General Chat

Morning all you peeps out there ,from a very damp Newcastle ,where it looks like Liz is going to be using the new dryer for the first time.
Bet you are double glad you are on the other side of the country to us Brenda ,have you seen the forecast for the east and north for this coming fortnight ? oooo,eck ,am i glad i stocked up on fuel and foodstuffs when we did ,brrrrrr,looks like Snow Snow ,& more Snow he he.
Sean dosn't live on camp Brenda ,so he can't use the mess .or the facilities unless he is actually on duty,so he can't even go onto camp to visit the nco's mess and join in with his mates.
We are tied up here for Christmas day/Boxing day ,but weather permitting we will go down to be with him on his four days off,and will have a second little Christmas and new year with him before coming home.
The idea the missus had of buying 'Mums in little pots and then putting them in the garden when they had finished flowering ,has turned out trumps as i noticed in the garden that three of them are in bloom again ,just as the rest of the plants such as the Fushia ,and Pansy are dying off,and the colours are giving the garden where they are ,much needed colour,more are now planned for next year,all round the front borders.
I am bringing the old H P computer downstairs after i have done the housework that i refused to do yesterday because i decided that my birthday was a day off day ,lol,cooking ,and nothing else [ i even told Liz that she was on her own for the washing up all day ,the cook being on strike ,apart from making dirty dishes ,lol ,naughty of me ,but such is life ,he he.
Any way ,i digress ,back to the computer ,i think it may be possible to load the windows recovery disk in via the memory stick [the dvd /cd drawer won't operate until the vista premium is reloaded] so hopefully this will sort things out ,so that i can look for the dvd driver on line once i have it up and running.
Someone told me i could do it all by coupling my computer to the H P and do a restore that way ,but i ain't no computer genius ,lol,and knowing my luck would louse my laptop up trying , so ,i won't ,so there .
Hope everyone is having a nice weekend ,take care all .Fred.

Morning all,well just about ,glad you are all nearly done and dusted Fred,nice idea about going to see you Grandson,do the base put anything on for the people left on duty!!!
Off to my Spanish glass soon,and when I get back my friend and I are doing a few Moonpig birthday cards so that could take a while,.Johns doing a nice chicken casserole with Jacket spuds and broccolli for tea.
We have been on the Wii game this morning do the keep fit ,boy did we feel it after the first 15 mins.but also had a laugth which was good.
Need to get ready now ,will be off to Bury tomorrow to exchange a pair of pants I bought ,the legs are too slim for my hefty ones.!
Hope Dorothy is ok not seen her for a few days.
Take care ,
Brenda

Morning all ,providing anyone gets up that is ,lol,what with the wet and cold ,most of us may prefer hibernating for the day ,he he.
Well ,i am set up for the day ,two doors left to finish ,and it's away with all the decorating tools ,and i have the new piece of downpipe to replace the cracked one ,from the corner drainpipe bottom to the drain itself .scandalous ,a Whole tenner including the wall clamp,so all i need now is the son to come this morning with the spanners to remove the bottom bolts.
I take the missus to the docs later to see if she is clear of this virus ,but i reckon she needs another week on the tablets to be totally sure that it has gone .
I have to take a breathing test myself this afternoon to see how the asthma is doing ,but i feel fine ,so i'm not expecting to get a shock.
Our Chrissie Shopping is almost done ,and we can start to relax a little ,now i have managed to find the grandsons [Sean] Actifry he was wanting ,to make things easier for when he comes off shift at the air base.the last thing he needs is to spend an hour at the cooker ,when he comes in.
He is working all this Christmas ,so it looks as though we may be going down for the week ,on Christmas Eve, and come back after new years day,i expect the bairns will complain ,but as i will point out ,they have family to see ,and visit ,Sean's wife is stuck at Uni in Poland ,and he has no family down there ,not nice for anyone to be alone at this time of year.
Poor old Cornwall .they have had a right hammering with the weather yet again ,Bosecastle was still fighting to recover from the last floods when we were there ,so i hope they have been spared this time.
Looks like a thia green curry day ,something warm needed brrrrr,after we come back in from Netto,after getting the bairns sweetie mixture for the stockings ,plus ,of course the fererro roche offer that they have on ,that the missus wants for Her stocking,[her legs are lumpy enough already] he he god forbid stuffing choccie down them as well .
Had a quick suffle out back in the gloom this morning ,and noticed that my brussels,kale parsnips.and cabbage are lookin' good for the holiday season ,nice fresh produce for the Christmas meals you can't wack it can you.
There's the cat wanting to be let in ,he he ,she dosn't like the cold either,back later Fred.

Well what I change in the weather today ,its grey its cold its wet and miserable!!!!not to mention windy,Have stayed in doors again today,doing odd jobs and trying a new fitness programme which is supposed to help us get fit and loose weight,will keep you posted.At least we got a laugth out of it when doing it,
Hope you are all keeping well and warm,
take care brenda

Evening folks,not much to report today .weather sunny windy and cold!!!
Been trying to keep busy in the house doing a few much needed jobs like sorting out kitchen cupboards.managed to get rid of some unused items like lids with no boxes and boxes with no lids!! i wanted to put them in a bag in the shed ,but John said well you have not needed them for over a year so you must not need them so in the bin they have gone.
Hope you are better after your fall Fred,and that there are no long lasting after effects.We are lucky that our upstairs windows are not high up at all,its a different story downstairs,we have high ceilings andthe windows go almost to the ceiling. !!!
Think I have sorted the insurance out now Fred and I am also with the Co-op bank having worked in the co op insurance for 30 odd years before the library.Hav n;t got a privilege account but might look intoit soon..\take care brenda

Morning all.well ,Fred and liz WEREgoing to go out this morning ,to the Metro Centre for a spot of Christmas shopping ,but that's all gone by the board after my tittle tussle with the steps in the bedroom last night ,lol.
I was putting the big curtain rail back up in the guest room ,when i did what i told my site teams never to do when up ladders [over stretch ] resulting in my falling backwards onto the bedroom fall ,he he.
I was alright ,but the window handle didn't do so well ,after i grabbed it to try breaking my fall,which did help ,but brioke the handle inside the frame ,so now ,although the window still shuts okay ,it won't seal ,or lock.
So,we are now waiting for a fella from a local company to arrive to see if he can fit a new handle ,or ,if not ,fit a new opener.
If it comes down to the wire and it's a whole new installation ,which won't please me after all that work resealing the old window to the brickwork and plaster ,he he ,such is life..
I think you could do with setting up a hotel stay in Bury Brenda,the likes of which i have seen there ,Premiur Inn,or Travel Lodge ,then you could go one day ,spend all day at the market and shops .stay overnight ,and travel back at your leisure the next day.
I am lucky with my travel insurance ,wether it be in this country on all modes of transport,or abroad too ,including the flights and transport when you are on holiday ,it's all free with our coop bank account [outstanding],you can even pay a tad extra for health conditions too.which we had to set up for Cyprus ,but that six weeks we were covered for ,and cost the princely sum of £30.
Hey ,i can cope with the arthritis okay Dorothy ,it was just the suprise of it all ,i had no idea it was in the left hip too ,or the back condition,but at the end of the day ,after a lifetime of working out in the open in all weathers ,and the same sort of time frame for my allotments and gardens ,a little wear and tear is to be expected ,lol.
We will probably go out this afternoon instead ,where i expect to find the Metro Centre buzzing with shoppers ,so it ain't only Manchester and Bury who are stowed out ,i bet Leeds is none too quiet either at this time of year.
In December ,i expect the Christmas fair will arrive here as usual ,loads of stalls of all sorts taking over Clayton ,and Northumberland Street.seeling everything from Toys to Christmas fare in the farmers market section,stalls from France ,Germany,Ireland,Wales,Holland ,Norway and whatever ,we spend many hours there every time it comes.
I think i will do my usual as well ,visit Grainger market Christmas Eve ,to see if i can find a last Minute Fresh turkey or nice Capon,and possibly a nice piece of beef and pork,along with whatever greenery i want that the garden dosn.t supply.
I must also try Morrisons ,and Asda for my nice roll of beef brisket ,in time for corning ,must have some of that as well .
Time to depart now ,and see what i can find in the shops ,catch you all later Fred.

Afternoon all.Fred I think Dorothy is right when she says you keeping busy will help your conditions but i think you know that already and like you say,its when you can not do what youwant to do that you see the docs etc.
I got to Bury this morning and it was bright but cold.However we did not get there as early as we wanted ,John wanted to get back early 12.30pm to watch United on tv.We managed to do what we went for ,but did not have a long walk round the Market,coming out was mad ,the traffic trying to get into the carparks and even off the Motor way to Bury was mad all making a start on the christmas shopping I expect.
I have been trying to sort out the travel Insurance again ,but think I will just phone up our exsisting insurance company and make sure we are both covered for our pre existing condtions (high blood presure).I can not make sense of some of the other online appications and am not going to pay to phone them .Going for a cuppa now .See you all tomorrow.Brenda

hi well it is a foggy saturday morning the cold and heat are meeting up again and the fog drifts in from the lake 0 degree's at the moment but about 12 this afternoon and sunny, spoke to anne a few minutes ago and it is cold but sunny in bury so brenda if it stays that way you should have an ok. time at the market. sorry about the news re your x-rays fred but they do have some new meds over here that seem to be keeping my friends who have arthritis quite comfortable oh the joys of ageing not much fun at times, I think the fact that you keep yourself quite active will pay off in the long run.

I had a fun evening out with bryan at wild wing resturant he had a large basket of wings and I had fish and chips but we had garpar first that is onion rings deep fried and smothered in this parmasean cheese sauce very very good I shall remain fat free all week, we had nice chats and I got caught up on that is going on his life ie. hope and dreams for the future he really is a kind lad and thoughtful. to-day is a low key day off to the library 4 books in for me a loaf of bread from the bake shop and the saturday paper and that is it. have a good week-end one and all bye for now dorothy

Evening to Brenda,Dorothy and anyone else who happens by this evening.
Back in at last ,but not too cheerful this evening ,the call i had from the doc' saying he had the results of the ex-rays and wanted to chat with me turned out to be worse than i thought .lol.
I now find i have Arthritis in both hips ,and osteo-porosis in my lower back,hows that for a suprise ,he he.
He asked me if i wanted to be referred to the hospital ,and i said ,well ,when i can't get up and downstairs ,and when i can't potter in the garden or cut the lawns,or even do a little work in the house ,i will let you know ,so he knows what i think about it .
I have been coping okay for two years and feel i can do a few more before i panic
I only have one coat to do on the three doors now ,so i will do that tomorrow before i have a couple of days off from the smell of paint ,and then i will get the other three doors upstairs done before i pack all the gear away until the spring,
I think i will follow Brenda's example and go to the Christmas fair ,but i will buy two tickets on the coach and go to the Leeds one which is supposed to be very good,and is well known for shoes.
at least the snow held off ,and the weather has been fair all day ,but it looks like a frost tonight ,so i will get some hearty soup out for tea.
The fella to see about the loft insulation turned up at two fifteen and checked out the loft ,it seems we need another 60 mm added to bring it up to the proper standard,so we should be a good bit warmer this winter.
See you in the morning troops ,take care .Fred

Morning all ,from a very cold ,very windy north of england ,where apart from some sleet ,no white stuff [apart from the paint].
I have to go ,but i wanted to come on quickly to let every one know we are fine ,and Liz is still improving.
I have tried many times over the last few days to add a message ,only to see it go whoosh as i was about to submit it ,despite trying three different computers ,so it ain't me ,lol
Seems like Gerty the genes gremlin is out of her cage yet again ,so i will have to find me whip ,lol.
See ya later all ,Fred.

Hi everyone,well its certainly cold enougth for snow,but its very windy at the moment,the reports say snow on high ground ,but i don't know if we are high enougth hope not!!! Hope its not going freds way,either.
glad youenjoyed the craft fair.I used to like going to theones at the local schools but theydon't actually have crafts anymore just donated items.
I hope to go to the Christmas fairs in town in december they are great a bit pricey but good fun to walk round if its not wet!!.
There have been some services for rememberance day ,today but the main one will be on sunday.Most places held a two minute silence at 11am,There will be a national one on sunday.
If the weather is dry we hope to go up to Bury on saturday for a walk round the shops and a little walk on the Market,John wants a new watch and I said i would get it for christmas so we need to have a look at whats on offer..Going for a drink now.see you again,brendae

hi hope that you all are keeping warm saw by the news this am. that snow and cold are coming to england in a big way please keep it over there, brenda the craft sale was quite good it is run by two sisters and they do a good job only bought one item a little xmas decoration, to-day is cold -2 but up to 12 this afternoon yesterday was a beautiful day I expect Ian went to school in shorts he is a child who does not feel the cold we are always telling him to put on more clothes. to-day is rememberance day so lots of parades and marching bands very emotional but it is always good to remember those brave men and woman of all wars. my brother phoned yesterday he is keeping well he is working in doncaster at the moment but will be home in scotland on the 23 for a few days well that is it for me bye for now dorothy

Hi Glad you are all keeping busy and warm,its gone really cold here ,sunny but cold.Hope the craft fair is good Dorothy and so pleased you enjoyed the birthday meal.fred you put us to shame with your orginaisation!!.I did used to do something like you with meals when I worked Full time might try it again .I would do a couple of curries or casseroles in the same oven and freeze one and put the other in the fridge they would be more than one meal and we would have it over two days ,usually better the second night.!!
Better get the rice on for the tea now,See you all tomorrow
take care Brenda

goodmorning woke up to a heavy frost on the ground but it will warm up in the afternoon well Laura is 14 to-day we all went out for dinner last evening it was her choice and it was a japanese place sushi, well I have never seen so much food coming to the table platter after platter of who knows what I had no idea what I was eating, lots of small rolls of stuff but it was much too my surprise very good, I could at the end of the meal figure out what some of it was ie. spring rolls, deep fried scallops, crab pizza small pieces about the size of a pound coin, Ian tried the eel pizza and said it was good thank goodness andrew knew what to order for all of us, after that we went back home and opened presents and had ice cream birthday cake I am not going to think about all the calories I ate. fred it sounds like the painting is going well I also liked that kind of roller in my painting days it was great on scalloped ceilings as well. brenda hope that you are feeling better after the trip to the dentist, I have noticed that this gereration does not fear the dentist as much as ours did and does. Bryan was at the orthodontist yesterday to have his braces tightened and to quote him "piece of cake grandma" rather him than me. going to pop out to-day to see what I can pick up for xmas, and this evening there is a craft sale in the building so I shall pop in for a while, we are so far behind on corrie tyrone has just been told the wife is leaving him, read on line that jack died in mondays episode. I can go on line and get up dates on the episodes that you are watching but it is not the same bye for now dorothy

Hi All,whew ,time to sit down at last ,after a busy but rewarding day.
Managed to get the first coat of gloss on the three doors yesterday,using a lambswool roller ,to give a far better finish ,using cold paint ,a lot slower than a brush ,but a far better finish.
I have gotten two further coats on today ,leaving one for tomorrow,and then i can start the passage side of the same three doors,leaving only the frames to do .
Lizw as quite perky this morning ,so i let her loose in the second bedroom ,sorting all the gear to put back in the drawers,and deciding to leave that room till last ,closed the door of the room ,and started painting the toilet door ,and had to close that too ,there i was ,getting on great ,when i hear her voice " guess what ,ive found" ???????,now ,this was through two closed doors,who am i ,not Houdini .or Paul Daniels ,not having second sight or Supermans x-ray vision ,how in heck was i supposed to know what the daft woman had found he he,she wasn't too pleased when i replied " Derrrrrrr,ask me another ",she is getting better all right ,lol
I finished that coat of paint in time to start dinner arrangements ,eolled Lamb breast with stuffing ,cabbage ,roast tatties and onions drizzled in olive oil.
I did some oter stuff in the steamer too ,for use over the next couple of days which i can reheat in a mic ,cabbage,swede,carrot ,and mashed potatoes.and new potatoes ,just to save energy which is dear enough these days.
I have made a cheese pudding for tomorrows dinner ,which means i can do the whole meal in the mic' in one go ,good thinking Batman ,he he.
I have checked on line Brenda ,and will think about ordering some ,black ,and maybe some white pudding if this lancashire stuff is naff ,he he ,you have spoilt me for the stuff they produce locally.
The Tumble dryer has arrived ,and is already in place ,ready to go ,and it looks like none too soon ,the weather going from bad to worse.
My greenhouse is too important to me to chance it blowing away Brenda ,so i grouted it well down using resin anchors ,plus concreting the frame well down,it it goes walkies now ,half the patio will go as well .lol..
off to check my paintwork now ,be back later,Fred

Just a quick message ,then I am out to the library ,they have a book in for John and one for me.Might nip to Sainsburys for milk ,but not sure as i will not come out with just milk!!
Might be back tonight think its football on tv again.
weater still wet but not to windy.We had to weight the plastic green house down with more bags yesterday it was almost blowing aawy even with being tied down and weighted down.!!
Take care Brenda

message comtinued: sorry about that got a bit distracted,anyway want to try and finish off my presents before the end of next week or the week after.Don't have many to get now but not sure what I am actually getting for these people.keep changing my mind.
will have to think about christmas menus only thing i have sorted is the beef for christmas dinner!!!
Fred just watch your self with those doors,and i am glad Liz is on the way to recovery.
Dorothy Hope your cat settles agin with the time change ours did but they are still together,was thinking of getting a rescue dog at weekend the local dogs home puts pictures in the local paper of the ones they think will be adopted ,and I really felt for them,but I have to be sensible and it would be too much again. time for Corrie ,take care.brenda

Evening all,think some of those winds have all ready got here Fred,was out at the dentst this morning and it was blowing then,as well as being grey and very wet ,thank god it did not rain as well.Had an old filling replaced so hope that stops the tooth being so sensitive.!!should have gone to town to meet my friend but just wanted to go home and lie down,mind you i did say it would depend on how I was feeling,
Anyway after an hour having a lie down and a cup of tea I wasn't as bad.and now feel a lot better.
Hope your new mattress is as good as the one we got last year its just bliss to sleep on!!! Must admit it was exspensive but that was due to it being a king size and having memory foam on the top,theonly thing I don't like is that it can not be" turned " like other matteressess and its not easy to put the fitted sheet on as it does not bend ,but to sleep on its great. I am aslo sorting out my cards for christmas want them reay when I go away I also understand about the costa of the stamps and phone calls.e

hi gosh fred you are one busy man glad to hear liz is feeling better sorry to hear about the bad weather coming all over england according to the daily mail it is again another sunny day a little on the cold side but as long as the sun is shining it is ok. nothing much new at the moment jut catching up on some chores and putting to-gether a christmas list of cards etc going to phone some of the old rellies as it is cheaper for me to phone then pay the stamp price for overseas does not make sense but that is the way it is I remember whne phoning england cost a fortune and we used to get the egg timer out so as to not go over 3minutes how times have changed. the cat has not adjusted to the time change as yet quite noisy in the morning he is much more vocal now he is the only one in the house and requires much more attention but that is allright bye for now dorothy

Just a quick one before i get cracking on the doors upstairs ,with the sander,before i start the painting tomorrow.
Take care all you peeps in the west country ,the weather forecast is looking horrendous wind ,wind ,and more wind ,tons of rain ,and maybe in places ,snow and sleet brrrrrrr,Fred is staying indoors methinks.
Liz is still improving ,and i reckon at this rate ,she should be back to normal [ for her ,he he ,ouch] by the time her med's are finished.
Just ordered online ,a new Silent Night mattress from Argos ,wonder if the name means the old girl won't snore so much [yeah ,right ] lol,but it was about time we settled for a new one.
Hi Ho ,Hi Ho Fred's off to work i go ,he he ,back later ,Fred.