General Chat

Good morning all ,from an over cast Blackpool ,in Lancashire ,where Fred and Liz are enjoying their first holiday of the year.
At the moment there are no trams running from fleetwood to blackpool,the tracks have to be changed to a deeper depth to take the new trams which are closed in and modern for use in the winter ,and early spring before the old trams come out for the tourist season.
The whole of the High Street in Fleetwood is under reconstruction at the minute ,and of course ,the shop keepers are not pleased because the lack of visitors is hitting trade hard,and as the disruption lasts until 2012 they are not at all happy.
The tracks running through the rest of the system are ordinary rail track and are fine,and i think Blackpools tracks were deeper to start with and won't need to be done [just as well methinks] the shop and stall holders there would lynch the council if they tore the roads up there too he he.
Time for a quick look at the other boards before i go for my walk.so i will see you all later on,Fred.

Hello All ,
Just pooped in to say you must have a look at Tony's Anzac tribute on the Topics Board, It is very moving.
Well done TONY.
Regards Marie.

Arvo....:>))

Seems ages since my last post.

Been busy...work, work, and more work, but i'm not complaining, as i will need a lot of spending money come our trip to Thailand ( Phuket ) coming up in a few months.
A few new pairs of shorts, shirts and the likes to keep me happy and going for a while, and soooo cheap over there.

Bit of a windy day in ol Melbourne town, but still receiving days over 24c..??????
I dont care what they say......but me bones tell me that something strange is going on with this planet. Wether its caused by mankind ( Ozone layer ) or just a natural mother nature change in the planets weather pattern....... but, to be still getting warm weather in the far south of Victoria( Melbourne ) at this time of the year.....somethings going on out there in the atmoshphere....lol
Only one month to go till the end of Autumn, and normally we are in long pants and jumpers by this time!!

Anyway......the warmer weather is still bringing the customers business in, and thats a good thing for me, as far as work is concerned...lol

Not much else happening, except the new Moggy ( kitten/cat ) who was aptly named "Bourbon"has taken over the house...lol
Daughter called him Bourbon, as we found him asleep one day as a kitten underneath my Grog Bar, and neatly wrapped around a bottle of Bourbon asleep on his back, tummy pointed skywards and legs spead out........with what looked like a grin on his face hee hee......:>))

He demands to be fed cooked chicken, followed by a saucer of milk, twice a day......and if he spots me making my favourite sardine or tuna sanga, he claws my leg, or does a figure eight through my legs until i submit.....or else trip me over....:>(( I have been forced to take my sardine sandwhich into the bedroom so i can eat in peace....lol

A blokes home is not his castle anymore ( sob )

Hope all is well with everyone, and now its back to work i go.


Av a good un.


Tony....:>))

Hello All,Lovely to see some posts, you have all been so slack lately ,never mind Tony, Allan , Sydney bloke, Mary,Badger & I have been keeping our end up.
Mary I am sorry to hear your Husband and also your brother are not well.
Hz, great to hear from you I had a big belly laugh when i read about you daughter,I had the same experence when our daughter went to uni, she got off the train and instead of being a natural blond she had Jet Black hair , and the weidest getup on, I almost died,& to make matters worse she informed me she was now a vegetarian ,& her father didn't notice the hair colour. Hz when are you going overseas?
Mary I am leaving on the 19th September.
Badger you are a scream, I get such a laugh when I read your posts. The white cabbage moths are still with us, a good frost will kill them off. I have been busy shoveling wet sand and garden soil it has taken me 4 days to do it
and to-morrow it will be compost.
My Chrysanthemum's are in bloom,I only have two color,s White and Maroon, they had done so well I am going to add a few more colours, here in Oz they are called the mother's day flower or the May flower.I often get wet when hosing it is such a shock when the water hits you, I am inclined to use the word that is short and starts with S---.The Fire place sounds Lovely.Did I tell you I have a large Native Garden? also a small Japanese garden,the native garden is where all the soil sand & mulch went.
Laurie nice to hear from you.
Merle you must be very busy with your Jailbirds,LOL I hope you are still enjoying the Job.
Tony that holiday in Puket must be happening soon?
What is the weather like in Adelaide Cowgirl June?
Badger when did the Volcano in Iceland erupt, I have been so tired after all the shoveling and carting down to the garden I could only manage to feed myself and then fall into bed.
Well folks I must away my bed is calling me, you can probably hear it, so Cooee to you all, MARIE.

morning chasps,and ladies ,looking coolish and damp here this morning in the north east of England ,and looks like an early shop in case the wind shifts [re the Icelandic volcano eruption ] we ain't too far south of it ,lol,and dust like that Liz dosn.t need on her lungs.
All the scottish airports are already closed ,and i havn't heard any aircraft out of ,or into Newcastle yet this morning ,so we may be grounded as well.
I got the youngest son sorted yesterday and he is now the proud owner of a genuine ,antique fireplace ,an Adam marble job ,that his dad in law was going to smash up and skip [perish the thought] and must be worth a good few dollars in any currency.
Got on well with the two front flower beds as well ,and they are weeded and planted for the season now,and i ran the hose out last night and left it lying on the lawn ready for this morning,so ,i was out front at 6 a m sharp.he he.
I did haave one slightmishap this a m though,lol,whose the daft b****r who didn't make sure the hose head was connected to the sprinkler properly ,lol, who turned the tap on ,and walked to the lawn ,cuppa in the left hand and bent down and picked the hose up ,and who got a facefull of water as i pressed the trigger ,Fred ,that,s who ,he he,water all over me ,freezing cold and the hot cuppa wasn't so hot any more ,half full of water,and half my tea on the lawn.
Cor ,tell you what though ,on a coldish morning ,a gish full of very cold water wakes you up in a flash .
I gave the garden a bit of a spray but concentrated mainly on the lawn itself to make sure all the feeder is well into the soil where it will kill all the green stuff but not the grass.
I am pretty chuffed now ,as i only have the three big borders to weed and plant out front ,and both the gardens are sorted ,leaving only the hedges which only need done four times in the season anyway.
I came in at half six ,repainted the kitchen door before taking the missus her cuppa up,so ,apart from the downstairs carpets and dusting that's it for the day ,done and dusted if you will pardon the pun.
Hope the bro is going to fair a lot better while he is with you Mary, but ,the relapse dosn't sound too bad seeing as he is home so soon again.
It is a problem these days when hospitals are so busy and tend to shunt patients home a bit sooner than they used to because of bed shortages.
mary ,i think you are a bit behind the times with the rates ,he he,£1800 a year now for band A so B will be nearer £2500.
Thank the lord that we goon house size here and not the land size ,in the towns ,or i would be in band C instead of A,course ,you lot over there are spoilt rotten he he ,the biggest average houses in the world compared to out caravan sized properties, i know i got such a shock when i saw the size of houses and bungalows in Cyprus,heck i would love one that size here at Their prices ,still ,i can count myself lucky that i managed a mortgage on my wages and now have my own home ,which will be sold off when we depart this mortal coil ,and the money given to the kids.
We are going shopping today ,mainly for veg and staples like milk [ long life] ,in case the wind does shift,and we will then stay in the warm.
Think i will fill the car up on the way home ,which will cover the next week and the trip to Blackpool leaving us ,only to fill up before coming home the following weekend.
Hope everyone is having a good day ,catch you later,Fred.

Hi everyone..Hope you are all well.. I have been a tad busy as my big brother had a relapse and was taken back to hospital in a ambulance..He only had 4 days at home and was back to Westmead..so have been busy visiting him again..Well he was allowed home yesterday and so far so good,,He looks a lot better than the last time he went home so hope this time he stays healthy..He is coming to me tomorrow for a weeks R and R and I will feed him up and get him back to his old self again..I will have 2 old crocks to look after now and they can compare walking sticks..hee hee hee..Brother John is still very weak and need the stick to get around..

Not long now June.. are you packed...

Marie When are you off.. all these people travelling makes me jealous..lol

Merle How are you my lovely..hope you are keeping well..

Fred Hope you are not dirtying my Chalet.. We might be able to rent it out and make some money..whats a Band B charge these days..was 12 to 14 pounds last time I was in the UK..25years ago.lol

Been busy today getting everything done before Big Brother arrives so better get back to it..

Anyone going to the National Archives in Kew when overseas..???

Love Mary xxx

Hello everyone,
Ages since I dropped by but I have had a couple of GR contacts in the
last two weeks, I only left one of the greats family trees on this site and lo and behold after two years I am getting interest, from NZ which is birthplace of OH...... when we get to UK it will be his side with the most interesting past lol , I get to go to look up Ag Labs in the Lake District and Kent, he gets to go to University Archives for anti-slavery activists and Greenwich Museum etc etc !
Mary we are all hoping for the best for your own John and brother John also, love and XXXX's my dear. ~~~ to Loz, grin gear pretty good here !
Marie your garden sounds great, you and the Badger comparing notes is
like 101 Veg Gardening for Novices LOL, I Love It ! On the weekend I
discovered aphids in the new buds on my gardenia, so squished and washed them off with the hose, Tonight OH and I did our garden walk and
revisited the gardenia and I had a thought, I pinched off the growing tips of some rosemary I had potted up, plus some thyme that had struck and put the nip pieces onto the bids of the gardenia. I will be very interested
to see if it deters the aphids just long enough for the new growth to harden. I am finally learning that timing can be everything in the garden,
it is wonderful to hear about your daily tasks Badger!
June your trip can't be too far away now, all the best for it, hope you uncover all kinds of delights! Safe Journey !
Tony you are such a treat to hear from, our Easter weather was pretty good here, some rain but smallish showers I think you got more down south.
We had DD come home from Uni for a 5 day break, it was lovely to see her, I had been pre-warned that she had a haircut and changed from long dark to funky blonde over dark with long at front and short at back, I sort of forgot to mention this to her Dad so I allowed him to rush into the terminal
to find her ( flight arrived early, I parked the car !! ) .......... she had to stand in his face and wave twice before he focused and recognized her !! One Of Those Moments!! The electric blue tights and silver moon boots no doubt threw him off also !! We then had a revolving door of teenagers in and out, woke up to bodies in the lounge and no milk in the fridge........
wonderful really, her peer group are all nice young adults finding their way. Best I go off to read the GR message tonight, and do the dishes ( well, I didn't cook, fair is fair !), Take Care everybody, ~~ Hz

Well ,hello to all,from 'tother Newcastle over the big pond,where Fred is getting ready to go to the foot clinic shortly,then taking the car through to Wallsend to pick up the youngest sons new fireplace for which i will get a fish and chip dinner for my efforts ,he he.
I am having to watch what i am eating in future,because i got my butt kicked good style when at the diabetic clinic two days ago ,ooooops ,i had let the background blood sugar level to go up to 8.4 and was told that if i carry on i will have to go on the dreaded needles ,hmmmmm, time to watch what i am doing methinks.
It isn't too bad ,and i think i can swing it round okay,but the biccies and pastry have to go,and i need to cut the size of the meals down a good bit,isn't it as well i love my fish ,salads and veggies he he.
Pastry is a real treat once a month it seems,but i am going to treat myself to a meat and potato pie [one] while in Fleetwood to see if they are the same.
I have found a diabetic savoury bicckie ,so i can have a couple for tea once in a while with my brown bread sarnie ,which i can stuff with Tuna,or Salmon,and my favourite brekkies of sardine on toast.or a nice Manx Kipper are safe ,so ,not the end of the world ,and with the veggie garden on the go again i can still eat well enough.
I was making my salad yesterday teatime when i slipped with the ,sharp prep' knife and cut the end [little piece] off my thumb ,lol,the knife being so sharp i didn't notice until i saw the bead of blood on the chopping board,oh well ,a little extra raw meat on the salad ,he he.
The kitchen is nearly finished,only a coat of paint [second] on the two doors ,and it's done.
The missus is already eyeing up the toilet so i think that must be next on the list,which will be interesting,so many pipes to paint along with the walls and door,which i reckon i may have to take off to do.
The missus has brought me a very nice ,compact electric sander for the big door areas but i am hanging on as i intend to leave the doors a few weeks to see if i get my loyalty bonus when i swap cars,£20 will pay for more paint ,and the three new panelled doors i need to finish the rooms off upstairs.and the new car has room enough in the back to take doors ,no bother.
The weather here is going backwards yet again grrrrr ,back to frosts in the early morning ,but thank goodness ,none of the veggies are in the buckets yet,apart from the three new Asparagus [two showing] and the rhubarb.and they are in sheltered parts and should be okay.
Marie ,try spraying your veggies with rose clear ,it is systemic ,and last's about a month before a respray is needed ,and it kills the moths ,and eggs,and the crawly things as well.
once you have sprayed them twice ,the season for the butter flies and moths are gone and the spray dosn't harm humans or pets and dosn't affect taste,he he ,i don't have many problems that way ,because my furry partner chases and eat's them [no accounting for taste ] lol.
Time to go and get ready now ,catch you later Fred.

Just popping the head in the door to say hello . . .
Hope everyone is well and giving the grin gear a good nudge . . :)

TLR has been in Jakarta for a couple of days . . but home in the morning, so that is good :)

L xo

Hi Tony, Allan & Badger,sounds like you all had a nice Easter mine was quiet but I got a lot of work done in the garden until it started to rain and boy have we had some rain in the past month. My rhodo's are starting to look a bit sick as they have been sitting in water, it just starts to dry out and down she comes again I am now hoping we get a week of warn weather and some wind.I am picking my dwarf beans and they are lovely,we have been having problems with cabbage moth my cauli and cabbage seedlings are like a sieve all holes I keep spraying the eggs but the rain keeps washing it off D---n it.
The nights are getting quite cool ,but it makes it easier to sleep.
I intended putting my Daffodils in at the weekend but ran out of time. The Jonquils are poking their heads up already.

What's this about running out of puff Tony and getting too old, No such thing its all in your mind,you might have to spend time at the Gym. I am in the University of the 3rd age and a good number of us Exercise 2 to 3 times a week, we have a great time and stay fit.
Badger you are sooo right these idiot politicians who say the planet isn't warming up, I have been on this earth since 1939 and this is not like it used too be, we used to have 4 seasons not any more.I will now hop off my soap box. LOL
Time I left and cooked some Grub. Cheers to you all ,
Marie from Bathurst.

Sounds as though every one had a good Easter over there in oz ,lol,even Tony, he he, who has joined Fred with the liniment after a good day's graft in the garden ,don't think i could manage even a dribble with a ball now mate,never mind a high kick ,i would do myself a mischief and no mistake.
Did well though the lawn edge trimmed out back ,and the first cut of the front lawn,together with a good bit of tidying up and stacking bricks after the builders left.
The whole rendering of the gable end to the tiles has been done,and the chimney reduced to half it's height and what is left re pointed ,and the pot and bird cowl replaced.
The lads brought 6 tiles with them ,and used two to replace broken ones while they were doing the stack,so ,at £310,for the complete job i am well satisfied,the whole of the house outside has now been seen to ,and all that's left is the decorating inside that is one huge result and a fair old bit put on the value of the property.
The weather is improving now ,so i can get out into the garden and get my Rhubarb plant sorted properly yum yum ,i sense crumbles in the offing,more so as i can now have a change from apple.
The son is coming today which gives me the chance to use up the last of the turkey crown ,i reckon a nice Thai red curry for dinner with steamed rice and naan bread.
See the Canadians are complaining about the lack of snow they had over the winter ,he he ,not suprised ,the B*****s sent it all over here lol,seems like some areas [not all] have had the smallest average snowfall ever recorded,which goes to show , the weather globally is indeed changing ,wonder if your snowfields will increase this year ? the skiers would love that i reckon,and it would help relieve the water shortages next spring too.
Well ,time to go and get the bins in[so that i can fill it up again] as soon as i start on the hedges ,though i may keep a little to mulch the rhode' with ,as it's budded up very nicely.
Noticed out front yesterday that my daff's are out at last ,and the bushes are budding up ,even the small border is showing what may well be Bluebell leaves [fingers crossed].
Catch you later everyone ,Fred

Arvo....:>))

Had a great Easter break with kids and grandies.

Eldest grandson bought his football along to Gumbuya park, to have a kick with his pop. Think he will be a natural AFL footballer when he grows up. Quick as a flash he was, bouncing the Footy on the run......... and took all my efforts to catch him ( puff - pant )....hee hee
Tried to kick him a few high balls, so he could take a few spectacular marks, but me legs and back and mind wouldnt all co-operate together...:>((
I was fine till the next morning, when i tried to get our of bed, and then it hit me. Blimey!!...i'm not a teenager anymore....lol
Thank the Lord for Tiger Balm liniment....hee hee

Still getting warm weather in the South -East ( Melbourne ) and was 27c yesterday ( Tuesday ) We have hit a record ( weather wise ) for us southerners, so they tell us, and has been over 20c everyday since we hit Spring last year in Sept..2009... Not bad for the normally Cooler south.
Still getting rain, but its appears more Uummmm semi tropical, rather than cold wetness, and still havent put on a jumper or coat .? ( Strange.... since we are now moving into mid Autumn )


G'day Allan.
Hope you had a nice easter too...mate


Lunch time here, so some sardines on toast sounds just about right.



Av a good un.



Tony...:>))

Hello all, just popped in from WA.

I hope that you are all well and had a good break over the Easter break.

Allan

Greetings all . . long tme no see . . :)

Just hopping off the roundabout for a minute to pop in and say hello.

Hope all are well and that an enjoyable Easter was had by all

Keep the grin gear working

L xo

Happy Easter to all.......

cool day here in Adelaide, had a dawn service in the church cemetry followed by hot cross buns for breakfast ..

had the family (or whats left of them around the place) for roast lunch then the darlings mowed the back lawn for me before heading off to "do their own thing"

Mary, glad to hear that your brother is home form hospital and recovering slowly, you cant get better in hospital......to noisy!!

Its exactly 4 weeks today and we leave on our big trip, started sorting out the clothes, shoes etc and all the extras we will need for that lenght of time.

so wont be planting any winter vegies this year as no one left home can be trusted to look after them!!

went up to our new block yesterday to plant more trees to cover for the ones we had to remove to put in the new driveway.

Hope you all have a safe and restful weekend, and just as much chocolate as is reasonable to eat!!

love to all June (CG) xx

Happy Easter to all...

Ian Lovely to see you and enjoy the grandies..

Fred..I will have to start charging you rent on my chalet if you are going to grow so many veg in it..

Marie Good to see you back and the pending trip sounds lovely..lucky you..

Having a lovely restful day after a busy few days..its dull and showery which is so nice when you dont have to go out in it..

Dont eat to many chocky eggs..think of your figure..hee hee hee..

Love Mary xxx

Hi All,

A Happy Easter to you all.
Just to confuse you all I'm using my stepdaughter's site as I'm spending Easter with her and the grandchildren.
Must go now - we have visitors.

Regards

Ian

Morning to all ,and a Happy Easter to one and all,from a very damp north of england where the sun is shining [not].
I even managed to find my runner bean seeds yesterday,a variety called Polestar ,which i grew a good few years ago in my allotments,a high yield fast growing sort which are stringless,so i should have plenty for the freezer,at the end of the growing season.
The red potatoes i had such high hopes for in the other barrel were a waste of time ,the only potato producing any tubers at all being Charlotte [again ],so that's all i will be growing in the future.
I have the area around the back kitchen door where the plaster was loose repaired and damp proofed now ,so on Tuesday i will put a strip of paper in and leave it for a few hours before re emulsioning the whole wall so that it matches in.
It looks like my Garmin sat nav has at last come up with an update three months since the last one ,so i will get that updated seeing as i will be away in little over three weeks,he he ,the roads in this country change so much in a few weeks that i could land up taking a wrong turn somewhere on the country roads ,which gets me hot and bothered getting lost in my own backyard .lol.
I can't get much done in the garden because of the weather ,but i did go into the chalet this morning early on ,to find all the brassica showing through,the beetroot and sweet peppers ditto.and even two tomatoes showing their heads ,it looks like i may be getting a good season for a change ,the trees are loaded with bud ,both apple and plum,and the rhubarb will be through shortly,and that will give me fruit as well,along with the strawberry.
I was hoping for the first B B Q of the year over the weekend but the weather is lousy so i have put that idea on hold for now ,he he ,back to the drawing board.
Off now to get some veggies prepared for the dinner,but i don't yet know what to put with them,but ,there is plenty in the freezer ,so i will find something lol.
Catch you all later ,Fred.

Hello All, Yipeee I can post once more have no idea why it would'nt work and I never got a reply from GenesReunitedI can hear you saying ,Yes that would be right.
Since I have been unable to post we have had a large amount of rain last week, the water is still oozing through the brick work around our gardens I am a little worried about some of my native plants as it is very wet still, to-day is only the second day of sunshine for over a week.
Mary good news about your brother. I am having Easter at home the family went to Condoblin to visit with Brians Mum .
Sebastian is at home as he will be doing assignments and he has to work the next 3 days so I will be cooking for him.
Badger my beans the dwarf ones are producing beans and my capiscums are still producing, it probably wont be for long as the nights are becoming very cool.
I made a nice Rhurbarb and Apple Dessert last week we usually have it with Custard or Icecream but I served it with cream mixed with mascarpone lovely but very rich.
I hope you are well Colin ,also Tony .Badger I hope you get a good summer this year.
I and my friend Barbara are going to Italy on the 19th of September we have been talking about it for years we finally made the decision to go before we end up being too old to get around.
Mary are you planning any visits to Orange in that lovely new care of yours?? Let me know if you are and I will put the kettle on. Must go Kindest Regards Marie

Happy Easter to all..

Colin.. I am with you about our winter,, Its just so good and all I add to my clothing is a jumper..I cant take the heat of summer any more,,must be getting old...LOL..

Fred.You and Liz would love our winter,,no snow and sleet..and no frost in Sydney either,,though I dare say its not like that for Marie..she gets the lot..

Good news on the family front..My lovely big brother is now home from hospital and is resting and getting some much needed sleep..Being 6ft2inch he found his legs hanging over the end of the bed in the hospital and he just didnt sleep..

Hope Marie is able to sort out GR and can get back in..

Tony Enjoy your BBQ..sounds lovely..

Enjoy your break and hope all are well..

Love Mary xx