant find a cause or cure either..Everything is normal as it should be and there were a couple of tests he suggested which we might try in the next couple of weeks,, but in the whole we are back to square one... Thanks goodness I dinny have my hopes up as I have been there and done that to many time already..now I just take one day at a time..still there are more worse off than me..so for that I should be thankful..

Fred. How many rooms do you have in that house,,I thought you had redecorated them all last year..LOL..How was the turkey..yummy I bet..

Les.. Loved the pic of that red devil... he is so lovely.. Bet he is the boss of Bella...LOL

Edith.. Tell those bears its bed time... LOL

Well I am having a quiet day and that is good as had a busy one yesterday..Took OH to the docs to talk over the report from the specialist..they both are scratching their heads..LOL..

Have a nice day all

Love Mary xx

Morning all ,gobble gobble ,lol,who else has had turkey then ,we had ours out as we put the new fridge freezer on,and placed it in the fridge to thaw slowly,and i took my big ChicagoTown Lasagna out to and did ditto with that.
The turkey i cooked Saturday morning ,and seeing as Chris was here we had a sort of practice Christmas dinner,which was very nice,and as i took the bird out of the oven to rest ,i banged the Lasagna in.
The Lasagna i let cool ,sliced it in the tin when it cooled ,and then banged it back it the freezer overnight to refreeze before taking it back out ,seperating the portions ,bagging them up and putting them back in ,along with the rest of the turkey,which i sliced into dinner sized pieces for two.
Hey ,it was worth the effort ,it went back in the freezer as flat packs. taking up far less room .and great for taking out as needed.
The wifes room is now lots warmer and comfortable ,and i finished off by getting the de humidifier out of the shed and unwrapped it [it's been in there since we moved house] ooooops ,that should help stop the problems ,as iv'e put it on the landing.
My own room window i will leave until we come back from Blackpool as i don't feel the cold very much,and sleep with the window open anyway .
Once we get the tumble dryer the problems should be solved anyway as there will be no need to put damp washing in the kitchen if it's raining out,causing damp in the house.
Today it's off to the bank in town ,then do a little shopping for fresh stuff like milk and a loaf of bread,before coming back so i can get this dining room finished and put back in order ,but ,it's lookin' good .
hope you get some news soon Mary ,even better ,i hope it's good too .
I enjoyed the pic of Oliver that Les' sent out ,lol,i think Hissy approved as well ,he looks to be one smart cat.
off now to take the wife's morning cuppa up so i will catch you all later.Fred.xxxx

Morning all, Happy to hear you and Liz are home again Fred. As usual you
are busy there too !!!
The sealing of the windows I know about. Where I live it is a fall ritual to make sure everything is tucked in for the winter. Every type of weather
stripping is sold as well as all the caulking stuff.
Rather nice not having the big house anymore, so the new owners are welcome to the chore.
Mary, the turkey was for our Thanksgiving dinner.Canada does not echo the U.S as theirs is in Nov. ours is always in Oct.
No, the bears are not to bed yet as the weather is fantastic. It still is not real cold. Mild days and cool nights but no snow or frost even.
I do look forward to the pics Fred, but will happily wait until you have completed all the chores and of course enjoyed your last holiday of the year.
Enjoy having you all back, it has been too quiet on our thread. Enjoy the rest of the week-end and return soon.
Hope to hear from some of our old friends too.
Stay well. Edith XXXXXXX

Morning /evening all.. We are having some lovely weather lately..sunny and cool...Lots of rain and storms about but it seems to miss us and we get naut..out comes the watering cans...LOL

No news from the specialist yet.. wish he would hurry up..this sitting and waiting is getting to me.. if nothing by Monday night will ring the quack and see if any word,,OH had to have some blood tests and a cat scan..

Fred.. Isn't that clotted cream just lovely...especially as a ice cream..I don't know about that fridge in my chalet.. will give it some thought..do you have some tea making facilities there also so that you can keep the milk cold in the fridge if nothing else.PMSL..

Les.. So glad you won the contest...Should give the town a boost..I love fishing and when we were up north in the gulf of Carpentaria I went fishing with my brother in a charter boat and caught lots of fish..I find it so relaxing..

Edith... Whats with the turkey...its not Christmas yet..though its not far away..are the bears asleep yet..

Hope all are well and have a lovely weekend..

Love Mary xxx

Evening to all,old Fred has been soooooo busy since coming home ,i need a holiday to get over coming home from the last one ,he he.
I waqs so darned sick of ongoing problems with moisture running down the windows on both floors that i decided to investigate and what a shock i got ,not one of the windows that were double glazed before we brought the house had been sealed on the inside to the brickwork,all that had been done was sealing outside to the brick,no wonder it was so noisy and draughty .
There were holes of over half an inch along the tops of the windows ,,all that covered them was the bridging strips ,no filler or foam to keep the wind out at all.
I got some of that expanding ,waterproof foam ,and some builders caulk from B & Q and got cracking,finishing off by putting the bridging pieces back ,and doing the joints with white silicone mastic,quite like oldd times ,he he ,anyway ,job done as it should have been in the first place ,and what a difference ,lots warmer in the rooms ,the road noise has gone down 75% and the running moisture down the glass has stopped.
I have now started upstairs the same way ,with the second bedroom which i will shove the missus in while i do tother bedroom .
I am now in the process of putting the bridging strips back,soi should be finished by mid morning ,leaving one other bedroom to see to.
Otherwise ,i am doing okay the two lawns cut for the last time this year [i hope ] and the hedges to do yet ,but i have brought a lightweight Bosch trimmer which is also battery operated,so as far as the hedges go ,i am cordless ,and when my lawn mower goes home ,that too will be going battery power.
Oh yes ,the new fridge freezer came three days after we got home ,and that is now in the dining room ,the old freezer going to the sons seeing as it still works okay.The table and chairs are now in the kitchen where the freezer stood ,and the fridge is in the greenhouse ready for the winter and the beef corning [notice that Mary ,lol].
Where the fridge was ,will be taken up shortly by a a new tumble dryer which will be far better for the house ,doing away with damp clothes from the washing machine hanging in the dining room,that alone will make the whole house less damp on wash days.
Yep ,Edith ,i have some smashing pics of Cornwall ,and the sights there of,so great was the holiday that we have already booked the same two weeks next year,at the same site.
We had a late thanksgiving too by the way ,but only because the fridge freezer was slightly smaller than the old freezer ,so we had to do some condensing he he ,so out came the turkey ,now cooked ,and a meal smaller ,it can now become a flat pack ,along with my Lasagne and go back in the freezer for later use.
So,All in all the missus is happier ,the dining room with new appliance in,she is as happy as larry decorating the walls as we move things around in there,at her leisure ,and i am happy too getting on with the garden ,the windows upstairs ,and finishing the decorating in the bedrooms as i finish the other work..
I am knackered ,but everything is coming together well so we have no complaints.
Blackpool is looming up ,next weekend we will be down there for 7 days,which is the last of the holidays this year ,so i will come back from there ready for the run up to Christmas .
That's it for now folks ,i am off to get the tea ,and then see if i can start finishing off that widow ,or wether i will have to wait until morning.
Hope everyone is having a good weekend ,Fred.xxxx

Hello Just nudging us up. Hope all are well. Edith

Hello all, Not full of turkey yet but will be tomorrow.
grand daughter is chef this year and as she had to work the week-end
we will celebrate on the day itself.Les, we are the opposite everyone loves turkey and pies are split between apple and pumpkin so both are to be had. Sounds like a great holiday Fred will look forward to the pics when you can find the time to send them on.
Our weather is holding and it is wonderfull to be able to sit outside and enjoy the sunshine this late in the year. Day temps have been in the high 20's for more than a week and don't appear to be cooling until next week.
Will enjoy each day as it comes and then not grouse when it is -20, hee hee.
Will also try the salmon dish next week Les, as the fresh fish comes in on Thursday. Being so far inland we have to wait for the fresh stuff. Even Thunder Bay doesn't have a fish store????
We are still voting for the animal shelter until the end of this month. Sure could use it as we tend to have a lot of idiots who don't get the animals neutered and then toss away the offspring as they are too many to feed etc.
Must finish off a few more e-mails and then settle in for Sunday eve T.V
We have a few good programs on and as I don't care too much for most of the stuff I do like tonights shows. Bye for now, Edith XXXXXXX

Just a quicky as we pack up to go home.
Love the idea of stuffing the chicken with cranberry stuffing Les' and will try it,next time you do this try streaky bacon wrapped round it too adds that extra kick.
Catch you later all ,Fred.xxxx

Thanksgiving weekend here Everyone will be cooking turkeys and pumpkin pie...but not us. Norm doesn't like turkey and we both heartily dislike pumpkin.....so what are we having....well.....
I am going to create a pocket in two chicken breasts, stuff them with cranberry stuffing, wrap them in proscuitto and bake gently. Serve with white, red an and purple baby spuds and asparagus. Then bread and butter pudding with apple in it and hot custard...come on over!!!!
Hey Fred, have you learned the joy of pasta sheets??? You can only get them here at one grocery store and they are the most fun. So far used them to make an earth shattering veggie lasagne and then when dau was here we made canellonis.....baked in a tomato sauce rather than bechmel...less fat....and oh so good.
In another life I think I was a chef...lol!!
Have a great weekend. Lesxx

Morning Lesley,yes you should miss Cornwall a lot,if i had been able to choose a place of birth,it would have been Scotland first ,Cornwall second,but there you go ,lol.
The wife and i decided to go back next year ,and we booked the same two weeks next year ,there was so much we didn't see and do,that a return was inevitable .
We are now resting in Wiltshire before returning home tomorrow,where i will have to make one heck of a fuss of Hissy ,before starting sanding down three of the upstairs doors so that i can get them painted
The memory stick was a good buy, as i have uploaded all the holiday pics onto it from the cam corder,my camera ,and the wife's liitle sure shot ,so that i can put them all into her 'puter as soon as i get home.
Half of the film we took on the cam corder is already on dvd and i will transfer the rest onto disc at home before i wipe the mini discs for re use,this cam corder is so much lighter than the old one ,and the mini discs take up far less room than the old tapes did.
Have to go now ,and get brekkie ,toast and beans,wow ,what a come down from fresh cornish eggs, bread and tomatoes,he he but you can't have it all can you?.
Hope everyone has a good weekend Fred.xxxx

Ah! Fred, Tintagel, one of my favourite places and then up the coast to Clovelly.....homesick now.

Yes!!! we won. My LIttle town is the ultimate fishing town. We now have our own signature salmon dish that will served at all the local restaurants of note. This lady in town who created it won first prize with this dish in an international competition.

The dish: A nice salmon fillet and wild please non of that farmed stuff. Better to eat a smaller wild than a larger farmed. Cut the fillet into portion sizes as you desire. Chop fresh sage and lightly sprinkle over the salmon, then wrap each piece with proscuitto. She says to pan fry but I would foil mine and bake them in the oven. Serve with either a garlic aioli or a white wine butter sauce., a few baby spuds and asparagus....yummy, yummy.

More later.
Lesxx

Evening peeps,just back from Boscastle,and Tintagel,of King Arthur fame,and we Did manage to get down the cliff path to the castle entrance,due to a coastal rescue vehicle,making extra cash by running a service up and down for people with a problem with mobility,which enabled us to get some good pic's after all.
Boscastle was stowed out and we couldn't find a place to park the car,but we did see that a lot of damage from the floods two years ago is still evident,anyway the town nestled in the hills above the valley floor looks so lovely that we are leaving the car in the town tomorrow and catching a bus,leaving us free to wander at will.
Of COURSE the cream we had with the scones was clotted Mary,that's a bit like asking someone from Durham to burn Yorkshire coal [perish the thought] ,as you say though,nice though it's ,it's not something to have very often lol.
Hope John gets some good news on Friday,Fred.xxxx

Hi everyone.. We have had some lovely rain..

Been busy lately as John hasent been able to do anything much.. He sees a autoimune specialist on friday and hope for good results,,Not raising my hopes but stil clutching at straws,,will let you know how he gets on..
Hope my daughter will visit us tomorrow for a few days,,Do miss my girls..

Les,, How are we going with the comp,,do hope you win,,I did vote for you to Edith..LOL..

Been a long weekend here this weekend and we started our daylightsaving hour...still getting used to it,,Takes the body a few days to adjust..

Hope you sell lots of aprons Les and make a motza...

Fred Ar you having clotted cream with your scones,,OH I loved them when we were in the UK..Also a clotted cream ice cream..wont do your colesterol any good but its yummy...

Have fun all..

Love Mary xxx

Morning all, Good to hear from you Fred. Happy to hear you and Liz
are enjoying your trip. Hope the weather stays good for you.
The fall weather is closing in on us. There is white frost on the roofs this morning. So if anyone has left something in the garden it is gone for sure.
Made a few jars of beet pickle last week, I bought some at the farmers market, Have just enough to last me for the winter.
The leaves are getting past their bright colours and as soon as we get a good strong wind they will all be gone. Have seen big flocks of geese overhead in the big V so winter will soon be here.
Les, glad to hear you won. I voted every day so happy it helped. We are now voting to get a grant for a "no kil" shelter for our area. It is put on by pepsi. We are promoting it as we have a lot of orphan cats and I for one can't stand having them put down just because someone threw them in the local dump. Some folks need a prod in the lower part when they do something like that.
Hope all the others are well, sure would be nice to hear from you.
Bye for now. Edith XXXXXXX

Evening folks,back in the van again after a lovely day in Perranporth,watching the surfers and taking loads of piccies of the town and surrounding area.
While on holiday Les i put up with the pastry,bu tat home i would consider using a potato topping as with a sheppards pie.or even use a well rolled slice of bread for the crust,okay as long as you cook it slowly.
The beach next to the surfers has it's own feathered character that had us in stitches with it's antics.
A hooded Crow that struts up to the people eating their lunch and stands there calling until someone throws it a bit of bread or whatever they are eating,then it grabs it and backs off until it's eaten it ,and then calls again until he gets a bit more.
We didn't eat till late today and decided to go for four scones ,cream and jam for the princely sum of £4,but when we got back we decided on toast and baked beans ,with one scone apiece for afters,so ,now is the time to get the knife out yummie,lol,see you tomorrow all,Fred.xxxxx

Well at the end of the competition we won by about 18000 votes. Now all those votes have to be verified....so we are all hoping that we will keep the win.
Meanwhile, Fred, last year in New Brunswick Normie and I went to Kings Landing, a historical site. In the old pub we had what was called a "shepherds purse" and it, too, was a piece of pastry filled with meat and veg and baked. You could have either chicken or beef. ...yummy Interesting how different countries serve a similar thing....hey do you guys have one in Oz????
Of course I have always loved cornish pasties....harder to eat now that I am not supposed to eat pastry...how do you manage that Fred???
Tomorrow is the first "show" of the season and my aprons are tagged and ready to go. May even sew another today if I have time. Then next week I must get at the garden, get it all clean and tidy and ready for winter.Keep well everyone.
Lesxx

Afternoon all,here at last despite having to rely on a dongle instead of a broadband connection,lol,from a very Hilly but beutiful Cornwall.
The car has done very well with it's supercharger ,turbo,despite only 1500cc,it brought us all the way down here ,via Oxford and all the running about there ,as well as out every day here and has used in a week 8 gallons of diesel.which i think is fantastic.
We are very glad we came while Liz is still able,because the county ,the towns,and the people are fantastic,and we would have missed such a lot.
the scenery is out of this world,and the food ,mmmmmmm.
The traditional cornish pasty here is huge,when the wife and i ordered one at a local cafe ,we landed up sharing the one and asking for a doggy bag for the other ,bringing it back to the van for the next day ,lol the cafe owner ,said it happened a lot ,he he.
We even found the original pasty that everyone was saying wasn't made any more in a little bakery in Padstow [called a miners pasty] meat one end and fruit in the other,so we will try that one day next week ,sat on a seat in the harbour,with a cuppa.
We are going out very shortly Mary ,never mind your clotted cream ice cream ,which is alive and doing well,but we are having a cornish tea this evening ,naughty ,naughty,but veeeeery nice ,he he.
This dongle connection is a bit iffy ,so i will sign off for now ,in case i lose the message ,which has happened already this week,have a good week,all ,just in case,Fred.xxxxx.
P S the Salmon sounds lush Les' yum yum xx

The fishing competition is getting hot and heavy. We are fighting to stay at number one. Anybody else you can think of who would vote for us. I am going out today around town to find more voters.....between this and the sewing....I am knackered, you guys!!!
Meanwhile we have fresh salmon for tonite....a big guy. Gonna spread him with a little mayo, dust him with panko crumbs, spice him up with fresh dill and then cover him with orange slices. He will be deee-licious.
More later.
Lesxx

Morning Mary, Fred, Liz and all who look in.
Rainy day forecast, so it's a day of reading!!!! Love days like this.
We won't send any snow Mary, and if it gets too hot you can have that too.!!
I too am still voting for Port Alberni.
Our town has entered a pepsi challenge to win money for a "no-kill"animal shelter. We seem to have way too many cats lately and the one we have now is just too crowded.
Fred will you visit Project Eden in Cornwall?? Never seen it but have read a lot about it. I would love to see all the plants etc.
Time for breakfast and the book. Stay well everybody. Edith XXXX