General Chat

We have had a good day weatherwise after a damp start.It was spring like again in the late afternoon.
Did not get to Bury ,but did get to the local pound shop near asda found a couple of bargains but had 2kilos of bird seed for my son to feed the birds in the park and could not carry much else.
Might go to Bury tomorrow while John sits in with the plasterer!!
Hope you are all having a good day and have a great weekend.
Brenda

goodmorning well brenda re the white stuff I was up at 8am this morning and could not see out of the window as the white stuff was falling fast and furious thick white fluffy flakes now at 9am it is clear as a bell I can see for miles so I guess it was a squall off the lake. so I shall pop out fast ot get the saturday paper and a few odds and ends before it blows in again. not much new over here this week one of ladies in the friday afternoon group is having a birthday on friday so I am in charge of the birthday cake there is a wonderful Italian shop across the road that bakes wonderful cakes so I think I shall splurge and pick one up there ,she has been a good friend to me she was the on that found me last year when I had that episode and got things into place re my son and the ambulance. my sister and her husband leave on the 24th for arizona and come back at the beginning of april they are driving from calgary so they will see quite a bit of the states meeting up with wayne's brother on the way down in vegas for two days and on the way back visiting palm beach to seesome church friends she is hoping for warm weather as calgary has had a bad winter well I shall go and pop out for a bit hope fred and liz are fine bye for now dorothy

hi brenda just a quick line I have just finished mo hayder's latest book that is out over here the title is "gone" it is a really good mystery I enjoyed it very much not as dark as some of her books you might enjoy it, no snow to-day I am going over to the family at noon for a visit . bye for now dorothy

Morning ladies,we have a nice morning just here ,sunny ,no wind [for a change] and pretty mild for the time of year.
I think i will do a bunny hop this morning [go from one Morrisons to the other ],the first one at the top of the baank for the fuel ,and a quick look to see if they have any large bags of potting compost in ,then off to the other where i will do a little shopping plus potting compost if the first store have none in ,2 bags for a fiver will do me fine and i can get a tenners worth in the boot no problem.
The grandson seems to be enjoying his visit to Poland and his missus ,lol,i hope he takes a couple of pics while he is there,too.
The eldest son Martin has completed his license courses on fork lift trucks ,to try giving himself even more chances of landing a job ,and got told off for doing it? ,the bloke behind the desk said he was unavailable for work while on the course.
The son said ,what would you rather me do ,sit at home on my butt ,or try to get even more qualifications to find employment,did i ask the government to pay for it ?,bloody dole offices ,there is no pleasing some people.he has applied for at least three jobs every week to try finding something.hopefully the interview this Wednesday will see him get a job at one of the bus/coach depots.
He has at least got his new car ,ready in case he lands this job ,he will need transport for the early starts ,and late finishes.
Well off to the shops it is ,and back for a lazy lunch ,left over spuds and cabbage,with some nut cutlets ,and gravy ,with a stir fry for tea.
Catch you later peeps,Fred.

goodmorning from a rainy barrie but at least no snow I have to say fred that the dole offices are really nuts when somone is trying to better their job chances they do not give them credit for it, it is the same over here it seems they would rather pay people to stay home which does not improve life for them, hopefully he will land a job soon he does deserve one. I spoke to anne yesterday she was getting ready to have the new boiker (now 5yrs old) fixed as some parts have rotted away and have a new upright radiator installed in the kitchen to the cost of a grand she is not a happy person but she is lucky that she can afford it. also she was mad about the closing of librarys by the new government and the forest etc.as she put it life in england is not great at the moment, one can only hope that it improves for everyone I had a nice afternoon with the two boys yesterday Laura was out with a friend and heard more details from bryan re the trip to aruba and Ian played his guitars for me , andrew and lindy went out for a short time looking at a piece of furniture they may buy we had a late lunch so a good time was had by all, now I am going to spring clean the kitchen just feel in the mood to do , hope you all enjoy this romantic day bye for now dorothy

Evening all,had a great weekend,had a walk round Bury on saturday,got some bits and peices,got home and the plastering was finished it looks good. yesterday we did a bit of shopping for a couple of birthday presents,
today i met a friend in town and we had a chinese lunch.which was really great.
Tomorrow I am shopping with my sister in Bury,and might have lunch!
On wednesday I hope to see my other friends for a coffe and if i don't do lunch tomorrow with my sister I might have lunch with them!!.
Glad you have enjoyed your book,Dorothy think that book was No 1 over here .might get it from the library.Hope you have seen the photos from the holiday.
Fred hope you managed your shopping ok,got some seed potatoes last week ,some charlottes,John will sort out the bags again when he has done with the decorating.
See you all tomorrow.Brenda

Hi Everyone,well up to now have had a nice day again,went shopping with my sister ,who got all the items she was looking for !!
We did not have a lunch as such just a toasted teacake and a lovelly cup of coffe in BHS bit dear but nice,.
Weather was a bit chilly to say the least!! Bit of a cold wind was blowing so it was really cold in places.It was also quiet up there as it was not market day.
Still lokking for my shoes ,so might have another look if I am out tomorrow with my friends. Not had any arrangements yet so not sure if it is still on.!!
Hope you are all okBrenda

Morning all ,the weather is really chilly but sunny,so looks great here today.
Iam going out shortly after I have done a few jobs,to meet my friend for a coffee was going to be lunch but I am giving that a miss.
Hope you are all well,.I am doing well on my diet have now lost just over the first stone so feeling pretty good with myself.
Might be back later .Have a good day.Brenda

hi brenda congrats on loosing a stone that is very good it is late evening here on wed, I had a call from a friend this pm who arrived back from 10days in florida to say "we will see you -tomorrow" and I had no idea what she was talking about anyway beofre xmas she had mentioned that she and another friend of mine thought they might drive up in february and meet up to go to the casino down the highway near me about 20mins from my home of course I had completly forgot all about it so I will meet them their for a little while not sure how all the flashing lights and noise will affect my brain but if I feel funny I shall leave actually I would rather not go but seeing that they are driving up I guess I feel that I have too. getting a tad warmer this week though Ian went cross country ski-ing to-day with the school and hopes to go with the family downhill ski-ing this week-end it is a long week-end (bank holiday) it is called family day holiday!!! they put this in in the province about 2yrs ago as they felt it was a long time from xmas to easter with the long winters we have not sure if it is canada wide or just in ontario. glad you had a good couple of days in bury sounds like fun. so I will be up early in the am as I will go and get the cake for friday for the birthday tea and then come back and wait for the ladies to call me as they get close to the casino, I am not a fancy gambler 20dollars is my limit well going to watch a bit of tele before bed takce care bye dorothy

afternoon al,from a damp cold Newcastle,where i have just finished the housework for the day ,and made a very nice Malaysian curry for the dinner with what was left of the chicken roast i did yesterday.
Looks like Martin is in with a good chance with the bus driver job ,he says they have 6 more people to interview ,but is the only one with experience and a license,so we are both keeping our fingers crossed for him.
He has also finished the fork lift truck course ,and passed with an exeptional rating and the head of the driving school wants to see him next week when he goes back to pick up the cerificate,so he may be in for another job offer there.
He has also got an interview with a garden centre up the road ,and seeing as he is qualified at horticulture [farming] and warehouse work ,he stands a good chance .
He heard from Nissan this morning too ,he has a five week trial period at the factory in Sunderland ,if he wants it ,so surely the dole can't say he isn't trying,but i won't hold my breath,he he.
I spent an hour last night putting in a longer wire to the rear camera in the car ,and made a nice job ,even if i do say so myself ,as apart from four inches from the camera to the boot seal ,and five inches from the dashboard to the plug at the front ,you can't see any of the wiring at all,pretty chuffed i am ,lol.
I brought two big bags of peat free potting compost from from B & Q yesterday as well ,so i am about ready to start in the greenhouse as soon as the new snow forecast has come and gone,which will leave me four weeks to get cracking before we go away for the first weeks holiday.
Off to the doc's tomorrow afternoon hoping to get the ball rolling regarding a stair lift,because it's getting to be a chore to get up and down the stairs now,made worse with the house having only the upstairs toilet,ho hum ,he he.
Everyone seems to be busy now ,with spring around the corner,so i had better go and see what i can get for the tea,catch you all later ,Fred.

Hi All glad you are all well and busy .
Dorothy hope the visit to the casino went well and the birthday party and cake went well.
Fred hope you get the stair lift ok i know my mam would have been lost without hers,mind you it was a pain sometimes for some of us to pass it as it was so near the front door,it was really more to do with the layout of teh stairs hall and front door.!!
It has been a lovelly day today but went very cold tonight,and its supposed to snow on high ground tomorrow.
Have to go to the library tomorrow,pick up some reservations,John is going to his mothers and in the afternoon i am taking david to citys ground to get some tickets and then to the supemarket for some bird food. or is it the otherway round? anyway hope the weather stays good might be able to sort the garden out.
Speak to you tomorrow have a nice weekend.brenda

goodmorning yesterday (friday) was a wonderful day the sun was shining the temp. 10 above and some hardy souls walking around in shorts then about 9-30 last night we paid for it the winds came up and the snow started blowing temp dropped to -13 with the windchill it was -24 then the winds increased up to 100k an hour, the power went off in the wee hours and things where banging around quite a bit off snow but the cars are clear as the wind was so bad crazy I was going out this am with a friend but have cancelled wind is still high and blowing snow so you can hardly see, and this is a long week-end not too great for folks heading up to ski country, yes brenda the birthday tea went well I bought a red velvet cake with cream cheese filling and it was a big hit, I was sad to read about the little girl's murder in bury yesterday one can only guess what was going on in her mother's mind sad all the way around. fred hope you get the stair lift they are great good luck with the gardens allyou great gardiners I can only imagine you all hard at work and good weather take care bye dorothy

Good morning all,hey Dorothy,you have had a few days at better temperatures than us, lol the most we can get up to is 6 to 8 c,but of course your lower temp's are faaaar lower ,so ,we are content with what we have.
We did far better over the winter now that all the windows but the kitchen one ,and the back bedroom have been done,it has been far warmer in the evenings and night.
We are getting cracking now with the garden ,the greenhouse ready to go ,and only 7 buckets to clear out once the brussels are finished.
We had home made steak and kidney for dinner yesterday ,and i got some nice steak mince cooked up into 6 foil dishes for freezing down for later use.
the spare gravy from both pans have been saved ,and later today i will use it to make French Onion Soup for tea [us Geordies waste nowt. he he].
Not much else to report today ,having had Sunday dinner yesterday lol,we are having home made corned beef [out of a tin ] pie ,chips ,and baked beans.
Must get into B & M this coming week ,lol,just as good as the pound shops,and the only place where i can get my big tubs ,of caramalized dried onion which i sprinkle on my mini pizza's.
I am being harrassed by one supposedly hungry moggy ,so i reckon i had better go and feed her ,lol,catch you later all,Fred.

goodmorning what a differance a day makes while it is still very cold down to -24 over night this am the sun is shining and the roads are clear a good day for ski-ing I assume the family will be out on the hills after church, we are supposed to get snow this evening and to-morrow but I should be able to pop out too the stores to-day as they will all be closed to-morrow for the holiday monday, both your meals sounded good fred I made steak and onions yesterday with mashed potato's and mashed yam the gravy was great there is enough for to-night and I will add some brussel sprouts, fred what are flower sprouts I have not seen them over here but there was a reciepe in hello magazine (the one I get from england) week of jan 31 exclusively for sale at marks and sparks food hall they are available till march priced at 1-49 for 140 kg. they showed a seared tuna and flower sprout stir fry, and then a prawn and flower sprout ramen now that I have read it again they say it is a cross between a brussel sprout and kale and has been years in the making maybe something new for your veggie patch.apparently it has a milder and sweeter taste and has double the amount of B6, maybe these will appear over here I do like brussel sprouts, well off to start the day take care bye dorothy

Evening all.I could have sworn I had left a few lines yesterday,but don't know where they went!!
Got the books from the library ,for John and the new Patricia Cornwell book for me,but its only a two week read,so will be burning the midnight oil!! My friends there are waiting to be told who is being made redundant,so they are a bit down at the moment.They have been told they will be told next month.
Meant to order that Mo Hyder book Dorothy and forgot might try ordering it on line,
You both sound very busy in the kitchen,we had a braised brisket with our dinner today with spring cabbage,boiled potatoes and carrots and swede ,John had a few butter beans as he doesn't like carrots..
Doing a chicken curry tomorrow but will using a jar which is in the cupboard,not making my own .have a couple of errands to do as well
See youall again Brenda xx

Hello everyone from a very dismal dreay manchester!!.Been out and done a couple of my erands but have to do the other one tomorrow as it did not get done today/Had a nice long chat on the phone with my friend she was very cheerful today as she had been getting some quotes for repairs to her garden fence and it was not as dear as she had thought.
Have renewed Johns road tax today ,which is now 155.00 per year ,mine is due next month .his MOT is next week and mine will be the week after.
Its all pay out some weeks.Hope you all had a good weeke end see you soon ,Brenda

Morning all.well its dry at least today but still looking very grey!!
Hope anyone you know in NZ is ok after the earth quake!!
We have beeen told my Uncle has had a very severe stroke at the weekend and its a day by day thing at the moment ,he is my dads older brother so will be about 87 .Their older sister will be 90 in March but she was told she had pancreatic cancer in January and could have 4 months!! Which leaves my youngest uncle at about 78 who is doing all sorts of things Tai chi,fell walking etc.,
Hope you are all well and happy/Going to make some lunch noe home made squash soupo for me and a Blackpudding for John ,who is busy painting the living room.!!
Brenda

hi brenda sorry to hear about your uncle it is never easy to hear this kind of news plus your aunt as well I will be thinking about you, it sounds like you are keeping john busy with the painting I guess he enjoyed the black pudding, I went out for lunch yesterday too a place called the market it is a buffet place it was good I had a bit of most things my neighbour and her husband invited me, to-day the sun is shining but it is very cold -24 with the wind chill the holiday week-end is over so most people are back at work/school. tennis is on the tele from dubia from 10am-2pm and then in the evening from 7pm to 10 though the evening tends to be repeats so I shall be doing housework and the tennis on in the background, one of the tv stations has bought the rights to broadcast more tennis so that is good for me and isobelle. have just finished the new graham hurley book brenda and it was a very good read but not sure if we will see the character joe fraday again it was kind of left up in the air on the last page if you have not read it, it is worth reading if you like his books well time to get the day on the way ie. in to the shower and get dressed bye for now dorothy

Morning peeps ,well ,i have finally managed to get my first coffee of the season ,outside on the patio this A M,lol,Hissy was pleased anyway he he ,but the little madam won't come in yet,but i don't blame her ,the sunshine is nice after all.
Sorry to hear about your Uncle Brenda ,it isn't nice when rellie's are ill,even when they are tapping on a bit ,and it's expected ,sort of.
Maybe ,he will recover some what .not unheard of even at his age,but being realistic,you can't expect too much,this sort of thing comes to us all sooner or later.
I didn't do much at all yesterday,what with the news about New Zealand,the ongoing problems in Oz,and Canada,plus the wife feeling a bit under the weather,i got a tad depressed ,lol,but i suppose such is life.
The boss still isn't too good and has elected to stay in bed,which is just as well .or i would have locked her in there,well.i can't afford her to fall over ,or take a header down the stairs.
She is feeling sickly ,ans aches all over ,so i am thankful she has had her injections for flu and whatever because what with the headache too it could be a mild dose of the lurgy.
Seeing as she won't feel much like eating today i will get my Swordfish loin steak out for my dinner ,yum, and will go online shortly to look for a different recipie than the one i usually use just to make a change.
This new laptop stand is just great,slim enough to go in the carry bag with the puter for holidays,but with an adjustable table for the table top ,or lap ,and with a built in fan to kep the underside of the laptop well ventilated,once the usb driven fan is plugged in,all for £10,not at all bad.
Outside with my coffee i noticed thsat spring is in the air ,buds opening on my apple tree ,ditto the plum tree, the crocus are coming out ,ditto the wild onion plants ,and other bulbs that i put in last autumn ,things are looking up at last.
Time to take the missus a cuppa up ,he he ,at least she can keep a cuppa down ,which wil do for now .
Catch you later peeps ,Fred.

morning folks,its just started raining,and is still very grey. have not been outside yet so not sure how cold it is. Will be going out shortly ,only round the corner for a paper and to the hair dresser to make an appointment.
Glad you enjoyed your lunch Dorothy,hope you enjoy the tennis.
John is doing a grand job with the decorating ,but it is taking its toll as he can not stand on the ladders like he used to do and all the up and down them is causing more aches and pains.!!
Be back tomorrow.Brenda