General Chat

Hi All,

I've got quite a lot to do today, so thought I'd have a quick look in before I start.

Lovely to hear from you Marilyn, and hope that you are feeling warmer.
Are you at home for Christmas? I know you told us what you are doing, but I'm afraid I can't remember what you said. Put it down to old age

Ann, it will be nice for you and T to have your daughter and son-in-law to stay for the New Year. When do you go to stay with your son and daughter-in-law? Richard our son, works for a well known music store in Windsor, he was telling us that the store seems to be doing okay despite the way things are in the country, so that's good considering the company closed a nearby store a few months ago.

Jean, hope you have almost finished all the decorating, and that you have managed to put your Christmas tree up. We put ours up yesterday evening, didn't feel like bothering, but we are having all the family for Christmas, so I had to make the effort.

Mo, how are you getting on with all the jobs to be done in your house? I hope they have now finished putting the new boiler in for you. Are the family coming to you for Christmas?

Well I'd better get on with some jobs! Speak to you all later.

Love, Sallie.xx

this stupid site, I wrote a long message to you all and the thing just disappeared....


Hi Marilyn, Ann, I remember. when I was little we had an open fire, it was lovely and warm, but when you moved away from it it was so cold we didnt have central heating in those days....I hope Mo has her heating sorted strange how things break down at the wrong moment, just when the cold weather worsens.... so hope she is managing to keep warm...miss her when she isnt around, I was thinking when we had the original thread on, so many folk came and shared with us, I felt it brought us all closer together, we became a lovely cyber family , and there were a
few peeps who said how lonely they were and it was great to be part of it all.... so for all the srangers who became friends. it would be lovely to hear from you again, I pray that you all have the best Christmas ever and an even better New Year, much love to you all, counting our blessings and remembering those who dont seem able to do that...J and I want to thank you for the love and support you have given us over the last year,

much love Jean xx

Hello,my lovely friends. Just to let you know,I have still not got my lappy back,so I am this dratted thing again.
Our heating was finished by lunch time.We went shopping at 12.00,came back at 2.OOp.m,and the house was cold. We tried to reignite the boiler,but no good. Plenty off hot water,but no heating.We rang the company,and they sent out a fitter,and guess what,we have a faulty part. Thank the lord we have got the gas fire still,or we would freeze to death.
We have had snow today,it's not laid thank goodness..
Hope you are all well. Cant say much as this flipping lappy is throwing me all over the place.
Bye for now. Love and miss you all. Mo xxx

Hello everyone. Well girls,the heating is back on,thank goodness,I just hope and pray it stays on now. No snow here just yet,but according to the forecast,we are due some overnight. So guess who wont be going out tommorrow.
Very quiet here tonight,all on my own. Son has gone to his works christmas party,Roly out to darts,so it's just little old me,able to watch what I want on the telly. And guess what nowt much on,thats typical.
I hope you are all well,and nice and snuggly wrapped up in the warm.
Take care off yourselves,speak to you soon. Love and best wishes Mo xxx

Hi, Mo, so pleased you have some heat, its quite cold here and there has been a flurry of snow.... I have great problems with snow and ice, I tense up when walking which is a recipe for falling...so hope it doesnt last long otherwise I wont be going out....lol... how is Roly doing, hope he is o.k.
what have you got planned for Christmas? we have a few outings organised which is nice , meal out Christmas Eve, and also New Years Eve...the pub we eat at is very good and the Christmas meal is very good value, J and I have been today, and I had turkey, roasts, veg.,stuffing yorkshire pud wonderful gravy best I have ever tasted...J had beef with all the trimmings, pot of tea for two £13...so good... the Christmas menu is £10.50, but it includes menu choices and starter and dessert, tea or coffee. so something to look forward to...

Hi to everyone , Sallie, Debbie, Sue Liz ,Marilyn, Ann, not forgetting our lovely friends Marie and Huia, and nearly forgot Sylvia in Canada... hope everthing is running smoothly for you all... off to put the tree up and some decorations...speak again soon...

love Jean xx

Hi all,
Sallie, we go to our son's on Christmas Eve and come home the day after Boxing day (Sunday).

Very cold wind here today, we went into town as I had a chiropodist appointment, my face was frozen when we got home.

I am hoping the weather is not too bad here tomorrow as Daff is coming for the day, her OH is dropping her off.

Hope you are pleased with your tree Jean and glad you are warm again Mo.

Hi all


having had snow and freezing temperatures ....... we now have pouring rain and temps around 10C!

I well remember those days of having an open fire and no central heating! But the house we moved into when I was 11 not only had an indoor bathroom .............. someone had also installed gas fires in 2 of the bedrooms.

Of course, as the youngest child, I got the bedroom over the hall which didn't have a fire. It got flippin' freezin' in that room! Although Dad did get me a little electric fire one particularly cold winter.

My brother married a year after we moved, they came to live with us, but after they left about 18 months later ........ i got to move into "his" bedroom.

Dad was lovely ................ he had to leave for work about 6 am, but he would take Mum a cup of tea in bed and turn on the gas fire so she could get up in the warmth. Then he would creep into my room and turn on the gas fire for me!


I'm afraid I'm spoiled now! We don't have the heating on very high ..... we have it set at around 20C, most people have it about 25C. We actually have friends who bring an extra cardigan with them because they find our palce too cold. It's the ability to move around the house without freezing that I like.


I think we now have most things done. I've got to get OH to pack a small parcel to send our daughter and her husband ... they wanted money to buy something special this year from a place in their town this year. I know what they wanted ..... but it was far easier to give them the money, than for me to try to order it on the web! But I do like them to have something to open on Christmas morning.

Then I've got to organise which presents for who to go north with us ................ and think about clothes to take! We elave next Tuesday and will be away about a week.

take care everyone
xx

Hi Everyone,

I did a Christmas dinner yesterday for my family and it went very well,I bought a bottle of Champagne ...(very rare)...
Anyway today I made a stew with the Turkey carcass , and it was so delicious plenty of vegetables ,and put whatever I could find that made it srummy , marmite, tin of lentil soup, stock cubes ,anything !! LOL I wont remember any of the ingredients ever again !!

So I might even freeze some for a later day.

It has been really sunny here in Devon, but its turned cold tonight .
I noticed some of you have had snow......please don't send it my way.

Hubby has the flu .....and don't I know it , He will NOT go to bed, so I could end up with the same even though I have had the flu jab ,but at least I WILL go to bed ,no problem there ..LOL

Bye for now to give his Lordship a mug of hot lemon.

Marilyn xx

Sorry I deleted I messaged twice ....Marilyn x

Hi All,

Sorry I haven't had time to 'speak' over the last couple of days. Between trying to get extra jobs done and we've had a few visitors, it's been a bit chaotic here.

Ann, hope the weather is okay there and that Daff has arrived safely. Please give Daff my love, and hope you both have a good day. We had some snow yesterday, which is still down, although we haven't had any more, it's very cold here.

Mo, how are things with you? I hope your heating is now working as it should be. I'm hoping the weather will be alright tomorrow, as we are going accross to Stoke-on-Trent to meet Alyson, so that we can exchange Christmas presents. We are meeting in a pub we usually meet in, for lunch, so we're looking forward to that.

Jean, so pleased that things are getting right at home, and that you are feeling a bit better. Did you get your Christmas tree decorated? Hope J and your daughter are both okay. Alun and I are going down to S. Wales on Wednesday to deliver the Christmas presents, and also to take the Scrapbook to my mothers cousin. I'm afraid it's a bit late for her birthday, but I wanted to give it to her myself, so that I can see her reaction when she opens it. I didn't want to send it through the post in case it got lost or damaged.

Marilyn, is your hubby feeling any better? I hope you don't get it, too! Not sure if you are home for Christmas or going away.

Sylvia, you reminded me of my own childhhood, we use to have a little electric fire in the bedrooms. My mother use to switch them on a short while before our bedtime, so that mine and my brother's room were warm when we went to bed. We thought it was wonderful!

Huia, hope all is well with you. We haven't heard from you for a while.

Marie, how are things with you? I hope the bushfires have stopped now.
I bet the children are getting really excited now, waiting for Santa to come.

Still haven't heard anything from Debbie, ii's not like her at all. Just hope everything is okay with her.

Liz, how are things with you? Hope you've finished your Christmas shopping. I've still got one present left to get for Jennie and Michael, but have to wait for Alun to take me to the Garden Centre to get it. So hope it will be over the weekend.

Sending Good Wishes for Christmas to Sue and Grace.

Well, I'll speak to you all soon.

Love and best wishes, Sallie.xxx

Hello Sallie, yes I managed to get the tree up, you would laugh if you saw it,
3ft inc the angel on the top, 20 inches at the widest point, so I never take the decorations off I just pop into a wide bin bag just as it is, adding one or two new bits and pieces, it stands on a table in the window area, my lights went last year so now i am going to buy some of the tiny led lights, I have a candle arch in the window, the two look nice together, and only takes 15 mins at the most to put it up...lol....we also have some nice statues and lanterns from Germany and Austria around the room , little santas, tiny teddies, there is a 15 inch high knitted Mr Jolly Jingles , which I made years ago, he has become a family heirloom now....could do with a bit more wadding now so will sort that out....when D was younger and we used to have parties our tree was huge and lots of decorations everywhere. but that was a very long time ago, now I share everyone else
trees and festive stuff....

Come on Mo, get your finger out and get R to buy you a new lappy for Christmas, we cant have this silence from you, feels like part of us is missing.....hope the heating is working too....

Marilyn, do you have more than one Christmas meal? it all sounds lovely...

Hi, to all of you, sorry to hear about Liz and the fall she had, hope she soon feels better...

take care out there everyone, its lethal.....

love to all Jean xx

Hi Everyone,

Yes it is quiet without Mo...LOL

Jean I have always cooked a Christmas dinner for my brothers & sisters and my Dad and all their partners for the last 17years,usually about a week before Christmas.
Because I lived away from them all before that ,so its kind of making up time.

On Christmas day my eldest Son will cook us a dinner with my grandchildren.
Then on Boxing day I go to Norwich to my youngest Son and stay for a week .its when I see Purple Liz for a coffee. as she lives in Norwich.
So I see someone said she has had a fall ?
Well I will have to message her and see if she can meet me now...not sue if she is well enough.

In the New Year I'm off to Cyprus ....hopefully if the weather stays kind.

Now I'm off to find Liz now....
Marilyn xx

She said she was OK Marilyn, she has popped out to the shops in the car.

3ft is not that tiny Jean, my sister has a really tiny one because being on her own it is too much trouble to find somebody to get her other one down from the loft. And she goes off to a hotel for christmas anyway.

Hi Everyone,

Sorry to hear that Liz has had a fall, hope it wasn't too bad.

Jean, glad youv'e got your tree up--I like to put a tree up every year, it wouldn't seem like Christmas without a tree. Although, we are thinking of getting a smaller one next year, less work decorating it, but I like the tree we've got. I asked both Jennie and Richard if they would like it, but they both said it's too big, so we'll wait and see. My trouble is, I don't like getting rid of things, especially if they are good.

Ann, so pleased that you and Daff had a lovely day yesterday. Hope we don't get any snow before Christmas, so that it will be safe for all of you that have to travel.

Mo, we really miss you on here, shall be glad when your laptop is repaired. Are you all organised for Christmas? We've been to Stoke-on-Trent today, where we met Alyson and family, so that we could exchange presents. We had a bit of snow while we were having our lunch, but thankfully it didn't come to anything.

Marilyn, hope your hubby is feeling a bit better today, and that you haven't caught it off him.

Thinking of everyone and hope that all is well with you all.

Love, Sallie.xxx

Thanks Ann,

I did find her and sent her a message.

Marilyn x

Hello girls. I have missed talking to you all. And it's so nice to catch up on your news. Still on sons lappy,no news on mine yet.
We have been snow bound now for two days.We could not get the car off the drive first thing yesterday.Bad panic stations as Roly had to pick friends off ours,up from Gatwick Airport at noon. He managed to eventually
set off at 10.45,and got there at 12.15. He said the roads were a nightmare,once again lorry spray,the washer bottle ran out,and he popped into a garage to fill it up,but couldn't as the hose was frozen up.
I hope you ar all o.k. Got to go as son want's his lappy back.
Love to you all. Mo xxx

Hi all.~~~~~

I dont seem to have added for 9 days. A few days ago when I walked down the drive to our letter box I noticed some heaps of old leaves in the ditch at the side so moved them. BIG mistake. My eyes suffered again. They feel as if they are turning to jelly. As a result I have been feeling a bit sorry for myself. I am now using antihistamine eyedrops and tabs and they are coming right, but no more gardening for me, unless I am wearing goggles to protect the eyes. I am thinking of hiring some university students to clean up the garden. I havent done much since Phil went into hospital 4 months ago, and the long grass is really bad (except in the lawns which are mowed.) I will get the students to get rid of the long grass and replant one area in tree ferns and native shrubs to try to keep the grass down. The only problem is that we have an acre of land and I dont want to spend more than $200 on the students. Some of the land is already in native bush but whether the 12 hours will be enough to get the rest into shape I dont know. But if I can get the area around the house sorted it would be something.

****** HAPPY CHRISTMAS ****** everybody.

Huia.

Hi all

the sun is trying to shine at the moment. Makes a change from the rain of the last few days!!

We now have all the cards written and posted or delivered, parcels posted, and parcels wrapped or wrapping organised (I will put several them in gift bags rather than actually wrapping).

We leave on Tuesday morning to fly north to stay with OH's sister until the 28th. It will be cold (-20 to -30C is not unknown), and definitely will be a white Christmas. Lovely to look at ..... but I let the others go skiing on the ski hill or snowshoeing or whatever winter sport they want to do.

I will have a couple of books, and some knitting .................. daughter requested that I knit for her baby due in March, and I haven't yet started. I have to knit in any colour but blue or pink ........... which is what I do anyway. However, I have just been sorting out my knitting drawers. I knit a lot when we go up to the cabin in the summer ........ and I usually knit baby and toddler things, just because they're quick and easy. I do however hate sewing up .......... I discovered that I have at least 5 baby sweaters and cardigans in "final sew-up" stage just sitting there! All are for 6-9 months and older ..... so all I have to do is knit a couple of smaller sizes for her! I've decided on a couple of patterns, and have the wool sorted.

We haven't bothered putting up a tree or decorations. We always buy a real tree and usually put it and the decorations up on the weekend before Christmas and take them down on January 6. It really isn't worth it when we go away for Christmas, which seems as though it is every year now ................ we seem to be alternating between going to daughter's in Nova Scotia, OH's sister up north, and close friends on an island off the coast of BC. We've been going every other year to daughter .... but that may well change now after the baby, which will be our first grandchild.


Take care everyone, and keep warm
xxxxx

Hello all, , It sounds as though you are all ready for Christmas, I only have to Wrap some presents .I havent bothered to put my Xmas tree up this year .We are spending Xmas Night with Barbara & the girls so that when Abbigail( Our Early riser) gets up and finds all the Presents that Santa Has left we will all be there to enjoy the fun.I have some food shopping to do & to-day I am going to cook some meat for Kathleen.
Sylvia I hope you get up north safely have a lovely Xmas. Marilyn best wishes to you & Family.Huia that is a good idea to get the uni students to do the work Have a nice Xmas. Hi Sallie, there is always a fire burning some where,when we have such High tempsand the accompaning high winds I just pray that the poor firefighters will get a rest on Xmas Day. Hi Liz sorry to hear you have had an accident I hope you are better for Xmas .To jean all my love. And to Mo love to you and Roly must go as the page is doing its usual thing Jumping every where .
Merry Xmas to you All including Deborah Marie the red nosed Reindeer