General Chat

Morning Brenda yep ,it was a pleasure to take my morning diabetic tablets and asprin in cold wather without hitting the roof ,he he ,£62 well spent i reckon.
Try using some dutch gouda or emmental in your frattata, the cheese used normally in cheese melts and panninies, melts no problem and keeps for a long time if wrapped and put in the fridge.
Mind you ,i cook my frattata in a normal frying pan ,and finishing it off under the grill ,leaving the handle sticking out ,no prob's with the handle melting that way He He.
Enjoy the trip to Bury ,i am looking forward to having a mooch about round that market
I have tried a windows repair on Windows live ,to no avail ,so i am thinking of using msn for my e mail in future ,and stuff the rest,i will use the old ,reliable yahoo messenger in future ,even the email is simpler and quicker to send photos on .microsoft is a total waste ofs pace to my mind ,the quicker google bring out a full server and operating system the better,i for one will exit windows and opt for apple.
Got to go now ,i have some stuff to take to my sons and then i am off to the Out Door Centre in Westerhope to get my camping stove gas [Calor] which is cheaper from the store than going half a mile further and getting it from the Calor distribution Centre , crazy world for sure..
Catch you later all ,he he ,Fred.

Sorry about the spellin in previous message my acrylic nails don't type very well.!

Hi fred,hope Dorothy is ok staying at her sons,wish I had access to a big washer to do the duvets etc,
Glad the tooth did not create any problems.
Looks like I am in for another sleepless night ,went to bed at 11 ,read a while .went to sleep after about, a half hour.woke up at 3 went to the loo ,but could get back asleep so got up and came on here.
Going to Bury tomorrow,no market on but going a walk round the new shopping centre with my friend,we will probably have lunch or a sandwich and drink ,thurday is her day off so she can only go on market days when she is on holiday,but she wants to see the new shops!!!
Tried a new reciepe with some courgettes my other friend gave me at weekend ,it was a fratatta withcorgettes, potatos and feta cheese had to imprvise as you needed a frying pan that would go in the oven.which we have not got so got the bootom cooke din the pan the sort of slipped it into a shallow pyrex dish and baked it.Not bad really ,but might try a different cheese as the feta does not melt..Going for a look see at other sites now.Brendae

Morning Brenda,look on the world weather channels he he ,can you tell me ONE country these days where you can trust the weather ,lol ,i think not.
Hey the toothie peg was no probs. lol ,the dentist used a new injection instead of novocaine ,so ,no numbing of the mouth ,or gum,no pain at all ,and done from start to finish in 3 minutes ,i was well chuffed.
I even spent two hours straight afterwards shopping with the missus ,with no after effects,not at all bad.
Can't get into the garden this morning because of the heavy rain ,which is just as well,as i went up for a lie down yesterday afternoon because the cat kept going to the bottom of the stairs ,looked ay me and complained [meow ] which i took to mean why are you not coming when i call ,lol.so anyway ,because of this i was asleep ,and missed the thunder storm,bu***r,lol.
The wife decided to save me a job while i was asleep,yeah ,right ,as if ,and reloaded the printer software because it was acting up,WITHOUT deleting the previous version first ,on top of which ,she thought the problem might have something to do with the wireless dongle ,so she connected the cable to the printer instead ,with out removing the software first,when i came downstairs it was to find her in tears ,trying to download the pictures i sent her over the net from my sons ,finding the images coming through as zip files ,and not jpeg,because the computer was so fouled up that the screen was jumping about like a demented flea.
Grrrrrr ,he he ,when i went into the files on the hard drive it had 20 hp printer files on it instead of six,and a right mix up of printer cables and wireless dongle files enough to keep me going for an hour just removing them all ,one by one to sort the puter out ,and Then,it took a further hour to defrag the drive ,before the puter was usable again.women huh ,mine at least dosn't know how to use a combi oven to toast and cook a jacket spud at the same time ,he he ,computers are to use only ,not to programme.
My Own fault i suppose ,i could have saved myself two hours work doing it myself to start with[smacks wrist ].
Well ,i have to buy a largish urn or pot now for my orange tree ,i isss so chuffed to find that the roots are at the bottom of the pot again and it needs repotting yet again,but i have to make sure i can get the pot in ther door of the greenhouse for the winter ,fleece on it's own for frost protection is not enough up this end of the country,and i would be devistated if i lost it now.
Just as well we are off to Cramm'y Later this morning ,there are at least three places top buy a new receptacle
My Courgette is so big it will be getting done as a stuffed marrow tomorrow ,just the job to give my mouth time to heal,it being nice and soft,i think a mix of spices veggie mince and rice will be just the ticket.
Last evening i did the eight mushroom s i had left after the stalks were chopped into a stir fry,the heads were stuffed with cous cous ,mixed with a little thia green pesto,topped with a breadcrumb ,cheese garnish.which went down a treat,again nice and soft ,but very very tasty
Well ,time for a shave ,wash ,and a veeery careful .tooth brushing he he,catch you later peeps,Fred.

evening all,had another good day ,sorted something at the bank and did some shopping.made a new meal for tea acourgette ,feta a nd new potatoe fratata,it was ok but think it needed some more herbs n spices,
will have another go in a few weeks,
have a few errands tomorrow and another visit to the library they have a book for me.Have tried a few of my summer tops on but i have put a lot of weight on recently.So I getting back on my diet.How are your teeth fred ,not too much discomfort i hope.
I would not mind holidays in UK fred but John says we can not trust the weather.!!
just got a cuppa,no biccies .see you tomorrow.brenda

Morning all ,had a day off yesterday and got stuck into the gardens ,finishing off at 7 pm last night well satisfied with all i got done,i only have one border left to weed and i am back on track.
Good Grief Teneriefe Brenda,[hey ,that rhymes he he] Don't mind me Lass, what a great result for you finding a holiday at short notice ,and to a place you love to boot .
I wish i could get a return trip to Cyprus, but i can't afford that at the minute ,but i can't complain ,i do okay for my yearly breaks even if they are in the uk.
I have already started getting my seeds ready for next year ,finding a lot of seed at half price ,parsnip .onion.tomato's ,and the dwarf French climbers i was looking for.and of course i have seed which i collect myself ,that saves a packet,and is fun to do.
I never remember my dad Brenda ,he died shortly after i was born ,but my mum ,she died a long time ago ,and i still miss her a lot ,it's something you learn to live with isn't it ,and you must have wonderful memories to keep you going .
The wife tells me that one runner bean has started coming through the vent into the greenhouse and is flowering in there,lol,so i told her ," leave it be ,i can pick the beans in the rain without getting wet ",
Going to make the stuffed marrow [courgette] for tea something nice ,tasty ,and soft seeing as i will be minus a molar after the dentist's visit at 9-30 this morning ,lol.
any one down there having trouble with msn messenger these last few days or is it just me? i keep getting told that it's off line ,despite reloading the programme twice ,but at least i can still get into my e'mail inbox..
Have to go now ,work to do before i go out ,that sort of thing.
Catch you later on peeps ,have a nice day all. Fred.

Hi all ,I did read the messages yesterday and was sure I had writen s hort reply,I must be more tired thai thought!!!!!
Just got back from the cemetary its two years today since my lovely brave dad died,doesn;t seem like two days never mind years!!!! where does the time go???
We have had two more babies in the family and the wedding that was just five weeks before he died has disovled,the estate has now been wound up and life goes on,but I miss him even more now and if its possible!!!
Hope you have a good visit at your sons Dorothy,my sister phoned on friday really up set ,telling me she had had to have her cat put to sleep.She had not been well but got worse over the wednesday and Thursday so they took her to the vets Friday who said she was in pain and was bleeding intenally she wast 20 years of age so my sister did not want her in pain and she was put to sleep .
\\\\\she was the last of the animals my sister and her first husband had together all the others have died following her husband who died at 41.She has still got a dog ,but he was bought with her second husband.We have manged to find and book a holiday in sept.to tenerife its aplace we have ben before and enjoyed so we are looking forward to it now.Just need to get a bit of weight off,!!better go and start tea, see you all tomorrow,brenday

good sunday morning and it is pouring down cats and dogs but a great break from the heat of the last few days and the farmers and gardens can use this, fred you have a great idea to stock pile the things you mentioned I am sure that prices will go sky high this winter what with all the problems world wide with crops, I will be doing a bit of that as well yesterday I was over at the son's for a while as it is his birthday to-day but we had a lunch to-gether a day early I thought he was flying east to-day but apparently he goes to-morrow, so he and lindy are doing some things around the house to-day while the children are away, the painter did a good job their bedroom looks great, andrew has been out of town on and off for 4 weeks and is a bit fed up with the travelling but as he said it goes with the job but will be home all of sept.while he is away this week lindy is going up to her aunts cottage for a few days so I shall stay at the house to keep an eye on things so may be off line till thursday, it will be strange staying their without the dog around but I shall take over big quilts etc and make good use of the big washer and dryer I know a lot of their neighbours so won't be lonely. if you are away for a day or so insurance coverage states that someone has to be in the house at least once a day so that is why I am staying there. brenda hope that you recover from all your busy time and I did see in the daily mail that the crew from coronation st had a birthday party at the bury bolton train staion for anthony cotton. my cousin phoned and the funeral is on the 11th in stretford I assume the autopsy showed it was a massive stroke the cousins from london and the isle of man are going . just chris and I will be absent but there in thought oh gosh it is really pouring I am going to go and close some windows take care bye dorothy

Evening Folks sorry I have been missing again ,but had a few things to do ,been out everyday this week and have had to catch up with jobs!!!
also been catching up with sleep as you will know I have not had much in the last few nights.
I do have some tablets from the doc Fred but i am a naughty girl and don't take em unless i have to !!! But do realise that I might need to do so more often.Mind you I have realised that I have started to sit on my leg again or rather with my leg under me and that does cause the trouble as well!! So my little stool has come out of the cupboard,its my right leg as well fred so we might have a problem.!!
Looking forward to October now Fred,its a date.
Glad the children are enjoying camp Dorothy,your extra tuck money should go down well.
Off to bed now while I am feeling a bit tired befoe I go past it.see you tomorrow.
brendae

Morning all ,not too good for us today ,back to Autumn weather again ,9,am,and still only 18c outside ,sniff.
What with the disaster with the wheat crops in Russia due to the drought and fires,they have banned all exports of wheat for the next year at least,and with the ground so dry and hard ,they can't even plant the winter wheat crop
With the same scenario in oz for the same reasons ,i reckon bread prices here are going to go through the roof,so the weekly shop today will have added ,a couple of extra bags of ,plain ,and self raising flour ,and some dried yeast, looks like make your own time again ,oh well ,i will at least be able to keep my hand in ,lol.
Looks like the same is happening in China and Pakistan with the rice crops too ,sigh extra bag or two of rice as well ,and a shortage of ready made curries in the shops no doubt..
Hope your knee has eased off for you Brenda ,but i think you need to see your doc' for advice ,a knee like that ,and you are still on Paras' ,they arn't strong enough lass ,believe me ,you need something stronger ,in case you get a really bad attack.
I feel so sorry for asia at the minute ,bad monsoons year after year ,and no relief getting through ,it makes me realise how lucky i am ,with my little veggie patch keeping us in fresh produce ,and tons more room to grow more if i need it ,those poor people have no such luck,seems such a shame ,Pakistan were just emerging as one of the new super economic powers ,and this happens to them ,knocking them back ten years.
I have a brill' dentist Dorothy so apart from a few butterflys in the old tum on the morning i have no worry's really, by the following morning i will be able to manage okay as long as i am careful as to what i chew ,no hard stuff for a few days he he.
Well ,that's my lot for now ,better take the old girl to the shops before the slippers ,or worse start flying about again ,lol
Take care all ,and have a great weekend ,Fred

goodmorning I have had a couple of days not moving as it was 42 degree's and the computor did not seem to like the heat had trouble getting on any sites, thanks fred for all the vegatarian tips I believe I can get that quorn over here or at least something similar, brenda sorry to hear that your knee is acting up hope it gets better soon, and fred I share your horror of going to the dentist hope it goes well, your garden is doing well with all that it is producing for you and liz. it has been quiet around here with the children away I shall write them to-day and slip in some extra tuck money for the 2nd week , the decorators should be finished over at andrew's looking foreward to seeing it maybe this week-end as sunday is his birthday but he may fly down east later on sunday he is in kingston for a few days home to-morrow I think it is the time of year that he does interviews for openings in his division. bye for now dorothy

Morning peoples ,sorry to be late ,my fault [slaps wrist] ,hard ,i forgot to change back my windows update to manual last night after upgrading my laptop,with the result that i was almost finished an addition to the thread this morning when the puter shut itself down to install updates ,grrrrr ,he he [Fred waspishly set the puter back to install updates manually after this ] slaps wrist again for good measure .
Yes Brenda i think ,with my right leg [pardon the pun] with the hip and knee.and your knee ,i think we could do with tying ourselves together and tottering to the shops ,we might have two good legs between us ,providing your good leg is the right one [pun intended ] .
We will be down to Fleetwood in the bairns blackberry week [october ] and intend doing a shoot to Bury on Wednesdays market day ,because the wife want's some Chrissie shopping while we are down there,crickey,am i glad i opted for the Nissan cross over ,with the bigger boot ,i am gonna need it ,i may even bring the sons trailer for the extras .you ain't seem my missus when she catches the shopping bug ,lol.
I got up this morning ,as you do ,her he,and made my cuppa ,took it out and put it on the water butt beside the greenhouse,went back and ran the hose out to water me veggies,so there i am ,giving me prize cabbages a drink ,and having one myself,and noticed that there are a load more,runners needing picked ,they don't 'alf grow quickly once they start don't they?.
The missus will see to the greenhouse today ,but i did notice last night as i shut up shop in there ,that there are a load of peppers forming on the plants at last.
The sky was nice and blue then as well as i shut the hose off ,and is still nice and sunny now ,two hours later ,so Fred is wondering ,is today our summer hmmmmmm,anyway ,in case it is ,i have have the shorts ,and tank top on and my shoes handy.
The wife asks ,can we go shopping ,to which i reply " stuff that,i am off into the garden while it's fine" he he ,duck's the slipper that comes my way ,and bolts for the door .
Catch you later All,Fred.

Hello Everyone,well its another sleepless night here again for me,after another busy day i thought i would be fast asleep when me head it the pillow! which I nearly was ,after a read for a few minutes I was ready to nod of and then me knee starts up ,I got up put some of my cream on ,goes back to bed ,but its giving me a fair bit of pain anyway ,so up again and thought I would see if I coud forget it on here ,but I have answered my emails and had a look at a few sites and its still there ,after this I think I need to get me horlicks and a painkiller!!
I hope you do get over to Bury Fred and if possible we could meet up when are you at Cala gran ? the cat has now joined me and is being a bit naughty want ing me to hold him on my knee .So its time for me to get downstairs and have my horlcks and paracetamol. ee you tomorow,

Afternon all ,,hada look on my cookery pages Dorothy ,and there is a meat substitute you can use for a lot of dishes ,including shepherds pie and pasties.
Called Quorn,which is made from Soya Bean,which you can get in either form,usually in a packet ready to mix up ,all you do is add the water to instructions ,to which you add stock cubes ,or A good quality sauce ,such as Hendersons ,or soy .
The mix then takes on the color of meat ,and taste ,all you do then is add it to the other ingredients and use as normal.
If you can't get either of those over there ,i'm sure Ann can get it over here with no bother,and heck ,if not let me know and i will send some out to you.
Been a very busy chappie this morning ,cor ,i is bu*****d with all the blanching,he he ,broad beans ,runner beans ,and french beans,and even a full saucepan of beetroot ,loooooverly .
All the veggie left from last year has been moved to the kitchen freezer ,and the new stuff is up in the chest freezer which is in the box room.
The best season of the year now ,eating time ,and all fresh gerr to cook with.
We are doing okay for stir frys now ,because my courgette plants are going daft throwing fruit left right and centre ,and the tubs of salad ,and pack choe ditto,this is going to be a very cheap few weeks with us only having to buy meat,milk and eggs of the staples.
Weather is still lousy ,18c at the moment outside ,a bit like an early spring day ,lol , ithink my tomato's have given up on any sun ,staying plump ,but green ,at this rate i will be asking for a recipe for green chutney grrrrrr..
Hope everyone is okay over there and over here ,it's a tad quiet and i am starting to sniff my armpits ,lol.
Fred.

Hi dorothy ,looking at your family and the camp you mention reminds me of my scouting days ,what with the yearly camps and meeting old friends sigh ,happy days ,lol
The veggie shepherds pie is simple ,i just make up the packet i mentioned a couple of weeks ago ,and split the mix in half ,one i use on the day for whatever i fancy ,the other half i freeze for future use ,which is what i did today.
i find i can get these mixes ,no problem at Morrison's ,the veggie shepherds pie mix ,the veggie sausage mix ,and the burger mix ,with the burger and sausage mix ,you just add the water ,some spice mix ,such as piri piri or simular and that's it .
Sometimes ,like today i grate some cheese over the top of the potato to make a change ,yum..
The red onion i peeled just the outer skin off ,cut a cross halfway through ,placed it in foil ,and added some olive oil ,and a sprinkling of salt,dried sage ,and parsley and placed it in the tin with the roast potatos.
The carrots i did as thick batons ,covered again in olive oil,with basil and lemon zest ,wrapped again in foil..
The wife ,after tasting the onion nicked mine too ,waaah ,not fair ,but it must have tasted well nice ,he he ,next time i make it ,i will eat mine before i put the dinner out ,lol.
The carrots did taste great too,suprising what you can do with a little oil,and spices and herbs.
The veggie pie mix,i have made into cornish pasties as well ,and you can even do pasties using only veggie ,chopped very small ,leaving the meat out,and using a little extra herb and spice to make up for the lack of meat.
Got my sit in the sun at 4 pm after the clouds cleared away ,sat outside for an hour before coming in to feed the cat ,and us.
Tea is a bit of mash and cabbage ,mixed together and fried with a tad of oil[ i never use animal fat for frying ] with a bit of salt and course black pepper ground over the top .so that it goes in as the mix is turned,this goes with the veggie burgers i had left from the B B Q and an egg placed on the top,nice ,quick and tasty.
Poor old Fred is at the dentist next week knowing before he goes that he is going to lose the upper back tooth that is cold ,and heat sensitive ,i can't put up with another winter of pain ,waking up at night with the tooth throbbing in the cold ,ouch.
So ,it's time to be brave and face the dentist pliers he he ,but i would rather face the Arab terrorists again ,lol ,what a wuss i am ,,no food for fred that day ,only luke warm drinks ,still .as the appointment is for 9-30 a m ,i should be feeling better by evening [i hope ] time to go and get the tea now .Fred.
We have to pay full fare on the trains Brenda ,the only exception being the main line as far as Sunderland and Back ,we can use our bus passes for that so it isn't too bad.
I think i can get to Bury totally by bus if i have to, but i would have liked a tram ride lol.we will see anyway.
Catch you later all,Fred.

good tuesday morning hot an hazy at the moment and even hotter this afternoon, had a great deive up to huntsville yesterday to take laura and Ian to camp arrived early so the checking in was not too hetic, first of all they met up with their cousin suzanne who is a camp leader this summer and we went to check out their cabins then had a stroll around the camp and after about half an hour left, they really don't want their family hanging around while they meet up with with friends from last year on the way out passed the other 2 family cars with the rest of the cousins, plus lindy's sister who lived in england for a while had her english nanny and daughter visiting with her so brought helen and her daughter ruby along to show them the camp, andrew had meet them on monday at the family cottage,on the ride back my son and I had a bit of private time to chat etc re my upcoming tests and his upcoming birthday on the 8th can't quite believe he is going to be 44 how time lies by, so all in all it was a good day. brenda take it easy remeber you are retired so it is ok to slow down a bit, fred do you have a reciepe for the vegatarian shepherds pie laura has now decided to be a vegatarian so I need help with some meal ideas bye for now dorothy

Good morning all ,got a bit of a shock this morning when i went out at 6 am to put the bins out ,there was a chill in the air ,and the spiders webs were glistening on the hedge with dew ,oooooer,a distinct hint of autumn ,but in August ? hmmmmmm ,something fishy going on here ,lol.
Sounds as though you are doing too much still Brenda,you need to slow down ,the world will still turn when you are gone you know ,gently ,gently catchee retirement ,lol.
I got a couple of ideas as to cooking carrot and onions in foil from the other thread yesterday and seeing as i am using spare mashed tattie to make the veggie shepherd's pie ,i am gong to give them a go,along with some fresh runner beans from the garden.
My courgette cum marrow is ready to stuff too ,so that is on the menu for Wednesday.
My youngest grandaughter got her results from the hospital tests yesterday re the kidney reflux, and apart from a little scarring ,all is okay and she is in the clear at last.
Yes Brenda ,nearly missed that about the fonts ,it can be changed no prob's you need to go into all programmes ,find the app you need and just change it from there ,you can go to and from Arial to italics ,and change the size of the lettering.
Well ,time for a look around 'tother threads ,so i will say by -by for now.Fred.

Hi all sorry I have not been on,just been busy with different things and then tired!!!!
Also not very happy with the font on the lap top need to see if it can be changed can hardly read some things.
Benn out to St Annes on Sea today to see our friends who live there had a great day but we had to pay for some of the train fare fred!!!Will eplain in a enmail to you.
Hope you had a good visit taking the grand children Dorothy and my sympathies on the loss of your Aunt.
going to watch who do you think you are !! Be back tomorrow.
Brenda

hi it is a nice sunday morning a good morning for a stroll around the grounds and area to-morrow I am going with andrew and two of the children up to huntsville to the camp to drop them off for two weeks it is a lovely drive beautiful country side, lindy will be taking bryan to waterloo to the first camp that he will be attending for the 4 week training program one week there one week at another then 2 weeks back at the camp he usually goes to I shall miss him while he is away, we have to have laura and ian at the camp for 11-30 so shall leave my place at 9am, we will hook up with lindys two sisters and their children and lindys mom at the camp have a walk around and see what cabins they are in and meet the camp leaders assigned to their cabins , then have a nice drive back I am hoping to stop at a couple of the local markets the wild blueberries are in season plus maybe buy some fresh vegatables, and of course some of the local jams hope you all have had a good week-end bye for now dorothy

You ARE in the wars our Dorothy ,what a to do for you ,and all happening over such a short period too ,but i think you are doing the right thing in staying home ,after all ,YOUR health is paramount to anything else ,and you making yourself worse because of the extra travel ,or worry is helping no one.
I know what you mean about the lineage too ,i am now the patriach of my family since the loss of my uncle and sister,and it does make you feel sort of vunerable at times,but when i depart this mortal coil ,it will be someone else's turn to assume the mantle ,the world keeps on ,lol
Well ,here we are ,another wet miserable weekend ,and i have given up on all hope of a summer ,starting to bring in the green tom's from Mary's chalet,and putting them into newspaper to ripen ,and giving the smaller ones more nutrients to grow larger.
The pepper plants are now showing flower so i will do well for them next month ,having 16 plants in there ,plus 4 patio peppers out front as well .
At least we have a glut of cucumbers and courgettes plus the lettuce ,so ,loads of salads in the pipeline.
I am getting set up for autumn now ,the tw other gas bottles came yesterday ,and the little bottle for the camping stove i will get this next week,so things are coming together ,what with the gas company coming out tomorrow to service my central heating ,before it has to be fired up again well worth the few pounds i pay monthly to ensure it's always on the top line for when needed,i even get a new one fitted free if it can't be repaired under the contract,
Time i was off to get the dinner ready ,stir fry ,again ,but with all this green stuff to use ,cheap as you know what ,lol
Catch you all later on ,Fred..