General Chat

Hi everybody, Well it looks as if I'm holding the fort today. My goodness. Are you all so busy. I've cleaned lots and lots of shoes today and cleaned the drain in our shower. I had lots of time over so have been making more Xmas cards. This is something I love doing. Much nicer than housework. Am going to keep this short as I want to get our dinner. Have a nice evening. Sylvia xxx

Hi everybody, Nice to see so many writers again. Our lovely weather is still continuing, but only one more day they say and then some rain. I am still trying to finish off lots of odd jobs which I have started and also make my Xmas cards - I've some 80 to make and every one is different. When we went for coffee to my ex son in law's last Saturday his wife's daughter whispered to her mother about my poncho. She only wanted me to knit her one. As if I could take on any more at the moment! It seems that nobody here has ever knitted, crocheted, sewn or anything else for that matter. It is 'you can do everything'. Well I cannot, but I do try. I cleaned the oven today, which is a job I hate doing. My youngest daughter put me onto a good idea. She has made up a list of all jobs need doing in the house and divided them into days, weeks, months, etc. She says she never can remember when she did a certain job. I think I am going to copy this idea. For instance my shower certain should be washed once a month, and my windows every two weeks. I hope in this way I will have more time for myself when I am organised! The puff pastry which I filled with marzipan was delicious. I cut it into small pieces as it is very rich. Fred, why do you peel mushrooms? I never do. See you all tomorrow. Sylvia xxx

afternoon all,well everyone sounds every energetic this days,what with walking up mountains ,Su you must have had some strong feelings in that hut with the family connections.Well done to you for persevering. Fred,sorry but I have sat here with a smile on my face reading your message ,you make everything you do sound so entertaining,but I do hope your foot is ok now. Sylvia hope your marizpan parcels went down ok they sound great. June nice to hear from you ,still keeping my fingers crossed about Nov 12th. Sorry to miss any else but need to put the tea on now,its just sausages and mash with onion gravy and veggies, Take care love Brenda

Hi all,Liz and i got back an hour ago ,laden with a few goodies we found at Jennie's local supermarket. We bought some sausie rolls for the dinner buy four,get four free,three half pound containers of mushrooms for thirty odd pence,and two nets of brussels for 19 pence. From there we went to tynmouth and ate four of the rolls while watching the royal navy come into the tyne,and afterwards ,went to whitley bay ,and the island where i took some pictures of Chris and liz as they went over the causeway to start hunting shrimps and crabs,while i took a couple of photo's of the sea which was a bit rough today. I had to rescue asmall but very aggresive crab from Chris's net when it grabbed hold as he lifted it from the water ,and wouldn't let go when he tried to put it back. I had to reach in and get hold of it behind the claws ,but the little varmint was still trying to nip,and when i put it back in the pool ,it sidled up to the rock ,and sat there,claws facing me saying c'mon,c'mon,i dare you, he was such a plucky little thing that i took a photo of his stance,so i hope it comes out okay. I peeled all the mushrooms for liz when we got back ,and we are now the proud owners of a large pan of cream of mushroom soup. I did find the recipie book for the soups so if the person that asked ,is still interested in them ,i will e/mail them to said party. Well,it's my turn to do the tea tonight ,and the bairn wants to eat posh,i have to do american hot dogs ,with americam mustard and the thin fries ,and beans,so who am i to say no,it could'nt be any easier lol.syal ,take care all.Fred.PtfA&G&G&S.

Hi everyone. Another beautiful warm and sunny day here. Just got home from a Manawatu reunion meeting we were invited to. My daughter and son in law gave a talk re caring for children in need. We had a scrumptious meal. Ham, chicken, fish etc. etc. Trifle, fruit salad and chocolate roll with oodles of cream! Judy - Probus Meetings are world wide. Started in England many many years ago. Here in Mount Maunganui & Papamoa there are 27 clubs. It is a club for retired and semi retired people. We meet once a month. have an Ice Breaker, A Guest Speaker morning tea etc. Various groups during the month including indoor bowls, walking group, gardening group, petanque, golf. We have regular outings - this year we also went to Norfolk Island for 8 days. We also have 'Guess who is coming for Dinner'. This is very popular. When hosting you do not know who is coming for dinner until they arrive. Great fun. When we arrived from the UK 13 years ago we joined the club immediately and have made so many good friends. For new people in a new land it was just what we needed to get to know people. Way past bedtime here. Goodnight for now. Mavis

Hi everyone, Sorry I haven't been around, I dont know where the time flies to. I have been waking up later these last few mornings and it means I dont get as much time to myself. Beckham found a new way to waken me this morning, he pressed his nose up to mine, so that when I opened my eyes all I saw was his fluffy face, lol It looks like we have another lovely sunny day here, yesterday was lovely too just right for a long walk. Will try and get back on later. June xx

Hi Judy ,hey ,you are supposed to back your pals up on here you know lol.Don't you worry about my Liz,she has her moments ,and can look after herself ,small as she is,and the sons are still terrified of her when she kicks off ,i kid you not . But, i can still hear her sniggering up there ,so i think i will go back up to bed ,and take her a drink at the same time,then hopefully we will both get to sleep.Fred.PtfA&G&G&S..

Greetings to All Such lovely weather here at the moment,like you Mavis I have been weeding and planting ready for Summer.The bizzy lizzies are good value aren't they also petunias put up a grand show. Fred,getting keen in the garden was my downfall as my back let me down and I fully sympathised with you the other day but now you tell us youv'e gone and caused yourself some more mischief to your toe and although you may not be laughing I did enjoy reading about your antics in the kitchen so late at night and I'm sorry but you must admit Liz is a very patient lady !! Sue my admiration goes out to you on completing what sounds like quite a strenuous mountain walk. I'm sure you would enjoy the three day tramping round our Lake Waikaremoana, I have never been into that sort of thing myself but understand the enjoyment others get from it. Sylvia I love the food ideas you pass onto us,flaky pastry & marzipan what a great taste that would be, particularly with a favourite topping, lemon icing etc. Happy thoughts to all JudyNZ P.S. Mavis what is a Probus Meeting ?

Morning peeps,,fred is back,can't sleep and is now on his puter ,sill muttering under his breath ,nursing a throbbing foot,and having no-one to blame but himself. This time i have no -one to blame but myself,and have to admit i have just spent about half an hour throwing the granddaddy of all tantrams lol.. I went to bed at around half nine after the wife saying she would like an eazrly night,and did in fact get to sleep.only to be woken at around one by the missus having a snoring attack that sounds a cross between a chain saw and a diving stuka bomber going for a tank. Oh ,ruddy hell thinks Fred,one of those nights is it,i will go downstairs quietly,make myself a cup of choccie,which will put me in a mellow mood ,and enable me to return to bed and turn over. I duly creep downstairs ,turn on the light,locate the kettle through bleary eyes,smack the lips in thoughts of the treat to come,open thecupboard door,and ,DISASTER,no choccie drink where Fred always puts it,but never mind ,Fred thinkls,,Liz has been baking andhas moved it whilst getting the sultanas out to make the grandson a bread and butter pudding ,so i start to remove all the packages to find it. I should point out at this junkture that the cupboards are tall ones set in three shelves ,both sides of the cooker hood,and by the time Fred has cleared out one cupboard ,the kitchen is beggining to look like a battle zone,anyway ,he starts on the other side,by this time breathing heavily and geting a bit hot under the collar. I have emptied the other cupboard,and the kitchen is a bit like a didaster area with packets everywhere and Fred is in a right strop,and still no choccie. Fred decides to have a hot drink of blackcurrant juice instead and goes to the sink cupboard ,throws open the draw grabs at the 4 litre bottle of juice and knocks it off the shelf,which sails through an arc which would have bought a beam of joy to any bridge designer ,and lands on Freds foot. Thats it ,Fred spits the dummy clear across the room ,and does a one foot dance which would have done credit to a zulu on the warpath,and ,the commotion wakes liz ,who comes downstairs and says ,what's the matter darling ,i was having a lovely sleep ,and you woke me up.Arggggggg.and to add insult to injury ,when i TELL her what the commotion is about,she says,your drink is on the window sill where you left it last night,and with that she leaves the kitchen and i can hear her snigger all the way up the stairs [ ruddy woman], Fred needs a stool to climb up onto the puter chair at this stage cause he feels six inches tall ,and i am now sitting here with steam still coming out of my ears,with the prospect of an hour when i get up of fitting half a ton of supplies in their places with no idea of where everything goes [sob,gibber].lol. oh well ,at least it was worth getting up ,i feel a little tired now ,so by the time i have had a look round the boards i might have calmed down a bit more. A footnote peeps,[pardon the pun] but while writing this shamefull missive,i have had my foot in a bowl of cold water ,so i don't think it will bruise or swell ,and the moral of this story is,if you can't put something back where you find it,don't get it out in the first place.syall laterFred.PtfA&G&G&S.

Hi everyone The weather down here is a little better today. A few days ago I got an email with pictures of babies only thing is that were made out of marzipan with intricate detail they looked so realistic. Some people are really talented in this field of creativity. John

Hi everybody, Thought I'd better make a start here as Fred is still sleeping and the other 'girls' are enjoying the sun. What marvellous weather we are having. Hope it stays like this until Xmas and then get even better - dreams! I woke up early this morning for a change. There is no telling with me what time I will wake up. It was almost 2.00 am before I went to bed, but up early. Why? I cooked the breakfast of scrambled eggs and toast and had fresh orange juice. Also made something for by the coffee. I had some puff pastry in the freezer and rolled this into an oblong and filled it with marzipan. You can only eat a small piece of this as it is so filling. Sue, you must be very fit to be able to walk/trek all those kilometres. I wish I could do this, but those days are past for me. Have a nice day everybody. See you tomorrow Sylvia xxx

Hi everyone, Yes, what a busy time we are all having. We have been tidying the garden now that the weather is a little better. Put weedkiller down on the lawns today - how is it that the weeds grow healthy and strong and the grass struggles!!! Picked the last of the broad beans today - yum. Bought buzy lizzies and petunias today so will be busy tomorrow if the weather holds out. Blow the house work!! My daughter and son in law have another foster baby - arrived on Friday. Dear little chap - so happy - always smiling. Just 5 months old. Won't mind baby sitting this one!! All for now - have to be up early in the morning - it is our Probus Meeting. Mavis NZ

Hi All My it sounds like we all have been busy. I have just mananged to get some time to get on here and read all the messages. I have been busy over the last week trying to get things ready for a reunion Christmas luncheon that we are organising with a group that I have been a member of for over 20 years. I had to try and track down all the members that no longer came to our meeting and send out invites to the reunion. Then yesterday my Brother Stephen, David and Myself decided to go for a walk up the mountain to visit a hut that was built by our Great Grandfather and 2 of his sons, one of them had his ashes scattered there, we believed that we could get a 4WD a far way up the mountain and it was only a moderate walk of about 2 kilometres to the hut then a short but steep walk to the top of the mountain. Well when we got near there we took my brothers 4WD as far as we was game and we saw a sign that said the hut was a 5 hr return trip, Well we started off and the first 3 hours was not bad, apart from where we had to climb under or over trees that had blown or fallen down across the road. The walking wasnt too bad and David and Stephen let me walk at my pace, and I stopped when the heart rate was getting too fast or I needed to catch my breath. Then the road turned into a track and it got steeper and slippery in some parts, just like a goat track. Well David and myself stayed at a spot while my brother walked on further, as we wasnt sure if we was on the right path as it seemed too steep from what we had been told. Well my brother returned and said he found the hut and asked if I wanted to continue, well I thought I had gone this far why not continue. Well 4 hours from when we left the car we made it to the hut. Coming back down was better it only took us 2 & 1/2 hours. So all up it was a 6 1/2 hour walk and my brother reconed we probably walked at least 10 kilometres. I am glad we had him with us as he is reasonably experienced at bushwalking, but he had never walked that area. At least we didnt get lost. But today oooh today my legs and hips are aching and I can hardly walk, more just waddling around. But it was worth it and we got some good pics of the hut even one with me sitting inside. Well I am going to go as if I sit still for too long I stiffen up. Hope everyone is well

Hello Everyone,well done Slyvia and Fred for keeping us a float so to speak,everyone is so busy these days ,I am on here just before going to bed,and have promised my self I will not start searching for names as well.I would be here all night if I did that. I have been thinking about making christmas cakes again but I know everyone who I have made them for in the past has given up eating as much rich cake,so they would be wasted. I has a corn beef pasty from the bakers the other week and I hope you enjoyed yours more than I enjoyed mine Fred. I have just put a joint of pot roast in the slow cooker for tomorrows lunch.The gravy it makes is like liguid gold ,I love it. See you tomorrow take care ,Brenda

Hi all, Yes, another fantastic hot sunny day here. Too nice to stay indoors really. I woke up late again - becoming a habit these days - and showered and dressed at a late hour. I then looked through my creative work and started on Xmas cards and found all the things I have started and not finished. Well, that's what the winter is for, isn't it? So Fred, at least you've got your Xmas cake and puds made. I must make a cake soon. I don't make Xmas pud as not many like it here and I think we'll be on our own anyway. This afternoon Johan and I went round to drink tea with our ex son in law and his new wife. It was nice to see them and they enjoyed it that we had made the effort to see them. We don't do it often enough, but then when you are retired you don't seem to have so much time, do you? Or, is it age slows you down? I think I'll have to make a cake tomorrow, just in case somebody comes for coffee. Well Fred it looks as both you and I are holding the fort here at the moment. Don't let me down, will you? See you tomorrow sylvia xxx p.s. How do you make your corned beef pie? In pastry?

It would seem that everyone is too busy to come on this thread lately ,and it has slipped down the boards rather a lot . My fault as well ,i have been rather busy too,but all will now be revealled. Fred has at last laid the cable under the patio andput all the flagstones back in placeand gotten the cable through into the greenhouse ,but there it will have to stay for a couple of days as is ,cause i had one heck of a job getting out of bed this morning [oh,my poor aching back]. At least now ,i will be able to see what i am doing in there when it's done ,and , no matter if i can't get kerosene the plants will still be warm and cosy , they are going to be spiold rotten ,and i will probably go into the greenhouse to find all my plants in deckchairs with sunglasses on lol. The missus is busy in the kitchen ,making the christmas puds ,and cakes ,and i have been banned from the kitchen ,cause last year i was tasting the wares before they had even cooled off[waaaah ,not fair ,kickes the puter desk in temper lol],this lady knows how to turn the screw as well ,she has a corned beef pie in the oven for tea as well ,and the aroma ,bisto ain't in it hee hee. i found a lovely solar powered light in Netto today that i have bought for the garden shed,and it will save haveing to put another cable in to the shed,it has a 10 inch square solar panel that goes on the roof,and a light that has a cord pull switch and battery compartment all in one,supposedly this thing gives an hours light at a time ,ideal i thought,and at £10 not a bad price. i will have to spend some time next week taking all the dahlia out and treating before putting away ,but at least all the spring bulbs are in ,and so i can forget the garden itself now ,until the crocus and snowdrops come up. Hope everyone is okay ,and that Susan is still improving daily . the meat arrived from my sisters last friday ,so i have now a whole topside haunch in the freezer for the new year ,and i know it will taste right cause it was hung in the traditional way,and the pork came with it,so apart from the poultry i have it all in stock. We have the grandson with us for a week as Martin ,my oldest son has gone back down to the broads for a week on the boat ,and the grandson is too yopung to be trusted afloat,but we don't mind ,he is a lovely bairn,and is no bother at all exept i am tired of playing Sticks ,so while he is at school next week i will be seeking a couple of other games to keep him amused,as unlike most kids ,he would rather play games instead of watching tele all the time. which gives me a bit of amusment as well. Well ,it's time to go enjoy my corned beef pie with a few baked beans and chips ,so i will see you all later on ,i hope .I may even get a sneaky bite of chrissie fare as well .but i doubt it, seeing as the grandson is on guard with the bears lol. syl .Fred.PtfA&G&G&S.

Hi all, So Brenda, it seems you are all set for a winter of parties and dinners. Go for it girl, do it while you can. It is fantastic weather here still and Johan and I went to our youngest daughters for coffee this morning and also took with us all the old clothes and things that I've been turning out to drop in at the charity place. We then went for a walk down the high street of the place where we used to live and viewed all the changes that have been made. Many. We also met an old neighbour of ours who used to live next door but one. It was nice to see her again. Coming back Johan drove through small villages instead of the motorway so that made it more pleasant. It does smell more Autumnly every day - rotting leaves etc.etc. My new teeth, the lower few, were giving me trouble today but I've kept them in as I must put up with it if I want to look beautiful I suppose! I've decided not to go to the market tomorrow as I don't really need anything. My freezer is bursting as it is so full and Annemie's husband is getting my oranges for juicing. I'm sure I'll find something to do at home. I hope some more will write to this thread tomorrow. See you all then. Take care Sylvia xxx

The weather is nice and pleasent today ,but I have not put out the bedding to dry on the line,I had to go out to my dads and then shopping and did not want to chance it ,in case it rained. Got a few bits and pieces for christsmas,and a loveely cardi thing for me .I bought a sleevless dress for my holidays and this cardi means I can wear it to the 'do's' that I am going to,just need a nice top to go with the skirt I have had for a while.I do have a gift voucher for some where and hope I can get something with that. Have to get tea on now,so hope ful be back on Saturday as I am working all day tomorrow and out for supper at the night.Take care brenda

Hi everybody, Poor June cannot sleep. It is funny how one has periods of this kind and they go over. I am sure June you will have slept well the night after. I have also had a spell of sleeplessness, but now I sleep like a log, so to speak. Annemie tells me that there were three police cars on our terrain last night visiting a flat on the second floor. Why on earth do they need three police cars. To keep each other company I suspect! Anyway a man had had an argument with his girl friend. This morning she came to pick up her things which he had thrown out onto the street. He tried to throw her over the balcony and somebody just stopped him on time. What a drama. Nothing has ever happened here like this before as it is so tranquil. I never heard a thing last night, which shows how well I sleep these days. Tomorrow Johan and I have planned to take away all our unwanted items which I've packed into boxes and sacks. We will also drink coffee with our youngest daughter and if the weather is nice have a look round the village where we used to live. Have planned to have an early night for a change. Most times I get into bed it's almost 1.00 am. See you all tomorrow. Sylvia xxx

Hi everyone, I am here early because I couldn't sleep, I think I have had less than 2 hours, cant think why, I've nothing particularly on my mind, I have given up worrying about moving, I just hope we are in for Christmas. lol Yes Fred, It is amazing the difference in temperatures in our little country. I do think that our temperatures up north have softened a bit and some of the plants that we couldn't grow at one time are now managing quite well. Sylvia v O, I'm glad you got the sink unblocked, I pay extra on my gas bill and they service my central heating and come out immediately to sinks and drains. It still would be inconvenient it happened though, you dont realise how often you use the sink. Brenda, I have jacket tatties and salad most days of the week, I prefer tatties cooked that way. I enjoyed the Trafford Center but it wasn't has big as I had expected. When the Metro Center at Gateshead first opened I went there a time or two and I expected the Traffoed Center to be on those lines. I will go again but not for a while, I certainly spent money. I hope you do make it to the meetup, dont forget the Eye and Ann Summers Shop have been mentioned, lol I hope everyone is ok. I have to go now, Bonnie and Beckham are wanting to go out. June xx