General Chat

That sounds like an airport version of musical chairs Brenda but i bet it wasn't in the least amusing to anyone caught up in it.i know i wouldn't have been best pleased.
Yesterday morning ,having seen the projected weather forecast for the end of the week ,we decided to go out and top the shopping up.
We found a lovely piece of irish Topside of beef ,which i thought was very apt seeing as we intended to corn it ,for Christmas,and also found a beutiful piece of gammon ,both half price ,so we were well pleased.
We also found one of these new electric frying pans with a glass lid ,useful for many dishes ,and very controllable via heat & timer settings,which will save me standing over the cooker for longish periods.
The new B &M store is now open just up the road ,so we called in there on the way home,where we found a lovely lightshade and matching king duvet cover for the second bedroom,
We finished off topping up on veggies and came home ,giving me time to get the brine mix ready for the beef before going to bed,and getting it in the fridge.
The greenhouse [aka ] Marys Chalet ,is now stowed out with veggies of all types,where they will stay ,half frozen and fresh until needed over Christmas.
Just as well we decided to go because when i got up this morning it was snowing a day early ,But to heck with it ,Liz and i are battened down ,snug and warm ,so it can do as it likes ,we care NOT ,lol.
My son got caught by one of these insurance scam people two days ago ,swerving in front of him and slamming the brakes on to cause a collision,to claim damage on his insurance,thus putting up everyones insurance while these muppets make big money.
I have decided that isn't for me and have sent for two insurance video cameras for the car to cover front and back of my car.
These cameras do a 24 7 of the front and back of the car in recorded video with date and time stamped data on screen.
The video from these cameras is admissible in court,and can be used by the police on the scene to see who is to blame the cards fitted into the police car camera to store the evidence.
£80 well spent for the peace of mind i reckon,and i notice that a friend of mine who has them fitted says the difference is amazing because drivers who see the rear camera ,stay well back and don't tailgate and ditto on the front ,drivers realising that their driving ,good ,or bad is being recorded.
Made a lovely red Thia Curry for dinner ,and made a nice pot of Celery and carrot soup for tea.
Off to heat it up ,so i am off for now ,catch you later ,Fred

Hi fred and many thanks for keeping things going while I was away on holiday,.
We had a great time weather was very mixed at first but from Thursday it was brilliant.Mind you we nearly did not get there,we boarded the plane and got away on time,then were told of the strike by Spanish air traffic control which the Canraian control people had noe joined!!! They hoped they would let us land ,but no we got turned round for home,then a half hour later we got told they had changed their minds and we could go back ,then they said no we are striking and you can not land ,so bavk we came!!! They kept us at the airport for 3 hours gave us food vouchers and then sent us home to go back sunday morning,!!!!!! luckily we did not have far to go others had miles so stayed in hotels near by others stayed in the airport as they did not have money for hotels.
Sunday was ok no problems at all they had a special checkin desk for us as we did not have any outward tickets,but things went alright.and we took off on time.The weather was really wet each day from sunday to Wednesday but from thursday it was great and we had a good holiday.
Coming home from our friends at 12,30 am John said the car wasn;t driving right and pulled over to fine he had a slow punture ,we couldn't do much last night and today he has been phoning round to get it done,So it was not a good end to the holiday,!!!
Now I have the washing to do and things to sort for christmas.!! Also have to start the tea which is a cottage pie. See you all tomorrow, Brenda

Thought i had better rescue this thread ,before it goes into the wide blue yonder ,he he ,peeps must be really busy getting ready for the holiday season.
I cleared the rest of the path outside the house of ice yesterday to make things easier for people getting to the bridge over the A 1 ,
Now i have a proper shovel for the snow ,with the ice out of the way ,i can do the path and drive daily to make it easier for all and sundry ,and giving me a daily workout ,lol.
The weather worldwide is going really crazy now .even Egypt is having flooding and storms,unheard of for many years,and the high winds and sandstorms have killed many ,and destroyed lots of homes and buildings.
We are off out to restock the larder and fuel stores,possibly for the last time before the return of the snow ,and arctic weather ,so i really must bite the bullet today and find my corning beef so that i can get it started off.
Hope everyone in this country is well prepared this time for the coming weather ,and if anyone is stranded up the north east ,there is a bed here if needed,just give me a holla.Fred.

Heeeelooooo,anybody there,or are you all hiding under the blankets? he he.
We woke up late this morning to a day alight with sunshine [yippee] and despite a light smothering of fresh snow on top of the old ,it looks like a gentle thaw has started .
Things must be improving ,,lol,the bin collection restarted here this morning for the first time in nearly three weeks ,and blow me down if the recycle men were round haalf an hour later ,he he ,things are looking up .i may even get away to Wiltshire after all if the thaw keeps up.
I got in touch with vodaphone yesterday and said i was cancelling my broadband dongle ,because it was so slow it was a joke ,to be told that their dongle was much faster than anyone elses ,to which i replied Piffle .T Mobile is three times faster in at least three areas ,Cornwall ,Blackpool .and the North East,not to mention,Wiltshire.
Funny that when i got in touch again three hours later to confirm cancellation ,it was to find it had suddenly become much faster lots faster ,,hmmmmm ,too late fellas ,lol
I decided to have the day o from heavy cooking today ,and knocked up a little shepherds pie ,which in itself is big enough to do two meals [nice] and did some spring cabbage and calabrese to go with it.
Other than that ,nothing much going on here,so i will go and do a little dusting,catch you later all,Fred.

Morning all ,brrrrr,well ,that's it folks ,we are well and truly stuck up here ,the roads are a frozen mess ,even the A 1 and the A 69 about impassable once night approaches,our estates roads are a no go area ,not even the binmen ,or any heavy delivery lorries even trying to drive on them [wish now i had got a 4x4 ,he he.
Fred and liz are well prepared though ,having got wind of bad weather on the way from watching the animals ,birds ,and the trees for a couple of months,[being ex -country bumpkins] ,lol.
We are VERY well stocked up on everything ,so ,the weather can do it's worst ,we have battened down the hatches ,put the battle bus to bed ,and are hibernating until things improve .
Hope our Brenda got away okay ,and isn't sitting in Manchester departure lounge,swearing revenge on Santa claus ,he he,with any luck ,she will get stranded over there instead ,at lest she will be in a warmer climate.
The last thing i did was fill the battle bus up to the brim with diesel last weekend,so we have enough fuel to take us 800 miles plus so the weather can do it's worst..Have to go and get on with the dinner ,a nice piece of irish beef ,pounced on in Tesco just as it was being marked down on reductions ,lol.a nice little 3 lb piece for £1-95 p just the ticket for a slow oven roast,with spring cabbage from Devon ,reduced too ,39 p.and a few other veggies that were in the same tray.including spears of Asparagus ,for £1 20 ,can't be bad .
I notice that the novelty of the snow has worn off .lol,now i have to bodily eject the cat ,to make her go out for exercise ,he he ,the looks i get as i shut the door ,lol.the i don't love you any more sort that they do so well ,eeee,i issss hard on her he he.
I was astounded yesterday when next doors ourside garden pipe burst ,and i had to struggle next door to warn the ladies eldest son it was spewing water all over the place.
He then said that when his bro put the pipe in ,he didn't put a stop cock on it ,so i said well ,turn it off at the mains till you can fix it.,and then he said ,wish i could but Shriber fitted our new units last week ,and closed off the stop cock behind the new sink unit,well ,my mouth dropped open ,what a clanger for a so called proffesional firm to make. i ask you ..
I told him to rip through the back ,then threaten the firm with health and safety if thery didn't come out and refit the unit properly,tis a breach of the law to block any ancillary controls ,be it water ,gas or electric.So i suggest ,if anyone is thinking having new units fitted ,use a different company to do the job .lol,i wouldnt touch them with a bargepole ,and would opt for the clowns. from Bertram Mills Circus first .
Hope all are snug and warm this weekend,be care full everyone ,and if you have to go out ,take skies or a sledge with you,and have fun at the same time ,,Fred.

Well we are all packed and ready to go ,just hope the snow holds off so we can at least get to the airport and take off!!
Hope it doesn't last too long over here and you will all be back to normal very quick;y what ever normal is!!
Will try and get on a pc when away we know a few places near the hotel.
Take care stay well and warm
Brenda
ps if I don't get on I am back dec 14th late at night so will be on DEc 15th

Hi everyone,its still snowy outside and the wind is bitterly cold,had to go out for a few bits and peices today mainly credit for the phones for the holiday,manchester airport is still open up to now,but we are keeping an eye on the weather reports and the airport website.We have to leave home at 3,30 am to go to leave the car at our friends and we go to the airport in their car its booked on the car park,then we get a shuttle bus to the terminal,I don't think its worth going to bed and might curl up on the sofa.but John says we need some proper sleep even if its 4 hours,
Glad you are all stocked up for hibernating!! and home the weather clears for you to goto your grandsons.
Better get my horlicks now .Speak tomorrow
Brenda

Hi Brenda ,i spent another 1& a half hours on the drive and road this morning so that i could get the car out and go to the docs ,shopping and going to a local garage on the way home to get a snow shovel they promised to keep for me [they had ,so at least it will be a good bit easier now.
By the time we got home at one ,we found we were just in time ,inches of snow on the drive again ,and i just managed to get the car back in to it's slot as the heavens opened ,lol.
I have enough stuff now to do two weeks with ease ,so to hell with it ,Fred is thinking of hiberating with the hedgehogs and bears ,he he.
We were a bit late home today so had a quick lunch of 2 boiled eggs apiece ,with a couple of slices of bread,one of my favourite mid day meals ,always easy to digest ,and always very tasty.
I found 4 lonely sausages in the freezer whilst putting away the shopping,so it looks like a small mixed grill,sausages ,plum tomatoes,black pudding.egg,bacon ,and a little bubble and squeek,just the job for a winter night.
We dids find some mushrooms on offer ,2 kilos for 90 p,and two huge celery bunches,so i reckon we will be soup making at the end of the week ,lol,it's taken a hell of a hammering over the last few days,and we are running low.
This is turning out to be the worst winter [so far] since 1956 /57,and it's early days yet ,and iv'e had to warn the grandson ,not to be suprised if we don't get down to wiltshire before the new year,if it keeps up like this.
One good thing has come of the weather this week ,and this morning ,i feel pretty confident in the new car on ice and snow ,it behaved very well ,far better than the Note we had ,and with the heavy diesel engine over the drive wheels ,it stuck to the road very well.
I am away upstairs now to shut the windows and batten down the hatches ,lol,the expected wind has started ,and is blowing the white stuff all over the place ,am i glad i don't have to go out again today.
catch you all later ,Fred.

Hello to everyone ,well Fred the snow certianly arrived here alright ,can't say its as bad as yours but it is still causing some problems. Think it was a bit heavier last night than Sunday /Monday night and its snowing as we speak.
John as been out to take the bins and struggled to pull them througth the snow!! Just hope the bin men make it round. The recycle people have been and they have the same sort of wagon .!!
Glad we don't have a drive at times like this Fred,Some shopas have been selling those wide plastis snow shovlels they want a tennner for them,!!
Think its a nice chicken casserole or curry for tea with some home made leek and potato soup for lunch ,might bake a couple of apples for afters as well. Have done a lot of my packing just hope its as warm as we are used to in Tenerife, John has checked the weather reports for there and its a bit on the cool side.!!!
Have all my cards written out and put stamps on to post them just need to get to the post office/box.
Going for a coffe I think now as this room is feeling a lot cooler.it needs to have the radiator bleed!!.
Hope to be back before my holidays .Take care stay safe and warm.
Brenda

Fred is now indoors thawing his toes out ,brrrrrrr,job done ,back knackered ,and a good foot off snow removed from the top of the car ,the drive ,and the paths twice in under three days.
Having taken my coat off ,and sat down with a cup of hot tea ,it is now snowing heavily again ,grrrrrr ,but i don't care ,it won't get done again today no matter what.
All the veggies in use now ,apart from the red onions which i liberated from the greenhouse an hour ago ,are from the shops ,stockpiled because i knew we were in trouble with the weather last week,by own veggies are under a 2 ft + blanket of the white stuff ,and no way am i digging those out as well ,lol,the brussel, 4 ft tall i can just see a hump in the snow where the heads of the plants are,but at least the plants are nice and warm under their blanket,he he.
Have to go ,the wife has made a lovely ,warming cheese bake for dinner ,which smells amazing ,back later Fred.

Fred is on snow clearing detail,with over a foot of snow on the drive and paths,,normal service will be resumed as soon as possible lol .xxxxx

Hi Fred and anyone else who loooks in. No snow again to day I am pleased to say ,I kept thinking about you the last few days Fred ,its not looking good on the Tv in your neck of the woods.
Have not heard from Dorohty today but there is a time difference,do you have her email adress Fred as she can not get GR at all ,so would not get any messages sent via genes.
Been out for the Shed roofing felt so John has all the gear to do the sheds when he is ready to go weather permitting of cousre.
Also did a little bit of christmas shopping,for Johns side takes him ages to decide but when he does it does it all in record time.Or rather Igo and get them for him!!!
The cats have been actully sat on the radiators the last few nights and want to be up on your shoulder never mind your laps.
Have a nice peice of Brisket doing the the oven for tomorrow to have with boiled potatoes cabbage ,carrots and butterbeans.plus the gravy from the meat ,yum! Tonight its a small grilled steak with tomatoes ,mushrooms and onions.Without chips for a change.!!! Better go and get a cuppa tea before staring on my christmas car5ds want to get them out before the holidays. Take care ,Brenda

Morning Brenda he he ,wow ,am i glad i dug the car out and went shopping to stock up on longlife milk ,bread ,flour and the like ,by the time we got back home ,i managed [just ] to get the car ,arse first back into the drive ,because it had been snowing while we were out.
This morning we couldn't even see the road out front ,and i couldn't even see any tyre tracks in the snow,so ,i have left the car tucked up in bed ,and there it will stay .lol,no need to go out for over a week ,as we even have flour and yeast in case we have to make our own bread.
my daft son still went down to Reading in it early this morning and i have warned him ,with an unproved car for snow travel ,no way am i going long distance in this on rescue missions,break down ,and you are on your own,like it or lump it.
We are having tomporrows dinner today and to hell with Sunday lunch ,i am doing a fresh 2 kilo chicken ,home made stuffing .roast tatties ,onions,parsnips,along with sprouts ,cabbage,and swede,mash ,and a lovely onion gravy.
A sort of practice Christmas dinner so to speak ,seeing as the wife has promised to make us a nice cheese bake instead of the chicken tomorrow.
Can't see the moggy ,she was outside in the back next to the greenhouse when the sun caused all the snow to slide off the roof ,.lol,she is covered ,poor cat ,i could more or less hear her howl and spit from here ,he he better not laugh at her when she comes in or she is liable to attack me ,lol,like most cats ,she dosn't like anyone taking the mickey.
I stuck with virginMedia Brenda ,when i threatened to leave them last year over the rising prices ,they put me on a loyalty bonus ,which means i get the medium package ,10 meg broadband ,and phone calls for the price of the basic bundle,which does me.
The grandson went with Sky ,but despite all the promises ,the service is very iffy and poor quality compared to what i have.
Thank the Lord we got the tumble dryer when we did ,it'd been a godsend in this weather ,gone are the days when we put the laundry out ,and got it back in wetter than it went out,or frozen stiff ,or both .
Time to go and check the dinner ,hope everybody is having a good weekend ,and is staying in the warm,Fred.

Hi everyone,hope you and Liz are keeping warm and cosy Fred,its cold down here so you must be freezing at least we have not got any snow......yet!
Dorothy still waiting for Gr to sort out her problems we need to email her to chat to her!!She has not had any snow yet but her sister in another part of Canada has,.
Know what you mean apart cutting back Fred,I am stopping my Subcriptions to my monthly family tree magazine,and will have to choose between keeping either Ancestry or find my past as I can not have them both ,they are due to renew at the end of the year.Might do them both as I am not having much joy with my tree.might leave it alone now..
I only have one pay as you go phone with tesco which has been ok up to now.
Have to start thinking on the car ,which I do not really want to give up but that can wait till March..
john wants to downsize the cable tv package we have ,but by loosing a couple of things we don't really save much we would also loose some " free"channels .Might look at one of those price comparison sites re broadband.!!!
Sylvia has let me know she has made a christmas cake from the delia Smith recipe I sent her Mine are all waiting to be marizipaned ,they are being fed Brandy each week!!
John has made me a cuppa so I had better go and get it.
Take care
brenda.

Morning all ,from the frozen north [as my sister always called north of Manchester .lol]
Gardening Brenda ??? ,don't think i will be doing that for a few days at least ,we woke up to snow here and it's plurrrry freezin' to put it mildly,and it's stay indoors weather ,he he.
No way am i doing any more decorating till spring ,starting with the hall and stairs,because A i have had enough ,and B because i intend having a new carpet laid on the passages and stairs,and won't be painting after that goes down.
I have been looking at my outgoings ,and have decided to pare back a tad ,the vodaphone broadband dongle is going ,useless compared to the T Mobile one i use all the time when i am away now.
The 3 mobile phone is going too ,i am keeping the vodaphone pay as you go ,and the orange phones that we both have,so that will save me £20 a month,and when the T mobile contract runs out in April.that goes too ,saving another £27 a month,but i will have to take the dongle on as a pay as you which will cost only around £30 a year.
Yes Dorothy ,we go out for a meal once in a while ,but we go for a chinese ,or indian buffet ,where you just go and choose what you want from the big serveries,filling your plate as many times as you wish.
What a shame about the mine disaster in New Zealand ,the second explosion putting paid to any hope of survivors,it brings it home as to how dangerous all mining is ,wether it be coal ,tin,or whatever,i am glad that no family members of mine are employed in mining these days the one remaining member is in Australia and long retired.
.Well i think it's about that time of year ,time for brekkie ,[ now ,where did i put the porridge oats?,Catch you later Fred.

Hope everyone is ok ,its a bit like the Marie celeste here now!!! Dorothy I know is having GR problems ,Sylvia is not well and I expect Fred is in the middle of his garden or painting.
weather cold again but my friend and I sat outside a little cafe while we had a cuppa this afternoon,so she could have a cigarette and it wasn't that bad ,mind you it was in a little corner.
Hope everyone is ok take care Brenda

Well it looks lovely outside but is bitterly cold ,hope that white stuff hasn't come youway yet Fred.
Been doing some birthday cards on Moon pig for our friend who is 65 while we are away.Also been on the phone to my firend but just sitting about now for an hour has made me chilly better get on with som house work and then think about a spot of lunch .
Take care and keep warm everyone .Brenda

HI All,another grey cold day here ,but i have plenty to do to keep moving and warm
thanks for the advise on the dryer Fred.
Doroothy has phoned me to say she is having alot of trouble getting on to Genes ,so may have to just email us. Any ideas what she can do fred???
I have been sorting out the travel insurance and just got it sorted.Need to go and check on the dinner now .Be back tomorrow. Brenda

Evening all ,and Brenda,the weather i was on about is supposed to hit the north ,and the east of the country towards the end of next week,so over in the west ,you should be fine,hopefully.
The computer is now up and running ,after i stripped out all the programme files and started again with a [raw ] install of the hard drive partition ,and then a new installation of xp,using the original installation disc that dell supplied with the computer.
The computer is running well and all the i d drivers are running the dvd and cd drives fine,so i have once again a tower on standby in case it's ever needed.
You could try putting your washing in the dryer inside a large bath towel ,this reduces the drying time needed and reduces the heat building up in the washing to stop shrinkage,it seems to help a bit.
Time to do a shoot ,be back tomorrow ,Fred.

First of all Fred I am sorry i did not know Yesterday was your birthday ,Have now duly noted this.and smacked my wrist !!!!
Hope you had a good day after going on strike ,well sort off!!
I had not seen your weather ,takes me all my time looking at oursSo I am hoping it is not coming our way,
I don't know about you being a computer wizz kid Fred ,you are to me ,haven't got a clue what you have been trying to do..
Hope you have a good time when you get down to Seans at Christmas.We wil be having a quiete one again,not going anywhere or anyone coming round as far as Iknow. Have washing to dry as well Fred ,but have it on the clothes maiden in the spare bedroom, I try not to use the drier too much as somethings shrink!! better make the tea now,See you soon Have a good weekend