General Chat

Mo perhaps you spelt Gym wrong and it might be Jim. **M**.:o)>pmsl.

Well what a lovely welcome but I'm not sure about that Jean one, lol, bet she's lovely really.
Sallie I will send it e-mail and if you will send yours too, sorry I've not pm'd you for a while but it has been difficult trying to do the smallest thing. I am supposed to be doing some cards this afternoon but can't get my head round them for the moment, does anyone else have blank moments when doing cards?
It's been bitter cold here today but lovely sunshine, now the sky has come over all white so we may get some more snow, we got quite a lot last night and we still had the lot we got on Sunday, if it goes on it will be quite deep.
Back to the cardmaking now.

Caz xx

Yes Caz, I have blank moments (not only when making cards Lol!!) But if I am card making and lack inspiration I make myself make just a simple one and then I find I get ideas from that

Ooooh Merlin, Marie loves going to her Gym,if it was a Jim she would want to be wined and dined by him. She's a lady dont ya know is our Marie.

Caz, we all have CRAFT moments dont we. ( Cant Remember A Flippin Thing ) even though I don't make cards.
I wonder just how many of us, go upstairs for something,and get up there and can't remember what we have gone up there for.

Look how quiet it is, Jean must be busy again making yet more cards.
Poor J, one of these days he will stand still,and Jean will mistake him for her one of her cards,and cover him in glitter or the likes. Luvs you Jean MWAH I love to tease you honey.

I hate to say it, but it's still snowing outside, oooh yuk,another day indoors tommorrow by looks of it.

It took my son,almost six hours to get to work. He arrived at 1.50p.m,and was told that they were closing at 3.00p.m
He is once again stuck in traffic,and god alone knows what time he will get home tonight.

Stay warm everybody. Love Mo xxx

Ann I have just made a birthday card for my brother in law, his birthday is tomorrow but I didn't realise it had crept up on me, I must say I am quite pleased with it, hope he is. I'll start Christmas ones again tomorrow too tired now.

Caz xx

Mo I'm not ignoring you but Anns was the last message when I sent mine. I forgot we didn't have any stairs a bit back, I asked hubby to take something upstairs for me, I meant the bedroom but forgot we have a flat now. I bet Jean is staying near the fire keeping warm.

Caz xx

It's o.k Caz no worries.

Too right I am Caz, as you know I HATE WINTER...... Mo, Jeff always gets glittered much to his disdain, but I tell you if you come to our house and dont keep moving I will stick a decoration on you.....lol...I love adding something glittery, what are you all having for tea? I know Ann and T is on lamb, Caz is having casserole we are having gammon, homemade chips, egg and beans, cheese and biscuits to follow, need some ideas for the rest of the week....
so you lovely lot give us a clue..... love Jean x
Btw, I have tablets from the doctor for vertigo, but always grateful for your suggestions thank you....

We had sweet and sour pork Jean. It was lovely and warming. No pudding though, thats fattening. Besides it leaves room for my cuppa and biscuits later, the biscuits are not fattening, they are wafers.lol

Hi Mo, and everyone
xxx

Joyce .. today will have been a hard day for you
(((xxx)))


Lovely to see you Caz ....... I'm the one in Canada, but I was born and grew up in Lancashire.

It rained all night here, and we woke up to a rain warning!

Sorry to hear of all the problems with the snow ........ I think we're going to be in for a bad winter all over. We had all that snow last week ...... and Vancouver doesn't often get snow, and very very rarely as early as November 19!

We're busy trying to do our cards and letters ..................... OH does a draft letter, I edit, add and change, andI find 3 or 4 photos to include. Then I do the set-up, and print off the number we will need. OH meanwhile signs the cards, writes Dear xxxx and signs the letter and may add a handwritten note. He also has checked the addresses and printed off the labels. He will pull out any ones that he thinks I might want to add to. Then he takes them all to the Post Office and mails them out.

We send out about 110 cards every year, and about 100 of them will contain a letter ....... which is why we stopped hand writing letters! It is the only way that we keep contact with a lot of our friends and family members ....... and so many of them are spread around the world now.

I haven't got into crafting cards, I just don't have that kind of mind ............... but we buy only from charities, usually UNICEF.

Daughter did start making cards a couple of years ago, and I've had some lovely cards from her. But I'm not sure how much time she has had this year with the little one.

MJ is doing fine ......... he cut 3 teeth last week (2 in one day), which means he now has 4. J said they came through with little trouble.

It is only 2 weeks today until we board the train in Vancouver to travel across to spend Christmas with them. It takes 5 nights and 6 days ..... so we arrive in Nova Scotia on Dec 19.

We just have a couple of things organised ..... including a physio appointment for me. But J is booking time for us to have a family photo portrait done of the 5 of us. She got some free coupons for it in a baby gift last March!

We board the train again on Dec 29, getting back to Vancouver on Jan 4 .............. we will spend New Year's Eve on the train somewhere in northern Ontario.



off to do something, not quite sure what!


keep warm everyone


sylvia
xxx

tonight's dinner will be cold roast chicken, sage and onion stuffing, greek roast potatoes

followed by icecream for OH (possibly), and soy dessert for me (imitation ice cream!!)

,


Hello Ladies,

Well it's snowing quite heavily here at the moment, Alun was about an hour late getting home from work, he says lot's of traffic all moving very slowly. Hope it will be better tomorrow.



Mo, how did you get on last night, I hope your team won.
Did the other team have far to travel? If they did, hope they got home okay in the snow.

I tend to sometimes forget what I've bought some people for Christmas. One year I had bought Jennie and Laura a jumper each, that they both had fancied, put them into a small case so that they wouldn't see them, and forgot all about them. I went out and bought them each something else, and gave them as their Christmas presents, which they both liked.

Come the April, got the case out to pack, because we were going to Richard's, wondered what was in it, and when I opened it I was surprised to see the two jumpers. lolol!!
,
Hope Roly's new glasses are alright. I think it's the same with a lot of things these days, they tell you a day when something will be ready, and it's usually days after before it is ready.



Caz, I'll pm you my address. Don't worry about not sending me a pm, I knew you were not well enough to be on the computer, and when you started to feel a lot better, you would be in touch again. I didn't pm you either, because I didn't want you to be snowed under with pm's that you were unable to answer.

Yes, I have plenty of blank moments when making cards, and like Ann, not only when making cards.lol!

I hope that Phil is managing to get to work and home again in this snow.




Ann, I hope the snow will clear and keep away for you and T's three days
away. I'll be keeping my fingers crossed for you.

What a good idea when we get blank moments, I'll have to try that, in fact I think you've already me told. Once I get my head around it, there's no stopping me then.




Jean, glad to hear that your vertigo isn't as bad some days as others. Take care and don't go out in the snow and ice, unless you have to. If this snow keeps on, I don't think we'll be going shopping tomorrow. I've also made arrangements to go and do some more Christmas shopping on Thursday and Friday, so will have to wait and see how the weather will be.

Hope that D isn't having too much trouble getting to work in the snow and ice. Pleases tell her to take care, and if it's too bad, to stay at home. Sorry I seem to be giving you a lot of orderslolol!! It's all said in concern for you both.



Joyce, not a very good day for you I know. We are all here for you, and ready to listen and help you.

Have you made some more Christmas cards lately? I've got a couple of more birthday cards to make as well as more Christmas cards. As soon as I've finished this, it's back to card making.

If you've had your scooter, I hope you've been able to go out on it, with having snow. I bet your dog loves the snow, Jennie and Michael's dog goes wild in it, and he especially likes eating it.




Sylvia, I hope you and OH are both alright. Have you finished your Christmas shopping yet? I seem to be way behind with mine, this year.

It won't be long now before you'll see MJ again, I bet you'll see a difference in him from when you seen him in the summer. Oh, it's lovely, you and OH will be there for his first Christmas.

Sending lots of love and hugs to MJ. xxxxxx



Tess, I hope that you are okay, we haven't heard from you for a couple of days.


Huia and Marie, you are lucky to be having your lovely warm weather in NZ and Oz. As you've both read, it's very cold and snowy here in the UK.
Hope that you are both okay.


Marilyn, nice to see you posting on here, we miss you and all your news.
You know the saying " the more the merrier". Hope you are enjoying your holiday in warmer climes.


Linda, great to hear from you again. Have you got any snow in your part of Berkshire? My son Richard says that they had a bit of snow this morning, in Langley and a small amount again this afternoon.
Hope all is well with you and your family.



We haven't spoken before, so I would like to say hello to Merlin.


I hope I haven't forgotten anyone, I'll speak to you all tomorrow.


Love and best wishes. Sallie.xxx

Just a quick one before you all (except Marie) take to your nice warm beds. I will be going out soon, after doing breakfast dishes etc. Phils residence has a Christmas party on at 1pm - midnight your time.

I will see you all again when you wake up, if you can drag yourselves out of your warm beds.

Huia.

Just missed you all talking about what you are having for dinner, Tonight we had homemade cottage pie with carrots and peas, Really enjoyed it, the lean mince was what I bought from the butchers in Derby, their meat is really good.

Going to have a cuppa now and back to cardmaking.

Love, Sallie.xxx

I don't believe it girls. My son has had to abandon his car on the motorway. He and his boss, tried to dig it out and couldn't. So his boss is bringing him home, I am just hoping his boss doesn't break down now.

Mo, he should have turned round and gone home when you said shouldn't he. I hope he now gets home safely and that his car is safe when he goes to retrieve it.

Sallie, that was a long post!!!! Your shepherds pie sounded lovely, one of my favourite meals. Trouble is I always make too much potato and of course can't bear to leave any so not a good meal for losing weight. There was some lamb left off the half shoulder. I shall let it get cold and remove the fat then see what to do with it, might make a curry with it tomorrow.

Jean, glad you have some medication for the vertigo.
Caz, so you got over your block on making cards then, hope your brother likes it.
Sylvia, I am sure you will find the train journey relaxing. Is it a fast train or does it stop a lot? Do you read on the train? It does seem a long journey. Presumably you have to buy meals on there as well. Will they do anything special on the train New Years Eve or will it just be a normal journey. (sorry for all the questions.)

Mo, I hope your son get's home safely, as you said, he should have turned round and gone home. Also hope that his boss gets home safely.

Where does your son work? It sounds as though he has a long way to travel. Bad enough at any time, but really awful in this weather.



Ann, we haven't had shepards pie for a long while, so it was a nice change. As they have a microwave at work Alun will take it to work tomorrow( weather permitting )and have it for his lunch.


Caz, glad that you got over your block, and were able to make a birthday card for your brother. I'm sure he will love it.


Love and best wishes. Sallie.xxx

Hello Sallie
Yes we had a light covering of snow this morning. Some cleared through the day then some flurries which sent some more. It only settled on the grass and green house but it is wet elsewhere. I do hope it doesn't freeze.
Hubby won't be home til 11:30 ish.

Hope everyone is keeping warm and safe

Linda :o) Xxx

Hi Ann

just happened to look back .......... and saw all your questions!

we find it very relaxing, especially in the winter.

There are actually 3 trains

1. Vancouver to Toronto, on The Canadian ..... 4 nights and 5 days. It leaves Vancouver at 8:30pm, and arrives at about 9:00 am in Toronto

2. Toronto to Montreal .............. leaves Toronto at about 11:00 am, and arrives in Montreal at about 5:00 pm the same day

3. Montreal to Halifax on The Coast ..... leaves Montreal about 6:00 pm-ish, arrives Halifax about 5:00 pm the next day


It travels about as fast as any trains do in Canada! It has a number of stops .. the main ones that you might have heard of being Jasper, Edmonton, Saskatoon, Winnipeg, Toronto ... but only one stop in each town. There are intermediary stops at towns, and one can arrange for the train to stop at a whistle-stop


Think of going on the Orient Express across Europe

All meals are included in the fare when you book sleeping accommodation on the train, and we book Business Class on the day train with meals included.

The food is FANTASTIC on The Canadian, it is prepared fresh in the train kitchen. That train also has coffee, tea, juices and water available all day and night, as well as cookies, snacks and fresh fruit.

The other two trains have meals prepared by companies, and they are a couple of levels above business class airline food.


We have no idea what they do on New Year's Eve .................. we're hoping something different! I was told by a crew member that they do get tourists coming specially to ride the train on New Year's


We take books, but I do a lot of knitting on there ....... and a whole lot of talking to other people, as we spend most of our days and evenings on The Canadian in the dome car and lounge. Or I just watch the scenery, and take lots of photos.



If you want to see what it is like, go to www.viarail.ca/en

Click on Trains, then select the train

If you click on Toronto - Vancouver, then on Train Cars, then on dining car, sleeping car or Park Car, you can even get a 360 degree view

You can even check out the menus for The Canadian ..... click on Classes, then Sleeper Touring Class tickets includes, then delicious meals


The stainless steel cars are the original cars, built in the early 1950s, at the height of cross-country train travel. They've been updated inside, within the last 10 or 15 years, but the carpets are beginning to look a little old again.

One English couple we met a couple of years ago on the train were just disgusted ....... the sleeping cabins were small, hair dryers were not supplied, etc etc

Mind you, they and their son and his family had refused to check any baggage .............. that meant they literally had no room to move in the cabin! You are told no more than 2 carry-on bags per person per cabin!



sylvia

Hi Sallie and Linda


you snuck in there while I was answering Ann!