General Chat

hello everyone..

I am thinking that some of you are out shopping or sleeping !!

Still finishing off the Xmas shopping. Been quite warm here and really I haven't been in the mood.

Nice to see Alison posting ! Hope you are enjoying eating a little more now.

This Xmas seems very emotional this year not sure as to why that is but thinking a lot of my dad who past away four years ago. When I saw Mum the other day she too said that this Xmas seems very teary.

Hope you are all okies...

xx

Hi Everyone,

Alison........So good to see you posting. I do hope you may be tempted by something tasty over Christmas, and that you continue to feel better each day. Thinking of you every day - take care.

This Christmas is a bit weird for us - normally we have at least one day to do our Christmas shopping in one of the big towns inland. This means travelling for about two hours each way, so it is a very full day. However, this year because OH just hasn't been well enough to do this, it hasn't happened. Consequently, we have had to rely on local small town shops
for anything we need. That's ok for our personal requirements, food ect, but hopeless for buying gifts for anyone.
We did manage to buy for the local children, but our daughter, her husband,and our grand daughter will have to make do with money this year (tragedy) being a traditionalist I like parcels, and gifts with a bit of thought and imagination. I am rather upset I haven't been able to get the Duchess anything special, as is my custom. I know that she understands how we've been fixed, but even so it saddens me. I will make it up to her when I can, but it's not the same is it.

My brother-in-law has been trying to get home from Hong Kong since Sunday. He was booked on a direct flight from Hong Kong to Heathrow, but after a sixteen hour flight, landed in Amsterdam due to the chaos at Heathrow. Waited ten hours in Amsterdam for a connection, and then that flight was diverted to Manchester. Upon arrival at Manchester it was announced that nobodys luggage was on the flight. He then stood in a queue for 90 minutes to fill a form in to say where his luggage, if and when found ,was to be sent to.
He was then unable to get a train from Manchester to North Wales due to chaos on the railway system. He is currently somewhere in North West England trying to get home. Meanwhile his wife is running around the shops looking for some clothes for him to wear, as all his clothes are in his luggage, along with everyones Christmas presents,
Oh happy days - what a joy to go travelling..........

Linda....... I hope your daughter arrived safely from London.

Tec

Good morning/evening all. I am here but am awaiting news of my lovely friend Jean so forgive me if I don't make much of an appearance. Love to you all.

Sue xx

Sue - Have PMd you

Tec

Sue - it will be peaceful. Paliative care is wonderful these days. It's just so sad.

Good morning Allan. I noticed what you said about BigW changing their displays already. The big stores don't miss a trick. Now that most people have finished shopping, they concentrate first on the 'after Christmas sales' for which they have stock which hasn't even been released yet - it has been kept back for the big rush on Boxing Day - and then, all the clothing and stationery for back-to-school, and as soon as school starts, they concentrate on Valentine's day and so on....

Having just been through this, I know how sad it is, but as Berona said the care is wonderful

Good evening'morning all

Just a bit of trivia but Australia and the Far East will experience a rare double blue moon next year, with one in January (1st and 30th) and again on those dates in March.

Tec, I do hope that your brother-in-law makes it home safely. As if the normal Christmas travel wasn't bad enough, the weather conditions must be wreaking havoc.

Good morning to Berona, Carole, Alison, Janet and Sue

Good evening to Diane and Linda

And G'day to any one that I have missed

Allan

Oops, sorry Tec, I did'.t see your long post. Your poor brother in law, I do hope that he gets aback soon. OH has travelled the world without his clothes,so sympathises.

I am sure that the Duchess is just happy to have your care and devotion. Keeping her safe is all that matters

The double moon sounds good Allan, does that mean lot's of strange creatures?

My daughter did arrive safely and i am now using my new laptop as they have sorted it out for me. I am just frantically trying to remember all my log ins

Linda, in my case I'll probably be more manic than ever with two full moons in a month.

Mind you, it only happens once in a blue moon!!

Berona, certainly the stores work to a different calendar, than the rest of us. Ours is based on Astronomical data, theirs on Financial gain!

Allan

Good Morning Berona,
Good Morning Allan
Good Evening Linda,

Brother in law arrived home eventually, after 38 hours travelling, worn out, freezing cold, and starving.........without his undies...........

Hope you are all well - Linda, how is your nose? not still glowing I hope, glad your daughter arrived safely. You will feel liberated now that your laptop is up and running, and your OH will not be lonely now.

Berona, Have you got it all in now? no more trips into the mayhem?

Allan, I hope that your good lady is feeling better now, and that she hasn't presented the bug to you - Quasi-Modo with a cold would have the 'ump

Tec

My nose is still leading the way. It is lovely having the family here, but now they want cups of tea,so off i go. back in a while

Good evening Tec.

So far I have managed to avoid the lurgy. I'm glad that your BIL made it home safely

My OH and myself were called scrooges yesterday by my daughter!

My OH told her that in the local supermarket there were ham bones (hocks) being sold for $1.99 a kilo. These still have plenty of ham on them, enough for a ham salad or sandwhich each. Even then there is still some meat left on them so we have frozen the remains to use for soup once the weather cools down.

The average weight is just over a kilo

We just think that we are being thrifty!

Allan

Allan,
That is not being a scrooge - that is being sensible - young people do not know about such common sense buys and economies.

My daughter is a dreadful food "snob"

Tec

Tec,

Usually my daughter is pretty good and is certainly careful with money. I think that she may have been teasing OH, as she has definitely inherited my sense of humour

Allan

They are all tea'd up.
Allan as you know I am all for home cooking. I am horrified by lots of the younger generation who think that cooking means putting a ready meal in a microwave. I made sure that both of mine could cook

Linda, both of ours can cook. They always liked helping me in the kitchen and as my son saw me cooking and making bread (the old fashioned way!) he never had any hangups or prejudices about cooking

Allan

Allan,
My daughter also inherited my bizarre sense of humour - we have the capacity to "lose it" and go hysterical together, it only takes a look.

Linda.... I was cooking for a family at age 12, my mother was often in hospital at that time. That was four younger siblings, and a father who thought cooking was "womens work" and didn't know how.
Nobody ever died.

Tec

ooh "the old fashioned way". Tec, Allan is being disparaging about ourf bread machines