General Chat

morning all ,from a ruddy chilly north of England ,grrrrr 17c here this morning and i have had to put the heating on yet again ,not even the end of August and the weather is getting worse instead of better.
I Think Edith from the Canadian thread is right,if all this rain and cold keep up ,we are in for an early.hard winter ,and a lot of snow ,so i hope the firm soon get out here ,and hopefully if all is well ,i will have my wood burning stove in by the end of September ,to early October.so i can do my bit by burning carbon free fuel.and having plenty of potash to add to the compost and garden [Fred ain't so daft he he]
Turns out my darling wife ,in starting the toilet decorating ,has started up the trouble with her back ,that she damaged years ago while working at the Metro Centre.she started complaining that her back and right arm were sore the afternoon after the fishing trip,and by the following morning ,had trouble getting round Morrisons ,doing the shopping.
Yesterday it was so bad that she was having to use two sticks to move around the house ,and was taking five minutes from the front room chair.to the top of the stairs.me right behind her in case she slipped.
The son dropped Chris off yesterday after i told him it would make no difference to us ,me doing most of the cooking and housework anyway ,lol,and he said that he would be back this week to finish the toilet for me ,because there is no way i would let the old girl loose with a brush ever again ,
Just as well i got her to show me how the new washing machine works ,cause it looks like i am going to be busy for a while at least ,he he ,bang goes my leisure time for a while at least.
I think i will take my son up on the offer of looking at a second hand stair lift for her ,no way can i afford a new one on a pension,that's for sure.
Fortuitous it turned out that i brought the new little xp notebook this last few days ,it being really for updating my old road angel ,it not being supported by a driver for vista ,or windows 7,but however ,it will be very handy for the missus to do her web surfing in bed,before she get's up ,it is very light ,and the battery goes on for five hours before needing a recharge,so it will be the best suited for going away on holiday as well as it goes into a carry bag ,no bigger than a woman's clutch bag and that's with the wireless mouse in ,and the charger ,ace ,lol.
How far computers have come in a few years,he he ,with a 160 gig hard drive ,and 2 gig of ram this little thing is more powerful than the big computer they had at Bletchley Park during the war ,amazing when you think of it ,lol.
I May not be on here much for a while ,i issss going to be busy looking after the missus,Hissy ,housework ,and garden ,looks like i may be needing some go faster pills ,hmmmmm ,that's life i suppose..
Hope every one has had a brill' holiday ,take care in all you do all ,Fred.

Hi fred and Dorothy,feeling a bit better but having to be careful not to over tax myself am so weak its funny in a way.Haven't a clue what it was but don't want it again,!!
What a great day you had with your son sounds wonderful fred an deven Hissy got something out of it;.
Glad Lauras op went ok Dorothy Hope all the appointments go ok and you get yourself sorted.
Yyes its bank holiday and yes its raining so nothing new there!! Its actually more like November than august.
Hope i am even better tomorrow ,take care see you
Brenda

hi good saturday morning I believe it is a bank holiday at home so hope that you all have a good one, I have no idea how this week went by so fast brenda I do hope that you are feeling better and fred what a lovely account of the day out you had fishing with your son I could almost believe I was sitting next to the two of you, Laura's surgery went well yesterday although she took a long time to fully wake up so they kept her till 8pm then she was able to come home it is about 8am here and I am waiting for a call to say what time they want me over so they can go and get bryan from camp assuming that all went well through the night. I now have a list of appointments for the next lot of test 2 on the 21st of sept for an echo cardio gram and then for the application of the holter monitor for 48hrs, then on the 28th for the evoked potential test at st mikes in the city that is a test on the brain for ms. then on the 13th of oct with the specialist for all the results and hopefully a fianl diagnosis so I am feeling good about all that, we had a couple of cool days but it is to be 30 again to-day but you can tell that fall is heading our way soon a pretty time of year over here, well that is all for me take care bye for now dorothy

Hi Brenda sorry to hear that you have the collywobbles, told you to watch your cooking he he ,,hope you feel a lot better soon ,and get back to normal a s a p.
myself ,i have had a nice rest ,going fishing all day at the Kielder forest,and lake [the biggest man made in europe],where i really chilled out,with my eldest son.
We found ourselves a nice little secluded bay among the heather and pine trees,well away from everyone else ,and had a day of bliss.
There was no road noise ,shouting by anyone ,just the sigh of the breeze coming through the branches of the beech ,and pine trees,the lap of waves hitting the shore line in front of us,and the cry of birds flying overhead.
On top of that ,there was a gentle sun ,warming us as we sat there on our fishing stools ,rods beside us on a drop line set up,cuppa's in hand courtesy of the two big unbreakable flasks we had with us,and packets of Nescafe coffee and tea in those travelling packs.
It was that peaceful ,i didn't want to come home ,lol,a nice day in little Canada [as we call it] with squirrels,birds ,badgers and the like for company utter bliss ,there are even beaver re introduced a few miles away, but they are in a different part of the forest ,where the public can't get to so i'm told.
Anyway ,to cap it all ,i caught three lovely rainbow trout ,two at just over 3 lbs,and one at just over 2 lbs,all of which i brought home ,cleaned them ,and put the biggest ones in the freezer ,the smaller one i kept in the fridge till yesterday ,then had it on the B B Q.
Even the trip home was nice sitting in the front passenger seat watching the autumn colours of the tree leaves through the windscreen,as we travelled first through the forest road ,and then through the country lanes onto the A 69.
Bythe time we got to the main road it was getting late ,so i told the son to head for our local chippy for two fish suppers because it was a bit late to cook tea when we got in,lol.
Yesterday morning ,i pottered in the garden ,and seeing that it looked to be a nice day ,decided on a B B Q for dinner ,which pleased our granddaughter who was staying until Saturday dinner time ,her parents being busy doing a wedding video needing all three cameras.Johns little bussiness starting to pick up nicely ,so they go anywhere now to make them to order ,some as far up as north Scotland ,Down to Lincolnshire.
Any way ,back to the B B q ,i did enough snags for two each for the three of us ,ditto ,burgers,and some chicken strips,of which i passed on ,preferring my trout which i shared with the furry boss ,who i decided to spoil a little seeing as she missed me so much while i was out fishing ,that she sat all day ,refusing to go anywhere,watching the gate through the window till she saw me come home ,there's loyalty for you,had to spoil her a little ,didn't i ?
Today i have fed my veggies ,started a hotpot in the slow cooker,that will be ready for tea tonight ,and by the way smells lovely already .
Time to go and have a mooch round the boards ,but will be around later.
Take it easy Brenda ,i was joking about your cooking by the way ,lol,most likely you ate something at your market that was a bit iffy ,afraid lass ,that at our age ,we need to select places we know are fine to eat out in and stick to them.it is a lot safer that way,and of course ,if something does go wrong ,and you have to complain ,they will always sort you out with a sorry and a free nosh ,rather than lose your custom.Fred.xxxx.

evening all, sorry I have not been on lately not been well.Have a really bad upset stomach to put it mildly.!!!!!have been in bed three days ,and got up today feeling a bit better but not feeling too good now.Be back when alot better
Brenda

Mornin, to all ,Fred had a couple of days in the garden whilst the weather was kind,and was too tired to bother much with the puter because of it ,lol,but i did well out there and am well satisfied with things as they are.
The cabbages are a heck of a size this year[big enough for 4 meals in each] ,partly to do with the new variety i tried ,and party to do with the extra rain,which ,by the way has helped most of the other veggies too.
We are stowed out here with the beans ,he he ,enough of the three varieties to keep us in veg for the winter.
The brussel plants are 4 feet tall ,and still inching upwards ,and the sprouts are starting to form,so i reckon come Christmas ,we will be well away for the late stuff ,the kale plants and spinach coming on well too.
Parsnips ,well ,i think i could well take a load to market and sell ,he he ,they ,with any luck are going to be huge.
Next year ,the other two boxes will be sown with carrots before i manure the boxes again ,which i do every third year ,sowing onions in them as carrot or parsnip would fork at the roots, them not liking rich soil.
There were some snags left from the B B Q Saturday so i made a nice toad in the hole ,which gave us two nice peices for dinner with all fresh stuff from the garden,there was even half of it left ,which i cut in half and froze down ,that will do for an emergency meal sometime when i am pushed for time.
Looks like you will be back to normal driving very soon Dorothy ,way to go ,he he,God help the stalls in the local markets when you get among them again again, they will be thinking their stocks are in mortal danger .
Time to go again ,time to bring the bins in now they have been emptied ,catch you later.,Fred.

good sunday morning one and all it is a bit dull with some showers yesterday I went over to see how the family garage sale went and they got rid of a lot of stuff, then yes I was driving I went to a local store that sells fresh farm produce got a lovely 6 qt basket of tomatoes for only 2-99 and a basket of peaches I can drive locally but have been advised no long trips so that is better than nothing right, glad you enjoyed the trip to bury brenda I can see why you avoided the cheese stall too tempting thanks for the kind regars fred as usual you make my mouth water with your reciepes. this friday Laura (13) is having her tonsils out not sure we are ready for the drama that will follow I may look after her on saturday as Bryan has to be brought home from camp we are all missing him like mad, Ian is thrilled that grandma can drive as it means he get to go our for his belated birthday dinner he has been very patient his birthday was in april. he may choose the fish bowl as on mondays they have all you can eat mussels for a fixed price the last time he got through 3 large bowls, or the chinese place that has a crab special on hope to go in the next 2 weeks, well time to get the day started as tennis is on from the states at noon I slept in this am till 9 quite unusual for me, will keep you update as to the results of andrews meeting on monday be intersting to see what they have to say when they find out that the so called bladder infection was a stroke!!!!! take care bye dorothy

Evening all,
I was so glad things look good for you Dorothy,and agree the doc who gave the wrong diagnoses needs to be pulled up about it.!!! Hope you can start to drive again.
Had a good day today,finally got t o Bury ,did not go yesterday as John wanted to come with me,and as he had a golf match on with his mates.He asked me to wait and go together,so i did ,The weather has been reall y nice and we had a lovelly cup of coffee ,bumped into about a half dozen people that we know so the sunshine brought them all out!! The new car park is opennow Fred but we stuck to the one we know,which is nearer the market. Got some bits and peices including some chicken and steak ,gave the cheese stall a wide berth Dorothy as we are cutting down again..
Treated myself to a top for the holidays .telling myself it was lighter than the ones I have so will help with the allowence we have.
Not sure if I will have time to come on tomorrow as we have my neices and one fiance to dinner he will sorted my new external hard drive and memory and I have to see an old mate in the evening .
Be back soon take care brenda

Yaaaaay,Welcome back Dorothy ,you made it then in both senses of the word lol,and yes ,you are going down the right road as regards that prat of a doctor,they make soooo much money for the job they do ,they should not be making those sorts of mistakes that mess with peoples lives .
As you say ,maybe ,what you are pursuing will make sure he dosn't mess up someone els's life ,personally i think he should be punished ,being stuck off for 12 months and having to resit his ,or ,her's final exams.
Lovely morning this a/m ,Fred goes outside early on to water the garden ,looks up at a clear blue sky with all the cirrus clouds ,and awe struck ,sinks down into the chair ,forgetting all about feeding and watering.
I sat there with my drink ,a nice cup of oxo ,for a change,looking at the beutiful world up ,and out there ,no doubt about it folks ,God or Allah [both the same ] did a wonderful job of it's creation,such a pity that he made one mistake in putting man upon it who has spoilt everything .
Come the big day ,it will all be put right one way or another .
Getting back to the job ,he he,everything is looking rosy ,Asparagus fern now seeding ,and i am wondering if i can take some seed ,dry it ,and start some new ones next year ,worth a try ?
Noticed that some of the bean plants are starting to die off,and i am going to try an experiment ,cutting back the broad bean haulms to the ground ,but leaving them in to see if they come away again in the spring,it's worth a shot ,and i will be starting new plants anyway ,in case it dosn't work.
We need to slip out to the shops this morning to get some eggs,i often wish we had a bit more room in the back so that i could keep my own chickens thereby knowing that the eggs were fresh ,fresh ,and knowing just what they were fed on but ,hey ho ,we can't have everything we want .lol,but i am a little concerned at the trouble the Americans are having with their egg production,no doubt something to do with the food the chickens are fed ,the same as we had here a few years ago leading to a lot of people getting badly poisoned by poulterers greed in cheap food stuffs for their production methods.
I was getting my eggs from a mate up the road who had a bird farm ,but he died a few months ago,and so ,i am reduced to the shops for my eggs now ,bit of a bummer ,but ,that's life.
While i am at the shop i will be getting a few muffins ,some burgers ,and a packet of marinade for the chicken chunks we took from the freezer last night ,yes ,my favourite nosh for dinner today ,while the sun lasts.he he.oh ,and. i forgot to mention the sea bass which will be the last dish ,of the B B Q,cooked in foil ,and filled with parsley ,lemon ,and fresh rosemary sprigs off my bush.
Things to do ,so i am away to get on with it,have a nice weekend all ,Fred.

hi here I am hoping that this does not end up in cyber space it is abouy7-18 fri eve my time just after midnight early sat for you lot. well I saw the specialist this morning after being stuck on the highway for 35 minutes due toan oil spill did not put the son in a good mood but we had left in plenty of time, he was very pleasent asked all the right questions and explained things well, ie. I did have a stroke at the end of march not a bladder infection that idiot doc in ermerg said so many other things should have been done at that time, regarding the M.S at the moment I am symptom free but he said out of the two things the M.S would be the best to have as it burns itself out in our age group. have to have another enceplagram, also wear the holter monitor for 48 hrs . then go to st michaels hospital in toronto for a special brain test st. mike's is the only hospital that does it, lots of electrodes to the brain and different sounds and sensations to monitor the brain waves and activity plus the application of mild electric shocks not sure I like that bit. so that was my day on monday andrew has a meeting with the hospital patient advocat to be given a verbal report of the doctors response to our complaint, then it is on to the next step a meeting with the head of the hospital head of emerg the doctor the xxx up my diagnosis and the formal part of taking a complaint to the college of physcians and asking for the doctor to be disciplined etc I am well aware of how this goes in the long run it will not help me but it might help someone else not to be mis diagnosed. brenda have a good time in bury if you go yes it was good to speak to you and I see you got in touch with fred, fred as usual I love to read what you write and it does cheer me up so I am now going to see if I submit this what it may do if it won't take it I shall be on the phone to you brenda bye dorothy

Morning Brenda,he he ,suppose by now ,you will be in Bury ,looking for a parking space lucky blighter ,lol,but it won't be long until the washing machine has finished ,and then i am taking the wife to the Metro Centre ,where we can get some gentle exercise in the dry [yeah ,raining again].
Hope our Dorothy is doing okay,and gets a good result from the hospital,and also hope her 'puter gets sorted quickly,we need her back on here soonest ,peeps are a tad thin on the ground at the moment.
Hissy is disgruntled this morning ,sitting under the table in the front room watching me with her beady eyes ,so that i don't leave the room without her seeing me get up,she is miffed because her breakfast was out of a pouch this morning ,because i gave her the last of the fresh fish for her tea last night,she is one spoilt puddy tat.
Got a lot of more beans to pick and freeze down out back ,and the tomato's are now coming thick and fast,the cabbages are now starting to heart up nicely ,and i pinched one a little early a couple of days ago to check the yaste [my excuse ,and i'm sticking with it].
The cucumber plant is going daft ,throwing young cucumbers onto each runner ,i am going to be innundated in a couple of weeks,and my red onions are ready ,so i'm liftting them one at a time as i need them.
By the time we get back from the Metro Centre ,it will be about dinner time ,so i have braved the weather and picked a bit of this and a bit of that ,and have prepared stuff for a sitr fry,always welcome in this house.
With the latest news on the winter fuel payments ,i have told the eldest son to look for that wood burner stove he was talking about,for the front room ,with two forests near here ,fuel is cheap and plentiful ,and i reckon it will be nice and cheerful on a cold winters night.i may even use a camping bet ,or even a longer and kip in the front room if it gets really chilly overnight.
Only problem i have now ,is who goes up on the roof to slide the chimney liner down for joining to the flu ,not me that's for sure ,lol.any takers ,He He.
Well ,sounds like the washing is done ,so ,i will away and get it hung up to dry [ i hope ,lol].
Catch you later Fred.

hello everyone,another goo dday weatherwise here today ,got some more washing dry again ,
just have time to say hi before I need to sort out the tea .Going to Bury market tomorrow if we get up early enougth ,the parking is a bit scarse til the new car park nis open.
Hope you are all ok, take care brenda

Afternoo peeps from a rather nice day in manchester only had a bit of a shower this morning and is nice enougth now to get some washing out to dry!!!.
had a phone call about an hour ago from Dorothy who is having problems getting her messages to us accepted on genes!! she can read ours but it will not let her send hers ,she will look at it at weekend in more depth, after she has seen(on Friday) the consultatant about her condition.
It was really good to have a chat with her again and I do hope its good news on friday.
Also got some pics from fred of his orange tree which he has every right to be proud of.
Hope my neices partner gets her at weekend to put in the new Hard drive and memory for me perhaps it will not take over ten mins to sign in to the internet.
take care Brenda

Good morning peoples,i'm glad i am not the only one who sometimes thinks they are dreaming when they wake up ,lol,i did think that this morning when my eyes opened to a nice sunny morning yessssss he he,better not say too much though ,it might go in again.
The Orange tree is very small Yet Brenda,but considering that it was a pip ,brought home from Cyprus ,i am rather chuffed with it ,piccies on the way when i remember which email addy is yours oooooops ,he he.
See Cameron is hitting the pensioners again ,breaking election pledges already ,hmmmmm, i think it's about time he hit the real cause of the crisis ,make the banks pay back all of the money they screwed out of the people in the big rescue ,and stopped said banks giving out big unearned bonuses, and cutting their own pensions [the mp's] their pensions are obscene in the present economic climate ,but that won't happen ,he hasn't the balls of a whippet ,never mind a so called prime minister,keep on hitting the poorest mr Prime minister ,while you sit there all comfy, living a life of luxury,sounds about right.
Wellll , i work all my life ,out of work for 6 months in 50 years of working ,on a poor wag ,but still paying my way with taxes ,a few pence over the top ,so,no benefits at all ,take my chances for years in the middle east in the forces,and now ,on a lousy pension ,and i am STILL struggling ,along with thousands of others while people come in ,having paid nowt into the coffers ,and getting the lot.
Why ,i ask myself ,did i go wrong.?
End of rant ,with apologies to all,but why oh why ,do the pensioners who have paid their way all their lives ,now have to suffer because of a system which hits the poorest while the scroungers get it all.
Fred is off into the garden to cool down a tad ,knew i should have emmigrated to Oz when i had the chance ,where hard workers can make a better life for themselves
Exits far left.

Well now i am sure i am loosing my mind or something was really sure i had sent a reply after Dorothy left her last message!!! mind you have been really tired again so could have dreamt it i suppose.
My friend has gone home to Australia and hope fully i am going to see her either at the end of next year or early 2012.
We will have to do some sums and plans etc.
hope Sylvia is getting rid of her rash and feels better.
Enjoy your cruise.
Weather good over the weekend then rain again today ,never mind it could be worse I suppose.
Better get of to bed and get some sleep or at least try.
Would love to see your piccies Frd the orange tree sounds great.
Brenda

Morning all,and Slaps Sylvia on the wrist straight away ,[but gently] tut tut old friend all medication goes toxic if it is kept too long,ditch the can lass ,and buy a new one ,that's what the problem will be,always read the instructions on cans and bottles ,they all give expiry dates[.End of lecture] ,lol,hope the rash goes away quickly.
Sounds as though this trip is just what you need Sylvia ,just the pick me up that will do you the world of good hmmmm ,you don't have room in your case for a stowaway do you ? he he.
Glad to hear that the daughter is okay after the clout round the head ,'specially after being sick ,a sure sign of concussion ,shock ,or even worse ,both ,cor i bet it was painful too, a bit like my altercation with a cricket ball a couple of years ago ,i know it didn't half smart he he.,still .all's well that ends well so they say.
New shopping centre now open in Bury as well as the market ,now that ensures that Fred will be in town all day ,he he.
Have fun all ,Fred is off to upload his new pics ,including one of the orange tree in it's new ,permanent home a nice ceramic pot with an Asda bucket liner, so that i can bring it indoors in a posh state if the winter gets too cold in the greenhouse,
Catch you all later ,Fred

Hallo everyone,
Thank you Brenda, Dorothy and Badger for your day to day happenings in your house. It's interesting to hear what your neighbour is doing. Me, as usual tied up with doctors, physiotherapists etc.etc.
I have been very sick this last week with a painful rash which I have picked up from using a spray can for the artritis pain. I bought this spray some years ago in Spain and have used it many times but no problems. However, this time I used it I came out in large red patches of rash which was painful, itching on my neck, chest, arms and back. My doctor gave me some anti allergic tablets. I already take an anti-allergic tablet every day so had to stop taking this whilst taking the new one. I have lost 9 kilos in weight in a week's time. I have felt very sick and still cannot enjoy a meal, bad headaches and dizzy. Johan and I have booked a cruise on the Rhine in Germany and we leave 7 September so hope I'll be better by then.
See you again when I feel like it. Syl xxx

hi one and all it is saturday am and I came home yesteday after a few days at the son's and yes brenda I made good use of the big washer so all the duvet's etc are nice and clean I am sorry to see that you and fred have had bad weather, dare I mention that this past week it has been about 40-42 with the humidity supposed to break to-day.we are off to the camp to-day to pick up laura nad Ian laura was taken to the localhospital this past monday she was hit in the head by the sailboat boom but apart from a bad headache and throwing up to quote her she was ok I recieved a letter with all the details as only a dramatic 13yr old can write. the older boy will still be away for another 2 weeks he arrives at this camp on sunday so we won't get to see him his dad is a bit disappointed about not seeing him to-day. Lindy will meet us at the camp she has been at the family cottage for a few days with her mother and sister she will be picking up her 3. fred see that you have been cooking up some good meals and how great that your orange tree is doing so well. brenda anne can get a bus that drops her off at the back of the new marks and sparks well I should get showered and ready to go take care bye for now dorothy

hi To all ,from a cold ,very wet Newcastle ,August 14 and Fred has had to turn the heating on to warm the house up ,ruddy crazy weather ,lol.
I walked into the greenhouse first thing this morning to a cry from my tomato plants "Hey ,shut that door ,it's ruddy freezin' in here ",lol
I can't get ovet the back of the garden to pick some of the lovely looking Broad Beans ,soi will have to go for cabbage and cauli' for the days dinner.
I finally got round to preparing the stuffed ,marrow for todays repast ,and tasted a tad of the filling i couldn't get in [ honest ] he he ,wow ,what a treat this is going to be ,smackes lips.
The wife got me 1/2 pound of pork mince out of the freezer last night ,so i put a skillet on the cooker this morning with a little olive oil ,and chopped up redpepper and onion,and sweated them down with black pepper and salt ,adding a little chillie flakes in the last minute of cooking.
At the same time i prepared one of those rice packets you buy [golden vegetables ] i used .then mixed the two together adding some Hendersons Relish,and a stock cube [chicken],then the mix went into the hollowed halves before i put them together and wrapped them in foil.
This i will put into the oven at the same time as my roast potato ,and sweet peppers,and a little sliced couirgette to roast off.
Along with some dutchess potato ,a bit of cabbage ,cauli ,and gravy ,a meal fit for anyone.
I found a lovely ceramic type ,grey bucket yesterday ,and this morning ,transferred the orange tree to a big plastic bucket i got from Asda, which sits in the ceramic one spot on ,so if the winter is too cold for the tree i can bring the whole thing indoors until spring.,and of course ,it can then sit on the patio when it warms up outside [yeah right ,as if ] lol.
I Gave up on windows Live because it is still full of bugs ,and have now removed everything except msn mail ,messenger i have deleted for good ,i now use Yahoo messenger ,far more reliable.
Had a lovely Manx style kipper for breakie this morning ,not as nice as the Craster ones ,but more in my price range,i enjoy a kipper once in a while ,but have to spray the kitchen despite cooking with the outside kitchen door open ,the wife hates the smell of kipper ,but she has a point ,the odour does linger a tad ,a bit like smelly socks ,only stronger he he.
Well ,like Brenda ,i am off to have a look round the w w web ,and then do the dusting upstairs and down.catch you later,Fred.

evening all, had a good day in Bury yesterday apart from getting drenched in the downpours and having soar feet walikng about so much,Its a bit of a traipse from the tram station to the new shops and walking round the new shops I did not buy a thing just looked!!!
Tgodat I went to see my auntie with one of my brothers,she is 90 next March and hasn't been well..She was talking about my dad as a lad ,and how my brother is like him,which is true,
have a day to myself tomorrow was hoping for dry weather to clean the inside of the car ,cut do not think I will be somehow,So might just spend the day reading and surfing the web,as they say,
Have a good weekend
BrendaI