General Chat

goodmorning after a lovely day yesterday awoke to a overcast and threatening rainy day my sister is now back home in calgary after a good rest in the warm weather of arizona and california, and little barckley (the dog ) is back to good health though they did recieve a hefty bill from the doggie hospital 2200 dollars 1dollar and 60cents is equal to a pound so you can figure it was a hefty bill in pounds. but my brother in law will spare no expense for his animals and has done so in the past , she noticed quite a differance in places in the states that they drove through due to the recession she said that sales of houses was on the increase even the expensive ones were selling for much less than what people had bought them at and the unemployment was very high. I know that several people i know have recently bought homes in florida as retreats in the winter and have not spent a lot of money I guess it is a good time to invest in property in the states but it bothers me from the point of view that you gain from someone else's bad luck. rum old world at times. brenda hope the wedding went well and that you are feeling better, and fred don't overwork in the garden I spoke to anne yesterday and she was doing quite a bit in her garden she said it was a lovely day in bury, will be watching the golf this afternoon and I would like to see rory win he played so well yesterday on all 3 days as well I should say bye for now dorothy

Evening to all ,late again due to a veeeeery busy weekend in the garden,but i have now come indoors ,had a cup of tea ,and now i'm settled for an hour here.
I now have six of the nine Asparugus plants through so i am looking forward to my own veggies from these within as week.
The first tattie barrel is cleared ,and the compost from it is in three big compost bags ,ready to do back in the barrel once i have moved it to it's new home next to the other one.
The other barrel will be emptied out through this next week and then i can start next years crop,but both barrels being together will make it much easier to manage in bad weather ,no traipsing over the lawn to reach either of them,both being behind the shed where i can stand on the concrete to see to both of them.
This now ,however leaves me with two bare spaces for a couple of dwarf trees,suggestions anyone?
I have been up the ladder to look at the shed roof ,and thankfully the roof felt is sound,the leak being where the bitumn seal between strips has broken down ,hah ,a brush and car underseal will fix that in a jiffy.
Other than that ,the broad bean seed is now in ,,i have planted other seed in the greenhouse ,and some out ,he he ,the cucumber in the greenhouse ,and the courgettes under the kitchen window ,as usual,things isssss lookin' good.lol.
The new phone i got with the new T-mobile dongle contract is a cracker ,a new android touch phone ,but although i can phone out over the u/k ,something is wrong with the configuration and i can't phone to oz yet,but seeing as i am off to the metro centre tomorrow ,i will call into the shop,buy another monthly call card for Canada and have them configure it while i am there ,weeeell ,that's what i am paying for ,he he.
I have cancelled the Vodaphone dongle contract online ,but the dongle is mine to keep ,and i will get one of the free sim cards [pay as you go] which i can put in if i ever need it.
The new camera is a belter now that i have connected to the computer and configured it,i can now do all sorts of photography with it from landscapes ,to porterate work ,pet work with soft edge photos ,and really high power telephoto ,and wide angle shots,or i can just slip it on to auto and snap away,this camera is a lot better than the fine pic that i had to give the missus,it being far too complex for her to use,but she can use the fine -pix well ,thank goodness.
Hope the wedding went Well Brenda and hope you didn't over tax that ankle,the cold being enough to put up with on it's own.
The wife and i have had this bug for well over a week ,nearer two in fact,and in my case has turned to Bronchitis,and i reckon it may be a trip to the docs and antibiotics if it gets any worse.
Once i get this new phone up and running properly Brenda ,i will give both you and Dorothy a call,so that you have the new number which should appear on your phone for storage,as i will only use my old Nokia for travelling,it being connected to the car.
Going to go and get my tea now ,some left over mash ,from our own tatties,an egg ,and some chopped up bacon.yum.
Catch you later all.Fred.

Evening all,we had a great time at the wedding and the weather was brilliant,Glad you are renewing the genes membership Dorothy,Fred you watch your self as well if you have now got bronchistis.We are shattered after the wedding so have not done much today,
LOVE BRENDA

goodmorning fred as usual you are a a wonderful gardner I feel I learn something from you all the time look forward toyou sorting out the phone and look forward to hearing from you again and when you recieve a new number I will be able to call you and liz, we had a weird evening and night we were under tornado warnings late in the evening and the sky was alive with the lightening and the the roar of the thunder the last time a tornado hit this area was about 25yrs ago I did not live here then but it caused havoc and great damage, I just put my head under the covers and went to sleep living on the 11th floor if a tornado hit not much I could do about it, woke up fine it is about 20c and will go down to 3c to-night it is the change in temperature that causes a problem, brenda glad you enjoyed the wedding have a good rest for a couple of days. bye for now dorothy

Afternoon troops ,Dorothy ,Brenda ,and Edith,where are you Gal he he,off galivanting again ,or are you dancing with that bear ,lol,pleased to hear that your snow was melting again and you are chomping at the bit ,and ready to get started on your herb garden.
The phone was sorted this morning,and i can now phone Canada/America ,and Australia/New zealand ,120 minutes a month for both.
The number yoy have Dorothy is the house phone number which we use all the time,and will be keeping anyway for phoning in the u/k and all incoming callsfrom outside if it/s cheaper for you.
I will bell you in the next few days which will give you my mobile number as well,so use which is cheaper for you ,lol.[the scot coming through again he he].
I will phone Brenda too,so you will both have the number [mobile ,and home].
I have finally got our Mary's number right too so i will call her tomorrow morning when it will be early in the afternoon in Oz,don't want to call when she is still counting Joey's jumping fences ,lol..
I am very glad i decided on sorting the back garden and early plantings first this last week ,because our weather is back to normal ,rain ,wind and chilling back down,which means i can now swap to greenhouse work which oi can do at any time ,and with plenty of seed sowing to do ,i am still plenty busy.
Glad the wedding went well ,Brenda ,but i reckoned it would tire you out somewhat so ,i hope the few days in June with us staying in Southport will give us a chance to meet up in better weather i reckon i owe you a cream tea.and i need a subject for the new camera [i have to use someone as a test piece don't i?
Well ,time to go and start the tea ,a little salad tonight with a jacket tattie methinks.
Take care all Fred.xxxx

Morning all,its grey and chilly here today ,hope it bucks up, I have loads of washing to get dry. David has left his bedding and uniforms in the kictchen for washing ,he is usually good and brings it more regular but has not brought it down for a few days !!!
Having trouble with my arthritis ,its affecting my left ankle and leg now and is painful at the minute,been to the doc s and was told take paracetamol for the pain and rub brufen gel on the painful parts,!!
Have managed to get about but very gingerly and with a funny limp!!
Hope you are all ok ,see you soon take care ,Brenda

Back again folks ,after seeing out the two lads who arrived early to put the extra layer of insulation in the loft,had to run the hoover over the floor straight away of course to get the dust off the floor,that on the missus's chest wouldn't do her any good at all.
I have just ordered the new Olympus battery off ebay ,a third of the price of the official Olympus price,and from a very well known battery maker,which will do me ,a spare in the case at al times ,that's me.
Sorry to hear that the leg is getting worse Brenda ,it's no joke as i know too well,having it in the right leg ,left ankle ,and both hips ,you will need to take the pain killers when it gets really bad,but have to learn to live with it worse luck.
I will call you over the next two days ,Dorothy too ,then you will both have my new number,but the new phone has sat nav ,and the internet on ,which will come in handy when in town anywhere.
I think i should write the recipe for the oven bottom pizzas down ,and have already taken a pic of them in case anyone asks for it.
My own today i added red pesto in with the puree .for a different taste,and with the caramalised onion ,cheese and chopped chicken breast ,plus a little wild garlic grass out of the herb garden ,they were really yummy.
I have managed to get a little more done in the garden today ,with both the bushes in where the tattie barrel was last season,the lumps of grass and dandelions taken out from under ,and between the rose garden cover plants,and the first batch of cabbage seeds in the greenhouse.
Away to do as little more work now ,be back later ,Fred

goodmorning up early to-day as they are coming in to clean the furnace and check the air conditioning as well they do each floor to-day it is my turn but you never know what time they will come and to move some furniture around, looks like a nice morning though we are in for rain for the next few days but maybe then the grass will green up, hope your leg feels better soon brenda just rest up and let the men do the laundry. look foreward to your new number fred though the home phone number suits me fine. have an evening 65th birthday get to-gether to-day the manager of this place is 65 to-morrow but is going away for the week-end so we will celebrate to-day up on the 14th floor cake and coffee etc. next week I have 2 family birthdays lindy on monday and Ian on thursday not sure yet when we will get to -gether and then easter will be up=on us. and after that the royal wedding my friend phone yesterday to firm up her plans she will come up the day before and we will go out for dinner then early to bed to be up for 3-30 -4am to get set to watch it all. can't help liking things like this I guess for me it is all the history of the past right back to 1066 british history was and still is a passion of mine. plus it is the one subject I did so well in at school I had a great teacher he made history class come alive I often think of mr atherton all these years later well time to hit the shower hoep myunit gets down early say about 9am as the tennis from monaco is on at 10am and our new canadian player is playing first I believe bye for now dorothy

Evening all.(again) just finished a message and have not got a clue where it has gone!!!
What a lovelly surprise to get your call with your new number Fred! Hope you managed the front garden ok,I am pleased we had what passes as our front garden gravelled over as nothing grows there anyway.Plus its only about 2foot wide by 6foot long!!!
Been to my sisters today and have a disc with some wedding photos .will email you a couple when i have them on the pc.
Hope the furnace man was on time and you enjoy your birthday celebrations tonight Dorothy,
Take care Brenda

Morning to all ,not so good here today ,coolish and overcast at the minute,but not to worry ,i have to go to Asda to pick up my buckets anyway,and then we will go to B &Qon the way home to see if i can get the new garden furniture cheaper than at B&M .
If it is still dry by the time we get home ,i will at least get the back lawn cut ,and the edges done,by which time it will be time to clear out the other tattie barrel.
The missus has found a new recipe for me to try ,so ,dinner today is baked eggs with spinach ,cheese ,and potato,it sounds nice ,and i will give it a go.
I did find my other cabbage seeds yesterday ,Ormskirk ,which is a very hardy breed out of Yorkshire,ideal for us peeps in the frozen north ,lol.so ,i will sow some this next week ready for planting out in May.
Going for a walk round my domain now ,but should be back later on ,all being well,Fred.

hi rain rain and more rain to-day but better than the white stuff I agree brenda it was great to have a call from fred with the new number hope liz is feeling better on the meds, the furnace man was on time and did a good job, and the evening for the managers birthday went well, was going to go to .t he library to-day but will put it off till the rain stops so will watch the semi finals from monaco. my sister tells me that a group of 20 of them will be going to the holy land may 9th -23 I hope they all stay safe I would not fancy going. hope you all have a great week-end bye for now dorothy

Afternoon all ,whaat a good mornings work i got in this a m, lawns ,and edges cut ,and the trimmings swept into piles waiting for the grandson to sweep up and put in the waste bin.
Chris has broken his old mobile phone ,so i have removed the sim card from my old but well used Nokia ,and given him that one ,so Dorothy ,Brenda ,and everyone else who is on my new phone ,you can delete the old number ,lol,the new one is now on blue tooth and connected to the car.
Looks like i got the new patio set erected just in time,because it looks like a shower or two is imminent .he he.
The new set is ideal for us ,four more chairs ,making 12 in all if we get company,a round glass topped table which will be easy to keep clean,and won't rust .lol.so we now have plenty of plate and bum space for B B Qs.and room between the tables for the wife's lounger ,in the shade when she wants it.up.
Glad to hear that the furnace has passed the M o T Dorothy,this is not the sort of thing you wan't breaking down at the back end of the year is it?,ours will be done in June by British gas .
Liz seems to be starting to improve ,and is a lot more active,with her colour returning thank goodness,i will be nagging HER in future if i even Begin to suspect that all is not well.
I am doing a Cottage pie for the dinner today which means it's time i was in the kitchen,catch you later people ,have a nice weekend.Fred.

hi a quick note we are having strong winds and snow yes snow squalls of the lake at the moment I cannot see past the balcony rail AWFUL. plus in calgary 4hrs away by plane my sister is digging out or more tot he point the condo people are digging out she is quite fed up with the snow. just watched the final from monaco lovely sunshine and great ocean view. now goiong to think about lunch and what to have for dinner later , hope it is better weather to-morrow bye for now dorothy

Hi Everyone,just a quick hello,still having problems with the leg ,seems to ease ,then get a bit worse,
been watching the football yesterday ,my son had gone to Wembley and was a a happy bunny ,John was at home and not so happy.He just hopes City win the cup now.Today he was watching the football from Wembly,the golf from Malaysia and the Aresanl Liverpool game,talk about muititasking.
We have had another brilliant day weather wise,hope it stays like this for a few days at least and for easter next weekend.
We have no plans for easter, I do not like going places when its a bank holiday ,everywhere is so packed.
Hope your weather gets better Dorothy,and you enjoyed your Cottage pie Fred. At the dentist first thing tomorrow ,see what he says about my broken tooth,
Brenda

Hi Everyone,lovelly weather agin today ,hope it is like this at easter.
Been to the dentist to have the broken tooth fixed ,but I am sure its come out as well.have to go for a proper check up ,but not til after the holiday so its no June,!!!Hope I do not have any more trouble.
Hope you all had a good weekend and are well and happy.
Take care Brenda

hi brenda thanks for the wedding photo's whose wedding was it? no snow to-day I went out this am in a parka big scarf and big gloves it was very cold, Lindy called me at noon to see if I wanted to join her and the children for dinner out she was not cooking as it is her birthday and andrew is in ottawa so usually he would cook a birthday dinner but I declined as I am now full of a cold and feel not so great and did not want to pass it on. so its under the covers for me lots of fluids and try and get rid of it fast there was a lot of sneezing going on the other night at the birthday evening so must have picked it up there. hope your tooth gets fixed brenda glad your boys enjoyed all the sports, I used to support city way back when and then dare I say it switched to united!! bye for now dorothy

Hi everyone, im a new addition to GR so thought i would say HELLO. Greetings from Liverpool on this lovely sunny morning!!!

Good morning all.and welcome to Genes ,Sally.You will find everyone very friendlyon here.
Hope you are feeling better Dorothy,shame you caught the cold now ,I expect you would have enjoyed the family meal.You get better and enjoy the next family meal when Andrew is home even more,
I would think Fred is out in the garden with this brilliant weather ,still a bit chilly but looks really sunny and warm,!!
Hoping to get a few jobs done on my car this week,it passed the MOT but I was told a couple of jobs need sorting before long.
My leg is still painfull and i have tried all sorts.Need it right for the holiday.
had an email from the travel company ,sending me the documents to print off for the holiday,so will do that later when I have finished my emails and messages.
Speak to you soon ,Brenda

Thank you Brenda im sure i will. Bye for now.

Thankyou for the wellcome Fred, just being polite with the Liverpool bit ha. I dont have a garden myself just a yard. I do have some plants in my yard, but we don't get much sun. Thankfully there is a Park across the way, which is great for our children. Hope your not worn out, gardening can be hard work!.................. Bye for now.