General Chat

Hi all,
Fred, had you thought that running a diesel car would be cheaper than a petrol one? We found the spare parts on a diesel car to be more expensive. Also to pass our MOT test we had to undergo a special soot test which was not always so easy to go through. This entailed putting some cleaner in and then running round the block a few times. No no more diesel cars for us Fred.
Tomorrow is Mothers Day here and I'm knackered now. I have baked bread, made big batch of small cakes and a clafoutis (this is a French idea being a sort of baked custard tart with cherries at the bottom). I was going to do a curry for dinner but my daughter's ex turned up with his wife and that made me rest for the rest of the day. He bought me a lovely bunch of flowers for Mot hers Day.
He still calls me Ma and my husband Pa, even though my daughter and he have split up 8 years ago now.
I wish it was warmer. Our central heating is still running every day,
I now have a smaller mask for my apneu which is not such a strain on my face.
Goodnight sylvia

Morning all you loooooovery people ,,wow ,what a day i had yesterday ,some good ,some a little iffy ,and some bad.
Hi To Sylvia ,,all my cars are contract ones,and includes all servicing ,besides ,the new diesels are worlds apart from the old ones ,cleaner than petrol ,more economical , and they no longer have these soot problems providing you change the air filters every year
The ruddy cat managed to get a playmate past me into the house yesterday morning [a mouse] letting it go in the kitchen where it shot off under the washing machine,so i brought a trap while out yesterday afternoon and set it last night before going to bed.
When i got up this morning i found the useless ball of fir crouching down by the shoe rack inside the front door,and so pulled the rack forward to reveal the mouse hiding there ,so i pushed it out using the wifes brolley.
The cat grabbed the mouse and ran into the kitchen with it ,and by the time i got there she was playing under the table with it,letting it go ,and catching it again ,even playing with her ball as well ,and grabbing the mouse every time it tried to get away.
The mouse did manage to get away again and shot under the washing machine yet again ,so i was getting rather annoyed with the cat by this time.
I dragged the machine out from under the bench ,pulled off the kickboards
from under the benches to get the little critter out ,where apon the cat grabbed it again ,taking it back under the table to play with,and i saw red he he,i pulled my slipper off ,dropped to my knees ,slapped the cat with the slipper ,and when she dropped the mouse ,slapped that too,killing it ,so that i could get it into the bin outside the kitchen door.
End of story ,but i swear ,if that ruddy cat brings another mouse indoors to play with ,i will keep the mouse ,and throw the cat out .lol.
I had a good day as rergards the garden ,getting the winter cabbage put out ,the brassica, and the brussels into the buckets ,only leaving the primo spring cabbage to put out today.
I also got out ,the beetroot [all 60] plants into their growing places,and then got into the greenhouse and put in the broad bean,runner ,and dwarf french bean,which will be the last of this years crops,apart from the big leeks which i will buy this next week.
The missus had an argument with the front speps yesterday evening ,bruising her upper ribs badly and also her wrist which is now black and blue ,she is very sore this morning and didn't try to dress this morning ,and is now sat in her dressing gown on the other computer,i know she hurt herself pretty badly ,the first time i have seen her cry since her mum died.
Hope everyone is having a nice weekend ,i am off now to put the last row of cabbage in before it rains yet again,he he,Catch you all later,Fred.

hi first of all I hope liz is feeling better it gives you quite a shock having a fall,it is mothers day over here and I woke up to see snow yes snow on the ground on the cars and rood tops we had snow showers yesterday from the lake but I thought that was it needless to say I was not pleased people were out in shorts last week certainly not to-day. still trying to get rid of my cold . your garden appears to be coming along in leaps and bounds fred, Ian and his mom are planning on this years veggie garden but can't plant as yet Ian fancies trying some new things so we shall see what he comes up with. that is is for me I am off to make a cup of oxtail soup anne sends me packages from time to time and I do enjoy it bye dorothy

Hi everyone,had my colonoscopy on Saturday and all was well.but have been told I have diviculitis or something like that .It is common apparently and is to due to not having much fibre in the diet,but I am already doing what they suggested ,granary breads ,no white bread,no or not much processed foods etc .more friut and veg,have to see the doc after my holidays and as I am also seeing the dietician Iwill see what she says aswell.
Sorry about Liz fred ,hope she is ok now,
We have also had similar incident with the mouse in the last few days ,it went like this ,John goes in the kitchen and sees our white cat come in the cat flap with his trophy in his mouth,tries to stop the cat ,who runs down the hall, up the stairs,luckily all bed room doors closed ,cat and mouse come down stairs into lounge ,cat puts mouse down ,John tries to grab mouse,cat gets mouse rund behind sofa.!Cat comes out other end ,john and I run after cat ,who gets out to kitchen and back througth cat flap.However we have no idea what happend with said mouse as cat diasapered over fence .
hope it is not to be seen again. see you all soon brendas

hi gosh my cats are going to be so jealous of all these mice running around that is one thing I don't get up on the 11th floor glad your test went well brenda and yes adding fibre to your diet will help try and avoid nuts but the diet person will give you lots of good idea's, I had a great e-mail to-day from my cousin in london (reading) we have a new baby in the family a little girl this branch of the family all live in the isle of man except for joyce in reading her sister brenda wouod have been this baby's grandma but died a few years back quite young it is a shame she did not get to see this new member a lovely photo but then again I like all babies, the snow has gone and the sun is shining but still on the cold side, tennis to-day from spain so I shall have a good day brenda elizabeth george's new book is in at the library for me so I shall have someone drive my car to-morrow and run me over to pick it up I just finishe the graham hurleys latest this week-end and it was very good bye for now dorothy

Hi all ,the cats might be jealous about the mice Dorothy ,but i am not happy .Will have to get some traps like Fred,as David said he saw one run under the cooker yesterday!! wonder if its looking for the one the cat had!!!
Weather been very cold,wet and miserable today ,been trying to decide what clothes I am taking on holiday next week.!! The weather reports are not that warm in Ibiza at the moment!!
only short tonight,as I have been doing a Moon pig card for my bother in lkaws 60th birthday.
See you all tomorrow,Take care ,Brenda

Morning peeps ,and Hello to our Brenda,nice to know you have the all clear lass ,you should be able to clear up the tummy trouble in a couple of months now ,at least ,now you know the cause'
Plenty of rye bread for snacking ,spread with a little marmite or something like that,corn flakes ,or porridge will do the trick,and some shredded wheat for a change,all fibre rich ,and tasty to boot.
Hope you catch your moose Brenda ,one thing i don't like in the house ,remembering my childhood and one pregnant moose that got into the kitchen at our house in Totteridge ,we had mice everywhere in weeks ,and eventually had to resort to an extra cat as well as traps every where before we got rid of them.
Take plenty of warm clothing when you go on Holiday Brenda it isn't too warm anywhere this year yet ,and take extra cash in case this perishing volcano doesn't die off as expected,seems half of Europe is effected this week.not so bad if you are on a package deal because the holiday firm has to make sure you get home okay.
Hope you have a great time ,after retiring it's just what you need to recharge the old batteries [eer ,didn't mean the OLD ] that way mind ,lol.
Liz is getting back to normal thank goodness,but is still rather sore ,but i do need to get to town tomorrow to give my opticial a roasting ,my glasses ,less thaan 8 months old that i paid over £60 to have made as reactolites ,on top of the other charges for eye test ,frames and fitting have stopped working ,so i am not a happy bunny to say the least.
Time to go0 and sort something out for the dinner ,maybe Lasagna ,broccoli and new potatoes.
Catch you all later ,Fred.

Hi everyone
Its been awhile since I dropped by GR and I hope all is well. Gayle was in hospital on Tuesday to have the fistula done and its buzzing happily so I am told. Its been a tough few months before hospital scheduled surgery for this week only to be told it had been rescheduled to the end of the month but a hard word from the Renal Team saw the surgery put back to the original date. Now its a matter of waiting for the fistula and wound site to settle down.
So the UK has a change of government albeit a coalition one, here in New Zealand we have had several coalitions which have survived. Will be interesting to follow developments in the change of election format - first past the post has done its dash. The next election in New Zealand will see the public asked if they want to keep MMP or change to something else - some folk want the old system back, but I can't see that happening.
Take care , John

Morning all,up early today ,mainly due to having a bad night sleeping ,the arthritis was playing up and I had to take some painkillers when I went to bed,but it woke me an hour or so ago so I got up and walked about here a while to see if I could get some reliefe!!,
Have been sorting out some old papers and cards etc,must stop hoarding so much of this sort of think.Also had a tidy up of the towel cupboard.
I have been trying to find my way round the new screen Virgin have put on for emails,!!
My brain needs this holiday for all the new things it will have to learn afterwards,!!
Hi John ,so pleased that Gayle has had the fistula done and hope the op follows very soon,please lets us know how she is.
We have already been talking about what we might have to do "incase" we have problems with the ASH!!so we should be ok ,but lets hope its does not come to that.John also thinks it will not be that warm and we have got extra clothes ready,good job we have a large luggage allowence..Well better get going as I am out to lunch later and a spot of retail therapy!! Speakto you tomorrow,Take care Brenda

hi from a cool and rainy barrie but it is to warm up at the week-end good to hear the news from john hope all goes well with gayle, hope the holiday goes well brenda and no ash!!!! the car is being taken in to-morrow for its emmission test and to get its sticker andrew is going to do that for me as he will be out of town next week and it has to be done for the 24th suddenly realized I will be 68 on that date my time runs by rather fast after 65 does it not. put some solar ornamenets out on the balcony to get them ready and of course the sun has disappeared when they are charge up they do look nice at night. well time to pop down to the laundry room so I shall say bye for now dorothy

Hello everyone,no sleep again tonight due to the arthritis ,have used the cream I was given awhile back ,and realised I was supposed to use it four times a day not just morning and evening,it seems it needs a little while to have any effect! so I am now using it more often ,as I do not want to use painkillers unless its really bad.
Weather has been sunny ,but the wind has been bitterly cold at times,got a few plants for the bottom of the garden at the side of the fish pond,John and David took out a load of old plants that had been strangled by the ivy which is on the wall at the bottom and pruned back the ivy which is actually belongs to the garden on the other side of the wall.
John has also put a finer mesh net over the pond as one of his fish has disapered!! We have seen a couple of strange cats about lately ,and he thinks they could be the culprits.Dorothy hope the car is ok,and the solar lights sound great.Have a few emails to reply to ,Take care <Brendarl

Morning all,not very nice here again this morning ,but according to the seaweed hung out the back ,he he ,better weather is on the way for the weekend ,hmmmmmm,out comes the gas B B Q.
Hope the cream starts to work for you Brenda ,and don't forget to pack it for the holiday,that ,coupled with better weather will help a lot to give you some relief.
Sorry about the fish ,but it ain't Hissy who is still giving me close escort wherever i go and can't run that fast.,any more trouble and use a galvi mesh over the pond coupled to a cattle fence generator which you just couple to a 12 volt car battery,whatever is nicking the fish ,be it cat ,stork or bird ,it won't come back in a hurry i can tell you ,he he ,i got one hell of a jolt off my sisters cattle fence round her field ,and wouldn't like to try again [ouch].
Enjoy the Lights Dorothy ,i have loads now ,butterfly ones ,three sets out the back as well as the ordinary lights going up the path to the greenhouse ,and even have some out the front,around the big lawn,they do look very nice i must admit.
I managedtoget the lawns cut yesterday ,and now have only the edges to trim ,leaving the big hedge to see to some time next week when the weather is better.
By then ,i will have the new trimmer that uses a 24 volt battery that straps round the waist ,so much safer in damp conditions,and saves dragging cable behind you ,once the mower goes home i will be getting a battery one ,then i can do away with cables in the garden for good.
I will have to go shopping on my own today ,poor old Liz is still feeling sore and rough,so here's hoping the coming warmer weather will help her to recover a little more quickly.
Catch you all later,Fred.

hi brenda and fred and who ever else is around I do hope tht liz feels better soon, and in the case of the missing fish I hope you find out who is the culprit soon, yes the car passed its emmission test so good for another 2yrs and I will pick up the sticker for the lience plate this week, I had a good day out yesterday the two sisters came with me and one drove my car and we made the rounds of lots of shops some that I had never been into before, to-day it is still on the cool side and I hope it warms up soon Ian is having a belated birthday outing with some of his friends they are going go-cart racing so they do need good weather for it and andrew will take them out for a meal as well. he leave to-morrow for a week in windsor but not the windsor I love but the one over here ah well. brenda you sould be off on holidays soon, anne is going for preop work up on monday no date for her eye surgery as yest she is getting there by what she said was a sitting car I am sure you will know what that is all the three children are working her son will be home from russia for 4 days but she won't ask him to drive her!!! her youngest daughter will take the day off work when she has the surgery so that is no problem. well it is time for the tennis from spain so I shall make a quick lunch and enjoy that have a great week-end bye for now dorothy

Well,hello all you happy campers and gardeners ,sorry to have been missing for the weekend,but old Fred decided to take a couple of days off to recharge the batteries,and chill out.
Liz seems to be on the mend at last but i will be keeping a close eye on her for a while yet.
We had the B B Q on Saturday [lunch time ] in between the clouds and threatening showers,lol,the forcast people got it wrong yet again ,as usual ,and i felt like saying at news time on the tele ,sun ,what sun ,we are still perishing up here ,,he he.
We had some of the home made burgers made from a packet of dried ingredients [meat free] and tried the sausage mix ditto ,and i have to say they were very nice and i will certainly be buying and making some more.
These packet mixes ,from either Asda or Morrisons ,i highly recommend to anyone for any tummy problems that can't eat meat,or any animal fat ,and at around 80 p a time are cheap enough and store very well being dried.
The mix for the Shepards pie is great too ,very tasty.
We had a couple of Morrisons pork and apple burgers as well ,and by the time it came round to the Cumberland sausage ,no one had room left ,so i made toad in the hole with them for dinner Sunday [very nice it was too,with roast tatties ,cabbage,broad beans carrot and gravy,the toad being rather big for three ,that two biggish pieces went into the freezer for another day
The battle wagon goes in for the first M O T tomorrow at 2 pm and then goes in to Nissan on the 16th of next month to be changed over for the new one ,she has been the best car yet ,economical ,reliable ,and trouble free ,so who ever buys this one ,gets a good bargain ,and still only 17'000 miles on the clock.,can't be bad eeeeeh?
Garden is doing great now ,only needing some sun to make the plants shoot away,even the beans are poking their heads above the compost in the cups ,and will be ready to go out into the buckets within two weeks.
I am thinking of putting a wood box partition in the greenhouse over the summer ,so that i can put half of the greenhouse under gentle heat like i used to do up the allotments ,to start the leeks and onions far sooner,and to put the Geranium ,and Chrysanth cuttings in ,to keep them ticking over till spring,it will be far cheaper than heating the whole greenhouse,which is getting so dear with the prices of energy these days, i may even be able to get away with using a 40 watt panel heater ,just to keep the frost out overnight,the price of paraffin getting beyond a joke,even with my blue flame heater which left on 24- 7 only burns 1 gallon a week,if kept low.
I must get my leeks put out today or tomorrow ,they are looking good if i do say so myself.
Catch you later peeps ,time to do some work ,dusting today,and maybe starting painting in the toilet [ugh] Fred.

Hello everyone,just a quick few lines as I am just about to get changed to go on my holidays,
Have checked the news on tv ,the airports website and the airlines website and all seems to be ok at the minute,so we are being picked up at the prearranged time by some friends.
Weather cloudy and chilly today ,must have rained earlier as the back garden was wet when I opened the door.
Had a great night at my brother in laws 60th birthday party,he was made up that so many people took the trouble to go all that way as he put it.
But as it was a late night ,we got home at 1.30am ,so Sunday was a very lazy day for us.
Not sure how the place we are going is fixed re internet places ,which are both cheap and secure!!,so might not be on again till I get back,so I will see you Tuesday.Take care ,brenda

hi brenda hope that your flight went off ok I was watching the news from home this am and london seemed to be the one with the problem have a great time, fred read you news re the packages from asda etc and it was very interesting can you tell me more and maybe I will get anne to send me a couple of packages over and how much did you say they cost as I like to reemburse her for cost and postage. as usual your meal sounded great, I was still feeling off colour with this cold yesterday so just had some mashed potatoes and a piece of steak and some brussell spsrouts just a small portion have some left for to-night, another new baby in the extended family in england a little boy it is nice to get this kind of news all my first and 2nd cousins children and grandchildren are keeping the family line going. a beautiful morning over here at last it is 8-30 and the sun is shining clear high blue sky. to-morrow 4 of my lady friends are coming up for lunch and a visit we shall be going to the local pub they seve very good food I always have bangers and mash with onion gravy and the liver and onions are also a hit. hope liz keeps on the mend fred and good luck with the m.o.t I shall phone anne later and see how she made out going with the sitting car for her pre-op work up bye for now dorothy

Good morning campers ,wat a mornin' here ,sunshine at last,he he ,i was out back at 5-45 this am feeding the plants and the lawn with sprinkler in the right hand ,cuppa in the left ,[sigh] this is more like it ,lol,what a difference a little sun makes.
Hope you are enjoying the break Brenda ,and hope the weather is behaving for you 'Fred has his shorts on ,and a short sleeved tank top ,gonna go out front shortly ,cover the tatties that are showing through [yeeeees] and trim the lawn edges that i didn't get done last week owing to the rain.
Well ,the leeks are in the buckets ,so we should be okay for soups this winter ,along with the odd leek pudding [yum] and of course ,warming stir fry's .
I have taken some rindless strreaky bacon out of the freezer ready for tomorrows dish of the day ,butterfly chicken breasts ,stuffed with philly [chive] ,and wrapped in bacon ,with some lovely new potatoes [best Jersey royals] with steamed Asparagus ,fresh from the garden.,can't do better than that .lol.
I was going to get started on the toilet decor ,but it's sooooo nice outside that the painting is on hold until the rain returns [B****r it ,too nice to work indoors ,and anyway ,i have to take Liz shopping ,her first trip out since the trip in the garden ,so she is getting a lot better now.Fred is off out with the son tomorrow ,to see about his new mobile home ,he he ,a caravan that a mate of his want's shot of ,after the recent loss oof his wifew ,it seems that it brings back happy times spent away in it ,and the fella can't cope anymore.
The vasn is only ten years old ,and will be ideal to get liz out and about for the odd weekend ,and is big enough to take the boss as well [the cat ] he he,so ,i will let you know how that goes after i get back ,this means of course i will have to get a tow bar fitted to the new motor ,but ,no matter ,i will take it back to the same firm who fitted the one to the present car
and have an afternoon out in Durham City at the same time .
Catch you later troops ,off to have as mooch out front .Fred.

goodmorning fred it looks like it is just you and me at the moment hope that liz enjoys her trip out being house bound is no fun, I like your plan fior the chicken that is one dish I enjoy cooking especially trying different fillings in the chicken breasts, it is a little cloudy to-day but still starting to get warmer my sister should have a great day in calgary it is supposed to be 28 from cold and snow to heat in a short space of time. brenda must have flown off ok as she is not on the site to say she was delayed . as I mentioned I am having visitors to-day so I shall go and get ready I am so looking foreward to seeing my friends nothing like a good natter with life long friends bye for now dorothy

goodmorning to any one around this is the long holiday week-end over here so the highways north of me will be very busy probably starting this evening as people head up to muskoka to check on or open their cottages and summer homes not sure yet if the family are heading to the family (Lindys) cottage for the week-end or not or if it is nice if andrew will open the swimming pool at the house and get it ready for the summer. Bryan is going with his high school class camping next week up to algoquin park should be fun and to-night we are all going to the school for a music concert I shall enjoy that. I am feeling very spoiled this week I have recieved quite a few birthday cards and gifts ahead of monday. on sunday I have noticed we are to get 6 hrs of the french open so it will be a good 2 weeks of tennis. hope that brenda and john are enjoying the holiday and that fred and liz are ok bye for now dorothy

Morning Dorothy ,looks like a nice day in the offing ,the mist was hanging every where at 5-30 this am when i watered the gardens ,so ,i have put my shorts on ,ready and waiting for the yellow thing coming out to play.
I was reading about the big B P oil spill in the Gulf Of Mexico , and how President Obama was saying how b P should pay for the clean up ,which is fair enough ,and B P are already starting to do just that but what a self righteous Pig that Arrogant son of the south is.
One of Americas biggest oil companies [Texaco ] has already torn the heart out of the Amazon rain forest [and still is] leaving big ,stinking pits where they shove all the contaminated waste,in all the old oil wells going back twenty years,leaving these places open to the air ,where people can't walk or live for fear of cancers because many of these waste products are carconagenic ,so much so that even the animals are dying and the whole areas are dead and lifeless ,come on Obama ,get your country to clean up your own messes instead of spouting off about other companies of other nations.and don't forget that B P is partly american run.
Sorry folks ,but these yanks make me spit ,soooo full of themselves ,but they make more mess ,and create more pollution than any other nation on earth barring China,and the latter have a far better excuse being a younger country as regards technology but ,they have already started to see what they can do to improve things the yanks just beat their gums ,blame everyone else ,and do, NOTHING
Our holiday week starts shortly too Dorothy ,but i think we will be staying close to home ,and chill out.I went and got my new toy yesterday ,and now the battery pack is charging up in the greenhouse ,ready for this afternoon ,the trimmer will do ,so they say in the blurb ,1000 square feet of hedge between charges. so it should eat my hedges no bother,any way ,we will sharp find out .
We went to Asda on the way home to see what was on offer ,and i found an addition to the mixes i have mentioned and promptly brought two packets ,of? Lincolnshire sausage mix ,how good is that ? my favourite sausage after Cumberland.,So ,it will be on the menu for tomorrows B B Q,along with some pitta pockets for the burgers and salad ,handier than buns because you don't lose half the filling as you sink the old gnashers in ,lol.
Quite looking forward to it ,an hour making my sausages and burgers up,and then a lazy afternoon in my deckchair ,cooking the stuff slowly ,chilling out ,utter bliss,so anyone coming for their nosh had better get their skates on he he.
See ya later peeps ,hope you are all looking forward to your weekend.Fred.
p,S have a great one on Monday Dorothy xxxx