General Chat

Hi everyone.. We have fantastic weather at the monent..love spring..

Had a lovely weekend and managed the driving ok and the weather in Canberra was fantastic..not cold during the day and mild nights..Not the usual Canberra weather so was very lucky..
So enjoyed being with my daughter and grandaughters again and and even tho hubby is away in the army we had a great time..John managed it not to badly and we managed to get him out for a drive and out to dinner on sunday night..Had a lovely walk around Canberras lake on sunday and the blossoms are starting to come out..In a week it will look fantastic..Canberra is so beautiful and has more cherry blossoms than Japan me thinks..
Now to sort out my back patio and work out what to grow in my tubs..quite looking forward to it..
Fred That sounded like a heavenly day you had with your son..with a few trout thrown in for good measure..good for you.sorry to hear that Liz has done herself a injury..Poor thing and lots of hugs for her..hope she is on the improve soon..rest is about the best thing I think..
Better go and get some lunch so have a lovely day..

Love Mary xxx

Morning all,from a veeerry chilly north of England ,lol,17c in august yet he he ,the heating is on yet again .
Think you have to be right Edith ,the season is changing at least six weeks early here ,the sloe,and blackberries ripe already,and with all the rain and the high winds ,it looks as though there is another hard ,white winter on the way.
The wood stove looks like being a good idea, if i get the go ahead,there will be no carbon burned it being all wood fuel used,and ton's of potash for the compost bins and garden ,how green is that ?.
The missus ,in starting the toilet decorating while i was on my fishing trip ,started off the old back injury she got at the Metro,Centre years ago,while she was still working there .
The afternoon after the trip saw her complaining that her arm and back was sore ,and the following day she hada lot of trouble getting around Morrisons to do the shopping ,and by yesterday dinner time she was in a lot of pain ,and shuffling round the bottom floors having to use both sticks,so i am thinking what with the arm being sore as well ,plus feeling a little sickish with the pain ,she has either slipped a disc,or more likely trapped a nerve,but if she gets any worse or dosn't start improving by tomorrow evening ,i am getting our doc' out,there is no way i can get her into a car while she is this bad.
It is just as well i got her to show me how to use the new washing machine ,lol,Fred Is gonna be the washer woman for a while i think,he he.and isn't it fortuitous that i brought the new little notebook a few days ago.
I know it was ready the first computer i came across at sale price ,that uses xp as the platform ,my older road angel not having a driver supported by vista ,or windows 7,but it will be so handy for the missus to use in bed before she try's to get up in the morning it being so light ,with a battery life of 5 hours,so ,she can surf as long as she likes with no wires trailing over the bed.
Very handy too for the travelling ,it having a 160 gig H D.a 2 gig R A M ,and going into a case no bigger than a woman's clutch bag,with the wireless mouse ,and charger,tons better than even the acer,and lots lighter to tote around.
I was just thinking last night that this tiny notebook is by far ,more powerful and faster ,than the huge ,room size computer they had at Bletchley Park for cracking the axis codes during the last war,how far the world of computers has come in not so many years.
Sorry peeps ,but i may not be around much until the missus improves ,i now have loads of extra duties to attend to,and am going to be a tad busy ,so please bear with me on this one.
If the old girl [lol] hasn't started to at least show some improvement by tomorrow ,i think she may have either ,a slipped disc ,or more likely with arm pain ,a trapped nerve,which means getting our doc' out as there is no way i can get her into the car to take her to the surgery.
Have to go and start the dinner ,catch you all later .
Hope every one is enjoying the holiday ,Fred.

Morning all, Happy to hear of your trip Fred. We are fortunate to live like that all the time. Our lakes and fishing are known as the place to come for a great outdoor holiday. We also have rainbow trout but they are stocked in special lakes. Fun to catch tho'.
Seeing the note from Les about the fishing contest, our town is also in the same one. Will be fun to see who comes out the winner. It means 25,ooo dollars for touristry.
We too are seeing the signs of fall, the low bushes are turning colour and everything seems to be slowing down. Too soon that white stuff will cover it all up, so I won't say any more.
Mary, hope you get your wee garden going as it is fun, Even tho' the yield is not big I was very pleased with my 5 cucs so far. Always next year hhmm.
Time to start my day so bye for now. Edith XXXXX

Evening to the troops ,lol,apologies on being missing ,but old Fred has had a bit of time off ,yesterday with a trip to little Canada ,a fishing trip to Kielder forest and the largest ,man made lake in europe,where i had an amazing day with my eldest son.
Everything seemed to go right ,from the off ,lol, we got there at the Dam by ten a m,and got set up on a lovely little beach on the lake side by the half hour,sat among the pines,lovely water coloured with the iron mines under the flooded valley,a nice breeze sighing through the trees ,squirrels ,badgers ,foxes,and birds ,all doing their thing in the trees ans undergrowth ,even some re introduced beaver somewhere nearby,all in a nice warm sunny climb ,he he ,bliss.
To cap it all i managed some nice rainbow trout to bring home ,two nearly 3 pound each ,and one just over 2 pound ,a nice ending to a nice day ,i am unashamed to say that i didn't want to come home,lol,but even that was special ,climbing through country lanes and forest ,watching the autumn colours on the trees through the windscreen of the car as we travelled.
I even thought ,stuff cooking tonight ,stopping off to get two fish suppers from our local chippy.
I Did feel a little guilty when i found out that pusser cat ,on finding me missing when she came home after her morning walk, sat in the armchair facing the window ,where she could see the gate ,and refusing to move until she saw me come in the gate with the son.
Back to normal this morning ,the weather holding off until we had our B B Q at dinner time ,a Couple of snags each,in rolls a burger in buns,and some chicken strips ,and for me ,the smallest of the trout which i shared with Hissy who loves her fish of all sorts.
We are now waiting for the fella's to come out to survey the fireplace and chimney to make sure that they are suitable for the stove to be put in ,hopefully all will be fine and we will have our new wood burner in time for winter ,saving a good bit on fuel bills,and of course the cheerful winter glow of a real fire ,and old Fred already has the old style toasting fork ready he he.
I spent an hour on line this afternoon ordering next years seeds, so all is right with the world .
Time to get my furry chums tea before she goes out for her evening walk.
Hope all are having a good weekend,glad it looks as though the doc's have a good idea as to what is wrong with John ,Mary ,now ,hopefully it is sortable ,and John can look forward to a better prognosis ,and treatment,leading to better days for both of you.
Catch you later peeps ,Fred.

Hi everyone.. We have lovely weather at the moment..sunny and mild..

Les Sorry you are having it so hot,,I rather it in the 20s than the 30s.. Poor Ollie.. He must feel the heat,,cos he is a Canuck cat..LOL

Edith.. When I get home on monday I will start giving some thought to my back patio garden..Gotta get it started..

Fred.. Can we have a little of your rain..just a little mind you...

Well life has been very busy.. John is back to the docs and this time they think he might have a autoimune condition that can turn quite serious, so its to a specialist next. Cant get in to see him till Oct, but if John gets any worse we will see if he can see him earlier..It is one thing after another,,We are at last going to Canberra today for the weekend,,It will be so lovely to see our girls again.but it is a 4 hour drive and thank goodness I had a good nights sleep last night.. I have been very tired lately and lost my get up and go,,,it got up and went ..

Have a lovely weekend all..

Love Mary xxx

Wow!! where is everyone??
The wedding was lovely, the bride beautiful. But it was a rush for dau and I. We took Bella back to Campbell River park for a walk and took a different trail...well wouldn't ya know we got lost and 10 kms, and two hours later we managed to get out onto a road and make our way back to the van.......then only minutes to spare to shower, do our nails and hair etc...what a laugh. And, man, did my bum cheeks ache the next day!!!
Then we were off to visit the lovely Rhian. She is growing like a weed and very tall for her age. She and Bella played ball forever and neither of them got tired, they are well matched. Duuno what the kids neighbours thought of the "drop the ball" , "sit", "back off", and "feetch" and then "good Bella"....over and over.....pretty funny.
Now at home Bella is pouting, no lovely little girl to play with.
Norm and I are going to look at a fifth wheel trailer today as we think we might become nomads for a bit. Haven't really figured out all the whys and wherefores but it would be nice to be on the road for about 3-6 months each year....a small window of opportunity for us. Anyway we will see.
Off to the docs to get my prescriptions.
More later
Lesxx

Morning our Edith ,yep ,snap ,i too am starting to dry some of my herbs,but of course ,i will be hanging mine in the greenhouse ,lol,the wife can't stand garlic at the best of times and i dare not hang those indoors.in case the wife throws a wobbler he he,i did suggest it was because she was a part time vampire ,but got a clout round the lug for my trouble ,he he ,ooooo ,it did smart for a while ,lol.
I was out really early to water and feed my veggie patch ,but looking up at the sky i was awestruck by the sight,cirrus clouds on a deep blue background,and i sank into a patio chair ,drink in hand for a good ten minutes,yes ,it is a beutiful world out there folks,only spoilt my God/Allah's' one mistake,adding man to the the flora and fauna,a mistake that will be rectified one day ,one way or another.
Noticed that the Asparagus fronds have started to seed ,and wonder if i can save some of these ,and try to start some off in the spring,worth a try?.
I may also try cutting the broad beans down to ground level to see if they will come away again next year but will have new plants in cups started ,just in case.
Every thing else is doing fine ,and we are really enjoying eating the results of the hard work during the early spring ,through to the summer ,[sic] he he.
I only wish the back was a bit larger ,i would really have loved keeping my own chucks for eggs so that i knew just what they were fed on,but ,hey ho ,you can't have everything.
We have to go out again this morning ,who is the daft git who forgot the bread ,and eggs ,aaaaaagh .Fred ,that's who ,lol,so anyway ,i will have a look for a marinade for the chicken we took out of the freezer last night,and make up some kebabs for the wooden skewers [don't like the steel ones],find a pack of muffins ,for the four burgers ,two bacon ,and two beef,a half dozen ranch buns ,for the sausages,and a few pittas,for anyone else who turns up,but my top dish of the day is ,the sea bass which i will be putting into foil ,stuffed with red onion shards ,rosemary ,and thyme out of the garden.
Yep ,you guessed it ,another B B Q ,while the weather holds .
Have a nice weekend all ,take it easy and chill out ,with apologies to those who are in the grip of winter ,Fred.

Hi Guys, we are at the daughters. Did a 5k hike thru a lovely provincial park yesterday...bella was in her glory. Meanwhile today we are going shopping, painting our nails, not normie...lol, and generally getting ready for the wedding tomorrow. sure hope my ollie is ok.
later lesxx

Hello all Thought I had better get us on board again.
Weather wise we are O.K. short bursts of sun and cloud and temps in the 20's.
Harvested some of my herbs for drying and now my apartment smells real good. Thyme especially lingers in the air. I am going to try and mulch some of the pots and see if I can keep them over winter. The balcony is protected from the wind so if I put enough on top of the plants they just might make it. The sage is hardy and I do use it a lot in meat dishes in winter. So if I can keep pinching it off under the snow I will be happy.
Hope Les is enjoying the big city. Those fires are a real worry and I can understand her leaving the island. We evacuated our town in 1967 and the memories are still clear.!!!The sight of all those flames are scary to say the least.
Hope Fred and Liz enjoy their day shopping. See you all soon. Edith XXXX

Thanks Fred I did get all the pics so wipe away...LOL
Today has started off cloudy but they say it will be hot by afternoon but not as hot. Now the government is banning all backroad activities....just too many forest fires.
So my chickies I am off to Vancouver tomorrow and will not be back until next week. I may find a moment to post but if not, be good and enjoy the weekend.
Lesxx

Morning all, Sorry to hear your too hot again Les. More sorry because I know it will reach us in about 7 days. I know everyone talks about the weather but this year it has taken over all conversations !!! As Fred says it's turned around wrong end.
Have started to hang my herbs for drying and hope to get more done to-day. All ready for the winter soups, stews etc. Still waiting on 3 cucs to bulk up ready to eat, by then I can pull the plants.
Mary, the "market "garden is so tiny I don't think even the name fits, but it is fun and have enjoyed the produce. Hope you try pot gardening as it will
keep you out of mischief He hee.
Enjoyed the pics Fred and the surf does look inviting. Thanks.
Time for my breakfast so will say bye for now. Edith XXXX

Morning our Les ,did you get all of the pics okay?you should have gotten 9 in total ,i as k because once you have got them,i can wipe the pics off my desktop and put others up to send.
Looks like we all have our weather problems don't it .and after what you say,i think i will stick to mine ,lol,i would rather cook in the damp and cold than suffer your fate ,couldn't be cooking in those conditions even a cold salad would bring me out into a sweat he he.
Mind you ,i woke up to sunshine this morning at 6 a m,and at 9-30,it is still sunny my tomato's out back are shouting yippee and shaking their leaves in excitement ,lol.
Sounds as though you could have done with the downpour we had last night ,with the raindrops bouncing back off the ground about a foot in the air it would have dispersed a lot of your dust for you.
hope things sort themselves out for you very quickly,but the weather seems to be arse about face all over the world ,poor Russia,scorched for over a month ,and now a deluge flooding vast areas, am i glad i live on a hilltop,hundreds of feet above the valley floor,yes ,perishing cold and windy at times ,but at least able to keep the feet dry[mostly].
Poor Ollie ,isn't it a pity that he can't unzip his coat and take it off ,i bet he will enjoy your fall ,when it comes
Well ,i am off to cut the lawns while it's dry out there ,loland at last the sons car is off the drive ,yessss ,i can get into the shed again at last ,he he.
Catch you later all .Fred.

Well we are in the news again. We were the hot spot in Canada on Sunday at 36.4 celsius...wow!! And yesterday I suspect it was even higher altho the actual has not been posted yet. Ollie now has given himself the job of walking up to me and then throwing himself upside down on the floor...yes!! Ollie it is bl...y hot!!! The garden is at a standstill and I am sure that the evening watering mostly evaporates. There is supposed to be a gradual return to normal temps by the weekend. That would put us at about 26 celsius, still hot but at least not scorching.....and once again the smoke from the forest fires in the Interior have us on an air quality advisory. Must be all kinds of soot in the air because every day Norm wipes off the patio table and it is always brown...yuk!!!
And Fred, we don't bbq either at the mo because it is too hot on the patio to stand out there and cook. Ah well, soon it will be winter!!
Off to do a little housework and then find a cool spot to read a book......the life eh??
Lesxx

Good morning to all ,back to normal here he he drizzle again ,,and as i said to Les' in an aside ,looks like all My Remaining B B Q s will be indoors on the electric grill he he Fred Is fed up ,cheesed off ,and wet after he went out front this morning to bring the bins in.
I agreed with Mary Les ,you should find out if you can protect your needlework and designs to make sure your ideas arn't pinched ,ruddy cheek,just typical of a yank,can't trust most of them an inch.
Edith Lass sorry lady ,not my fault honest ,i wouldn't foist our Brit weather on anyone ,just threaten too sometimes in jest he he ,so ,you will have to find another scapegoat this time.
Watch the chinese meals Mary ,mostly the dishes that contain Tumeric,my son had one two nights ago,and it had a bad effect ,heavy dizzy spells ,palpitations,and feelings of hot burning sensation,but ,he says he also had a samosa that had far too much spice in ,so that may have been the straw that broke the camels back ,so to speak,
this is mainly why i stick to Chinese ,and not Indian meals the Indians seem to go overboard with their spices in every meal you buy,and lots of people feel unwell after eating them .
Yes ,it's suprising what you can grow in a large pot Edith my cucumber has thrown 10 fruits so far ,and is still hanging in there ,and the courgette is keeping it well supplied.
Not so with my leeks though ,my fault for putting three leeks into each pot ,hmmmm,next year i must remember ,two is the max,he he,my leeks are about two feet high as they fight for light ,and have started to bolt [sniffle ] serves me right for being too greedy,lol
I enjoyed the unintentional pun too Edith ,wet ,duck ,he he ,oh ,never mind , i thought it was funny anyway.
Well ,time to go and do the dusting ,then it's off to the shops ,but ,says Fred cheering up a little ,i took the first of the cabbage out this morning ,big enough for four meals for the two of us ,and it will be far tastier than the shop brought crap .lol.
Catch you all later,Fred.

Hi all We have sun and a lovely cool day..Going up to the mid teens..my sort of winter..LOL

Well a trip to Canberra to visit our daughter has to go on hold,,Took John shopping for clothes and walking around the Mall finished him and he couldn't walk by the time he got home so we decided to wait a couple of weeks for the trip..next weekend is voting day for a new prime minister..and that will be enough exercise for John for that day so the weekend after is a better shot for travelling..

Les.. You want to put a copyright on your apron patons...not fair when other people copy them,,and what a price,,Put yours in a site near hers and undercut her..the cheek of her..

Edith. Have you got a licence for your market garden..boy you do well for a balcony garden..when I get back from Canberra I am starting on my pots..We had a big storm on Sunday and I just got home as the big hail the size of big marbles came down..and the rain came in buckets..All over in half a hour..then the sun came out..blurry stupid...

Took John to lunch today at the bowling club across the road and that was a outing for him,,brought home a Chinese meal which we will have for dinner tonight,,yyyaaa no cooking,,

Well better go and do some work..

Hope all are well

Love Mary xxx

We are in the midst of another heat wave, up to 32/35 celsius most days here in the valley and about 40 on our back patio. The house is like an oven and Bella and Ollie are both fed up!! The heat just imobilizes me and I'll bet the electricity bill will soar thru the roof, we have that many fans awhirling.....however I amsure when the rainy season and winter start I will b..ch about that as well.
Starting to get all the chores done as we are off on Thursday, wedding on Saturday. Gotta wear my new shoes around the house for a few days so that I don't hobble too much...never attractive!!
Fred, my inbox is now really empty, wanna try those pics again?
Lesxx

Hello all, Fred, What have you done?? The rainy wet cold weather has arrived here. Woke up to a temp of +7 after a week of +30's.
Hope it goes as quick as it came as it is too too early for fall!!!!!!
Must run this a.m, laundry day and lots of chores. Bye for now,..Edith
(ducks in case a shoe comes flying by)hee hee

You leave Norm' alone Les ,he shows real taste ,lol,i like ALL pitted olives ,and they are good for you to boot ,so there .
Glad to hear it is nice and warm there,nice for some ,he he ,we are promised 14c tomorrow ,August ? Humph disgusting I calls it
We had a lovely stir fry for tea ,made with all stuff out of the garden ,and a few chicken strips ,out of the freezer,and for afters ,a nice fruit scone ,with Cream and our first strawberrys from out back..
Have to go ,Hissy is demanding that i take my coffee onto the patio so that i can sit with her ,no peace for the wicked ,he he ,Fred.xxx

I am shorn....and red to boot. I don't think the colour was supposed to go this reddish colour...but hey!! it isn't grey any more. The lady said if I didn't like it she could fix it free...so we will see. I will try it for a couple of days and then may have to go back.
I have four more lengths of fabric to cut and then it is off to the sewing machine....hmmm! I wonder what our Ollie will make of that.
Meanwhile I was surfing and found this web site for a woman in the States who makes "gourmet aprons". Now, as trusting as I am, her cocktail aprons have the same design as mine and she set up shop the year AFTER me...hmmm! anyway she sells these little half cocktail aprons, made of organza and tulle like mine, for $2000...wowee!!! I am under priced or a good deal??
We had deli salads and meat last night, it was a hot day yesterday. I got Norm a scoop of mixed olives to try. There were maybe 6 different kinds, all colours..he liked them..me...yuk!!
Off to the cuttery..LOL
Lesxx

Morning Edith ,Les ,and all the ghosts ,lol.well ,we do have a real mixed bag of weather here this morning ,as windy as hell yet again ,cool ,down to 16c ,yep ,the typical August weather .
Sorry to hear about the beans Les ,sounds to me as though you had an invasion of the dreaded little beatles,that had a go at mine last year if the stalks of the flower sites have little grey brown spots ,you have a problem ,sometimes ,like it or not you have to use an insecticide on the young bud tips before the flowers open, i forgot last year and paid the price ,bur now use Doff bug spray which you can spray on ,stuff is safe to eat the day after ,but it works aa treat.
The tiny little beans that shrivel can be lack of water ,or mildew ,you get hit either way water wise i'm afraid sort of damned if you do ,and damned if you don't .
Give the scissors to Ollie ,he can cut your hair for you ,no doubt after watching you using them lol, though i don't think the finish would be puuurfect ,he he.
Yes Edith i think i will have to ensure that next year we have all female cucumbers,ours taste okay ,but i spend a long time picking off the male flowers to stop them going bitter ,i think the extra for the seeds is well worth it
I havn't found the big pot for the orange tree yet,but i will give it another try after i have dropped the stuff off at my sons later this morning.
Everyone looking forward to the weekend ? yeeeees .supposed to be a good one here ,maybe even a chance to do a small B B Q .Fred.xxxx