General Chat

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.

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

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.....:>))

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

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.

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

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.

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

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

ahh it is the weekend, and after spending some time at my parents place, either 6 hours drive or in my case 9 hours of public transport, I'm never moaning about winter again. Hz is 3 hour round trip from my mums, but they like going there . What a great country town/city. I would have loved to spend more time just wandering about. Anyhow, I got my share of frost and fog, I didn't end up with new shoes.

The internet is more daunting out there too as not all areas have normal reception and you have to organise a satellite dish to get it. I looked on the library booking form, and users were few and far(in distance) between.
Hz, 43 years since my dad has seen his old buddy, I'm going to visit him later this year when I'm in Scotland.

You are an aqua addict too Marie, I remind my mermaids that if they fall in the water, at least they don't take skin off. yeek, the thought of stitches just makes the accident seem worse. Hope it heals well.

Did you visit Stonehenge for the summer solstice Badger??

I would love a chocolate digestive, I saw them in Wooolies the other day, but ended up getting choc wheatens. They were for the wheels on Miles' train 17th birthday cake. haha, he said he fancied real icing.

Mary xox


enjoy the rest of the weekend xxxx

Gee Laurie and Sir Tones both knew when to take a trip to the tropics didn't they ! We seem to have had fog or frost every morning for weeks, it's been a REAL winter. I managed half an hour in the sun this afternoon getting dandelions out of the lawn - I compost them, they are full of nutrients, the worms go ballistic on a feed of dandelions!

We have just had our daughter home on her half-year break from Uni - she couch-surfed a bit among friends but we also had our share of foreign bodies in the lounge room! She has managed really well sharing a flat for the first time, budgeting, acquiring a cat ! and enjoying university life. We had a few cuddles on the sofa watching the Tour De France late at night with a cuppa and a chocolate digestive lol, sharing Home Truths!

Marie, congratulations on the new grand-daughter, Nia is a beaut name! She won't remember how you looked all blue and yellow with stitches in the first few weeks of her life lol ! Hope you are healing nicely.

I was very lucky last week to have TWO visits from passing Wattlers, JA from Canberra with her dear Rob came through Albury on the way home to Canberra from Melbourne and we had a lovely long lunch, then lo and behold a couple of days later I was in the office at the back of the shop and I heard a "yoohoo Hz" and it was Yvette .......... she had brought her parents to town for some doctors check-ups so I got hugs from all of them and a quick chat. Vette was very excited because she had managed to show her parents the internet on the mobile library when it came to their little town, and her dad saw on Facebook photos of a cousin he hadn't seen in 30 yrs, the Librarian grabbed her digital camera , there were tears in his eyes. There are lots of older people who don't know and understand what the technology of these days can do aren't there. My dad (92 and fading) really doesn't understand how I know so much more about the ancestors than he ever did - he'd accept it if it was all in a book, but I don't think he can really grasp the internet.

Better get some shut-eye now, it's nearly the weekend - blessings everyone, Hz

Morning everyone he he ,you were right Marie ,the old git WAS away on holiday [Again] down in darkest Oxfordshire and Wiltshire having a great time.
Ask our Mary about the jumping pages ,as she knows how to stop it ,i don't have this problem using Google as my browser ,the jumping page is peculiar to Windows explorer it would seem.
I sent Mary the pics i took of this years garden.which is doing well so far apart from the peppers which are not getting the sun they would like ,middle of July here ,wet [again] and the temperatures are only around 20c,and me poor old knees are going pale again ,lol [help Tony 'send me some of the Malaysian sunshine please it's in short supply here he he.
Your conk sounds painful ,the last time i did owt like that it was at my sisters years ago ,when i was chased by her Geese ,grrrrr ,jumped the gate in panic and dented my face skid on landing.
Any chance of hiding in your rellies case next year Mary ,i can easily evict the plants from your chalet for a while although i will have to wrap the peppers in a woolly jumper at this rate ,even the outdoor patio peppers out front are looking miserable.
Hope your new grandie is born on the 19th of November Mary ,i could have another link with Oz then ,more so hearing about the thyroid problem ,my mum had to have her's removed after she had a growth on it ,and was on tablets for years to keep her system ticking over.so i hope yours continues as it is and gives no more trouble.
sounds like Yvette is in a like situation to us over here in the north east of England ,Newcastle seems to be in a little pocket near the North Sea ,when all around us in the winter ,its bleaching down with snow all around us ,and yet Newcastle seems to get very little normally ,not complaining mind except Christmas week when we never seem to get any ,lol,still ,you can't have it all ways i suppose.
Oh well ,i can't put off the dusting any longer [grumbles under breath] so i had better get on with it before the boss lady [not the furry one ] kicks off he he ,catch you later all ,Fred.

Hi Mary,It is overcast cold and a bit windy we did have some sun but not a lot.
My nose is several shades of green, I go to have the stitches out to-morrow they wouldn't remove them on monday the Doctor said it needed a few more days.
I trotted off to the gym to-day I took it easy but was happy with what I did. I am hoping they will let me go to water aerobics on Thursday. Thank you for the info on Shell Harbour.
Badger is a bit quiet he may be away.
I guess Merle is busy packing and tossing.

Allan from WA hasn't called in for awhile,nor Tony from Sydney,and everyone else is off into the wide blue yonder.
I would like to go north to get away from this cold weather.

I am having trouble with the page jumping all the time
I tried to report it the last time it happened but I didn't hear a word from GU.
Bye Mary Regards Marie

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

Marie You are a duffer ..no more falls or you will spoil your holiday..They wont let you in if you dont look like your picture in your passport..hee hee hee..
Yvette lives in Shell Harbour just south of Woolongong..just out of Sydney..she is one lovely lady..

Lozzy is shopping like mad as she went to Indo with a long list of things to buy..bet her is bending the plastic with great ease..LOL

Tone Will be sipping a cocktail by now in Poooket..

My brother and sil came to visit and informed me they are off to the UK next May to see a new grandchild to be born in Nov..this year..

Merle I hope you are going ok,,let us know how you are..xx

Went to the bloodsucker today to check on thyroid problems.. after all the blood they took I am sure I am at least a kilo lighter..LOL

Take care and have a lovely day.

Mary xxx

Hi Mary, I am not counting down yet but my friend Barbara informed yesterday that it is only 8 weeks till the 19th September,I have a lot to do before then, the last few weeks of Aug I have to prune all the roses then we are moving them to another part of the garden.
I tripped over on wednesday evening and smashed my nose on what, I dont know? I had a glass and a coffee mug in my hand which smashed to pieces,I ended up in emergency and had 3 stitches in my nose I am a sorry sight the bruising is turning green, the nose is still swollen and rather sore.I am lucky I didnt break anything.
Yvette is it the Shell Harbour in South Aust. We are having very heavy frosts,I am hoping it wont rain for awhile , I am thinking of getting a pair of rubber boots,as it is very wet on our bit of dirt.
Well Tone's will be sipping his cocktails Probably very soon maybe in about 2hrs.
Hz How are you and your hubby?
Lauri must be just about ready to fly out as well, its going to be a bit quiet around here for awhile.
Badger how goes everything with you and your oh also the garden?
I have a new grandaughter her name is Nia Morgan O'Donnell she was born on the 10th July and was 8 lbs. she looks like my babies did when they arrived so we got a lookin with this one.Thats all for to-day folks Sleep well.
Regards Marie

Evening all We have had a lovely day and so mild..and sunny..

Well Tone is off tomorrow and Lozzy went today I think..Cant keep those two down,,they love their travel..
I am leading my quiet life but hope to get to Canberra later this month to see my granddaughter who is in Europe now and heading to the UK..She will be home on 27th so got to go and hear all about her trip..

Merle How is the packing going ,,Do hope you are managing ok.. take it slow and do a little each day..

Marie Not long till you go OS..Are you getting excited yet..


Hope all are well and keeping warm.

Love Mary xx

back again, it has to be a record for me.
only a couple more sleeps Lozzy, until you are nice and warm.
Marie, I live in Shellharbour by the sea, thats what keeps the frost away. I think we have our own micro climate here as it doesnt get too hot in the summer. Lozz will longingly remember those more than balmy north easterlies blowing in off the water, but all that gadding about it dont really matter. Tones - I'm green.
Rotten black dog Merle, lucky you have the woofa as well.
Mary, will I send up the young un to keep John company?? he can cook you know and he dont mind curry either.
Well I have had my last break now for 10 weeks. By the time I get to retirement age, I hope I have got the work - break ratio down to 2 weeks work, 10 weeks off instead of the other way around. Now thats a plan.

take care and happy traveling xoxox

Good evening . . . Sheeesh it's cold . . :)

Wont be like this in . . . .

4 SLEEPS . . . . YAYYYYYYYY :)

It's not the going that's a problem for me with the excess baggage . . it's the return trip . . .
But we get a little extra allowance being Qantas Club members . . so we dont usually have a problem . . :)

Got some serious baby shopping to do this trip . . no not for our Mason . . but for Little Duckys first grandie that is in the oven . . :)
(She been slack and not come in and told you so I am spilling the beans . . teehee)

Supose yah busy packing Merle me love . . . just keep that Watilda working to help you :)
Thinking of you . . . and dont get morbid . . enjoy the journey down memory lane as you pack and cull . . . and when you have to cull . . . . you still got the memories . . they are all yours xoxoxo

Oh Marie . . Italy . . now that should be a wonderful holiday for you . .
On our bucket list we have written a month in a villa in the Italian countryside . . :)

Congratulations on the new Grandie . . . Nia is a pretty name . . .:) Ahh enjoy the snuggles
My friends daughter had a bub last week . . she named her Niamh (pronounced Neev) an Irish name . . .
Mind boggles at how you teach a wee lassie to spell her name when it doesn't match the phonetic sounds.

I'm working on a book for the Mother in law (from Hell . . teeheee) for her 90th birthday next month . . got some ready to print so best get on with it . .

Stay well, safe and happy . . :) L xoxo

Arvo....:>))

Sunny day in Melbourne town.
Well......the suns out, but there is no warmth in it...lol

Merle. Nice to hear from you, and sending you lotsa hugs mate,from Barb & me, and hoping all goes well.

I dont know about Bar-code Barb, but i'm packed and ready to head north - west...........far north and right off the continent, and far away from Melbourne's temps of 12,13,14 celcius.......6 sleeps to go....hee hee

Did a check list of my suitcase last night.
1 pair shorts
1 pair of sandals
Some slip,slop,slap.....some sunglasses, and me Akubra hat.....and thats me packed....:>))

On the other hand...her whom thinks she is the boss, will take everything bar the kitchen sink, and her suitcase will be overweight on the airport scales, and you can "betcha life nellie" she will pay excess.....lol

Nephew and his girlfriend will be house sitting for us while we are away, feeding and looking after the pets, so that saves us putting them in a pets sanctuary, which would have cost us around $300


Lunch time here, so some sardines on toast sounds good to me.

Will try to jump on line when we are in Thailand and say G'day.

http://www.merlinphuket.com/merlinbeachresort/index.html


Av a good un.




Tony.....:>)))

Hi All, and hello Laurie,nice to hear from you and wow you do get about lucky thing,I would be off too if money wasn,t so scarce ,good luck to you it sounds great, I am off to Italy in September, it will probably be my last overseas trip,then I will start using my Rail pass.
Tony are you still with us or are you in Phuket sipping those cocktails, if not I bet you can almost tast them.

I have a new Granddaughter 8 lbs she has a welsh name, ( after her grandfather) it is Nia Morgan, get this she has an irish surname O'Donnell her father is my son Sean her mother is Nancy no second name just Nancy. Nia was born at 8-30 pm Saturday night I havent seen her yet as it was a difficult birth and Nancy had to go to Surgery afterwards.

Our weather has been miserable lots of rain, very cold and windy I am hoping it will clear as our yard is boggy.

How are you Badger? there is nothing doing in my garden,too wet, I am hoping my Natives will survive all this rain.

It was nice to hear from you also Yevette,and Yes we all seem to be leaving these shores for a little while I hope you have a great time.I am not in count down mode yet ,I will start to get a bit nervous in August as I will have to prune all the roses before I head to Italy otherwise they will be a mess when I get back.

Merle I hope you are well and getting into the packing and of course tossing out things as well,it is so hard to get rid of all the things we have collected over a life time.,so many precious memories when you touch these things.Sorry Merle I didnt mean to get morbid I guess I am thinking of all the cards and Baby stuff I still have.

I must go I have a new grand child to visit .

Kindest regards to you all
Marie