General Chat

Goodness me is it the weekend already..cant believe how fast the weeks go..Will be Christmas before long..LOL.
I am at my sons place babysitting as they have the dinner tonight at the Hilton hotel which is the fundraiser for the autustic association, to help with much needed funds,,Son always leaves me a lappy to use but tonight he forgot the mouse..and I hate scratchpads..yuck..so slow and no good to play games with..hee hee hee..
Your photos Fred of Bath brought back some lovely memories,,glad you had a nice holiday..Tony will be lapping up the sun in Poooket, and visiting the bar oftem me thinks..
Marie hope the snoz is looking and feeling a lot beter..have you got the stitches out yet..did you ask for a bit of a reshaping while they were at it,,get all you can when you can..hee.hee.hee..I would have asked for a facelift while they were at it..Have a nice weekend all, and hope all are well..
Love Mary xx

I just read your post Mary, we think alike Yes I did ask for a nose Job and if possible a few tucks around the mouth & eyes, Not a lot really, but the Female Doc just laughed and said not this time.
It is raining here again, all day and 2hrs ago it was sleet. I would love to Jump on a plane and fly north just like the birds.
Yevette , I love exercising in the water I am not a swimmer but it is a lot easier to exercise in the water,I also like the floor exercises. I dont like working on the machines.
I have had the stitches out and the bruising is fading. I now have steri strips on the nose I still have aches and pain in my back, I am going to see if I can get into the chiropractor or get a massage.
Mary, How do I get the box to stop jumping Badger said you knew how to stop it,it is driving me crazy, not that that is hard to do some would say.
I will close now
Regards to you all
Marie

Hi all ,it is still cold and windy over here ,i think i will start calling it the frozen north ,even in our supposed summer in future.
Visit Salisbury someone asks .Not flaming likely is it ,i spent enough time there in my square bashing days with a rifle and 30 kilo back pack on ,nah ,i stay well away from that area these days ,lol ,imprinted on my memory for all time ,that is.
Did a little easy work in the back garden this morning ,dead headed my roses ,and removed a sucker off one red bush,had a look at the two new ones which are doing well,did a bit of feeding ,tied up the brussel plants again to keep them straight ,and noticed my runner beans look to be nearly ready ,and checked the beetroot ,which are nearly ready too ,great stuff ,all i need to buy now is the cabbage and cauli' ,every thing else is to hand.
All i have done other than that is prepare the chicken ,and veggies for the dinner ,and make my stuffing ,so now ,chicken on ,i am relaxing with my puter,and taking the mickey out of my daft son ,and his Norfolk trip.
The daft skite ,has left to go down in an untried old banger ,an old Corsa ,despite me telling him to use his Pergeot thats parked on the drive ,and has blown the engine up outside Chesterfield,the car ,according to the A A a pile of scrap.
Why is it the younguns of today take no notice of their parents with years of car maintainence experience behind them ,and think they know it all ,i told him twice that you don't buy a car and use it for a week round the doors ,and then trust it to go long distance ,,well ,he has learned [maybe ] the hard way this time .
Sounds like you enjoyed the baby sitting Mary ,you need a little portable mouse like the one i have ,with the reciever that packs away in the mouse for travel ,plug and play too and only cost a couple of dollars off ebay .
If it stays dry ,i think i will go and mow the front lawn this afternoon ,leaving the hedge top until Monday,so that i can get all the trimmings in the binfor Tuesdays collection,he he ,all the trimmings filling the bin maake it hard to pull ,even on the wheels ,but i like to make sure these bin men get their exercise ,he he,and earn their Christmas case of lager ,too .
Well ,it's time to go and get the veggie into the steamer ,and the tatties and parsnip in the roasting tin,so i will sign off for now .
Hope all are having a nice weekend ,what's left of it, Fred.

Hi everyone..we have a lovely day..sunny and cool..

Marie and anyone else who has the jumping box when posting a message ,,go to TOOLS up on the right hand side of your screen
Click on COMPATIBILITY...this should fix it..I have had to do it a couple of times but it seem ok now..

Fred Have you got global cooling up your way..LOL Sorry I don't believe in humans causing global warming ,,it is a thing that has been happening for ages and before man so all this talk about global warming and a carbon tax is nothing more than a tax on people to pay for the greens idea that we should all be using other means of heating than cheap coal ..If we all turned off our electricity it would not make one bit of difference,,the scientists were marking a lot of money spouting this story and they didn't want it to stop cos the funding would stop also..and they might have to get a proper job.New Zealand has added a carbon tax and the cost of everything has gone up but I bet the carbon hasn't changed one iota...its the biggest con job in history..I feel for people on low incomes..they will feel it the most,

Now I have got off my soap box I hope you all have a lovely day.

Love mary xxx

Morning Mary ,and yes ,i am with you all the way ,tis the Sun and it's influence that brings about all the weather changes to the seasons and the regular ice ages ,and it has happened many times before .long before man was even on the planet ,and before he learned how to make fire [the start of mans carbon footprint ] lol.
It would seem that this latest fluctuation in weather cycles is the start of a new ice age ,but don't worry old buddy ,we will be loooong gone before that happens he he ,and it wont affect Tony's holiday venue for a few years yet [lucky bu***r ,]some folk have all the fun .me .i am thinking of getting one of those chimneas for the patio ,so i can have a little B B Q in the winter and stay nice and toastie at the same time.
I see Obama has got his way ,after giving permission to B P to drill in the gulf ,AND relaxing the safety rules to make it easier to have an accident to happen in an area where so many wells have been capped due to faults in the strata previously ,that the new president is American Born suprise ,suprise ,this is what the yanks wanted in the first place,hence all the hoo haa.,Now ,i will get off MY soap box too ,he he.
We had our chook for dinner as planned yesterday ,and i suprised the missus with a few of our first of the year runner beans ,and very nice they were too ,yum ,yum ,and a further look round the garden this morning shows beetroot ready ,cabbages nearly ready too ,and the broad beans about ready to start on ,so i am a Happy enough bunny ,as all the hard work comes to fruition.
Would you believe that the temperature last night was again down to 18c ,and the wind in the afternoon was perishing ,most unusual for this time of year ,but ,as i said ,i am taking no chances for this coming winter ,and have ordered two more gas canisters for the indoor emergency heaters ,which gives me at least 8 weeks heat to keep me ,the wife ,and the furry pest warm ,and a small 4-5 kilo can for cooking in case we loose the electric ,because if that goes off ,we are screwed totally.
I have two old tilly lamps in the shed as well ,so we will be fine for lighting too.
We had a couple of aircraft backwards and forwards yesterday as they went down to Sunderland to the show an f16 hornet from the Netherland air force ,two of our own ageing Tornados and one of the new Euro fighters ,and a Rapter from the states,not nearly as maany as previous years ,but that's because Newcastle International is getting far too greedy on its dispersal and refueling fascilities .so the bulk of the aircraft use Goosepool airfield [ Teeside International ] instead .
Well ,i think i will have a cup of warming coffee then go and wake all the neighbors up by getting the big mower out and doing the front lawn ,and filling the recycle bin right up with the trimmings ,ready for collection in the morning.Hope everyone had a nice weekend,Fred From Tundra land he he.

Hello Badger , Mary,well what a week we have had of heavy rain, I dont know what it has been like in Orange but we have had a lot more than they said on the weather forcast, I think they must measure it under a leaky roof lol.
My front patio was like a lake I had a waterfall coming down my stairs from the top area of the property and I slipped and slid up the driveway to my garage. It is still overcast but not raining ,and I hope it stays that way, as I would like to do some washing.
I have misplaced my glasses. I have 2 older pair I use when on the computer and when knitting you wouldnt believe it but a lense has fallen out of both of them so I am typing with one eye closed not very easy LOL.
I tried your remedy for the Jolly Jumping Page It didn't work Mary. Badger I hope everything is ok with you ,your Oh and Hissy
Kindest Regards Marie

Evening...:>))

Flew in from beautiful sunny Phuket 36c on Saturday morning at 6am to greet a cold 12c Melbourne City....BBBbbbbrrrr

Had a great Oliday ( as ya do ) and did absolutey nothing, but eat,drink,and be ye merry.

Lowest temp was 26c at night, to a high of around 32-36c during the day with a humidity of around 80% ( Lovely )
It was off season ( Monsoon ) for this part of Thailand, but we only had 3 days of rain ( luke warm ) that lasted in 6 min downpours....then the sun came out.
Reminded me of Broome in Western Australia & Darwin ( Northern Territory ) up north

All 7 of us are brown as berries, and used up a litre of sun protection. Tried a lovely Sea Bass for lunch one day,with all the trimming for 250 BHT ( Baht ) = $10au
Triesd all my curries, Yellow,Green,Red.....and i have my grandmother ( Born in India ) to thank for that....lol

We had a ground Pool room so much midnight swimming going on straight out our patio doors. Read a few books between Tiger beers ( which isnt a bad drop )
Very simliar in tasting to our VB ( Vic. Bitter )....and downed a few Cocktails at happy hr...@ $3au a glass.
Sea water was warmer than the resort swimming pools, and they themselves were beautiful. ( Swimming every day )


Didnt wear a watch for the whole 13 days, as i really didn't care what time of the day/night it was....lol
Girls shopped till they dropped, and Amelda Marcos aka Barb...... filled my suitcase with 8 pairs of shoes, many clothes and trinkets, and 3 handbags....hee hee

Sarah and boyfriend bought back 6 cartons of cigarettes for their mates who smoke at 60BHT =$2au a pack of 20..........same thing here in Oz would cost $10 for a pack of 20.

Picked myself up about 40 DVD's latest movies( all checked for working order on our Lap top in our room ) for $2-3au each.

All in all a great relaxing holiday, and still came home with $$$$ in my pocket............which just goes to show our import/tax prices are horrendous.

The Thai people are very friendly, and we had silver service right to the end

We are going back again next year as a family( July-August ) and it will be our 4th trip to Thailand ( Phuket )

I'm sure they keep us Aussies in our own seperate part of the resort!!!!!
In our section we had 5 families from Melbourne Victoria.....3 families from Perth W.A....and 4 families from Adelaide S.A ( all southerners )
They must know we are a mad bunch and keep us coralled to-gether......hee hee

All up......12 nights, including Airfares from Melbourne -return, transfers,free bus shuttle into markets from resort, free buffett brekkie each morn, free use of all ammenities....$1,600 each. ...about 800GBP ( from memory )

Barb and i have spent time on "Hayman Island" resort in the Whitsundays Islands off Queensland and "one" nightly meal alone can cost you $200au

And they wonder why some of us Ozzies go O/seas to South east Asia to holiday rather than holiday here....!!!!!!!
It takes approx 4hrs flying time to just get off the Aussie continent from where i am, and only 8hrs-30min in total to get to Phuket Island from Melbourne Oz, at half the price plus to stay there,plus tucker......lol

Hope all are well.


Tony
360 sleeps to holidays.....:>))

Morning all.. We have a lovely day here today.. one month to spring..yyyaaayyy

Happy Birthday to you
Happy Birthday to you
Happy Birthday to our lovely Merle.
Happy Birthday to you
.Do hope you have a lovely day and are made a fuss of..

Tassie Happy Birthday to you also.. I know you are having a lovely day...Hee Hee put your glasses on when you read your book..dont want any more headaches..LOL

Tony.. What a great holiday.. good for you..

Have to take John to the quack to better get my skates on..Have a lovely weekend all

Love Mary xx

Morning to all from way over the big pond where Fred is still bemoaning about the lack of a summer yet again ,lol,but looking at the state of Canada ,Russia,and your fair land ,what with the fires last year ,and the droughts this . i think my troubles with the lack of sunshine are tiny ones .
I think Tones could have sent me some of his spare sun while on holiday so that i could at least ripen my tomato's though.most remiss of him ,he he.
Hey Tones ,you are getting slightly cooler temperatures than us in August , the high today so far at 8-40 this a m ,is 18 c ,how yuk is that ?
Happy birthday to the birthday girls , hope you both have a goodun,Liz and i are at the sons later today for Lewis's birthday bash,5 years old today ,my how time flys, he he ,your tea shirt is a tad on the small size now Mary ,lol ,but i will be sending you a couple of pics showing what a strapping young gent he is becoming.he is doing so well at school too ,looks like another GCE candidate for uni so far.
The Sea Bass sounded lovely ,a long time since i tried one,but one of the nicest fish i have ever tasted ,next to swordfish,i really must get round to catching a bass while i am on holiday in Cornwall a month from now ,might even stick it on the portable B B Q wrapped in some foil.
Hey,Now hang on ,never mind next years trip yet ,you have Christmas to contend with ,so you need to start adding to the money you didn't spend over there and add to it for the wife's Chrissie presents ,lol.
Time to get the weekly shopping in now ,and what with the world shortage of flour i think i had better get a couple of bags in ,plus some dried yeast,before our bread prices go through the roof ,as they will.
Have a great weekend all ,still keep my eye on you lot via the herald and post site on the net ,and thought the pic of the bridge in the harbour covered in fog was most amusing he he,could have been worse though ,it might have been smog lol,Fred.

Hi Badger, whats this, smog over the harbour bridge Never happens mind you Red Dust yes and fog also.
We had a beautiful sunny day yesterday BUT at 9 pm last night Down it came again, rained all bloomin night and to-day if we get anymore tonight I will not be able to get out of my garage,I need to take some photos to show you as I am sure you think I am telling porkies.

Happy Birthday to Merle and to Tassie.

Sir Tones the next time you go to Pukett, you might have two Lovely ladies trailing behind, Myself and my friend Barbara.I was telling her how much it cost you and I suggested we should try it out.
It is getting close to the take off time for our trip to Italy ,I am so looking forward to it, I cant wait to get away from this constant rain.I have not been able to do a thing in my garden for months..
I have started to plan a Hayward Reunion and will have a lot of work to do in the coming months,I arranged to have a plaque put on the memorial wall of the former Benovelent home at Dunwich which is on Stradbroke Island this was where my Great Grandfather spent the last 3 months of his life.

This started me thinking we have several members of my generation who probably wont be around much longer, so the puter ran hot for several hrs., suprise suprise every one thinks it is a great idea,I shall have to get my running shoes on.

Mary I hope you are well also your Oh,I have been checking each day to make sure my feet have not turned to webb feet LOL
I swear this is the wettest year we have had for years & i have been here for at least 18 years.TUT TUT Enough moaning about the weather.
Yevette & Hz I hope you are both well .Will leave you now almost time for bed.
Love & Hugs
Marie

just flitting through saying hi. yes Marie, I think its rained stacks more this year and coooold, although today is simply stunning.
hard work to organise a family reunion by golly

xx

Hi everyone.. Hope all are well and you are all keeping warm /cool whichever applies..

Marie Bet you are looking forward to your holiday..I was looking forward to my weekend in Canberra but dinny get there as OH was not able to make it,, He walked all over the Mall on thursday because he needed some clothes and slippers and by the time we got home he was in to much pain and could hardly walk,,So we ended up having a quiet weekend and have put off the trip for 2 weeks as next weekend is the election day..I will be so happy when it is all over..am so sick of it all...

Merle Hope you are ok and have you moved yet..

Fred.. What are you doing reading this,,get out into that lovely garden of yours and get some sun before it all goes..LOL..wont be long before it is down here with us..in its warm mode..hee hee hee..

Have a nice week all

Mary xxx

Huh, Typical of You Oz bunch ,taking the mickey ,what are you doing reading this Fred ,Mary says ,i let you what Fred is doing reading this ,'cause it's piddling down outside ,yet again AND i had to turn the heating on yesterday morning cause it was only 16 c, [grumbles dire threads about YOUR weather] .lol
I did manage to pick a load of beans of all three sorts yesterday anyway,and now have another 7 bags frozen down ,and the tom's have at last started to turn colour ,so things could be tons worse.
Butter about the trip Mary old buddy,sounds as though the hubby needs to take it easy for a few days before making the trip so that he dosn't overwork the joints.
I Have to do the same with my better half ,but for different reasons,and at least i can sit her down for a few minutes until she can breathe easier again,one the joints start to seize up though ,it.s a different matter,and i know only too well what the pain must be like for him ,not at all nice ,and hubby is tons worse than my hip and leg.
Dosn't matter which way the election goes ,one thing is certain ,blighty ,or over there it will be more of the same ,he he.
The courgette ,wannabe marrow is no more ,i made up some pork mince two days ago ,fried it in oil [olive] along with some red onion ,mixed in one of the rice packets[ golden veggie ] and stuffed the courgette with the mix ,wrapping it in foil and sticking it in the oven ,along with roast tatties ,and sweet peppers.did some cauli' and cabbage in the steamer ,and had an amazing dinner ,went down very well ,and the stuffed fruit will be getting done again ,if i can find a marrow cheap enough in Morrisons.
Got round to buying a large ceramic bucket style pot too ,and repotter my orange tree into a large Asda bucket which i then slide into tother,finding that they went together very well.
Now ,if it gets too cold out there for the tree ,i can bring it indoors till the warmer weather ,and Sun ? return.
Hope you all had a good weekend ,and are dreaming of warmer sunnier days ,you lucky lot ,lol.Fred.

Hi Yevette, It is still raining in cold Bathurst they have issued a flood warning for the Macquarie river the low level bridge was closed to-day it pelted down all night and it was a rough night with the wind blowing all the Gouls & Goblins were out LOL
Mary that was a shame that your oh wore himself out and then couldnt go to Canberra, next time dont let him loose in the shops.
I am now starting to count the weeks untill we head off to Italy.I finally found some comfortable shoe's 1pair of walking shoes and nice comfortable Sandals, but boy did they cost me!, Dearest shoes I have ever bought.I couldn't belive the price when i saw the tag I had to have a long think about it but I had to have them as my old ones would not fit the bill.


Hi Fred you are lucky you can actually Pick your vegies mine are all under water,and if this rain keeps up they will be all rotted,I am a person who always looks forward to rain but we have had months of it our yard is a mess it will take weeks of dry weather to dry it out
I had to visit my doctor to-day I have been having back pain since I had the fall and cut my nose she has ordered an x-ray.

We have to vote on Saturday, I do hope that the electors give our Lady Prime Minister a go.
I must go as I have to be up early to go and have the X-ray
Hugs to you all Marie

Morning to Marie ,and all others who happen by this ,am ,pm ,depending where you are ,lol.
Yep Marie ,we are having more of the same too ,pelting down at the moment ,but we are lucky being on top of the hills ,and our water does sort of drain away quite well.
Braved the tempest outside this morning early on and gathered a bit of this ,and a bit of that for the dinner ,,stir fry again,the two of us love them and the veg is coming quick and fast now,so there is plenty to chose from,cucumbers ,peppers from the greenhouse,courgettes red onions ,beans ,cabbage and ,herbs from the garden itself,so we are doing okay.
With the latest news on our pensions ,being cut back on ,already by fat the worst in the E U,and the cold weather payments,at risk i have decided to go for this wood burning stove for the front room ,and the eldest son is looking around for one for me,any takers to slide the flu lining in from the top of the chimney for me? lol, i ain't a going up no ladders at my time of life ,no sir ,lol.
The upside is ,there are two forests at hand ,managed by the commission ,and they sell the wood cheap off the bigger branches that are too small to machine in to timber,so there is a plentiful supply of firewood.
Now too ,if we do lose the power or gas supply i can set up the two loungers in the front room and sleep in there ,so. no matter what ,we can stay snug and warm in the coldest weather,
I Am a little concerned at this coming winter ,i can see ,if all this rain keeps up,us having a winter like the ones they get in Canada as regards the snow,and i can still remember '45 in bucks ,started snowing just after Christmas and didn't stop until late March ,brrrr freezin' it was ,but boy ,did we have fun with the snowballs and slides he he.
Hope you find you have no permanent damage with your back Marie ,nothing worse than a nagging pain that won't go away,is there ?.,
Well Time to go and hang the washing [indoors again ,he he],then i think i will take the wife to the Metro centre for some gentle exercise in the dry .
Catch you all Later,Fred.

Hello All,I hope you are all well, I have been a bit unwell and rather tired,I had hardley any voice yesterday it is a little better to-day I have a chest cold.
I had to have a Glucose tolerence test this morning it started at 8-15 am ended at 10-15 am. I came home and had some breakfast and went back to bed for several hours.
As usual it is still raining and is very cold.it has been one of the wetest winter I have experenced in the 17years I have been in Bathurst.
If it fines up I will have to do such a lot in the garden I was hoping I would be able to get all the seedlings in before I went to Italy but I cant see it happening.
I will see the doc on Wednesday as my xrays will be at the clinic by then. I do think my back is a little better since I moved into the bed in the spare room.I am going to get a new mattress when I get back from Italy ,that is if I have enough money left over from the trip.
It will be weeks before we know who will be in Government.

I hope this findes you all well
Love to all Marie

Oh Marie, not a nice start to the day for you, hope you improve soon, makes it all the more worse when the weather is cold and depressing as well, sounds like a good idea to head back to bed and keep warm under the electric blanket, thats what I would doing....

Mornin' all from over the BIG pond where Fred is glad to report that his little corner of the world in that little pocket has again missed the worst of the rain and winds.
My eldest son is getting on with the job of ordering the fire ,and bits i will need for the fitting of,and it looks as though i owe you Ozzies a thank you ,once again,as regards the fire i am getting.
it seems that Australia make the best wood burning fires in the world ,it seems you have a better class of cast iron than anyone else,one that will take more heat without cracking due to an extra ingredient in the formula used in the castings,so my son has ordered one of these for my front room.,another little bit of Oz in my home ,lol.
Sorry to hear that you are unwell Marie.get better soon ,and in the meantime ,stay in the warm,with plenty of hot drinks.
The garden has done me proud again ,my freezer has lots of beans in now ,more than enough to take me over the winter,and the cabbages are coming thick and fast ,big enough to do 4 meals .
The brussel plants are huge, nearly 4 foot high and still inching up,and the sprouts are starting to form ,so come the back end of December they will .along with the kale ,and leeks ,keep me well stocked with winter fare.
Only four weeks to go ,and we will be in the fair land of Cornwall for two weeks,not so posh as Tone's usual holiday venue ,but it should make a nice change for us,he he ,it was a choice of Cyprus for two weeks or the fire ,the fire won ,end of story.
Hope you lot get sorted better than us as regards your recent elections ,don't go down our road for goodness sake ,a coalition is not the best option ,as we Brits are finding to our cost ,think we should all shoot the politicians ,and start again with a clean sheet,they all seem to be feathering their own nests,and stuff the voters ,lol.
Catch you later all ,hope you all enjoy your coming holiday ,short as it will be ,Fred.

Arvo.

Thought the house was going to blow down last night with the high winds we had around the outer suburbs of Melb.

The day was sunny, but about 6pm thunder and lightning came from the west with hail, and the winds followed. Could here my decking roof on the patio creeking and groaning under the wind pressure. Was all over in 15 min as it headed away, and by 8pm the stars were twinkling in the dark skies just like nothing had happened.!!!


Well, it looks like a hung parliment for us Ozzies as not enough numbers by both parties to hold any majority vote, and now could take up to ten days as we wait for absentee votes to be counted.
Labor 71 Coalition 71 with 76 seats required for victory.
Have to wait now to see which way the Independants swing, so there will be a lot of sucking up to them by both Lab & Lib.....The Greens received the largest House of Representatives swing of any party in the election, despite the rhetoric that voters were abandoning Labor for the coalition.....O'h what a mess.....lol
Funny though, i didnt receive one single vote for the "Tony Party" after campaigning my heart out. Perhaps no one trusts me, or i didnt kiss enough babies heads????....lol


Marie. Best wishes and hope all is well.
Have a great trip away to Italy when the time comes.

Fred. Have a great trip down to Cornwall.
We were there in 2005 and loved it. Barbs ancestors that came to Australia in the 1850s were from St.Agnes and St.Ives. They were Tin Miners, ( three Families and their children )and all came out to Oz courtsey by the Oz government of the time, to work the various mining going on in Victoria. ( Gold Rush, ) All buried in our Creswick and Clunes cenmetery in Country Victoria, but left a great many decendants in Oz. ( Barbs great, great grandies )
When we flew into Heathrow, we caught a bus to Reading, and then a train to Truro ( lugging 4 suitcases and all ) but peering out the train windows we viewed some great scenery.
From Truro train station we hired a car and drove the rest of our 4 week stay. We just loved the place ( Cornwall ) and small parts/sections of the coast line reminded us of some of our own Victorian Coast lines here in Aussie.

Best i go make the mrs. her cuppa tea, working hard in the Salon, as she has just bought back a six pack of iced Choc donuts after dropping off one of her customers, and if she is lucky i might leave her one....hee hee

Six days to the beggining of Spring ( Sept ).... so bring it on.....:>))

Av a good un.


Tony....:>))

Hi everyone.. Sorry havent been around much but have had a few busy days.. Our weekend to Canberra went out the window for 2 weeks but we ar off there today for the weekend..It will be so nice to see our girls again as we see so little of them now that John cant travel and is not to good being left on his own for long.. A weekend is about all I can be away from him for safely..The doc now thinks he might have a autoimune condition that can turn bad and now wants him to see a specialist but we cant get an appointment before Oct..so I can see any plans of going to NZ in Nov, flying out the window,..good job I didnt get excited about it as I new something would come up to stop it..it always does..

Marie Have a great time in Italy.. It is a lovely place..Hope you have dried out a bit by now..

Fred.. One day I am going to see your famous garden.. How you produce so much in such a imited space amazes me..Think you could stock a shop..LOL

Merle Hope you are well and have you moved yet..xx

Have a lovely weekend all

Love Mary xx