General Chat

Good morning all.

Hopefully the repairs will be done Dorothy - they are coming to look but these people are contractors so how good a job they will do remains to be seen. The two items have gone up in price, the lady now wants £50 each. A good price still but if we don't buy she will have to leave them behind for the council to collect - and get nothing!! She has to move by Thursday so not much time for her to advertise. it is a bargain but I do feel it is just a tad mean to increase the price. Will have to arrange transport somehow - I was forgetting that washing machines are very heavy so Philip would not be able to manage on his own - really needs a trolley and a tail lift. Oh well I'm sure we will sort out something - but maybe will cost a bit.
Looking forward to the match this afternoon. The Ladies match was a bit predictable - really is a bit boring when it is the same two once again. Brilliant players though.
Woken this morning at 5am with dreadful cramp in my left ankle, got up and walked a bit to ease it, went back to bed but it then came back but was not just ankle . It just wouldn't go away so I got up - no rest for the wicked is there LOL!!
Hope you all have a good day - trying to work out what time it is in your neck of the woods Dorothy - it's 11.30ish here so are you still sleeping?
Take care
Love
Kathleen

ps - have a great picture in my head of Fred in his shorts and soaking wet
- sorry I know it's not really funny but I had to laugh.

h one and all kathleen it sounds as though you have all the repairs for the flat in good order and what a nice deal on the applainces it sounds like things are falling into place, yes I have to agree after the first set I thought andy was going to have a hard time beating the other andy, I am all set for the match with roger to-morrow I would like to see hime get his 15th win on the other hand andy roddick has improved and got his act to-gether he used to be such a brat, fred hope you don't catch a cold because of your run in with the rain and not being dressed for it. I am taking two of the grandchildren out for dinner this evening a rather last minute thing, thier mom is at the cottage doing some things for her mom, and andrew and the oldest boy are out for dinner with another dad and his son the celebration of the graduation continues the other dad could not attend as he was working out of town so this is to make up for missing it I guess, and laura is a little madam when she is left alone with the youngest it turns into world war 3 at times so the safest thing is for me to play referee. the excitement is mounting for the children as the trip gets closer I try not to think about the recent plane crashes perhaps there is something to be said for not all travelling on the same plane but I can hear my son saying oh mother it will be fine, well must go and change and get over there enjoy the week-end bye dorothy

Hi Sylvia ,nice to see you around again,and nice to see everyone else.
I got the new driving glasses yesterday ,had a K F C for dinner with the wife and came out of the centre to find it really stotting down with rain,oooooops ,there's fred .in the middle of town with only a pair of shorts on ,a casual shirt ,and trainers ,no car because we went to town on the bus ,disaster he he,could have done with trunks and a snorkle lol.
By the time we got off the bus and walked down the bank ,ten minutes in the downpour i was like a drowned rat ,and had to put my clothes in the washer and set it on spin to dry them out enough to hang them on the drier.
Did chicken wraps for tea last night ,with salad ,and meditteranian sauce ,the bairns loved them.
We have the two girls so far ,and Chris arrives in an hour ,a full house methinks lol,so ,i had better go and organise some dinner .
Sorry to rush off ,but it looks like it's a busy weekend ahead for me .Fred

Hello all, Nice to see you Sylvia, pleased that you r health is improving though the hot and humid weather does have an effect. It makes everything such an effort. Cooler now, we did have some rain last night, thunder and torrential rain for a while but it did ease and by this morning had gone.
I watched that match Dorothy, when Andy M lost the first set I had a feeling he wasn't going to win but kept hoping - Andy R played so well and I think deserved his win. It would be good if Roger wins the final for that 15th award
Well I have arranged for the repair people to come to sort out the warped floor boards, check the windows and also the front door though that will be dealt with by someone else on 14th July. A friend rang this evening to tell me that someone she knows is moving and cannot take her fridge/freezer and washing machine with her so will let Indira have them for a very reasonable cost. - about £60 for the two items. Just have to try to arrange transportation, hopefully one of my sons can do this in his works van.
Hope you all have a good day Enjoy your visit with your daughter on Sunday Sylvia.
Love
Kathleen

h one and all well I am sad andy lost the match but the other andy played the game of his life so maybe roger will win on sunday and get that 15th reward, sylvia it was good to see you back on line have a nice visit with your daughter on sunday, I see the hot weather in bury has broken anne said they had rain to-day it is still cool over here and quite dull take care bye dorothy

Hi all,
Just dropped in to say "hi".
My health seems to be improving but is costing me many health visits at the moment, that it is all go.
The weather has been so warm and humid today t hat I decided not to go out at all. My hairdresser came and asked if I wanted any shopping, but I don't want to put upon anybody if I can do it myself. My neighbour on the third floor also offered to do some shopping for me, but I said no. I could send Johan but I won't because of the humid weather.
We are going to visit my youngest daughter and son in law on Sunday as my daughter will be 49 y ears of age on Wednesday next. I have to go the bloemists tomorrow to sort out some nice flowers and I am giving her money. I don't like giving money, but these days young people seem to have everything. She can now choose what she wants.
My computer is now ok thank goodness. I lost a few e-mails with changing my e-mail address.
My new e-mail address is [email protected]
It is nice to see Kathleen, Brenda, Dorothy and Fred have been keeping the thread going well.
Sylvia xxx

hi one and all oh kathleen the flat does sound in a mess sounds like you need the people who clean flats after a fire to come in and give it the once over I wish you both luck with it, yes andy did well I shall be up early friday to watch the mens two semi finals if both roger and andy end up in the finals I shall be very torn on who to cheer for, fred glad to hear the weather has changed for you and your new glasses sound really grand , my daughter in law sent me the travel plans and dates and times for their trip plus important phone numbers where I can reach them if the need arises not that I think that it will some of the plans include the enchanted forest, hever castle three day trips into london one to include a visit to the show stomp. also brighton, then they take the transmarche ferry to dieppe both lindy and Ian get sea sick so that should be fun, after dieppe it is rouen and then to the apartment in paris followed by several days sight seeing . it should be fun, we had another rainy day but now at 7pm it is sunny and pleasent so I am going to take a coffee out onto the and watch the tomato plants grow and wait for the sunset take care bye for now dorothy

Evening all[in best Dixon Of Dock Green Voice] lol ,and what a difference ,we had rain over night ,but i still got the front lawn done while the son was busy on the caravan prior to it,s sale this month.
Been beutiful all day ,and so i decided to do a small B B Q for the tea,one nice all beef burger each ,and one baconburger ditto,with onions done in an onion sauce,a small side salad on wholemeal breadbuns,and very nice it was too.
It was soooo warm at half three that i decided to do a middle east style experiment with an egg and baking tray,placed on the tray at the side of the trolley ,blow me down ,it half cooked itself ,i reckon if i had done it at midday it would have fully cooked,now THAT'S warm ,lol.
Back off to town tomorrow to pick up the driving glasses,it was cheaper to buy subscription sunglasses than to buy ordinary ones with clip on sunglasses ,so i got a nice silver lens pair ,he he tray posh and all that.lol.
Hope the flat works out okay kathleen,we have our fingers crossed for you both,sounds as though you are prepared to chase the landlord ,so ,all i say from past experience is ,take no prisoners
and go for the jugular .
The weather is supposed to be good again tomorrow ,but after that it is all downhill again ,heavy rain and localised flooding ,hmmmmm sounds familiar .
Off now fora nice ,cool shower.Fred.

Good afternoon all, just popped in to add a brief message as it is too hot to sit here for long.

We have a promise of rain tonight through tomorrow - hope we do get some as the ground is so dry. Keep watering but it dries out almost immediately. Trouble is it will probably be a torrential downpour which will sit on the top and then evaporate, we want a nice steady gentle rain to first soften the top - Mothor Nature probably has other ideas though!!

Sitting here with a wet towel round my neck. Had to go to the new "flat" as the security door (a great steel thing to deter squatters) has finally been removed. Indira was supposed to be able to move in last Monday - she couldn't even if she had had furniture because of this door. The floor boards are all badly warped and I don't see any carpet layer worth his salt agreeing to lay carpet down in it's current state. The secondary double glazing is stiff, been put in back to front and the one opening window has a broken latch. The front door should really be replaced as it looks as though at some time they have had to break in - could have been the previous tenant who was, I believe, an old man. Maybe he died - but I won't tell Indy that!!! They have just covered most of it with paint so there is a gap against both locks. Will have to get on to the appropriate department to get some of this sorted out - they don't like it but I wonder if they would be happy to live there as it is??
These flats (a combination of studio and small one bedroom flats) were built specifically for yioung people who needed accommodation but they are so badly designed. The kitchen area of the room is on an inside wall with no means of venting steam or cooking smells - it is basically just a sink with cupboards above and below and space for cooker, fridge and washing machine alongside. The windows are filthy and I couldn't get at them to clean - I am trying to calm down before I ring the Repairs people.
Forgot to say, the floor has dozens of nails sticking up, seems the old man must have nailed his floor covering down and it has just been ripped up leaving all the nails behind.
G.daughter was so pleased to be offered a place and now it is all being spoiled for her. She is being rehoused on health grounds - must say this is not doing either of us much good.

Dorothy, watched that match the other evening and felt exhausted just watching - what a win for Andy!! and he won again yesterday. Fingers crossed for his next challenge.

Fred, hope you and Liz are getting some better weather, hopefully not too hot. We could do with some of your rain, surprised you have had such a bad spell as they kept saying it was the whole country - shows how much they know.

I hope that John & Gayle are well and that Gayle has started her treatment at long last.

Take care and enjoy your day.
Love
Kathleen xx

Morning to all ,poor old Katherine ,i would be spitting blood too if my bairns were treated in that way,how dare the government encourage young women to get a better deal by getting themselves pregnant ,were i you lady ,i would be getting in touch with the powers that be ,asking for an explanation
Our local government is the same ,complaining about the young unmarried mothers and housing in one breath,and then ,like yours ,refusing young single people housing because of silly young women ,a lot of whom get pregnant knowing the state will keep them,and it's a ruddy shame for the young ones who have made a genuine mistake ,to be tarred with the same brush as the others,maybe time for the government to stamp down on the males ,and make them pay for their offspring and single mother housing.
Lovely start to the day here mind ,rain overnight ,but the sky is now nice and blue ,so ,i ask myself ,is it the start of the north of englands heat wave ,my carrots are on the patio ,sun glasses on just in case he he.
well ,i am off for now ,getting ready fora return to town for another pair of new glasses,seeing as i am told reactolights are no good for driving,so i will get a normal pair and buy clip on lenses for the sun,which i can get from the same place.
Take care all ,and watch that sun ,it's as fierce now in england as it was thirty years ago in the middle east ,i kid you not Fred.

hi oh kathleen I can understand why you are in a bad mood what a lot of things going wrong hope it all gets sorted out soon, well I went to the charity this am to find them in an uproar the dial up system on the computors had crashed on friday and they had someone up from head office in toronto in to help fix it but they had forgot to tell me my services would not be needed so did I mind going home, well with all the tennis on to-day I jumped at the chance plus they said they would pay me for 1hr of my time I thought tht was silly as I was only there for about 4mins, I enjoyed the tennis but the murray match had me pacing up and down what a match thankgoodness he won so I am off to bed take care bye for now dorothy

Hello, sunny spells and rather warm and humid down here in the south east.

I did write a message yesterday - think it is still floating around in cyber space as it does not appear to have reached this thread - perhaps because I was having a little grumble. Today i am an even less pleased mood but think I had better not talk about it too much lest this message disappears.

Will just say my g.daughter has been allocated a studio flat (a basic room with kitchen space and a bathroom) She was over the moon but has now come down to earth with a big bump. As she needs help with basic furniture, applied for grant/loan to get started we applied to the appropriate authorities to be told "she is 18 and doesn't have a baby - so gets nothing" If she was a single teenaged mother she would get about £3,000 - and also of course if she was a new arrival. Perhaps I should have said she has an Irish passport!! Don't think that would work though - don''t think that counts. The kitchen space is just two cupboards and a sink - so she can wash up but not cook.... I give up!!!

Hope Brenda has a good holiday. Dorothy, hope you are enjoying your training for your charity venture - good to be able to get a little extra cash and do some good at the same time.
Fred we have the opposite to you, the ground is so dry. it has been first very windy and now hot so everything has dried out very quickly. Having to water two or three times a day for my pots and just as often on the open ground bit (think I am glad that no more was dug over).
We don't have a Netto's but there is an Aldi and a Lidl store not too far away - the bonus is Aldi has a free car park. There is a small market once a week but it tends to be a bit expensive unless you want to buy a watch - loads of stalls selling watches for a fiver.
Sorry, I am feeling very grumpy today, college are giving Indira a hard time because she missed some work when she was off sick (pneumonia) but she has worked really hard to catch up and now they say no point in taking the exam as she won't pass. She is arguing that they should give her the chance - nothing I can do and it makes me mad.
Better go and hopefully will feel better tomorrow.
Hope you all have a good day
Love
Kathleen

hi one and all it was another lovely sunrise this am but clouding over as I type hope you have a good trip brenda sorry that you are having not so great weather fred but maybe it will buck up, off to the charity office soon this is giving a lift to my days having something productive to do now that the children don't require as much help from me as they used to, they are getting ready for the trip to england and france on the 9th of july this is the first plane ride for them so they have lots of questions. the tennis is going to be great to-day so I shall dash home at 1p m to catch as much as I can bye for now dorothy

Morning Brenda ,and all the other stalwarts who look in every couple of days or so. and i'm glad to hear that someone at least is enjoying this so called heat wave he he.
Us up in the frozen north are still suffering cool temperatures ,and drizzle,and i for one have actually seen that yellow thing in the sky for an hour and a half [about] for the last 36 hours ,and blow me down ,it's looking like another day of the same grrrrr.
Yes Brenda ,i reckon the likes of you and me are spoilt for choice shopping wise and ,if memory serves me right,you have lots more open markets than we have ,so i bet you have your freezer stuffed with goodies.
Despite this lousy weather ,i have all the buckets filled ,apart from the one row of eight which is earmarked for my beetroot,and the cups are ready to go out ,may even get them out this afternoon if it dosn't tiddle down ,lol.
Think the missus is chancing her arm lol, by putting the washing out ,i think i will stay out of the way for now,she won't be too pleased if it comes in wetter than it was when it went out,if you know what i mean .
Catch you later peeps.Fred.

Hi Everyone,did not manage to get on at work yesterday ,sat out in the shade to try and cool off,then last night we had such torrential rain parts of the city were flooded!!! Even the city of Manchester Stadium had to be pumped out by the fire brigade.A number of roads in the area were still closed today!!
Not sure if I will get on tomorrow .and will try to get on while I am away.
I also like Netto and Aldi for freezer things ,Cool trader and Farm foods are ok as well, Need to stock the freezer when I come home but also need to label things better ,I am renown for not knowing whats in bags and packets.
I nearly got skype when Johns neice was in NZ but she came home earlier than expected.must try and keep up with new deals etc.
Enjoy the tennis and your training Dorothy.l
Take care while I am away.
Brenda

goodmorning up early and had coffee out on the balcony watching the tomato plants grow!!! lovely cool breeze and the sunrise was great more tennis to-day and andy is playing, my friend isobelle is on her way to cape cod with all her family for a week,so I am e-mailing all the tennis results to her by way of her sons blackberry , they travel in two cars with walkie talkies to keep in contact her daughter and daughter in law are both expecting one in august and one in november so lots of pit stops along the way. this week I am back at the charity job in the mornings for 4hrs at the office but should be working from home soon will catch the tennis later in the day on the american channel so I should not miss much. fred your f reezer shopping sounded great I will be doing some of that before anne comes over so I can have some meals planned out as she is only coming for two weeks she will have some dinner invites from people she has met over her (my friends and family) my son will fire up the barb -b-que as well, plus she loves to go to tim hortons over here for the chili and the french vanilla coffee. well it is time to go and check out the tennis for the day have a great week-end I guess our het wave is heading your way and we are in for rain for the week ahead bye dorothy

Hi there all ,just back from the monthly freezer shop ,mostly done at Aldi and Netto ,where i bought two nice 2 kilo chucks at £2-75 a piece,on of which Liz is doing for dinner today and the other is in the freezer ,so ,at least that one when we take it out won't be full of ice like the ready frozen ones will ,and be much better tasting.
I also bought a chicago town Lasagne which i cook and cut when cold ,into four ,and freeze down in seperate bags ,these are tasty and ideal to go with salads.
Also bought one smaller one from Aldi which will cut in two portions ,veggie and very tasty ,ideal for our Brenda because it's not so high in fat,and very low in sugar ,ideal for Fred ,lolo.
just This ere phone isn't high tech Brenda,it's just a normal phone with normal monthly tarrifs ,exept that it has an extra icon to open skype,which as i say enables the phone to call skype anywhere in the world free of charge ,even in this country which is a darned good idea.and not bad for £7'50 a month ,other than that it has the usual tarriff,for going cross network.
This one also has a free to browse internet connectionwith yahoo on board.
Seems we are heatwave at the start of next week so it looks like the B B Q will be getting fired up for midday meals,and going on to cereals for tea.
Hope you do well with your tomato plants Dorothy , sounds good to me so ,looks like you will be eating well.
Off for now ,stuffing to make for the chuck ,home made of course.
Have a nice day everyone Fred.

Just a quick hello ,before I am off to bed ,been busy sorting out my packing and doing a bit of iroming.
working tomorrow and might get on a library pc during lunch ,but if its nice we might go for a walk as it get s hot when we close for lunch.See you soon ,Brenda

goodmorning well I had a good time shopping at the plant sale I bought two different kinds of patio tomato plants and two geraniums so they are now out on the balcony, it is to be a bit cooler to-day and rain forecast for sunday through most of next week, to-day I have a funeral to attend one of my close friends her sister died last thursday an unexpected death and two autopsy's had to be done as one was inconclusive she was 78 so I did not see why it had to be done . it is the last official day of school to-day so the children will be happy , bye for now dorothy

Evening all,just a quick hello ,then I am off to bed,had to check my emails and had a lot .mainly adverts form a few places and a few chain letters,and then in between a couple from friends.
The bathroom is now finished and is fantastic,John has had the first offical bath and David the second ,I will have a nice soak in the morning as I am not working.i am going out later with my sister.
Glad your ok with the boiler etc Kathleen,fred you make my mind boggle with all these new gadgets.Dorthy hope you do not melt with the heat.
Take vare Brenda