General Chat

Hi everybody, Well it has been so quiet here today. Yes Ascension Day is just like a Sunday. Nobody working, no cars dashing off to work etc.etc. The weather has been atrocious all day so I kept myself busy by baking bread, making a custard tart and doing some washing. I really must get to the shops tomorrow on my scootmobile. I don't want to go but the cupboards are getting like 'mrs hubbards'. I hope there isn't too much wind. Last week we had a tornado on the coast and it actually picked up a lorry and threw it a bit further up the street and destroyed such a lot of buildings. I wouldn't stand a chance if it picked me up. Our weather forecaster keeps telling us how high the temperatures are in the south of Spain etc.etc. and is almost afraid to mention our weather. It seems we are in for a lot of rain foe the next few days. This afternoon I was so cold, even with a jumper on, that I put the central heating on. Needless to say, we have the heating on now as well. Now, have a nice evening everyone. Sylvia xxx

Hello Mavis Sylvia and all else who decide to visit today ,sitting here because it's p...ing down outside and i can't get out to put the last of the seedlings in. Not to worry though,i only have four trays to go ,plus the inside hedge to trim and i am up to date and can then sit back and enjoy it all lol. Liz and i are off this afternoon to pick Sophie up for the weekend so i'm praying for some good weather seeing as i have promised to take her for a picnic at the sea side. I am trying this new Msn 8,but so far it dosn't seem to be working too well and i think i will go back to 7.5,is anyone else having problems with it? Only popped in for a minute as i have to get the house tidied up ready for the weekend seeyou this afternoon.Fred.

Just a few quick lines as I should be going to town to my bank to pay a bill,needs to be paid by Wednesday so have to go today for the cheque to clear.Must sort out more armchair banking between the bank and the buiding society. Like you said Fred weather not good.so my weekend plans to paint my garden furniture are halted. When we were kids we used to go to Blackpool and if the weather was good it was sandwiches on the beach.If it was wet it was chips in the car!!Suppose its Mcdonalds nw. Sylvia hope you have managed to restock those bare cupboards. Mavis hope Pip is better, John said we will go out for lunch when i am back from town so I had better get going. Love Brenda

Not on your nellie Brenda ,it's still sandwiches ,and chips,lovely grub,you know what you can do with macdonalds and burger king lol.Fred.

Hi everybody, Well the weather was much the same as it has been the last couple of weeks, except that more rain fell today than usual. I just had to go out today, so managed to get to the supermarket and back within half an hour on my scootmobile. Our doctor phoned Johan today and said that he has to go into hospital and have a bowel investigation. He has had trouble over the years with bleeding of the bowels and when we were in Spain he was in hospital twice and the bleeding wouldn't stop. He was given a lot of blood - Spanish I suppose. Anyway the Spanish internist said the next time he went in he would have to operate. A couple of weeks ago Johan had blood again in his stools, but only one day. Anyway our doctor wants this investigated. The reason for him having to go into hospital is because of his age and all the medicine he takes. They are not taking risks. So after we have had a week away we could get a phone call any day to say they have a bed for him. I didn't have too much to do today so when I had finished some ironing I sat and made some more cards - what a luxurious life this is! Now will close for now, have a nice evening. Sylvia xxx

Hi everyone Since I was last on here my Mum has had a skin graft on her ankle and stayed with for a week before going back to her place. However being by ourselves didn't last for long as Mum returned when my brother David, who is two years younger than me, had a heart attack and was admitted to the New Plymouth hospital on 22 May. Over this week its been back and forth to the hospital, two of his three children came to be with him and returned back to their workplaces when his condition improved. His oldest daughter spoke to him by phone from Canada and he told to he was okay and to continue with her trip. Yesterday the 26th David and his wife Bev were flown to Hamilton for more tests and it looks like he will have an angioplasty. Next weekend is Queen's Birthday here in NZ and our son Craig will be coming down from Auckland for a visit, by then Mum should be back at her place. While Craig is here we will be sorting out the new bathroom requirements. I may have mentioned that we are having a porch built over the front door to stop the rain from coming in. There was some damaged in the shift we found one standard lamp was snapped in half and the upright on another was slightly bent, a chair back had rubbed in the container and the table had scratches to the legs as well the move appears to opened an old join repair in the tabletop. We have been advised that insurance will cover the lamps so we waiting to see about our table. Anyway as our place is small we have decided to replace that table now with a smaller one. John in NZ

Hi John,i don't know if you have any info on angioplasty yet ,but in case not ,there is nothing to worry about,the success rate is 99% these days,and the patient is normally out of hospital the following day and back into the thick of things in a week. I went in for a triple bypasswhen it was found that the damage was too great for angioplasty ,and i was home in five days and fine in a fortnight There will also be a full bypass team on standby in case anything goes wrong and they have to do a bypass,but this is very unlikely, I reckon your patient will be back out with a surfboard within three weeks lol Sorry peeps ,but i have to go and get the picnic ready for sophie now,and i will have to take a chair for Liz,she is rattly this morning and has started a course of antibiotics but refuses to stay at home and spoil Sophies picnic,trooper that she is. I will take a topcoat and park her on the beach next to the cafe,so there will be hot .fresh drinks handy in case she needs one. I can go with Sophie straight to the rockpools and show her how to find crabs and whatever,and still keep liz in sight,can't afford anything happening to the old bird lol,we have been together too long for that. I have to get Sophie onto the beach,they live twelve miles from the coast and she has never been to the pools with a net ,how sad is that ,and how remiss of her parents ,still i don't mind ,thats what granddads are for lol. See you all later have a great day fred Liz, mousy ,and birds.xxx

Hi everybody, Well still no change to report in the weather, unless I could say it is worse. Today it has been coming down in buckets - the rain I mean.The central heating is running 100% and it is nearly the end of May! I've done very little today apart from making a lot of very nice cards to add to my collection. Tomorrow I must put some things together and put them in the suitcase for Monday. I will not be here until next Friday. We are going away Monday and coming back on Friday, just in time for Whitsun. Perhaps the weather will change then. Keep the thread going Brenda, Fred, June, Di, etc.etc.

Hi Fred My brother is doing fine his angioplasty is meant to happen sometime this week - and he should be back home sometime after. Fortunately David and Bev have people working for them on the farm so that is one less hassle for them. David was told by his wife and kids to stop doing the various farm contracting work. A few days before his heart attack he had worked around 12 hours without a break, mine you when I saw David on Mother's Day he didn't look to well. Once he has had the surgery our mother should be back at her place and things for us will get some normality whatever that is. John

Hi all, Well the sun is shining this morning, although not enough to warm up the place yet. It is a beginning. I hope John that your family will be back to normality soon. Mustn't rush things though. I have to tidy up the place after all the card making I have been doing and generally finish off the odds and ends, also packing the suitcase. Yes, tomorrow we're off to Eindhoven until Friday. We are planning a day trip into Germany and another day to see Johan's sister of 83 years of age who still cannot do everything after her stroke. I am afraid Johan is in for another hospital stay when we get back, but right now are putting this at the back of our minds. See you all next Friday. Sylvia xxx

Hi everyone. Not much to report today - weather quite warm and dry. Supposed to be colder tomorrow. Watched the Rugby last evening on TV - it was so foggy in the South Island it was almost impossible to see across the pitch. Made it difficult for players and TV cameras and Commentators. It was the Crusadors and the Hurricanes. The Crusadors won. Some of the spectators left the ground and found local bars who had TV's. Dissapointing as it was a final. Today we have watched Netball on TV - our local team were playing and won. Friends called to see how Pip was feeling - they had made a lovely meat pie for our tea. Saved me some work!! Pip is a little better but is going to see our Dr. tomorrow. We wont be playing indoor bowls tomorrow! sob sob Our young neighbours had a party last night - many, many cars. They were so good we hardly heard a sound and had mostly gone home by 10.45. They were all in the double garage with the doors and windows closed! At lunch time today we could smell the sausages on the Barbie. Gee they smelt good. Must sign off now as I have to send an email to my brother in the UK (Reading). Mavis NZ

Hi everyone, Its been lovely reading all your messages. sorry I haven't been around but I have had a chest infection which has knocked all the get up and go out of me, Partly my fault that it had got so bad, I was having severe pains and though that I had pulled a muscle, when I used the Tens machine it seemed to ease it, after doing this for a couple of weeks, I decided to go to the doctor and he gave me antibiotics, They have certainly got rid of the pain but I haven't much energy, Sylvia, I hope Joan will soon be sorted and you can get back into your usual routine.

Hi everyone, Its been lovely reading all your messages. sorry I haven't been around but I have had a chest infection which has knocked all the get up and go out of me, Partly my fault that it had got so bad, I was having severe pains and though that I had pulled a muscle, when I used the Tens machine it seemed to ease it, after doing this for a couple of weeks, I decided to go to the doctor and he gave me antibiotics, They have certainly got rid of the pain but I haven't much energy, Sylvia, I hope Joan will soon be sorted and you can get back into your usual routine. Mavis, I hope Pip will soon be feeling better after his visit to the docs. John, You have family illness too, I hope everything gets sorted there, you men just wont listen. Will have to go now, dinner smells very tempting. June xx

Evening All,had a nice relaxing day today,just going over to dads and then sunday lunch,had a read of the papers ,watched some tv and then came on here, Hope your mother and brother are both well soon John,and you get sorted and settled in your new house. Slvia,hope you have a good trip and that Johann is fine when he goes in Hospital. June,great to see you again,hope your back to your old self soon,you have been really doing an awful lot over the past few months with moving house etc. fred how was the picnic? hope the weather stayed dry and Liz was ok parked outside the cafe!!!. Have two lines of washing almost dry on the lines,so will be bringing them in soon and getting them ironed tomorrow. Take care everyone ,and sorry to anyone I have not mentioned brenda

Morning peeps,a lovely day in sunny Newcastle ,and i am going to add a few lines to the thread before i go out and put the last of the plants into the garden [wahey] lazy times a coming.hee hee. Glad to hear you are feeling better June ,you must be more careful you know ,sounds as though you were very nearly in real bother ,a thing you could well do without. Had a wonderful time these last two weekends with the grandbains ,finishing off with a trip to Blyth for a trip onto the rocks with the nets finishing off with a picnic in the park. I am going back on thursday with the son ,wife and grandson for a fishing trip,as we looked in at the harbour before coming home to find that the river management team have got it together and the river is cleaner than it has been in thirty years,you can see the fish moving round the bottom now it is so clear. We found some placards on the staithes explaining why the harbour was built and what it's uses were and i was interested to see that both world war uses was as a submarine base which was still dismantling subs untill the 1990's.i bet this river could tell a few tales if it could talk,i will be trying to find some photos of blyth in wartime to see what i can find out. Well ,time for the garden folks ,see you all later if the japs don't come out of the shrubbery .Fred.

Hiya,Glad to see you managed the picnic fred,hope the fishing goes well later in the week. Had a bit of a shock yesterday as i got weighed and was about a half stone heavier than i thought,David and John weighed themselves as well and didn't like what they saw,so we are all on a diet now.This started as we bumped into my brother and realised how much weight he has lost recently,due to getting fitter as he now does amature football refeering.He also changed a lot of things in his diet and cut down on somethings rather than cut them out.He is a mini bus driver so sitsa lot of the time ,now when he gets home he does some walking,etc and spends less time on his pc. Weather very mixed again,won't get the washing out today,need to get ready for work now,see you all tomorrow,brenda

Goodevening everyone, Sounds as though you had a great time with the grandbairns Fred. Grandchildren are such a pleasure - maybe it's because we can send them home when we have had enough!! Must admit I don't have the patience that I used to. Pip is feeling 90 % better so he tells me! We have these ups and downs from time to time but he is such a good and positive patient. Tomorrow we both have the dentist - no doubt they will find something to do - we have to pay for the dentist in NZ. Is it still free for the over 65's in the UK? We pay to visit the Dr too but hospital treatment is free. Weather has been beautiful again today - blue sky all day. No heating on this evening! All for now, regards to you all Mavis NZ

Hi everybody, Doesn't time fly by when you're having fun! I've just spent a couple of hours in the garden cutting back long wisteria fronds, and trying to organise a clematis Armandii into some sort of shape! The latter sure grows quickly and thickly too, and Sue gave me a second one for Mother's Day so I have a feeling we're going to be taken over unless I keep on the ball with the secateurs. We went out shopping this morning and bought a new barbecue which came in a large box. John opened it up, and came indoors and said tht he'd need an engineering degree to put it together; there were parts scattered all over the patio! He put it together while I was out there hacking things back, and the air was occasionally a little ripe, so I kept my head in the bushes, just coming out a couple of times to add a little female logic to the process.It's now all together, with just 2 screws left over, which I hope were spares! I also bought myself a folding table for cutting out my fabric, on for half price, and another cart on wheels to hold my patterns. I'm glad to hear Pip is feeling much better, Mavis. He sounds like John, positive and cheerful most of the time. All the times he used to have to visit emergency when he had fibrillation prior to getting the pacemaker, he used to keep all the nurses laughing while they were working on him! Unfortunately, he has become a little dispirited this past year with so many things setting him back every time he seemed to be regaining some strength. He's starting to feel fairly good now, so hope the summer will get him right back to where he was before the heart attack a year ago. Sorry to hear you've been ill too June, and hope you'll soon be fully recovered. I've noticed recently that all the medical offices, doctors, labs, hospital have notices up saying if anyone has a cough to report to the front desk immediately, which is not usual, so I think this bug that's been going around has hit more people than we know, and they're obviously trying to curtail it. It's been a beautiful day here today, though the weather has been a little more unsettled than it usually is this time of year, and they say it's going to rain again tomorrow; that doesn't always apply to Tsawwassen though, just Vancouver and the Fraser Valley. Bernie has her apartment on the market, and will be moving in soon, with Mitchell joining us 3 days a week. It'll be nice to have a really full house again. Sorry to hear you've had illness in your family too John, and hope your brother makes a good recovery. Hope too that you're enjoying your new home. I agree Brenda, the answer to cutting down the weight and keeping it off, is to eat a little less of everything, and exercise a little more every day; for me that means walking as I find doing exercises rather tedious, and I can't jog! I seem to have settled into a good range, varying between 125 lbs and 130. I weigh myself periodically and if I'm approaching the 130 mark, I cut back. If it's 125, I go out for a pub lunch with 'special wedge cut fries', a steak and dessert!!! Thanks for the pics Fred. It looks like you were all having a good time foraging around on the shore. Reminds me of schooldays when they used to take us out to the beach below the cliffs west of Brighton to study the shore life. I bet Sophie enjoyed being spoilt by Grandma and Grandpa, and having them all to herself! Must go. It's past teatime and John is hungry! Take care all of you. Love to all, Di.xxx

Hi everyone,have a few minutes before I need to put the tea on,so i am having a few minutes on here then a cuppa andthen get tea.!!! Weather has been great today ,hope it stays like that for the next two days as they are my days off this week. Mavis, so pleased Pip is feeling so much better,hope he keeps it up,the friends I have that are grandparents agree with your way of thinking about knowing you can give them back so speak. Di,I had images of you struggling with a type of triffid ,with your clematis, lol,hope you don;t finf where the two screws go in the BBQ when you are cooking..Sounds like Johns back from golf so i will brew up for us both now,Might be back later ,if not then tomorrow,Brenda

Hello,had a really good afteronoon in town with my friends,they needed some new shoes for work and the other a new top for a wedding,we did not get the shoes but the top was a winner. Weather been ok but did not put washing out as wasn't looking that good when I left home,had my boots and a thicksh coat on and was a wee bit warm at times . Hope everyone is well and happy and able to pursuit all the lovelly outdoor things they have been planning,Tomorrow i am hoping to get a Hub for the pc so I can use my memory flash and move my pictures,it does not fit my usb port.I would also like a few more plants for the hanging basket at the bottom of the garden.it is in the shade most of the time but ivy seems to do well down there . Fred have a good time when you go fishing any chance of catching supper? Di hope you tamed that clematis and have found a good home for the new one. Mavis,hope Pip continues to improve,and your friend Blair.aswell. June ,are you your old self yet? hope so we have been missing you. Hope Sylvia has had a good time on her visit. Must go now David is home and will be wanting his stint on here Love Brenda