General Chat

hello just a quick note to-day it is snowing really qyite pretty I dont think that we are going to get to much but the ski operators will be glad and the golf courses will finally be able to close they have had a great season. going to bundle up and pop over to the gym bye for now dorothy

Boxing Day Well yesterday was a hectic day for me, and it shouldn't have been. You see my daughter - youngest one - and her husband turned up long before they were due and I hadn't done anything towards the dinner. I did manage to get the turkey in the oven whilst they were here. No sprouts, opened a tin of emergency peas and carrots and had a bag of par-boiled mini potatoes which I put round the turkey. I made a shrimp salad, but no soup as that is too much for us. Today had our neighbours down for a drink but I was really too tired and was pleased when they went. We just had turkey sandwich for dinner today and don't feel hungry at all. Will be pleased to get back to normality tomorrow. Sylvia xxx

hi one and all happy boxing day boy fred you had a good day yesterday, to-day is cloudy and cold but no snow, I am not planning on doing anything much I have put a roast in the oven it is one I have had for a while far to much for one person but it will end up in a shepherds pie and sandwhiches for the rest of the week. I spoke to my friend in bury yesterday and again to-day she says it is cold there. Last evening the cats and I had gone to bed early to watch tv and recover from the day with the children when about 8-30 pm a friend of mine who used to nurse with me phoned she was in barrie for christmas day from prince edward island quite a ways from here and wanted to pop over. she is a good friend and laughed when I said well come over but it is me in my dressing gown you will get. It is lovely to have such a surprise visitor she is a breast cancer survivor clear for the last two years and looked great well it is time to go take care one and all rest up new years eve is ahead though I don't celebrate like I used to bye for now dorothy ps it is weigh in and measure day at the gym hers hoping I will hear good news again

Hi to Dorothy and Brenda,it would seem that all the others are still away,or still in bed lol.but it's nice to hear that you both had a good time yesterday,i know i did The new baby decided it wasn't coming out to play in the cold ,grrrrrr,but never mind ,my sister wasn't born till the 28th ,and she is a good sis' so i would settle for that ,the first great grandbairn for us both the first of many i hope ,the more the merrier ,even if i have to hire a coach to get them all down the coast in the summer hee hee. I was a good boy yesterday and insisted on a small lunch and tea ,and must admit ,i feel a lot more comfortable for it,which is just as well,as you will soon see. Tea time ,the son made me a real treat,a salmon and cucumber sandwich[bliss] a piece of Salmon and broccolli flan ,and i had a mini eclaire and settled down on the settee to watch the bairns with their toys,and then [wham] a huge bundle of fur launched itself at my lap[hello Mia],so there was Fred ,pinned to the back of the settee,by a mad rot' ,stump of a tail going like a helicopter rotor,front paws either side of my neck and me getting licked all over,[i did have a wash folks ,honest.] She then settled on my lap for most of the evening ,tail away again every time i stroked her head,what a loving dog she is ,and soo good with her family,she really dotes on the children and will play with them for hours,and when she wants to rest ,puts a paw on the centre of their chest and pushes gently as though to say no more for now .and goes to lie down in her corner. I have the eldest son coming for dinner and tea,along with Stephen ,the youngest sons laddie,so he and Chris can play together while the grown up's relax. It's the usual boxing day fare ,turkey ,ham and all the trimmings And i may take out the beef ,or pork for later in the week Time for me to go and take the wife her cuppa up ,or i will land up making all the dinner on my own again .oh ,she is a hard taskmaster lol. Have a good day all of you ,Fred.

Hi everyone,hope that you all had the christmas that you had wished for.We had a quiete one,apart from a couple of hours we had at Johns brothers when his grandchildren had a ball,it was nice to see them so happy,noisy ,yes but in a good way. It was equally as nice to get home,I was driving so didn't have a drink til we got home. Today will be quiete again,we have Johns parents coming for dinner before they drive home to Clevellys they have been staying with his brother. But straight after breakfast i will begoing to the chapel of memories with some flowers for my mother its six years today since she died Fred all i am doing for dinner is cold beef and Turkey ,new potatoes,yorks pudding,green beans and cauli,with gravy.If anyone wants dessert theres icecream,/mince pie and cream/carrot cake.All shop bought at the last minute as I didnot want christmas pudding which at least three don't like. Have a nice day,haven't seen ouside yet so not sure about weather. Brenda

hello one and all well christmas day is over in england I hope you all had a wonderful time with your families, I had a great christmas eve and day santa was very good too me. we had a green christmas though they say we will get snow to-morrow we shall have to see goodnight from here dorothy

Morning all,i have the feeling that this could be my best christmas ever,and intend enjoying it all with my family. My grandson from my son in laws first marriage is bringing his wife to dinner at the daughters and she is expecting a christmas baby any day now. This bairn will be my first great grandchild,and male or female is extra special.and wouldn't it be great if the child was born today or tomorrow? i will go to the kitchen shortlyand slice the turkey to take up to the daughters for the dinner,it turned out to be so big that i had to cut the meat off the bone to get it in the oven,but no matter,it will carve easier. The carcase has made a nice stock for soup too,just right for these cold mornings . Hope you lazy lot are out of bed with your young 'uns lol.that's the one bit of christmas Liz and i miss,we like a quietish time now being retired ,but do miss children around at christmas and new year. Don't anyone wish their children to be older for peace and quiet,once they are ,they are lost for ever,and no one can bring it back. Poor neighbour next door must hate Christmas ,she has a brood that descend every weekend and never invite her to theirs for a change ,what made me think of her is that i have just heard her washing machine kick in through the kitchen wall ,.on Christmas day too,you know ,if they would give her a bit of a break and come later in the day ,instead of stopping overnight ,she wouldn't have to do any washing today,and i used to moan about my lot .but never again,my eyes have been opened since living here. I finished my anti bi's last night and so can open a can of alcohol free lager now and drink a toast to everyone on Genes ,no matter where you are ,and including a lot of people who are special to me ,you know who you are and there is no need for names. Merry Christmas ,all of you ,and god bless you all on this .a very special day.,have a wonderful Christmas .Fred.xxxx

happy Christmas,just to keep us up the line brenda.

Just a quick note to say have a lovely Xmas and see you all another day. Sylvia xxx

hello everyone I cannot quite believe it here in barrie ont the sun is shining the sky is a wonderful blue and it is 7 degree's so unusual I am about to load up the childrens gifts in the car to take over later, I will meet the family at church for the christmas eve carol service and then stay overnight with the family I do so love chrsitmas morning, I would like to wish all of you a very happy chrsitmas and a wonderful new year bye dorothy canada

Morning everyone ,and in case i don't have time to get on here tomorrow ,Merry Chistmas to all ,have a great time and don't forget to raise a glass to absent friends. I have been up and doing since six ,having prepared the stuffing [that smells good] for three households and which is now in the oven. as soon as i have finished a well deserved coffee ,it will be time to liberate the bird from the greenhouse[ no ,not Liz] .but it's an idea if she dosn't keep clear of my kitchen,lol. Asoon as the bird is prepared and in the oven ,i will get the kilties made and cooked,but while the bird is cooking i will away to Stephens with his stuffing [which he can cook himself] and the bairns pressies seeing as we won't get there until three pm ,as we go to the daughters for lunch. Keeping the veggies ,fruit and bird in Mays chalet to thaw slowly was a great idea seeing as the kitchen is none too big,so i think we will be doing the same every Christmas from now on. Well ,time to go ,.but i hope to pop in for a few minutes in the morning . Have a great day tomorrow all ,and enjoy yourselves.Fred.

Just a very quick message,have delivered all but two gifts which I should do tomorrow,all shopping done apart from a white loaf and a jar of mayo.(which i forgot this morning) My son uses mayo instead of butter but does sometimes have dry bread so it isn't that urgent,but he does like white bread ,if I go for the bread I might as well get the mayo. In case I don't get on for a day or two,I would like to wish you all A VERY MERRY CHRISTMAS AND A HAPPY HEALTHY AND PEACEFULL NEW YEAR. THANK YOU ALL FOR YOUR MESSAGES AND FOR KEEPING THE THREAD GOING, LOTS OF LOVE BRENDA XX

A VERY HAPPY, HEALTHY XMAS EVERYBODY. DON'T EAT TOO MUCH OR YOU'LL BE ILL AFTER XMAS, THEN OF COURSE IT IS THE NEW YEAR FEAST! Well my daughter and her friend came this afternoon and told me what a mad rush it is in the shops, no parking places for the cars etc.etc. Oh I am so pleased I don't have to go out again. I did ice my cake today and did some last minute washing. Very relaxing really. Still cannot receive any e-mails. When I phoned they said they hoped the problem would be finished by today, but no, it is still with us. I must have heaps of e-mails waiting for me, very frustrating. See you tomorrow. Sylvia xxx

Hi friends and neighbours worldwide Have a very Merry Christmas with heaps of presents and all the best for the New Year. John in NZ

Hi all, Well my shopping is well and truly finished. I am not going out into that mad crowd any more. No, not me. Fortunately my neighbour went to the supermarket for me this afternoon as all the supermarkets had run out of whipping cream. Anyway, he managed to get me some. Here my provider Chello is preventing me receiving e-mails. I have no idea how many e-mails are waiting for me. I can send an e-mail but cannot receive one. The trouble is quite big as this has been since Tuesday and has been in all the national newspapers. My doctor phoned me today and told me she has written out a prescription for iron tablets and also vitamin B12, so I hope to feel the benefit after 10 days. Why couldn't I have started these tablets earlier? Now have a nice evening everyone. Sylvia xxx

Hi again peeps,old fred is not a happy bunny this morning having been delegated to take the boss and Sean to the metro centre to do his Chrismas shopping ,and you all know how i love that place [not] lol. Knowing Sean ,we will be there till about three this afterrnoon so i can see myself going on strike at one oclock and demanding a mcdonalds for dinner hee hee. Well now,the czakes are finished ,all four of them,we will keep one for ourselves and there is one each for the two sons ,and daughter. The bird is in Marys chalet,and is quite some size ,so i think i will remove the legs and cook them seperately to make sure everything is done properly,as even hand reared birds can harbour nasties that can upset tummies if not treated properly,and i prefer a fan oven for meat . I will have all day tomorrow to prepare the stuffing ,kilties and whatever ,and i found some lovely little button brussels yesterday which will go down very well. Well,.are we all ready for the big day then,? a resounding no ,do i hear?about right ain't it folks ,lol,no matter what you do ,you always forget something or other . Glat to hear that Sylvia is chipper even if Johan has perloined her chariot for his own use lol,it's an idea i might try if i have to do a lot of running about over the next few days ,though what my sister in law will say if she catches me on hers i don't know lol,well i do really but i want to protect all your delicate ears hee hee. Well peeps ,i have to shoot off now ,things to do and all that ,take care and be good ,or Santa will pass you by ,and we can't be having that.Fred.

Another cold grey day here today. Johan borrowed my scootmobile and delivered Xmas presents to our ex so in law and on the way home picked up a couple of bottles of sherry. Tomorrow he has to go and pick up our Xmas parcel from the firm we both used to work for. On the way home he can delivered Xmas presents to our youngest daughter. A real Father Xmas! Tomorrow I am going to the market and also get the last bits and bobs from the supermarket. I will not be shopping on Saturday or Sunday. I have a new pair of trousers, black with thin blue and beige pin strips. I am having the trousers shortened and a piece taken in at the waist. My neighbour will pick them up for me on Saturday. Usually I would do a little job like this myself, but this year don't feel like it. Now have a nice evening everybody. Sylvia xxx

Evening All,well everyone sounds like they are right in the middle of christmas preparations,myself included,got the tree up at last,and some other decorations still have to wrap up a couple of gifts ,need to be alone to do them as they are surprises for John.!! Have all the food in couldn't get any more in the freezer. Mind you some is for my dads birthday tea next week when he is 80. We are having a roast beef,on christmas day,and its so big I am hoping we will be able to have it cold on boxing day when Johns mother might be coming for ameal. Have just seen the time so i had better get tea on Brenda

Hi everyone. Not long to Christmas Day now. Food all under control (I hope). We will be with our daughter and son in law and the boys. Chris (the eldest grandson) will be home on leave from the army. He is much better now after the scare. Will be home for about 3 weeks. We haven;t seen him for almost a year. We will be having eats and drinks all day. Not a sit down affair this year. Turkey breast with cranberry stuffing, ham, prawns, scallops, sausages,salami. Various vegies (first picking of runner beans) and salads. Chocolate Log, Pavlova, Fresh fruit salad, mince pies, mini meringues with cream and strawberries. Of course, we will have wine and beer too! The weather has been awful this last day or two. Very windy and heavy showers. Quite warm. The weekend is supposed to be good - here's hoping. Each year the week before Christmas Mount Maunganui ( 10 mins. away by car) has a special day - the shops are open all day until 11 p.m. They have street buskers, sausage sizzle, hot dogs, candy floss you name it is is there. At 9.30 p.m. they have a firework display in Pilot Bay. They fireworks are on a barge on the sea. Looks really great - the reflection on the water etc. The local power company put on the display each year. We also have the Light Trail all around. Lots of houses are looking really pretty - reindeers, father Christmas, snowmen etc. etc. The best one receives a prize. Our local Church looks great - an emormous nativity scene in the foyer. They give out free coffee and Christmas Cake to all the callers. The choir sings carols outside by 'lantern light'. Mount Maunganui is a very quiet place all year and then comes alive at Christmas. We enjoy the change but also enjoy the quietness during the year. Well folks, I wish you all a very Merry Christmas and a Healthy and Happy New Year. I may get on again before the 25th - you never know. Love and regards Mavis & Pip NZ

hi just read freds latest message and all that wonderful food he talks about makes my mouth water, fresh bread and butter and marmalade such comfort food, and his christmas menu sound smashing the folks at his christmas table are very lucky regards dorothy