General Chat

Morning peeps ,just to say i will be back later ,my leg has become infected despite lacing it for three days with anti septic cream,so i have to go for treatment at the docs,see ya later Fred.

Darn it Badger not nice -good youa re going to the DR, spider bites can be nasty, look forwrd to hearing some good news really soon

VP, love your blog go there everyone A treat to read of the adventures of the mighty 3, VP, Norm and the ever lovable Bella , who has more uses now, is a great dog heat source lol

Lovey meet with Mary last weekend, a truly lovely person

JA

wahey still alive everyone ,and rarin' to go despite some darstardly spider lying in ambush ,in among the parsnips,but i got my own back by spraying them all with systemic insecticide to get all his mates and relations all in one fell swoop.
Seems i have some Riley rellies on the wifes side over in oz ,so ,i have at least one proved connection after all .
Seems one Uncle Watler Riley emigrated to oz around the early 1900s,where he had [with the help of his wife] a few bairns ,at least two of them boys ,who grew up to play in pro' oz football teams,so perhaps with a little help from someone over there ,i might be able to trace them.
Managed to def trace some Rowans to New York too [blast ] ,he he ,i was looking for more oz connections but you can't win them all.
Yes J A the three musketeers are off on their travels all right with the help of one Bella whe i shall call Porthos ,the tubby one who seemed to spend most of his time eating and sleeping ,lol
Bella will indeed be handy to snuggle up to in the cold.but the weather should improve very shortly.
Hope Mary gets home shortly so we can get the scuttlebutt about the goings on at the meet.
We 'ad a few more strawberries with the tea last night ,oooooo,but they were tasty he he with clotted cream yet [naughty but veeeery nice .Fred.

Hi peeps ,back home again after getting stronger anti biotics from the docs late this morning .
We wen't straight into the new Morrisons store from there more or less next door and picked just the right time too ,found a nice cabbage30 0dd p. some asparagus 45 p, broad beans 25,pand a nice marrow, plus a few other bits and pieces.
The marrow has been stuffed with cous cous ,chopped chicken ,marinaded in corriander , lime ,and mint ,and a little mace ,plus a little very finely chopped red onion..
The broad beans are shelled and in the steamer along with some cabbage ,carrot batons,calabrese,and two potato varieties .new ,and old for mash.
The rest of the veg ' is in the form of a roast potato each ,and half a parsnip.
I may even spoil us rotten ,picking some fresh strawberries for desert with some clotted cream
Fogot to mention ,the trip to Asda before we camr home ,we had a nice time in there ,mostly me chuckling at liz doing the usual woman thing [ you know lads] spending half an hour or more ,picking things up ,and putting them down again,in the end buying now't he he..
In the mean time i was left to have a mooch about ,yeeees ,in the electrics dep't where i spotted a lovely little four port hi speed drive for a fiver ,[back of the net],this little tool was the size of a ten packet of cigarettes[if you are old enough to remember them],and only half the thickness,just the right size to fit in the laptop bag for the holidays.
Having done that little deal ,i swapped my big terrabit hard drive with Liz for her little verbatim drive ,again ,nice and small to fit in the case.sorted.
Liz is as happy as a piggy in you know what, having a very big external drive now,she is already shunting all her files ,photos ,programmes and dvds onto it ,so they can never be lost.
Think i had better get on with the tea before i get a rocket off the missus for not getting on with it.
See ya later peeps,Fred.

Hi everyone.. We have had lovely weather and its so warm you would think it was spring instead of winter..while in Canberra we sat out on the verandah all afternoon as it was lovely and didnt have to come inside untill the sun started to go down..Had a lovely meet with JA and some of the other Wattlers and got lots of hugs,, a great bunch of peeps..love them all...

Really enjoyed my drive down to Canberra and the road is such a good one,, 4 and 6 lane expressway most of the way..so easy..would love to live in Canberra but John cant stand the cold..yes it does get cold down there most of the time,,I think we were just lucky..a hot northerly wind was blowing warm air down from the tropical north...

Fred You certainly did well with those vege prices.. way to go.. you have got to be in the right place at the right time..are you going to cook up and freeze some meals,,Sorry to hear about the spider bite,, pesky little critters,,hate them, and we have some real nasty ones here in OZ..some that can kill you but thank goodness we now have antivenim to counteract it and not many die now,,spiders and snakes are the two things that I hate..

The new car is going well and I am likeing it more each time that I drive it..so am a happy little chappy...lol..

Left a post on Less blog but had a bit of trouble doing it,,I am not to techy minded..lol...

~~~~to Christine and anyone else looking in..

How goes you Edith,,Hope you are well..It was nice to see a post from Michael on Les. Blog..Miss him...

WEll hope you all have a nice weekend..dont work to hard..


Love to all
Mary xxx

'eeeeeelo peeps ,Badger is still alive ,and has entered the building .lol.
Had a good week so far really ,and have done a lot of family history as well as the mundane stuff like housework [ badger spit] and seeing to the garden.
The garden isn't doing so well this year ,too cold ,and not enough sun ,but never mind ,there is always next season.
The strawberry plants are loaded but of course ,most won't ripen in this weather ,but next year should be a lot better
The apple tree is doing okay and the plum will hopefully fruit next year too ,so we will be okay for desserts.
Kale i will grow again next year because it is so versatile and grows right through the winter ,but the ordinary cabbage i won't bother with,it's cheap enough to buy.
Taking it's place will be pak choie and perpetual spinach,both of which have a good long growing season,the spinach growing right through to spring from july,like the calabrese and kale you pull a little off leaving the rest to grow on,which means plenty of winter veggies for the pot,
The brussel and calabrese are doing well with all the water ,but the sweede and beetroot are a bit iffy so far ,but ,you can;t have everything.
Liz and i did go for our meal out last Wednesday,to a nice place in Seaton Sluice called the Astley Arms[a crown Carvery]
We had a meal of 3 meats ,one ,turkey one beef ,and one gammon all well cooked and tender,the veg was a mix of help yourself , we had cauil done polish style [lovely] green beans,diced carrot,roast shallot,brussel.,and parsnip[roast] stuffing balls ,yorkshire pud',Roast potatoes ,and new,with a nice gravy.
Condiments there were also english mustard [very hot] horseradish [also hottish], mint sauce, cranberry sauce ,and the usual salt ,pepper .
Every thing was hot ,meat carved off the bone as you waited even the veggies were hot ,not cold as you usually get.
There were also other options ,salads ,jackets ,and plenty of different starters.and main courses.
Ours cost £3-60P and boy ,were we stuffed,lol,so much so that the following day we had two slices of toast for dinner ,and a light salad for tea, it was agreed ,we will be back .though,he he
Well ,i suppose it's off to do the housework [spits from side of Badgers snout] and groans for good measure .
Hope everyone is having a nice weekend ,oh ,and spare a thought for all the people in Greece who are having a bad time with the wild fires that are raging there, ,seems the weather, world wide is causing so many problems this year,Fred.

Wake up Canucks missing the most amazing adventures of VP on her blog - so GO and READ and POST, she is missing us all
Phew climbs off soapbox and puts loud hailer down

Seriously, go and have a read, email me if you have lost web addy
~~~~~~~~Badger she would love a visit from you, Mary, Veronica, Michael and Terese as old times and new timers as well and anyone else. It is a great read
Edith hugs and good to read your comments, helps me understand a lot
Angels around pillows all

JA

Morning all. Just a note to say I'm well. A little busy again

with volunteering. Am going to stop saying I'm retired as it seems to be

a magnet for people to ask for help(free gratis) Think I''ll be a great author

or something, painter maybe??Must go, so stay well and see you soon.

Edith

Hi everyone As usual busy bees..

JA I went to Les.s blog and I could only find messages posted by friends..Must be dong something wrong,,will have another go..You all know I am tecno challenged,,,lol

Edith,,Glad to hear that you are ok and so busy,,I agree that retirement is not really retirement..lol,xxx

Fred,, When you get to Seans house give that cat a few lessons on catching mice...not snakes..hee hee..

Have a nice weekend all..

Mary xxx

afternoon all old Fred is home after the practice Christmas dinner,and very nice it was too [burp] he he ,no tea for badger tonight ,just a cupp'a is all.
I Did warn you edith ,Edith i said ,you will find yourself busier than ever didn't i . A A [huh ,no one listens to old badgers] lol,yes ,you thought you would have plenty of time now to do all your odds and ends ,and hobbies too ,Wroooooong..
Mary ,i will be doing more than that when i get to the bungalow ,lol,i will be watching shade like a hawk AND be checking under my bed at night as well,just in case.
I will have a look at the blog next to see what Les and co are up to now,they are doing fine so far as far as i can see.
take care all ,and enjoy the long weekend Fred

Morning all Hope you as well as I are enjoying Les"s travels. My husband and I travelled that way several years ago. There is so much to see and so many events to take part in. The maritimes are magical, the Bay of Fundy with it's changing tide is fab, and the reversing falls even better.
The shops are full of Scottish heritage plus beautiful hand made kilts. Sure hope they get to see it all.
Our weather is getting into fall mode and we have yet to see summer, oh well Christmas will soon be here and we can eat away the sadness hee hee. Hope the rest of you are all well and happy. Fred, has your spider bite
resolved itself? Veronica, Teresa, and all the rest time to let us know how you are. Also took your advice Fred and refused 2 "chores" I am pleased.
Bye for now folks hope to see you all soon. Edith XXXXXXX

Hi everyone.. We have had a very mild winter..in fact practically no winter at all..Not that I am sad about that,,I like this sort of weather but just hope it dosent mean we are in for a dry hot summer..
I have worked out how to operate Les's blog..I am quite mad where putas are concerned,,but I seem to get there in the end..It is great reading their story,,but am I right in thinking they went down south into the States and went across America to the east..I thought it was a trip across Canada..did they get lost again,,do hope they bought a car navigator or they might end up in OZ..hee hee hee,,now that would be great...lol

Fred.. Christmas dinner sounded yummy...are you now on a diet to recover..is that holiday out to Sean coming up soon,, should be great weather..Hope he is recovered from the bite..watch your step when you go outside there..dont want you getting bitten..

Edith.. Wander if Les will come home with a kilt..cant see it myself but then Normie might look good in one,lol...sounds like they are having a great time and getting lost in the process..hee hee hee..

Christine,, Hope you get the puta fixed up soon,,bet you have been playing patience in frustration.lol..


Have a lovely weekend all and love to those who havent been here for a while..

Love Mary xxx

Morning Mary ,Edith ,i too am enjoying the Les. Norm Bella trip,so much to see and do ,they are really making a go of it ,lol,and Bella is keeping them on their toes.
We fly on the 27th of this month Mary ,and i am taking the lappy with me ,hoping Sean is on wireless so that i can connect easily,which will also save carting usb cables with me.
Well ,we have had any chance of a summer here,i have never seen a year like it, only a handful[if that] of days where we have been up to 22c up here in the north,
All my summer veggies are now dying back so i will be picking them to store in sand when i come back.
The trees in the garden over the back are lashing around again ,so it looks like being very windy again today,so ,it's a stay in ,do the housework sort of day.
Catch you later all ,Fred,

Just moving us forward. Edith

Evening everyone, hope you are all well, Les still enjoying her travels. Hope you are recovered from you Spider bite Fred, sounded awful!!!!
Been reading all the messages and catching up with all your news hope everyone is well. I've been pickling beetroot this afternoon and have lovely coloured fingertips to prove it, but is well worth it. It is our Village annual "Leek show" this weekend, so my son has been at the allotments with the old gardeners learing how to "dress onions"... well I know how to cook them, but I have never had to dress one (ha ha). It is always a nice time though as the community really pulls together and all the produce is lovely to see, then after the show there is an auction. Plent of broth.....Thats it for now... Bye and take care

Afternoon Edith ,Diane ,and anyone who happens by.
Someone else busy with the beetroot i see ,but someone could learn to keep their hands from being discoloured if they wore gloves to twist the leaves off instead of using a knife ,ooooops.
however i did make a sort of mistake he he ,which made things interesting at dinner time .lol
I had the beetroot cooked and peeled by 11 oclock this morning and then started the dinner
We decidedon mashed and roast potato with roast pepper and red onions ,with cabbage and baton carrots.
I decided at the last minute to do some hot beetroot for the dinner too which is lovely ,so ,seeing as i had the potatoes and veg in the steamer already i decided to add four little beetroot to the top tier.
Lets say i have invented a new mashed potato ,ideal for halloween ,lol, DELICATE SHADE OF RED,OOOER.
not to bother ,it tasted the same,anyway .

I spent the rest of the morning after doing the beetroot to trim the hedges for the last time this year ,and now ,we are into getting cases paced for the holiday ,and the first one is ready,1 kilo on the safe side,he he.
Notice the writing is bouncing up and down again ,it really is about time genes got this problem sorted out .
Catch you all later .Fred.

Wow Fred the holiday is getting closer..I am sure the weather is going to be fantastic and lovely and warm..Take a hat as the sun can be fierce..Love beetroot but john hates it, so I by it by the tin and eat it in my salads and sammys.. lol..
Hi Diane,, Lovely to see you have a vege patch also..You and Fred shoud compare notes..
Not much happening here so am having a quiet weekend..Hope all are well and fit..

Lots of love Mary xxx

Ha!Ha! fooled ya!! This motel has good internet so am making the most of it. Funny tho...I missed waking up in the van this morning.

JA Norm says to tell you that we have always had good luck with Compaq but he cautions you to buy what you need. If all you want is to read your email, download your pics, and scoot around your favourite sites then a little notebook like an Acer would do and they are cheap....well here at least. But if you want to burn cd's or dvd's ... well then you will need something beefier....does that help??? Son Simon bought a small Acer to take on their travels and loves it.

Fred we were in a restaurant on PEI and they had calgannon on the menue....how cool is that??

Bella's tummy is still a bit iffy so we still have her on chicken and rice. Read on the internet that pumpkin is good so have bought a can to try....not that any of this slows her down!!

Edith I fell in love with the south shore of Nova Scotia...would love to live there. We did not get to see the reversing falls....just not enough time to squeeze it all in.

OK...my turn for the shower. keep well you lot...thanks so much for all the comments on the blog...makes for good reading.

Hi Les'sneakkkkkky,lol,but lovely to see you as always.
Have to agree with Norm J a ,my standby laptop ,a 12 inch acer is a great little tool,upgraded to 2 gig memory,with a 140 gig hard drive ,it is fast ,easy to use,and is pretty lightweight as well,and handles the vodaphone dongle no bother when away and outside a wi fi area.
H P and Dell,now one firm are struggling but acer is an up and coming firm which sells good quality gear at good prices,
hope you tried the cagannon les' the bairns have me make it so often when they come ,i put in an extra kale plant this year to keep up with demand.
Poor Bella ,hope you havn't been feeding her lamb meat ,most big dogs can't handle that meat ,too fatty for them to digest,some dogs can't even handle beef that well ,but they are normally the smaller breeds. You are lucky you got a shower at all this morning,and a coffee ,i diodn't ,but i will tell you the reason for that later ,the page is jumping up and down again ,so i am signing off for now ,before it all goes walkies again ,as it has once already.
Catch you all later ,Fred.