General Chat

goodmorning I awoke to the sound of thunder etc. and a very balck sky then the heavens opened and we had quite the down pour now about 2hrs later the sky is blue and the sun is coming out, as barrie has a big craft show at the waterfront this week-end I am glad it stopped as the crafters come from far and wide and put on a great show but very expensive I don't go anymore parking is impossible and when it is hot it is too hot for me, hope you enjoy the books brenda I got a good one from the library the other day that I had been waiting for by S.J.Bolton she is a good mystery writer it is called now you see me this is her fourth book she grew up in lancashire and now lives in oxford, one of those writers that you want to hurry up and get their next book finished.glad you had a good time in bury and rest up the leg. well that is it for me to-day just going to have a lazy day I think so bye for now dorothy

Hi all lovelly weather again here.Got my books from the library, so have a good selection to go at.
Had a short walk round our local market,but the leg was not liking it (,mind you did well yesterday.so can not complain,) so did not stay long.mind you it was sooo hot as well.
Got home and had a nice ICE LOLLOY ages since I have had one but david brought some in from work enjoyed that a lot.
Take care and have a good weekend
Brenda

Hi all lovelly weather again here.Got my books from the library, so have a good selection to go at.
Had a short walk round our local market,but the leg was not liking it (,mind you did well yesterday.so can not complain,) so did not stay long.mind you it was sooo hot as well.
Got home and had a nice ICE LOLLOY ages since I have had one but david brought some in from work enjoyed that a lot.
Take care and have a good weekend
Brenda

Evening folks,have had agreat day at Bury market,have probably overdone it again, but have taken a couple of pain killers,and sat with my legs up.
The sun was shineing and it was busy ,as usual.My firnda and I wandered round the pound shop and the indoor market,Had a nice cup of tea and a bacon barmcake there,which went down really well with all of us.There is a lovelly big new pound shop just at the side of the indoor market,it 's where the fish market used to be Dorothy.It was so busy I did not fancy the queues so we gave that one a miss.Same thing with the cheese stall.,my friend would have liked a couple of small peices of cheese but did not want to wait.
We got some fruit and veg ,and my friend got some great birthday cards.My other friend got some hanging file thingys for her file box,and a few packets of her favourite biscuits from the pound shop.
Fred you sound like you are all ready for the visitors hope it all goes well.we have managed to have lunch on our patio a few times this week as well as a few cups of tea/coffe while reading our books.
Sounds like you are going to busy later this year Dorothy,I am sure you will enjoy it all.
Johns just brewed up so I had better drink my tea.
Hope you all have a good weekend.
Take care Brenda.
The tram ride there was packed but coming home was ok.
going to the library tomorrow three of the books I ordered are in.,then going over to one of my neices as its her birthday.
John wants to go to the garden center on Sunday as he has decided to get a few gold fish to go in the pond with the koi carp,I might see about a couple of shrubs as we have no bedding plants this yesr,or hanging baskets!!!

Evening folks,have had agreat day at Bury market,have probably overdone it again, but have taken a couple of pain killers,and sat with my legs up.
The sun was shineing and it was busy ,as usual.My firnda and I wandered round the pound shop and the indoor market,Had a nice cup of tea and a bacon barmcake there,which went down really well with all of us.There is a lovelly big new pound shop just at the side of the indoor market,it 's where the fish market used to be Dorothy.It was so busy I did not fancy the queues so we gave that one a miss.Same thing with the cheese stall.,my friend would have liked a couple of small peices of cheese but did not want to wait.
We got some fruit and veg ,and my friend got some great birthday cards.My other friend got some hanging file thingys for her file box,and a few packets of her favourite biscuits from the pound shop.
Fred you sound like you are all ready for the visitors hope it all goes well.we have managed to have lunch on our patio a few times this week as well as a few cups of tea/coffe while reading our books.
Sounds like you are going to busy later this year Dorothy,I am sure you will enjoy it all.
Johns just brewed up so I had better drink my tea.
Hope you all have a good weekend.
Take care Brenda.
The tram ride there was packed but coming home was ok.
going to the library tomorrow three of the books I ordered are in.,then going over to one of my neices as its her birthday.
John wants to go to the garden center on Sunday as he has decided to get a few gold fish to go in the pond with the koi carp,I might see about a couple of shrubs as we have no bedding plants this yesr,or hanging baskets!!!

goodmorning I was awakend this am about 6am to the sound of water bashing on the windows what a downpour long over due though and 3 hrs later it is still pouring down the sky is black but it is supposed to dry up this afternoon and it is amazing how fast that can happen, I dashed out on the balcony and moved the flowers back the bowls they sit in where swamped, glad you are all ready for your company fred good luck with it all. no frantic calls from my daughter in law this week so far so I am hoping that Laura has been behaving this week. at the end of august my friend isobelle wil be up to visit for the 2nd week of the u.s. open tennis and mya be staying for 10days so I will have to plan some menu's and then my sister has decided to come in october for 2 weeks but one of those weeks she will spend with friends in toronto so something to look foreward too. in spite of the rain I can see that the highway up to the cottage country is full of cars with boats behind them the forecast for the week-end is supposed to be good well time for me to go bye for now dorothy

Morning all you happy campers ,no matter where you live ,or what you are at today. :-).
Hi Dorothy ,or should i say grandma Dorothy he he ,yes ,we too have the same sort of thing with my youngest sons two daughters Jordan ,and Sophie,they call it growing up hormones over here ,but at least my lot know how far they can push dad ,and grandad ,which isn't very far ,lol,these two ,thankfully are reasonably sensible ,and do come home at the stipulated time.maybe because their dad is not very forgiving if they try it on too far.
We have had a good sort out in the spare rooms ,cupboards cleaned out wardrobes ditto ,leaving plenty of space for the arrival of the brood on Tuesday next week,and all the clutter has been taken down the road to the clothes recycle plant where it will all get sorted for distribution to the third world.
Brenda seems to be getting out and about too ,,Bury market is always a pull to anyone living in the area ,and i now having visited ,can do a Dorothy ,he he,close the old peepers and visualise the scenes ,and all the hustle and bustle,and smell the cheeses and the meat stalls with all the pies ,ham's and other products :-D.
Ah well ,Newcastle's Grainger market is a poor substitute ,but it will have to do:-\.
Think i had better get on here ,i am getting the hard looks from the females of the house,one wanting a hand with something or other,the other waanting me out with my coffee onto the patio table ,sigh,a husbands work is never done he he,catch you later all ,Fred :-D..

morning all,another sunny day here,hope it lasts .Sorry about Andrew and Lindys problems with Laura ,my brother and his wife had similar problems with my neice a few years ago. They could not get help from anywhere,they would only get help if she got in any sort of trouble ,but no help to STOP her getting in trouble!!! ..She settled down some what but still gave them headaches being in two bad relation ships,she is an unmarried mother of two and now regrets not staying at school and finishing her education. and has encouraged her own daugther to stay on and go to college .
The other three siblings hardly gave my bother and his wife any problems think they could see how not to behave from their sister.
Hope they can sort it out soon,
And that freds problems are getting better.
Of to do the weekly shop ,so that will be a challenge ,it being the school holidays.!!
Take care Brenda

hi one and all I went out this am to get my hair cut but when I got in the car I thought something is not right at first I could not think what it was and this was before starting it, anyway after finding the rear view mirror on the floor I realized that the heat had melted the seal, so I did go and buy a kit to put it back on quite cheap really 1-50pence in total and my friends husband has put it back on quite strange driving without it so I was not out long. sorry to hear that you are having some family problems fred Ihope all improves soon but you are not alone andrew and lindy are having a tough time with laura(14) hanging with an older crowd not coming home for days calling in before the 48hrs that you can call the police and have them look for her,I could just spank her but of course then you can be charged with asault the law seems to be on the kids side, I have not mentioned this before as I have been very upset and quite angry with her, but she did come home this week-end for supper only to leave again for the night. apparently she is planning on going to camp with Ian I don't think that she deserves to go it costs 1300 dollars for each child, but as a grandma you walk a fine line, lindy is not tough enough on her I think and when andrew clamps down then that causes problems, boys are easier I think to bring up hopefully this is a phase she will grow out of.apart from that we had a nice cool night for sleeping las night 2 days of rain ahead and then the hot weather and humidity comes back, take care bye for now dorothy

Afternoon folks,weather really good again.should have been out withfriends but it has been postponed,due to various things.So Ihave spent the time sorting out my paper work in my file and got rid of some more junk.
Glad its cooled down for you Dorothy ,and wish you could come over perhaps then all three of us could meet at the cheese stall and then go and have a cuppa somewhere nice.!! now thats a thought.
Sorry you have some problems Fred,hope you can get them sorted.We might be in frnt with the spuds but we are well behind you with what you manage to grow.!!! think you do really well.with the space you have.
We are on sausage and home grown potaoes tonight with onion gravy will not mash the spuds they do not need it.
Was going to have a go at making a victoria sponge ,but could not find my sponge tins or the receipe as it was a "light " one.sort of a swiss roll that is fat less .!!
Take care
Brenda

Afternoon peoples ,sorry to be a bit late today ,but i'm afraid we have family troubles here meaning that we will have to take the daughter and her two bairns for a while,and iit is going to be a bit crowded,lol
.Nice to hear that you are reaping the rewards of your own growing crops Brenda ,we won't be far behind you with the tatties ,but we will be putting ours under clamps for use in late autumn when they usually become dearer.
Other than that we now have cabbage ,beans of all three sorts,and courgettes ,cucumbers and beetroot ready for use.
Still awaiting the ripening of our plums and apples to go with the rhubarb,and strawberries ,but ,there will be no Nectarine until next year,unless i buy some more ,lol.
That's about it for now ,so much to prepare for next weeks arrivals on Tuesday ,what a pity now ,that we got rid of the caravan ,he he ,it would have come in handy about now.
Catch you later all ,Fred. :-)

hi isee gene's is acting up again three of the same messages from brenda hope you do get to bury on friday always glad to hear that, we have had a couple of nights with storms during the night which has sent the humidity away so to-day was on the cooler side with a lovely breeze. all this talk of bury and fleetwood tends to make me homesick you would think that I would get over it after 54yrs here, I looked up some flight prices on line nothing like teasing ones self I do know that the doctor won't let me fly but I can dream I would so like to be at anne's gling to the marktet up to cumbria and a week trip to windsor I guess I will have to win the big lottery and then I could charter a private plane and maybe that would be ok. the remaining 2 grand children go to camp next monday this week-end is a holiday week-end (bank holiday) andrew is acting vice president for his company for the next 2 weeks I was teasing him saying well of course you are going to get big bucks for that he said a very loud no! just the headaches.good experiance though I would think. of shopping to-morrow I need to find a birthday gift for andrew his birthday is the 8th of august and my friend isobelle's is the 23 out of ideas at the moment. well time for me to go and make a coffee and decide what evening tv. program to watch bye for now dorothy

Morning folks,weather has been good over the last few days ,and is supposed to be good the rest of the week.
Hope it is dry and warm,I am out with my friends tomorrow ,might have lunch depends where they ar thinking of going as I still have to watch how far I have to walk .Think I over did it again a bit on Saturday with the market and then walking back from my hair dressers in the afternoon.
I might be out to Bury again on Friday another of my friends is on holiday this week and she loves Bury and can only get to the market when she is on holiday ,she has been round the shops on her day of but prefers the market.
Glad the drive out was good for you Dorothy,enjoy the jam.
Fred we are using our own spuds this week they are great ,the courgettes are coming on as well as the tomatoes ,
Have a few photos to scan and email to Oz so I better get get on
take care Brenda.

Morning folks,weather has been good over the last few days ,and is supposed to be good the rest of the week.
Hope it is dry and warm,I am out with my friends tomorrow ,might have lunch depends where they ar thinking of going as I still have to watch how far I have to walk .Think I over did it again a bit on Saturday with the market and then walking back from my hair dressers in the afternoon.
I might be out to Bury again on Friday another of my friends is on holiday this week and she loves Bury and can only get to the market when she is on holiday ,she has been round the shops on her day of but prefers the market.
Glad the drive out was good for you Dorothy,enjoy the jam.
Fred we are using our own spuds this week they are great ,the courgettes are coming on as well as the tomatoes ,
Have a few photos to scan and email to Oz so I better get get on
take care Brenda.

Morning folks,weather has been good over the last few days ,and is supposed to be good the rest of the week.
Hope it is dry and warm,I am out with my friends tomorrow ,might have lunch depends where they ar thinking of going as I still have to watch how far I have to walk .Think I over did it again a bit on Saturday with the market and then walking back from my hair dressers in the afternoon.
I might be out to Bury again on Friday another of my friends is on holiday this week and she loves Bury and can only get to the market when she is on holiday ,she has been round the shops on her day of but prefers the market.
Glad the drive out was good for you Dorothy,enjoy the jam.
Fred we are using our own spuds this week they are great ,the courgettes are coming on as well as the tomatoes ,
Have a few photos to scan and email to Oz so I better get get on
take care Brenda.

Morning all ,from a nice sunny Newcastle ,where the Badger has snuffled out a good four heads of Calabrese ,he he ,we have now four bags down in the freezer ,yeeees, the first of the new season in stock for the winter. :-).
Got the first pick off the runners too and we are having those for dinner,with mash,onions and liver ,in a rich gravy,yum.
The plums ,and apples will be a few weeks yet ,but in the mean time the Rhubarb is veeeery tasty ,done in a crumble ,yum again.
I have one Courgette that i have left on the plant ,so i think i will cut hat off one day this week ,and split ,and stuff it for a nice fat free dinner.
Have to go for now ,i have the rest of the veg' to get on for the dinner.and the cat to see to ,as usual ,lol,love her to bits ,but she can be a pest once i turn the cooker on ,he he.
Catch you later this afternoon ,it being a stay at home day .,Fred.

hi one and all yes I did enjoy my trip out yesterday bought some nice produce and some red currant jam I have never seen it over here before in fact I thought red currants did not grow here show how wrong I was, then lorraines husband drove further up norrh to big shute where there is a big lift that takes boats from one lake up and across the road and deposits them in the next lake quite interesting to watch it held three big power boats at one time fred you sould look it up on line you might find it interesting, brenda glad you enjoyed the evening out and your drink of choice sounded great also your trip to the market sounded great, I have ot done much to-day it was a bit cooler but now the heat and humidity is back. so shall sign off for now bye dorothy

Morning Fred and Dorothy,hope your trip to the farm was productive Dorothy, saw loads of great veggies at Bury yesterday beautiful caulis and cabbage and carrots ,as well as great fruit,would have bought them had I not got a freezer full already,we are using a lot of veggies at the moment ,so I am hoping they will have some just as good when we go next time,will also have to treat myself to some cheese ,as they sell small amounts I will not over indulge.!! Cheese is a favourite of mine and Johns and we have been doing well not having too much ..
Fred I am glad you mentioned the slugs we have been over run with them and have been looking for something else to use on them besides the slug pellets because of the cats , Hope you are taking some time to sit and enjoy your garden with Liz and Hissy??
We had a brilliant night last night with my family,the ,eal at the steak house was wonderful ,and we went back to my brothers for a drink afterwards,Did not get home till after 1am !!! I was driving soo was drinking an old favourite of lime with soda and ice and lemon ,had almost fprgotten how refreshing it is,
john is up now and gone for papers so beter start the bacn sandwiches ,our Sunday breakfast treat !!
Have a nice weekend Take care brenda

Morning all ,Hope you enjoyed your little trip out Dorothy ,a local farm where you can buy these sorts of products ,sounds good to me ,and of course ,it is locally produced ,and FRESH,def' the sort of place to go.and with any luck they either produce their own poultry stuff too ,or are working with another farm in the area swapping produce to help each other trade.
Your trip to Bury was productive Brenda, we do have a good market here ,but it is nowhere nearly as colourful as yours ,and not half the size ,i only managed to see it twice but still find it a miss,the cheese stall being the best ,small it may be ,but so many cheeses from around the world ,and so many smells from same ,wafting in the air,bliss. :-).
Lovely morning here ,and i have been out back already giving my veggies a systemic spray to kill any nasties that try laying eggs ,or try chewing into the leaves, i use systemic ,because the rain can't wash it off ,and four sprays over the season gives complete protection.
I am having bother with slugs too ,because of the wet season ,but have found dropping copper sulphate around the plants works well,and this stuff won;t harm the soil ,or pets. ;-).
Hope everybody is having a good weekend and is keeping cool ,or warm ,where ever you are in the world.
Take care all ,Fred. :-D

goodmorning glad to hear the trip to the market went well brenda and I am sure that you will look great at the gathering this evening you must be very proud of your sister , I can see the fish and meat hall in my minds eye as I write this, as usual fred you have been very busy with the hedges etc but how great that you don't have to wait for your trip to fleet wood for the black pudding, I gather from bryan that the nail has not come off the thumb as yet his dad and grand father will be driving up in a couple of hrs to bring him home for his 30 hr leave he has to be picked up between 1pm and 1-30,just stopped writing to answer the phone and my neighbour and her husband are going up to orilla about an hour from here one of the local farms I guess has a store and bakery her husband found it on line lots of local veg for sale and a bakery so they asked if I would like to go along so I said yes kind of a nice surpise so I better go and hit the shower and make myself presentable enjoy the rest of the week-end bye for now dorothy