General Chat

Hi Sylvia, June, Kathleen, Jude, Lou, Dilys, Mary, Crista, Where is Brenda? Hope you are well Brenda or just having fun. It's an overcast day here today, got a funeral to go to today so guess if you think it's a celebration of his life it will be okay. It does make you think though that you've got to enjoy everything that something you take forgranted. We have been chatting to each other for quite some time now and although we've never met this is how some of you seem to me. Sylvia, You really seem to be a people person and really enjoy the visits from people. June, You seem to be a wonderful person always doing for others. Jude, You seem to be a bright happy girl always full of fun. Kathleen, You seem a very wise and kind lady. Lou, You seem to be a kind helpful listener who also likes to have fun. Now you can say Christine you are a pain in the neck but it was funny last night my husband was talking to his sister on the phone and said I was talking to my computer family! Well I was logged on to Genes Reunited looking at all the messages as we do.

Coooee - bet you thought l'd forgotten?!! lol Christine - you seem to have hit the nail on the head with your discriptions of us peeps:o) You seem to be a sporty,good fun person who probably finks my Fat Cat rules!!!! lol Its been a blustery day here and definately long john weather approaching!!! lol . Did'nt get a great deal of sleep last night due to a neighbours car alarm constantly blasting and flashing its orange lights from 3.30am,then at 6.30 ish another neighbour was greeting a work collegue right outside our house, all bright and breezy ready for work - grrrrrrr! Walked the new dog today, managed to get to kennels with 20 mins to spare, he's definately a cheeky chappy and going to be much more the pet dog we have been looking for - his name is Maddock!!!!!! is'nt that great, might shorten it to Max,but we'll have to see how it sounds calling "Madd...dockkkkk" mmmm not yoo sure about that!! He comes from a home with kids and a cat, they are moving and can't take him with them bless.He's abit of a Labrador cross and got love handles round his belly (too fat). Mostly white with very small black markings all over and an almost black head.Was in road traffic accident 18 months ago and has large scar on back leg. His old owners got him from their vets cause he was'nt claimed after the accident:o(((( He's 3 and half now so loads of fun to come,loads of walks and loads of love:o) he nips abit,but thats cause he's excited and pleased - the lad at the kennels said he does it to him, nothing nasty, my mum used to call them rabbit bites:o) l am now in the store room, can't believe how much better it is up here. It has made so much difference sealing that corner up with silicon - no draughts now!!!! We actually sat at the table and had breakfast together this morning,usually l turn the pooter on and sit with breakie on lap and hubby goe's into lounge with a tray!!!!!! We had dinns at my sisters this evening, which was really nice and then drove back through the Wye Valley - l kept expecting to see deer on the side of the road waiting to cross to the river,as much as l would love to see them,l'm glad l did'nt cause its so dangerous for them - beautiful sereen creatures:o) Sylvia - you are always busy with your housework and getting ready for autumn, you sound very organised:o) put me to shame. Kath - yes l remember those names and l did the same as you yesterday - l was sorting old bits of printed messages/info etc and yep some of those names appeared. Bet some keep an eye on here - say hi to them or shall l ?? "Hi there any of you oldies looking in" lol. Yes it was Shep. Bert had a website with Shep and his family on:o) June - you must keep that Beckham under control!! lol Are'nt you good looking up census sites, have'nt done that in ages. Right l am off to bed,had intended going about an hour ago. You think its going to be quite quick to type out a message, but then you have to keep going back to see what u lot have written - me neck creeks now!!!!! Do hope l have'nt missed anyone. Jude sarf wales xx

Good morning everyone (had to be first on somehow :-)) Just been chatting to Di, she send her love to you all. Quite chilly now and the heating has been turned on for a few hours. It has been quite a wet and blustery day today with some sunny spells between - but cold!! Sadly no more painting has been done, but lots of clearing out and re-organising so not unhappy about it. This house has been home to 9 people so, over the nearly 45 years we have lived here we have accumulated quite a lot of "stuff" not all junk but now it has to be thinned out a bit. All the boys left a lot behind when they left home, gradually I got rid of all the clothes they left. Sorted out the personal things but they have all asked to leave one thing here - just so they haven't left completely. So I have Kenneth's 21st silver tankard, Philips first electric razor and so on, just a little reminder for me. Of course 2 of them have returned home and they give me their washing!! Do their own ironing though. I am going to be a great grandmother again :-)))). Am a gt.grandma courtesy of my step-grandchildren. Already have an 8 year old gt.granddaughter and 6 year old gt.grandson - they are delightful children but have a problem working out the relationship. No problem with granddad - they adore him but can't quite get how I am granddad's mother!! Christine, thank you for that lovely description - don't think I have ever been described as wise before. You make my legs ache just thinking about all that running you do. I used to do a lot of walking, still do a fair bit but nothing like the miles I once used to cover. Don't have the stamina anymore. Brenda is on holiday, hope she is having a lovely time and good weather. Jude, the new doggy sounds great, he sounds very lively. Being part Labrador he will probably stay very lively for a long time, they do tend to have a long puppyhood - how did Fat Cat react to him? He could be forgiven for being a bit wary this time. June, haven't seen the illuminations for a long time now - but I do remember that it always blew a gale as soon as they had been put up. I think they do still have the coach trips for people to go to see them. Those census pages are a bit hard on the eyes - it isn't any wonder that they sometimes get mistranscribed. Haven't looked at any that were photographed though, I can imagine that must have made them difficult to read. I have been looking at ships manifests for emigrants from Ireland to New York. Think I have finally tracked down my Dad's cousin, which also means I have found one of my grandfather's brothers. Mustn't be too excited yet though as it has to be checked - and that is going to be very difficult. Sylvia, I agree with June, for a day of rest you certainly manage to fit in a lot. Do you use a bread-maker or make it from scratch? I used to make bread at weekends and always made my own hot cross buns at Easter. Will be making my Christmas cake soon but must remember to make a smaller one this year. I find it hard to scale things down, forgetting that not all the family are here now. Mary, Dilys, Crista, hope you will be adding to this thread again before long. Hope the day stays bright and sunny for you all. Love Kathleen

Hi everyone, Kathleen, I know that feeling of having so much stuff that you want to get rid of and don't quite know how to. We had one big shift about 10 years ago when we came to live here but instead of chucking out half of the junk we just brought it along with us. Since then my mother-in-law came to stay with us. She died last year and we have a lot of her stuff in our garage and our daughter manages to find a place for all her stuff too. Jude, Sounds like you are going to have plenty of fun with your new dog. We used to have a black labrador years ago. They seem to be good faithful dogs that love kids. He used to love to run and swim but unfortunately our neighbour who had a Japanese garden with a small pool with goldfish in it didn't really appreciate Kojo swimming in it!

Kathleen - a very very quick note - We have'nt got him yet.He's still in quarentine,he arrived there last Thursday,he's not ill just in a seperate section for the first week (sorry should have said) and we have to have a house check in about a week. So we walk him as much as poss,in the grounds. Byeeeeee off't to the shower,then work in the Forest and its cold today and windy - brrrrrrrrrrr Jude sarf wales x

Hi everyone I hope you are having better weather than we are, its very windy with very heavy showers. Poor Beckham, this morning its was pouring with rain so he wouldn't go out, then when it finally stopped he rushed out and then got caught in another shower. Christine, when I moved here 8 years ago, I had to get rid of a lot because this is a much smaller house, then 3 years ago my daughter moved in, in between changing houses, so I had to clear out again, but now it seems just as cluttered, I dont know where all the clutter comes from. Thanks for your lovely comments but I'm not really wonderful, I do try to see the best in people though. Kathleen, I'm glad to hear Di is ok, please remember me to her when next you speak. You have got your sons trained well, getting them to do their own ironing. Yes they still run coach trips around the illuminations and they seem as busy as ever, I bet whoever thought the idea up never dreamed they would last so long or be be so popular, The census are difficult to read, funnily enough when printed off they are easier but it would be too costly to print off every page. Jude, I have neighbours that greet their work colleagues like that and others that make a noisy farewell to visitors but they are very nice neighbours apart from that. Maddock sounds like the dog for you, I hope it does work out for you this time. Your Computer room sounds ideal, I have to decide whether to move back upstairs when Nick goes but at the moment I am favouring staying downstairs, where I am sat now I can see out of my lounge window to the front of the house also through the sunlounge to my back garden. Its also just off the kitchen so I can keep an eye on things cooking at the same time. Well time for breakfast! Hi to all that are busy elsewhere at the moment. Love June xx

Hi June, Kathleen and uncle Tom Cobbly and all, Another wet and windy day, but the sun did show itself this afternoon. What else should we expect in Autumn. The leaves are still on the trees though. My daughter came in for coffee this morning and bought with her a CD rom of photographs of our week in England. When I have finished typing some letters I'll look at it. My neighbour, the one who is always giving me things, gave me some lovely fresh dates. They were the largest dates I'd seen and so succulent. I would have eaten the whole lot there and then, but we have to think of the pounds, or rather kilos. Instead I made a fruit loaf using dates and sultanas. Mind you, when my husband saw ithe loaf, a large slice was immediately for him.Yes, I do have a bread making machine. Not a very up to date one though, as I bought it from somebody in Spain who had two. I know now which machine I want when this gives up the ghost. I used to make bread by hand, but I have carpale tunnel syndrome in my hands. I have had one hand operated on and it hasn't helped at all, so am very wary about having the other one done in case something goes wrong. At least I can use my hands now, although painful at times. I cooked the two trout which I had given to me. I wasn't sure how to cook them so looked in my Delia Smith cooking book. I cooked them with heads and skin on. I don't like eating fish and having to take out the bones at the table though. Didn't do much else, apart from sorting out papers. My hobby room had become such a mess that today was a good time to do it. No chance of my neighbour popping in as she was in Germany. Does anybody have a recipe for sticky toffee pudding? I want to make it for my daughter sometime, but cannot find a recipe. Sylvia xxx

Evening All:o) Definately chillier tonight - it was'nt too bad during the day though.We did'nt really do any work either - the mini bus was'nt booked (not a good idea!! lol) and the tutor had to go and get another one,he was'nt impressed!! Oh bless this will put a smile on your faces!! Whilst tutor was sorting out transport he asked me to look on the map (with students) for our destination - now this particular place l had not heard of - so, l ask students if they know it and one pipes up "Yehh", he even gave me the road - so when tutor arrives back we're all really chuffed cause we know where we are going!!!!!! Off we go through the forest and parked in a layby is a vehicle from the forestry which is who we are meant to be meeting, but student says "no ,carry on", so carry on we do cause this is all about independance etc, we end up outside a day centre for the blind with exactly the same name as our destination - well l was so chuffed with this chap l had tears in my eyes - the tutor was impressed as well - he knew where this place was even though it was the wrong one.He kept apologising,but we said no,no,no you did the right thing!! just thought l woud tell you that:o) After meeting up with forestry chap we then made ourselves comfy in the forest and had a cuppa of hot choc,which was made on 2 camp stoves - the students love this and they all take part in prepairing the drinks and putting away. Kathleen - can you send your sons this way, l could do with someone with d i y inspirations - hubby will do the absolute necessary,but usually we get b i l in !!! This is so nice reading what we all do,even the usual mundane everyday things are more interesting to read about on here. Home check tomorrow for Maddock - someone will be here at 10.30am just to check the house and garden for security etc and where he will sleep and that we are prepared etc - can't wait to get him home,not sure when that is though. Have been trying not to get too excited,especialy as Lady 2 was'nt suitable:o( Anyway thats it for now:o) Sylvia say Hi to Di:o) Jude sarf wales xx

Hi everyone Its dull here at the moment but at least it is dry and the wind appears to have died down., even though the weather was bad yesterday I did manage to dry the washing outside. Jude, you will sail through the home visit, I hope you dont have to wait long before you can have Maddock at home with you, its obvious you are desperate for a doggie, Sylvia, Where does your neighbour get these unusual gifts for you, I know they are not rare but not on the supermarket shelves over here. I think you have a good friendship going there. I will have to close now, I have to go for my 6 monthly blood test this morning,(it should really be 4 monthly, but my doctor doesn't mind as long as I dont go longer than 6 months) so I usually go earlier if I'm under the weather. I hope Brenda is enjoying herself and everyone else is alright. Love June xx

Hi Jude, June, Kathleen, see my memory is improving, What no men! No wonder this is such a peaceful site. This will cause comments, just wait and see! Now, what did I do today. Well, when I looked out of the window and saw it pouring with rain again, I thought, take it easy girl, why should you get dressed so early. So I took a shower around 9.30. I sewed a button on my husband's trousers, which had been off for several weeks. I couldn't store this pair of summer trousers away without sewing a button on first. Another job accomplished. For the rest I've not done very much. I went to the hospital this afternoon to have an x-ray of my toe. I was fortunate that the person before me didn't turn up so I was seen 10 minutes before time. I have now to wait a week before I can phone my doctor for the result of the x-ray. The radiologist told me that it used to be 3 weeks and now they are quite up to date! My October edition of my Spanish handicrafts magazine arrived, so of course I had to browse through that. This afternoon my granddaughter, bless her cotton socks, came and did my bathroom, toilet, and vacuumed the flat. Whatever am I going to do tomorrow? I looked through the holiday photos which Henk put on a CD rom for me. Some lovely photos of the white cliffs of Dover. Also of Diana's memorial in Harrods of London. I'll have some printed off. Now girls, don't let this thread die. I found it on page 4!!!!!!!!!!! Love, Sylvia xxx

Oh my gawd - l don't believe it - l sat here typing this long message,popped onto MSN and chatted to some peeps,came back and me message has gone and l nevver even got to finish it:o(( can't remember what l said now!! l was asking Elisabeth - where are you??? Ann are you back yet and when are we meeting in Gloucester.Does anyone else live near there??? Daphne you usually meet up with us - where are you (must admit l have'nt emailed u lately!!!) The home checker called this morning and all is well - we might have Maddock on Saturday - hubby will call them in morning:o) June - hope your hospital appointment went ok?? Sylvia -your granddaughter is still a gem.Spannish crafts ooooo that sounds lovely:o) Oh yeh and l am trying to keep this thread alive as asked:o)) Hi to all especially those names l did'nt mention. Jude sarf wales xx

Hi everyone, Sylvia, You really are having trouble with that toe. I thought you had a ingrown toe nail. Now do you think you've broken a bone? Ingrown toenails are sooo painful. But they can be operated on and part of the nail removed. Not very pleasant and takes a bit of time for recovery and you have to keep your toe dry. But once it is all over - no more pain! Not a very attractive toenail but no more pain! The grandkids are here and taking photos of everything with the digital camera. Erika is taking some awful closeup photos of me. Now she's reciting her new rhymes from school.

Hi Lou, You must be thrilled. I'm very happy for her.

Hi there! I am Gaynor, June nr Preston's daughter, just popped in to say "Hi", Mum is always saying what a lovely friendly thread this is so I decided to take a look for myself..... and she was right. Anyway it is late now - 12:45pm so I will come back tomorrow and introduce myself properly (It might not be so early lol) but anyway - until tomorrow.... Night night don't let the bed bugs bite! Love G xxx

Hello everyone! I was just looking through the boards, and being nosy decided to have a wee look at this thread. Before I knew it I had gone through all the pages. It was so good to read all your contributions, friendly and happy, civil and welcome. I havent been feeling quite the same with the site over the past few weeks, noticing people not about, it made me feel a bit uncomfortable. But now I know where to look for a bit of peace and a warm welcome. Nite all and sleep well. xxxx

Hello everyone and lovely to see two new names, so a special hello to Gaynor Ann and Anne in Belfast. Not too much happened in the past two days, just the usual shopping, cooking etc. It looks as if the birds are gathering for their flights to warmer climes for the winter. Looked out today and saw hundreds of birds all over the rooves of the houses opposite. It is a small close with 12 houses and a largish area of grass, suddenly loads of them flew down and covered the grass busily pecking away, no doubt feeding themselves well for the long flight ahead. No expert on birds so not sure what they were - just that there was a very large congregation of them. When the first lot had finished then another lot flew down to peck away again, must have cleared that area of insects. I did hang the washing out this morning but had to bring it in again because the wind was so blustery it all blew round the lines and got tangled up. It did rain a little but not enough to worry about but was very dull and overcast all day. We wanted an estimate for rewiring the house and was amazed to find that many electricians won't do this if the house is furnished!! They say it's too much hassle and will only deal with unfurnished places. So much for the advice to have rewiring done every 15 years - you have to move out first. )-: Did eventually find one and now await the estimate, have been told by someone else that it will be in excess of £1,500. Think that might be one thing that will end up in the "pending" file!! Syvia, have looked through several of my cookery books but no luck with a Sticky Toffee Pudding recipe so far. If I come across one I will let you know, I thought I had one somewhere because I'm pretty sure I have made it for my g.daughter. Off to bed now with a crossword puzzle and a book. Will look in again tomorrow. Hope you all have a good day. Love Kathleen

Kathleen ,i hope you won,t mind me sticking my oar in here but i think ,if you type in ,sticky toffee pudding recepie into your search engine you will get what you are looking for.The upgrade on your electrics sounds about right too,but you may get it cheaper if you get it done on the side.Fred.ptfg.

Hi everyone The wind is back but thankgoodness not as strong and its dry at the moment. I have had an email from a lady that contacted me about 12 months ago, she gave me a lot of information for my tree, we shared the same gt gt grandfather, now she is absolutely devastated, she has found out that we are not related, she has been passed some wrong information. Fortuneately for me most of the information she gave me is correct, she has worked so hard going round records offices, graveyards etc. It just shows how careful we have to be. Fred, Welcome, we dont mind you sticking your oar in as long as you come back again. lol Last time we spoke, you mentioned we may have connections, have you found any yet? Kath, Its easy for them to say that the house should be rewired every 15 years (which it should) but they dont say how to pay for it. I hope those little birdies have the wind behind them when they go on their travels. Gaynor Ann (Gee Baby) and John are very fond of birds and certainly know a lot more about them than I do. Anne, Welcome you have found our hiding place, we definitely do not have aggro on here. Gee Baby, I think its time for bed, you have the time wrong in your message, lol Mummy has spoken !! Lou, thats good news, Congratulate Bex for me. Christina, It sounds as though Erika is thoroughly enjoying school, digital cameras are good because if they take bad photos, you are not paying for developing, you can just set up a folder on your PC, to show how they progress with photography. Jude, Luckily my blood test was done at the doctors surgery, they have a nurse there that has surgeries 3 times a week, then a courier takes them to the hospital and the results are back 5/6 days later. I bet you cant wait for Saturday to get Maddock. Sylvia,After an exray, they should be able to see what is causing the pain, I guess it is just a case of waiting. What sort of handicrafts are in this Spanish Handicrafts book? I suppose I had better get dressed now and sort my family tree out Hi to all the missing ones See you tomorrow Love June xx

Good Morning All!.... Good morning Mummy :-) .... I was only 6 minutes out ! Kathleen, I'm not sure what birds they were or what they would be doing, John, my husband knows more about birds and wildlife in general than I do. They may be making themselves ready for migration, however if the numbers were large it sounds as if it could be starlings, often if it has been raining and then the sun shines - the worms will rise to the surface and the birds have a ready meal waiting for them, with starlings, its usually birds from other climes coming to Britain for the winter so it would be unusual that they would be getting ready to migrate. So really what I'm trying to say is.... I don't know lol It's windy here too, but lovely and sunny so it's a nice day. I too have been looking for sticky toffee pudding recipes, I have an Old English Farm House cookery book, it wasn't even in that one, I couldn't find it in any others either, I think Fred's idea is going to be your best bet. Well, I am looking forward to the weekend (don't the weeks just fly by?) We are going to John's cousin's wedding - I don't know them - his family is huge, they come from Fleetwood, a fishing town and they are vitrtually all related in some way or another! Mind you doing his tree is very interesting, I'm into it as much as my own. I just hope I feel better, I will probably do the usual in this sort of situation and have a couple of strong ones to deaden the effect! lol I'm going for a blood test and also to see the doctor tomorrow morning (Friday) so we will see what he has to say. I must ring my friend, Sue, she has just had a breast reduction a couple of weeks ago! I can't imagine it myself, we both are/were quite booby, I quite like mine but she hated hers with a passion! Anyway you have to admire her courage because I wouldn't be so brave. She says it wasn't too painful so I'm glad she wasn't too uncomfortable. Anyway I must go.... See you soon Love Gaynor Ann xxxxxx

I think the birds are starlings too,they make a hell of a noise when they flock,it could also be sparrows ,but whatever noisy birds are a lot better than no birds. I actually tried the sticky toffee pudding recipe on the puter and it worked a treat,not only the pud,but lots of other stuff too,banoffee ,trifles and all sorts.I even came across one for bread pudding ,but it,s not as good as the one my grandad gave me years ago ,iv,e never had bread pudding anywhere in the country that can match it.Fred.ptfg.