General Chat

Morning all, Sorry for the delay in posting, but the days don't seem to have enough time to get to it all.
Our weather has been changing and is warm then chilly and back again.
Have decided to wait until June 1st to do any planting as the danger of frost is gone then. All is ready just have to bung it all in :-)
We have a bear alert in town as well, they are roaming about like old friends returning for a visit. Our government in it's wisdom has decided to not hire a "bear person" this year, the O. P.P. (police) will not do anything unless they are in the kitchen. So if you are in any danger you call 911.
This gets the police, fire dept. ambulance out all at once. Don't know if they will put the critter in the ambulance, police car , or maybe give it a ride on the fire truck :-D Where do we get so many stupid people in government positions?
If you shoot the animal on your property you are then responsible and have to dispose of the body too. Just how do you move a 300 pound bear????and where do you take it for burial???
Hope the berries and bushes come out soon so they can eat and head back where they belong.
Enough of my rant. Time to get my day started, will try and get back soon.
Edith <3

Back later Les' and all ,when the engineer has been and put in the Virgin Broadband and i can get off the dongle [funny story there] ,when i DO get back to you all.
Wish i had towed my greenhouse down here ,he he ,the tomatoes would have loved the warmth down here :-) they ,of course are still shivering up north where it is still snowing :-(.
Catch you later peoples :-D <3 xxx

Well Fred, our plum tree had masses of blossoms that set nicely so perhaps another good year. Have a man coming on Monday to rototil my little patch and then I will be able to plant.
It was about 24 degrees yesterday and up to 26 today. They are calling for 30 tomorrow. Sure hope this isn't our only summer. Meanwhile it has been nice to just sit in the sun and read a book. I have a bit of a farmer's tan and a few bites.
On Thursday nite we had the annual "Walk with the Doc". My doctor organizes this and this year he went the whole 9 yards even bringing in a rock and rioll band to play as we walked around the track. There were hundres of folks there...a real good evening. Norm took some pics so at some point I may be able to send them along.
Today we went to the annual book sale that supports our local art gallery. I always say I will buy only or two and always come home with a bag full. These books are all by donation and show amazing community involvement where in other areas we fail miserably.
OK I am off to sift soil for the toms that are coming in tomorrow.
Enjoy the weekend.
Lesxx

And a very early good morning to all ,and at last i am starting to feel tired ,after a miserable day watching rain dry [simular to watching paint ,only it takes longer].
Hissy should be fine Mary ,the son will come by twice during the week to check to see that all is fine.
She has learned how to shove her paw into the food dispenser if it gets stuck ,and free the chute,and then sits there with a smug look on her face.
Have to go down ,and take the grandsons new computer ,all five boxes ,but i will be having words with him ,and saying ,no more lad,you want any more mate you order it to come to your address ,or wait until you come back home.
Getting a bit old now to keep shooting up and down the road to Oxford ,and all points south :-P.
If the weather today holds ,i will get my two rows of cabbage in ,and by the time we get back ,the winter ones should be about ready too.
The beetroot are nearly ready to go in ,and after that there is only the odds and sods left to go ,lol,a couple more rows carrot ,ditto Pak Choi ,and two rows of turnip,which should all keep us going until well into the winter.
Am i glad i signed back up with British Gas three months ago ,for another three years ,as i have just heard that the prices are going to go up another £60 a year,getting beyond a joke now ,i think this country needs to think about nationalising the utility industries and reopening our coal mines and producing gas in this country again ,and stuff the French ,and their ruddy greedy share holders :-|.
Hope at least your weather is getting better Edith and Les 'what a bu**er about your fruit industry ,wow ,that is going to bring tears to the eyes with the price of even the lowly apples going through the roof ,never mind the more exotic fruits.at the moment my trees seem to be hanging in there ,buds and all ,so i may get away with it yet ;-).
Well ,i am off to bed now ,hoping to get away to sleep.
Take care all :-D :-) <3 xxx

Hi everyone.. We have lovely warm weather at the moment but they say it is going to cool next week,,so you might get our warm then,, :-D
Fred are you off again.. You only just got back,,,That poor cat wont know if you are coming or going.. :-D :-D :-D :-D Have a nice time and hope the weather is good for you..
Les Nice to see your lovely garden.. It is so green and lush,,what have you done with that lovely van of yours,,are you planning any trips yet..
Edith.. How much sun do you get on your veranda for growing things,,

My Chinese greens are coming on and so are my spring onions and carrots,, will pull out the tomato dead remains soon and plant something else,,might try leeks..better go up to the nursery and see what is growing there..
Well got my daughter from Canberra arriving tomorrow for the weekend so better go and shop for a big family dinner on sat. night. Mothers day Sunday..but they have to get back to Canberra that day.

Have a lovely holiday Fred and Liz and a lovely weekend everyone else..

Lots love Mary <3 <3

H M S Newcastle is leaving port in an hour ,calling at all shops and stores on the way to Wallsend where we will moor for two hours ,while the jolly boats collect parcels and other shopping before the return trip.
Anyone welcome ,but supply of your own wet gear and wellies is essential ,and no animals allowed owing to a shortage of survival suits.
Well ,you have to laugh about it don't you ?,the poor plants i put in yesterday could do with flotation collars ,all of them waving their leaves about and shouting heeeeeelp we is drowning ,lol.
The new water butt has only been in place a few days ,but i bet it is nearly full by now ,and still it lashes down .
It is supposed to fair up by tomorrow ,but by then it will have been raining for 36 hours ,none stop ,i should have gone out front yesterday evening and thrown liquid cleaner all over the car and got it washed for free ;-).
Only 3 days to go now ,and we are off to Oxford for the week for a break ,and having got the Frontline treatment for the cat ,we will be upsetting her before we go big style. :-(.
Seems after applying you need to keep the cat indoors for 24 hours until the stuff is absorbed by the skin.after which time it kills ,fleas ,ticks ,and ear mite ,and anything that drops off the cat dies too ,so you can see my cat loving it ,lol,instead of a hug before we go ,it will be a case of ,squirt ,keep awaay you smelly animal ,see you in a week ,and out the door ,he he ,we will be in disgrace for a month when we come home ,lol,that is ,if Hissy dosn't leave home for pastures new :-(.
Can't see any birds outside even ,they will be hiding in the bushes trying to keep their feathers dry until hungry chicks force them out on the hunt ,poor little perishers,havn't seen one on the bird station this morning which is normally full of sparrows ,tits ,And my little Wren not a nice day for bird watching :-(.
Have to go now an board the boat ,lol,have to get the supplies in ,no matter what .
Catch you all later ,take care all :-D <3

Looks like another sunny day here today, about the 4/5th. in a row. A friend put their garden in a few weeks ago and most everything is up....I haven't even started yet. I think today Norm will fork it over and perhaps I will get started.

I am researching Norm's family now....what a job. I have spent hours pouring over the Hamburg passenger lists with not a lot of success altho I may have found his great uncle Samuel. My biggest problem is with the immigration records and I think I am going to have to order the microfilms from Ottawa thru a library transfer. Has anyone else done that? Edith?

I have some pics to send you guys and I will try and get at it today. I took some yesterday of may favourite spring time garden bed....you will see.

Ollie has taken to chewig his fur off and is now a little denuded in the rear. I took him to the vet and she said he was stressed, think I told you that before. Well I have been cuddling him lots, especially at night, in the hopes that he would de stress but he is now chewing at his legs....what to do?

OK time for a quick shower and then into the fray. More later. Lesxx

Afternoon to all ,sorry to be so late ,but i was up early and out in the garden getting as much done as possible before the rain arrived to spoil my fun.
Managed to get a lot of the feeding done ,before i recut the front lawn before feeding that as well :-).
Having lost my uncle Ray in Jan ,who was more like a brother with only 7 years between us ,i know how you are feeling Mary it dosn't get any better i'm afraid,and with the other problems you have over here with your family won't be helping at all . :-(.
Found an interesting plant online that may interest you all ,called Bullsblood ,it is a beetroot ,but with small leaves that make a wonderful garnish for many meats and salads ,a sort of cut and come again beetroot ,but at the end of it all ,you still get a pretty big globe that cooks well ,i intend giving it a go to help fill my herb tubs up .as well as putting a couple of rows in later in the year :-D
Our Market Gardens are well behind too ,Edith ,and it may well be that the Chelsea Flower show may be in trouble unless the gardens find some unusual flowers that can cope with the cold weather ,everything over here is weeks behind.
I have found out what was wrong with my Basil plants too ,not only the cold weather ,but i learned that watering them in the evening tends to make them sulk so to speak ,they don't enjoy going to sleep at night with wet bums ,he he,so ,in future it's the greenhouse for them ,lol.;-).
Time to crack on now ,i only have a few more days before the trip down to Brize Norton in Oxfordshire ,so ,i will catch you all later ,Fred,xxx <3 :-D

Hi everyone.. We have dull and cool..
Well just lost a big post and now have to start again. gggrrrr...
Just had a busy week with appointments for John and daughter from Orange came down for the weekend and that was so nice as I haven't seen her for quite a few weeks.. Had to get up at 5am this morning to get her to the train back home and my system doesn't like early starts.. Takes me all day to recover,, Got home at 6'30 and went back to bed and slept till 9am but it was not enough,,So early night tonight..Other daughter in Canberra is coming up next weekend so it will be another lovely weekend.. So miss seeing my girls and miss them lots.

Am so sad as my Uncle in the UK has not been given much longer to live and I would so love to see him before its to late, but not to be..It is awful being so far away sometimes,,My Aunt is also ill and is trying to look after my Uncle,,not a happy situation..The children are trying to do all they can and are being great but I will miss my Uncle more than ever as he is more like my older brother as we grew up as children together and he is nearer my age than my mothers,,Will miss him greatly..

Sounds like you lot are having a hard time trying to get in your seedlings.. Well we don't want to lose any of our warmth yet as we had a butter of a summer and would like to keep any warm that is left for ourselves.Will send it on as soon as we have finished with it.. :-D,,Bring on Global Warming..I like it..but the talk is now we are into a cold age, so they can keep it.. Have you noticed they don't call it Global Warming any more,,Its now Climate change..they have to say something if they want to get their sneaky hands on our money..don't get me started.. :-D

Edith Stay away from those bears.

Les. how much material did you buy or talk yourself out of..

Well will need a early night tonight to recover and lets hope I feel more myself tomorrow..next weekend when other daughter come they will drive so I wont have any early morning rushes with them..

Take care all..

Love Mary xxx <3

Morning Fred, Seems you and I are the only ones about. The others must be hiding :-)
Our weather is on the cold side as well,not spring like at all. I have yet to uncover all the furniture etc. on the balcony as I do not want it covered in snow. I see Calgary had about 2 inches yesterday and as the trend is west to east, you can bet the cold will be here sometime next week :-P
Even our garden centres are holding back. All the frames are up but the covers are still rolled up on the ground. I can't blame them as the plants are so expensive and to lose hundreds of them would be a disaster for sure.
Just praying for good warm days. crazy, crazy world we are living in :-S
Would love to be on my way over there this year. I was there for the last Jubilee and would also like to go to the Olympic site.
We have Charles and Camilla coming for a visit, don't know how it will go,
as we Canucks seem to prefer William and Kate.
Yes, I stay away from the bears, only fools and American tourists go near them. :-)I have seen them walk right up to the animal and take a flash pic . It's a wonder more of them are not hurt. Because of the lack of snow this spring, few berries and now not even leaves on the bushes they eat they are coming into Town for garbage or anything to eat. Would not want to get near a hungry mom with even hungrier cubs.
Time for me to put the rear in gear and get on with the day. See you soon. Edith <3

Well ,hello all you happy campers out there in the wild blue yonder ,from a very chilly north east of England where it is 6c at 1110 am lol,not good .
Been very busy this last two days trying to limit the damage in the garden because of the late frosts and the cold.
All the beans i have had to start again ,bu**er ,and this time i am starting them in the greenhouse in the usual cups ,instead of doing what the missus said and sticking them straight into the buckets ,grrrrrr,ruddy women he he ,they should stick to things they know about ,lol,in this case ,flowers ,and i am the first to admit ,she is ace with shrubs and flowers ,but needs to leave the trees and veggies to me :-P.
Only two buckets of Asparagus not showing yet ,but there is still plenty of time .
I now have the second water butt set up on the other side of the greenhouse ,sat on two slabs of sandstone paving and have already set up the second drain pipe from the other green house gutter giving me 90 gallons of rainwater for use in the greenhouse.
I was outside by 9-30 this morning in shorts and body warmer trimming the top and outside fir hedges for the first time ,and have to admit ,even pretending it was a nice sunny morning ,my legs and knees were in a state of shock :-(. :-0.
I hope you keep well away from those furry ,hungry mammals Edith ,they may look cuddly ,but i wouldn't want to meet one ,even on the other side of a steel fence,i prefer watching those critters via a tv screen.
Les ' seems to be getting into shopping mode again ,but it's nice that the weather is getting better over there to allow some forays out and about ,even if it does mean a sudden drain on the purse as another cup and saucer leaves a shop shelf ,he he, but i can think of more expensive hobbies .
Holidays Edith ,don't know what you mean ,hhhhhm,even if we are off again next week for 6 days ,down to see Seans new house in Carteton At his new camp,in Oxfordshire ,but this does have it's good point, it being within 30 miles of High Wycombe ,meaning i can swing round that way on the way home to pay my respects to my Dad ,gt & Grandads on both the baird and Barnes side of the familys graves to leave some flowers and reflect on the frailties of human life.
I would love to swap some of your cool weather with our cold spring Mary ,i'm sure the new Pear would enjoy some real warmth on it's buds ,which remain as yet ,tightly closed ,even my Nectarine bush seems to have gone back to sleep ,lol.
Time for dinner now ,but i may yet be back this afternoon as rain is threatening ,or could it yet be hail we get :-( ,take care all ,Fred :-D <3xxx

Morning, Another grey day coming but need it so I can get some inside work done.
Mary, the bears are out and looking very hungry!!!!My nephew has a huge Momma in the back yard and it seems quite content to stay there.
They have called the M.N.R. to put in a live trap to take her further into the deep bush. The kids are afraid she will get their little dogs if she gets too
hungry. There is another at the local trash dump with triplets so hope she stays out there. :-)
Les, I know the urge to buy more fabric. When I sold the big house my d.i.l. was amazed at how much there was. We did sell it all at reduced prices of course.
What has happened to Fred and Liz. Are they off on holiday again??
Must get this mess cleaned up so it's bye for now. Edith <3

Had a big day out yesterday, first since xmas....got well and truly tired but it was great!!

First we went to the Old Country Market (Goats on the Roof) in Coombs for a quick look around. They had Italissimo stewed tomatoes 3 for $5....what a deal, bought 6.They are the best canned toms you can buy, plump, juicy and no salt.

Then it was off to Parksville to my favourite thrift store where I found another cup and saucer (you can see Norm groaning!!) and some books, like we need more!! Norm and I snuck across a building site to the next street over, to the English store where we stocked up on Oxo cubes and Mushy Peas. Norm also got a packet of Marks and Spencer strong English tea so he was happy.

Then into Nanaimo to Fabricland and Costco. Did a huge shop in Costco, they had some good deals as always so now our freezer is plump and full again. I noticed in Fabricland that they have some amazing new materials in stock. I was so tempted but controlled myself..lol!! I did get a pattern for a summer dress for Rhian so that will be my next project. I think my poor old sewing machine is on its last legs tho, dunno what I would do if it gave up. New ones are seriously expensive. After all of this shopping Norm was exhausted so I drove home.

Today it is back to the usual drudge. Laundry and more laundry, sweeping and vacuuming etc.etc.....housework never ends does it? So I am off to do my bit. More later. Lesxx

Afternoon all..we have a nice cool day..

Washing machine fixed. not to bad,, so hope that is it for a while..back to the grind and washing again..
Had son and family around for dinner last night as it is eldest grandies 12 birthday..Gosh they grow up fast.
Nothing much happening here ,,having a quiet day,,doing the washing.. :-D..not very exciting.. :-D :-D
Glad you are home safe and sound Fred,,sounds like a nice break. and Les glad your puta is fixed and working again..Edith has the sun come out so that you can get the seeds in yet..Have you found good help yet,, let me know when you do,,I would like to know how to get it to.. :-D :-D :-D

Have a nice weekend all...

Love Mary xxx <3

Well,that's me home to a welcome and a half from the cat ,luggage away [sort of ] and what housework that's getting done ,done and i am now sat down,after a quick walk round my domain .lol :-).
The leeks have started to come through ,so it looks as though i will not be having to buy plants ,the cucumber seeds are also showing ,and the tomato seeds are well away ,all in all not at all bad.
We had a good trip up home which took two and a half hours,and used just over two gallons of fuel.most pleasing at today's prices,and if i am able and can still manage the clutch by next year ,i will keep it for another 3 years.
Glad to hear you got your puter sorted Les' but still try to get a decent anti virus programme by early July ,as the C I A Have put out a warning about the Doomsday virus which is going to hit in earlyJuly that may cause widesperead damage to unprotected computers,not quite so bad for people that have a backup drive that is connected via usb .
There are quite a few though who leave this connected when not being used ,which is a bit daft ,the idea being ,back up all your programmes and files ,and then disconnect it until such a time when it's needed :-)
The Cottage pie sounds good Les' we made a largish pie of the other sort early in the week ,and i mixed a little cheddar in with the potato ,which gave it a tang without being too strong. :-D. Hope everyone is enjoying the start to the weekend ,i know i am ,lol,
Going to put the new batch of carrot & Pac Choi in tomorrow ,and i have found some stunt rooted Parsnip seed that i will be sowing next week,so all i am waiting for now are my bean seeds to start poking their heads.through.
Have tro do a shoot now to update the antivirus ,so ,catch you all later ,Fred :-D <3 .

My puter is now fixed and up and running. There are a few odd glitches that don't seem to want to resolve themselves the main one being that I cannot get my shortcuts back on the desktop....irritating. Anyway nothing was lost so....whew!!

Our excitement today was getting an overpayment of $400 on our pensions. Norm said he was sure they made a mistake and so spent about an hour trying to get thru to them only to find out that....yes!!! it was a mistake.....and on it goes. Good job we didn't rush out and spend it.

Have spent the last couple of days trying to find out when and where Norm's grandparents came to Canada. His grandfather was born in the Russian Empire an area which is now the Ukraine and his grandmother was born in Hungary in an area which is now Lithuania. Thank goodness my ancestors roamed around England. I would have gone crazy trying to research otherwise. Norm has one Aunt left alive and she is 96. Her memory is not bad but not great. I chatted to her and she sent me down a couple of wrong paths...ah! well. The joys of genealogy.

Made a huge cottage pie yesterday so wont have to cook tonight...yippee. We have a friend coming to stay for the weekend so today I must rush around with a duster and mop, I have come to hate housework....want a maid. :-D :-D :-D

This site is acting weird today so I am off. Enjoy the day you lot, Lesxx

Afternoon troops ,my last day here ,so we went out on the new style Bombadier tram ,a bendy bus on rails ,very smooth and comfortable ,very much like the trams in Antwerp.
We tried two senior specials for dinner while in Fleetwood ,two slices of Lancashire cheese and onion pie [to die for] and i had mine with home made chips ,again the best i have had in years &baked beans,the wife with hers had mash ,carrot and peas,both meals with a large pot of teas cost me the princeley sum of £8.
I found my large Horseradish root too ,so that is in a bag to go home tomorrow ,and i have that spare urn waiting for it.
Hope as Edith said Mary ,that the washer repaired okay ,and you don't need a new one :-(.
The people who take over the van from us are going to get a shock at tea time lol ,the ducks have come back every day for their bread and make a heck of a noise until they get fed ,lol,after which they waddle on to the next tea stop,which has been two vans over the way :-D.
My old fish shop has changed hands and is now ruddy awful :-0 but i have found another in Thornton which is very good ,and we now have another carvery sort of place ,called The Harvester ,in Thornton as well ,a bit dearer yes ,but they have a bar that does pastas ,salads and the like which you can help yourself to while your mean is being prepared,and i had a beutiful 8 ounce steak with all the trimmings ,all i can say is ,wow ,i will be going back there again ;-).
Going to do the last meal for the sis in law tonight ,nothing special ,toad in the hole with a veggie medley& mash & roasties ,red onion,and the wife has made a trifle for a pudding ,so they will eat tonight before going off park :-).
Time to get most of the packing done ,so i will catch you later peoples,take care Fred. :-D <3

Morning Mary and all, The weather here is now changing every day. One day sun then rain then snow :-P Can't seem to make up it's mind.
Spring may just move into summer before we know it :-)
Did the washer get fixed Mary, the one machine that is essential in a home.
We have a communal laundry here and at times it is a real pain. Just love the folks who wash the floor mats and then don't clean the machine.
The sand takes about 3 rinses to clear so you don't end up with gritty clothes etc. :-( The joys of living hee hee.
At the recent market here I got some buffalo steaks, cooked them up last night and they were delicious. This same fellow has elk meat and it is very tasty. Will definately try them again.
Hope all the others are staying well, time to getting moving. Edith <3

Morning all.. we have sun.. :-) and cool...

Fred Have a nice holiday..and enjoy the fish and chips..yummy...

Les A butter about the puta..I run Norton and so far touch wood I haven't had any trouble..Hope you and the puta are on the mend.. :-)

I am up early this morning waiting for the washing machine man to come and fix my machine..it has given up the ghost me thinks..it is 8 years old so don't know what it will cost to fix..they said he will be here between 7am and 12 noon..couldn't get a afternoon one so its up with the larks and wait..yuck..just had to have a coffee to wake me up..bet he doesn't come till the 12 noon..

Just had a email from a cousin in New York who hasn't had contact with our family for 50 years so am over the moon about that.. Our daughter will be in New York in July so she might be able to visit them..

Quiet life here, stay well you all...

Love Mary xxx <3

Hi Les'just as well you had a microsoft programme on ,but this is probably part of your problem,Problems like Win 32 and other microsoft tools are always being targetted by hackers ,who delight in putting this sort of thing out over the net.
Good quality software like A V G internet security ,and Norton are online 24 7 fighting these people ,and are far in advance of microsoft ,it is honestly worth the $35 for two years full protection. :-).
I always get my coverage online and upload the programme ,but you can get it slightly cheaper if you can get it from a shop,so ,i would suggest you go online and upload the free to try version ,and see how you get on with it :-).
We are only down here until Friday morning ,before heading home again ,and then will be heading due south in the middle of May to see the grandsons new house before he goes back on duty,hopefully a couple of B B Qs in the offing there .
No harm at all in a few goodies once in a while ,so long as you don,t overdo it,and why not ,sounds good to me ,my treat is going to be a carvery in Fleetwood tomorrow night ,and then ,my fish and chips on Thursday at my usual shop. :-D.
The new trams are now running throught the whole system ,so we will be taking a ride from the terminus at the top of Fleetwood ,all the way through to Stargate in Blackpool ,and back again,a real treat after them being off for two years .
Hope everyone is doing okay ,nice sunny day here ,and quite warm after the last three weeks ,long may it last .
Catch you later guys ,off now to start the tea ,Shepherds pie ,roast potatoes ,broccoli ,Asparagus ,and peas.,oh ,nearly forgot ,ginger cake pudding with custard for afters ,yum ,Fred. :-D :-D <3xx