General Chat

Hi everyone,been busy today catching up on washing ,from the holidays ,which I could not hang out due to rain!!! so the house is like a laundry,
Had to go to the photo shop in ASDA to burn some pictures on a cd ,couldn't do it on here as I got a cd stuck in the drawer,david has manage to get it out and I am considered told off about not putting it in correctly!!!i
I had promised the cd to someone today so had to do it.,so I then had to take it to her,had a chat and some lunch with her,catching up etc.
Went to the library to pick up some books and take a few back.
Came home after getting a bit of shopping and got the tea on.
Then have spent almost two hours sorting out my car insurance ,I just do not understand how they get such vast differences in prices.
Now Ineed to cancel the old one but that is a phone call in the morning ,.I wonder if we are having the problems Fred has spoken about with the cables etc,things are really slow on here. Will be back tomorrow to tell youmore about the holiday .Love Brendaie

Sorry to be so late today folks ,seems virgin Media are having real problems with the landlines again today,i reckon the cable optics ,after thirty years of use are starting to break up,a problem we had in the glass fibre industry causing the laminates to become weak after years of stress.
We have finished up today getting two days rebate on our monthly payment [so far] but i reckon that isn't the end of the present troubles after noticing along the other end of the estate next door to us ,that the team has already starting to strip the old cables out and renew them all.
Cor Dorothy ,your weather sounds lush,ours has taken a real nose dive ,back to 10c today in fact ,and it has been wet ,on and off all afternoon.
i found a huge bucket of garden soil feeder ,for £9-65p,nearly twice the size of the growmore bucket and far cheaper ,so Fred is a happy bunny ,enough feeder to do three years.
I Also spotted a gas B B Q in the same store,two burners ,one of which was under a flat plate for griddling and a tray on top of the spreader on the other burner for chippings for smoking.
The lid has a slot for a chicken spit ,and will fold down to help the smoking process ,so,what the heck ,i brought it 7 months early ,but the daughter will be well chuffed as i promised she could have it for her garden ,she only has one of these small charcoal ones at the mo.
Anyway ,to cheer myself up ,i set too and put it together this am ,and it is now under the cover awaiting the first firing up [ now ,where' s me pinny ,lol]
We have taken some carrot 7 apple soup out for the tea today,after finishing off the shepherds pie dinner time,,all i need to do now ,is have a think on tomorrows meals,hmmmmm , if it get's any colder i will be getting the slow cooker out for a nice warming hot pot ,or stew.
Brenda ,i was so glad to hear that you had a good holiday ,it makes a big difference when this happens ,and you have recharged the batteries early in the season,you should now be okay until the fall ,when hopefully ,you will be having another break,lol
We have a Pease Pudding maker up here that is gearing up to invade Lancashire with his product so ,when we come down again ,i won't have to bring it down with me ,so i can enjoy my fav' sarnies ,either savaloy ,or ham with pud ,yum.
Have to go ,time to stick the soup on ,Fred.

hi brenda welcome home to you both look foreward to hearing all your news when you get settled in another hot and lovely day over here bye for now dorothy

Hi all,just a few lines to say we are back safe and sound from the holiday
We had a good time ,and looks like we left some sun behind!!
Have not read the messages as I have not got time today ,will come back later and catch up. I have 58 emails to sort out!!
Take care Brenda

hi well the long week-end has been great weather wise to-day it is 30 and a lovely breeze I have had a good birthday lots of calls and messages brenda thanks for the e. card how you did that on holiday I have no idea. the family and I will get to-gether mid week as bryan is 15 on the 26th and we tend to have a family dinner on tht date or as close a spossibel. glad you had a good meal with the family fred and that hissy enjoyed it as well. I took a few days to think over your comments on the oil spill, the oil is making a mess for the birds on many of the islands around lousianna and florida and the fishing is ruined many people have lost their incomes for this year and many years to come, I shan't get into the rights and wrongs of it all ie who is responsible as Ithink that there is blame on both sides.I was exhausted by the end of the andy murray match to-day as he did not play well for the first 2 sets and that means I do a lot of walking around the place muttering under my breath but at last he got it to-gether and finally won so I am very much enjoying the french open bye for now dorothh

Morning all ,wow ,what a grand weekend we have had ,weather ,fantastic,and sunny ,the old legs have turned a nice shade of brown ,and ,no ,it isn't because i was kneeling in the borders taking a few weeds out he he.
The B B Q went well ,with thew daughter and family turning up so no food was unused,or wasted ,even Hissy joined us for the afternoon ,sprawled out in the shade under my chair ,where i passed her a morsal of fish ,chicken ,and beef steak once in a while ,lol,one very spoiled pusser cat .
Garden wise we nearly have a full veggie patch,the runner beans now in ,and only the french beans ,and broad beans to go out,plus a couple of courgettes.
The greenhouse stuff is well away now ,all the herbs ,tomatoes cucumber and peepers ,growing very fast,so ,sorry our Mary ,if you turn up now ,it's the bedroom for you and hubby lass ,the chalet is fully booked.
I was watering the veggiies this morning ,and noticed that the parsnips are showing ,and that has made my day ,the most important crop of the year is now well away ,and to cap it all ,the Rhubarb is growing quickly,which will b very important next year for placing under the brassica ,just a little piece put into each hole before dropping the plants in will deter wireworm ,and stop clubroot getting into the soil.i use all clubroot resisant plants where i can ,and never import veggie from outside sources ,just in case of contamination,it's easier to prevent this disease ,than trying to cure the soil of it ,which is very hard to do ,if not impossible.
I am off on a shop hunt this morning to try and find a good supply of and and insect powder ,and roseclear systemic liquid while i can still obtain it ,before it is removed from the shelves ,those products ,and derris dust ,the gardeners friends that have been around for many years ,are being banned by the E U ,but still freely available in any other country of the union ,what a Pi** take ,the beurocrats again trying to screw britain in any way possible ,.
I think it's time Britain pulled out of the E U and revoked the human rights bill at the same time ,that useless law is only protecting the criminal fraternity and terrorists ,not the law abiding people it was meant to protect,and just think ,all that money saved ,with no overseas coffers to fill ,great ,our national debt and bankers crisis ,paid off in a year,brilliant.
Well ,off the soap box ,and away out to do some mooching round the garden shops ,lol,catch you all later,Fred.

hi one and all last evening I went to bryan's music concert at the high school it was a great program grades 9-12 put on a great show and a variety of musical choices one senior played the violin solo just fantastice bryan's group played three selections (he plays the tenor sax) so a good evening was had by all. to-day in town is a sad day as we have a funeral for one of our soliders who was killed in afganastan all the streets around me are closed off for a few hours they expect about 3000 people to attend the service at the armourys he was only 24 I am aware off all the british lads that have also been killed it is never easy. his father is a firefighter so many fireman will be lining the route. we have to be very grateful to all the young men and woman who keep us all safe. the highway going up north is very busy as people head off for the holiday week-end we are expecting some rain on saturday but the rest of the week-end is to be sunny and in the middle of next week the temp will get up to 30 , this is a big planting week-end over here fred so all the gardiners will be doing their thing . I recieved a hummingbird solar light as a gift and I have it on the balcony in a large bushy green plant and it looks great at night it looks like it has landed for a rest on the plant and all the lovely colours are great to watch enjoy the week-end bye for now dorothy

Morning Dorothy ,looks like a nice day in the offing ,the mist was hanging every where at 5-30 this am when i watered the gardens ,so ,i have put my shorts on ,ready and waiting for the yellow thing coming out to play.
I was reading about the big B P oil spill in the Gulf Of Mexico , and how President Obama was saying how b P should pay for the clean up ,which is fair enough ,and B P are already starting to do just that but what a self righteous Pig that Arrogant son of the south is.
One of Americas biggest oil companies [Texaco ] has already torn the heart out of the Amazon rain forest [and still is] leaving big ,stinking pits where they shove all the contaminated waste,in all the old oil wells going back twenty years,leaving these places open to the air ,where people can't walk or live for fear of cancers because many of these waste products are carconagenic ,so much so that even the animals are dying and the whole areas are dead and lifeless ,come on Obama ,get your country to clean up your own messes instead of spouting off about other companies of other nations.and don't forget that B P is partly american run.
Sorry folks ,but these yanks make me spit ,soooo full of themselves ,but they make more mess ,and create more pollution than any other nation on earth barring China,and the latter have a far better excuse being a younger country as regards technology but ,they have already started to see what they can do to improve things the yanks just beat their gums ,blame everyone else ,and do, NOTHING
Our holiday week starts shortly too Dorothy ,but i think we will be staying close to home ,and chill out.I went and got my new toy yesterday ,and now the battery pack is charging up in the greenhouse ,ready for this afternoon ,the trimmer will do ,so they say in the blurb ,1000 square feet of hedge between charges. so it should eat my hedges no bother,any way ,we will sharp find out .
We went to Asda on the way home to see what was on offer ,and i found an addition to the mixes i have mentioned and promptly brought two packets ,of? Lincolnshire sausage mix ,how good is that ? my favourite sausage after Cumberland.,So ,it will be on the menu for tomorrows B B Q,along with some pitta pockets for the burgers and salad ,handier than buns because you don't lose half the filling as you sink the old gnashers in ,lol.
Quite looking forward to it ,an hour making my sausages and burgers up,and then a lazy afternoon in my deckchair ,cooking the stuff slowly ,chilling out ,utter bliss,so anyone coming for their nosh had better get their skates on he he.
See ya later peeps ,hope you are all looking forward to your weekend.Fred.
p,S have a great one on Monday Dorothy xxxx

goodmorning to any one around this is the long holiday week-end over here so the highways north of me will be very busy probably starting this evening as people head up to muskoka to check on or open their cottages and summer homes not sure yet if the family are heading to the family (Lindys) cottage for the week-end or not or if it is nice if andrew will open the swimming pool at the house and get it ready for the summer. Bryan is going with his high school class camping next week up to algoquin park should be fun and to-night we are all going to the school for a music concert I shall enjoy that. I am feeling very spoiled this week I have recieved quite a few birthday cards and gifts ahead of monday. on sunday I have noticed we are to get 6 hrs of the french open so it will be a good 2 weeks of tennis. hope that brenda and john are enjoying the holiday and that fred and liz are ok bye for now dorothy

goodmorning fred it looks like it is just you and me at the moment hope that liz enjoys her trip out being house bound is no fun, I like your plan fior the chicken that is one dish I enjoy cooking especially trying different fillings in the chicken breasts, it is a little cloudy to-day but still starting to get warmer my sister should have a great day in calgary it is supposed to be 28 from cold and snow to heat in a short space of time. brenda must have flown off ok as she is not on the site to say she was delayed . as I mentioned I am having visitors to-day so I shall go and get ready I am so looking foreward to seeing my friends nothing like a good natter with life long friends bye for now dorothy

Good morning campers ,wat a mornin' here ,sunshine at last,he he ,i was out back at 5-45 this am feeding the plants and the lawn with sprinkler in the right hand ,cuppa in the left ,[sigh] this is more like it ,lol,what a difference a little sun makes.
Hope you are enjoying the break Brenda ,and hope the weather is behaving for you 'Fred has his shorts on ,and a short sleeved tank top ,gonna go out front shortly ,cover the tatties that are showing through [yeeeees] and trim the lawn edges that i didn't get done last week owing to the rain.
Well ,the leeks are in the buckets ,so we should be okay for soups this winter ,along with the odd leek pudding [yum] and of course ,warming stir fry's .
I have taken some rindless strreaky bacon out of the freezer ready for tomorrows dish of the day ,butterfly chicken breasts ,stuffed with philly [chive] ,and wrapped in bacon ,with some lovely new potatoes [best Jersey royals] with steamed Asparagus ,fresh from the garden.,can't do better than that .lol.
I was going to get started on the toilet decor ,but it's sooooo nice outside that the painting is on hold until the rain returns [B****r it ,too nice to work indoors ,and anyway ,i have to take Liz shopping ,her first trip out since the trip in the garden ,so she is getting a lot better now.Fred is off out with the son tomorrow ,to see about his new mobile home ,he he ,a caravan that a mate of his want's shot of ,after the recent loss oof his wifew ,it seems that it brings back happy times spent away in it ,and the fella can't cope anymore.
The vasn is only ten years old ,and will be ideal to get liz out and about for the odd weekend ,and is big enough to take the boss as well [the cat ] he he,so ,i will let you know how that goes after i get back ,this means of course i will have to get a tow bar fitted to the new motor ,but ,no matter ,i will take it back to the same firm who fitted the one to the present car
and have an afternoon out in Durham City at the same time .
Catch you later troops ,off to have as mooch out front .Fred.

hi brenda hope that your flight went off ok I was watching the news from home this am and london seemed to be the one with the problem have a great time, fred read you news re the packages from asda etc and it was very interesting can you tell me more and maybe I will get anne to send me a couple of packages over and how much did you say they cost as I like to reemburse her for cost and postage. as usual your meal sounded great, I was still feeling off colour with this cold yesterday so just had some mashed potatoes and a piece of steak and some brussell spsrouts just a small portion have some left for to-night, another new baby in the extended family in england a little boy it is nice to get this kind of news all my first and 2nd cousins children and grandchildren are keeping the family line going. a beautiful morning over here at last it is 8-30 and the sun is shining clear high blue sky. to-morrow 4 of my lady friends are coming up for lunch and a visit we shall be going to the local pub they seve very good food I always have bangers and mash with onion gravy and the liver and onions are also a hit. hope liz keeps on the mend fred and good luck with the m.o.t I shall phone anne later and see how she made out going with the sitting car for her pre-op work up bye for now dorothy

Hello everyone,just a quick few lines as I am just about to get changed to go on my holidays,
Have checked the news on tv ,the airports website and the airlines website and all seems to be ok at the minute,so we are being picked up at the prearranged time by some friends.
Weather cloudy and chilly today ,must have rained earlier as the back garden was wet when I opened the door.
Had a great night at my brother in laws 60th birthday party,he was made up that so many people took the trouble to go all that way as he put it.
But as it was a late night ,we got home at 1.30am ,so Sunday was a very lazy day for us.
Not sure how the place we are going is fixed re internet places ,which are both cheap and secure!!,so might not be on again till I get back,so I will see you Tuesday.Take care ,brenda

Well,hello all you happy campers and gardeners ,sorry to have been missing for the weekend,but old Fred decided to take a couple of days off to recharge the batteries,and chill out.
Liz seems to be on the mend at last but i will be keeping a close eye on her for a while yet.
We had the B B Q on Saturday [lunch time ] in between the clouds and threatening showers,lol,the forcast people got it wrong yet again ,as usual ,and i felt like saying at news time on the tele ,sun ,what sun ,we are still perishing up here ,,he he.
We had some of the home made burgers made from a packet of dried ingredients [meat free] and tried the sausage mix ditto ,and i have to say they were very nice and i will certainly be buying and making some more.
These packet mixes ,from either Asda or Morrisons ,i highly recommend to anyone for any tummy problems that can't eat meat,or any animal fat ,and at around 80 p a time are cheap enough and store very well being dried.
The mix for the Shepards pie is great too ,very tasty.
We had a couple of Morrisons pork and apple burgers as well ,and by the time it came round to the Cumberland sausage ,no one had room left ,so i made toad in the hole with them for dinner Sunday [very nice it was too,with roast tatties ,cabbage,broad beans carrot and gravy,the toad being rather big for three ,that two biggish pieces went into the freezer for another day
The battle wagon goes in for the first M O T tomorrow at 2 pm and then goes in to Nissan on the 16th of next month to be changed over for the new one ,she has been the best car yet ,economical ,reliable ,and trouble free ,so who ever buys this one ,gets a good bargain ,and still only 17'000 miles on the clock.,can't be bad eeeeeh?
Garden is doing great now ,only needing some sun to make the plants shoot away,even the beans are poking their heads above the compost in the cups ,and will be ready to go out into the buckets within two weeks.
I am thinking of putting a wood box partition in the greenhouse over the summer ,so that i can put half of the greenhouse under gentle heat like i used to do up the allotments ,to start the leeks and onions far sooner,and to put the Geranium ,and Chrysanth cuttings in ,to keep them ticking over till spring,it will be far cheaper than heating the whole greenhouse,which is getting so dear with the prices of energy these days, i may even be able to get away with using a 40 watt panel heater ,just to keep the frost out overnight,the price of paraffin getting beyond a joke,even with my blue flame heater which left on 24- 7 only burns 1 gallon a week,if kept low.
I must get my leeks put out today or tomorrow ,they are looking good if i do say so myself.
Catch you later peeps ,time to do some work ,dusting today,and maybe starting painting in the toilet [ugh] Fred.

hi brenda and fred and who ever else is around I do hope tht liz feels better soon, and in the case of the missing fish I hope you find out who is the culprit soon, yes the car passed its emmission test so good for another 2yrs and I will pick up the sticker for the lience plate this week, I had a good day out yesterday the two sisters came with me and one drove my car and we made the rounds of lots of shops some that I had never been into before, to-day it is still on the cool side and I hope it warms up soon Ian is having a belated birthday outing with some of his friends they are going go-cart racing so they do need good weather for it and andrew will take them out for a meal as well. he leave to-morrow for a week in windsor but not the windsor I love but the one over here ah well. brenda you sould be off on holidays soon, anne is going for preop work up on monday no date for her eye surgery as yest she is getting there by what she said was a sitting car I am sure you will know what that is all the three children are working her son will be home from russia for 4 days but she won't ask him to drive her!!! her youngest daughter will take the day off work when she has the surgery so that is no problem. well it is time for the tennis from spain so I shall make a quick lunch and enjoy that have a great week-end bye for now dorothy

Morning all,not very nice here again this morning ,but according to the seaweed hung out the back ,he he ,better weather is on the way for the weekend ,hmmmmmm,out comes the gas B B Q.
Hope the cream starts to work for you Brenda ,and don't forget to pack it for the holiday,that ,coupled with better weather will help a lot to give you some relief.
Sorry about the fish ,but it ain't Hissy who is still giving me close escort wherever i go and can't run that fast.,any more trouble and use a galvi mesh over the pond coupled to a cattle fence generator which you just couple to a 12 volt car battery,whatever is nicking the fish ,be it cat ,stork or bird ,it won't come back in a hurry i can tell you ,he he ,i got one hell of a jolt off my sisters cattle fence round her field ,and wouldn't like to try again [ouch].
Enjoy the Lights Dorothy ,i have loads now ,butterfly ones ,three sets out the back as well as the ordinary lights going up the path to the greenhouse ,and even have some out the front,around the big lawn,they do look very nice i must admit.
I managedtoget the lawns cut yesterday ,and now have only the edges to trim ,leaving the big hedge to see to some time next week when the weather is better.
By then ,i will have the new trimmer that uses a 24 volt battery that straps round the waist ,so much safer in damp conditions,and saves dragging cable behind you ,once the mower goes home i will be getting a battery one ,then i can do away with cables in the garden for good.
I will have to go shopping on my own today ,poor old Liz is still feeling sore and rough,so here's hoping the coming warmer weather will help her to recover a little more quickly.
Catch you all later,Fred.

Hello everyone,no sleep again tonight due to the arthritis ,have used the cream I was given awhile back ,and realised I was supposed to use it four times a day not just morning and evening,it seems it needs a little while to have any effect! so I am now using it more often ,as I do not want to use painkillers unless its really bad.
Weather has been sunny ,but the wind has been bitterly cold at times,got a few plants for the bottom of the garden at the side of the fish pond,John and David took out a load of old plants that had been strangled by the ivy which is on the wall at the bottom and pruned back the ivy which is actually belongs to the garden on the other side of the wall.
John has also put a finer mesh net over the pond as one of his fish has disapered!! We have seen a couple of strange cats about lately ,and he thinks they could be the culprits.Dorothy hope the car is ok,and the solar lights sound great.Have a few emails to reply to ,Take care <Brendarl

hi from a cool and rainy barrie but it is to warm up at the week-end good to hear the news from john hope all goes well with gayle, hope the holiday goes well brenda and no ash!!!! the car is being taken in to-morrow for its emmission test and to get its sticker andrew is going to do that for me as he will be out of town next week and it has to be done for the 24th suddenly realized I will be 68 on that date my time runs by rather fast after 65 does it not. put some solar ornamenets out on the balcony to get them ready and of course the sun has disappeared when they are charge up they do look nice at night. well time to pop down to the laundry room so I shall say bye for now dorothy

Morning all,up early today ,mainly due to having a bad night sleeping ,the arthritis was playing up and I had to take some painkillers when I went to bed,but it woke me an hour or so ago so I got up and walked about here a while to see if I could get some reliefe!!,
Have been sorting out some old papers and cards etc,must stop hoarding so much of this sort of think.Also had a tidy up of the towel cupboard.
I have been trying to find my way round the new screen Virgin have put on for emails,!!
My brain needs this holiday for all the new things it will have to learn afterwards,!!
Hi John ,so pleased that Gayle has had the fistula done and hope the op follows very soon,please lets us know how she is.
We have already been talking about what we might have to do "incase" we have problems with the ASH!!so we should be ok ,but lets hope its does not come to that.John also thinks it will not be that warm and we have got extra clothes ready,good job we have a large luggage allowence..Well better get going as I am out to lunch later and a spot of retail therapy!! Speakto you tomorrow,Take care Brenda

Hi everyone
Its been awhile since I dropped by GR and I hope all is well. Gayle was in hospital on Tuesday to have the fistula done and its buzzing happily so I am told. Its been a tough few months before hospital scheduled surgery for this week only to be told it had been rescheduled to the end of the month but a hard word from the Renal Team saw the surgery put back to the original date. Now its a matter of waiting for the fistula and wound site to settle down.
So the UK has a change of government albeit a coalition one, here in New Zealand we have had several coalitions which have survived. Will be interesting to follow developments in the change of election format - first past the post has done its dash. The next election in New Zealand will see the public asked if they want to keep MMP or change to something else - some folk want the old system back, but I can't see that happening.
Take care , John