General Chat

Hi everyone..Well I am back on deck again and my darling brother is on the mend..They still don't know what caused his organs to start shutting down but he has now spent 2 weeks in ICU and he is recovering well..He came off the dialysis machine a couple of days ago and his kidneys are starting to work a bit so hoping they recover to work properly to.He is waiting for a high dependency bed and will be transferred as soon as one comes up..Thanks for all your prayers as I am sure they all helped..

Haven't read back but do hope all are well and Marie so glad your report from the hospital was a good one..June hope all your mob are well by now to..bet you are looking forward to your trip..lucky girl..

Have a lovely weekend,,

Love Mary xxx

Evening.

Beautiful Autumn sunny weekend in Melbourne. 27c on saturday and about 29c today.

Mary. Glad to hear your brother is on the mend.
Best wishes to him, and sending lots of positive thoughts that all stays well.

Marie. No we havent had our trip to Phuket as yet.
We are booked for later in the year, when its cold ( winter ) in Melbourne, and by then warm sunny days in Thailand. We are staying at the same resort as last year, as we found the accomodation and resort surroundings 1st class for the price. Last year we flew direct from Melb to Bangkok ( passing over Phuket on way to Bangkok ) and then had to fly 1hr back to Phuket.( which was a pain )
Same thing coming back home to Aussie. ( Phuket to Bangkok then Bangkok to Melbourne ) Spent more time going through customs than our holiday time...lol
This time we fly to Brisbane,( wait 2hrs ) then direct to Phuket, then coming home, direct to Melbourne from Phuket..... Much better....:>))

B.B.Q ...tea to-night, so best go slice up some onions.
Cant have a bar-bie without onions ( blasphemy....lol )

Best wishes to everyone.


Tony....:>))

morning all,

overcast and very muggy here in Adelaide, unfortunatly there is very little rain in it, despite a glorious sunrise this am.

Mary, so pleased about your brother, modern medicine can be amazing at times......

Hi, Marie the garden sound delicious, mine this year took such a beating we lost alot in the geat waves, despite our best efforts they dont like protracted heat!! evan some of the native plants are looking very sorry for themselves.....

HZ great news about your daughter, hope she does well in her studies

am desperatly chasing as much FH as possible before I go away so we can visit places for parish records, old headstones etc

well of to pack up all our playgroup stuff at church, the ceiling and roof in the 160 yo hall is in desperate need of repair and they are starting week
so have to pack everything up and seal around the kitchen doors etc such fun in such muggy weather!! might sweat a few kilos off!!

love to all June (CG) xx

Time for me to drop in for a few minutes to see what gives.lol.
Our B B Q season starts this next month and i am already starting to get the food in ,burgers from the local butcher 100% best steak mince,and pork burgers ,i even found some bacon burgers ,yum
Found a nice slice of Swordfish ,which i love ,,tuna ,and smoked mackerel as well so we are well sorted and about ready to go,complete with crushed chillies,Fish sauce ,and other condiments.
The garden out back is sorted,ready to go,and May's Chalet is full to the brim with potted seed ,flowers and veggies,and the odd bulbs and tubers.
The tattie barrel near the shed was a disaster ,the tubers i put in not suitable for that kind of growing ,but i noticed the two control Charlotte tubers i put in were great again so i will stick to them in future.
The other barrel has Lincoln Red tubers in ,and i hope they come out well ,our best all round potato and can be cooked any way from boiled ,chipped and jackets.
We go to Cramlington later this morning to do the weekly shop,and to fill up the petrol tank before the budget deadline,on the way home ,roll on June when we get the new Diesel car ,another 200 miles on a tank ,with careful driving.
Catch you later peeps hope you are all enjoying the cooler weather ,Fred

Hi everyone.. Still to hot for me here..cant wait for winter...

Fred Just you look after my Chalet,,wont make any money out of it if you are going to bash it up..he hehhe...

My brother is coming along fine and is slowly getting there.. He is in a ordinary ward now and is making good progress.. They still don't know what caused his trouble but they now think it was a fungus and not a virus..Don't understand these things but just glad they got it in time..one more day and I think he would have been cactus..

Nothing much happening here..Just saw that Findmypast is buy GR..will make it a big site then..don't know if I like that..

Marie Hope you are keeping well and where is our Merle.. Do hope she is ok.. perhaps they wont let her out of that prison..hee hee hee...

Haven't had time to do any FH lately.. but soon will have time to get back to it..as soon as big brother is out of hospital..

Stay well everyone and June how many sleeps to takeoff..lucky girl,,

Love Mary xxx

Just letting you know that Marie is having trouble posting on this thread..She has contacted GR but has not had a reply..She can read but no post..What a bother..

Love Mary xx

Hi all you over there ,and commiserations to Marie who seems to have been locked out by genes ,they sound as though they have messed up her membership details as regards her subs ,nothing new but bl**y annoying to whoever is involved,a short sharp kick up the rear end is what is needed.
The sale of the genes site may be causing a few problems for a while ,until the new owners get their ass in gear,i notice thet the up ,and,download ,of the gedcom facility is missing this morning ,so i'm more than glad i did my update two weeks ago ,lol
Your chalet is doing fine Mary ,and if the weather improves ,you will even get treated to a B B Q when you take up residence.
We are trying some runner beans in the spare row of buckets this year 2 bean plants to the bucket ,plenty of beans for us ,with dwarf french in as well.
I have to agree with Tony about the onions ,but ,at the moment ,our shallots are in season ,so i tent to use them along with sweet peppers ,and leave the onions till later in the year,shallots and peppers with my large piece of Swordfish sounds good.and are milder to go with the fish which is too delicate taste wise for a strong onion.
Hope you managed the trip to the hospital to see the Bro' Mary ,your trains sound even worse than ours [god forbid] even ours a sort of air conditioning.
The genes site is already massive Mary with four affiliates in four other countries ,so hopefully it will land up being better run that it is at the moment,one can but wait to find out,and ,in any case ,i use Find my Past too ,so i will wait and see what transpires,before i decide the next step.
Just thought peeps ,nine months 'till Christmas ,any one starting shopping yet ? he he ,Fred ducks to avoid the flying objects ,lol.
Well ,four weeks to go and Liz and i get our first week away ,wahey. a full week in Blackpool and surrounding villages time to terrorise the local bakers shops again ,looking for the ultimate delicacies and maybe something new to try [but i refuse to try tripe ] yukkkkkkk.
Hope every one is okay and coping with all the lousy weather you are getting ,stay safe everyone ,Fred.

Hello Wattlers, I was having the same problems as Marie. Clicked on reply, and apart from the page dropping a bit there was no Reply panel to type in. My quick fix was to go to the UK site (same login and password) and that seemed to fix it. The Australian version seems to be OK now.
The Australian version seems OK now.

For some odd reason, our official start to the season is the first of the month. Maybe that was wen the NSW Corps changed from their summer uniform to a winter uniform and vice versa.

My winter uniform is to change to a long sleeve shirt and add a pullover (sweater) or whatever you call it. I haven't got mine out yet as it is not too cool yet. I don't mind down to about 10 C (50 F) as long as the wind is not too strong. Or it's not raining, like it is at the moment. A couple of hours ago the weather bureau radar showed some heavy showers in the Sydney region but I managed to get home without getting more than a light sprinkle. My workplace is at Botany (named for the Bay) not far from the airport. I got a lift to Redfern then the train home. Could have got really wet I guess, but was lucky. I do have a light waterproof jacket but don't have a small umbrella, Just one of those big golf type ones that is usually too clumsy to carry.
A lot of people seem to rave about Phuket, but for some reason Thailand doesn't appeal to me. I have been to Hong Kong (in the cooler season) but otherwise the only parts of Asia that appeal are China and Japan. To each his own, I guess.
Although Australian born and bred, as a child of the 1950s at school we were taught to think of Britain as home. On my mother's side I have English and Scottish ancestry but my father's side is more Irish than anything else, and Catholic at that.
Three months in the UK is in the early planning stages.
Colin

Arvo..:>))

Just popping in to wish all a safe and great Easter.

4 day long weekend break starting tomorrow ( Friday ) and we will have a family gathering with grandies, at Gumbuya Nature park ( B.B.Q ) Fauna and flora reserve, into the Gippsland region, 430 acres of natural bushland, just 1 hour from Melbourne.

Dony usually do much at easter, and basically have a Bar-bie at home, but i have been out voted this year by O.H and my kids....lol

Thought i heard on the car radio this morning that it will soon become compulsary in Oz to have a Mobile phone cradle mounted in peeps cars. Probably a crack down on people searching for their ringing phones whilst driving, and taking their eyes off the road. Heavy fines apparently will be imposed if you are pulled over radomly by police and your mobile isnt fitted into the mounted cradle.

1st day of April and still getting regular warm weather down south. Melbourne's water catchment basin has risen to 35% with the recent rains, but still need much more, and as winter begins on Jun 1st hoping to get better rains than last year.

Have a great Easter weekend to all.


Tony..:>))

Happy Easter to all..

Colin.. I am with you about our winter,, Its just so good and all I add to my clothing is a jumper..I cant take the heat of summer any more,,must be getting old...LOL..

Fred.You and Liz would love our winter,,no snow and sleet..and no frost in Sydney either,,though I dare say its not like that for Marie..she gets the lot..

Good news on the family front..My lovely big brother is now home from hospital and is resting and getting some much needed sleep..Being 6ft2inch he found his legs hanging over the end of the bed in the hospital and he just didnt sleep..

Hope Marie is able to sort out GR and can get back in..

Tony Enjoy your BBQ..sounds lovely..

Enjoy your break and hope all are well..

Love Mary xx

Hello All, Yipeee I can post once more have no idea why it would'nt work and I never got a reply from GenesReunitedI can hear you saying ,Yes that would be right.
Since I have been unable to post we have had a large amount of rain last week, the water is still oozing through the brick work around our gardens I am a little worried about some of my native plants as it is very wet still, to-day is only the second day of sunshine for over a week.
Mary good news about your brother. I am having Easter at home the family went to Condoblin to visit with Brians Mum .
Sebastian is at home as he will be doing assignments and he has to work the next 3 days so I will be cooking for him.
Badger my beans the dwarf ones are producing beans and my capiscums are still producing, it probably wont be for long as the nights are becoming very cool.
I made a nice Rhurbarb and Apple Dessert last week we usually have it with Custard or Icecream but I served it with cream mixed with mascarpone lovely but very rich.
I hope you are well Colin ,also Tony .Badger I hope you get a good summer this year.
I and my friend Barbara are going to Italy on the 19th of September we have been talking about it for years we finally made the decision to go before we end up being too old to get around.
Mary are you planning any visits to Orange in that lovely new care of yours?? Let me know if you are and I will put the kettle on. Must go Kindest Regards Marie

Morning to all ,and a Happy Easter to one and all,from a very damp north of england where the sun is shining [not].
I even managed to find my runner bean seeds yesterday,a variety called Polestar ,which i grew a good few years ago in my allotments,a high yield fast growing sort which are stringless,so i should have plenty for the freezer,at the end of the growing season.
The red potatoes i had such high hopes for in the other barrel were a waste of time ,the only potato producing any tubers at all being Charlotte [again ],so that's all i will be growing in the future.
I have the area around the back kitchen door where the plaster was loose repaired and damp proofed now ,so on Tuesday i will put a strip of paper in and leave it for a few hours before re emulsioning the whole wall so that it matches in.
It looks like my Garmin sat nav has at last come up with an update three months since the last one ,so i will get that updated seeing as i will be away in little over three weeks,he he ,the roads in this country change so much in a few weeks that i could land up taking a wrong turn somewhere on the country roads ,which gets me hot and bothered getting lost in my own backyard .lol.
I can't get much done in the garden because of the weather ,but i did go into the chalet this morning early on ,to find all the brassica showing through,the beetroot and sweet peppers ditto.and even two tomatoes showing their heads ,it looks like i may be getting a good season for a change ,the trees are loaded with bud ,both apple and plum,and the rhubarb will be through shortly,and that will give me fruit as well,along with the strawberry.
I was hoping for the first B B Q of the year over the weekend but the weather is lousy so i have put that idea on hold for now ,he he ,back to the drawing board.
Off now to get some veggies prepared for the dinner,but i don't yet know what to put with them,but ,there is plenty in the freezer ,so i will find something lol.
Catch you all later ,Fred.

Hi All,

A Happy Easter to you all.
Just to confuse you all I'm using my stepdaughter's site as I'm spending Easter with her and the grandchildren.
Must go now - we have visitors.

Regards

Ian

Happy Easter to all...

Ian Lovely to see you and enjoy the grandies..

Fred..I will have to start charging you rent on my chalet if you are going to grow so many veg in it..

Marie Good to see you back and the pending trip sounds lovely..lucky you..

Having a lovely restful day after a busy few days..its dull and showery which is so nice when you dont have to go out in it..

Dont eat to many chocky eggs..think of your figure..hee hee hee..

Love Mary xxx

Happy Easter to all.......

cool day here in Adelaide, had a dawn service in the church cemetry followed by hot cross buns for breakfast ..

had the family (or whats left of them around the place) for roast lunch then the darlings mowed the back lawn for me before heading off to "do their own thing"

Mary, glad to hear that your brother is home form hospital and recovering slowly, you cant get better in hospital......to noisy!!

Its exactly 4 weeks today and we leave on our big trip, started sorting out the clothes, shoes etc and all the extras we will need for that lenght of time.

so wont be planting any winter vegies this year as no one left home can be trusted to look after them!!

went up to our new block yesterday to plant more trees to cover for the ones we had to remove to put in the new driveway.

Hope you all have a safe and restful weekend, and just as much chocolate as is reasonable to eat!!

love to all June (CG) xx

Greetings all . . long tme no see . . :)

Just hopping off the roundabout for a minute to pop in and say hello.

Hope all are well and that an enjoyable Easter was had by all

Keep the grin gear working

L xo

Hello all, just popped in from WA.

I hope that you are all well and had a good break over the Easter break.

Allan

Arvo....:>))

Had a great Easter break with kids and grandies.

Eldest grandson bought his football along to Gumbuya park, to have a kick with his pop. Think he will be a natural AFL footballer when he grows up. Quick as a flash he was, bouncing the Footy on the run......... and took all my efforts to catch him ( puff - pant )....hee hee
Tried to kick him a few high balls, so he could take a few spectacular marks, but me legs and back and mind wouldnt all co-operate together...:>((
I was fine till the next morning, when i tried to get our of bed, and then it hit me. Blimey!!...i'm not a teenager anymore....lol
Thank the Lord for Tiger Balm liniment....hee hee

Still getting warm weather in the South -East ( Melbourne ) and was 27c yesterday ( Tuesday ) We have hit a record ( weather wise ) for us southerners, so they tell us, and has been over 20c everyday since we hit Spring last year in Sept..2009... Not bad for the normally Cooler south.
Still getting rain, but its appears more Uummmm semi tropical, rather than cold wetness, and still havent put on a jumper or coat .? ( Strange.... since we are now moving into mid Autumn )


G'day Allan.
Hope you had a nice easter too...mate


Lunch time here, so some sardines on toast sounds just about right.



Av a good un.



Tony...:>))

Sounds as though every one had a good Easter over there in oz ,lol,even Tony, he he, who has joined Fred with the liniment after a good day's graft in the garden ,don't think i could manage even a dribble with a ball now mate,never mind a high kick ,i would do myself a mischief and no mistake.
Did well though the lawn edge trimmed out back ,and the first cut of the front lawn,together with a good bit of tidying up and stacking bricks after the builders left.
The whole rendering of the gable end to the tiles has been done,and the chimney reduced to half it's height and what is left re pointed ,and the pot and bird cowl replaced.
The lads brought 6 tiles with them ,and used two to replace broken ones while they were doing the stack,so ,at £310,for the complete job i am well satisfied,the whole of the house outside has now been seen to ,and all that's left is the decorating inside that is one huge result and a fair old bit put on the value of the property.
The weather is improving now ,so i can get out into the garden and get my Rhubarb plant sorted properly yum yum ,i sense crumbles in the offing,more so as i can now have a change from apple.
The son is coming today which gives me the chance to use up the last of the turkey crown ,i reckon a nice Thai red curry for dinner with steamed rice and naan bread.
See the Canadians are complaining about the lack of snow they had over the winter ,he he ,not suprised ,the B*****s sent it all over here lol,seems like some areas [not all] have had the smallest average snowfall ever recorded,which goes to show , the weather globally is indeed changing ,wonder if your snowfields will increase this year ? the skiers would love that i reckon,and it would help relieve the water shortages next spring too.
Well ,time to go and get the bins in[so that i can fill it up again] as soon as i start on the hedges ,though i may keep a little to mulch the rhode' with ,as it's budded up very nicely.
Noticed out front yesterday that my daff's are out at last ,and the bushes are budding up ,even the small border is showing what may well be Bluebell leaves [fingers crossed].
Catch you later everyone ,Fred

Hi Tony, Allan & Badger,sounds like you all had a nice Easter mine was quiet but I got a lot of work done in the garden until it started to rain and boy have we had some rain in the past month. My rhodo's are starting to look a bit sick as they have been sitting in water, it just starts to dry out and down she comes again I am now hoping we get a week of warn weather and some wind.I am picking my dwarf beans and they are lovely,we have been having problems with cabbage moth my cauli and cabbage seedlings are like a sieve all holes I keep spraying the eggs but the rain keeps washing it off D---n it.
The nights are getting quite cool ,but it makes it easier to sleep.
I intended putting my Daffodils in at the weekend but ran out of time. The Jonquils are poking their heads up already.

What's this about running out of puff Tony and getting too old, No such thing its all in your mind,you might have to spend time at the Gym. I am in the University of the 3rd age and a good number of us Exercise 2 to 3 times a week, we have a great time and stay fit.
Badger you are sooo right these idiot politicians who say the planet isn't warming up, I have been on this earth since 1939 and this is not like it used too be, we used to have 4 seasons not any more.I will now hop off my soap box. LOL
Time I left and cooked some Grub. Cheers to you all ,
Marie from Bathurst.